Continuing Careers of Ex-Mets, 2010

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ceetar wrote: I get a little fuzzy about other times, but Benitez has been the Marlins closer before right?

Hell, yeah! Many New York bashers are amnesiac about that season (2004), coming directly after his Met/Yankee/Mariner one. He not only had his best year (2-2, 47 saves, 1.29 ERA, 62 strikeouts and 21 walks in 69 2/3 innings), but he absolutely murdered the Mets, getting a record 11 saves against them while posting a 0.68 ERA in 13 innings. He got no Cy Young support (Gagne and Lidge --- who pitched more innings, but didn't put up as miniscule an ERA or notch as many saves ---did), but he finished 23rd in MVP voving.

He was simply Mandoriffic.

[Fman99]

I might be able to make my peace with the imminent Marlins-Valentine marriage if he promises to use this guy as his closer. The Marlins' search for relievers has led them back to Armando Benitez. They plan to sign the long-time closer and assign him to Triple A, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Spencer notes that Benitez will likely be in uniform for the New Orleans Zephyrs tonight, assuming he passes his physical (Twitter link). It was apparent that the Marlins were looking for relief help, but this agreement is a definite surprise. I get a little fuzzy about other times, but Benitez has been the Marlins closer before right?

He was an all-star there, in fact, immediately upon leaving the Mets. It was his last effective season -- he then went to SF and turned back into a pumpkin.

OE: Not immediate, he went briefly to Seattle first, my bad. It was the following full season, 2004.

[Guest Edgy DC]

He went to the Yankees before that! Come on, people!

[seawolf17]

Amnesiac?!? Hell no. I still have nightmares about it. The Mets couldn't hit him; it was unreal. It was that season that spawned my hatred for all things Marlinian.

[Frayed Knot]

I remember when he was in Miami all the FAN-iacs telling us that he'd never pitch well against the Mets on account of that NY-phobia thing he had.
Then when he did the story changed to where he wouldn't pitch well against the Mets IN NYC ... and that quickly fell to pieces too.
I suppose the story eventually wound up where he couldn't pitch against the Mets, at Shea, late in the season or something nit-picking like that, but after about 7 straight saves most of them had shut up.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Oh you forget too. They shut up until, like, two years later, when the Mets had a comeback against him and the Giants, and the common line was that "We all knew it was going to happen as soon as the brought Benitez in," even though he had had a save for them against the Mets the night before.

[G-Fafif]

The last time we saw him was pretty sweet. It is, literally, a Mets Classic (aired about 4,000 times on SNY to date).

[Fman99]

G-Fafif wrote: The last time we saw him was pretty sweet. It is, literally, a Mets Classic (aired about 4,000 times on SNY to date).

Ah, the balk-off win. What a great game that was.

[G-Fafif]

Casey Fossum is pitching and blogging Japanese style. Also, Jon Heyman's reporting he'll be managing the Marlins any day now.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Matt Watson, called up by the Athletics for his third cuppa.

What's the deal with the AL West? Oakland is eight games in back of a bankrupt team.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Louisville Bats, loving their Sargelet.

[MFS62]

Louisville Bats, loving their Sargelet.

And he's still being remembered my his ex fellow major leaguers:
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/joba-chamberlain-is-the-most-overrated-player-say-other-players.php

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Indians, who claimed Anderson Hernandez from the Mets at the end of Spring Training, have DFA'd him, so if you are unsatisfiied with Justin Turner, we may get a chance to claim him back for a third trip around the park.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: The Indians, who claimed Anderson Hernandez from the Mets at the end of Spring Training, have DFA'd him, so if you are unsatisfiied with Justin Turner, we may get a chance to claim him back for a third trip around the park.

Its a possibility.
With Castillo about to rejoin the Mets, someone will have to be sent down. Tejada is the only other true shortstop on the Mets to backup Reyes. But if they want to send him back down for more seasoning, Hernandez might be the guy they'll sign.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yeah, no.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

MFS62 wrote: Edgy DC wrote: The Indians, who claimed Anderson Hernandez from the Mets at the end of Spring Training, have DFA'd him, so if you are unsatisfiied with Justin Turner, we may get a chance to claim him back for a third trip around the park. Its a possibility. With Castillo about to rejoin the Mets, someone will have to be sent down. Tejada is the only other true shortstop on the Mets to backup Reyes. But if they want to send him back down for more seasoning, Hernandez might be the guy they'll sign.

Turner was drafted as a shortstop-- playing about as much there in the minors as Tejada has second base-- and he plays some third as well (which, given the Burrelling Wright's knee took yesterday...).

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Besides, Hernanderson was/is a shitty shortstop.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I'm reporting, certainly, not advocating.

[Fman99]

Speaking of weak-hitting former Met middle infielders (or WHFMMI's if you prefer), we spotted Argenis Reyes toiling for the Red Sox' AAA affiliate this past weekend at a Syracuse Chiefs game.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Fman99 wrote: Speaking of weak-hitting former Met middle infielders (or WHFMMI's if you prefer), we spotted Argenis Reyes toiling for the Red Sox' AAA affiliate this past weekend at a Syracuse Chiefs game.

I would pronounce this acronym "Whiff-Me's."

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

some good stuff in here

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 In-depth: Ex-Met now at D-Backs helm By Adam Rubin AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin Former Mets reliever Jerry DiPoto (left), who grew up a Mets fan in Toms River, N.J., is now Diamondbacks interim GM. He's paired with Kirk Gibson, Arizona's interim manager. The office of the interim general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks is decorated with New York Mets memorabilia. Well, more precisely, Tom Seaver memorabilia. Jerry DiPoto, who grew up in Toms River, N.J., and pitched as a reliever for the Mets in 1995 and �96, grew up a fan of the organization. He even named a son Jonah Seaver DiPoto after the Hall of Fame Pitcher. DiPoto was named interim GM of the Diamondbacks this month, when Josh Byrnes was fired. �I�ve actually developed a little relationship in the years since, particularly toward the tail end of my years with the Mets,� DiPoto said, referring to Seaver. �He wrote a letter to my son essentially giving him permission to wear the number 41 should he ever get to the big leagues and play for the Mets. So that hangs over my son�s bed, although he probably isn�t aware of the significance of number 41. Now he almost 14 years old. It�s something if you asked him to name the first baseball player that came to his mind, he might not say me. He might say Tom Seaver, because it�s been drilled into his head.� DiPoto may have groomed himself for his current role during his days with the Mets. He annually organized the team�s fantasy football pool, and was a dominant force in it as a general manager for years. �It was pretty large. We had a lot of fun to play in the Mets� fantasy football league for years,� DiPoto said. �My cohort was Pete Harnisch -- one of my closest friends. We actually ran the league together for a number of years, even after we left.� Al Bello/Getty Images Jerry DiPoto throws a pitch during a Mets game at Dodger Stadium on June 5, 1995. DiPoto, now 42, was a combined 11-8 with a 3.97 ERA and two saves in 115 relief appearances for the Mets over two seasons. He also pitched for the Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies during a major league career that spanned 1993-2000. The year before joining the Mets, DiPoto had a cancerous thyroid gland removed during spring training. He had reappeared in the major leagues by June of that �94 season. After retiring, �within two hours� he was working in the front office for the Rockies. He recalled being a �high school foe� of Al Leiter. His extended family remains in New Jersey. �A lot of things stood out about it,� DiPoto recalled about his Mets days. �I was born in New Jersey and grew up a Mets fan. So the two years I was able to play in New York were a lot of fun for me. It was a chance to realize a boyhood dream -- to play for your favorite boyhood club. �They weren�t great years for the Mets. They were OK years in regard to performance. One I would consider having contributed a good deal. Another not so much. The one thing I will always remember is the thrill the first time I got to put the uniform on because it�s something I honestly dreamed of my whole life.� His favorite players -- aside, of course, from Seaver? �Lee Mazzilli, Steve Henderson, Buddy Harrelson,� DiPoto said. �There was a crew of Mets players that kind of stuck together for a while in the period shortly after free agency began that I certainly had an affinity for, and I still do.� Not that DiPoto will look to steer frontline pitcher Dan Haren to the Mets in a trade or anything like that. Instead, DiPoto is looking to team with interim manager Kirk Gibson to build a winner in Arizona and remain in their roles beyond this season. �That was the growing-up phase,� DiPoto said about his Mets fandom. �Once you get into pro ball, your allegiance is where you work. Right now, we�re going to go through this not knowing how it goes for the next two weeks. But our efforts are going to be toward maintaining a positive environment, creating a culture here that I think we�ve been a little short on in recent years, and allowing Gibby to do his thing.� DiPoto has no assurance his job will continue beyond the 2010 season. �The way I�ve approached my career -- I�ve been in some capacity in professional baseball for 22 years -- every day is an audition,� he said. �Nobody ever promises you much for tomorrow. It all depends on what you do today. The way I accept this is the same way I accepted my playing career. You go out there and do the best job you can do, with the team coming first. And I think Gibby is wired the same way. And whatever happens, happens.� As for the affinity for Seaver, DiPoto rattled off the articles on display in his Diamondbacks office. �I�ve got a lot of Tom�s memorabilia,� he said. �An old jersey, pictures of him, things that he�s signed to me that are some of my most valued possessions.� What about a bottle of wine from Seaver�s vineyard? �No, unfortunately,� DiPoto said. �I may well do that on Aug. 1.�

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

A really dutiful Mets fan would make it his first order of business to shed that onerous Dan Haren for a selection of fine non-Wilmer/non-Jenrry prospects.

[MFS62]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Besides, Hernanderson was/is a shitty shortstop.

A brief, but accurate, description.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Reds are gearing up for the stretch by, among other things, apparently adding Jason Isringhausen.

The Pads are all in as well, my friends, adding Wily Mo Pe�a.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Anyone notice that DiPoto article?

[batmagadanleadoff]

I'm happy to hear that DiPoto and Isringhausen survived Dallas Green's doghouse.

[seawolf17]

Hernanderson and Figgy both land off waivers in Houston, as per Adam Rubin. They have also put in claims on Emil Brown, Argenis Reyes, and Jon Switzer in an attempt to recreate that 2009 Mets Magic�.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I wonder what Mrs. Figgy's blog says this morning.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

seawolf17 wrote: Hernanderson and Figgy both land off waivers in Houston, as per Adam Rubin. They have also put in claims on Emil Brown, Argenis Reyes, and Jon Switzer in an attempt to recreate that 2009 Mets Magic�.

I never figured Ed Wade for a funny-cigarette man before.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

After winning a couple of division crowns and a WS title, the Phillies continue on Phase 3 of their late-oughts campaign of terror: desecrating Met fan memories.

Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Philadelphia has signed Timo Perez to a minor-league contract and assigned the outfielder to Double-A. The outfielder hasn't played in the majors since 2007, but he has been toiling in the independent leagues, Mexican League and (this season) for the Dodgers' Triple-A franchise, posting a .762 OPS in 123 plate appearances for Albuquerque.