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When Omar Minaya was named Mets general manager following the 2004 campaign, he inherited a 71-91 club with a lackluster roster and low expectations. The prior regime lead by Jim Duquette (whose follies I chronicled in detail in an earlier piece) had set the organization back with a series of blunders headlined by trading pitching phenom Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano and stunting the growth of Jose Reyes, playing him out of position at 2B in favor of Kaz Matsui. Additionally, outside of two promising stars - Jose Reyes and David Wright - that had been recently promoted to the Majors, the cupboard was bare in the Mets minor league systems due to poor drafting and the mismanagement of prospects.
The arrival of Minaya ushered in a new era for the Mets. The Wilpons truly believed in Omar from the start and Fred Coupon, as many Mets fans had dubbed him, opened up his checkbook in 2005. The Mets landed two big time free agents in Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran to help sure up the team's starting pitching, lineup and team defense. In addition, young speedster Jose Reyes was moved back to his natural position at SS and flourished stealing 60 bases while his 3B counterpart David Wright enjoyed a breakout season belting 27 homeruns to go along with 102 RBIs and .306 batting average. Overall, the Mets improved 12 games in 2005, going 83-79 and the expectations going into the 2006 season were the highest since 2000.
The 2006 New York Mets were projected to be a serious contender for the NL crown before the season began but the questions lingered regarding the strength of the Mets pitching staff and whether Jose Reyes and David Wright could repeat/build upon their 2005 performances. However, as the season wore on the team's play silenced the critics and the Mets established themselves as the clear favorite to represent the NL in the World Series. The Mets nearly went wire to wire in the NL East, compiling 97 wins and winning the division by 12 games in what was the most dominant regular season performance by the franchise in 20 years.
Much of the credit for the team's 2006 success has to go to Omar Minaya as this was his finest hour as Mets general manager. Minaya pulled off a series of savvy moves in the offseason and during the regular season, improving the team exponentially each time. The most heavily publicized move was the signing of Billy Wagner which finally gave the Mets a bonafide closer and solidified the bullpen.
While the Wagner signing was essential, Minaya's true genius was on full display in his trade acquisitions. Minaya did some extensive shopping at the Marlins fire sale, coming away with first baseman Carlos Delgado and veteran catcher Paul Lo Duca for next to nothing. Then he landed unheralded outfielder Xavier Nady from the Padres in exchange for a disgruntled Mike Cameron. Delgado, Nady and Lo Duca would all enjoy solid 2006 campaigns and help make the Mets lineup one of the more dynamic in baseball.
Minaya's best work on the trading front came in a series of 4 deals between January and the trade deadline which helped to bolster the pitching staff in 2006 and beyond. One of the more under the radar moves was completed on January 4th, 2006 trading Jae Seo at the peak of his value for young reliever Duaner Sanchez. Sanchez would go on to open the season with 21 scoreless innings while Seo struggled mightily in LA and was eventually dealt to Tampa. Sanchez became a key cog in the Mets bullpen and his season ending shoulder injury sustained in a cab accident would hurt the team's chances immensely come playoff time.
On January 21st, the Mets and Orioles completed a deal that sent Kris Benson to Baltimore for Jorge Julio and John Maine. That deal was followed by a trade on May 24th shipping Julio to Arizona for Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. The final deal came at the trade deadline on July 31st as the Mets landed Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez from the Pirates in exchange for Xavier Nady. These moves helped the Mets advance to the 2006 NLCS after a string of injuries ended the seasons of Pedro Martinez, El Duque and Duaner Sanchez. Further, Maine, Perez and Hernandez continue to be fixtures in the Mets' rotation while Sanchez will help bolster the Mets pen with his return in 2008.
2006 ended with a disappointing NLCS loss in 7 games to the St. Louis Cardinals and much of the blame went to the injuries that depleted the staff down the stretch. Entering 2007, the Mets were the odds on favorite to take home the NL. The team returned a similar lineup and pitching staff with the exception of Pedro Martinez who would be out until August and was looked upon as the perfect storm of veterans and youngsters, poised to make a serious championship run.
The Mets did make a few signings, bringing in Moises Alou to bolster then lineup and Scott Schoeneweis as a lefty arm out of the pen. However, Minaya's 2006 trading magic did not carry over in 2007 as deals which included relievers Henry Owens, Matt Lindstrom, Heath Bell and starter Brian Bannister yielded low returns and hurt the team's depth. The deadline deal for Luis Castillo was the lone win for Minaya, as it gave the team a veteran 2B and #2 hitter.
The 2007 Mets also encountered injuries, but this time the team counted on some of their prospects to pick up the slack. Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez filled in admirably in the outfield while 2006 draft pick Joe Smith did a great job out of the pen. In addition, 2007 Oliver Perez and John Maine established themselves as solid starters each winning 15 games.
By now, the Mets demise in 2007 have been clearly documented. The team lead the NL East for a majority of the season and entered the final 17 games with a 7 game lead over the Phillies before experiencing a monumental collapse. The Mets fall from grace concluded in emphatic fashion with an 8-1 drubbing at the hands of the Marlins in front of a sellout crowd at Shea.
The wounds inflicted by "The Collapse" are deep and Mets fans have experienced a tumultuous winter. However, the arrival of Venezuela's prodigal son and a clean bill of health for the man who goes by the name of Pedro have revitalized the fan base and more importantly raised the team's spirits. Rather than dwelling on the past, the Mets and their fans are looking forward to 2008 with one of the best clubs they have ever fielded.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the 2008 New York Mets Team Preview focusing on the upcoming season.
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 Recently, I began writing for a new fantasy sports blog appropriately named the Fantasy Sports Experience. While Giggin On Ya is still my first love, FSE allows me to feed my fantasy sports fix and that my friends is a good thing.
Anyway, from time to time I will link to some of the fun articles we do over there; sparing you from the detailed analysis that is not so much fun unless you are really into fantasy sports. This week, we decided to live blog the awesomely bizarre Roger Clemens press conference. Follow the link below and enjoy.
Link
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A Few Thoughts While Reading The Mitchell Report
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Now that the smoke has cleared and Roger Clemens' legacy has been thoroughly soiled (although he remain a first ballot lock for the Hall of Fame in my opinion) it is time to reveal the final results from the Mitchell Report Fantasy draft held Wednesday night:
Ben - 4 (Brian Roberts, Barry Bonds, Troy Glaus, Roger Clemens)
Phil - 3 (Juan Gonzalez, Eric Gagne, Lenny Dykstra)
Josh - 3 (Kevin Brown, Miguel Tejada, Mark McGwire)
Commenter John - 0 (thanks for coming out)
I am happy to report that Giggin On Ya is the big winner in the MRFL having defeated a slew of worthy competitors. However, there will be ample opportunities to settle the score in the future once the MLB releases multi-million dollar reports focusing on HGH, amphetamines and most importantly the rise of illegal pepper games.
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I just finished reading through the Mitchell Report (some damning information regarding Clemens in there, wow) and put together a comprehensive list of players named in the report. Some of the more prominent and/or surprising players mentioned in the report are presented in boldface.
- Barry Bonds
- Sammy Sosa
- Raphael Palmeiro
- Mark McGwire
- Gary Sheffield
- Juan Gonzalez
- Ken Caminiti
- Jose and Ozzie Canseco
- Ismael Valdez
- Lenny Dykstra
- Wally Joyner
- Derrick Turnbow
- Jason Grimsley
- Manny Alexander
- Mark Carreon
- Hal Morris
- Matt Franco
- Jack Cust
- Alex Cabrera
- Miguel Tejada
- Larry Bigbie
- David Segui
- Paxton Crawford
- Jason and Jeremy Giambi
- Armando Rios
- Marvin Bernard
- Bobby Estalela
- Benito Santiago
- Randy Velarde
- Brian Roberts
- Tim Laker
- Josias Manzanillo
- Todd Hundley
- Rondell White
- Roger Clemens
- Andy Pettitte
- Chuck Knoblauch
- Gregg Zaun
- David Justice
- F.P. Santangelo
- Glenallen Hill
- Mo Vaughn
- Denny Neagle
- Ron Villone
- Ryan Franklin
- Chris Donnels
- Todd Wiliams
- Phil Hiatt
- Todd Pratt
- Kevin Young
- Mike Lansing
- Cody McKay
- Brenden Donelly
- Nook Logan
- Daniel Naulty
- Jay Gibbons
- Kent Mercker
- Adam Piatt
- Jason Christiansen
- Mike Stanton
- Stephen Randolph
- Jerry Hairston Jr.
- Paul Loduca
- Adam Riggs
- Bart Miadich
- Fernando Vina
- Kevin Brown
- Eric Gagne
- Mike Bell
- Matt Herges
- Gary Bennett Jr.
- Jim Parque
- Chad Allen
- Jefff Williams
- Howie Clark
- Rick Ankiel
- Paul Byrd
- Troy Glaus
- Jose Guillen
- Gary Matthews Jr.
- Scott Schowenweis
- David Bell
- Darren Holmes
- John Rocker
- Matt Williams
- Steve Woodard
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The following list of players was compiled by a person who is closely connected to MLB. I received the list from a trusted friend who has access to a lot of news sources and vouches for its accuracy. Again, this is by no means the official final list of players, but I feel it has a lot of legitimacy.
- Brady Anderson
- Manny Alexander
- Rick Ankiel
- Jeff Bagwell
- Barry Bonds
- Aaron Boone
- Rafael Bettancourt
- Bret Boone
- Milton Bradley
- David Bell
- Dante Bichette
- Albert Belle
- Paul Byrd
- Wil Cordero
- Ken Caminiti
- Mike Cameron
- Ramon Castro
- Jose and Ozzie Canseco
- Roger Clemens
- Paxton Crawford
- Wilson Delgado
- Lenny Dykstra
- Johnny Damon
- Carl Everett
- Kyle Farnsworth
- Ryan Franklin
- Troy Glaus
- Rich Garces
- Jason Grimsley
- Juan Gonzalez
- Eric Gagne
- Nomar Garciapara
- Jason Giambi
- Jeremy Giambi
- Jack Kindregan
- Jose Guillen
- Jay Gibbons
- Clay Hensley
- Jerry Hairston
- Felix Heredia Jr.
- Darren Holmes
- Wally Joyner
- Darryl Kile
- Matt Lawton
- Raul Mondesi
- Mark Mc Gwire
- Guillermo Mota
- Robert Machado
- Damian Moss
- Abraham Nunez
- Trot Nixon
- Jose Offerman
- Andy Pettitte
- Mark Prior
- Neifi Perez
- Rafael Palmeiro
- Albert Pujols
- Brian Roberts
- Juan Rincon
- John Rocker
- Pudge Rodriguez
- Sammy Sosa
- Scott Schowenwies
- David Segui
- Alex Sanchez
- Gary Sheffield
- Miguel Tejada
- Julian Tavarez
- Fernando Tatis
- Mo Vaughn
- Jason Varitek
- Ismael Valdez
- Matt Williams
- Kerry Wood
UPDATE (11:50am) - Just received an email from someone over at Bloomberg. They are about to release a similar list over the newswire; further corroborating the accuracy of the preliminary list posted above.
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Tomorrow at 2pm, former Senator George Mitchell will reveal findings from an extensive 20 month investigation into steroids in baseball that may implicate as many as 80 former and current MLB players. On the heels of what promises to be a hellacious day in the baseball world, Giggin On Ya has decided to conduct the first (and last) Mitchell Report Fantasy Draft. Two special guests, Josh and Phil, will join me in building fantasy teams consisting of players that we feel will be named in the Mitchell Report. The following rules apply:
The draft lasts 11 rounds and each manager must select: 1 C, 1 1B, 1 2B, 1 SS, 1 3B, 3 OF, 1 U, 1 SP and 1 CL/MR
Players that have admitted to steroid use and/or been suspended by MLB may not be selected.
One point is awarded for each player implicated in the Mitchell Report.
Without further ado, here are the draft results and final rosters:
Round 1 - (1) Josh - Miguel Tejada, (2) Phil - Ivan Rodriguez, (3) Ben - Barry Bonds
Round 2 - (4) Ben - Rickey Henderson, (5) Phil - Lenny Dykstra, (6) Josh - Mark Mc Gwire
Round 3 - (7) Josh - Brady Anderson, (8) Phil - Mike Piazza, (9) Ben - Rey Ordonez
Round 4 - (10) Ben - Brian Roberts, (11) Phil - Juan Gonzalez, (12) Josh - Eric Chavez
Round 5 - (13) Josh - Bernie Williams, (14) Phil - Brett Boone, (15) Ben - Roger Clemens
Round 6 - (16) Ben - Yorvit Torrealba, (17) Phil - Jason Schmidt, (18) Josh - Dante Bichette
Round 7 - (19) Josh - Larry Walker, (20) Phil - Bobby Bonilla, (21) Ben - Melvin Mora
Round 8 - (22) Ben - Albert Pujols, (23) Phil - Jim Edmonds, (24) Josh - Roberto Alomar
Round 9 - (25) Josh - Sandy Alomar Jr., (26) Phil - Walt Weiss, (27) Ben - Roberto Hernandez
Round 10 - (28) Ben - Vince Coleman, (29) Phil - Eric Gagne, (30) Josh - Kevin Brown
Round 11- (31) Josh - Mo Rivera, (32) Phil - Rich Aurillia, (33) Ben - Troy Glaus
Josh
C - Sandy Alomar Jr.
1B - Mark Mc Gwire
2B - Roberto Alomar
SS - Miguel Tejada
3B - Eric Chavez
OF - Brady Anderson
OF - Bernie Williams
OF - Larry Walker
U - Dante Bichette
SP - Kevin Brown
CL - Mo Rivera
Phil
C - Ivan Rodriguez
1B - Mike Piazza
2B - Brett Boone
SS - Walt Weiss
3B - Rich Aurillia
OF - Juan Gonzalez
OF - Bobby Bonilla
OF - Jim Edmonds
U - Lenny Dykstra
SP - Jason Schmidt
CL - Eric Gagne
Ben
C - Yorvit Torrealba
1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Brian Roberts
SS - Rey Ordonez
3B - Melvin Mora
OF - Barry Bonds
OF - Rickey Henderson
OF - Vince Coleman
U - Troy Glaus
SP - Roger Clemens
MR - Roberto Hernandez
Check back tomorrow after the release of the report for the final tally and to see who the big winner is...
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Earlier today in the AAA portion of the Rule V draft, the New York Mets selected Garry Bakker, a 24 year old pitching prospect left unprotected by the Chicago White Sox. A fellow graduate of Suffern High School, Bakker will get the opportunity to pitch for the Mets AAA team this upcoming season. If all goes well, hopefully Rick Peterson will be touching his shoulder during a mound visit at Shea Stadium or Citi Field in the near future.
We at Giggin On Ya wish him the best of luck.
For more information on Garry Bakker click here (courtesy of The Baseball Cube).
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Earlier today, many Met fans found themselves up in arms as the team acquired Ryan Church along with Brian Schneider in exchange for the young Lastings Milledge. The outrage could be seen across internet message boards, comment sections, sports talk radio and my company email inbox as Mets fans lashed out at management for dealing one of the organization's more promising young positional players. The deal was not only lambasted by fans but also by respected baseball analysts including the venerable Keith Law, one of the better judges of talent among the experts.
On the surface this deal looks like a "heist" (as Law so bluntly put it) by the Nats. However, upon examining the numbers and considering the New York Mets current situation, this is a potentially beneficial deal in the short-term (next 2-3 years) given the following stipulation: the Mets go out and land a front-line starter such as Erik Bedard, Danny Haren or to a lesser extent Joe Blanton.
Ryan Church is an intriguing player in my eyes. Similar to Xavier Nady when he was acquired prior to the 2006 season, Church hasn't gotten the opportunity to play everyday in his career, but has performed well in a platoon role with limited at-bats. Last season, while playing in cavernous RFK stadium in a poor lineup, Church hit .272 with 15 HRs and 70 RBIs, good for a share of the team lead, in only 470 ABs. His OPS was around .800 where it has stood for most of his career; a good indicator his numbers are not a fluke and he may have room for improvement. While not eye popping, those numbers in regular playing time which is roughly 550 ABs extrapolate out to approximately 18 HRs and 81 RBIs, well above the average production for a #7 in an NL lineup where he will most likely hit with the Mets.
Church is also a solid defensive outfielder with the ability to play all three outfield positions. He will serve as a defensive upgrade in right field and pair with Carlos Beltran to cover a lot of ground. Outfield defense is especially important for the Mets as their pitching staff is comprised of fly ball pitchers that put a lot of balls in play.
The other player acquired in this deal is Brian Schneider, an excellent defensive catcher who provides the Mets with stability at the catcher position. Schneider's ability to throw out baserunners is a big asset in the NL east, a division laden with speedy base stealers. Given the Mets offensive prowess, he is a better fit than Johnny Estrada who is very poor defensively and Ramon Castro who is injury prone.
I believe that given this team's aging key pieces - Pedro, Alou, Castillo, Delgado and Wagner - the window for fielding a championship team falls in a 2-3 year window. The additions of Church and Schneider bring great intangibles in terms of defense and leadership (Schneider is great at handling young pitchers and has worked with Maine in the past) in the short-term. These players are the type of role players that can put a talented roster over the top. However, if the Mets fail to land a frontline starter using their remaining chips - Carlos Gomez, Mike Pelfrey, Phillip Humber and/or Aaron Heilman (on the verge of a total implosion) - then this deal's immediate impact will be marginal and the Lastings impressions may be disastrous.
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Sam Perlozzo was fired yesterday as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles. Although I know little about the Orioles organization or Perlozzo's managing abilities, I do know he was not to blame for the team's poor play. How do I know this? Look no further than Mr. Jim Duquette, the Orioles VP and former GM of my New York Mets.
During his illustrious Mets tenure, Duquette is credited with:
- Signing 0-tool player Kaz Matsui to play shortstop, moving a young player named Jose Reyes to SECOND BASE in the process.
- Bringing in Braden Looper and his awkward "struggling on the toilet bowl" facial expressions to close.
- Low-balling Vlad Guerrero to the tune of 3 years 30 mil, with the explanation that Vlad has back problems. That same year he went on to win the MVP in Anaheim and his 5 year 69 mil contract is a bargain.
- Trading Scott Kazmir for a 29 year old pitcher with a history of elbow problems (refuse to mention his name).
- Overpaying for Kris Benson and single-handedly destroying the starting pitching market as we now know it. Somewhere, Barry Zito is kissing a framed picture of Jim Duquette while lighting up a cigar using a c-note.
This collection of savvy moves with the Mets netted Duquette a front office position with the Orioles in 2006 where he has failed to establish a plan and more than lived up to his reputation as a lousy judge of talent.
Duquette started off his Orioles run the only way he knows how - with a lop-sided trade that serves to weaken his organization while taking on payroll. The acquisition of Kris Benson for Jorge Julio and John Maine provided Baltimore with an overpaid, oft-injured pitcher and his outspoken wife Anna, a woman ready to sleep with the entire locker room at a drop of a hat. While Baltimore added an elite DL candidate and easy ass the Mets turned Julio into El Duque and saw John Maine blossom into a solid starting pitching. Essentially, Duquette has done far more to help the Mets in his tenure with the Orioles than during his stint in Queens.
This off season, with Kris Benson firmly entrenched on the DL for the season, Duquette and his partner in crime, executive VP Mike Flanagan sought out some "veteran" arms to round out the rotation. This effort lead to the acquisitions of the artist formerly known as Jared Wright who peaked in 1997 and the human rain delay Steve Trachsel who has never peaked. With the starting rotation "set", Duquette and Flanagan turned their attention to the bullpen. They proceeded to overpay every aging arm available on the market including Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker - 2 situational relievers who would now be asked to work full innings - and Danys Baez, a shaky fireballer with a homerun problem (brilliant move bringing him to the launching pad in Camden Yards). With over 50 million invested in unreliable pitching, Jay Payton and Aubrey Huff were signed to round out the lineup. In related news, Miguel Tejada was placed on suicide watch.
Point is Sam Perlozzo had no chance to win with this roster. First off, the lineup can’t hit for power in a hitter’s park. Second, the starting pitching staff (sans Erik Bedard) is a collection of guys who are either young and lack control or old, injury-prone and just awful. Finally, the bullpen, the supposed strength, has seen young closer Chris Ray sputter and the new guys Walker and Bradford struggling mightily after fast starts. Wonder if that has to do with the fact they haven’t been anything more than situational relievers for the past couple years??
Frankly, the Orioles did Perlozzo a favor by firing him. Between the dimwitted management team and overbearing owner Peter Angelos calling the shots, the Orioles might be the most depressing team in the Majors right now. Sorry Orioles fans, this might take a while to fix…
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