Written by Mike Mariano | 10 April 2010

Do you think I can let Benny come into my house and dump Mets related thoughts upon our loyal readers without retaliation?  No way.  I'm going to actually put together an idea and give you a thinking point for the day.  Wow, I know.  That never happens around here, but we'll keep that between us.  Moving on...

Let's talk quickly about the panic button.  Not so much on a team-wide level, but more in terms of individuals and lineup mainstays.  In a perfect world, all the starters contribute and you don't have to wonder if the starting infielder developed a drinking problem (Pat Burrell 'most of his career) or if they'll ever get out of their slump (Jimmy Rollins '09) or if they just flat out stink (Most Phillies 3B 'post Schmidt).  So there is definitely reason to believe 2010 could be just another year with struggling players and the debate of how to deal with them.

Last season, Charlie Manuel did an exceptional job of managing Jimmy Rollins and his historic struggles at the plate.  For a while, he let him be, let him work it out on his own.  He sat him eventually, and worked him in different spots all over the lineup.  Uncle Cha(h)lie is known as a players coach and manages a dynamic Phillies clubhouse exceptionally well, so it came as no surprise that he kept the Rollins situation under control.  That however, has nothing to do with fan reaction, which was quick to draw and very loud (with boos of course) as the season moved on and the slumping continued.

So what were here to discuss is -- when is it ok the hit the panic button (as a fan) on a slumping starter?  The season is only four games in, please don't think I want to hit it now.  We're just talking about protocol for the road ahead.  Should Shane Victorino (okay, he hit a bomb today) or Raul Ibanez extend their struggle of these four games indefinitely, what's the fan-plan?

Initially, it's the waiting game -- of course.  If a guy plays well enough to earn a starter's role, then he deserves an extended period of time at the position.  No questions asked (trademark: Shane Victorino), if you've come through the winter and spring as a starter, you get a certain amount of time to do your thing.  Some guys obviously get long leashes -- Chase Utley compared to say Carlos Ruiz -- but nonetheless, everyone gets guaranteed time.  I think for any starter you get through the month of April regardless of the numbers you're putting up.  That month is yours to play out no matter what.  Obviously a day or two of rest or to clear your head is acceptable, however it's still your role to lose.

Then solidified starters -- Victorino's, mid-rotation pitchers, Polanco's -- get the next full month as well.  And your stars, captains, and aces get another full month on top of that, maybe more.  When you get into the double or triple month slump, then it's time for the phantom injury time off, but that's a story for another day.  Brad Lidge was in that category last year, but I didn't need to tell you that.

As for booing struggling starters (I mean, this is Philly, we've got to discuss it) I think it should be avoided entirely, except for two conditions.  One, massive, massive slumping of at least two to three month proportion and definitely below the mendoza line.  Two, the guy is a complete and utter asshole, namely to the fans.  In both of those cases, boo away.  Otherwise, bite your tongue and hope that your guy will find his way again.  Booing is only going to make things worse.  But, this is Philly -- all bets are off.

Written by Benny B. | 09 April 2010

The Mets are 2-2 thus far in this infant season of 2010.  Here are some random thoughts over the past 4 days.  If you think this is a copout post because I am too lazy to formualate my usual well thought out, pun-ie posts....your right.

• The starting pitching through 4 games has been...solid!  Aside from John Maine's outing, every other pitcher has shown flashes of dominance.  Johan is Johan, and will be a better Johan once he shakes off the rust from offseason surgery.  Jon Neise looks like he has no ill effects from his horrible hamstring tear.  His pitches were hit a little hard at times, but only gave up three runs and kept the team in the game.  I am excited about him.  And Big Pelf looked outstanding tonight featuring a new split-finger fastball.  If he can continue to throw that pitch for strikes, he may finally harness that #2/#1 starter potential was projected.  Now the biggest question mark is Ollie.  I don't know why, but I am strangely confident that he is going to have a good game.  I don't like that felling...
• The bullpen has been even better than the starting pitching. Nieve became the first Met ever to pitch in 4 straight games and appears to have solidified the 8th inning setup role.  He has sick movement on his pitches.  Japanese imports "Tak" Takahashi & "Iggy" Igariashi have also had mostly impressive debuts.  Iggy is the power pitcher and Tak is the multi-pitch having control pitcher.  And the young Jenry Mejia who throws 4 pitches whilst sporting a 99 MPH fastball has also been impressive after shaking the butterflies off.  And of course the "Perpetual" Pedro Feliciano & Closer K-Rod are perfect thus far.
• The Offense has been up and down, but once Jerry realizes that Mike Jacobs has no business in the starting lineup, and GMJ should no be starting over Angel Pagan (even if that means abandoning the showcasing of GMJ's "talents" for what ever sucker team that would take him) I think this is going to be a potent offense...and thats not even taking into account Jose Reyes & Carlos Beltran's return.  They scored 7, 6, 1 & 8 runs in each of their first 4 games.
• Wright hit a Homerun in his first at bat and you could hear the collective exhale of all Mets fans.  There was not another HR hit until tonight's game when the Mets set a new record for hitting 4 HR's at Citifield in a single game.  They were all solo shots with two apiece by Rod Barajas and Jeff "The Frenchman" Francoeur.  I always thought that the Frency for Church trade was a good one with high upside.  I think you will see a great year from Frenchy in 2010 similar to what we saw last year after he was traded.
• Nelson Figeroa is really a "Benedict Arnold" the Phillies were tricked to pick up due to the desperate current state of their bullpen.  So far mission accomplished with one Loss under his belt.
• Gary, Keith & Ron remain the best announcers in baseball.  Period.  All ways informative, smart & funny.  Regardless if the Mets are losing, winning or tied I am always entertained...and am reminded of how bad other tandems are when I am forced to endure them.
• Saturday, April 10th @ 1:10 PM marks the return of Jose Reyes after almost an 11 month layoff.  Hells Yea!  I expect some sort of ceremony with all the deserved fanfare when we restore Jose X 4 to his rightful place atop of the WTTTB Most Hated Met.

That's all for now.  I'll be back with my usual broadcasts soon.  Go Mets!

Written by Mike Mariano | 08 April 2010

Written by Tom Schneider | 01 April 2010

Joe Blanton of the Phillies has been placed on the 15-day DL with a mild left oblique strain.  According to the Assosiated Press, Blanton could miss anywhere from three to six weeks. Blanton was 12-8 with a 4.05 ERA for the Phillies last season and will likely be replaced in the Phillies' rotation by Kyle Kendrick.

The Phillies were thought to be interested in adding an arm before the Blanton injury, and now this is an even stronger possibility. The Phillies are said to be looking to add former Met, Tim Redding. It remains to be seen if the Phillies will actually add a pitcher before opening day.

Added by Benny B.

Nelson Figeroa--the pitcher who did everything to earn a roster spot short of offering sexual favors a la Phillie Phans--has also been rumored to be on the Phillies radar.  I like Figgy and I feel bad for him.  He pitched very well at the end of the Mets lost season in 2009, in Winter Ball and in spring training.  I guess what it came down to was did the Mets really need 3 long men in their bullpen?  That answer was obviously no.  I would love for him to accept a demotion to AAA if he clears waivers, but I think there are clubs out there that can use his services.  What better way to stick it to the Mets than to sign with the Phillies?  I hope it doesn't happen, but if it does, I'll have no problem transitioning to hating him.

Written by Mike Mariano | 06 April 2010

In the first inning of yesterday's Opening Day game against the Nationals, Roy Halladay got touched up for a run on a combination of Nyger Morgan running and Ryan Zimmerman hitting.  After Zimmerman's RBI double, you got a clear look at one of the things that makes Roy Halladay so good.  When Nyger Morgan crossed the plate to take the 1-0 lead, Halladay didn't even blink.  Didn't shrug.  Didn't frown.  Didn't smile.  Nothing.

He simply walked back to the mound, struck out Adam Dunn and closed out the inning a batter later on a pop-up.  Business as usual.  Morgan was all jacked up, the stadium was rocking with Opening Day hopes, but Roy didn't seem to notice at all.  From them on out, he mowed down hitter after hitter, fanning nine hitters over seven innings, leaving with a 11-1 lead and the game in hand.  Not much more could have been expected from the Doc and he didn't disappoint in the least.

Offensively, it doesn't get more exciting than Jimmy Rollins spending the entire day on base.  Two hits, two walks, and a stolen base set Rollins on a much better path than last season when he struggled mightily throughout April.  Couple in a Ryan Howard bomb and a Placido Polanco grand slam and it was nonstop excitement for the Phils.  Every Phillies starter had a hit (including the pitcher) and every position player scored a run (excluding the pitcher) in the rout.

A potentially overlooked bright spot was the bullpen.  Bastardo, Baez, and rule-five draftee David Herndon combined for three easy innings of work to close out the game.  I was especially impressed with the new guy, Herndon.  Despite allowing two hits, his ball had great life to it and he pitched with a presence on the mound.  I hope he finds a way to stay around a little longer once Romero and Lidge return from injury, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Next game: Wednesday, 7:05, Cole Hamels v. Jason Marquis in Washington.

Written by Benny B. | 05 April 2010

I'd like to thank Will & Rory for helping round out the WTTTB Fantasy Baseball League.   Categories are: OPS, HR, R, RBI & Steals.  Pitchers: Wins, WHIP, K's, Saves & ERA.  Check out the teams and feel free to post your opinion on who has the most stacked team.

Team Benny B

Team Will H.

Written by Erica Bauwens | 02 April 2010

It was a big day in Philadelphia, as the Phillies headed home to Citizen's Bank Park (oh, I got chills when I wrote that) for their first exhibition games of 2010 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The game started off rough: Cole Hamels disappointed fans, allowing three earned runs in his three innings at the mound. The dark streak ended wit Kyle Kendrick as a replacement, who pitched three scoreless innings, followed by Andrew Carpenter for two, and finally closer Danys Baez.

Ryan Howard, who has spent spring training mastering breaking balls and perfecting his already miraculous swing, hit a two-run home run in the third, tying up the game. Chase Utley got the bell ringing for the second time in 2010 with another home run in the fifth. The Phillies ended the game with a 5-3 win.

Charlie Manuel beat out Jimmy Rollins' usual yearly predictions today, being the first man on the team to claim a 2010 World Series victory. He also had high hopes for Cole Hamels, who has been performing less than admirably this spring

"Cole's in tremendous shape. He's ready to pitch." Manuel said, in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer before the game against the Pirates. "Of course, I'd like to see him go out there and be sharp with his command, throw quality strikes. That's what I'd like to see... I think he's ready. But I can sit here and say that all I want. The season's going to tell."

Hamels wasn't too concerned about the way his last game of spring training played out.

"I feel confident now that I can throw it again and again for strikes," Hamels said. "My whole goal was just to go out there and try to throw strikes, just try to work both sides of the plate."

Hamels will be starting on April 7th in Washington D.C. and I'm certainly not too thrilled about that. I wasn't too reassured while following Hamels this spring, especially after 2009 and the World Series. As one of the lucky players that hasn't faced any surgeries in the last year I expect a lot more from him, but maybe that's just me being unrealistic. Plus, I'm really eager to see what Roy Halladay has to bring to Philly.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the game on TV, but I did get to check out some pregame action on the news. The Phillies were looking dapper as usual, with the exception of Jayson Werth who ditched the grizzly man beard for his frat boy-esque landing strip once again. I'm sorry to all those facial-hair-loving men out there, I just will never be able to like that thing; but I'll always love Jayson.

The Phillies play the Pirates one more time tomorrow night at the Park to what is expected to be a sold out crowd. Let's hope they bring spring training down with a bang.

Written by Benny B. | 01 April 2010

Daniel Murphy, the Mets quasi-first basemen, was diagnosed with a grade 1 sprain of his MCL and will be out 2-6 weeks. In other news Mets management has decided to be prudent for a change and "take it slow" with Jose Reyes. He will only appear in Minor League rehab games in order to make his DL stint retroactive.  If all goes according to plan, Jose will be in uniform the 6th game of the season vs. the Washington Nationals.

First, Daniel Murphy:  I like him. It's hard not to.  He is always working hard trying to improve his game offensively and defensively.  He was just starting to get hot after a dreadful spring training.  And now he is out 2-6 weeks.  I feel bad for him, I really do.  But lets get real.  Everyone including Murphy's mother knows that it is only a matter of time before Ike Davis is manning first base.  I don't know how to say this without sounding like a dick, but here goes:  If someone said one Mets player is going to be injured to start the season, and I had to choose, I would choose Murphy.  Ike Davis absolutely murdered the ball this spring going .480/.536/.960 with 3 HRs.  Yes, spring training is spring training, BUT, there is not a single Mets fan that isn't excited about this kid.  And if Murphy's injury helps him get to the bigs a little quicker, so be it.  So it looks like Mike Jacobs is slated to be the starting first baseman.  BAD IDEA.  Yes way back when he hit 32 Homer Runs.  Yippie!  But that is all he does, and he was cut by arguably the WORST team in the AL, The Royals.  Ted berg put it best here:

...be it Jacobs or Catalanotto or (fingers crossed) longshot candidate Chris Carter — will see some time at first. If it’s Jacobs, he’ll hit home runs and play poor defense. If it’s Catalanotto, he’ll get on base and play better defense than Jacobs. If it’s Carter, he’ll likely hit more home runs than Catalanotto but fewer than Jacobs while playing better defense than Jacobs but worse defense than Catalanotto.

I too am hoping for Carter.  He's relatively young (27) and has also been mashing in his limited playing time .407/.448/.926 with 4 HRs. At the very least, he should be the last bench spot.  But instead, it looks like Jacobs and his .194 batting average will be starting there because of past accomplishments.  It's foolish move by management, but I see this as a win-win.  If Jacobs starts mashing, great!  He helps the team.  If he is stinks it up, great!  Cut him.  He helps the team by facilitating the arrival of "We like" Ike Davis.

Now Reyes:  Would I have liked to see him opening day? Sure.  Could he have possibly been ready to play Opening Day?  Yup.  Am I upset about the decision?  No.  5 games is a small price to pay to ensure that Jose's strength is at full capacity.  He is in great shape and will most likely be batting lead off, but hopefully Jerry has not trashed the logical idea of hitting him 3rd until Beltran returns.  The move to start him on the DL is not a surprise--many conservative bloggers and beat writers have lobbied for this.  However, if you read the NY papers today you would think that the entire Mets team plane crashed into the Andes and are now eating their departed teammates to survive (too bad Ramon Castro and Livan Hernandez weren't on the plane...they would have fed the entire team till the summer thaw).

All in all, the Mets have had very few injuries this spring.  Escobar was an injury risk when they signed him. Reyes thryoid is a non-baseball related matter, and you know how I feel about Murphy.  Beltran is obviously the biggest loss, but reports are that his is on/ahead of schedule.  He took indoor batting practice for the first time yesterday and I hope to see him patrolling center field mid-may.  Yes, the bullpen is "unsettled", but I could care less.  The Mets have more options and depth in the pen than they have had in a long time.  In fact, the Mets have depth this year across the board with young MLB-ready talent waiting should starters falter/get injured...that is everywhere EXCEPT the starting rotation which is the biggest question mark.  It would be wise for the mets to acquire a legit #2 starter as soon as possible.

The Mets have flaws, as do most teams....maybe more than most teams.  This is an important year for the entire Mets organization.  I know it is painful for the Mets-faithful, but check out this graphic. The Mets were in first place May 18th, and were in contention until the middle of June.  From there it was a slow & painful decline which does not have to be recounted.  If they can stay healthy and the pitching is satisfactory, they should be in the mix all year.  Regardless, I am tired of all the guessing and the analysis.  It's time to get this show on the road.  It's time to play ball.  LETS GO METS!

Written by Mike Mariano | 01 April 2010

Baseball Prospectus, a home of fantastic technical and sabermetric baseball analysis, ran a few numbers and concluded that no player as young as David Wright has faced such a drop off in power production as he did in 2009.  The long and short of their number crunching is that they took the average home runs from every MLB season and calculated where every player fell in terms of standard deviation from that mean.  Basically, it assigned a small manageable number to the amount of home runs a player hit in comparison to the home runs hit in that year to make for easier era-to-era comparison.

From 2005 to 2008, David Wright finished between .68 and 1.51 standard deviations away from the average amount of home runs hit by a single player.  More simply, he hit more home runs in those season than 75.1-93.5 percent of ballplayers in those years.  Then in 2009, DW finished at a standard deviation of -.60! Which equates to hitting less home runs than 77.4 percent of the league.  This sort of drop off has only happened five times in baseball history and the other sob stories include: Don Baylor, Vinny Castilla, Sam Crawford and Del Ennis.  The kicker is that David Wright was at least five years younger than them when in happened to him.  Opening up the search to smaller drop offs and drop offs over shorter periods of time (not five years) gives some more names, but still none as striking as David Wright.

Granted, he's only going to be 27 this year and he was hurt and the whole team was hurt and he had no protection and he was pressing and blah and blah and blah.  I'm sure he'll be fine Mets fans I'm not pretending that Wright is suddenly some slap hitting Sally who'll never hit home runs again.  I'm just relaying the facts found by smarter men than I.

Written by Mike Mariano | 30 March 2010

Raul Ibanez is struggling this spring, mightily.  His batting average is sub-.100.  He's only got four hits.  His OBP and SLG are both sub-.250.  He's got more strikeouts than hits.

Why do we care?

The man is a 14 year veteran who is a lifetime .285 hitter who struggled with some injuries in the second half of last season.  Can't we cut him some slack?  I'm reading all over that Raul will have to be traded because he's old and he's clogging Dom Brown's outfield space and he's clogging Jayson Werth money, etc., etc.  Yes, Raul is old and we knew that signing him, but you didn't hear about it when he carried the Phillies through the first half of last season.  His second half was without a doubt dreadful and mostly due to injury.  Is there reason for 2010 concern... not really.

Fourteen seasons as a consummate professional on and off the field should grant Ibanez a little leeway.  Do people freak out when Brett Favre misses training camp?  Nope.  If Raul didn't even play during training camp would we be complaining?  Most likely not.  So what's the big deal.  It's time to let Raul do his thing and we can assess his value on this team mid-season or postseason.  Let's not ship him away because he's swinging and missing in pointless exhibitions in the spring.

Eventually, I do think that Raul will be the odd man out and some part of me hopes he will be because that will mean that Jayson Werth is still around.  However, in the near future I couldn't care less if Raul didn't have any hits in Spring Training.  He's been around so long that's it's basically irrelevant information at this point.