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Mets Fantasy Outlook: Jose and Johan

Feb 28, 2010 By 2 Comments

Over the next couple of days, I am going to take a look at different Mets players from a fantasy perspective, tonight’s installment will start off with two of the most talented players in the game, Jose Reyes and Johan Santana, who disappointed owners last year with injuries but appear to be undervalued this season, perhaps taking a risk on one or both of these guys will pay huge dividends for your team.

Most fans that are die hard enough to spend time reading blogs like this one are also big time into fantasy baseball. Hey, it gives us regular folk a chance at being the GM and manager of our very own club. Fantasy baseball, whether for pride or for money has become a very popular form of entertainment in this country. In my opinion, Fantasy baseball is the best sport for Fantasy. I love the everyday, hands-on grind that is the baseball season. Fantasy football, which you only need to follow once a week just doesn’t do it for me.

 Even though the critics think the Mets are going nowhere this season, they still have a ton of all star calibur players that are going to be highly desired in fantasy drafts. However, this season is going to be very interesting for fantasy drafts as there remain many questions with many of the traditionally high picks from the Met roster. Jose Reyes and Johan Santana are recovering from injuries, David Wright is coming off his worst season ever, Carlos Beltran is out for what is thought to be at least 40 games,  how is CitiField going to effect Jason Bay’s power numbers and is anyone else going to step up enough to warrant a starting position on someone’s fantasy roster.

Again, over the next coming days we will examine many of the Mets finest but let’s look at tonight’s subjects:

Jose Reyes- SS- Jose was ranked in the top 3 last season because of his all-around game. Triples, doubles, stolen bases, RBI’s, some power, Jose has it all. At least that is if he is healthy, and everything we have heard from Mets camp is that he is back and ready to go. Jose is pre-ranked number 48 by Yahoo his average draft selection is 44.6 by Yahoo. I have a feeling that in drafts with mostly New Yorkers, he will be drafted much earlier. 48th would put him the 4th round but my guess is as we get closer to opening day you should be likely to see him come off the board by the 2nd round. With his ability for SB’s and Triples, with the fact that he is a SS, will have you nervously waiting to see how long he will last.

Johan Santana- SP- Johan was another guy who was a first round pick last season. He even went first in our draft and was proving he was worth it early in the season but as he got injured, his owners paid the price. He definitely has the ability to be the best pitcher in baseball and bring home a Cy Young Award. Yahoo has him though as the 8th ranked starting pitcher. He is ranked 55th overall by Yahoo and is being drafted in the 50th spot as of today. Again, with alot of Met homers in your leagues and continuing to hear he is healthy, you can bet he will be gone quickly.

My prediction:

Reyes goes late 1st round to early 2nd round. I think he has a strong season, expect his SB numbers to decrease slightly as the Mets bat him 3rd and want to work his way back to where he has been. I think by the end of the season he will be a top ten player so the longer he lasts on draft night the bigger reward when he has a typical Jose Reyes season.

Santana goes mid to late 2nd round. I think a second year in CitiField will only help Santana’s numbers. As the outfield gets more comfortable with the park and he learns how to pitch there he can only become more dominant. Santana will not throw the CG’s that Halladay will and probably won’t have the K’s that Timmy Lincecum does but should have a great season. If the Mets can stay in the race he will only rise to the occasion more. That could mean more CG’s, but if the Mets are not close in September look for the Mets to rest him down the stretch meaning he will be more valuable if the Mets can win.

Tomorrow’s subjects: David Wright and Francisco Rodriguez, 2 guys looking to come back after their first ever down years.

Filed Under: 2010 Mets, Blogging, Breaking News, Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

New Gear For 2010

Feb 28, 2010 By 3 Comments

You ever see Jimmy Fallon’s closet in Fever Pitch? Does your closet look that way? Mine does. From my prized Mitchell and Ness Hernandez Jersey, to my Mo Vaughn player tee shirt from my 1986 Champs tee to my 2006 NL East Champs shirt my closet is stocked with orange and blue. Some pickups are timeless and some like the Mo Vaughn shirt are just right embarrassing. However, if you are like me then the smell of spring training says just more then baseball is coming, it means I can buy new Mets gear to rock.

The biggest item for the 2010 season is the new alternate cream jersey at the top. The Mets have replaced the white pinstriped jersey with a “old style” cream jersey ala the Giants and Phillies alternate jersey. Since authentic jerseys are expensive, I try to get one new one a season. This season I have already decided that the new jersey is a must. I loved how the 1900 jersey’s the Mets wore last year vs. the Giants looked and like the old flannel look. These are not flannel but the color is a breathe of fresh air. I do wish as others have said that they left the black off of these and left them as a straight retro version of the 1969 jersey. Now I just need to you tell me if I should get a Bay or Francoeur jersey???

The other major difference that we have seen on the field is the new batting practice/spring training cap. I really have not been a fan of these caps and the new one does nothing special for me. As someone who lives in 120 degree heat, wearing a regular 5950 hat is not going to bother me if I can handle those kind of temps. Will I end up getting one of these? Probably but just because I am a freak. These ones do look better then last year which had those weird half ovals over the ears which made your ears look weird. Too much black though, I need to see orange but I will blog on that in the future.

The gear that I virtually live in, is the Nike Dri-Fit collection. Nike has a variety of short sleeve, long sleeve shirts and shorts for me to work on picking up. These are so comfortable and look good. I had 2 pair of Dri-fit Mets shorts and I wear them way too much. I am excited to get my hands on the new style ones. Most sites just have these shirts and shorts in black for now but multiple colors were available at Citi last season so I hope the continue with that tradition.

Majestics practice tee and sweatshirt are also worth a look, even though they both carry the same logo they are pretty sharp. Both are available in black and blue and I have seen Reyes wearing the black sweatshirt during Spring Training.

 Well, bills aside I cannot wait to start putting in some orders to MLB.com and Eastbay.com to get me all geared up for what should be a great 2010 season. Just remember if you do order online look for online coupons, you can always find 15% percent off for MLB and Eastbay. Happy shopping and Lets Go Mets!

Filed Under: 2010 Mets, Blogging Tagged With: , , , , ,

ESPN Olney Mets Preview

Feb 28, 2010 By 3 Comments

ESPN METS Preview

Found this on YouTube…not bad considering the total bias ESPN showed vs. the Mets last season.

Pretty positive feedback, funny that a guy paid alot of money has the same opinion I wrote about, if Perez stands up we will be really good…anyone wanna pay me for my opinion? I said that a couple of days ago. The more and more I hear, I am keeping positive and am starting to believe we have a chance. Cross your fingers.

Filed Under: Breaking News

Stadium Tours: Phoenix, Arizona

Feb 27, 2010 By 1 Comment

Being over 2,500 miles away from Shea CitiField, I’m sure I miss out on some info and other things that I’d love to be a part of. However, one thing that I do get to do is  see the Mets away from home. Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to chronical my travels to different west coast visiting cities. My first entry was on Dodger Stadium, this week I will discuss the different ventures I have had while visiting Chase Field in Phoenix.

Having a former teammate, who happens to be a Mets fan, living in the Valley of the Sun has many advantages, quick flight to visit with a good friend and of course pro sports to watch. Living in a city with no pro sports absoultely sucks, so I always make sure that when the Mets are in the PHX, that I will be attendance. Big shout out the #18 John Soto for being a great friend!

Lets talk about the stadium first. I’ve only been to games with the roof closed so I cannot give that open roof feel but this stadium feels like a giant NBA arena. It doesn’t give you that baseball feel, when at concessions it 100% feels like an arena in my opinion. If you want that old school feel then this is definitely not the stadium for you. It also just seems so dark in there, which I really do not like.

I have had the luxury of sitting in almost every section of the field. From the on deck circle to the upper deck and have to admit there is not a bad seat in the house. The upper deck view was sweet and much better then being in the upper deck at Shea. I would say even a closer feel then the upper deck at Citi. I’ve sat in the bleachers as well and defintely love that feel being in the game when sitting in the outfield.

Now the atmosphere at Chase Field is not too crazy and at some games it seemed like there were just as many Mets fans as DBacks fans. I have never had anyone say anything negative to me for wearing my Mets garb. I do have a phenomenal 8 and 1 record in games attended, so there hasn’t been too much for DBack fans to say to me. As the Mets were to close out a 4 game sweep in 2006, and Reyes tripled, the Jose, Jose, Jose chant made feel as if I were in Queens. Not to mention the “You can’t beat us chant” that Rich Davin started there.

The biggest difference as I compare it to my first post on Dodger Stadium is the atmosphere right around the stadium. I think the one biggest thing we Met fans miss is that bar atmosphere  right around the park. In Phoenix, there are some very nice bars and restaurants right within walking distance of Chase Field. One bar reminds me of Stan’s in the Bronx. It gives you that New York feel in Arizona and is a popular spot before games. Alice Cooper also has a bar right next to the fake Stan’s and is pretty cool. The street right by the park gives you an opportunity to barhop on your way to the park.

The other pretty cool thing is that the Suns Arena is right nearby as well, we had the opportunity to catch a Suns/Spurs playoff game and the walk over and catch the Mets play the Dbacks. On the other side of the stadium is “Los Dos”, which is the best mexican and margaritas that I have ever had. Definitely worth a try if you are ever in the area, just be careful as the food is hot and the drinks are strong!

When you leave the downtown Phoenix area , there also some very nice spots that I advise hitting. The Phoenix valley is big for Spring training and even though the Mets do not play there it is a great chance to catch some games and some sun! The teams are all much closer in Arizona which means little travel time to catch a bunch of different teams.

Tempe is the home to ASU and for you 30 somethings trying to relieve your college glory days, it is a great area to bar hop and check out some scenery. It is also close to the home of the Angels and Cubs so you can catch some baseball as well. Glendale is the home to Westgate which is where the Cardinals play, there is also the hockey arena and many bars and restaurants. Definitely one of my fave spots to hit in the west valley.

I always have a great time in Phoenix and I definitely advise you hit it up if you love travelling to see your Mets.If you ever plan on a trip out that way let me know as we can meet up and see some Met baseball!

Filed Under: Blogging, Stadium Tours Tagged With: , , , , ,

Video Diary on Ike Davis

Feb 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Here is a video done by Matthew Cerrone from over at MetsBlog.com who is down in Port St. Lucie covering spring training. He did this video diary for SNY and in the video he follows around Ike Davis to see what all the buzz is about.

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: , , , ,

Gettin’ Figgy Wit’ It

Feb 27, 2010 By 1 Comment

Nelson Figueroa is like you. The difference between us and him is that he achieved his childhood goal: to pitch for the orange and blue. Ever since I was 5 all I have ever wanted to do is play for the Mets. Heck, I still want to play for them but unless I get a Henry Rowengartner type injury and come back throwing gas my goal will never come true. He is one of that made it, and in this age where we hear how people don’t wanna play for the Mets, it’s nice to have a guy who would only want to play for the Mets.

Nelson grew up in the shadows of Shea Stadium and after a very long journey through the minors and playing several different countries, he finally got the chance to pitch in Queens. Figgy has had many ups and downs through his time with the Mets and he has been sent back and forth to the minors more times then I can count.

The most heart warming moment that I can remember for a long time at a Mets game was when Nelson’s family came out to watch him pitch in his Shea debut. His dad fully attired in an authentic Figueroa 27 jersey acted the way I would if my son were to pitch for the Mets. They had a great interview and you could see the emotion involved in that night. Nelson pitched great that night but not as well as he did in game 162 in 2009. Imagine if he pitched that way in the last game of 07 or 08?

There is not one person I am pulling for more this spring then Nelson, I hope he can make the squad anyway possible from 5th starter to long man. He deserves a shot for all he has put up with to continue being a Met. He would do anything to stay here as he bleeds orange and blue. I definitely feel that he deserves a shot at being a part of the 25 man roster.

Every interview reminds me that he is just a Mets fan with a dream and he made it to where we all wished we would be. In a way, cheering for Figgy is like cheering for every six year old kid dreaming of being a Met. Nelson, best of luck this spring and I hope to see you in Queens!!!!

Filed Under: 2010 Mets, Blogging, Breaking News Tagged With: , , ,

Mets over/under 81, where’s your money?

Feb 26, 2010 By 2 Comments

It’s been announced that the over/under for the Mets season in Vegas is 81. Basically that’s .500 baseball. Curious to see what you guys out there think and if you were gonna lay some money down (hypothetically speaking of course) which way would you go?

My initial reaction is to go over. But as I know myself pretty well I know better then to make a quick judgement when it comes to my Metropolitans. I want to make sure that’s what I actually think, and not what I want to think. It just sounds like such a low number, 81, that I feel like I am almost giving up on the season if I go under.

But as you think about it, you have to recognize the strength of the division. There is no patsy in this division anymore. Everyone knows the Phillies are loaded and barring a plane crash they should be big favorites for another division crown. A lot of people have been so focused on the Mets and Phils that they haven’t really given the Braves or the Marlins their due. They are a lot like the Mets with a lot of question marks, but like the Mets if things break right they can be good teams. Add onto that the improvements that the Nationals have made this offseason and you can see what I am getting at. Not having that really bad team makes it hard to pad your record.

The same fear I have when talking about winning the Wild Card holds true here too. It may be the case that the NL East is the strongest division in the MLB top to bottom and that they will all beat each other up so much that nobody will win the Wild Card. Same goes for pushing those win numbers north of 85.

In the end if it were my cash, I would still go with the over. I think this team is due for some good breaks, and besides, it’s my personal experience that under’s are never fun to root for when gambling.

Filed Under: 2010 Mets, Blogging Tagged With: , , , ,

The Myth about Citi Field

Feb 26, 2010 By 2 Comments

There has been a lot of talk since it opened about how Citi Field is where power hitters go to die. I too was of this opinion after watching all the Mets home games. But after reading a few articles and looking at some of the stats I now think otherwise.

Most people site David Wrights lack of home runs as evidence that the park is way too big.  The truth is David had a horrible season and saw his strikeout totals explode.  Sad truth is even if he were playing in Yankees stadium his home run totals would have been down.

The truth remains that the Mets actually hit MORE home runs at Citi Field then they did while away.  Yes that’s right I said they hit MORE at home (47 at home vs 46 away).  Shocking isn’t it?  It was for me.  Then when you also consider that the Mets pitching staff allowed more home runs then was the National League average you start to scratch your head.

The problem isn’t if they should lower the walls, move up home plate, or even bring the fences in, the problem is the roster.  If you watched all the games like I did last year you wont recall the opposition having any problem with the long ball.  The solution is get our power hitters healthy and get some better pitching.  It’s really that simple.  The Mets home run numbers were horrible last year because the team stunk.  No other way to put it.

I think that if we have Beltran healthy for a season (ok well already hoping for 3/4 of a season now) and with the addition of Bay and Francoeur we will see our power numbers go up, and no it’s not because they lowered the CF wall.  At the same time I am willing to guess that our pitching staff will continue to give up more HR’s then the NL average, and that’s because, well, our staff is really weak.

It’s time to stop blaming other factors and take a look at the team.  Weak lineups don’t hit home runs, and weak pitching staffs give them up.  It is really that simple.

Filed Under: 2010 Mets, Blogging Tagged With: , , , ,

Mets Hot Stove Wrapup

Feb 26, 2010 By 1 Comment

 For those of you who didn’t know, Mets Hot Stove has been appearing on SNY for the last couple months. Tonight was the final episode of the offseason, and as always Kevin Burkhardt does a great job hosting. For anyone, who hasn’t talked to Kevin around Shea or Citi, he truly is very nice guy and I am glad he has found his niche with the Mets. Kevin is a great compliment to the best broadcast team in baseball with Gary, Keith and Ron.

The next thing I can say is how bad do I wish I was in Port St. Lucie right now. Man, I just wanna jump through the TV when I see all these Mets fans drinking it up while watching Kevin interview my heroes. I have yet to make the journey to Port St. Lucie for Spring Training but it is high up on my list of things to do.

The show starts off with an interview of Jerry Manuel. Man I just think dead man walking when I see him now. As much of a media darling as he was in the beginning, his act is getting old in my book and I cannot see him being the manager of this club in 2011. The answers to his questions just remind me way too much of these same exact things he said last year. Lastly, you can bet if this Reyes batting third thing fails, he will pay with his job.

Then we get some insight from Chris Carlin and Bobby O. This is a team that just continues to get better, I love them on the pre and post game shows. I first thought that Bobby O was rough around the edges and a step down from Mazz, but as the team continue to get worse and worse last season, I think Bobby got better and better. He definitely knows what he is talking about on the mound but his personality definitely improved over the season. Carlin is just great as well, WFAN definitely misses him and I try to watch Loud Mouths whenever I can as it is my favorite of the SNY afternoon shows.

We then get a Kevin interview with Murph. God, I hope he shuts everyone up this year. I don’t know how someone cannot root for this guy. He is all business, loves the game and will continue to work at it til his dying day. He seems to have a little bit of an attitude this year and I love it, he tells us that he feels the best he ever has in the cage and that the ball is exploding off his bat.

Then my favorite segment of the show comes up, an interview with the Opening Day starting outfield. Angel Pagan with two of my favorite players, Jeff Francoeur and Jason Bay. Ok so Pagan is just a stopgap for our best player, I understand, I won’t focus on him here. Bay and Francoeur are the reasons I have hope for this season. They almost seemed like an Odd Couple here, a Canadian and a Southernor playing in Queens. They definitely have a chemistry together and I feel that there energy is exactly what the clubhouse needs. When Beltran comes back, I have no problem saying that this is best outfield in baseball. Francoeur predicts Bay will smash 34-36 homers, with Wright knocking 30 and Frenchy hitting 27 bombs. Lets say this right now, I’ll take it! I wonder if Carton would lock it up for us???

Ike Davis is then interviewed by Carlin, a great interview by Carlin. I definitely got to know Davis in this interview, seems like a humble guy who is just happy to be here. I am glad that the Mets really have seemed to revamp their minor league system and that there is some hope that we can bring up a few of our own to follow Wright and Reyes.

That’s pretty much it for the show with the exception of them advertising that the first spring training game will be on SNY this Tuesday, I CANNOT WAIT!!!!

Filed Under: 2010 Mets, Blogging, Breaking News

Doc, Darryl and Davey Get Their Day

Feb 26, 2010 By 1 Comment

Whenever the new schedule comes out the first thing I look for is if there is any kind of ceremony to celebrate Met history. One of the greatest times I ever had at Shea Stadium was when my buddy Mat had an extra seat for the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the 1986 Mets. Hands down one of the greatest days of my life. I took a time machine right back to when I was six years old. This season I will once again get that chance to go back in time as my two favorite players, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, as well as my favorite manager of all time Davey Johnson will be enshrined in the Mets Hall of Fame.

The game is schedule for Sunday, August 1 at 1:10 pm vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks. You can bet that I will shortly be getting together a crewto buy tickets to make that magical ride into Queens to celebrate such a great day. If there was only one game I could make for the 2010 season you can guarentee it would be this one.

I have to give the Wilpon’s credit as they hit the nail on the head with this one. The fans have asked for more hommage to be paid to Met history. What better way to pay hommage then by honoring some of our all time favorites. It is long overdue that these guys are put in the Hall of Fame, as they are all time greats, who helped contribute to one of our two championships in our 45 year history.

What else can you say about Straw, he owns every major power record in this teams history. I can still see the Shea Stadium scoreboard showing all of the Mets offensive records and seeing his name next t0 all of them. Darryl of course, has had his troubles but it is great to see him get his life together. It also has been nice to see Darryl from helping players in spring training, to filling in on the pre-game show, to signing autographs at Cyclones games for Mets fans. He will always be a Met in my heart and it is nice to see him where he belongs during the season. It also is heartwarming to here Darryl reflect on his career and admit that his biggest mistake was to ever leave the Mets.

Now when I went to the 1986 reunion, two valuable people were noticeably absent. Those twopeople were Doc Gooden and Davey Johnson. Hard to have a celebration without their ace pitcher and manager but they did it anyway. Pretty much everything I said about Darryl goes for Doc. I’m glad he’s getting it together and I’m glad the Mets have reached out to him to get him back with the franchise. I still get chills when I think of him walking into Shea at the last game at Shea and hearing the crowd go absoultely crazy.

Davey of course, was a players manager and was a breathe of fresh air. He, of course, managed alot of the younger guys in the minors and was the man that brought it all together. As a championsip manager in New York, he will also be looked upon in high regards. It will be very nice to welcome Davey back to Flushing for the first time in a long time.

Even in February, I cannot wait to get the opportunity to stand up on my feet and applaud these three men who made my childhood even more memorable by giving be the best gift possible a World Series title in Flushing, Queens. I can only hope that one day I will be able to be pumped to celebrate Johan, David and Jerry Night, when we celebrate the 2010 World Series Champion Mets.

Filed Under: Breaking News
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