Carlos Gomez, former Mets CF prospect, caught the last out of the first game of the Twins-Tigers DH yesterday afternoon on MLB Network.
The AL Central race is of little consequences to Mets fans, but it got me to thinking. Could a team of ex-Mets perform better than the actual Mets?
I’ve put together a 25-man roster of former Mets now playing elsewhere (when you’re sitting in the stands watching another loss you have a lot of tinker time on your hands). What do you think?
Starting Pitchers:
Pedro Martinez
Braden Looper
Scott Kazmir
Brian Bannister
Livian Hernandez
Relief Pitchers:
Paul Byrd (long man/spot starter)
Chad Bradford
Octovio Dotel
Guillermo Mota
Scott Schoeneweis (lefty specialist)
Darren Oliver (lefty specialist)
Scott Lindstrom (set-up)
Heath Bell (closer)
Starting Lineup:
2B Kaz Matsui
CF Carlos Gomez
SS Marco Scutaro
1B Mike Jacobs
3B Melvin Mora
RF Ryan Church
LF Ty Wigginton
C Ramon Castro
Bench:
OF Lastings Milledge
INF Chris Woodward
INF Jeff Keppinger
C Paul LoDuca (not playing, but not inactive, either)
Manager:
Joe Torre
I know: too many pitchers, short bench. Am I forgetting/missing any position players? I didn’t include Endy Chavez, who’d make a better starting LF than Wigginton, but he’s been hurt all year.
Admittedly the starting lineup is a little short on power – but Mike Jacobs with 18 and Marco Scutaro with 12 each have more HRs than current Mets’ HR leader Daniel Murphy, and Ty Wigginton has 10 HRs in more than 120 fewer ABs than David Wright – but it’s pretty long on gritty, grinding gamers (the kind of players used to develop), with a solid group of inning-eating starting pitchers, a dynamite bullpen, and a pretty smart guy in the dugout.
IMHO, this group would finish with a better record than the real Mets – maybe even .500-plus and, in this year’s NL East, a wild card contender.
Discuss.
41 comments
rustyjr
9/30/2009-7:00am at 7:00 am (UTC -4)
great job mr baby !! with a line up like that we coulda had the wild card !!
rustyjr
9/30/2009-7:24am at 7:24 am (UTC -4)
I just remembered you forgot Jeff Keppinger, Jason Bay , Heilman and o’day
mrbaby
9/30/2009-4:04pm at 4:04 pm (UTC -4)
I didn’t forget Keppinger – he’s on the bench. I left Heilman off on purpose. I saw him in Chicago a month or so ago and he gave up two HRs in the 9th. Fortunately for the Cubs, they had a 4-run lead to start the inning. He’s terrible everywhere he goes. O’Day couldn’t take anyone’s place in the bullpen I’ve put together. But I definitely forgot Bay! Let’s plug him into the cleanup hole and move Jacobs to #5 and move poor but flexible Ty back to the bench. Now we got a team! Oh, wait…we don’t!
trs86
9/30/2009-7:32am at 7:32 am (UTC -4)
I think you are smoking crack. LOL>
trs86
9/30/2009-7:33am at 7:33 am (UTC -4)
That teams terrible. LOL> I hope this was a joke.
wannybackstra
9/30/2009-7:47am at 7:47 am (UTC -4)
Which is another indictment on the Mets in that they havent even produced good players that have been traded or signed by other teams.
trs86
9/30/2009-8:12am at 8:12 am (UTC -4)
But looking at that list it also shows a few GOOD decisions in letting some go when we did.
dirtysanchez
9/30/2009-1:18pm at 1:18 pm (UTC -4)
lol the ex-met team vs which met team
The 2009 DL squad
rotation:
Santana
Perez
Maine
Redding
Niese
BP
Nieve-set up
Putz-Closer
Starters
1b-Delgado
2b-Cora
3b-Wright
ss-Reyes
LF-Sheffield
CF-Beltran
RF-Fmart
C-Schnieder
or the 2009 (all year healthy) mets team now
Starters
1b-Murphy
2b-Castillo
3b-Tatis
SS-Hernandez
Lf-Sullivan
Cf-Reed
Rf-Frenchy
C-Santos
Rotation
Figueroa
Misch
Parnell
Pelfry
Broadway
Bullpen
Stokes-set up
Feliciano-set up
K-rod-closer
which team are ya talkin about lol
trs86
9/30/2009-1:45pm at 1:45 pm (UTC -4)
Or the current team right now with Beltran and Wright in it?
dirtysanchez
9/30/2009-1:54pm at 1:54 pm (UTC -4)
lol…just wanted to illustrate how unbelievable this season has been that you can almost actually make a whole team from the names that have been on the DL list
CaseStreet
9/30/2009-1:25pm at 1:25 pm (UTC -4)
forgot burnett flores
stickguy
9/30/2009-2:16pm at 2:16 pm (UTC -4)
Keep in mind that the initial exercise was guys the actually played on the Mets, not just were in their system. Leaving these 2 out of course.
trs86
9/30/2009-1:49pm at 1:49 pm (UTC -4)
But in no shape or form would that team be competitive. Now if you took that team and added current players to it, sure we would be tough.
stickguy
9/30/2009-2:18pm at 2:18 pm (UTC -4)
Just make sure to subtract anyone that was brought in in exchange for those players.
so you can’t have Cargo and Santana for ex.
trs86
9/30/2009-2:22pm at 2:22 pm (UTC -4)
LOL, then the team would basically be what it is right now. Because you could argue that the FA would not have been signed if those players were still here.
stickguy
9/30/2009-2:31pm at 2:31 pm (UTC -4)
not really. Letting guys go is not the same as trading them.
never mind though. It was a silly exercise anyway.
stickguy
9/30/2009-2:39pm at 2:39 pm (UTC -4)
Hey, in real team news, Murphy gets benched again for Tatis.
Shrewd move by Jerry. We really need to see more ABs by this guy to see what we have in him for the rest of the season.
No need to give the kid that is likely to be the starting 1B next year and ABs against a good SP like this, After all, he may get better as a result of it.
Nope, Jerry once again out thinking us all. Protect Murphy from ever seeing a good pitcher. It should help the team out immensely in the future.
Omar better sign him to an extension before some other team comes in and woos him away after next season.
wannybackstra
9/30/2009-2:44pm at 2:44 pm (UTC -4)
I’m really running out of words trying to express my displeasure with Manuel. He obviously has no vision or understanding of the current state of the team.
trs86
9/30/2009-2:47pm at 2:47 pm (UTC -4)
Or we could hope that this means that Murphy will not be the starting 1B next year?
Kingman 26
9/30/2009-3:40pm at 3:40 pm (UTC -4)
Even if this may be so, what is the point of playing Tatis over Murph?
trs86
9/30/2009-3:41pm at 3:41 pm (UTC -4)
I have an idea. They plan to offer Tatis arbitration because he is a type B FA and they are hoping someone else will sign him.
stickguy
9/30/2009-4:08pm at 4:08 pm (UTC -4)
You really think the mets FO, especially with all the other craziness going on, are smart enough to figure out and execute this plan?
The same team that gave away wagner as a salary dump?
I actually can live with him back in 2010, but only if Jerry is gone, since you know Jerry would use him everyday.
trs86
9/30/2009-5:08pm at 5:08 pm (UTC -4)
You know I still disagree on your comment about the Wagner salary dump. I think they traded him to a team that wanted him and got prospects out of it WHILE saving money. One of the few things they did RIGHT.
stickguy
9/30/2009-6:09pm at 6:09 pm (UTC -4)
It really comes down to whether these guys are actually viable prospects, that can ever do anything for the team. Or, will they be like the many other career MiLs or failed prospects you can always find on the scrap heap?
trs86
9/30/2009-7:11pm at 7:11 pm (UTC -4)
True, but we know what we would have gotten with Wagner. Only thing for certain was 1 month of pitching. Then paying 1M to buy him out and pray he did not accept arbitration out of spite.
wannybackstra
9/30/2009-5:18pm at 5:18 pm (UTC -4)
And his performance today will convince someone to sign him so that the Mets can acquire a pick?
Seems a tenuous connection, at best.
trs86
9/30/2009-5:20pm at 5:20 pm (UTC -4)
Nah, most likely not. But one can hope. Most likely the Mets already plan on offering him arbitration anyway. I still feel they would be stupid not to. It’s a 2M gamble to get a compensation pick. If they don’t get it then they just cut him if they get someone better.
stickguy
9/30/2009-6:11pm at 6:11 pm (UTC -4)
it wouldn’t really to be to convince a team to sign him, but really to make sure he stays above the cut line (so that he deson’t drop from B to nothing status)
trs86
9/30/2009-7:12pm at 7:12 pm (UTC -4)
Ah great point.
trs86
9/30/2009-2:53pm at 2:53 pm (UTC -4)
“Jerry Manuel told reporters Jose Reyes felt discomfort while running yesterday, and will be re-examined today.”
Seriously? I just don’t get it. The Mets now need a SS for next year because I have NO confidence Reyes will play at all next year.
mrbill
9/30/2009-3:05pm at 3:05 pm (UTC -4)
oh nooooooooooooooooo NOW is wont be moveable.. there goes the trade.
trs86
9/30/2009-3:22pm at 3:22 pm (UTC -4)
Who is is? You messed up your own punchline.
Besides, assuming you actually read my post, I don’t want any of them traded this offseason. That would be a panic move that is unnecessary. Now at the end of next season if we are where you ALWAYS think we will be, then yes Reyes most likely will need to be traded.
mrbill
9/30/2009-3:27pm at 3:27 pm (UTC -4)
lol … He (Reyes) won’t be moveable.
Not ALWAYS just until the FO put a winning team on the field… I think 2010 is too soon for that to happen. I’d be happy with a competitive team though. We’ll see.
darknova306
9/30/2009-3:44pm at 3:44 pm (UTC -4)
That is if the Mets aren’t in the process of ruining Reyes’ career with this ridiculous mishandling of his injury. Should we start a pool for how many games Reyes will be out in 2010 before he steps foot on the field for the first time during a game? Ugh.
trs86
9/30/2009-3:45pm at 3:45 pm (UTC -4)
Or if Reyes himself is not in the process of ruining his own career. I have no clue anymore with this one.
darknova306
9/30/2009-3:54pm at 3:54 pm (UTC -4)
Fair point. It’s hard to tell what the hell is really going on. We’re getting small bits of spotty info. I really just want to hear the phrase “Reyes got his gimpy self cut the f%$k open today and he’ll be ready for 2010″, or something along those lines. This is extremely frustrating.
And if he’s out for any serious length of time next season, what do we do other than watch another miserable year go by?
trs86
9/30/2009-3:56pm at 3:56 pm (UTC -4)
Get friggin Crawford or Figgins.
Kingman 26
9/30/2009-3:30pm at 3:30 pm (UTC -4)
Did he feel any discomfort dancing around the doctor’s office?
mrbill
9/30/2009-3:32pm at 3:32 pm (UTC -4)
LOL good one!
stickguy
9/30/2009-4:05pm at 4:05 pm (UTC -4)
I am starting to think that Jose is some kind of hypochondriac. Or just big wussy with zero pain tolerance.
after being out this long, wouldn’t you expect to feel some discomfort? Sort of like everyone is sore during the beginning of ST (well, at least on the Mets they are!)
maybe they should just have him run and cut full speed to see what happens. If it pops, cut him open. If it works, maybe his brain will get over his phobia?
I don’t know what to say at this point, but this injury makes no sense, even for the Mets. Probably should just cut him open to see what they misdiagnosed.
trs86
9/30/2009-5:09pm at 5:09 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed.