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Blue Jay Prospects Available

According to The Toronto Star, the Mets have been inquiring about one or more of the Blue Jays outfield prospects. As Jon Heyman mentioned in his article on Sunday, one of those players is Jayson Werth, a former 1st round pick of the Orioles in 1997.

Werth is not a big power guy, sporting a career minor league SLG of .420 and an AVG of .265. However, his plate discipline is top-notch, drawing 357 walks in 2411 ABs. He's also something of a human wind tunnel, striking out 567 times in those at-bats.

The other player The Star mentions is outfield stud and prize prospect Alexis Rios. Baseball America ranks him as the 6th best prospect in baseball, saying:

"His power explosion in the Puerto Rican League was his latest step in becoming the next Dave Winfield."

The Blue Jays may be looking to trade Rios because he's too much like Vernon Wells: good power, poor plate discipline. Last time I checked, however, #6 prospects don't come cheaply.

As usual, I would never trade Scott Kazmir or David Wright. Outside of that, I'd be open to offers. Aaron Heilman and Mike Jacobs maybe? Victor Diaz? Rios would be the outfield prospect the Mets have lacked. He could step right in and play right field in 2004 if they wanted, or eased into the role by 2005.

If the cost isn't too prohibitive, the Mets should definitely make this deal.

Spring Has Sprung

I apologize for the lack of posts, for I am lazy and had nothing to write about.

As we approach the end of Spring Training and the beginning of a new season, it's good to reflect back upon the questions that this offseason hoped to answer for the 2004 Mets.

1. How can we get rid of this useful player who has put up terrific numbers in the minor leagues, can play a couple of infield positions at which offense is at a premium, will make the league minimum, and, at the very least, would be a valuable asset coming off the bench?

2. We have $1,000,000 and an unused roster spot just going to waste for the next two years. Surely we can find some retread who is completely useless with the stick but can play virtually any defensive position, albeit rather inadequately, can't we?

3. Our closer has clearly worn out his welcome, so it's time to find a suitable replacement. However, we know how fans are resistant to change, so let's make sure that the new closer shares the same propensity for blowing saves and, if possible, has worse stuff and a funny name.

4. Sign Karim Garcia and have him piss on the wall of a St. Lucie pizza shop.

All kidding aside, we are coming dangerously close to opening day, and the Mets are looking a bit wobbly. Nagging injuries are popping up left and right. Jose Reyes and Kaz Matsui, the dynamic new double-play combination, have yet to play in a real game together. Mike Cameron has bone spurs in his toe that will probably haunt him all season, a la Cliff Floyd in 2003. Mike Piazza tweaked something-or-other making a stretch at first base and hasn't played the position since.

Worst of all, James Baldwin is still in camp. Who knows why? I don't know. With only two weeks until the season starts, there are but a few roster spots up for grabs. Here is how I see the 25-manner shaking out.

 C   Mike Piazza
1B   Jason Phillips
2B   Jose Reyes
3B   Ty Wigginton
SS   Kaz Matsui
LF   Cliff Floyd
CF   Mike Cameron
RF   Karim Garcia/Shane Spencer

That's nine thus far. These are your starters. If you don't know them already, don't bother, as any number of them could be missing from time to time thanks to a groin pull here and a cracked nail there.

 C   Vance Wilson
IF   Joe McEwing
IF   Todd Zeile
OF   Roger Cedeno
OF   Timo Perez

Ugh, our bench sucks big time. This is almost as bad as last season when we had Jay Bell, Tony Clark, Joe McEwing, Timo Perez...ok, it was practically the same crappy bench, with Todd Zeile instead of Jay Bell and Shane Spencer instead of Tony Clark. John Franco better keep warm because he might be coming off the bench to hit in a tight game.

SP   Al Leiter
SP   Tom Glavine
SP   Steve Trachsel
SP   Jae Seo
SP   Grant Roberts

Those are my choices, with Aaron Heilman starting the season at AAA to get some work in. I'm quite afraid that the Mets will hand the fifth starter job to Scott Erickson and put Grant Roberts in the bullpen. Erickson has been throwing respectably in Spring Training, but I just can't see things working out for him.

RP   Braden Looper
RP   Mike Stanton
RP   David Weathers
RP   John Franco
RP   Tyler Yates
RP   Dan Wheeler OR Orber Moreno

Sadly, the relief corps probably won't shake out like this. Roberts will likely take one spot, Pedro Feliciano could occupy the other, and god only knows where Ricky Bottalico will end up. Either way, the bullpen will likely be so-so. Stanton and Franco are basically useless as pitchers, though Franco is turning into a very respectable bullpen coach. Weathers is quite decent, and any combination of Yates/Wheeler/Moreno/Roberts would be very effective. Looper is a question mark until he proves otherwise.

The starting lineup, when healthy, should be pretty strong. The starting rotation, when healthy, is decent. The bench, as mentioned before, is an abomination. The bullpen should be league average.

2004 Prediction: 82-80

I think that's a reasonable prediction, and would represent a 13 game improvement, which is significant. Not significant enough to get into the post-season, but enough to be hopeful about the prospects of 2005 and beyond. That is, so long as The Duke doesn't go and trade Scott Kazmir for Whiffy McSrikeout.

Fantasy Draft

For those of you who signed up for the Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball league, I am going to set the auto-draft to take place next Wednesday, 3/17, at 6pm EST. If you are going to edit your pre-draft player rankings, please do so before then.

Yahoo! has default player rankings, but you can override them by clicking on "My Team" and then "Edit Pre-Draft Player Rankings".

If you haven't already signed up, there are a few spots left so check out this entry from last week for instructions on how to sign up. Bloggers and non-bloggers are welcome to play.

Piss-Gate Over?

According to the Associated Press, no charges will be filed against Karim Garcia and Shane Spencer.

Two officers took Vidal's report, and said they did not observe any swelling or bruising. Sgt. Kevan Carmichael said he saw a small scratch on the ribcage, which Vidal said occurred when he fell into some shrubbery. Vidal did not let police take a photo of the scratch.

Reports in the local papers this morning indicated that there were inconsistencies in Vidal's account of the incident. It remains to be seen if the Mets will retain the services of these two buffoons.

Leiter's A Met

Joel Sherman of the New York Post actually has a nice article today about Al Leiter and why, despite the fact that Sherman himself is a huge Yankee fan, Leiter has no desire to pitch for the Pinstripes.

Of course, it being a Joel Sherman article and all, it is not completely devoid of Met-bashing. Observe:

Al Leiter actually wants to be a Met. He does not ache to be with all the moneyed guys, with all the beautiful people, within an atmosphere in which you are as likely to bump into paparazzi as sports writers.

[...]

Being a Met in 2004 means playing for a team resistant to doing what is necessary to upgrade its lineup and image by getting Alfonso Soriano. Meanwhile, being a Yankee in 2004 means we already are up to speculating on July deadline trades.

BLLLLLLAAARRRGGGHHH!!! Sorry, I just vomited all over myself. Anyways, if you feel inclined to keep breakfast down, you can skip to the paragraph that begins, "Hello Mr. Leiter....".

Mets Beat Cardinals, 6-4

In Spring Training action yesterday afternoon in Port St. Lucie, the Mets beat the Cardinals 6-4. Mike Piazza went 3-3, including a three-run homer. Steve Trachsel started the game for the Mets, pitching three scoreless innings while surrendering only one hit, striking out two. Grant Roberts turned in the most impressive pitching performance of the game, striking out six Cardinals in three innings of work. He allowed two hits and picked up the "W".

Kaz Matsui went 0-2 with a hard line-out to second. The Mets Grapefruit League record is now 4-2.

Mets PR Getting Karim'd

This is truly unbelievable. As reported on Saturday in this article featuring a photo of Shane Spencer performing calisthenics, Karim Garcia and Spencer were involved in an altercation outside of a restaurant in Port St. Lucie, FL. The events are so absurd that I regret giving them any more ink than they've already received, but I'll do so anyway and be done with it.

So Garcia, Spencer, and first-base coach Gary Pettis, were leaving Duffy's Sports Grill around 10pm on Thursday (03-04-2004) when Garcia, who would later be described by a witness as "the darker one, with an accent" (Source: Times Herald-Record), realized that he forgot to take a piss inside like normal people. Since they were already outside, Garcia and his .243 career batting average decided to drain his snake against the wall of a neighboring pizza joint, interestingly named Big Apple Pizza.

Eric Vidal, a delivery guy for all of two days for Big Apple Pizza, apparently spotted Garcia and the two exchanged what were described as "taunts and curses". Garcia then shook off the last few piddle drops and proceeded to pummel Videl, with Spencer helping out. Pettis broke up the fight, and Garcia, Spencer, and their unfortunate wives sped off in their Hummer.

It's beyond me why either player is still in camp. So far, the Mets have let them both off with a small fine and a slap on the wrist. But now, with Videl apparently filing charges against Garcia, Spender, and the Mets, it may be time to cut ties to them. Spencer has a non-guaranteed contract, which is easy to let go. Garcia has a guaranteed deal for $1 million in 2004, but that may not be enough to make up for the public relations hit the Mets are taking as a result of this incident.

I mean really, who does something like this? You're a professional baseball player, you're already facing charges from one ludicrous incident in the Fenway Park bullpen, have you really had so many cervezas that pissing on the side of a restaurant seems like a good idea? And then you beat up some poor kid for calling you on it? Unbelievable. You can't make this stuff up.

If and when they cut these two, the Mets should send a package of marginal prospects to Pittsburgh for Craig Wilson, who may be out of a job with Raul Mondesi having signed. Maybe something like Jeff Duncan and Shawn Sedlacek. Wilson is only 27, has good plate discipline (35 BB in 309 AB in 2003), good power (18 HR, 4 3B, 15 2B, .249 ISO), and is only 27 years old.

The Baker, The Butcher...

Jim Baker, normally one of my favorite columnists at ESPN's premium service ESPN Insider, has disappointed me today. Lee Jenkins' wrote an article in today's New York Times about Karim Garcia and Shane Spencer coming to the Mets, and how GM Jim Duquette hoped that their winning attitude might rub off on some of the Mets younger players.

In response, Baker tries to insinuate that the Mets somehow believe that these acquisitions will pass their "winning ways" onto their club. ESPN Insider is a pay service, but here is an excerpt:

There's an article in the New York Times today that says the Mets hope that the winning ways of a couple of former Yankees -- Shane Spencer and Karim Garcia -- "rubs off" on their new team.

I will bet you that somewhere in this great land of ours, a doctor is still using leaches to bleed bad "humors" out of patients.

These two motives are not unrelated.

Shane Spencer hasn't enjoyed much success since leaving the Yankees. The notion that someone coming from a successful program has some kind of mojo about them is remarkably silly. Mets general manager Jim Duquette told Lee Jenkins of the New York Times, "When you look at the profile of players, that was one of our criteria -- that they had a degree of success. It was high on our list. Those guys we got bring the attitude, demeanor and atmosphere of winning." I don't know what the exact dollar value of the Mets is right now, but it was $454 million in 2001. I find it somewhat disturbing that the man entrusted with piecing together the on-field performance component of this nine-figure operation is engaging in such primitive thinking.

Again, I typically enjoy Baker's writing, but this article is kind of misguided. I read Lee Jenkins' article, and I think Baker is making something out of nothing, perhaps in an effort to polarize his readers (thanks Mike!). Jim Duquette never implied that Karim Garcia made the Yankees a winner, nor do I think he believes that players become winners through the osmosis of other players who have experienced winning.

The idea is that the Mets have a lot of young players on the club and in camp, and the notion of bringing people in who have experienced success at this level is not without merit. I don’t subscribe to the “proven veteran� theory, insofar as I would rather have talent and inexperience than futility and experience. That said, the experience and excitement of success is certainly perceivable, and is also infectious, and I think that it can have a positive effect on the Mets younger players, if only to encourage them and motivate them to excel beyond their own expectations.

I find it hard to believe that if the Duke really thought this way he would still be GM of the Mets. Baker should stick to his normally great work, and leave the claptrap responses to the likes of Jayson Stark.

Izzy or Isn't He

Nice article in The Star Ledger about Jason Isringhausen, former Mets phenom. Jason was asked what it was like to be a prized pitching prospect, much the way Scott Kazmir is now.

Kazmir has apparently been directly compared to Izzy, to which Izzy replied:

"Uh, oh."

According to Isringhausen, who along with Bil Pulsipher and Paul Wilson comprised the highly touted "Generation K", they were expected to throw 120-130 pitches every game. It's no wonder they're keeping Kaz on such a strict, albeit overprotective, pitch count. Hopefully they'll open him up a bit this season, as 50 pitches won't get him through a big league game.

Mets Bounce Back

After dropping their Spring Training opener yesterday to the Dodgers 13-4, the Mets beat the Cardinals today 4-2. I don't think the game was televised, so I'm relying on the box score to piece together the action. If any of this is incorrect, please feel free to flame me in the comments.

Jason Phillips got the Mets on the board with a solo shot in the top of the first inning. Thanks to the bizarro-world rules of Spring Training, Steve Trachsel got credit for the win after giving up no hits and a walk in the first two innings. For those of you keeping score, a regular season game would require a pitcher to finish the fifth inning of a winning ballgame in order to qualify for the win.

The Mets staff held the Cardinals to two hits through seven innings, those two being surrendered by Grant Roberts. Roberts also walked a batter and struck out two in a couple of innings of work.

Raul Gonzalez had a two-run single and Prentice Redman added an RBI single in a three-run seventh.

Orber Moreno struck out two in his inning, while Dan "The Man" Wheeler got lit up for two runs in the eighth before closing out the game.

* * * * * * * * * *
If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out Aaron Gleeman's running diary of yesterday's game. And if you don't visit Aaron's Baseball Blog on a daily basis, you're truly missing out on some of the best baseball writing available anywhere.

Reader Mail

David from Delaware has a long-term Mets question...

How come they're bothering to move poor Victor Diaz to third when they've got David Wright waiting in the wings? Both are pretty good prospects, and it seems like there won't be room for both of them in a couple of years. Looking at the messy corner outfielder situation, and barring any unforeseen trades/free agent pickups, in two-to-three years the Mets will need both a left AND right fielder. Floyd can't last forever in left, I picture him as a DH after this contract runs out. And who knows what'll happen in right. Wouldn't Diaz be better off being converted to a corner outfield position? Or maybe even a first-basemen - another position where the Mets could use surely some long-term help.

I was going to mention this myself, because I don't really understand it. Victor Diaz was acquired from the Dodgers last summer in the Jeromy Burnitz deal.

Originally a 37th round pick in 2000, Diaz has laid waste to minor league pitching at every level he's played. He has developing power, minimal plate discipline, but an uncanny ability to hit for average.

As a 19 year old, Diaz destroyed the Gulf Coast League, hitting .354 in 195 AB. He followed that up with a .350 mark in the South Atlantic League before hitting .354 again for the Binghamton Mets (AA).

That said, Diaz is erratic in the field, which is being kind. His weight has been a problem in the past, but he lost 20 pounds since the end of last season, which management promised would earn him an invite to Spring Training.

He came to the Mets as a second-baseman, but the big league opening at that position is filled for the foreseeable future by Jose Reyes. They are currently trying him out at third base, which is where today's question leaves us.

Ty Wigginton, the Mets current hot-corner resident, is a place-holder at best. His best-case scenario is league-average offense with below-average defense. He's a good kid, and he's easy to root for, but he's not much of a ballplayer.

Fortunately for the Mets, he doesn't have to be. Fortunately for the Mets, the #5 prospect in all of baseball (according to Baseball Prospectus) is ascending the minor league ladder, with a target date to arrive at Shea sometime in 2005. Fortunately for the Mets, they have David Wright. BP, despite usually avoiding tags like "the next Joe Somebody", have christened Wright as "the next Scott Rolen", which is about as good as anyone could ask for.

Wright has shown great plate discipline, drawing 164 walks in 1082 minor league at-bats. His power is coming, as he hit 15 homeruns last season. He's also good with the glove, with a strong arm, good range, and good hands. On top of all of that, he just turned 21 in December.

So what exactly are the Mets thinking by trying out Victor Diaz at third? Quite honestly, I don't really know. They may think so little of Wigginton that they want someone with a little pop to play third until Wright is ready. The flaw there lies in the fact that, despite Wigginton finishing last in the league in most defensive metrics, Diaz would almost certainly be worse. He made three errors there in the Mets intra-squad game the other day.

If the plan is to eventually move Diaz to the outfield, why waste everyone's time and patience trying him out at third? The Mets certainly need some help in right field, though left and center field are locked up for the next three years by Cliff Floyd and Mike Cameron, respectively. While Floyd could miss plenty of time over the next three years, I just don't know if Diaz really fits in there.

It may just be that the Mets are trying to find somewhere Diaz can be comfortable and avoid embarrassing himself and his team, and then trade him off for a real right-fielder (Magglio Ordonez maybe).

Diaz is a hitting machine, and if he can learn to take a few more walks he could be a very effective Major League hitter one day. He's only 22, and may start the season as high as AAA. I'm sure we'll know before too long what the Mets have in store for him.

Disgruntled Blog

John Moscariello has a new Mets blog called Rumblings of a Disgruntled Mets Fan. No doubt we all feel that way some times (many times). Stop over and say hi.

Mama Mia! Italian Night Returns

In response to public outcry, the Mets have announced that Italian Night is back on the docket at Shea in 2004, according to Newsday. In what can only be described as a PR snafu, Italian Night was left off of the promotional dates this season. Mets VP of business operations David Howard had this to say:

"There was a significant expression of interest by a variety of people and groups. Given the groundswell of support for adding the night, we're looking forward to the response from the fans."

The festivities will occur on August 30, when the World Champion Florida Marlins scuttle into town.

Let The Games Begin

2004 is officially underway, as the Mets had their first intra-squad exhibition game yesterday at Tradition Field. There were lots of good signs among some of the younger Mets players. Jose Reyes, who reportedly has added 15 pounds of mostly muscle over the winter, jacked a homerun into the wind from the left side of the plate. David Wright also hit a two-run bomb while going 3-3.

Scott Kazmir, the Mets top pitching prospect, also impressed, though not with the heat this time. Despite his ability to bring the gas in the high 90's, Kazmir dropped a backdoor changeup on Craig Brazell that left him holding his junk:

"He really had a lot of zip on the ball, and it gets on you quickly. Then he threw that changeup that backdoored me; it was a great pitch."

Kazmir also has a nasty slider. Brazell, meanwhile, has apparently been putting on a power clinic in batting practice this week, after hitting 17 homeruns in 111 games last season.