LASTINGS MILLEDGE HAS MAGIC ON HIS BACK
Forty-four. Henry Aaron's number, yes. Also Reggie's, after he went to the Yanks. And Everlastings Milledge is the latest in a long line of players to wear that super-cool number in Queens.
It's also the Met's magic Number: 44. And counting. A few Random Thoughts for your Thursday morning pleasure:
Two Princes: Young David Wright is tired. I think he needs a break. The guy's 23 years-old, he's played one full season in the majors before this, and he had an excellent first half. Then he appeared in the freakin Home Run Derby, then the All-Star Game itself, before quick stops on Letterman, at the White House, before the UN general Assembly, the Jedi Council, and the Interstellar Federation. Hell, he intruced Bruce Sutter at his Hall of Fame induction last week. (Very moving speech, by the way, what with crediting him for inventing the split-finger fast ball and all. Charming anecdote about watching him in the '82 Series, two months before he was born . . .)
Mr. Wright hasn't had any serious time off! And from the looks of things lately, he needs it.
Yes, I know Keith's saying Wright's "pulling off the ball," but Keith says that about everyone. Albert Pujols goes 0-for-3 with a walk? Pulling off the ball. Tony Gwynn hit only .312 one season? Pulling off the ball. Barry Bonds' head grows to epic proportions and he's so gimpy he can hardly walk? Pulling off the ball. China's economic growth rate dips to 6.4 %?
Ok, you get the idea.
Maybe Wright's pulling off the ball. Ok. But why is my question. His approach at the plate looks the same to me. Since the end of June, he's walked 14 times in 94 ABs, a little bit more than earlier in the year. I don't think the problem's mental, or at least it wasn't at first.
I think he's tired. Last season, you may remember, Wright began to slow down a bit in July. I don't have breakdowns of every game from last season, but I know he hit 307/345/505 for the month. Lowest OBP for any month, and still about 20 points below the season SLG. And that includes a very hot stretch immediately after the All-Star Break. And of course he went on to carry the team in August, behind 378/470/633 numbers.
I distinctly recall thinking last year that he looked sluggish before the break, and that I hoped he'd recover with rest. His numbers before the break last year? 281/369/470. After? 333/409/582. Yet this season . . . no break. No rest. The slight dip he experienced going into the break has continued. His July numbers of 282/384/494, while not bad at all, are the lowest of any month this year by a large margin. Since the break? An ugly 262/357/410.
So am I saying he's screwed? No. Blaming him for living it up like a rock star, getting overexposed at J-Lo levels last month? Hell, no! The kid's 23. Thinking we've got "An Abreu" on our hands, that he messed up his swing in the Home Run Derby? Absolutely not (though I wish he'd skipped the stupid event).
I think he needs a rest, and needs it badly. I'd give him an entire series off, either before or after an off day. 4 days rest. Kind of like his own All-Star break. We don't need him hitting 285/360/475 through August. We need him hitting 325/400/575 in October. That's when he'll really earn the "Derek Who?" label he's been flirting with.
And the right to flirt with the hottest chicks in NY.
Zero Tommys: Just to repeat what I said about him last time. At least three starts off. Three.
I Like The Pitching Portion of the Trade: Omar, for whom I had my share of unkind words, did what he had to do. Sanchez is out, he's gone. So Minaya went out and got a major league reliever to replace him. Period. Roberto's not great at this point, and while Duaner's better, he wasn't great either. Sorry, Met fans, but you'll have to admit that. His K/BB was under 2, and his K/9 was falling as the season progressed. He was good, and he had a rubber arm. But he wasn't dominating.
Anyhow, the key the trade isn't Hernandez, who can't be, won't be, and doesn't need to be as good as Sanchez. No, the key to the trade is . . . Aaron Heilman. He has to step it up big time and start to throw like he did last year. And so far, it's looking good. Since the end of his disastrous June, Heilman's compliled 3.44/1.25 on 18 1/3 IP, 17 H, 6BB, 11 K. Not great, to be sure, and the K rate is waaaaay too low. But since the All-Star Break those numbers improve to 3.09/1.29 on 11 2/3, 11, 4, 7. Still not perfect, but they're in Sanchez range and a lot better than the crap Heilman put up in late spring. He pitched well last night. Here's hoping he finds the magic of last year.
I Really Like the Hitting/Fielding Portion of the Trade: I didn't like Nady, for the reasons mentioned last month: bad glove, poor approach at the plate, little indication of improvement. I like Endy "Every Met Fan's Secret Favorite Player" Chavez, even though I'm convinced he's hitting way, way over his head this year. He's an incredible fielder, only El Rapido has more speed, he's been very clutch so far, and he brings a bag full of fundamentals like bunting, base stealing, hitting the cut-off man, hitting behind the runner, etc.
I don't think Nady could spell "fundamentals."
Sanchez's injury meant Omar couldn't really get top value for Xavier, but that's what happens when your 8th inning guy gets his cab rear-ended the day before the trading deadline.
(You think I'm joking, but I'm not. Look at Rule 37 (a) (2) (C) (iii) in the General Manager's Trading Deadline Handbook. Under "Freakish Car Accidents Involving Goggle-wearing Relief Pitchers." Scroll down to the sentence beginning with, "Under such circumstances, you must move fundamentally unsound corner outfielders, even if you receive less than market value for their services . . ." Yes, that one. Read through it; Omar played it by the book, you gotta give him credit for pulling the trigger)
The Good Stuff: And finally, just to end things on the overwhelmingly positive note I feel it's my duty to bring to you, a few "Staggering Post All-Star Break Numbers From Selected Individual Hitters":
Carlos Delgado340/449/660, with 5 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI and 12 BB in 53 official ABs. Ahhhhh, that feels better.
Endy Chavez: 343/395/514, albeit with only 38 plate appearences.
Oh, and this: he's managed to drive in 9 during that span!
Paul LoDuca (and, no, these numbers are not a misprint): 397/453/500.
He can go 0-for the rest of the season and improve his career post all-star break numbers.
And finally . . . (you knew this one was coming), The Beltranator: 324/397/765, with 6 2B, 8 HR, 9 BB, 17 R and 28 RBI in 17 games and 68 official at-bats. Now that's some hitting!
Forty-four, folks. Forty-four.
It's also the Met's magic Number: 44. And counting. A few Random Thoughts for your Thursday morning pleasure:
Two Princes: Young David Wright is tired. I think he needs a break. The guy's 23 years-old, he's played one full season in the majors before this, and he had an excellent first half. Then he appeared in the freakin Home Run Derby, then the All-Star Game itself, before quick stops on Letterman, at the White House, before the UN general Assembly, the Jedi Council, and the Interstellar Federation. Hell, he intruced Bruce Sutter at his Hall of Fame induction last week. (Very moving speech, by the way, what with crediting him for inventing the split-finger fast ball and all. Charming anecdote about watching him in the '82 Series, two months before he was born . . .)
Mr. Wright hasn't had any serious time off! And from the looks of things lately, he needs it.
Yes, I know Keith's saying Wright's "pulling off the ball," but Keith says that about everyone. Albert Pujols goes 0-for-3 with a walk? Pulling off the ball. Tony Gwynn hit only .312 one season? Pulling off the ball. Barry Bonds' head grows to epic proportions and he's so gimpy he can hardly walk? Pulling off the ball. China's economic growth rate dips to 6.4 %?
Ok, you get the idea.
Maybe Wright's pulling off the ball. Ok. But why is my question. His approach at the plate looks the same to me. Since the end of June, he's walked 14 times in 94 ABs, a little bit more than earlier in the year. I don't think the problem's mental, or at least it wasn't at first.
I think he's tired. Last season, you may remember, Wright began to slow down a bit in July. I don't have breakdowns of every game from last season, but I know he hit 307/345/505 for the month. Lowest OBP for any month, and still about 20 points below the season SLG. And that includes a very hot stretch immediately after the All-Star Break. And of course he went on to carry the team in August, behind 378/470/633 numbers.
I distinctly recall thinking last year that he looked sluggish before the break, and that I hoped he'd recover with rest. His numbers before the break last year? 281/369/470. After? 333/409/582. Yet this season . . . no break. No rest. The slight dip he experienced going into the break has continued. His July numbers of 282/384/494, while not bad at all, are the lowest of any month this year by a large margin. Since the break? An ugly 262/357/410.
So am I saying he's screwed? No. Blaming him for living it up like a rock star, getting overexposed at J-Lo levels last month? Hell, no! The kid's 23. Thinking we've got "An Abreu" on our hands, that he messed up his swing in the Home Run Derby? Absolutely not (though I wish he'd skipped the stupid event).
I think he needs a rest, and needs it badly. I'd give him an entire series off, either before or after an off day. 4 days rest. Kind of like his own All-Star break. We don't need him hitting 285/360/475 through August. We need him hitting 325/400/575 in October. That's when he'll really earn the "Derek Who?" label he's been flirting with.
And the right to flirt with the hottest chicks in NY.
Zero Tommys: Just to repeat what I said about him last time. At least three starts off. Three.
I Like The Pitching Portion of the Trade: Omar, for whom I had my share of unkind words, did what he had to do. Sanchez is out, he's gone. So Minaya went out and got a major league reliever to replace him. Period. Roberto's not great at this point, and while Duaner's better, he wasn't great either. Sorry, Met fans, but you'll have to admit that. His K/BB was under 2, and his K/9 was falling as the season progressed. He was good, and he had a rubber arm. But he wasn't dominating.
Anyhow, the key the trade isn't Hernandez, who can't be, won't be, and doesn't need to be as good as Sanchez. No, the key to the trade is . . . Aaron Heilman. He has to step it up big time and start to throw like he did last year. And so far, it's looking good. Since the end of his disastrous June, Heilman's compliled 3.44/1.25 on 18 1/3 IP, 17 H, 6BB, 11 K. Not great, to be sure, and the K rate is waaaaay too low. But since the All-Star Break those numbers improve to 3.09/1.29 on 11 2/3, 11, 4, 7. Still not perfect, but they're in Sanchez range and a lot better than the crap Heilman put up in late spring. He pitched well last night. Here's hoping he finds the magic of last year.
I Really Like the Hitting/Fielding Portion of the Trade: I didn't like Nady, for the reasons mentioned last month: bad glove, poor approach at the plate, little indication of improvement. I like Endy "Every Met Fan's Secret Favorite Player" Chavez, even though I'm convinced he's hitting way, way over his head this year. He's an incredible fielder, only El Rapido has more speed, he's been very clutch so far, and he brings a bag full of fundamentals like bunting, base stealing, hitting the cut-off man, hitting behind the runner, etc.
I don't think Nady could spell "fundamentals."
Sanchez's injury meant Omar couldn't really get top value for Xavier, but that's what happens when your 8th inning guy gets his cab rear-ended the day before the trading deadline.
(You think I'm joking, but I'm not. Look at Rule 37 (a) (2) (C) (iii) in the General Manager's Trading Deadline Handbook. Under "Freakish Car Accidents Involving Goggle-wearing Relief Pitchers." Scroll down to the sentence beginning with, "Under such circumstances, you must move fundamentally unsound corner outfielders, even if you receive less than market value for their services . . ." Yes, that one. Read through it; Omar played it by the book, you gotta give him credit for pulling the trigger)
The Good Stuff: And finally, just to end things on the overwhelmingly positive note I feel it's my duty to bring to you, a few "Staggering Post All-Star Break Numbers From Selected Individual Hitters":
Carlos Delgado340/449/660, with 5 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI and 12 BB in 53 official ABs. Ahhhhh, that feels better.
Endy Chavez: 343/395/514, albeit with only 38 plate appearences.
Oh, and this: he's managed to drive in 9 during that span!
Paul LoDuca (and, no, these numbers are not a misprint): 397/453/500.
He can go 0-for the rest of the season and improve his career post all-star break numbers.
And finally . . . (you knew this one was coming), The Beltranator: 324/397/765, with 6 2B, 8 HR, 9 BB, 17 R and 28 RBI in 17 games and 68 official at-bats. Now that's some hitting!
Forty-four, folks. Forty-four.
posted by Mike at 7:41 AM
5 Comments:
"Paul LoDuca (and, no, these numbers are not a misprint): 397/453/500.
He can go 0-for the rest of the season and improve his career post all-star break numbers."
Mike, now that was funny. So mean but soooo funny :) Great stuff as always.
I think Willie is on top of resting The Prince...the one thing Willie seems to do well is get his regulars rest and his reserves some PT.
I have a feeling DW refuses to sit, but then Willie needs to tell him to hush and sit on the bench.
It's willie's call not DW's.
I don't think DW needs 4 days, but a rest after an off-day to get him 2 days in a row should suffice. He is definitely grappling a little bit at the plate right now. He could have blown the game open for us last night.
The Beltranator is un-frickin-believable.
No mention of Stache?!?! I thought was just a teaser over on MetsGeek.
It's like I don't know even know who you are anymore...
You see, Danny, I'm thinking like this: 'Stache comes along for his daily read and notices that I didn't mention him. He falls into a pit of depondancy which -- I admit -- may actually facilitate another 0-fer or two.
But then, it hopefully lights that fire in his belly, sending on yet another two month journey into the heart of the Juvenation Machine.
Unless -- and here's where my strategy gets complicated -- Mephistopheles is in breach, and is no longer keeping up his end of the deal. Then, my alter-ego, that of lawyer, comes into play.
That's right. I sue the Devil. And, since lawyers are "in hell" 24-7, I'm licensed to practice in that jurisdiction. It's a winning case.
Wilpon pays the legal fees, of course, which will be substantial.
Moving on, when Willie and Mr. Wright read the post, they'll realize . . .
MIke - I gotta tell you, when I watch a game, I get a big chuckle when I hear Keith go into his "nice level swing". He did it at least once last night early (I missed a bit of the game). I'm thinking "Mike's gonna be loving this right now."
It's true Ed. I've reached that point with Keith where I want him to be as ludicrous as he can be. I want cliches, I want boastful anecdotes (read: lies), I want on-air salivating when the camera catches a hot tub full of barely-covered boobs beyond the outfield wall (like last night!), I want self-referential hitting advice, I want level swings.
I want the Eternal Captain, and I want him wearin' that "C" both metaphorically, and in reality. I mean, c'mon, how funny would it be to see him sitting there with his jet black hair, well-groomed stache, and a $3,000 Armani suit with an orange "C" on the lapel?
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