The Past is Only the Future With the Lights On

I had been taking a break from blogging due to the fact that I find the offseason rumor mill tiresome and nedlessly stressful. That being said, I just watched the press conference from Dallas welcoming Jose Reyes to the Miami Marlins.

Yikes.

Based on Jose's remarks during the conference, everything building to this moment sort of makes sense now. Fred Wilpon's comments in the paper, the quiet wait-and-see approach to Reyes during the offseason, even the bunt single on the last day of Reyes' Mets career for the batting title. It's clear in hindsight that the Mets had no real intention of keeping Reyes, and Reyes had no real interest in staying. It's a shame, since Reyes is so good and has been somewhat of a point of pride for the Mets, but realistically Jose Reyes does not make sense on the Mets; he'd have been wasting his prime years.

I wish Reyes had expressed a bit more of a bittersweet sentiment about leaving the Mets, but he seemed fairly eager to start fresh with a new team. I don't blame Reyes or harbor any ill will towards him for making the sensible decision to go where the money is. Miami seems to be poised for success in the near term, and seemed to welcome Jose with open arms. I just wish as much could be said for NY.

David Wright and Jose Reyes had been billed as "the future", and perhaps with more competent ownership and management we'd have more to show from that era, but after financial scandal and emptying the farm for disappointment on the open market, the core has finally been blown up. It's time to cut bait and start building for a new future. Sandy Alderson seems to understand that, and I hope the fans will be willing to let him make the hard decisions necessary to fix this trainwreck of a franchise. Hopefully the next time we get a chance to re-sign a homegrown superstar talent like Jose Reyes, the decision to go with the winning team will keep him in NY.

Wave Goodbye

That's it, all she wrote. The 2011 season for the New York Mets is in the books. They finish the year 8 games under .500, marking the 3rd straight losing season for the team. This was a tough season to endure, and a true "rebuilding year". The Mets cut a few infamous players, but not their financial obligations, and replaced them with bargain bin players off of the scrap heap. I have faith in the direction of the new front office and management, but the current financial hole the team is in will make the near future difficult. Bad luck still seems to follow this team, with injuries to 3 of the team's star players in Ike Davis, David Wright and Jose Reyes.

Speaking of Reyes, the uncertainty regarding his future is as prominent as ever. All I have to say on the matter is that I hope Jose's last game as a Met was not the premature outing we saw today. Jose is a pillar of the organization and will be immensely hard to replace in the offseason. Without Reyes, or a player of similar caliber, the Mets take a giant step backwards and further distance themselves from serious competition in the increasingly difficult NL East. I can't speculate on the moves Sandy Alderson will pursue over the offseason, so I can only hope that Reyes, Santana and Davis return to help the club next year.

Enjoy the offseason,

-Keaston

Carlos Beltran

For this post, I'm going to share an e-mail I sent to Ted Berg regarding the departure of Carlos Beltran. This was sent the day after the all-star game and bears mentioning in the wake of the recent trade.

Hi Ted,

Something about last nights game really moved me. I think I came to grips with the fact that Carlos Beltran will be leaving the Mets soon. Say what you will about the All-Star Game, but I'm extremely glad I got to see his two plate appearances, rally-starting single, and coming across the plate as the tying run off of Price Fielder's home run. Somehow, that one inning put his entire career as a Met in perspective for me.

I realized last night how much I'm going to miss Carlos' understated-yet-graceful style of play, and how central he has been to these Mets we've come to know over recent years. Moreover, I began to fully comprehend the tragedy of having his whole career unfairly boiled down to one plate appearance, one pitch, and one backwards letter "K".

Carlos Beltran truly is awesome, and I hope he gets the chance to win a World Series on a legitimate contender. He is clearly past his prime physically, but continues to carry himself with dignity and has proven time and time again that he can still play.

I'm sure Carlos will do anything he can to help whatever team he's on, and will continue to do so quietly and without hesitation, unlike so many of his aging counterparts that we've heard about this year.

Beltran, playing in a largely meaningless game and in an unfamiliar setting, showed just what kind of a ball player he is last night. He made the absolute most out of his two plate appearances, and contributed to giving his team, and NL fans everywhere, the win. He did it for a team that he has never played for before, and never will again. Carlos Beltran is not selfish, he is a treasure of the game, and Mets fans are lucky to have witnessed his peak years. Hopefully we're also smart enough to realize this.

If there's any way you could pass this sentiment on to people closely associated with the team, I would appreciate it. Beltran might be one of the most under-appreciated players on the team. I'd like for him to know that the fans are going to miss him dearly, and that we wish him the best of luck in future baseball endeavors.

Yours,

Kevin Easton

Ted, a professional journalist for SNY, took the time to respond to me. He's a passionate Mets fan and a funny, clever guy. If you're not reading his blog, do yourself a favor and fix that.

Goodbye Carlos Beltran. We'll always miss you in flushing, but best of luck with the Giants!

All-Star Break

We sit now, finally, at the beginning of a new era in Queens. Sandy Alderson is at the head of a team that was crafted by someone else, and that is over-achieving to play .500 baseball. The first major trade of the season has occurred, with K-Rod going to the Brewers. Most of the one-year-deal players brought in during the spring seem to be readily available to any team willing to kick the tires, and Alderson seems poised to start running things his way this off-season. Nobody can really tell when the Mets will be serious contenders again, but hopefully a few seasons of competent and responsible player management will pave the way to sustained success.

Quick opinion on the season so far:

It's impossible to overstate the importance of having so few "automatic outs" on the roster as compared to previous seasons. This is reflected by the apparent "gritty/scrappy" offense of Turner, Murphy, et al. A team is far more likely to rally when they don't have a roster full of rally killers.

David Wright, Ike Davis and Jose Reyes are good, but may not be the kind of superstar talent necessary to compete with the modern iterations of the Phillies and Braves. The roster could use some bona-fide offensive players in the outfield. Something to look out for in the future.

Turner, Murphy, Thole, R. A. Dickey and Capuano are fun to watch and great players to root for, but may bring in more in an off-season trade than what they produce on the field. Unfortunately, at this point the team should be focused on getting better no matter what. I'm glad that Alderson has to make the hard choices and not me.

Lastly, I'm all for the K-Rod trade. It was the responsible thing to do. Frankie was always a bit more of a headache than he was worth anyway.

Midseason Mets

It's been awhile between posts, and for that I apologize. I've been busy moving into a new house. In the meantime, the New York Mets have been playing some truly uninspiring baseball. I did not expect too much from the Phillies series, but the team has also endured tough losses to the Cubs and now the Pirates, both of which are teams that the Mets should be capable of steamrolling. There has been a rash of unfortunate injuries, but so far that seems to be no worse that what befalls any given team during any given season.

The most interesting news regarding the team lately has been happening off the field, which is unfortunate. I view this as a baseball blog and try not to get into the off-field drama, but since there is almost nothing else to talk about, I'll weigh in on the recent happenings.

Fred Wilpon has got to go. Ever since I started following this team, the ownership has done nothing that put them in a positive light for me. Weather it was the 3am decicion to fire Willie Randolph or the most recent comments to the press, everything that ownership has done publicly has been unsavory. I'm glad that the Mets have found a minority investor, and I hope that this is the beginning of a transfer of power.

Recent rumblings indicate that the team may have to move either Wright or Reyes to meet payroll restrictions for next season. I am fairly tired of the speculation and have always adopted a "wait and see" approach. I am glad, however, that this is a change from all of the recent babble about how Reyes was absolutely going to be traded. Once again, wait and see. The incessant yammering and the foregone conclusions have grown tiring.

Lastly, I'd like to share a few links:

Terry Collins' Postgame Press Conference 5/01/2011
This is interesting to listen to and shows a passion that was apparently absent from the team's past two managers.

Ted Berg Shares a Story About Minor League Baseball and Tacos
As a Rochester, NY native, I found this story charming. Hopefully you will too.

Let's hope that Terry was able to identify the changes he was talking about last night, and brings them to the table. Let's Go Mets!

Justin Turner Overdrive

Justin Turner had a fine game yesterday, showing defensive aptitude while posting a Beltran-esque 5 RBI day at the plate. It's a bit early to declare victory over the 2nd base quagmire that evolved over spring training, but at the very least a platoon of Turner and Murphy should score more runs than they cost the team.

In the meantime, the Mets have continued to quietly improve their record and they are now 19-21 and have won 7 of their past 10 games. The team has continued to show resilience, at least against the inferior teams of the league, fighting back from deficits and flashing the occasional come-from-behind win. Adversity has been endured, with the losses of Chris Young and Pedro Beato and the struggles of R. A. Dickey and David Wright.

The bullpen has been a strength as of late, which is refreshing when put in the context of the past few years. It's also been a boon to the beleaguered rotation. Hopefully Dickey, who has been sub-par all year, will regain command of his knuckleball and become more of an asset than a liability. Equally hopefully, Pelfrey has begun to settle in and will continue to produce quality starts. Other than those two, I don't expect to see much improvement from the rotation. I do still believe this team can continue to be a demonstration on "doing more with less"; as long as the rotation is able to keep the team in games, and thus far it has been, the lineup and bullpen are good enough to give the team an opportunity to win every single game.

Unfortunately, the roster simply doesn't have the kind of "lights-out" talent to compete with the top teams in their division, although I wouldn't completely rule out a wild-card berth just yet. In any case, I'd rather see the team overachieve with bit players than underachieve with aging and overpaid former all-stars.

Baseball season rolls on.

Mets Season Recap

The Mets won game 27 last night, putting them through roughly 17% of the season. They are 12-16 and currently last in the NL East. The team got off to a miserable start, but are not as bad as their record suggests. After a somewhat unusual April, teams all across MLB have begun to regress towards the mean, and the Mets have started winning games again. Most recently the Mets lost 2/3 to the Phillies, but showed some resiliency against the best team in baseball. Game 2 was a legitimate pitching duel between Jon Niese and Roy Halladay, while last night the Amazins hung in to win by one run in extra innings.

For what it is worth, this team appears to have more "heart/grit/toughness" than years past. I'm not sure if that's due to a new manager who appears to have half a brain cell, the absence of Luis Castillio in the clubhouse, or a byproduct of having fewer automatic outs in the starting lineup. Either way, this team may not have the same kind of high profile talent as the premier teams in the league, but that doesn't mean they can't win ball games. So far, there have been a few key factors which have greatly affected the Met's chances to win on any given night. Let's go through them.

#1: Daniel Murphy. Murph has always proven himself to be a capable hitter. He may not be the most graceful or talented defensive Major Leaguer, but he hits the ball well and often when it counts. I think Murphy's presence is underrated and his absence last year hurt the team significantly. As long as Murphy's defense isn't costing the team more runs than his offense produces, and so far it hasn't, young Daniel will remain a big part of the Met offense.

#2: Mike Pelfrey. Big Pelf is off to his worst start since joining the rotation. Personally, I think he is putting way too much pressure on himself to be the "Ace", and it's affecting his pitch execution. Right now the team does not need him to be an Ace, only to be himself. The rest of the rotation has performed adequately, keeping the team in each ballgame, if not providing a chance to win. Pelfrey only needs to do the same; provide length, keep the team in the game and let the offense do the rest. I'm not sure if a trip to the minors would help Pelfrey catch his breath and return to form, but if he were to leave the rotation, I feel that Dillion Gee would provide the kind of consistent reliable effort that the team needs in his stead.

#3: Beato to Isringhausen to Rodriguez. For the first time in a long time, the Mets bullpen seems to have solidified a formula to close games, and so far it has proven successful. If the Mets can keep using this formula it will mean that their starting rotation will be providing the necessary length to keep the bullpen healthy as well as consistently putting the best pitching out against opponents late in games. These two factors are essential for the team to be competitive this season.

In summary, I feel that this team has above average offense and infield defense, and that their rotation can generally provide an opportunity to win every single night. Bearing in mind the three points outlined above, the Mets should be able to manhandle lesser teams while giving the elite competition in the league a bit of a fight. Moreover, I finally see this team developing an identity and moving towards a model of sustainable success. With a GM that has a vision for the future, rather than constantly shopping for the final "puzzle piece", we could see postseason baseball return to Flushing in the coming years.

This and That

It's been a hectic past week and I apologize for the lack of updates. It was good to see the Mets beat up on some lesser teams, but the real test will come in these next few series. I'm going to be out of town all weekend, so I'll recap the Phillies-Mets when I get back. Until then, keep calm and carry on. Let's Go Mets!

It's a Long Season

The Mets have started to hit, pitch and play defense. When any group of professional athletes get together and perform at their expected level, good things tend to happen. We are at the beginning of a long sports season. We'll see some more losing streaks, as well as some more winning streaks. I like the way the Mets are playing right now. Jason Bay has made a positive impact offensively and the starters are pitching deeper into games. I like the Beato - Izzy - K-Rod strategy for the last 3 innings. Hopefully the current positive momentum carries through DC and into Philly. I guess we'll find out.

Homestand Part Deux

Last night was more of the same, Mets are in the game due to good-not-great pitching, couldn't score, bullpen comes in and the wheels fall off. Some nice defensive plays at 3rd and at the plate, which was refreshing to see. Justin Turner is probably an upgrade at 2B, even though he couldn't seem to throw the ball properly. Hopefully that was just first-game jitters. Also nice to see Beltran hit one out of the park.

Parnell has looked overmatched from day one. The official word is that he may have a blood clot in his finger. Hopefully that gets straightened out because he has been killing the team recently.

I have just about had it with Scott Hairston and Willie Harris. In fact, I have had it with the depth issues this team has had over the past 3 years. I know depth has to be cultivated over the years via the farm system, but I really thought that this year would see the end of pretending that aging bench players can be every-day major leaguers. I guess not. I will be elated to see Jason Bay return to left field tomorrow.

Food for Thought on Chris Young, Front Office

Joe Janish at Mets Today has posted an interesting writeup on the condition of Chris Young, and takes a look at what biceps tendonitis can mean for a starting pitcher. The article provides an inside scoop at the nature of the injury and what can be done to prevent the condition in the future.

My question is this: If the cause of the injury is Chris Young's pitching mechanics, as the Mets Today article indicates, is there someone within the organization who's job it is to correct the issue? Moreover, if not then why not?

When I was a track and field athlete in college, we had a staff of trainers that were knowledgeable regarding sports injury and could provide treatment and preventative measures whether those are strengthening exercises or changes in mechanics. One would think that a professional sports organization would have a similar staff of trainers in place. At the very least, one might think that hiring a training staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to prevent recurring injury would seem like a good way to get the most out of "bargain bin" starters like Chris Young.

In Moneyball terms, having a competent training staff could be another way to exploit an undervalued market, and hopefully it's something Sandy Alderson has thought of.

Streak broken, off day

Ok, I lied. No game recaps, I fell asleep during game 2 of the double header and couldn't watch today. Long story short, game 1 of doubleheader seemed fine. I'm ok losing those kinds of games, I just wish David Wright could have provided some offense. Game 2 was atrocious. Big Pelf has to get it together. I support the theory that he's a headcase and overthinks his pitching. Glad to see that the Mets could scratch out a win today. The armchair manager in me would like to see Thole hit 2nd for a few more games. Getting on base is nice and all, but driving in runs is what counts. There's gotta be a stat for that, right?

Mount DickeyManjaro

So, notable knuckleballer and consummate nutjob R.A. Dickey wants to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in the off season. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa and for all intents and purposes the 4th tallest mountain in the world, was first introduced to Dickey via an Ernest Hemingway short story and has captivated him ever since. Usually I wouldn't mind an eccentric personality pursuing an eccentric hobby when there's no baseball to be played, but if I were a member of the Mets' so-called "prevention and recovery" squad this would raise all kinds of red flags. The last thing this team needs is their only feel-good story from the past 3 years breaking all of the nails on his throwing hand or being eaten by a leopard during the trek.

On the other hand though, if there's anyone on the roster that would be best suited to fight off a wild animal with his bare cuticles, it would be R.A. Dickey. Who knows? Maybe the introspective experience of ascending the peak will provide the kind of inspiration needed to re-invent himself yet again. At least it will be another angle they can work into the Disney movie.

Meanwhile, D.J. Carrasco has performed adequately for today. The spot starter went 3 2/3 innings while avoiding the dreaded "big inning", allowing 3 solo home runs. If this Met offense is worth its salt, they ought to be able to put up some runs against the remaining innings from Derek "I think we'll go with Oliver Perez instead" Lowe and the Atlanta bullpen. The Mets didn't have an early lead in this game, so statistically they have a better chance of not losing. At least I think that's how statistics work. Recap of both games coming later tonight.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2011 Dissapoint-Mets!

Ouch.

Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch.

4 games that played out exactly the same way. The Mets play decently at first, scratch out a few early runs, make what seems to be the most of decent-but-not-spectacular starting pitching and capitalize offensively, then the wheels come off. Defensive mistakes cost the Mets outs and lead to big innings for the bad guys. "Turbo" Troy Tulowitski hits home runs in each game. The Mets mount offensive comebacks but fall just short. Of course, the home outfield looking like they've never had to run down a fly ball certainly didn't help things.

The way the Mets played during this homestand reminded me of how they played during the final weeks of 2008 and 2009. Wimpy, coasting, unable to overcome adversity. I suppose it's better to get these kinds of games out of the way early than to collapse at the end of the season, but geez. I don't know what to look for in this next series. I'm operating under the assumption that the Braves are a better team than the Rockies, although the Rockies are off to a hot start and certainly looked like they were playing to win each game against the Mets. Then again, maybe that's just because the Mets looked like the visiting team. The Rockies certainly didn't have any trouble hitting home runs, reading fly outs or making game-saving infield plays at Citi Field.

We're only 13 games in, and every team goes through bad stretches, but this team needs to sharpen up in order to be worth watching. As I type this, I see Jordan Zimmerman and the Washington Nationals embroiled in a pitchers duel with Cliff Lee and the Phillies. The Nationals, who are far inferior on paper, are playing hard and making a legitimate effort to win the series. Terry Collins is right when he says that the Mets are a talented team, but right now they aren't playing any better than their record implies. I don't know if the team isn't trying hard enough or is trying too hard and choking, but I'm tired of it. From the looks of things, Terry is tired of it too. At least this weekend, the Mets won't look lost in their own ballpark.

Feliciano Goes Down

Latest news on Mets-come-Yankees reliever Pedro Feliciano is that he has a torn shoulder capsule and will quite possibly require season-ending surgery. Sound familiar? The unofficial rehab assignment has Pedro and Johan playing lefty catch together in Port Ace-LOOGY. No disrespect to "Perpetual Pedro", but I can't help but think that the Mets dodged a bullet on this one. Glad that he got the contract he was looking for, and hopefully he makes a full recovery, but it's somewhat refreshing to see that other NY team overpay for a player and have that investment turn into a liability.

How Many Mets Does it Take to Screw in a Lightbulb?

Hello friends, and welcome to the inaugural post of Upstate met Fan. My name's Keaston and I'll be your host. I am not a baseball insider and I get a majority of my information/game analysis from the usual suspects; Metsblog and the SNY blog network, Mets Today, various sports media outlets and, of course, by watching the games.

I am somewhat of a blue-collar fan and hope to provide insight, analysis and even a little bit of humor through what is hopefully a fresh perspective. Living over 100 miles away from any Major-League stadium, I do not get to go to as many games as I'd like but I do feel somewhat insulated from the hectic "win now" attitude that can sometimes permeate the fanbase and popular media. I've bounced around the idea of starting a Mets blog through the lens of an upstate New Yorker for awhile and am happy to finally get this thing off the ground.

Another post will be coming later recapping today's double-header and a little bit of the season at large. For now, welcome to my little slice of the intertubes. Lets Go Mets!