Category: Pitching

Mets Sign Paulino, Carrasco

June 06 2010: Marlins' catcher Ronny Paulino (29) strikes out at bat during MLB action between the New York Mets and the Florida Marlins at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. The Mets beat the Marlins 7-6.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe Mets signed two free agents to big league deals today at the winter meetings. No, it isn’t Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford. It’s Ronny Paulino and D.J. Carrasco. A backup catcher and a middle reliever aren’t much to get excited about. But for the Mets, it’s about all we’re going to get.

Ronny Paulino should split time with Josh Thole behind the plate. But I would guess that it won’t be a straight platoon situation. I think Thole should get about 70% of the playing time with Paulino playing occasionally against lefties. Paulino is going to be here on a 1-year/$1.3 million contract and still has a few games on a steroid suspension from last year to serve out. He’s not bad offensively so he won’t be an automatic out coming off the bench.

Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB
2005 24 PIT NL 2 5 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .500 .600 .500 1.100 195 2
2006 25 PIT NL 129 481 442 37 137 19 0 6 55 0 0 34 79 .310 .360 .394 .754 96 174
2007 26 PIT NL 133 494 457 56 120 25 0 11 55 2 2 33 79 .263 .314 .389 .703 83 178
2008 27 PIT NL 40 130 118 8 25 5 0 2 18 0 0 11 24 .212 .277 .305 .582 56 36
2009 28 FLA NL 80 266 239 24 65 10 1 8 27 1 0 25 48 .272 .340 .423 .762 99 101
2010 29 FLA NL 91 344 316 31 82 18 0 4 37 1 0 25 51 .259 .311 .354 .665 76 112
6 Seasons 475 1720 1576 157 431 77 1 31 192 4 2 129 281 .273 .328 .383 .711 86 603
162 Game Avg. 162 587 537 54 147 26 0 11 65 1 1 44 96 .273 .328 .383 .711 86 206
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 12/7/2010.
D.J. Carrasco is working on a 2-year/$2.5 million contract. He’ll be 34 years old in April and is a middle inning replacement for some lost arms in the bullpen this season. He generally keeps the walks to a minimum and consistently has a WHIP in the 1.3-1.4 range.
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP
2003 26 KCR AL 6 5 .545 4.82 50 2 21 0 0 2 80.1 82 44 43 8 40 4 57 7 0 6 355 102 1.519
2004 27 KCR AL 2 2 .500 4.84 30 0 11 0 0 0 35.1 41 22 19 5 15 3 22 3 0 2 163 100 1.585
2005 28 KCR AL 6 8 .429 4.79 21 20 0 1 0 0 114.2 129 67 61 11 51 2 49 6 3 7 511 92 1.570
2008 31 CHW AL 1 0 1.000 3.96 31 0 6 0 0 0 38.2 30 17 17 2 14 1 30 5 0 0 158 117 1.138
2009 32 CHW AL 5 1 .833 3.76 49 1 11 0 0 0 93.1 103 42 39 5 29 4 62 2 0 3 405 125 1.414
2010 33 TOT NL 3 2 .600 3.68 63 0 8 0 0 0 78.1 68 39 32 5 34 3 65 5 0 6 330 113 1.302
2010 33 PIT NL 2 2 .500 3.88 45 0 6 0 0 0 55.2 50 24 24 4 22 1 45 4 0 4 232 105 1.293
2010 33 ARI NL 1 0 1.000 3.18 18 0 2 0 0 0 22.2 18 15 8 1 12 2 20 1 0 2 98 135 1.324
6 Seasons 23 18 .561 4.31 244 23 57 1 0 2 440.2 453 231 211 36 183 17 285 28 3 24 1922 106 1.443
162 Game Avg. 6 5 .561 4.31 62 6 15 0 0 1 112 115 59 54 9 47 4 73 7 1 6 489 106 1.443
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 12/7/2010.
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Nolan Ryan and Saber-Metrics Go To The World Series

Texas Rangers owner Nolan Ryan holds up the ALCS trophy as the Rangers beat the New York Yankees 6-1 to take game six of the ALCS at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas on October 22, 2010. It will be the Rangers first trip to the World Series. UPI/Ian Halperin Photo via Newscom

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsWhat happens when you take a bankrupt baseball franchise, a part owner who was arguably the most successful pitcher of the 60’s and 70’s and team him up with the youngest General Manager in history who is a self proclaimed Saber-metrics Geek?

You get a team with a $50 million payroll heading to the World Series.

You have to admire the fusion of ideas from the 60’s, 70’s and today. Nolan Ryan, arguably one of the best pitchers ever to play the game, current part owner and president of the Texas Rangers, brings a belief that pitchers should not be subject to pitch counts and should pitch deep into games as in decades past.

Jon Daniels, youngest GM in the majors, brings the saber-metrics revolution to the Texas Rangers. Sabermetrics, the statistical analysis of a players future potential, enables many small market teams to identify potential low cost talent and explains why small markets teams who implement saber-metrics are able to compete with teams in larger markets.

It’s an interesting combination and although Nolan Ryan has taken some credit for turning the Texas Rangers around due to the emphasis on pitchers going deeper in games, Jon Daniels, super sabermetrics geek, is now a hot commodity and a highly sought after GM.

Teams that are able to blend the traditional game of baseball with a true understanding of saber-metrics will be the most successful teams in the game. Hence, why the search for the Mets next GM is so important.

I’m still dabbling in the world of Saber-Metrics myself but wonder if a GM with a true understanding of Saber-Metrics would have signed the likes of Gary Sheffield, Oliver Perez, John Maine, Pedro Martinez, Luis Castillo, J.J. Putz, and the many other players who didn’t pan out as planned.

In a day and age where you can easily calculate a player’s “VORP” or “Value Over Replacement Player” the decision to sign or drop a player should be a lot easier for any GM to make and, thankfully, the Mets have narrowed down the field of potential GM’s to two people who both understand sabermetrics. Sandy Alderson and Josh Byrnes.

But in the end, it still feels like it’s down to only one person, Sandy Alderson, and that decision felt like it had been made three weeks ago. Sandy Alderson is the only candidate who brings that blend of old school & new school baseball mentalities that has catapulted the Texas Rangers to the World Series. So the question remains and seems an easy one to answer…

Will the Mets follow the Texas Rangers game plan?

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Johan Santana Shoulder Injury Raises Questions

New York Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana throws a pitch to the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning of their MLB National League baseball game in New York, August 12, 2010. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsWell, its that time of the season. Johan Santana has once again, for the third season in a row, been shut down and will need surgery during the off season, this time on his left shoulder. A suitable punctuation to a season highlighted by lackluster play, managerial blunders, and an overall lack of organizational accountability. Of course, this type of grim reality for the ace of a pitching staff can only exist within one franchise, the New York Mets.

Along with agony and disappointment, news of Santana’s most recent injury raises a lot of questions:

Why does the Mets’ medical staff continue to be inept?

Since being acquired prior to the ’08 season, Santana has had some kind of injury/surgery every year. First it was his knee issue, last year he had bone chips in his elbow. What other star player in the league has experienced this type of string? I can’t think of any off the top of my head. I’m no doctor, but I would have to imagine that part of correcting an injury is identifying the measures to prevent future problems. By now, I would have expected that the medical and training staffs have come up with a plan for protecting Santana’s arm. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. This apparent ineptitude has affected other players on the team as well. You have to figure that free agents around the league are probably wary of exploring opportunities with the Mets because of their seemingly shabby and, for lack of a better word, mysterious medical staff. Continue reading “Johan Santana Shoulder Injury Raises Questions”

Video: Oliver Perez on Aug. 30, 2010 Appearance

New York Mets starting pitcher Oliver Perez reacts after being pulled from the game in the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field in New York City on May 9, 2010. UPI/John Angelillo Photo via Newscom

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsLast night Oliver Perez actually pitched an inning in a game. He allowed 1 run on 1 hit and 2 walks including a solo homer to Brian McCann on his second pitch of the inning. It was his first appearance since Aug. 1. At that rate, Perez is earning $1 million per appearance in the month of August. His ERA in August is a hefty 15.00.

Perez has only been in 15 games this year and started 7. It’s been one of the ugliest seasons for a pitcher that I can remember.

By the way, if you search on Facebook for Oliver Perez you’ll find some great pages. There are pages like: “Oliver Perez Sucks!”, “I’d pay the Mets $10 to get rid of Oliver Perez”, and “I hate to even look @ Oliver Perez”.

ESPN caught up with Perez in the locker room last night after the game. Check out the video below of what he had to say. He’s working hard in the bullpen…

http://espn.go.com/videohub/player/embed.swf

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Mets Cannot Rely on Dickey in 2011

New York Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey reacts after he threw a one-hit shutout to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in their MLB National League baseball game in New York August 13, 2010. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsI’m not going to lie.  I mercilessly mocked the New York Mets for signing R.A. Dickey in the offseason.  To be honest, I was frustrated.  Other teams were out signing pitchers like John Lackey (Red Sox), or trading for others such as Cliff Lee (Mariners), and I was stuck having to deal with the Mets settling for a 35-year-old knuckleballer who had never seen any extended success in the Major Leagues.

Hell, he wasn’t even supposed to be on the Mets 25-man roster, which got me even more ticked off.  Why are we trying to support our Binghamton/Buffalo starting rotations, when our major league rotation is in this type of shape?

Well, Dickey’s 2010 performance has shut me, and likely lots of other ignoramuses similar to myself, right up.  He’s gone 8-5, with an outstanding 2.43 ERA.  Hitters have rarely, if ever, looked comfortable against Dickey’s knuckleball, which he mixes in with a fastball.  FanGraphs.com has Dickey throwing his knuckleball 83.7 percent of the time, with his fastball coming just 16.3 percent of the time he throws a pitch. Dickey’s got a good thing going with his knuckler, he knows it, and he’s taking advantage of it. Continue reading “Mets Cannot Rely on Dickey in 2011”

Video: Mets’ K-Rod Out For 2010

New York Mets pitcher Francisco Rodriguez is escorted by police for his arraignment on a third-degree assault charge at Queens Criminal Court in New York August 12, 2010. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL CRIME LAW)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsI didn’t really think there was much left in the tank for the Mets this season anyway. But the news today that Francisco Rodriguez is done for the year seals the deal. He tore a ligament in his pitching hand thumb putting a beat-down on his girlfriend’s father.

It’s really ridiculous that it’s come to this. But the word is that the Mets may try to void the rest of K-Rod’s contract for sustaining a non-baseball injury. I’m not so sure they could void 2011 and the vesting option for 2012 if he’s healthy and ready to play. I could see the Mets trying to recover the $3 million they owe him for the rest of 2010 though.

Here’s some video from ESPN on the issue:

http://espn.go.com/videohub/player/embed.swf

Mets’ K-Rod Arrested for Assault at Citi Field

New York Mets relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez blows a kiss to the stands after they beat the Atlanta Braves in their MLB National League baseball game in New York, July 11, 2010. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsFrancisco Rodriguez was arrested after last night’s loss to the Rockies at Citi Field. He was involved in a physical altercation with his father-in-law, who was injured. According to multiple media reports, K-Rod was arrested and being held at Citi Field.

This isn’t the first dust up for K-Rod since he joined the Mets last season. But it is the first time it’s gotten physical. In May, he and bullpen coach Randy Niemann had some sort of disagreement in the bullpen. My take on it was that K-Rod was complaining about having to warm and never enter games and Niemann told him to pipe down.

It’s just another situation making this disappointing season worse and worse. Johan Santana was accused by a woman in Florida of raping her. He wasn’t charged by the police but she’s suing him now in civil court.

The only thing I will say is that sometimes the best players have an edge to them that you don’t always like. The Mets of the ’80’s weren’t choir boys. We all know that. Not that K-Rod has been a great player, but sometimes you have to live with edgy behavior from players.

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