The Alex Cora experiment didn't work well in 2009.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

When it was time to see Alex Cora step into the forefront last season when Jose Reyes went down, it was impressive to see how he took it all in stride. He played solid defense, provided essential leadership and knew what it was like to lead a team.

But that is not why he was brought in here.

Cora has had plenty of success in his career. He was part of a special story in Boston in which they erased a long World Series drought and climbed the mountain in 2004. Then, the Sox did it again in 2007, and now, Cora seems to want to help the Mets get to the promise land, but if he is going to help, it won’t be as an everyday player.
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Time for Hot Stove Baseball folks.

BY ANTHONY LAFAMAN
STACHE WRITER

Well, I am glad that ordeal is over with. Yankees won, blah blah blah. You can’t get away from it. They’ll have a parade and they will get some keys to the city and then hoepfully them and their rotten fans will go to sleep until April. I mean all I heard from my Yankee friends was how long it’s been since they won a championship. Puh-lease. The only good thing that came out of this is that Pedro lost and the Phillies are not champions. Oh and now the Mets are not mentioned everytime someone says “the last time the Yankees won was against the Mets in 2000″. So thank the good lord for not making me a Yankee.

I want to move on to the off season, Nov 9-11 are the GM meetings in Chicago, great town. Maybe one day Ganci will get some press credentials and then we can really get this ball rolling. The winter meetings are mid December I think (too lazy to check) and that’s always interesting. In my opinion the Mets needs to address the following positions.

After the game you and your friends could always enjoy a nice game of online poker.
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Alex Cora would bat second in my lineup of injured Mets. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

Recently, while I was trying to decide what kind of new story to write, I got a very good idea from a friend. Can I go and see if I would be able to field a full team based on who is currently out of commission right now. Well, I can’t nab a full team, but I can do a lot with what I’ve got. Here’s my starting lineup.

1. SS Reyes
2. 2B Cora
3. 3B Wright
4. CF Beltran
5. 1B Delgado
6. RF Francoeur
7. LF Martinez
8. C Martinez
9. P Nieve, Maine, Putz, Niese
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Lets see the Kids, especially this guy, Ruben Tejada (Courtesy of NY Future Stars)

BY ANTHONY LAFAMAN
STACHE WRITER

Hey Omar, bring up the kids.

Let me see Ruben Tejada now. Reyes is out for the year. This is now obvious. Alex Cora is not an everyday player. We’ve seen Anderson Hernandez and he’ll be playing 2B anyway.

Also, bring up Josh Thole. Heard the kid can rake. Let him catch one day a week. Schneider is not going to be a Met next year anyway. What about Ike Davis? He’s looking studly. Give the fans a glimpse into the future, keep them interested going into the next year and beyond.

Making the playoffs is a real stretch of the imagination at this point. I think we’d all agree on that. Why not show the fans the players you refused to trade away? Instead of calling up Elmer Dessens what was wrong with calling up a Brad Holt or Dillion Gee. Forget September call ups.

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Building a Team after this Moment has been very hard for the Mets (Courtesy of Boston.com)

BY JOSEPH STONE
STACHE WRITER

I have heard it said the the Mets mission statement over the last two years was to win Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. That they wanted to eradicate the memory of the loss and somehow change the course of history. I don’t think that’s quite true. I think that was something we the interactive fans and the professional writers inferred upon the team, that that particular game was somehow still winnable.

The Mets, in a wise move, just stuck with the core of a team over the next three years that was thisclose to the World Series in 2006, and are just now feeling the fallout from a long barren run at post-season success. After the outcome of the 2006 season, obviously the Mets, as an organization, felt that essentially standing pat with a team that was so close to the promised land was the right choice, hence the Alou signing as a stopgap to shore up RBI production and keep the train rolling.

Management felt that the veteran presence would assist, and not even a beat would be missed on the march back to October. They were absolutely correct. The 2007 season was going along according to script until…no need for specifics in rehashing at this point, we are all well versed. The team that had steamrolled along all year hit the wall and blew up. It happens. Only once in a blue moon, but strange things can happen in baseball. Ask the Cubs, or the Phillies.

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Carlos is praying to the Injury Gods that he can come back soon, but is it worth it?

BY ZACHARY SCHULMAN
STACHE WRITER

With the recent news that Carlos Beltran wants to come back earlier than expected and play through pain, it may not be the best idea. I think I am in the minority that I don’t was Beltran rushing back and potentially jeopardizing the rest of his Mets career. In recent reports, it has been said that if Beltran rushes back to play this year, then he might miss the entire 2010 season. After seeing how injuries have ravaged the team this year, I’d rather have a healthy Beltran for the longer term.

Beltran’s replacement, Angel Pagan, has been a spark plug for the recently resurgent Mets. Capped by tonight’s game winning Grand Slam, Pagan has shown that he belongs. He fits the Mets perfectly. He has some pop in his bat, speed, and plays very good defense. As I have written before, these are all qualities the Mets need to have playing in the spacious Citi Field.

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Jose Reyes needs to shut it down and worry about 2010 (Courtesy of All Posters.com)

BY MATTHEW FALKENBURY
ASSISTANT EDITOR

Just another day in the Jose Reyes return from injury saga has come and gone, and the news has been less then positive, once again.

After planning to run the bases down in Port St. Lucie, Jose Reyes seemed to have, as Omar Minaya put it, one of his bad days. Omar didn’t seemed all that concerned as he explained that Reyes will have two good days and then will have one bad day.

It seems pretty easy to understand that one bad day when coming back from injury is one day too many, especially for Jose Reyes, whose legs are the reason he has become the player he is today.

In my opinion, at this point, the Mets have to make a move that will save a young player from have these frustrating starts and stops and look towards 2010 and beyond. Its time for the Mets to tell Jose to have a seat and pack it in until the off-season and get ready for next year.

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The Mets need to make a splash and bring in this guy (Courtesy of MopUpDuty.com)

BY JOSEPH STONE
STACHE WRITER

Baseball’s version of Christmas Eve, July 31st, is almost upon us. This is the final day during the season a team can make a trade without having to clear waivers with the players. Many moves have already been made, with more to come throughout the league. The Mets, still tentative on which side of the ledger they should be on, need to decide quickly.

A New York team, in all honesty, should NBS, Never Be Sellin’. This is the largest market in America. Finances should never be considered a detriment, due to all the revenue streams, and waving a white flag mid-season would have dire consequences with the fanbase. The Mets need to pick up one more impact type player, a pitcher or fielder.

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Brian Schneider is one of several guys who could be heading out the door. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

The Mets have certainly had their fair share of mishaps this season, and there are many things that it can be blamed on. The most popular reason for the Mets’ struggles seems to be the injury bug. With guys like Reyes, Delgado, Beltran, Perez, Maine and Putz all missing extended time, the Mets are having trouble competing, and they sit 10 games behind the first place Phillies.

It is time to accept reality. This year just isn’t going to be our year. We would be better off looking ahead to free agency to make some infield additions to prepare for the 2010 season. But first, let’s take a look at who will be coming off of the books at season’s end.
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Francisco Rodriguez has probably been the brightest spot for the Mets so far in 2009. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Through the first half of the season, the Mets currently have a 42-45 record and stand in fourth place in the NL East. Although that sounds terrible at first mention, it really isn’t all that bad. The Mets are just 6.5 games out of first place, and the break couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Mets have been struggling, and obviously injuries have played a large role in the turmoil. With Beltran, Reyes, Delgado, Perez, Maine, Putz and more all out for extended periods of time, the Mets have been lucky to even stay afloat as they have done.

You can thank guys like Gary Sheffield for keeping the Mets in the hunt, and they can use the break to help themselves heal a bit. But in this post, I am going to evaluate players who have been given an extended look thus far this season. Without further adieu, here we go.

Catcher- Brian Schneider
Grade- C+
Explanation: Brian Schneider has been a bit of a surprise with the bat thus far this season, and he has provided some unexpected power. He is really a run-of-the-mill catcher who I have learned not to expect much out of, although he provides solid defensive stability. I can’t expect much more than we have seen so far this season.

Catcher- Omir Santos
Grade- B-
Explanation: Omir Santos burst on to the scene with the Mets after being a career minor leaguer. He started the season by getting big hit after big hit, and he even hit a game-winning homer off of Jonathon Paplebon in Boston. It doesn’t get much better than that. Prior to yesterday’s game, Santos has been fizzling, and he has a rather pedestrian .264 batting average. If he added some patience to his approach, he would be much better off.

First Base- Daniel Murphy
Grade- C+
Explanation: Daniel has been an interesting case thus far this season. Teams have obviously figured out that he is vulnerable inside, and they have started to exploit that. Murphy is now at the stage in which he is trying to figure out how to combat the new attack. He is played better than expected at first base, and he seems to be coming out of his funk.

First Base- Fernando Tatis
Grade- D-
Explanation: Tatis has been downright atrocious this year, and for some reason, he is still in the good graces of manager Jerry Manuel. He grounds into too many double plays and his swing is way longer than it was in his comeback year last season. His defense has been average, and the Mets would be better off just using him primarily as a pinch hitter. It took a lot for me to not give him an F here.

Second Base- Luis Castillo
Grade- B+
Explanation: Whether we like him or not, Luis Castillo has been one of the true constants from this team from the very beginning this season. Going into today’s game, Castillo had a .278 average, and he is really playing well at Citi Field. He has played an above average second base, and he has an excellent on base percentage. Why he isn’t batting lead off every day is beyond me, but he has definitely surpassed expectations.

Shortstop- Alex Cora
Grade- C+
Explanation: I know a lot of people are going to be on me for being rough on Cora, but I feel like he has gotten a bit of a free ride from the critics in Mets’ land. Well, allow me to be the first one to take a stance. Cora may be an excellent leader and he may make one hell of a manager one day, but his .240 average doesn’t exactly have starting shortstop written all over it. I admire the fact that he is playing with a screwed up finger, but he is not helping the team with his 0-for-4 games and his limited range.

Third Base- David Wright
Grade- B+
Explanation: Nobody on the Mets has had a weirder season than David Wright. The homers are just not there, and the RBI numbers are decent, but yet Wright still manages to have a .323 batting average. He is heading to St. Louis to play in the All Star Game, and it would really serve him well to work on his swing. He already has scored 55 runs, and he has proven that he is the most productive Met. If he can add some more consistency in the power department, he will be the real deal. He needs to take that step though.

Left Field- Gary Sheffield
Grade- A-
Explanation: This is a guy who has surpassed all of the expectations. To be honest, I didn’t give him much of a chance to make the team in the Spring. The Mets took a flier on him at $400 K after the Tigers got sick of his attitude and inconsistency, but all he has done since arriving is hit and be a model citizen. One example is after he hit his 500th homer. He had an engraved bat delivered to each of his teammates. He has been nothing short of a class act, and the Mets are lucky to have him right now.

Center Field- Jeremy Reed
Grade- B-
Explanation: Reed has been as good as we could’ve hoped for a replacement player, and due to the injury to Beltran, he and Angel Pagan have been asked to take a bigger role in center field. His bat can be a bit inconsistent, but his glove is stellar. I think Angel Pagan is better for the everyday role, but Reed has proven to be a valuable bench asset.

Starting Pitcher- Johan Santana
Grade- A-
Explanation: Santana has once again been the bearer of bad luck. His record currently stands at 10-7 after yesterday’s seven shutout innings, but the team fails to step it up when he is pitching. Whether it is defense or lack of run support, the troops always seem to be more anxious when he pitches, and that leads to lapses in judgment. I don’t think he has been bad, but he can certainly pitch better. We know he is capable of being the best pitcher in baseball. We just need him to take that step.

Starting Pitcher- Mike Pelfrey
Grade- B-
Explanation: Pelfrey has done well to earn himself a 7-4 record, but his ERA wouldn’t indicate that he has been that good. He is sporting a 4.47 ERA, and he needs to work on the middle innings. Today, it was another fifth inning that did him in. After throwing four scoreless while letting up just two hits, Pelfrey balked (literally) and allowed three runs to score. We need the consistency to carry through an entire start. He seems to hit a wall when we think he is good to go.

Starting Pitcher- Livan Hernandez
Grade- C+
Explanation: It seems like Livan has been held winless since the first Bush was President, and now the Mets might be looking at the real guy they picked up off of the scrap heap in the off season. Livan became the first pitcher in quite some time to allow three runs or more in the first inning for three consecutive starts leading up to the break. That is really not something to be proud of. He is relying on that get-me-over fastball early in the count, and hitters are jumping on it. He has to mix it up more if he wants to be successful.

Starting Pitcher- Fernando Nieve
Grade- C
Explanation: I am kind of indifferent on the Nieve front. We have already gotten more than what was expected out of him. He was the first half’s Cinderella story, but the clock is soon going to strike 12 for him. Jonathon Niese is lighting it up at Triple A, and there is no reason for Niese to sit down there while Nieve is faltering. If Nieve wants to stay, he needs to get his act together…quick.

Bullpen- Other than Closer
Grade- B-
Explanation: There have been some bright spots in the bullpen that were not expected. Bobby Parnell came out of the gate like a bat out of hell and he was pitching lights out before he hit a rough patch. It seems like he is coming back to life, and the Mets can really use his firepower in the second half. Pedro Feliciano continues to be the best lefty specialist in all of baseball, and Sean Green has been very good after a rough start. Pat Misch has even been good in mop up spots, and the Mets need to get Putz back to really get the bullpen at full strength.

Closer- Francisco Rodriguez
Grade- A
Explanation: K-Rod has exceeded expectations, and he is proving that last season was no fluke. He is dominant, although he likes to give fans a heart attack before he eventually completes a save. I love how he is fearless when it comes to certain pitches on certain counts. Sure, he has blown a couple of saves, but overall, Mets’ fans should be ecstatic that this guy will be a Met through 2011.