Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Josh Thole

Growing Up Together

Sunday, April 8th, 2012

When I looked at the Mets lineup yesterday afternoon against the Braves, I swore I saw it before. Indeed I did, as it was a version that has played together in Binghamton and Buffalo. Some have donned the uniform of the Brooklyn Cyclones and St. Lucie Mets. In total, 7 of 8 starters came up […]

Mets Have Plenty to Be Positive About This Spring

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

It is common knowledge among the electorate the 2012 New Mets aren’t going to be that good. Without a deep starting pitching staff and not even a true ace, Mets GM Sandy Alderson has attempted to follow the lead of the Arizona Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers by building up a solid bullpen to improve their […]

Who Should Backup Josh Thole?

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

It came as no surprise that Andy Martino of the Daily News reported the Mets unhappiness with catcher Ronny Paulino. According to Martino, “the team did not view him as a diligent worker, adequate defensive catcher, or offensive force off the bench.” He also shared a story where Paulino annoyed Terry Collins with a near act of insubordination. […]

Getting to Know Josh Thole

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Full Name – Joshua Michael Thole Born – Breese, Illinois on October 28, 1986 Height & Weight – 6-1, 215 Nickname – Josh Hobbies/Interests – I enjoy playing golf Player you would pay to watch today – Gary Carter, I played for him a few years back in the minors. It would be neat to […]

Is Hughes Future in the Bullpen, Mets Finances, Sign Stealing,Is Josh Thole a Starting Catcher, Where is Boomer?

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Ivan Nova had another strong outing last night to improve his record to 11-4. He now has 25 career starts, and is 11-4 with a 4.05 ERA. Despite a low strikeout rate (5.8), he gets an extreme number of groundballs (55%), which is what you saw on display last night. The Yankees won’t go with […]

Twitter-Gate Another Example of Dying Mets Fan Culture

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

The gap between athlete and fan has probably never been wider. With the average salary north of $3 million dollars it’s hard for many average baseball fans to connect with the players on the field. No longer do we live in times when the Brooklyn Dodgers actually lived in Brooklyn. The advent of social media […]

No Prospects? Homegrown Mets Made an Impact All Weekend

Monday, April 4th, 2011

All I keep hearing is how “barren” the Mets farm system which even prompted me to ask Sandy Alderson his thoughts on a conference call during Spring Training. For the record he didn’t agree, nor did he care what any of the independent publications had to say. Interesting how during the opening weekend in Florida […]

Is Scott Hairston a Breakout Candidate?

Sunday, March 27th, 2011

One of Sandy Alderson’s “under the radar” signings this winter was outfielder Scott Hairston. So far this spring Hairston, brother of former Yankee Jerry, is hitting .353 with two homers and eight RBI. With the health of Carlos Beltran in question it’s possible that Hairston will be the starting right fielder on Opening Day. Last […]

Can Homegrown Mets Win Over Fans?

Monday, February 28th, 2011

There were reports this weekend of much weaker than expected Mets season ticket sales. I don’t think that should be a surprise after how last season ended, the lack of a big free agent catch, and the negativity surrounding the Madoff scandal. However, winning will change things very quickly. Remember, before Mike Piazza‘s arrival in […]

Thole’s Improvement Shouldn’t Be a Surprise

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

Josh Thole was given some hefty praise this week by his manager, and even more importantly, by R.A. Dickey. Terry Collins talked about how Thole has improved defensively since the start of last season. What impressed me the most is how Dickey said “he loved throwing to him.” Ultimately the most important individuals to sell […]

The Best Rivalry in Baseball

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

Imagine the passed-down hatred of Red Sox-Yankees, plus the shared birthplace of Dodgers-Giants, plus the evenly split crowd and alcohol-fueled noise of Florida-Georgia (at least, when it was the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party), plus the tight quarters and rabid fans of a Duke-North Carolina game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, plus the season-defining possibilities of […]

My Mets Winter Meeting Vision

Saturday, December 4th, 2010

Sandy Alderson told reporters yesterday the goal at the Winter Meetings will be “to add rotation and bullpen help, and look for a fourth outfielder.” He also mentioned a backup catcher in a market that is very thin. So what does that look like? Let’s play GM and see if this gets the job done: […]

Who Is Going to Backup Josh Thole?

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Terry Collins proclaimed that Josh Thole would be the number one catcher heading into 2011. I have no problem with that as Thole is coming off a season where he a solid .277 with 3 homers, and 17 RBI in 227 at bats. If Thole provides about a .280 batting average with 5 homers and 50 […]

Thole As the #2 Hitter

Monday, August 30th, 2010

This has been mentioned before on the site, but Josh Thole looks to be a great fit for the #2 hole in the lineup. I mentioned Paul Lo Duca as a comparison to Thole, specifically how well he did as the #2 hitter back in 2006. Take a look at Lo Duca’s numbers that year: […]

What Will Make the Final Six Weeks Productive

Monday, August 9th, 2010

It’s time to stop listening to the empty words of Jerry Manuel, Omar Minaya, and any of the members of the Mets 25 man roster. They can talk about what they need to do, but reality states they are not in a pennant race. Teams serious about winning are about 10 games over at this […]