Edgy MD

I'm the Mets closer. And I'm a good one. A really good one. I almost have too many good pitches to waste on a closer. But that's sort of a blessing and a curse. I sometimes get in my own way trying to figure out which pitch to go for. Sometimes. I mean, the 50-Save Club. There's only like 13 of us or so. But I've been imperfect in the post season, and there are already dopes out there calling me the New Armando. And I guess until I close out a World Series clincher, that's the way people are going to be. Is that the way it's going to go down in 2017? I don't know. I'm asking you. [fimg=351:2ctqp1a9]http://metsmerizedonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/USATSI_8575249_154511658_lowres-e1433028317101.jpg?x22250[/fimg:2ctqp1a9] [fimg=349:2ctqp1a9]http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2016/1005/r136751_600x400_3-2.jpg[/fimg:2ctqp1a9] [fimg=321:2ctqp1a9]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2867702.1478798805!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/familia11n-5-web.jpg[/fimg:2ctqp1a9] [fimg=379:2ctqp1a9]http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/content/wabc/images/cms/1584047_1280x720.jpg[/fimg:2ctqp1a9]

Forget time. Think of the expenses all those foul balls incur.

Kids, don't believe GAMEDAY reports in spring. They typically don't report the number of pitches, balls and strikes. All strikeouts are typically reported as being on three pitches, all walks are on four pitches, all balls in play are typically reported as coming on the first pitch.

I know that spring play isn't really about outcomes, Cheech, but getting caught stealing when you're down 6-0 isn't really the way to go about things.

We have a five-run third, with damage coming against Molina and Gilmartin. Let's get the bats out, gents.

Ireland got knocked out in the prelims. Their jerseys weren't much, but I salute them for eschewing the shamrock and the tricolor and instead adorning their hats with the more traditional symbol of the harp. It could have been executed more cleanly, and with some more definition, but still, it's insignia'd in there, rather then patched.

It's not a bad lineup, because the Mets are deep and awesome, but Granderson is the only first stringer, and he's DH-ing. Here's what the Cards are countering with: 1. Dexter Fowler (S) CF 2. Aledmys Diaz ® SS 3. Matt Carpenter (L) 1B 4. Jhonny Peralta ® 3B 5. Yadier Molina ® C 6. Randal Grichuk ® LF 7. Tommy Pham ® DH 8. Harrison Bader ® RF 9. Former Met Superstar Wilfredo Tovar ® 2B

Yeah, every time I look for photos of him, I think they've got him mixed up with a Venezuelan guy.

Hey, everybody, it's March, and that means our personnel forecasts can accelerate to two-a-day. We've got about 60 dudes to get in. First up today is me. My name's Phil, and I'm a man you don't meet every day. I'm reading my calling card right here and it says "2016 Eastern League Batting Average Champ." That's something, I tell you what. A more-or-less legit shortstop with a batting average title. On the other hand, it was a real breakthrough year for me. I mean, I'm still only a .255 hitter over the course of my minor league career. And really, with my only passing displays of power and fleeting displays of speed, about 80% of my offensive value is tied up in my batting average. Maybe 75%, because I know what a walk looks like. But yeah, the question you might be asking me is, how sustainable is that? Maybe you should ask it of yourself! And answer it! Right here in this thread! [fimg=350:1fk9l5t6]https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XZsojn-XgMYYgzhueCeA9y2Xtuw=/0x159:2400x1600/1720x1147/filters:focal(1049x314:1433x698):format(webp)/cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50756381/phillip-evans-gordon-donovan.0.JPG[/fimg:1fk9l5t6] [fimg=350:1fk9l5t6]http://media.jrn.com/images/T0013297331--624372.JPG[/fimg:1fk9l5t6] [fimg=312:1fk9l5t6]http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4526495/evans_GORDONDONOVAN.png[/fimg:1fk9l5t6] [fimg=388:1fk9l5t6]http://cdn.chatsports.com/cache/25/28/25286ad81960e052eecbc7e2fab24671-original.jpg[/fimg:1fk9l5t6]

All you guys predicting Smoker breaks camp as the the second lefty?

Yes, it's suspended. I mean, who cares who gets the win in Spring Training games. Familia earned a blown save yesterday in the third inning.

Yeah, that 5'8" guess doesn't look all that off. [tweet:1w32ptjy] [/tweet:1w32ptjy] Despite that stature, he was considered high-round talent that the Mets stole in the middle rounds by offering him enough to forgo his scholarship.

I couldn't fathom any of these when I logged on this morning. A few hours later, I looked again, and I was all, of course, Figueroa! Of course, Mejia! Too lateski in both cases. Brazell was beyond my ken, though.

It depends on whether and why you think moving Cabrera at third and Reyes at short is the better alignment. The Mets general attitude is to defer to incumbent starters and avoid moving them at all costs.

I don't want Wal-Mart to sell either, you generalizer! Of course, it's about 11,000th on my list about Wal-Mart concerns.

None of this is exact science, but this is furthest of them all, because some of the likeliest replacements for relievers are starters from the level below. If Hansel Robles gets hurt, it's as much an opportunity for Seth Lugo as it is for Paul Sewald. Moreso, because Lugo has shown he can retire big leaguers and he's on the 40. In fact, none of the Las Vegas bullpen projected below are currently on the 40-man roster. It's nonetheless a pretty solid department for the team, particularly where guys are pushing up from Columbia and St. Lucie toward Bingo. The bullpen had thinned a lot the last year or two, following multiple departures in trades for big leaguers, but things seem to be shoring up now. NEW YORK=#0040FF] Rk.=#0040FF]Relief Pitcher=#0040FF]2017 Age=#0040FF]2016 Pos.=#0040FF] MLB=#0040FF] AAA=#0040FF] AA=#0040FF] A+=#0040FF] A=#0040FF] SS A+=#0040FF] SS A=#0040FF] Rookie1=#FF0000]Jeurys Familia27rp3-4, 51 S, 2.55, 77.2 IP, 31 BB, 84 SO2=#FF0000]Addison Reed28rp4-2, 1 S, 1.97, 77.2 IP, 13 BB, 91 SO3=#FF0000]Jerry Blevins*33rp4-2, 2 S, 2.79, 42.0 IP, 15 BB, 52 SO4=#FF0000]Hansel Robles26rp6-4, 1 S, 3.48, 77.2 IP, 36 BB, 85 SO5=#FF0000]Fernando Salas32rp3-7, 6 S, 3.91, 73.2 IP, 19 BB, 64 SO6=#FF0000]Erik Goeddel28rp, sp2-2, 0 S, 4.54, 35.2 IP, 14 BB, 36 SO1-1, 1 S, 4.08, 28.2 IP, 15 BB, 34 SO7=#FF0000]Josh Edgin*30rp1-0, 0 S, 5.23, 10.1 IP, 6 BB, 11 SO2-2, 2 S, 3.24, 33.1 IP, 20 BB, 38 SOLAS VEGAS=#0040FF] Rk.=#0040FF]Relief Pitcher=#0040FF]2017 Age=#0040FF]2016 Pos.=#0040FF] MLB=#0040FF] AAA=#0040FF] AA=#0040FF] A+=#0040FF] A=#0040FF] SS A+=#0040FF] SS A=#0040FF] Rookie8=#FF0000]Ben Rowen28rp0-0, 0 S, 15.00, 3.0 IP, 0 BB, 2 SO0-4, 1 S, 2.33, 58.0 IP, 14 BB, 45 SO9=#FF0000]Paul Sewald27rp5-3, 19 S, 3.29, 65.2 IP, 21 BB, 80 SO10=#FF0000]Tom Gorzelanny*34rp1-0, 0 S, 21.00, 3.0 IP, 5 BB, 4 SO1-1, 1 S, 3.65, 24.2 IP, 16 BB, 24 SO11=#FF0000]Josh Smoker*28rp3-0, 0 S, 4.70, 15.1, 4 BB, 25 SO3-2, 3 S, 4.11, 57.0 IP, 18 BB, 81 SO12=#FF0000]David Roseboom*25rp1-1, 14 S, 1.87, 57.2 IP, 18 BB, 54 SO13=#FF0000]Chasen Bradford27rp5-3, 5 S, 4.80, 65.2 IP, 13 BB, 54 SO14Beck Wheeler28rp0-1, 0 S, 7.23, 23.2 IP, 16 BB, 28 SO0-2, 6 S, 5.06, 32.0 IP, 18 BB, 47 SOBINGHAMTON=#0040FF] Rk.=#0040FF]Relief Pitcher=#0040FF]2017 Age=#0040FF]2016 Pos.=#0040FF] MLB=#0040FF] AAA=#0040FF] AA=#0040FF] A+=#0040FF] A=#0040FF] SS A+=#0040FF] SS A=#0040FF] Rookie15=#FF0000]Kevin McGowan25rp, sp0-0, 0 S, 5.40, 1.2 IP, 1 BB, 2 SO4-1, 0 S, 3.26, 49.2 IP, 17 BB, 48 SO1-0, 2 S, 0.82, 33.0 IP, 4 BB, 33 SO16Luis Angel Mateo27rp1-0, 0 S, 0.00, 4.1 IP, 0 BB, 3 SO3-4, 1 S, 2.87, 62.2 IP, 20 BB, 49 SO17Kyle Regnault*28rp, sp0-0, 0 S, 3.92, 20.2 IP, 3 BB, 18 SO1-0, 1 S, 0.00, 2.2 IP, 2 BB, 4 SO0-0, 0 S, 1.80, 5.0 IP, 1 BB, 8 SO18=#FF0000]Logan Taylor25rp, sp4-2, 0 S, 3.99, 85.2 IP, 39 BB, 99 SO19Tim Peterson26rp3-1, 1 S, 4.09, 44.0 IP, 14 BB, 53 SO1-0, 2 S, 0.49, 18.1 IP, 3 BB, 32 SO20Alberto Baldonado*24rp0-1, 0 S, 5.13, 40.1 IP, 23, BB, 47 SO0-1, 0 S, 0.93, 19.1 IP, 8 BB, 21 SO21=#FF0000]Corey Taylor24rp4-5, 20 S, 1.87, 53.0 IP, 13 BB, 45 SOST. LUCIE=#0040FF] Rk.=#0040FF]Relief Pitcher=#0040FF]2017 Age=#0040FF]2016 Pos.=#0040FF] MLB=#0040FF] AAA=#0040FF] AA=#0040FF] A+=#0040FF] A=#0040FF] SS A+=#0040FF] SS A=#0040FF] Rookie22Cory Burns29rp0-3, 31 S, 2.17, 54.0 IP, 8 BB, 60 SO23Kelly Secrest*25rp, sp1-4, 1 S, 2.77, 39.0 IP, 19 BB, 37 SO24Alex Palsha25rp3-1, 4 S, 2.91, 21.2 IP, 9 BB, 19 SO2-3, 14 S, 3.03, 35.2 IP, 13 BB, 46 SO25Tyler Bashlor24rp0-1, 0 S, 5.06, 5.1 IP, 2 BB, 5 SO4-2, 3 S, 2.50, 50.1 IP, 28 BB, 68 SO26Jimmy Duff23rp2-2, 1 S, 7.31, 32.0 IP, 14 BB, 24 SO2-2, 7 S, 2.92, 24.2 IP, 6 BB, 22 SO27Johnny Magliozzi25rp5-4, 5 S, 2.70, 63.1 IP, 14 BB, 51 SO28Seth Davis*23rp, sp2-3, 1 S, 2.83, 70.0 IP, 28 BB, 64 SOCOLUMBIA=#0040FF] Rk.=#0040FF]Relief Pitcher=#0040FF]2017 Age=#0040FF]2016 Pos.=#0040FF] MLB=#0040FF] AAA=#0040FF] AA=#0040FF] A+=#0040FF] A=#0040FF] SS A+=#0040FF] SS A=#0040FF] Rookie29Craig Missigman23rp3-4, 2 S, 2.89, 71.2 IP, 30 BB, 78 SO30Witt Haggard25rp3-4, 0 S, 3.58, 37.2 IP, 27 BB, 38 SO31Joseph Zanghi22rp1-0, 8 S, 1.23, 29.1 IP, 15 BB, 45 SO32Taylor Henry*23rp0-0, 0 S, 9.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 0 BB, 1 SO2-1, 4 S, 1.71, 31.2 IP, 9 BB, 28 SO33Austin McGeorge22rp0-1, 1 S, 2.84, 19.0 IP, 6 BB, 18 SO34Adam Atkins23rp0-2, 0 S, 3.71, 17.0 IP, 9 BB, 22 SO35Alejandro Castro24rp1-2, 0 S, 4.82, 28.0 IP, 10 BB, 26 SO

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Why not Flores? He hits lefties like he's Willie Mays in his prime. What has to happen for Flores to get more playing time than he's gotten? I think he's already been taking grounders over there. Gavin and TJ are new to the brigade.

It's sort of a makey/breaky year for me. The second year back from Tommy John. It's either "My arm is fully reliable and newly resilient!" or "My arm will never be my ticket to wealth, romance, and celebrity again!" Which is it for me? I'm out of options and stuff. See, I'm nominally the team's second lefty out of the pen right now, but I got ghostbusted my first time out, giving up two runs in an inning in a game when all my fellow pitchers no-hit Boston, the mightiest offensive machine in the American League. That sucked. Of course, it's early, and Tom Gorzellany got hit twice as hard as I did. So I haven't lost my seat on the bus north yet. YET. But what lies ahead? Rolaids Relief glory? Schaefer schelebrity? Winning that Heath Bell thigh-alike thingy? Only the wisest know. [fimg=339:16hlzb0c]http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Philadelphia+Phillies+v+New+York+Mets+Xh_MS2OAa0Ul.jpg[/fimg:16hlzb0c] [fimg=361:16hlzb0c]http://media.nj.com/mets_main/photo/11393194-large.jpg[/fimg:16hlzb0c] [fimg=298:16hlzb0c]http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Josh+Edgin+Colorado+Rockies+v+New+York+Mets+zuA9_69lQlrl.jpg[/fimg:16hlzb0c] [fimg=402:16hlzb0c]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2135777.1425406656!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_1200/2015-mets-spring-training-portraits-josh-edgin.jpg[/fimg:16hlzb0c]

That may be the way his manager treats him, but the splits say he finishes his work day as strong as he starts it. Maybe stronger. If anything, the data suggests that, if there's a pattern to where he runs into trouble, it's in the middle innings. Pitch 1-25: .624 OPS (76 G) Pitch 26-50: .501 OPS (76 G) Pitch 51-75: .685 OPS (76 G) Pitch 76-100: .688 OPS (75 G) Pitch 101+: .538 OPS (35 G) I'm tempted to measure that in terms of standard deviations, or compare it to Syndergaard, but I have this job thingie.

T.J. Rivera and Gavin Cecchini both reportedly taking balls at third today.

Mets prospects won the batting average title in the Florida State League (High A), the Eastern League (AA) and the Pacific Coast League (AAA), where they finished with the top three places in the batting average race. Fire flew from my fingertips as I typed that.

Grooming is for barbers. He could manage today. But I imagine he's going to keep playing baseball.

Well, my first point is that there's no good reason a player can't (a) play for his school under scholarship and then play for his professional organization when the college season ends. ( or, perhaps, play for his school under scholarship and not play for a professional organization, but accept their bonus money early in his college career, with the contractual understanding that he begins playing for them as soon as he is done playing for his college. © compete in the Olympics while earning money as a professional athlete, which inexplicably, is allowed in some sports, but not in others. Biaggio Ali Walsh, Muhammed Ali's grandson, is a star football player that can't put his other athletic skills to work for him while he begins his college football career. But he has put the physique his hard work and talent have given him, and he's put that physique to work, signing a modeling contract. But amazingly, the NCAA has a bylaw for modeling: "Continuation of Modeling and Other Non-athletically Related Promotional Activities After Enrollment." Essentially, he can earn money as a dude-model as long as he doesn't represent himself as an athlete. Pose walking down the street in some jaunty street apparel from FCUK, and ka-ching. But if they photograph you with a skateboard, there goes your scholarship. It's stupid.

While Thomas Newman is pretty great, the Newman family of film composers is about the most dynastic Hollywood family going.

Draftees not named Kaline don't go straight to the bigs. They almost always start out in summer-only leagues. The broader point is the alleged purity of amateur athletics is a thinly veiled cover for exploitation.