Archive for the ‘Jose Valentin’ Category

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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Valentin provided a spark for the Mets in 2006 during their playoff run.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

The Mets ended a minor era in New York today. Jose Valentin was given his outright release after refusing to head down to Triple A to play at Buffalo. This could mark the end to a career for someone who was definitely underrated in the public eye.With over 1,300 hits and 800 RBI, Valentin was definitely a player who got a second life when he came to the Mets. When they signed him, he was nothing more than an over-the-hill second basemen, but he proved to us that he still had something left in the tank.

Valentin was a key reason to why the Mets made the playoffs and to the NLCS in 2006. A guy who nobody thought would be important turned out to be a very important part of the team. He ended up batting .271 with 18 homers and 62 RBI, and while those numbers don’t necessarily jump off of the page, that is excellent for a second basemen.

Valentin had several big hits for the Mets, and one big hit was his mustache. They actually handed out fake mustaches to support him and Keith, although I still maintain that Keith was the original “stache”. Valentin was the guy that the Mets’ fans loved to root for. He was the Fernando Tatis of 2006, and he will be remembered as a good player, and sooner rather than later, he will make for an even better coach.

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

First of all, let me apologize for my lack of activity recently. I am nearly dead with the flu. Anyway, in Mets news, they have locked up the second best stache in Mets history to a minor league contract. Jose Valentin was re-signed by the club and he will have a chance to compete for a spot on the roster in spring training. He may be the player the Mets have been looking for to fill the final spot on the bench.

When I think of Valentin, the first memory in my head is a game a couple of years back when the Mets were playing the Reds. It was late in the game and Chris Hammond was the pitcher. Knowing that he would struggle if he batted righty, Valentin batted left hand, and he hit a home run off of the south paw. It was an interesting decision of Valentin to say the least, but it really payed off.

Recently, Valentin has been unable to stay on the field. He is going to be hungry to earn a spot, and could backup first base, third base and the outfield whenever needed. He would also be available at second, but Alex Cora was brought on to back up at that position. Valentin once hit 30 homers when he was a member of the Chicago White Sox back in 2004, but then he crashed in 2005. The Mets gave him a chance in 2006, and the stache batted .271 with 18 homers. Since then, Valentin has been battling to come back, and this could be his final chance.

Do you think he has a shot?