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What's ailing the Mets?

Rockin' Doc May 01 2007 07:59 AM

In your opinion, just what is the problem with the pathetic, first place Mets? Is it the offense, with it's gaping hole in the middle of the line up? It seems that Delgado and Wright can kill most any rally, no matter how promising it appears to be at the time. Green and Alou can't continue to hit at the torrid pace they have established early in the year, so it is essential that Wright and Delgado get their acts together. Is it the starting pitching? The rotation is thin, but as a whole, has done a pretty good job this year. However, with Hernandez on the shelf for a while, it appears that the rotation has evolved into Glavine, Perez, and Maine...then prepare for pain. If Pelfrey is unable to effectively get major league hitters out and Sosa or Sele is unable to be a reasonaby effective replacement for El Duque, the team could be in serious trouble. Is it the bullpen? They have done a pretty good job this season as a group, but for some reason I personally don't have as much faith in this group as I did in last year's staff. With all their weaknesses and struggles the Mets still sit atop the NL East at this early juncture of the season. However, the team appears to be progressing in the wrong direction the past week. Valentin and El Duque are temporarilly out of commission. Wright and Delgado practically need a map to find the batters box, let alone an actual hit. I just wanted to drag this discussion out of the past few IGT's and give it an appropriate home where people can discuss their thoughts. So what do you think?

Yancy Street Gang May 01 2007 08:25 AM

I think, for the time being, at least, I'd consider swapping Wright and Delgado's lineup positions with those of Alou and Green. Omar (Mr. Articulate) Minaya was on the SNY telecast last night, and Gary asked him if he was more concerned about Wright's slump than Delgado's, given Wright's youth and inexperience. It took Omar about five sentences to say, "No." I don't know which player I'm more concerned about either. Wright is young, and he may yet go Gregg Jefferies on us. But Delgado is old, and he may have entered his final decline. I don't think that either is necessarily the case. They'll both play better over the course of the season, but it's also possible that, for both players, their best years are behind them. It would be far more of a disaster for the organization if that were true of Wright. My Gregg Jefferies alarm bells are going off like crazy. For his own good, David had better snap out of this very soon. If the fans turn on him, things can get much more difficult than they are today. I think the pitching will be okay. Probably not as good as we'd like, but possibly good enough. If Park can't get it done, there are other options, though I'm not all that sure that Sosa or Humber will do a whole lot better. I'm getting a little more confident in Perez, though each time he starts I'm still braced for a bad outing. Maine and Glavine are the two solid guys in the rotation. I wish Glavine was 10 years younger, but I think he has enough good innings remaining to get us through this season.

Edgy DC May 01 2007 09:24 AM

Four simulataneous problems (Delgado, Wright, Valentin, Lo Duca) in an eight-man lineup is a toughie. Granted, at any given time, most lineups have two-three guys not hitting well. But I want to be better. It's been a bad week, but i'ts only a week.. I know Delgado's stats are worse than Wright's, but Wright looks worse up there. I still want Carlos bunting more (in situations where a one-base hit can help) until the defense starts getting more honest. I'm really not down on the pitching.

Johnny Dickshot May 01 2007 09:33 AM

The obvious answer is that the offense doesn't score runs every night. The pitching has been great with a few clunkers in there. I was overstating it with "sucks" in the IGT, but 5 and 6 or 9 runs a game is unsustainable when the 2, 4 and 5 hitters in the lineup all turn in 600 OPSes. Wright can and will bounce back but maybe not until he stops getting himself into an 0-2 count in every AB. Now I'm no Bill Robinson, but maybe what Wright needs is to be more aggressive, at least until pitchers learn to be more careful with him, then relax and wait for your pitch. So my advice to DW would be: Go up there looking for something to whack. Delgado I think is going to age like Piazza -- his hot streaks will grow shorter and further apart. I have no doubt he will get hot at some point. He prolly also has a lot on his mind as a new dad. I completely lost my focus! LoDuca -- shoulda seen it coming. Looks bad and completely worthless if he's not hitting in the 300s. All these guys get 150 ABs then dropped in the order, benched or traded to the Northern League as warranted. I think gwreck made a great point about Alou in the IGT too -- tremendous hitter, sucks at everything else.

TransMonk May 01 2007 09:42 AM

="Johnny Dickshot"]Wright can and will bounce back but maybe not until he stops getting himself into an 0-2 count in every AB. Now I'm no Bill Robinson, but maybe what Wright needs is to be more aggressive, at least until pitchers learn to be more careful with him, then relax and wait for your pitch. So my advice to DW would be: Go up there looking for something to whack. Agreed. Since early last year it seems to me that the scouting report for Wright has been for the opposition to throw a strike on the first pitch, which Wright will almost always take for strike one. If his slump continues, just watch how many times this happens. I'd have to look up the splits, but I would bet he's rarely ahead in the count early. David should be looking for that first pitch over the plate and smacking it.

soupcan May 01 2007 09:51 AM

As bad a week as its been if the Mets can win the next two that'll be three series in a row that they've won (6-3). So things could be worse. Delgado slumped last year, the team survived. Wright slumped last year, the team survived. The starting pitching was a patchwork quilt most of last year, the team survived, etc., etc., etc. If any combination if Reyes, Beltran, Glavine, Maine were to go down for an extended period then I'd be concerned. As it stands right now the difficulties they are experiencing are typical of those a major league team will face at some point over the course of the season. I'm hopeful that we are getting these out of the way now. The Yankees are a real mess, the Braves just put their closer, Wickman on the 15 day DL, and Phillies Phans are posting messages like this on their Phan Phorums: ]this team can't beat good teams...and the manager once again makes stupid decision...why take myers out after one ining....just to let the alfenseco let up a 3run dinger.....and once again the batting stinks against good pitching...when will everyone realize that like i have said before this team only won games because they were playing junk teams....and howard still stinks...well i guess a hit every 8 at bats is pretty good...and now the burrel has been slumping ...they dont stand a chance...trade howard....and lieber for a.rod...! yankees need pitcing and they just might take the overated howard My point is that our team's concerns are no different or worse than any others and our boys are only 1/2 game out of first place (in first tomorrow if the every other day pattern with the Braves holds).

smg58 May 01 2007 09:52 AM

Well, they're a half-game removed from the best record in the National League, despite a few underachievers on the offensive end. To me, that's good news. LoDuca is pressing, and Wright looks completely psyched out. Those are concerns, but they need to be patient with themselves and the Mets need to be patient with them. I agree that Delgado doesn't really look that bad at the plate, but things just aren't happening for him right now. His average will come up soon. There are plenty of good hitters around the league on the wrong side of .200 after a month, and that's normal, so it's still far too early to panic. Pitching is more of a concern for me, because neither our rotation nor our pen is deep enough to handle any more injuries. I think Sosa has to replace Park, but then I'm not sure what to do if Pelfrey continues to not keep the Mets in games. A month is too soon to make a judgement on how any player's year is going to go, and given that there's nothing even slightly wrong with the Mets' record at this point, I don't see a need for anything drastic.

Johnny Dickshot May 01 2007 09:57 AM

I don't wanna come off like a Panicky Penelope but I must point out that the Mets indeed did not "survive" slumps by Wright & Delgado (or the offense in general) last year: They cost us a playoff series against what might have been the easiest team to beat in NLCS history. An enormous opportunity for a WS championship went to waste because of a poor offense.

Edgy DC May 01 2007 10:02 AM

The easiest team to beat in NLCS history was the 1988 Dodgers. No, strike that. The 1973 Mets.

Willets Point May 01 2007 10:05 AM

soupcan wrote: Delgado slumped last year, the team survived. Wright slumped last year, the team survived. The starting pitching was a patchwork quilt most of last year, the team survived, etc., etc., etc. Well, until the NLCS at least.

soupcan May 01 2007 10:08 AM

Johnny Dickshot wrote: They cost us a playoff series against what might have been the easiest team to beat in NLCS history. Point taken with Wright but Delgado didn't slump in the Division Series or the NLCS. 3 HR, 9 RBI, slugged .826 and his OBP was .448. against the Cards

metirish May 01 2007 10:10 AM

Wright is starting to hear boos now,probably be squeezing the bat a little tighter up there. Lee Maz was saying last night that Wright needs to be going to the plate with the mentality that he's one of the best third basemen in the game,it's a confidence thing....

Edgy DC May 01 2007 10:19 AM

Confidence will kill you. --- FX Healy Women are too easy to get for big league players. You feel good about yourself initially, and your confidence couldn't be higher. Then you see a gaggle of chicks lined up for Ruben Gotay and you think, "Wait a minute..." and it all comes tumbling down. What Wright needs to do is take a long motorcycle ride with a three day shadow on his face, end up at Madame Tussaud's, and then throw his motorcycle helmet at his likeness. Eventually, he'll look in the bathroom mirror, hear the trumpets, rediscover the tiger, work out with a newfound passion, and become a terror again. But he may need a good woman first. Everything I know, I learned from Sylvester Stallone. I think we need a forum project to find David Wright a good woman.

Yancy Street Gang May 01 2007 10:21 AM

My cousin is 24 and single. But she prefers the Yankees to the Mets.

Johnny Dickshot May 01 2007 10:26 AM

Who here's got a little sister? By the way, David Wright won't have to time to smash his wax likeness with a motorcycle helmet today. Why? Because he's got a date shilling fucking airline travel at LaGuardia for Delta! Who not incidentally, hopes to survive post-bankruptcy by hacking union jobs.

Edgy DC May 01 2007 10:28 AM

A good woman would explain to him that there's a fine but crucial line between being genial and cooperative and being a whore.

Yancy Street Gang May 01 2007 10:51 AM

A whore would also be about to discuss that fine and crucial line, but from a different perspective.

Willets Point May 01 2007 10:53 AM

David Wright and the Whore With the Heart of Gold, a Hallmark Theatre Production, this Thanksgiving on WPIX.

Nymr83 May 01 2007 11:07 AM

]They cost us a playoff series against what might have been the easiest team to beat in NLCS history I think the 2000 Cardinals team that the Mets did beat has to be up there. I've never felt more sure of the Mets taking series than i was then, and that includes when the Nationals/Expos have come to town for a 3-game set.

iramets May 01 2007 11:08 AM

I'm just wond'rin': no one is really concerned that this is anything more than a bad slump? I mean, it's on the order of the odds against an asteroid smashing into the Earth that an excellent young player, who seems unlikely to abuse drugs or to engage in regular sex with electrical farm implements, has three good years as a MLB hitter and then just---stops hitting. The last time that happened was--uh, has it ever happened? Probably, but I can't remember when. I wouldn't even consider the possibility, myself, for at least a few more months.

Nymr83 May 01 2007 11:10 AM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: My cousin is 24 and single. But she prefers the Yankees to the Mets. I'm looking too, does she prefer Menorahs to Christmas trees?

Edgy DC May 01 2007 11:12 AM

Damn, David, how hard could it be to cut in this guy?

Yancy Street Gang May 01 2007 11:18 AM

Sorry, Namor. She's a Christmas tree kind of girl.

Willets Point May 01 2007 01:47 PM

I've got it! Young David just needs a few sessions with CLAMBAKE!

Nymr83 May 01 2007 02:26 PM

or he could recruit Lucy and play against Charlie Brown