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May 19, 2008

Metamorphosis: May 13th, 2008 to May 19th, 2008

Scribbled by: Chris McCown @ 12:44 am | Filed under: Articles

5/13/08: Purchased the contracts of RHP Claudio Vargas and INF/OF Fernando Tatis from Triple-A New Orleans; Activated RHP Matt Wise from the 15-day disabled list; Designated RHPs Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa for assignment; Placed OF Angel Pagan on the 15-day disabled list, with a left shoulder; Sent C Raul Casanova outright to Triple-A New Orleans.

The Cy Figueroa story was a cute one while it lasted, but there was no reason to believe he would be a good major league starter at this point in his career and the Mets should be quite happy that they got a few good starts out of him before reality caught up to him. The overall numbers don’t look good at all—2-3, a 5.12 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP, 29-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio—but he managed to buy the Mets a couple of weeks with a few quality starts and got a pretty epic quote out there when he called the Nationals clubhouse cheerleaders “softball girls.” Figueroa cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to New Orleans, and my guess is that he’ll get at least a spot start here or there before September, especially with the slew of rainouts that the Mets have had to endure. Several commenters have brought up the possibility of him as a long man, given how well he has pitched to his early batters; I also enjoy that idea.

I can’t decide how to feel about Jorge Sosa being DFA’d; it was a blatantly obvious move, and it will clearly improve the Mets roster in the current term. What kind of rubs me wrong about it is that this is the second time this year (with the other being setting the opening day roster) that the front office had to take a lot of heat from the press before eventually making the right move. While you always want the club to make the right move on these matters, it reflects poorly on the organization that they seem to have bowed to outside pressure instead of going with their internal decision, even if that decision was wrong. What happens when the public decides on the wrong move?

Sosa leaves the Mets with a miraculous 4-1 record but a brutal 7.06 ERA and 1.89 WHIP. His peripherals have never been very good, but his track record of mediocrity and his one big season in Atlanta will probably make sure that he gets a few more chances to be a spot starter or 11th or12th man on a staff. As of this writing, his future with the Mets is up in the air; even if he clears he can opt to become a free agent.

I read “Placed Angel Pagan on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder contusion” as a “The dog ate my roster spot” move by the Mets. He doesn’t seem to be hurt too bad, but he’d been relegated to Brady Clark’s role with Alou back and sending him down for someone who can actually play the infield is a nice touch. Pagan and Endy Chavez play the same essential role; the Mets opted for the better glove and speed over the better eye.

As for the guys the Mets called up, Wise still has the best chance of contributing to winning, although he definitely has not been impressive so far. There still isn’t much pitching to actually analyze, but should he continue giving up runs, the Mets have plenty of options waiting in New Orleans, including Carlos Muniz and his one earned run allowed between 18 innings in the majors and Triple-A. As for Claudio Vargas, I kind of see this as a continuation of the Figueroa situation: he’s proven that he’s at best a mediocrity in his time in the majors, but hopefully the Mets can catch a few good starts before his ERA explodes. He had pitched well in his last couple of starts for New Orleans before coming up.

Fernando Tatis is someone I’m a little curious to see play. He was leading the PCL in homers when he was called up, and he’s always had enough of a bat to play a role in the majors. Apparently he’s re-dedicated himself to his defense and he has played the middle infield as well as a little outfield in New Orleans the last few years. I am still in favor of picking up a Felipe Lopez type the next time one of them comes down the waiver wire, but if Tatis can play an adequate shortstop or second base, he could be an interesting addition to the roster. In a more likely world, he’ll be exposed, and the Mets will still have no real backup for the left side of the infield.

THE BIG HURTS

Pedro Martinez – Will throw another simulated game on Monday, and, if all goes well, he could begin a rehab assignment that will have him on track to return in early June.

Orlando Hernandez – Is actually back to throwing. He thinks he can be back in a few weeks. I’ll take that bet, Duque. I’d be shocked if he were back before the All-Star break.

Angel Pagan – As we discussed, isn’t really seriously hurt. The minimum DL time should be fine. The bigger question is whether he reports to New Orleans or New York after it’s up.

Jose Valentin – Has shattered this columns record for “most empty search results on a player’s status.” At this point, the only way he’s getting on the field is a cataclysmic zombie uprising in which his moustache allows him to pass for some sort of furry plant.

QUICK PITCHES

Without using up all the material I’ve been gathering for the “Carlos Delgado is not good anymore” article that has yet to get a catchy name, let me run this fact at you: he’s not even hitting it in the air anymore. 47% of his outs this year have been ground outs, which is almost 10% higher than his career rate. For comparison’s sake, Doug Mientkiewicz, in his legendary 2005 run for the Mets where he ended up being dubbed “grounder to second” among other things, grounded out in 48.7% of his at-bats. Then again, Mientkiewicz also hit 11 homers for the Mets that year. Something I’m starting to doubt that Delgado has in him.
While it’s nice to see the New York Media finally wake up and start to get on Willie Randolph’s poor managing skills, I think we need to step back for a moment and re-assign some portion of this blame. Willie Randolph is a poor tactical manager and may or may not have lost his clubhouse. However, Willie Randolph did not lose the best backup second base option on the roster on waivers to the Braves. Willie Randolph did not enter the season with no real alternative to Delgado prepared, even though he hit poorly for most of last year. Willie Randolph did not hand $24 million to an aging speedster with sore knees. Omar Minaya deserves a lot of credit for going out and getting stars, as well as for (at the moment, anyway) having gotten better of the Milledge trade than most people thought. His lower roster management skills still leave a lot to be desired.

Chris can't help you play better than Tiny Iota. That guy was great. He is currently a Creative Writing student at the University Of Houston, and also writes at Future Considerations. Comments and criticisms can be sent to itsinhowyouinflect@gmail.com.

15 Responses to “Metamorphosis: May 13th, 2008 to May 19th, 2008”

Comment posted by Tim in LA on May 19, 2008 at 5:37 am (#697846)
I’m going to disagree with you on two things, but first I’ll say nice article.

1) Delgado isn’t so bad. His LD% is he same as it’s been his entire stint with the Mets, and his K and BB numbers are right in line. On the other hand, his BABIP is at a career low, 30 points lower than his “horrific” year last year.

Furthermore, I don’t know how you can say he’s not going to top 11 HRs when he’s got 5 in 40 games (or 6 if the umps had eyes). He’s on pace for 20 HR, 80 RBIs. And he’s been hitting a bit better as of late. I can easily see the same .260/24/87 line from last year. Which would suck for a cleanup hitter, but is pretty good for a 7th hitter.

2) Willie did lose the best backup 2nd baseman we have. He ran Gotay out of town; if he’s always in Willie’s doghouse and never getting real playing time, what’s Omar going to do?
Comment posted by Where have you gone John Olerud? on May 19, 2008 at 10:32 am (#697993)
I can’t decide how to feel about Jorge Sosa being DFA’d; it was a blatantly obvious move, and it will clearly improve the Mets roster in the current term. What kind of rubs me wrong about it is that this is the second time this year (with the other being setting the opening day roster) that the front office had to take a lot of heat from the press before eventually making the right move. While you always want the club to make the right move on these matters, it reflects poorly on the organization that they seem to have bowed to outside pressure instead of going with their internal decision, even if that decision was wrong. What happens when the public decides on the wrong move?

I disagree. This reminds me of the defense for many Bush administration supporters when then they proudly claim the White House sticks to its guns on policy matters regardless of how problematic those policies may be or however valid the criticisms of their detractors are. At some point people in a position of organizational authority have to be willing to admitt they are wrong on certain matters, especially if the brutal reality of those decisions continue to compromise organizational success. I am happy to see the Mets finally recognizing the ineptitude of Sosa’s stint in the bullpen after giving him more than enough rope to hang himself with this season and am of the opinion that its better to make such a move now than to wait until he has costed us one too many close games like Mota did 2007. If it took media pressure to make this decision, then so be it. After 2007 where the organization was ripped for being far too impervious and sensitive to outside ideas or criticisms I am glad to see the front office is holding itself far more accountable to their fans on issues. Everyone knew this was the right decisison, and if there was any reason the Mets front office held onto Sosa it was less for his worth to this club as a longman reliever and more due to monetary considerations.
Comment posted by sheadenizen on May 19, 2008 at 10:52 am (#698006)
I don’t get how Sosa and Figgy were DFA’d on the same day and Figgy has already cleared, but Sosa’s status is still unknown. How does that happen? I honestly don’t care if we never see Sosa again, but I don’t get the logistics.

I said the day Pedro got injured, he wouldn’t be back before June 15th. It looks about pretty close to that now. I wouldn’t be shocked if we never see Duque again….nor would I be surprised to see him come back, pitch 3 stellar games….get us all excited and then get injured again….lol!
Comment posted by SoCal Metfan on May 19, 2008 at 1:29 pm (#698139)
1) Delgado isn’t so bad. His LD% is he same as it’s been his entire stint with the Mets, and his K and BB numbers are right in line. On the other hand, his BABIP is at a career low, 30 points lower than his “horrific” year last year.

Furthermore, I don’t know how you can say he’s not going to top 11 HRs when he’s got 5 in 40 games (or 6 if the umps had eyes). He’s on pace for 20 HR, 80 RBIs. And he’s been hitting a bit better as of late. I can easily see the same .260/24/87 line from last year. Which would suck for a cleanup hitter, but is pretty good for a 7th hitter.

Tim, while I agree with you that Delgado could possibly rebound and get close to a league average at the position, I think Chris has a valid point about GB%. Even though CD’s LD% is very close to his career rate, the extremely high GB rate is going to murder his BABIP. Particularly since nearly every team uses The Shift against him, his GB-BABIP is gonna be miniscule, dragging his overall BABIP down. So unless he starts dramatically increasing his LD rate, or HR/Flyball rate, I doubt his BABIP will regress to career norms.

2) Willie did lose the best backup 2nd baseman we have. He ran Gotay out of town; if he’s always in Willie’s doghouse and never getting real playing time, what’s Omar going to do?

What is Omar to do? Omar gives Willie the best possible team to use. Now, if Willie says he won’t use Gotay (and I don’t believe that is the case), then Omar needs to trade Gotay and get value back, losing him on waivers for nothing is 100% on Omar’s shoulders.
Comment posted by John Peterson on May 19, 2008 at 3:01 pm (#698299)
Fernando Tatis (IF) > Marlon Anderson, Damion Easley
Valentino Pascucci (OF, 1B) > Endy Chavez, Angel Pagan
Carlos Muniz > Matt Wise?

Some inefficiencies here. It’s sad when Marlon Anderson with his poor defense and his career 85+ OPS are batting second and playing left field while Val Pascucci with his power bat, patience at the plate and adequate outfield defense wastes in AAA. Of course, even Fernando Tatis would be a better option than the ancient backup second basemen curiosities that are Anderson and Damion Easley. Willie Randolph can’t do anything about the fact that Omar Minaya doesn’t have a clue about building a useful bench, though he probably encouraged and supported the current roster configuration and would welcome a Willie Bloomquist or Miguel Cairo on board as well.
Comment posted by Alex Nelson on May 19, 2008 at 3:04 pm (#698308)
I don’t get how Sosa and Figgy were DFA’d on the same day and Figgy has already cleared, but Sosa’s status is still unknown. How does that happen? I honestly don’t care if we never see Sosa again, but I don’t get the logistics.

They both had to clear waivers on the same day — three full business days is the general rule with waivers.

In Sosa’s case, he may have cleared waivers (or not; he might have been claimed) and is making up his mind whether to accept a minor league assignment or opt for free agency. He has ten days to decide. Just a guess.
Comment posted by Tim in LA on May 19, 2008 at 3:33 pm (#698384)
You can’t look at Willie and Omar in isolation. They don’t work in their own bubbles; they have meetings every day. Willie says “I like the veteran guys like Marlon and Easley.” He says “Gotay’s glove is weak and I don’t trust him.” Omar says “Okay.” There’s no doubt they work together on the roster, and there’s no doubt Omar has the massive influence on starters and stars, but that Willie has a bigger effect on the little pieces. That’s just how dynamics like these work. Yeah, it was a mistake for Omar to try to sneak Gotay through waivers, but maybe he tried to trade him first.

On Delgado, we’ll see at the end of the season. But to say he might not crack 11 HRs this year is absurd. He’ll probably have 11 by the all star break.
Comment posted by Tim in LA on May 19, 2008 at 3:34 pm (#698389)
In Sosa’s case, he may have cleared waivers (or not; he might have been claimed) and is making up his mind whether to accept a minor league assignment or opt for free agency. He has ten days to decide. Just a guess.

Thanks for explaining this, I was confused, too.
Comment posted by Hubie on May 19, 2008 at 4:38 pm (#698538)
On Gotay, I don’t think people realize how bad his glove was. And there could not have been much of a market for him as he did pass through half of baseball until the Braves claimed him.
Comment posted by Hubie on May 19, 2008 at 4:41 pm (#698545)
John: Marlon Anderson was our best clutch hitter last year hands down and is a proven veteran bat. He has been the top PH in the NL the last 3 years I can’t believe you are even suggesting this pascucci guy over Marlon.
Comment posted by sheadenizen on May 19, 2008 at 4:56 pm (#698560)
Thanks, Alex.
Comment posted by John Peterson on May 19, 2008 at 5:04 pm (#698568)
John: Marlon Anderson was our best clutch hitter last year hands down and is a proven veteran bat. He has been the top PH in the NL the last 3 years I can’t believe you are even suggesting this pascucci guy over Marlon.

Marlon Anderson has a weak glove, no power and no plate discipline. His value as a pinch-hitter is completely illusory. There is no special talent for pinch-hitting, and if there is, it’s not enough to transform the mediocre and elderly Anderson into a useful player. Why is it necessary for us to canonize guys when they have a good year, or in Endy Chavez’s case, one good play? Good rosters aren’t built on fuzzy feeling and rainbows. Anderson had 77 plate appearances last year and did well in them. Just because Minaya and Randolph caught lightning in the bottle last year doesn’t mean they should bring the guy back for more than he’s worth and clog up the roster with him when better guys are available. Yet this is what they do time and time again (Valentin, Easley, etc.) Marlon Andersons are a dime a dozen (see Gotay, Ruben).
Comment posted by SoCal Metfan on May 19, 2008 at 6:36 pm (#698605)
Comment posted by John Peterson on May 19, 2008 at 3:01 pm (#698299)

Fernando Tatis (IF) > Marlon Anderson, Damion Easley
Valentino Pascucci (OF, 1B) > Endy Chavez, Angel Pagan
Carlos Muniz > Matt Wise?

Some inefficiencies here. It’s sad when Marlon Anderson with his poor defense and his career 85+ OPS are batting second and playing left field while Val Pascucci with his power bat, patience at the plate and adequate outfield defense wastes in AAA. Of course, even Fernando Tatis would be a better option than the ancient backup second basemen curiosities that are Anderson and Damion Easley. Willie Randolph can’t do anything about the fact that Omar Minaya doesn’t have a clue about building a useful bench, though he probably encouraged and supported the current roster configuration and would welcome a Willie Bloomquist or Miguel Cairo on board as well.

While I do prefer Tatis to Anderson, I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that he’s more valuable than Easley. Tatis pretty much exclusively a corner IF has a career OPS+ of 99, while Easley has a career OPS+ of 92, and can play all the IF positions and occassionally OF. That versatility can be very valuable in a lineup. Not to mention Tatis hasn’t aged well, and it’s a very small minor league sample that shows him being a useful bat.

As for Pascucci, I look forward to him being a primary RH bat, because I expect Tatis to flame out eventually. But he would fill a different role than either Endy or Angel (though I agree that having both of them is a redundancy). I think ideally, Pascucci and Endy would be the primary RH PH and 4th OF, and Pagan would be an emergency callup in case of injury.

Comment posted by Tim in LA on May 19, 2008 at 3:33 pm (#698384)

You can’t look at Willie and Omar in isolation. They don’t work in their own bubbles; they have meetings every day. Willie says “I like the veteran guys like Marlon and Easley.” He says “Gotay’s glove is weak and I don’t trust him.” Omar says “Okay.” There’s no doubt they work together on the roster, and there’s no doubt Omar has the massive influence on starters and stars, but that Willie has a bigger effect on the little pieces. That’s just how dynamics like these work. Yeah, it was a mistake for Omar to try to sneak Gotay through waivers, but maybe he tried to trade him first.

On Delgado, we’ll see at the end of the season. But to say he might not crack 11 HRs this year is absurd. He’ll probably have 11 by the all star break

I’m not saying that Willie isn’t part of the process, but Omar is still the GM. Faulting Willie for losing Gotay just doesn’t make sense. The ultimate decision on roster management is Omars. Even if Willie says, “I hate this guy, I won’t play him” (which he didn’t), if Omar gives him away for nothing, that is *still* Omar’s failing. If he tried to sneak him through waivers, he could have pulled him back once a claim was made. He *let* Gotay go for free. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said it’s 100% Omar’s fault, but it’s still like 95% or something like that.

And I don’t disagree about Delgado’s HR total, I’m just pointing out that his GB% and HR/F is a very real concern, despite the lack of change in LD%.
Comment posted by SoCal Metfan on May 19, 2008 at 6:42 pm (#698608)
Heh, that’s why I should use the buttons than try to manually blockquote. Whoops.
Comment posted by Beltran is Mr. Softy Personified on May 19, 2008 at 7:58 pm (#698614)
blockquote vs. quote got ya there, SoCal.

Happens to the best of us, buddeh! ;-)

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