Darryl Strawberry is back with the Mets. He’s working with the young players and sharing his well known stories of cancer and drug problems. I’m glad to see he’s getting his life together. Everyone deserves a second chance and it’s good to see him back with the Mets. That’s where he belongs.
Carlos Delgado was diagnosed with an impingement in his hip which can lead to arthritis. He’ll be out for a couple of days, but it’s something to be concerned about for the rest of the season. I don’t want to see Marlon Anderson or Damien Easley at first base for more than a game or two this season. The Mets need to think about a replacement, if needed, for Delgado. This isn’t good news…
Delgado left PSL for NY today after experiencing hip pain. He’s had hip problems in the past, but we have to hope it isn’t serious. Even though he had a terrible season last year, the Mets don’t have any good options for a long term solution at first base.
The Mets lost to the Tigers today in Lakeland 4-2. Mike Pelfrey pitched two solid innings in the start. I don’t pay too much attention to the final scores in spring training, but I do pay attention to individual performances. I really want to see Pelfrey give El Duque some competition for the fifth spot in the rotation. Today’s game was a good showing for Pelfrey. Now let’s hope that he keeps it up.
I was disappointed to see that Bartolo Colon signed a minor league contract with Boston. He’s a much better option as a long shot starter than Tony Armas, Jr. is. Colon is only three years removed from a Cy Young Award.
Obviously, Colon’s weight is a concern. It looks like he ate himself out of LA and he’s been hurt for the last two years. Prior to that he was a consistent 30+ start per year pitcher. In his 11 year career (he’ll be 35 in May) he’s 146-95 with a 4.10 ERA. He won 20 games a year twice, most recently in 2005.
Contrast Colon with Tony Armas, Jr. and his 9 year career record 52-65 with a 4.62 ERA, no All-Star games and no Cy Young’s. Sure, he’s played on some bad teams with the Expos/Nats and Pirates. But it just doesn’t make sense to me that the Mets would go in this direction.
The last few years have seen several forgettable starts from veterans called up from the minors like Brian Lawrence, Chan Ho Park, and Jose Lima. Even though Pelfrey and El Duque are vying for the final spot in the rotation, the Mets are bound to need a veteran starter at some point during the season. Minaya missed the boat when he didn’t get Colon.
It comes down to El Duque and Mike Pelfrey. I really hope that Willie hasn’t made up his mind about the last spot in the rotation yet. I know that I haven’t. Bart Hubbach of the Post describes the competition.
Pelfrey looked lost at times last year, like he was completely over matched in the majors. He’s a young guy at 24 and still has plenty of time to get it together. I hope he can give El Duque a run for his money.
El Duque is a walking medical mystery. He’s hurt again… already. He has toe and foot problems, and recently had a root canal. He only started 24 games last year. That’s just not good enough.
Mike Vaccaro of the Post wrote a good piece on Minaya today. He’ll surely be judged this year on the performance of Church and Schneider. After all, it was the Wilpon’s checkbook that brought Johan Santana to the Mets not Omar. Barring any trades or acquisitions this year, I wouldn’t want my performance measured by the production of Church and Schneider.
The Mets Report 