Vic Sage

Announced - [u:1735szzj]lineup:[/u:1735szzj] RF- Granderson (L) 3b- Wright DH- Cespedes 1B- Duda (L) 2b- Walker (S) LF- Conforto (L) SS- Cabrera(S) C- dArnaud CF - Lagares? [u:1735szzj]bench:[/u:1735szzj] Flores Lagares DeAza (L) Plawecki Campbell [crossout:1735szzj]Reynolds[/crossout:1735szzj] [u:1735szzj]Rotation:[/u:1735szzj] Harvey deGrom Syndergaard Matz (L) Colon [u:1735szzj] Bullpen:[/u:1735szzj] Familia Bastardo (L) Reed Robles [suspended 2 games] Blevins (L) Henderson [crossout:1735szzj]Gilmartin[/crossout:1735szzj] Verrett Who will be the DH on Sunday? I think it'll be Cespedes, so Lagares can play CF. Volquez, a RHP is starting for KC, so do we use deAza instead? Then there is no LH bat available off the bench late in the game.

with all the talk about KC wanting to "retaliate" against the Mets because of Syndegaard's knock-down pitch in the WS, i wouldn't be surprised, or the least bit unhappy, if Harvey put the first guy he faces on his ass. He's just the kind of a#@hole to do it, god bless him.

I agree, it looks stupid and confusing. But the image is selected by the marketing dept and the billing order is determined by contract, so this happens alot. Still, marketing should use an image that's consistent with the billing requirements.

More injuries, more platooning against LHPs, regression to the mean -- .240ba / .340ob / .440slg / 18 hr / 55rbi / 75r

88-74 2nd place NL East, NL wildcard, lose in LCS I'm more sanguine than Bucket about Cespedes in CF. I didn't mind what i saw from him there last year and have no reason to think he'll be worse and every reason to think he'll be better. And while he is unlikely to hit like he did here last year, he'll hit enough to be helpful. And I think Conforto will get more ABs against LHP than we may think, particularly as the season progresses and Grandy wears down, and his minor league numbers show no reason why he wouldn't be able to hit them. I have high hopes for him. The rest of the lineup, however, leaves me with great concerns: -Grandy is getting old and is likely to regress; -Wright looks like he'll never be the same (e.g., Mattingly, in his later years); -Duda will continue to be a boom and bust contributor who can hurt us for weeks at a time; -Walker is a mediocrity who can't hit lefties; -"mediocre" is Cabrera's best case scenario; and -d'Arnaud hasn't convinced me he can play a full season. Yes, the rotation will probably be fine, maybe even great, but the bullpen is loaded with question marks and the bench doesn't inspire much confidence either. If Harvey, deGrom and Thor all have solid, healthy seasons, we'll be a competitive and winning team, but those guys may not be enough to overcome a bad defense, a lack of speed and depth, an inconsistent offense and a potentially shaky pen.

i read where they plan to keep Reynolds on board in KC and then, when they return home, they'll send him down and bring Henderson in, carrying a 7 man pen.

call me when the bell rings.

update: [u:2c3xokm4]lineup:[/u:2c3xokm4] Granderson Wright Cespedes Duda Walker Conforto dArnaud Cabrera [u:2c3xokm4]bench:[/u:2c3xokm4] Flores Lagares DeAza Plawecki Reynolds [Campbell] Harvey deGrom Syndergaard Matz Colon Familia Bastardo Reed Robles Blevins Gilmartin [Henderson]? So do they keep a bat or an arm as the 25th man? Campbell/Reynolds or Gilmartin/Henderson? And do they keep Monell over Plawecki?

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/3/28/11310760/the-top-175-mlb-prospects-for-2016?_ga=1.87829406.704102763.1421170562 Mr. Sickels has updated his top prospects list, going down to 175, plus a number of honorable mentions, any of which he states could have been in the 140-175 range. The only high-ranked Met is Matz at #10. He's got 2 others ranked: Dom Smith #117 and Ahmad Rosario #141. He's also got a few listed among the honorable mentions, ranked as follows: -Beccera -Cecchini -M.Molina -Nimmo Of course, Dilson Herrera has too many ABs in the majors to be included, but he'd probably be ranked pretty high too. Still, this is a pretty poor overall ranking for the Mets.

i still think its VD and this is a cover-up. Anyway, this supports Bucket's contention that Harvey is nothing more than a dick.

Frayed Knot wrote: Mix up a little Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels with a Danny Boyle direction from a Walter Isaacson book, and then give them all an Aaron Sorkin script to dance around for two hours and what’s there not to like? OK, so I suspect there are a sizable number of people who rated (or even decided to see) ‘Steve Jobs’ the movie based on whether or not they were fans of Steve Jobs the person or of APPLE the brand. Thankfully I’m not one of those who felt compelled to take a side in the great computer wars of the ‘80s & 90s; I had/have no rooting interest in the whole ‘Mac vs PC’ schism, nor do I have an opinion as to whether Jobs was a misunderstood genius or a complete asshole or even care how accurate this story and on-screen portrayals were. So devoid of any of those complications, I just happened to really like this movie. Done essentially in three acts, each one surrounding a Jobs-run public product launch several years apart (1984, 1988, & 1998 - with an occasional flashback to earlier days thrown in), it puts on display Jobs’ relationship to key employees, to co-founder Steve Wozniak, and mainly to the daughter he fathered out of wedlock but is reluctant to accept. ditto.

1. Reach base safely GRANDERSON 2. Get a hit CESPEDES 3. Draw a walk GRANDERSON 4. Hit a double WRIGHT 5. Hit a triple LAGARES 6. Hit a home run DUDA 7. Steal second base LAGARES 8. Reach by error WALKER 9. Hit a grounds-rule double CONFORTO 10. Score a run GRANDERSON 11. Drive in a run CESPEDES 12. Get hit by a pitch DUDA 13. Drive in more than one run in a single plate appearance DUDA 14. Hit into a double play FLORES 15. Get caught stealing OR picked off base GRANDERSON 16. Strike out as a batter WRIGHT 17. Bunt for a base hit LAGARES 18. Get tagged out at home CESPEDES 19. Pinch hit DE AZA 20. Be pinch-hit for HARVEY 21. Commit an error CABRERA 22. Play a batted ball by an opponent in fair territory WALKER 23. Be called on to relieve HENDERSON 24. Strike out 6 or more batters in the same game HARVEY 25. Hit an opposing batter with a pitch SYNDERGAARD 26. Blow a save opportunity FAMILIA 27. Get credited with a hold REED 28. Strike out the side DEGROM 29. Get a save FAMILIA 30. Pitcher to get a base hit SYNDERGAARD Bonus tiebreaker: Name the date when Terry Collins gets ejected for the first time, closest to actual date wins JUNE 29

yeah, i really don't see a correlation between a photo shoot and his inability to locate his fastball on a given day in March.

they'd have to create a roster spot for Henderson, no? So they'd have to love him because sometimes those roster spots can be costly.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: This is just the team I'd like to see, absent of the weird first-week manueverings. What I predict isn't so meaningful, since I have no insight beyond what we all see out there in the papers and whether the guys will be heathy. I think 6 bullpenners is the way to go, at least until they realize they could really use a veteran power threat on the bench. Marlon Byrd is on the cusp as a late-invited NRI in Cleveland. Boy would he have been a good idea for us. I like Verrett as a long-relief man given how shitty the starters have looked so far. Campbell is my odd man out; if he makes it, I'm going to take it as a signal in the brass' doubt in Wright's health. Harvey deGrom Syndergaard Matz Colon Familia Bastardo Reed Robles Blevins Henderson Verrett dArnaud Duda Walker Cabrera Wright Conforto Cespedes Granderson Flores Lagares DeAza Plawecki Reynolds So you're choosing a 12th pitcher (non-roster invitee Henderson) over the extra UT bat in Campbell or Monell. While i have no great confidence in Campbell, i just don't think a 7-man pen is ever necessary. I'd prefer they kept the bat, particularly with Cabrera's knee and the back issues of Wright and now Conforto.

he loses the plate and reverts to his minor league career control issues. Ends up in a closer-by-committee situation with Reed and Bastardo, and when Reed blows up, they end up having to release Addison and Robles steps up and becomes our next "lock down closer". until next year, of course, when this happens all over again. 65 IP / 1-5 / 3.5 era / 1.35 whip / 18 saves

400 ABs, getting regular ABs at 3b and 2b, with occasional appearances at SS, and rare moments at 1B, possibly even a DH once in a while. .270 / 18 hr / 65 rbi

yes, i forgot about the DH. I always try to forget it, but there it is. Why would they DH Plawecki over Monell? Isn't Plawecki the superior receiver? Wouldn't they want to develop him rather than give defensive innings to Monell? In any event, i don't think they'd DH a catcher, since they'd lose the DH slot if the catcher was forced into the game. I think it might either be Campbell or deAza, depending on whether there's a LHP or a RHP starting for KC. although with deAza as the only LH bat on the bench, they might want to keep him there for a late-inning pinch-hit opportunity. Which argues for keeping another LH bat on the bench and leaving Matz home for week 1.

April 3 is only a week away. So what team will show up in KC? [u:3vll5g0k]lineup:[/u:3vll5g0k] Granderson (L) - RF Wright - 3B Cespedes - CF Duda (L) - 1B Walker (S) - 2B Conforto (L) - LF D'arnaud - C Flores - SS [u:3vll5g0k]Bench:[/u:3vll5g0k] Lagares - OF deAza (L) - OF Plawecki - C Reynolds - IF Campbell - UT _____? [u:3vll5g0k]Starters:[/u:3vll5g0k] Harvey DeGrom Syndegaard Matz (L) Colon [u:3vll5g0k]Bullpen:[/u:3vll5g0k] Familia Reed Bastardo (L) Blevins (L) Robles [suspended 2 games] Verrett _____? [Cabrera (s) / DL] [Edgin (L) / DL] [Wheeler /60-day DL] They just sent down infielders Kelly, Muno and Rivera, OF Bernadina and RP Carlysle. So, assuming Cabrera starts on the bench or DL and Flores starts at SS, they'll need to keep an extra IF, and Reynolds and Campbell are the last men standing. They'll need to keep both, at least until Cabrera is ready. If Cabrera starts on the DL, they'll also have room for somebody else. Do they keep another bat over a 12th pitcher? Who? If they go with 6 in the pen rather than 7, 4 are locks (familia, Reed, Bastardo, Blevins). Robles will start on 2-game suspension, but is likely to be in the pen, too. so that leaves, Goeddel, Verrett, and Gilmartin, and whatever other ST invitees are still left (Henderson? Smoker?) competing for the last slot. who gets it? And if they go with 7, then who else? And do they send Plawecki down to start the season and add Monell to the roster? Johnny has hit well this spring, and they may want to give Plawecki more ABs to continue his development. questions, questions, questions.

All I want from ST is to come into the season HEALTHY. Anecdotally, it appears to me that nothing else a team does in ST really correlates to a winning season. So the only things i'm concerned about now is Wright's back, which seems even worse than i feared, deGrom's aches and reduced velocity, and Cabrera's leg (though not too concerned about that, since i'd prefer Flores anyway).

Someone 'shopped up a citi-image found on google but forgot to re- move that small blue Pepsi Porch ad below it. It's all in the details. OE: speaking of details, here's the image... Put a roof over it and call it The PortiCoke

.245ba/ 29hr/ 90 rbi/ 70 r/ .800 ops

His fastball is averaging 91-92 so far this spring. That's a significant drop off from his normal 95+. Maybe its just ST, and the 200+ IP he threw last year are having no lasting effect. Or maybe... I'll split the difference between DeGrominator and an average SPer... 15-10 / 3.20 ERA / 175 K

not that there's anything wrong with that...

.280ba/ 15hr/ 30db/ 80rbi/ 70r/ .350ob/ .450slg