Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Alex Cora

Thoughts on Cora’s Remarks

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Former Mets 2b Alex Cora had this to say on XM Radio with Jim Bowden: Alex Cora told us that if they are building for 2013 or 2014…they should just come out and say it and then do it. I realize Cora was a respected voice in the Mets locker room and I am one […]

Pelfrey & Hughes Best “Value” in New York

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

With the advent of advanced metrics easily available to the layman you can have some fun with numbers from time to time. Although I have been critical of the stat WAR (Wins Above Replacement) when evaluating a players true value on the field, I do believe it can help give you a sense of the […]

Cleaning Up the Mets Bench

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Yesterday I mentioned what a nice job Omar Minaya has done creating a bullpen with some under the radar value this offseason. On the flip side, the Mets bench has never been a strength during Minaya’s regime. The weakest link of the 2006 team, in my opinion, was the bench as an over the hill […]

Opening Day Observations

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

I spent this Opening Day (yes, always capitalized, in honor of the national holiday it should be) at home with my wife and brand-new daughter. Seven-day-old Mirabelle was dressed in a David Wright shirt, which turned out to be a far better choice than the Mike Jacobs alternative. Anyhow, here are some preliminary observations, keeping […]

Alex Cora Out to Prove You Wrong

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Alex Cora might be the most debated backup infielder that ever has donned a big league uniform. All winter we heard the media, fans, and blogosphere complain about the 2 year contract Omar Minaya gave Cora. Most point out how the Mets could have signed someone like Felipe Lopez for half the price, but Alex […]

Ruben Gotay To The Rescue!

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Okay, so maybe not to the rescue, but Derrick Goold reports that the Cardinals are set to cut Ruben Gotay. I think the Mets would be wise to pick him up. I’d like to short-circuit the conversation that follows, or more to the point, redirect it in a more useful way. I’ve advocated for some […]

Tejada’s Value: Castillo’s Replacement

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

When Ruben Tejada’s name comes up it usually is as a short term replacement for Jose Reyes. By all accounts his defense has been impressive this spring, but there have been reservations about the bat. A career .272 hitting in the minor leagues, the 20 year old is hitting .368 this spring. Grapefruit League numbers […]

Mets Looking at Cristian Guzman

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Rich Coutinho of ESPN reported about five minutes ago the Mets may be looking to Cristian Guzman as a replacement for Jose Reyes. This could be a signal that Reyes will be out more towards the eight weeks than the two. Guzman is a slight improvement offensively over Cora and Tejada, but isn’t much better […]

What Happened to Anderson Hernandez?

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Jon Heyman reported a few days ago that many still believe Ike Davis and Ruben Tejada will start the season in AAA Buffalo. This just days after many speculated that Tejada will replace Jose Reyes at shortstop until he returns from the overactive thyroid. I wrote about how Russ Adams might be a good choice […]

Mets Can Look to Future After Reyes

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Obviously the hope for Mets shortstop Jose Reyes is his thyroid condition is controlled, injuries stay away and he again becomes the dominant player he is capable of. Alex Cora can certainly fill in for a few weeks, but the Mets, in a future without Reyes, have three players who someday could be a major-league […]