Bears On Books: Amazin' Again

Just like Mets baseball, your favorite bears who like to sit on books are back!

Happy Opening Day, everyone!  We're Joey and Iggy Beartran and we couldn't think of a more fitting way to celebrate the beginning of the 2016 campaign - a year the Mets open as defending National League champions - with a review of the book that gave us a happy recap of the previous season that the late Bob Murphy would be proud of.

Today, we'll be reviewing "Amazin' Again: How the 2015 New York Mets Brought the Magic Back to Queens" by Greg Prince.  It was a season Mets fans won't soon forget, just like this book is one Mets fans won't soon put down.

Mr. Prince, whose Faith and Fear in Flushing blog inspired the book of the same name and also laid down the blueprint for his second book, The Happiest Recap, wrote his latest work almost as quickly as it took the Mets to erase the Washington Nationals from the postseason picture.  But just because this wasn't a book that was painstakingly put together over a period of several years doesn't mean the quality suffers.  In fact, it's quite the contrary.

When Casey Stengel "perfessed" that the first words spoken by children in the 1960s had changed from "Mama" or "Papa" to "Metsie, Metsie, Metsie", he was clearly referring to Mr. Prince.  The foremost authority on all things Metsie could have written this book in one sitting and we'd believe it.  His love of the Mets permeates throughout the 215 pages dedicated to the 2015 pennant winners.

One thing that rivals Mr. Prince's love of the Mets is his love of the English language.  His pun-tastic wordplay is evident in each chapter, making a story every Mets fan remembers as if it occurred yesterday (or 155 yesterdays ago, if you want to be precise) seem fresh and new.

If a band performed at Citi Field in 2015, Mr. Prince would find a way to reference as many song titles into his review of the game that preceded each show.  Yes, this isn't just a by-the-numbers recap of the season (although numbers do find a way into the story in a way that non-mathophiles can enjoy).  Then again, it's to be expected that Mr. Prince would entertain you even when he's discussing the otherwise somber truth of the team's injury announcements.  You know, the ones that begin with "He's not going to throw today as scheduled" and end with "The Mets haven't yet announced whether they will wear a patch in his memory in 2016."

In an era where people's attention spans get shorter and shorter by the minute, it didn't take too many 60-second intervals to finish reading this book.  In fact, we devoured page after page as if they were bacon on a stick and were done with Amazin' Again less than 36 hours after we started, or about 36 hours longer than the Cubs held a lead in the National League Championship Series.  (And just wait till you get to the chapter on the NLCS.  It's totally Murphalicious.)

So as you get ready for the 2016 campaign with the memorable 2015 campaign still visible in your rear view mirror, take time out to read a wonderful work dedicated to that most recently completed campaign.  Don't be surprised if you end up shedding tears of joy after finishing Mr. Prince's book (even if you weren't just traded for Carlos Gomez).

As the subtitle of Amazin' Again says, the Mets brought the magic back to Queens.  And Mr. Prince certainly brought the magic back into our minds with his amazin' book.  We give it two very enthusiastic paws up.

Amazin' Again was so well-written, we may just have to read it again.

Was The Johan Santana Trade Worth It For The Mets?

"Who does this stupid blogger think he is, trying to say I wasn't worth the money?  I didn't see him pitch a no-hitter."

After a six-year relationship with the Mets, Johan Santana is no longer on the team's payroll, as the Mets paid the lefty $5.5 million to buy out his $25 million option for 2014.  With Santana no longer part of the team, the time has come to analyze whether or not the Mets did the right thing by trading for him in 2008.

At the time of the deal, which sent Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra to the Minnesota Twins, the Mets were trying desperately to make amends with their fans after their epic collapse in 2007.  To complete the trade, the Mets signed Santana to a six-year, $137.5 million contract, which at the time was the most lucrative deal ever given to a pitcher.

Johan Santana was very good as a Met - when he was healthy.  In his first year in Flushing, Santana was 16-7 with 206 strikeouts and a league-leading 2.53 ERA.  Santana became the first left-handed pitcher in franchise history to lead the league in ERA in 2008, and the fourth Met overall to accomplish the feat, following right-handed starters Tom Seaver (1970, 1971, 1973), Craig Swan (1978) and Dwight Gooden (1985).  Santana's 206 strikeouts are also tops for a southpaw in club annals, surpassing Jon Matlack's record of 205 Ks, which he accomplished in 1973.

In his final start of the season, Santana gave one of the gutsiest performances by a pitcher in the team's history.  With the Mets needing to win to stay alive in the race for a postseason berth, Santana fired a three-hit shutout against the Florida Marlins on just three days rest.  And he did it with a torn meniscus in his left knee.  The Mets failed to make the playoffs in 2008 but succeeded in finally having a true ace atop their rotation.  Or so it seemed.

Santana's start on September 27, 2008 came in the first year of his six-year commitment to the Mets.  He would only make one more September start for the Mets over the last five years of his contract.  An assortment of injuries kept Santana on the disabled list for all of 2011 and 2013, and curtailed his 2009, 2010 and 2012 seasons.  But that 2012 campaign saw Santana do something no Mets fan ever thought he'd see.

On June 1, 2012, Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in franchise history in the team's 8,020th regular season game.  Just like every Mets fan knows where he or she was on that unbelievable night, most Mets fans remember that he needed 134 pitches to complete his gem.  After he struck out David Freese to enter no-hit nirvana, Santana suffered through pitching purgatory.  An 8.27 ERA over his next ten starts left Terry Collins and Mets fans wondering if the inflated pitch count needed to secure his place in team history contributed to his post-no-hitter blues.  They continued to wonder for a year and a half, as Santana never pitched again for the Mets after August 17, 2012.

Johan Santana went 46-34 in 109 starts as a Met.  His 3.18 career ERA in New York is lower than the ERAs posted by all-time Met greats Ron Darling, Al Leiter and Rick Reed.  But for $137.5 million, we expected a little more.

For example, Santana's 46 victories fell short of the win total posted by relief pitchers John Franco (48), Jesse Orosco (47) and Tug McGraw (47).  Santana's 109 starts are also nine fewer than the number of starts made by Jonathon Niese, a pitcher who was still playing for AA-Binghamton when Santana made his first start for the Mets.

Great pitchers are supposed to produce great moments.  But other than the penultimate game of the 2008 season and the no-hitter, can anyone honestly remember another memorable pitching performance by Johan Santana?

Photo by Ed Leyro/Studious Metsimus

Mention Tom Seaver and you immediately think of the "imperfect game" or his ten-inning performance in Game 4 of the 1969 World Series (the Ron Swoboda game), or any of a number of dominant performances in 1973 when the rest of the team was floundering.  Similarly, say Doc Gooden's name and visions of back-to-back 16-strikeout games in 1984 and his 14-game winning streak in 1985 become crystal clear in your mind.

Johan Santana had two games that will forever be etched in the hearts and minds of Mets fans.  That's the same number of complete seasons he missed.

Don't get me wrong.  As a Mets fan who agonized over every late-inning first hit allowed by a starting pitcher, it was a dream come true to see someone like Johan Santana pitch the first no-hitter in team history.  Better him than someone like Oliver Perez.

But $137.5 million is just a tad too much for a no-hitter and a season-saving gritty performance - one that saved the season until it was lost the following day.  Carlos Gomez, the main piece in the deal that pried Santana away from the Twins, is now a Gold Glove-winning All-Star in Milwaukee.  His 24 homers and 40 stolen bases for the Brewers in 2013 would have led the Mets in both categories.  (Marlon Byrd's 21 homers and Eric Young's 38 steals led the team.)  Since 1989, only one Met has led the team in home runs and stolen bases in the same season.  That was Mike Cameron, who paced the 2004 Mets with 30 homers and 22 steals.

Carlos Gomez just completed the first year of a four-year, $28.3 million deal with the Brewers.  That's just barely more than the $25.5 million Johan Santana was paid in 2013 to not throw a single pitch for the Mets.

The no-hitter was great.  But I would have liked to see Santana win more games than Jesse Orosco.  A monkey's paw-like wish for a moment 8,020 games in the making doesn't seem to be worth what the Mets doled out for their smooth former All-Star.
 

Fool's Gold For Juan Lagares

Earlier today, Rawlings announced their nominees for this year's Gold Glove Awards at each position.  Two Mets were nominated for the prestigious defensive excellence award.  Two-time winner David Wright will compete with Colorado's Nolan Arenado and Los Angeles' Juan Uribe for the prize at third base, while Eric Young, Jr. will go up against fellow left field nominees Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies) and Starling Marte (Pittsburgh).

But perhaps the Mets' best defensive player was mysteriously left off the list of nominees.  Hey, Rawlings!  Where in the world is Juan Lagares?

One of these Mets outfielders was nominated for a Gold Glove Award.  It's not the one you think.

The three finalists for the Gold Glove in center field are Carlos Gomez of the Milwaukee Brewers, Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Denard Span of the Washington Nationals - all worthy candidates.  But Juan Lagares may have the better defensive numbers, especially when considering the sabermetric stats, which are now part of the voting process.

Juan Lagares was second in the league behind Gomez with 26 defensive runs saved (DRS).  Meanwhile, McCutchen and Span combined to save just ten runs defensively.  (A.J. Pollock saved 15 runs for the Diamondbacks in center field and he was also snubbed as a nominee.)

Another stat used to measure a player's defensive value is UZR (ultimate zone rating).  Once again, Gomez led the league in that category with a 24.4 UZR, just slightly ahead of Lagares, who posted a 21.5 UZR.  And yup, McCutchen and Span together couldn't match what Lagares produced, as their UZR added up to 17.1.

Have you ever heard of ARM?  That's another sabermetric stat which measures the amount of runs above average an outfielder saves with his arm by preventing the advancement of base runners.  (This factors into the calculation of UZR.)  In common English, it shows how much opposing runners are afraid of running on an outfielder's arm.  Juan Lagares had a 12.3 ARM.  The three center field Gold Glove nominees (Gomez, McCutchen, Span) combined for a 9.0 ARM.

What else did Juan Lagares lead the league in?  Let's see.  There was Range Factor/9Inn, which measures putouts and assists per nine innings.  Lagares led the league with a 2.98 Range Factor/9Inn as a centerfielder.  He also led all outfielders, regardless of position, in that category.  There was also that handy, dandy assists thing.  Lagares led all centerfielders with 14 outfield assists, and added another one as a rightfielder.  His 15 total assists set a new Mets rookie record.

Not bad for a player who didn't become the team's regular centerfielder until the Rick Ankiel experiment was deemed a failure in early June.

I don't disagree that Carlos Gomez, Andrew McCutchen and Denard Span are all excellent defensive players.  But how can a list of the top three centerfielders in the National League in 2013 not include Juan Lagares?  The kid will win a Gold Glove or ten before his career is over.  He should have been considered for his first this year.

Daniel Murphy's Fielding Cycle and Kirk Nieuwenhuis' Offensive Outburst

On Friday night, the Mets hammered the Milwaukee Brewers, defeating them by the final score of 12-5.  The Bad News Brewers committed three errors on the field and a number of mental errors on the bases.  Despite the Brew Crew's valiant effort to become the butt of David Letterman's next Top Ten list, it was two Mets players who really stood out.  One went 0-for-6 but took part in a fielding oddity, while the other reached base all six times he came up to the plate, something very few Mets had ever accomplished.

Daniel Murphy did not have a good night at the dish, going hitless in six plate appearances on a night the Mets collected 14 hits.  But he did make up for it on the field, especially after committing what appeared to be a costly error in the first inning.

In the second inning, with the Mets holding a 5-2 lead, pitcher Zack Wheeler got his Brewers' counterpart Johnny Hellweg to hit a ground ball to Murphy.  Murphy threw out Hellweg at first base to end the inning.

One inning later, Murphy was involved in a huge play, one that helped the Mets maintain their three-run lead.  With Norichika Aoki on third base and Carlos Gomez on first, the Brewers attempted a double steal.  But Murphy wisely cut off catcher John Buck's throw to second and fired a strike back to Buck, who tagged out Aoki as he was trying to score.  Murphy's heads-up assist kept the Brewers off the scoreboard in the third.

Murphy's defensive acumen was showcased in the seventh inning, when he participated in two consecutive key plays.  With the Mets holding on to an 8-4 lead, Aoki led off the inning with a single off reliever Greg Burke.  The next batter, Jean Segura, then hit a grounder to Murphy, who threw out Aoki at second base.  Carlos Gomez then followed with a long fly ball to deep center that bounced off the wall.  Segura scored easily to cut the Mets' lead to three.  But Murphy, after taking the relay throw from centerfielder Juan Lagares, threw a laser to third baseman David Wright, who placed the tag on the sliding Gomez for the second out of the inning.

So did you notice what Murphy did?  He threw out Johnny Hellweg at first base, Norichika Aoki at home plate, Aoki again at second base, and Carlos Gomez at third base.  Murphy may not have gotten a hit at the plate, but he was a big hit on the field, collecting a rare "fielding cycle" by throwing out runners at every base.  No records on fielding cycles are kept (after all, I just created the term), but it must be a rarity and is certainly an oddity.

Speaking of rarities, Mets' rightfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis also had a wonderful game at the plate.  Nieuwenhuis had six plate appearances and reached base in every one of them, collecting four hits and two walks.  He also stole a base, scored three runs and had a career-high five RBI.

In reaching base six times, Nieuwenhuis accomplished a feat that hadn't been done by a Met in 13 seasons.  The last Met to reach base six times in a nine-inning game was Mike Piazza, who went 2-for-6 with four walks in a 12-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on May 27, 2000.  That came less than a year after Edgardo Alfonzo also reached base six times in a nine-inning game against the Houston Astros, although Alfonzo collected six hits in his special game.

Prior to last night, only three Mets had ever had a game in which they collected four hits, three runs, five RBI and a stolen base.  The first Met to do so was Claudell Washington, who went 4-for-5 with three runs, five RBI and a steal against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 22, 1980.  Seven years later, Darryl Strawberry torched the Chicago Cubs for four hits, five runs, five RBI and threw in a stolen base for good measure on August 16, 1987 - the same game in which the Mets scored a team record 23 runs.  Finally, David Wright joined the club on August 10, 2005, when he lit up Padres pitchers for four hits, three runs, six RBI and a steal.  But none of those players reached base six times in their memorable games.  Washington and Wright reached base four times, while Strawberry was a baserunner five times.  Nieuwenhuis is now the fourth player in this exclusive club, and the only one who reached base six times in his club-making effort.

The Mets had a number of contributors in Friday night's 12-5 victory over the Brewers.  Zack Wheeler got out of a one-out, bases loaded jam in the fifth inning to qualify for the victory.  Ike Davis, in his first game back from his one-month Vegas vacation, went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI.  Eric Young, Jr. collected two hits, scored three runs and stole a base as the Mets' table setter.  And Juan Lagares continued to contribute defensively while recording his first three-RBI game in the majors.

All of those players had outstanding games against Milwaukee.  But Daniel Murphy and Kirk Nieuwenhuis had performances that had rarely, if ever, been seen before by a player wearing a Mets uniform.  As the old saying goes, if you watch this game long enough, you may see something you've never seen before.  With their performances on the field last night, Daniel Murphy and Kirk Nieuwenhuis certainly did their part to make that statement true.

Former Mets Are Playing Key Roles On Other Teams

It's a topic of discussion that pops up every year for fans of every team.  A player who used to be on their beloved team has moved elsewhere and is succeeding for his new employer, causing those fans to say "why couldn't he have done that for us?"  As Mets fans, we are no strangers to this discussion.

Over the past 50 years, we've all been guilty of asking aloud why Jeff Kent couldn't produce for us the way he produced in San Francisco.  Some of us have even been overheard saying "did Gregg Jefferies really hit .342 with 16 HR and 46 SB for the 1993 Cardinals?"  (Okay, that was me inquiring about the former Mets clubhouse cancer from the late '80s and early '90s, but you get what I'm saying about former players succeeding elsewhere.)

It happens all the time.  Players who either didn't get a fair shot, were traded prematurely, or were run out of town end up carving a successful career for themselves once they leave New York.  This season is no exception.  Let's look at a few former Mets who have turned in some fantastic seasons for their new teams in 2012.

Angel Pagan

When the four-year veteran was traded to San Francisco this past offseason for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez, many Mets fans were pleased to be rid of Pagan take a hike.  After a successful second half in 2009 and an unexpected great season in 2010 (.290, 11 HR, 69 RBI, 80 runs, 37 SB), Pagan became a liability in 2011.  He missed nearly 40 games due to injuries and when he did play, he reverted to the fundamentally unsound player that would give Keith Hernandez fits in the broadcast booth ("Fundies!")

When the Mets traded the player known as "Crazy Horse" to the Giants, they thought they were getting an adequate fill-in replacement in Andres Torres and a dependable reliever in Ramon Ramirez.  Neither player has performed to expectations.  But Pagan has been a key contributor for the NL West-leading Giants.

Through September 2, Pagan has been one of the Giants' spark plugs at the top of the order.  The centerfielder is batting .291 and is among the league leaders in triples (10; tied for second in NL) and offensive WAR (3.8; 9th in NL).  Pagan is also near the top ten in various other categories.  His 145 hits leave him only one hit outside the top ten.  He also has scored 76 runs (three runs away from the top ten), collected 30 doubles (two shy of the top ten) and stolen 23 bases (three away from the top ten).  Pagan is on pace to set career-highs in hits, runs scored, doubles, triples and walks.

Defensively, Pagan has improved, leading the league in range factor, which is defined as (putouts + assists) / games played.  His 2.67 range factor is higher than other speedy centerfielders such as Michael Bourn (2.59) and MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen (2.46).  Pagan has also cut his errors in half, from ten in his final season as a Met in 2011 to five this year.

Carlos Gomez

When the Mets acquired Johan Santana from Minnesota in 2008, they sent four young players to the Twins in return.  In addition to Deolis Guerra, Kevin Mulvey and Philip Humber (who has had a Santana-esque fall from grace since his perfect game in April), the Mets sent speedy Carlos Gomez to complete the deal.  Gomez had a decent first season in Minnesota (.259, 7 HR, 59 RBI, 33 steals), but was undisciplined at the plate, striking out 142 times.  After a poor second season for the Twins, he was shipped off to Milwaukee for J.J. Hardy.  As a part-time player for Brewers in 2010 and 2011, Gomez was unspectacular.  But in 2012, his third season with the Brew Crew, he has finally blossomed.

In only 319 at-bats, a total he has not surpassed since his first season in Minnesota, Gomez has set or is about to set career-highs in almost every major offensive category.  The former Met prospect is batting .257 and has an on-base percentage of .303, the first time it's been over .300 in his major league career.  Prior to 2012, Gomez had averaged 13 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 29 RBI and 19 stolen bases over his first five seasons in the majors.  This year, he's become a darling of fantasy baseball enthusiasts.

Gomez has hit a career-high 15 HR in 2012, which has contributed to his .473 slugging percentage and .776 OPS, numbers that would represent career highs if he can maintain them over the season's final month.  But Gomez is also on track to set career-highs in stolen bases (his 30 steals in 2012 are three short of his single-season high), while approaching his personal best in doubles, triples, RBI and runs scored.  He's done all this while becoming far more disciplined at the plate.  Although he's only walked 17 times this year, his strikeouts have dropped dramatically.  After the aforementioned 142 whiffs in 2008, Gomez has cut those numbers nearly in half, fanning a total of 74 times in 2012.

How much could the Mets use Carlos Gomez now?  His 15 HR would lead all Mets outfielders (Scott Hairston also has 15 HR, but two of them came as a pinch-hitter.  All 15 of Gomez's home runs have come as an outfielder.) and his 30 SB would be more than double that of the team's current leader, David Wright, who has 12 steals.  Gomez's 60 runs scored would also be second on the team to Wright, who has scored 79 times, although Gomez has 215 fewer plate appearances than the Mets third baseman.  Fantasy baseball players love that Gomez is one of only two players in the majors with 15 HR and 30 SB (AL MVP candidate Mike Trout is the other), but the Brewers probably love him even more.

Chris Capuano

After not making more than 25 starts in any season since 2006, Capuano made 31 starts for the Mets in 2011.  The southpaw led the team in strikeouts with 168 and tied fellow lefty Jonathon Niese for the second-most wins on the team with 11, just two victories behind rookie Dillon Gee.  But when the Dodgers offered Capuano a two-year, $10 million deal during the offseason, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson balked at bringing the lefty back for a second go-round.

Although the team has fared well in the starting rotation with R.A. Dickey, Jonathon Niese, and most recently, Matt Harvey, injuries that have shut down Mike Pelfrey, Dillon Gee and Johan Santana have made this Mets fan wonder if Alderson did wrong in not bringing back Capuano.

Capuano has continued his renaissance in Los Angeles, winning 11 games for the Dodgers.  His 3.63 ERA is nearly a run lower than the 4.55 ERA he compiled with the Mets in 2011, while his 1.186 WHIP is far below his career WHIP of 1.332.  Prior to this season, opponents were hitting .266 against Capuano.  In 2012, that number is down to .247.  Capuano has also done a fine job limiting the extra-base hits against him, as the .394 slugging percentage against him in 2012 is far lower than the .448 slugging percentage he had allowed prior to 2012.

Although Capuano has struggled recently (six earned runs allowed in two of his last three starts), that has been the exception rather than the rule, as the lefty has allowed three earned runs or less in 20 of his other 26 starts.  It's too bad the Dodgers have scored three runs or less in 15 of his 28 starts, or else his record would be far better than 11-10.

Oliver Perez

I'll wager an autographed Brad Emaus baseball card that you weren't expecting to see Oliver Perez on this list.  But the former Mets pitcher/pariah has been absolutely amazing after redefining himself as a lefty specialist coming out of the bullpen for the Mariners in Seattle, which is about as far as he could get away from the media spotlight cast upon him in New York.

After being released by the Mets in March 2011, the Nationals scooped him up and kept him in the minors for the entire season.  Once the Nats finally came to the realization that they had signed Oliver Perez, they chose to let him walk as a free agent.  In January 2012, Perez latched on to the Seattle Mariners in the hopes of getting one final shot at the major leagues.  After the unexpected success he has had for the Mariners so far this season, it appears as if Ollie will be in the majors to stay.

Since his call-up to the Mariners in June, Perez has been uncannily good.  In 24 games, Ollie has allowed only four earned runs for a sparkling 1.71 ERA.  He has also exhibited fine control of his pitches, walking only seven batters in 21 innings.  But it's what Perez has done over the last two months that has really opened some eyes around the league.

Since allowing a run to become the losing pitcher in a game played on July 8, Perez has put up nothing but zeroes.  In 16 relief appearances since the July 8 defeat, Perez has allowed no runs in 11.1 IP.  He has also been very stingy against opposing hitters, limiting them to singles and an occasional walk, as evidenced by the meager .295 slugging percentage and respectable .327 on-base percentage against him over the past eight weeks.  It's no surprise that Perez's resurgence since mid-July has coincided with the Mariners' hot streak, as Seattle has gone 29-19 since July 8.  Only the Oakland A's have a better record in the American League (33-14) than the Seattle Mariners since that date.  And Oliver Perez is part of that recent success.  Go figure.

These guys were teammates of all four players listed above, then joined them as former Mets.

The 2012 entered the season with Carlos Beltran having been traded away during the previous season and Jose Reyes taking his business to Miami.  Beltran is having a tremendous year in the first post-Pujols campaign in St. Louis, while Reyes isn't going to win a batting title, but he's still having a Reyes-type season.  But those players did well for extended periods of time as members of the Mets.

The four players detailed above were barely Mets (Carlos Gomez, Chris Capuano), had supposedly already played their best ball (Angel Pagan), or were winners of the Bobby Bonilla MVP Award (Most Vilified Player, which Oliver Perez won repeatedly).

There will always be players like Angel Pagan, Carlos Gomez, Chris Capuano and Oliver Perez to suit up for the Mets.  And those players will continue to be former Mets who will have wonderful seasons elsewhere.  So the next time you see a player and say "I wish we still had him", you're not alone.  The Mets have had a number of those players who have been responsible for those quotes from fans.