Well yesterday was yet another showdown between Jonathan Neise and Fernando Neive for the battle of the number five rotation spot. So far neither have overwhelmed me. They both have had very good starts and both at times have been god awful. Neise so far this spring training has a e.r.a of 7.04 which included two earned runs ( three runs total) over three innings yesterday , while Neive is sporting a hefty e.r.a of 6.00 allowing just two earned runs in his start yesterday. If I was a betting man I still think Neise gets the nod while Neive gets sent to the pen along with Japanese import Hisanori Takahasi, who has turned many heads with his dominant off speed pitches. I don’t know what to expect from Ryota Iragashi. He (from the information I can find) has pitched decently, but if there is a spot for him and his guaranteed two year contract up in Flushing remains to be seen. That leaves us with The much maligned Nelson Figueroa. Nelson has pitched his ass off so far this season . In nine innings he has not let up a run – neither earned nor unearned. But I feel that Nelson will be designated for assignment and will either be picked up by a team with a need for a long reliever/ spot starter and might have success elsewhere. If not expect to see him as extra depth in Buffalo when the season starts.Is this fair to him? the answer is no , he has been a good soldier the past couple of years but there is a stigma attached to him as being a quality AAAA pitcher who can’t have sustained success in the majors. I feel he hasn’t been utilized properly but he that’s just my opinion. But there is still about two weeks left in this competition and maybe one of the pitchers that I have just mentioned will make a good case for themselves to become the fifth starter that this team has been sorely lacking since El Duque in ’06.
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                                                     ” I hear he has a nasty fastball !”
And with that said… HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!
Happy birthday wishes go out to original Mets back up catcher Hobie Landrith (1930). Hobie would be traded 23 games later to the Baltimore Orioles for future Mets icon ” Marvelous” Marv Thornberry .
Utility infielder from the ’74 Mets, Rich Puig is 57 (1953).
Reliever from the ’95 team , Don Florence is 43 (1967) . It is strange that Dan only pitched one season for the Mets. His record was 3-0 in fourteen games with a e.r.a of 1.50. But disappear he did , and he was never seen in the majors ever again.
Utility infielder from the ’08 team , Abraham Nuñez is 34 (1976) .
New York Mets traded reserve outfielder Bob Gallagher to the San Francisco Giants for reserve outfielder Leon Brown on March 16, 1976.
New York Mets released one time outfield prospect Danny Garcia on March 16, 2005.
And don’t forget – There are just 20 Tommie Agee days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.
22 comments
trs86
3/16/2010-7:41am at 7:41 am (UTC -4)
Well MBaron over at MB just proved he writes for the correct blog.
“…i thought Nieve was impressive last year before getting injured, but i really wonder whether that stint was a flash in the pan or if he has matured into a solid Major League pitcher…i’d like to believe the latter, but i feel if the decision came down to either he or Niese, stats aside and all things being equal, i’d prefer Niese since he’s a lefty and maybe give a shot to Nelson Figueroa for the long relief role, considering Figueroa has been in the long relief role in the past for this team…”
Seriously? Is he being trained to lose all sense of grammar and capitalization while spitting out incoherent drivel? Even when you finally understand what he is talking about the idea is just plain idiotic.
darknova306
3/16/2010-8:10am at 8:10 am (UTC -4)
Sweet, delicious run-on sentences.
And obviously Figgy is better than Nieve for long relief… *rolling my eyes*
metsfan4decades
3/16/2010-8:11am at 8:11 am (UTC -4)
LOL.
Lately, I get the impression that blog’s priority is quantity, not quality…
stickguy
3/16/2010-8:10am at 8:10 am (UTC -4)
Rusty, don’t get too sucked into the first couple of weeks of ST. This is still shake off the rust and get into the groove practice time.
But, based on the early results, I say that iggy and his contract are definitely in the pen.
Takagucci should be the 5th starter. Neise should be built up a little mor cautiously by sending him to AAA to get back into top shape.
Neive can go to the pen.
Once they decide to give the 5th spot to Taka, and which options guys go to AAA, then they can work on figuring out roles in the pen (which Jerry will just mangle anyway, but that is another story).
stickguy
3/16/2010-8:11am at 8:11 am (UTC -4)
Oh, and Figgy can hit waivers again.
trs86
3/16/2010-8:52am at 8:52 am (UTC -4)
Seriously, who is going to trade something for Figgy? Who is going to sign him to an MLB contract?
What I am unclear on is how last year he became an unrestricted FA. Did the Mets release him after he passed through waivers or because he is 106 years old does he have the right to be a FA and refuse minor league assignment. I think the latter is the case right?
metsfan4decades
3/16/2010-8:16am at 8:16 am (UTC -4)
As things stand right now, from what we’ve seen in ST, I agree with this.
This way we don’t lose Nieve, Niese or Tak2 (‘calling him this ’cause I can’t spell his name).
I’m sure it won’t stay like this but it gives us options for that 5th starter.
And Figgy…..I will never understand how this guy can be so solid in the international leagues and minor leagues but it never seemed to translate to the ML.
I’d hate to lose him b/c he’s depth that is good for a spot start and long relief. What I like about him is if he is in the BP, he can get ready in a hurry (i.e. some starter gets injured or gets the hook early). Also, he’s been consistently healthy, which after last year we all know is a plus.
stickguy
3/16/2010-8:24am at 8:24 am (UTC -4)
well, the simple answer is, the hitters in the ML are a hell of a lot better than in AAA, and most of the international leagues he has palyed in are probably closer to AAA than the NL. Hence, a classic AAAA guy!
The depth issue is one of the prime reasons I wanted them to sign (if possible) another SP, even if he was a back end guy (4/5 type). Even if (as TRS likes to note) the new guy wouldn’t give that much more production than say Neise, it woould let him get back up to speed in AAA, and most importantly, give them depth for the 6/7/8 spots in the rotation.
trs86
3/16/2010-8:53am at 8:53 am (UTC -4)
I understand where you are coming from. I just think that Nieve and Taka are good options for depth. Not many teams have as much depth as we do for the 5th starter.
njstuckintx
3/16/2010-9:01am at 9:01 am (UTC -4)
I guess that’s what happens when you have a #1, #4, #4, #5, #5, #5, #5, #5, #5 type pitchers in your arsenal.
stickguy
3/16/2010-9:12am at 9:12 am (UTC -4)
I don’t care if you have 5 #1s, you still don’t want your 1st replacement option to be Lima Time or Brian Lawrence!
njstuckintx
3/16/2010-9:21am at 9:21 am (UTC -4)
Where else can you get a fill in pitcher who can sign the national anthem, if needed?
And don’t get me wrong, I do like that there is finally some depth going around. Having these guys when Maine’s shoulder comes flying off will ease some of the pain (just not Maine’s!).
I guess, I’m floating in limbo land. On one hand, the Mets farm system is starting to look pretty decent with talent at the AAA level. On the other, I’m sure Harang, Arroyo, Meche, Sonnestine, a BJs pitcher, etc. are out there to be had. The asking price vs. the “what they are worth” price might be significantly different at the moment, but I’d trust those most of those guys more that MOP at the moment.
trs86
3/16/2010-9:25am at 9:25 am (UTC -4)
Very true and I think the last couple of years the Mets have upgraded on Lima time. Even looking at scrub starting pitchers like Redding, Misch and Figgy. For #5 starters they had very serviceable numbers.
njstuckintx
3/16/2010-9:13am at 9:13 am (UTC -4)
Not sure what you judge Sonnestine (spelling?) would rank, but he’s still available, apparently. He’s prob another 4, but that’s better than a 5, one would think.
stickguy
3/16/2010-9:20am at 9:20 am (UTC -4)
Is he healthy? Maybe I am confusing him with someone else, but I thought he was hurt last year.
Or maybe he just was not particularly good, which is logical, since he is not a particularly good pitcher!
falls into that catagory (the Garland zone?) of not being great, but probably durable and relatively consistant (not great, but OK)
So, probably less upside than MOP, but less of a standard deviation too.
trs86
3/16/2010-9:27am at 9:27 am (UTC -4)
Sonnanstine would be a guy they could look at. He is like a poor man’s Brian Bannister though. He most likely would be comparable to what we expect from our other #5 starters.
stickguy
3/16/2010-9:16am at 9:16 am (UTC -4)
well, I had Neise and Neive kind of pencilled in for the 6/7 spots if they brought in a new guy, with some unexpected guy probably ending up as #8.
I guess, if Takawaka nails down the #5 spot, he effectively is the back end guy I wanted them to sign!
Just makes a ton more sense to go with the wily experienced veteran out of the gate to see what he can do, and let the 23YO coming off major surgery have a month or 2 of easy time in AAA to make sure he is 100% ready. Not like you are blocking him forever.
of course, doing the action that makes sense or sounds logical has not always been the hallmark of the Mets FO.
trs86
3/16/2010-9:29am at 9:29 am (UTC -4)
I think Taka for 1 year at least can give you what a Washburn or even Marquis gives you.
That leaves us with
Taka, Niese, Nieve, Figgy, Misch, Stoner, Gee (where ever he is) perhaps even Mejia. To me for #5 starter that is pretty good depth.
stickguy
3/16/2010-9:49am at 9:49 am (UTC -4)
yeah, they can get by with that. Hopefully we never see more than 1 at a time in the regular rotation!
Mr North Jersey
3/16/2010-10:23am at 10:23 am (UTC -4)
I don’t understand why so much anti-Figueroa sentiment?
A position for which where no one has yet to set themselves apart (apparently Figgy doesn’t count).
If you don’t want him on the team is fine we all have our preferences but The idea that wanting him on the team is idiotic as TRS put it. I don’t get it?
If Niese had Figgy’s Spring Training stats this year and Figgy had Niese’s I wonder if people would be doing cartwheels at how excited they were about Niese and how Figgy is pitching the way they expected?
I’ve maintained that while I would like Niese to make it I just want the best player for the role. That may just be Takahishi but if it turns out to be Figgy and he gets it because of his continued performance this Spring I am fine with that also.
stickguy
3/16/2010-10:44am at 10:44 am (UTC -4)
I think the issue is that Figgy has along track record, including his time last season, of not really being that good of a pitcher. And a couple of good outings early in ST aren’t enough of a sample to make a decision on.
gategem
3/16/2010-2:24pm at 2:24 pm (UTC -4)
Actually if you look at Figgy’s metrics over the past few years they’re not all that bad. True they’re nothing to get excited over but they certainly are not the numbers of the pitcher he is made out to be on this blog.