The season ended today with the New York Mets out of the playoffs and the New York Yankees in. Earlier this season such a scenario seemed next to impossible.

The Mets ended May at 34-18. They ended up going just 54-56 the rest of the season. In stark contrast the Yankees finished May at a very poor 22-29 but went on win 72 and lose just 39 the rest of the year.

The Mets lost to the Florida Marlins today 8 to 1, while the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Washington Nationals 6 to 1 to take the NL East crown by one game.

Just 18 days ago on September 12, the Mets looked like shoe ins to make the playoffs with a 7 game lead over the Phillies.

The Phillies joined the Cubs and the Diamondbacks in the NL playoffs. The Padres and the Rockies are tied for the wild card spot with 89 wins each and will have a one game playoff to decide who gets it.

In the AL it's the Red Sox, Indians, and Angels winning their respective divisions with the Yankees taking the wild card spot (by 6 games over the Tigers and Mariners.)

Labels: New York Mets, New York Yankees

The greatest lead off hitter of all time, Rickey Henderson, has become the New York Mets new hitting coach.

Henderson had already been with the Mets as a special instructor and has been instrumental in Jose Reyes development as a player.

Henderson had a 25 year career from 1979 to 2003. He finished his career with 3055 hits, 2295 runs, 1406 stolen bases, and 2190 walks. He is MLB's all time leader in runs and stolen bases and he's second to only Barry Bonds in walks.

Labels: New York Mets

This is my 3rd installment in the All Time Team series. Previously I've selected the all time team for the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants.

As with the Yankees and Mets teams I will be choosing the greatest Met at each position based solely on his contributions to the Mets. In other words I would not be including Pedro Martinez at pitcher due to his years with the Red Sox and Expos.

The Mets having begun play in only 1962 have a much shorter history than the Yankees and Giants which should make choosing their all time team somewhat easier. They won the World Series in 1969 and 1986.

The All Time New York Mets Team (With Career Mets Stats)

First Base - Keith Hernandez (.297 Avg, 80 Home Runs, 468 RBI, .387 OBP, .429 SLG, 130 OPS+)

Some know Keith best for his Just For Men TV commercials or his guest appearance on Seinfeld but Hernandez was a fixture at first base for the Mets during the 80s including during their championship season of 1986. His best seasons with the Mets were '84, '85, and '86 when he hit .311, .309, and .310 respectively. His best year in his career came with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1980 when he won the MVP award with a .344 batting average. While Hernandez did not have great power (his career high was 18 homers) his career Mets OPS+ of 130 shows that he was a great hitter when taking into account the lower power numbers of the era in general.

Second Base - Edgardo Alfonzo (.292 AVG, 120 Home Runs, 538 RBI, .367 OBP, .445 SLG, 114 OPS+)

Alfonzo had some good years for the Mets in the late 90s and early 00s. His best season came in 2000 when he made the All Star team for the only time hitting .324 with 25 home runs. Alfonzo also played a lot of games at third base for the Mets.

Shortstop - Jose Reyes (.288 AVG, 35 Home Runs, 213 RBI, .331 OBP, .430 SLG, 99 OPS+)

Reyes has very little competition as this position which is why I've already chosen him as the Mets all time best shortstop. The Mets career leaders in games played at the shortstop position; Bud Harrelson and Rey Ordonez were both awful hitters. Reyes best season of his career thus far was last year in 2006 when he hit .300 with 19 home runs and stole 64 bases. Reyes is already 4th on the Mets all time stolen bases leaders and will probably be second by the All Star break.

Third Base - Howard Johnson (.251 AVG, 192 Home Runs, 629 RBI, .341 OBP, .459 SLG, 124 OPS+)

If David Wright can keep up what he's doing now he'll probably overtake Johnson sooner rather than later but for now I have to give this position to Johnson. Johnson is 3rd all time on the Mets home run & RBI leader board. While his career rate stats look somewhat anemic by current standards one again has to understand the era that he played most of his career in. His career Mets OPS+ of 124 tells a truer story of his ability as a hitter. Also consider that HoJo holds the Mets single season OPS+ record of 169 in 1989 when he hit 36 home runs with a .287 batting average.

Catcher - Mike Piazza (.296 AVG, 220 Home Runs, 655 RBI, .373 OBP, .542 SLG, 137 OPS+)

Piazza is second all time on the Mets home run & RBI leader boards and leads the Mets in career slugging percentage. Piazza's best year with the Mets came in 2000 when he hit .324 with 38 home runs. Although Piazza was even better when he was with the Dodgers, his career with the Mets easily makes him the Mets greatest catcher. All apologies to Gary Carter but when you look at the numbers it isn't close. Carter also had his best years for another team (the Expos in Carter's case.)

Outfield - Darryl Strawberry (.263 AVG, .359 OBP, .520 SLG, 252 Home Runs, 733 RBI, 145 OPS+)

Strawberry is the Mets all time leader in Home Runs, RBI, and OPS+. Strawberry's best years came in 1987 and 1988. Although he had better numbers in '87 his '88 season was probably more impressive due to '87 being a hitter's year. In '88 he finished second in the MVP voting and had a 165 OPS+. He did become a member of the 30-30 club in 1987 when he had 39 home runs and 37 stolen bases. Strawberry is 3rd on the Mets career list with 191 stolen bases. Although Strawberry's career went downhill fast in the 1990s he was one of the best power hitters of the 1980s.

Outfield - Cleon Jones (.281 AVG, 93 Home Runs, 521 RBI, .340 OBP, .406 SLG, 111 OPS+)

Jones was instrumental in the "Miracle Mets" 1969 World Series win. He hit a career high .340 that season with a 151 OPS+. Jones played all but 12 games of his career for the Mets.

Outfield - Kevin McReynolds (.272 AVG, 122 Home Runs, 456 RBI, .331 OBP, .460 SLG, 120 OPS+)

McReynolds best year came in 1988 when he hit .288 with 27 home runs and finished 3rd in the MVP voting. Again you have to take into consideration the era. McReynolds had a 142 OPS+ that year.

Starting Pitcher - Tom Seaver (198 Wins, 2.57 ERA, 136 ERA+)

Seaver is the Mets all time leader in Wins, Complete Games, Shutouts, Strikeouts, ERA, and ERA+. Seaver's best year was 1969 when he won the Cy Young award with a 25-7 record and a 2.21 ERA while leading the Mets to the World Series. Seaver won two more Cy Young awards with the Mets; one in 1973 when he had 19 wins and a 2.08 ERA and another in 1975 22-9 with a 2.38 ERA.

Starting Pitcher - Dwight Gooden (157 wins, 3.10 ERA, 115 ERA+)

While Tom Seaver had a more consistent career for the Mets no other Mets pitcher ever hit quite the peak that Dwight Gooden did in 1985 when he had one of the greatest single pitching seasons in the history of the Major Leagues with a 24-4 record and a 1.53 ERA. His ERA+ of 226 in '85 has been bettered by only Pedro Martinez ('99 and '00), Greg Maddux ('94 and '95), and Bob Gibson ('68) among single seasons since 1920. Despite never again reaching the incredible heights of 1985 Gooden did have many more good seasons for the Mets and is second all time on the Mets career wins leader board. He was also a key element of their 1986 championship team going 17-6 with a 2.84 ERA.

Starting Pitcher - Jerry Koosman (140 Wins, 3.09 ERA, 114 ERA+)

Koosman's best year came in 1969 when he helped the "Miracle Mets" get to and win the World Series. He won 17 games that year with a 2.28 ERA and a career best 161 ERA+. He went 2-0 in the 1969 World Series with a 2.04 ERA. He had another great year in 1976 when he won 21 games with a 2.69 ERA and finished second in the Cy Young voting.

Starting Pitcher - David Cone (81 Wins, 3.13 ERA, 112 ERA+)

Cone's best year came in 1988 when he went 20-3 with a 2.22 ERA. He's the Mets career leader in Strikeouts per 9 innings at 8.72 S0/9.

Relief Pitcher - John Franco (276 Saves)

Franco was with the Mets from 1990 through 2004 and is the Mets career leader in Saves. His best single season for saves with the Mets was 1998 when he had 38.

Labels: All Time Team, New York Mets

It's now June 1st. We're two months into the season already. What are the big stories?

The New York Yankees Meltdown

At 22-29 the Yankees are 13.5 games behind the Red Sox and tied with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. It's been an incredible combination of poor pitching, injuries, and bad luck that has kept the highest paid team in baseball on the ropes all year.

Although the Yanks are getting great seasons from Alex Rodriguez (19 home runs), Jorge Posada (.357), and Derek Jeter (.343) it hasn't been enough. The rest of the team's hitters are under performing in particular Bobby Abreu who is hitting just .228 and even worse he has a pathetic .289 slugging percentage.

Johnny Damon is hitting just .264 and Jason Giambi has a .436 slugging percentage. A lot of Yankees fans expected a lot from young Melky Cabrera but he has a .590 OPS thus far, which puts him below even the light hitting Doug Mientkiewicz who has a .661 OPS. Robinson Cano has been a disappointment as well best shown by his .298 OBP (last year he was at .365)

Speaking of Cano does any regular player in the big leagues walk less than this guy? 42 career walks vs 1197 career at bats. That's insane.

As much as most of their hitters have struggled (other than A Rod, Posada, and Jeter) it's their pitching that has been their real down fall. Perhaps most indicative of their problems is that only Andy Pettitte has enough innings to qualify for the ERA title as of now. The Yankees starters have been plagued by injuries and by just awful performances. Pettitte has been the only real exception with his 2.51 ERA and 9 Quality Starts in 11 games started. I'm sure that if before the season you said Pettitte would have a 2.51 ERA through 11 starts you'd expect him to have 7, 8, or even 9 wins already but he's got just 3 (his record is 3-4.)

Yankees Pitching Problems:
Much hyped rookie Phil Hughes was pitching a no hitter in his second big league start when he went down with an injury. He is expected back later this season.

Long time lights out closer Mariano Rivera has been having an awful season and currently has a 5.50 ERA.

Mike Musina has struggled with injuries and his game. He's got a 5.86 ERA and 2 QS in 7 GS.

Kei Igawa has been horrendous (ignore his 2-1 record, a great example of how meaningless W-L records are: Igawa vs Pettitte!) He has had just 1 QS in 5 GS and has a 7.63 ERA.

The Yanks are now hoping that Roger Clemens can come in to save the day. Which leads me to my next big story of the season to date.

Roger Clemens chooses the Yankees

Clemens is scheduled to pitch his first game for the Yankees on Monday, June 4th. They'll need him pitching up to his standards of his last couple of years in Houston to solidify their pitching rotation.

Looking at the records now can you imagine if Clemens has chosen the Red Sox?

I find it amazing how Clemens is so greatly respected by most baseball fans as a "living legend" of the game (which I do not argue, he is one of the greatest pitchers of all time) while a similar living legend is playing left field out in San Francisco is receiving far less respect from the media and from fans.

There's just as much circumstantial evidence against Clemens for performance enhancing drug use as their is against Bonds. Clemens was mentioned in the Grimsley affidavit (Pettitte was named too) and similarly to Bonds had a late career surge, posting some of his best seasons statistically after age 40. Clemens will be turning 45 this August. Also recall that Clemens had some pretty so-so seasons with the Yankees, in 1999 his ERA was actually higher than the league average and in 2002 he barely avoided it. Something helped him turn it around. The last few years he's put up some of the best seasons of his career all while past age 40. If you're going to claim that PEDs helped Barry Bonds hit home runs then I'm going to claim they helped (and probably still help) Roger Clemens pitch strikeouts.

And to go off on a rant here a bit: How can people be so incredibly hypocritical? I live in New York and during the rare times when Yankee fans or sports radio people aren't talking about the Yankees they say very nasty things about one Mr. Barry Bonds. Yet they are ecstatic over their own PED users like Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. I just find the focus on JUST Barry Bonds to be incredibly ridiculous. It's as if baseball fans all want to blame just one player so they can pretend everyone else is a savior? So they can pretend all of the players on their team never touched the stuff? Give me a break. It's especially hilarious when this sort of BS comes from Yankees fans considering how important players like Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Gary Sheffield, and Jason Giambi have been to their team.

Barry Bonds Home Run Chase

Of course Barry Bonds closing in on the all time home run record has been a major story all year. Bonds has been struggling recently and this has slowed him down considerably. Before the year I predicted he would break the record in the last game before the all star game. I didn't actually check if that game was at home or not and it's not. As many have said I think the Giants would prefer Bonds breaks the record at home from a PR stand point but I don't know if they would actually go the step of sitting Bonds when he's at 755 on the road. I don't think they'd do that. Bonds is the best hitter on the team and they are trying to make the playoffs (not trying hard enough, but that's another story.)

Bonds is currently at 746 homes. He needs 9 to tie and 10 to break the record.

The St. Louis Cardinals are also 22-29

The defending champion St. Louis Cardinals have the same poor record as the Yanks at 22-29. Luckily for the Cards there is no team anywhere near as good as the Boston Red Sox in their division and they are only 6.5 games out of first.

Albert Pujols hasn't been as awesome as usual but he has shown some signs of getting it together. He hit .340 in May. While his OPS is at a career low (.876) it's still leading the Cardinals this year. That's probably the real bad news for the Cards.

The New York Mets are rolling through the NL

I thought before the year began that the Mets were the best team in the NL and they are making me look like a wizard. They are 34-18 and even more impressively they are a 18-7 on the road.

And just like the other team in New York they will be adding one of the best pitchers of all time to their team at some point this year. If Pedro Martinez can pitch at something close to his peak level the Mets will be deadly.

Labels: Barry Bonds, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Roger Clemens, St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals haven't got off to a very good defense of their 2006 world series title. They lost to the New York Mets in a rematch of last year's NL championship tonight 6 to 1. Future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine got his 291st win for the Mets while the Cards ace Chris Carpenter allowed 9 hits and 5 runs in 6 innings.

For the Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca had 2 hits and 3 RBI. While lead off man David Eckstein got off to a great start for the Cards by going 3 for 4 with a double. Unfortunately for the Cards the batting order 2 through 4 went 1 for 9 for the night wasting the opportunities that Eckstein provided.

Certainly the first game of the season is always going to have amplified meaning and perhaps be taken as more important than it really is but this seems to be a strong message from the Mets that they are going to be the team to beat this year in the NL. They have the strongest lineup in the NL in my opinion. While the Dodgers certainly have a stronger pitching staff if Pedro Martinez can come back strong the Mets should have a rather solid rotation of their own by the time the playoffs come around.

Labels: New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals