Blogging Mets

A report on Tuesday claims the Mets are considering demoting half of their starting infield as well as arguably their most promising outfielder to the minors.

Artist’s depiction of Sandy Alderson banishing players to minors.

Speculation has been running rampant that Ike Davis could be banished to Las Vegas. It would not be unwarranted; after all, he is batting .152 with four home runs and nine RBIs to go along with 48 strikeouts. Even during his first half struggles last season Davis’s batting average was never this low.

But now the Daily News reports that those pesky “team sources” who apparently don’t like seeing their name in print say the Mets are also considering demoting Ruben Tejada and Jordany Valdespin.

Tejada is hitting just .213. But he does have nine doubles and hey, he has one more RBI than Davis. However his .278 on-base percentage just won’t cut it for someone who is supposed to hit at the top of the lineup and get on base consistently. After a rough start in the field in which he rang up six errors in the first couple of weeks of the season, he has settled down and has become more reliable. Still though, his seven errors are tied for the most of any shortstop in baseball. He had 12 errors all of last season.

Valdespin is hitting just .218 with three home runs and 11 RBIs. His demotion has more to do with his much documented off-the-field immaturity problems than what he is doing between the lines.

I think all three demotions would be a mistake, for the simple reason that the Mets do not have anyone better than Davis, Tejada and Valdespin ready to go in the minors. Anyone they bring up will not likely perform any better.

In Davis’s case, he has shown the ability to break out of his slumps at the major league level; just give him the chance to do it again. It’s not like Davis is getting in the way of the Mets contending for a playoff spot.

Tejada also deserves a chance to work things out.

As for Valdespin, will a trip to the minors really make him more mature? If he didn’t grow up after last season in which he apparently had similar problems, what makes the Mets think he will get any better now? The Mets would be better off just trading him (if there is any market for him at all) and be done with him. Such a move will come back to haunt the Mets because I think Valdespin will be a solid player, but if the Mets brass does not like Valdespin as much as it appears, Sandy Alderson should just end it now.

Actually there are probably around 15 players on the Mets who warrant a demotion. Why pick on just these three guys?

What do you do when you have 15 minutes or so to fill and you have to talk about one of the worst teams in the league? The Mets may be bad, but fortunately there is always something interesting go on in the circus in Flushing, so Phil and I had no problem filling the time on the most recent edition of “The Phil Naessens Show.”

While the Mets reside in a replica of a long-gone stadium in which they never played, their history in the Polo Grounds is all but forgotten. The Mets played in the New York Giants abandoned home for two years until Shea Stadium was ready in 1964. Here are some photos of the Mets in their original home.

Polo Grounds exterior.

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Original Mets Frank Thomas, Gil Hodges, Don Zimmer & Roger Craig jump for joy; it was obviously before the season began!

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Opening Day on 4/13/62.

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The official 1962 team photo. Why is no one looking at the camera?!

Riding a four-game losing streak, the Mets were facing a pitcher on Tuesday making his major league debut. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to get back to winnings ways. Well, the by the time the feeble Mets offense got to him, it was a case of too little, too late because the Cardinals potent offense was busy destroying Mets pitching.

John Buck can talk to Dillon Gee all he wants, but it didn’t help Mets avoid 5th straight loss.

The Cardinals jumped all over Dillon Gee in the first. Matt Carpenter led off with a walk. Carlos Beltran hit a grounder to Ike Davis. He tried to throw to second base to start a double play; instead he hit Beltran with the throw and the error put runners on first and third. Matt Holliday doubled just over the outstretched glove of Juan Lagares in center to score Carpenter and move Holliday to third. Allen Craig singled and just like that it was 3-0 before Gee could record an out. Gee was able to get out of the inning without allowing any more runs.

A single and a walk put runners on first and second with one out in the fourth. Pete Kozma singled past Justin Turner, in at short in a desperate attempt for offense, to plate one run to make it 4-0. After starter John Gast struck out trying to sacrifice for the second out, Carpenter singled to right to extend the Cardinals lead to 5-0. Beltran then singled up the middle to score another run — 6-0 Cards.

Gee lasted four miserable innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits with three walks and five strike outs. He is now 2-5 with a 6.13 ERA.

Robert Carson was even worse. He walked the first two batters in the fifth, including Gast who was trying to sacrifice. After getting one out, Beltran hit a blast into the second deck in left field. The 437-foot home run made it a 9-0 game.

With one out in the sixth Daniel Murphy singled. David Wright walked and John Buck singled to left to score Murphy and put runners on first and third. Lucas Duda hit a sharp grounder to the first baseman. He stepped on first for the second out and Buck was hung up between first and second. However the Cardinals botched the rundown and Buck was safe at second. Wright also scored on the play to make it 9-2. That extended the inning, and that was bad news for Gast because Marlon Byrd took him deep to cut the lead to 9-4.

Carson was back on the mound for the bottom of the sixth, and he was no better in his second inning of work. Jon Jay hit a ball over the wall that was just out of the reach of Lagares to make it 10-4. Carson’s ERA now stands at 12.00. That is not good.

Mets lose their fifth straight, 10-4.

Scott Atchison has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with bone spurs in his pitching elbow. Collin McHugh was recalled from Las Vegas to take his place in the bullpen.

Atchison got off to a solid start with the Mets, but he has given up runs in five of his past nine appearances as his ERA has risen to 4.50.

McHugh has been pitching well in Triple-A — he is 3-2 with a 2.74 ERA in eight starts. Last season with the Mets he went 0-4 with a 7.59 ERA in eight games, half of them as a starter.

It will be interesting to see what happens if McHugh pitches well and Jeremy Hefner, Dillon Gee or Shaun Marcum continue to struggle. It is conceivable, as well as justifiable, that Collin McHugh could take the place of one of them.

I’m not sure exactly what this Mets video is, but it is billed as a Coke commercial. It shows some guy (probably an actor) on the field at Shea Stadium wearing a Frank Howard jersey greeting the real Frank Howard, then giving batting tips to someone who may be Mike Jorgensen. It was likely shot in 1982 or 83, the only years Howard and Jorgensen overlapped.

The Mets bullpen has allowed more runs than any pen in the National League. It was at it again Monday night in St. Louis, turning a tie game into a Cardinal victory as the Mets dropped their fourth straight game.

Rick Ankiel went 0-3 in his Mets debut, but scored in the 2nd after walking.

Jeremy Hefner got hit hard in the first inning. He walked leadoff batter Matt Carpenter and retired Carlos Beltran on a long fly to center. Matt Holliday hit a bullet up the middle to put runners on first and second. Allen Craig hit a ground rule double to score Carpenter and put Holliday at third. Yadier Molina walked to load the bases. John Jay hit a sacrifice fly that scored Holliday to make it 2-0. But for some reason Craig tried to tag up and was tagged out to end the inning when David Wright cut off the throw. Hefner was lucky to get out of the inning surrendering just two runs; he can thank Craig for that.

The Mets took the lead in the second thanks to an old friend and some shoddy defense. Two walks put runners on first and second and with two outs Daniel Murphy hit a line drive to right. Beltran seemed to have it lined up but it went right past his glove. He may have lost it in the sun. Whatever the reason, it went for a double and both runs scored tie the game at two. David Wright then hit a slow grounder up the middle. The speedy Wright was going to be safe, but shortstop Daniel Descalso booted the ball, allowing Murphy to score to give the Mets a 3-2 lead. No error was called on the play.

But Hefner could not hold it. Two singles and a sacrifice put runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the second. Carpenter singled to score one run to make it 3-3. Hefner walked Beltran to load the bases but then got Holliday to bounce into a double play to end the inning.

It looked like it was going to be a slugfest, but both Hefner and Cardinals stater Lance Lynn settled down and neither of them gave up any more runs. Hefner ended up going six innings, allowing the three runs on five hits, with two strikeouts and four walks. Lynn lasted seven innings and 124 pitches. He allowed his three runs on four hits, with seven strikeouts and five walks.

With one out in the seventh, Ty Wigginton hit a liner to center off of Scott Rice. Ankiel initially froze and then came in. He dove but the ball bounced out of his glove. It was a catch the fine fielder should have made. Instead, Wigginton had a double. Carpenter then hit a shot that bounced off of Rice’s foot. Rice and John Buck both ran into foul territory between home and first to field it. Wigginton took advantage of the fact that no one was covering home and hustled around to score to break the tie and give the Cardinals a 4-3 lead. Scott Atchison came on and Holliday greeted him with a two run home run to make it a 6-3 game. He then allowed a single and a ground rule double and his night was done. Greg Burke, just back from the minor leagues where he was banished after pitching to a 7.36 ERA in seven April appearances with the Mets, got a strikeout to end the inning.

Mets lose 6-3.

Terry Collins said that newly signed Rick Ankiel will platoon in center field along with Juan Lagares. It seems like the Mets are doing whatever they can to limit Jordany Valdespin’s playing time.

Mets don’t like Jordany Valdespin.

After Kirk Nieuwenhuis flopped, it was assumed Valdespin would replace him as the lefty half of any platoon in center. But now Ankiel comes in, and Valdespin is back to the bench. Collins said Valdespin get some time at second base if Daniel Murphy, another lefty, continues to struggle, according to ESPNNewYork.com.

It is clear that the Mets hierarchy just does not like Jordany Valdespin. He was ticketed for Las Vegas even before Spring Training began, but he forced his way onto the team with a solid spring. His numbers are not great — .239, but three home runs and 11 RBIs in limited action — but he has gotten some key hits.

Perhaps the Mets can justify it by saying Valdespin is more valuable off the bench as a pinch hitter than a starter. He was very effective as a pinch hitter last season with five home runs.

Jordany Valdespin has unfortunately continued his immature ways and it appears to rub his teammates and the organization the wrong; no one defended him when he was plunked over the weekend after admiring a home run the night before. Maybe we don’t know everything. Maybe Jordany Valdespin is far worse in the clubhouse and deserves to be punished.

All fans know is that this team is terrible and that Jordany Valdespin is exciting and appears to have some potential, unlike the rest of the team. And by all indications, the Mets are going out of their way to make sure Valdespin remains planted on the bench.

Why don’t the Mets just dump Valdespin if they hate him so much? I’m sure he’ll have no problem finding a job with another team.

The Mets have signed Rick Ankiel and he will start in center field Monday night against the Cardinals. Andrew Brown was sent down to make room for him.

Mets will try Rick Ankiel in center field.

Ankiel was released from the Astros — the Astros!! — last week after batting .194 with five home runs and 11 RBIs in 62 at bats. He also struck out a whopping 35 times. His numbers will fit in nicely with those of Ike Davis and Lucas Duda.

Ankiel, of course, started his career as a pitcher and had an excellent rookie year for St. Louis that culminated in the playoffs against the Mets in 2000 when he suddenly forgot how to throw the ball. He reinvented himself as an outfielder and his comeback was the feel-good story of 2007. However those good feelings went away when it was revealed that he had received a shipment of HGH.

Rick Ankiel hit 25 and 11 home runs in 2008 and 2009, respectively, but hasn’t topped 10 homers since. The 33-year-old Ankiel is a solid defensive outfielder with a rocket for an arm.

It should be noted that his Astros teammates were very upset when he was released; apparently he was a leader in the clubhouse.

This isn’t a terrible move by the Mets. Really, they have nothing to lose. The Mets shouldn’t expect anything in the way of a high batting average from Rick Ankiel, but if he can hit a home run every now and then and provide good defense, then he’s no worse than anyone else the Mets have tried in the outfield.

There was an episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond” in which Ray confronts a sports talk show host who doesn’t like him. The guy says that he’s read his writing and heard him speak and “I just don’t get it.” Why am I mentioning a scene from a sitcom that’s been off the air for nearly 10 years? Well, aside from the fact that the show was rich with Mets mentions and memorabilia, the line from that host is the way I feel about Shin-Soo Choo, who has been mentioned as a possible target for the Mets in free agency after this season.

Shin-Soo Choo on the Mets? Why?

I will start out by saying that I am not an expert on Shin-Soo Choo. I’m sure I’ve seen him play a few times over the years, but there was nothing memorable about him. In cases like this I turn to statistics, and they’ve never let me down.

Remember how everybody was clamoring for the Mets to sign Cody Ross this past off season? I wrote that based on his stats, it would be a mistake. The Diamondbacks gave him three years, $26 million. How’s he doing so far? — how about one home run and 10 RBIs, and that’s in a ballpark that is a haven for homers.

Back to Shin-Soo Choo. People have been talking for years about this guy like he is the second coming of Ted Williams or something. A look at his stats proves otherwise. Prior to this season Choo has basically played five years and two of them have been shortened by injury. So he has only played three full seasons. In those seasons he has hit more than 20 home runs twice and never had 100 RBIs. He topped out at 90 in 2010.

This is not to say he can’t hit — he hit exactly .300 in two of his full seasons. It is his ability to get on base that people seem to like. He can take the alleged all-important walk; he was eighth in the American League in walks in 2010 with 83 (it should be noted that someone named Daric Barton lead the league that season with 110 walks, and who the hell is Daric Barton?!). His .401 on-base percentage that year was fourth.

Choo was dealt to the Reds this past off season and now he is batting leadoff. His 25 walks are tied with David Wright for second in the league and he leads the way with a .451 OBP. He is also batting .309 and has seven home runs in the bandbox that is Great American Ballpark.

On the downside, Choo strikes out a ton (150 times last season) and is apparently a terrible defensive outfielder (he is playing center field this season after primarily being in right).

So there is certainly nothing wrong with Shin-Soo Choo; it’s just I don’t think he is worthy of all the praise that is constantly being heaped upon him as if he is one of the top hitters in the game. You know what is more telling to me? The fact that not only did the Indians trade him, they are paying nearly half of his $7.375 million salary this season. How good can this guy be if Cleveland paid three and a half million bucks to get rid of him?

Those numbers dwarf what Choo will likely command as a free agent. Scott Boras is his agent, so you know he will demand, and probably get, a massive contract. He will likely be compared to such recent free agent leadoff hitters as Michael Bourn (who got $12 million per season from those same Indians) and Shane Victorino (hitting second for the Red Sox but a leadoff type who got $13 million per season).

Choo is probably a better hitter than those overpriced guys, so you’d have to guess that he’ll get upwards of $15 million per season on a long-term contract from one dumb owner. He also turns 31 in July, so it is safe to say that we’ve seen the best from Shin-Soo Choo.

Shin-Soo Choo is a decent hitter, certainly better than anyone the Mets currently have in the outfield. He would fit nicely in the Mets lineup, but only at a reasonable price (right around what he’s currently making) and only for two or three years. I really hope Sandy Alderson will not be seduced by Choo’s on base percentage and walks and sign him to a huge contract. He is not a difference maker who would warrant such a deal. Perhaps the Wilpons cheapness will actually be a positive in this case.