I decided to combine Travis and Jeff’s ideas, just to add to the fun.

Since current Cardinals GM John Mozeliak has not been the team’s GM for very long, I will be having a bit of both Mo and former GM Walt Jocketty. Today…

Best # 5: Adam Kennedy and Kent Bottenfield traded for Jim Edmonds (2000)

One of the best center fielders the Cards have ever had

At the time Jim Edmonds was traded to the Cardinals in 2000, he was a great center fielder. By the time he was done being a Cardinal in 2008, Jim accomplished a lot. In 8 seasons with the team, he played 1,105 games, had 3,968 at bats, and hit 241 home runs. Jim had his best season with the Redbirds in 2004, in which he hit .301, had 42 home runs and knocked in 111. Jimmy Baseball also made one of his most memorable catches that season, in which he robbed Jason LaRue of a home run in center (I was at that game and had a great view of that catch, and it is still the best I’ve seen to this day).

Worst # 5: Signing Adam Kennedy and his second stint with the team (2007)

Not so good the 2nd time around.

Adam Kennedy had once been a good prospect for the Cardinals when they traded him for Jim Edmonds in 2000.  Adam spent 6 years in Anaheim, winning a World Series with the team in 2002. When Kennedy returned to St. Louis in 2007, fans were hoping that he would be what he had been in prior years. And oh boy, were they wrong! Kennedy had a miserable year in 2007, batting just .219 (hitting 61 times in 279 at bats) while hitting only 3 home runs and knocking in 18 (all in 87 games). It was arguably the worst year of his career. He was slightly better in 2008, hitting .280, hitting 2 long balls and 36 RBIs. Kennedy was good defensively, but he is arguably coming off the worst offensive years in his career. The Cardinals cut him just a short while ago, and he recently signed with Tampa Bay on a minor league deal.

I felt like following in the foot steps of our Giants writer Travis, and making a bit of a countdown over the next 5 days. I will however take the opposite approach, and bring to light some of the better things Mr. Omar Minaya has done for the New York Mets Organization.

I know there are also the negatives to focus on, but I chose to shift gears to the positive for good reason…Us Mets fans need to hear positive things right now! Plain and simple…the last two years stung really bad, so let’s just stay positive for the time being.

Coming in at number 5 on the list of good moves by Minaya came in 2006 when he opten against the signing of Barry zito.

Back in 2006, Barry Zito was the most coveted starting pitcher on the free agent market. Zito was only 28 at the time and many teams believed that Zito’s best days were still ahead of him. The Mets made a good run at Zito, but intelligently and thankfully, GM Omar Minaya refused to go beyond 5 years on Zito.

Let’s take a look at what good ole’ Zito has done since:

 Year Ag Tm  Lg  W   L   G   GS  CG SHO  GF SV   IP     H    R   ER  HR   ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP

 2007 29 SFG NL  11  13  34  33   0   0   0  0  196.7  182  105   99  24   4.53  4.44   98 1.347
 2008 30 SFG NL  10  17  32  32   0   0   0  0  180.0  186  115  103  16   5.15  4.38   85 1.600

Granted, besides the whole sub-par numbers in San Fransisco, I saw
little to no benefit coming out of bringing on this head case.
I mean we already have "Olly" to deal with. 

In the end, I respect Minaya for standing his ground and not going
beyond the 5 years offered. Of course Peterson felt like  he could
fix anyone, but Zito's glory days in Oakland are long  gone, and in
retrospect it worked out for the Mets.

Hopefully, Konerko can bring back his 2005 form.

Once again, first base will be occupied by the face of the franchise for a long time, Paul Konerko. Konerko’s stats have been declining the past few years, but on such a young team, his leadership could be valuable to the club.

Konerko’s statistics over the past few years have been declining……too much. Look at his batting average, RBI, and home run totals go down since 2005:

2005: .283/100 RBI/40 home runs
2006: .313/113 RBI/35 home runs
2007: .259/90 RBI/31 home runs
2008: .240/62 RBI/22 home runs 

However, Konerko played only 122 games last year, compared to the 150 games he played previously, causing his totals to come down a bit. But, do you think that he would get 28 RBI in 30 more games? Possible,  but, he wasn’t consistent enough for those numbers. As Konerko gets older (33 at the start of the season), it seems his numbers are moving down, and he is past his prime. He is painfully slow, and has trouble getting around the bases to score. But, if you look at the positives that Konerko brings to the club, it makes up for his poor statistics.

With the White Sox in a “youth movement”, one thing that is always appreciated is some veteran leadership. And Konerko fits that criteria perfectly! This guy is a quiet leader, and doesn’t get recognition for the role he plays in the clubhouse. He takes blame when the heat is on him. Ozzie Guillen says no one is more disappointed about getting out than Konerko. And if he gets out, he will work harder to get on base. His work ethic and quiet leadership make him a great part of the team, that will assist the younger players in the future!

Also, Konerko struggles in the early months of the season yearly. As the weather heats up, so does he. In fact, he was a key reason in Chicago’s run to the playoffs. Prior to the All-Star Break, Konerko was standing at a mere .217 average with only 9 homers. After the All-Star Break, he was back up to .270, and had 13 homers. I know that those stats aren’t too impressive. But if he put up those same stats that he did in the first-half of the season, would the White Sox have made the playoffs?

I think Konerko will pull through well this year. He is the guy I want to see at first base for the South Side this year, and his presense on the field and in the clubhouse will be appreciated.

Man, how could I have forgotten / overlooked Sabean’s truly awful decision in ‘03 to trade Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan for A.J. Pierzynski?  Maybe my subconscious shielded this horrible event from memory to protect me from the emotional trauma of reliving all these Sabean fumbles?

In any case, this one belongs somewhere in the top 3 of the list.  My apologies.

MLB Trade Rumors has some excellent analysis on the insanity of this Sabean “move.”

Finishing off my list of the top five Sabean bust “moves” (or lack thereof) …

#2- Barry Zito

This is such an obvious bust that I almost don’t even want to insult anyone’s intelligence by explaining it.  Let’s just say that the writing was on the wall (before Sabean pulled the trigger) that Zito was not the same guy that won the AL Cy Young.  It’s beyond baffling that Sabean made a pitcher with sub-mediocre velocity the richest in MLB history at $126-million.  But SEVEN YEARS to boot?  Granted, no one could have predicted just how awful Zito was going to become.  But again, this was a move that had Giants fans scratching their heads as soon as it happened.  That $18-mil per season could’ve gone towards a lot of other gaps in this team, and it’s basically now just a write-off.  SF Chronicle Giants reporter Henry Schulman reported today that Zito was throwing BP and showing “great control.”  What’s new here?  That Zito’s throwing BP to the Giants instead of the other team?  It must be easier to spot your pitches when they’re only 72 MPH.  I hope for all of our sakes that Zito’s worst Giants years are behind him, and that somehow he can Jamie Moyer his career back into shape (i.e., learn how to be a finesse / junk pitcher with mental toughness).  Nothing would make me happier than to see the guy pull a David Copperfield and somehow get his career back on track.

And a surprise #1- NOT ONCE protecting Bonds with a big bat in the lineup

Ok, looking at Sabean’s “moves” objectively, Zito’s contract should be at the #1 spot here.  But what bothers me most as a Giants fan is the sub-mediocre offensive talent that Sabean put around Bonds in the lineup during the peak years of his career.  Look at teams like the Mets, with Wright, Beltran, Reyes and Delgado.  As a Giants fan, it’s a foreign concept to see such a star-studded offensive lineup.  And when you look back at Bonds turning freaking Jeff Kent into the NL MVP, you gotta wonder what might have been if Sabean had ever put even one legit offensive superstar into that lineup either in front of or behind Barry Bonds.  Rewind back to the early ’00’s – before Bonds’ steroid use was known.  All that was known at that time was that this guy was off the charts in his productivity.  The combination of on base percentage and power numbers was unreal.  But just look at the weakness of the guys batting before and after Bonds year after year, during the peak / twilight of his career:

2001
#2- Rich Aurilia
#3- Bonds
#4- Kent

2002
#2- Aurilia
#3- Bonds
#4- Sanders

2003
#3- Aurilia
#4- Bonds
#5- Alfonso

2004
#3- Tucker
#4- Bonds
#5- Alfonzo

2006
#3- Durham
#4- Bonds
#5- Alou

Rich freaking Aurilia batting in front of the all-time HR king all those years?  Michael freaking Tucker?  A fat and declining Edgardo freaking Alfonso batting behind him?  WTF?!  This was so frustrating to experience as a fan.

In 2003 and 2004, Bonds had 45 HRs in each year (and avg 25 doubles), and yet only 90 and 101 RBIs in each of those years, respectively.  That is amazing to think about – that a guy could have that many HRs and extra base hits and yet that relatively few RBIs when batting in the cleanup spot.

Bonds’ steroid use is a separate issue, and is really after the fact anyway.  I’ve just been disgusted as a Giants fan (in this era of huge free agent spending, big market teams) to repeatedly see the Giants NOT get a single legit super star year after year, during the peak of Bonds’ career.  The Yankees get A-Rod.  The Angels get Vlad.  The Tigers get Magglio.  The Mets get Beltran. The list goes on and on of the awesome offensive players that Sabean repeatedly did NOT get.  How is this possible, when the Giants are in a big market and consistently are hovering around the top five in MLB attendance?

It takes a real incompetent GM.

Btw, other “notable blunders” that did not make this list:

• Sidney Ponson (this guy was a disaster)
• Ryan Klesko (did Sabean lose a bet to Bruce Bochy?)
• Omar Vizquel (would have been a great pickup if the Giants were a baseball museum and not a team)
• Ray Durham (totally overpaid him based on historical performance)

Soriano can still run

Just days after Lou Piniella suggested that Alfonso Soriano might drop down the line-up, it has been commented that it would be ‘improbable’ that Soriano hits anywhere but the 1 spot. However the Cubs are set to experiment this Spring with different lead-off hitters. Lou has stated all Winter that his regulars will be getting some extra days off, a lead-off man is needed when Soriano takes to the bench, the likely candidates being Ryan Theriot and Aaron Miles.

Soriano reacted to the news by saying:

“I’m very happy — happy at how I feel [physically],” Soriano said. “I think [Piniella] saw me running, and he knows I can be the guy I was in 2001, 2002. I feel very good right now.”

Both seasons saw Soriano swipe 40 or more bases, so can Soriano swipe 40 again? i seem to think that he won’t, he has battled leg problems for the past two years, and putting pressure on him to run might not be the best thing. Although if Soriano want’s 40 bases and is healthy, he may well get them.

When Lou was asked about the possible line-up for 2009 he replied that he was leaning towards a lineup of  Soriano, Miles, Lee, Bradley, Ramirez, Fukudome, Soto and Theriot. That is one strong line-up if you ask me, left handers, right handers,  power patience and speed.

This should be obvious to Lew Wolff! Just look around! Why Fremont? You really think that the fan base will just love you if you build a nice stadium and slap a corporate name on their like “Cisco Field”? I don’t think so!

I dont think so!

This ball-club has moved too much. They have been too Kansas City and Philly. They have built up some history in Oakland, so why move? Walter Haas is rolling in in grave (RIP Walter).

Here is solution Mr. Wolff: Use your b-r-a-i-n

I guarantee that 90% of your fan base will not be happy, and 30% will become Giants fans!

Here are some good options, with out moving away from Oakland

1. Buy Out Golden Gate Fields

This place has no future, they just want somebody to take it away. Wolff, buy this place, it is perfect! It is right on the San Francisco bay, just as easy to get there as getting to the Colosseum, and the fans would be happy!

2.  Spruce up the Old Yard

Everybody knows how bad the A’s park is. It is shared with the Raiders, not good. Trust me, Candlestick park was bad enough. If the Wolff could work out a agreement with Al Davis (shivers) they could fork up the money to fix up the park! They could make is look nice.

Im sure there are more solutions out there, so please, leave a comment, I would love to hear about what you have to say.

-Harrison

As you may know I love this team.

But now that Mike Jacobs is gone I have to find someone else to rip on.

Jeremy Hermida is that guy.

He just might want to kill me

The “can’t miss” prospect hit .273 with a .369 OBP in ’07. Then he followed it up with .243 & .323 last year.

After an ‘08 season where the Marlins established a team record for home runs Hermida said this…

“It’s easy to kind of just try to go along with that. You see that and you get out of your approach a little bit. My approach is being a gap-to-gap guy. I’m trying to do that.”

Trying!?!

He also said he’s never watched game film, “Ever”. But will start this sesason.

“I was always capable of going out there and making adjustments on the fly. But at this level, with the advanced scouting, you have to be a little more prepared with what they’re trying to do with you.”

Unacceptable. You are not Roger Maris.

It seemed like if he wasn’t losing the ball in the sun, or popping up / striking out with men on base he was “trying” to hit a home run, but instead knocking some kid in the face with a foul ball.

Last season Hermida was Mike Jacobs, minus the homerun power.

So now the Marlins are moving him from left field to right (where he will have more chances to F up) to improve their team defence.

What?

At least the sun won’t be in his eyes.

Hi Everybody, my name is Jeff Gross and I will be covering the Mets during this 2009 baseball season. As some of you may know, I am also the site founder, and I would first like to make a statement about this site as a whole.

I just wanted to use this space to give my complete appreciation to the other authors on this site, and fans of baseball in general. It’s the fans that make the game. The conversations, debates, camaraderie, and the overall emotions that go into being a fan of a sport truly make it something incredible to be a part of. This is the exact purpose of the website here at MajorLeagueBlogging.com – It’s a place for fans to interact and be a part of a community that is chocked full of other enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans. So I encourage everyone to enjoy the site, comment, interact, and get involved!

Seriously, baseball is one of my biggest passions, and in the past few years I have really started to get completely engulfed in the world of Major League Baseball. In essence, that is why I started this blog. There really was no place for me to vent, brag, or otherwise get my thoughts out about the sport. I also figured there were others like me who wanted to do the same. This site was born on the foundation of true fans who have nothing but appreciation and love for the sport as a whole.

Ok, so a little about me: I am 24 years old and I live on Long Island. As you might have guessed I am a lifetime Mets fan, as is my mother and father. We do have a split household though, my brother and sister…both Yankees fans! My fiance WAS too but she is in the process of being converted.

For me watching the Mets has always been an awesome experience. We all know they have their ups and downs like all teams, but in the end they have brought me far more happiness than sadness. I know, I know, it has been tough the last few years for us Mets fans, but I am very confident that this year will be better overall.

We have a revamped bullpen, a new stadium, and I feel an overall better team. So just to let you all know, I will be posting a player by player rundown over the next few weeks. I plan on breaking down each position the best I can, and give some insights on some of the players and their potential impact on the team this season. I will also try to keep you Mets fans out there up to date with all of the up to date news and stories surrounding the Mets and their training camp.

Oh yeah, and there is also a chance that we may have some guest bloggers of some notoriety chiming in every so often about the New York Mets…more on this later.

 The Dodgers are apparently now in talks with free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson.  Hudson has reportedly lowered his asking price from $10 million since, with todays market, there are no teams willing to pay that for him. 

Colletti told dodgers.com that he wasn’t necessarily looking to replace Blake DeWitt, but more or less looking at options.  The article on dodgers.com said if Manny doesn’t sign we could always use Hudson at second, move DeWitt to third, and Casey Blake to left. 

Personally, I would like the signing, as Hudson is a proven second baseman, a 2 time gold glove, and he can hit.  Last year Hudson hit .305 while only playing in 107 games due to an injury, but if you look at his stats, his average has gotten better every year.  I don’t know how much I would like the musical chairs of players, especially since, if Manny doesn’t sign, we have a perfectly healthy Juan Pierre to play left, and while he doesn’t add the power that even Blake has, he has batting average and speed.

Ideally, we could sign both Hudson and Manny and have an even better offense than last year.  I’d like to see Hudson as an everyday 2B and let DeWitt and Blake fight it out for 3B/utility IF.  Granted, there would be many options that Torre could look into with this signing, and would be nice to add another bat to our lineup.