Worst Lineup Ever?
by Sam Page on Mar 31, 2010 2:17 PM EDT
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PrintSome sites index each team's opening day lineup, probably assuming that lineup represents the team's optimal configuration. With Daniel Murphy doubtful for Opening Day, the Mets opening day lineup could be as follows:
- Gary Matthews
- Luis Castillo
- David Wright
- Jason Bay
- Jeff Francoeur
- Mike Jacobs
- Rod Barajas
- Alex Cora
- Johan Santana
I'm assuming Gary Matthews over Pagan for emphasis, but also because he's played well this spring and I can envision him getting significant playing time. In other words the Mets opening day lineup will be:
- Why aren't you retired?
- Defensive specialist who can't play defense
- Superstar
- Star
- Fringe-starter (we hope)
- Doesn't walk enough for AAA
- Will probably bat .200
- Technically retired
- Pitcher
Seeing this lineup, on a scale of one to 2008 Mariners, how would you rate Omar Minaya's job security?
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Sam, Sam, Sam...
Don’t you know that Mejia is going to pitch so well in the 8th inning that he is going to take runs OFF the board?
"Seriously, Lana, call Kenny Loggins ‘cause you’re in the danger zone."
Mejia
if he can take runs off the board, clearly the Mets will win by a score of zero to negative one. Duh.
by SoCal Metfan on Mar 31, 2010 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Poor Johan
I hope he’s not crying himself to sleep every night.
I hope he doesn't try to take this team on his shoulders,
Because he’d just end up back on the DL with a shoulder injury.
He was trying to pick up Henry Blanco during the ST game today.
Not a good idea.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Mar 31, 2010 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions
It would look a bit better
if Chris Carter were substituted for Mike Jacobs.
FREE CHRIS CARTER!
Oh, the butcher and the baker and the people on the street: wheredotheygo?!?!?
Well, at least the games will be short
What’s the average career OBP for that line up? <.300?
it’s going to be a lot of very quick innings.
Would like to see the run projection
differential between the two lineups if they instead went with the lineup below. I also don’t think there’s any way Mathews starts opening day over Pagan. And they should just put Murph on 15-day DL and let Davis become the Gehrig to his Wally Pipp.
Pagan
Tejada
Wright
Bay
Davis
Frenchy
Barajas
Pitcher
Castillo
No matter how we create the lineup out of our 40 man roster
We’re likely going to suck. I’m intrigued by yours though because it at least has upside in youth.
by TheBigStapler on Mar 31, 2010 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions
This is not the worst lineup ever, considering the team playing after Wright went down last year. We could probably have a few more injuries until day 1.
Gary Matthews
Luis Castillo
Russ Adams
Catalanotto
Jeff Francoeur
Mike Jacobs
Omir Santos
Alex Cora
Oliver Perez
In lobby campaign for Chris Carter.
Jacobs
I know Jacobs is bad, but I don’t think “doesn’t walk enough for AAA” is really a fair assessment as to why that is. Yes, his .297 OBP last year was awful, but he did that with a .228 batting average. He career walk rate of 7.8% is pretty close to average. His problem is that he strikes out a ton and therefore can’t sustain a good batting average.
This doesn’t really matter all that much because a .297 OBP is bad no matter how much of it is due to walks, but the point is that stats allow us to be accurate in our player analysis, and we should try to be accurate in our critique as well.
It isn't worth your time to defend Jacobs. He shouldn't be on this team.
"Seriously, Lana, call Kenny Loggins ‘cause you’re in the danger zone."
he's not defending him
so much as saying he sucks for reasons other than those stated in the piece. That said he sucks in so many ways, why argue about which one is most important.
by KeithsMoustache on Mar 31, 2010 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Like Potter Stewart
I know suck when I see it.
yep
i covered this ground in my fanpost yesterday. jacobs has a better walk rate than frenchy or murphy, which isn’t saying much, but he’s certainly not the poster boy for poor plate discipline on this team. regardless, he should be no more than a bench player. the fact that he might start on opening day is pretty sad.
Maybe I was unclear
but for the skillset he has, he certainly does not walk enough. Hit-or-Miss power hitters can’t walk at a league average rate for all positions.
i had the misfortune to see this line up last year
I can’t decide which one is worse, mainly because Livan Hernandez is much, much worse than Santana
Senor Planter.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Mar 31, 2010 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Silly
Everyone knows: Spanish-speaking people love Camaros.
by LeiterMilnerFasterStronger on Mar 31, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
the freecreditreport.com band played in a Pirate-themed restaurant
Pirates roamed the SPANISH Main in the 17th century.
QED.
by hotspur on Mar 31, 2010 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
to be fair though, that band is actually canadian
food for thought
by KeithsMoustache on Mar 31, 2010 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Canada was mostly discovered/settled by the French.
France shares a land border in the Pyrenees with Spain. And, nestled in that border region is the amazingly cool nation of Andorra.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Mar 31, 2010 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions
You still saw Wright and Martinez (RF).
And after that, when Omir was leading off the inning, you could go have a burger and not miss anything.
In lobby campaign for Chris Carter.
But ben, how could it be a bad lineup with Livan Hernandez P? You know he can hit...
Because he should be batting 5th or 6th to add some power (9 career HR) to the middle of the lineup. At least AHern (4 HR) wasn’t at 2B and Schneider (59 HR) catching. But Castillo (28) and Ramon (29) are weak too.
Impossible to build a single competitive line up if you used BOTh of those teams on the board.
"Wait till Biggus Dickus hears about this!"
by scott from peekskill on Mar 31, 2010 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions
GMJ added for dramtic effect?
Pagan will be starting. I am pretty sure of that.
are we?
I mean under normal circumstances I would be, but considering according to them the centerfield job is still up in the air, and the fact they’re actually planning on giving Jacobs a job over a player they traded a TYPE A free agent for who’s younger and with more upside, and considering not only did they trade a living player for GMjr they were apparently targeting him all off-season, even well before the Beltran knee fiasco, is it really that much of a stretch to think he could get the starting job over Pagan?
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
maybe they'll start Pagan and pinch run GMJ for him as soon as he reaches
because you know that’s where Pagan KILLS us
by Pack Bringley on Mar 31, 2010 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions
GMJ starting and Carter in AAA would be a total mindf*ck
But not a surprise.
by James Kannengieser on Mar 31, 2010 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Glad I won't be taking off work that day.
I’d bat Johan 6th, actually.
by Jamesir Bensonmum on Mar 31, 2010 2:47 PM EDT reply actions
im not taking the day off per se
i just might disappear for a few hours in the middle of it
by KeithsMoustache on Mar 31, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
My boss is out of town and I'm out of a job as of April 30th
Might as well take a few hours out of Monday to watch a ballgame.
"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez
by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Mar 31, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions
sounds like a plan
sorry to hear about being out of a job.
by KeithsMoustache on Mar 31, 2010 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Before D-Murph went out
this is how Mets Today figures that it’s just like Thriller:
Angel Pagan CF
Luis Castillo 2B
David Wright 3B
Jason Bay LF
Daniel Murphy 1B (… darkness falls across the land)
Jeff Francoeur RF (… creatures crawl in search of blood)
Henry Blanco C (… the foulest stench is in the air)
Alex Cora SS (… grizzly ghouls from every tomb)
Johan Santana P (… body starts to shiver)
by Pack Bringley on Mar 31, 2010 3:19 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Castillo?
Was hoping for a “funk of forty thousand years” there.
by LeiterMilnerFasterStronger on Mar 31, 2010 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
are these lines pulled from an Aquabats song?
if so I approve.
by KeithsMoustache on Mar 31, 2010 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions
haha
did you not see the “Thriller” reference in the link? Fashion Zombies! is a good song too, though.
i'm glad somebody else is a fan
totally missed the link until after i posted, saw those lines and my brain just immediately went there.
by KeithsMoustache on Mar 31, 2010 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Can I rate this a -1000000?
The 2010 New York Mets: Maybe it's the Phillies' turn to have 95% of its roster on the DL
The 2009 New England Patriots: At least we got our division title back
The 2009-10 New Jersey Devils: Allergic to second periods
The lineup, that is.
The 2010 New York Mets: Maybe it's the Phillies' turn to have 95% of its roster on the DL
The 2009 New England Patriots: At least we got our division title back
The 2009-10 New Jersey Devils: Allergic to second periods
Poor Chris Carter
Today, he got to pinch hit, hits ANOTHER homerun, and then when he got back to the bench Manuel told him to go to the clubhouse and think about what he’d done. Doesn’t he know that production doesn’t get you a spot on this team, but being old and sucking for someone else first.
To be honest, the Gangsta isnt impressed by his lack of hustle.
Carter shows little hustle in his home run trot. Cant play for Jerry with no hustle
"Wait till Biggus Dickus hears about this!"
by scott from peekskill on Mar 31, 2010 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions
"Poor"ing it on.
And on his way to the clubhouse, he had to pass Jacobs being interviewed by SNY about starting on opening day.
That's a weird way to describe Castillo
I would say he is supposed to be a speedy slap hitter who runs with a gimp and whose slap is losing its punch, so to speak.
yeah he really wasn't a poor offensive player for most of his career
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
It should have read
Luis Castillo: “Bring out the gimp.”
"Wait till Biggus Dickus hears about this!"
by scott from peekskill on Mar 31, 2010 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions
How they can not take Chris Carter aboard
with Murphy out is beyond baffling. I’m changing my signature to “there are no words.”
Trying to believe is my full-time occupation.
This lineup should be pretty good though
Reyes
Castillo
Wright
Beltran
Bay
Murphy
Francoeur
Barajas
Pitcher
and this lineup could be even better
Reyes
Thole
Wright
Beltran
Bay
Davis
Martinez
Castillo
I just pray that by September this lineup has seen some significant action. If not, well, its probably the lineup for 2011!
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Mar 31, 2010 4:15 PM EDT reply actions
Jesus yes
Perhaps today IS a good day to die.
- Klingon proverb
by Thomas Wachtel on Mar 31, 2010 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions
On a scale of 1 to 2008 Seattle Mariners
I rate this 2001 Mets Lineup with OPS+
C Mike Piazza 147
1B Todd Zeile 94
2B Edgardo Alfonzo 90
SS Rey Ordonez 67
3B Robin Ventura 104
LF Benny Agbayani 101
CF Jay Payton 75
RF Timo Perez 68
OF Tsuyoshi Shinjo 90
Poor Wright/Piazza
Ok don't shoot me but this seems to be a perfect opportunity for Ike Davis
Let him play two weeks at the big league level then send him down when Murph returns. I suggest this because it would be a nice shot of excitement for the club to have ONE of the young prospects who have outplayed the vets on the team to get some at bats and exposure on the major league level. Also if Davis comes up it might be easier to send Mejia down where he belongs.
If not
At least Chris Carter will be on the bench! Of course, they’ll probably take Catalanotto….
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Mar 31, 2010 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I think they'll probably take Carter just due to 40 man issues.
At this point they already need to clear spots for Tak2, Jacobs, Calero, and Barajas. I think just that alone will keep Mejia and Tejada down and Catalanatto from making the roster.
Who cares how bad the Bay deal will look in 2013, the world is going to end in 2012 anyway
by Stephen Schmidt on Mar 31, 2010 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Well they could take Mejia instead of Calero
And have Calero work up his arm strength a bit more. But otherwise that makes sense, there really isn’t anyone they can clear for Cat. They could put Acosta back on waviers, but is it really worth it to do that just so you can have Cat over Carter?
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Mar 31, 2010 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Either way they'd need to clear another 40-man spot to add either.
I hope they realize Calero is going to have a spot this season, so I think if either are added to the opening day roster this year it will be Calero. I really don’t mind if the roster crunch forces Mejia back to Bingo where Jerry can’t f him up.
Who cares how bad the Bay deal will look in 2013, the world is going to end in 2012 anyway
by Stephen Schmidt on Mar 31, 2010 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree
But this is exactly the kind of thing Omar is prone to screw up, roster manipulation.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Mar 31, 2010 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not even convinced...
that that’s the worst lineup the Mets have fielded over the last eight months.
For instance, on August 17th, 2009 (i.e., a couple of days after David Wright got beaned by Matt Cain), the Mets’ starting lineup was (shown with 2009 OPS+):
CF Cory Sullivan 92
2B Luis Castillo 98
LF Gary Sheffield 119
1B Daniel Murphy 95
RF Jeff Francoeur 93
3B Fernando Tatis 105
C Brian Schneider 67
SS Anderson Hernandez 73
P Livan Hernandez -27
(The Mets lost 10-1 to the Giants, whose starting pitcher was some guy named Joe Martinez who had a 7.50 ERA last year.)
Imagine if we hadn't picked up Sheffield?
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Mar 31, 2010 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
i cant even figure out if that imagined reality is better or worse than the real one
I’m still annoyed I had to ever cheer for Gary Sheffield
by KeithsMoustache on Mar 31, 2010 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions
This was a low point in my life.
Sure the Mets were only a partial cause, but they were part of it nonetheless.
Perhaps today IS a good day to die.
- Klingon proverb
by Thomas Wachtel on Mar 31, 2010 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Pleeeease Jose, be ready for opening day.
Who cares how bad the Bay deal will look in 2013, the world is going to end in 2012 anyway
by Stephen Schmidt on Mar 31, 2010 4:59 PM EDT reply actions
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