Month: December 2010

Mets 2010 Scorecard – Part 2 Offense

charts 2
Image via Wikipedia

In Part 1, we discussed a few of the hitting statistics that the Mets front office should be evaluating. Here we will look at some more stats that are important to the team’s future success.

These statistics are a bit more involved and really give insight into the team’s offense compared to the National League Top 5 Average (t5a). Here we will review simple stats such as RBI, BA, and OBP, as well as more difficult stats like SLG and OPS. Each of these stats is very important in measuring the success of the team and the efficiency of the offense. The more runners on the base paths the better the opportunity for scoring runs.

So let’s get at it!

Hitting YTD NL Top 5 Ave Variance % Variance
RBI 625 729.4 -104.40 -14.31%
BA 0.249 0.264 -0.02 -5.68%
OBP 0.314 0.336 -0.02 -6.55%
SLG 0.383 0.423 -0.04 -9.41%
OPS 0.697 0.756 -0.06 -7.76%
BB 502 582.8 -80.80 -13.86%
SB 130 114.4 15.60 13.64%
AB/HR 42.7 31.3 -11.40 -36.42%
XBH 434 504.2 -70.20 -13.92%

RBI- Runs Batted In is a count of the number of runs scored throughout the year when the outcome of an at-bat results in a hit or walk. This number does not include runs scored on errors. The number of runs that are batted in helps to determine the score of the game as well as how productive the team is with runners on base. Continue reading “Mets 2010 Scorecard – Part 2 Offense”

Brad Emaus – No Moneyball in Flushing?

CLEARWATER, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Infielder Randy...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The new Mets front office has taken the time to explain that “Moneyball” is not a game they will be playing in Queens. Paul Depodesta and J.P. Ricciardi have even criticized Michael Lewis for his characterization of their personas. I’m sure I wouldn’t appreciate being called a nerd either. Sandy Alderson, in a recent quote, told the press he would not have come to Queens if he had to instill the tactics used in Oakland.

Although I do believe the Ivy League squad running the Mets, one of the few moves made this winter seems like a chapter directly from the book. Kevin Youkilis, a key figure in the “Moneyball”, was a prime example because of his ability to walk and not strikeout. He was unappealing to most scouts because of his lack of “tools”.  Billy Beane perceived “tools” a less tangible marker for a successful big leaguer. He was called fat and a bad fielder and was unnoticed through most of baseball. Nevertheless, Youk was a star in Paul Depodesta’s computer. He was a break from what a time honored scout would particularly look for.

This brings me to the Rule 5 draft. The resemblance to the the Moneyball school of thought was undeniable. J.P. Ricciardi’s familiarity with a prospect in Toronto led Sandy to scoop up Brad Emaus. Emaus has nothing flashy or exciting in his bag of tricks. He is not the “toolsy” raw talent that scouts drool over. He was brought aboard, not surprisingly,  because of his ability to draw walks and not strike out. Pitch selection and on base percentage have brought him to the Mets roster.

I don’t believe the trio will be pinching pennies in years when the funds are more available. Emaus however, is an early indicator that the new regime has an idea about picking out under appreciated talent. Emaus will be the first in a list of benchmarks to judge if they can still scoop these under the radar contributors. At the very least it makes for interesting debate.

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Mets have Bigger Problems than Cliff Lee

May 28, 2010- Milwaukee, WI. Miller Park..New York Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana pitched for 8 scoreless inning giving up 3 hits and striking out 5 Brewers batters..Milwaukee Brewers won over the New York Mets 2-0, taking the first game of the 3 game series against the Mets...Mike McGinnis / CSM.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe Mets front office has their work cut out for them. With the announcement of the Phillies signing of Cliff Lee, Mets fans everywhere cringed at the possibility of another World Series Championship to a division rival. Now the best team in the division just got a whole lot better. The Phillies will start the year with a rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels. This is the best rotation in MLB right now.

This is painful for Mets fans. The front office has simply conceded that this year and maybe next, will be a wash. They are wasting the prime of David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Johan Santana. They are also wasting the end of the career of Jason Bay. They are tricking themselves into believing that Daniel Murphy will be a good fielder and that they will be able to spend money in the next two years for free agents.

With the Mets on the decline, I really hope that someone is taking a close look at their financial future. They have money tied up in players next year for over $120 million dollars. In 2012, they already have over $60 million dollars allocated to players but this does not include the impending signings of Ike Davis, Angel Pagan, R.A. Dicky, Jose Reyes, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell, or Josh Thole. While I do not think they will sign all of those players in 2012, the signings of even half of those players might push the 2012 dollars over $100 million and it still would not include any big free agent signings. Continue reading “Mets have Bigger Problems than Cliff Lee”

Cliff Lee Spits Back! Spurns the Yanks for the Phillies

All New York baseball fans are either crying, cursing or doing both simultaneously this morning.

In one stealth move Cliff Lee made both NY teams irrelevant in 2011.

Lee to Phillies

Now some questions remain:

  • Will the Mets win a game against the Phillies this year?
  • Will the Phillies have 4, 20-game winners?
  • Do you think that anyone in Philly really cares now about losing Jayson Werth?
  • Can our new ace, R.A. Dickey, beat any of the Phillies top 4?
  • Is there a no-spit clause in the contract?
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Mets To Announce 2011 Coaches This Week

New York Mets coach Chip Hale talks to Angel Pagan (16) at the end of the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field in New York City on May 27, 2010. UPI/John Angelillo Photo via Newscom

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsIf you take a look at the Mets website coaches page, it’s pretty empty right now except for Terry Collins and bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello. That should change drastically this week. It has been widely reported that Sandy Alderson and Collins will name the rest of the coaching staff.

Expect Dan Warthen to return as pitching coach and Chip Hale to return at third base. Other than that, it’ll be a new group coaching the Mets next season. Here’s what the staff will likely look like:

Manager: Collins

Bench coach: Ken Oberkfell will be promoted from managing at Triple-A Buffalo

Third base: Hale will return

First base: Mookie Wilson after Moises Alou turned down the job

Pitching coach: Warthen will also return

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Baseball Bloggers Alliance Day 2010

I don’t want to harp on this but a quick mention that I’m a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. Although this may not be significant for most of you, there are some tangible benefits from joining a group of like-minded individuals. You’re probably already aware of that concept because you’re reading this blog. We’re all Mets fans. That allows us to virtually “gather” here and on other sites to hang our heads at the state of this franchise.

The alliance has exposed me to some incredible work that writers are doing on the Mets and other teams. There is a lot of talent out there and some opinions and research that you would never find in the mainstream media. I’ve participated in podcasts and worked with Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation and Pitch In For Baseball to discuss our members supporting their events.  It’s been a great experience in my first season of participation and I’m looking forward to a future of growth and exposure to new opportunities with the group.

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Mets 2010 Scorecard – Part 1 Offense

Businessman covered in sticky notes while pointing his finger to his head

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsIn the world of corporate finance there are some important tools that are used to run a business. Stockholders might expect the CEO of the company to know every detail about every job in the company, but the board members know better. They expect the CEO, CFO, COO and others to look at specific numbers and trends to identify problems and or opportunities. Hence, the tool known as the Scorecard.

This is a tool that many people have seen or have some experience with. In baseball a Scorecard keeps track of balls, strikes, outs, hits, etc. In business the Scorecard often tracks productivity, labor costs, expenses, and benchmark data. It is a one page summary of the important numbers and trends the team/company should be tracking.

So in using my background in finance and business I have designed a Scorecard for the New York Mets. In this we will track weekly, monthly and yearly statistics. I will identify certain baseball stats that the General Manager should be tracking as well as some financial stats that the President and CEO should be tracking.

As an introduction I will slowly build the Scorecard with you over the next few weeks/months. I want to be able to explain the need for each of the items we will be evaluating as well as the context we will be placing them. I will be evaluating the Mets versus the top five teams in the National League in each of the respective categories. I choose this metric because the goal for the Mets is to first make the playoffs, then progress to the World Series. After looking at a few different ways of evaluating the team, I settled on the top five teams in the NL. Success in those categories will most likely breed success in the standings and hopefully the progression into the playoffs. Continue reading “Mets 2010 Scorecard – Part 1 Offense”