2011 Roster

[Guest Edgy DC]

At least, it threatens to shake out something like this way if the season somehow opens with nothing changing except folks getting healthy.

Starting	Pitchers
43 R.A. Dickey DoB:10/29/1974	33 John Maine DoB:5/8/1981	49 Jon Niese DoB:10/27/1986	34 Mike Pelfrey DoB:1/14/1984	57 Johan Santana DoB:3/13/1979
Relief	Pitchers
36 Manny Acosta DoB:5/1/1981	50 Sean Green DoB:4/20/1979	48 Pat Misch DoB:8/18/1981	39 Bobby Parnell DoB:9/8/1984	Oliver Perez DoB:8/15/1981
Relief	Pitchers	Catchers		Infielders
75 Fran. Rodriguez DoB:1/7/1982	47 His. Takahashi DoB:4/2/1975	13 Mike Nickeas DoB:2/13/1983	30 Josh Thole DoB:10/28/1986	1 Luis Castillo DoB:9/12/1975
Infielders
29 Ike Davis DoB:3/22/1987	3 Luis Hernandez DoB:6/26/1984	28 Daniel Murphy DoB:4/1/1985	7 Jose Reyes DoB:6/11/1983	5 David Wright DoB:12/20/1982
Oufielders
44 Jason Bay DoB:9/20/1978	15 Carlos Beltran DoB:4/24/1977	23 Chris Carter DoB:9/16/1982	6 Nick Evans DoB:1/30/1986	16 Angel Pagan DoB:7/2/1981

Yeah, that's the way it's gonna happen.

[Ceetar]

Exactly how it's going to happen.

Actually, as Maine doesn't have a contract and Perez does, I imagine he's the guy in the 5th starter spot.

I'm not sure Luis Hernandez has earned that backup role. More like Turner or Tejada?

I figure if we don't get into a 4 page fight about next year's backup middle infielder in September, we're just not doing our jobs.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Certainly nobody's earned it. I just figured him being out of options, and having outperformed Arias and Tejada until he got hurt, he's currently first in line.

Where Turner currently stands is clear from his absence.

[seawolf17]

I'm actually okay with Ollie as the 5 right now; I still have the tiniest bit of cahnfidence in him turning it around under a new regime.

I think that if Castillo's still here, they'll keep Hernandez over Tejada and let Tejada play every day somewhere. (Forgot about Arias too, though.)

[Ceetar]

True...Arias keeps the Lastings Milledge thread alive.

[Guest Edgy DC]

(Forgot about Arias too, though.)

Isn't it amazing how Jerry can do that? Wipe a guy from your memory like that? An allegedly active healthy one on the roster and everything, even.

[Lefty Specialist]

Well, there's a 75-win team.

[Gwreck]

Really? Bay, Beltran, Wright and Reyes are all very good-to-excellent players. If healthy and playing (reasonably) well, the Mets should be ok.

[ashie62]

Andy McCullough writes in the Ledger today how to fix the Mets.

http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2010/09/better_drafting_support_of_dav.html

[Lefty Specialist]

Gwreck wrote: Really? Bay, Beltran, Wright and Reyes are all very good-to-excellent players. If healthy and playing (reasonably) well, the Mets should be ok.

If.

The 500-pound millstone around all Mets teams from the dawn of time. That quote could apply to 2010 as well. And in various forms, 2002, 1992, 1972, to name just a few.

[Ceetar]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Gwreck wrote: Really? Bay, Beltran, Wright and Reyes are all very good-to-excellent players. If healthy and playing (reasonably) well, the Mets should be ok. If. The 500-pound millstone around all Mets teams from the dawn of time. That quote could apply to 2010 as well. And in various forms, 2002, 1992, 1972, to name just a few.

And it could apply to just about any team ever. Wright and Bay are healthy guys (concussions are odd

What if the Phillies don't resign or find an adequate replacement for Werth and Utley doesn't stay healthy all season and Halladay starts to show his age?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Ashie62 wrote: Andy McCullough writes in the Ledger today how to fix the Mets. http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2010/09/better_drafting_support_of_dav.html

In recent years, Minaya doled out chunks of cash to aging stars (Johan Santana and Carlos Beltran) and fading non-factors (Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez).

Come on! Both Santana and Beltran were under 30 when the Mets acquired them. Sure, Beltran is aging now, but he's also in the sixth year of that contract. He was just shy of 28 when he played his first game as a Met. And Santana was two weeks past his 29th birthday when he made his Mets debut.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gwreck wrote: Really? Bay, Beltran, Wright and Reyes are all very good-to-excellent players. If healthy and playing (reasonably) well, the Mets should be ok.

Si. Though as shown this season, much rests on their ability to get acceptable play at the other positions.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Gwreck wrote: Really? Bay, Beltran, Wright and Reyes are all very good-to-excellent players. If healthy and playing (reasonably) well, the Mets should be ok. If. The 500-pound millstone around all Mets teams from the dawn of time. That quote could apply to 2010 as well. And in various forms, 2002, 1992, 1972, to name just a few.

Yes, but it also applies to teams that did stay helathy and did achieve. That's life and that's what we're confronted with.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Come on! Both Santana and Beltran were under 30 when the Mets acquired them. Sure, Beltran is aging now, but he's also in the sixth year of that contract. He was just shy of 28 when he played his first game as a Met. And Santana was two weeks past his 29th birthday when he made his Mets debut.

Thanks for keeping me from clicking.

[Frayed Knot]

Andy McCullough writes in the Ledger today how to fix the Mets. http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2010/09/better_drafting_support_of_dav.html

I love proposed "solutions" that essentially say the way to get better is: 'Get better players'.
Gee thanks, Ace.

Aside from the (by now common) stuff about potential front office-v-ownership conflict there's little there that's unique to the Mets.
And also I could swear that the NYM minor league system ranked a lot higher than 25th in BA this past year as this guy claims. It wasn't real high on the list IIRC but more up around middle of the pack. Besides, who DOESN'T want more young/cheap players from their system and the one that saw either the introductions or graduations to full-time status the probable 2011 starting 1B & C (Thole & Davis), possibly 2/5th of the rotation (Niese & Mejia), and maybe even a solid bullpen man (Parnell) and starting 2B just in one season can't be dumped on too much.

[MFS62]

Ceetar wrote: True...Arias keeps the Lastings Milledge thread alive.

Glad to see somebody is.
I don't know if he's been hurt, but I haven't seen Lastings' name in a box score for a long while.

Later

[ashie62]

Maybe the inability of the Mets to stay healthy is just a case of really, really, bad luck.

[Guest Edgy DC]

They don't publish the rankings online. This article had them in the 16-25 range. I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody run with that with an assumption of "25." It also said, "Solid top 10, but the Mets don't have anyone likely to help in New York in 2010." That's a surprise for the Davis and Niese families.

Everybody has problems staying healthy. It's not just luck but it's not just foresight and skill either.

[ashie62]

At least, it threatens to shake out something like this way if the season somehow opens with nothing changing except folks getting healthy. Starting Pitchers 43 R.A. Dickey DoB:10/29/1974 33 John Maine DoB:5/8/1981 49 Jon Niese DoB:10/27/1986 34 Mike Pelfrey DoB:1/14/1984 57 Johan Santana DoB:3/13/1979 Relief Pitchers 36 Manny Acosta DoB:5/1/1981 50 Sean Green DoB:4/20/1979 48 Pat Misch DoB:8/18/1981 39 Bobby Parnell DoB:9/8/1984 Oliver Perez DoB:8/15/1981 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders 75 Fran. Rodriguez DoB:1/7/1982 47 His. Takahashi DoB:4/2/1975 13 Mike Nickeas DoB:2/13/1983 30 Josh Thole DoB:10/28/1986 1 Luis Castillo DoB:9/12/1975 Infielders 29 Ike Davis DoB:3/22/1987 3 Luis Hernandez DoB:6/26/1984 28 Daniel Murphy DoB:4/1/1985 7 Jose Reyes DoB:6/11/1983 5 David Wright DoB:12/20/1982 Oufielders 44 Jason Bay DoB:9/20/1978 15 Carlos Beltran DoB:4/24/1977 23 Chris Carter DoB:9/16/1982 6 Nick Evans DoB:1/30/1986 16 Angel Pagan DoB:7/2/1981 Yeah, that's the way it's gonna happen.

That was said tongue in cheek, right?

[ashie62]

That does like look like the Delta House pledge class and I'm tossing beer at most of them.

[Guest Edgy DC]

That was said tongue in cheek, right?

The last line? Yes. The idea of the thread is just trying to frame where things stand now, while being keenly aware that many changes are on the way.

[MFS62]

If I'm going to be in a bar fight, I want Carter on my side.
Look at those eyes.
He could play a serial killer on a TV cop show.

Later

[ashie62]

MFS62 wrote: If I'm going to be in a bar fight, I want Carter on my side. Look at those eyes. He could play a serial killer on a TV cop show. Later

Ya know, Dickey might get animal in a barfight.

With Jose Reyes as "huggybear"

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Ceetar wrote: Lefty Specialist wrote: Gwreck wrote: Really? Bay, Beltran, Wright and Reyes are all very good-to-excellent players. If healthy and playing (reasonably) well, the Mets should be ok. If. The 500-pound millstone around all Mets teams from the dawn of time. That quote could apply to 2010 as well. And in various forms, 2002, 1992, 1972, to name just a few. And it could apply to just about any team ever. Wright and Bay are healthy guys (concussions are odd What if the Phillies don't resign or find an adequate replacement for Werth and Utley doesn't stay healthy all season and Halladay starts to show his age?

This year's Phils team saw significant time loss from Utley, Rollins, Madson, and Lidge, and saw lesser but significant time loss from Howard and Dick Torino; it also saw underperformance issues from Lidge, parts of the bullpen, and the entire back half of the rotation creep in at various points, as well as a teamwide month-long slump in May and June. If you called them this morning to ask them how those problems struck 'em, they probably wouldn't pick up the phone, because they'd have champagne hangovers.

[Ceetar]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Ceetar wrote: Lefty Specialist wrote: Gwreck wrote: Really? Bay, Beltran, Wright and Reyes are all very good-to-excellent players. If healthy and playing (reasonably) well, the Mets should be ok. If. The 500-pound millstone around all Mets teams from the dawn of time. That quote could apply to 2010 as well. And in various forms, 2002, 1992, 1972, to name just a few. And it could apply to just about any team ever. Wright and Bay are healthy guys (concussions are odd What if the Phillies don't resign or find an adequate replacement for Werth and Utley doesn't stay healthy all season and Halladay starts to show his age? This year's Phils team saw significant time loss from Utley, Rollins, Madson, and Lidge, and saw lesser but significant time loss from Howard and Dick Torino; it also saw underperformance issues from Lidge, parts of the bullpen, and the entire back half of the rotation creep in at various points, as well as a teamwide month-long slump in May and June. If you called them this morning to ask them how those problems struck 'em, they probably wouldn't pick up the phone, because they'd have champagne hangovers.

When they had howard out, did they bat his replacement fourth?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Har. No, not mostly. But they also had Ross Gload, and traded for Mike Sweeney. The safety net-- both preemptively placed and hastily supplemented-- transitioned nicely to bench scaffolding once he came back full-time. We had Jacobs and a balky Tatis (if healthy, he's solid...) there.

Better living through roster engineering, y'know?

[MFS62]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Har. No, not mostly. But they also had Ross Gload, and traded for Mike Sweeney. Better living through roster engineering, y'know?

Last night ESPN tried to engineer their roster more than you can imagine.
During the post game celebration, they were interviewing the players. When Sweeney was being interviewed, they put up a graphic that said "DH - Mike Sweeney".
Don't those guys even know the Phillies play in the National League?
Sheesh!

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't think anybody is suggesting the Mets of 2011, as they currently stand, look as good or as redundant and ready for adversity as the 2010 Phils.

[MFS62]

The rainout yesterday leaves the Mets without a starter on Saturday.

Pelfrey today and Sunday

Neise and Dickey for the Wednesday doubleheader

Gee and Misch on Thursday and Friday

Ollie on Saturday ?

It would be very interesting.

Later