Mets Spring Training Questions
NEW YORK– By Mo Miller
Entering the 2012 season, it’s been six years since the Mets have made the playoffs. The last three years have been dreadful, seasons to forget. Coming into the 2012 season, things look bleak. The Mets are rebuilding and waiting for their prospects to grow and become Major League ready. However, if things go right the Mets could be a competitive team and surprise many people. Here are some of the story lines coming into the 2012 season.
Johan Santana- Since joining the Mets Santana has had trouble staying healthy. Can he remain in the rotation all season? Can Santana return to something resembling his old Cy Young form? How much will fatigue factor into Santana’s pitching considering he hasn’t pitched in a Major League game in close to 18 months?
Jason Bay- Two years into the Jason Bay contract, and so far it hasn’t looked good for anyone. In Bay’s two years as a Met, he’s combined for a .251 average, with 18 HR’s and 108 RBI’s. Combined. In two seasons. So what will 2102 hold for Jason Bay? With the outfield walls coming in and coming down, will Bay’s offensive numbers improve? Will Bay return to the offensive threat he was in Boston and Pittsburgh?
Mike Pelfrey- After a good 2010, Pelfrey was awful in 2011, going 7-13 with a 4.74 ERA. Will Pelfrey return to 2010 form and lower his large ERA? Pelfrey gave up 21 home runs in 2011, so can he re-find that sinker, that was so good in 2010, and keep the ball down?
David Wright- Wright is coming off a year where he had a back injury and only played 102 games. Wright’s contract has a $16 million club option for 2013. Were Wright’s offensive problems because of his back issue alone? Will Wright get traded at the trade deadline if the Mets are not in contention? What type of offensive threat will Wright be? Will he show his opposite field power again and return to old form?
Josh Thole- Mets GM Sandy Alderson & Co. decided not to pursue a veteran catcher and go with the youngsters in Thole and Mike Nickeas. Thole’s defense was lacking last year and at times he looked lost behind the plate; he led the NL with 16 passed balls. Can Thole improve on his defense and be competent behind the plate? Thole, who was expected to be a good average hitter, hit a woeful .268 in 2011. Can Thole improve on his offense and raise his average close to .300?
Jonathon Niese- Niese has had trouble his whole career staying healthy. Can he stay healthy for a full season in 2012? At times in 2011 Niese looked like an All-Star with an amazing curveball. Can Niese return to that form and be consistent with his best pitch?
Ruben Tejada- The Mets let Jose Reyes walk, handing the shortstop reigns to the 22-year-old Tejada. It is clear Tejada can play shortstop at a Major League level, but can he play it over a long 162 game campaign? Tejada’s offense was very up and down in 2011, at times looking like he could hit in the Majors, but often not being able to get the ball out of the infield? Who is the real Tejada? Can he hit well consistently over the span of the long season?
Daniel Murphy- The past two seasons, Murphy has had trouble staying healthy, getting both knees blown out the past two years. One thing for sure is Murphy can hit, hitting .320 in 109 games last season. The Mets are ready to give Murphy the everyday job at 2B, but can he defend it properly? Can he turn the double play, something he had trouble doing in 2011?
Bullpen- Yet again, the Mets had problems in the bullpen in 20111. Alderson & Co. made the bullpen a priority over the off-season, signing Frank Fransisco and Jon Rauch, while trading for Ramon Ramirez. Can the bullpen finally be stable? Can they close out games and hold leads for the Mets? Can they keep games close and give the Mets an opportunity to come back and win games late?
These are just some of the questions that need to be answered yes for the Mets to be successful in 2012.
NBA Three-Point Play 2/1/12
LOS ANGELES– By Aron Jacobowitz
1) Are the Sixers really ‘contenders’ in the East, or are they impecable pretenders? They have won 13 games thus far by double digits (tied for the most this season with the Bulls – who they play tonight). They are killing their division with the likes of Boston and New York trying desperately to salvage a season, and they don’t even have a superstar.
Are they the East’s Nuggets? Is it too early for this type of question? Hmm. Well at 15-6, it’s safe to say that through a third of the season, you ain’t trippin’. Although they do not have very many quality wins, thankfully, as mentioned above, they are playing Chicago tonight. Because this will be the first legitimate threat to limit the Sixers window of success for the ’11-’12 condensed season.
How are the Sixers doing what they do so far? Two words: Doug Collins. Early season coach of the year? Yes. When you’ve coached Michael Jordan early in his career, you immediately demand the respect necessary to say whatever needs to be said to turn their fortunes around. They rank first in scoring defense (86.1) and fifth in rebounds per game (43.8). That said, they only own three victories against teams with winning records: Indiana, Atlanta and Orlando. Beating Atlanta is most likely the best thing these guys have done all year. However, they don’t choose their schedule. They were given these games, and they’ve plowed right through them. They beat Orlando, who is in complete dysfunction, in the midst of a 1-5 stretch that has seen them play worse than the Tulsa Shock, the WNBA team who went 3-31 last season.
We have watched Coach Collins turn this team into a collective group; a core of young talent (Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young) surrounded by savvy veterans (Elton Brand and Andre Igoudala). As much as I hate to admit it, Elton Brand is actually helping his squad. His numbers aren’t the 20 and 10 he used to put up in Clipperland. However, his minutes are down, his mentoring up, and his contract is also up ($17.1 million). All jokes aside, a win tonight against the East leading Bulls will undoubtedly provide legitimacy to the City of Brotherly Love for the first time since The Answer left the building (the first time).
2) Did Kevin McHale spike the Gatorade after the Rockets dismal 2-6 start? Granted, Houston began the season with one of, if not the toughest schedule in the league. They also began the season with some players pretty damn upset about the failed trade that would have seen their landscape completely change. Kevin Martin and Louis Scola (their two leading scorers at 21 and 15 points per game) were to be shipped off and Pau Gasol was supposed to be brought in. Maybe because McHale thought he could relate better to a seven-foot soft Spaniard?
Kyle Lowry has literally transformed into one of the more efficient PG’s out West putting up 15, 8, 6.5 and the dude’s name has literally never been so much as uttered on SportsCenter before this season. Okay, maybe once or twice, but definitely not with the enthusiasm necessary. He had to fill Aaron Brooks shoes, who put up a monster playoffs a few years back, then disagreed with the coaching staff, and was shipped off to Phoenix (now he’s in China). Speaking of that trade, Goran Dragic was part of that deal and has also used his few years of watching Steve Nash to quietly put together a solid backup PG season (eight points and four assists per game).
The Rockets began the season with losses to Orlando, Memphis, Lakers, Clippers, and Oklahoma City (twice- home and away) while also posting wins against San Antonio and Atlanta (both at home), which accounts for their 2-6 record out of the gate. Since then, they have won 10 of 13 (only playing four road games during that stretch) highlighted by wins against Portland and San Antonio. They have also benefited from a relatively weak stretch, playing the Wizards twice, New Orleans, Detroit, Charlotte (ALL W’s). But at 12-9, the Rockets may slide into the 7th or 8th seed in the West and make some noise. With seven of their next eight games on the road, I’m sure we’ll find out by Valentine’s Day if this team is legit.
3) Fresh off of back-to-back victories against the top two teams in the West (Denver and Oklahoma City), the LA Clippers continue to add to their impressive early season resume. With wins against Miami, Oklahoma City, Lakers, Denver, Dallas, Portland and Memphis thus far, the sky’s the limit.
Early season MVP Chris Paul (although he missed five of their 18 games) has already proven he will be the guy to make the necessary buckets down the stretch. Blake Griffin keeps finding ways to top himself, while also amassing a large amount of haters – and you only gain haters when you increase your media coverage- so he’s doing something right. Mo “Money” Williams, if he keeps up his high energy and hot shooting, will be hoisting that sixth man award in front of the home crowd come May. The dude is approaching 50 percent from downtown, while putting up 15 points per game. This team has five guys averaging at least 15 points per game and they are a Kenyon Martin signing away from going nine-deep and legitimately becoming the best team in the West.
To play the other side, the Clippers have only played six road games (2-4) compared to 12 at the Staples Center (10-2). That’s about to change. They play in Utah tonight, where they were clobber-fisted about two weeks prior. Then they go home tomorrow against Denver before playing eight of their next 10 on the road. Are they battle-tested thus far? Yes. But not on the road. Beating Denver on Sunday in the Rockies was a nice start, but with games at Orlando, Philadelphia and Dallas on the upcoming trip, we’ll see if Vinny Del Negro and his band of Clippers wet the bed or continues to climb the ladder.
LA Galaxy Re-sign Beckham, Help League As Much As Themselves
After winning the MLS Championship this past season, LA Galaxy star David Beckham was expected to return to Europe and sign with a club eagerly courting him. However, Becks decided to pledge allegiance to the United States when he signed a two-year deal to remain in Los Angeles.
This move will not only bolster the Galaxy’s lineup given Beckham’s apparent skill and valuable veteran leadership, but it allows the league in general to promote such a star. MLS does not have many superstars that reconsidered household names. Many American players use the MLS as a stepping stone to the bright lights of the European leagues. Becks, however, is enjoying his time on the west coast and his decision to stay benefits everyone.
The MLS is fighting desperately to become mainstream in the US and if there’s one thing that American sports fans relate to its big name players.
The NBA markets it’s top stars like Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, etc., as does the NHL with the likes of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.
Whether you’ve watched his mind-blowing bending free kicks on YouTube, or you’re a fan of that Spice Girls’ husband, you know who David Beckham is. You know he’s a sick soccer player and you know that he has the ability to pull you into the sport.
The Galaxy are now in a position to market the hell out of this signing and show their fans that superstars want to come back and play in LA and are committed to winning. They can attract other stars and keep the championships coming and bring in more and more fans to their stadium and viewers at home.
The fact that Becks’ new deal is for two years shows his commitment to the team and league. While it’s considerably shorter than his previous contract, the man is 36 years old and he could be done after another two seasons.
I’m sure that everyone hopes other top players will follow in Beckham’s footsteps and keep bringing in publicity and star talent into the league. Becks seems to be happy in LA and who knows which other stars will feel the same way. This signing could be the best thing that has happened to the Galaxy and MLS in a long time.
Interview With Red Bulls Draft Pick Christian Barreiro
In Tuesday’s MLS Supplemental Draft, the New York Red Bulls selected the University of Pennsylvania’s Christian Barreiro with the 12th pick in the third round. Not only was Barreiro a two-time All-Ivy League midfielder, the 5’7 Baltimore native was named first-team academic All-Ivy League in 2011 and is set to graduate the prestigious Wharton School of Business in May. SprungOnSports had the opportunity to contact Barreiro on such an important day in his young life.
SprungOnSports- Where were you when you found out the Red Bulls drafted you and what was going through your head?
Christian Barreiro- I was in my Finance class at Penn and I got a call by my agent. I had been tracking the Draft on my computer during class, but he called me before my name had popped up on the draft tracker. It was pure excitement when he told me that I had been selected by NYRB.
SOS- How have you been able to play soccer at such a high level while also attending such a demanding school like Wharton? Do you intend to pursue an MLS career while going forward with such a prestigious degree?
CB- For me, the key to balancing the two has been to have the utmost focus on the task at hand. When it’s class time, I am keen to focus on the concepts being conveyed. When it’s game time, all that I am concerned about is the match at hand. I am fully invested in my pursuit of an MLS career.
SOS- What was it like playing at the Combine last week with some of the most talented collegiate players in the country? Did you feel you held your own?
CB- It was a terrific experience to have been selected to attend the MLS Combine. It was great to play at such a high pace, and I know that the MLS will be even faster.
SOS- Have the Red Bulls reached out to you, and if so what did they anticipate your role would be going forward?
CB- I have talked to the team administrator already, but it was only about logistical things. I’m sure that we will discuss more soccer-related issues in the near future.
SOS- Who were your inspirations growing up in Baltimore that led you to a possible career at the MLS levels? Favorite players growing up?
CB- Having grown up in Baltimore, I was always exposed to the players of DC United like Marco Etcheverry, Jaime Moreno, Raul Diaz Arce, and Ben Olsen. However, I have also been fond of numerous Metrostars/NYRB players like Henry, Djorkaeff, Tab Ramos, Clint Mathis, etc. Internationally, my favorite player growing up had to be Xavi. The way that he conducts the midfield is unrivaled.
SOS- What would it be like playing with guys like Thierry Henry, Joel Lindpere and Juan Agudelo?
CB- It would be a tremendous experience to play with such big name players like Lindpere, Henry, and Agudelo. I watch the NYRB frequently and always admire their styles of play. It will be important to take any piece of advice that they may have and apply it, for they are such experienced professionals.
SOS- Where do you see yourself five years from now?
CB- I see myself hopefully in good health with years of MLS experience under my belt.
Reaction: A’s Acquire OF Smith in Deal With Rockies
The A’s and Rockies made agreed to a deal that would send OF Seth Smith to the Oakland in exchange for LHP Josh Outman and RHP Guillermo Moscoso.
Smith is the prototypical “Moneyball” player that Oakland GM Billy Beane covets. Although he has a career .348 OBP, Smith has shown patience at the plate over his five seasons in the big leagues. Smith should also provide some gap to gap power that could result in new career highs in doubles and triples. The problem Smith has had over his career is his inability to hit lefties. Smith has a .202/.269/.319 slash line over his career. In order to become a successful everyday player in this league, Smith must perform better versus left handed pitchers. If he does, this would be an excellent acquisition for the Athletics.
While the A’s probably acquired the more significant player in this deal, the Rockies received a pair of pitchers that should help solidify the backend of the rotation or bullpen. Josh Outman is a left handed pitcher who appeared in only 13 games last season (9 as a starter) after missing all of the 2010 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. It usually takes pitchers time to fully recover from Tommy John surgery so Outman’s 2011 numbers might be a bit misleading (3.70 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 5.4 K/ 9 IP) . Instead I would look toward is 2009 numbers (3.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 7.1 K/ 9 IP) and expect his numbers to fall somewhere in between those two seasons. If he fails to break the rotation, Outman has the chance to be a solid lefty reliever out of the bullpen. Moscoso is a RHP who performed well in his first full year last season. He could get a look as the fifth starter in Colorado, but can also be used as a long reliever out of the pen.
Overall this could turn out the be a good trade for both teams as the A’s were looking to improve their lineup and the Rockies were looking to add pitching depth, both in the rotation and bullpen. At the same time though, there are a lot of question marks surrounding all the players involved in this deal, but the reward could certainly outweigh the risk in this situation.
