Archive for the ‘Duaner Sanchez’ Category

FRANK GRAY
STACHE WRITER

It is no mystery that the New York Mets are trying to avoid a repeat of seasons past. It also is not a surprise to say that they are an average team at this juncture of the season. The Mets have a difficult June schedule that still includes games with, in no particular order, the Yankees, Twins, Tigers, Marlins, Phillies and more.

This is a crucial stretch they are about to enter. Keeping this in mind, it is important to be honest when assessing where they are right now and where they may be when the trade deadline begins to loom in July. Today June 3rd, 2010, the New York Mets stand at 27-27. They are exactly at .500 and tied for third in their own division.

They are a far cry from being a contender, but also in no means are they so far behind anyone that they can’t make a run toward the playoffs. To do that, however, it will take something that Mets GM Omar Minaya has never done before. He must make a substantial midseason transaction. He has not been known for the big splash moves in the middle of the season.
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BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

The Mets went through a busy off-season in terms of potential people they were going to land, and they made some moves that nobody expected. We went through the whole Manny Ramirez fiasco, and there were some tough critics who had some harsh words to say about Omar Minaya. In this evaluation, I intend to set the record straight.

1) Mets Sign Francisco Rodriguez
The decision that Omar Minaya made to sign Francisco Rodriguez was a no brainer. K-Rod, coming off of a career year, was the best closer on the market; just a year after the Mets blew more than 20 save chances. Having K-Rod in the ninth inning essentially makes it an eight-inning game, which would’ve made one heck of a difference last season.

2) Mets Trade For J.J. Putz and Sean Green
This was a move that nobody saw coming. Putz has been one of the most underappreciated closers in baseball for the last few seasons, and he serves as some nice protection should anything happen to Francisco Rodriguez. Putz looks at it as if he is closing the eighth inning, which is a nice way to put it. I don’t expect him to be jealous of Rodriguez, and his positive attitude should reflect well on the youngsters in the clubhouse.

3) Mets do not make an offer to Manny Ramirez
As much as the idea of having one of the best hitters in the game in our lineup was intriguing, I truly believe Minaya made the right decision by not pursuing Manny. We watched what he did in Boston. He single-handedly ruined the continuity of that team, and the only reason that he really behaved in Los Angeles is because he was showcasing himself for his next contract. I think Manny is selfish, and his impact on a guy like Jose Reyes may have been catastrophic.

4) Mets Sign Tim Redding and Freddy Garcia
I disliked these signings from the very beginning. I am not at all surprised to see that both of these guys look like they are pitching batting practice in the spring. Redding has been shut down indefinitely, and the Mets are probably close to cutting Garcia to avoid the potential incentives he could earn if he ever made it up to the big club. This was a low-risk, high-reward potential signing by Minaya, but I think the Mets would have been better off by investing some confidence in the youngster Jon Niese, who will probably be the team’s number five starter come July.

5) Mets Trade Scott Schoenweis for Connor Robertson
Honestly, there weren’t many people who were disliked more in New York last season than Scott Schoenweis. He wasn’t terrible as a Met, but he was certainly prone to giving up the big hit in the crucial time. The Mets could have dealt him for a bag of baseballs. This was a move that was clearly an example of addition by subtraction, although the Mets do find themselves looking for a second lefty out of the bullpen.

6) Mets Do Not Attempt to Re-Sign Pedro Martinez
This is definitely the right decision. Pedro is seeking an insane amount of money after he was a complete snub during his first tenure with the Mets. He was injured more than he played, but his value with the Mets wasn’t in his performance. Big name free agents came to the Mets after Pedro led the way. Beltran and Delgado were examples, and eventually, Santana ended up in Queens as well. The Pedro Martinez era in New York is finished, and the Mets are better off moving on.

7) Mets Do Not Sign Orlando Hudson
This is one move in which I strongly disagreed with. I don’t like the rationale. First of all, Luis Castillo has something to prove. He showed up in shape and wants to prove everyone wrong. Where the heck was he last season? Did he take the year off? The Mets would’ve been better off with putting Ramon Castro at second base with the way Castillo swung the bat. Orlando Hudson is a proven leader and .300 hitter. He also has pop and is someone who is a great influence in the clubhouse. The deal that the Dodgers signed him to may have been the steal of the off-season.

8) Mets do not sign Ivan Rodriguez
I definitely wanted Pudge. There is no secret there. But, I think he was playing the Mets the whole time to use them as leverage against Houston and it worked. Rodriguez looked like a shell of his former self after the Yankees acquired him for Kyle Farnsworth last summer. Initially, I was upset that he signed for so cheap, but he wouldn’t have been any better than Castro. This was a good no-move by Minaya.

9) Mets Release Duaner Sanchez
I was a little upset by this move, because it was more about saving the money than it was about giving Duaner a fair chance. My prediction is as follows. Duaner Sanchez will be a very good setup man in San Diego. Doesn’t that happen with all of the guys that the Mets have given up on? Remember Heath Bell? Remember Matt Lindstrom? I would love to have Lindstrom and his fireball on our team, but instead, he is pitching for the division rival Marlins. This was a bad move by Minaya and company.

10) Mets Retain Jerry Manuel
This was key to let all the dominos fall into place. Manuel took over the reins last season and immediately, this team responded. Jose Reyes was one example of a guy who had to be taught a lesson, and Manuel did it in “gangsta” fashion. Carlos Delgado was also a different player for Manuel, and he even became a potential MVP candidate with the second half numbers that he put up. The key to a team’s success is being comfortable with their manager, and that is definitely something that this team has with Jerry Manuel. We will have to wait and see how the other moves pan out in 2009.

BY ADAM KRAMER
STACHE WRITER

The Mets cut ties with Duaner Sanchez yesterday, marking the end of what could only be described as a wild ride for the righty reliever.

In 2006, the Mets got Sanchez from the Dodgers and immediately felt they had caught lightning in a bottle. He served as the primary setup man for Billy Wagner and showed true flashes of brilliance while posting a 2.60 ERA in nearly 59 innings pitched. On July 30th of that year however, Duaner injured his throwing shoulder in the now infamous taxicab accident down in Florida, ending his 2006 season in a flash.

From then on out his career with the Mets was never the same.

Although he returned to spring training in ’07, he soon went down with a right shoulder injury and missed the entire season. His well-documented battles with his weight and his velocity forced many to question the character of this once bright looking star.

In 2008, Duaner returned and pitched ample innings for the Mets in what could only be described as a below average season out of the pen. His velocity was once again down and his ERA hovered near five. While Sanchez was among a group of collapse culprits, fans still felt a soft spot with the hopes that he could still eventually return to his ’06 form.

The Mets’ brash had apparently seen enough this spring however (in only one spring outing) and cut Sanchez, ending his tender with the Mets. In doing so, they save more than a million dollars and end many fans’ dreams of seeing the old Duaner yet again.

It’s sad to think that bad timing led to the demise of Duaner Sanchez. A different cab? A different time? It’s a story we see in sports all too much, yet for Mets’ fans Duaner’s story hits so close to home. And now, the only memories that will remain of Sanchez is Oliver Perez – the throw-in, turned potential two-starter, the Mets received when trading for reliever Roberto Hernandez.

Wherever Duaner ends up, I will certainly be watching, as I imagine many other fans will be as well. You can only root for him to succeed and hope that his high 80′s fastball jumps back up into the mid-90′s. Unfortunately, I just don’t see it happening.

While Sanchez helped the Mets almost win a pennant in 2006, you can only help but wonder what could have been.

Fare well Duaner.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

The Mets decided today that enough is enough with Duaner Sanchez. Sanchez, who was acquired back in 2006, has been dealing with shoulder issues ever since a freak taxicab accident in his inaugural season with the Mets. People in the organization dreamed that he would return to his pre-accident form, but that was never to be, and the Mets decided that they had better options in camp, and frankly, I agree with them.

I admit it. I was one of the people that held out hope that Sanchez would turn into the stud that we saw in the first half of 2006. But, he is just too damaged. The Mets are better off giving a youngster a shot. Bobby Parnell is the first guy that comes to mind, and Darren O’ Day and Rocky Cherry are having solid springs as well. I figure that it won’t be long until Duaner latches on with another team, and I will root for him to be successful, as long as his jersey doesn’t say Yankees, Braves, Phillies or Dodgers.

Best of luck Dirty Sanchez.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Duaner Sanchez is a man who is at a crossroads in his career. Just a couple of years ago, we were all raving about the trade that acquired Sanchez and Steve Schmoll from the Dodgers for Jae Wong Seo. Now, he is at the brink of being cut by the team that acquired him. Should the Mets cut Duaner loose? I think not.

Dan Warthen needs to make Sanchez his new project. The Mets bullpen already includes K-Rod, Putz, Feliciano, and Sean Green. The addition of Sanchez would be a nice change-of-pace move. Sanchez, when on, has a very nice changeup that he likes to use on all counts. But, for that pitch to be effective, he needs to be throwing a good fastball, which thus far this spring, he has not.

Duaner has to get into a regimen that builds strength in his arm and shoulder. He also needs to cut back on the big leg kick, and then he may be able to use more force to drive the ball towards home plate.

Duaner needs to figure it out soon, or he will be an ex-Met.

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

When Marlon Anderson came to the Mets in 2005, no one really knew what to expect out of him. Here we had this 31-year old guy that had never hit more than 11 homers in a season. What was intriguing was his 2001 season, in which in addition to the 11 homers, he drove in 61 RBI and batted .293. That was in 522 at bats. There was no way he was going to figure into our plans that much. We needed him to be a solid part time player.

Anderson was solid in 2005, although he wasn’t too good in the clutch. In fact, with runners on, he only batted .241, but if he led off the inning or no one was on base at the time of appearance, he hit a much better .277 clip. The most impressive stat is the one with the bases loaded, in which he hit .286.

In 2006, Anderson landed a spot with the Washington Nationals. A lot of Mets fans were furious that management would not give him a two-year contract, but Washington was willing to make the commitment. Marlon had a nice season for the nationals, batting .274. Once again, his batting average thrived with the bases empty, but he struggled in pressure situations, batting only .243 with runners in scoring position.

In 2007, Marlon ended up with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a rough go of it for Marlon in his first 26 at bats, as he hit just .231, and the Dodgers gave up on him. But there loss was the Mets’ gain, and Marlon resurrected his season by hitting .319 after the Mets picked him up for his second tour of duty with the club. His performance in 2007 was amazing. He not only hit .394 with runners in scoring position, but he also hit .438 with runners in scoring position with two outs. That earned him a two year contract from the Mets in the off season, which is something he definitely deserved.

But what happened in 2008? This was by far the worst we have ever seen Marlon look. He hit a rather pedestrian .265 with the bases empty, but his .127 average with runners on base clearly tells the story. In 2008, he was an automatic out, and he was not someone that opposing pitchers were intimidated by.

Now, going into the 2009 season, the following players are a lock for the Mets’ 25-man roster. Wright, Beltran, Reyes, Delgado, Schneider, Castro, Cora, Castillo, Church, Tatis, Murphy, Santana, Maine, Pelfrey, Rodriguez, Putz, Green, Stokes, Feliciano, Sanchez. Now, if you count whoever is going to be the 5th starter, probably Tim Redding, and the one more pitcher the Mets need to add, that leaves three spots. The guys competing for those spots are Marlon Anderson, Rob Mackowiak, Cory Sullivan, Bobby Kielty, Angel Pagan, Nick Evans and Jeremy Reed.

Right now, I would say Anderson, Reed and Evans are likely additions. Do you think Marlon should stay?

BY MIKE BARRETT
STACHE WRITER

K-Rod and Putz could mean big things for Duaner Sanchez

With the signing of K-Rod and the acquisition of J.J. Putz, the Mets posses perhaps the best setup-closer duo in the national League. That being said, it could be Duaner Sanchez who benefits from this bullpen overhaul. Last year, Duaner put up respectable numbers in the win loss column, but a 4.32 ERA and his inability to be the bridge to Billy Wagner or an effective closer when called upon vastly overshadowed that.

Now, I know just as well as anyone that Duaner hasn’t been the same since his car accident and maybe the Mets should have explored fixing the bullpen before the ’08 season instead of relying on Duaner to be what he was, but this could be a big season for Sanchez. He will likely be the 7th inning man for the bullpen and the pressure and expectations of being the bridge to the closer in the eighth inning will be gone.

He is however, one of the few remaining faces in a bullpen that has failed to produce and come through when it mattered most for the Mets the past two seasons. Yet, I have faith in Duaner and so should Met fans because Sanchez and the Mets bullpen has nowhere to go but up.

Imagine if Duaner puts up the numbers he did in the first four months of ’06, where he posted a 2.60 era and a 5-1 record. The Mets could easily be forcing their opponents to play a 6-inning game. And with a rotation that is still very much in the air, that could be the Mets best chance at taking back the NL East from the Phillies.