Category: Injuries

Mets Links: Mike Pelfrey, David Wright, More

David Wright
Image via Wikipedia

It’s time for an off-day full of links after a poor road trip. The Giants are coming to town tomorrow for a weekend series. And there were several curious decisions made by Jerry Manuel during the road trip that made many of us scratch our heads. It’s a good day to take a breath, get back on track this weekend, and get ready for the Mother’s Day pink bats and sweatbands on Sunday.

Here are the links:

  • Daily News– Mike Pelfrey asked to go back to New York after Sunday’s game in Philly to have his right shoulder examined. He felt some tightness in it before Saturday’s start.
  • Mets.com – The MRI on Pelfrey’s shoulder didn’t show anything and he says that he’s ready to make his next scheduled start on Friday night.
  • Metsblog.com – Interesting stats on the Mets poor pinch-hitting this season. Good questions are raised about some of the guys in Buffalo that are raking right now.
  • Daily News – Carlos Beltran has a new knee brace and plans to start running late this week or early next week. Didn’t we hear the same thing about Beltran a month ago?
  • Daily News – Daniel Murphy is still rehabbing his knee injury in Port St. Lucie with no timetable for a return to games.
  • NJ.com – Kelvim Escobar is having season-ending shoulder surgery. He never even made it to opening day. But the Mets owe him $1.25 million for his troubles this season.
  • Fangraphs – Dave Allen writes a good piece examining Dan Warthen’s strategy for Johan Santana to throw more inside fastballs the first time through the order and then change it up subsequently.
  • Daily News – David Wright was involved, at some point, with the financial advisers that are being sued by Cliff Floyd and Rondell White over a failed real estate deal. The article says Wright isn’t involved in the lawsuit.
  • Fangraphs – R.J. Anderson writes about the odd moves that Jerry Manuel has been making recently, and the fact that this is the kind of thing that could cost him his job.
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Mets Links: Mike Pelfrey, Carlos Beltran, Hubie Brooks

New York Mets at New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.jsThe past week has been the best that I’ve felt about the Mets since September 2008. They went into Philly on a great run, even without their best player Carlos Beltran. The month of April was really on the backs of Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana, for the most part. But the offense did start to come alive towards the end of the month. Here are some month-end links for you for this Sunday.

  • NY Sports Dog– This post has an interesting scatter plot of Pelfrey’s called strikes comparing April 2009 to April 2010
  • Amazin’ Avenue– Sam Page created a stat to measure which Mets player would be the best fighter in a brawl and Henry Blanco came out on top
  • On The Black – A poll to determine the fan pick for Mets player of the month in April
  • ESPN – Adam Rubin writes that Beltran doesn’t appear to be anywhere near returning to the team from his knee surgery
  • Daily News – This is a funny piece on reporter Kevin Deutsch in Philly taunting fans with “Let’s Go Mets!” chants while wearing a Mets jersey and hat
  • Daily News – Catching up with Hubie Brooks
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Mets’ Daniel Murphy To Minors After DL

New York Mets Daniel Murphy walks to the dugout against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field in New York

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.jsThe Mets beat writers all had posts about Daniel Murphy recovering from his strained knee ligament in Florida, then going to Triple-A Buffalo when he comes off the disabled list. The plan is for Muphy to play first base immediately just to get some at-bats. Then they’re going to work with him on becoming a utility player.

The odd thing is that you don’t see many 25 year-old utility players out there. It’s usually older players that have been around for a while doing that job. I wouldn’t be happy about it if I was Murphy. That really cuts into his earning potential. Utility players are typically the lowest paid players on a team. His long-term earning potential in the Major Leagues is cut significantly by being pigeon-holed as a utility player. I’m sure he seems himself differently than the Mets organization does.

If Murphy comes back to the big’s after transforming himself into a utility player, who’s roster spot is he going to take? Frank Catalanotto and Fernando Tatis would be the obvious players to go. They’ve both been rotting on the Mets bench in April. Catalanotto has 20 at-bats this season and Tatis has 29. Continue reading “Mets’ Daniel Murphy To Minors After DL”

Mets Links: Carlos Beltran and Bobby Bonilla

Bobby Bonilla 1990 Home
Image by BaseballBacks via Flickr

That’s a strange title for a post. Isn’t it? We haven’t heard Bobby Bonilla’s name for a long time and we’ve probably been the better for it. It’s a great way to start a Mets Links post though.

Here are the links:

I Heart Mets – They pick up a great story from CNN of how Bobby Bonilla is going back on the Mets payroll next year. It’s part of his deferred payment plan after he was waived by the Mets in 2000. The team owes him just over a million dollars every July from 2011-2035. What a deal!

Daily News – You have to love these occasional post from Mike Lupica about the Mets. He even writes with an air of superiority to the rest of us. This one start out like a fluff piece on Jose Reyes coming back and how well he’s starting to play. Then it turns ugly on Carlos Beltran. Lupica writes that Beltran is a bad contract and he’s staying away from the team so he can come back at 100% for his contract year in 2011. He also likens Beltran to Jason Giambi’s bad deal with the Yankees. It’s a bizarre turn in the column, even for Lupica.

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Mets’ John Maine should go on Disabled List

New York Mets starting pitcher John Maine leaves the game after being injured against the Atlanta Braves in New York

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.jsWhen John Maine left Friday night’s game in the fourth inning, I thought it was something pretty bad to force him out of the game. It turns out that he was having spasms in his left (non-pitching) elbow that was causing pain. He told reporters that he’s expecting to make his next scheduled start on Wednesday at Citi Field against the Dodgers.

The problem is that Maine shouldn’t be making his next start. He should be headed for the disabled list. Even if it’s a faux injury like Oliver Perez had last season, he should take some time to get himself right at Triple-A Buffalo.

Something is clearly wrong with Maine this season. If you look at the radar gun readings, he just doesn’t have the same velocity that he had in years past. Maybe it’s the bone spur surgery that he had on his shoulder. Maybe he’s injured and doesn’t want to admit it. There’s no way to tell.

In four starts this season Maine has only pitched 16.2 innings and given up 25 hits, including 4 home runs, and 10 walks. His WHIP is a ridiculous 2.10 right now. Right-handed batters are hitting .421 against him. This just can’t continue. Continue reading “Mets’ John Maine should go on Disabled List”

Mets’ Mike Jacobs Designated For Assignment

MLB: Mets vs Rockies APR 14

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.jsThe Mets made a roster move to bring in Tobi Stoner from Triple-A Buffalo this afternoon. The surprise is that they designated Mike Jacobs for assignment instead of Raul Valdes. But after a 20 inning marathon last night they could use 13 pitchers on the roster for at least a day.

According to MLBTradeRumors, Jacobs does have an option left. So he could be forced to go to Buffalo. The Mets don’t typically force veterans to the minors though. They’ll probably release Jacobs if he requests it.

The big question is where this leaves the Mets at first base. They can certainly go for a while with Fernando Tatis, but not too long. And they’re certainly not going to go with 13 pitchers on the roster for long. Continue reading “Mets’ Mike Jacobs Designated For Assignment”

Mets May Bat Jose Reyes Third in St. Louis

Jerry Manuel has been talking publicly since spring training about hitting Jose Reyes third in the order until Carlos Beltran comes back. That may become a reality this weekend in St. Louis.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

There’s been a lot of chatter since the beginning of spring training that Jose Reyes would begin hitting third in the Mets’ lineup. Jerry Manuel told reporters that in spring training. He said that he likes the idea to “lengthen” the lineup without Carlos Beltran. The reporters keep bringing it up to Jerry, and it sounds like it might become a reality this weekend in St. Louis.

First, let me say that I have no problem with this at all. And I hope that Reyes hitting third in the order is successful until Beltran gets back next month. The baseball season is so long that it invites experimentation with the lineup to find the best configuration. But baseball has become so prominent in the public domain that it also invites people like me to comment or express my own opinion or dissatisfaction. I’d like to take this opportunity to do that… Continue reading “Mets May Bat Jose Reyes Third in St. Louis”