We are heading into the last month of the 2010 season and at this point it looks like the Mets aren’t playing for a playoff spot, but rather respect and perhaps to play the part of the spoiler. At times taking on that role can take some of pressure off of a team and sometimes Continue reading
Tag Archives: New York Mets
Mets Trying to Change Complexion
It’s hard to believe that the Mets haven’t won back-to-back games since June 23rd when they did it against Detroit. Yet, the streak continued on Sunday with a 6-5 loss to Philadelphia. The Mets did fight back but unfortunately, and so customarily, they fell short. It was a game that saw Fernando Martinez get his first start of the season in left field. At 9 games back in the division and 7.5 back in the wild card race, it appears that the Mets have decided to give some of their up-and-comers a shot. What the heck.
There were some trade rumor grumblings and suspicions that both Ruben Tejada and Martinez might have been part of some trade package. Seattle seemed to have been the interested party and word was out that Jeff Francoeur might have been included in a deal that would have sent Chone Figgins to the Mets. But as of yet, that trade has not materialized. Instead they were both brought up to the parent club and Alex Cora was let go. A move that was long overdue.
Martinez will get some much needed Major League experience and it will also allow the Mets to showcase him a little in case there are suitors for his services. Ike Davis made an impression early on with the Seattle Mariners so much so that Seattle was willing to trade Cliff Lee to the Mets for a deal that included Davis. The Mets balked at the deal, but Martinez hasn’t really made the strides the Mets were hoping that he’d make. He’s already gotten a reputation for being injury prone and has been dropping steadily in Baseball America’s prospect ratings year after year. In 2008, Martinez was the #20 ranked prospect in baseball than fell to #30 in 2009. In 2010, he slipped to #77. The Mets might be more inclined to include Martinez in a deal that made sense.
While the Mets are trying to infuse some youthful energy into their daily lineup, the arrivals of Martinez and Tejada has been off-putting to some. Francoeur has been told that he will be platooning with Martinez in right field. A few weeks back, Francoeur was having to come to grips with the fact that he was going to be losing playing time to Angel Pagan with Carlos Beltran coming off the DL. Francoeur appeared OK with that. He understood that Beltran’s bat needed to be in the lineup and Pagan has been one of the more consistent and surprising Mets players all year. But with Jason Bay out, the Mets needed Francoeur to step back into his right field role. But now, Francoeur seems a little less flexible with sharing time with Martinez. So much so, that Francoeur has had some closed door meeting with Jerry Manuel.
Tejada’s arrival also means that Luis Castillo will be riding the bench more. Castillo will still hit better than Tejada but Castillo’s slash line of .259/.322/.315 since the All Star break, won’t win him any medals, so if the Mets are wanting to cultivate Tejada, it would seem that Castillo will find a nice warm spot next to Francoeur on the bench.
None of these maneuvers are game changers. However, neither Francoeur, Castillo or for that matter Cora are difference makers that will help to win games on a consistent basis. The Mets are trying to change the complexion of the team and that means that some players, and some good guys, have to sit or be let go. These are the tough and sometimes unpleasant decisions that a team struggling for direction need to make.
Unfortunately, the most obvious decision and the one the Mets are still unwilling to make is the release of Oliver Perez. Now that would be a game changer.
Mets Take Passive Approach at Trade Deadline
It was an uneventful weekend for the Mets in many respects. They lost two of three games to the “lowly” Arizona Diamondbacks. A team, as my GBB partner Adam Rossi pointed out, had only won 13 road games all year prior to their visit to CitiField. The other non-event was the coming and going of the trade deadline with the Mets taking the position of neither buyer nor seller, but as a mere bystander.
They did manage to offload Mike Jacobs to the Blue Jays for the infamous “Player to be Named Later” As long as that unnamed player has all of their limbs, that will be one transaction that will be favorable for the Mets. And rumor has it that they did their best to convince other teams that Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo could compete with sliced bread as the next best thing, but alas, to no avail.
But did we really expect some thirteenth hour blockbuster trade to transpire? Realistically, that just wasn’t in the cards. The Mets have been playing such uneven baseball that it should be no surprise that their record is almost a perfectly even .500. The team is much further away from contending with the Braves or the Phillies than one big bat or one big pitcher. I actually applaud Mets’ management for not putting on the pretense of being a “buyer” this season. Whether money was a factor and the team was unable to increase payroll or the team recognized its shortcoming and didn’t want to depart with what few legitimate prospects they have, it was a prudent move.
They also chose not to play the part of the “seller”. It would have been a bold move to trade some of the key, cornerstone players that are fan favorites. For example, what if the Mets had opted to trade Jose Reyes? Sure, Met fans would miss chanting “Jose—Jose—Jose” at home games. They would miss his energy, solid defense and speed. But he is a consummate injury risk and he could have gotten a couple of good prospects in return. Could the Mets have pulled of a trade with, say, Tampa Bay? Trading Reyes for pitcher Wade Davis and minor leaguer Tim Beckham? Maybe, maybe not. Initially, a trade like that would have been an unpopular move for the fan faithful. But a trade like that that might have been a strong move to revamping the Mets with solid, young players of the future. After all, let’s face it, what’s in place right now, isn’t getting the job done.
But again, I don’t fault the Mets for not wanting to pull the trigger on a deal similar to that. That type of a deal would have been an outward confession to the Met fans that they don’t feel that they have the players to win and would have indicated that the team is in a rebuilding mode. Such a position is unpopular in a city that demands a winner and has high expectations to have a team with high profile players. That would have been a trade that could potentially alienate even the most loyal of fans.
But what I do fault the Mets for is being in a position that they can be neither “seller” nor “buyer” and the end result was decided to do absolutely nothing. Whether this unfortunate position is due to limited payroll and bad signings (pointing a finger at Perez and Castillo), an under developed farm system or concern about team image and perception, the Mets took the most passive and complacent approach. Could they have not come up with something to at least show the loyal fan base that they care? Some initiative to show some forward movement rather than a team that seems so frightened by its own shadow that it is paralyzed by indecisiveness?
So the end result is the Mets simply don’t know whether to buy or sell. They don’t know if they are coming or going. For every win, there is a loss and the bottom line is that they look like an organization that continues to chase its own tail. They seem forever to remain in limbo and Met faithful will continue to suffer in purgatory.
How frustrating it is to be a Met fan!
As Trade Deadline Approaches, are Mets Buyers or Sellers?
Note to all Major-League baseballs teams: if you are looking for a textbook guide on how to take yourself out of a division race and a wild card race simultaneously, all in the course of 11 days, just analyze the Mets’ recent road trip to the West Coast. It’s a prime example of how to go from contenders to pretenders.
At the All-Star break, the Mets were 8 games above .500 and just 4 games behind Atlanta for the division lead. They were one game out of a three-way tie for the wild card with the Dodgers and the Rockies. But the tides have completely turned as the team went 2 and 9 on their road trip and with the win on Tuesday they are just two games above .500. They dropped from second to third place in the division and are 6.5 games behind Atlanta. Additionally, they are 5.5 games out of the wild card race but the worst part is that three teams have leap-frogged over them and now they must overcome five other teams to grab a wild card berth with the Marlins right at their heels.
Not to put salt in the wounds, but since the All-Star break they are batting .196 as a team with a .252 OBP. They have averaged just 2.1 runs a game (not included Tuesday or Wednesday’s games) and with a post break team ERA of 3.67 (which isn’t bad) it’s not going to translate into many victories.
So in case anyone is watching the calendar, July 31st is this coming Saturday, That’s baseball’s trade deadline. As this date rapidly approaches and the Mets continue to play poorly, given the circumstances, I’ve changed by position on the Mets’ being buyers. Ten days ago, I thought that the Mets needed to acquire another starting pitcher. I didn’t feel that the R.A. Dickey/Hisanori Takahashi duo was enough to hold up the remainder of the season (I still don’t), but what has really sabotaged the Mets of late is the decrepit hitting. The poor hitting over the past week and half as almost completely wiped away a first half that was cultivated on renewed energy and headier, smarter baseball.
Sure, teams go through slumps. And the Mets will obviously hit far better than they have of late. But realistically, Atlanta has been playing solid ball all season long and are in a “win-another-one-for-Bobby” mode. The Phillies are actively seeking starting pitching help (Roy Oswalt?) and have a potent offense despite the absence of Chase Utley. But even with their shortcoming of injuries and a thin bullpen, they have played far more consistent baseball than the Mets. And if you thinking that the wild card is still attainable, that’s probably not a realistic expectation either. The Mets have to battle with 5 other teams for one spot. That’s a lot to hope for that five other teams will all play poorly enough for the Mets to pass them.
Yes, this sounds like a lot of doom and gloom, but the toughest part is for management to decide whether the Mets are buyers or sellers this week. This may be a decision that goes down to the wire and is very much contingent on how the Mets play over the next few games. Truthfully, I would hate to see that Mets take a sellers position. In a “win now” city like New York, it doesn’t sit well with the fans. But I’m of the opinion that even if the Mets don’t acquire another arm or bat of great significance, if they could somehow convince some team to take Oliver Perez and/or Luis Castillo, that would be a positive through subtraction. After all, don’t the Angels owe the Mets one for taking on Gary Matthews Jr?
We’ll see how this plays out over the next few days, but my prediction is that the Mets will more than likely try to acquire an extra arm without giving up top prospects or players. It will probably be a minor addition that hopefully can infuse just the right kind of energy that that has been absent of late. It ill be a move like most of the Mets moves: one that doesn’t distinguish them either as a buyer or seller. A move that will be a half-hearted acquisition that neither commits to winning nor waves the white flag of surrender. Isn’t that the way the Mets operate?
Mets Suffering From Dementor Effect
The current West Coast road trip started out rough for the Mets and just continues to look bleak and dreadful. Going into Friday’s game against the Dodgers, the Mets are 1-7 after the All-Star break and have scored just 15 runs over the course of those 8 games. They are the coldest team in baseball coming out for the second half with a team batting average of .188. They are listless, uninspired and have this look like they have just returned from the dead and walking the earth aimlessly.
OK, folks, so I have this crazy notion. The Mets’ zombie-like state has inspired this thought. For those that are not familiar with the Harry Potter books, there are these “creatures” that have appeared in several of the novels called “Dementors”. Wikipedia describes “Dementors” as the following:
The Dementors are soulless creatures considered to be among the foulest beings on Earth. They are soul-sucking fiends who, as their name suggests, dement people who encounter them for too long…They feed on the positive emotions, happiness and good memories of human beings, forcing them to relive their worst memories.
They sound just awful don’t they? I started to think that going into the All-Star break the Mets were showing some cracks, but I figured a nice three-day break would rejuvenate this group and allow them to continue this-better-than-expected season. But such was not the case. They have looked overmatched and outdone even by a team as awful as the Diamondbacks.
Just like a Dementor that sucks the soul out of people and wipes away all of the good feelings that were once there, the Mets seemingly have been sucked dry. I racked by brains trying to think what was different before the All-Star break and after the break that could have possibly sapped all of the energy and life out of this team that had been doing pretty darn well?. My conclusion: Carlos Beltran!!
Now, I’m not implying that Beltran is a Dementor (although there is no proof to say that he isn’t). But since his arrival back on the team, all of the high energy that the team exhibited seems to have shifted to a feeling of complacency. The type of baseball we are seeing of late is similar to the complacency that was central to the Mets’ collapses in ’07 and ’08. Hmmm…suspicious isn’t it? Remember how happy we all were half way through September of ’07? But then all of the good memories and happiness was sucked away as the team took a nose-dive. And aren’t we all reliving ’07 over and over again? Haunting our waking hours and our dreams?
To be fair, I don’t know Carlos Beltran. I’ve never met him. Never shared a beer with him. I’ve never given him one of my cherry Life Savers or even accidentally bumped shoulders with him on the #7 train which I’m sure he takes all the time. (Note sarcasm). But my sense of Beltran, and I’m not alone on this, is that he is a cool cat who seemingly plays the game with a lack of intensity. He seems passive and less passionate than, say, someone like David Wright who would run through walls for a foul ball. Perhaps, Beltran’s intensity is all internal. Perhaps inside he has the fire of Kirk Gibson and the passion of Rob Dibble. Perhaps he thinks about nothing other than to smash that baseball as far and as long as it’s humanly possible to hit it. And when he strikes out he goes into the locker room and chastises himself in a similar fashion to the albino villian from “The DaVinci Code“.
But you know what? I just don’t see it. I think he’s more cool jazz than rock and roll. He’s more lemon sorbet than double fudge peanut butter chocolate chip. And he seems more Dementor than Potter.
Carlos Beltran is unquestionable one of the best outfielder in baseball. He has power, he has speed. He hits well for average and plays a terrific centerfield. But his “even” personality appears to have changed the tempo of the upbeat energy that had infused the first half Mets.
Bottom line is that I hope I’m wrong because the Mets could sure use some of the energy we saw when Ike Davis first came up. But for now, I’m sticking with my “Beltran is like a Dementor” theory. Here’s hoping for a really good Patronus.
Mets Need Pelfrey to Get Back on Track–and Soon
Is there anybody else besides me that’s a little concerned about Mike Pelfrey? Just a little? C’mon admit it. Well, if you’re not, maybe you should be. Have you noticed of late that Pelfrey’s outings are starting to look a lot like…dare I say…Oliver Perez’s outings. Ouch.! OK, maybe that was a little mean and unfair, but not completely off base. Let’s look at some of these ugly stats. For those faint of heart, hold onto your loved ones.
Since June 19th, spanning six starts, Pelfrey has a 1-4 record with a 9.11 ERA. Yes, 9.11!! Someone should call for help. He’s pitched 27.2 innings over that time, allowing 13 walks and striking out 11. Opponents are batting .421 against Pelfrey with a 1.082 OPS. Yes, I know. These numbers are an eye sore. So what happened to that guy who just a little over a month ago had a 9-1 record and a 2.39 ERA? What happened to that Mike Pelfrey?
Well, if the answers were so easily known, it would be easy to straighten him out. But if we look at some specific stats such as ground ball rate, contact rate and strike percentages from Fangraphs then we might get a little better idea as to Pelfrey’s woes.
First, we know that Pelfrey is a sinker ball pitcher and he relies very heavily on the ground ball. So his ground ball percentage is going to be very telling since we want to see that percent as high as possible. That would mean that Pelfrey has effective command on his sinker. For the season, Pelfrey has ground ball rate of 48.6%. In the month of May when he was going so well, that rate was up to 53.2%. But over the past 30 days that ground ball rate has dipped down to 43.2%. That’s a pretty steep swing in numbers and punctuates one of the reason Pelfrey’s numbers have ballooned.
Alright, so it appears that the sinker isn’t sinking and it’s getting too much of the plate. Right now his pitches are being hit for line drives rather than the usually ground balls. We see this also reflected in Pelfrey’s contact rate. Let’s face it, Pelfrey is not a power pitcher and is more about contact so his contact rate will typically be on the high side. In May, Pelfrey contact rate was 84.2% but over the past 30 days that rate has risen by more than 3%. This may not seem a significant variance but its enough to indicate that his pitches have been more hittable.
All of this really stems from a loss of command. Pelfrey has not been able to throw his pitches for strikes the way he was able to do at the start of the season. He’s only been hitting the strike zone about 45% of the time during this cold spell. So when he does get a pitch over the plate, it’s been a lollipop and they have been hit for frozen ropes. But the league may also be getting a little wiser too. Many hitters may have figured out about his split-finger fastball and are laying off the pitch where earlier they were swinging at it.
Pelfrey will obviously need to make some adjustments to his pitch selection if the split-finger is to work the way it was. But how do you solve the command issues? Fortunately, that’s not my job and that’s left to far more qualified individuals (at least I hope they are more qualified than me).
With the Mets uninspired play leading into and out of the All-Break, the team needs to bounce back…and quickly. Atlanta continues to play solid ball but Philadelphia is struggling. The Phillies’ starting pitching is thin (for now–hmmm …Roy Oswalt?), the bullpen is suspect and Chase Utley is out until September. The Mets are in a position to make a run at the division and/or the Wild Card but they can ill afford to lose too much ground to Atlanta. In order for that to happen, Pelfrey will need to make the necessary adjustments to get back on track. He will probably be just fine going forward as he is no where nearly as awful as he has been pitching recently, but will it be too late? Will the Mets fall too far behind in the playoff races to be relevant? Management really needs to acquire another arm at the trade deadline. Pitching wins divisions and the Mets are just too inconsistent and just too thin to make a legitimate run at a playoff spot. The fork in the road is rapidly approaching. Which path will the Mets go down?
Mets Look for Pitching as Trade Deadline Approaches
These are busy days for general managers as they scramble looking to make the best trades that will solidify their teams for a post reason run before the July 31st trade deadline. Phone calls are being made, emails and being sent and general managers and owners have a firm grip on their Blackberry’s.
No doubt, Omar Minaya is faithfully scanning the trade market looking for a way to sure up the Mets. The area of focus that needs improving, from most people’s opinion, is starting pitching and I would have to agree with that sentiment. The urgency to find another arm has been somewhat pacified by R.A. Dickey’s surprising resurgence to relevancy. But in truth, I remain skeptical that Dickey will continue to rival Johan Santana’s ERA this season and that he will end up being closer to his career ERA of 5.04. It’s tough to take much stock in what he is doing. How many pitchers redefine their careers at the age of 35? Not to say that I want Dickey to fail. Nothing could be further from the truth. But the team needs the extra arms, if not for Dickey at least for Hisanori Takahashi.
But there are several variables involved with the Mets landing a quality arm at the deadline:
- The pitcher they seek needs to be improvement over what they currently have and that is not always easy to find in the current trade market.
- The price has to be right. Apparently the commercial real estate business isn’t booming and the Mets are claiming that their ability to take on salary is limited.
- Then there are the players that the Mets must give up in order to land a pitcher. Are they willing to part with a player on the parent club? A minor leaguer? And for a team that needs to replenish their farm system with strong talent, it’s is a slippery slope as they don’t want to give away too much for what could be a “rent-a-pitcher” situation for the remainder of the year.
So who are the names that are on the trade block that the Mets could go after? The names that are being tossed about are Dan Haren, Roy Oswalt, Jake Westbrook, Ted Lilly and Brett Myers.
From this list, only Haren and Myers are making less than $10 million this year, but even for Haren, the Mets would still have to be responsible for about $4 million and the number of prospects that Arizona would demand in return makes Haren a long shot.
Oswalt is too expensive and would cost too much in return for players. Besides, the Yankees will probably land him.
Westbrook wouldn’t cost the Mets a lot of players, but his $5 million salary is a lot to take on for a mediocre pitcher with a history of injury problems and a lifetime 4.34 ERA.
Ted Lilly is my personal choice but there are some issues even with him. First, from reports, the Mets are souring on Lilly as they have been concerned with his loss of velocity this year coming back from injury. Also the players the Mets would have to give up would be higher than Westbrook, but not as high as Haren or Oswalt. And there’s the matter of money, Lilly is probably more expensive than what the Mets are willing to spend. But the nice thing about Lilly, despite the loss of velocity, is that for the past 4 seasons Lilly has a cumulative WHIP of 1.14. He’s an attractive control pitcher but allows a lot of fly balls which gets him into trouble, especially at Wrigley Field. Home runs have been his downfall this year. But CitiField would be suppress some of those home runs and might offer him more success.
Lilly is also in his walk year and will become a free agent at the end of 2010, so he has a great deal of personal motivation to do well and New York would provide a nice stage to audition from. He’s also positioned himself as a type A free agent, so at the end of the year if the Mets offered him arbitration and he declined, the Mets could secure a couple of high draft picks from the team that eventually signs him. Something to think about for Omar.
However, the most attractive pitcher out there that really fits all of the Mets criteria is Brett Myers. He’s cheap, wouldn’t cost the team a lot of players and he’s done well enough this year to provide enough improvement of a pitcher like Takahashi who the Mets would prefer to send back to the bullpen. He’s not a bad option considering the Mets limitations and he has shown health this year which he has been the issue in the past. Even if something were to happen to him injury-wise, the $1.5 million the Mets would have to pay would be a low enough risk to take a gamble on Myers.
So those are some of the nuts and bolts of what the Mets are dealing with as the trade deadline approaches. The most likely scenario is that the Mets will go after Myers but not so much as to compromise their farm system. If the Mets don’t land Myers, there may be other options like Westbrook, with Cleveland eating a good portion of the salary. But at the end, the Mets might just stand pat which would be a shame as they are in the mix of things. But don’t be too disappointed if that happens, the Mets are so very good at raising the hopes of their fans and falling short. We should be used to it by now. The trade deadline may come and go with no significant changes. But of course, we’ll hold our breath and hope for something different, as Met fans do every year.
Interview:Artist Joe Petruccio Meets the Mets
For years, legendary artist Joe Petruccio has been capturing the essence of pop culture and bringing it to the canvass in his own unique style. Some of the main centerpieces of Joe’s body of work have been such greats as Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, the “Rocky” movies and Elvis. To add to his already amazin’ credentials, Joe has signed on with Elvis Presley Enterprises as a licensed artist for Graceland and he was also named the official artist of the Hard Rock Park (now known as Freestyle Music Park) in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Joe was gracious enough to spend some time with me just recently for an interview. Now some of you who come to GodBlessBuckner to read about the Mets may be wondering what the great artist Joe Petruccio and the Mets have in common? Well, read on Dear Mets Fans and find out…
Richard Gross (GodBlessBuckner): First Joe, for those Met fans who aren’t familiar with your blog, http://mymetsjournal.blogspot.com, can you give us a rundown about it and what inspired you to create it in the first place?
Joe Petruccio: Thank you, Richard for the opportunity to come out here and talk with you and other Mets fans. To answer your question, the reason I created the blog is simple. Just as I state on the blog homepage –“This year I am going to create a sketchbook entry after each Mets game. I started doing this a few seasons ago. It seems like I just can’t quite get through a whole season without getting frustrated and giving up. This year win or lose, I will finish this.” You see, every year I am so excited to start one of these and about this time every year I give up.
RG: One of the aspects to your sketches that I really enjoy is that you really get the sense what a true Met fan you are. You are very good at capturing the mood and feeling of what it is to be a Met fan. How long have you been following the Mets and when and what were your very first Met sketches?
JP: I’ve been a Mets fan since I was a kid. I was never anything but a Mets fan. I guess I’ve been drawing them since I was a young boy.
RG: You mention on your blog that you’ve never been able to get through an entire season, but you’re committed to get through this one. What’s been the biggest obstacle for you achieving that milestone? Not enough time? Just per frustration with the team or something else?
JP: Pure Frustration! Being a Mets fan I’m sure I don’t even have to explain it. Now there are seasons I missed that I wish I finished. But… you never know.
RG: So tell me a little about your process for creating a game sketch. Are you already sketching while the game is in progress or do you wait until after the game is done to formulate your idea for the sketch? And how long from start to finish does it take you?
JP: I don’t even think about the sketch during a game. Even though now I have people constantly emailing me sayings and ideas during each one. I love how involved people are getting. But I try to stay true to my own thoughts and do what I would do If no one but me was reading it.
After a game ends, if it’s not too late, I open the book and start with the date and heading. Then I stop and think of a quick thought I could use as my title. That usually leads to what I’m going to draw. After I draw it, I paint it in and then I scan and post. The drawing takes about 10 -25 minutes.
RG: Do you watch every game Joe, or do you just look at the box score to get an idea about the game? The reason I ask is that the Mets recently finished a series against San Diego which ends late Eastern Time. Are you burning the midnight oil with those west coast series?
JP: I try to watch as many games as I can. If not I rely on box scores and Gamecast
versions. But so far I’ve seen or heard every one…even all of the west coast games.
RG: I’ve noticed that Jerry Manuel is a real focal point in many of your drawings. He’s either the centerpiece in your sketches or appears in little captions. What makes Jerry such a great “character” to build your sketches around?
JP: Well, sometimes the games aren’t really about a single player or play, to me. So I choose Jerry as a symbol of the team and also representing himself. He’s a nice guy that gets a bad rap from us every now and then. But he’s a genius now.
RG: Most of you artwork centers around rock and roll and classic artists. How do the Met drawings differ from the rock and roll art that you create? Are they both equally enjoyable or is your approach and attitude a little different towards each?
JP: They are both enjoyable to me. My Mets journal is a little more personal than my rock and portrait work. But there are so many similarities between music and sports. We all have a soundtrack to our lives a song that represents a moment in time to us. The same is true with sports. There are moments that we hold dear that bring back a memory just like music does.
RG: So once the season is in the books and you’ve chronicled all 162 games, what are you planning on doing with the collection? Are you planning on compiling the sketches into a publication, perhaps a book?
JP: I just planned on putting it in my bookshelf with all of the others and get started on my Jets Journal. But, publishers have been calling me and I think it’s safe to say, this will be a book.
RG: I know that you have done several exhibits, is there any chance that we might see the Met collection at an exhibition? Perhaps the Met Museum at CitiField might be interested in showing the collection? Is that something you’ve considered?
JP: Never thought about it. If the Mets want me I’m ready. It would be very cool.
RG: Joe, I want to get your opinion of the season so far from a fan standpoint. Are you happy with the way the season is unfolding? What are the positives and negatives for you and is there one particular move that you would like to see the team make?
JP: I wish we could finish the season with who we have right now. I’d hate to upset this chemistry.
I understand we MIGHT need a Cliff Lee or someone like that, but I feel the energy and life in these guys like I did back in ’86. They are getting that swagger and believing in themselves.
I love it!
RG: Finally, what do you have coming up? Special events? Exhibitions? Is there anywhere where people will be able to see your work?
JP: I am about to do another limited edition of signed work with Ali, which is always exciting.
I have a few shows this summer coming up in Florida at American Royal Arts Galleries. If anyone would like to attend give them a call at 1-800-888-9449. You can also check out my other work online at Joe Petruccio Art
RG: Joe, I want to sincerely thank you for spending the time to answer a few questions about your work. Also an extra thank you for the original “GodBlessBucker” drawing. We’re very excited to display it as part of this interview and equally proud to display it on the GodBlessBuckner Facebook page. Please keep up the great work and finish the season. It’s been a true pleasure following your Met art on a daily basis.
JP: It’s been a pleasure Richard! All I can say is Thank you to the fans and Let’s Go Mets!
Where's the Old Santana?
It hasn’t been the ace-like season for Johan Santana. This blog has been mentioning some of the statistical concerns over Santana of late. Matt has pointed out the decreasing strikeout rate, the higher than normal xFIP and the dangerous combination of being a fly ball pitcher with a poor strikeout rate.
To build on Matt’s foundation, I thought it might be interesting to really take a look at and try to pinpoint some differences we see in Santana this year, compared to season’s past and to elaborate on some of Matt’s excellent observations.
First let’s take a look at the strikeout rate. For his career, Santana has averaged 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings. This year, he is only averaging 5.7. This is a fairly dramatic decrease even from 2009 and 2008 when he was averaging 7.9. We have seen a steadily decreasing rate of strikeouts as the years have gone by and the lack of punch outs have had a negative impact on his FIP (3.90) and xFIP (4.71) in 2010. The lack of strikeouts and the fairly steady stream of fly balls that Santana tends to allow have given him a bloated xFIP.
To date, Santana has been relatively fortunate in the home-runs-allowed department. He has allowed just 8 home runs on the year and the good news is that only one of those home runs has been hit at CitiField. Obviously Santana is enjoying the high walls and the deeper alleys of his home ballpark. But the concern is that this his typical elevated fly ball rate with the lack of strikeouts will catch up with him and his ERA may increase even further.
So those are the worrisome statistical trends, but is there something that we can identify that’s different in Santana this year than last season or the seasons before? Why are we seeing this concerning slide? Is he not eating his Wheaties or getting enough sleep?
Remember that Santana is coming off surgery that cleaned up bone chips in his elbow. Whether there are some lingering ramifications from that procedure, it’s hard to say, but his velocity has gone down this year which may attribute to some of the poorer strikeout numbers. Santana’s fast ball is only hitting about 89 mph on the radar gun whereas in the past, it’s always been in the low 90’s. Consequently, batters are able to make contact on him this year and extend their at-bats, making Santana throw more pitches. Hitters are making contact 82.3% of the time compared to a lifetime mark of 74.1%. Huge disparity there.
Historically, Santana has always been equally effective against right-handed batters and left-handed batters alike. For his career, righties are batting .223 against Santana versus .235 for lefties. Also for his career, he has an average K/9 against righties of 9.26 and a career average K/9 against lefties of 8.73. All very impressive numbers.
But this year has been a completely different story. We already know the strikeouts are down, and it’s not surprising to learn that Santana’s K/9 against right-handed batters this season is 6.08. What is surprising is that he possesses a K/9 against lefties of only 4.50. It also appears that lefties have been hitting him fairly well with a .289 batting average and a .346 OBP.
With some help from TexasLeaguers.com, I took a closer look at how Santana has pitched against lefties the previous three seasons from 2007 to 2009. I examined pitch selection and effectiveness of those pitches. I then looked at the current 2010 season by comparison.
Take a look at the two pictures below. The first one represents Santana versus lefties from 2007-2009. The second picture represents Santana’s 2010 season versus lefties.
2007-2009 Seasons
2010-Season
What stands out as the biggest disparity between the two sets of numbers is the changeup (CH). Santana doesn’t use his changeup very much against lefties. He throws that pitch hit far more against right-handed batters. He mostly uses the slider and fastball against lefties to set up the changeup. But when he does throw it, it has had very effective results in the past.
Notice that high whiff rate for the changeup in the first set of numbers is 19.6% from 2007-2009 versus 8.5% this season. Lefties are simply not swinging and missing on this pitch. It also appears that his command of the changeup is down this year by more than 14% as he has been unable to throw it consistently for strikes. And then we can also see from the data that lefty batters are fouling off the pitch more frequently than in the past three years, thereby extending their plate appearance and obviously having overall more success against Santana.
The loss of velocity on the fastball has been concerning enough. But Santana’s command of the changeup has been compromised as well. And of course the two work hand-in-hand with each other. The more speed on the fastball, the more the changeup fools the hitter because of the wider variation in speed. If there is less speed differentiation, then the hitter has an easier time making contact. If Santana’s changeup isn’t working, then he has to rely more on his fastball. But that pitch has been decreasing in velocity, so this may explain some of the struggles he is facing this year.
Hopefully, these are adjustments that Santana can make going forward. He usually gets blistering hot in the second half of seasons and hopefully he will regain the touch on his changeup that can make him so dominant. Certainly, the Mets are counting heavily on Santana the rest of the way.
Trimming the "Fat", Helps Bring Mets Success
There’s been no June swoon for the Mets this month as they are undoubtedly playing their best baseball of the season. Their record stands at 11-2 this month and they are winning games that they need to be winning as the road gets a little tougher with the Yankees and the Twins looming in the not too distant horizon.
Many have noted a shift in the club’s attitude. They actually look like they are enjoying winning. Imagine that? And as Met fans, it’d be safe to say that we are enjoying it too—for a change. This is a far cry from the lackadaisical and complacent Met teams that have been running out on the field the past couple of seasons, going through the motions, taking their at-bats with as much enthusiasm as watching grass grow.
No doubt, the addition (and subtraction) of different clubhouse personalities have infused the team with an approach that is refreshing to see. Rookies, like Ike Davis, Jenrry Mejia and Hisanori Takahashi know nothing of past seasons. They only know the here and now and they are helping players that have been around for multiple seasons turn the page on some ugly, ugly memories.
But more than the infusion of rookie blood, there is much more to the successful June than that. I believe the biggest moves that the Mets have made the past couple of weeks have not been what’s happening on the field but rather some of the dead weight the Mets have lifted from their roster. Don’t they just seem leaner, meaner…less heavy? They certainly have done some necessary trimming of excess “fat” and it’s all for the better.
I believe it’s no coincidence that since the Mets designated Gary Matthews Jr. (and have since released him), put Luis Castillo on the DL and done whatever you want to call what they have done with Oliver Perez, that this team has thrived. And as much I root for a successful return of John Maine, he was doing the team no favors by rolling himself out there every fifth day with only 50% velocity and not enough command to get through 5 innings much less 5 pitches.
The problem with some of the transactions they have made though is that they are not permanent. Matthews’ departure thankfully is a sure thing, but Castillo will eventually come off the DL as well as Perez. Omar Minaya has done is best to move Castillo, but with a year and a half and roughly $9.0 million left on his contact, who wants a singles hitter with bad legs for that price?
And then there’s Ollie. Ollie who is technically on the 15-day DL with knee tendonitis. Conspiracy theorist can debate the legitimacy of the move but the most important part is that he is not with the team. But eventually, the Mets will give him another shot. They need to get some return value on the $36.0 million they have wasted on him. But for now, it’s a good thing that he stays away as his innings pitched were infecting the team like a disease and the Mets seem much “healthier” and better off without him. And don’t we all sleep a little better at night too?
The Mets will continue to maneuver through June with the tougher schedule ahead. They have been playing solid baseball, but who could blame the dedicated Met fan for watching the games with eyes covered, peeking through the slits of their fingers and breathing a heavy sigh of relief after every recorded out? Isn’t it normal to flinch when kicked to the ground so many times? The good news is that management seems to be recognizing some of the issues (players?) that were holding them back and they are finally acting on these issues.
Going forward, Met fans may hold back on their enthusiasm for this team with rightful skepticism. Can we really keep giving all of our heart and soul into rooting for a team that may potentially crush our hopes yet again? Like Lucy and Charlie Brown with the football, can the Mets really tease us once more and move the football as it’s about to be kicked and we go falling to the ground? It takes a lot to be a Met fan. It takes vulnerability, dedication and yes, perhaps a little bit of masochistic pleasure.
But for now let’s take a moment and enjoy the solid baseball we have seen over the past couple of weeks. This Mets team has been a much better team to watch and a much more fun team to root for. And perhaps most importantly…they are a likable team again.
