BENCH SIGNINGS

by Eric Simon on Dec 8, 2005 4:14 PM EST

The Mets helped to shore up their bench today by (apparently) signing Jose Valentin and Julio Franco.

Valentin signed a one-year, $912,500 contract with the Mets. It was first reported as a Minor League deal, but it appears that it's actually guaranteed to be with the big club. He just turned 36 and he's never hit over .273 in a full season (.241 career BA), but he has some pop and can draw a walk. He makes a ton of errors in the field, but all of the zone metrics (i.e. UZR) love the guy.

(ESPN.com)

Though not official, the Mets are close to signing Franco to a two-year deal. Franco has been terrific in a part-time role with the Braves the past four-plus seasons, though it's a mystery why the Mets have to go to two years on the guy considering that Atlanta declined to offer him arbitration.

(FOXSports.com).

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2 years

did seem kind of odd. Maybe they are going to keep him as a coach after he's no longer effective as a player.

by peteyfan45 @ Amazin' Avenue on Dec 8, 2005 4:53 PM EST reply actions

Odd

But not a huge deal. He's been good for a while now, even in his mid-40's. He keeps himself in extraordinary shape, a la Rickey Henderson, and there's no reason to think he'll hit some sort of magical wall at 48. And even if he does, it won't be crippling if we have to cut him loose.

And he is an extremely intelligent ballplayer, one I've always felt would make a great coach.

by Alex Nelson on Dec 8, 2005 5:01 PM EST up reply actions

yeah, I'm with you

not much risk and probably a good guy to have around

by peteyfan45 @ Amazin' Avenue on Dec 8, 2005 6:25 PM EST up reply actions

Rule 5 Draft

I'll post this here, but in the Rule 5 draft today, the Mets selected Mitch Wylie from the Giants. Here's John Sickel's take on the matter:

New York NL: Mitch Wylie, RHP, from Giants
4.50 ERA, 58/15 K/BB in 66 innings for Triple-A Fresno. 28 years old, with a mediocre minor league track record. Throws strikes but hasn't had an ERA lower than 4.34 since 1999. A non-exciting pick.

Very little chance to stick with the team.

by Alex Nelson on Dec 8, 2005 4:57 PM EST reply actions

The thing you kids don't understand

about the Franco deal is that older fans like to harbor fantasies, "The Natural"-style, and these Walter Mittys simply love to be represented by one of their own age still taking the field.

"It coulda been me, Vinny, I tellya"

by peeder on Dec 8, 2005 5:07 PM EST reply actions

Oh by the way

something I just realized: those wins in late September? That dropped us in the draft order Eric had up?

If our plan all along was to sign Wagner, then guess what: that draft pick goes to the Phillies. And it's a bit better for us for the Phillies to get a lower draft pick than a higher one, right?

Ah, I see.

by peeder on Dec 8, 2005 5:28 PM EST reply actions

But

If the Mets managed to be one of the 15 worst teams in baseball they would have kept their first rounder and would have given their second rounder to the Phillies instead.

by Eric Simon on Dec 8, 2005 5:33 PM EST up reply actions

Oh I get it

Any silver lining to those wins?

I don't understand that in that case, because it means that the number 1 team, with the lowest pick, gives a lower pick for signing a free agent than the number 15 team, which gives first round pick #16.

It's progressive only for 15 teams and then becomes rich-get-richer regressive. Yes?

by peeder on Dec 8, 2005 6:54 PM EST up reply actions

Silver Lining

The silver lining is we had a season over .500. Felt good in September, but it won't feel too good in June when our first pick is in the second round.

by Alex Nelson on Dec 8, 2005 7:13 PM EST up reply actions

If someone offered you the 10th pick overall

in the June draft, if you'd give them Matsui's services free ($7M) for a year, would you take it?

Sorry Kazuo-san, but I would.

by peeder on Dec 8, 2005 9:22 PM EST up reply actions

UZR

Pardon my ignorance, but what is UZR?

by DavidNYC on Dec 8, 2005 9:08 PM EST reply actions

Ultimate Zone Rating

is one of the better defensive statistics available. I don't recall how it's calculated off the top of my head -- something to do with rewarding players who get more chances rather than those who make fewer errors. Blackfish will, presumably, fill us in.

by anonymous on Dec 8, 2005 9:10 PM EST up reply actions

If you have a high UZR

You're not a LUZR.

Actually it has to do with the "range factor" of a fielder, standing for "Ultimate Zone Rating". It's measured in runs...I guess how many runs the fielder took away in a given year (negative are for how many they gave up?). Probably 0 is league average. But I don't really know...it seems to have to do with how important that fielding position is as well, based on how many runs are produced from being hit to that zone.

BTW I loved the guy who came on here earlier in the year and wrote, "In my experience, Sabrmetricians are just a bunch of whining liberals." Politics infests everything in America these days.

by peeder on Dec 8, 2005 9:18 PM EST up reply actions

People who aren't very smart associate the word 'manifesto' with communists (understandable but still dumb.) And since all liberals are communists (when they aren't being Nazis,) there you have it.

Because sabermetrics has a manifesto, anyone who practices it is some kind of commie liberal.

by peteyfan45 @ Amazin' Avenue on Dec 10, 2005 2:54 AM EST up reply actions