****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/2d24ada259.jpg

I hope JBB doesn't mind that I used the same picture he did last year, what can I say, it worked.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

A few questions for Mets fans (fantasy purposes):

1) How long are they going to stick with Shawn Green?
2) What chance does Milledge have of becoming an everyday player before the All-Star break?
3) What are the expectations of Oliver Perez?
4) Will Beltran steal 25+ bases this year?

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

Sunday night can't come soon enough!

It looks like Willie is going to tweak the order a bit this year and bat Wright in the 2-hole. I love this idea, not that Lo Duca was bad last year, but getting Wright those extra at-bats should hopefully be $.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

If Wright is batting second he will be seeing more pitches as well. Batting in front of Beltran will help that. As long as Reyes stays patient at the plate it will work out. Only reason moving Lo Duca down would be assuming at 35 he won't replicate his numbers from last year, which could be true.

Also I heard that Lo Duca didn't take as many deep counts as Wright did not giving Reyes the chance to steal as often. Jose did say in spring training that he plans on stealing earlier in the count as opposed to last year. So that may sway Willie to keep PLD in the 2 hole.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

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1) How long are they going to stick with Shawn Green?


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I hope one game, but I'm guessing he gets all of April and most of May to show everyone that he belongs on the bench.

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2) What chance does Milledge have of becoming an everyday player before the All-Star break?


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I want to put it at 50/50 right now. He'll have a very good chance if Alou and/or Green wind up getting injured.

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3) What are the expectations of Oliver Perez?


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This is going to be a huge question mark. I can actually see this guy pitching a complete game shutout 1 game and then giving up 5 runs in the 1st inning his next game. If Peterson has truly fixed him you could expect 200+ K's, a 3.50 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Huge crapshoot.

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4) Will Beltran steal 25+ bases this year?


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If he doesn't wind up getting one of those nagging minor leg injuries like he has had the last 2 years then he has a good chance. But keep in mind he hasn't even swiped 20 bases in a season since joining the Mets.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

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4) Will Beltran steal 25+ bases this year?

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If he doesn't wind up getting one of those nagging minor leg injuries like he has had the last 2 years then he has a good chance. But keep in mind he hasn't even swiped 20 bases in a season since joining the Mets.

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I don't think he'll steal 25. I believe that Randolph doesn't want Beltran stealing with Delgado up. I guess if Alou is up maybe Beltran will be stealing. I guess it depends on the lineup. If its Beltran/Delgado/Wright/Alou, I doubt it. If its Beltran/Delgado/Alou/Green its more of a possibility.

That's me guessing too.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

[ QUOTE ]
A few questions for Mets fans (fantasy purposes):

1) How long are they going to stick with Shawn Green?

Until he gets injured or if he is hitting <.225 by the break

2) What chance does Milledge have of becoming an everyday player before the All-Star break?

He is a tweaked hamstring away from a starting job. Once he is in the lineup he is not leaving it without doing something stupid

3) What are the expectations of Oliver Perez?

None. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Do NOT draft him for a fantasy league unless you need to carry 20+ SPs

4) Will Beltran steal 25+ bases this year?

15-25


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Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n...848/orosco.jpg

Lets Go METS!

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

I was happy to see that Pelfrey won the 5th spot in the rotation. What can we realistically expect out of him this year?

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

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I was happy to see that Pelfrey won the 5th spot in the rotation. What can we realistically expect out of him this year?

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http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/33/332526.jpg

Team | W-L | ERA | K | BB
Wichita St. Sophmore Year | 10-2 | 2.49 | 98 | 15
Wichita St. Junior Year | 11-2 | 2.18 | 125 | 25
Whicita St. Senior Year | 12-3 | 1.93 | 143 | 30
St. Lucie A (2006) | 2-1 | 1.64 | 26 | 2
Binghamton (2006) | 4-2 | 2.71 | 77 | 26
Norfolk (2006) | 1-0 | 2.25 | 6 | 5
MINORS ALL (2006) | 7-3 | 2.43 | 109 | 33
Mets (2006) | 2-1 | 5.48 | 13 | 12


I worry that Pelfrey tried to get too fine with his pitches in AAA and in the Majors last year but with experience he will find his location and learn to trust the defense behind him. He does not give up many homers (4 in the minors combined and 1 in the majors) so if he is willing to trust LoDuca this could be a real breakout year for Pelfrey. The only thing that really could get in his way is Rick Peterson.

I don't expect him to just be good. I expect him to be an all-star.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

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I don't expect him to just be good. I expect him to be an all-star.

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You mean in the future right? I don't think thats a realistic expectation out of him this year. I don't expect any rookie to come in and become an all-star. Can he be a solid staple in the rotation? Yeah.

All I want out of Perez/Pelfrey is ~.500. Let Glavine/Maine/Hernandez do enough to win on those nights.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

Hello Mets fans, looking forward to another exciting season!

My one big hope for this season is that we don't give away Milledge or Fernando Martinez for some mediocre starting pitcher with not much time left on his contract in a mid-season panic move. Don't rule it out at all! Willie has just a little too much faith in Endy and Shawn Green for my liking. I'd glad to see Pelfrey get his shot this year instead of having to suffer Chan Ho Park or Sele or David Williams or some similar nightmare. I don't think Pelfrey is going to pan out to be a legitimate ace but I think it's reasonable to hope for a slight upgrade from what Benson was when he was here. No matter what happens, let's go mets!

James

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

I have tickets to 15 games this year, so ill be seeing alot of Mets this year. Heres to hopping Pelfrey sticks and Green gets benched.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

Is it Sunday yet?

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

[ QUOTE ]
Sunday night can't come soon enough!

It looks like Willie is going to tweak the order a bit this year and bat Wright in the 2-hole. I love this idea, not that Lo Duca was bad last year, but getting Wright those extra at-bats should hopefully be $.

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I hate this move. Lo Duca was perfect last year as the 2-guy. Wright struck out considerably more than LoDuca last year. Although Wright will get some additional at bats, the lineup will be much less balanced, unless Green and Alou (or their replacements) really exceed expectations. And without Wright batting behind him, Delgado will have no protection.

The only way this move makes sense to me is if LoDuca actualy starts off much, much worse than last year.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Sunday night can't come soon enough!

It looks like Willie is going to tweak the order a bit this year and bat Wright in the 2-hole. I love this idea, not that Lo Duca was bad last year, but getting Wright those extra at-bats should hopefully be $.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hate this move. Lo Duca was perfect last year as the 2-guy. Wright struck out considerably more than LoDuca last year. Although Wright will get some additional at bats, the lineup will be much less balanced, unless Green and Alou (or their replacements) really exceed expectations. And without Wright batting behind him, Delgado will have no protection.

The only way this move makes sense to me is if LoDuca actualy starts off much, much worse than last year.

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Or if Lo Duca all of a sudden has a power streak at the plate (I'm assuming he's being moved to the 5-spot), in which case you wouldn't mind having him there.

But since that probably won't happen, I'm going to agree with you. He was a great fit batting second.

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A few questions for Mets fans (fantasy purposes):

1) How long are they going to stick with Shawn Green?
2) What chance does Milledge have of becoming an everyday player before the All-Star break?
3) What are the expectations of Oliver Perez?
4) Will Beltran steal 25+ bases this year?

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1) Hopefully not too long. I think it'll be a couple of months before the Mets give up on him though.

2) They're the same as the chance that one of the three starting outfielders either gets injured or dramatically underperformed. It's pretty much 50/50. He's got the tools, but there's just no room now.

3) Oliver Perez is the model of inconsistency. He has the potential and skill to be an All-star caliber pitcher, possibly an ace pitcher on other baseball teams. However, he can also end up being a fifth starter at best. If he gets an ERA below 4.00 this year, I would be surprised. And I'm expecting at bare minimum 150 Ks, but he can definitely get above 200.

4) If Beltran keeps healthy, it's doable. It depends how often he is sent on a base stealing attempt.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

very happy to see this thread up...

a lot of question marks in the rotation, like someone said, perez is a huge crapshoot, hopefully peterson can fix him...

i'm looking forward to seeing pelfrey...

also, i hope green gets sent to the bench, the sooner the better, though i can't stand milledge...

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

I'm not sure why everyone is ripping into Green. He will be batting 7(8?) in the lineup. It's not like he needs to hit .330 with 30+ home runs. I'd rather see him do well and the Mets get solid production out of right field. We all know Green isn't the long term fix here, there are a bunch of Minor League outfielders chompin at the bit wanting that position. They are the future, let Green, hopefully, produce now.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

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I'm not sure why everyone is ripping into Green. He will be batting 7(8?) in the lineup. It's not like he needs to hit .330 with 30+ home runs.

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People are ripping him because we're afraid he'll hit something like .260, with virtually no power, which is unacceptable for a corner outfielder.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

Don't forget that Green is also hideous defensively in the outfield. Absolutely horrible.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

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Don't forget that Green is also hideous defensively in the outfield. Absolutely horrible.

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Which is only compounded by the fact that Alou is just as bad in Left Field. Beltran is going to be busy.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

I'm going to continue the plea I made during the playoff threads last year: PLEASE WILLY, PUT ENDY IN RIGHT FIELD.

Obviously the difference in defense is that of a Gold Glove-worthy OFer and me. This is not up for debate.

Last year, though, Endy was better on offense as well. Higher OBP, higher OPS, higher VORP, not to mention he's basically Jose Reyes on the basepaths.

I suppose people are skeptical of Endy's 1 year being an outlier, but he's young and Shawn Green is 90; which career arc do you think is more likely going in a favorable direction right now?

If Endy's not able to produce on an everyday basis, then there's a very nice option for an outfield platoon sitting in the minors....just get Shawn Green off the team, please.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

while i think chavez is very good, i think he struggled given extended playing time with the nationals a while back and seems that he might only be effective in a role position...also, he's very valuable in that role and i don't think the mets should mess with that...

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

I like Endy on the bench as well. Speed/Good Fielding can be a big help off the bench. Not to mention he is a left handed bat. Franco will be a PH/DH/fill-in 1st Base on occasions. I believe Newhan and Easley are the other bench players and the back-up catcher. Chavez is a solid role player and will see plenty of time in the OF, especially with Alou in left.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

Kind of off-topic, but I thought all of my fellow Mets fans might get a kick out of this.

Rey Ordonez (yes THAT Rey Ordonez) might make the Mariners roster.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

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I like Endy on the bench as well. Speed/Good Fielding can be a big help off the bench. Not to mention he is a left handed bat. Franco will be a PH/DH/fill-in 1st Base on occasions. I believe Newhan and Easley are the other bench players and the back-up catcher. Chavez is a solid role player and will see plenty of time in the OF, especially with Alou in left.

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Speed and good fielding are even better in the starting lineup. They should just bring up Milledge to platoon with Endy (and Alou) and put Shawn Green on a rocketship to the moon (or Atlanta).

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

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Kind of off-topic, but I thought all of my fellow Mets fans might get a kick out of this.

Rey Ordonez (yes THAT Rey Ordonez) might make the Mariners roster.

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This brings back memories of who had the best glove, Jeter, Nomar, or Ordonez. Those were the best arguements w/ Yankee/Sox fans.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

^^if he could only hit...year after year, he was supposed to get better...and he never did...

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

Ordonez was 100x the fielder of Jeter and Nomar, no debate about it. He was also 1/100 the hitter of both of these guys. I did love that infield of Ventura, Ordonez, Alfonso, and Olerud - every ground ball was an out it seemed.

James

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

Willie is back with basically the 2006 lineup today: Reyes, LoDuca, Beltran, Delgado, Wright, Alou, Green, Valentin.

Park got the start. I guess depending on his performance today it might be his last shot to make the bullpen.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

Tomorrow night's lineups:

NYM-
1.SS Jose Reyes
2.C Paul Lo Duca
3.CF Carlos Beltran
4.1B Carlos Delgado
5.3B David Wright
6.LF Moises Alou
7.RF Shawn Green
8.2B Jose Valentin
9.P Tom Glavine

STL-
1.SS David Eckstein
2.LF Chris Duncan
3.1B Albert Pujols
4.3B Scott Rolen
5.CF Jim Edmonds
6.RF Scott Spiezio
7.C Yadier Molina
8.2B Adam Kennedy
9.P Chris Carpenter

"Your Season Has Come." Is the 2007 'catch phrase' it seems.

Only thing in the lineup that semi-suprises me is Rolen batting behind Pujols. I figured Edmonds would get the nod in the 4 spot but I guess 1 more year of wear and tear La Russa feels comfortable with Rolen in the spot.

Can't wait for the first pitch.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

New avatar for the season. Play ball!

James

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

Go Go Go Tommy Glavine.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

batting LoDuca 2nd is a poor idea.

STL's lineup looks hilariously bad, btw.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

If the cards make the playoffs I might rip my insides out.

James

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

I'm curious to see how many more times these announcers can remind us that the Cardinals beat the Mets in game 7 last year and then went on to win the world series.

Edit: Yessir on Tommy Glavine with a hit.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

Valetin for Gold Glove FTW.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

New avatar for the season. Play ball!

I went old school. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

I worried a little in the eight inning, good double play ball.

I think the Mets will take a step back this season.

The Braves still scare me. Do any of you guys remember when we had St Louis in our division?

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

I did love that infield of Ventura, Ordonez, Alfonso, and Olerud - every ground ball was an out it seemed.

The curse of the cover of Sports Illustrated [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Best infield of all time EVER in terms of stats.

Ventura had a knack of hitting grand slams.

Re: ****Official 2007 NY Mets NL East Champs Thread****
 

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Valetin for Gold Glove FTW.

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He should have won it last year too. How could they deny The 'Stache?

Great game all around. Pitching, Hitting, Defense. Why was Molina batting 5th? Maybe La Russa is still hung over?

I know it was only one game, but maybe I was wrong about moving Wright the the 2-hole. Lo Duca looked really good there last night, probably best not to mess with a good thing.