Tag Archives: Rafael Montero

Jul 03

A No-Hitter Watch Always On With Matt Harvey

Posted on by

ESPN’s Mark Simon wrote an interesting piece on what it would take for Matt Harvey to throw a no-hitter tonight for the New York Mets. I can narrow it down for you: Be on his game and be lucky.

Nobody can predict a no-hitter, but Simon is on the right track in that Harvey is one of those pitchers you can’t help but watch because of the possibility. If you want to turn away from a Harvey start – and why would you? – just wait until the first hit because you never know.

Harvey has already had three no-hit bids through six innings this season, and lost a fourth into the fifth inning.

You can’t help but think it will happen eventually, but then again there have been plenty of overpowering pitchers who never threw a no-hitter, and some non-descript arms that made history. It is such a fickle achievement, and to think Johnny Vander Meer did it in consecutive starts.

One thing to consider when Harvey starts is his pitch count. He regularly tops 100 because he’s a high-strikeout pitcher, and after Johan Santana’s 134-pitch no-hitter last year Terry Collins won’t let him get close to that number.

METS MUSINGS: While Harvey remains a workhorse, Shaun Marcum’s durability is again an issue. Marcum opened the season on the disabled list and his start Saturday in Milwaukee is in doubt because of pain and/or stiffness in his upper back. Marcum underwent a MRI Tuesday. Carlos Torres could get the ball if the 1-9 Marcum can’t go. … Jon Niese will be re-examined this week and it could be determined then if he will need season-ending surgery on his shoulder to repair a rotator cuff tear. … It has taken him until July, but Collins is finally hinting Anthony Recker might get more playing time now that John Buck is in a dreadful slump. … LaTroy Hawkins hasn’t given up an earned run in 13 appearances. … Ike Davis is hitting .268 with six homers for Triple-A Las Vegas. He was 0-for-5 Monday night. Collins said the reports he’s getting on Davis are encouraging in that his hitch isn’t as pronounced and he’s going more to the opposite field. However, Collins gave no timetable for his return. With Josh Satin doing so well and the All-Star break approaching, it might be a prudent idea to keep him in the minors until the second half. … Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero are expected to start against each other in the Futures Game.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and I will attempt to answer them. Please follow me on Twitter @jdelcos

Jul 01

What Will Mets Look Like At The End Of The Month?

Posted on by

Welcome to July 1, which for followers of the New York Mets is the month we find out just how much they want to blow this team apart. The New York Post already reported the Mets won’t add a significant piece, such as Carlos Gonzalez, at the trade deadline.

But, you already knew that, right?

A step forward would be trying to make a run at finishing .500, but we’re not likely to see that commitment. As of now Sandy Alderson hasn’t shown us he’s will to take that leap.

PARNELL: Key trade piece.

PARNELL: Key trade piece.

The names are out there of whom the Mets might deal for draft picks and prospects: Bobby Parnell, Marlon Byrd, Daniel Murphy, Jeremy Hefner and Dillon Gee. They would undoubtedly draw interest from a contender as each fills a need.

Trouble is, as the Mets move forward which they claim is the direction they heading, they are the kind of players they will eventually need, also. They aren’t core players, but essential in the building process. Trade them now, and you’ll need to get similar players later.

Of course, that takes more time. Dealing them tells you the Mets are blowing up what they have now and are taking a step back. It basically tells you there will be another two or three years of wasted Matt Harvey starts.

Then, there are the key prospects Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero, the kind of young talent that could procure a Gonzalez. If the Mets deal them, they are telling us they are ready to contend now. However, if they do that they’ll  need guys such as Hefner and Parnell and Byrd.

Trouble is, the Mets are in no-man’s land. They aren’t good enough to contend now, and we really don’t know just how long it will take until they are able to contend on any level. We have no idea of what this team will look like at the end of the month.

What we do know in the building of a franchise, as they are in Pittsburgh, is go with young pitching and a young star like Andrew McCutchen. The Mets appear to have the young pitching, despite their inclination to force-feed Zack Wheeler, but their young star, David Wright, is no longer a young star.

They need a centerpiece bat like a McCutchen or a Gonzalez, but their chips are Syndergaard and Montero. Alderson has to determine if they add Gonzalez, then what other pieces do they need?

The Mets have failed miserably in their development of young hitters. There’s Wilmer Flores, but the Mets don’t have any idea where they want to play him, or the inclination of seeing if he can hit on this level. It is puzzling as to why the Mets haven’t determined where Flores fits best and just play him at that position. Have they even considered trying him at first base and seeing what they could get for Ike Davis? With Davis possibly not being tendered this winter, he’s the one guy to deal.

The player with the most upside to trade is Parnell, but if they trade for a centerpiece bat and enter contender status, won’t they need a closer?

No, they aren’t a dime a dozen. It has taken Parnell several years to become a closer, and he’s still learning. Trade him and you’d be wasting even more Harvey starts.

If they Mets don’t want to surrender their young pitching, their only chance to emulate the Pirates is to overpay for a proven bat this winter. With Johan Santana’s money coming off the books, they must spend it there, and not on replacing the holes left by trading Parnell or Byrd or Gee.

You can see where this is heading. They’ll probably deal off a few parts whose contract will expire after this season, like Byrd and Davis. Then they’ll deem themselves not ready to spend, or what is out there isn’t good enough, and not add anybody.

They will continue to spin their wheels.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and I will attempt to answer them. Please follow me on Twitter @jdelcos

Jun 19

Mets Should Enjoy Harvey And Wheeler For Now; Let Future Take Care Of Itself

Posted on by

Nobody can say with any certainty how the careers of Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler will unfold. We’ve been bombarded with the comparisons to Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden for both.

Hell, Gooden even tweeted late last night about their future. Imagine how Twitter might have blown up if it was around when he played?

WHEELER: Enjoy him now. (AP)

WHEELER: Enjoy him now. (AP)

Will they live up to the expectations and follow Seaver into stardom, or they flame out as Gooden did?

Harvey was dominatingly spectacular in winning for the first time in over a month to break a long string of no-decisions. Wheeler, as anticipated, had control problems, but pitched out of three significant jams in six scoreless innings.

Since the trade of Carlos Beltran for Wheeler, the Mets have promised a bright future built on pitching. Throw in Jon Niese, and with Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero in the minors, and it didn’t have the feel the Mets selling us a bill of goods.

We got that feeling by watching their inaction at the trade deadline and in the free-agent market.

The Mets gave us reason to believe things might be improving with a 7-4 start and after beating the Yankees four straight. This morning, following Kirk Nieuwenhuis’ game-winning homer Sunday with Tuesday’s doubleheader sweep and there’s that rise in optimism again.

The starting pitching, with Johan Santana gone and the back end of the rotation horrid early in the season, has been remarkably good the past month. The bullpen, defense and especially the hitting have dragged them down.

Yes, the game is about pitching, but a team still needs to score some runs. The Mets finally did that yesterday, and they did it in a place, and against a rotation, that has made their lives miserable over the years.

It would be easy to get carried away about yesterday and say the Mets have turned the corner. But, we can’t go there because they have quickly faded and disappointed before.

In the big picture, we don’t know what will happen with Harvey and Wheeler. But, let’s not even think of it.

Let’s just enjoy them now and watch their journey.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and I will attempt to answer them. Please follow me on Twitter @jdelcos

Apr 24

Jon Niese Hoping For The Best After Ankle Injury

Posted on by

It is the morning after and the Mets will hopefully know more about Jon Niese’s injured right ankle. Niese was knocked from Tuesday night’s 7-2 loss to the Dodgers in the third inning after being struck by a hard comebacker off the bat of Mark Ellis.

Niese fell to the ground and had to be helped off the field. X-Rays were negative and he was diagnosed with a bruise.

NIESE: Will he make next start? (Getty)

NIESE: Will he make next start? (Getty)

“It felt kind of like a stinger, like it hit a nerve,’’ Niese told reporters. “It obviously was painful. But then it kind of locked up down there. I couldn’t move my toes. It was kind of scary at first. But then, coming in here, letting it settle down, it’s just a bruise.

“What are the odds that ball hits my ankle? It’s one of those things where I’m glad it’s not as bad as what it could have been. I’ll just move on, shake it off and get ready for my next start.’’

Niese did not say where he earned his medical degree, but knows he won’t be sure until he tests it on his throw day Thursday.

The right ankle is Niese’s landing foot and if he feels any sharp bursts on pain then, he will likely be scratched from his scheduled start Sunday against Philadelphia.

“Certainly the fear was as soon as he couldn’t move his foot … [it] was a bad sign for us,’’ manager Terry Collins said. “Obviously, he’s fine. He’s walking around. He’s getting better as the night goes along. So he’ll be OK. He shouldn’t miss a start.’’

Not known is the number of times Collins has said after an injury that a pitcher won’t miss a start or throw day, but he did.

Whatever the number, bet the over. Also, bet the worse when it comes to Mets’ pitching injuries.

Thinking along those lines, the Mets will have to scramble to find a starter to replace Niese if he can’t go. Aaron Laffey, who was designated for assignment to make room for Robert Carson, was signed by Toronto.

The Mets are adamant about not going to Zack Wheeler, saying he’s not ready, and his control supports their worries.

Next up from Triple-A Las Vegas will be Collin McHugh, who was 0-4 with a 7.59 ERA in eight appearances. However, his Vegas numbers of 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in four starts indicate he’s pitching better.

Chris Schwinden at 2-2 is also available and pitched for the Mets last season.

The Mets could also decide to dip down to Double-A Binghamton for Rafael Montero, who is 3-0 with a 1.59 in four starts.

Please follow me on Twitter @jdelcos

 

Mar 23

Mets Batting Order Reveals How Unsettled Team Is

Posted on by

There must be times Mets manager Terry Collins sits in his office with the door shut, puts his head in his head and wonders how he is going to handle his team.

There are probably times he thinks retirement might not be such a bad thing.

COLLINS: What's he thinking?

COLLINS: What’s he thinking?

In most camps, positions and batting orders are set a week from Opening Day. That isn’t the case with the Mets, where Collins is still juggling his options with one eye on the calendar.

Maybe he’s hoping that blizzard in Denver last night during the soccer game hits Citi Field on Monday.

In fairness, the order hasn’t been helped by the absences of David Wright and Daniel Murphy. Also, in fairness, he doesn’t have much to work with, as there will be no late arriving help for a roster, such that it is, that for the most part is set.

However, there’s nothing fair about baseball, and a manager must figure out what to do with the cards he’s dealt, good or bad. That’s his job; that’s what Collins signed up for.

There are times the batting order is a team’s GPS, as it tells you exactly where the team his headed. Today’s line-up is indicative of Collins’ dilemma:

Collin Cowgill, CF: If they aren’t going to carry Matt den Dekker in center, then Cowgill is the best option defensively. He’s there today, but has moved around all spring both in the outfield and his position in the order. It was thought Ruben Tejada could lead off, but he’s not hitting.

Justin Turner, 2B: With Wright out, Turner is supposed to play third. So why is he at second today? He’s hitting second, as has at least half a dozen Mets this spring. It’s clear the Mets aren’t settled at the No. 2 spot in the order.

Marlon Byrd, RF: I recently suggested Byrd hit third because he’s a veteran and arguably one of their more versatile hitters. I didn’t say best. If Byrd has the inside track to hit third, he should stay there this week. Byrd appears to have won the right field job from Mike Baxter.

Ike Davis, 1B: Hitting him third was never a good idea, but he has the most power. Clean-up figured to be his spot, so he never should have been hitting anywhere else this spring.

John Buck, C: I was wondering when they were going to insert a right-handed hitter between strikeout-prone Davis and Lucas Duda. Righty or lefty, somebody needs to hit between them as you can’t afford a combined 300 potential strikeouts hitting back-to-back.

Lucas Duda, LF: Duda is here for his power potential. But, with it comes his high strikeout potential and low on-base percentage. The Mets sent him down last year when he struggled, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the same thing this summer. He’s still a work in progress, both at the plate and in the field.

Zach Lutz, 3B: He’s hit clean-up this spring, which is pointless because that’s for Davis. He’s still getting reps at third base, which means they are thinking of him there. That would also mean they are also thinking of Turner at second and not Jordany Valdespin.

Ruben Tejada, SS: Tejada is having the kind of spring offensively that would have sent most players to the minors. The Mets don’t have the depth to make that move. Until he starts hitting, he stays eighth.

Rafael Montero, RHP: Getting the spot start today because there are already holes in the rotation.

Sad to say, the only consistent and sure thing about the Mets’ batting order is the pitcher hitting ninth.