Despite his strong start to spring, Mejia should be in AA in April

BY AARON YORKE
STACHE WRITER

Yesterday afternoon we were blessed with another Mets spring training triumph, this time over the Florida Marlins by the score of 11-2. Two of the stars of the game were Chris Carter, who pinch hit in the 9th and ended up with 2 homers and 4 RBI, and Jenrry Mejia who pitched three scoreless innings and made every pitching-starved Mets fan salivate. Because everyone blows spring performances out of proportion, I’m afraid that the outstanding play of Carter and Mejia will cause management to think about putting one or both of them on the opening day roster. That would be ridiculous.

The problem with Chris Carter is that he doesn’t have a position. He’s been listed as an outfielder, a first baseman, and most prominently, a designated hitter. The Mets do play a handful of games in AL parks every year, so maybe that will come in handy. Or it would if the Mets didn’t already sign a left-handed power bat named Mike Jacobs who also can’t play defense to save his life. I’m confused as to why the Mets bothered to ask for Carter in the Wagner trade or acquire Jacobs off the scrap heap. They did promise to make Buffalo better, but then still they only need one of these guys unless the Mets think it’s worth it to carry a power bat on the bench who can’t do anything else.

Mejia is another story. He could eventually be a star, but ever since Daryl Strawberry compared him to Mariano Rivera, there’s been some discussion of making Mejia the eighth inning man to start the year. Frankly, any talk about Mejia starting in the majors is insane. He has less than 50 innings of experience at AA and he wasn’t even spectacular there. Sure, for a 20 year old he was great, and yeah, I bet in limited action he can even make a couple major leaguers look silly, but a bullpen role would just hinder the youngster’s development and the Mets already have some nice options for the bullpen. Even with Kelvim Escobar being injured, the Mets could move Fernando Nieve or Nelson Figueroa to the pen so as not to lose them on waivers, which is what would happen if they don’t make the 25 man roster in April.

So please, let’s not go crazy with Jenrry Mejia. Start him in AA, maybe move him to Buffalo if he is doing really well after a couple months. Maybe he makes a spot start on some lazy August afternoon in Flushing and riles everyone up. No need to make this situation more complicated than it is.

Whoever comes through these gates will be effective. I know it.

BY ANTHONY LAFAMAN
STACHE WRITER

Sorry it’s been so long. I have’t forgotten about my metsies. Business picked up all over the place and I just couldn’t write for a minute. Either way I’m back and pumped. My enthusiasm in the Spring is always off the charts but now it’s even greater because of the PECOTA ratings that were updated. Mets, 77-85. Bullocks I say. But that’s for another column on another day. For now I’ll keep my optimism to just one part of the team. The Bullpen.

That’s right, the worn down, beleaguered bullpen.

Now, you may ask yourself what I am so excited about. Well, I’m excited about really one guy. One guy I envision being a huge part of the pen is Hisanori Takahashi. I got a great feeling about this guy. Versatile. Experienced. Has tremendous control. Student of the game. He’s a guy that can come in during a rough 6th inning, or a tight spot in the 7th or the set up guy. Or spot close. I mean these are the guys you win games with. Not everyone can throw 98 mph and not everyone has a devastating change-up. For everyone else they have to rely on pitching perfect, every pitch. Takahashi is one of those guys who can come in, and just throw strikes.

Besides Takahashi I expect Parnell to pitch well, he had a baptism by fire late last year when they took a look at his starting prospects. I think he learned alot. I think after he defeats the mighty bout of Pink Eye that Frankie Rod (great porn name btw) will have a superb year. I’m talking dominant. I can see him reeling off a ton of saves in a row and having a high save total. Feliciano will continue to dominant lefties because there is no sign of him slowing down. It looks like Green is now a submariner. Which is interesting. What falls into place after that is some combination of Nieve/Igarashi/Figggy/Misch. Or any of the active roster guys. Gonna be a solid part of the team. I really believe that.

Where does Josh Thole fit in for 2010? (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY FRANK GRAY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

One week into spring training, and one thing is beginning to become apparent. The New York Mets are developing a log jam at several positions. First, the much unheralded, well documented off season sported multiple catcher signings. Most fans, by now, are well aware of the many catchers that the team signed and tried to sign.

They are all competing for probably only two spots on the major league roster. Omir Santos, Rod Barajas, Henry Blanco, Josh Thole, Chris Coste and Shawn Riggans constitute the current list. That’s six players, again, competing for probably only two spots. This is the definition of a log jam. They spent the money on Barajas, so he will be in the majors.

Blanco and Santos are the main competitors for the backup spot behind the plate. It doesn’t appear there will be three catchers, so from those two players, probably will emerge the backup, given injuries. Coste and Riggans will be only competing for what level of the minors they will be placed in.

Thole is the future, but he needs seasoning, so he will stay in the minors for another year. It’s an important decision between the other catchers as to who will understudy Thole and help groom him. Barajas will be the bridge for this franchise before Thole takes over regularly.

Then as the off season was winding down, the team created a slight problem again by stock piling outfielders. There are three starting spots and probably only two reserves. The leading names involved in that, are Jeff Francoeur, Jason Bay, Carlos Beltran, Angel Pagan, Gary Matthews Jr, Nick Evans and Fernando Martinez. There are a few others, but not anyone else with a realistic chance at making the majors. That's seven players for four or five spots.

It was rumored earlier in the week, that the Cincinnati Reds were interested possibly in a trade for Matthews, but they adamantly denied it. However, in just today's Mets radio broadcast, the announcers were still referring to it being a possibility. Do they know something that we do not?

When Beltran comes back, if Beltran comes back healthy, he will bump someone out of position.

It will not be Bay or Francoeur. It will be Pagan or Matthews. If Matthews gets traded for a pitcher, then it becomes clearer that Martinez may be the only odd man out. However, as the log jam occurs and Manuel is looking for a spark, a good spring could lead to a roster spot for Martinez over Pagan. Evans will probably need more time in the minors to work on his fielding. I do not expect him to be a factor this season. This is barring injuries.

They feel that last season helped Martinez to get a taste of the majors. In the following years, it will be a tremendous learning experience that he can look back to in order to draw from. Make no mistake about it, the franchise still sees him as a major league outfielder, just not this year, again, barring another injury.

Now, as spring training is unfolding, it would appear that the same scenario is occurring at first base. The players in the jam at first are Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, Fernando Tatis and Mike Jacobs. That's four players for probably two spots as well. Perhaps, one of those players will make the roster as a backup for another position, but don't expect that to be Murphy or Davis.

Many reports have also claimed Frank Catalanoto may be in the mix there somewhere because Jerry Manuel likes him. Catalanoto plays multiple positions, but at this stage of his career it is unknown just how much of a contribution he can provide off of the bench. Still, with last season still fresh in the collective minds of the franchise, a utility infielder who can play the outfield too, would put him at an advantage.

Tatis will be on the roster, probably as a backup for third but will play first primarily this year. Ike Davis has had a brilliant spring thus far. He has hit extremely well and has the baseball sense that comes with the pedigree from being the son of a former major league pitcher. He does, however need grooming. Expect him to be in the majors later this year, but not in the beginning.

For now, Murphy will probably win the starting job with Jacobs staying on the roster for a very important reason. He has more power. He has the type of power off of the bench that can be feared. They need that in the lineup, he is a great DH option for later in the season. He also can be an emergency backup catcher. That too is important. Keep in mind, given last season, the team has made it no secret that it is now going forward as if they are preparing for injuries.

This is the type of mentality that will hold a team back. Personally, I believe Jacobs would be a terrific asset to the lineup, but Murphy is one of Manuel's guys. He's not going anywhere. With all of this in mind, the Mets have a very bright future. The depth of talent is extraordinary.

They didn't have enough depth last season, but they did fix that this off season, which was a main goal. For that, we have to applaud Omar Minaya. The outlook next season, at this time, could include, Davis, Martinez, Evans and even Ruben Tejada in the lineup in Queens and being very productive along with Bay and Wright. Wouldn't that make the Mets amazing again?

After today's performance, I'm really excited to see more Takahashi

BY AARON YORKE
STACHE WRITER

I know it’s just a spring training game, but Hisanori Takahashi’s three inning, six strikeout performance versus Washington is getting me amped up about the 2010 Mets bullpen. Takahashi’s show-stealing performance reminded me of a USF/Georgetown basketball game back in February. The entire crowd in the Verizon Center had come to see Hoya studs Greg Monroe and Austin Freeman dominate the USF Bulls, but South Florida guard Dominique Jones insisted that he was the star of the show. Jones put up 29 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and handing out 4 assists, leading his school to an upset victory. As the outcome became inevitable he yelled into the crowd, “Y’all come to watch Dominique Jones play!”

Although I’m sure Takahashi didn’t express himself the same way, even with a translator, his actions today mimicked those of Jones against Georgetown. During a game that fans watched to see stars like David Wright, Jason Bay and maybe even Oliver Perez, Takahashi stole the show and looked like he deserved a spot on the Mets roster. I believe Jon Niese still has the best shot at the fifth starter position, but Takahashi’s excellent control and use of both a curveball and a change would make him a more than capable long man/second lefty.

I’m aware that I’m really jumping ahead here since we’ve seen only three innings of Takahashi, but even if you’re skeptical you should at least be intrigued. After all, spring training performance is the best we have to go on given how unreliable NPB numbers are at transferring to MLB (Kaz Matsui hit 30 homers a year in Japan!). So while we shouldn’t anoint Takahashi as the savior of the bullpen yet (fellow countryman Ryota Igrahashi is more apt for that title), the Japanese lefty is definitely worth paying attention to. The next time he’s scheduled to pitch, y’all should tune in and watch Hisanori Takahashi play.

Carlos Beltran has taken Angel Pagan under his wing this spring

BY AARON YORKE
STACHE WRITER

I’ve always thought team chemistry was overrated in baseball. Unlike football, basketball or hockey, which feature a bunch of players sharing the ball and moving at the same time, baseball is a game that is won or lost mostly by individual performances. A team does not need to communicate with each other to put together a multi-run rally. It could help to communicate, such as when a lead-off batter takes an extra pitch so the next guy up can see what he is dealing with, but such tactics are not necessary to have success. It’s the same deal on the other side of the ball, where the pitcher by himself has the biggest impact on how many runs the other team scores.

It’s for these reasons that I never really paid attention when the Mets’ failures of the last three seasons were blamed on a “bad clubhouse.” I figured even if everyone in the clubhouse hated each other, it wasn’t going to make the team hit more and strike out less. The tough part is that there’s no way to prove or quantify the effect of leadership or chemistry on winning games. It’s even tougher for those without clubhouse access to analyze.

However, when I read something like this piece on Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan, I get a happy feeling inside. It’s obviously really good to know that a stud like Beltran who is trying to get back to playing shape as soon as possible is taking time out of his routine to make career fourth outfielder Angel Pagan a better player. What I’d like to know is if this sort of thing happened in the past or if Beltran just started mentoring Pagan this year. What about players at other positions? I remember hearing about Johan Santana taking Oliver Perez under his wing last year, but nothing positive came of that. Maybe Perez wasn’t taking good enough notes.

Regardless of whether this is a recent development or not, I’m glad this sort of team building behavior is going on in the Mets’ clubhouse. Beltran has set a great example for the other players and he gives us fans hope that maybe, just maybe these guys can do something surprising this season. Even if Pagan doesn’t manage to improve his offense one bit, at least we have something to point to if “clubhouse issues” are ever brought up as a cause for Mets failures. We’re one step closer to blaming losses on actual hitting and pitching performance.

Howard Johnson greets former Mets' coach Cookie Rojas.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Sometimes, when a blogger looks up different things to write about, he or she uses an interesting method to get there. This morning, I took a look at one of my favorite Mets’ sites, the Ultimate Mets’ Database. It turns out that today is the 61st birthday of former Mets’ third base coach Cookie Rojas.

But what many people don’t know is that Rojas’ history in baseball goes much further back than his days as a coach with the Mets.

First of all, Cookie’s father was not a supporter of his decision to play baseball, and his father thought Cookie would be better suited as a doctor, but that wasn’t meant to be. Cookie debuted with the Cincinnati Reds as a second baseman in 1962, but his tenure there was very short.

He was dealt to the Phillies in the off season, and that is where he blossomed to become their starting second baseman.

Rojas was named to his first all star team in 1965, and during his tenure with the Phillies, Cookie played at least one game at all nine positions in the field, including pitcher and catcher. Many people thought Cookie’s career was going to fizzle out in 1970, which is when he was dealt to the Kansas City Royals. In fact, in April of 1970, a report surfaced that Cookie was in a car accident and was in critical condition, but that turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

After he considered retiring, Rojas went on to compete in four straight all star games from 1971-74. In 1972, Rojas become the first non-American player to ever hit a home run in the all star game for the American League. In 1976, Rojas lost his starting job, and then his career quietly faded out.

Another thing many people don’t realize is that Cookie served time as the Manager for two major league teams. In 1988, Rojas managed the Angels to a fourth place finish before he was eventually replaced, and in 1996, Rojas was the manager of the Florida Marlins for one game after manager Rene Lachemann was fired.

My favorite Mets’ moment for Cookie when he was the third base coach was during the playoffs in 1999, which is when he was suspended five games for getting into a shoving match with umpire Charlie Williams over a foul ball call.

Overall, Cookie hit .263 with 1,660 hits in career. I would say that would qualify him as being an above average player.

What is he doing right now? Rojas is currently the Spanish Television Announcer for the Florida Marlins.