Mets Have Young Stud in PJ Conlon

The Mets seem to have struck gold in a 2015 draft pick, that happened to be in the 13rd round. They selected PJ Conlon, a left-handed pitcher that hails from Belfast, Ireland. PJ is currently seeking to become the first Major League pitcher from come from Ireland in over 72 years!

After three successful years as a University of San Diego Torero, the New York Mets took their chances on him. He’d posted a 2.83 ERA in 294.1 innings, an absolutely astounding figure given the fact that they play in the loaded West Coast Conference. The Toreros got a good one, as he helped lead them to multiple conference championship tournaments. Conlon is fond of the time he spent there, citing an extremely close bond with head coach Rich Hill and the rest of the coaching staff. Upon his departure, he had already received multiple All-American honors and even had two great summers with the prestigious Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League.

Soon after being drafted, he received a low $100,000 signing bonus. In his first season, he was assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones at the A- level. Just pitching 17 innings, he struck out 25 batters and allowed zero runs. This was enough to earn him a promotion in his second season, where he floated around with the Columbia Fireflies (A) and the St. Lucie Mets (A+). He was extremely successful and this is the season it became clear that Conlon was something special. In 78.1 innings with the Fireflies, he had allowed just 19 runs, striking out 61 and winning 8 of 12 starts. After being promoted again, the St. Lucie Mets saw him pitch 63.2 innings for a 1.41 ERA on a 0.96 WHIP.

In the off-season though, trade rumors began to arise. Mets fans seemed to be pleading the organization to keep the young stud, which they luckily did. The franchise seemed to doubt Conlon a little, considering draft reports cited him as being too small and weak. He only stands about 5’11”, and his fastball rarely tops the low 90s. Conlon was invited to the 2017 Spring Training, in a move that seemed kind of like a test for the crafty lefty. This gave the Mets a chance to judge his stuff even more, and they seemed to like it enough to keep him around. Last season was spent in AA, with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. His stats weren’t quite as phenomenal, but that can be accredited to the fact that he’s just two levels away from the Show. Conlon’s record was 8-9, with a 3.37 ERA in 136 innings, which was good enough to earn him an organization All-Star nod. Prior to the 2018 season beginning, he’s racked up four All-Star appearances throughout post-season and franchise votes. PJ has even been pitcher of the week three times, all of which go towards his case of an MLB promotion.

As 2018’s Spring Training begins, Conlon has secured another invite. So far, he’s just thrown live batting practice against the club. Mets manager Mickey Callaway has spoken highly of him, saying, “He was throwing the ball where he wanted to, pitching in off the plate, good changeup down and away, so I think he’s another piece of the puzzle that can help us sometime in the near future.” Star right-fielder Jay Bruce also spoke highly of Conlon, remarking that his changeup was “pretty good”. It seems that this next season he will float between AA and AAA, with the small possibility of an MLB call-up. The possibility of a call-up to the Major Leagues within the next two seasons is very high, though. It was just announced a day ago that Conlon will be converted into a relief pitcher, something that would make way for his debut at the highest level. The Mets currently have a strong enough rotation to not deem him necessary, thus the conversion being a way to find him time and growth in the Show. Currently, most prospect rankings have Conlon anywhere from 15-30th in the entire organization. That’s pretty good, nonetheless considering that he was a 13th round pick. For now, Mets fans can only wait and see what happens. They can be hopeful that he will eventually be called up but regardless, the young stud has a very bright future. If somehow a trade does go through, New York will certainly get some good assets for him. All in all, it seems as if this 24-year old kid will in fact break the long drought of Irish-born players in the MLB.

No Moncado for the Mets?

I will admit that I have had issues with the Mets lack of interest in the Cuban market(link). And initially with all the hype of Yoan Moncado and his path to becoming a free agent my thoughts didn't change. However, this kid while displaying the tools is going to potentially cost a $30 million contract and on top of that a 100% tax to the team. For all you math challenged folks that's $60 million for a player with not a lot of real elevated playing experience. Essentially a $60 million prospect.

A few years ago the Mets spent their first round draft pick on Gavin Cechinni. And while I have read about some potential character flaws he appears to be progressing through the system as he should. Then you have Amed Rosario who according to Keith Law (espn.com 2.1 via MetsBlog) has crazy potential based on his tools and he was signed a year ago for $2 million.

My point is, Cechinni and Rosario can only be viewed as prospects at this point as they are unproven but Moncando really can't be viewed as much else. The other Cuban players that have been signed in recent years all had several years of experience in their respective leagues and were in their mid twenties so those gambles would have made more sense but $60 million is a huge risk. I just wish the Mets would have take a gamble on one of the others.

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Why No Cubans Sandy?

Over the past few years there have been some breakout players coming from Cuba and making a splash in the big leagues. Unless you live under a rock you know the names like Puig, Cespedes, and Abreu. Rusney Castillo was signed late last year by the Red Sox, Yasmani Tomas became a D-Back this off season and there is Yoan Moncada waiting for his pay day.

With each of these players the Mets front office has claimed to have scouted and done their due dilligence. However it was never reported that the Mets were really in on any of them. That's a head scratcher when the team has had needs like a power hitting OF, SS, and potentially someone to man first base when when the Ike Davis/Lucas Duda situation existed. The latter a thing of the past.

Over at MetsBlog I found a quote from Sandy regarding them getting in on these international players. "We haven't been in that category, but I expect we will be in that category soon." he said.

Um, when? These players are being signed and having an immediate impact. They are signing fairly healthy contracts however in each case they are younger players and don't cost a draft pick. Yet we Mets fans have to sit here and hear things like "he doesn't fit what we are trying to do here or we don't view him playing at this or that position." I get that it can be a gamble but they are paying off much better than some of the local gambles this team has made over the past few years. What gives, Sandy?

Well Well Well...

Now that football season is past us we can put on our collective optimism caps for the upcoming baseball season. Well at least most can. I on the other hand can't seem to find mine.

This and last year were supposed to be the seasons where the Mets were going to turn things around. And while they have improved somewhat I still can't get excited and that sucks. Sandy had holes to fill in the OF, SS, and the bench. He did add Michael Cuddyer in the OF which hopes to be an improvement over Chris Young and whoever else trotted out there last year. Mayberry was signed to help out on the bench and could be interesting. We still have an unknown at SS with rumors swirling about as usual on who they may or may not trade for which in my mind appears to be smoke and mirrors from the front office as other GM's (Rizzo) say they have had no such conversations. But hey, let's make the incumbent player in Wilmer head into spring training with mental doubts about what the front office thinks of him.

They made changes to the field (again), signed someone's best friend. Hired a coach that had success with a current player so not sure how that plays out with the other players. Yes, Grandy thinks highly of him but has anyone else asked any current and former Yankee players their thoughts? Didn't seem to be much outcry when he was fired.

Yes, we have young quality pitching. The farm system is being restocked well but when does this translate into big league wins? I want to be optimistic. I try to be optimistic but this organization is driving me up the wall. Big market team small market payroll yet everyone including MLB itself seems to be on board with this "plan". Other teams appear to be rebuilding at a quicker rate. Mets twitter is crazy and even my favorite bloggers aren't making sense at times. It's tough to follow.

Matt Harvey Will Rehab in NYC...and Also in FL

According to Adam Rubin Matt Harvey will begin his rehab assignment with the club in Queens. Once he is ready for live hitting, he will return to Florida. Per the CBA the Mets really couldn't do anything to prevent him from it and Harvey was kind enough to let the world know the rules to the media.

"After talking with my agent and the Players' Association and going over the CBA rules as a player, you have rights," Harvey recently said. "I want to do what's best for the the organization and best for the rehab process. For me, I've made it clear where I stand"

Well Matt, yes you have made it clear where you stand. But the reporter could have had a typo on the piece about what's best for the organization when in reality it reads like what's best for you. Also reads like he is too good for Florida. It's nice to know he is working very hard not only on his rehab but understanding his rights as a player.

I have to say I just don't get what is going through this guys head. Yes, he is a young superstar with a year and a half under his belt but why is it he seems to just want to go against the grain? Does he think this will do him any favors with the organization? If I owned a team and had this kind of crap going on constantly I am not sure what I would do. Pander to it? Or let him rehab, come back, ride him like a mule Dusty Baker style and trade him right before he finally blew again. His personality combined with Scott Boras is a bad mix.

Just for kicks, I looked up top pitchers returning from Tommy John and a few to name were Wainwright, John Smoltz, Chris Carpenter. I don't recall hearing this kind of noise telling the media what THEY were going to do and all were well into their careers. But I guess the argument is that they aren't the same personality. Still though, all had quite a bit more resume under their belts.

In the end, as another write on this site posted: Matt Harvey cares about Matt Harvey.

Follow me: @jwil25

Mets Lose First Three Spring Games... Mets Fans Panic

Twitter has been real active now that Spring Training has started. It's a great thing until you realize how annoying so many people on Twitter are.  Predictably there's plenty of negativity surrounding the 0-3 start this spring. I will admit that aside from some nice pitching debuts from young studs and a few home runs from crappy first basemen, there hasn't been much to be excited about. But...

This post is to remind all you Debbie Downers that spring training games do not count toward the teams record. The definition of an exhibition game as per acclaimed and mostly accurate online encyclopedia Wikipedia reads as follows: "An exhibition game (also known as a demonstration, a friendly, a warm up match, a preparation match, or in some contexts a scrimmage) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the teams rankings is either zero or greatly reduced." 

Well there you have it. Spring training is a group of games that are used to get back into shape, to learn and to try new things. So many people are fired up over losing three games in which David Wright and Daniel Murphy haven't even played. The three games were started by guys competing for the fifth spot in the rotation and the games have been finished by guys starting the season in AA. 

Mets Twitter needs to take a Xanax and settle down. Guys are going to suck in the spring. Pitchers are going to work on pitches they spent the offseason developing to see if they are worth using in the season. They're gonna get hit around. Batters are going to try and get comfortable again and tinker with their batting stances. They're going to strike out. Fielders are breaking in new mitts. They're going to drop balls. You can start your panic on April 3rd if they're 0-3. Until then, be happy you're watching any kind of baseball right now considering we got 300 inches of snow this winter. 

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Las Vegas Has The Mets At 73.5 Wins

This week, the Las Vegas Hilton Superbook put out their predictions for the upcoming 2014 MLB season.  It's probably to no one's surprise that they have the Mets coming in with a total of 73.5 wins.  They are also 25-1 odds of being the NL East champions this season, which to me really doesn't seem that high considering the negativity surrounding this team.  I'll give my take on the Mets in a moment, but onto to the rest of the NL East.

The Hilton has the NL East as follows:

Wins
Atlanta - 87.5
Washington - 87.5
Philly - 76
METS - 73.5
Miami - 69.5

Division Odds
Atlanta - even money
Washington - even money
Philly - 12-1
METS - 25-1
Miami - 30-1

I think for the most part, there are no shocking totals here.  The division could and probably should come down to Atlanta and Washington.  This is pretty much on line with how the season finished last season.  All of the teams, including the two at the top, have some question marks, but I think this is fair.

The Mets finished with 74 wins last year, which means Vegas is essentially saying that they haven't improved or gotten worse.  I'm going to pick the over.  I don't care if I get ridiculed for it, I don't think it's a bad bet.  I also don't think its a sure thing.  But I expect this team to be better for a few reasons.

First off, I really don't think that the play from our first basemen and short stop can get any worse than it did last year.  Last year was probably rock bottom for both Ike and Duda, as well as Tejada.  In the past, these guys have all shown they can handle big league pitching, and for whatever excuse they each had, they were all just awful in 2013.  Tejada and Duda both went to the performance camp this winter, and I expect that gains were made from it.  So it's not unreasonable to see improvements from the two black holes we had last season.

Secondly, I expect Travis d'Arnaud to be better in 2014.  He did not impress in his call up last season.  Let's not forget though, prior to his promotion, he played only 99 baseball games in 23 months since the end of the 2012 minor league season.  I'm not making excuses for him, but I consider last year a wash. He was working his way back into shape and had all sorts of pressure on him. This year he comes back to camp, hopefully in shape and healthy.  He has shown he can hit in his minor league career.  Although I am not expecting him to be Mike Piazza, I think he still can be one of the better catchers in the game  After April last year, we got zero production from behind the plate.  Black hole number three should be filled.

My next point is that I think the addition of Curtis Granderson will help David Wright more than people think.  Even thought he has his faults, Granderson is a bona fide power hitter and a good clubhouse presence.  I think having him in the line-up will take a lot of pressure off Wright.  I know people are saying that Granderson only replaces Marlon Byrd, but let's look at it from start to finish.  Byrd wasn't even playing every day in April and May.  And in those months, he was hitting .240 with 6 home runs.  He didn't get hot until June.  So at the beginning of the season, what did Marlon Byrd do for David Wright?  Not much of anything.  Having a guy like Granderson in the line-up on opening day is good for every one's psyche, especially Wright's.

Moving on, even without Harvey, the Mets still have solid pitching.  The rotation is deeper this year.  Harvey is being replaced by another all-star pitcher.  Ok, am I really comparing Colon to Harvey?  No.  But as long as he is healthy, how much worse is Colon going to be, in a pitchers park against the NL? He is going to be fine.  I'd like to think Wheeler will improve, although I'm not expecting a Harvey like rise to stardom in year two.  Either way, the guy can chuck it.  Dillon Gee really took a big leap last year.  And don't forget, he started off terribly in 2013.  But he was coming off the surgery to remove the blood clot from his pitching arm.  When he finally got his arm strength back, he was as reliable as anyone in the rotation. Although I am not expecting him to match his Post May-2013, I think he will be steady and give the team a chance. Niese is Niese. You know what you're getting. As for the fifth spot, I'm really hoping Mejia gets it.  If he does, then I think top to bottom the Mets rotation is as deep and competitive as almost any team in the National League.  This rotation is much improved over last years opening day rotation of Neise, Harvey, Marcum, Gee and Hefner.

The X-factor for this team is going to be Chris Young.  I'm not expecting much.  However I hold on to hope that the former all-star spent this offseason trying to rediscover himself in search of a multiyear deal after 2014.  You've seen it before.  Guys all of a sudden turn on a light when it's time to get paid.  I'm not banking on it, but it'll be big for this team if he somehow can have a Byrd like resurgance.

A lot of what I just said was obviously just assumption.  Like I've said in the past, I'm not an expert, and I won't pretend to be.  The oddsmakers in Vegas are very good at what they do, and I'm sure they have their legitimate reasons why they think the Mets are a 73-74 win team. For the hell of it though, I'm going to give my over/under. As the roster stands right now, my over under is 78.5 wins. If they wind up signing Drew, I'll make that 81.5. I'm obviously banking on a lot of things to go right for this team.  But I expect players who spent their offseason trying hard to become better ball players to actually be better ball players. I don't think that's all that crazy a notion. And if they are better ball players, then they're a better baseball team. I'll also could just be unusually optimistic this morning.  Who knows?  If I wrote this exactly when I woke up today, I might have been singing a different tune. Either way, call me a homer or a shill or whatever you want.  I don't think What I wrote is all that outlandish.

I know most will disagree with me.  Give me the business on Twitter @GetsThruBuckner.

Mets Want EYJ to Bunt More?

Attention all major league pitchers: Terry Collins would like Eric Young Jr. to bunt more. Nothing like letting the cat out of the bag, huh? He bunted all of six times last year and Collins feels that with more bunts he can get that OBP up to .350

"Ideally, gosh, you'd wish he'd have a .350 on-base," Collins said about Young. "I don't know if he's going to, but you hope he does. All I know is what an impact this guy made on our team when we got him. He got some big hits, made some great plays defensively in the outfield. And when he got on, exciting things happened and we scored runs. So we're certainly going to focus a lot on trying to get Eric to bunt a little bit more, maybe be a little more selective at the plate.”

So this quote has me concerned. For Juan Lagares that is. Sounds like Terry could be banking on EYJ at the top of the order already and with what Chris Young and Grandy are getting paid they figure to be in the lineup everyday. Young was a nice surprise last season and a decent ball player but not sure he is an everyday player. With a lot of reps last season he exposed some flaws. But I can see where Terry is coming from. More bunts get him on base more, which allows him to steal bases and get into scoring position which is what the Mets are going to need to win games. Either way, the season hasn't even begun and TC is already alerting teams to his strategies. As if these effing Mets need to given anyone an advantage.

Photo Courtesy of: doublegsports.com

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My Concern For 2014's Zack Wheeler

Last year, the Mets were treated to something special every fifth day when Matt Harvey took the mound.  In his first full major league season, he exploded onto the scene and caught the attention of the whole baseball watching country with his strike outs and bloody noses.  Obviously, we know he will not be here in 2014 due to Tommy John surgery.  Not only does that leave the Mets with a huge hole in their rotation, but it leaves the fans deflated that there won't be a "Harvey Day" this year.

Enter Zack Wheeler.  Having a very similar career path, Wheeler finally was called up late last season and gave us a taste of something Mets fans have been eager to see since he was acquired a few seasons ago for Carlos Beltran.  Although very inconsistent in his first few starts, you saw significant improvement as he gained more experience.

Here's the thing.  I really hope Wheeler doesn't put more pressure on himself this year to go out there and have the same type of season Harvey had last year.  I also hope fans do not expect him to go out there and be Matt Harvey either.  Losing Harvey is creating a void for everyone.  I'm not in that clubhouse and although I doubt people will openly admit it, I almost guarantee the men in the rotation feel a need to pick up the slack with Matt gone.  And being how similar they are, I'm sure Wheeler feels that pressure even more. Wheeler in a way may compare himself to Harvey, and try to hard to meet the levels that Harvey reached last year.  Mets fans have expectations also. These aren't just expectations the fans have for every pitcher that comes up now to shoot to the top like Harvey did.  But also for the fact that 2014 was supposed to be the year we compete. This year has all the ingredients to be a recipe for disaster for Wheeler. I hope that Wheeler goes out there and pitches the way he knows how, and just tries to be Zack Wheeler.  I also hope Mets fans temper their expectations.

Mets' Alderson Talks Finances Again

Here we go again. The Post and various other media outlets are reporting that the banks that have issued the Mets loans are keeping them on a payroll restriction. A claim that Sandy Alderson denies. He is quoted as saying the current payroll is just north of $85 million which if memory serves me correctly is similar to last year. That said they unloaded some big nasty contracts for two (who I won't name) who never saw the field. We have added Chris Young, Curtis Granderson, and Bartolo Colon to major league contracts along with Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Valdverde on minor league contracts with zero guarantee of making the team out of camp.

The latter of the two coming off the heels of "missing" out on Grant Balfour and Fernando Rodney to rumored similar deals. And then there is the ongoing saga of the Stephen Drew situation be it money, years, opt out clauses, etc. I then meander over to see what Adam Rubin is saying to find this:

“I said it was unlikely that we would sign another major free agent,” Sandy Alderson said. “I think that’s still the case.” #mets
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) February 13, 2014

Unlikely? I think it is more like guaranteed and while the fan in me wishes that weren't the case if it is true then fine. I don't like it and it won't make me cheer on this effing team any less but whatever. I just want this season to start so we can talk about who is doing well, who isn't, and what we as fans are getting for our $85 million payroll.

Photo Courtesey of: NYPost

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New Met Young Under HOF Tutelege

According to Adam Rubin Chris Young spent a week and a half working with HOFer Rod Carew this offseason. Carew is quoted as saying part of Young's problem is that he tries to pull everything. They worked on using his hands more, tracking the ball, and not trying to muscle it so much.

 Said Young: “If you focus more on your average, the power will always be there. If you’re squaring the ball up more consistently, the power will come. ... ‘Consistent’ in my eyes is .280 and up

I like his thinking here. I have watched Young since his days of playing in Arizona when I lived there. No doubt he has power but he has never hit for average and .280 seems lofty. I think the fan base would be happy if he hit around .250 belted 20 homers and batted in 65 or better all while keeping his high level of defense. It is refreshing to hear about a player who knows he has a flaw and seeking out one of the best. 

Photo Courtesy of: ESPN
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Why Peralta and Not Drew??

There has been a lot of chatter on twitter stating that Stephen Drew isn't worth signing for a 1 or 2 year deal.  A good chunk of Mets fans are saying that he isn't worth the money, and that the Mets should give Tejada another chance, considering the difference in price.  Now, before I go off, I'll say that the split seems to be right down the middle.  So there are plenty of Mets fans, several who I normally wouldn't side with, who want Drew here.  I for one, do want Drew.

When then off-season started, all Mets fans were talking about was how horrible shortstop was.  If I recall correctly, Mets fans couldn't get enough of Jhonny Peralta.  There were several screen shots of Mets jerseys with his name on them floating around out there.  And when Peralta signed with St. Louis early in the winter, the proverbial screams of Mets Twitter could be heard around the tri-state area.  "Sandy sucks" and "Wilpon's won't spend" and "Here we go again" were the battle cries for about a week or two.

Reports have surfaced that the Mets are actively negotiating with Stephen Drew, even thought it had appeared unlikely a move to get him was going to be made.  It is unsure how true they are, but I'm not here to discuss that.  Now that these rumors are swirling tho, all of a sudden Ruben Tejada is a viable option.  So what has changed in the last two months?  Ruben Tejada went to fat camp, so now he's a major player for the Mets?  Peralta is so much better than Drew?  I don't get it.  Two months ago, Ruben Tejada was public enemy #1 to Mets fans.  Now he's A Okay.

I'm not a huge sabermetrics guy, but I'm open minded to them and I understand their place in modern baseball when it comes to analyzing players.  That being said, I refuse to acknowledge WAR as a legitimate stat or tool or whatever it is people want to call it.  I think it's flawed and doesn't take into account too many things in regards to situational baseball, strategy and intangibles. That being said, I'm gonna go to it right now to try and prove a point, considering so many people like it.

Last season Jhonny Peralta had a 3.3 WAR.  For his career, he averages a 2.2 WAR.  Stephen Drew posted a 3.1 WAR in 2013, and averages 2.0 WAR a season.  Both players have had seasons with WAR higher than that, and both have finished season's with a WAR slightly below zero.  So how come Mets fans were clamoring so hard for Peralta, but think Drew isn't good enough?  For what it's worth, Tejada posted a -0.9 WAR last season, and averages a 0.7 in his four seasons.  When you compare the three players, it doesn't seem like all that big a difference.  Apparently it was in October though when a majority of people wanted Peralta.

Maybe Drew isn't worth the cost or isn't that huge an upgrade over Tejada.  Personally I think even if he is at his best, Tejada isn't as good as Drew.  Like I have said before, I'm no expert, so I could be wrong.  But I'd like to see a little more consistency from the fans out there when it comes to what we want and expect from this team.

Mets Still Linked to Fernando Rodney

Free agent closer Fernando Rodney now has three teams who are expressing strong interest in his services: #Mariners, #Orioles and #Mets
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 4, 2014

This rumor is still churning and I am not sure why. He is a closer plain and simple. He's wired that way and is far enough into his career that he isn't going to play second fiddle to someone like Parnell or Vic Black. The idea makes sense if there are still health concerns regarding Bobby but with the way the front office goes back and forth regarding a great many things who knows. Last we heard he will be 100% so why are we looking for a closer? I guess insurance is key especially when it comes to arms.

That being said, the only way I could see Rodney joining the Mets is if he indeed is going to be the closer and the dollars are what he wants. But what message does that send to Bobby who has come such a long way as a pitcher. Injuries happen but if healthy the job should be his. And personally, the only team Fernando might accept a set up role to is one that has an immediate chance of winning. And that isn't our effing Mets!

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Matt Harvey Granted Free Agency

This morning the Daily News is reporting that Mets injured ace Matt Harvey and his supermodel girlfriend Anne V. have parted ways. Normally something like this wouldn't be news unless you're Derek Jeter, but Harvey has been a fixture in the tabloids since being spotted with the leggy blond at a Rangers game in May.  Harvey has been out there so much, it has recently drawn the ire of WFAN's pet gremlin, Joe Beningo.

Personally, I don't think Anne V. is all that.  I don't see the hype. I'm not saying I'd kick her out of bed for eating cookies. But I don't think it's hard for Harvey to find an upgrade.  I also tend to find people that don't use their last name are pretentious snobs anyway.  So I'm glad to see her go for several reasons.  The first is so I can stop hearing about it.  Secondly is that Harvey was a persistent violator of the man code "Bros before Hoes".  If I were one of Matt Harvey's friends, Id be pissed that he was getting all these premium seats to hockey and basketball games, and was wasting them on his girlfriend.  Harvey recently tweeted a picture of him and 3 other dudes at the Stadium Series game between the Rangers and the Islanders. I'm sure his pals are happy to be back to doing what dudes do.

As is typical in celebrity break ups, it's reported that they split amicably and remain friends.  Whether that's true or not, who knows.  Frankly, who cares?  I'm curious as to why this happened.  I wonder if maybe someone in Harvey's inner circle finally got through to him and told him he's getting a little to big for his britches. Maybe he came to the realization that he's a stud and he doesn't need to be tied down. At least it's the end of a story that just wouldn't go away.  In honor of the end of an era, I present to you a pictorial retrospective of the relationship of Matt and Miss V. accompanied by some music to set the tone.  I apologize to those who shed a tear. But remember, it is better to have loved and lost, than to not have loved at all.

(If you're viewing on a mobile device, the music may not work.  If thats the case, just sing It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday by Boyz II Men out loud while viewing the pictures)

Zimbio.com

nyblondes.com

draggpost.com

instagram

zimbio.com

Page Six

justjared.com

bustedcoverage.com 

Huff Post

Bye, Anne V.

@GetsThruBuckner

The Lagares vs. Young Debate: A View From the Devil's Advocate.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I like playing devil's advocate often when I choose to write about something.  I am pretty open minded about things, and like to look at different alternatives for the sake of debate.  So I'll put it out there and say like most of you, I would rather have Juan Lagares starting in centerfield in 2014. However, Terry Collins came out and said recently that Eric Young may be his lead off hitter in 2014. As expected, there was plenty of backlash on this on Twitter.  Honestly though, if Eric Young was playing everyday and batting lead off, would the Mets be that much worse off?

Photo: BloggingMets.com

Eric Young is a borderline starter, but projects more like a lead off hitter at this point than Lagares.  Young is more patient at the plate, so despite lacking the power it takes to constantly hit the ball solidly, he does draw walks and has an OBP almost 70 points higher than his batting average for his career. Lagares had a small sample size, so it's impossible to judge what kind of player he will be based on 392 at bats.  But he was a very aggressive swinger who didn't take many pitches and struck out more than you'd want in a lead off man. He didn't show much more patience in the minors either, despite not striking out at the same rate.  But this is common in young players.

What Lagares has that Young doesn't though, is the ability to make solid contact and drive the ball.  He can hit the occasional home run, and can go gap to gap with line drives.  So it's not all that bad, and you hope at 24 years old, there is room for improvement.  He hit well in a recent stint in the Dominican Winter League, winning the award for being the top rookie.  His lack of patience didn't take the winter off though, while down there.

I'm not going to compare the two defensively.  It'd be just silly. Lagares can be a gold glove center fielder with his tools.  He's electric out there, and has a great arm.  Eric Young, despite being nominated for a gold glove, isn't the outfielder that Lagares is. Young isn't a slouch out there though. So despite Lagares being superior in the field, I don't think this necessarily warrants an automatic slot into the starting line up.  It's not like the Mets will be trotting out Lucas Duda and an older Carlos Beltran in the outfield opening day.  The Mets have Curtis Granderson and Chris Young on the roster, both who have been very good center fielders through their careers.  With the ground they can cover, you can live with Eric Young playing out there as well, and it's still a solid defensive outfield.

Like I said earlier, I'd prefer Lagares to be the every day center fielder.  I think that at 24 years old, he can improve at the plate, and hope that he can develop into the lead off hitter that the Mets desperately need.  But if Terry Collins decides that he wants Eric Young to be the regular lead off hitter, I'm not going to be upset about it.  If this comes to fruition, I just hope it doesn't come at the expense of at bats for Lagares.  I hope the Mets are smart enough to start Lagares in AAA to get his work in.

@ me tho - @GetsThruBuckner

I'm Skipping The Mets Ticket Plan This Year

"Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

                                                                                                  -Albert Einstein 

I'm not writing this post trying to be certain blogger who likes to criticize other fans and thinks he is king of the fan base. (Woop Woop, Thats the sound of da po-lice).  I'm just a fan who isn't going to be made a fool of this year.  This would have been my 11th consecutive year with a ticket plan since I graduated college in 2003.  I dion't need to buy the plans, because my whole life I was able to go to games for free.  My grandfather had season tickets in the orange seats at Shea.  Several neighbors had plans, and I would get free tickets hand over fist.  Playoff tickets, Subway Series tickets...I didn't have to pay a dime. Sometimes I'd get the urge to go to a game and buy my own seat too. But when I graduated, I wanted to be able to have my own tickets.  It also helped that you got guaranteed playoff purchase options if you owned a plan.  That little privilege that drew me in was used once in the last 10 seasons.....

I'm done being a sucker.  Even when the Mets are bad, I enjoy going to games.  I like the "night out at the ballpark" experience.  I enjoy watching the sport and being entertained.  And I'm going to go to plenty of games this season.  But I'm not buying in advance anymore.  Not until the Mets show me they care, whether by putting a better product on the field or making it more worthwhile to have a partial plan.  I have my own personal ticket rep, Jay Velez.  Jay is great, and I feel bad that I am not renewing this season, because guys like him or the people working hard and are overlooked in this process.  The Mets screw them as much as the screw us.  I hope Jay understands.

Last season was my breaking point.  This was something I've been toying with the last few seasons.  Between getting married, and now having a kid with another on the way, free time is really a rare commodity nowadays.  But that's not whats stopping me.  Last year, I was bombarded with email after email from the Mets alerting me to all these great ticket deals they were offering.  And a majority of those deals were for games I already had tickets to.  Whether it was dependent on how many strike outs the pitchers got in a weekend, or some sort of theme night with a cool give away, there were great offers coming in every home stand from the marketing department.  I'm hardcore Irish.  I would have enjoyed that pretty cool Irish themed Mets shirt, but nope, I already had tickets for that game.  And yet, I know I could have bought more and given my plan tickets away, but thats not the point.  There's no reward for being loyal.

Year after year, I'm paying full price and showing up night in and night out, while the guy sitting next to me got in for half the price and got a Jay Horowitz bobble head to go with his sweet deal.  So I'm gonna but myself some pretty good opening day seats, and then I'm going to let dynamic pricing do the work.  I'll wait for prices to drop to go to games.  Or I'll go on StubHub and get tickets below market value from fans trying to unload tickets they can't use.

I like what the Mets did this offseason.  I think this season has the potential to be entertaining and can toy with .500 if some of their younger pieces step up.  But it's not enough for me, not right now.  I've waited too long.  I had an ongoing internal battle with myself all offseason because of this. I feel like one of those bad fair-weather fans that I hate.  But in the end, I'm not.  I'm doing what works for me.  I'm gonna go to plenty of games, and I'm gonna make it worth my while. I've always wanted to do a 7 Line outing, and now I will because I won't feel overwhelmed by the amount of games I have.  I'll see you all at Citi Field this summer, I just can't tell you what nights I'll be there, not right now at least.

You can make very harsh statements to me on Twitter @GetsThruBuckner.

Former Mets Great Bay Set To Hang Up The Spikes

It is with deep regret that I inform you all the Jason Bay appears to be retiring from the game of baseball. Ok, enough with the sarcasm. As reported by Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, Bay has not filed the official retirement paperwork. However his market appears very dry and it's likely he is done. Bay considered going to play ball in Japan, but has decided he'd rather stay home with his family.

Jason Bay the icing on the failed cake baked by Omar Minaya. His lack of production, along with his gaudy contract, handcuffed the Mets. Along with Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo (also Minaya contracts), Bay was paid by the Mets to not come to work in the final year of his bad deal. In fact, he will still be paid three million dollars in deferred money this year by the team.

As much as I want to rip him, I won't. He seems like a nice guy and he played hard. It just didn't work out. It happens, although it seems like it happens far too often with the Mets. The Mets went after Bay instead of Matt Holiday in 2010 because they thought his hitting approach translated better at Citi Field. They were wrong. I preferred Holiday, but I was happy with signing Bay. Most of us were. Bay appeared to quickly be psyched out by the big dimensions. This, coupled with a concussion suffered from running into a fence in LA, led him to be a shell of his former self for the last 4 years of his career. Was it the dimensions, the concussion, age or pressure that led to his lack of productivity? Who knows. All I know is that I'm glad it's over and that I decided not to buy that Bay jersey opening day of 2010.

Tweet me @GetsThruBuckner

If Piazza Did Do Steroids, Would You Really Care?

The title of this post is a hypotheical question... I am in no way accusing or speculating that Mike Piazza used PED's. But let's say some sort of damning evidence came out and proved that Piazza did use PED's, would it really bother you that much? Would you think any less of him after giving his heart and soul to this team for 8 years? I sure as hell wouldn't.

For a while I was against supporting proven PED users. Then it dawned on me one day, who am I to judge these guys for doing what they do? What these guys put in their bodies is their business. It really has no effect on my everyday life. The difference for many of these guys between bagging groceries or not having generations of their families ever to have to worry about money may be a needle in the ass. And frankly, I don't blame them for going down that road. I'd like to say I wouldn't do it, but I can't. The thing that pisses me off is when they lie about it.

I wouldn't think anything less of Mike Piazza if he was a juicer. The guy went from being drafted in the last round to becoming an all time great. If it took a little help along the way, then so be it. He did what he had to do. And just so you all know, sticking a needle in your ass doesn't mean all of a sudden you can hit a 95 MPH fastball, or you can read a breaking ball and lay off of it. He still had to put in the work to become a better player day in and day out. He still had to overcome to daily grind of being a catcher in August.

Baseball is entertainment. It's a game. That's it. We watch because we want to be entertained. I'm not advocating cheating. But you know what, if a current Met failed a test, then oh well. I'd be more pissed he got caught rather than that he did the PED's. They're still on my team, then I'm still gonna root for them. If they're free agents and they would be better than what the Mets have, sign 'em. If the Mets won a World Series during the steroid era, it wouldn't mean any less to me if cheaters were on that team. Same goes for right now.

So really, I want your takes on it. If Mike Piazza did take steroids, how would you feel? Hit me up on twitter @GetsThruBuckner

Mets Shouldn't Even Consider Santana For 2014

I love Johan Santana. He was a gamer for us when healthy. He was electrifying to watch. Whether it was striking guys out, diving for bunted balls or swinging out of his shoes at the plate, he kept you watching the game. Besides pitching the team's first no-hitter, he also got laid on a golf course. It would have been nice if we had won more with him here, but I appreciate everything he did for this organization.

Early in the offseason I was all for bringing Santana back. However, even if only for a minor league deal, the Mets do not need Santana back. Frankly, I don't think it would benefit either party. After the surprising signing of Bartolo Colon, the Mets currently have 4 rotation spots solidified. Coming back to camp this year will be Jenrry Mejia. I'd love to see him grab the 5th spot, especially after the way he performed in his short stint last season. However Mejia has failed to prove he can stay healthy.

You don't know what you're getting from Johan this year. He's missed most of the last 3 seasons. Between him and Mejia, there would be no guarantee in that 5th spot of the rotation. The Mets have proven to not promote players until it is fiscally beneficial or out of desperation. And in reality, this is the right thing to do considering the position they've been in the last few seasons. The last thing the Mets should do is start the clock on Montero or Syndergaard prematurely. As exciting as this offseason has been in regards to the Mets making some solid acquisitions, most level headed fans are probably not expecting the Mets to be serious contenders this year.

The Mets need stability. All they need is a low cost veteran pitcher to come in and compete and give them some starts. Maybe Mejia wins the job outright and you can keep this veteran in the pen as a long man spot starter or accept an assignment in AAA. Either way, it's time for the Met and the fans to get past the story and the nostalgia and just part ways with Santana. Johan should go find a team that will give him a legitimiate shot to make their rotation and a chance to win a ring.

Matt Harvey Should Let the Haters Hate

Matt Harvey is living the dream. Despite being out for 2014, he's the ace of the NY Mets. He makes solid money playing a sports, as well as supporting and honoring Qualcomm. He dates a Victoria's Secret model. He's got the world by the balls.

Joe Beningo is a gremlin who has become a d-list local celebrity with a worn out disgruntled fan act. Despite being within his right to be bitter about rooting for crappy sports teams his whole life, he doesn't need to be telling grown ass men what to do with their free time. Last time I checked, most people who went to sporting events sat in the best seats available to them within their price range.

Photo: New York Post

Matt Harvey doesn't have to answer to anyone except his family and the people who sign his checks. As long as he keeps up with his rehab and does what he has to do to get back on the field in 2015, what does it

matter where he goes and who it's with? This is just another example of a NYC media personality trying to cause an issue for the sake of ratings.

It would be nice to see Matt Harvey mature a little bit and show some tact when it comes to certain situations. But Harvey has an edge to him that I think led to his success in 2013. I want Matt Harvey to stay true to himself and keep being Matt Harvey. He should learn though that some things are better left unsaid. I'll never blame a man for defending himself. Hopefully Harvey has a lot more good years here in NYC. There's going to be a lot of hate along the way. In the end, Matt Harvey is winning, whether it's on or off the field.