Johan Santana

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The N.Y. Mets Fall from Grace (and the standings…)

Posted by fantasyfurnace on July 23, 2012
Posted in: MLB. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Just when you thought it was safe to become a proud New York Mets fan again, they find another way to “Build you up, buttercup baby just to let you down!” Six games over .500 at the All Star break and just 1/2 a game out of the wild card race, it looked like the Metropolitans were finding a way to overachieve themselves right into the playoffs.

This disgruntled Mets fan’s face is one of many who have watched his team implode since the All Star break. Photo: John Dunn for The New York Times

However injuries and a lot of bad luck has pulled the rug from right underneath them of late and we’re now witnessing the unravelling of one of the most biggest surprise teams through the first half of the season. Losers of eight of their last nine games since the break, the Mets have found themselves at 47-48, placing them below .500 for the first time this year.

Now they’ve slipped to 8.5 games out of 1st place in the N.L. East, safely tucked away in third place and 5 games out of the wild card race after their weekend sweep at the hands of the L.A. Dodgers. Their pitching staff has been a regular *M*A*S*H* unit, starting with Mike Pelfrey who went down after just three games before having Tommy John surgery. The loss of Dillon Gee to a blood clot in his throwing shoulder was followed by the latest news that the first N.Y. Met to pitch a no-hitter, Johan Santana, was headed to the DL to heal a badly sprained ankle, to rest, and to give his surgically repaired shoulder some extra time off. Should the Mets fall too far out of contention, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if they opt to shut Santana down for a part or the remainder of the season at that point.

#57 SP Johan Santana, who has been ineffective in his last few starts, has been placed on the 15 day DL with ankle soreness and for rest. Source: Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America

41 year old SP Miguel Batista, who has started five games for the Mets this season has been totally ineffective as witnessed by his latest fiasco in yesterday’s game where he threw 81 pitches in only three innings allowing four runs on five hits and three walks. Not much relief in sight as the much hyped prospect Matt Harvey, scheduled to come up to the majors after another start, allowed six runs on seven hits in just five innings in a 11-0 Triple -A loss on Saturday night.

If the Mets are to salvage the remainder of the season, then they will have to be buyers and go out and find some free agents to help head off their recent implosion. And it’s not just starting pitching that’s had the biggest impact on their downward spiral; their bullpen, who entered Saturday’s game with the worst ERA (4.95) in baseball needs an overhauling as well.

This savvy Mets fan realizes the importance of good relief pitching at the major league level; an area that’s been problematic for the Metropolitans. Photo: nj.com

Relievers Jeremy Hefner from Triple-A Buffalo and Elvin Ramirez will be recalled from Buffalo probably before Sunday’s game, but  they’ll need more ‘relief’ than that- and in more ways than one if they want to stay competitive going into the dog days of summer and beyond.

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R.A. Dickey: A year like no other!

Posted by fantasyfurnace on June 8, 2012
Posted in: MLB. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

He’s the hottest pitcher in the major leagues tied for the most wins, 9. Dickey is having a career year and there really is no rhyme or reason for it.  As he is currently on pace for 25 wins, clearly it would not be surprising if there’s an adjustment in store for the 37 year old knuckleballer.

Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey, showcasing his famous knuckleball, is enjoying the best season of his career. Photo: facebook.com

He is two years removed from his career high in wins, 11, and is carrying a career low ERA of 2.44 and a miniscule WHIP of only 1.04! What make these numbers as stunning as his 9-1 record is that his career average ERA sits at 4.17 while his average WHIP is 1.37. Although on pace for 200+ strikeouts, Dickey has never struck out more than 134 in any season.

He doesn’t seem to be letting up either as he has a 0.29 ERA over his last four starts, with 38 strikeouts and three walks. And what is even more impressive is that Dickey is experiencing his career best scoreless inning streak holding at 24 2/3 inning! Not sure what the eleven year veteran is eating but I hope he wasn’t hanging around Ryan Braun in the off-season…

His next two games are against the anemic Tampa Bay Rays followed by the Cincinnati Reds. He’s playing for a team that has been clutch all season by virtue of the fact that they have scored the most runs with two outs of any team in the major leagues. And this is with a first baseman who is batting 70 points lower than his weight, .161, and has amassed only 29 hits all year; Ike Davis.

Fantasy managers who snagged up R.A. early in the season have certainly been reaping the harvest as Dickey has provided outstanding numbers right across the board

If Dickey’s performance over the first third of the season is sustainable, then he could be considered an early N.L. Cy Young Award candidate when all is said and done. He’ll have some competition to be sure with pitchers like Lance Lynn, Cole Hamels, Chris Capuano, and Gio Gonzalez all close to Dickey’s numbers.

But it wasn’t always this easy for the former 1st round draft pick of the Texas Rangers. In an effort to improve his stats, Dickey came up with his now potent knuckleball at the beginning of the 2006 season. The Rangers gave Dickey a chance to try out his knuckleball at the major league level, however, after giving up 6 home runs in his first start on April 6, tying the modern era baseball record with another knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield, he was demoted to the Triple-A.

After two unsuccessful stints with the Mariners and the Twins, he was traded to the Mets in 2010 and has since perfected the knuckleball to where he now has the 2nd lowest ERA on the Mets staff; just a wee bit behind Johan Santana, the Mets ace. Almost a cinch to make the All-Star team next month, it would not be inconceivable for Dickey to end the season with the most wins by a knuckleballer and perhaps he’ll be instrumental in turning other pitchers on to this crazy, unorthodox and extremely difficult pitch to hit. We wish R.A. luck the rest of the way while he enjoys his best year ever!

Could R.A. Dickey become a 20-game winner this season? Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

“It’s Fair!” It’s Foul!” “He’s Safe!” “He’s Out!” It’s time for instant replay…

Posted by fantasyfurnace on June 6, 2012
Posted in: MLB. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 9 Comments

Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball  in Cooperstown, New York in 1839. By today’s standards that game, their original equipment, and some of their rules seem archaic; there were no helmets, no inside chest protectors, no oversized gloves, and no replays of disputable home runs.

Abner Doubleday, the man credited with inventing the game of baseball. Photo: Wikopedia

Over the past 173 years, the game has seen many changes. It has appropriately evolved with the times, it’s popularity, and it’s marketability. Changes have been made to make the baseball player more comfortable and quicker like the transformation of the old wool uniforms to mass-produced team brands made from space age fabrics.

Point is, because of changes in technology, the game and those responsible for running it, have made many necessary adjustments that have enhanced its enjoyment and popularity. But have they done enough?

Case in point, we have now come to yet another point in time where it is necessary to ‘update’ the game again in order to make its outcome fair to both sides. The cry for instant replay made its greatest plea almost 2 years ago to the day; June 2, 2010, when Detroit Tigers pitcher Armondo Galarraga was denied being credited with baseball’s 21st perfect game because of a blown call made by verteran umpire Jim Joyce involving the 27th batter to come to the plate.

With the runner clearly out, Jim Joyce’s call cost Galarraga a place in the history books. Photo: larrybrownsports.com

Fast forward to June 1, 2012 and Mets pitcher Johan Santana who was vieing for his team’s first no hitter in their franchise’s history. A ball hit by former Met Carlos Beltran clearly was fair on replay but was determined to be foul by umpire Adrian Johnson.


Umpire Adrian Johnson mistakenly called this Carlos Belran shot down the third base line foul instead of fair. Photo: neogaf.com

If called correctly, Santana doesn’t have his no hitter and history would not have been made.

Since at the present time, only ‘disputed’ home runs are subject to replay, aren’t the two stunning examples above reason enough for instant replay to be instituted by MLB? Naysayers would cry that “You’re  compromising the integrity of the game”. Or “It’s not the way the game is supposed to be played.” Well, it was supposed to be played with little kid gloves once upon a time. The typical first baseman’s glove is now almost 2.5 times the size of the ones that were used in the 19th century!

Some others insist that ” Baseball games are too long already.” With a centrally located area designated by the Commissioner, a panel of umpires could review a call in a matter of seconds. How long was it, if you watched the Santana no hitter, before replays appeared on the screen of the blown foul ball by Betran? Literally seconds!

Furthermore, if a typical game lasts say 2 hrs. 40 min. and with replays in force the average game was delayed by an extra 5 minutes, wouldn’t it be worth the extra time in order for the calls to be correct so that its outcome need not be questioned or disputed?

Today we have the technology for instant replays and if it were available in 1839, don’t you think that Abner Doubleday would have implemented it as part of the rules, the same way he would have had all ball players wear helmets if they too were accessible?

The NFL has adopted many new rules and regulations and it still the most popular sport in the country. They have managed to keep up with technology and utilize it so that it’s advantageous to both teams on the field. Moreover, the average football game is close to 3 hours and no one complains.

It’s high time that MLB join the NFL, NBA, and NHL and begin the use of instant replay. It isn’t 1839 any longer…