Where Have You Gone, Lastings Milledge?

A few days ago, my fav'rit Gal For All Seasons continued her new weekly series on a topic near and dear to her - what she likes to call post-traumatic Mets disorder - by discussing her survival of Lastings Milledge.   For those of you who have tried to block out the Omar Minaya era or were never a card-carrying member of the Milledge People, allow me to refresh your memory on who Lastings Milledge was (technically, he still is Lastings Milledge, as far as I know).

Lastings Milledge was a flashy prospect for the Mets who had five-tool talent - a latter-day Darryl Strawberry, if you will.  Although he didn't possess Strawberry's prodigious power (the type of power that would make you wait until after his at-bat to get your Shea Stadium souvenir cup soda), he was supposed to be the future in the Mets outfield.  However, when Milledge first got called up to the Mets in 2006, he was more Throneberry than Strawberry.

Milledge batted .241 in 56 games for the division champs, with four homers, 22 RBIs and one stolen base.  As a 21-year-old enjoying his first call-up to the big leagues, Milledge looked overmatched at times, taking awkward hacks at the plate.  A .300 hitter in the minor leagues, Milledge barely cracked a .300 on-base percentage for the Mets in 2006, finishing the season at .310.

In 2007, Milledge made the team out of spring training, but was sent back down to the minors after playing in only three games in April.  He didn't make it back to the big show until July, but when he did, he finally showed some of the potential the Mets expected to see when they drafted him as the 12th overall pick in the 2003 amateur draft.  From July 21 to August 15, Milledge played in 20 games, batting .389 (28-for-72) with nine extra-base hits, 12 RBIs, 14 runs scored and two stolen bases.

Milledge only played in 59 games for the Mets in 2007 (three more than he played in 2006), but improved in most offensive categories.  He finished the season with a .272 batting average, .341 on-base percentage and .446 slugging percentage.  Milledge belted seven homers, drove in 29 runs and stole three bases in 184 at-bats.  Those numbers made it seem like Milledge was settling in for a long career in New York.  But unfortunately, he did have one thing in common with Darryl Strawberry.  He made the front office uncomfortable with his off-the-field habits.

Instead of settling in as the team's starting rightfielder in 2008, Milledge was dealt to the Washington Nationals for rightfielder Ryan Church and catcher Brian Schneider.  When Church wasn't getting concussed, he was a decent offensive player.  Schneider wasn't a bad catcher, but his offensive production was a far cry from what Paul LoDuca gave the Mets in 2006 and 2007.  Heck, Schneider wasn't even Ramon Castro when it came to his hitting prowess.

As Church and Schneider settled in with their new team, Milledge had a career year in Washington.  Milledge played in 138 games for the Nationals in 2008 and batted .268 with 24 doubles, 14 homers, 61 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. A slow start in 2009 earned Milledge a return trip to the minors and eventually got him traded to Pittsburgh.  Milledge performed decently in the Steel City, but nagging injuries never allowed him to settle into the everyday lineup.  In 1½ seasons as a Pirate, Milledge only collected 599 at-bats, but managed to hit .282 with 32 doubles, eight homers, 54 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.  When the Pirates failed to offer Milledge a contract following the 2010 season, he signed a free agent deal with the Chicago White Sox.  Milledge only played in two games with Chicago in 2011 and then couldn't get another job with a major league team.

After realizing that his talents were not wanted stateside, Milledge packed his bags, dusted off his passport, and took his game to Japan on a one-year deal with the Yakult Swallows.  Finally healthy, Milledge played in 125 games for the Swallows and batted .300 with 23 doubles, 21 homers, 65 RBIs, 73 runs scored and nine stolen bases.  He also showed much-improved discipline at the plate, striking out 79 times in 546 plate appearances and drawing a career-high 57 walks.  Milledge's .865 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) would have been second on the 2012 Mets, after David Wright's .883 OPS.  And that's where the point of this piece finally makes itself known.

Sandy Alderson has been in search of an outfielder since the season ended.  So far Alderson has signed Andrew Brown and Marlon Byrd to minor league contracts, and he's traded for outfielder Collin Cowgill. He's also doing his best to romance Michael Bourn into a discounted deal with the Mets.  But when Lastings Milledge's contract with the Swallows expired following the 2012 campaign, Alderson didn't even notice.  As a result, Milledge chose to stay in Japan, signing a three-year, $4.4 million contract with a fourth year mutual option.

So now the Mets are still trying to figure out which combination of outfielders they're going to use in 2013, while Milledge will be playing the prime years of his career (he won't be 28 until April) overseas.  The Mets didn't want to give Scott Hairston $4 million per year because he wanted a two-year deal.  But Yakult was able to keep Milledge away from the major leagues with $4.4 million over three years.

Lastings Milledge might have been a pain for the Mets front office five years ago, but now he's only a pain for opposing pitchers in Japan.  It's too bad Sandy Alderson didn't take notice when he had the chance.

Mets Sign A Rod; Too Bad It's Barajas

Sorry about the title (and for the photo to the left), Mets fans. The Mets did sign "a Rod" over the weekend, but it happened to be Rod Barajas, who should take over as the #1 catcher for the Mets this season.

After failing to sign other potential #1 catchers, most notably Funky Cold Molina, the Mets were able to sign Barajas to a one-year deal for a very reasonable dollar amount ($1 million, plus $1 million in incentives). This will allow Josh Thole to play another season in the minor leagues in the hopes that he can be major league ready in 2011.

So what are the pros and cons of the Rod Barajas signing? Let's start with the pros.

Since the Texas Rangers signed him as a free agent prior to the 2004 season, Barajas has become a good source for extra-base hits, especially from the catchers' position. He was the #1 catcher for Texas from 2004-2006 and Toronto from 2008-2009 (he had an injury-plagued season for the Phillies in 2007 and only played 48 games for our hated rivals). In the five seasons Barajas was an everyday player, he hit 77 HR (with a career high of 21 HR in 2005), 112 doubles (consistently hitting between 19 and 26 doubles in each of the five seasons) and collected 279 RBI (with a career high of 71 RBI in 2009). An average season for Barajas over those five years meant 22 doubles, 15 HR and 56 RBI. By comparison, the combination of Brian Schneider and Omir Santos hit 25 doubles, 10 HR and collected 64 RBI for the Mets in 2009. The combined total for those two catchers were nearly identical to the numbers produced by Barajas in an average season.

Defensively, Barajas has been consistently good at throwing out would-be base stealers. Over his career, he has nailed 34% of those who have attempted to swipe a base against him. That same percentage was registered by Barajas over each of the past two seasons. Over those same two seasons, which coincide with Brian Schneider's two years in New York, Schneider also threw out 34% of opposing base stealers. Omir Santos nabbed 30% of the would-be base stealers against him in his one big league season.

Now what is there not to like about Barajas? How about a career .238 batting average and a frighteningly low .284 career OBP? The numbers were even worse last year (.226 batting average, .258 OBP). He has never walked more than 26 times in a single season and has only collected 100 hits in a season once (104 hits in 2005). He also tends to pick up his share of errors. In the five seasons Barajas has been a #1 catcher, he has commited 38 errors (an average of nearly eight errors per season). In those same five seasons, Brian Schneider commited half that total (19 errors). Also, Omir Santos only committed three errors in his one season with the Mets.

Before I end this, I do need to point out that Barajas has fared well against the three teams that finished ahead of the Mets in the NL East last year (Phillies, Marlins, Braves). In 187 career at-bats against those three teams, Barajas has hit .316, with 18 doubles, 13 HR and 35 RBI. Considering he will be seeing those teams more than teams in the NL Central and NL West, those numbers cannot be ignored.

So now that you have the pros and cons, what do you think of the signing, my fellow SMFs? Is this an upgrade over whatever combination of catchers the Mets would have employed? Do you think Barajas will end up helping the team more with his bat or with his defense? Will Barajas be the #1 catcher for the entire 2010 season? The floor is yours, Mets fans! Talk amongst yourselves!

Omir, Oh My! How Will Omir Santos Do In 2010?

As the countdown towards Late Winter Training continues, it is becoming more and more likely that the Mets are going with Omir Santos as their #1 catcher, with Henry Blanco and Chris Coste vying for the backup spot.

The Mets spent their winter break signing tenth-string catchers Coste and Blanco and let a more competent catcher like Funky Cold Molina re-sign with the Giants. As a result, Santos will now be expected to handle the pitching staff of Johan Santana and The Four Rainouts as well as performing a few Omir-acles of his own at the plate.

Can he be counted on to repeat his unexpected 2009 performance this year now that more is expected from him? Let's take a look inside the Studious Metsimus Stat Box and pick out some juicy numbers.

In 2008, Omir Santos was called up to the major leagues by the Baltimore Orioles for some coffee and donuts. Since they used peppermint in his coffee (trust me when I say it's a bad combination), he bid adieu to Baltimore and said hello to the Mets. It was in New York that he got his huge break when Brian Schneider got injured, forcing the Mets to call him up to be a part of the Not Ready For Prime Time (Baseball) Players.

However, something happened on the way to the 7 train. On a team full of fragile players and David K. Wright (the K stands for "why the fudge did you strike out so much in 2009?"), Omir blossomed into a pretty decent (and clutch) hitter.

On May 23, Santos hit the most dramatic home run of the 2009 season (some might say the only dramatic home run of the 2009 season, but my name isn't "some") when he hit a two-out, two-run HR in the ninth inning off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. The umpires originally called the shot a double off the Green Monster, but video replay showed that the ball went over the wall and bounced back onto the field of play. To be honest with you, I thought the ball was called a double at first because the umpires couldn't believe it was Omir Santos who hit the home run and not a genuine power threat like...

Well...

Uhh...

Okay, let's be honest with ourselves. The umpires couldn't believe a Met hit a home run off ANYONE. Jonathan Papelbon was so upset that he gave up a home run to a Met that he immediately punched himself in the crotch. (see photo below)

Santos continued his success after Papelbon's "Crotch Heard 'Round The World" by finishing the 2009 season with a .260 batting average, seven HR and 40 RBI in 291 at-bats. Will that translate into a better season in 2010 if he gets the 400 at-bats usually reserved for a #1 catcher?

Unfortunately, looking at his minor league stats, the answer might be no. In 2,229 career at-bats for various minor league teams, Santos could only manage a .258 average, with 32 HR and 260 RBI. He hit .260 for the Mets after not being able to do that against MINOR LEAGUE PITCHING in his eight-plus years toiling in Buttsburg, Wyoming and Fartsville, Wisconsin (although the cheese being cut in Fartsville by the Wisconsin cheeseheads is quite aromatic).

Can the Mets expect more Omir-acles from Santos in 2010? Probably not. They don't play the Red Sox this season and due to the lack of catching depth on the team, there's very little chance he'll get sent back to Wisconsin to play for Count Flatula. If Santos repeats his seven HR, 40 RBI performance in 400 at-bats, that should be considered a success for him. But I'm not counting on it.

The Mets would be better off signing a more experienced catcher who can do well with a pitching staff that can be quite erratic at times. (see Maine, J. and Perez, O.) Given 400 at-bats, any catcher can hit seven HR and drive in 40 runs. But with the problems the Mets could have with their starting pitchers, it may be more important to go with a catcher who can help the Mets more with his handling of pitchers than with his handling of the bat. If the Mets give that much playing time to Omir Santos, they'd better hope he can handle the Four Rainouts portion of Johan Santana and The Four Rainouts. If he can't, the band might not get another gig at Citi Field.