Weekly Update: How To Shake Up The Team Plus Q & A
April 25, 2009The New York Mets had a terrible week highlighted by a sweep in St. Louis which saw the team make a bunch of boneheaded plays, bad starting pitching and no offensive production. With that said, all the talk this week has ranged from demoting starting pitchers, to benching Daniel Murphy , letting Gary Sheffield go and/or firing Jerry Manuel. In my video below I discuss these topics plus my weekly Q & A.
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Q & A
Q: darknova306 - How long would you leave Murphy in LF if his D doesn’t improve? Is his bat really enough to make up for it?
A: Unless Murphy shows that he can’t consistently catch a routine pop fly, I think he will be out there. The Mets knew coming into this season that Murphy was out of position and it would be a challenge for him in LF. It’s simple, Murphy is on this team because he can hit, and as long as he hits he will be out there.
Q: NYMNYJ22 - Do you know if the Mets have any big power bats in there farm system?
A: Outside of Nick Evans, I don’t think there is much in the farm system. At least there isn’t anyone thats ready to play on the big team now. That’s the main reason why I think they signed Sheffield. The Mets knew they needed more pop in the line-up.
Q: nymdsa1 - What are my thoughts on Matt Holliday and our chances to get a big time pitcher.
A: I think there is a good change Matt Holliday will be traded before the deadline and the Mets will surely be mentioned, especially if the offense continues to struggle. Holliday is in the last year of his deal, so look for Oakland to move him. On the flip side, I also think you will hear the Mets mentioned in trade rumors for Roy Oswalt, Jake Peavy and Roy Halladay. All teams who could potentially be out of their races by the trade deadline and if the Mets are in it, which we expect them to be and the starting pitching continues to struggle, look for the Mets to make a move. If I had my choice of the three, I’d go with Peavy. He’s 28, in the prime of his career and he is signed through 2012 with a club option for 2013.
I’ll be doing a Q & A segment every week. If you have a question that you would like me to discuss and answer, please Email Me.
6 Responses to Weekly Update: How To Shake Up The Team Plus Q & A
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DJ – Great point about Wright and I hope your correct about Murphy. I do think Murphy will improve out there but he’s never going to be a gold glove outfielder, so in order to offset his defensive liabilities he’s going to have to hit and hit good.
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DJ Butler says:
I agree with you regarding Murphy not being a gold glove outfielder. In a recent post, samt at Amazin’ Avenue used UZR to defend Murphy in left field and even suggested CF in his future. I responded as follows: “Incredibly small sample size aside… Based on [samt's] argument because his arm won’t improve much, yet his defense will. I would suggest 1B or 2B of the future. FMart is shaping up to be the left fielder of the future and Beltran isn’t going anywhere. By my eye, Murphy is not making the most efficient routes to the balls in front to to behind him and seems to panic at balls hit right at him. Consequently, I suspect Murphy’s quickness and lateral instincts is the cause for his high range factor [in UZR]. If that translates to the infield (where he grew up playing), then he could develop into a Keith Hernandez or Edgardo Alfonso type player (sacrilegious I know), but more likely than center field.”
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I don’t think Murphy will ever be a CF for two reasons 1) his arm isn’t strong enough 2) I don’t think he has the range to cover that much ground. I would agree with you that if he switches positions I think he will be at 1b. Regarding F-Mart, I’d love to see him get a shot in LF one day but he’s got to prove he can stay healthy and play at the big team level.
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From Metsblog: In a post to his Twitter page, Newsday’s David Lennon mentions Daniel Murphy and Jeremy Reed are both taking ground balls at first base, prior to today’s game in Atlanta. According to Lennon, ‘Murphy looks 100 percent more comfortable at first than in left field.’
Let’s keep sending the Mets the good vibes on the Murphy to 1B plan!
I remember when David Wright came up, his fielding was atrocious. In 2006 his UZR was -9.5 runs below average However, he was a hard worker and had enough pride to want to improve. I see the same qualities in Daniel Murphy. Add to that Daniel Murphy is playing out of position and I think people are underestimating his potential in left field. Left field is not a "good" fielder position. He has the speed to cover the ground in left field. He is still learning to read routes and lengthening his throws, but I suspect that by the end of the year, we won't be talking about him as a defensive liability anymore.