All Entries in the "NL East" Category
Would The Mets Consider Trading For A Reliever?
The answer to this question seems obvious; no. However, even after Frank Francisco got credit for a “save” in the Mets 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, it seems like it will be a matter of time before somebody else will be protecting 9th inning leads in Queens. Francisco gave up a run, two hits [...]
Are the 2012 Phillies starting to resemble the 2009 Mets?
I know this is a crazy thought. And perhaps it is too early to make this assumption. A couple of things the 2012 Philadelphia Phillies have that the 2009 New York Mets did not was starting pitching. Going back to 2009, the Mets had a staff led by Johan Santana and a younger Mike Pelfrey. [...]
Rundown of Mets alumni no-hitters
Phillip Humber threw a perfect game yesterday for the Chicago White Sox, adding his name to the list of former Mets pitchers who have thrown no-hitters. While a couple pitchers had accomplished the feat prior to joining the Mets, most have done it after they have left the team. Humber is the second former Met to ever [...]
Book Review: Wherever I Wind Up
R.A. Dickey is not a name that shoots to the front of most baseball fans minds when they think of players whose story they may want to hear. While he may not be the most well-known of players, Dickey, a starting pitcher for the New York Mets, has put together a very interesting story of [...]
Phillies 2012 Predictions
Opening Day is upon us, so it is time for our 2012 Phillies predictions. If you haven’t already, check out the predictions for pitching and hitting. Phillies Run Differential Wins and losses generally come down to run differential: how many more(or less) runs did you score than you gave up? Last year, the Phillies had [...]
Mets Roster Just As Set As When Camp Began
Most teams come in to spring training with several questions with regards to the composition of their roster. There are teams with many questions and others have only some. Seldom does a team know exactly how their entire roster should look before spring training starts. You can make a case that Sandy Alderson, Terry Collins [...]
Cole Hamels Ready to Win 2012 Cy Young Award
National League Cy Young winner for 2012 Cole Hamels? Why not? In 2011, his 2.79 earned run average ranked sixth in the NL, his walks plus hits per innings pitched ranked second at 0.99, and he finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting. I looked like a genius for a while when I picked Hamels [...]
30-1 Countdown: #22 New York Mets
My 30-1 MLB countdown and team preview brings me to a team for whom I have rooted for over 25 years. A team that is trying to keep its focus off its financial problems and on to the team that has been constructed for the 2012 season. That of course, is the New York Mets. [...]
Ozzie Guillen, “The Franchise”
Miami’s latest hurricane didn’t blow in from the Atlantic–it came from Chicago. Marlins fans will know exactly what that sentence means very soon, especially when they get to see their team and their new manager on Showtime’s “The Franchise.” Ozzie Guillen has been thrust into the spotlight again, and you’d better believe that he’s enjoying [...]
How Gerardo Parra may be a fit for the Mets
It has been reported that the Washington Nationals are among the teams interested in Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Gerardo Parra. Parra won a NL Gold Glove last year in the OF but may be without a spot in the lineup due to the signing of free agent OF Jason Kubel. In an ideal world, the Diamondbacks [...]
Remembering the let down of the 1987 Mets season
The first thing Mets fans think of when they mention the 1987 season is a failure or a down season. Though they did not make the postseason, they had a better season than people think. Coming off the last season when they won the World Series, it was no doubt a team that was [...]
Remembering Gary Carter who passed away today at the young age of 57
May he rest in Peace… Gary Carter delivered a walk-off homer in his first-ever regular-season game for the Mets. The Kid also started the Mets’ historic rally in the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Red Sox with a two-out single. But Carter, who passed away at the [...]
Top ten reasons a Mets fan should be scared of the projected opening day roster
Listening to the most recent comments Sandy Alderson made to the New York Post, it has become more likely that he has little to no interest in adding any more players before spring training. Very few fans expected this team to do much this offseason, but it is impossible for a team who needed so [...]
Should Mets Bother to Make an Offer to Damon and Ibanez?
With the lack of interest the New York Mets have in upgrading their team this offseason, the media and those who blog tend to overanalyze every move they make as well as every player the team is rumored to have interest in. If this was a prior- more active- offseason, most of the discussions Mets [...]
If The Mets Number 8 is NOT Being Issued, Retire It!
We should all say a prayer today for Gary Carter, who is fighting a terrible battle with cancerous tumors reemerging in his brain. First and foremost, hopes are that the kid can fight this terrible disease. After that point is made, there has been a lot of talk amongst Mets fans about whether or not [...]
Are the Mets Considering the Post 2012 Free Agent Market?
A lot is still to be determined with all the free agents still on the board. With players like Prince Fielder, Francisco Cordero, Edwin Jackson, Roy Oswalt, Johnny Damon, Vladimir Guerrero, and Raul Ibanez still available this late in the offseason, rosters could look quite different going into the 2012 season. One team that is [...]
How Fernando Martinez is a Fit in San Diego
The New York Mets finally gave up on a prospect that never materialized. Yesterday, they waived Fernando Martinez (maybe somebody can tell me why he and Daniel Herrera were classified as waived when every other 40 man roster move says the player has been designated for assignment) who has an arthritic knee condition that is [...]
What’s Left for Mets to Sign to Minor League Contracts? Is It Even Worth It?
Has there ever been a more uninspiring offseason than the Mets this winter? Sure, you can point to the fact that the owners are broke. You can say it’s part of the rebuilding process. Both valid points, but fans are still faced with the daunting task of having to root for a team that will [...]
Jimmy Rollins Signs 3 yr $33 Million Contract With Philly
News of the Rollins signing has had negative comments rising up in Philly Phans, who wished to see a faltering SS who had a horrible playoff and has a history of lackluster effort in jogging to first, go to another team for a cheaper option. However, Rollins has had positive contributions to this team [...]
The Party Is In Miami
Looks like Will Smith had it right all along when he wrote the hit song some time ago “Welcome to Miami”. The Miami Marlins have made the biggest splashes of the offseason thus far by inking Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle to long term deals. Reyes’ deal is a backloaded contract to ease the transition [...]
Fish make a big splash…in a shallow pool
It makes some sort of ironic sense that the biggest splash of baseball’s offseason signing season so far is made by the Fish. The newly crowned Miami Marlins made a big move in reshaping the image of their franchise by stepping up to the plate and landing shortstop Jose Reyes on Sunday night. The Marlins [...]
Mets’ Decision to Keep Reyes Backfires
Just before the trade deadline, Mets’ GM Sandy Alderson faced a dilemma; Trade his shortstop, best player, and the face of the franchise, for prospects that could help the team in the future, or hold on to him and receive draft pick compensation if Reyes were to go elsewhere in Free Agency. Alderson decided Reyes [...]
Partial Papelbon Press Conference in Philly
Former Red Sox Closer (since 2005 with 219 saves, most by any Boston pitcher) recently signed a 4 year (with a vesting option on a 6th) deal with the Phillies for $50M… Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a coffee with PayPal!
Hamels Pitched A Remarkable Game, In Case Anyone Noticed
With Cole Hamels on the mound Tuesday night, I bet you couldn’t keep your eyes off the little blue batter’s box on TBS with a teeny pitch count above it. We watched Hamels’ pitch count climb higher and higher, while Garcia finished his innings quicker than a trip to the bathroom. By the third [...]
Remember Michael Stutes?
When did Michael Stutes all of a sudden become Adam Eaton? Michael Stutes had one bad month in August and all of a sudden everyone is ready to toss him aside like yesterday’s sports page. This weekend I heard two reporters (David Murphy and some other guy) agree that essentially Stutes is no [...]
Analyzing Phillies in the Playoffs
It’s playoff time, and if the past is any indication the Phillies are ready. Since 2007 (we can forget getting swept in 2007, right?), the Phillies are 25-13 in the postseason, have reached the NLCS in three straight seasons, and have only lost two series in three years. We can learn much more about the [...]
The Importance of Kendrick and Worley to the Phillies
The Phillies clinched the division with 12 games left and should still (we hope) have the most wins ever for the franchise. Now imagine where they would be without Kyle Kendrick or Vance Worley. Kendrick and Worley’s contributions to this Phillies team aren’t just nice stories; they changed the entire complexion of the [...]
Who can Phillies least afford to lose: Rollins, Utley, or Howard?
The injury bug has infected practically anything wearing a Phillies uniform this season. Rollins is the 11th player to join a DL club that includes 5 position players, 3 starters, and 3 relievers. Heck, even the Phanatic got knocked on his keester this year. With the best record in baseball and a nice little cushion [...]
Vance Worley Shows Us Scouts Can’t Predict Everything
As Vance Worley dominates the Mets on an otherwise quiet Thursday night, one cannot help but look at his stats in amazement: 8-1, 2.33 ERA, 74 K, 31 BB, and a 1.139 WHIP. In fact, as I type this he has just struck out his 9th Met on the night, in only the 7th inning. True, [...]
The Marlins & The Future
With 72 losses already, their ace out for the season (Josh Johnson=Gimpy?), and their best hitter taking it easy (Hanley Ramirez Exposed!!, more on that next time), the Marlins have nothing to lose. But we can all see that Ole Man McKeon is playing every game like it’s his last (which each game very well [...]
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