Mets Holiday Shopping - Part 4 - Offense

In Part 4 of the series on the Mets, I look at revamping the offense and you might be surprised at how you hear I might accomplish that...

 

When you look at the final offensive numbers of the 2009 Mets, it is clear that the team lacked punch when you consider they led the National League in Batting Average but they also were dead last in Home Runs. In fact, they were the only team in baseball to fail to reach the 100 home run plateau and when you consider the Phillies cranked out 224 home runs, you can quickly see the Mets need more offensive sizzle.

The problem in identifying a solution is quantifying home much of that lack of power was due to injuries, how much was due to the spacious confines of CitiField, and how much was due to a lack of power. The answer is likely a combination of the three but there were other factors at work as well.

David Wright and Carlos Beltran were hitting the ball well in the first 2 months of the season with both of them in the .330 batting average range but when Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado went down in late May, it became painfully obvious scoring runs would be difficult without the team catalyst AND the team's big home run hitter. Beltran and Wright were able to hold the fort for about a month until Beltran wenf down in late June. In fact, the Mets actually pulled to within one game of the first place Phils by the first week of July before the roof fell in.

Injuries are only part of the story as the dimensions of CitiField should illustrate to Omar Minaya that the priority should be speed and athleticism rather than power. Now do not get me wrong--you need some power in the lineup but the most important thing this Met lineup needs is a player that can field his position, run the bases, and hit in the clutch. In Part 1 of this series, I suggested Bengie Molina at the catcher position which would give the Mets more offense from that position.

I would follow that up with re upping Carlos Delgado for one year provided he looks good enough in winter ball which will enhance the team's power numbers. Then I would work out a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays for Carl Crawford whom I think would be a better left fielder fit for the team than Matt Hoilliday or Jason Bay.

This will also improve the outfield defense as well as provide the team with an incredibly lethal base stealing combination in Reyes and Crawford. With either or both of them on base, it will give Beltran, Wright, Delgado, and Francoeur plenty of RBI chances and will force teams to throw fastballs to 4 incredibly good fastball power hitters. What this will also accomplish is returning the Mets to their 2006 style offense where first inning runs put immediate pressure on the other team both at home and on the road.

These changes will allow the Mets to tailor a team to their ball park and at the same time, give the lineup a much needed balance of power and speed that will help the Mets grind through tough one-run games. These changes will also improve the overall team defense as an outfield of Crawford, Beltran, and Francoeur might be the best in team history with Molina, Reyes, and Castillo providing the great middle defense that all championship caliber teams need. If you can move Castillo and rope in free agent Orlando Hudson, it might even make the defense better but Castillo is still a very serviceable defensive player if you can not swing that deal.

These are not the flashy changes Met fans are hoping for but dollar for dollar gives the Mets the most bang for their buck and will allow Omar Minaya to spend big money on a starting pitcher. For that reason, these moves may not spike season ticket sales but I guarantee they will spike win totals for the Mets and that will be the true barometer of the team's success. And to paraphrase a line from the movie Field of Dreams, "Build the team this way and they will come."

 

And if you are beginning to think about Christmas gifts, why not something from your favorite team? For Mets fans out there, check out these New York Mets Holiday Gift Ideas

Met's Holiday Shopping - Part 2 - The Bullpen

 

Today in Part 2 of my 5 Part Series on the Mets I look at the bullpen...

 

 

If we have learned anything from the post-steroids baseball era, it is the simple truth that a lock down bullpen has become even more important to winning teams than ever before.

Home runs are down and more and more games come down to how you can effectively close the game with not only 9th inning sure things but an effective corps of relievers that can also lock down the 7th and 8th innings as well. The Tampa Bay Rays are a great case in point to that--in 2008 their corps of relievers did the job en route to a World Series appearance but just a year later that same cast of characters betrayed them and the tough AL East ate them alive.

The Mets have a huge edge on most teams in this department as Frankie Rodriquez remains one of top 3 closers in all of baseball and more importantly has the mindset of a closer in the toughest of all cities to be the ninth inning guy. K-Rod embraced the New York challenge last year enough to earn an All-Star appearance and despite a less than stellar second half, he remained accountable for his mistakes and hell bent on being better. I also think he had a greater impact on others in the pen than his predecessor Billy Wagner who tended to talk more than lead. Frankie spends a lot of time with other relievers and has mentored them about approach and commitment.

But as I stated earlier, a bullpen is more than a closer and many of the other pieces that the Mets need may be staring at them right in the face in regards to the 7th and 8th innings. Brian Stokes and Pedro Feliciano have both shown the ability to get hitters out and very well could share the 8th inning duties. Feliciano is devastating against left handed hitters and with southpaws like Utley, Ibanez, Howard, McCann, and Dunn all residing in the NL East he could be a very important weapon late in the game.

Brian Stokes is a very interesting option as well as he throws an assortment of pitches that combine speed and location but still remains the forgotten and sometimes under appreciated hurler in the pen. He allowed just about 1 hit per inning in 70 innings pitched and also showed a durable arm making you believe he could be the workhorse that all bullpens need. In many ways, he deserves this chance because of all the righty set up guys he performed the best last year.

So what does the bullpen need? Simply put another lefthanded specialist and some righthanded depth as well as a long man or two. I firmly believe that Elmer Dessens and/or Nelson Fiqueroa will assume the long man role but the 2 other pieces could come from outside the organization. Names like Rafael Soriano, Fernando Rodney, Mike Gonzalez, Jose Valverde, and Kevin Gregg are on the free agent lists and one or two of them could end up in Flushing if the timing and the price tag is right. But my feeling is Bobby Parnell will be a year older and a year wiser and can serve the role as an effective 7th inning guy. He has great stuff but just needs more consistency as I feel the pen is a better place for him than the rotation.

The last piece here might be the way Jerry Manuel handles the bullpen and by that I mean how he defines roles, communicates those roles, and manages the workload so pitchers are not overworked and yet get enough work to stay sharp. In particular, K-Rod should NEVER and I repeat NEVER go more than 2 days without appearing in a game. And if Stokes or Feliciano are the 8th inning duo, let them know that so they could put together a routine EVERY night of preparing themselves for that role and ONLY that role. In fairness to the manager, he got used to mixing and matching at the end of the 2008 season because of injuries and no reliable closer but he has one now so roles should be easy to pinpoint.

For Omar Minaya, very little money should be spent on the pen if any because this can be a very good one if it is managed correctly and you show confidence in guys like Feliciano and Stokes who deserve it.

And if you are beginning to think about Christmas gifts, why not something from your favorite team? For Mets fans out there, check out these New York Mets Holiday Gift Ideas

Can Wally Backman Be The Mets Next Manager?

He has always been a crowd favorite and Met fans remember that he scored the winning run in the pivotal Game 5 of the 1986 NLCS. So, If Jerry Manuel missteps, could Wally Backman be the Mets manager in waiting?

Jeff Wilpon made it abundantly clear that both Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel need to "step up their game" and for the most part, Omar's report card will not be written until his off-season moves could be fully evaluated. But Jerry Manuel could be a different story--if the Mets get off to a rocky start, he could be replaced and unless the Mets want to ante up for the high-priced Bobby Valentine, Backman could be the guy that would provide the type of fiery field manager many feel the team needs--and at a fraction of the price that Bobby V would cost.

The hiring of Wally Backman could put added pressure on the Met skipper to perform or else and if that is the case, expect Manuel to manage the team with a larger sense of urgency than he did in 2009. In addition, the health of players like Reyes and Beltran will be very important to the Mets embattled manager.

This much is crystal clear--April 2010 could be the most important month of the season for Jerry Manuel in terms of communicating to his players, and getting the most out of his team. And if the early 2010 Mets look similar to the 2009 team, the new manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones could be heading for the Van Wyck Expressway where he will enter stage left at the CitiField exit.

Great holiday gift idea - an autographed Wally Backman photograph:

Top 5 Met Off-Season Questions

Flushing, New York-- Now that the Met season is over the organization must decide on a number of hot button issues before they embark on re-tooling for the 2010 season.  Aside from all of the injuries and getting the "core" healthy Omar Minaya must find that "special sauce" that has been missing from this team since 2006.  Here is a look at those issues:

 

Issue #1: Finding A Second Starter Behind Johan Santana: There is no doubt Santana is an elite pitcher but to put a solid=#2 hurler behind him will not only help Johan but also help Pelfrey, Perez an= possibly Maine slot into spots in the rotation more conducive to their abilities.  There are a number of pitchers they will look at with Roy Halladay being the best alternative but he will cost a lot in terms of prospects provided the Mets have a match for the Jays and provided Toronto's new GM still wants to move him. An interesting option might be Tim Hudson who has a mutual option with the Braves who already have 4 healthy starters under contract plus Javier Vazquez.  They certainly can not keep all 6 and they may decide Hudson is the one they will not retain.  Angels ace John Lackey will likely test the free agent waters but I doubt the Mets will sign him because his contract will be costly and if you are going to open up the vault, it make= more sense to trade for Halladay.  Jason Marquis remains a free agent option as well.

 

Issue #2: Finding A Big Power Bat: This is a tricky one because it really hinges on whether the Mets think Daniel Murphy or Angel=Pagan is an everyday player.  My sense is that Pagan showed more than Murphy but it might be easier to land an outfielder than a first basemen.  Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez will be the big names being shopped this winter and both will cost 2 or 3 prospects while a Matt Holliday could be signed as a free agent.  There is always the chance Carlos Delgado could return for a relatively inexpensive contract which would allow the Mets to spend more=on that second starting pitcher behind Santana.

 

Issue #3: Tailoring The Team To The Ballpark: Now that the Mets have played a year at CitiField it is obvious that the park is even more pitcher friendly than we thought.  That also should put a big premium on defense and speed especially in the expansive outfield. I am told that Carl Crawford will be available this winter but my preference would be to give Angel Pagan a shot in left alongside Jeff Francoeur and Carlos Beltran giving the team great outfield speed.  My thought here is all 3 will all take advantage of a triple friendly park with their speed when they are in the batters box. A big part of your defensive personality is the man behind the plate and the combination of Omir Santos/Josh Thole deserves a chance here.  Both have shown they can hit and while Santos is more polished defensively than Thole, Josh is a tireless worker who will get better behind the dish.  Omar also has to spruce up the bench with a slick fielding middle infielder, a reliable pinch hitter, and a 4th outfielder if Pagan gets the starting left field spot.

 

Issue #4: The Return Of The Injured Core: Carlos Beltran proved in the last few weeks of the season he has totally recovered from his knee bone bruise that put him on the shelf most of the summer.  As far as Jose Reyes is concerned, I have been told his surgery will allow him to be ready by early February by the latest to hit the field at full speed.  Both Santana and Perez are already in "rehab" mode with Santana telling me he is so far ahead of schedule that he might begin serious workouts one month ahead of schedule.  Even though David Wright is fully recovered from his stint on the disabled list, many point to his numbers as a source of concern. What do I think?  David Wright's resume speaks for itself--he is a committed, dedicated athlete who suffered from a lack of a supporting cast.  That allowed teams to pitch around him and that contributed to the RBI total in the 70's although he did still manage to hit .300.  The last thing the team should worry about is Wright as I expect his #'s to return to the 25-110=range in 2010 simply because he will have protection in the lineup which will allow him to see better pitches and get into better "hitting counts." 

 

Issue #5:  Who Sets Up For K-Rod?:  The Mets did not get to see the Putz-K/Rod combination that Omar Minaya envisioned all winter because Putz went under the knife in mid-season but the question of a set-up man is an important concern.  However, I think the answer may already be in the Met clubhouse.  The combination of Pedro Feliciano and Brian Stokes has real possibilities especially if the Mets get another left handed spec=alist in the bullpen who could help preserve Feliciano for 8th inning duty. I also think Stokes provides an interesting contrast to the slinging southpaw and that could allow Jerry Manuel to mix and match.  There is also the chance Omar might buy out Putz's option and then sign him at a cheaper rate. That could give the team a trio of hard throwers for the 8th inning with all 3 providing a great bridge to K-Rod.

 

There you have it--should be an interesting hot stove season for Omar Minaya.