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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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: […]
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 […]
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: […]
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 […]
