Reyes Applesauce - Reyes joins Met photo, Brooklyn loses, Gooden an exec

by Joe Budd on Sep 10, 2009 8:45 AM EDT in Applesauce

Maybe Pat Misch is not the next Tom Glavine, but he'll still do until they get someone better for the next few weeks.

Meet the Mets

Jose Reyes made an appearance at Citi Field for a team photograph during which he made some headlines by insisting that he would play if he could.

Gerry Fraley argues that Citi Field is partly responsible for the Mets this year.

Hardball Times puts together a list of top Met prospects. F! still sits atop the list.

Where did Kirk Nieuwenhuis come from? If I thought it was hard to learn how to spell Francoeur, it's going to be a nightmare season if Nieuwenhuis becomes something.

That Brooklyn postsseason run may be very short lived.

We found David Wright's batting helmet.

Fangraphs weighs in on blowing up the Mets.

Doc Gooden has joined the Newark Bear front office. They have let him sign every wall in the stadium.

Around the NL East

Charlie Manuel went with Ryan Madson to close out another victory over Washington.

The Atlanta bullpen squandered another quality start from Tommy Hanson.

Around MLB

Tommy Lasorda was not good for young arms.

Here's a great story about the recovered Cal Ripken, Jr. tribute which was stolen from Camden Yards.

The Cardinals are good even when Matt Holliday isn't.

Congratulations to Derek Jeter, the all-time Yankee hit king. He's still no Ed Kranepool.

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Comments

On Citi Field

Is there any actual evidence to back up the claim that David Wright altered his swing because of Citi and that’s why his HR rate was down this year? I ask in all honesty- if he’s said this somewhere and I missed it I’d almost be glad to hear it because that’s a correctable problem. And is the slightly larger outfield really the reason Beltran got hurt?

by dcmetsfan on Sep 10, 2009 9:53 AM EDT reply actions

Wright himself

Has said that he adjusted his “approach” for CitiField.

His power is way down and his Ks are way up, so hopefully he adjusts back. Because whatever he supposedly adjusted didn’t work. Thank God for high BABIPs.

by DannyMetsGeek on Sep 10, 2009 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions

Thanks

As I said, that’s almost welcome news because it means he can work on it during the off-season. (And maybe it means he’s worth keeping after all in my fantasy league even at $33.)

by dcmetsfan on Sep 10, 2009 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah this one is definitely on the hitting coach

for ever entertaining the suggestion that wright should change his swing for citi. Should be a fixable problem if they can just admit his home power numbers are gonna drop a bit and theres nothing they can do about it.

by KeithsMoustache on Sep 10, 2009 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions

agreed

but Gerry Fraley is just another national sports columnist who has no idea what he’s talking about. why do research or talk to people when you can just lazily throw generalizations out there?

by Bieser's Balk on Sep 10, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions

If he really wants to change his approach

He should start changing his 2 strike approach. Shorten the swing (ask Santos about it!), or choke up with 2 strikes. His 2 strike approach is still that of someone who thinks he’s a 30+ home run hitter.

by David G on Sep 10, 2009 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions

to be fair a few years back he was one of the best 2 strike hitters around

its his new approach that sucks.

by KeithsMoustache on Sep 10, 2009 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions

The Nieu article is some great analysis

His college numbers were intriguing but no one could have predicted his season being this good.

by Sokojoe on Sep 10, 2009 10:12 AM EDT reply actions

I love prospects

That catapult he went off at the beginning of August is amazing. I imagine he said, “Oh, this is how you do it!”

by TheBigStapler on Sep 10, 2009 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions

Anytime in the future, how about a ML rotation with: Niese, Nieve and Niesen

And Nieuwenhuis playing the outfield.

by Michkin on Sep 10, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions

I just got vertigo.

by TheBigStapler on Sep 10, 2009 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions

The knights who are named

Nie

Nothing can get by him; especially in a small room: Mike Francessa

by GenJackRipper on Sep 10, 2009 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

very nice

You don't cheer for the Mets. You drink for the Mets.

by Kevin H on Sep 10, 2009 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions

well done

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Sep 10, 2009 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Mark did.

King of the bling come to lay down the evidence//Not George Bush, L-Millz be da president

by Sam Page on Sep 10, 2009 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Hah, I don't even think Mark

predicted a 78 ISO jump while hitting in age appropriate leagues and a pitchers park most of the season. Then again, I’m pretty sure Mark is a computer.

by Sokojoe on Sep 10, 2009 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions

He wrote this in an email 3 months ago, when called nie the 7th best prospect

You could make the same LD% case about Havens right now, but as impressive as Havens’ power has been for FSL play, Nieuwenhuis’s seems to be on a similar level, and perhaps a bit more expected. I don’t think he’s a future slap hitter, there’s some power potential here. I like him as a guy who seems to be putting his tools together before our eyes

King of the bling come to lay down the evidence//Not George Bush, L-Millz be da president

by Sam Page on Sep 10, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not doubting Mark

but three months ago Nieu was coming off a .921 OPS May, so most of AA was feeling pretty good about him at this point but then he had a rough June to a tune .682 when we had our community prospect list and AA (including Meddler) voted for Nieu at more the 10th spot. Anyways, like I said, no one could have predicted that Nie would make a swing adjustment, lean to pull the ball and make his season go from good to great by hitting 1.053 in his final 116 ABs in A+ then going on to hit a 1.128 OPS in limited time in Bingo.

Again, I’m not trying to knock Mark’s prospect knowledge which is unsurpassed here rather just trying to highlight what a surprising end of the season it had been for Nieu.

by Sokojoe on Sep 10, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

FanGraphs

The funniest part of that FanGraphs article is the sidebar where they automatically post the MLB stats of anyone named in the story.

So they mention GM Billy Beane, and therefore post his .400-ish career OPS in the same list with Wright, Reyes, etc.

by Mex_17 on Sep 10, 2009 10:46 AM EDT reply actions

Is it just my computer?

Or has this site been a mess to look at the last few days, starting when the “Inside the NFL” ads began to run? I have to scroll down for miles on the home page to find the articles. And that’s just the start.

by madisonmetsfan on Sep 10, 2009 10:52 AM EDT reply actions

It's not just you

Those of us who only have the option of Internet Explorer at work are having the same problem.

I’m not sure that the Inside the NFL ad in particular is to blame since other SB Nation sites have it and are working fine.

by TheBigStapler on Sep 10, 2009 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions

Same here.

by Mex_17 on Sep 10, 2009 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey, it just started working again!

by TheBigStapler on Sep 10, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Get firefox

and download the adblock plus plug in. Never see an ad again.

Sorry Eric… I assume you make money off of those ads.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Sep 10, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Actually

Even if ads get blocked by adblock, they still show up as impressions in AdServers, so publishers still get paid for them.

Brewers Baseball and other assorted nonsense (mostly the assorted nonsense) at my blog, What's a Tararrel?

by Lefti on Sep 10, 2009 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Reloading the page to see if there are new comments generate more monies to AA?

by Michkin on Sep 10, 2009 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Depends on how efficiently they monetize

Brewers Baseball and other assorted nonsense (mostly the assorted nonsense) at my blog, What's a Tararrel?

by Lefti on Sep 10, 2009 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions

The THT prospects article

Pretty ruff to see how far down Kunz has fallen.

by JoshNY on Sep 10, 2009 12:03 PM EDT reply actions

Don't worry. We'll have a high pick this year

With luck, we’ll sign a college reliever who pans out.

Nothing can get by him; especially in a small room: Mike Francessa

by GenJackRipper on Sep 10, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Or, i dunno...

won’t sign a college reliever at all, because it’s the worst possible draft pick you could make…

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Sep 10, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Sarcasm detector fail?

by Michkin on Sep 10, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Looks like it

by Sokojoe on Sep 10, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions

If that was sarcasm, I apologize.

But if it was, it was very well disguised.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Sep 10, 2009 9:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Sorry dude

That was obvious sarcasm

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Sep 10, 2009 10:54 PM EDT up reply actions

I guess I'm just an idiot, then.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Sep 11, 2009 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions

High School Reliever?

by yellomellojello on Sep 10, 2009 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions

from that article

Niese’s 2009 ended in a way typical of the Mets 2009 season, as he injured his hamstring while covering first base (then proceeded to tear it while throwing a warm up pitch and surrounded by the Mets’ training staff).

ugh

also – they compare Thole to LoDuca… That would be fine by me. A doubles hitting C would play nice in the citi.

by gbaked on Sep 10, 2009 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions

especially if Thole isn't a jackass like LoDuca

by JoshNY on Sep 10, 2009 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Also, in the Fangraphs article:

Reyes is a soon-to-be 27-year-old shortstop signed through 2011 for 20 million. Further, since 2006 Reyes has posted WAR of 5.5, 5.1, 5.9, and a injury depleted 0.7. Unless he eats bat boys in the clubhouse or brings back Hanley Ramirez, there’s not a logical reason to deal him.

We were all assuming that it was Livan eating the bat boys but maybe we were wrong?

by JoshNY on Sep 10, 2009 12:07 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs