Break Up the Core?
August 6th 2010 05:21
With fifty four games left in this 2010 regular season the Mets are in a similar place as last year, on the outside looking in of the playoff picture. But how did it all come to this? Well, the season didn't even have to start before all the skeptical Mets fans began to voice their disapproval of the offseason. Yes, Omar Minaya did go out and get Jason Bay; however did he solve the rest of the Mets problems? He gave us Luis Castillo and his four-year $25 million dollar contract, along with Oliver Perez and his three-year $36 million dollar contract. He also gave us no pitching help and no first basemen to begin the year.
Regardless of whose fault this is, the Mets organization put a lot of faith in the "core" to carry the team. What has that "core" done? Get the Mets to a 54-54 record, sitting eight games out of first place. At some point someone on this team needs to be held responsible for them not moving forward. Looking back, they came one game away from the World Series in 2006. They choked the following two years after and last year they were cursed by injuries. You can certainly see the team moving backwards and one can make a valid argument a major shakeup in the roster needs to be done. When one says "major shakeup," what could that mean? Well, all eyes should look at this once highly thought of "core" of the Mets. Let’s break down the "core" of the New York Mets.
David Wright, the face of the franchise, has had many ups and many downs in his six years as the Mets starting third basemen. He holds a .307 batting average and has two gold gloves. However, David is an incredible streaky player. He has the talent of hitting .600 for a week, then go 0 for 18. Also, an extremely troubling stat is his strikeouts; he has increased his strike outs every year since he has played every day. There has been much talk about is he a real clutch player? The answer is simply no. It seems like he never can get a player home from second, although his batting average with runners in scoring position is pretty good. However, if you recall, his play in the postseason was something to forget; he hit .216 with merely one home run. When you look at David as a whole, he will get his hit and knock in his runs. He will play an average to above average third base. I think the major question is, does Citi field hurt his game? Clearly, he loses home runs in the park. It was in his head last year as he admitted he tried to change his swing to hit more doubles than home runs. He finally went back to his upper cut swing this year but it is definitely something to think about moving forward.
Jose Reyes is much more built for Citi Field, but he has been plagued with injuries over the past two seasons. You have to consider this being an issue moving forward, especially with someone whose game is running. But every time Jose steps to that plate I envision him hitting into right center field at Citi and just running forever. He is a special weapon to have. Jose's problem is he gets too anxious at the plate and his career .285 batting average explains it. I have seen Jose too many times jump after the first or second pitch. Although he has become patient has he has matured as a player he still has a tendency to swing at bad pitches. Next year Jose will be a free agent and he will ask for money, a ton of money. He will certainly be a major topic of discussion come next year’s offseason.
Carlos Beltran is finally back on the field. Unfortunately, he forgot to bring his game with him. Carlos is hitting a mere .215 with 1 homerun and 7 runs batted in. He is in the fifth year of his seven year $119 million dollar contract. With Carlos coming back from knee surgery his is still getting his legs back from under him. He is wearing quite a clunky brace under his uniform which you can clearly see. He says it does affect him on cuts and running. The major concern with Carlos is if this injury is something that is going to permanently bring his game down a level. I feel Carlos is going to have a huge bounce back year next year. It looks like he is not going to heat up before the end of the year and if that is the case he is going to have something to prove next year. If he has a huge start would the Mets consider trading him at the deadline while his value is up?
Most of this is hypothetical, however it is certainly possible to see any of these three moved at some point in time. After six year together Wright and Reyes have nothing to show for it. They have won nothing. These two are in the prime of their career and they have absolutely nothing to show for it. The Mets have nothing to show for it. No one at this point should be untouchable and if the Mets want to look forward and be a winning team again they need to do something to change the aurora of the team. But what exactly?
David Wright, the face of the franchise, has had many ups and many downs in his six years as the Mets starting third basemen. He holds a .307 batting average and has two gold gloves. However, David is an incredible streaky player. He has the talent of hitting .600 for a week, then go 0 for 18. Also, an extremely troubling stat is his strikeouts; he has increased his strike outs every year since he has played every day. There has been much talk about is he a real clutch player? The answer is simply no. It seems like he never can get a player home from second, although his batting average with runners in scoring position is pretty good. However, if you recall, his play in the postseason was something to forget; he hit .216 with merely one home run. When you look at David as a whole, he will get his hit and knock in his runs. He will play an average to above average third base. I think the major question is, does Citi field hurt his game? Clearly, he loses home runs in the park. It was in his head last year as he admitted he tried to change his swing to hit more doubles than home runs. He finally went back to his upper cut swing this year but it is definitely something to think about moving forward.
Carlos Beltran is finally back on the field. Unfortunately, he forgot to bring his game with him. Carlos is hitting a mere .215 with 1 homerun and 7 runs batted in. He is in the fifth year of his seven year $119 million dollar contract. With Carlos coming back from knee surgery his is still getting his legs back from under him. He is wearing quite a clunky brace under his uniform which you can clearly see. He says it does affect him on cuts and running. The major concern with Carlos is if this injury is something that is going to permanently bring his game down a level. I feel Carlos is going to have a huge bounce back year next year. It looks like he is not going to heat up before the end of the year and if that is the case he is going to have something to prove next year. If he has a huge start would the Mets consider trading him at the deadline while his value is up?
Most of this is hypothetical, however it is certainly possible to see any of these three moved at some point in time. After six year together Wright and Reyes have nothing to show for it. They have won nothing. These two are in the prime of their career and they have absolutely nothing to show for it. The Mets have nothing to show for it. No one at this point should be untouchable and if the Mets want to look forward and be a winning team again they need to do something to change the aurora of the team. But what exactly?
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