Life Goes On: Continuing Careers of Ex Mets - 2012

[DocTee]

Cris Carter recalled from Sacramento...batting seventh and starting at 1B for Oakland tonight.

"I know what's expected, I have no excuses."

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

DocTee wrote: Cris Carter recalled from Sacramento...batting seventh and starting at 1B for Oakland tonight. "I know what's expected, I have no excuses."

That's the former A's uberprospect, not our guy.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Frayed Knot wrote: Igarashi was one of those just re-called to fill holes left by the double-LHP-DL-ing. Wonder if he'll get a start?

MFYs already sent him back. They are gonna be forced to go to Plan Schwinny soon.

[Met Hunter]

Short timer Michael O'Connor is teamed up with that group of stiffs in Scranton, as well as catcher Gus (No, not one of those) Molina.

[Guest themetfairy]

I just flipped to the Pawtucket Red Sox/Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs game, and discovered Pat Misch pitching for the Iron Pigs.

OE - A beardless Jason Pridie started out the game in the field for the Iron Pigs but has apparently left the game. Unconfirmed reports are that the Phillies traded Jim Thome to the Orioles, and that the Phillies have called Pridie up to the bigs.

[Edgy MD]

"Hii, I'm Karim Garcia! You may remember me from such films of My Enemy, Pedro and Squirting in the Parking Lot!. Today I'm here to tell you about me hitting .346 / .392 / .607 // 1.001 for Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League. �Ol�!"

[G-Fafif]

Braves signing Miguel Batista, per David Lennon.

[Edgy MD]

Ollie Perez getting the job done, more or less, but doing markedly better against righties (in his 13 2/3 inning sample).

[G-Fafif]

Jose Reyes, the Marlins' No. 3 hitter since the departure of Hanley Ramirez, is riding a 16-game hitting streak since the All-Star break. In the 70 games that started with the Mets visiting Miami, Jose (who hasn't missed any of them) is batting .293/.354/.452.

[batmagadanleadoff]

It makes a whole lotta sense to bat Reyes third, especially if there's a teammate who gets on base at least as much as Reyes does, but with significantly less power. If Reyes were still a Met, I'd want Reyes to bat third, and the emerging Tejada (2B) to bat leadoff.

Manuel tried to bat Reyes third in 2010. It was a brilliant move, I thought -- but poorly executed. Manuel didn't stick with it for more than the handful of games that saw Reyes slump as the three-hole hitter. Too bad.

[Edgy MD]

Reyes was also prematurely activated after very little spring training action and only a few minor league games. His weak performance was associated with him being in the three-hole when it was far more likely a product (at least in part) with him not having the rust off yet.

[Vic Sage]

as a met, Reyes showed legit power after his first few years, and though he was of course an elite base stealer, his OB skills remained modest. I thought he was developing into an ideal #3 hitter, but i recall articles where he was unhappy about the prospect of such a change and neither Randolph, Manuel nor Collins had the balls to force the issue.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Edgy DC wrote: Reyes was also prematurely activated after very little spring training action and only a few minor league games. His weak performance was associated with him being in the three-hole when it was far more likely a product (at least in part) with him not having the rust off yet.

It was a political time bomb for Jerry though. It showed how little juice he had.

[Ceetar]

Ozzie Guillen is clearly the smarter former-White Sox manager to bat Reyes third.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Vic Sage wrote: as a met, Reyes showed legit power after his first few years, and though he was of course an elite base stealer, his OB skills remained modest. I thought he was developing into an ideal #3 hitter, but i recall articles where he was unhappy about the prospect of such a change and ... Randolph [didn't have] the balls to force the issue.

I know all about Wee Willie's Small Balls, but are you sure it was Willie's balls (or lack therof) that kept Reyes out of the three hole under his watch? I mean, we're talking about the moronic manager whose idea of inspired offense was to put the fastest guy on the team in the leadoff spot and follow him with a crappy-batter-but-not-as-crappy-as-the-eighth-hitter, preferably a crappy second baseman, so that Reyes could be moved up a base on an intentional out. The jackass set offense back by 100 years.

[Edgy MD]

The potential was always there, but I don't think he was ever an ideal three hitter. His first half of last year might well have added productivity from the three hole, but he didn't hit his second homer until June 10. His triples certainly made up for that to a large extent, but I don't think he ever really made it to the fully rounded performer "ideal" suggests.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

The point was, or at least mine was, the manager thought hitting him 3rd was a good idea and a combination of the player's stated (or whispered) preferences and a fan/media corps married to the narrative of Reyes as a Leadoff Man didn't let it happen for better or worse.

[Edgy MD]

I'm agreed with that understanding. The plan was meant as a temporary measure in the absence of Carlos Beltran, as Tim Raines did time in the three hole in the eighties when his team didn't have better options. I'm just disputing "ideal," as opposed to "best available."

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy DC wrote: The potential was always there, but I don't think he was ever an ideal three hitter. His first half of last year might well have added productivity from the three hole, but he didn't hit his second homer until June 10. His triples certainly made up for that to a large extent, but I don't think he ever really made it to the fully rounded performer "ideal" suggests.

Good point. But if not three, then two. Especially with teammates like Wright and Ike. The main idea is that it's more productive to bat Reyes behind of, rather than ahead of a guy like Tejada.

[Ceetar]

back in '08 and '09 when Luis Castillo was out-OBP'ing Reyes as a singles hitter, it always seemed to me that it'd make more sense to let him get his walks leading off and then have Reyes be able to drive him to third/in. Castillo was still above average speed wise, swiped some bags, could go first-third and more often than not allow Reyes to steal (or double steal) if that was the play.

[Edgy MD]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy DC wrote: The potential was always there, but I don't think he was ever an ideal three hitter. His first half of last year might well have added productivity from the three hole, but he didn't hit his second homer until June 10. His triples certainly made up for that to a large extent, but I don't think he ever really made it to the fully rounded performer "ideal" suggests. Good point. But if not three, then two. Especially with teammates like Wright and Ike. The main idea is that it's more productive to bat Reyes behind of, rather than ahead of a guy like Tejada.

Tejada followed by Reyes in 2011 would have given me untold delight.

[Vic Sage]

the guy produced double digit HRs, 2bs, and 3Bs for three straight years, while maintaining a good but not great OB% of around .350. I will concede that that may not be "IDEAL" #3 hitter, but it would have best utilized his talents to have him bat behind somebody other than the pitcher.

[Frayed Knot]

Ceetar wrote: back in '08 and '09 when Luis Castillo was out-OBP'ing Reyes as a singles hitter, it always seemed to me that it'd make more sense to let him get his walks leading off and then have Reyes be able to drive him to third/in. Castillo was still above average speed wise, swiped some bags, could go first-third and more often than not allow Reyes to steal (or double steal) if that was the play.

Jerry's answer at the time was always that 'Luis doesn't like hitting leadoff' (I believe he even said that directly to someone here - GWreck? - at ST one spring) - as if that alone was enough to scotch the idea.
But even if that weren't sufficient, it all got tangled up with the fact that Reyes obviously did like hitting first, that the team had some skin in the image of Reyes as the 'exciting leadoff guy', and that a large segment of the fans and mediots were mentally wedded (if not physically welded) to the pre-ordained thought that Reyes could only and would only succeed at the top of the order that they were just laying in wait for Jose's first 0-fer-4 so they could pronounce the grand experiment a monumental disaster and demand an immediate return to their idea of normalcy.

No one, least of all Jerry, had the stones or the backing to buck all those horses pulling against him even assuming he was ever really committed to it in the first place.

[seawolf17]

Vic Sage wrote: I thought he was developing into an ideal #3 hitter

"Let me finish this and then I'm going to come over there and kick your ass."

[G-Fafif]

News from around infields:

Orioles starting 2B Omar Quintanilla goes 1-for-2 vs. MFYs, draws two-out walk that instigates crucial two-run, seventh-inning rally in 5-4 Baltimore win.

Two more doubles for Marlins No. 3 hitter Jose Reyes, lifting his hitting streak to 17 games (.343/.389/.627) and overall slashes to .277/.344/.419.

Giant SS Joaquin Arias 1-for-2, 3B Marco Scutaro 2-for-4 in ten-inning loss to New York Mets. (While SF CF Angel Pagan punches something in the dugout and has to come out of the game because he punched something in the dugout.)

[Edgy MD]

Angel getting himself hurt in a war of attrition was quite the gift to his old team. Torres almost paid him back for it.

[G-Fafif]

Shortstops of the recent past update cont'd:

Quintanilla drives in two in Orioles' life-affirming demolition of MFYs.

Reyes hitting streak up to 18.

[Edgy MD]

Five-Spot has also had a seven-game streak stopped last night. But he's at .371 / .395 / .543 // .938 in Birdland.

Just to reiterate. We set him free to activate Bay.

[G-Fafif]

Jose up to 19 on a 2-for-4 night. And Arias 1-for-3.

[G-Fafif]

Jose triples to get his hitting streak up to 20.

Arias, Pagan & Scutaro a combined 0-for-7.

Albert Chen gives Carlos Beltran a Midwestern neck massage in the current SI.

The statue is still there, standing on a patch of yellowing grass outside the St. Louis restaurant formerly known as Pujols 5. But there's no plaque or sign identifying the bronze ballplayer gazing up and pointing to the sky. Once a shrine to a local legend, the establishment is now a generic sports bar, with photos of still-beloved local heroes such as Schoendienst and Brock and Freese lining the walls. Many of the ex-eponym's jerseys, bats and signed baseballs are gone. It's as if Albert Pujols was just another Cardinal. Prince Albert is now an Angel, and the city of St. Louis has moved on. The Cardinals are still winning, the offense is still humming, and every game at Busch Stadium still feels like a college football Saturday. On a recent, sweltering Monday, 40,000 fans squeezed into the stadium dressed in red, and in the eighth inning, when rightfielder Carlos Beltran, the man signed last winter to replace Pujols's bat in the order, swatted a two-run home run against the Dodgers, his 22nd in an MVP-caliber season, it was yet another reminder of how and why St. Louis has gotten past the Pujols divorce. Even in light of the outfielder's July slump, it has been a perfect marriage, Beltran and St. Louis, the Most Underappreciated Player in Baseball and a city famous for its embrace of quiet, humble stars. He is rarely mentioned as one of the game's greats, yet the 35-year-old Beltran-one of eight players in major league history, and the only switch-hitter, with 300 homers and 300 stolen bases-has quietly put together a career that puts him in the Hall of Fame discussion. In Kansas City, where he began his career, Beltran was a dazzling but overlooked talent, his star dimmed by the AL Central cellar, where the Royals have slept for the better part of two decades. When he played with the Mets, from 2005 to '11, his profile rose-though not always for the better. Even though he put together two of the best seasons in franchise history and ranks in the Mets' top six alltime in home runs, OPS and RBIs, he became a symbol of failure. His signature New York moment was the called third strike he took to end Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS against the Cardinals. Perception of the seven-time All-Star (a career .366/.485/.817 hitter in the postseason) was so colored by the image of his frozen bat that Adam Wainwright, who unleashed the curveball that Beltran watched, avoided throwing breaking balls to his new teammate during batting practice this spring. Beltran, who wept the day he was traded from the Royals, never seemed at ease in the big city. "I have a personality where I don't show a lot of emotions on the field, and maybe some fans like to see players that show a lot and say crazy things," he says. He adds, "But in St. Louis, I'm comfortable. The fans are unbelievable. You can feel their appreciation for how hard you play." Maybe now, in his 15th season, Beltran will finally get his proper due. The case for Beltran as an alltime great only gets stronger the closer you look at his career. The advanced statistical analysts will tell you that over his career Beltran has a WAR above 60, which ranks him ninth alltime among centerfielders, the position he has played the most. They will tell you that for the bulk of his career, before knee injuries slowed him down, he has been one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, an effortless glide adding style to his substantive numbers. They will tell you that his stolen-base success rate (87.0%) is No. 1 among players with 300 or more steals. No one in St. Louis seems particularly interested in talking about how Beltran is outhitting Pujols this season, or how the Cardinals' signing Beltran to a two-year, $26 million deal now looks like a much smarter play by the front office than a Pujols megadeal. No one seems interested in making any comparisons-all they talk about is Beltran's golden swing, the splendid season he's having. Carlos Beltran is his own man, and in St. Louis, that is more than good enough.