Today is the two year anniversary of this website and I really wanted to take some time and thank all of you who read this site and listen to what I have to say. Two years ago, on January 31, 2007 I had a vision to create a Mets site that was heavy on numbers and analysis, while I have changed a lot over that time (now that I know how to actually write, I don't have to hide behind numbers as much and I can present better written articles). At this point last year I had about 300 articles written (I think somewhere around 330). Now there are over 740 articles on the website, and average of slightly more than one a day.

The views have really gone up as well. So far, according to sitemeter, there have been over 7800 views in the past two years, not including the 6000 views the site had before switching to sitemeter.

The biggestg change of the past year though has been Mets Merized Online. In May, I was approached by the owner of the Mets Merized to take the game preview articles that I write here, and post them over there. By doing that, the amount of traffic I have been getting on this website has really taken off, and I thank Joe so much for the opportunity to write on Mets Merized Online.

For the next upcoming year, I plan to keep doing what I do, writing every day, increase traffic, give out previews, start reviews, introduce players and now cover the WBC. Also, my goal is by this time next year to have an overall average of 2 articles a day over three years, so I better get typing.

Thank You again for reading this website. Lets Go Mets
-Elliot

Following the Mets the last few years, it is easy to spot out the weakness that both Santana and Perez share (for Santana its his only weakness, for Perez its one of a bunch) and that is the homerun ball. (As a side note, the other big weakness for Perez is his inability to stop the bleeding). That is why I am interested to see how their numbers will look at home this year. About a month ago, I was reading on another site, and if I can find the article, I will link to it later, that Citi is not going to play like Shea at all because at almost every part of the ballpark, the outfield wall, in reality, is deeper than Shea. In other words, in designing a pitcher's park, the Mets might have gone over board. The biggest example of this is the left field wall where not only is it very tall, but its also almost the same distance out ther that Shea was.

What this means is that homer totals will dip way down, and both Santana and Perez tend to be flyout pitchers (for Santana, take that with a grain of salt because he is also a strikeout pitcher). This means that the two of them, at home, could really have a legitamate home field advantage. This is also another reason why the Mets should not be going after Manny who cannot really field. The Mets are going to have so much real estate in the OF that they will need the defense out there to be strong to prevent fast players from turning singles into doubles, doubles into triples and so on.

Going on this homer dead zone topic more, this is the other reason not to sign Manny because the Mets are going to need more contact hitters. This ballpark looks to play old time, small ball baseball. Personally, I am glad about that because Reyes is fast, Wright gets a lot of doubles, and Beltran plays simiarly. This is also why we need to get rid of Castillo, because speed will really be important this year.

Reports are starting to surface that the Mets are still interested in Pedro. Thats fine but where does he fit? Before getting to his struggles last year, the Mets currently have one starting rotation spot open, which they are hoping to fill with Perez, and that seems like it will happen, then if that doesn't, it will be filled by Wolf. In fact, the only situation I see Pedro getting that spot over Perez and Wolf is if they sign Manny, then have to sign Pedro...which would cause earthquakes around the world by the collective Mets fan groan.

So lets say the Mets do sign Perez, and then sign Pedro, where does he go? Well he can't get in the rotation unless in Spring he beats out Redding and Niese, which is a far shot. And I really can't see him in the pen, because he would have to be a long inning man. That really seems the only place where he could go. He could go to the minors, but why would he do that. I think what I am trying to get is that I don't understand bringing Pedro back at all. I really think it is time to retire and to start coaching. If the Mets signed Pedro as a pitching coach in the minors, that could be the best thing ever. Back in the day, his curveball and his changeup were the best in the business (can you imagine Pedro teaching Niese about his backdoor curveball).

I will be the first to admit that my position on Manny has flipped so many times this offseason, that I might as well become a politician. I think the root of the problem is that what Manny brings to the table, what he offers the team looks so good and at the same time looks so bad. His numbers are incredible. He can hit in the clutch. He is going to the Hall of Fame and he still possibly has a good amount of years in him. He is not a team player. He is ridiculous. His fielding is terrible. He loves attention and needs attention.

Jerry wants him. Omar might not. Half the Mets fan base wants him. Half the fan base does not. The Dodgers want him. Boras wants money. If he takes 4 years to get no way, if he signs with another team for one year than why didn't that happen with the Mets.

This is exactly like a situation when you want something and you know its bad for you, but you will enjoy it. We want those numbers in our lineup. We want the protection for our hitters, we want to beat up our opponents. We also want a team to play like a team and to get rid of Castillo, because if we get Manny that would mean no Hudson for sure. Citifield is going to play like a canyon, Manny's numbers won't be that good and his defense could really end up hurting the team severely. And taking in all of this, there is no legitimate reason to believe that the Mets will really make a move on Manny right now.

The Baseball Offseason, there is nothing quite like it.

I am back from my little leave, and will start posting normally again tomorrow.

Looking back on the headlines from the last 2 weeks or so, its interesting to see that really, not much has changed since I have been out of the country. The Mets didn't really fill the next rotation spot, other than signing a dark-horse candidate in Freddy Garcia. More analysis to come later.

Over the Next 11 Days I will be alway from the Computer and unable to update this site. There is a chance I might be able to update this site before the 25th, but its unlikely. Anyway, when I return on the 25th, regular posting will begin as we count down to Spring Training (and to the 2 year Anniversary of the Site!)

29 Days Till Pitchers and Catchers Report!

When the MLB Network launched, the only games they were set to air for the upcoming season was 16 World Baseball Classic Games and then 26 Major League Games during the season. However, they decided to add some more games to the list and its a good thing. They will now be airing the Caribbean Series that will be played in February. This is great news because many fans, my self included, didn't understand why the MLBN was not showing winter games right now because it just made sense. They are a 24 hour baseball channel, we are baseball fans wanting to see more baseball.

Also, the Carribean Series is a great way to see current Major Leaguers play with players of the past and players of the future for country pride. Everyday for the last week or so I have been updating Mets fans here about current, former, and future Mets in the Winter Leagues. If the MLBN keeps up these games, and adds more games into their schedule, I might never watch another channel.

For a second straight day, Mets pitching takes the spotlight in the Winter League Action report and this time it is because of minor league starter Tobi Stoner. Besides that, there wasn't much to write home about last night as the pretty much all but one of the hitters had bad nights at the plate. Here are the stats with the team name first followed by the players name and then the stat line:
     Lara- Alfonzo 1-4
     Arecibo- J Feliciano 1-5, BB
     Arecibo- Casanova 2-4, R, RBI, BB
     Santurce- Valentine 1-4, RBI, BB
     Ponce- Feliciano .1 IP, K
     Mayaquez- Stoner 7.0 IP, 5 H, BB, 4 K
     Aguilas- F Pena 0-3
     Aguilas- Diaz 0-3
     Licey- A Hernandez 1-5, R
How good was Stoner? So far in the playoffs he has allowed no earned runs and is pitching very well. His WHIP was under one in this outing! Stoner should have picked up the win, but the bullpen blew the game behind him. Feliciano had a perfect outing as well, he saw one batter, and struck him out. Thats pretty efficient. On the hitters side, only Casanova had a good night with another multiple hit and RBI night. Valetine's night wasn't bad either. Looking back on the list though, for the hitters, only J Feliciano and F Pena are actually in the Mets system right now, so their nights are the only ones that matter (outside of both Pitchers who are both in the Mets System of teams).

The Brooklyn Cyclones have done it again, they announced today that on June 23rd, they will be changing their name for the day to the Baracklyn Cyclones and its just the beginning of a ton of events on that day. First off, ticket prices will go back to the 2001 season for that game (and the first series of the season). They will be giving away an Obama bobble head and the team will be wearing their new jerseys with their new name on them:

In addition, they will have universal health care that night with the first 1000 fans getting band-aids. If your name is Barack, you will get in for free. If you are a plumber named Joe, then you get a free ticket for yourself and one for your friend so you can spread the wealth. If you are a McCain or Palin, you can a free ticket to the bleacher seats. They are also advertising their clear cut exit strategy which is American Flags and Coupons on your way out of the ballpark.

Last year was the first year in 5 years that I didn't make it to a game in Brooklyn, and I know I will miss this game, which makes me sad. If you can go to this game, just do it. Games in Brooklyn are amazing and this sounds like one of the most involved promotions I have seen in a long time. I love how the minors can do this and I really look foward to photographs of the night. Please visit the official site of the Baracklyn Cyclones to see a great youtube video to promote this event, it is very funny and very Brooklyn Cyclones.

We have all seen the terrible patch that the Mets front office produced for Citi Field. The Yankees have released their new stadium patch, which looks nice. The Padres have a patch out because it is their 40th anniversary of the creation of the team. When it comes to the Yankee patch, it just looks classy, once again the Yankees did a nice job, which tends to boil my blood at bit. The Padres patch is nice because its simple, but not simple like the Citi patch which makes it look terrible. Both images are from Patch Collectibles, a great online shop to get you baseball patches (or at least look at them).

The New Yankee Stadium Patch

Padres 40th Anniversary Patch

Last night was another great night for Mets Relievers Rincon and Krod as they both had good outings again. I also found another Mets prospect who has been struggling in the minors, and struggling in the winter league playoffs. I am talking of course about Francisco Pena, the young catcher the Mets signed when he was barely 16. Here are the stats from last night with the team name first, then player name, followed by the stats line:
     Licey- Anderson Hernandez 2-5, 2 R, 2B
     Aguilas- F Pena 0-4
     Aguilas- V Diaz 0-2, BB
     Caracas- Fmart 0-3, BB
     Lara- Alfonzo 3-4, 2B
     Lara- Rincon .1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, Win
     La Guaira- Chavez 1-2, R, 2 BB
     La Guaira- Krod 1.1 IP, 0 ER, H, BB, 3 K, Save (3)
     Mochis- Carillo Jr. .2 IP, H, K, 0 ER
First off, I introduced another Mets farm pitcher into this segment, Carillo Jr. who also had a good night last night allowing one hit in two thirds of an inning and no runs. The Best performance of the night though goes to Krod who once again had a four out save where he struck out three batters this time. I can't wait to watch him do that in a Mets uniform. Great hitting performances goes to Alfonzo who went 3-4 with a double. Too bad he is not playing again the majors.

Yesterday, Henderson and Rice got elected to the hall of fame. Henderson got 95% of the vote and it was his first time on the ballot. Rice got in by 7 votes and it was his final time on the ballot. Henderson completley deserves to get into the hall. His record for stolen bases will probably never fall and his record for runs will take a long time to fall, if it ever does. Rice is not so clear. The reason he should be in the hall is he really was a feared hitter in his time. What was holding him back? He only had 385 HR, which some say the Green Monster probably prevented him from 50 more homers, but probably added a lot of points to his BA, so its a give and take situation. I personally feel Rice should be in the hall, however, according to my next statement, he shouldn't be in the hall.

What makes the Baseball Hall of Fame better than other sports is that it only puts in worthy players. All other Halls have to have a minimum amount of players going in. For Baseball, there was a year when no one got in because no one deserved to get into the hall of fame. That being said, I think they should get a bit more selective. There is already a 5 year waiting period to get into the hall, so that means, besides the Veteran Committee, voters have 20 years to think if someone should go in or not. I really think that a player should only be able to stay on the ballot for 5 years. That is 10 years to decide whether a player should go in or not, and that is more than enough. Furthermore, with the creation of the Veteran Committee, if a player should have gone in that period and didn't, that player gets a second chance (that would also give more use to the Veteran Committee).

The Last several days in the Winter League Action articles, I have been reporting the boxscores of Victor Mendez, and outfielder in the Mets system. Who is Victor Mendez? Mendez will be 29 years old next year and he has been bouncing around the Minors since 2002 (seven seasons). He was signed by Detroit and then the Mets got him in 2007. Since 2007, Mendez has been playing in three levels for the Mets. They started him off in the Rookie League (Gulf Coast Mets), then moved him to low A with the St. Lucie Mets, and for the last chunck of last season, moved him to AAA. Its unsual that when the Mets got him, the put him in the Gulf Coast League, because he was in the minors for a while to that point. He does well in the lower levels, but then struggles at higher levels, which will cause problems if he ever wants to move up to the majors. Here are some stat lines:
     MiLB Carear- 601 Games, 2025 AB, 509 H, .251 BA, 97 2B, 32 3B, 51 HR, 270 RBI
     2008-St Lucie- 34 G, 113 AB, 19 R, 32 H, .283 BA, 9 2B, 4 HR, 17 RBI
     2008- N.O.- 51 G, 105 AB, 10 R, 25 H, .238 BA, 2 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI
With Mendez, there isn't that much to write home about. If his contact was up, then his power numbers would look better, and there would be talk about Mendez being a utility man. The problem is his contact isn't up. According The Baseball Cube, they give him a 71 for Power, 71 for Speed, 31 for Contact, and 54 for Patience (all scores out of 100). As much as I want to like Mendez, I just don't see him moving up unless he really starts to hit AAA pitching well this year, then he could be moved up for bench injuries. If he continues to hit Winter pitching well, then there could be hope. I will continue to include him in the Winter League Action reports and to see how he does.

All four leagues were in action last night and many Mets were playing. Two Feliciano's for the Mets had good games as Pedro pitched another great inning and Jesus, and outfielder in the Mets farm system, went 1-5, but that 1 hit was a huge double that brought in three runs and brought Arecibo back in the game. Here are stats from last night, first word is the team name, followed by the player name and then the stats from last night:
     Gigantes- Diaz 1-3, R
     Gigantes- Mendez 2-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
     Licey- A Hernandez 1-3, BB
     Lara- Alfonzo 0-2, BB
     Caracas- Fmart 1-4
     Ponce- P Feliciano 1.0 IP, H, BB, 2 K, Win
     Arecibo- J Feliciano 1-5, 2B, 3 RBI
     Arecibo- Casanova 1-3, R, HR, RBI, 2 BB
Casanova had another good game following yesterday, which supports his streaky nature. I have been very impressed with Feliciano this witner, he is really doing a good job out of the pen. Mendez in another farm player who has been putting together a nice winter season so far, maybe later this week I will take a look into Mendez and his skill sets. I can tell you right now he is a centerfielder.

Over at Metsblog, Matt Cerrone reveals the Mets Citi Field patch, which can be found at Patch Collectibles. As I am sure many of you will feel once seeing the logo, it is not very impressive. It says nothing about Citi, and nothing about the Mets. Here you go:If you go the Mets shop and look at the authentic jerseys for the 2009 season, the logo is tilted in a way that the words "Inaugural Season" appear straight. It should seem familiar because this tilted style logo was plastered all around the fence surronding Citi last year. Patch Collectibles also has patches for other teams this year, including the Yankees new patch, which, well, looks nice.

The Patch is pictured Below:

One of the stranger items MLB.com has been selling is a collection of screen prints that look like old style propaganda posters. They mostly make ones for the Phillies and the Red Sox, but they did make one for the Mets that has David Wright on it. For Wright, the slogan is "Fight the Good Fight"  and then "Support Our Amazin' Mets" (Pictured Below and can be found here). Other posters include sayings like "The Great Crusade" (Phillies World Champions), "Support the North Siders" (Cubs), "Speak Soflty, Carry a Big Stick" (Red Sox) and "The Heart of a Nation" (Red Sox-Varitek).

With the Mets signing Redding this past week to have him "compete" with Niese for the final rotation spot, and still confident that they will sign either Lowe or Perez, the question then becomes what happens to Pedro. Omar still likes Pedro, and was open to his return. Pedro has made it very public that he wants to return to the Mets. But with the signing of Redding and the possibility of other signings, there is no place for Pedro.

A rumor surfaced with ESPN Deportes today, and since then has been refuted, that the Marlins are interested in Pedro and have set up a meeting with him. Where does he fit? He really doesn't fit anywhere right now because he is ageing, and the teams that typically need ageing pitchers (teams that are ready for the playoffs but are missing a few pieces) are satisfied the ageing pitching front.

I hope for Pedro that a team with young pitchers, like an Orioles or even a Nationals, picks up Pedro so he can teach the young pitchers and keep pitching. But at the same time, it might just be time for Pedro to hang up his hat on an amazing carear, maybe coach a little and wait five years for the hall to call.

Yesterday was a busy day for current Mets, former Mets and future Mets as a lot of them saw action in the Winter Leagues. All the leagues except the Mexican league had games going last night, and for the Mets, they had good news and bad news. The good would stem from great performances by Krod and Feliciano and the bad would stem from a poor performance by Figueroa, who despite his bad start, was not in line for the loss. Here are the stats, and once again, team name first, then player name, followed by sports line:
    Ponce- Feliciano .2 IP, H, Hold (2)
    Arecibo- Casanova 2-4, 3 R, 2B, HR, BB, RBI
    Caracas- Fmart 1-2
    Santurice- Valentine 0-2
    La Guaira- Krod 1.1 IP, H, K, Save (2)
    Licey- Anderson Hernandez 2-5, RBI, 2 K
    Gigantes- Mendez 1-5, BB
    Aguilas- Figueroa 4.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Starting off with the good, Feliciano continues to play well getting another outing done with no earned runs, and a second consecutive outing with a hold. He's a streaky pitcher, so lets hope he can streak this into the major season, then this could be a very good thing. Krod got the 4 out save, a hard accomplishment, and he did it with striking out one and allowing only one hit. I can't wait for him to pitch in Queens. With Figueroa, its expected. He does well, then he does bad, nothing new. Fmart finally got a hit, the first time in several games. Casanova also did something for the first time in several days. He seems to hit in clumps. If Krod gets the pitching award from yesterday, the Casanova would get the hitting award.

Last night was a good night for Mets pitching, and last night also included a Jose Valetine siting, who has really disappeared in my mind (remember when he was our starting second basemen, what a weird time). Anyway, like always, the first word is the team name, followed by the player name and then the stats:
     Ponce- Cancel 0-3
     Ponce- Feliciano 1.1 IP, Hold
     Santarce- Jose Valetine 1-4, RBI, BB
     Gigantes- Mendez 1-3, RBI
     Licey- Jorge Sosa (2-0), W, 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3K, 2.25 ERA in Playoffs
     Licey- Anderson Hernandez 1-4, 3 R
Feliciano continues to impress in the witner with tossing 1.1 perfect innings, under pressure having to keep a hold. Sosa, has been doing well overall in the playoffs, but with the signing Redding and Niese waiting in the wings, his (Sosa) services will be very reduced in thsi upcoming year, which is not a bad thing because he continues to do well and then break down in the middle of the game, causing all sorts of problems.

The Red Sox have been extremely active over the last several days. They have signed or are near signing Baldelli, Kotsay, Smoltz. Its interesting how they have taken this list of players that many teams have cast aside as not good, and are actually making a lot of noise with these signings. Smoltz is the most interesting out of the list for several reasons. He hasn't really declined with age, with the exception of his major surgery last season, and he will be able to handle the pressure in Fenway, because he is made out of ice. By doing this though, he really has sent shockwaves in Atlanta. Chipper is not happy, Cox is disappointed, and he has placed a lot of pressure on the Atlanta front office. He also becomes an interesting piece of the Boston puzzle. Originally, Penny was going to take the last rotation spot, but now Smoltz can take it, or he can go in the pen or or he could prompt the Red Sox to trade one of their young starters to get a bigger name during the season. He gives them a lot of options.

Baldelli and Kotsay are really fourth outfielders and backups for Youkillis. However, these guys are good backups. Neither right now has the stuff they used when they start, but on the bench, they look very nice. They literally can be described as icing on the cake for the Sox. These moves make the AL East very interesting. The Rays are still there, and their young players are growing and getting even better (and they have more talent in the minors that hasn't even surfaced yet). There are the Yankees that bought their new lineup and have made their team world class and now the Red Sox are tweaking and they still have the majority of their 2007 World Championship team. The east is going to be a fun division to watch next year.