Archive for the ‘Bobby Abreu’ Category

I don't know why we lose to Boston but it won't happen anymore!

BY ANTHONY LAFAMAN
STACHE WRITER

Welcome to the playoffs folks. To keep our minds off the 2009 MESS season Ganci dispatched his fearless writers to cover the playoffs for the Stache. I got Angels/Red Sox. A very entertaining series, between the ambiance of the Green Monster to the frenetic offense of the Angels this promises to be a very good, compettive series.

First, let’s get history out of the way. In short, the Red Sox own the Angels. Since winning the World Series in 2002 the Angels have played the Sox three times in the post season and lost all three series. And I mean lost. Like got manhandled. They only won one game out of ten. Those are some solid numbers to chew on but this year’s team is certainly different than any of those teams. Namely the Angels offense. Ranked 2nd in the bigs in runs scored and beat the Sox 5-4 in the regular sets. In which they scored 47 times in 9 games so there is some positive signs for the Angels.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

When you look at the 2009 Mets, not much glares out at you in terms of being a better team than last season. The Mets had some problems to address, and they addressed them to an extent. In this article, I plan to take a look into the Mets’ grades by position.

C Brian Schneider and Ramon Castro- D

Schneider was brought to the Mets for his defense, and while he did make some stellar picks, his caught stealing percentage was very disappointing. Pitchers succeeded much more when Ramon Castro was behind the plate, therefore defeating the purpose of his acquisition. Castro’s problem is that he can’t seem to elude the injury bug. The Mets don’t think he will last for a full season, and they have been willing to accept an offer for Shrek. I think they would be wise to either keep him or bring about Ivan Rodriguez on a minor league deal and give him a shot.

1B Carlos Delgado- B

Delgado had an MVP-like second half last season. He was the Delgado of old, and I almost wanted to put a Blue Jays helmet on him to see if he would repeat his MVP season. For a guy that people were calling for the release of in May, he certainly earned a spot on the 2009 squad, although it will most likely be his last season wearing the orange and blue.

2B Luis Castillo- D+

Like many Mets fans, I have always been a big fan of Orlando Hudson, and the idea of him hitting behind Jose Reyes in the two hole is music to my ears, but Luis Castillo is preventing that from happening. The Mets gave the old yeller a four year contract, and they are paying for it. Hudson had made it known that he would like to come to the Mets, but it looks like he is going to be making his home out West instead. Castillo is certainly going to have the microscope focused on him this season.

3B David Wright- A

There is no arguing that Wright is already one of the best third basemen in baseball. I have some issue with the fact that he has won two straight gold glove awards, but he is a stellar player none the less. The scary thing is that he hasn’t yet hit his ceiling. If he focuses more on routine ground balls and levels out his swing, David has the potential to be a .330 35 homers 125 RBI guy every season. That is the kind of guy that he is capable of being.

SS Jose Reyes- A

A lot of people give Reyes problems because he is over exuberant with his chants and escapades in the dugout. All I can say to that is wait until you see what K-Rod is like. Reyes provides decent power with extra base ability to go along with above average defense. Combine that with his stellar speed, and you have one of the most exciting players in the game. There are very few players I would trade him for. The only two I can think of off the top of my head are Hanley Ramirez or Albert Pujols.

LF Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis- B-

Although I found myself aboard the Manny train for a while, his antics really may not be worth it. All the time, I believed that Manny was going to either end up with the Dodgers or the Giants. He was made for California. And Dodgers fans could certainly put up with him for the six innings that they stay for. Murphy showed some real promise at the plate last season, and Tatis will be a solid compliment against lefties. Don’t forget. Nick Evans will be waiting in the wings if Tatis struggles.

CF Carlos Beltran- A

When you think bad thoughts that go along with Beltran’s name, what comes into your mind? Yeah? Me too. It’s Adam Wainwright’s curveball that froze him in game seven of the 2006 NLCS. Beltran has been one of the most consistent Mets since his arrival. Although his average won’t blow you away, he hits for power and knows how to drive in runs in the middle of the order. He also may quietly be the best center fielder in the game, and he knows how to gun it with the best of them. My nickname for Mr. Milk Dud is Mr. Consistent. He is the opposite of a box of chocolates. You always know what you are going to get.

RF Ryan Church- C+

Who knows what we are going to get out of Ryan? I don’t even think he knows. You read all of these stories about how he’s motivated and about how he is going to prove Mike Francesca wrong, but how do we know that? He plays a solid defense and is an above average hitter, but one bump in the head and it could all go downhill from there. I have a scenario in my head that has Church being injured and Tatis and Valentin splitting Right Field every day. Does that sound better than Bobby Abreu? I don’t think so. I think this position is going to come back to haunt us.

SP Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Perez, Garcia- B

The Mets addressed their issues with the rotation this off season, but they did so with some question marks. You see John Maine saying that he is pain free. But we need to wait a few weeks and see how he feels then. Will he be a guy that can throw 200 plus innings? I am just not so sure. Garcia is another one who needs to prove himself to me. If he is the Garcia of old, the Mets will have got themselves the steal of the offseason. Oliver Perez is streaky, but I trust him, and Pelfrey and Santana are the top two at the rotation. Big Pelf just needs to stay away from mouthpieces and Rick Peterson.

RP- K-Rod, Putz, Green, Sanchez, Stokes, Feliciano, Redding- A-

I think Omar exceeded expectations by nabbing both K-Rod and Putz, but he has let the Mets down by not getting that second lefty for the pen. What are the Mets going to do when they face the Phillies down the stretch? Are Howard, Jenkins, Utley, Ibanez, Rollins and Victorino going to face a right handed pitcher? I sure hope not. This bullpen is going to be a huge factor over whether or not this team is successful.

Overall- B

I think the Mets are a good team, but the Phillies are better. When push comes to shove, I think the Mets will contend for the wild card, but we may be looking at a third straight season of playoffless baseball for the New York Mets.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Well, another free agent seems to be coming off of the market, and it was one who would’ve fit perfectly into the Mets’ lineup. Bobby Abreu is close to signing a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, according to multiple sources. The deal is reportedly worth $5 million plus incentives. That is an unbelievable bargain for a guy who has been a consistent 20 homer, 100 RBI guy over his career.

This further evidences the fact that the Mets are finished on the free agent front, at least when it comes to big signings. I wouldn’t rule out a potential lefty for the bullpen, but I think the Mets are truely content with what they’ve got. Unlike other people, I think the bullpen is set. The only way this team is going to give their relievers confidence against left handed bats is to throw them out there against the lefties.

I love Daniel Murphy, so it looks like he is really going to get his chance to shine. I am not going to give him the Tony Gwynn accolades just yet, but I like his approach. Hopefully, Murphy is going to prove to us all that signing Abreu would’ve been a mistake.

We will have to wait and see.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Foxsports.com’s Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Mets may be closing in on a deal with lefty starter Oliver Perez. The market for Ollie has been quiet, and it looks like the Mets are going to be the winners of this waiiting game. Details of the potential agreement have not been disclosed, but it looks like a three year deal, with a fourth year vesting option included.

Maybe this is a sign that the Boras xcoming to New York rumors were true. Now the question on everyone’s minds is this. Did they talk about Manny? It wouldn’t seem likely, because someone would have picked something up about it by now. If this Rosenthal report does happen to come to fruition, then the Mets are all set with starting pitching, and then it will be time to focus on offense.

Noone knows what the Mets are willing to do. Are they going to stand pat? Are they going to go all out and make a play for Manny Ramirez? Or will they sign a guy like Bobby Abreu or Adam Dunn? I don’t know, but the rumor mill should be hot for weeks to come.

The Wilpons should realize that it is time to open their wallets.