New York Sports Fan Blog

In 2006, the future of the New York Mets seemed to be bright. But after 2 consecutive seasons of relinquishing the division lead at the end of the season, followed by a year plagued by injury in 2009, the Mets hopes of winning have dimmed dramatically.

The Wilpons finally cut GM Omar Minaya loose after the 2010 season, and brought in Sandy Alderson, whose resume is quite impressive from his time in Oakland. But the Mets only made small moves in 2011, and the team finished below .500 yet again.

This past offseason, Mets fans’ worst nightmare came true. Jose Reyes signed with the Marlins as a free agent, bringing to an end the idea of he and David Wright leading the Mets to a World Series. Although this was a devastating loss, one can’t help but understand Alderson’s reasons for not resigning the star shortstop. The team is in massive debt, and even with Reyes on the roster, the Mets still could not find a way into the playoffs for four consecutive seasons.

Now that the dust has settled, it is time for the Mets to look to the future. 2012 could be a surprising season in Flushing, as the starting rotation appears to be pretty solid heading into spring training. Coupled with some big bats in the lineup and some new arms in the bullpen, the Mets could have the potential to make some noise this season.

The acquisition of Frank Francisco as the new closer was a huge move, and the rest of the bullpen is relatively set, with arms like Jon Rauch, Tim Byrdak, Ramon Ramirez, Bobby Parnell, and Jason Isringhausen. This group could provide the Mets with some much needed help late in games, a problem that has plagued the team over the past 4 years.

The starting rotation is shaping up to look like one that could contend. With Johan Santana returning from an injury that kept him out for all of 2011, the rotation immediately gets an injection of talent. Behind Santana, the Mets will start Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, R.A. Dickey, and Dillon Gee, all of whom now have significant tenures in the major leagues, and could certainly pitch the Mets to a solid number of victories this year.

But they won’t be able to do so without run support. This is the biggest question for the Mets entering 2012. Will they be able to score? Moving the fences in at Citi Field will help, but it will also help the opposition, so what should we expect to see? The answer is unclear, but the offense currently on the roster certainly has potential to score.

Andres Torres most likely will lead off, replacing Jose Reyes in the order and Angel Pagan in center field. Torres is a fast runner who can get on base consistently. David Wright should be back to his old self once again, and we can expect him to hit at least 30 home runs with 100 RBIs. The question marks lie behind him in the batting order, however. Young first baseman Ike Davis is coming off an injury, but his power certainly should not be overlooked. The man has put several balls onto Shea Bridge in right center field, and will only get better with experience. If he can hit well in the cleanup spot, it should give Wright some pitches to hit.

Behind Davis, the struggling Jason Bay will need to find his offense again in order for the team to be successful. If he can regain even close to the production that we saw during his time in Boston, the Mets could have the opportunity to sport quite a dangerous hitting attack.

At the end of the day though, they are still the Mets. They still have many pieces to add in order to fill out the lineup, but the farm system looks promising and the future may not be as dim as many fans once thought.

Despite missing the postseason for the fifth consecutive season, 2011 was a success for the New York Mets. A change in club culture has set the Mets on the right path to have success in the near future. Entering the season, the club’s pitching staff was in complete disarray and there were question marks all around the diamond outside of David Wright and Jose Reyes. Even they weren’t rock solid with their injury history in recent years. The Mets managed to hang around .500 for a majority of the year despite not having Carlos Beltran, David Wright, and Jose Reyes for stretches. The result was optimism  at the end of the year when they finished 77-85. The emergence of some young players on the team shows signs of a new beginning. New General Manager Sandy Alderson and Manager Terry Collins definitely put their stamp on this Mets team. Alderson made some crafty moves in acquiring Chris Capuano be an innings eater and prized young arm Zack Wheeler from San Francisco in a trade for Carlos Beltran. Collins managed wonderfully, getting the Mets to play hard and focused throughout the season, something not associated with the organization in recent years.

With Collins at the helm, Jose Reyes enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career. Reyes had over 10 triples by July and was lead the league in batting. He may have finished with better numbers had a reoccurring hamstring injury not forced him to miss extended time. Several young players had breakout seasons for the Mets. Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy were tearing the cover off the ball, but both had their seasons end prematurely with injuries. A position must be found though for Murphy as he continues to struggle wherever they put him on the field. Also providing a spark were middle infielders Ruben Tejada and Justin Turner. They often worked counts, got on base at the top of the lineup, played sound defense, and filled in for Reyes admirably when he was on the shelf. Lucas Duda also found his stroke, but it remains to be seen where he projects in the field (outfield seems most likely). David Wright missed a prolonged period of time due to a stress fracture in his back, but came back strongly at the plate when he finally returned.

The main focus for the 2012 Mets is ensuring that the dynamic Jose Reyes is penciled in at shortstop and leading off for the foreseeable future. Tejada is a decent replacement, but he is no Reyes by any means. The Mets are strapped for cash because of owner Fred Wilpon’s involvement with ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, but Reyes should be brought back by any means. Returning some injured players to health coupled with further development of young players could make this lineup a very potent one (especially with the fences at Citi Field being brought in). Upgrades in the starting rotation and bullpen are a necessity if this team really wants to compete, but financial limitations may postpone that for another year or two.

Bright Spots: Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy, Jose Reyes, Ruben Tejada, Justin Turner, Chris Capuano, Ike Davis

Disappointments: David Wright, Jason Bay, Angel Pagan, Josh Thole, Bullpen, R.A. Dickey

Serious question. I just want to know where we stand right now. I also don’t want to be the first to throw in the towel if we still think a miracle is possible and we can finish above .500 this year. On the other hand, I’m slowly starting to lose track of how many players we have on the disabled list, and I’m recognizing less and less of the players that are taking the field for us every week. As a side-note, the Mets would absolutely dominate the all-injured MLB Playoffs if they started today. No question. David Wright? Ike Davis? Chris Young? You might as well throw Carlos Beltran in there — he’ll be back there any day now. There’s also that pretty decent pitcher you might have forgotten about. Johan Santana? I think that’s his name. Now that’s a dominant team. They’d probably sweep every series on their way to the DL Championship. I don’t know about you but all I’m hearing right now is parade.

On a more serious note, whether the Mets (and their fans) are still hoping the team can right the ship and at least contend with the Marlins and Braves or stay within 10 games of the Phils, the truth remains that some significant changes will be made to the team in the very near future. Or at least they should be made.

For starters, why Jason Bay is scheduled to make $16 million next year is completely beyond me. If it wasn’t for the ridiculous amounts of injuries we’ve had, and the bad luck that has made it so that Bay hasn’t been one of those injuries, he probably wouldn’t have played in half of the games he has so far this season. In fact, nothing would make me happier than to see Bay get sent down to the minors. And not Triple-A; I’m talking Class-A Short Season. Aberdeen Ironbirds if possible. That’s how hard it is to watch this guy play right now. While I’m at it I’m going to encourage you to buy this Jason Bay bobblehead. It’ll be worth a ton in a few years when Bay is out of the majors, and I’ve been told $2 of each sale goes directly to him, which he’ll probably need after he has to give back his salary from the last few years after failing to hit 20 total home-runs in 3 seasons. Please help him out.

Sadly, nothing I have said above about Jason Bay will actually happen. What is going to happen, however, is that the Mets will trade one of their key pieces, if not a few of them. It seems like the favorite to be traded, whether mid-season or in the off-season, is shortstop Jose Reyes. Reyes has been the only bright light in what has been a bottomless pit of darkness of a season so far (okay maybe not. Justin Turner has definitely been a nice surprise), and could even be in the early MVP discussion if he was on a better team. He also represents the player New York would probably get the best value for, as a handle full of teams would be interested in his speed, defense, and hitting. Even David Wright, the Mets poster boy and management’s very favorite has been rumored to be on the trading block, as it’s believed that Wright’s poor hitting would significantly improve in another ballpark (not too convinced about that one…) and on a team where he wouldn’t be expected to be “the guy.”

Personally, I’d rather see Wright go, as I think (and think that most would agree) that what Reyes offers at the plate and in the field is irreplaceable. Wright on the other hand — a talented hitter who seems to go through more slumps than your average “star” player and isn’t terribly clutch — can be replaced. It goes without saying that I would also like to see Beltran go. We could even package him in with Wright as a free giveaway. With a “please take this off our hands before it crumbles in a heap of dust” sign attached to him. Unfortunately, I think Reyes will in fact be the one to be traded. Which is why I just ordered this signed baseball that I plan on keeping in my pocket for the rest of my life, no matter how weird it makes my pants look. Most importantly, what I hope the Mets do is make up their mind about what direction the team is going in. If management wants to rebuild, I am all for that. We have some good young players to build around, and obviously a few pieces we could trade for more prospects and young talent.

What I’m most tired of is this team giving huge amounts of money to injury-prone, washed-up, or underachieving players while our “star” players sit on the bench injured all year while a bunch of no-names run around losing to the Pirates and making me the laughing stock of my Yankee-fan friends. Can you feel the frustration yet?

Here are my all-time best New York Mets By Position… When I picked my team, I only considered their contributions while a member of the Mets. If they played longer for the Mets, I gave them a slight bump in rankings since their impact on the Mets should be greater than someone playing only a couple seasons. As a general note, I started watching the Mets around 1985-86 so my choices will be biased towards Mets who have played in the 80s or later. My squad contains one player at each position, five starters and a relief pitcher/closer. I listed other people I considered in the running for each position. OK.. Here is my all-time Mets squad.

Written by: Evan Kanter of the Sports Fan Blog Network

Click here as this post appears on our NY Mets Sports Fan Blog.

It was fitting that yesterday’s 5-1 win over Houston, the penultimate game of the Mets’ sorry season suffered through a rain delay: The entire injury-riddled campaign has been like water torture that just wouldn’t end.

Manuel is determined to make sure Wright does just that, admitting the latter developed “phobias” — Manuel’s word, not ours — after getting beaned by a 93 mph Matt Cain fastball on Aug. 15. He’s hit just .242 since, looking uneasy at the plate and admitting he still thinks about the beaning.

So, with Wright showing modest improvement in his last three games — 5-for-12 with three doubles and three RBIs — Manuel didn’t want to risk his star getting drilled by errant Yorman Bazardo (19 BB in 27 1/3 innings pitched).


Click here to read the full article – By BRIAN LEWIS of New YorkPost

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for David Wright.

His first round of batting practice complete, David Wright was casually jogging from first to second base Sunday morning when he was struck in the left leg by a ball hit by Luis Castillo. No problem. He paused, continued running after another pitch, then headed to the clubhouse to get a helmet.


The freak accident had little to do with the additional gear Wright retrieved. In the wake of the concussion he suffered Aug. 15, he has been told by doctors to wear a helmet during batting practice. He had forgotten.

Click here to read the full article – By Marty Noble of MLB.com

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for David Wright.

Based on the recommendations of several doctors and specialists, the Mets placed David Wright on the 15-day disabled list with post-concussion symptoms following Sunday’s 5-4 win over the Giants.

General manager Omar Minaya said the decision was made when he spoke with the specialist and Wright during Sunday’s game.

Wright was released from the Hospital for Special Surgery on Sunday morning after revisiting with the neurologist who diagnosed him with his condition, which mainly involves a headache. The four-time All-Star — who received an apologetic voice mail from Giants starter Matt Cain on Saturday night — is currently resting at home, and Wright is expected to rejoin his teammates at Citi Field in the early part of this week.


Click here to read the full article – By Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for David Wright.

Sorry David Wright, but your apprenticeship is over. The New York Mets are in dire need of a leader and guess what? You’re it!

There is no one else in the Mets organization with the ability to lead this club. And that goes for the ownership and the on-and-off field management—who are beginning to make even the New York State Senate look like a streamlined operation. Face it, Mets fans; your team sucks right now. The Mets may have more All-Stars than any other NL team, but they also have one of the most dysfunctional organizations in sports, right up there the Oakland Raiders, the New York Knicks, the New York Islanders, and the Charlestown Chiefs.

Click here to read the full article – By John Fennelly of Bleacherreport.com

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for David Wright.

Santana, Rodriguez also named to National League roster

Wright, the only member of the Mets’ celebrated and decimated core to avoid assignment to the disabled list this season, and Carlos Beltran have been elected to the team that will represent the National League in St. Louis. But Beltran, assigned to the DL, isn’t expected to participate because of his bruised and aching right knee.

Given the spate of injuries that has struck the Mets, his absence would be perversely appropriate. Injury could be represent them, along with Wright, Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez. With two of their pitchers selected to participate, the Mets have the most players on the NL roster and another reminder of the talent missing from their roster.

Click here to read the full article – By Marty Noble of MLB.com

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to collectibles and apparel available for David Wright.

New York, NY (AHN) – David Wright ripped four hits and scored three runs, powering the New York Mets to an 11-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday.

Ryan Church added three hits and Fernando Tatis knocked in three runs, while Nick Evans blasted his first homer. It was a rare laugher for the Mets (36-34), who received a terrific start from Fernando Nieve, who tossed six innings of three-hit ball to improve to 3-0. Although he allowed four walks, Nieve was able to keep the Cards off the scoreboard due in part to the five strikeouts he racked up.

Article by Matt Aug AHN Sports on June 25, 2009
Click here for full article

New York Mets Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Mets Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for David Wright.