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Cloning Mr. Wright

G-Fafif Nov 15 2013 10:24 AM

According to Martino, choosy front offices choose Mets with utmost care. Not too hot, not too cold, not too impatient, not too nasty, not too quiet, not too meddlesome -- not mentioned: they should be good. Perhaps they should just clone their beau ideal Mr. Wright 20 or so times and surround him with a couple of "character guys". The Mets are trying to spend more money than in recent winters, acquire more power, and ultimately win more games. But the team has identified other goals, too, which need to remain high priorities: Avoid divisive personalities, and increase player buy-in to its offensive philosophy. In Sandy Alderson’s previous three offseasons, the GM was shackled by budget constraints, and forced to choose from an undesirable pile of free agents. In many cases, he did not choose well, signing guys who brought a sour vibe into the clubhouse, in some cases creating more trouble than was justified by their limited contributions. It began with catcher Ronny Paulino and reliever D.J. Carrasco in 2011; the former was uninterested in following game plans, and the latter drove the coaching staff crazy with frequent whining about his usage. Subsequent years brought Jon Rauch’s unrelenting surliness and Frank Francisco’s unwillingness to pitch, along with attempts to dissuade youngsters from doing so. Shaun Marcum was, well, not charming, and while Marlon Byrd arrived with a questionable reputation, he was generally a pleasant surprise in the clubhouse -- save for what many Mets people saw as his overcoaching of teammates. It is that latter point that the Mets want to address, in addition to bringing in more pleasant people. On every level of the organization up to major league hitting coach Dave Hudgens, Alderson’s staff has spent three years working to instill a hitting philosophy that stresses plate discipline and on-base percentage. Agree or disagree with that view -- many baseball folks criticize it for making hitters less aggressive, a characterization that proponents dispute -- it is one that the GM insists on. Players like Byrd and Daniel Murphy are good hitters, but operate in a mode that is far from Aldersonian. Byrd is an aggressive swinger, unwilling or unable to draw many walks (his walk rate last year was a lowly 5.4 percent), and more than willing to encourage teammates to follow his own ideas while they worked pregame in the batting cage. That is one of the reasons the Mets did not pursue a reunion with the outfielder, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal with Philadelphia on Tuesday. The Mets are open trading Murphy for similar reasons. Murphy has earned the respect of the front office by working to turn himself into a passable second baseman, but he is another aggressive hitter, whose style does not fit what the general manager, hitting coach, and organizational instructors teach. This is one of the reasons that the team might be ready to move him. It's not that every Met has to be the same player, but the front office would like to see a higher percentage of the lineup mirror its overall philosophy. As club officials note, it is easier to enforce standards on minor leaguers and rookies if those youngsters see veterans modeling the program. Byrd and Murphy have many strong qualities as hitters, but they will never do that. Both Curtis Granderson and Nelson Cruz, free agents outfielders in whom the Mets are interested, would be better fits from both a personality and performance standpoint. Both have reputations as nice people; the only knock on Granderson is that he is pleasant, but not a leader, and while Cruz carries Biogenesis baggage, he is known as a nice, if quiet, guy. On the surface, Granderson does not seem like Alderson’s type of hitter. Although his career on-base percentage is a respectable .340, that number sunk to .317 in 2012, the outfielder’s most recent full season. When I pointed this out to a Mets official, that person immediately mentioned being impressed by Granderson’s walk rate, which at 10.2 percent is better than Byrd’s, Murphy’s (5.6 percent) Cruz’s (7.9 percent), or Jhonny Peralta (8.3 percent). The Mets might not sign either Granderson or Cruz, after seeing the frenzied outfield market develop; a trade for an Andre Ethier or Nick Markakis is also possible. Either way, it is time to end the era of sourpuss imports, and free swingers -- time to be more selective about the people invited to Queens.

Edgy MD Nov 15 2013 10:31 AM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

That's a lot of good information, but I'd like to see Martino start an article with "Shaun Marcum is, well, not charming," and go from there.

Benjamin Grimm Nov 15 2013 10:33 AM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

batmagadanleadoff Nov 15 2013 10:35 AM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

This has been going on ever since Fred Wilpon asserted his whatever percentage of the team he owned to call shots. And one first place finish in the last 25 years later, it's apparently still going on.

Benjamin Grimm Nov 15 2013 10:36 AM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

Edgy MD Nov 15 2013 10:38 AM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

Leo was hardly the first guy to suggest that. But winning one championship in 26 seasons doesn't exactly make him the last word on the matter. Just checking now, Durocher did actually finish last one year with the 1966 Cubs. But that was 10th out of 10, when last really meant last.

Benjamin Grimm Nov 15 2013 10:40 AM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

Edgy MD wrote: That's a lot of good information, but I'd like to see Martino start an article with "Shaun Marcum is, well, not charming," and go from there. I think he might have been more charming if he was 10-1 instead of 1-10.

batmagadanleadoff Nov 15 2013 10:47 AM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

When will the Mets FO realize that whatever they wanna do, they should then hold off on that impulse and do the exact opposite? It worked for George Constanza. Opposite George even got a job with the MFY's in late 1994 in the episode The Opposite and the Yankees have been on quite a roll ever since then.

G-Fafif Nov 15 2013 11:08 AM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

Ronny Paulino wasn't Jerry Grote. Jon Rauch wasn't Bob Gibson. Shaun Marcum wasn't Sal Maglie. The "nice" thing is nice but if any of those guys was more than a stopgap measure, their personalities would be uncharming footnotes to their competive-natured performances. The bit about Byrd giving out advice is a hoot and a half. He was the club's standout offensive player for close to three months and was enough of a mensch to work with other players, yet he's cast as a busybody who's shoving a wrench into the well-oiled Big Met Machine. Murphy's quite imperfect, but the idea that he's poisoning the minds of young hitters by not taking pitches as much as the FO would like (because maybe one approach doesn't suit all) must be somebody's way of telling Martino, "We don't want to give him a raise and hope we can trade him before arbitration."

Mets Guy in Michigan Nov 15 2013 11:08 AM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

The only knock on Granderson is that he is pleasant, but not a leader, In fairness, had he walked into the MFY clubhouse with "The Captain" and the other assorted headcases in there and tried to assert leadership, it might not have been embraced. Might be better to keep his dead down, keep smiling and let the drama around him unfold. Also, the people he describes in the article as problems -- Paulino, Carrasco Rauch -- were fringy guys. and not really big signings. We had more malcontents than that on our church softball team.

Lefty Specialist Nov 15 2013 12:31 PM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

“In any group, you've got those who love you, those who hate you and those who are undecided. The key to leadership is to keep the ones who hate you away from those who are undecided.” ? Casey Stengel

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 15 2013 12:33 PM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

Interesting stuff from Tracky there. If the way you pitched indexed perfectly with your character, Marcum was the biggest fucking asshole this team has had in a long while.

Ceetar Nov 15 2013 12:35 PM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Interesting stuff from Tracky there. If the way you pitched indexed perfectly with your character, Marcum was the biggest fucking asshole this team has had in a long while. It seemed like no one mentioned Marcum's character until about a day before the injury was announced and then suddenly "ohh, btw, this guy is a horrible asshole" Marcum's also the guy the Mets spent money on and the "bona fide" free agent that previously the Mets were getting knocked for not signing anyone.

Zvon Nov 15 2013 04:33 PM Re: Cloning Mr. Wright

G-Fafif wrote: The bit about Byrd giving out advice is a hoot and a half. He was the club's standout offensive player for close to three months and was enough of a mensch to work with other players, yet he's cast as a busybody who's shoving a wrench into the well-oiled Big Met Machine. Agreed on this. I guess Martino gets to stir shit too.