batmagadanleadoff

Yet Conforto wants to play in the WBC Classic (for Italy).

Centerfield wrote: Centerfield wrote: Plus I'm not sure that the Nats are without their question marks. Daniel Murphy OPS'ed at .985 last year while spending nearly his entire career in the mid. 700's. Are we sure that he can match that production again in 2017? There are all sorts of guys who had that one standout year and never matched it again. While I don't know what's in store for Murphy, and maintain a healthy respect for the total unpredictability of everything, everything, I'm also convinced that Murphy is one of those rare players who changed his game in mid-career. I think he's no longer that singles and doubles hitter spraying the ball over the field for all but the last half season of his Mets stint. And so, I wouldn't consider the old Murphy as the baseline by which to gauge expectations. I think Murphy's a stud now, one of baseball's most dangerous hitters. And I think that that Murphy's here to stay. If his productivity goes down, it'll be because of the inevitable wear and tear and injuries and aging --- not a reversion to the original Murph. Is that just a hunch or are you basing that on anything specific? Not to say you're wrong, I just don't have the depth of understanding to make a prediction on this one way or the other. A hunch, I guess. Murph's been the new Murph for about a season and a half now. And the explanation is very credible. I mean, this isn't Lenny Dykstra showing up at his first Phillies spring training camp with 20 new pounds of muscle because he "wink wink" worked out a lot in the off season. Murphy's new approach has been corroborated by his hitting coach, Kevin Long, by Terry Collins and by many of his former Mets teammates. In fact, I read that at least one Met -- I think it's Kelly Johnson -- kept in contact with Murph in 2016 because he wanted to try the Murph approach.

[fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5574/30814995903_cd3f0c72fd_b.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/280/31483552312_841d0ecfb2_b.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1507/26357886132_b2dc036445_o.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/437/30790239824_ed35f110f7_b.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1688/26439576266_dd36d048f5_o.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://c7.staticflickr.com/1/41/31615555046_38d01b735b_b.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1682/26453306875_85e811efbe_o.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/299/31638535165_495fedae3b_b.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://c4.staticflickr.com/1/717/31533699931_bed7f348b2_b.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/400/31480657082_325d00dcf9_b.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/260/31278983200_96290e26ee_b.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1470/26449027905_023cf0775a_o.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/774/31483552282_450da3505d_b.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/384/31522114861_febcbea0b5_b.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot] [fimg=300:cydm1lot]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1620/25914284093_30153f34c6_o.jpg[/fimg:cydm1lot]

Centerfield wrote: Plus I'm not sure that the Nats are without their question marks. Daniel Murphy OPS'ed at .985 last year while spending nearly his entire career in the mid. 700's. Are we sure that he can match that production again in 2017? There are all sorts of guys who had that one standout year and never matched it again. While I don't know what's in store for Murphy, and maintain a healthy respect for the total unpredictability of everything, everything, I'm also convinced that Murphy is one of those rare players who changed his game in mid-career. I think he's no longer that singles and doubles hitter spraying the ball over the field for all but the last half season of his Mets stint. And so, I wouldn't consider the old Murphy as the baseline by which to gauge expectations. I think Murphy's a stud now, one of baseball's most dangerous hitters. And I think that that Murphy's here to stay. If his productivity goes down, it'll be because of the inevitable wear and tear and injuries and aging --- not a reversion to the original Murph.

I know this one. 1973. The Mets made few additions to the Ya Gotta Believe squad. In fact, the first new Met to debut for the 1974 squad, Jerry Cram, didn't do so until June.

Hardest thrower in baseball. Toughest NL pitcher to homer against in 2016. (In the majors, actually) [fimg=333:30k3sy57]https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/296/31378545572_d3763c001b_b.jpg[/fimg:30k3sy57]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I see. And then from flickr, I guess it can turn up on a Google image search. I'm guessing that when you uploaded that Monell photo to your flickr account, you added some information to the photo, like the word "Monell", and maybe the word "Mets" too. Because when I search for Mets photos for customs, I type in the player's name in the search box and the word "Mets". But I don't remember being steered to your flickr account on that Monell search. I would've remembered that. UPDATE: I just ran a google image search for "Monell Mets" and your image turned up from a NY Sportsday page (unattributed). So no one would discover that it's your Monell pic from this particular search. There isn't a Monell photo coming up on that search that leads to your flickr page, either. So either you've since deleted that photo from flickr or the internet works in quirky and strange ways that I don't quite understand. Nice pic, though. Thanks.

I see. And then from flickr, I guess it can turn up on a Google image search. I'm guessing that when you uploaded that Monell photo to your flickr account, you added some information to the photo, like the word "Monell", and maybe the word "Mets" too. Because when I search for Mets photos for customs, I type in the player's name in the search box and the word "Mets". But I don't remember being steered to your flickr account on that Monell search. I would've remembered that.

themetfairy wrote: I did indeed! No kidding. How does it end up on the internet machine? I made that Monell card about a year ago. And I remember that the pickings were, understandably, thin as far as Monell pics. In fact, if I remember correctly, your pic might've been the only one I found that I thought was suitable.

themetfairy wrote: I remember that 2015 Spring Training. He looked like the real deal at that time. Wound up being a AAAA level talent. But he had a great smile! Hey! That's the same photo on my custom card. Did you shoot that Monell pic?

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Nobody hates the MFYs more than me and Jeter's greatness is universally exaggerated, but he's the kinda cat who should have his jersey retired by the MFYs. It's the shitty short-timers and pretend legends that trouble me about that park. I've been ignoring the Monument Park aspect of this thread because it didn't resonate with me either. But if I was gonna write a post, it would've been just like the one you wrote. I hate Jeter probably more than I hate the Yankees organization. To me, Jeter's always been the most overrated player I've ever seen play in my life. I've never seen anywhere else in sports, the humiliating lengths to which the media has gone to in order to ingratiate themselves to Jeter and the bullshit over-exaggerated legend they've created around him -- a delusional legend unsupported by any evidence -- a legend that oughtta be insulting to any sentient baseball fan, even a Yankee fan. Off the field, Jeter's always been a soulless phony, cultivating his image with calculating precision, playing the media for suckers to advance his self-serving agenda. But that said, Jeter's a no doubt about it Hall of Famer. Jeter's induction into Monument Park is deserved, a no-brainer.

I have no idea what Monell did either. Did not play for the Mets in 2016. Have always conflated Monell with Danny Muno. [fimg=333:11qmwgyo]https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/250/31376442362_3a06f22b65_z.jpg[/fimg:11qmwgyo]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'll give it a try: Berra, Torre, Randolph, Stengel, Stottlemyer. That's the winner! Three honorees were better known as Mets managers than players. Stengel was exclusively a Mets manager. And Mel coached but never played for the Mets.

Five Yankee Monument Park honorees wore the Mets uniform. Name them all in one error-free post and you might win a prize.

I can't believe people aren't prepared to trade Matz for an MVP centerfielder you mean an expensive player on a steep downward trajectory? he was NEGATIVE WAR player this past year (last 5 years: 7.0; 8.1; 6.3; 4.9; -0.7 on BRef) - i'm guessing he isnt that bad, but he is owed 14 mil each of the last 2 years and arguably already belongs in a corner spot. at that point, he's Jay Bruce. Why would you trade Matz for that? While I wouldn't know what McCutchen's future holds, I don't see a steep downward trajectory either. He had an off year in 2016. The four years before that, he finished in the top five in league MVP voting every single season -- including a number one finish in 2013. He was also an all-star the last five seasons before 2016. Johnny Bench was the NL MVP in 1970 and in 1972. And in between -- 1971 -- he had the worst year of his prime. Go figure.

Two things: 1) Mark Bailey was an under the radar stealth find in '85. He was a short career scrub, but in 1985, he had his career year. 10 HR's in 332 AB's playing in The Astrodome, no less ... Bailey was also a walking machine that season, on-basing just a snip under .400. Going by memory, I'd rate him no lower than the 4th best NL catcher of '85, and maybe as high as 3rd -- at least in an S-O-M league, anyways. 2) If the 1985 season played out in 2016, today's baseball awards voters would have made Dwight Gooden the MVP. And it would have been a fucking landslide. Thanks for the chart.

Here you go. NL fWAR Leaders, 1983–1987 1) Tim Raines, MON: 32.6 2) Mike Schmidt, PHI: 31.2 3) Dale Murphy, ATL: 26.4 4) Gary Carter, MON/NYM: 25.9 5) Tony Gwynn, SDP: 25.6 6) Keith Hernandez, STL/NYM: 25.5 7) Ozzie Smith, STL 24.1 8) Ryne Sandberg, CHI: 21.6 9) Pedro Guerrero, LAD: 20.8 10) Bill Doran, HOU: 20.3 If you go league-wide, three American Leaguers finish ahead of him: Wade Boggs, Cal Ripken, and (naturally) Ricky Henderson. But that still suggests he's one of the top five players in either league, and the best in the National League, over a meaningful period of time. I could also include pitchers in there. The leading pitcher, as far as fWAR, over that period is Dwight Gooden, with 26.5 Wow. I played the 1985 Strat-O-Matic set quite a bit in the late '80's, and always a NL only draft league. To this day, I'm quite familiar with the '85 NL, which is the middle year of that '83-'87 range. All those guys on that list were drafted in every '85 set league I played. I wonder where Jack Clark and Darryl Strawberry rank on that list? I bet they're near misses. I'm also surprised that Carter's on that list given his big fade after the '86 season. Or maybe not, because this being fWAR, I'd guess that before he faded, the gap between Carter and the next best catcher might've been the biggest at any given position. I can assure you that that was the case in '85. Carter was always the #1 overall pick in the '85 draft leagues I played. He certainly wasn't the best player available, but you really had to have him because the drop-off in quality between Carter and the next best catcher was chasm-like.

G-Fafif wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: That homer by Cabrera may have been the best single moment from the 2016 season. It's too bad it didn't yield any great covers. I voted for Newsday's version because it's the only one of the three that didn't make a stupid pun on the word "Ass". Transcendent. Classic. This year's Wilmer Flores or Steve Henderson Game. In recognition of its significance, I gave all my votes to that game's headlines, the only time I've done that thus far. Same here. Those ass puns turned me off. Also, it's the only cover I voted for in this entire contest. Plus, Cabrera's arms straight up looks like a signal for "11".

WOW! "God willing, I want to finish out my career with this team." !!!! Sandy:"God willing and a no trade clause." hahaha Why is that a good thing? I wouldn't want the last year or so of just about every major leaguer that ever played the game of baseball.

It was mostly downhill after his splendid 2015 Colorado start. [fimg=333:2s4jrzl8]https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5329/30533389173_75ccab4622_z.jpg[/fimg:2s4jrzl8] [fimg=333:2s4jrzl8]https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5791/30533389163_efaf9e8337_z.jpg[/fimg:2s4jrzl8] [fimg=222:2s4jrzl8]https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5567/30533389193_dd37f93466_b.jpg[/fimg:2s4jrzl8] [fimg=333:2s4jrzl8]https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5541/30533389143_51b7f97c60_b.jpg[/fimg:2s4jrzl8]

The NY Post secretly followed Jeff Wilpon into the wee hours of the night: [fimg=777:9a7xg11y]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5827/22433138336_d3890685d2_o.jpg[/fimg:9a7xg11y]

Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: Does Maja get to vote? She already did. She voted for Trump. Happy?

Ken Mackenzie, Bob Hendley

Warren Spahn, Bob Shaw, Ron Herbel

And Gary Gentry.