The LoHud Mets Blog

Baxter’s turn to play
Unlikely hero; Frank Frank
Forsakes breaks for bends

Batista exits
Hefner excels in relief
But nobody hits

Niese gives up four blasts
No comeback, just Johnson as
His own battery

I had the pleasure of taking my afternoon off yesterday, and when I asked my daughter what she wanted to do after her nap, she told me.

“Me want to go to Mets game!”

Since the weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and it isn’t exactly a sacrifice to follow my daughter’s wishes when they take us to a ballpark, I was happy to assent.

We had a wonderful time. I’ve mentioned this before; Citi Field itself is a glorious place to watch a baseball game. And the game itself, naturally only added to our fun. Lucas Duda appears to be her favorite. I won’t argue with a two-year-old; she has plenty of appreciation for David Wright as well.

But I did read this story, about a man who took a stand when Mets ushers tried to remove him from a different seat than the one he paid for, and it reinforced for me how ridiculous it is that employees of the Mets find a way to negatively affect the baseball experience at Citi Field.

Short version: the guy was in the wrong seat, alone in an empty section of a mostly empty ballpark. The Mets ushers asked him to move. He didn’t. They called the police and had him arrested for trespassing.

Were the Mets within their rights? Sure. I have the right to be mean to my wife, too. But neither move is especially productive, and in fact, quite the opposite.

I’ve been going to Mets games for a long, long time. And I’ve dealt with many employees at Citi Field who are polite. And I’ve dealt with many more who are not only rude, but seem to look for conflict, like an umpire who makes a bad call and then approaches an upset player.

Yesterday was no different. At the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, the security officer decided to rummage extensively through the diaper bag I’d packed for my daughter-a likely story, right?-and tried to confiscate her peanut butter, for reasons that were never made clear. I know all bags are searched, but there’s the cursory look it usually gets, and then the “take everything out, even though it takes forever to pack it, and then put things back so nothing fit” model of search.

It took talking to a supervisor to establish that no, the two-year-old and her peanut butter were not a security threat. Feeling like he still needed to escalate the situation, he then forced my daughter to go through a full patdown. Rudeness ruled the experience- the first encounter with a Citi Field employee, mind you. Not a single “Sorry for the inconvenience” or “Enjoy the game.” I didn’t let it ruin my day; but it took a second to take a deep breath, remember I was at a beautiful baseball game with my daughter, and put the encounter in the rearview mirror.

This is how the Mets are treating their customers on first contact. It’s an odd business model. So is evicting people from seats late in games, or sending the police after them. And I have talked to so many people who have comparable experiences. Apparently, even in 2012, this is still going on, which is insane. I mean, did you see the actual crowd at that Cincinnati game Wednesday night? What possible upside was there to move anyone?

Now I don’t have the slightest doubt that this isn’t how the New York Mets intend their policies to be carried out. They need paying customers. And there’s been, again anecdotally, a strong push toward employing friendlier staff relative to Shea Stadium, whereas I’d be hard-pressed to remember any friendly greeting for me at any point, and more than a few angry evictions from otherwise empty sections. Some deviation from politeness is inevitable, right?

I can’t help but compare it to when I go to games at Citizens Bank Park.

Again, this is just one person’s experience. But the Phillies have figured out a way to have every single employee treat its customers with respect. Every one. I have been to a lot of games at Citizens Bank Park. And I’ve had so many encounters with employees there, all smiling, asking if they can be of any help. It is grating to be a Mets fan, and get treated better in the home park of a rival.

I also remember sitting in great seats between home and first one rainy evening shortly after the park opened, and seeing four kids sneak down late in the game to sit just a few rows from the field. I saw the usher spot them and make a beeline for the kids. I’d been to Shea Stadium enough to know how this ended, right?

Wrong. The usher came over to wipe the seats, and left the kids alone.

Guess who’s coming back to spend more money on tickets and concessions: the four kids who got to see MLB action up close? Or the man who got arrested?

The Mets are really fortunate to have Leigh Castergine in charge of ticket sales. She is making it easier and more worthwhile by the day to buy tickets from the New York Mets. They need to find out how the Phillies get their employees to treat customers, however, and implement that policy. Otherwise, a lot of the good work Leigh is doing will just fall by the wayside.

In a season filled

With comebacks, Wright heroics,

This still felt special

It is worth pointing out the following about Kirk Nieuwenhuis:

Following his game-winning hit to sweep the Miami Marlins on April 26 to cap a three-hit day, Nieuwenhuis had a season line of .333/.403/.517 in 67 plate appearances. He’d walked just five times and struck out 19 times, meaning that in nearly 30 percent of his appearances, he’d fanned, while his batting eye wasn’t translating into many walks.

In 73 plate appearances since, Nieuwenhuis has a line of .254/.333/.302. The power has completely disappeared, while he’s walked eight times and struck out 22 times. The strikeout rate is up over 30 percent now, the walk rate about the same. And the problem is that such control of the strike zone usually goes with lines closer to his second set of plate appearances than his first.

I point this out, not because Nieuwenhuis is a flash in the pan who should be quickly forgotten, but for a different reason. We conveniently forgot that when the Mets called him up, he’d played less than half a season last year at Triple-A, and that his entire body of work at even Triple-A is just  83 games. The man was rushed. Out of necessity, no doubt, but rushed just the same.

So when Jason Bay comes back, the Mets are supposed to have a roster crunch. But that assumes that Nieuwenhuis is a Met to stay, no matter what.

Might I suggest, as unpalatable as it is for anyone who has watched Bay as a Met, that as long as Jason Bay is going to get more chances to justify his enormous contract-and make no mistake, he almost certainly will-that Nieuwenhuis ought to go back to Triple-A to resume learning how to control the strike zone?

This swinging-and-missing problem isn’t new. His career strikeout rate at Triple-A is just under 28 percent, which is awfully high. He has talent, but not enough power to really justify a full-time career if he can’t get that under control.

So if Jason Bay is going to be given another shot anyway, it is probably for the best to see Nieuwenhuis sent back to Buffalo, rather than spot Bay, Torres and Duda from the New York bench. Hopefully, the move is a temporary one.

So it turns out the biggest moment of D.J. Carrasco’s career is going to be gettting thrown out of a game and making David Wright mad.
The Mets announced following Wednesday night’s game that they had designated Carrasco for assignment. I actually thought this was a bit hasty, since Carrasco had been effective as recently as 2010, and they don’t have a ton of other great options. Fernando Cabrera is probably the best alternative overall, and the just-returning Chuck James can give them another lefty.
But one sentence last night- how Terry Collins described his conversation with Carrasco about the errant pitch- told me that Carrasco would NEVER get a chance to pitch in an important spot. His time appeared up. And 24 hours later, it was.
The DFA with no corresponding move is the coldest breakup. It isn’t, “We want to see other people.” It’s straight up “We can’t stand the sight of you.” Cold.
UPDATE: Robert Carson, a lefty from Binghamton, is the corresponding move. But the Mets waited, and I can’t help but wonder if the delay was sending the above message. Bet there’s more here than just what spilled out last night. Will do some digging.

Johan gets wasted
Carrasco, sadly, not tossed
Rauch starts regressing

Okay, this is spectacular.

I had the privilege of covering the 2008 All Star Game in Yankee Stadium. All 15 innings of it. It was one of the highlights of my career. And I expect next year will top it.

But to have all the events that go along with the weekend, the Futures Game, the Home Run Derby- it is a spectacular turn of events.

So mark your calendars now: July 16, 2013.

The Mets last hosted the game back in 1964, a game memorably won by Johnny Callison’s home run.

Other notable moments from the press conference at City Hall included Mike Bloomberg channeling the Twitter account El Bloombito, and awkwardly high-fiving Mr. Met.

The announcements will be forthcoming, I’m sure. This is one to savor and enjoy.

While Greinke sparkles
Gee gets Ishikawa’d, twice
Wright, pulled early, fumes

For the purposes of this exercise, let’s go ahead and realize that Miguel Batista isn’t likely to succeed in the role as fifth starter. By all means, if he keeps pitching like he did Monday night, keep him there. But even with last night representing more than a quarter of his season, Batista has 16 walks, 17 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. He’s 41. He hasn’t pitched more than 115 innings since 2007. He isn’t a realistic answer for a rotation spot.

But the Mets sure could use him to pitch, because the two alternatives making their way through the system don’t seem like real answers to me, either.

First is Jenrry Mejia, who had a terrific rehab start in Single-A last night, with six scoreless innings and seven strikeouts. It is wonderful to see Mejia back and pitching, after the mishandling of his 2010 season and Tommy John surgery ending his 2011 campaign.

But now that Mejia is healthy, the very same issues about his work apply: beyond a major league fastball, Mejia still ought to be working on his secondary pitches to determine whether he can be a starter at the major league level. And that work ought to be happening in the minor leagues, so he can make adjustments without worrying nearly as much about results.

I know many people, the Mets’ pitching coach included, have Mejia penciled in as a reliever. And he might ultimately be that. But it would be foolish to assume this ahead of time, given how much more valuable a starter can be. His delivery in unorthodox? Well, so was Fernando Valenzuela’s. So was Luis Tiant’s. So is Tim Lincecum’s. And putting him in the bullpen is no guarantee of protection, either. See Chamberlain, Joba.

Keep Mejia at Triple-A, working in a rotation with Jeurys Familia and Matt Harvey. And promote them when they command multiple pitches consistently, not before.

The other option, Chris Young, is a year removed from shoulder surgery. He made four starts for the Mets in 2011 before breaking down. He made four starts for the Padres in 2010 before breaking down. So thinking he’ll just slot in, and everything will be fine, appears to be wishful thinking in the extreme.

Still, who knows? Chris Capuano hadn’t been healthy for years, then gave the Mets a full season in 2011. Promote Young and hope for the best, especially given the alternatives.

But don’t throw Mejia to the wolves again, just as he’s gotten back to the stage in his development he’d reached in 2010, back before Jerry Manuel’s “daily debate” over his usage. No, really: the Mets used to change the long-term plan for a top prospect on the daily whims of the manager. Ah, memories.

Batista? Really?
Wright and Murph provide support
Frank Frank: good enough

If you are looking for more coverage of the NHL Eastern Conference finals, a sure place to find it is our LoHud Rangers Blog.

So Andy Martino, over at the New York Daily News, asked this question on Twitter:

“Why do people compare Francisco to Benitez? There have been many bad closers in the intervening years.”

His implication seemed clear, particularly from the writer who once wrote a piece speculating that Mets fans, who adored Jose Reyes and Pedro Martinez, were sour on Luis Castillo because of race, rather than because of his poor play on the field or that dropped pop up against the Yankees.

From my perspective, I am glad Martino is taking a closer look at the role race plays in the perception of athletes. I think it would be too simple to dismiss the role it plays in many instances.

But let’s try and examine what other reasons fans could have for comparing Frank Francisco to Armando Benitez.

First, the idea that the Mets have had “many bad closers” since Armando Benitez left just isn’t true. Since Benitez left, the Mets have had three regular closers: Braden Looper, Billy Wagner and Francisco Rodriguez. The latter two were among the best closers in Mets history. Looper, obviously, was not.

Aha! And Looper is white! So race must be the reason why Mets fans compare Benitez and Francisco, correct?

Well, there are a number of other reasons, too.

Armando Benitez was a heavyset reliever who threw a majority of fastballs. His second pitch was a splitter. He suffered from command issues with his slider pitches, tended to leave those fastballs over the middle of the plate when he got beaten. He was primarily a flyball pitcher whose velocity tended to hover in the mid-90s. He walked well more than four per nine innings, and struck out better than a batter per inning.

All of these things are true for Frank Francisco, too. All of them. They are both a very specific type of pitcher. They also look remarkably similar, facially, and wear practically the same number: Benitez wore 49, Francisco wears 48.

And Braden Looper was a groundball pitcher who barely struck out anybody. Mets fans weren’t fond of him, but it wouldn’t make any sense at all to compare Francisco to Looper, for reasons having nothing to do with race.

Notice also that despite a general dislike of Francisco Rodriguez within the fan base, no one is comparing Francisco to Rodriguez, despite the two of the being of Latin descent.

Like I said at the top, looking at the role race plays in the perception of athletes is worth doing. Throwing assertions and insinuations about it out there, when there are clearly more obvious reasons for fan reaction, diminishes the careful look at an important aspect of analysis and makes the case harder to present when racial motivations really are present. I think Martino does a disservice to such examinations by saying this on Twitter, just as I believe he did with his Castillo piece.

First, Turner rings Bell
Then, Frank Frank treats ump like chair
Fin: Giancarlo’d