As Matt had mentioned in yesterday’s post, the Mets had traded Jeff Francoeur for infielder Joaquin Arias just before the trade deadline. Matt did a great job of profiling Arias and what the Mets can expect from him this season and beyond.
But I wanted to take one last moment to recount Francoeur’s contributions to the Mets (and lack thereof). Continue reading
Where does it end? How much more embarrassment can one organization endure? The Francisco Rodriguez “incident” is the latest cherry on the sundae that continues to define the Mets’ organization as perhaps the most mis-managed and misguided baseball franchise around. Certainly, the Mets did the appropriate action by reprimanding K-Rod and putting him on the disqualified list. But the Rodriguez mishap is just another reason that gives credence to the Mets nickname as the “New York Mess”
Just last year, former special assistant Tony Bernazard verbally threatened minor league players to a fist fight that gave some disturbing insight that the Mets’ minor league system was less than nurturing and encouraging but run more like scenes from “Gangs of New York”. Appropriately, the Mets showed Bernazard the door and apologized for his inappropriate behavior. Shortly, after that Omar Minaya decided to throw Mets beat writer Adam Rubin under the bus since it was Rubin that broke the story on Bernazard. Once again a black mark on the face of the franchise.
It would be nice to say that it all stopped there. But over the past seasons there has been an onslaught of player injuries and some that have been mismanaged (concussion for Ryan Church and Jose Reyes’ legs) so much so that the mantra for the team during spring training this season was about health and injury prevention. There was the Willie Randolph firing that was handled with as much tact and respect as a back alley mugging. And there have been countless rumors of ownership’s money woes with varying reports on the extent how much the organization really has to spend. Of course the “company line” from ownership is that everything is fine but one has to wonder with some of the cautious approaches they have taken in the free agent market when they were obvious, specific holes that needed to be filled that just weren’t fully addressed.
Let’s not forget some poor long term contracts (Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo) and the teams’ struggles of late to attract free agents. Joel Pineiro and Bengie Molina were targets for the Mets this past off-season but they accepted reasonable offers from other teams, complaining that the Mets left them hanging and that they didn’t get back to them in a timely manner. The Mets were successful in securing Jason Bay, but one had to wonder if Bay would have preferred to play for other teams than the Mets but the offers were simply not there for his services. He said all the right things in news conferences about how the Mets were on hit “short-list”, but his play this year has been anything but inspirational.
Then there is the nearly depleted farm system. And while it’s true that the farm system strives to replenish itself, currently the Mets minor leaguers are generally not considered among the top prospects in baseball. This raises some questions as to the talent evaluators and the scouts the team has employed and whether they are really doing the top notch job they should.
And finally, let’s not forget about the two collapses in the past years that have branded the team with the “chokers” title (yes, there’s that “C” word). A moniker they have yet to shake. True, many of the players are not around anymore from three seasons ago, but it’s still a stigma that has followed the team around and seems to be permeated in its pores.
So there seems to be this perpetual black cloud that follows the team around. As much as they try to shake this perception of a disorganized organization, the more things happen that seem to strengthen and reemphasize this belief. It would be easy for me to say that they need to fire the coaches, fire Jerry Manuel, fire Omar Minaya and start from scratch. But this would do little to alter this “New York Mess” perspective. Perhaps the team needs to take a closer look at franchises like the Los Angeles Angels and the Minnesota Twins who seem to garner respect throughout baseball. These are teams that ballplayers seem to genuinely enjoy playing for and a look at their organizational approach might be beneficial as they seem to generally have success year after year.
But for now, the Mets continue to make decisions with no seemingly big picture in mind. They are certainly the Rodney Dangerfield’s of baseball, but whereas Rodney lamented not getting any respect, I’m unsure, at this point, the Mets are deserving of any.
The winds of discontent are stirring and they are beginning to blow directly at the Mets. We’ve seen this pattern before, haven’t we? The numbers increasing in the loss column of the standings but not so much in the win column. Injuries, poor pitching, poor hitting and uninspired play that show every crack, wrinkle and blemish as if the team was standing under a fluorescent light. Yes, this is the 2010 New York Mets and sadly it’s looking much like the 2008 New York Mets that showed their manager the ‘Exit” sign in the early part of the season. As the sage-like Yogi Berra once said, “It’s like déjà vu all over again”.
I remember being at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on June 17th, 2008 for Jerry Manuel’s very first game as manager after the abrupt, clumsy dismissal of Willie Randolph. The Mets took it on the chin that night with a 6-1 loss as John Lackey completely stifled the Met offense. However, the game had started out with a dash of promise as Jose Reyes singled to lead off the game. When Reyes reached first base, Manuel saw something he didn’t like. It appeared that Reyes’ leg was bothering him and Manuel pulled him from the game. Reyes barked and argued with Manuel but eventually retreated to the dugout. Jerry Manuel was already ruffling feathers not one out into his tenure as the new Mets’ manager and the Reyes/Manuel incident was exacerbated by Manuel’s “gangsta” comments.
We’ve seen this pattern with Manuel. He seems deft at handling the media, but seems to alienate some of his players. Most notably was Ryan Church who seemed to be Manuel’s favorite pin cushion as he consistently challenged Church’s intensity to play even after returning to the field from a concussion. Manuel used the public media as his podium and seemed to circumvent communication with Church directly. Much of Church’s understanding about Manuel’s feeling came from the media, not from Manuel.
Just this past week, Manuel has flexed his managerial muscles by benching Jeff Francoeur in Atlanta, Francoeur’s hometown. He also gave David Wright an un-wanted day of rest and unceremoniously pulled John Maine after 5 pitches in Thursday’s game stating he wanted to “protect” Maine. Certainly, its Manuel’s prerogative to make decisions that he feels are best for the team. But what seems to be lacking is the communication between the manager and player. In Francoeur’s case, Francoeur could have been told about his benching beforehand to save the trip that friends and family had made out to the TED. In Maine’s case, Maine maintained that he couldn’t understand why he was being pulled from the game. Sure, there was something about Maine’s warm-up that Manuel and pitching coach Dan Warthen didn’t like. But it seems that many of these decisions are somehow not being conveyed appropriately to the players.
In truth, Manuel’s decision to pull Maine should be praised and he should be equally lauded for having reliever Raul Valdes ready in the bullpen. Whether Maine really doesn’t understand why he was pulled from the game is up for debate. Maine’s a huge competitor and obviously wants the ball so perhaps much of his anger is bunched up in denial. Maine doesn’t have to like Manuel’s decision, but he at least needs to respect it and it’s uncertain that that is happening. It’s that lack of respect that separates the manager from the player rather than connecting them. It’s unclear, but it seems that Jerry might be losing some of that respect.
Manuel obviously is trying to do what’s best for the team. That’s not in question. Some of his decisions are questionable as he seems to have a tendency to over-manage in games, and experiment with lineups and player roles (i.e. Reyes), but there is little doubt that all of these are in an effort to notch victories. His logic can be questioned but certainly not his intent. But in the process, he appears to be creating rifts between himself and the players through poor communication and not clearly identifying his plans. It leaves the players unsettled and unsure of what their roles are and whether the manager has a clear direction for the team–for that matter the organization as a whole. And that’s where trouble starts to brew.
Hmmm…sound familiar? My colleague Adam wrote an article discussing some of the merits of Willie Randolph’s tenure with the Mets. But he also mentioned how some of the players, like Carlos Delgado, disengaged from Randolph. Like Randolph, we are starting to hear players make comments about Manuel in a similar tone as the ones that were made about Randolph prior to his dismissal. Phrases like, “Well, it’s the manager’s decision. I just do what I’m told” or “I don’t know why I needed the day off” or “I’m sure the manager is trying to do what’s best for the team” are starting to leak out. These ambivalent words of “support” neither have the manager’s back nor are they completely damning. But anyone can read between the lines and get an idea from the tone that things are not gumdrops and lollipops in the Mets’ clubhouse.
June 16th is rapidly approaching. Will Manuel make it past that day or like Randolph will he be shown the “Exit” sign? These are pivotal days approaching, not just for the team but for Manuel’s future. A good showing against the Yankees and some wins will certainly buy Manuel more time. But it appears that it’s just a matter of time before a change in leadership occurs. The Mets’ seasons are beginning to look like scenes from “Groundhog Day” and unfortunately the Prophet Yogi Berra’s words seem truer than ever.
Omar Minaya pulled an old-school baseball trade the other day. Instead of trying to pry a veteran loose from a team that was out of contention, he pulled a challenge trade. My under-performing young outfielder for your under-performing young outfielder.
But maybe that’s not really the best way to describe these two players. At some point, you are who you are. 2462 at-bats into his career, Jeff Francouer owns this mediocre slash line: .267/.307/.429. That’s actually less than mediocre, and bordering on fourth-outfielder status.
Ryan Church has 1557 at-bats and his own mediocre slash line: .272/.344/.443. Those numbers aren’t going to blow any doors down, but you might notice some key differences right off the bat. Church doesn’t give away as many at-bats – his 9.1% walk rate is above average in fact. And though Frenchy had a great debut, Church is the one with the better slugging numbers overall.
Defense is often named as Frenchy’s calling card. Certainly, his tools are impressive, and his arm ranks among the best in the league. He’s been worth almost 35 runs above the average left fielder in his career, mostly because of that arm. Church’s arm doesn’t rank with Frenchy’s, but in some years he’s shown more range than the newest Met, and he’s been worth 16 runs above average in his shorter career. In overall defense per game, some metrics actually have him ahead.
Neither one of these guys plays a cornerstone defensive position, though. The importance of defense in the corner outfield is a little less than the importance of getting elite offense from those positions. But also playing in games is important, too, and Omar Minaya had a money quote in the Star Ledger:
“One thing we like about Francoeur is the amount of games that he plays.”
That seems pretty stupid at first, to put it bluntly. Just playing is not actually a skill, is it? And more innings of less production is not really something to target. The facts are clear, however. Over the last three seasons, Frenchy has played in an average of 160 games a year. Church has averaged 101 games per year over the same time period.
Minaya is in a tough spot. No team could expect to compete with the number of top players hitting the disabled list that the Mets have had this year. Lose that many players, and suddenly a player that has remained healthy his whole career looks better than the player you have that has had concussion problems and some problems getting on the field in recent times.
Yeah, that healthy player can start to look good. Even if he’s the demonstrably poorer talent. Welcome to the team, Frenchy!
Just yesterday we took a look at the lineup without Carlos Beltran in it, and boy, was it ugly. Now that he’s out for at least 15 days with a bone bruise, we’ll get a good long look at this lineup. Scroll down for some shivers down the spine. That lineup will depend on Daniel Murphy and Ryan Church to be heroes every night, and as we’ve seen, that can be a dicey proposition. David Wright can’t do all the work alone.
So what should the team be looking for? Let’s look at the flaws of the lineup below before identifying some possible additions.
SS Alex Cora
1B Daniel Murphy
3B David Wright
LF Ryan Church
RF Gary Sheffield
2B Luis Castillo
CF Jeremy Reed
C Omir Santos
Alex Cora‘s limitations are obvious, but the solution is also obvious because acquiring middle infielders is probably more costly than it’s worth. Even though Jose Reyes is still too hurt to run, he’s the best way to fix that spot. Cora is decent enough on defense and is capable of putting up an okay .340 OBP for a little while longer at least. We’ll put backup middle infielder on this list, though, since the Mets currently don’t have one.
Murphy, as reported in the last post, is great against lefties (.306/.341/.500 in 36 at-bats), and could probably use a caddy against tough righties, so let’s add that in: a guy that can play 1B and hits righties well. Unfortunately, in corner outfield, they’ve got a different problem. Ryan Church is playing well again, but he sports a .279/.354/.468 line against righties – and a .252/.323/.383 line against lefties. That last line comes in 342 at-bats, so it’s a significant problem. Church should probably be platooned against lefties, and that need trumps the backup 1B situation, especially since that need could continue once Carlos Delgado returns.
Then again, could the solution be on the team currently? Last year’s revelation, Fernando Tatis, has taken a heck of a step back this year, but his .256/.333/.380 line right now looks suspiciously like his career line (.264/.346/.442). He is marginally better against lefties (.270/.350/.450 lifetime in 793 at-bats), so the best outfield would have him in against lefties, over Church.
But here’s the rub: Jeremy Reed is actually okay against righties lifetime (.715 OPS), and with his capable defense, he could caddy for Beltran – against righties. But what to do against lefties? Tatis and Gary Sheffield can not – I repeat – cannot play center field. And recent callup Fernando Martinez hasn’t played center field in AAA all year (in fact, due to Martinez’s better split against lefties in the minors – .903 OPS vs lefties, .878 OPS vs righties – he’ll probably start in LF over Church against lefties and in RF when Sheffield needs a breather). Obviously, the team needs a center fielder against lefties.
So there you have it: the team most needs a capable outfielder that can hit lefties. Next on the list is a backup middle infielder. Those aren’t the sexiest needs. Probably, the the name coming our way won’t be too exciting. But here are some names of some players that might be available, might be able to play center field or the middle infield, and can hit lefties reasonably well:
Felipe Lopez – Josh Byrnes, the Diamondbacks’ GM, said this before the team lost three straight to the Mariners over the weekend: “It’s the middle of June and we’re 10 games under .500, so I think there’s a reality as far as the types of discussions we have had and will have with other clubs,” Byrnes said. Looks like the team will be a seller, and selling spare parts is the easiest way to pick up some spare prospects. Lopez can play the MI and has a batting average over .300 against lefties over the last two years.
Mark DeRosa – his team is in last place, and his name has been connected with the Mets for some time now. You may be surprised that he’s had close to 300 attempts at shortstop, too. Throw in his lifetime .864 OPS against lefties, and he seems perfect. Unfortunately, those tries at shortstop almost all came in 2001 with the Braves, and he’s not the defender he used to be, so he would be more of an emergency shortstop that can play the corner infield, second base, and the corner outfield. But not center or short. Oh, and he’d probably cost a better prospect.
Aubrey Huff / Nick Johnson – both of their teams would be ready to deal their extra veterans for the right price. But Huff can’t play a premium position on the field, and his .751 OPS against lefties means that he doesn’t add enough to pay a good prospect for his production. Johnson can hit lefties, but he famously cannot play anywhere in the field other than first base. What happens when/if Delgado returns? Expensive bench piece. I doubt either of these is going to happen.
Trevor Crowe – This is just conjecture, but this young Indian is on a seller and is running out of options. Of course, he doesn’t cost the Indians much, so he probably won’t move. But he can play center field, and his .811 minor league split against lefties is better than his split versus righties. This could be a move to complement Jeremy Reed in a smart way. Maybe he’ll be a throw-in if the Mets go for DeRosa.
Scott Hairston – Maybe young Tony Gwynn (currently batting .348/.439/.467) is turning enough heads in San Diego that they can let the older Hairston go (he’s 28 years old). Unfortunately, Hairston was peaking before getting injured, and his numbers are currently inflated. If Minaya can convince the Pads that the numbers are a mirage, he can maybe pry Hairston and his .896 OPS versus lefties loose. He would be a great fit on this team.
Jason Michaels – The list can’t get any less sexy, I assure you. Michaels can play center field, though, and has a .797 OPS versus lefties (.714 versus righties). He could be had for a song, too. And not even a good song.
