February 2012
Daniel Murphy is the Mets Second Baseman….at Least For Now
I’ll be honest here. I’m a BIG fan of Daniel Murphy. I like his work ethic and I especially like watching him swing that big left handed bat of his but I’m not a big fan of his being the everyday second baseman for the 2012 New York Mets.
After reading this article here I’m still not a big fan of this idea but it is what it is and as a fan I must accept that, at least for now, and for the unforeseeable future, Daniel Murphy will be the starting second baseman.
I agree with Mets manager Terry Collins when he rightly states the Mets need his bat in the everyday lineup.
I think Collins also knows that second base is less than an ideal fit for Murphy but what can Collins do?
In a perfect world Murphy would be patrolling either first or third base but as long as Ike Davis and David Wright are in Mets uniforms those two options are out the window.
In a less than perfect world Murphy could play left field but unfortunately for him, and probably the Mets as well, Jason Bay is the man for now.
That leaves Collins no other option but to play Murphy at second base.
I know you all know this stuff as do I but it’s so darn hard to accept that Murphy will be playing at a position where his season has prematurely ended not one but the last TWO seasons only because his bat is needed but is butt is in the wrong place.
Let’s hope for Murphy’s sake his butt winds up in the right place so the Mets don’t lose his bat!
New York Mets Unveil New “Underdog” T-Shirts
Yesterday the New York Mets received these beautiful orange “Underdog” t-shirts compliments Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. I think they look pretty cool….don’t you?
I for one was a big fan of Underdog….and if you are too young to know who Underdog was you can visit here.
The Mets will be sporting their new complimentary duds during spring training and I hope they wear them all year long.
It’s OK to like them even if some folks don’t.
I swear some folks wouldn’t be happy if they were hung with a new rope.
David Wright: I’ll Let Mets Come to Me
I was making my usual daily visit to Mets Blog and saw something that caught my eye. It appears that David Wright has decided to let the Mets front office come to him in regards to a new contract. Here’s what Mets Blog says he said;
This afternoon at Digital Domain Park, David Wright spoke with reporters and, according to MetsBlog.com’s Michael Baron, said he will not approach the Mets about a contract extension – rather, he will let them come to him.
Wright said he has not discussed a new contract with his agents yet, and conjectured whether or not the team needs to work through their financial struggles before engaging in contract talks.
I think Wright is absolutely right…
Let’s be honest for a moment. If you were Sandy Alderson would you give Wright a contract extension prior to this season?
Ok, I know what Omar Minaya would do but I’m asking you if you would sign David Wright to a contract extension today.
I know he’s the face of the Mets and probably one of the only ones on this year’s team worth watching but would you sign him right now?
I know 2011 was a tough year for Wright. He played through the pain of a broken back that landed him on the DL for a couple of months and when he returned he did pretty well.
Unfortunately this is 2012 and he’ll need to be more than just the loyal face of the Mets. He’ll need to return to the form he showed in 2010 if he hopes to remain a New York Met for life as he’s always wished that he could be.
Wright will need to explode from day one and never look back. If he does that than Sandy Alderson will do exactly as Wright wishes…he will come to him and give him what he wants.
I hope Wright is able to return to his past success and get to be a Met for life. If he doesn’t then the Mets should make the decision by the trading deadline to deal him to the highest bidder.
Wright is absolutely right. The Mets need to come to him and they will. It’s up to Wright whether Alderson comes to him with a contract extension or whether it’s to shake his hand, wish him well and thank him for his loyalty and years of service.
I hope it’s a contract extension….don’t you?
David Wright says “We have to do the little things right”
It’s now down to four days to the official date when New York Mets pitchers and catchers are supposed to report to Port St. Lucie for that annual rite of passage known as spring training. I’ve been scouring the internet looking for stories regarding my beloved Mets and came across this piece that I would like to interact with a bit.
Forget all the lamenting about who isn’t around any longer but what I liked most about this article is what Mets third sacker David Wright said;
“It’s going to be a huge challenge,” Wright said. “And I think we understand that everyone in our division got better. We have to do the little things right. We’re not going to be able to outslug teams or outpitch these teams with a lot of number one starters. … A lot of these teams, we’re not going to be able to match them pitching-wise or run-for-run, but I think we can outwork or out-prepare them.”
David is exactly right. It will be a “huge challenge” as it is for the other 29 teams who are supposed to be competing to see who holds up the Commissioners Trophy at the end of the season.
Unfortunately for the Mets their challenge is a bit different then their NL East counterparts.
Doing the little things right is something the Mets haven’t done a very good job of these last few seasons.
One of those little things the Mets could use some work on would be picking up the ball…. In 2011 the Mets were one of the worst defensive teams in all of baseball and with the question marks surrounding the pitching staff defense would and should be a little thing the Mets spend a TON of time working on this spring.
Another little thing the Mets could use some work on would be stolen bases. In 2011 the Mets had 133 stolen bases with Angel Pagan and Jose Reyes accounting for over half of them. Now that Pagan and Reyes are no longer on the club the responsibility falls on newly acquired center fielder Andres Torres.
Why are stolen bases a “little thing” the Mets could use some work on? For starters the Mets led the National League in fly balls. They also finished near the bottom of the National League in grounded into double plays. Getting runners in scoring position will be crucial if the Mets are to succeed in 2012.
Those are just a couple of little things I think the Mets should be working on and if they do clean up these areas then that ‘huge challenge” doesn’t seem so huge.
Are the New York Mets Really Waving the White Flag?
I absolutely love this time of year. The annual rite of passage known as Spring Training is nearer then Greece’s economic collapse and I’m excited about the upcoming baseball season and nothing gets me more fired up than when a reporter like Jon Paul Morosi claims the New York Mets are waving the white flag. You can read his article here if you would like.
Why even bother heading down to Port Saint Lucie, boys. Stay home and rest up until the Mets are able to spend the type of money that would keep Greece afloat for another month or two.
Is Morosi kidding or what?
I like what Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson had to say….
“It’s a perception,” Alderson acknowledged Sunday. “But I don’t think anybody in the division could add any more talent to their roster than we can. We’re talking about adding Johan Santana. We’re talking about adding Ike Davis. Daniel Murphy was the fifth-leading hitter in the league when he went out with his injury. David Wrightmissed two months. [All are expected to be full participants in spring training.] We’ve substantially improved our bullpen.
“So, did we add talent? I think we did, the fact that we didn’t sign someone for $100 million notwithstanding. … It’s an uphill battle getting that message across.”
I have to believe that Sandy is correct here.
Ike Davis was seemingly headed towards an All-Star type season prior to spending the majority of the 2011 on the disabled list. From everything I’ve heard Davis is chomping at the bit to prove his rookie season wasn’t a fluke and hopefully 2012 will be a healthy and productive one.
Johan Santana missed the entire 2011 season and while I’m the first to admit he may never return to the form that made Santana an extremely feared and respected ace of the staff but he probably could be counted on to still win 12-15 games just on sheer nerve alone. Hopefully he’ll be healthy enough to be on the hill on opening day.
In 2011 Daniel Murphy had the type of season we Mets fans have been waiting for. It’s too darn bad an injury shortened his 2011 campaign and to be perfectly honest with you if this guy could ever stay healthy he may one day win a batting crown.
When you consider the guy was playing hurt prior to a 2 month stint that would have left most folks lying in their beds yelling for someone to bring them some soup David Wright had a very good 2011 and with the left field porch moved in 12 feet look for a great 2012 from Wright.
Frank Francisco had a decent season for a .500 team in Toronto and is definitely an upgrade over last year.
So tell me who in the National League East added this type of quality to their line-ups?
The answer is no one.
Did the Mets really get worse as Morosi claims? Are the Mets really waving the white flag and throwing in the towel on the 2012 season.
I suppose that’s why they play the games, right?
The Baseball Page Podcast: New York Mets Baseball with Mark Berman
On this weeks Baseball Page Podcast I’m joined by Mr. Mark Berman. Mark is the owner of Blogging Mets and is also the author of the novel Brilliant Disguise that is available here. Tonight Mark and I are discussing the NY Mets. Join us as we reminisce about past Met teams and discuss the 2012 Mets. Of special interest is our discussion on whether or not Mets Third Baseman David Wright should be traded.
To listen to the show from the site please click the link provided below. To save this program to your portable listening device please right click the link below and select “save as”.
http://phillyflash.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/ny-mets-hot-stove-baseball.mp3
Recent Comments