Mets Second Half Outlook: Position Players (Part 1 of 3)

OKAY METS!! If you spoke to me before the past 9 games, I might’ve come close to punching you in the face if anything about the Mets came up (if you didn’t know, Mets are on a 9 game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 54-19 in the process). At the All-Star Break, we are sitting at 51-44, and a 1/2 game behind the Phillies for the NL East lead. I feel much better now as most Met fans do, and it’s easy to get cocky but let us remember: we are only HALFWAY through. SO…with that being said, how will my New York Metropolitans fair in the 2nd half???
This is part 1 of 3 in my thoughts on the Mets as we head into post-All Star Game Era 2008.

Mets Post-All Star Break - Position Players (Part 1 of 3)
The Met bats were frozen for much of the first half of the season; too many times when I nearly threw my remote at the TV as I witnessed the team failing to get runners in from 3rd with less than 2 out, failing to hit with runners in scoring position (10th in NL with .255 AVG), etc. On top of THAT, guys getting thrown out on the base paths, making bonehead throws, making errors in key situations, not hustling…WTF. I’m all about fundamentally sound baseball and doing the little things right, which the Mets were doing 0% of.

But the last month has been another story. In the past 30 days, the Mets as a team have led the NL in runs scored (149), OBP (.355), and average (.286). Doing the little things right in the process as well (more on this in Part 3 of 3). Mets, let’s gooooo. Now that we have those numbers out of the way, let’s focus on the 2 issues that they must sort out: corner outfielders and 2nd base.
More...

Corner Outfield: Now that Moises is DEFINITELY out for the year/his career, Minaya knows what he has to work with. On top of this, Church will miss a lot more time with migraines. The fact that the Mets have been playing well without these guys says a lot about the job that the reserves have done (Tatis, Endy, Nick Evans, Chris Aguila, Marlon and Easley when he plays outfield). Tatis in particular has been awesome for the Metropolitans, hitting over .300 since joining the club.

But yes, we must make some sort of move for a corner outfielder. Even though the early season surprise Angel Pagan is coming back soon, we could use a Raul Ibanez, Randy Winn or Xavier Nady in there (as long as we don’t give up prospects Fernando Martinez or Mike Carp, I’d be fine with this). Although the reserves have been playing well, it’s very difficult for anyone to stay hot or get into a groove if 3 players are consistently being rotated through.

Minaya has said that he would be willing to take on a fat contract if it will give us a discount on the prospects that we have to give up. I’d love to see Nady back with the Mets, as this would add another right handed bat into the line up (God, I wish Moises wasn’t a walking medical disaster).

But if we DO get this corner outfielder, we will have a VERY deep bench that will benefit us down the stretch with Tatis, Damion and Endy leading the way. A trade also puts Endy into the role where he is at his best: a defensive replacement late in the game who can run and get on base.

2nd base: Personally, I have never been and probably never will be a Luis Castillo fan. The guy has no knees, never smiles or looks like he’s having fun (unnecessary but good anecdote: during spring training, Castillo got in Ramon Castro’s face for putting a bubble gum bubble on his hat…), and doesn’t really hustle. Yes he does look good when he’s hitting in the 2 hole, but he doesn’t do much for me otherwise.

On the other hand, I’m loving Damion Easley and Argenis aka ArGENIUS Reyes at 2nd. Damion has had some great clutch hits including a couple game winners, and Argenius is geniusing his life way with outstanding fielding and a hot bat.

Although Jerry Manuel says that he doesn’t know what he’s going to do once Castillo comes back, he will most likely insert him back into the starting line up (Argenius getting sent down). Although I’d love to see a platoon situation here with Ease and Castillo, I wouldn’t mind having Damion’s pop off the bench as a pinch hitter. Also, although Argenius is a genius, he is an Anderson Hernandez-type guy with little experience at this point.

The Carloses: It’s great to see both Carloses (Beltran and Delgado) hitting well. During the 9 game streak, Beltran is hitting .316, 3 HR, 10 RBI and 4 SBs. I’ve been a Beltran supporter through thick and thin, and these numbers please me.

He gets criticized for everything: playing too deep in the outfield (by the way, it’s MUCH easier to run forward on a ball than it is to run back on the ball, so I’m completely fine with him playing deep. Also, he cuts off so many extra base hits that it completely cancels out the singles that fall in front of him), not hitting for a high enough average, not clutch, not caring, etc. Everyone is WAY too hard on this guy, and it might be because he IS so talented, which raises everyone’s expectations. So far I have been pleased with his performance, and I’m confident he will continue playing solid ball.

However, the one small issue that I have with Beltran is that he is a streaky hitter. Let us all hope that he gets into a few of these streaks in the 2nd half. Also, getting Church back will give him some nice protection and more fastballs to hit.

In the same 9 game stretch, Deldongo is hitting .361 with a stunning .439 OBP. It’s great to see him taking more pitches, especially the inside ones, which he has had difficulty with. This has allowed him to wait for his pitch on hitters’ counts and taking advantage. If he hits somewhere in between what he’s done in the past 9 games and the terribleness at the beginning of the season, I will be content. He’s also made some nice snags at first base, which is always good to see.

Reyes and Wright: At the beginning of the year, Reyes made a bold statement: He would be more serious and not dance as much. I remember talking to Alon about this and we were very concerned by this…the Mets RELY on the energy they get from Jose. Early on in the season, Reyes never smiled. Alon and I would literally text each other every time we saw him smile, hoping that he would break out into one of his trademark dugout dances. This would not come into fruition until Beltran (yes, the “apathetic” BELTRAN) sat him down and told him that Jose just needs to be Jose. Since this conversation, Reyes has been smiling and playing some great baseball. He is the first player in MLB history to have 10 HR, 20 doubles, 10 triples and 30 SB before the All Star game…impressive. Oh yea, he hit .364 in July also. How did he not make the All Star game? I don’t know, but quite frankly I don’t care. This will be a humbling experience for Reyes to watch the All Star festivities on TV, and hopefully it motivates him and focuses him as we move on into the tail end of the season. As for his attitude that often comes into question, more on the in Part 3.

As for Wright: typical Wright. He has had some slumps in the first half, but all in all I can’t complain one bit. He’s the one constant that the Mets have…there’s really not much more to say about his performance, standard DWright. I have the utmost confidence in him in the 2nd half. Go David.

Lastly, the Catchers: Schneider has been great, dealing with the pitchers with great poise (more on him in Part 2) and anything that he does with the bat is bonus. Castro is a genius, gotta love the big guy and his power with the bat. These guys have been what I expected them to be, and they should continue on in a similar fashion.

Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3…