The Global New York Mets Blog: 2006 Mets

Showing posts with label 2006 Mets. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Rise and Fall of Oliver Perez

Today officially marks the end of an era. Or as some would call it, an error as the Mets have officially released Oliver Perez from the team. Having failed to live up to his 36 million dollar 3 year contract, this result certainly was not unexpected. But it is sad to think about what once was for the Mexican Titanic, as he is referred to by some.

Perez first arrived here in New York 4 1/2 years ago in a deal that brought back Roberto Hernandez to the Mets in exchange for Xavier Nady. He came very much unpolished but with a lot of potential. He was wild, and could barely get anyone out (sound

familiar?) but with a blazing fastball, and a wicked slider and curve, many batters were prone to striking out against the lefty.

Making his Mets debut on August 26 of that season, he struggled in his first two starts before pitching a complete game shutout in the second

game of a double-header against Atlanta on September 6th. Having only expected to pitch in the regular season, Perez was called upon to pitch Game 4 of the NLCS against St. Louis where he earned his first (and only) post season win, despite giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings. After Steve Trachsel's horrendous performance in Game 3 (what turned out to be his last ever start for the Mets), Perez was called upon to pitch in Game 7. Having

pitched brilliantly for 5 1/3 innings he allowed Jim Edmonds to get on base, then came a moment that shall live on in Met lore.

The next season Ollie won 15 games and had a 3.56 ERA, which led many to believe that he was starting to turn a corner towards consistency. In the 2008 season Perez struggled early in the season, but after the midnight massacre of Willie Randolph and his staff, Ollie performed much better after tweaking his wind-up to more of a bowing motion. After failing to escape the 5th inning in his second to last start, Perez was tapped to pitch what would turn out to be the last ever game at Shea. He went 5 1/3 innings allowing 2 runs in the process. Making many fans including myself feel as though he had turned a corner as was ready to become more consistent.

In 2009 after signing his big contract Perez failed to live up to expectations, going 3-4 with a 6.82 ERA and often struggling with velocity and control allowing 58 walks in 66 innings. 2010

faired no better for Ollie. On May 15th he was sent to the bullpen after refusing to be sent to the minors despite his poor play. June 5th he was put on the 15 day DL with an injury to his right knee. With some people claiming it was a ploy by the team to have Perez sent away, after this the league investigated and declared it was legitimate. From July 21st on he made just six more appearances all in relief including the final game of the 2010 regular season where he walked in the game winning run in the 14th inning.

Ollie may be seen as a complete and total failure by many fans. But but we shouldn't forget those moments that made us think about what could have been.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Wednesday WHIP: Alive at Five

Despite many Mets fans pushing the panic button last Thursday night, just five days later the Mets are alive and well. Was the four game sweep from the Phillies finally the last straw of complacency? Was it Pedro's return to the clubhouse & rotation that bolstered the attitude and confidence level of this team? Everyone has their own theories and opinions; I believe it was a little bit of both. Either way, the Mets have finally won 5 in a row. They may have waited until the last hour of the regular season to find it, but this team has a pulse.

Make no mistake about it, the Mets bats are alive. If this was the lineup everyone raved about in April, then there is reason for excitement. The Mets have been quite balanced in their offensive approach in the past 6 days, with the bottom of the lineup putting up pretty hefty numbers. Since the beginning of the Atlanta series, the Mets have outscored their opponents 36-15. They have outhit the opposition 51-27, with 11 home runs. The opposition has 1 long ball, which came off the bat of Brandon Phillips, courtesy Scott Schoeneweis. The pitching has been strong; the defense has been solid despite a few spotty moments; the offense has been relentless. Put the panic button away.

Oliver Perez's stubborn ways are also alive and well. The rollercoaster ride that he is may be a ride we never get off. Despite all that you still have to like the kid and be content with 13 victories to this point. My only concern is that if he continues to walk 127 batters every outing, his hopes of being a part of the postseason rotation may not live much longer.

Many people have spent countless hours trying to compare the 2006 Mets to the 2007 Mets, which I believe is a complete waste of time and energy. Team dynamics, injuries, the competition, etc all vary from year to year. That is the beauty of baseball so to expect a replica of 2006 is absurd. As fun as last year was, I don't want the '06 Mets. The 2006 Mets broke my heart. Would you rather have a team that dominates all year, only to look a little flat in September like last year...or a team that goes up and down all year, only to peak at the right time heading down the stretch? I would take the latter. Only time will tell if that will be the tale of this year's team. One thing is for sure, we can take this team off life support. They look alive. There is a pennant in sight and October is just a calendar page away. This is the stuff baseball fans live for. And over the next 25 days , the 2007 Mets will begin to define their season. We'll see how long they can stay alive...or if they will make this a season that live forever.
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