Benjamin Grimm

He seems to be generating some nice buzz. I'll predict 50 games for him, and a 3.80 ERA. And one Schaefer Mets Relief Pitcher of the Month award.

I like what I've seen of him. Not on the field, but in interviews and stuff. I think he'll be a great mentor to a young pitching staff, and hopefully to Travis d'Arnaud as well. He seems like future manager material, and maybe sooner rather than later. I don't know how much to expect from him on the field. He'll hit some homers, provide nice defense behind the plate. I'll say that he'll bat 7th, hit about .240, and give way to d'Arnaud in late June. Afterwards he'll remain as the backup catcher.

I think he'll play more than we want him to; 150 at bats, sub-.200 batting average.

I still haven't been able to find any official confirmation of this. Mario Ramirez has been getting a lot of UMDB hits over the last four days; somebody somewhere has gotten the news. Has anyone found an online obituary, or news report of his death?

metirish wrote: IPP ? It's our newest TLA. It's all the rage!

Hope JCL doesn't mind... I made this the IPP thread for Lucas Duda. I've tended to always see Lucas Duda as, at best, another Jeromy Burnitz. On Mets Hot Stove last week, Daniel Murphy said that "the Dude" is the guy to watch this year, the player who's going to have a breakout year that will surprise everyone. I hope it happens, and if it does, I'll be one of those who are surprised. I'm afraid that 2013 is going to be his last hurrah with the Mets, and that he'll play himself out of the conversation for the 2014 outfield. I'll say .239, 15 homers, 120 strikeouts, benched by August.

What's an IPP? In 2011 we called it "Expectations of Eleven". In 2012 it was "You Make the Call". I figured it's time to make this a tradition, and to grant it a TLA. (Three-letter acronym.) IPP stands for "Individual Player Prediction". What do you expect of Greg Burke this year?

What's an IPP? In 2011 we called it "Expectations of Eleven". In 2012 it was "You Make the Call". I figured it's time to make this a tradition, and to grant it a TLA. (Three-letter acronym.) IPP stands for "Individual Player Prediction". What do you expect of John Buck this year?

What's an IPP? In 2011 we called it "Expectations of Eleven". In 2012 it was "You Make the Call". I figured it's time to make this a tradition, and to grant it a TLA. (Three-letter acronym.) IPP stands for "Individual Player Prediction". What do you expect of Mike Baxter this year?

Probably St. Lucie, right?

Blacked out! Can't watch!

Good news about Wilmer is better than good news about LaTroy, I'd say.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I dunno. I tire really easily of the wound-licking and doom porn around the team. I agree. While I don't think the Mets are likely to contend in 2013, I think they're well positioned for success soon after that. I can see a contending team in 2014 featuring Davis-Murphy-Tejada-Wright in the infield, d'Arnaud catching, and Niese-Harvey-Wheeler-Gee in the pitching rotation. There are still gaps to fill, and it's possible that those gaps won't be filled, but I'm optimistic that we'll see good progress, one way or another, over the next 12 months. 2013 could end up being a turning point year like 1983 was.

I bet he'd rather be on Anderson Cooper.

Is that Anthony with her? It occurs to me that there are no photos of me like that. Just as well, I suppose. I don't like "posing" for studio photos, and anyway, I don't need to have Anthony Recker kissing my cheek.

Andrew Keh, New York Times wrote: There Are Rings in Mets� Future PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Before the Mets opened spring training this month, half a dozen of their players stopped playing the field. Most of the time, it takes an awkward hop to drop a ballplayer to one knee. But in a mass move toward matrimony, six Mets proposed to their significant others before arriving here. The team�s fanciful chase for championship rings was preceded this season by a much more realistic search for engagement gold and diamonds. "Well, we got together and all planned to do it over the same off-season," deadpanned David Wright, 30, who popped the question to his longtime girlfriend, Molly, over the Christmas holidays. As Wright jokingly noted, the timing of the engagements did make them seem prearranged. But the extent of the marriage bug�s infectiousness became clear only when the half-dozen players engaged in small talk at the start of camp. Outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, 25, laughed while describing a scene that was repeated several times as players arrived from around the country. "It was like, �Oh, yeah, I got engaged.� �You, too? So did so and so, and so and so, and so and so. Oh, yeah, and so and so, too!� " Wright�s engagement was covered by news outlets and gossip pages this winter; the others were under the radar. For the record, Nieuwenhuis proposed on the beach to his girlfriend, Bethany, on Feb. 1, a couple of days after Zach Lutz, a 26-year-old infielder, and his girlfriend, Lindsay, became engaged. Reese Havens, a 26-year-old second baseman, popped the question to his girlfriend, Leigh, on Dec. 29 while sailing his family�s boat. And Josh Satin, a 28-year-old infielder, proposed to his girlfriend, Allyson, the day before Thanksgiving. "It would have been a big elephant in the room," Satin said laughingly of waiting until the holiday. "Twenty-five people were going to be there. We knew we had to get it done." The marital mood was not confined to homegrown Mets. Anthony Recker, 29, who was claimed by the Mets in October as a possible backup catcher, arrived in camp newly engaged, too, having proposed to his girlfriend, Kelly, late in the 2012 season. As each of the players noted, the engagement run was largely because of their schedules. Baseball requires on-the-job commitment for nine months, often relegating some of life�s major moments to the brief time between seasons. As a result, the proliferation of Mets engagements this winter will mean a glut of weddings next winter. But Recker has learned not to let baseball permeate his life too much. "We know someone with the Chicago Cubs who just got engaged, had his engagement pictures taken at Wrigley Field, and then he got designated for assignment," he said. "It�s not worth it. Don�t even go there. Keep baseball out of it." As a team, the young Mets are going through a transitional phase, and the six newly engaged players -- only two of whom, Wright and Nieuwenhuis, are assured of spots on the roster -- are not the only ones experiencing what could be termed big life moments. Reliever Josh Edgin, 26, and his wife are expecting their first child next month. Outfielder Mike Baxter, 28, and his wife are due to have their first in June. Starter Jon Niese married this winter, as did second baseman Daniel Murphy. Murphy, 27, was happy to impart some wisdom to his teammates. Communication was the key to marital success, he said, as were gestures, even if only symbolic, to show you were invested in planning the wedding. Murphy said his engaged teammates should consider themselves lucky. "The profession is a madhouse," he said, gesturing toward some clubhouse commotion. "You�ve got to find that special woman." Amid the marriage talk, the players joked about who could be next. "We didn�t get him this time," Nieuwenhuis said, looking at outfielder Lucas Duda, 27, who came up through the minors with much of the group. Lutz said Duda would be a member of his wedding party but had no insight on whether there might be any additional pressure for him to marry as well. "Duda�s real quiet," Lutz said, laughing. "You never know with Duda." Wright noted that he attended four baseball weddings this winter in three states and the Turks and Caicos Islands. He could not attend Niese�s wedding because it fell on the same weekend as his annual charity event. "I called it the Winter of Weddings," Wright said, laughing. Another such winter awaits after the 2013 season. As for championship rings, that may take a while.

I hope he wears a Cap'n Crunch hat.

The New York Times wrote: Murphy to Miss Time With Midsection Discomfort By ANDREW KEH PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. � The Mets� first injury concern of the year was revealed after the team�s first full squad workout of spring training Monday afternoon. After practicing with the team, second baseman Daniel Murphy prepared to head back to New York for an examination because of discomfort in his right midsection. General Manager Sandy Alderson said that the concern centered on Murphy�s intercostal muscles and that he might receive a cortisone shot. The Mets hope Murphy can be back on the field within a week. About this time last year, David Wright and Scott Hairston dealt with the same issue. Hairston�s problem lingered longer than Wright�s, but both players were ready for opening day. �I think we just want to be proactive, get me up to New York, especially with all the success they had with David and Scotty last year,� Murphy said. �The best-case scenario would be if I take a couple of days off, and it�s fine.� Murphy said he thought the tightness was related to some mechanical tweaks he was trying to make in his swing. Manager Terry Collins said the examination was a precautionary one. He said he did not envision Murphy missing too much time. Murphy has gone through a fair share of physical issues in his career, but he has generally been more accident-prone than injury-prone. In the last few years he has injured both knees, twice during plays at second base and once during a rundown on the bases.

I'm not so sure. What other starters are ahead of Wheeler on the depth chart? McHugh? Hefner? Mejia? Maybe they are, but maybe they're not.

I remember Opening Day 1987, the day the Mets raised their World Championship flag and gave out the World Series rings. A day that should have been full of nothing but good feelings. Roger McDowell got booed for having a bad spring training.

That can change if Santana, Niese, Marcum, Gee, or Harvey have to go on the DL before Opening Day.

Exactly. I don't want a Jeter! Unless, perhaps, you're talking about this guy: Nah. I don't want him either.

To get to 215 innings, Santana would have to average just about 7 innings per start over 31 starts. (6.94 innings, if you want two decimal points of precision.) If he makes a full 34 starts (which is the most anybody seems to get anymore) he would need to average 6.32 innings per start. Over his time with the Mets, Santana has averaged 6.57 innings per start. In 2012, it was 5.57 innings per start.

I don't think it's anything to panic about either. But I figure it's something we ought to be aware of. And really, I'm surprised that I didn't already know this.

Your sarcasm aside, I think even the wealthiest of teams are handicapped when they have to spend $25 million on a non-productive player.