First up is Nick Evans. Somebody didn’t tell Nick Evans that Citi Field is a pitchers park! Evans crushed a pitch down the left field line for his first HR of 2009. It was a shot that would have made Gary Sheffield proud. Nick has had a tough time since spring training but you really cant blame him. Evans hit .263/.330/.488 in 80 at-bats in spring training and was demoted for MARLON ANDERSON! Cant blame the guy for needing a sport psychiatrist after that news lol. Guess all Nicky needed was a shot in the bigs and if that shot is not enough to earn him another start in the powerless Mets, I don’t know what would. The Mets are 3rd to last in the NL in HR’s, a shot in the arm for power is very welcomed and much needed. Not to mention Nicky went 2/3 with 2 RBI and 2 Runs!
Next up is Fernando Nieve. Talk about a diamond in the rough. Fernando earned his third win of the year last tonight with a solid 6 inning of shut out ball. Omar seem to have a knack of finding these type of players and getting the max out of them. Nieve in 3 starts has a .93 WHIP and an ERA of 1.31. Fernando didn’t make the club out of spring training, but what a job he has been doing in the wake of John Maine and Oliver Perez going on the DL. While most people(myself included) want a bigger sample before we hop on the Nieve bandwagon(driven by smooth), you have got to like what you see so far. Nieve attacks the zone and shows he has intelligence. Nieve faced Albert Pujols with men on base every single time and got him to fly out and walked him twice. What i mean by intelligence is he knew enough to pass the buck to Ankiel to beat him without shying away from attacking Pujols. That is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted as anyone who has seen an Oliver Perez outing will tell you. Nieve has definitely raised eyebrows and has got to have the Astros front office eating their baseball hats.
Next up is David Wright. David continues to blaze the path of leadership by going 4/4 with 3 runs and a steal of 3rd base. David is the last man standing from the core and is not letting that affect his game at all. David Wright is hitting .359 on the year. The next closest to David Wright is Christian Guzman at .337! David has deliberately changed his game to be successful at Citi Field as evidence by his low HR numbers for this time of the year(David has 4 home runs this year but by the same time last year he had 12). On a statistic they showed on MLB Network(which btw is awesome and if you have not seen it i highly suggest it), David Wright’s hits to the outfield last year(percentage wise) broke down like this: 54%-LF 21%-CF 25%-RF. This year however, he has stopped pulling the ball and has really done a better job at going the other way as evidence to his splits this year: 42%-LF 26%-CF 32%-RF. His pull numbers are down but hits up the middle and the other way are up from last year and im sure alot of it has to do with Citi Field. While it is still early to suggest that David will not have many home runs because of Citi(3 of his 4 HRs were at Citi), his change in game has definitely added consistency to an inconsistent lineup. By the way, David has 19 SB so far this year and is on pace for 44.
Last up is Ryan “Ryno” Church(hat tip to TKFJ). Ryno in his best outing this year, went 3/4 with 2 RBI’s and 2 Runs. Ryan was batting cleanup tonight and what a much needed improvement from that spot than what we got last night. Ryan is hitting a cool .276 on the year and may have done well to secure another shot at cleanup in the near future. Manuel said upon Ryans return that he will be his “every day” starting outfielder and for once Manuel is staying true to his word. Ryan has started almost every game since coming back from the DL to give the Mets a bat they so desperately need right now. Keep it up Ryan, (insert deity) knows the Mets need you.
Honorable Mentions:
Brian Schneider has a thing with two runners on as he almost had his 3rd HR with two runners on again tonight, but it hit off the wall. Im sure Brian will settle for the 2 RBI’s though.
Fernando Tatis has been money when it comes to double plays in this series and he had one today. Tatis gets an honorable mention because some how, he came away tonight with 3 RBI’s. Its nothing personal against Tatis and im sure we all want him to succeed and do well, considering the state of the team but he really has not given us anything yet to be hopeful. I think we may be seeing him turn the corner, but until then let Ryan Church man the 4th hole for a while.
Bobby Parnell who had a nice and quiet 9th inning to close out the game. Bobby has not been used for the last two games as Jerry has made a strong commitment to resting the regulars out of the bullpen. We shall soon find out if Bobby’s tough stretch was due to the mental taxing of everyday use for such a young player.
31 comments
prismo
6/25/2009-12:04pm at 12:04 pm (UTC -4)
At the all-star break you should post the MUA standings! I love these posts.
dirtysanchez
6/25/2009-12:07pm at 12:07 pm (UTC -4)
lol thanks prismo…no surprise i believe david is leading in mua’s. I have the chart at home but thats is a go for a MUA standings at the ASB!
QnsNative718
6/25/2009-12:08pm at 12:08 pm (UTC -4)
Im convinced now that Nieve is the real deal. After his first start against the Yanks, I was pleasantly surprised but thought he’d get shelled against the Rays. He held them in check. And after yesterday’s performance, he needs to remain a fixture in this rotation. He faced the Yanks, Rays, Cadinals. Those are TOUGH teams to pitch against.
Very interesting to see what unfolds when Maine and Dizzy get back…
GravediggerHebner
6/25/2009-12:09pm at 12:09 pm (UTC -4)
Dizzy will be the 2nd lefty in the pen with Perpetual Pedro. Book it.
QnsNative718
6/25/2009-12:14pm at 12:14 pm (UTC -4)
I think so too. GKR mentioned that as well. It was interesting seeing him and Maine pitching side by side in the pen before the game. They mentioned how Dizzy is going back to his “rock back” motion. Why was it changed to begin with? When Warthen took over, he was pitching very well thanks to that new motion.
Knowing Perez, he probably forgot how to do it…
metsfan4decades
6/25/2009-12:10pm at 12:10 pm (UTC -4)
LOL – ‘Dizzy’…..
QnsNative718
6/25/2009-12:15pm at 12:15 pm (UTC -4)
Just look at him… lol
GravediggerHebner
6/25/2009-12:09pm at 12:09 pm (UTC -4)
I asked you this once before but I can’t recall if you answered. Did you call these the Man Up Awards because the acronym “MUA” makes the sound of a kiss?
prismo
6/25/2009-12:13pm at 12:13 pm (UTC -4)
Pervert!
GravediggerHebner
6/25/2009-12:26pm at 12:26 pm (UTC -4)
Well, true, but I would’ve expected almost anything else I’ve ever done here to elicit that, not necessarily this.
dirtysanchez
6/25/2009-12:33pm at 12:33 pm (UTC -4)
lmaooooo grave i swear you pick up on everything lolll
QnsNative718
6/25/2009-12:41pm at 12:41 pm (UTC -4)
haha, I didnt even pick up on that and I think Im a pretty observant person. Grave, would notice if a strand of hair was missing from Keith’s stache. lol
metsfan4decades
6/25/2009-12:10pm at 12:10 pm (UTC -4)
Very clever these MUA posts. It’s a good problem to have when so many step up to the plate in a win and you get to name them all.
Was that a Freudian slip with ‘Nieve earned his third save’ (instead of W)? As in he has a hand in saving the season so far?
dirtysanchez
6/25/2009-12:35pm at 12:35 pm (UTC -4)
lmaooo given the current state of the team, his outtings are as good as a save lol. I fixed that btw lol
wannybackstra
6/25/2009-12:21pm at 12:21 pm (UTC -4)
I agree that its too early to jump on the Nieve bandwagon but he’s got talent. As a 23 year old, pitching in hell for pitchers (Enron’s Minute Maid Choo-Choo train with a hill in CF stadium), he posted a 4.20 ERA in 96 innings as a rookie (starting and relieving). He gave up only 87 hits in those 96 innings and whiffed 70. His problem was giving up 41 walks but he still managed a nifty 1.32 WHIP. He had a 3.38 ERA in 34 relief innings with 31 ks so I think they can find a place for him should they decide to put Perez back in the rotation.
In 2005 he struck out 171 in 167 AA-AAA innings and finishe dhis minor league career with a 3.67 ERA (which was partially inflated due to 90 poor post surgery innings while still in Houston’s AAA affiliate).
He’s about on schedule for his full recovery from surgery (2 years) and may turn out to be for real, though of course not 1.31 ERA for real.
It would not shock me if he stayed in the rotation and finished the season with an ERA at or around 4.00 – 4.20.
sabermetrician
6/25/2009-12:44pm at 12:44 pm (UTC -4)
I agree completely. Now, bare with me, what if we packaged Nieve and Murphy for a big bat. What if (totally hypothetical) we could get Dunn for Nieve and Murphy?
sabermetrician
6/25/2009-12:46pm at 12:46 pm (UTC -4)
bear*…lol…I didn’t expect you to go bare with me.
dirtysanchez
6/25/2009-12:48pm at 12:48 pm (UTC -4)
i know people will be upset at this but i completly agree sabe. You cannot be nieve enough to believe that omar is NOT mulling over trading high on nieve…
GravediggerHebner
6/25/2009-12:52pm at 12:52 pm (UTC -4)
nice wordplay
dirtysanchez
6/25/2009-12:55pm at 12:55 pm (UTC -4)
;p learning from the master
QnsNative718
6/25/2009-12:50pm at 12:50 pm (UTC -4)
As in a mid season trade? With the roster being as it is now?
I say Negatron. With 3/4 core players out, I think he would little. Plus he’d be a FA at the end of the yr. We’ll lose too much.
QnsNative718
6/25/2009-12:51pm at 12:51 pm (UTC -4)
*help little
wannybackstra
6/25/2009-12:53pm at 12:53 pm (UTC -4)
Dunn is signed through next year too.
But I don’t know if he would qualify as a player who gets traded in the first year of a “long-term” deal and can demand a trade after the season.
sabermetrician
6/25/2009-12:57pm at 12:57 pm (UTC -4)
So, what would you guys like if we knew we were trading Nieve and Murphy together?
wannybackstra
6/25/2009-12:56pm at 12:56 pm (UTC -4)
Saberhagen:
I think you have to consider it. The rotation is still pretty young with Pelfrey, Maine, Santana and (fingers crossed) Ollie so I don’t think that another young pitcher who projects no higher than a 3-4 (best case scenario) should be untouchable.
sabermetrician
6/25/2009-1:00pm at 1:00 pm (UTC -4)
Well if you and I are in we just have to get some more people on board:
hebner, mrose, Omar Minaya, dirty, qnsnative, kingman,… you know the important ones.
DNDJohan aka kistics
6/25/2009-12:50pm at 12:50 pm (UTC -4)
I agreed on the bandwagon. But he did pitch against the Yankees, Rays and Cards. They are three legit offensive team (granted that Cards only have Pujols). So, to be able to go 3-0 with 1.31 ERA against those 3 teams is great.
Question is, what will they do with the rotation once both Maine and Dizzy comes back. Dizzy will most likely be a $12 mil RP. Maine will probably take Redding’s place if Nieve keeps this up. Redding probably will be a long reliever.
But what if Nieve goes to the bullpen? He can be a dominant pitcher. Especially if you are facing only for an inning. He has nasty stuff to strike people out and that’s what you need in relievers. Like Wanny has mentioned, he doesn’t give up a lot of hits and seems to have good commend of his pitches, so he might not walk as much. I think he can be a really dominant bullpen guy. Redding can keep us in the game and that’s should be satisfactory from a #5 starter, but imagine a bullpen of KRod, Putz, Wagner, Parnell, Green, Feliciano and Nieve. That’s like 3 closers and 4 setup men. OR they can trade Parnell and Stokes to add that big bat in the lineup.
Just a thought.
DNDJohan aka kistics
6/25/2009-12:22pm at 12:22 pm (UTC -4)
In a normal, non-injury plagued team, Wright would be a very good lead-off hitter.
QnsNative718
6/25/2009-12:38pm at 12:38 pm (UTC -4)
Only based on this year’s stats so far.
trs86
6/25/2009-12:40pm at 12:40 pm (UTC -4)
Actually to me he is an old school #3 hitter. Hernandez type numbers with steals.
QnsNative718
6/25/2009-12:43pm at 12:43 pm (UTC -4)
IMO, anywhere outside of the 3,4,5 slot and Wright is out of place.