Well, apparently all of the Eastern United States has faced rain and tarped fields today. After I got to leave work early due to the inclement weather, I raced home to get back in time for Mets & Braves: Round 1. Five minutes after I flick on the tube, Matt Yallof informs me this game is canceled too. Without baseball games, I was forced to Baseball Tonight, which would include highlights of Glendon Rusch. Yes, that Glendon Rusch. Don't look now either, but Carlos Gomez is trying to be a stud in Minnesota. Since canceled baseball games make me irritable, Mother Nature is a viable candidate for Ass of the Day. But even she couldn't outpour Ruben Gotay's man tears.

I've been extremely busy the last week, hence the inactivity at this site, but now that I have some time, lets continue with our breakdown of the 2008 Mets by looking at the situation at Shortstop.

Shortstop

First String:
Jose Reyes
This one is obviously a no brainer, the Mets' All-Star shortstop has all the tools to once again be in the running for the National League's MVP, and he's still only 24. The classic lead-off hitter; Reyes has blazing speed, a good OBP and scores a lot of runs. He's a safe bet to swipe 60 bases, have an OBP over .350 and score 120 runs. Did I forget to mention he'll most likely have 15 triples and 15 home runs? It's pretty much understood by Mets fans that as Reyes goes, so goes the team. For you statisticians out there, I recently ran a regression of Reyes' 2007 numbers to test this theory. A regression showing the relationship between the number of times Reyes is on base and the outcome of the game, yields a coefficient of .10139, which basically means each additional time Reyes reached base in any given game, the Mets were 10% more likely to win that game. So if Reyes reached base 4 times, the Mets would be 40% more likely to win than had he not reached base. Conversely, if Reyes didn't get on base the Mets would be 10% more likely to lose than had he gotten on base once, or 20% less likely than if he had gotten on base twice. This coefficient was by far the highest of all the Mets regulars last season. To see the data for this analysis, you can download the excel file here. Expect Reyes to start and play almost every inning of every game this season.

Second String:
Ruben Gotay/Anderson Hernandez
Because the Mets figure Reyes will play almost every game, barring injury, there really isn't much of a need to have a full-time backup at shortstop. Officially, the Mets depth chart lists Ruben Gotay ahead of Anderson Hernandez to back up Jose Reyes, probably due to the fact that Hernandez has little chance to make the team this year, and Gotay is a much better hitter. Gotay has only played 20 innings at shortstop in his career because he is a natural second baseman, whereas Hernandez is a natural shortstop. If Reyes, for one reason or another, needs to come out of a game, or is out for a very short period of time, the Mets will probably just use Gotay. However, if Reyes is placed on the DL or out for a prolonged period of time, the Mets may want to go with a sure handed defensive shortstop, and bring up Hernandez.
Read More...

Continuing with our breakdown of the 2008 Mets, today we take a look at the situation at second base.

Second Base:

First String: Luis Castillo
Another no brainier here, the Mets just signed Castillo to a long term deal worth $25 million over the next 4 years. That's a hefty contract for a 32 year old second baseman with knee problems. Castillo certainly doesn't have the wheels he used to, but the Mets more than make up for Castillo's decreased speed with Jose Reyes and David Wright. Castillo still has plenty of speed and a good enough eye at the plate to be an effective number 2 hitter. He's a consistent .300 hitter who will steal 20 bases, score a lot of runs, and can take plenty of pitches to give Reyes an opportunity to swipe some bases. And his defense in the field is phenomenal. The only issue with Castillo this year will be staying healthy. He had arthroscopic surgery on his knee at the end of last season, and hopefully his knees will be 100%. Should Castillo's knee problems resurface, look for Ruben Gotay to be an excellent fill in on days when Castillo needs rest.

Second String: Ruben Gotay
Gotay showed signs of brilliance when given the chance to play every day following the injuries to Jose Valentin. During June and July when Gotay was given a lot of playing time he batter .364 and .397 respectively. Gotay was playing so well, that some Mets fans were actually upset when they acquired Castillo, because they felt Gotay lost the opportunity to prove himself. Expect Gotay to get plenty of playing time, both off the bench and to give Castillo days off.
Read More...

Nothing much has happened on the Mets front since their historic collapse two weeks ago. All the players went home for the winter, hopefully with a bitter taste in their mouth. I know we can talk about all the changes that should happen but nothing like that will start taking place until the free agent period starts, which is after the World Series.

I know my colleague Jersey Dan wrote a nice article on Tuesday, but I feel the need to comment on a few things he said the Mets should do. First off, Delgado is signed through next year so there is no way the Mets are going to dump him. Yes, he was downright awful at times this year. However, he still put together a 24 home run 87 RBI season. And this is a guy who was struggling all season! I will take that from a backup hitter anyway. Hopefully we can get one more year of the same, before Delgado goes sayonara.

Second off, as far as the second base position goes, I love Ruben Gotay. I think he was a decent pickup and has potential to play a few solid years everyday. However, he still needs to share the duties behind Luis Castillo. Castillo was a godsend for the Mets even with his bum knee playing in 50 of 56 games down the stretch. Castillo is only 32 (we think) and hopefully will re sign. Gotay can take the once or twice a week Castillo needs to rest his knee.

As far as the baseball that is being played right now, the Rockies have looked mightily impressive. They have tied the 1986 Mets for winning 18 out of 19 games. It’s a nice story considering they have never have made it to the NLCS. Skip Carey has been saying it’s the first time the Rockies have made the playoffs, but that is incorrect. They made it as a Wild Card team in 1995 and were promptly swept by eventual World Champions, the Atlanta Braves.

I do not support fans throwing anything onto the field; however, it’s nice to see that Arizona fans do care about their Diamondbacks. I know I was curious and looked up to see how much tickets were going for, and apparently they were as low as $20 for a ticket to last night’s game. It’s a shame I don’t have money to fly out and see a game because it would probably be cheaper to plan a vacation in Arizona then try to get a ticket in Cleveland or Boston. With that being said, if the Diamondbacks win the series and their fans don’t buy up all the tickets, look for half their stadium to be rooting against them considering their tickets are cheap and available.

The last thing that I can comment on is the Boston vs. Cleveland series. I am looking forward to two great pitching matchups in CC Sabathia vs. Josh Beckett and Fausto Carmona vs. Curt Schilling. Hopefully they can have a pitchers duel that becomes a classic similar to Pedro Martinez vs. Roger Clemens in 2003.
Read More...

Alright ladies and gentlemen, I know it has been entirely too long...but TUESDAY TWO CENTS is back! As a lot of you might be aware I have been computerless for quite some time now. This mainly has to do with me being poor and not being able to buy one yet, but that will be changing soon. I would like to apologize to all that have wondered where I am, considering I am an administrator in this group. It's good to be back again. Anyways, on to business.


Well as we all know, the Mets blew it this season. Last Sunday was quite rough on us all, and I hope to never feel misery of that sorts ever again. Of course being the New York sports fans that we are, the first thing we seem to do is find a scapegoat. I would like to clarify one thing though, there is not just one scapegoat, but there are many scapegoats. Willie Randolph is not the only man to blame for the Flushing Flush.

While the team could have been more motivated, it is not entirely Randolph's fault. Blame must also be put on Omar Minaya who put together a bullpen that went from best in the league in 2006, to steroid users. Blame, in my opinion, must also be put on Rick Peterson. While Peterson is great at developing pitchers, he seems to take no part in managing pitchers. Willie's expertise is definitely at managing the lineup, as he was a solid offensive second baseman for a quite a long time. Willie does seem to have trouble managing the bullpen at times, but if Peterson gave him any sort of advice I think that problem could be alleviated. Instead the Jacket has his face stuffed in a computer worrying about pitch counts and all other sorts of jazz. Get your head out of your Mac and into the game Rick, and help Willie out in a place that is obviously his weakness. Then there's Tom Glavine. The name makes me want to puke. Just one day after Johnny Maine pitches damn near flawless, our "ace" decides to do his best Dave Mlicki impression. Seven runs given up in less than two innings against a team with a mascot named Billy is just horribly inexplicable. Go back to Atlanta. Thank you for three years, you basically just rendered them useless with that lackluster garbage excuse of a start.

There needs to be a lot of changes this off season. Carlos Delgado needs to go. We need to get younger at first base, and Delgado's best days are definitely behind him. I love Carlos as a player, and he won his respect back for me as a man when he decided to start standing for THE National Anthem again. Go to the American League, be a DH, and end your career. Luis Castillo was a useless acquisition this season. Ruben Gotay is without a doubt the front runner for the starting 2B job going into next season. Especially since Anderson Hernandez couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a beach ball. If Lastings Milledge isn't starting in right field next season then I am becoming a Yankees fan...alright that was a joke, but I think you guys can understand how serious I am about that. Finally we need to get a bona fide ace, and fix that pitiful excuse of a bullpen we got.

Omar is going to be busy this off season. Mets fans are going to expect nothing less than a division title and payback on the Phillies. A pennant would be nice considering we haven't won one of those in seven years. Dare I mention it has been 21 years since we have won a World Series. Next year will show what Omar and Willie have when it comes to leading this team. They are facing a lot of pressure and are under a microscope...ummm scratch that telescope from all of the Tri State to get the job done. Here's hoping for a great off season.

In other baseball news.....

HOW BOUT THEM ROCKIES! This is without a doubt the feel good story of the year in baseball. If you would have told me that the Colorado Rockies would be four games away from the World Series in May, I would have been calling Bellevue for you. Big up to the Rock Dawgs, and I would love to see them in the World Series. Plus it was great justice to see them beat up on Philadelphia. This just goes to show that the only thing useful to ever come out of Philadelphia when it comes to sports is a fictional character that fictionally ended Communism in the USSR. Reagan didn't bring down the Berlin Wall...Rocky did.

The fire your manager wave is hot all over New York City, as George Steinbrenner, in yet another act of ignorance, will be firing Joe Torre for taking his Yankees to the playoffs every season of his 12 season tenure. Joe Torre is a class act, and he gets treated with utter disrespect by The Boss. It is not Torre's fault that Alex Rodriguez is useless in October, and the ace of his staff didn't show up to this post season. You ask any player in that Yankee clubhouse and they will tell you firing Torre is a horrible idea. Have some class George.

Finally, I'm just going to put it out there. NO ONE IS BEATING BOSTON. They are too good. They made the Angels look like the Reds in the ALDS. Their pitching is clicking on all cylinders, Manny and Ortiz look like Ruth and Gehrig, and that bullpen is awesome. Cleveland has nothing to match Boston after Sabathia and Carmona. Look for the Red Sox to take the series in 6. Rockies take out the D'Backs in seven. Both series' should be very entertaining to watch.

IN OTHER SPORTS...

I don't know about you guys, but it was very gratifying to watch the Giants front four demolish the Eagles on that horrible Sunday last week. It really saved my day, I'm not going to lie. My G-Men then followed up their demolition of Philly with a 35-24 comeback victory over the Paper Airplanes. Eli and Plaxico (STIFF ARM) looked great in the second half, and HOW BOUT THAT AARON ROSS. The G-Men, along with the whole NFC East is looking like the NFC East of the early 1990's. Everyone is good, except for the Eagles.

Also this calling time out RIGHT before a field goal is kicked. That bush league garbage needs to stop.

HOCKEY IS BACK!!!!

What seems to be the second most popular sport in the group has made it's triumphant return...unless you are a Devils fan of course. We look like garbage. Rangers are fans are already on my last nerve, as they are already running their mouths. The Rangers are the same story every season; a bunch of high salaries with no chemistry and no results by the end of the season. Until I am ever proved wrong I will continue with that philosophy. The Fishsticks are weak. I'll let Wassink handle the Pens.

THE CHASE IS ON!!!

Well not for Junior unfortunately. To add insult to injury my boy Dale blew his sixth engine of the year at Talladega (Man Race) last Sunday. At least he is sticking it to Theresa, the woman who is trying to ruin the Earnhardt name. Looks like Hendrick Motor Sports is going to be running 1-2 in points again as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are motoring themselves away from everyone else. Wait until Junior joins that team next season...scary.

Finally I would like to give a shout out to my Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who finally won a football game this past weekend. Let's keep em coming boys. Oh and if anyone finds the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team, please return them to Piscataway. It would be greatly appreciated. USC lost...HAHAHAHA. That's my Two Cents. Later on. JD.
Read More...

The trading deadline has passed and the Mets made one key move, with the acquisition of former Twins 2B Luis Castillo, for prospects Drew Butera, and Dustin Martin. The interesting part of the trade is that we essentially got one of the best second basemen in the game, for two minor leaguers most Mets fan have never even heard of. While Castillo isn't the player he used to be, he can provide some speed at the top of the lineup, and some solid defense.

I like this trade for a few reasons. The first being that Ruben Gotay is still young enough that if he does not play everyday this season he has a good shot to do so next year; especially if Castillo decides to not resign. Second, Castillo is someone with experience who has been to the big game before. Third, if Castillo stinks up the joint he will most likely not be back for a second season.

While we all thought the Mets would make quick work of the Nationals last week, they played what wound up being a disappointing series. It harkens back to the days of the Montreal Expos, when most Mets fans remember them beating us more than any other NL East team. So while the losses were disappointing, they were somewhat expected in my eyes.

The upcoming week contains some important games for the Metropolitans. The Cubs, who have straightened themselves out nicely since mid June, get a visit from the Mets. Following the Cubs are the Braves and Marlins; two home series, which can always prove to be fun. Hopefully the Mets take the momentum that they have built up (somewhat) over the last few weeks and continue through these dog days of August. Read More...

A number of sources including MetsBlog and MLB Trade Rumors are reporting that the Mets have acquired second baseman Luis Castillo from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor leaguers Drew Butera and Dustin Martin.

This seems like a good trade for the Mets, it brings a veteran second baseman who still has decent speed, a good on base percentage and an above average glove, to replace the unproven Ruben Gotay, who the Mets believe can one day be the future second baseman. From what I gather, the Mets weren't very high on Butera or Martin anyway, so this upgrade comes at a small price.

In other news, the Braves have been busy today, acquiring First Baseman Mark Teixeira, and appear to be close to landing former Met Octavio Dotel. The Braves gave up two big prospects in Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Elvis Andrus for Teixeira, which tells me the Braves are looking to make a serious push for the playoffs this season.

Omar better have something in the works for a big time reliever within the next 24 hours to counter the braves moves, otherwise we could be looking at a closer race than we anticipated. Read More...

With second baseman Jose Valentin likely out for the season with a broken tibia, the Mets will need to decide what to do at second base.

Luckily the Mets have a number of options within their organization who could potentially fill Valentin’s shoes. Damion Easley, who is currently listed on the bereavement list due to an illness in his family, should be considered the frontrunner to take over the second baseman’s job. Easley is a 16 year veteran, and filled in nicely for Valentin when he was injured earlier in the season. However, Easley hasn’t seen much playing time since Valentin returned, and really hasn’t shown the same power either.

The Mets other major option is 24 year old Ruben Gotay, who is batting over .300 for the season, and has been nothing short of clutch for most of the month of July, the only question with Gotay is can he play everyday, and can he keep this hot streak going. Gotay is largely unproven, and has no playoff experience; therefore it is possible his recent success at the plate could be nothing more than a hot streak. While I have confidence in Gotay’s ability, I don’t really trust him in a big spot just yet.

The Mets also have recently acquired Marlon Anderson who can play second base, but with the Mets’ recent injuries in the outfield, it looks like the majority of his playing time will be in left field.

The other option of course would be for the Mets to make a deadline deal for an everyday second baseman. A number of teams are looking to trade their second baseman for younger talent. The Reds are shopping Brandon Phillips, who has been tearing the cover off the ball since the all star break, though it seems the Reds and the Mets haven’t discussed Phillips. The Devil Rays are looking to trade former Met Ty Wigginton, who can play second base, however it appears Wiggy will end up with the cross town rival Yankees in a deal involving Scott Proctor. While I’d like to see the Mets bring in a quality second baseman, with our issues at other positions giving up a prospect like Lastings Milledge or Carlos Gomez hardly seems worth the reward.

For the near future, expect Gotay to remain the primary second baseman, but at the first sign of trouble, expect to see the more experienced Easley playing second base for the Mets during the pennant race.
Read More...

The revolving door that is second base has always been a position for the Mets that lacks consistency. Last year, this spot passed through the hands of Kaz Matsui, Anderson Hernandez, and eventually an everyday player in Jose Valentin. Valentin performed well above expectations; providing solid defense and a consistent bat at the bottom of the order.

This season has followed much of the same course. Until Jose Valentin was sidelined with a knee injury, it was anticipated he would receive majority of the time at second. His absence opened the door for Damion Easley and Ruben Gotay. Even since Valentin's return from the DL, he has not been able to repeat his 2006. At times, Easley has provided some clutch hits, but due to his own nagging ailments, has not been able to step-up as a regular. With this, Ruben Gotay has emerged as a bright spot on the infield.

Gotay came to the Mets from Kansas City in a trade that many did not see the value in. Omar Minaya made the move to swap two Triple-A infielders; Jeff Keppinger for Ruben Gotay. Keppinger is now with the Reds, while Gotay has been doing the little things with the big club here in NY. Gotay has found himself in the middle of a number of rallies, while racking up quality at-bats, and providing adequate defense. He seems comfortable in the 2-hole in the lineup and also provides some speed on the base paths.

Let's crunch the numbers to find the best option at second:
- Valentin, Easley, and Gotay yield a .978 fielding percentage; taking into account Gotay has logged half as many innings as the other two and Easley has fielded other positions this season.
- Although it is a small sample size, Gotay's numbers at the plate are significantly better with less at-bats than both Easley and Valentin. Rather than bog up the blog with numbers, a hitting comparison can be found here.

Will Gotay continue to put up these kind of numbers as the season wears on? Does this team owe anything to an aging Valentin? Who do you personally like better at second? Would it really be beneficial for the Mets to seek a second baseman for the remainder of this season? The Mets could go out and acquire a 2nd baseman, but if Gotay can continue to give the Mets quality AB's and get on base, I think he fits quite well into the "mold" of this squad. I don't think Gotay will turn into any type of star player and his potential will most likely max out. That being said, he is still fairly young and could turn a typical Omar move into a new mainstay at second for now. Where do you stand?

Read More...