PLATOON

Before the season started a certain blogger (ME) might have mentioned that he wanted a certain player (MURPHY) to platoon with a righty but basically get 85% of the playing time. This blogger said this because despite Brad Emaus' supposed hitting ability and Chin-Lung Hu's defense, the Met pitching would never be enough to win games on their own. So... the solution was that we needed more hitting. More hitting = Daniel Murphy.

Defensively, Murphy has his faults. He's a bit too aggressive and tends to look less than balletic out in the field. Turner himself is also not exactly the reincarnation of Ozzie Smith. The fact is... You don't need to have an all-star defensive whiz at second. You don't need to be super stong up the middle. No Keith Hernandez... You don't. What you do need, is players that can hit. You think too many Met fans miss Rey Ordonez and his wimpy bat? Maybe a few, but you get my point... at least I hope you do. Murphy/Turner give the Mets a combo at second of a righty and a lefty who can handle a bat and not completely butcher the field. I only wish that the Mets/Terry Collins/Santa/ or... Whoever is making the calls could have come up with this a few weeks sooner.

Since starting this post, last week, Ike Davis was hurt and the Mets now have Murphy at first and Turner at second in full-time roles. I won't read too much into Turner's big night with the bat yesterday but I will say that it's pretty telling that the Mets are using these players to recover from losing their best offensive weapon from the early going. Now... Murphy and Turner do not a Davis make, but they've been solid.

Now... a new and strangely happy question: Does this mean we can get rid of Chin-Lung Hu or Willie Harris?

Probably not, but I want it bad.

Fernando Martinez: Should I say that his promotion bothers me? Well, it does. Not because I want Kirk Nieuwenhuis up (Frankly Pridie deserves the playing time he's getting) but because other players in AAA make much more sense. Lucas Duda for one... Nick Evans for another. Carrying a 3rd Bench OF does not make sense. Martinez should be playing every day in AAA and not serving as a PH in the majors. Come on!

Up This Week:

From The Horse's Mouth - I Poll Fans on Trade Possibilities.

Full Strength - What Can a Full Met Lineup Provide?

Quit Dicking Around - What is Wrong With R.A. Dickey?

Young Guns - A Look Into the Minors.

P.S. Sorry for the break in posts I was splitting time working from home and being a nurse.

Big News

Clearly we were all a little distracted from baseball. I mean a girl just married the grandson of a monarch and he has obvious degrees of male pattern baldness. Clearly we couldn't focus on baseball with concerns about Kate's dress and the choice of wedding venue hung in the air. There may have also been some sort of news about someone being killed in Pakistan.

Frankly... this is a baseball blog. Not only that, but a silly baseball blog. I'm not going to cheapen major military actions by making snarky jokes. I leave that to the experts on Fox News.

The Mets lost a series to the Phillies but have showed some improvement as a team. I think there are a few key things to note:

1. Francisco Rodriguez deserves to be closing. Do I want the Mets to be saddled with his 17.5 Million dollar contract in 2012? No! Particularly not when we might be cutting payroll down to 120 Million or below. However, the Mets cannot say he hasn't pitched well enough to hold the job. Hopefully he pitches well enough to be traded.
2. Ronny Paulino is back. ESPN doesn't have a mug-shot because of his difficulty in starting the season but I forgive them. He and Thole make up what I would call a GOOD catching tandem. They are a pure platoon and having a contact lefty backing him up will help Ronny as much as having a power righty helps Josh.
3. Mike Pelfrey seems lost. Sorta like a puppy but more like a REALLY bad pitcher. Pelfrey has frankly looked bad since he first showed up to spring training so it isn't a huge surprise. The question is, can he recover? Can he reclaim some of his past success? I seriously hope he has something physically wrong, because then maybe he can spend a few weeks in Florida and return with some semblance of talent. Right now I'm ready to make him the swing man and give Dillon Gee his job.
4. The Bench OF looks bad. Willie Harris and Scott Hairston are about as reliable as a 1970 AMC Gremlin. They can't pinch hit and when they start they do little better. Jason Pridie has been the best bench guy and I might be wrong... but I'm pretty sure he's still Jason Pridie. Lucas Duda is starting to hit again in AAA and I want to see him replace Harris in the near future. At least Duda can strike out for power.
5. Is Chris Young Sandy Alderson's best acquisition? Pedro Beato also ranks up there, but Young has sorta saved a rotation that has looked like one of the weakest in the majors. Thank heavens for Dickey and Young's ability to at least keep the Mets IN games. Young's health is still a concern but I'm more concerned about Pelfrey BEING healthy for his next start.

Up This Week:

Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Is it worth it?

Fire Sale - Is it time to sell EVERYONE?

Peanuts and Crackerjacks - Maybe there will be a good prize at the bottom.

Inviso Prospectus - When in doubt, stick with the classics.