New York Mets Winter Report 2012-13

[Sausy]

I watched it and though I didn't think it was that bad Gary Apple didn't really have a great rapport with Ike. Would like to know what was cut out of the interview...it did appear to lack a flow, was missing some chemistry that I'm sure if KB had done the interview would have been a lot more compelling.

Totally agree with you sonny on the Mets players approach to spring training...they care about each other as a group and they can make noise in the NL East and it's very heartening to have some really great guys who can't wait to start doing the thing they love most, play baseball!

 

[sonny10305]

I watched it and though I didn't think it was that bad Gary Apple didn't really have a great rapport with Ike. Would like to know what was cut out of the interview...it did appear to lack a flow, was missing some chemistry that I'm sure if KB had done the interview would have been a lot more compelling.

Totally agree with you sonny on the Mets players approach to spring training...they care about each other as a group and they can make noise in the NL East and it's very heartening to have some really great guys who can't wait to start doing the thing they love most, play baseball!

It was not so much about what was cut but how the interview was edited. Ike elaborated more on many of Gary’s questions which would have made for a more interesting discussion instead of cutting and jumping from subject to subject. Would have been so much better had Ike been available to do the interview live with KB.
Glad you saw the show cause other than the way Ike’s part was butchered it was very good with KB doing an outstanding job speaking to Buck, even got him to admit being able to see Santana tip his pitches. That awesome sheepish look on Buck's face when KB asked about that was priceless.

The boys get the weekend off field will be closed in prep for the official start of training on Monday. With so many guys already down there it will give a lot of em a chance to get reacquainted after the long off season. Lots of Golf cards and bowling. Then when KB gets there later this week plenty of impromptu basketball games as well.

How great seeing Ike prepping for the new season.

 

[syam24]

YAY!! Pitchers/catchers report day!!!!

 

[chance1]

I called Jody Mac on WFAN the other day and told him that IMHO

the mets are a mess

brandon lyon ?

that outfield ?

terry collins w/o a contract beyond this season?

trying to get bourn or pretend to get him for cheap (i don't think he was worth 4-48 he got from indians)

everything is about saving money

they are so far from being decent it's tough rooting for them

 

[Sausy]

I don't think they're as far as you do, chance. The penny pinching is infuriating, though. Bourn getting four years, 48 mil? Actusally the Mets were even posed to match Cleveland's offer, but not unless they were guaranteed to retain their first round draft pick (#11). Hell, even if they were guaranteed the pick the price tag for a nice but very flawed( not a great hitter, walks only modestly but strikes out a TON!)player who's be a modest help but not a true game changer that would be too much to pay up. Supposedly Alderson will have flexibility during the season if he deems it can improve the team for the long term, so we'll see if he sits still if the Mets remain competitive in the first half.We have a good infield and some strong starting pitching so while things look bleak the boys can still surprise and hold up the fort.

 

[Sausy]

Sonny, great pics of Ike down in Florida! The interview did come across kinda wooden, wish they had kept the stuff Ike said instead of the cutting and editing that kinda flattened the impact. Being interviewed live especially by KB tends to bring out the best in the guys, and this interview just had no sizzle. The Buck stuff by KB was fun.... got into the personality a lot more, made a big difference with KB doing it. Buck seems like a great guy and when Travis D'Arnaud is ready in a month or two into the season will make a strong, respected back up and mentor for the young catching stud.

 

[sonny10305]

Michael Bourn is gone just signed to a four-year, $48 million deal with Cleveland with a vesting option that could kick in and make it a five-year, $60 million deal. Every Met I know wanted that guy but I never expected it to rely happen. I have a lot more faith and optimism in our outfield than just about anyone and I am sticking to that. Of course Sandy may still pull some sort of rabbit outta his hat who knows but the Bourne thing does not bother me at all

More later today on yesterday’s first official start of spring training

 

[Sausy]

Aww, two days later and still nothing from you, sonny!

One positive development is that Fred Wilpon is saying now that the financial situation since the Madoff mess is much better, and he supports an increase in the payroll. But not just to spend money, but to do it in a smart fashion that doesn't tie the team down with bad contracts. We'll see if the Mets play welll if during the stretch drive he will give Sandy Alderson the freedom to go after pieces needed to get the Mets into the playoffs, but it's about time. Glad though Bourn wasn't signed....the Mets would have to have given him an easily reachable vesting fifth year like the Cleveland Indians did. Even if they got the 11th pick protected in the draft , 60 mil for 5 yrs is going too far for a solid, good but not dominant player like Michael Bourn.

 

[sonny10305]

Sorry Saucy but with so much going on I just got busy thanks for missin me

Ok now that the Borne thing is over we can move on. Someday maybe we will learn more about what happened or did not happen but I just can’t understand or believe that Alderson did not have the whole draft pick with the MLB figured out, makes no sense that Sandy waited so long, he had to know what was gonna happen with that. Come on, he knew if that pick was gonna be protected or not he had to have known he would be able to get a free agent without givin up that pick. Soooooo Sandy fess up what is really up here. I’m just askin.

As Saucy wrote according to Wilpon our money troubles are over and Sandy has no restrictions. Well did Alderson know that when he let RA go? I’m just wonderin. Bottom line for me is that it will now give Nieuwenhuis a real shot at center which I want very much. Duda already pretty much has left field locked, and if he starts hitting lefties and continues to show the power I know he can deliver, oh my just watch him grow this season into the power hitter we all know he can be. You may remember I told you guys that Duda worked on that hitch he had when he went to Buffalo last year and now he says he has licked it and not showing up at all this spring it just ain’t there anymore when he swings the bat now. He is having a better swing with the breaking balls, he learned he needs to lay off those pitches you should lay off, otherwise known as pitch recognition. Lucas had struggles last year with that came his habit of chasing hits. Ike once did that as well he has learned as Lucas is now how to discipline himself and stop” hunting” hits, We saw Nieuwenhuis do that as well last year he like Lucas could not calm himself down committing himself early and not recognizing those pitches. Now we will see those guys show us what they have in spring training so a choice can be made for the full outfield. May the best man win

I hope you guys saw Terry Collins press conference or as I like to call it his “State if the Union” Terry was full of great ideas and has his pulse firmly on the situation most of all I loved his fire when talking about the team speaking of how proud he was to have had so many major leaguers come to camp so early which is a testimate to how dedicated these guys are and how much they want to succeed. He also spoke about how well they all got along and how much they really like and support each other something I have been tellin you guys for a while now. 53 of the 58 players invited to camp already have arrived, Murphy said It shows they are ready to work and It will be a good chance for all of em to get a couple of extra days work on their own, be relaxed but kind of re-acclimate ourselves to each other. Justin Turner is ready for where ever Terry needs him , he came to camp with 5 different gloves, he is currently working in the outfield where Collins wants to see what he can do out there. JT has not played outfield since rookie ball in 2006 It would be good for Justin to make a contribution in the outfield as well as what we already know he can do playing in the infield, his bat is important and we need him in our lineup. Turner being deemed capable of contributing in the outfield would allow the Mets to consider carrying Omar Quintanilla in addition to Brandon Hicks as backup middle infielders. Seriously, how many teams can say they had 20+ players in camp two weeks before they had to report? Not many I can tell you. Look, even if we don’t win 100 games what we will do is play hard intelligent baseball with a ton of heart, it is going to be a very fun year watching those kids scrap and play their hearts out every day, for Terry, themselves and the fans. More and more people are beginning to see what I have been sayin about the possibility of our outfield surprising a lot of people and doing very well. Burkhardt and I disagreed about Bourn and the draft pick but he said just the other day “I wanna see what those kids have got, let em play”

The first official workout was yesterday although pitchers and catchers reported Tuesday that was for Physicals. The only negative to come out of that so far is Grandma Francisco who has inflammation issues, not a problem I don’t want him closing anyways; let’s give Bobby Parnell a shot at that. Besides if all goes well our starters will go deep into games leaving our long relievers to take to game into the ninth and hand the ball to Bobby for the last 3 outs utilizing that knuckle curve Jason Isringhausen taught him. I look forward to hearin Parnell’s entry music “Eight Second Ride”, of course we also have Brandon Lyon. Frankie has blown too many saves. I was so turned off when I saw pics and video of him in camp looking all bloated and overweight not looking like an athlete at all. How dare he come to camp looking so out of shape. For me he just does not fit in with the rest of the team he is part of last year’s problems no room for him in 2013 in my opinion.

Collins is also working on having Wheeler and Harvey work out together he wants them to feed off one another even arranged to have their lockers side by side. I’m yelling ya someday soon that 1-2 punch of Zack and Harvey will be devastating to the other teams

More Mets news on Hot Stove tonight with KB on SNY at 7

Here are a few shots of my boys at training

Matt Harvey




Captain Kirk




The Ike Man




Zack Wheeler



Murph





Matt den Dekker





Harvey and Wheeler working together




Then there is this dude, no it’s not some mountain man or homeless guy who wondered into camp, it goofy ole Justin Turner in badly need of a shave. Dude, get yee to a barber before you are picked up for vagrancy

 

[Sausy]

Great pics, sonny...and always fun and informative to read your perspectives. One thing I have to say about Duda, look how easy his wing was in 2010 when he was up for the second half... The Dude batted .290 with 50 RBI in his rookie season. He can hit, and his power will come naturally if he goes through staying focused on the mechanics like he's been doing getting ready for spring training. He's got a great swing, and like sonny says he is capable of showing us just how impressive he can be if his confidence is up. He does have that tendency of getting down on himself and not trusting his ability...it's good he doesn't have a huge ego but he needs to stay confident in his abilities so he can get the most out of them. He's never going to be known as more than an adequate fielder in left but he works hard, is most comfortable there and if he can believe in himself his bat will carry him just fine. Hopefully like you say sonny Captain Kirk will take notice of Duda's work and get beytter plate discipline....Kirk can play the hell out of center field, and runs very well for a big guy and always hustles and stays aggressive. He just lost any groove he had at the plate and c'mon, Kirk knows he can't justify being on the club if he's striking out 40% of the time. Whoever makes our outfield while there always going to be strikeouts it can't be a thing that is excessive because you can't generate any offense from whiffing.Look at David Wright....he went from 160 in 2011 to a much more manageable 113 last year(comparable to his All Star first four full seasons) and even Ike has to watch the strikeouts, though he does have the p[atience and is feared enough at the plate to generate a nice number of walks.

I'm like you, sonny...I really appreciate and am excited with the attitude of these guys. So many coming down to Florida early, no doubting anyone's dedication here with our boys intent on giving the non believers out there a big "FUCK YOU"! If these guys do during the season what they're doing now in terms of dedication and professionalism and commitment...tell ya, whatever the record for this year our boys are going to be a bitch to play, and that kind of effort is all we can ask out of them. They believe in each other and are there for each other, and being like that right out of the gate is so wonderful to see!

Sonny REALLY doesn't like Frank Francisco, does he,lol! I'm not sure about Bobby Parnell, with the curve taught to him by Jason Isringhausen if he knows how to use it to compliment his blazing( though unfortunately not always moving)fastball, it can be a killer pitch but we've been through so much with Parnell shrinking when everything's on him, it will take results to make Met fans comfortable Bobby can indeed be the guy to close things out for the Mets.

So many things have to break right for the Mets to really contend this year, but if Matt Harvey continues on the promise of his first ten major league starts, and we get solid efforts from Johann Santana, Shaun Marcum and Dillon Gee, and Jonathan Niese continues his strong development while awaiting the arrival by mid season of stud Zack Wheeler we can give fits to a lot of clubs. There are more in the pipeline, headlined by Noah Syndegaard,Jeurys Familia,Mike Fulmer, Henley Robles and others...and don't forget young catching stud Travis d' Arnaud who will be up around May or June and has that potential to be a .280-.300 25-30 homer, 100 RBI kind of righty lineup presence and a solid defender and handler of pitchers behind the plate. Maybe 2013 can be the new Mets 1984... the beginning of that time when they wewre among the most respected, serious contenders in their league. Mets fans who remember like me when the new and the veteran blended to form one of baseball's most entertaining clubs for the rest of the decade can only hope for a similar renewal!

 

[sonny10305]

Saucy I loved what you wrote about Duda I am so glad you get it when it comes to that kid so hard working so dedicated to improving which is why I believe he is going to have a monster year.

Dad and I headin to Florida on Wednesday I will have much more to tell you guys on how our boys are doing.

 

[Sausy]

Glad you and your dad have been able to make this an annual thing now, sonny. Definitely look forward to all the perspectives you give and hear from the guys how much they are into this spring training...they're on a mission and it's gonna be fun!


Thanks sonny for appreciating the Duda stuff....I don't know the kid but followed him especially in AA and AAA and he really came on strong his first year. Everything I've read about him is he's a great guy but really gets down on himself way too easily. Lucas is a gifted hitter, and he seems to be in the right frame of mind to get himself into swinging like we know he can. He's so strong and quick with the bat his power will come naturally...30-40 homers between him and Ike if they are healthy wll really give the lineup a swagger . Mets may not have all the expensive pieces but what they have is starting pitching, a good infield and promising power in Davis and Duda along with Wright and young catcher Travis D'Arnaud....gotta phrase for all Mets fans...oppa tacos...Travis' term for opposite field home runs which since his high school days he has prided himself as a fan of Mike Piazza growing up and his tremendous opposite field power. Travis has the same bat speed and power potential...of course it's way premature to annoint Travis the next Mike Piazza but he has the talent to at least hit between .280-.300 with 25-30 home runs.

 

[sonny10305]

Before the media gets wind of it and makes a big deal out of it I wanted to jump in and tell you guys that Daniel Murphy this afternoon noticed some soreness in his side. He has been trying some new things with his stance and keeping his foot and hip in there and may have aggravated his hip which is a bit tight. The problem is in his intercostal muscle which is basically the oblige, he played some of last year with the same problem and was able to play thru it ok. Murph is flying up to NY tomorrow morning to see then doc and prolly get a cortisone injection. Best case he will take the rest of the week off and may even play on Saturday. As soon as we hear how that goes I will try and jump in and let you guys know what’s up.

 

[Sausy]

Thanks sonny...saw the story also on ESPN baseball news and basically it's just precautionary. David Wright and Scott Hairston had siimilar injuries in springtraining and as you said Murphmay have aggravated it having a bout of muscle tightness last year which he played through. Mets want to be cautious and rest for a few days plus a cortisone shot may be the best course for relatively quick healing. Hopefully he can play by Saturday and can keep this little thing from getting aggravated.....glad the Mets are acting proactively realizing health going into the season is more important than going all out in spring training. Look forward to any info you can get for an update.

 

[sonny10305]

Yeah saucy I noticed it did not take long for Murphy’s news to be all over the sports news. Of course it is precautionary but this would be the 3rd time in a row for Murph to have some sort of injury at the start of spring, of course the last two were injuries and should not be compared to this time. Also this was not out of the blue he has been feeling soreness in his side since the offseason. As you mentioned both David Wright and Scott Hairston had similar injuries and they both got the cortisone injections and made it back just fine. Murphy feels like he will be able to get this out of the way and does not see it being a problem after the next week or so. Thing is he played through some soreness in his midsection late last season and for sure if this were the regular season he would play thru with it he is the kind of a guy you just can’t stop. So basically the Mets are being proactive by sending him to New York get the shot take a couple of days off. As I wrote yesterday Daniel thinks the tightness was related to some mechanical tweaks he was trying to make in his swing, he was working a lot on his front foot which was a little bit open he wanted to stop rolling over on it a bit trying to point his right foot more towards the plate which should help him hit into that front side a little more and give him more power keeping that front foot tucked in he has been working on that a whole lot. That in itself should not cause him any problem but a collection of that sort of thing might. It sucks that it cuts into his spring training time, first we had 3 days of rain and he could not get the work he wanted in and now this. Fortunately he did spend a lot of time working over the winter with his brother so he was able to get a lot of work in. So we can all hope it will be a small matter but we will know more after he sees the doc this afternoon

Meantime I wanted to remind everyone to watch a three day special Mets Hot Stove with Kevin Burhardt Wed and Thurs at 10p, Friday live from Duffy's at 630p, it is bound to be a lot of fun. Then on Saturday afternoon the first game which can be seen live on SNY, Zack Wheeler will be one of the pitchers Saturday

 

[sonny10305]

Finally got a sec to jump in just for a sec.
Most important is Daniel Murphy who did in fact get that Cortisone shot yesterday and is now going to just rest up and let the medicine do its trick. For now and for at least a few days the docs want him to limit his activity while he heals. He will be icing his side and maybe a little stationary bicycle work and that’s about it. But he’s I fine and it shouldn't take too long before he can start swinging the bat. When Murph got into camp this morning the first to approach him was DWright who had a very similar problem last year, David told Daniel not to overdo it let the medication take its course. David also warned Murph that it will feel a whole lot better in a couple of days but he should not take that as a message that he can start to do stuff and he must resist that.
The plan is he is going to come in each day and let the trainers’ gauge how he feels so they can adjust his workload accordingly.

I got in late last night we decided to fly in then rather than this morning and I am like that kid in a candy store and I don’t know what to do or who to see first which is which is why this post today is short I will have much more to tell you guys starting tomorrow. I wanted to fill you in on Murph. By the way if you have any questions about any of the players or anything else please ask l love to hear from you guys.

 

[sonny10305]

I’m back forgot to remind you in the above post about the special final Mets Hot Stove for this season,
KB would never forgive me
All live on SNY Wednesday and Thursday at 10pm and the big finale from Duffy’s at 630 (I will be there)
Then the games begin on Saturday at 12:10 pm against the Nationals, Shaun Marcum will start, followed by Zack Wheeler, Cory Mazzoni, Darin Gorski, Jeurys Familia, and Bobby Parnell.
No game televised on Sunday when the Mets play against the University of Michigan
Then next Monday at 6:10 pm against the Nationals Collin McHugh will start, followed by Gonzalez German, Elvin Ramirez, Greg Burke, Latroy Hawkins, Robert Carson, and Scott Rice

KB knows all about Murphy he will prolly talk about it tonight.

 

[Sausy]

Glad everything turned out well for Murph's exam and that he should be able to resume regular work soon. Glad David spoke to him and it's always good to have a team leader like David give his own personal experience as perspective...as sonny has mentioned Daniel is one of those guys who loves going all out but better just to let nature do its work and let the muscle heal. The trainers will make sure he is ready, and the most important thing is Murph will be healthy now with the cortisone shot and the rest from full on activity.

I can see how excited you are to be down there with the boys, and hope you and dad have a great time here in spring training...try to keep Murph from getting into trouble while he waits to get back!

Thanks for the heads up on the big final Hot Stove shows of the season...maybe if they do a crowd shot Friday night you can poke your head in, maybe we get a glimpse of sonny!

 

[sonny10305]

Just two days till baseball! Holy smoke the excitement around here can be cut with a knife
First of all yesterday a lot of guys saw Zack Wheeler throw for the first time and many watched and were blown away by his stuff. I have watched him before and was interested in catching the reaction of some of the other guys. First of all it was clear to me that Zack was not frazzled by all the attention leading up to his bullpen he took it all in stride as some of the players Ike Davis, David Wright, Matt Harvey and Jonathon Niese watched from the first-base line. Zack wowed em while throwing his first batting-practice session I am not sure who it was but someone gave out a loud “Whoa” watching Zack throw his slider. Justin Turner was at the plate and said that the ball comes out of Zack's hands so easy and he’s got some late life on his fastball, It kind of jumps on you. Justin actually compared Zack’s fastball to Strasburg and was totally impressed. As Justin explained when the ball is late like that it makes it tough to see it, and then it really gets on top of you in a hurry. It’s an explosion out of his hand coming in there, so the ball looks some small.

You guys can see Zack in Saturday’s game. Other big spot in that game will Kirk Nieuwenhuis who will bat leadoff which he said was a real a compliment and he is hopeful to take this spot and run with it. It feels that it sets the tone for the game, and it’s a big responsibility he feels he has to be aggressive and smart. Kirk will get a chance to show what he has learned since last year in that leadoff spot he understands that a big part of leading off is seeing pitches, which helps the club out he figures if he can do that well it goes a long way for the whole lineup and for the whole game.

Kirk also joined DWright and the many Mets to get a start on a family, he got engaged to his girlfriend a couple of weeks ago, that was just about a week after Zach Lutz and his girlfriend got engaged. Also Reese Havens popped the question to his girlfriend, just before New Year’s and Josh Satin proposed at Thanksgiving. All those guys including Wright are planning winter weddings after the season. This on top of two weddings Murphy and Niese and it looks like the family is really growing in Met land Best of luck to all of them.

So if you wondered what the day is like here it is only 745 in the morning and the guys are already here the team has media training at 8 am. But that’s a normal start for the day everyone gets here by 730 in the morning they will often eat breakfast together , then suit up for the field by about 930 to do active stretch and conditioning, which they will do for about 30-40 minutes. By that time the coaching staff meets in the conference room to talk and plan out the day. Players can do early work in the gym or indoor batting cage if they what to. Next The team breaks in to four groups (pitchers, catchers, infielders and outfielders) to do a bunch of organized, pre-planned drills and programs to work on team fundamentals like pick off plays, cut off throws, double plays, stuff like that plus individual fundamentals like groundballs and live BP. Batting practice will start around noon, there you can watch pitchers do fielding practice, such as fielding bunts and covering first. They will do that for about an hour and then move in to the clubhouse for a post-workout workout and lunch. The day should end around 3 which is when you will see players stat to head home. So that gives you some idea of what goes on here most days.

David



Hey Lucas who is that sneaking up behind you?



Better keep hydrated Dude




Turner with his new pet “He followed me home, can I keep him can I keep him”




Jay you too??




Nice sandals Matt




Wright Turner Ike and Mike

 

[syam24]

Nice pics and good updates, guys. Read about Zach Wheeler's pitching and players/coaches reactions in the NY Daily News. Seems like the boy impressed. Like reading about the Mets, but sometimes the "fluff" pieces the media produces get to be a bit much. This one wasn't one of those, so really enjoyed it. Enjoy FLA, and Let's go Mets!