New York Mets

We are pleased to welcome die-hard Met fans Chris Wendelken & Erika Jenson Smith to the MMO team. Chris and Jenson will take a lighthearted look at the New York Mets each Monday in their Mets Weekly videos which will be featured exclusively on Metsmerized. Win or lose, the two of them do a nice job of quickly recapping the week that was for the Mets in their own unique and entertaining style. We know you’ll enjoy them and come to look forward to each new episode… Follow Chris and Jenson on Twitter at @themetsweekly and you can subscribe to them on YouTube at youtube.com/themetsweekly.

Many people sent this in.The post Apparently Subway Series tickets on Groupon appeared first on The Mets Police.Related posts:The Subway Series is not sold out – and I don’t mean $1000 ticketsMets Offering Tickets Through GroupOnMets apparently giving away free tickets this weekend

Mets had an up and down week, ending on a high note Sunday afternoon with a comeback victory over the Chicago Cubs. What stood out: -       Mets starters posted four quality starts this week. Marcum, Hefner, Harvey and Niese all had good starts this week. Quality starts are admittedly a low standard for pitching performance, however, it was a good sign seeing the Mets put multiple quality starts together. Through Sunday the team is in the bottom ten of MLB with 19 quality starts, eight of which are Matt Harvey’s. Trend to follow: -       Daniel Murphy’s hitting. Entering the series versus the Cardinals, Murphy was 5/32 (.156 AVG) in May. Over the past week Murphy was 15/28 (.536 AVG). He also had a 1.41 OPS with two homeruns and a stolen base. What I liked: -       Wright’s all around play. Aside from Murphy, Wright is the only hitter keeping the Mets offense running, while also playing consistent defense and providing the intangibles of a captain. Wright is top three in every major hitting category for the Mets (R, H, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, BB, SB, AVG, SLG OPS and oWAR). -       Bobby Parnell’s early season dominance. Parnell doesn’t hit triple digits with his fastball anymore, but equipped with a nasty knuckle-curve he’s having the best season of his career. This week he finally got a few saves chances converting all three he was given, while only giving up one base runner in the process. -       Matt Harvey and the SI cover. I’m running out of ways to praise Harvey, so Tom Verducci at Sports Illustrated did it this week. -       Juan Lagares on Sunday afternoon. Lagares hasn’t done much at the plate since being called up, however, against the Cubs he hit a double and the game-tying home run leading the Mets to a comeback victory. -       Noah Syndergaard’s performance and future outlook. He has pitched a 2.62 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and a K/BB of 48/13 over 44 and a two-thirds innings. Already 54th on Baseball America’s top prospect list, Syndergaard seems to be a rising star at only 20 years of age. What I didn’t like: -       Ruben Tejada’s hitting. He’s 3-24 over the past week, almost Ike Davisesque. Tejada has been popping everything up, even his two hits Sunday afternoon were pop-fly singles. -       Ike Davis’ defense is starting to resemble his offense, and we all know how that looks. -       Scott Rice’s overuse. He is leading MLB in appearances and is going to fall back down to earth soon if the Mets don’t start spelling his usage. -       Rick Ankiel, why? Why was it necessary to sign an outfielder whom the lowly Astros cut? He had a good first week, and will probably play well this upcoming week, however, after that he will return to the career .240 hitter he is and waste a spot in the lineup that could go to young players with better potential. -       Robert Carson has given up at least run in six of his eight appearances. I don’t know what the Mets expected from Carson who had a career 4.22 ERA and 1.506 WHIP in the minors. -       Lack of options at Triple-A Las Vegas to supplement the bullpen. The top young pitchers at Triple-A have had terrible seasons including Josh Edgin, Greg Peavey, Darin Gorski. It will be interesting to follow the pitchers at Double-A Binghamton who are having better seasons to see if they will be promoted ahead of those at Triple-A, including Huchingson, Leathersich, Walters or Mazzoni. What to look for in the week ahead: -       I think Ike Davis just struck out again… Now will he be sent down? -       Mets are facing the toughest week of the year thus far. It will be telling how the Mets fair against the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves, two of the best teams in the league. -       Will any of the Mets hitters decide to show up and help Wright and Murph? -       Can Niese follow up his strong outing on Thursday with another good performance?   As Always Let’s Go Mets!

Lefty reliever Scott Rice tossed two scoreless innings to pick up the win against the Cubs on Sunday. It was his major league-leading 25th appearance of the season. Rice lowered his ERA to 3.05, and is now on pace for 99 appearances. That would surpass Pedro Feliciano‘s franchise mark of 92 games in 2010 and rank second all-time to Mike Marshall‘s 106 appearances for the Dodgers in 1974. That is one heck of a workload to say the least, and to think that it’s coming from a pitcher who has toiled for 14 years in the minors before finally getting his shot in the majors makes this all the more amazing. Rice, the 31 year old rookie, is proving to be the second best weapon in the Mets bullpen after closer Bobby Parnell. However, how long can he continue on this torrid pace before it all catches up to him and he begins to breakdown? “Right now it’s early enough in the year”, manager Terry Collins said. “We’ve tried to get him some days off. But he keeps pitching four out of five, it’s got to be a concern. We’ve got to certainly pick up some of the workload with somebody else.” Rice has no complaints and is enjoying every minute of his new-found life in the majors, but he also understands the risks. “If my arm is feeling fine, I’m going to go out there and throw,” Rice said. “I’m going to be smart, and I know my body. I know how to take care of myself and prepare myself to throw every day.” I’ve been pulling for Rice since back in Spring Training and was so glad for him when he made the team, but I never expected he would play such a significant role this season. Here’s to more great outings for this veteran rook, who definitely knows his place. He earned it the hard way.

The Juice returns for season No. 6! It’s almost eligible for free-agency! Stop by daily for news from the action, along with great photos, stats, video highlights and more. Miguel Cabrera doesn’t exactly need to remind us that he’s really, really good at hitting baseballs. Coming into Sunday’s game against the Texas Rangers, the reigning AL MVP and Triple Crown winner, already led baseball in batting average and RBIs. With an other-worldly display Sunday, the Detroit Tigers slugger showed why he’s a Triple Crown candidate again. He hit three homers, going 4-for-4 and driving in five runs. He now has 11 home runs, which is one behind the AL lead. But here’s the reality check: The Tigers still lost to the Rangers 11-8 in a matchup that many think we could see again come playoff time. The Rangers have the best record in baseball at 29-15, while the Tigers are in second in the AL Central at 23-19, behind the surging Cleveland Indians. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – New York Mets News

Over the past weekend, Bobby Parnell recorded two saves against the Cubs en route to a series win for the Mets. Even though the 2013 season is still young, Parnell has been flat out dominant. In fact, it is easy to make the case that he is on pace to be a part of the All Star team in July. @Rob_Zloto’s tweet after yesterday’s game had me reflecting on Parnell’s Mets career thus far: It’s a one run save and I didn’t feel nervous at all. I can’t recall ever feeling that with closer. Maybe with Wagner at first. #mets — Robert Z (@Rob_Zloto) May 19, 2013 Rob is absolutely correct. Unlike years past, the fan base has confidence in the closer getting the job done. In the past few years Frank Francisco and Francisco Rodriguez walked the tightrope every other outing. So far, Bobby Parnell hasn’t been in the same class as those guys. He has been on a level above. For the record, I hate the idea of a closer. I’m more from the school of thought that your best reliever should come into the game in the highest leverage situation. For example, if the heart of the opposing team’s order comes up in the 7th or 8th, that is when I believe your “relief ace” should be summoned into the game. Bullpen roles should be variable based upon match-ups and timing.  But anyways, since Terry Collins disagrees with me, let’s talk more about Parnell and the ninth. As a whole, Parnell has had an up and down career as a Met. He began as a starter in the minors, and then transitioned in a relief role. It’s hard to imagine, but Parnell is in his 5th full season as a reliever on this team. It feels like just yesterday he was throwing fastball after fastball after fastball to opposing hitters. Not to mention, when he first came up his fastball was quite a heater, but it was straight as can be. Parnell’s first full season as a big league reliever left a lot to be desired. A 5.30 ERA and a low strike out rate to be exact. The past three seasons have been a little different. Many fans are just starting to appreciate how strong of a pitcher Parnell is and can be, but check out his ERA’s over the past three seasons: 2010: 2.83, 2011: 3.64, 2012: 2.49. And so far this season in 19 games: 0.93. That is an impressive body of work over a four year span. Bobby Parnell has been scapegoated for many of the Mets bullpen woes the past few seasons, and that misguided reputation is due to a few late inning performances that involved some terrible luck. When the Mets first experimented with Bobby as the closer, they received some pretty poor results. There was one outing in specific against the Nationals where he was called on the save the game, and Valdespin made a costly error at shortstop that ultimately led to a blown save. After this game, I remember fans claiming that Bobby Parnell doesn’t have “the closer mentality”. The Closer Mentality? I don’t even believe that such a thing exists. Relief pitching is quite simple, either you can get outs, or you can’t. You do not need some kind of fancy mindset to pitch the ninth inning either, so I find it a waste of time to even try to determine who possesses this so called mentality, and who doesn’t. All I know is that Parnell is getting hitters out because he is throwing strikes, and he has downright filthy stuff. This years elite level performance from Parnell is a cultivation of years of adjustment and fine tuning. The 100 mph straight four seam fastball is now at 93-96 mph and Parnell can throw all over the zone, plus paint the corners with movement. That lazy slider that Parnell used to throw? Well now, thanks in large part to Jason Isringhausen, it’s a knuckle curveball that has nasty bite to it. I know it is an overused cliche, but Parnell went from being a thrower to becoming a pitcher. The most important lesson Mets fans need to learn from Parnell’s journey is that it sometimes take a littl

It doesn’t matter that Daniel Murphy hit the game-winning homer Sunday afternoon, or that he’s the Mets’ hottest hitter, he should be in the leadoff spot again Monday night at Citi Field. Because of Murphy’s high on-base percentage, batting him leadoff is something I have advocated, and I’m glad Terry Collins was thinking outside the box enough to make the move. “He gets on base, because he can hit,’’ Collins told ESPN.com. “And, when he’s swinging good, he can get some walks. We’ve got to get some people on ahead of David [Wright]. That’s for sure.’’Notice how Collins didn’t mention getting on base ahead of Ike Davis, but I guess he couldn’t say that with a straight face. Murphy is the seventh Met to hit leadoff this young season, and of the previous six, is there one who you can note with conviction that will be here next year? Ruben Tejada (12 times), Jordany Valdespin(10), Mike Baxter (eight), Collin Cowgill (seven),Justin Turner (two) and Kirk Nieuwenhuis (one) have all appeared without much success at the top or the order. Mets leadoff hitters have hit a major league low .185 with a 29th ranked .255 on-base percentage. Collins was non-committal on how long he’ll use Murphy leading off, but considering he’s a .300 hitter with a .337 on-base percentage, he doesn’t have better options. With their leadoff hitters and Davis, the Mets have two slots in the batting order hitting less than .200, and overall they have four positions in their regular lineup hitting below .240. Collins thought about Murphy hitting first during spring training, but then he had to come up with a center fielder and decide what to do with Tejada. Meanwhile, Murphy, because of his willingness to take a pitch, also seemed suited to hitting second. “I thought about it in spring training, to be honest, whether or not to lead Murph off,’’ Collins said. “We’ll just see how it goes. It might be something we’ve certainly got to consider as we get deeper into the season, because he can hit. “He gets on base. If he does that, certainly we’ve got to keep our options open with Murph being the leadoff hitter.’’ Murphy hitting first seems the way to go for now, but slotting him there doesn’t alleviate all of Collins’ concerns. Rick Ankiel can be an answer defensively in center field, but the outfield remains subpar. The Mets now need a No. 2 hitter, but because Tejada insists on hitting fly balls, he’s not an ideal fit there. Let’s face it, currently Murphy and Wright are the only hitters in the lineup who are reliable.

Some readers have become accustomed to the great minor league coverage here on Mets Merized Online over the past couple of months. Truth be told, the reason you have seen such an abundance of coverage lately was because we have been gearing up for something big… INTROUDUCING METSMINORS.NET!!! Mets Merized Online, was the first site to provide daily Mets minor league recaps in 2005, years before everyone else decided to join the party. After almost ten years of providing more prospect interviews and the most comprehensive coverage of the Mets minors you could find anywhere, we decided it was time for a new site dedicated solely to Mets Minor League coverage. In addition to individual daily recaps for each affiliate, we plan on providing you with over two dozen regular weekly features, detailed original player analysis, updated prospects rankings, a weekly Top Prospect Watch, daily updated statistics, exclusive player interviews, photo galleries, video and audio features, and so much more. In addition to the Mets minor league coverage, we have also assembled a five man team who will also focus solely on the MLB Draft. In short, our powerhouse staff is committed to providing Mets fans with a very unique and ultimate experience – a total experience that will be unmatched. Our goal is to be the best, and we are dedicated to achieving that with hard work, real insight and analysis, and an incredible stream of non-stop coverage that you, the Met fan, truly deserve. We reached out to the New York  Mets and they are excited for us as, and so are all of the players who have already reached out to us. And just like MMO revolutionized how Mets minor league coverage should be, MetsMinors.net is now ready to reach even greater heights and set the bar higher. Thoughts from Satish Ram So the Mets Minors Initiative, much like the Avengers Initiative, is out to do something special – and save some lives. You might be ready to call me over dramatic, but the amount of young talent the Mets have knocking on the door in their minor league system is a breath of fresh air compared to the current minor league product. Covering the minor leagues is a different animal than I’ve been used to - but I have to say I’ve loved every second of it. I took a lot of pride in being able to contribute whatever I could to the Mets Merized Minor League coverage – and MetsMinors.Net will be no different. I have no less than the utmost confidence in my two partners, Mitch and Matt, and the entire team that composes MetsMinors.Net. I also want to extend a little thank you to all of our consistent and educated readers here at Mets Merized and I hope that you follow us over to our new companion site, where we will aspire to provide you with the absolute best in Mets Minor League coverage. Thoughts from Matt Musico I’m incredibly excited to join the MMO family, and more specifically, MetsMinors.net. I’ve been searching for a while to find a site that covers the minor leagues in detail, and I didn’t think I’d actually end up being a part of it. This will be a great site that will be a one-stop shop for everything with regard to the Mets minor leagues. When I officially joined the initiative, I was stepping out of my comfort zone because I’ve never covered the minors in much detail, but working with Mitch and Satish have helped me adjust to my new role. I speak for us all when I say that we appreciate everyone who will be crossing over to read us in addition to all of the great content here on MMO. Your support and desire to get more minor league coverage helped make this happen, and we’re dedicated to bringing you everything that you’re asking for! So whether you are a fan who just wants to keep up with the big name prospects, or a fan who loves following everyone in the Mets minor league system extensively, MetsMinors.net is the site for you. As our slogan says: The Future of the Mets Begins Righ

Jack Leathersich is mowing down hitters this year. Photo courtesy of MMO contributor Gordon Donovan Last Night’s Quick Scores Las Vegas dropped to Omaha 4-3. Binghamton dropped Portland, 8-5. St. Lucie lost to Bradenton, 8-1. Savannah topped Augusta, 12-10.  Prospect Pipeline If you haven’t heard the news, Rafael Montero was brought up to Triple-A, and will be making a spot start with Las Vegas this week. With Zack Wheeler on the seven day DL, and Collin McHugh joining the Mets in Queens, they were short on arms. This is said to be a spot start, but we’ll see. Everyone will be watching to see how Montero does. Cesar Puello continues to hammer the ball. After three more hits in last night’s game, he has brought his season average up to .305. He also ranks second on Binghamton, with nine stolen bases this season (Alonzo Harris, 13). Jack Leathersich only had one strikeout last night in one inning (sarcasm). He now has 34 strikeouts on the year, which is more than a couple of starters, and only one less than Logan Verrett on the year. He has accumulated those 34 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched…ridiculous. Joe Bonfe was ripping last night. He went 4-for-4 at the plate and brought his season average up to .320. Playing in only his third game this season, Savannah catcher Nelfi Zapata homered and drove in five runs…wow. Andrew Brown, who appeared to be heading back to Flushing to play first base, had to leave yesterday’s game with an apparent oblique injury. Wilmer Flores homered last night for Las Vegas, and now has hit three out of his four home runs over the past ten games. Looks like the young infileder is starting to heat up a little bit. Stat Lines of the Day Cesar Puello: 3-for-5, 2 R, 1 SB Joe Bonfe: 4-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB Nelfi Zapata: 2-for-3, 1 HR, 2 BB, 5 RBI, 2 R Jeff Reynolds: 4-for-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 RBI, 1 R Transactions Rafael Montero to Las Vegas. Tweet of the Day  First rehab appearance of the season today! Been a long road. So glad to finally be back in a game today and get the season underway — John Mincone (@Jmincone) May 20, 2013

I missed this one during a busy week, but I don’t think it got much pickup in the blogosphere.  It’s a good long read from which I excerpt.  I wanted to excerpt the whole darn thing!And yet it’s worth asking if a better roster and an improved record would actually cure what ails these Mets. They have seen their average attendance dip in each of their first four seasons at Citi Field. It’s still early in 2013, but all indications show that attendance at Citi Field will dip down even further this season. Matt Harvey might be the team’s new golden child, but brilliance hasn’t been able to bump up ticket sales.…More importantly, interest in the Mets seems to be waning in New York, and many fans who identified strongly with the city’s “other team” have been turned off by the failure of the brand-driven, corporate identity the Mets took on in 2004, when they began a five-year free-agency assault under general manager Omar Minaya.…The Mets fan used to be the jealous, braying, and always doomed little brother in New York, and although none of these words is a particularly positive way to describe oneself, the Mets fan wore them with pride. It’s impossible to blame the Wilpon family and Omar Minaya for trying to drive up interest through high-priced free agents that would bring the team into a new era at Citi Field, but when the model of the Mets-as-Yankees failed and left the fans with nothing but a soulless husk of a stadium and a roster of minor leaguers and David Wright, a new, uglier disaffection set in.via The excellence of Matt Harvey and the misery of the Mets – Grantland.The post Must Read: The excellence of Matt Harvey and the misery of the Mets – Grantland appeared first on The Mets Police.Related posts:For Matt Harvey’s starts at least, Mets magic is back – NY Daily NewsHow Matt Harvey Became the Most Exciting Pitcher in Baseball – Allen Barra – The AtlanticDon’t buy this Matt Harvey Mets jersey