Sep
16
Chatter Up! Mets @ Braves 9-15-09 through 9-17-09
Filed Under (Chatter Up) by mrose at 3:30 PM on 09-16-2009
 |
 |
 |
| Welcome to the second Chatter Up! of the day here at NLEC. This week we bring in The Real Dirty Mets Blog as they continue a divisional road trip against The Braves. So we have Connor Tapp of The Braves Baseball Blog, lets get it on! |
| MrNorthJersey(NLEC): Now that the team has been eliminated how soon do you think it will take before Fans get an idea of what the front office off season strategy will be going forward for 2010? |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB): Hopefully soon after the world series. I imagine the Mets will be making internal changes and adjustments as they decide where they want to go with their team. Fred Wilpon has already said he does not like the current direction of the team and I imagine nobody does either. We will have a considerable amount of people potentially leaving this year and there is A LOT of room to improve this team so hopefully they are developing that blueprint as we speak…because I mean cmon, what else are they doing |
| Matt S(PP): I don’t mean to sound like a cocky Phillies fan, but … Shouldthe Mets be missing Pedro Martinez right now? Or was it the right decision to not re-sign Pedro, considering the tough year the team has had? What do the fans think about Pedro? |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB): If we had in our possession a 1982 Delorian with a flux capacitor I would say yes we would be missing pedro right now lol. Fact is with Pedro’s injury plagued seasons here, he had worn out his welcome. I do not believe Pedro was in any way shape or form going to happen for the Mets. By the time Pedro became “affordableâ€, the Mets were realistically thinking about the Wild Card and the reason being was due to the amount of injuries we sustained. For us to think about adding and depending on an injury prone player like Pedro(since we lived it for 3 years) would be death to Met management. It was a calculated risk to not gamble on Pedro, one that has not looked very good every time he steps on the field with a Philly uniform. I cannot speak on the fan base as you can tell on TRDMB, they each have their own opinions on EVERYTHING but as far as I am concerned….I will always remember the pedro of 05(and the sprinklers going off during his start) and the promise he embodied of brighter days ahead, and then I will realize that his absence due to injury may have partially been the reason the Mets look the way they look today and(no offense to ollie..well…maybe a little) why the Mets were not champions in 2006. |
| Matt S(PP): Any chance we’ll get to see highly-touted prospect Ike Davis before the end of the season? On a similar note, Josh Thole showed flashes of brilliance over the weekend against the Phillies. Do you feel he’ll be a everyday player next year? |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB): I believe Thole has definitely added stock. I hope he is not as I don’t think he is quite ready yet but there is always that possibility. The Mets are a little bit of cloak and dagger when it comes to their finances so there is always a chance the Mets will start 2010 with Omir/Thole. I for one would like to see him start in AA or AAA because he has merited that consideration. Ike I believe is still at least a year or two away from coming up but we may see him in September next year. I believe in Ikes case, it depends on what the Mets do at 1b. If they trade for a young and power bat, they will try to convert Ike into an OF and we may see him break in under that capacity or if they stay with Murphy for 1b, we may see him sooner rather than later. |
| Matt R(NLEC): Since the year is about done, what has been the biggest POSITIVE surprise of the season? |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB): Im sure there are several and everyone will tell you different. For me it’s a tie between Luis Castillo’s rebound performance this year and Daniel Murphys at 1b. Daniel was…well lets face it…horrible in the OF. To see Murph handle 1b in the way he has is remarkable and has been a definite positive in a player who has become somewhat of a fan favorite. Luis Castillos first year here was similar to Carlos Beltrans first year, injury plagued. In New York it is VERY difficult to bounce back from a bad first impression. Luis has been the constant professional and has worked his ass off to make sure he had a great sophomore year here and it has paid off. Many fans were concerned with the 6 million tied up on a injury plagued 2b, but he has quieted a lot of critics with his season this year. |
| Matt R(NLEC): Going into the offseason, do you think there will be much positivity on the team for next year if all injuries appear to be healed, or do you expect this offseason to be just as painful if not worse than the past few? |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB): I believe there will be positives going into next year. One because they all had a years experience in a new ballpark and I believe they will be more comfortable with it. I believe everyone realizes that with as many injuries we sustained at the same time was the prime reason we did not compete this year, so given the fact that we have everyone back with a clean bill of health should warrant some positive morale. I believe this offseason(as it seems we say every offseason) will be extremely challenging and I do no expect the Mets to plug up EVERY hole on the team. They need to separate the needs from the wants and make a plan based on that. I see a lot of changes for this team, just hoping it will be for the better. |
| Thanks Dirty now to Connor Tapp of The Braves Baseball Blog |
| MrNorthJersey(NLEC): Tommy Hanson has had an impressive rookie year. If you had to compare him to another pitcher who would you say he most resemples? |
| Connor T(BBB): It’s a cop-out, but I’d say it’s too early to make any meaningful comparisons. For example, the comparisons of Strasburg to Prior don’t tell us much |
| MrNorthJersey(NLEC): Do you expect Braves to pick up Hudson’s $12 million dollar option for 2010? |
| Connor T(BBB): Every indication from the front office has been that his option will be picked up. Seems like the smart move. (Like it or not, the Kawakami & Lowe contracts are sunk costs.) |
| MrNorthJersey(NLEC): Who do envison playing 1st base on Opening Day 2010? |
| Connor T(BBB): I’m going to go out on a limb and say Chipper Jones will get the start at first base, with Adrian Beltre at the hot corner. |
| Matt S(PP): While the Braves aren’t dead yet, what would you say is the one area that cost this team a chance to win the wild card/division title and why? |
| Connor T(BBB): It’s simple: signing Garret Anderson in lieu of Adam Dunn. Joe Sheehan just wrote a great piece for Baseball Prospectus demonstrating how that blunder cost the Braves about five wins. |
| Matt S(PP): What is Jordan Schaffer’s status in the organization? Is he still regarded as a key part of the Braves’ future? Why or why not? |
| Connor T(BBB): 2009 was something of a lost season for Schafer. First, he whiffed his way back to the minors. Then, injury cut the rest of his season short. I’d downgrade my upside projection a touch, but talent doesn’t (usually) disappear overnight. |
Please feel free to email any recommend questions or comments about the segment to mrose@nleastchatter.com or go to this forum topic and post a reply. We need questions for our next Chatter Up! Those games are Nats @ Mets and Phillies @ Braves. Thanks for everyone’s participation!
