Here at Mets360 we write about the team every day and we do it without access to the players. This has its advantages and disadvantages and it is silly to pretend otherwise. Having first-hand quotes gives stories a legitimacy that they would not have otherwise and frequently there is value to the insight given by players.
But we do not have to play favorites nor hope that player X is in a good mood and actually says something worthwhile. Also, not having the “crutch” of the go-to quote forces us to look other places for stories, where we frequently wind up with, in my opinion, much better articles.
Plus, having spent some time in clubhouses ranging from the high school level to the pros in baseball, basketball and football – I can tell you it’s not fun. My last clubhouse experience was getting big-timed by the Nets’ Deron Williams, who made me and about 20 other people wait forever, just because he could. You are a prince among men, Deron – don’t ever change.
Still, I would like to hear the answers to these questions:
Ike Davis – Why the big home/road split? The new dimensions were supposed to help Davis but so far not so much. H: .064/.120/.064 for a .184 OPS. R: .283/.327/.500 for an .827 OPS.
R.A. Dickey – Do you think you’ll become the first pitcher in team history and the first knuckleball pitcher in nearly 40 years (Phil Niekro, 1973) to throw a no-hitter?
Lucas Duda – What are LHP doing differently to you this year? In 2012, Duda has a .441 OPS versus southpaws compared to a .715 mark last year.
Daniel Murphy – Where has the power gone? Murphy’s .065 ISO is essentially half of last year’s .128 mark, which was significantly lower than the .161 mark he had in 2009.
Jonathon Niese – There were some trade rumors involving you in the offseason and then you signed an extension without a no-trade clause. What did the Mets tell you about those trade rumors and why not get the NTC?
Kirk Nieuwenhuis – Why did people question your defense in minors?
Bobby Parnell – How does it feel to be the team’s best reliever after the focus of the offseason was to improve the bullpen?
Jon Rauch – Whose idea was it for you to throw more sliders this year?
Johan Santana – Did you ever imagine you would miss a year, have the slowest fastball of your life and have the best K/9 (9.87) of your time with the Mets?
Ruben Tejada – How are you destroying LHP this year? Forget for a moment the .548 BABIP versus lefties – Tejada has a .150 ISO versus southpaws, thanks to six doubles in 40 AB.
Josh Thole – What’s the secret to getting good results from Dillon Gee? In 26 starts with Thole behind the plate, Gee has 3.23 ERA and a .669 OPS allowed. In nine starts with Ronny Paulino, those numbers are 7.16 and .837, and in four starts with Mike Nickeas, they are 4.88 and .915, respectively.
David Wright – What are you doing differently on defense? In the early going, Wright has a .983 fielding percentage, the best mark of his career. The advanced metrics also see a marked improvement. Wright checks in exactly average in Defensive Runs Saved, a nice upgrade from his double-digit negative numbers in his last two full seasons. UZR/150 has him at 1.8, after he notched a -16.4 rate last year.
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I’m sure some of these questions have been asked, with the Dickey one being the most likely. If you have seen the answers to these, or similar questions, please post a link in the comments section.
Re Wright: On yesterday’s broadcast on SNY they brought up the subject and stated that Teufel worked with Wright on his footwork and also noticed that many times Wright would tap before throwing which would then put him in poor throwing position.
Re Dickey: He thinks he will throw a no hitter each time out. (quoted in numerous NY media)
Re Murphy: After sleeping on it, you are right that Murphy is too much to give up for Davis. One reason has nothing to do with sabermetics: he is a team leader in the clubhouse and a hard working example on the field.
Thanks Metsense!
I did catch the bit where they talked about Teufel’s influence on Wright. He also worked a lot with Murphy, too, and has kept him from getting wiped out so far. Did you catch that “in the neighborhood” play Murphy did at 2B yesterday? He had to be 5 feet off the bag. Looked like a 10-year pro pulling that one off…
Oh, some good ones in there! My take:
Ike: I think its nerves at home…he is SUPPOSED to be better, and just that much extra is not letting him see the ball well.
RA: Sadly, No. Theres a few times in every outing the ball simply doesnt go like a butterfly in flight…and on this occasions, the ball goes the other way straight and fast.
Duda: but really it seems like our lefties at the plate in general. The word on the street is easy to see…throw it low and away and they swing uncontrollably. Our hitting against left handers terrifies me. They open up making the away pitches impossible to hit. Its maddening, and some lousy coaching right no IMO.
Parnell: thats priceless, huh. I guess the pressure is off. On a tangent, did anyone see that Capuano is 4-0 and pitching like a mad man? Bad move to keep Pelf and let Cappy go.
Tejada: Just taking care of business. Jose who?
Wright: “Were loose, having fun, and realize this is not a one-man team…and it makes me play better”
corollary: see Tejada.
Thanks Chris!
I’m hoping it’s just small sample sizes for Davis and Duda. But something to keep an eye on going forward.
Capuano was getting neither the dollars nor the years here that he got from the Dodgers. I wish him well — not against the Mets, obviously — secure in the knowledge that he was never staying here once he proved his arm was going to fall off.
WASN’T going to fall off.