Edgy MD

That's a good stat, though.

My wife has taken to calling this film Titanic II, as it's not since Titanic has a film been so openly embraced by the audience around us as we've sat there flabbergasted.

You wonder why Johnson has a reputation as a defensive catcher then? edit: oh yes, experience. Since I saw the Hyde thing, I've been intermittently looking for anything online that contradicts that account of his defense... and coming up empty. Fangraphs UZR, B-R fielding numbers, traditional fielding stats, anecdotal evidence... it all paints a picture of a poor-to-very-poor receiver with half-decent throwing numbers. I wonder if lazy FO folk-- ahem, from other teams, of course-- just looked at his MLB experience, his wretched batting stats, and figured he MUST be good defensively to get that much playing time. I'm gonna guess they had their reasons for bringing his ass into camp. In Rottino, May, and Johnson, they get three guys (1) who can catch, (2) but aren't necessarily catchers, (3) can play all around, (4) have hit, (5) but have not in the bigs, and (6) at least in two of these cases, are on the right side of 30. I think they did their research and decided that this was a profitable archetype to invest in with their AAAA-designated dollars.

And on cue: Adam Rubin ? @AdamRubinESPN As expected, I'm hearing Rob Johnson has been dispatched from Bisons to Philly. #mets D'oh!

Not to endorse these gross pitch count restrictions, but if that's the limit, I'd advocate holding Lee out of the game until the third.

Ah. This has been Fun with Pronoun Misreadings.

Do they bring a portable one on West Coast road trips?

Phillies phans who supported Josh Thole in Philadephia, honoring him with silence while he was down, and applauding when he sat up, stood, and was helped to the dugout, are in contrast with their fellow tribesmen who travel to Washington for a weekend series, according to Jayson Werth.

I appreciate the hole they dug for themselves early, but these Marlins are now on a seven-game win streak, sitting just a game behind the Mets. It's good we've won three in a row, because it's not only helping us close the gap on second place, but helped us stave off fourth as well. What's impressive about the hot streak is that they've done it where the Mets never do --- on a west coast swing. They've swept the Giants and the Padres and taken their first game against Houston, all on the road.

I like the relative youth and relative versatility of the Mets reserve corps, but this injury-a-day pace is... unsustainable. But anyway, �Viva Valdy! Placed On Disabled ListPromoted From Buffalo Infielders =#0000FF]11 Ruben Tejada DoB: 10/27/1989 =#0000FF]1 =#FF8000]Jordany Valdespin DoB: 12/23/1987 2012 Mets (Orange Indicates Players Have Options) Starting Pitchers =#0000FF]43 R.A. Dickey DoB: 10/29/1974 =#0000FF]35 =#FF8000]Dillon Gee DoB: 4/28/1986 =#0000FF]49 Jonathon Niese DoB: 10/27/1986 =#0000FF]57 Johan Santana DoB: 3/13/1979 =#0000FF]47 Miguel Batista DoB: 2/19/1971Relief Pitchers =#0000FF]46 Manny Acosta DoB: 5/1/1981 =#0000FF]40 Tim Byrdak DoB: 10/31/1973 =#0000FF]77 D.J. Carrasco DoB: 4/12/1977 =#0000FF]48 Frank Francisco DoB: 9/11/1979 =#0000FF]39 Bobby Parnell DoB: 9/8/1984Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders =#0000FF]52 Ram�n Ram�rez DoB:8/31/1981 =#0000FF]60 John Rauch DoB:9/27/1978 =#0000FF]4 =#FF8000]Mike Nickeas DoB: 2/13/1983 =#0000FF]30 Josh Thole DoB: 4/28/1986 =#0000FF]29 =#FF8000]Ike Davis DoB: 3/22/1987Infielders =#0000FF]28 Daniel Murphy DoB: 4/1/1985 =#0000FF]33 =#FF8000]Vinny Rottino DoB: 4/7/1980 =#0000FF]2 Justin Turner DoB: 11/23/1984 =#0000FF]1 =#FF8000]Jordany Valdespin DoB: 12/23/1987 =#0000FF]5 David Wright DoB: 12/20/1982Outfielders =#0000FF]23 =#FF8000]Mike Baxter DoB: 12/7/1984 =#0000FF]21 =#FF8000]Lucas Duda DoB: 2/3/1986 =#0000FF]12 Scott Hairston DoB: 5/25/1980 =#0000FF]9 =#FF8000]Kirk Nieuwenhuis DoB: 8/7/1987 =#0000FF]56 Andr�s Torres DoB:1/26/1978 Also on 40-Man Roster Starting Pitchers =#0000FF]75 =#FF8000]Jeurys Familia DoB: 10/10/1989 In Buffalo =#BF8040]. =#0000FF]53 =#FF8000]Jeremy Hefner DoB: 3/11/1981 In Buffalo =#BF8040]. =#0000FF]32 =#FF8000]Jennry Mejia DoB: 10/11/1989 In Buffalo =#FF0000]On DL =#0000FF]34 Mike Pelfrey DoB: 1/14/1984 =#FF0000]On 60-Day DL =#BF8040]. =#0000FF]63 =#FF8000]Chris Schwinden DoB: 9/22/1986 In Buffalo =#BF8040].Relief Pitchers Infielders =#0000FF]27 =#FF8000]Pedro Beato DoB: 10/27/1986 =#FF0000]On DL =#BF8040]. =#0000FF]73 =#FF8000]Robert Carson DoB: 1/23/1989 In Binghamton =#BF8040]. =#0000FF]13 Ronny Cede�o DoB: 2/2/1983 =#FF0000]On DL =#BF8040]. =#0000FF]71 =#FF8000]Wilmer Flores DoB: 8/6/1991 In St.Lucie =#BF8040]. =#0000FF]74 =#FF8000]Reese Havens DoB: 10/20/1986 In Binghamton =#BF8040].InfieldersOutfielders =#0000FF]65 =#FF8000]Zach Lutz DoB: 6/3/1986 =#0000FF]3 =#FF8000]Josh Satin DoB: 12/23/1984 In Buffalo =#0000FF]11 Ruben Tejada DoB: 10/27/1989 =#FF0000]On DL =#0000FF]44 Jason Bay DoB: 9/20/1978 =#FF0000]On DL =#0000FF]76 =#FF8000]Juan Lagares DoB: 3/17/1989 In BinghamtonOutfielders =#0000FF]67 =#FF8000]Cesar Puello DoB: 4/1/1991 In St. Lucie Coaching Staff ManagerBench CoachBatting CoachPitching CoachThird Base Coach =#0000FF]10 Terry Collins DoB: 5/27/1949 =#0000FF]7 Bob Geren DoB: 9/22/1959 =#0000FF]51 Dave Hudgens DoB: 12/5/1956 =#0000FF]59 Dan Warthan DoB: 12/1/1952 =#0000FF]18 Tim Teufel DoB: 7/7/1958First Base CoachBullpen CoachBullpen CatchersHead Trainer =#0000FF]26 Tom Goodwin DoB: 8/27/1968 =#0000FF]25 Ricky Bones DoB: 4/7/1969 =#0000FF]78 Eric Langill DoB: 4/9/1979 =#0000FF]79 Dave Racaniello DoB: 10/15/1981 =#0000FF] Ray Ramirez =#BF8080].Assistant Trainer =#0000FF] Brian Chicklo

Suspensions also have more teeth when teams aren't permitted to fill the suspended player's roster spot.

Fixed...

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Plus, in a season like this, I like weird, multi-position-eligible guys. Exactly. It's fun when the manager has a wide assortment of options for defensive alignments, even if none of them are particularly good options.

New York Mets Organization, 5/9/2012 Mets win 5-3 on a ninth-inning, three-run homer by Jordany Valdespin. Buffalo Bisons win 4-3 on a three-run rally in the eighth inning. Rob Johnson with the big blow. Binghamton Mets postponed St. Lucie Mets win 5-4 on a two-run rally in the eighth. Wilmer Flores ties it with a homer. Adrian Rosario gets his eighth save. Savannah Sand Gnats win 5-0 on a one-hitter by Jacob DeGrom and Carlos Vasquez. A fifth-inning double was the only thing keeping the Gnat pitchers from sharing a perfect game. I say it counts!

Valdespin 3.15 Nickeas 1.37 Wright 1.35 Niese 1.28 Francisco 0.75 Byrdak 0.67 Davis 0.48 Nieuwenhuis 0.29 Acosta 0.22 Parnell 0.20 Thole 0.14 Torres 0.09

Yeah! YEAH! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You... get over here! Show it to me! YEAH!

Isn't Doyle choking down a suspension or something?

So, if the Mets look to be without Thole for a day or two, they've got to look at their depth at catcher. Very interesting in that they built their catching depth this offseason around guys who can play other positions --- May, Johnson, and Rottino, knowing such guys can stick as third-stringers while they help out elsewhere. All three, I think, lasted until the later cuts at camp. But if they've got to make a move, who will it be?

Not using a guy because you're afraid you might lose him two weeks later would seem to be a losing strategy. Especially if he may become your first stringer the moment he shows up. If he plays well, he looks to stay. If he plays ill, he's unlikely to be lost. If he is lost, se la vie, but they needed him. Anyhow, Valdespin showed why he's the man tonight.

So, I tuned in just as Josh Thole was getting run down and now I'm reviewing this great game. Juan Pierre leads off the seventh and he's the go-ahead run. Juan Pierre, through his career, has derived a large percentage of his value from his legs. He's older now, but he's 4-6 in stolen bases already. [*:2nvgz6vx]Bobby Parnell throws over before his first pitch. Pierre doesn't run on pitch one, a fastball [/*:m:2nvgz6vx] [*:2nvgz6vx]Parnell throws over twice before pitch two. Pierre doesn't run on pitch two, a fastball. [/*:m:2nvgz6vx] [*:2nvgz6vx]Parnell doesn't throw over before pitch three. Pierre doesn't run on pitch three, a slider. [/*:m:2nvgz6vx] [*:2nvgz6vx]Parnell doesn't throw over before pitch four. Pierre doesn't run on pitch four, a fastball, which Rollins lofts into center for a single. [/*:m:2nvgz6vx] [*:2nvgz6vx]Pierre doesn't go to third on the hit. [/*:m:2nvgz6vx] [*:2nvgz6vx]Pierre also fails to advance as John Mayberry flies out to Lucas Duda. [/*:m:2nvgz6vx] [*:2nvgz6vx]Pierre advances to third on an infield hit by Shane Victorino. [/*:m:2nvgz6vx] [*:2nvgz6vx]Pierrre is left stranded as Hunter Pence grounds into a double play.[/*:m:2nvgz6vx][/list:o:2nvgz6vx] This game may have an entirely different complexion if Pierre does what you look to him to do in any of three situations there: stealing, taking the extra base, or tagging on a fly to right. Again, I tuned in late, and last two may have been absolute non-starters, but kudos to the Mets for playign crisply enough to keep the guy in neutral.

Great job by the forum tonight. It's been a long time since it's took me five tries to submit a post.

Frayed Knot wrote: BACK-UP METS > Papelbon And Howie's right. The extended at-bats have to get the assist there. Oh, and that homer was for Josh.

Suck it, Valdy haters. (You know who you be.)

Heck, we might actually get a save opportunity this inning!

So, this isn't goign to be one of those games where we save the closer for the potential save?