Matthews? Maybe not, but What's Next?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, he's biting hog right now. Wo where do we go from here, now that all of the children are growing up?

irish threw out Eric Byrnes, a poor man's Dykstra (ballhawk and flake), recently released with a Matthews-like salary. Do they repeat the Matthews strategy, giving an failing overpaid guy a chance to redeem himself at dimes on the dollar?

Or do they stay in house? There options include Jason Pridie, Jesus Feliciano, and Fernando Martinez --- a borderline major league talent, a borderline minor league talent, and real prospect who hasn't quite left AAA behind.

One option is to give away defense and call up a corner player like Nick Evans or Chris Carter and call Jason Bay and Alex Cora your backup centerfielders. But with Pagan having an injurious history and Beltran unavailable at any level, the risk is heightened.

Waddaya gonna do now?

[metirish]

Out of the young players you mentioned I think Evans would be best suited for the bench roll/ start a few games type deal.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, but are you ready to go ahead with Bay and Cora as your second and third centerfield options?

[Benjamin Grimm]

What about Francoeur as a backup centerfielder? My hunch is he'd do better in center than Bay.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Straight swap-out for Sargelet? Then it has to be Pridie. Given that 4/5 of the starting rotation have fly-ballish tendencies, that CitiField has a somewhat spacious centerfield area, and that Bay and Francoeur aren't the rangiest rangers who ever ranged, it would be silly to skimp on defense in center, no? (He also works as a late-game-defense-sub in left and as a pretty nice pinch-runner, even if he doesn't give you much-- or any-- pop as a pinch-hitter.)

I wouldn't mind seeing a Pridie-Carter thing happening instead of the Matthews-Catalanotto business we've got going now. (I know Catalanotto is stinging the ball a bit more, but really, in terms of utility, he's giving off a very late-period-Marlon-Anderson aroma these days.)

[TransMonk]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: I wouldn't mind seeing a Pridie-Carter thing happening instead of the Matthews-Catalanotto business we've got going now.

Seconded.

[bmfc1]

I concur w/LWFS. It's not like Pridie is a big prospect so we're not going to be upset if he sits on the bench. He's supposed to be a good fielder which obviously is important and he's hitting well (he couldn't hit worse than Matthews.)

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/p/jason-pridie.shtml

Catalanotto seems like a nice guy but whenever he bats, I think "that's all we got?" The Marlon Anderson comparison is apt.

[metirish]

Bay could handle CF I think, he's been a better defensive player than I was led to believe.

I'll third LWFS

[A Boy Named Seo]

Pirdie's middle name is Orville so I now love him.

[Benjamin Grimm]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Pirdie's middle name is Orville so I now love him.

He's going to see that and post it on his blog.

[metirish]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Pirdie's middle name is Orville so I now love him.

Yes , by all means drive him away from the internet too......go get laid man....

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Pirdie's middle name is Orville so I now love him.

And I love him harder.

Also... a defensive specialist whose name is phonetically superclose to a Queens-native comic-book hero known for superhuman agility? The nickname is hanging out over the plate like a Johan slider.

[Gwreck]

I'm convinced that Francouer could passably play center field as well.

I don't see Frank Catalanotto providing much defensive or offensive value so if he goes before Matthews, that's fine too.

[Guest sharpie]

Let both GMJ and Catalanotto go. Bring up both Pridie and Carter. Why the heck not?

[Guest attgig]

I think Pagan is our everyday CF. If he does end up getting hurt, then we can call up Pirdie, and have an emergency type situation for that day with Frenchy in CF. Otherwise, Pagan plays every inning till Carlos comes back.... in early June.....hopefully...

Otherwise. dump GMJ. Call up Carter - and he's hitting well enough to possibly warrant a platoon situation with Frenchy, or possibly even giving Bay a day off here and there.

We can keep Cattalano in the bigs with this scenario. and again, if pagan is hurt or absolutely is in need of rest, then bring up pirdie.


If we really want to look outside the organization, Elijah Dukes is STILL unsigned. his makeup is horrible, but talent undeniable... Baldelli is still a minor league instructor for the Rays, and wants a job of the playing kind bad, but I don't think he'll be much better than GMJ. Obviously Dye is still unsigned, but he's not worth the money he's demanding, and can't play CF.

[smg58]

Dukes would need time in AAA, I'd have to think. But unless there was a specific character issue behind his release from the Nationals, I'd be open to giving him a look.

Catalanotto should never have gotten a spot ahead of Carter, and that's just gotten more and more obvious.

The problem with Pridie is he's not likely to hit better than Matthews. Jesus Feliciano might make more sense (less range but a much better hitter).

[Guest attgig]

Pagan should be playing everyday, and so, the bat of the backup CF should be less of an issue. stick with the defense, and any hits that come out of them is just icing.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm not prepared to lose even one game because we had an inadequate center fielder out there. With Pagan's health record we can't afford to go without a replacement ready to go immediately. I suppose Frenchy could do in a pinch but I wouldn't want it like that. I guess gary is helped some by a dearth of available replacements who can hit.

Hey, is Jeremy Reed available? (/scratches ass)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

They'd be bringing Pridie up to be the 5th OF/backup CF, really... and he'd presumably be doing 2 things (defense and baserunning) at an above-MLB-average level. To me, that trumps Sargelet's contributions-- namely, below-average CF defense and well-below-average hitting. (Plus, if you replace Frankie Cats with someone who brings a plus-bat, whatever you lose in terms of bench-hitting w/Pridie is leavened a bit.)

That he hits like he's swinging 32-ounce Pocky up there is kind of immaterial-- or at least, not that important, isn't it?

[HahnSolo]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: (I know Catalanotto is stinging the ball a bit more, but really, in terms of utility, he's giving off a very late-period-Marlon-Anderson aroma these days.)

When did Catalanotto die?

[Frayed Knot]

I said this in another thread in the last day or two -- but they got GMJ to have a "real" CF in case Pagan floated off into the ether somehow and until either Beltran returns or they find another 'real' one I don't think they're cutting ties with him and making do with some stop-gap corner guy as their ersatz CF.
Maybe Pirdie is that guy, but I don't think Fernando is (nor is he hitting particularly well) nor is Evans, and I bet they want to stay away from tinkering with both Bay & Francoeur.

[Guest attgig]

Last year of Fmart showed he needs more time in AAA, and we shouldn't mess with him (you'd think they would've learned their lesson and done the same with Meija - but that's a different topic).

And GMJ is a pretty poor "real" CF. And the fact that he's signed for 2 years makes it even worse. No excuse/justification/reason to have gotten GMJ - AND giving up stokes.... if stokes was around, we wouldn't had to have had Meija..... wait, different topic. right...

[Frayed Knot]

My point about Martinez is that even if he's ready to hit at the ML level (and I don't think he is) there have always been questions about whether or not he could man CF on a regular basis. Most touts have long thought that he is destined for a corner slot.

[TransMonk]

Among Adam Rubin's other doom and gloom today, we should all get used to GMJ.

[seawolf17]

Jerry -- on Mikey's show tonight -- said he's "trying to get Gary going." He's hoping to find a spot where he can slot him for Francoeur one night, then Bay the next, to see if he's going to be able to contribute anything.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I've got no problem with that plan, in a fish-or-cut-bait kind of way. Painful up front, but the long term result is either gets going or plays himself off the team.

Randolph, when Jose Valentin started painfully slowly, responded by giving him more time, rather than giving in to fans calls for blood. Better than letting him linger in an ever meaningless role, not hurting as much, but not helping at all, a la Jay Bell.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Fwee up, fwee down for Mejia.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Edgy DC wrote: Fwee up, fwee down for Mejia.

\

Wrong thwead.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Bad fundies. Back to extended spring training for me.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Eric Byrnes seems more likely to join Donovan's Pub than to join the Mets, at this point.