batmagadanleadoff

This article might the first one I've read that notes, correctly, that for the Mets vaunted reputation as a great organization at developing pitchers, the Mets might be the worst in that category over the last 30 years. I've always wondered what the 35 and under group of Mets fans must think when they hear about the Mets so called superiority at developing pitchers. Must be kinda like what I felt as a little kid when I read articles about Connie Mack.

bmfc1 wrote: Verducci's story: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130514/matt-harvey-mets-draft/?sct=hp_t11_a3&eref=sihp Verducci sez "Harvey's Better!" (than Strasburg)

Wow!

Wright Wrong

Wright Wrong

Who are the only two Mets to hit 50 or more doubles in one season -- (at any point in their respective careers, not necessarily as Mets)? One guess per post.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Maybe I missed something, but I'd be surprised if there were three posts in this forum saying that Ankiel would help the team. Yes, but my last post just begs for hyperbole.

When I write that the Mets should play Ankiel at SS, or that Ankiel should pitch a few starts, I thought I gave you my thoughts. It's a fucking embarrassment, this Ankiel acquisition -- somewhat confirmed by the three or four Ankiel related threads here and accompanying 40 or 50 nutty posts micro-analyzing how Ankiel might -seriously- affect things in a positive way. Ankiel's a washed up scrub who might, just might, be the sixth string outfielder on a playoff contender. Except that teams today need to carry so many more pitchers relative to 10 or 15 years ago that the sixth outfielder hardly exists anymore. Ankiel is a major leaguer only because MLB has expanded by 20% since the Mets last WS crown and because there are teams as pathetic as the 2013 Mets. Megdal notes, concisely, that even the lowly Astros cut Ankiel, thus capturing the essence of this whole post in just four or five words.

David Wright is projecting to 116 bases on balls for the 2013 season. John Olerud is the only Met to walk more than 100 times in a season (125 in 1999). http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/6035/david-wright

They should let Ankiel pitch a few starts.

No.

Sandy Alderson says there's nowhere to go but up, eventually By Howard Megdal 8:44 am May. 14, 2013 A day after New York Mets manager Terry Collins unveiled his take-it-or-leave-it lineup and approach, it was general manager Sandy Alderson's turn to take his best shot at repairing the roster and image of the decaying Mets, losers of 16 of their last 23 games entering Monday night's contest against the St. Louis Cardinals. Alderson addressed the gaping holes in the roster by adding Rick Ankiel, an outfielder who was released last week by the Houston Astros, the worst team in baseball. The Astros hardly acted rashly; Ankiel struck out in more than half his plate appearances, 35 times in 65 trips up. His defense has been below average by most metrics. And he's 33. There's no long-term upside here. For the Mets, however, he's apparently good enough to be one half of a center field platoon. So eager were the Mets to put their new acquisition into use that they started him Monday and batted him seventh. While fans took in the new acquisition, Alderson went on Mike Francesa's radio program just before 6 p.m. to address the season to date. He resumed his oddly detached set of gripes about the state of the organization, one amply supported by the lack of realistic major league options to occupy most roster spots, but strange coming from the person who would be in a position to fix such things, if ownership could afford to. "Obviously, there are reasons why he was available," Alderson said by way of selling his new addition, Ankiel. "He was released by the Astros, so they could let some younger players get a chance to play." He paused, as if thinking about the fact that the Mets are in a position where they ought to do the same thing. "In our case, we are waiting for some of our center fielders to develop." Alderson is right; the Mets really don't have major-league ready talent at the position. But this is not news to the man who coined the now-iconic November rejoinder "What outfield?" Alderson had made that harsh assessment at a time when many players more talented than those on the Mets were available via free agency. Alderson didn't add any of them, seemed angry about it, then made the implausible claim that he'd been given license to spend by ownership, but simply declined to do so. And that leaves Alderson in the position of maintaining that there's no financial problem, no cause for alarm, and nowhere to go but up. "I'm not asking anybody to be patient with the team," he said, immediately before also saying: "I think the reality is, we're going to need to be more patient with guys like Ike." Or on the state of the team in general: "I'm not sure that things can devolve any further." Buoyed by that inspiring message, the Mets took the field, and for six innings, stayed even with the Cardinals. Then, in the seventh, a catchable ball hit to center field by Ty Wigginton was dropped by Ankiel, who got a bad break, and recovered, only to see the ball bounce out of his glove. Well, not his glove. Jon Niese's glove. Ankiel's glove was still en route. "I do think if I have my glove it stays in there," Ankiel told reporters after the game. "I'm the type of person, if I get a glove on it I feel I should have caught it. I didn't. It stinks." The next batter, Matt Carpenter, hit a ball that riccocheted off pitcher Scott Rice's leg and into foul territory along the first base line. Wigginton never stopped running, Rice neglected to cover home as catcher John Buck retrieved the ball, and the Cardinals took the lead as Wigginton slid safely home. The Mets summoned Scott Atchison, a pitcher who'd been effective early, but because of a lack of viable alternatives on the roster, had been used by Terry Collins in over half his games despite the twin red flags of being 37 years old and pitching with a torn ligament in his elbow that ended his 2012 season. Atchison gave up a two-run homer to Matt Holliday that put the game away. After the game, Atchison revealed that he couldn't feel the ball with his fingers, a sure sign his elbow ligament tear is acting up again. The Mets dropped to 14-21. They have the fifth-worst record in baseball right now, and they might be overachieving. Really, only the Marlins and Astros have comparably thin rosters, in one case because of an owner engaged in a selloff, the other because of a virtually unprecedented attempt to strip a team of major league assets for a long-term rebuild. And the Mets? As Alderson told Francesa: "It's tough for me to say that the Mets fans have to be more patient. I know that's asking a tremendous amount. ... At this particular jucture, there's not a lot that's available to us. The players we have have to play better." Or put another way, also by Alderson, the general manager who can't very well fix things without the basic funds to do so: "We've got to grin and bear it at this point. ... Look, I've got to suffer through these games, too." Tickets are very much available at Mets.com. http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/sports/2013/05/8529995/sandy-alderson-says-theres-nowhere-go-eventually?--bucket-headline

They should play Rick Ankiel at SS.

I think that Terry Collins asked for Nelson to come in.

G-Fafif wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Being a Met fan this year must be something like rooting for Wes Westrum's Mets in '67. One pitcher and 24 dwarfs. And even Seaver, in '67, wasn't as good as Harvey is right now. Coming into this season I was hoping it would be a 1983 kind of year. Instead it's smelling more like 1979. I'm coming to believe 2013 is on the verge of establishing its own discernible, meaningful precedent, as in "oy, it's another 2013 this year!" You mean we'll be in for more of this?

Being a Met fan this year must be something like rooting for Wes Westrum's Mets in '67. One pitcher and 24 dwarfs. And even Seaver, in '67, wasn't as good as Harvey is right now.

Matt Harvey wouldn't be pitching today by any chance, would he?

Swan Swan H wrote: That nine-year gap between the end of Stearns' Mets career and the beginning of Burnitz's first run is killing me. It's a chronological quiz and figuring out the reason for that gap you noticed is probably key to solving this one. Stearns -- a gap of about a decade and a half -- and then a flurry of activity.

How restless Terry Collins made his peace with the 2013 Mets By Howard Megdal 11:20 am May. 13, 2013 Saturday was one of the uglier days in the tenure of Terry Collins, now in his third and quite possibly final season as manager of the New York Mets. Each of his first two years, Collins has been fortified by an unexpectedly strong start. The Mets were 46-45 at the All Star Break in 2011, 46-40 at the break in 2012. The second half each season was an unmitigated disaster, but Collins had, at least, a period of overachievement to point to during otherwise glum late-season postgame news conferences. Collins got credit for managing with what he had, and he deserved it. This year, he's working with a team that is, on paper, less talented than each of its two predecessors. Collins knows it, too, and he's known it since spring training. The result has been a mad scientist's mixing of lineups and platoons and rotations. It isn't much of a stretch to say he's tried everything. It hasn't worked, not even against a schedule largely made up of the lesser lights of the league. The Mets are 14-20 after Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. What Collins really needs is for the Mets to spend more money on players, and this ownership group, whose own financial problems are well documented, isn't going to do that anytime soon. Asked about top prospect Zack Wheeler's status on Friday night, after a horrific performance by starter Shaun Marcum, Collins said: "I can�t worry about people that aren�t here. You know, I�d like to have [Albert] Pujols, too, but I don�t have him." So when Collins reflected on the Mets' 11-2 loss Saturday afternoon, after a terrible start by Opening Day starter Jon Niese, an offense that produced 12 runs over its previous five games, and a starting staff with an E.R.A. well over five without its ace Matt Harvey, he seemed resigned to letting his team go out and win or lose on its talent, not through some manic fix. "We're gonna do some things tomorrow," Collins said, still in uniform, in response to my question about whether 14-19 was about where he expected to be. "You know what? We've got some run producers on this team? They're gonna start hitting where they belong to hit. You work hard, trying to put the best lineup out there, to put them in the right spots, and I'm sitting there, looking at it today, and," he paused, looking for the right way to say it. "My guys are great, my players are tremendous, they're great guys, but I'm a little tired, I'm sitting there today thinking, it's enough thinking, trying to overmanage this. Let the players play. So I'm gonna turn 'em loose tomorrow, and let them go play, and hit in the spots they should hit in." That apparently meant Ike Davis, off to a difficult start for a second year in a row, in the cleanup spot despite entering the game with an O.P.S.+ of 68. David Wright, the Met who is producing offensively, hit third. Lucas Duda, who off to strong offensive start, hit fifth. Thanks to Matt Harvey, who battled subpar command (for him, anyway) to turn in a seven-inning, two-run performance, the Mets stayed in the game on Sunday, despite producing only two runs and four hits into the eighth inning. Daniel Murphy, the number-two hitter, led off with a double, and took third on a wild pitch. Wright was walked, somewhat intentionally. That brought Davis to the plate. But Davis missed a hittable fastball for strike one, fouled off strike two, and weakly waved at a curve for strike three. Then Duda lined a ball down the first base line that looked like a double for sure, before it hit first base and caromed up to second baseman Jordy Mercer, who threw Duda out. A sacrifice fly from Davis, the cleanup hitter, would have tied the game. And a team with even average hitting would have given Harvey, a pitcher with a 1.98 E.R.A. over his past four starts and four no-decisions to show for it, a chance to earn the victory. Afterwards, Davis took responsibility, which isn't new. Davis is a hard worker, and has never shied away from discussing his shortcomings with reporters. Davis, "noticeably morose" in the words of MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, said: "It's my job. I don't like doing horrible at my job." "I have to produce more," Davis said, "or I won't play at this level." For another team, sure. But Davis hit like this for another month longer last season, sporting a .161 batting average on June 7 last season, before rallying. On another team, a capable hitter who can manage first base, the easiest defensive position to fill, while Davis found his stroke at Triple-A wouldn't be hard to find. But the Mets' only realistic alternative to Davis, Lucas Duda, is going through the motions of playing left field. Davis' backup, Justin Turner, is not really a viable hitter at second base or third base, let alone first base. The Triple-A first baseman, Josh Satin, is not a real prospect. And the same is true of Double-A first basemen Richard Lucas and Allan Dykstra. So Collins will continue to turn 'em loose. Because, as he realizes, there's nothing else to do now. "We're getting hit now with a two-headed monster: we're not hitting and we're not pitching," Collins said after Sunday's game. "Certainly we've got to get it going, and there's no secret formula how to do it." http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/sports/2013/05/8529957/how-restless-terry-collins-made-his-peace-2013-mets?top-featured-4

Who's the next Met in this sequence? Why?

Ike's tailspin could force Mets to drop him to Triple-A By KEVIN KERNAN Last Updated: 10:28 AM, May 13, 2013 Posted: 12:57 AM, May 13, 2013 Y-IKE-S! First baseman Ike Davis, hitless in four at-bats yesterday, flips his bat after striking out in the third inning. The Mets cannot afford to waste Matt Harvey�s starts. They cannot afford to have Davis continue to strike out in crucial situations. Manager Terry Collins is counting on Davis to drive in runs, and he put the first baseman back into the fourth spot yesterday. The clock is ticking. If the lefty doesn�t hit, he could be sent down to the minors. Such a move might be just what Davis needs to get his swing together. Davis hit rock bottom yesterday when he struck out with runners on first and third with one out in the eighth inning of the Mets� 3-2 loss to the Pirates at Citi Field. He was fooled badly on a curveball in the dirt by ex-Yankee Mark Melancon. As Davis tossed his pink Mother�s Day bat aside, boos from the crowd of 28,404 cascaded onto the field. �I definitely let the team down,�� said a somber Davis, whose mind is spinning as much as his wild swing. �I have to produce more or I won�t play on this level.�� If Davis had come through with a hit in that situation or even a sacrifice fly, the Mets could have made the most of Harvey�s solid start. �I need to stop pressing with two strikes,�� Davis admitted. �I�m telling myself to be shorter and quicker to the ball and see it, but then I�m just not focusing on the ball and I�m swinging at pitches in the dirt that normally I don�t do. Hopefully I can make that adjustment next game and start the rest of the season not doing that.�� The Mets know they can�t wait too much longer on Davis. They could move Lucas Duda to first base. Yesterday they had Wilmer Flores playing first in Las Vegas. Davis does not see a minor league demotion just yet. �I wouldn�t think they would, just because last year when I started playing well I actually contributed and became a big factor in the games,� he said. �I still got time.�� Davis hit 32 home runs last year. If he continues to struggle on a trip that takes the Mets to St. Louis and Chicago, management might not be so patient. Davis is hitting .129 with runners in scoring position. The Mets have lost 11 of 15. Davis is hitting .180 with just nine RBIs. He was 0-for-4 yesterday with two strikeouts. He has 39 strikeouts on the year and only 20 hits. Yikes, Ike. Here is the worst of it for the Mets. Harvey received his fourth straight no-decision, despite a 1.98 ERA over that span. �This is way worse, personally,�� Davis said of this year�s slump. �When I wasn�t doing well and we were winning last year, they were picking me up and that kind of made it a little easier.�� No one is picking anyone up as the Mets continue to strike out in ridiculous numbers. They suffered 16 strikeouts in Saturday�s loss and another 12 yesterday. �Ike is going to have to reach down inside and grind out at-bats,�� Collins said. �I asked if he was up to it, and he said, �Absolutely, sign me up.� It was tough for him today. I know that was a disappointing at-bat for him.�� One major league executive said he believes if Davis can get his act together, he will be similar to Baltimore�s Chris Davis, who is having a terrific season. �That�s who Ike reminds me of,�� the executive told The Post. To hit like Chris Davis, though, Ike Davis must shorten his swing and focus on hitting the ball up the middle and the other way. �That is the adjustment he has to make,�� the executive said. �I don�t like doing horrible at my job,�� Davis said. All bets are off and Las Vegas is in Ike�s future if he doesn�t start hitting. http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/ike_might_tailspin_all_the_way_to_BCqWdX8e406PNuUDdo27FM

metsmarathon wrote: elvin ramirez, with whom the sequence ends (for now) Yes! The sequence does indeed end with Elvin Ramirez. For now. Tell all the good folks here how you figured this one out.

metirish wrote: What an awful team. Hate to say it but unless Harvey is pitching I'm not tuning in.

Identify the only Met that can complete the sequence below.

Is Harvey pitching yet?