Here’s a link to some audio from Jose Reyes talking to reporters about the hamstring injury he suffered during yesterday’s game against the Yankees. He hurt it running to first base in the first inning. Reyes stayed in the game for an inning before being replaced by Ruben Tejada.
Reyes tells reporters that the hamstring doesn’t feel too bad but he didn’t want it to “blow up” so he came out of the game. He may have chosen some odd words when he said that but, hopefully, it isn’t that serious.
There are so many implications that this injury can have on the Mets and Reyes from his impending free agency to the Mets plans at the trading deadline later this month. Reyes will be in for an MRI today, so we’ll know more soon about the severity of the injury and the direction that this could take the Mets and Reyes.
Join us at 7pm tonight for “Sunday Night Mets” as Kerel Cooper of On The Black and I talk to you and other Mets fans about the Jose Reyes injury.
Yesterday Jose Reyes announced that he wouldn’t negotiate a new contract with the Mets until the 2011 season was over. He said that he wants to focus on baseball and not have the distraction of negotiating what is likely going to be the biggest contract of his career in the middle of this season.
I believe that’s also code for “I’m going to test free agency at the end of the season”. The SNY crew addressed this last night during the broadcast by painting a rosy picture of the situation. They talked about how it doesn’t sound like Alderson is going to trade Reyes during the season. They also stressed the exclusive five day window that the Mets have after the World Series ends if they don’t trade him this season. Keep in mind that SNY is majority owned by the Mets. SNY’s motivation is to keep people motivated to buying game tickets and watching on TV. In other words… Don’t believe the hype.
I had been reading up on the many different teams that Jose Reyes may be a good fit for joining in August and also in 2012. But the only one that got my interest was anĀ article in the NY Daily News anointing Reyes the next Yankee shortstop.
So I’m thinking ahead to the worst case scenario and wondering what would happen here in NY if Reyes took over for Derek Jeter at shortstop either this year or next? It’s a logical “baseball” move but you could be damaging two franchises at the same time. This isn’t Darryl Strawberry or Dwight Gooden playing in the twilight of their careers being given one last shot by the Yankees. This is one of the best shortstops in the game, in his prime, crossing over to the dark side!
What Would Yankee Fans Think?
Yankee fans will not be happy if their beloved captain is benched in favor of Jose Reyes. Ok, Jose is clearly better right now but Jeter has meant so much more than Reyes ever will mean to the Mets in the last 10 years. At a very early age Jeter played with professionalism, class, and poise while keeping his head and his teammates heads in every game. It’s this discipline at an early age that allowed Jeter to be one of the greats of baseball who can show off 4 World Series rings. It’s this same discipline I wish Jose had.
At 28 years old and with only 10 weeks of prime Jose Reyes baseball to judge him by this year, Jose is clearly playing for a contract. He may be playing up the fact that he has finally matured but we won’t know until he plays at this level for a full year and not in a contract year.
Can the Yankees afford him? Yes, most definitely. Would they want him though? Yankee fans would murder Reyes for a typical Reyes boneheaded bobble or for watching the ball roll under his glove or even getting picked off of first base because he was working on seeing his reflection in one of his gold chains.
Yankee fans would boo him incessantly for every little mistake, he would never live down Jeter’s legacy, even if he won a ring or two and he would have to get a haircut. Odds are if the Yankees were to get Reyes it would do more harm than good with their fans but would that be enough to stop them from pulling the trigger on such a trade? Continue reading “Jose Reyes the Yankees and Mets Fans”
This weeks rumors that David Wright could be traded instead of Jose Reyes came as a little shock to me. David Wright has been the face of the franchise and has endured years of being in the media spotlight under some of the worst conditions imaginable because no one else could deal with the media. This alone makes him the natural leader of the club. Not to mention David also has better numbers and a better work ethic than Reyes. But let’s mention them anyway.
Here are your numbers…
Since 2004 Reyes has played in 907 games with a .288 BA, .338 OBP, .437 SLG, and a .774 OPS
When I think of offensive ineptitude, I think of the Mets bench. When I think of a career minor leaguer who can possibly serve a valuable purpose for the Mets down the road, I think of Jason Pridie. Since being called up, Pridie has turned heads by belting a few home runs in clutch spots, something that the every day players have rarely done so far this season. I think most fans can agree that the Mets are far from a playoff caliber ball club. There are gaping holes in the starting rotation and the lineup does not produce consistently enough to contend. With that said, I think that this year, seemingly more than ever, the Mets bench has left so much to be desired. Whether its Willie Harris grounding out softly with a runner in scoring position or Scott Hairston swinging out of his shoes leading off down 2 runs in the 9th, the bench players on this team have just not come through.
Bench players in baseball are some of the most under-appreciated athletes around. When called upon off the pine, they are basically thrown to the wolves and must perform with far less comfort than someone going up for their 4th at-bat of a game. In addition, they usually find themselves in crucial situations of games. It is a role in which failure requires a player to wait another night for redemption, but if a big hit is delivered, an invaluable source of energy is ignited and can carry over.
The Mets have had some very reliable pinch hitting specialists in the past. Rusty Staub was a feared pinch hitting dinosaur in the 70’s and early 80’s. In one of the most significant trades that the Mets made in the 80’s, they sent pitcher Mike Scott to the Astros for outfielder Danny Heep, who would prove to be a vital player off the bench for the team’s storied run of ’86. More recently, Matt Franco established himself as a feared bat off the bench in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. His claim to fame was in the subway series at Shea in 1999 when he laced a 2-run single with two outs in the 9th to win a game off Mariano Rivera. And of course, the all-time pinch hit leader himself, Lenny Harris, had two separate stints with the Mets and hit .302 as a bench player during the 2000 season.
Jason Pridie is a player I’d like to see succeed as a pinch hitter for the Mets in the future. Of course, I’d like to see, Hairston, Harris, and company succeed right now but in my mind they are just not good hitters and have not displayed an ideal approach in critical spots. Pridie hasn’t shown us that he can be that elusive, Matt Stairs’esque pinch hitter but I like him for his sneaky power, his eye at the plate, and the fact that he hasn’t really looked over-matched yet since he’s been called up. If a relief pitcher makes a mistake, especially over the inner half of the plate, I like Pridie’s chances of making the most of it and doing damage, all with lunch pail in hand. His potential might seem minor, but if the Mets can put together a winning formula in the near future I’d be happy to see Pridie be a part of it.
There is no doubt that Terry Collins and the New York Mets staff have slim pickings when it comes to the bullpen. There are a few young guys, a few guys who have struggled, and two veterans who donāt pitch because the Mets never have the lead in the 8th or the 9th.
However, the bullpen problem isnāt just the pitchers themselves. Management and the staff deserve some of the blame too.
Can anyone tell me why Terry Collins hasnāt used Pedro Beato in a big spot yet? He continues to pitch Bobby Parnell who is giving up hit after hit (.290 BAA). Itās ridiculous! Quit using the guy! He has had one good outing this entire season so far and other than that he has been terrible. What do you think will happen, one night he will find it?
Beato, on the other hand, has been the lone bright spot in the bullpen this year. The 24 year old has the second best WHIP (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched) in the bullpen behind Jason Isringhausen. Yet, thanks to Collins, Met fans have to deal with Bobby Parnell stinking up the show http://www.mindanews.com/buy-paxil/ every night. Continue reading “Mets Bullpen Problem: More than Just Pitching”
Apparently, as Mets fans we need to get used to the new front office making quick decisions. I’m surprised that the Mets pulled the plug on Brad Emaus so quickly. From all reports, the Mets were high on him coming out of spring training. High enough to make him their opening day second baseman and not playing in a platoon with Daniel Murphy.
Emaus looked overmatched at the plate and in the field in his short 14 game Mets career. You can see his offensive stats below:
With six singles in 42 plate appearances there just isn’t much to talk about. As a Rule 5 draft pick, the Mets need to put him through waivers and offer him back to the Blue Jays for $25,000 if he clears waivers, which he certainly will.
Justin Turner was called up and is starting at second base tonight. He’ll play a straight platoon with Murphy.
That Sandy Alderson has a quick trigger finger. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing yet. But we may not have to wait for the non-waiver trading deadline for the Mets to start making moves this year.
The Mets Report 