Johan Santana

It's not like we have anyone better" -- with the obvious exception of Johan Santana. As far as physical ability goes, Zambrano isn't the 97-99 MPH flamethrower he was four or five seasons ago, but he maintains an effective power sinker that would work nicely at Citi Field. I thought he looked hurt in 2008, but I've seen the life return to his sinker this season. 

Continue reading "Cubs Say They Will Shop Zambrano"

1 Starter: LHP-Johan Santana

Johan recently had season-ending surgery, but he's expected to be back and ready to go for spring training in '10. Hopefully the surgery will improve Johan's velocity, as he dipped into the 88-90 range during the second half of this year. He was still relatively effective, but nothing like '08 or his days in a Minnesota Twins' uniform. I don't think Santana will be dominant, but I expect him to be a very solid No. 1 starter in 2010. 

Continue reading "2010 Mets' Rotation"

And then in the offseason, Minaya traded for ace pitcher Johan Santana, making the Mets favorites, yet again, for the 2008 season.

And when the bullpen and late-inning offense failed in 2008, the Mets added All-Star closers Putz and Francisco Rodriguez, once again making the Mets the trendy pick for the 2009 season.

Continue reading "The 2009 New York Mets are Finally the Underdogs"

(But I can't get too upset with Omar, he acquired Johan Santana for a bag of groceries.) Regardless of the reasoning behind the signing, it's time to abandon ship. But where should the Mets go from here, until Oliver Perez (another awful signing) returns?

Continue reading "I've Had Enough of Tim Redding."

(Note: I've also published this post on FanNation, under the username JFro.)

About a month ago, I published a similar post complaining about Jerry Manuel's mind-numbingly awful managing. It actually generated some interest, as it appeared on a Mets blog and in various discussion threads.

Continue reading "Jerry Manuel Must Be Fired. Now!!!"

He must go. But he won't, because of the contract. 

(2) After Johan Santana, the starting pitching is slowly starting to settle into a groove. I've never trusted John Maine or Mike Pelfrey, but as it turns out, there just aren't a lot of quality starters out there in this day and age. That makes both Maine and Pelfrey very serviceable, and the duo is beginning to pitch with a little more confidence. That can be attributed to changing speeds more than they have in the past, something they have to continue to do if they're planning on remaining successful middle-of-the-rotation starters over time. Pelfrey's been projected as a frontliner in the past, but I don't think he has the mind for it. 

Continue reading "The New York Mets: A Quarter Season in Review"

at he has to have at least 2 baserunners before he shuts the door, the man gets it done. 

3. Johan Santana - The greatest Mets pitcher I have seen in my lifetime. Period. I don't remember Doc and I'm too young for Seaver so he is the definitive ace in my book. Just watch him pitch when he gets into trouble. He knows somehow he will figure a way out. He always seems to struggle but all of a sudden he's pitched seven scoreless and you realize he's a master. Now if the Mets could only score some runs for him. When does he start taking swings at people?

Continue reading "Team Inconsistency"

causes, if getting him prevents another September choke job, then do it.

Starting Rotation: Only Johan Santana, John Maine, and Mike Pelfrey have a spot locked down. The last two rotation spots look like a Spring Training battle between Tim Redding, John Niese, Bobby Parnell, and Freddy Garcia. Just having Freddy Garcia, who hasn't pitched a full season since 2006, battle for a rotation spot speaks volumes of the lack of depth in the rotation.

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to fill, and they need to be filled with quality players, not stopgaps.

In the starting rotation, Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, and now apparently Tim Redding are locked into spots. If Spring Training were currently underway, Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell, and Brandon Knight would be competing for that fifth and final opening. In my eyes, Maine, Redding, and mystery man No. 5 fail to represent the makings of a potential World Series caliber back of the rotation. There's undoubtedly room for improvement.

Continue reading "The New York Mets: Plenty of Question Marks Remain"

Zambrano.  No, when he traded the Mets’ top prospects, he got a much better return—Johan Santana anyone?

           Since Minaya took over GM duties for the Mets, Santana hasn’t been his only impressive acquisition.  He also brought in Pedro Martinez, who restored the Mets to some respectability and allowed him to sign Carlos Beltran, and he traded for Carlos Delgado, another instrumental part of the core of the Mets team that has been competitive every season with Minaya on board.  Other useful acquisitions include Paul LoDuca, Darren Oliver, Jose Valentin, Duaner Sanchez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Endy Chavez, Ryan Church, Damion Easley and Fernando Tatis.

Continue reading "In The Aftermath Of The Collapse ..."

Delgado suddenly found his swing, Fernando Tatis batted just under .400 for the month of July, and Johan Santana didn’t lose a game after June 28, but the Mets undoubtedly played with an entirely new style and swagger under Manuel.

Continue reading "In the Aftermath Of The Collapse ..."

Omar Minaya made several changes to the roster, the most notable of which was, of course, acquiring Johan Santana.  The Mets came one win shy of a post-season berth in 2007, and the obvious presumption was that Santana would have increased the Mets’ win total by, at the very least, one win.  So after going 88-74 in ’07, the Mets went 89-73 in ’08, and once again coughed up a division lead late in the season and finished one win shy of the promised land.

Continue reading "In The Aftermath Of The Collapse ..."

ifferent:  the offense still only pushed two runs across, and as far as the bullpen woes went, Johan Santana took matters into his own hands.  Carlos Delgado hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead, and that’s all they would need on that day.  They tacked on another run in the fourth, but it didn’t matter—

Continue reading "In The Aftermath Of The Collapse"

the way in order to make the playoffs--one more than the Phillies will suffice.  Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana and Oliver Perez, the Mets' three most dependable starters, will likely combine for eight starts down the stretch, with Pedro Martinez, Jon Niese and anyone's guess filling out the remaining five.  New York will need strong, deep outings from their big three, and lots of offense in the other five games in order to avoid leaving their playoff hopes in the hands of the bullpen.  Of course, a little help from Philadelphia's opponents couldn't hurt, but the Mets need to be able to take care of their own business.  If they can't win enough games on their own to hold their divisional lead, then they don't deserve to play baseball in October anyway.

Continue reading "Mets Cling To First Place With Lucky 13 Games Left"

d back.

    One player in particular who embodies the Mets' bounce-back ability is Johan Santana.  Granted, he is one of the best pitchers in baseball and he is being paid handsomely, so he certainly should be the stopper in New York's rotation.  But even within his starts, it is noticeable that he bears down and reaches deep inside for that extra something when he needs to.  After giving up three runs, on two home runs, through the second inning last night, Santana battled through the next four, and kept the Mets in a position to come back.  And did anyone notice that the bullpen pitched three scoreless innings?  Brian Stokes, Pedro Feliciano, Joe Smith and Luis Ayala all did their jobs last night, and for that they deserve credit.

Continue reading "Delgado's Two Bombs Save The Day"

bsp;  The Mets are once again in second place looking up at Philadelphia, but the good news is Johan Santana pitches tonight.  He'll face Kyle Kendrick, who actually began to warm up during the late innings last night, so it will be interesting to see if he is at all affected by that.

Continue reading "Seven Runs: Too Little, Too Early"

ith Houston tonight at Shea, and will look to salvage a split behind Mike Pelfrey, who is tied with Johan Santana with a team-high 12 wins.  Who would have thought that would be the case on June 11 when Big Pelf was 2-6?  Brian Moehler gets the nod for the Astros, who are looking to take six of seven from the Mets this season.

Continue reading "Feliciano Blows Up In 10th"

ributing to the blown 4-1 lead.  After yet another solid, but insufficiently long, outing from Johan Santana, Schoenweis allowed a solo home run to Kaz Matsui, who has killed the Mets, hitting .438 against his former team over the last three years.  Wagner then gave up a bizzare two-run single to Geoff Blum with the bases loaded in the ninth to blow the save, as both runners crashed into one another and Ramon Castro all at once at the plate.  Then, in the tenth, Heilman put the first two runners on base before handing the ball over to Pedro Feliciano.  Feliciano actually did not pitch poorly, striking out the first batter he faced and then allowing the game-ending sacrifice fly on a weakly hit liner by Darin Erstad.  Fernando Tatis made an excellent catch on Erstad’s sinking flare, but was unable to throw Lance Berkman out at the plate.

Continue reading "Shaky Pen Gets Mets Swept By 'Stros"

p; First, it was John Maine's solid performance against the Phillies the day after the bullpen blew Johan Santana's eight-inning gem.  Then, it was Santana going the distance to conserve the worn out bullpen the day after the five-hour, 14-inning loss to St. Louis.  And last night Oliver Perez fought through six innings, allowing just the one first-inning run, after the bullpen blew an eighth-inning lead on Monday.  David Wright gave the Mets an early lead with an RBI double in the first and Carlos Beltran put New York ahead with a rare two-out RBI single in the sixth.  Carlos Delgado jacked a two-run homer in the eighth for insurance, and Heilman pitched two scoreless innings for the hold, before Billy Wagner tossed a perfect ninth for his 27th save.

Continue reading "Heilman Holds Perez's Lead, Delgado Puts it Away"

    Monday night in Miami was an all-around bad experience for the Mets.  John Maine cruised into the fifth inning with a 2-0 lead, and looked just fine to the naked eye.  But after Maine missed with a 1-0 fastball to John Baker, Jerry Manuel, Dan Warthen and Ray Ramirez, the trainer, jogged out to the mound to consult with Maine.  He appeared to say he was fine, and stayed in the game for the time being.  But after his next pitch to Baker left the yard for a solo home run, and his 1-2 pitch to Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco chased Endy Chavez to the warning track to make the catch, Manuel and Warthen decided they had seen enough, and pulled Maine in favor of Carlos Muniz.  Maine is listed as day-to-day with shoulder stiffness, and Warthen said he was most concerned that Maine might develop further injuries if he tried to compensate in his delivery to protect his shoulder.  In all likelihood Maine will miss a start in order to rest his shoulder, and hopefully pitch again next week.  After the game Manuel was adamant that Maine will not pitch through any pain.

Continue reading "Mets Fried By Fish, Maine Leaves Early"

    When the bullpen blew the game after Santana's eight stellar innings on Tuesday, fans and media types alike griped that the ace should have finished the game.  Saturday night's 14-inning marathon necessitated a long outing from Santana, and he answered the call, this time by pitching a complete game six-hitter, to put the exclamation point on the Mets' 9-1 win in the rubber game of the series against St. Louis.  The lone blemish on his masterful performance was Albert Pujols' seventh inning solo home run, but as Aaron Heilman learned early Sunday morning, you sometimes just tip your cap when that man hits one out.

Continue reading "Santana Goes the Distance, Mets Stay Hot"

13M Gil Meche ($11.4M) Jon Garland ($12M)Jason Schmidt ($15.2M) Derek Lowe ($10M)Ben Sheets ($10.1M)Johan Santana ($16.9M)Pedro Martinez ($11.8M)Andy Pettitte ($16M)Mike Mussina ($11M)Carl Pavano ($11M)Matt Morris ($10M)Greg Maddux ($10M) Barry Zito ($14.5M)Chris Carpenter ($10.5M)Vincente Padilla ($11M)Kevin Millwood ($10.3M) AJ Burnett ($13.2M)Roy Halladay ($10M)

Continue reading "Washburn's Farewell"

re is some controversy over whether the bullpen meltdown Tuesday night should have been avoided via Johan Santana pitching the ninth inning.  Jerry Manuel said that had Santana been adamant about wanting to stay in the game, he would have left him in.  I don't think it was a bad move to pull Santana after only 105 pitches because he did look like he was losing steam in the eighth, and his spot in the batting order came up in the bottom of the eighth.  However, it would have been nice to see Santana fight for the opportunity to finish the game.  Ultimately, Santana still pitched a phenomenal game and Manuel made a sound decision in turning the game over to Duaner Sanchez.  The bottom line is that a quartet of major league pitchers (Sanchez, Pedro Feliciano, Joe Smith and Aaron Heilman) absolutely need to be capable of recording three outs without allowing three runs, let alone six runs.  I don't know what it is about the ninth inning, but some pitchers are just not cut out to pitch in those situations.

Continue reading "Billy Wagner Never Looked So Good"

    When the Mets traded for and signed Johan Santana in January, tonight's game was exactly what they had in mind.  The ace will take the mound tonight at Shea to face the Phillies, who are tied with the Mets atop the National League East.  Tonight would be a perfect situation for the type of start Mets fans are itching for out of Santana.  Overall, despite his 3.10 ERA, Santana's season has been a disappointment to this point.  His 8-7 record is mediocre, his strikeout rate is down, his batting average against is up, and his solid ERA is also misleading in that it does not reflect the grand slam he allowed to pitcher Felix Hernandez of the Mariners.  Santana has only pitched into the eighth inning once this season, and Duaner Sanchez ultimately blew that game in the ninth.  Tonight is an opportunity for Santana to turn his sub-par season around, and show Mets fans that he is worth his exhorbitant contract

Continue reading "Johan Santana Takes the Hill With ..."

rd save with a perfect ninth, the Mets' pitching was bad all around last night in Cincinnati.  Johan Santana's velocity was alarmingly low, and he was battered around, pitching through bases loaded trouble in the second inning before giving up five runs in the fourth, his final inning of the night.  Aaron Heilman lost his command after getting two outs in the seventh, and Scott Schoenweis allowed the big blow, a bases clearing double by Javier Valentin.  But the offense continued to roll, as Carlos Delgado, Fernando Tatis and David Wright each hit two-run homers, and the Mets pounded out 10 runs, including four in the ninth off closer Francisco Cordero.  Wright's bomb tied the game with one out, and Delgado followed three batters later with the go-ahead RBI single.  The victory moves the Mets into a first place tie with the Phillies at 52-44.

Continue reading "David Wright Bails Out Poor Pitching, ..."

ond half tonight in Cincinnati, and they will have their ace on the hill to try to extend it.  Johan Santana is a disappointing 8-7 so far this season but still boasts a fantastic 2.84 ERA, good enough for fourth in the National League.  Despite a relatively lousy second half last year (5-7, 4.04 ERA), Santana has excellent career numbers after the All-Star break.  He is 50-17 in 108 starts, with a 2.79 ERA and 642 strikeouts in 606.1 innings.  The Mets hope that their improved play of late will only help Santana reach those lofty second half expectations, and lead the team through a pennant race.  Santana gets the start tonight against the Reds and rookie starter Johnny Cueto.

Continue reading "Johan Looks to Start Second Half Strong Tonight"

behind Philadelphia entering their pivotal four-game series with the division leaders.  After Johan Santana gave up a 2-0 lead and Duaner Sanchez allowed the winning run in the ninth, the horizon looked bleak for the orange and blue.  However, since that devastating defeat, New York has racked up six straight wins and the Mets now find themselves just 1.5 games back of the Phillies in the NL East.  During the winning streak the Mets have scored an average of seven runs per game while yielding only three per contest, including back-to-back shutouts of the Giants on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Continue reading "Mets Go For Seven Straight Tonight at Shea"

OK, that title was irresistible, but in fact I'm going to say that Chien-Ming Wang's foot injury should force the Yanks hand in a trade, especially when combined with other injuries this season. Funny how little things can combine to lead to something even larger, accumulating momentum gradually until it becomes irresistible, as it has with the murmurs about a trade for C.C. Sabathia, which is really more the point of this blog.

Continue reading "Off On the Wang Foot"

y after Jon Lester pitched his no hitter, it got me thinking about the Red Sox’ non-trade for Johan Santana. Both Lester and Masterson were prominent names in the trade talks, along with Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie (Clay Buchholz was deemed completely off limits). There was much debate over whether or not Boston would be better off going with the proven All-World pitcher in Santana, or sticking with the young prospects on the belief that they would develop into the prominent pieces of a championship franchise that they were projected to be. So often both front offices as well as fans fall in love with prospects who have never even played a Major League game based solely on their advertised potential. Almost as often, this ends up being an irrational love affair that falls short just as it has in the past with the likes of Brian Rose, Dernell Stenson and Steve Lomasney (anyone remember these guys?). In this case, Boston’s decision to hang on to its young talent has so far worked out very well to start the season.

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validated, for one night at least, Red Sox management’s decision to back off their pursuit of Johan Santana this past off-season and keep him in the fold for 2008. In reality, it will most likely take a couple of years to say for certain whether or not Boston made the right move to hang on to the young lefty, but after Lester blew his 130th and final pitch, a 96 mph fastball, past Royals batter Alberto Callaspo to complete his no hitter, it has to make Theo Epstein very hopeful for the future.

Continue reading "Lester's No Hitter Validates Decision ..."

r the past few games.  After struggles from Sanchez and Wagner, and a good outing from starter Johan Santana, the Mets were somehow able to hang on.  Billie Wagner, who gave up his first run of the season, have this to say:  "You to get all the outs, you have to play this game tough, you have to make the plays make the pitches and we were really able to out last them thats about it."  On Johan Santan manager WIllie Randolph said, "Boy, he was nasty!"  I was extra EXTRA happy about tonights game.  Most importantly, Jose Reyes finally got goin.  He had a triple a single and stolen base tonight and who likes more than when

Continue reading "David Wright does it right in bottom ..."

the mound, especially after Boston’s reluctance to include him in any significant package for Johan Santana. If Lester falters and fails to develop into the Andy Petitte-type the Boston views him as, they will be sorry they didn’t do more to acquire Santana.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: American Leauge East"

s each this season.

New York Mets

What will the Mets get from Pedro Martinez this year?

While Johan Santana gives them the legitimate number one starter they lacked last year and should easily be the most dominant starter in the Majors this season, he can still only take the ball once every 5 games. Pedro Martinez, however, will be the key to the pitching staff. He has shown in the past that he can still be very effective even though he no longer throws 97 thanks to his command and assortment of pitches. Now, though, he will probably have to live in the low to mid 80's and rely even more on guile than he ever has. Pedro remained effective in his brief stint last season and should put up good numbers if he can stay healthy.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: National League East"

d realize they aren’t that bad.

Minnesota Twins

Can Francisco Liriano step up and replace Johan Santana as the ace of the staff?

I wouldn’t be as quick to write of the Twins this year as others have been, though they face an uphill climb in a division that is top heavy with the Indians and Tigers. There office could be even better this year with the additions of Delmon Young, Carlos Gomez and Brendan Harris. This big issue is replacing the departed Santana.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: AL Central"

t stayed bad, for a very long time.  And, they are not the New York Mets.  After aquiring Johan Santana, they have become World Series contenders and I do not see the Cubs marching pass them in the playoffs.  After their historic collapse from grace, the Mets are out for blood.

Continue reading "Carlos Zambrano Injured!!!"

Johan Santana…is ours. I still cannot fully comprehend how this happened. How did the cards fall into place, the stars align, and both Epstein and Cashman decide now is a good time to stop winning.

Continue reading "Wither the Bullpen?"

is the New York Mets are out for blood after their historic fall from grace with their new top gun Johan Santana.  No way is any team going to march pass them.

While Dempster says the Cubs have improved, I do not really see anything different.  They went out and signed ex-Cub Jon Lieber whose arm is about to fall out to solidfy their rotation.  All I see is they get older and worse.  The Cubs do not have a three or fifth starter, mainly because Marquis does not know how to finish out strong.  The Cubs should have commited some money for another starter, like Bedard, instead of wasting it on garbage.  The only strong point I see in their pitching is their relief that has all the ingredients a manager can ask for.  With Eyre and Howry, it is a dynamic dual.  With Carlos Marmol as the setup man, it should be no problem to give the ball to Kerry Wood.  Even though it is his first year as a closer, Wood should be in a comforable position.

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The first steps toward the '08 Major League Baseball season bring with them a renewed sense of optimism and a number of lingering questions.

Personally I just can't stop smiling about the Mets new ace. So far so good for Mr. Santana as he's said all the right things publicly and seems extra confident about his new team. Thanks to his move to the NL East Johan has the potential to put up a MONSTER season. 30 Games a year against the Nats and Marlins could mean 20 wins and a mid 2 ERA with 250 strikeouts and a  shiny Cy Young for his trouble.  But as a Mets fan I remain skeptical that facing the pitcher three times a game is really a guarantee that Santana will be Koufaxian. But that's just me. I will be more than happy if Santana goes 18-7 with a 3.2 ERA and two or three complete games. That's a lot more than Tom Glavine is gonna give the Braves this season. I do buy the argument that Santana will pitch more innings than any Mets starter has over the past few seasons and by doing so give the team's often beleagured bullpen a much needed rest. That's critical if it's a close race in September.  

Continue reading "Spring! Part I: The Starting Rotation"

and they report to Port St Lucie in just 12 days.  I cannot wait for the season to start with Johan Santana in the fold 2008 is shaping up to be a memorable season.  I said the same thing last year at this time and 2007 turned memorable for all the wrong reasons.  But that was last year and we can forget about it.

Continue reading "Pitchers and Catchers"