Frayed Knot

"Does postseason performance factor in?" [from the first post] ... "- post-season performance SHOULD be considered in your list, although to what degree is your choice" "These are nearly the same trait" Byte Me!

I usually start sorting through the year by looking at the pitchers and position players seperately. Merging the two lists together is the tough part. Here's what I'm thinking for the position players. Go ahead, tell me how delusional I am. Beltran - Had the best year from start to finish. Led team in Runs Created & Win Shares, and played a very good CF Reyes - A shade behind Wright in RC & WS, but played a better SS than Wright did 3B plus had a better post-season Wright - 1st half MVP, slumped somewhat in the 2nd half then bombed in the NLCS Delgado - I get the idea that the press view is that LoDuca is a near team MVP; "heart & soul" of the team and all that. But - his two month/mid-season slump aside - Delgado was a MUCH better hitter that all the "intangibles" plus the difference in defensive spectrum can't make up for. LoDuca - Successfully manned the 2-slot in the lineup despite fears (from me & others here) that he couldn't. Only a decent defensive catcher really, but showed up every day and was very consistent. Valentin - Best surprise of the year, falls below the other full-timers due to rough start and weak finish/playoff. Chavez - He and Floyd had near identical ABs, but Endy had an edge on everything - speed, defense, versatility - except power Floyd - Was either in a slump or getting hurt just as he was pulling out of a slump Nady - Inconsistent and sometimes a scary fielder, but lots of big hits in the first half Franco - #1 PH-er all year, had some big hits early despite obvious limitations. Green - Not as good as fans wanted, but also not as bad as many acted Woodward - big comedown from last year rates him the lowest of all the position players who were on the roster all year Milledge - Better stats than Woodward, but looked overmatched at times and couldn't be trusted enough to get a post-season spot Castro - Early season thoughts that he should have played more gave way to the reality that he was barely missed as he sat out the last 1/3 of the season In a toss-up for the last 2 spots that could possibly survive until the final list, Tucker edges Matsui for being less of an out-machine plus a couple of post-season ABs. Outside looking in: Marrero, LeDee, AHernandez, DeFelice, Stinnett, Diaz None of these guys have a chance at cracking the final list once the pitchers are integrated.

[u:uz8r82o2]Baseball Prospectus[/u:uz8r82o2] checks out some Hawaii League progress: 1B Mike Carp, North Shore Honu (Hawaii Winter League, Mets) Carp had a very good year in the High-A Florida State League, batting .287/.379/.450 for St. Lucie. Not eye-popping numbers, but after considering the league, scout appreciation for his size and pretty swing, the fact that Carp just turned 20 at the end of June, and his hitting ten home runs in his final 41 games, things start to look a little rosier. Carp's winter season in Hawaii started with a 0-for-10 run, but he's batting .400 since, and .286/.405/.457 overall. Making it as a first baseman is the toughest road for any position player prospect, as there's no flexibility defensively if things turn sour, but Carp is on roll--one he hopes to continue next year in Double-A.

And now that our season's over (moment of silence) ... it's never too early to start contemplating this year's rankings project!! Going to be an interesting year to analyze. Hitters should dominate the top of the list over the pitchers. But a lot of good 'partial-year' guys - Duaner, Nady, Mota, Perez, El Duque, and even Pedro for that matter - have to be balanced among some full-season guys who didn't contribute all that much like Franco, Woodward & Castro For any newbies who haven't seen this before and want to participate; - we rank the top 30 2006 Mets as far as their contributions to this season: ranked from the best (30) down to least (1) although, with 49 different 2006 Mets, there'll be 19 players who are going to wind up even below the guy in 30th place - Participation isn't mandatory (nothing is around here) but you can submit your own list or just critique the submissions of others. We eventually come up with some sort of consensus from everything submitted. - participants are free to choose any method you want to come up with your answer; from strict statistical analysis to pure gut reaction to anywhere in between ... just be prepared to defend and explain your choices, or even adjust them if swayed by the arguments of others - post-season performance SHOULD be considered in your list, although to what degree is your choice - and, in case you haven't figured it out already, the results of this will combine with the other years to contribute to the order of players who accompany your posting totals (see; 'Rankings for Dummies' thread) The roster of choices: [u:bubz5o8r]Position Players (22) Sorted by Plate Appearances[/u:bubz5o8r]: Reyes - Wright - Delgado - Beltran - LoDuca Valentin - Chavez - Floyd - Nady - Woodward Milledge - Franco - Castro - Matsui - Green Tucker - A Hernandez - Marrero - Ledee - DeFelice Stinnett - Diaz [u:bubz5o8r]Pitchers (27) Sorted by Innings Pitched[/u:bubz5o8r]: Glavine - Trachsel - Martinez - OHernandez - Maine Heliman - Oliver - Wagner - Bradford - Feliciano Sanchez - Soler - Bell - Bannister - Perez Williams - Julio - Pelfrey - Zambrano - RHernandez Mota - Lima - Gonzalez - Ring - Owens Fortunado - Humber

Carp set to play for the 'North Shore Honu' in the newly revived 'Hawaii Winter League' which starts up this weekend. The league features 4 teams playing a 40-game sked in two different stadiums and is comprised of both MLB and JPL (Japan) prospects in a roughly 60/40 split.

Yeah, but I think history would be against us in that matchup.

In City Slickers II Billy Crystal does a dance on finding the gold based on an old movie and I believe it was Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Is that correct? At one point, the Walter Huston character does a bit of a jig as he explains to his two rookie goldmining companions that they're sitting on a big find. I never saw 'City Slickers' but I assume that's what you're alluding to.

I'd vote for Sierra Madre to start off also. Huston directs his father Walter in it. He also appears in it himself (uncredited) as the American in a white suit getting his shoes shined as Bogart is asking for a handout, just before the Mexican kid who sold Bogie a lottery ticket tells him that he's the winner. That kid gows up to be the wife-murdering Robert Blake.

Wasn't it info on IMDB that "reported" that Piazza had a part as a high-school bully in some teen werewolf movie?

I'm just curious to see who Stone blame the attacks on?

1) Isn't it Talledega [u:128d38yw]Nights[/u:128d38yw]? 2) I've seen/heard a few decent reviews for it - although, personally, I'm not sure that the fans in NASCAR nation own enough weapons to make me go.