tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61722312009-02-20T20:07:22.571-05:00Mets AnalystAnalysis of the New York MetsMets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1145238337690245852006-04-16T21:25:00.000-04:002006-04-16T21:45:37.723-04:001,000 MILESActually, more like 1,175 miles. That's how far the kids and I drove this weekend to take in Saturday's Mets game and make it back home at a decent hour on a school night. . . . Two losses in nearly a dozen games, and it has to be the one we go to. . . . Well, the Mets should be as good at road trips as my kids. . . . We'll try again. . .Random ComplaintsOf course, I had read Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1144634674927069432006-04-09T21:29:00.000-04:002006-04-09T22:04:34.983-04:00MAGIC NUMBER: 155O.K., I'm getting a bit ahead of myself there, but 4-1 sure beats the heck out of last year's 0-5 start. Remember, they're at home and playing the division doormats, so they need to do well, but don't let that spoil your enjoyment. Here are some observations---encouraging and worrying---from Week #1.Encouraging Point #1:Duaner Sanchez looks like a great pick up. He's allowed 0Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1144114160428636782006-04-03T21:05:00.000-04:002006-04-03T21:29:20.476-04:00A DAY WITHOUT LOOPER. . . Highlight #1: A great opening day win, without a doubt, and wonderful to have it finished by a closer, especially after sitting through last year's fiasco. The highlight though, came in the top of the 5th. Glavine appeared to be struggling, getting into some trouble in every inning after the first, and walking three men while getting only twelve outs. He appeared to Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1143900850876494262006-04-01T08:21:00.000-05:002006-04-01T09:20:59.556-05:00HERE WE GO!Well, it has been a busy off-season---half the Mets starting players, one starting pitcher, a majority of the bench and almost all of the bullpen were not with the club last year---that has produced a surprisingly young (5 regulars under 30, 3 under 24, and a rookie in the rotation), and likely exciting team. Flaws are easy to find, but there is a breadth of talent on this team that, Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1138051562255969262006-01-23T15:59:00.000-05:002006-01-23T16:26:02.306-05:00Off-season SummaryAlthough I am, essentially, on hiatus during the off-season, an e-mail from a friend provoked a lengthy response from me that my friend urged was "post-worthy." So, see below Mets Analyst take on the Mets off-season moves and prospects. This was written before the Benson deal. I'll have a post-Benson update posted later this week (as my friend has asked me about that as well)Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1125484902323498912005-08-31T06:15:00.000-04:002005-08-31T06:41:42.330-04:00POST-SEASON ROSTERThe QuestionWe're just not used to it. Not programmed to think that way. Haven't really thought that through. And its not just the fans, it looks like management is the same way. The question: Who should be on the Mets post-season 25 man roster? The possibility of being in the pennant chase has been so new and intoxicating that all attention has been paid to that upcoming Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1125421781229970162005-08-30T12:57:00.000-04:002005-08-30T13:09:41.233-04:00Midday UpdateMets Analyst has moved from tapping to pounding the drum for an Anderson Hernandez call-up, and that relates to a question posed today on Mets Blog: why haven't the Mets recalled Doug Mientkiewicz yet from his rehab assignment? The answer from Mets Analyst is that they do not want to give up the post-season roster spot. As things stand, Mientkiewicz is eligible from his place on Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1125412361425737252005-08-30T10:25:00.000-04:002005-08-30T10:32:41.433-04:00GOOD KARMAA Nice Off DayWell, a good day, considering the Mets didn't play. For instance, two days after I wrote a eulogy for Flushing Local (see below), she resumed blogging. I've restored the link and look forward to her commmentary the rest of the way. . . . For another thing, the Marlins lost. That leaves the Mets with a 25% chance of ending the season as the Wild Card, the highest Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1125154629675506812005-08-27T10:05:00.000-04:002005-08-27T10:57:09.730-04:00THOUGHTS ON A RAINY SATURDAYBraggingNot the Mets, . . . me. I'm bragging. A week ago, I predicted an 8 or 9 game winning streak (see below), and while that was a little off, the Mets have won 7 of 8 over the predicted span, including the last 5 in a row. Also, Baseball Prosepectus has a "Predictaron" contest, in which you had to predict the final records of every team before the season startedMets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1124966109332597852005-08-25T06:13:00.000-04:002005-08-25T06:35:09.340-04:00WOWQuick ThoughtsI only have time to jot some quick thoughts . . . which is what happens when you stay up past 1:00 in the morning watching a game two nights in a row. But wow! I mean, wow! If you haven't watched the Mets back-to-back 14-1, 18-4 victories, you have really been missing something. . . . Three Mets came to the plate last night with a chance for the cycle (Jacobs and Wright Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1124573596204105612005-08-20T17:31:00.000-04:002005-08-20T17:33:16.210-04:00QUICK PICKBefore the Mets final game with Pittsburgh on Thursday, I had an intuition that the Mets would lose that game, and the reel off a 9 or 10 game winning streak. With two right, but at least 8 more wins needed, it seemed like now was the time to put the "prediction" out there. Go Mets.Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1124361953149396542005-08-18T06:04:00.000-04:002005-08-18T06:45:53.156-04:00THURSDAY THOUGHTSWelcome Back CarlosIt was great to see (or, in my case, listen) to Carlos Beltran back on the field last night. You have to give the guy credit for coming back so quickly, as the fans at the ballpark clearly did. There was also some indication that the whole incident may turn out to be an important part of his adjustment to New York. In his first two at-bats he got a four pitch Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1123670765954477922005-08-10T06:31:00.000-04:002005-08-10T06:46:05.966-04:00BACK FROM VACATIONWhere We Stand. . .Well, as of this writing [before what turned out to be a loss to San Diego], the Mets are not too far from where we left them two plus weeks ago. After a poor road trip, they ended their homestand strongly and, thanks to the weakness of other teams, got their playoff chances back over 20%. As of this writing, the Mets actually have the greatest chance of Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1122045015724775272005-07-22T10:57:00.000-04:002005-07-22T11:10:15.756-04:00VACATION MEMOHangin’ in There. . . .Just when things are getting interesting, Mets Analyst is off for two weeks vacation in a spot where the Mets come in on the radio but internet access is dial-up only on a balky lap top. I’ve made arrangement to have the playoff chart updated daily, but the timing may slip a bit. Hopefully, other posts will remain at two per week. Here’s a long one though, to Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1121857872645855322005-07-20T05:55:00.000-04:002005-07-20T07:11:12.686-04:00RANDOM THOUGHTSPinch DelightLet's take a minute to enjoy the amazing success of Mets pinch hitters this season. Mets pinch-hitters are batting a whopping .352! And remember, pinch-hitters tend to have lower batting averages than normal because (i) they are not as good as regular players; (ii) they tend to face better pitchers than average. For example, the median team, the Reds, has its pinch Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1121682794047087982005-07-18T06:30:00.000-04:002005-07-18T06:33:15.716-04:00GOOD NEWS BAD NEWSInspired by the Mets .500 Record and a Favorite Childhood Book. . . .Fortunately, Beltran (.375 BA, .790 OPS), a notorious second half hitter, and Mientkiewicz (.500/1.000) both looked pretty good in the Braves series; we need them to play better than before the break. Unfortunately, the sample size is meaninglessly small. . . . Fortunately, the starting pitching continued to doMets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1121339953258082392005-07-14T06:51:00.000-04:002005-07-14T11:21:33.873-04:00HERE WE GO AGAINShoulder to Shoulder and Backs to the Wall. . .I hope everyone had a nice break, because, emotionally, we're starting up with a bang, not a whimper. The Mets are hanging on to the precipice of contention by their fingertips, and here come the Braves, intent on grinding those fingers under their shoe. Good News: Ishii isn't pitching in the series. . . It's time for Carlos Beltran, Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1121080315561229722005-07-11T06:44:00.000-04:002005-07-11T07:11:56.213-04:00MY TRIP TO PITTSBURGHBeautiful ParkMy son and I made our road trip to Pittsburgh Friday night. What a perfect night for a game. PNC Park is beautiful . . . Everything you've heard, and better. Out of the "new" parks I've been to, Pac Bell, Jacobs Field, Great American Ballpark and Camden Yards, and now PNC, I would probably put PNC first. Great views of the river, bridges and city, no bad seats, Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1120750326076790712005-07-07T11:05:00.000-04:002005-07-07T11:32:06.116-04:00QUICK MIDDAY WORDRight Side for the 2nd Half?Checkout this excerpt from the Norfolk Tides website about last night's AAA game:. . . . [Victor] Diaz hit a three-run home run in the first inning and added a two-run shot in the 8th, as the Tides (48-40) pounded out a season-high 19 hits. The 23-year-old, who was playing just his third game all year at first base, also made several nice plays in the Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1120647402230395592005-07-06T06:51:00.000-04:002005-07-06T06:56:42.236-04:00SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAYThey Kept Fighting. . .A tough loss on Tuesday night, especially because a win would have been so sweet against the first place team and was expected with Martinez on the mound. Loaiza was great though, and the Mets did fight till the end, getting the tying run to second with one out. They had their chance, which for me, makes it a little easier to take.Wild ThingsAs the Mets Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1120127367742292682005-06-30T06:10:00.000-04:002005-06-30T06:29:27.750-04:00DEAR OMAR . . .Dear Omar:We met briefly last October 23rd. I was the guy wearing an extremely bright, official Mets warm up jacket to Fenway Park for game one of a Red Sox-Cardinals World Series. You, then the Mets newly appointed G.M., were more nattily (though, I may say, less boldly) attired. We shook hands. I told you we had to get this thing done, and you smiled and agreed. You followed up Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1119969125253295672005-06-28T10:00:00.000-04:002005-06-28T10:32:05.300-04:00QUICKIENothing Like an Off DayDon't have time to offer much analysis today. Some quick thoughts though. . . . Ouch, that last loss hurt. Though the series was a success, a sweep would have been SO sweet, and we came so close. Still, nothing like an off-day to help recover, and that helped their playoff chances too, as the chart indicates.Brian's ChanceAccording to MetsBlog, there has been no Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1119610454480292522005-06-24T06:43:00.000-04:002005-06-24T06:54:14.486-04:00HOW TO SPOT AN IDIOTOne Litmus TestThere are some excellent sites out there in the Mets blogosphere, but some others . . . not so much. I’ve read in a few places calls for the Mets to dump manager Willie Randolph. Anyone who is writing that now, in June of Randolph's first year, is an idiot. They just have no idea what they are talking about. I’m not even going to take the time to defend him hereMets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1119393444392492122005-06-21T18:35:00.000-04:002005-06-21T18:37:24.400-04:00DON’T PANIC YET – REVISED I discovered a glitch in the list of how many wins a player has contributed relative to a league average player in the list below. I’ve fixed it and changed the numbers accordingly. Sorry about that; it was the first time I had done that calculation. If more than one player is listed on the same line, e.g., Heilman/Hernandez +1, that means between them they have Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6172231.post-1119009615890130642005-06-17T07:57:00.000-04:002005-06-17T08:00:15.896-04:00ROSTER MOVESWho Is Dauber? Well, the Mets called up Brian Daubach and started him at first base. By joining the Mets, Dauber (as he was affectionately known to Boston fans, where he was a favorite for his gritty play) comes full circle: He entered baseball as a 17th round draft choice of the Mets back in 1990. After toiling in the Mets minors for a half dozen years, he left for the Marlins Mets Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01542855318500602771noreply@blogger.com