213 Miles From Shea

As we approach the end of the month, the first round of bidding on Shea memorabilia will end on MLB Auctions, and the prices for items, some items you just wouldn't initially think as popular, have skyrocketed. There used to be a collection of items up for a flat fee, but they disappeared quickly (mainly being Shea Bricks for 50 and Outfield walk bricks for 100) and those were the cheapest items really up for bid. Here are some of the highlights:

The Mets Ketchup/Mustard holder (big plastic black thing with the Mets logo on it), right now there are 17 bids on it, and it is at 485 dollars. I just never thought of that being a popular item, but it is. (It actually takes me back to this summer though when my Mom and I went to a game and she pointed out how even the condiment holders have the Mets logos on it, remember, living in Baltimore, we are not used to seeing our team logos, everywhere).

The yearbook covers in general are surprising to me. They are all well over 300 dolloars and the only thing that makes them different than finding the actual ones is that they were hangining in the executive office.

For over 750 dollars, you can get the menu board at some of Shea's best eats. I really like this idea, its an interesting piece of Mets history (of course its more modern history than some of the other peices that you can get).

If you are interested in checking out the auction, check it here. Check around the other auctions too, I found a Pedro Feliciano game used World Baseball Classic Locker Tag for 25, which is very very cheap in comparision to the other items being acutioned (for example, most game used balls are at least 50, and there is only one locker tag, so its monetary value they demand sometimes doesn't make sense).

Yesterday, I expressed my concerns about Kunz because of an inning where a manager allowed Kunz to stay in the game for one out and allow 8 runs. I was worried that type of performance would carry over to his next one (and possibly for a while, because that is the type of outing that scars a player for a while).

Well he pitched yesterday and the verdict was…He did fine. He pitched an inning very similar to all of the other innings he has pitched this season besides that bad outing. He allowed no hits, no runs, no walks in an inning pitched and struck out a batter. Bringing his season total to 3 walks and 5 K's over 5.1 innings. I also forgot to mention yesterday that he has 2 saves this fall as well. So, it looks like he was able to put that bad outting behind him, lets see if he can keep going.

A while ago, I wrote an entry about how we do not have a rivalry with the Phillies. If you ask me that question again today I will stick with my answer that we do not. However, the Phils have been doing a few things as of late that are really starting to press, not that we have a rivalry but just things that aren't right. The best way I can explaine it is referring to last weeks South Park episode, if you didn't see it, two characters got into an argument, they were about the fight, but one charater gets detention on purpose to get out of the fight, tells his mom about the fight (not the whole story, just the part that makes him look good) and the other character (I forget her name) can't fight Cartmen now because her parents would ground her. No one believes her at school, and Cartmen just rubs the entire situation in her face, he has already won, but he won't stop showing off the situation to her face.

That is what is going on now. Ok Phils, you won the division, congrats but you are doing two things in particular that go so far outside of bad sportsmanship, it makes me cry inside for image you portray. The first would be Victorino mocking Reyes after a home run by putting his finger in the air as he ran around the bases, and then posting that picture in their locker room with the tagline “Jose Reyes”. That is beyond picking on a team, that is attacking a single player. Its wrong and its really outside of what a professional sports team should be doing. There is no reason to be doing that right now either. The Mets aren't in the postseaon, you can drop that stuff now. If you are to do it, save it for when we can still play against you. Its like pushing the kid that can't push back, its cowardly.
The other thing is not so much bad sportsmanship, but it still makes my blood get hot and boil. The Phillies have adopted “Ya Gotta Believe”. Thats our saying! We did that. If I see a Phillies fan chant that around campus I might just go off on them because thats not their saying!.

All this being said, my frustrations shining through, I still don't think we have a rivalry with them, if they start to suck, I really won't care about them so much, but I will always care about beatting the Braves.

The AFL has been going on a couple weeks now, so it seems like a good time to update the progress of our players out west. Lets start out with the player that we are looking at the most, especially with the full force of the offseason around the corner, Dan Murphy. Murphy has played in 7 games so far this fall with 25 AB, he has a BA .440 with 11 hits, 10 runs, 2 doubles, a homer, 7 RBI, and 8 BB (which makes his OBP .559!). This is amazing. Murphy, thus far, has continued his great run from the start of the season and will hopefully bring this streak with him to New York next season. This also further adds to the the offseason options. Does he stay in the OF? Does he move to 2B? Does he move to 1B? It gives the Mets a lot of options depneding on how the offseason plays out.

Bowman has also been putting together a good fall with his .345 BA over 7 games and 29 AB. He has 6 runs, 10 hits, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 7 RBI's and 2 walks. This is surprising, but good surprising. Lets see if this continues throughout the fall. Thole is starting to hit now as he has recently brought his BA up to .250, which is the result of 3 hits in 12 trips.

On the mound side, the Mets have been represented pretty well. Kunz's first 4 outings were very nice, as he went 4 innings, allowed 3 hits, walked 2 and struck out 4. However, his stats balooned in his last outing which lasted one out and saw Kunz allow 8 runs. I don't know how to read that. I think its important to see how he reacts his next time out. I don't know how a manager leaves a pitcher in that long for that to happen, it can be scaring, so lets hope he gets over that and remembers how good he has been in all of his other outings. Parnell has only had two outings where he has pitched 2.1 innings, and allowed 2 runs over all. In his first outing, he lasted one inning and allowed no runs, in his last outing, he lasted 1.1 innings and allowed 2 runs. He has struck out a total of 4 batters during that time. Stoner has had a lot of innings in the AFL so far, 7.2, and has allowed only one run over that stretch (ERA of 1.17). He hasn't started any games, but he does have two wins (vs 0 losses) 2 BB and 6 K. If he continues these numbers, he will be looked at more in the Mets farm system. Finally, the Mets best pitcher so far, has been Vargas who has also pitched 7.2 innings and has allowed 0 runs over that stretch. During those innings, he has allowed a walk and struck out 6 batters. Could he reenter himself into rotation talks? Could he make himself trade bait?

I know this goes against what I wrote earlier today, but part of running a blog is writing what pops in your head, so here it goes again. One area where there will be, if not already, a lot of debate internally in the Mets front office is how much to spend on the bullpen. Do we pour everything there to buy away the demons this year? Do we tweak areas?

Well I would go for the latter. K-rod is tantalyzing, but 5 years feels like we could be walking on a rope bridge that gives out halfway through. Personally, what I am for (as of 10:45 10/15, because this will change like it has many times already) is something like this:
1) Sign Fuentes
2) Sign Hudson
3) Sign Manny
This combo allows the Mets to trade a player like Delgado because the Mets will then have an excess of 3,4,5 hitters, although the lineup would be killer with Reyes, Hudson, Wright, Manny, Delgado, Beltran (I can't believe it, but it that situation it makes sense to have Beltran batting sixth), we would be able to flip Delgado for starting pitching. I just can't see the Mets making three signings like this and then having money to go get starting pitching, and we will need at least one starter. I'm sure a flip of Heilman and Castillo would produce some sort of starter, but not what the Mets need. That being said, if they can find a gem for cheap (similar to what they did with Kris Benson trade for Julio and Maine) then lets keep Delgado.

Going back the mindset I was in this morning, it is still very earlier to start seeing how these things fall out because they all depend on eachother, they all depend on the other players on the market, how teams act and such, its going to be an interesting offseason. That being said, surprisingly, I would almost make an arguement that Hudson might be as important as Fuentes to the Mets. Hudson adds that fighting spirit. We also don't know the effect yet of removing a Heilman or removing a Perez from the clubhouse (or the adverse effects of removing a Pedro). There is a lot to consider.

The Big advantage for the Mets going into the offseason is that the core of the lineup, and the core of the starting rotation are intact. Our 1-2-3 guys in the starting rotation will be here next year (that is saying that Pelfrey rose to 2 and Maine going into the season last year before his injuries was projected at 2 or 3 depending on Pedro). In terms of the lineup, the leadoff hitter, the 3 hole, the cleanup hitter, the RBI spot (5th) are all there as well. This is great for the Mets because the core is still around.

If the core is around, that is a reason to be optimistic and happy, why doesn't it feel that way?

Thats because our strength, our core, is also our biggest weakness mentally. Mentally, we would all like to see something or see a player overhaul that would make the Mets look very different on paper. Looking different takes away the memories. Looking different allows us to forget that much sooner. However much the heart wants to forget, wants to move on, the brain, the baseball brain, knows that is impossible because our core set up is one of the best in baseball, it doesn't make sense to remove it or change it because of how good it is.

Our solution this offseason has to be little tweaks. We will probably be keeping Smith, Feliciano and a few others in the pen and the pen still might be overhauled, but its going to feel like little tweaks. Mentally, we are going to have to digest these tweaks as the solution to the problem and convince ourselves to be optimistic because we have every reason to be optimistic.

In other words, worrying so much about next season right now is the natural thing to do right now, but it also still very close time wise to the depressing event of not makign the postseason. We havn't given ourselves yet the time to move on and we havn't given ourselves the oppotunity to look at solutions on how to fix the Mets through an objective analysis. I am guilty of immediatly thinking of ways to fix the Mets. I am always thinking of ways to fix the Mets, but I am also mentally fighting this feeling that we need time to move alway from the depressing events of last season just so we can give ourselves the chance to keep our biggest strength from staying our biggest weakness.

Earlier this year I read 100 Things Mets Fans Should Know and Do Before they Die. This book by Matthew Silverman is a pretty quick and enjoyable read. Its not exactly what you think though. The book is 100 chapters (like the title suggests) but it is a lot more of what Mets fans should know instead of what they should do. He goes over a lot of the basics (Like Seaver, Mookie) and over a lot Mets favorites in general.

The group of people I reccomend this book the most to is that new Mets fan in your family. Lets say your child is now old enough to read adult books, this is a great way for your child to learn a lot about the history of the New York Mets. The second group of people this book is very good for is for those who want to remember the glory years of the Mets.

The “do” stuff is basic, but they are good. They include, for example, go to an away game, which I totally agree with. If you are a Mets fan and you have never been to an away game, you are missing out. Over the last few years they have been crazy because there are more Mets fans around now and especially in DC, it feels like a Mets home game, just on the road. Its a party and I end up talking to more fans that I do not know on away games because you buddy up. Anyway, this book is a good read it also looks good on the shelf without the cover on. In short, I recommend it.

Today, several Mets players will start play in the Arizona Fall League. I mentioned some stats about these players before, who are Dan Murphy, Eddie Kunz, Bob Parnel, Tobi Stoner, Jason Vargas, S Bowman and Thole. The big story line with these players is Dan Murphy who will be playing in the infield (most likely at 2B or 1B) which could be a hint at things to come in Queens for the Mets next year. Murphy has been a big surprise for the Mets this year, who really just exploded on the scene. Smaller stories involve Parnell and Kunz. Kunz, who will be heading to the Mets pen one day, needs more tuning and Parnell could end up in the pen like his brief time this year, or could be a starter like how he was in the minors this year. So lets take a look into Murphy, Kunz and Parnell.

Dan Murphy
MILB 08: (3 Levels) 99 G, 375 AB, 59 R, 118 H, 26 2B, 13 HR, 69 RBI, .315 BA
MLB 08: 49 G, 131 AB, 24 R, 41 H, 9 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, .313 BA, .397 OBP
There are a couple of numbers that need to be highlighted here. The first is his BA, which stayed pretty constant from the Minors to the Majors. In both situations he started very hot, tailed off, and then evened out. (So the numbers you saw from him at the start of his majors career was very similar to what he did in his time in the minors). To feel better about the drop in BA, I would hope that he puts up a BA in the fall league around .300. That would be very nice. He also had a lot of power in the minors, that hasn't translated yet into the majors, but the 9 doubles is a start. We all know that doubles, turn into homers (look at players like Wright) and especially for Murphy because he is a bit slower than the average player his age. All in all, he is the main player to watch this fall because his performance will have a direct impact on what the lineup of the Mets looks like in 2009.

Eddi Kunz
MILB 08: (2 Levels) 1-5, 50 G, 54 IP, 3.33 ERA (2.79 ERA in AA), 27 BB, 43 K
MLB 08: 4 G, 2.2 IP, 4 ER, BB, K, 13.50 ERA
Kunz was flying in double AA this year, he was looking very good. He hit a snag though in AAA and in the majors. He still has very good stuff but it is becoming more and more clear that 09 might not be his time yet, it might be 2010. Now he of course can change this by having a great fall and a great spring. The way the Mets pen is, and the way Mets fans are about the pen, might propell Kunz through the system faster than he should go. So it will be interesting to see how all of this plays out over the offseason to the beginning of the 2009 season.

Bobby Parnel
MILB 08: (2 Levels): 12-8, 29 G, 28 GS, 148 IP, 4.62 ERA, 91 K, 57 BB
MLB 08: 6 G, 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 5.40 ERA
First 4 Games: 4.2 IP, ER, BB, 3K, 1.93
Fans were crying out for Parnell at the end of the season, and rightfully so because until the last week, he was actually getting people out. The question with Parnell is now what? Do we rush him through to the pen? Do we develop him into a starting pitcher? He has good stuff and probably could also be used as trade bait. His ability to be in the pen and the rotation gives the Mets a lot of options and could give other teams a lot of options. Either way it goes, this fall will be looked at to determine his future.

A prospect who is sure to get a lot of attention this off season is 22 year old Brad Holt. The Mets drafted Holt out of UNC Wilmington this past June as the 33rd pick in the first round. He was our supplemental pick for Glavine's signing with Atlanta. What has impressed scouts is Holts ability to just go after the strikeouts. He has developed an arm that just wants to get the batter out before they leave the plate. Here are his college stats:
   06: 3-3, 3.48 ERA,14 G, 54.1 IP, 6.96 K/9
   07: 5-5, 5.90 ERA, 15 G, 76.1 IP, 6.25 K/9
   08: 11-1, 3.18 ERA, 15 G, 2 CG, 95K, 36 BB, 93.1 IP, 9.16 K/9
From his numbers, he rounded a corner after his bad 2007 season and then excelled to an 11-1 record in 2008. The turnaround was really incredible. He was consistent in his K/9 record in 06 and 07, and then he really turned it up in 08. How did he do in his first season in the minors?
   08: 5-3, 1.87 ERA, 14 G, 72.1 IP, 96 K, 33 BB, 11.94 K/9
He took his great season in college and turned it to an amazin season in Brooklyn. That ERA is incredible and he made his K/9 even better. So whats next? At the age of 22, he is still young and he could use at least another season in the minors. If I was in charge of assigning players, I would have him come to Spring Training, then stay in Pt. St. Lucie with the A+ squad, and have him work his way up to AA next year. If he is still puthing up these numbers (demonstrating that this past year was not a fluke) then in September, call him up to the big squad. If he is lights out, then he should be with the Mets in their rotation in 2009. More than likely, he will be seeing a fulltime rotation spot maybe in 2010 (This of course assumes the Mets do not trade him).

Here are some of the main posts to look forward to this week:
     Monday: Get To Know a Prospect: Brad Holt
     Tuesday: Arizona Fall League Preview
     Wednesday: Looking Back: Burgos for Bannister
     Thursday: Book Review: 100 Things Mets Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die
     Friday: Wright States By Month
     Saturday: Mets On YouTube Surprise
     Sunday: K-Rod Stats Look
Of course, these are not the only posts I will have this week, but these are main ones to look out for.