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Bats Explode In 8th

May 12, 2010 By Eddie Vegas Leave a Comment

Trailing 6-2 coming into the bottom of the 8th, it looked inevitable that the Mets were going to continue a 3 game slide which would include a loss of the series to the Nats. Then it happened, a 6 run eighth-inning and the Mets went on to finish off the Nats, 8-6. This is a huge win for the Mets because not only do they get to keep pace with the Nats for 2nd place but it should also give the Mets some confidence that they can come back in the late innings, they can hit in the clutch and they can hit with runners in scoring position.

If you missed it this is how the big inning went down:

Bay singled to center

Wright doubles, Bay to 3rd

Davis safe at first on throwing error, Bay scores, 6-3

Francoeur strikes out

Barajas doubles in Wright and Davis, 6-5

Cora bunt single, Barajas to third

Pagan singles, Barajas scores, Cora to 2nd, 6-6

Carter doubles, Cora scores, Pagan to 3rd, Mets up 7-6

Reyes walks

Bay walks, Pagan scores, Mets 8-6

Obviously, the big hit that sticks out is the Carter double to take the lead. The Animal came to NY with big fan fare today and promptly delievered. Obviously, a Wright double and the Barajas double were also very nice. Bay also added a nice night and Davis’ catch again to end it remarkable. The Mets now had the clear advantage in this series with Pelfrey pitching against Stammen and can finish with a successful 4 and 2 homestand. What a big change of events tonight in the 8th, don’t wanna get too excited but this game could get us rollin’. LETS GO METS!!!!!!

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

This is F’N RIDICULOUS!

May 11, 2010 By discopauly 1 Comment

I jokingly was knocking Brian the other day about being too negative about the team. But watching this game against the Nats and watching Castillio hit into a double play, I just can’t take these stats they are spewing out about the Mets with runners on.

They are batting .228 with RISP, .185 with the bases loaded. Tonight they are 2-11 with RISP alone. Reyes (.314 slugging percentage) Manuel’s go-to guy in the third hole has just flown out twice with men on third.

Here’s a great stat in 1,242 plate apperances this year, they have left 232 men on base. Whether this is encouraging or not they have only grounded into 18 double plays. Take that for what it is.

Tonight they got on base with the first at bat 6 times in 8 innings as of writing this, but only have 2 runs against the Nats, the Nats!!! 12 hits, 2 runs as of now. I know I’m rambling but I had to rant. For a positive, seeing Wright get two opposite field doubles has been nice.

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Move Ike to Cleanup

May 11, 2010 By Brian Miller Leave a Comment

The funny thing is that after all the debating back and forth for months on if Jerry Manuel moving Jose Reyes to the 3rd spot in the order was a good idea or not, it’s proven not to matter. It doesn’t matter because the Mets 4-5-6 hitters have been consistently putting up empty outs.

When the beef of your lineup has been this bad, it doesn’t really matter what anyone in front of them is doing. The combo of Bay – Wright – and Francouer have been bad. The only thing they have done consistently is strikeout. Sadly there doesn’t seem to be any end to this coming soon as each look equally as lost. Either of them could bust out at any time and heres to hoping it happens soon.

Until it does I think Jerry has to break these guys up. Specifically you can’t have Bay-Wright back to back. They are striking out way too much and are failing to consistently put up quality at bats. Neither seems to even have a plan when they get into the box and both are taking horrible swings. Until they start to look like pro batters, these two have to be broken up. Too many times have we watched the two of them become rally killers.

Moving Ike Davis to cleanup wouldn’t be ideal obviously. Having a rookie bat cleanup is not something you want to do, but dire times call for unorthodox changes. Truth is Ike has looked like the seasoned pro at the plate a lot more often then either Bay, Wright, or Frenchy. He consistently has good quality at bats.

Ideally what I would like to see is the return of Reyes to the lead-off spot, Pagan batting second, Wright or Bay batting 3rd and Ike batting cleanup. Then follow him with Either Bay/Wright and then Frenchy. I like having Barajas batting eight as I feel his power really gives us some pop at the bottom of the lineup but you could think about batting him 6 or 7 and having either Pagan or Castillo batting in the 8th spot.

Bottom line is we need to break up this black hole of the Bay-Wright combo. Ike Davis has been showing great plate presence and I think he’s capable of providing good at bats in the cleanup spot.

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

David Wright is losing his cool

May 9, 2010 By Brian Miller Leave a Comment

David Wright is struggling. He’s not the player he used to be. I am not just talking about lately, not just this year, but more like the last season and a half at least. A lot of people say it has to do with getting beaned in the head. I could see this having an effect but I just don’t think that’s the reason why he’s struggling.

I see two very different players. One before was looking to get good at bats and hit the ball where it was pitched. He was very happy to hit the ball into right-center and log a double. He was known for being a menace with 2 strikes as he seemed to take pride in being a tough out. These days his at bats are virtually over once he gets 2 strikes. Everyone knows he will get an outside breaking ball, and David wont be able to resist and he will log another strikeout.

To me it is all in his approach and I think some heat needs to start falling on hitting coach Howard Johnson. I don’t necessarily blame HoJo for Wrights struggles, but he hasn’t corrected them either. Wright is a mess and it’s getting painfully obvious that he has absolutely no confidence at the plate. Today when he lost his cool and got himself ejected on a pitch that was inside, it showed just how close to boiling over he is. It’s about time a new voice wouldn’t hurt.

Give David a day off, let him step back and exhale. Tell him when he comes back just focus on fundamentals at the plate. Strop trying to pull everything and show us how much power you have. Get back to swatting opposite field doubles. We need you bat in the lineup, and what’s more we need it to be a steady bat that can solidify the lineup day to day. He used to be that player, I really hope he can find his way back.

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

#5 Days ‘Til Opening Day

Mar 31, 2010 By Eddie Vegas 1 Comment

A rough Tuesday in Met Land has deterred some people about the 2010 and those people at this point people have every right to be disgruntled. However, I am going to remain positive until we get to Opening Day which is only 5 days a way now. With that being said, I am back from vacation and ready to countdown with you loyal readers once again.

Today, with 5 days left lets talk about the “Franchise”, David Wright. It seems like David Wright is still a baby but he is not, he should be entering his prime as he is now 27 years old. Not long ago it feels, David was a 21 year old rookie who’s promise looked so good that it forced the Mets to deal fan favorite Ty Wigginton.

David grew up with a ton of talent around him as he grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. As the story goes, David used to go watch the Norfolk Tides as he dad worked games as an officer, which drew him to becoming a Mets fan. I think it does not get cooler then one of our top players being born and bred a Met fan. David was drafted in 2001 in the supplemental draft. The Mets actually acquired the pick they used on David when Mike Hampton signed with the Rockies.

In the middle of a down 2004 for the Mets, they needed something to get some attention and sell some seats, so they paired up their prized possessions when they brought up David Wright to play along side Jose Reyes. David came up in July and batted .293 with 14 homers and 40 RBI in 69 games. David definitely turned heads and Met fans had to be excited with the prospects of having Wright and Reyes together for along time. In his first full season in 2005, David batted .306 with 27 home runs, 99 runs, 102 RBI, 42 doubles, and 17 stolen bases. He was now not only with Reyes but the team showed improvement with free agent signings Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran.

As 2006 approached and the Mets picked up more free agents in Carlos Delgado, Paul LoDuca and Billy Wagner, the Mets were looked at as a team that could finally knock off the Braves. Wright had a great season in the middle of that line up with a .311 batting average, 26 homers and 114 RBI’s. David alongside 5 of his teammates would make the All-Star team and in DWright fashion homered in his first All-Star at bat. The Mets would fall short in ’06 but the future for David looked brighter then ever.

2007 would see David join the exclusive 30-30 club, while batting a career high .325 but again the Mets fell short, David struggled early in ’08 but would get his numbers close to his averaged by time the season ended. David and Jose as well, sometimes were believed to be over played by their managers as they both played around 160 games in these years and wore down which may have been part of the Mets late season collapses. David also is sometimes said to work too hard or puts too much pressure on himself. I love that he cares a lot but we need David to step up to the challenges and do his best when the pressure is on.

In ’09 David was said to change his approach and struggled throughout the season as teammate after teammate went down with injury. David got off to a good start average wise but definitely could not find his power throughout the season. It will be interesting to see in the 2nd year of CitiField how David will take his approach. From spring training it appears he is going to go for the power that make him a 30+ guy in ’07 and ’08. I hope he just goes with what he is most comfortable with, I cannot stand when they try to change these guys when they are successful, it just makes no sense to me.

As we get close to 2010, one thing all Met fans can agree on is that we David Wright more then ever, on the field and by grabbing the bull by the horns and taking a leadership role on this club, he is not a kid any more and needs to make this his team or else we are in for trouble for the years to come.

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

I Don’t Wanna Hear It!!!!

Feb 24, 2010 By Eddie Vegas 2 Comments

I knew it was going to come the second I heard the line “David Wright is much bigger this season.” Hours later, I am listening to WFAN and of course what the topic, Is DWright on the juice??? Seriously? Do we still live in the USA? Are we guilty until proven innocent?

Yes, we know alot of players have used steriods, we are not stupid enough to believe players are still not on the juice or HGH, etc. However, it is possible for someone to workout hard for 5 months and see a improvement in their physique. As someone who works out hard, then take some time off when I’m coaching and then some more time off during the summer, I can tell you that hard work and proper nutrition can help you make huge increases in strength and huge improvement in physique. I’ll go 3 months or so hard before something derails me, I know if I could ever put it together for 5 months, I’d be looking pretty beastly as well!

This day in age, players who choose to use performance enhancers must be very careful, someone knows if they show adhuge improvement that they are going to be questioned and tested. I think that David obviously knows this and if he showed up looking big, he would be questioned. Which makes me feel he’d be a true idiot to just start using over the winter when coming to camp in February would be beyond obvious.

I think what we have learned from David over the past five seasons is that he is very hardworking, and that he wants to do well. We know he comes from a good family that taught values and morals. I think David took his terrible 2009 personal and challenged himself all winter long. I am glad that we have players that seem to care and are embarrassed about the last couple seasons. We need more of this on our team, more players who want to get better not just collect their checks!

Filed Under: 2010 Mets, Blogging Tagged With: ,

3rd Base: Wright is ripped and ready to go!

Feb 23, 2010 By Brian Miller 1 Comment

As spring training fast approaches I want to go around-the-horn on the projected Mets opening day lineup position by position.  I will talk about my thoughts on how that position matches up and how it should be handled.  Hope you enjoy.

By all angles David Wright had a horrible year last year.  He truly did.  Don’t talk to me about his .307 batting average or any other stats you may want to point out.  Truth is he was never right.  He never got settled and I think that had a lot to do with his mentality over moving into the new CitiField.

This year he seems determined to bounce back and showed up to Port St. Lucie and the Mets spring training in awesome shape.  This time of year you always hear how “so and so is in the best shape of his life” so your probably rolling your eyes.  But by many accounts Wright has added a lot of muscle in hopes of boosting his power numbers.

The dedication to his offseason training is admirable, but I do have my worries if in fact he has been so focused on his power numbers.  I say who cares.  I don’t really care how many homeruns he hits.  I never really considered David a homerun guy anyways.  I would much rather he drive the ball into those cavernous alleys and drive in runs with doubles.  The homeruns will come if he makes consistent contact like he did a few seasons back.  You can’t strive to hit homeruns, you have to strive to have good at bats and get get wood on the ball.  If you are successful doing that then the long ball will come.

I have already written a few blogs (New Year, New Leadership) about how I want to see David Wright make strides in the leadership department.  With Carlos Delgado all but retired and with Carlos Beltran sidelined for the first 2 months of the season, the time is now for Wright to take the reins of this team.  It’s been a long time coming and he’s been around long enough.  Jeter across the city has proven you don’t have to be a loud mouth, ra ra ra ra, type guy.  Just be the hardest working S.O.B. on the club and people will follow.

This is a big year for Wright, as we need him to be an anchor in our lineup no matter where he bats.  He has to, absolutely has to, get those strikeouts down.  If he can get back to good at bats then I fully expect to see his RBI’s back in the 100+ area and see his slugging numbers increase dramatically.  He’s entering his prime and there is no more time for fooling around and tinkering with your approaches.  Make pitchers react to you, not the other way around.

David Wright will be a great storyline for the entire season and I can’t wait to watch #5 step into the box and show us what he’s got.

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

New Year, New Leadership

Feb 16, 2010 By Brian Miller 3 Comments

new york mets leadership david wright jeff francoeurBeen thinking a lot about this years New York Mets lately.  As spring training quickly approaches I am trying to remain positive and search out new considerations on why I think this team will fair better then in the past.  I was surprised when I thought about this latest topic that it hasn’t gotten more talk from around the blogosphere.  With a new year, and especially the departures of players like Delgado, these New York Mets will hopefully have a new leadership core.

I feel very strongly that this team should be pushed onto the shoulders of David Wright and Jeff Francoeur.  I think it’s time for a change of “heart” on this team and say whatever you want about these two players, but they play hard, and they play all the time.  They have grit and they have professionalism.

I wont bash Delgado, I feel he was a professional and worked hard at his craft.  But at the same time it’s hard to ignore the fact that it has been reported many time that it was his clubhouse and that it’s widely believed to be an addition by subtraction.  I don’t think it’s really anything bad about Delgado, it’s just more about his strong personality that his removal will create a gap that hopefully Wright can grow into.

I have said before I love Francoeur and really hope he helps Wright along as a player with his approach to the game.  I loved what I saw from him last season and would love for more people to follow that style.  Wright is the natural hope when you consider leadership into the future.  Wendy Adair over at BleacherReport.com seems to agree with me:

Jeff Francoeur is undoubtedly a gamer and will fight for his convictions. Whoever it is that stands in his way had better yield, and the Mets will benefit from his fiery mentality.

I admit I was not a fan of Francoeur when he was a Brave and was very upset when Ryan Church was sent packing to Atlanta.

His play and attitude in the second half of 2009 made me a believer that Francoeur is and can continue to be a force to be reckoned with on the Mets.

David Wright is also a tough gamer, the face and voice of the franchise, and de-facto captain who will most likely be a lifetime Met, if he has any say in the matter.

I do think that Jeff Francoeur and David Wright should be co-captains, officially or otherwise. They are the present and future of the Mets and they are both in their prime and seem to work well together

She and I basically felt the same way about Francoeur when the initial deal was made.  I too liked Church and hated how he was treated by the Mets, and despite having seen a lot of Francoeur as a Brave, I had a hard time liking him.  Maybe it was the french name, and maybe it was the Braves heritage and how he was touted as a “natural” when he came up, but I was a hard convert.  But he did it and now he’s one of my favorite players on the team.

We aren’t the only ones too, as Matt Ceronne of MetsBlog.com is also excited about the possiblities:

…that’s awesome… i’m so excited to see how wright and Jose Reyeslead camp this spring, considering a) they’re essentially the longest tenured players, and b) without Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, it’s their camp, it’s their time to lead…

If nothing else this year I really hope that the Mets show me something for the future.  Show me that the team has a solid core of players that want to play.  That will work to improve.  That actually like each other and want to play for each other.  Even if it’s a losing season, show me some progress.  Show me leadership and most importantly show me an overall grand plan.   It’s a make or break season for so many of the Mets players, coaches, and personnel that they should have absolutely no problem with motivation.  Hopefully Jeff Francoeur and David Wright will step and fill the leadership role this team so badly needs.

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