Met players i'm already sick of...

[Vic Sage]

[u:1e65zptx]Hitters:[/u:1e65zptx]
* Davis - Another 1st half slog... what is this dude's deal? not enough rest in the off-season? doesn't hit in cold weather? sucks a big one? what? But nothing to be done... maybe give more ABs to Turner, at least until July.
* Tejada - His speedless, punchless bat is made more stark by his atrocious defense so far this season. But we have no serious alternative on the roster. Where have you gone, Quintanilla? Met nation turns its lonely eyes to you... oo oo oo.
* Cowgill - other than that opening day slam, he's been virtually invisible and a drag at the top of the order. Valdespin should be our CFer.
* Nieuwenheis - has looked utterly bewildered at the plate since spring training. Baxter should get any ABs otherwise going to Cap'n Kirk and Kirk should be at AAA trying to figure out his swing.

[u:1e65zptx]Pitchers:[/u:1e65zptx]
Every starter not named Harvey and Niese, and every reliever other than Atchison (and, to a lesser extent, Rice, Parnell and Lyon). Especially damaging are:
* Gee - meeting my low expectations for him;
* Hafner, Laffey - what you see...;
* Burke, Edgin - Both terrible, but I still have some hope for them;
* Hawkins - Put the old boy out of his misery already.

When the return of guys like Marcum and Francisco seems like a light at the end of the tunnel, it's a deep dark tunnel indeed.

Overall, the team is scoring more than I thought, but (outside of Harvey) pitching as badly as i feared. Both are likely statistical anomalies based on small sample sizes, but its still irksome.

Bring up Omar Q for the bench, send down Kirk (cowgill and Baxter give us sufficient OF backup, with Valdy as the CFer);
Drop Hefner for McHugh;
When you bring back Marcum, send down Laffey;
when you bring back Francisco, send down (or cut) Hawkins.

Then at least the team will be watchable, even if not competitive for any kind of post-season play.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Vic Sage wrote: Hitters: Pitchers: Every starter not named Harvey and Niese, and every reliever other than Atchison (and, to a lesser extent, Rice, Parnell and Lyon). Especially damaging are: * Gee - meeting my low expectations for him; * Hafner, Laffey - what you see...; * Burke, Edgin - Both terrible, but I still have some hope for them; * Hawkins - Put the old boy out of his misery already.

I commend you, and everybody else in this forum who can even identify those pitchers by name. Because I'm watchin' Met games this year and I'm going to myself: "Who the fuck is this guy? Who the fuck is that guy? like every third inning. There's one pitcher who even looks like Jeff Reardon and I know that can''t be 'cause Reardon'd be like 50 years old and not even the Mets could be so hard up for pitching.

Ya gotta have patience. This is a lost season. This is the year when you can waste three innings on the Shake Shack line. Not that there'd be enough attendance to make that line last as long. But a Shack Burger's better than a Cowgill at bat, sez me.

[Guest sharpie]

Not sure if McHugh is a step-up over the jokers we have at the back end of the rotation.

Just waiting for that date (when is it?) that Wheeler can be brought up without losing eligibility.

[Benjamin Grimm]

sharpie wrote: Not sure if McHugh is a step-up over the jokers we have at the back end of the rotation. Just waiting for that date (when is it?) that Wheeler can be brought up without losing eligibility.

If he comes up after the first 20 days of the season have elapsed, his free agency eligibility will be delayed from after the 2018 season to after the 2019 season.

To delay arbitration eligibility will take longer (maybe June), and there's no definitive date because it's influenced by what other teams do.

I say they should certainly wait for the 20 days to go by (especially since we're just about there) but should not wait until June, unless, of course, Wheeler is struggling at Las Vegas.

[Edgy MD]

Quintanilla is hitting .250 in Las Vegas. No other way to describe Tejada's work yesterday than saying that he threw away a win. His momentum was carrying him toward first, but Davis didn't even have a chance to so much as stab for it.

Cowgill, on the other hand, went 3-6 at the top of the lineup in game two. (Though that's hardly typical.) Looks like Terry is playing him, Nieuwie, and Valdy in roughly equal porportion until one distinguishes himself. Who knows how long that will take, but I get the idea that Valdy is trending up and Nieuwenhuis downward. If it's his glove keeping him in the majors, then he isn't going to be there long, 'cuz it ain't that good.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Edgy MD wrote: Quintanilla is hitting .250 in Las Vegas. No other way to describe Tejada's work yesterday than saying that he threw away a win. His momentum was carrying him toward first, but Davis didn't even have a chance to so much as stab for it.

Thought it was purely a fitness issue, rather a baseball skills-set issue. Yes, fitness is part of a ballplayer's repertoire, but they were rather extreme circumstances. Personally, i didn't see anything to suggest it was anything more than an aberration. His hitting, otoh, may be subject to reproof.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Cowgill and Byrd? Those are our outfielders? I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be pinin' for McEwing and Shinjo.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I really fucking hate Gee. He's been worse than Hef and Laffey already: Neither of those guys have given up 2 multirun leads in the same game. I mean, geez, that is the least you ought to ask from a starter. Two-run homer in Coors Field? OK, but walking the goddamn ballpark with 2 out until you've erased a 3-run inning gets you a trip to Vegas to prove you deserve another shot. Beat it, Gee.

The offense has for the most part done its job this year with the exception of Davis. Cowgill and Byrd won;t go down as great Mets but that rickety outfield has been alright so far.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Cowgill and Byrd? Those are our outfielders? I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be pinin' for McEwing and Shinjo.

I venture to say they are an improvement on Torres and Bay.

[batmagadanleadoff]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Cowgill and Byrd won;t go down as great Mets but that rickety outfield has been alright so far.

A Shake Shack burger sez you're wrong. Give it time. It's April.

[Edgy MD]

And probably on McEwing and Shinjo, depending on which year we're talkin'.

But I hear you about Gee. A three-deep rotation is one thing. Two-deep does nothing for me, and it saps vital life force from the bullpen. Laff and Heff are at least fakin' it.

[ashie62]

I've had enough of Gee, Hefner,Laffey, Baxter & Nieuwenhuis...

[TransMonk]

Vic Sage wrote: Bring up Omar Q for the bench, send down Kirk (cowgill and Baxter give us sufficient OF backup, with Valdy as the CFer); Drop Hefner for McHugh; When you bring back Marcum, send down Laffey; when you bring back Francisco, send down (or cut) Hawkins.

I'm for all of this.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I looked to see who's been starting for Las Vegas. McHugh has a 0.50 ERA in 18 innings and 3 starts. He'd be the guy to call up. Wheeler is at 3.86 ERA, 3 starts, 14 innings.

Others are Chris Schwinden (3 starts, 8.10 ERA, 13.1 innings); Carlos Torres (2 starts, 5.19 ERA, 8.2 innings); and Darin Gorski (2 starts, 9.00 ERA, 7 innings).

[seawolf17]

We were always just hoping for the best with Hefner/Gee/Laffey. Nobody expected Maddux/Smoltz/Glavine out of those guys. I have no attachment to any of them. I don't know that McHugh is going to be any better, despite his nice start.

Wheeler's 20 day thing ends on Saturday, so any point after that.

[Frayed Knot]

"No other way to describe Tejada's work yesterday than saying that he threw away a win. His momentum was carrying him toward first, but Davis didn't even have a chance to so much as stab for it." -- And even if one were inclined to write off that particular error to the sub-freezing temperatures it doesn't explain all the other errors, nor does any one thing for that matter (as opposed say to Ryan Zimmerman's surgically repaired shoulder as the source of his errors in four straight games) and that's what is most disturbing.



"Cowgill, on the other hand, went 3-6 at the top of the lineup in game two. (Though that's hardly typical.)" -- Not only not typical, but none of the three hits left the infield. Yeah they still count, but it's not like you can easily take last night and project it as a good sign of things to come. 'Twas a nice bunt though.




" ... but I get the idea that Valdy is trending up and Nieuwenhuis downward. If it's his glove keeping him in the majors, then he isn't going to be there long, 'cuz it ain't that good." -- Gary Cohen has (in one fashion or another) described Nieuwenhuis as a "not good but great" defensive CF several times this season and I don't know where that's coming from. He was certainly decent enough out there last season during the time when he was hitting enough to play regularly, but I don't remember him as mind-blowingly terrific with the glove; not enough so to keep a job based solely on his glove/arm-work that's for sure.

[Edgy MD]

No, I would think if his glove is his only calling card, then den Dekker's going to get the call as soon as he is fit.

I still think of Tejada as a fundamentally sound shortstop, offensively and defensively, but his head has been buttbound a lot this season. I wouldn't be surprised if the cold provided a crippling distraction. But mental discipline is a part (I'd say a big part) of what separates big leaguers from their largely just-as-talented colleagues at AAA. And his has been absent.

I think maybe the best thing for him is to give Valdespin one or two starts over the next week at shortstop --- to reclaim his perspective and remind him of what he is and what he isn't.

[Frayed Knot]

seawolf17 wrote: We were always just hoping for the best with Hefner/Gee/Laffey. Nobody expected Maddux/Smoltz/Glavine out of those guys. I have no attachment to any of them. I don't know that McHugh is going to be any better, despite his nice start.

Except that Gee WAS better than the likes of the Hefner/Laffey/Schwinden crew - even if only for a while.
The question remains whether he can still be that following the injury, the surgery, the half-year absence, the lousy ST, and now the lousy start to the reg season.

Too early, I think, to just toss him on the scrap pile, but if he doesn't get his act together he is likely to find himself there. And the bigger problem is that in this post-Santana/pre-Wheeler era he finds himself in the 3rd spot in the rotation instead as a more comfortable #5 guy.

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: Too early, I think, to just toss him on the scrap pile, but if he doesn't get his act together he is likely to find himself there. And the bigger problem is that in this post-Santana/pre-Wheeler era he finds himself in the 3rd spot in the rotation instead as a more comfortable #5 guy.

I prefer to think of it as the post-Santana/pre-Wheeler/has-anybody-seen-Marcum? era.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

They're getting exactly what they paid for with Marcum so far. An aging, injury-riddled player who can't be relied on.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Look at me, I'm Dillon Gee
Suddenly I'm oh and three!
When we're ahead
I can still shit the bed
I do! I'm Dillon Gee

Watch it! Hey I'm Jason Bay
I can't seem to earn my pay
Each pitch I toss,
Seems to lead to a loss
I don't know what to say

[seawolf17]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Look at me, I'm Dillon Gee Suddenly I'm oh and three! When we're ahead I can still shit the bed I do! I'm Dillon Gee Watch it! Hey I'm Jason Bay I can't seem to earn my pay Each pitch I toss, Seems to lead to a loss I don't know what to say

Get Metsmerized!

[metirish]

Great post Vic .......you at least are in All Star form.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

When they want a pitcher who can turn the park on
They call on me, Shawn Marcum
My fastball and change can't be hit
Because I'm on the disabled list
You'll be Metsmerized by my stuff
And by my torn rotator cuff

[Theoldmole]

It's too early to hate anyone, except maybe the faceless bullpen. I'm still rooting for everyone to do well.