metirish

yeah there's that, his smile and joy at playing his first few years, he did seem to lose that a little the last few,probably the criticism and such.

I'd do it , no idea if they are top prospects but I'd trust the judgment of Alderson with that.

Interesting article Measuring Reyes�s Loss in the Box Score By ANDREW KEH Published: December 5, 2011 Since his major league debut in 2003, Jose Reyes has become one of the more recognizable stars in baseball. And for Mets fans, viewing the effervescent Reyes in full motion � knees pumping, dreadlocks swaying � became something of a quintessential experience. Such traits had complicated the Mets� pursuit to re-sign Reyes, the star shortstop who agreed in principle Sunday night to a six-year, $106 million deal with the Miami Marlins, and have certainly made his departure to another organization particularly unpalatable for Mets fans. Losing a star, as everyone knows, has consequences beyond the scorebook. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to consider what the Mets actually will be losing on the field now that Reyes appears to be leaving. The consequences, it turns out, are nuanced and unexpectedly varied. The most indisputable fact of Reyes�s career to this point appears to be his immense worth at the top of a batting order. Neil Paine, an analyst at Baseball-Reference.com, said in an e-mail message that Reyes has �arguably been the National League�s best leadoff hitter� over his career. Since 2006, the year Reyes truly seemed to break out as a star, and excluding 2009, when he played only 36 games, the Mets have received superb production from the leadoff spot, the position Reyes filled in the order for the vast majority of games during that span. The Mets� overall batting average from the leadoff spot in those five seasons was .297, the highest in the National League by 11 points. Their slugging percentage out of the spot, .450, was tied for the league lead, while their on-base percentage, .351, was the second highest. �From watching him this year, I would say he was the No. 1 catalyst in baseball,� said Doug Glanville, a former major league player who works as an analyst for ESPN. �You put him out there to start a game and he would be on third base the next time you looked up. I don�t know if there was anyone in the league close to him in terms of providing that spark.� Reyes�s production at the plate over the course of his career is just as impressive when considered alongside the statistics of other shortstops in history. Since 1901, there have been 82 players who have made at least 3,000 plate appearances in their first nine seasons, the number Reyes has made, while playing over three-quarters of their games at shortstop. Of those players, only 12 had higher averages in their first nine years than Reyes�s career mark of .292. Only two had more stolen bases than Reyes, who has 370. Only one player, Arky Vaughan, had more triples than Reyes�s 99. The 2011 season, in some ways, was the best of Reyes�s career. He won the batting title with a .337 average and finished the season with an .877 on-base plus slugging percentage. Both numbers were career highs. For the fourth time in his career, he led the league in triples, with 16. But there are indications that Reyes�s sky-high average could be a one-off occurrence rather than the beginning of an extended plateau. For instance, Reyes�s batting average on balls in play this year was .353, which was 45 points higher than his career average over eight previous seasons. �When you see an anomalous number like that, you dig deeper,� said Rob Neyer, the national baseball editor for SBNation.com. The fact that Reyes, 28, did not appear to change fundamentally as a hitter � the proportion of balls he hit on the ground, in the air and for line drives did not change much from previous years � implied at least to some extent that Reyes�s league-high average was aided by a decent amount of luck. �That doesn�t happen two years in a row,� Neyer said of Reyes�s apparent good fortune. �The Mets shouldn�t pay a guy for hitting .337, because he�s unlikely to do it again.� Reyes�s defense, meanwhile, appears to be an even trickier subject to measure. �I think Jose is clearly one of the top defensive shortstops in baseball,� said Harold Reynolds, an analyst for MLB Network. �He�s got a rocket arm, he�s got great range and he�s fearless in turning the double play.� But others disagree, some vehemently. For instance, Reyes was 15th among major league shortstops in the Fielding Bible Awards, which are decided by a panel of statistically-inclined journalists put together by Baseball Info Solutions, a company that compiles sabermetric data. Defensive metrics are embraced to widely varying degrees among those in baseball, but their conclusions tend to carry more weight if a number of them indicate the same thing. Take for instance plus-minus rating, a metric developed by John Dewan, the author of the Fielding Bible, to measure fielding performance. Reyes had a rating of minus-11 last season, which essentially meant that he made 11 fewer plays than the average major league shortstop. That was the third-worst mark among regular shortstops last season (the other New York shortstop, Derek Jeter, was last with minus-18). Reyes�s ultimate zone rating per 150 games � a metric that looks at errors, range, arm strength and double plays and finds a player�s value based on how many runs he saved or lost compared with the average player � showed that he allowed 3.6 more runs than the average shortstop in 2011, putting him firmly in the bottom third of his peers. Metrics from earlier in Reyes�s career portray his defense much more favorably � he saved 11.6 runs in 2007, for instance � and Neyer and Glanville, who were both panelists for the Fielding Bible Awards, said a midcareer drop-off was natural. �It�s safe to say he won�t be winning any Gold Gloves in the future,� Neyer said. Reynolds provided the counter argument, though, that Reyes had grown more savvy in the field over the years and did things that do not show up in metrics. Glanville summed it up succinctly when he said, �I think Reyes is a little enigmatic.� Ultimately, most observers agree to some extent that criticisms of Reyes�s production can come across as nitpicking, that an analysis of the player that attempts to divorce him from his most electrifying, visceral qualities do not provide the full picture. �You�re clearly seeing a player moving into his prime years who understands how to play, how to take care of himself, and how good he can be,� Reynolds said. �That�s what the Mets would lose, and that�s a big piece.� In the end, it was a piece that may have proved too expensive for the Mets to keep. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/sports/baseball/measuring-reyess-loss-in-the-box-score.html?pagewanted=1&ref=baseball

I'm going to go see the Cyclones next season instead. Fuck you Fred I realize I'm still giving Fred money by going to Brooklyn but I'll be paying minor league prices for a minor league team.

bmfc1 wrote: deleted. redundant. sums them up alright

KeithOlbermann 12 votes needed: Santo 15, Kaat 10, Hodges 9, Minoso 9, Oliva 8, others less than 3 each #Hall of Fame

KeithOlbermann Veterans Committee elects Ron Santo!

metsmarathon wrote: it's a no-brainer because of the pr value. i think that no matter what the mets do from here on out, barring some miracle, they've cut irrevocably deep into their season ticket base. i think the amount of money they just lost by fecklessly losing reyes will more than offset the money they would lose by overpaying him to sit on the dl. I agree with this, I don't think him staying would have caused a rush to buy season tickets but him leaving will cut in to that base.

good choices I went with It's high but, combined with the pr value and all, I'd be OK with it admittedly I'm not one that gets all concerned about looking down the line at years 5/6.

Mets never extended an offer Alderson heard from Reyes� camp Sunday morning, and learned that �things were moving,� the GM said. �Exactly how far I didn�t ask. I didn�t need to. �I think there was an understanding on (agent Peter Greenberg�s) part of what we were talking about in a complete contractual sense,� Alderson said, while emphasizing that he was not aware of an agreement between Reyes and Miami, other than through reading news reports. �But we did not make a formal offer.� Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-mets-jose-reyes-free-agent-bidding-sources-marlins-100-million-offer-shortstop-article-1.986662#ixzz1ffQqv2DF

I have no ill will towards Reyes, not even being in the frame is maddening. http://miami.marlins.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111204&content_id=26090230&vkey=news_mia&c_id=mia of course Hanley at 3rd is no sure thing is it?

Gwreck wrote: MLB Network is referencing Ken Rosenthal that Reyes signed a 6 year deal with Miami. it was coming we all knew it but I'm gutted.

Nearly done? jon Heyman those who claimed the #marlins were engaging in a publicity stunt can now take it back. reyes is about to become a fish. #marlins and reyes working hard. appear to be trying to fiinsh it up. competition (mets, brewers) are left in dust already.

Jon Heyman #marlins are at or over $100M, according to sources. Clear favorite for reyes now. Mets plan was to offer $75-80M, SI_JonHeyman #mets were willing to bid $75-80M for reyes with incentives that could get him to $90-100M.. Marlins 2 aggressive

Jon Heyman Here's an interesting twist: #mets have contacted krod. Lots of closing possibilities tho.

"Here's Wally"

Interesting , at the least Beltran could expect two years $20 million?, too rich for the Mets?

There's speculation that Buckner might join the staff , he and Bobby are close and have been for years.

Not surprised with Keith Olberman, last night on twitter he seemed to be siding with Chass, like they are buddies or something.

Ceetar wrote: Jayson Stark (salt grains here..) reporting Heath Bell to the Marlins pending physical for 3/27. I like. Let the Marlins blow their cash on 60ip guys instead of NL batting champs or other such things that make them way better. (AP) MIAMI - All-Star closer Heath Bell has agreed to a $27 million, three-year contract with the Miami Marlins, sources have confirmed to CBSSports.com. The agreement, which is subject to a physical, is the first free-agent deal for the Marlins since they began courtships last month with several top players. The deal was first reported by ESPN. Bell had more than 40 saves each of the past three seasons for the San Diego Padres. This year he had 43 in 48 chances with a 2.44 ERA. read elsewhere about a vesting option on a fourth year....

Mets � Willets Point wrote: Well, at least there are sensible baseball writers in England if not in New England. Ha! must say I am surprised that the Boston fan it seems would rather a paper cut out like Lamont(insert any baseball lifer) over Valentine. With their passion for the game I thought they would latch on to Bobby.

A valentine for Bobby http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/dec/01/bobby-valentine-boston-red-sox-mets

Good work Ceetar, rarely has a guy made saying nothing sound so important , outside of a politician anyway.