There has been much criticism for Omar Minaya this year regarding the lack of a move in getting a hitter for the depleted, injury-ravaged New York Mets lineup. With injuries to Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran, the Mets are left with only David Wright, a 40-year-old Gary Sheffield, and a bunch of “he doesn’t scare me” type of hitters.

I have been critical of Minaya in the past, primarily for his lack of building farm systems as GM of the Mets and, after he was given the GM job for the Montreal Expos, making inexcusable trades by the boatload.

Notice how many proven major leaguers Minaya has traded away, including Jason Bay, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee, and Orlando Cabrera. 

This piece has been in the hopper for two weeks, but after a terrible 10-game stretch where they went 2-8, it merits even more consideration. After taking three of four from the (at that time) first-place St. Louis Cardinals, the Mets were only a half game out of first place.

The Phillies had lost 14 of 18 games and were receiving terrible pitching, Raul Ibanez was injured, and Jimmy Rollins was mired in a huge slump.

The Mets were ready to make their move towards first place.

Except a little thing happened on the way to a World Series title.

The Mets remembered they had a minor league lineup surrounding David Wright, their starting pitching (outside of Johan Santana) was terrible, and their bullpen is hit or miss on any given day.

Even their most reliable bullpen arm, Frankie Rodriguez, has been inconsistent lately. Over his last seven appearances, K-Rod has allowed eight hits, five earned runs, and seven walks in 7.1 IP, and has blown two saves

Throw in shoddy defense and awful fundamental baseball, and you realize this is not a good baseball team.  

Their recent bad stretch started with being swept at home versus the New York Yankees, where the combined score was 18-3. The minor league lineup was impotent, but the pitching was not good either.

That is the rub: The Mets fans want Omar Minaya to make a move for another bat to improve the lineup, but the Mets will never win if they do not get better starting pitching.

The current Met starters are Santana, Mike Pelfrey, Livan Hernandez, Fernando Nieve, and Tim Redding. That is one great pitcher, one up and down youngster, and three journeymen.

That is not the making of a postseason rotation, and even Santana has looked well...un-Santana-like lately. His last seven starts have returned a 2-5 record, 5.61 ERA, and 1.43 WHIP.

Please do not tell me about his lack of run support. The job of a starting pitcher is to win games—not to have the best WHIP or ERA or FIP, but to win games for your team. Santana has not done that consistently this year. To his credit, he has 16 decisions, but he needs to begin outdueling the other starter.

Now with Santana normalized and everybody else iffy, when are the Mets likely to put a good stretch together that gets them back into the race?

Is the return of Oliver Perez going to brighten everybody’s day in Metland? Definitely not.

Perez has always been a head case, and now with the guaranteed three-year, $36 million contract, he is even more so.

When is John Maine going to return? He is not yet throwing, and if he does return, will it be the usual inconsistent Maine who has that terrible inning every game?

Maine is a pitcher who does just enough to keep you thinking he is really good, but when you see the end result, it is almost never good.

Their home park is designed to be a pitcher's park, so the Mets need to design their team to fit their ballpark. Getting better, more consistent starting pitching and getting better defensively will help the Mets more than adding a big bat to a AAA lineup.

The Mets do not have a good starting rotation, and there is no real help on the horizon unless they take drastic steps to improve their team to their ballpark.

The worst thing for the Mets (and Omar) to do is panic and make a move for a bat that will not help them this season.

Eventually Reyes will be back, and likely Beltran too, but probably not Delgado. Even if all three came back next week completely healthy, the Mets rotation is still an inconsistent wreck.

The second-worst thing for the Mets is to go on an improbable little run where they win seven of 10 after the All-Star break, giving the team (and the fans) hope that they could recreate the aura of the 1973 Ya Gotta Believe team.

But that team had great pitching. This 2009 Met team does not.  

The same thing happened to the Yankees last year. They went on an eight-game winning streak after the break and thought they could come back and overtake both the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

They made the big trade for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, but the Yankees were without the big bats of Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada and did not have the starting pitching to keep in the race.

The 2009 Mets should not make the same mistake the 2008 Yankees did. The Mets should make a move, but make it for pitching, and not to try to win this season, but to win in the future. Instead of trading for a bat, the Mets should trade a bat, and trade their best bat, because that will get you more value for the future.

Under Minaya’s tenure, the Mets have always played for this season and to win now. Now, it is time to change course and build for the future.

The future is with a potent rotation based upon good young arms that, while pitching half their games in spacious Citi Field, will not be afraid to throw strikes.

The Mets should pursue a trade with the Boston Red Sox that sends third baseman David Wright and Fernando Martinez to the Red Sox in exchange for CF Jacoby Ellsbury, RHP Clay Buchholz, AA 1B Lars Anderson, and any two of Justin Masterson, Daniel Bard, and Michael Bowden.

This trade does three things.

First, it improves the stable of young major league-ready arms for the Mets. Second, it gets the Mets their power hitting first baseman of the future. Third, it kills the Mets' crosstown rival New York Yankees, who see the Red Sox improve an already potent lineup with the addition of the power-hitting Wright.

Just imagine the righty-hitting David Wright in Fenway banging line drives off and hitting towering drives over the Green Monster, and doing it in a big series against the Yankees!

The Met fans will enjoy their take of the loot too, as Buchholz and Masterson/Bowden step right into the rotation, and Ellsbury provides a solid leadoff hitter and great defense.

Ellsbury at the top allows Reyes to move into the middle of the lineup, where his 190-plus hits every year will plate 120 runs, many of them scored by Jacoby.

Anderson is a big power hitter, providing necessary power for the Mets for years to come. He should be ready for the majors next year, and whoever loses the first base battle between Anderson and maybe Ike Davis, the Mets' first-round pick last season, moves to a corner outfield spot or is trade bait for more pitching.  

Ellsbury is a proven major leaguer, something the Mets do not yet have in the young but talented Martinez.

F-Mart’s youth and their potent lineup allow the Red Sox to groom him slowly for center. The 20-year-old would get a few months of seasoning in AAA and would be brought back up in September.

The Mets would be wise to explore this option soon, as the Cleveland Indians have scouted the Red Sox's minor league system in anticipation of the Sox making a run at Indians catcher Victor Martinez.

The Red Sox need extra offense, and by getting the powerful Wright to play third, they can move Kevin Youkilis back to his comfortable first base, having cornerstones at first and third through the year 2013, which are club options for each player.

The Mets can fill their third base need with a free agent in the offseason for a one or two-year deal.

The future at third, however, is currently a shortstop in the Mets system. Wilmer Flores is only 18 but currently stands at 6'3" and 175 lbs. This is an Alex Rodriguez and Cal Ripken type of physical stature, and it will be more beneficial for him and the Mets if he switched over to third base.

Flores is very adept with the bat, and although he does not walk too much yet (only a .325 OBP at Low A), he also does not strike out much (only 38 K's in almost 300 PA).

With the big park a major factor and the lack of quality arms in their system, the Mets need to merge the two. That means trading their big bat in David Wright for some proven speed and defense (Ellsbury) and some power arms to build up their stable of pitching talent.

Combining these pitchers with 23-year-old Jonathan Niese, having a good season at Triple A, the Mets can be a force in the National League East for years and help bury the crosstown rival Yankees in the same process.

After Brian Bruney blew the hold against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, he has yet out pitch in another game for the Yankees until yesterday. At that moment in the Tuesday night game, I said to myself that Phil Hughes should remain in the game as he cruised through a nine pitch 7th inning. But Girardi stuck to the book and here came his "8th inning guy."

After that game Yankee manager Joe Girardi was asked if Bruney would remain his guy to go to in the 8th inning.

Girardi said, "He's our eighth inning guy right now," Girardi said. "We expect him to pitch better. I know he has not pitched great since he's come back off the DL. He's had some good outings and he's had some tough outings. ... He's had success in that role."

Asked repeatedly about his chances of remaining the "8th inning guy" for the team, Bruney has repeatedly taken the high road, saying he doesn't care who gets the outs. 

"There is the 9th inning guy (Mariano Rivera) and everybody else," said Bruney. "As long as we win the game, I don't care who gets the outs." 

Good team concept by Brian - something the Yankees need in the face of a media driven "problem." Next time when asked, Bruney would be wise to point to his ring finger on his left hand and say, "See this finger? I want a World Series ring on it next year, and it doesn't matter how it gets there."
 
Entering the 8th inning Friday afternoon,* the Yankees held a 3-2 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays. With power hitting lefty Adam Lind due up, Yankee manager Joe Girardi sent for LHP Phil Coke and not Brian Bruney to start the 8th inning. It was a smart move as Coke has been ultra-effective the last month and great against lefties.

* I absolutely love daytime games, and in this wrap around series (four games over the Friday-Monday weekend) with the Blue Jays, the Yankees will host four straight day games. There should be more of these contests, even on weekdays. Nothing better than taking a few breaks at work wathcing a ballgame.

However, when Coke was removed it wasn't Bruney who came in to get the last two outs, but it was Hughes who came running in from the bullpen. Hughes did the job, and after an Alex Rodriguez HR and 1-2-3 ninth for Rivera, the Yankees had another win.

What is the big deal about who pitches what inning? Although I have never been a big Brian Bruney fan, I feel for him because he has to answer the same questions over and over. And he has answered them the same way every time.

I disagree what Girardi said about defining roles. "When guys have defined roles, they know when they're going to pitch," Girardi said. "And they can start preparing mentally a little bit earlier. I think that helps them. The other thing that does is that I think it keeps you from wearing one guy out. A lot of times if you have a guy who's pitching extremely well, all of a sudden, you've used him five out of six days ... And then you start wearing the guy out. And then he starts going backwards."

I never have been a "this is your role" type of baseball guy. Whenever the manager calls your name, you come in a get guys out. Doesn't matter if you are great at "missing bats" or a good "ground ball pitcher." Just get hitters out--whenever you are in the game.
And in regards to wearing a guy out by pitching him too much, a manager is the one who makes the decisions. They should use all their pitchers, not just the ones who are hot. A manager needs to have confidence in all his pitchers - or they don't belong on the team.

It's interesting, but the Yankee minor league teams alternate their relief pitchers on a every other day status (or every three days), but the guys usually go more than one inning at a time. Only the closers will go multiple days in a row.

It appears the players don't care what their roles are. Bruney's comments above reinforced his thoughts, and here is what Coke said about roles: "We've got a great plan," Coke said, "Whoever [Girardi] decides to throw out there has been the right choice, so regardless if I'm facing one guy or two, whatever combination is getting thrown out there is working. When the phone rings, it's like the chow bell," he said. "It's time to get going."

Just get out there and pitch. No matter who it is or what inning they are in. In fact, Saturday afternoon's game saw Bruney enter inthe 7th inning, and while he struggled by allowing two hits and a walk, he escaped unscathed...and the Yankees ended up winning the game.

A few weeks ago I was watching a baseball game and I was flipping back and forth between the game and the MLB Network, which had highlights of the 1972 World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland A's.

Every time I flipped to the World Series highlights, Rollie Fingers was on the mound pitching. I thought that Fingers couldn't have pitched that much. However, in checking the records I saw that Fingers pitched in six of the seven games, with a 1-1 record, a hold, two saves and a blown hold. He threw back to back once, and three straight days another part of the series.

What was truly amazing is not how much Fingers pitched, but when he came into the game. He entered Game 1 in the 6th inning (1.2 IP), Game 2 in the 9th (.1 IP), Game 3 in the 8th (1.2 IP), Game 4 in the 9th (1.0 IP), Game 5 in the 5th (3.2 IP) and Game 7 in the 8th (2.0 IP).

It did not matter to the A's manager Dick Williams when he brought in his best reliever. Get the big outs when you need them.

The role he was brought into apparently did not matter to Fingers either as I could not find any evidence of him griping that he was the closer and no evidence of any media member trying to create a story about it. It should be pointed out that Fingers threw all those innings and games while he was only 25 years old! His arm did not fall off and all those appearances did not short-circuit a Hall of Fame career.

Fingers pitched when he was called upon and has that 1972 World Series Ring on his left hand.
 
Similar to the one Bruney might have on his hand come October.

New York Yankees backup catcher Jose Molina has been on the disabled list since May 8 with a strained left quadriceps. This is a significant injury for any player, let along a catcher. When he likely returns this upcoming week against Minnesota, Molina will have missed two months.

 

In addition, starting catcher Jorge Posada was placed on the disabled list a few days earlier on May 5 with a strained left hamstring and he missed 24 days. Legs injuries are severely detrimental to a catcher, both in his time away and quality of play, especially with players at the advanced baseball ages of Posada (37) and Molina (34).

 

That is why it is important for the Yankees to keep reserve catcher Francisco Cervelli on the major league roster even after Molina returns. Most people will want to send Cervelli down for regular play at the Triple A level, but he can provide the big club an even more vital role by staying on the Bronx.

 

Before Molina and Posada went down with their injuries, Molina was the starting catcher in four of the prior ten games. In three of those starts, Hideki Matsui was the DH, while Posada was the DH in the fourth Molina start. In the three games Matsui was the DH, Posada pinch hit late in the game.

 

Both Molina and Posada both played in all four of those games, with no backup in place in case anything happened to the second catcher. Granted, Posada pinched hit late in the game, with the game usually on the line. But, if the game went extra innings and Posada was needed to catch, there is a decent chance an injury could occur.

 

I base this on Posada’s fragile nature and the overall physical demands of the catching position. A foul tip here, ball in the dirt hitting the wrong spot there, or maybe a play at the plate.

Posada is notoriously shy about blocking the plate, but it still needs to be done and the runner will still try and do his job of dislodging the ball form the catcher, especially that late in the game.

 

All those instances can wipe involve removing your catcher from the game. And who then will catch? Cody Ransom? He is versatile and physically capable, but right now he is the only Yankee backup infielder. He is needed for that role. Eric Hinske could play infield, but he was never that good defensively at third base in his career.

 

Most teams carry two catchers, but that is usually workable because the starting catcher play the bulk of the games, with the backup maybe getting a start per week. Based upon usage thus far this season, Molina would be spelling Posada behind the plate 40 percent of the time.

That is too much work for the backup catcher, but the Yankees need that due to a variety of reasons, including Posada’s age, recent injury history and the certain pitchers who like to throw to Molina.

 

In the 23 games Cervelli has appeared in this season, he has rarely looked overmatched at the plate and even hit his first Major League home run June 24 in Atlanta. That home run broke up a no-hitter in the sixth inning, and propelled the Yankees to begin a seven game winning streak.

He also has several other timely hits (two run single off of Johan Santana on June 14), is a really good defensive catcher with a strong arm and appears to have a great working relationship with the pitchers.

 

During his abbreviated spring training with the Yankees (abbreviated due to his participation for Italy in the WBC), Cervelli credited Molina with helping him with the major league game.

Most people within baseball would send Cervelli down to Triple A so he can “play every day” and presumably get better. When is playing every day at a lower level allowing a baseball player to “get better?”

Players get better from playing at the highest level, and learning from their mentors.

 

Just like when Posada was a young player and Joe Girardi took him under his wing for the 1998 and 1999 seasons (two World Series titles by the way), Molina has taken to tutoring Cervelli on the finer points of major league catching.

And Cervelli needs this mental approach more than anything as he just began catching in 2003 when the Yankees signed him as a non-drafted free agent. The Yankees felt his body type and throwing arm were best suited behind the plate.

I know this goes against the current thinking in major league baseball, but I have always been a "go against the grain" type of guy when it comes to baseball. Not much into going by the book.

For example, why do managers always go to their "eighth inning guy" out of the bullpen when the pitcher who currently in the game is pitching well? Why the need for pitch counts and innings limits? Let the kids throw the ball!

Detroit has held 20 year old pitching phenom Rick Porcello under 100 pitches in every one of his starts this season? Why? To save his arm? Spare me the hyperbole about young pitchers and throwing a baseball.

I was at one of his high school state playoff games where he threw over 150 pitches! By the way, check out who sponsors Porcello's baseball-reference page.

 
Anyway, when Cervelli is kept, who should then go down to Scranton? Nobody.

 

Veteran pitcher Brett Tomko would need to be designated for assignment (basically released), and go through waivers where he would probably be picked up from another team. Tomko is your 12th pitcher, something I never have liked having on a major league team.

Eleven pitchers (five starter, closer, five relievers) are just fine, especially when you have four of your relievers (Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, David Robertson, Alfredo Aceves) who can pitch multiple innings.

 

Tomko has only been used five times since June 9 with 8 IP, allowing 8 hits, 8 ER, and 3 HR. Three times were mop up duty and twice was the game was close. Both those times he allowed big innings.

 

Tomko is expendable, and as I have mentioned before, he really isn't that good of a pitcher.  If the Yankees need a mop-up guy, Nick Swisher is always available. He has beter number than Tomko anyway. 

Go against the tide Brian Cashman and keep Cervelli around. The Yankees will be better off in the long run

Last night's game between the New York Yankees and New York Mets, the so-called Subway Series*, left both sides' fans intense. The Yankees fans were obviously joyous, while the Mets faithful were crushed.

While it is difficult to fathom how a Met fan (or player for that matter) can be crushed by another tough loss when your team has lost division titles in the final week (2007 and 2008) and lost games by missing bases (Church), dropping outfield flies (Beltran), and general base running gaffes (practically the entire team), the loss last night on Luis Castillo's dropped pop up with two outs in the 9th inning has to be the ultimate heatbreaker.

Despite the dropped infield fly ball, there were many reasons for the Mets to feel disheartened. Their original fifth starter this season, Livan Hernandez is now their 3rd starter, someone they are relying on now to win important games, and not just to "give them innings." He is a so- .500 type pitcher, looking good one start and terrible the next.

Also, while David Wright had a good game and appears to be hitting well again, and despite the seven spot on the board, the balance of the lineup is putrid. They only managed seven hits, and if not for the three dozen walks the Yankees pitchers gave them, the Mets don't even score two runs - and the game is a blowout.  

While most of the blame will be centered on Castillo, it is patently unfair as baseball is never a game decided on one play, much of the blame has to go to Omar Minaya. How can the Mets, a team from New York in a shiny new ballpark, not have decent backup players to fill in when others get hurt?

Minaya had set his sights in the off season on winning right now, trying to forget about the two September disaster in 2007 and 2008. He worked in the off season to go with a top heavy, power lineup, a good starting five and strong bullpen. What Minaya did not think about was adequate replacements if any of the top players went down with injuries.

Their is nobody to replace Delgado, nobody to replace Reyes and nobody to replace the $36 million bust named Oliver Perez.

Blame Castillo all you want for last night's loss, but this season's potential loss is on Omar Minaya.



(how i dislike that term, how many of them can you have?)

In Tuesday night's 7-0 Boston Red Sox victory over the New York Yankees, Josh Beckett dominated the Yankees.

 

This win further extends the successful streak for the big right-hander. Over his last five starts, Beckett is 4-0 with a 0.76 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP. His only non-win was an eight inning gem against the Mets where he allowed five hits, a single free pass and zero earned runs.

 

Tuesday night’s start vs. the Yankees might have been even better, as Josh commanded the strike zone like a master painter. While many pitchers have control (which is throwing strikes), very few pitchers have command (which is control WITHIN the strike zone).

 

Although Beckett walked two (both to Mark Teixeira) in his six innings of work (91 pitches), it appeared he pitched around Tex both times to get to Alex Rodriguez. Beckett handled A-Rod both times without a sweat, getting A-Rod on a pop up and a whiff.

 

“Beckett is a guy who really knows what to do when he gets a lead,” said Yankees DH Johnny Damon. “He probably learned that from watching (Curt) Schilling. When he gets ahead he pounds the strike zone, he doesn't walk guys, he comes after you and makes you do something big to beat him.”

 

A pitching coach once said that even if you throw strikes to a .400 hitter he will still make out 60 percent of the time, but when you walk someone, the on-base percentage is usually 1.000.

 

Simplistic, but true. True since the times when Cy Young was throwing pitches.

 

As a pitcher, you can either give up hits or walk guys, BUT YOU CAN’T DO BOTH.

 

Current pitchers like Roy Halladay (complete game SHO on June 7), Zach Greinke and Beckett (guys who actually WIN baseball games, and don’t let their bullpens determine the outcome) "pound the strike zone" as Damon said. They control the game, and make the hitter put the ball in play.

 

The best pitchers throw strikes, get ahead, and get guys out. It doesn't matter if it is via a strikeout or a ball put in play.

This gets the starters deeper into games, and doesn't necessitate them relying on their bullpen (usually a bunch of scrubs) to record victories. These pitchers record most of the decisions in their starts, a key component of an effective starter.

 

I love (sarcasm) that new stat BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) which indicates a hitter’s batting average on times he makes contact and actually has to run hard out of the box (unless you are a New York Mets player and that running hard task is optional).

 

The league averages are usually a few ticks above .300. Sabermetric guys always state that if a hitter has a BABIP of under the league average he is usually “unlucky” in that his batted balls are right at a fielder, and they make the play on his batted balls.  

 

BABIP is also a stat for pitchers. If a pitcher has a higher BABIP than league average, they are considered “unlucky” by the Sabermetric guys because the pitcher's defense might lack range and some hit balls might just find holes.

 

What happens if a pitcher hits the spots within the strike zone (command) where batters do not get good wood on the ball, and hit the ball off the handle or the end of the bat? Pitchers do pitch to contact as they move the ball on the inner or outer thirds of the plate.

 

Next time you watch Baseball Tonight on ESPN or MLB.com highlights, notice where the pitch location is off every big blast from a hitter. Almost always the pitch is in the middle of the plate. Guys like Halladay and Beckett rarely hit the middle of the plate.

 

And you do not have to throw hard like those pitchers to pitch effectively and win. In their long careers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux never threw really hard, but rarely threw the ball over the middle of the plate.

 

Last week, there were four complete game shutouts including Halladay’s gem. Cole Hamels threw one out in Los Angeles, Jeff Niemman of the Rays threw one, and even Carl Pavano tossed one during his new Carl Pavano 2009 tour comeback season.

All told, there have been 16 complete game shutouts this season. In those 16 games (that is 144 total innings) there were only 11 walks issued by those 15 pitchers (Zach Grienke has two CG SHO).

 

Also, those 16 games totaled 105 strikeouts, an average of 6.56 per start. The average pitches thrown were 108 per game.

 

While there were games like Justin Verlander’s May 8 gem with 11 K’s and 121 pitches, there was also Joel Pineiro’s May 19th game of three K’s and 93 pitches. Some were dominating performances, while several were virtuoso, pick-you-apart masterpieces.

 

Hitters likely felt overwhelmed facing Verlander that day, but probably had a very comfortable zero-fer against Pineiro. Whether striking out double-digit batters or allowing the hitters to put the ball in play, “pounding the strike zone,” (or just “throwing strikes”) allows a pitcher to win more games.

 

In Beckett’s recent game, he threw only six innings, and was pulled by manager Terry Francona with a big lead after only 93 pitches (only the second time all season Beckett has thrown less than 100). Lucky for him that the big lead, combined with a sturdy Red Sox bullpen, allowed Beckett to get win number seven.

 

It appears that complete game shutouts are the direct result of "pounding the strike zone" and letting your defense do their work, both of which help keep that pitch count low. In today’s game, it’s usually 100 or so and out. Those pitchers who let the bullpen in the majority of their games usually win less games for their team.

 

Why let the bullpen have a say in the final result of your work when a pitcher can throw more strikes, get deeper in games, and win more often for his team?

 

Legendary pitching coach Ray Miller (a disciple of Johnny Sain) constantly preached to his hurlers to: 1) Throw strikes. 2) Work quickly. 3) change speeds. It just goes to show that those principles still resonates as much today as they did in the past.

just read that Paul Bush, a recent independent league pickup, will get a second start for Triple A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. The main reason is not because of Bush’s superior talents (he has none) or long term prospects (at 30 years of age?), but that Scranton doesn’t have a fifth starter.

 

Scranton doesn’t have a fifth starter due to injuries (Ian Kennedy), promotions (Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves) and trades (Eric Hacker to Pittsburgh).

 

The current four-man rotation at Scranton includes Kei Igawa, Josh Towers, Casey Fossum, George Kontos and now Paul Bush. That is four pitchers who will never see the light of day in the Bronx.

 

Only Kontos, a fifth round pick in that great 2006 Yankee draft, has any chance with New York. And even if he continues to perform well at Triple A, because of the Yankee glut of young pitching, he is likely to be packaged in a trade. As a 2006 college draftee, Kontos also needs to be put on the 40-man roster by November or the Yankees risk exposing him to the Rule 5 draft this winter.

 

Kontos was promoted in early May and has progressed well at the higher level. Another pitcher from that 2006 class needs to be promoted to Scranton now.

 

That pitcher is Zach McAllister, a 21-year-old strike throwing machine who is currently dominating the Double A Eastern League. In 10 starts for the Trenton Thunder, McAllister is 5-2, 1.61 ERA, a WHIP of 1.10 and a .220 BAA (batting average against). However, in his last 5 starts, while averaging 6.2 IP per, he is 4-1, 0.79 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He has improved over the course of the season as the weather is getting better, usually a time for the hitters to thrive!

 

However, Mark Newman, Yankees VP of Baseball Operations, is not on board with a quick promotion. “It’s all about development," Newman said. "We’re not going to push him to Triple-A to fill a Triple-A spot before he’s ready." It looks to me like McAllister has developed very nicely at Double A and needs that push. In fact, Newman should look no further than last season for precedence in promoting McAllister quickly.

Last season McAllister made 10 starts in Low A Charleston (6-3, 2.45 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, .245 BAA) before being promoted to High A Tampa. After 10 starts he is more dominating this season at the Double A level, yet the Yankee brass thinks he is not ready?

 

This is a similar situation, in the same exact time frame from last year. There is no reason not to push him, especially with the aging garbage the Yankees have in the Triple A rotation.

 

I know many teams (ie: the New York Mets) like to stockpile veteran pitchers at Triple A just in case of injuries hit the big club. The Mets even had Fossum for a short while this year before releasing him. I prefer to go in a different direction, and let your top young pitchers perform at that high Triple A level, and promote them instead of a washed up relic.

 

There is absolutely no need for the 30-year-old Bush, 31-year-old Fossum or the 32-year-old Towers to get starts in Scranton, and don’t even get me started on the 35-year-old Jason Johnson (56-100, 4.99 ERA in career), who the Yankees signed this past winter and has made a handful of Triple A starts.

 

All those thirtysomething guys flat out stink and they will not be in the Yankees plans, so why have them in Triple A? I know why Igawa is still there, but the others need to be let go. In case of a rash of injuries, those holes can always be filled by other older losers. You think teams are going to jump on Josh Towers if the Yankees release him?

 

In fact, the Yankees should also promote the 22-year-old Ivan Nova, too, who has a 4-3, 3.12, 1.50 WHIP at Trenton. Like McAllister, Nova has gotten better as the year has progressed, averaging an out under 6 IP per, going 2-1, 1.90 ERA, 1.31 WHIP in his last four starts. Nova was a Rule 5 selection of the San Diego Padres off the Yankee roster, but they returned him after Nova posted a sub par Spring Training.

 

The Yankees have too many good, young arms they can promote another level to get the extra experience versus better hitters. While young hitters should be moved along more slowly, it is always better to promote and advance young pitching quickly. Pitchers can adjust to hitters better than the other way around.

 

Good young pitching is the biggest marketable commodity in baseball and it is imperative to develop them quickly. The pitcher position is always more susceptible to injury and the more quality pitchers a team has at the higher minor league levels, the better they can withstand the inevitable injuries.

 

In case of an injury, I would rather have a young studs like McAllister and Nova ready to move up than a Casey Fossum or Josh Towers. The Yankees have too much depth right now with six major league starters (including Phil Hughes) plus converted starter Aceves in the bullpen for the need to have 30+ year old pitchers in Triple A.

 

It is time to move up McAllister (and probably Nova) now, rather than later. The precedence was already set last season.

With the calf injury the other day to Jose Reyes, Met fans were whining about when Reyes would return to the lineup. It was obvious the Met fans weren't too comfortable with Ramon Martinez at shortstop. I don't blame them as Martinez isn't a good player for the sabermetric or regular baseball community.

But these same whiners who wanted Reyes back quickly from his calf strain were the same ones who complained about his base running skills and lack of hustle. Many Met fans wanted Reyes traded.

Now these same Met fans will get their chance to see what the Mets would be like without Jose Reyes. Calf strains and pulls are severe injuries as a player can not even walk without pain, let alone run and use his legs like Reyes needs. I had one several years ago, and missed three weeks of playing. And even then I wasn't even 100 percent.

Expect Reyes to miss at least three weeks to a month. And forget about first base being the most important void.

Do those same Met fans still want David Wright out of town, too?  New York baseball fans are far too impatient to even really be considered real baseball fans.

Where do the Mets go for a shortstop? They have no one down on the farm and Omar can't trade for a full-fledged starting SS because it Reyes is out only temporarily, and a current starter would cost too much.

So the Mets need an experienced backup, someone with ML seasons under his belt who won't cost a bundle,a nd since Carlos Delgado is also out, this new SS might need to hit a little. Actually, a hitting SS would be more desirable than a glove man.

The Angels have a plethora of shortstops in Brandon Wood, Erick Aybar, Maicer Izturis and power hitting Sean Rodriguez (14 HR's, 41 RBI's in AAA this season) in the minors, but two are young and one (Izturis) doesn't hit, and Aybar is the starter and a Mike Scioscia favorite.

Best bet is to trade with the Yankees and pick up reserve SS Angel Berroa, who has several years of ML experience and is rotting away on the Yankees bench. Berroa hit well all spring training and, after losing the utility role job to Ramiro Pena, Berroa continued to hit in Triple A.

Maybe the Mets can expand the trade and pick up a veteran pitcher, too, like Brett Tomko to improve their beleaguered bullpen.

Anyway, Berroa (and maybe Tomko) will not cost the Mets much at all, maybe one (or two) of their position prospects like Carlos Guzman in St. Lucie or Jefry Marte in Savannah.

But no matter what happens, the injuries reveal that GM Minaya does not ready options from within the organization, and that he has put all the eggs in this 2009 season basket. He has done nothing to improve a sagging farm system since he became GM in 2004.

As I have written many times before, Omar Minaya is one of the worst GM's in baseball. Anybody can spend someone else's money, but it is difficult to build a farm system to help a franchise in the long run (and now for the Mets, the short term) and Omar has done neither.

Good luck Met fans on the rest of the 2009 season, which might hinge on the play of Angel Berroa.

It wasn't a tremendous performance numbers wise for Phil Hughes, but he did pitch better than what the final numbers presented. For sure, his performance wasn't for the sabermetric crowd!

Staked to an early 5-0 lead, Hughes pitched effectively for 5 innings, allowing three runs - with all three runs coming on two homers. While only at 89 pitchers, I thought Hughes should have gone out for the sixth inning, but was pulled for Alfredo Aceves. Although his ERA tonight was 5.40, Hughes pitched ahead in the count most of the night and struck out nine Orioles hitters.

He was popping his fastball and snapping his curve.

Nice comeback for Hughes after the brutal start he had against the Orioles last time.

Yanks are now 3-2 in Hughes' five starts, but once Wang returns, Hughes is likely to go back down to Triple A.

That will be a mistake. Hughes needs to continue pitching in the Bronx as he is going to be a set part of the rotation next season, because both Wang and Andy Pettitte are not going to be with the Yankees next season.

If Wang was going to be part of the Yankees long term plans, they would have already signed him on a four or five year deal. If Damaso Marte can get three years from the Yanks, why can't Wang get the same love? 

Yanks are not going to sign him for $10-12 million next year (which is what he will get in arbitration), but will let him go via trade.

Yanks have so many good, young starters and that begins with Hughes. Both he and Aceves will be part of the 2010 Yankee rotation.

I always think about what Peyton Manning said about his first two years as starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. Manning said that his first year wasn't so good as he was thrown to the wolves in the NFL as a rookie, but that his second season was great because he was allowed to play his first season and learn on the job. His exact quote was: "there's no way I could have played as well as I did in my second year if I hadn't played that first year."

Hughes needs to get that same chance.

I have never been a big fan of Brian Bruney's or Jose Veras' because they don't consistently throw strikes. And relief pitchers need to absolve themselves of free passes as much as possible. I remember when Todd Worrell was Whitey Herzog's closer in the 1980's for the St. Louis Cardinals. Worrell always said Whitey told him on the mound after he gave him the ball, "I don't care if you give up ten hits in a row. Just don't %@*&$% walk anybody!"

But Bruney has demonstrated a newer love of the strike zone this season, and he has excelled, but Veras has not found the same love. In fact, Veras never has loved the strike zone as his career BB/9 ratio of 5.1 suggests. Veras really has never been that good in the minors either.

Except for parts of last season, Veras has never been very good and needs to be DFA'd with Bruney's return. The Yankees are afraid of losing him because Veras is out of options and must clear waivers--but he won't clear them and the Yanks will lose him to another team.

So what?

Those fans who scream that Veras has GREAT STUFF, should remember that every major league pitcher has great stuff -- that is why they are major leaguers!

Get rid of Veras - the Yankees don't need him and have better (and younger) options at Triple A.

The Yankees should allow Mark Melancon to get innings in the majors. Besides the one game against the Red Sox  where he walked the bases loaded, he was pretty good for his first time in the majors.

Just like Phil Hughes who has dominated the Triple A level, Melancon needs to get his feet wet in the majors.

With the Yankees starters going a consistent 6.2 innings per game over their last eight, there is no need for extra relievers like Veras, but if the Yankee brass feels they do need 12 pitchers, then Melancon should get his shot over Veras.

The Yanks have done well with young position players like Ramiro Pena and Francisco Cervelli. They should allow more young pitchers to get their chance.

When Ryan Church missed third base last night, Jerry Manuel missed an opportunity to defend his player. Standing behind your player for an on field call is the first prerequisite for a manager. It is a job every manager needs to accomplish, no matter how far in the doghouse little Fido has gotten himself.

And it appears that Manuel did not argue the call because it did involve Church. Bet the farm that if it was Jose Reyes called out on that play, Manuel bolts out of the dugout like he was rounding third.

Manuel's declaration that he didn't argue the call because his third base coach, Razor Shines also said Church missed the base was just plain stupid. Did Shines text Manuel from the third base coaching box or did he motion to Jerry after it happened? Since Manuel was in the first base dugout, he clearly didn't see and probably wasn't following Church around the bases anyway.

Since Manuel did not see the play, he should have gone out to find out form the umpire what happened. That is his job.

And when Manuel looked away from Church while Ryan was entering the dugout shows the disgust he has with that player.
In the post game press conference, Manuel repeatedly pulled out his Bill Parcells impersonation and continually referred to Church as "the player" and when asked about the running mishap, said "go ask him."

Manuel has had the hold of the clubhouse since he arrived, and was tested in his first day at the helm. He used his strength in communication to soothe a frustrated Jose Reyes when Manuel pulled Reyes last season during the first inning of his first game.

But it seems now that Manuel is losing his hold on the clubhouse, and before long the bickering will start and the media will jump all over it, just like they have on the "Manuel doesn't like Ryan Church" situation.

Best way to end the problem right now? Omar Minaya needs to cut Ryan Church. Nip it in the bud. No trade seeking, no allowing the player and the manager to work it out. Gone, done - see ya. Show the other players, and everyone else who is involved with the Mets that the organization will not allow this kind of rift.

Church provides nothing to this team and will not be part of the Mets future. He is a 30 year old mediocre player who was obtained (along with the equally mediocre Brian Schneider) for the similarly terrible Lastings Milledge. He provides no power, no defense and no other tangibles (brains) which help a team win.

A trade which was bad for both teams and where everyone loses! How perfect is that. Church is signed for this year only for $2.8 million. His production can be equaled by Fernando Martinez, a big part of the Mets future.

When stock traders lose early on a stock, they react quickly and cut their losses. Those traders who hold on to those losing stocks usually lose more.

Omar needs to back his manager and get rid of Church now. And bring up F-Mart and let him play.