Pelfrey Does Well in First Spring Outing
Mike Pelfrey pitched well yesterday. In two innings he allowed one hit, struck out one and faced the minimum 6 batters. It’s too early to prognosticate about Pelfrey’s spot on the 2008 team. He’s the Mets sixth starter which means he’s going to have to do a lot more of that to make the roster and/or push another starter (Orlando Hernandez?). Personally I think he needs to spend a full season in the minors where he can pitch regularly and then join the team as a September call up. But the Mets rotation may not be strong enough to allow this without signing another starting pitcher.
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I’ve added a Twitter feed to the left sidebar for quick updates. This is good for times where I have a quick 1 liner to add but don’t feel like writing a whole post. I’ll try it for a while and see how it goes.
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McNamee Was Almost A Met
Joel Sherman reports in today’s New York Post that the Mets looked into hiring Brian McNamee as batting practice pitcher before last season. After third base coach Manny Acta left to manage the Baltimore Orioles the Mets found themselves needing a BP pitcher (Acta had been the primary BP pitcher) and then hitting coach Rick Down suggested McNamee. Willie Randolph, who, like Down, knew McNamee from his time with the Yankees seconded the motion prompting general manager Omar Minaya to do some research to see if this was the guy for the job. In the end the team didn’t hire him. Minaya says it was because McNamee was a specialist (he was known to be Roger Clemens‘s and Andy Pettitte‘s trainer) and not a team guy. But you have to wonder.
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Kazmir Feeling Discomfort
Former Met Scott Kazmir left the field yesterday during warmups for an intrasquad game with the Tampa Bay Rays. He took an MRI and will sit for two weeks.
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El Duque Starting Slow
It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted but interestingly enough not much has happened. Carlos Beltran had a mini war of words through the media with Jimmy Rollins after Beltran said the Mets were the team to beat this year. Oliver Perez handed the Mets organization their first arbitration loss in 16 years. Ambiorix Burgos had $270,000 worth of jewelry stolen from his hotel room. (He got most of it back but I can’t be the only one thinking he’s an idiot.) Freddy Garcia visited Mets cap but general manager Omar Minaya quickly said he is not interested in Garcia and that Garcia was just visiting friends in Mets camp.
The only real development is the curious situation of Orlando Hernandez. It was widely reported that El Duque would have surgery to remove a bunion on his right foot during the off-season. However the bunion is reported still there. What isn’t there is part of a second toe that was dislocated and needed surgery. The toe is now shorter than the others and was causing Hernandez to work on his balance.
I don’t know of it’s because of the toe or some other reason but base don what I’ve read Hernandez seems to be lagging behind the other pitchers. He threw side by side with Pedro Martinez in the bullpen yesterday and someone compared his pitches to wiffle ball pitches. Pedro supposedly asked Hernandez to throw next to him to so he’d look better. I’m sure Pedro was just kidding around but if you’re counting on Hernandez to be in your rotation it’s time to start worrying. It’s not time to panic yet but you need to be concerned.
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Hagin Named New Radio Voice
Wayne Hagin has been officially named as a new Mets radio voice. He will be teamed with Howie Rose on Mets broadcasts on WFAN. Hagin has previously worked with the Rockies and Cardinals.
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Alomar Jr. Added To Coaching Staff
The Mets have announced that Sandy Alomar Jr. will join his father, Sandy Alomar Sr., on the coaching staff. Alomar Jr. will replace Tom Nieto as the catching instructor. Nieto will be moving over to first base where he will replace Rickey Henderson.
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Benson Signs With Phillies
On Wednesday the Phillies signed Kris Benson to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. This will certainly add something to the Mets Phillies rivalry.
I’m actually a little upset about this. Benson would have been a good fit to sign a minor league contract with the Mets and challenge for the fifth spot in the rotation, possibly pushing Orlando Hernandez to the bullpen. It’s a shame when third parties, in this case Anna, prevent good signings from happening. The way she burned bridges when Kris was traded made it certain that even under the best circumstances he would never be able to wear a Mets uniform again.
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Clark Signed To Minor League Deal
The Mets have signed outfielder Brady Clark to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
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Pedro Speaks
Pedro Martinez spoke with the media yesterday at Port St. Lucie and was his usual self. Here are some of the interesting things he mentions.
- On the steroids era: “I dominated that era and I did it clean. I can stand by my numbers and I can be proud of them.”
- On steroids testing: “I wish that they would check every day. That’s how bad I want the game to be clean. I would rather go home (than) taint the game.
- On being called a prima donna: “I have a small frame and when I hurt all I could do was take a couple of Aleve or Advil, a cup of coffee and a little mango and an egg — and let it go!”
- On continuing his career after his contract with the Mets expires at the end of the 2008 season: “It’s going to be all dictated by my health. If I’m healthy, I still have a couple years left. … If I don’t finish as a Met, I think it’s going to be a long haul to find another team or whatever.”
- On if he can make 30 starts this year: “Nobody’s guaranteed to do that.”
- On the acquisition of Johan Santana: “Ahh, I can breathe. I’m extremely happy to have Johan here. It’s like a big glass of cold water when you’re thirsty.
- On his late season comeback in 2007: “When I came back I was still beat up from all the work. I was still stiff. I was healthy, but I was mentally and physically fatigued.”
- On the infamous collapse of 2007: “I’m not used to it. I was born a winner. I don’t want to go down like that…. You could call it lack of concentration, fatigue. We failed because we got tired and at the end of the year we didn’t know how to mentally prepare for those 20 games.”
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