Mets baseball blog

Emaus getting his shot at 2nd

Brad Emaus' position as the frontrunner to be the Mets' starting second baseman was strengthened this morning as the team eliminated one member of the competition - Justin Turner was sent to the minor-league camp. Turner jokingly summed up the race when he said, "I'm sure Brad's feeling pretty good about himself right now. Anytime somebody gets taken out of the picture, obviously that's a little more opportunity for you."

And Emaus' opportunity expanded almost immediately - Terry Collins said Emaus would get several starts at second so he could study his play further. Collins would not say Emaus had won the job, however. (News)

 

Ollie almost gone

 If Oliver Perez has thrown his last pitch in a Mets uniform, at least he went out in fittingly erratic fashion.

The much-maligned lefthander entered in the seventh inning Saturday with two on and nobody out and gave up back-to-back homers, potentially putting himself in line to follow in Luis Castillo's footsteps and be released any day now.

Manager Terry Collins declined to offer specifics about what's next for Perez, saying he has to huddle with general manager Sandy Alderson and "compare notes" before they make a decision.

That meeting, Collins said, likely would be held Saturday night or Sunday morning . (Newsday)

Collins like Mets' pitching depth?

Terry Collins leaped from the couch in his office in Port St. Lucie Thursday morning, hopped over to the whiteboard on the opposite wall, and began to rave about the pitchers listed on it in black marker.

"Look at all these names," the manager said. "We really have a lot of depth, and they're pretty much all pitching good so far."

In a world without Johan Santana, who hopes to return in June or July but might never again be his former self, the Mets are forced to rely on a stable of solid if unspectacular arms. Life will present daily challenges in a division populated by the likes of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Josh Johnson and Tim Hudson, and for the Mets to remain respectable, they will have to rely on their lower-profile group. (News)

Ollie's back

Oliver Perez is who he is, and that's not going to change, regardless of how many times the Mets choose to send him out to the mound.

Both manager Terry Collins and GM Sandy Alderson stressed the importance of seeing him in person Tuesday against the Astros, but they could have saved themselves the two-hour drive to Osceola County Stadium. Perez was every bit his erratic self during the bumpy three-inning performance, and other than a slight uptick in velocity, it was very similar to his previous two outings.

Collins reserved any final judgment on Perez until he meets with Alderson and pitching coach Dan Warthen, who stayed with the other Mets' split-squad team at Digital Domain Park. The three are scheduled to talk then about the next step for Perez, who is expected to audition for the bullpen going forward. (Newsday)

 

Pelfrey doesn't get much defensive support vs Braves

Opening Day starter Mike Pelfrey wasn't particularly aided by the defense behind him in allowing two runs over three innings in his second spring outing Saturday.

One run was unearned because of a throwing error by David Wright and the other would have been unearned, but the official scorer changed an error initially called on second base hopeful Brad Emaus in the second inning to a single for Brian McGann.

"I think my secondary stuff needs to continue to get better," said Pelfrey, who allowed four hits and walked none in a 6-4 loss to the Braves at Disney. "I didn't think the split was good today, but we'll continue to build up my arm strength and get the velocity there. (News)

Perez won't start for Mets

While Oliver Perez remains officially in the rotation competition, the Mets have decided internally that he will not be a starter during the regular season, sources say, and the team remains likely to release its $36 million pitcher before Opening Day. But Perez probably pitched well enough Thursday to earn another Grapefruit League appearance.

With most of the front office watching from the stands - and sources telling the Daily News that the Mets were very close to cutting Perez and absorbing the $12 million still owed him - the pitcher threw two scoreless innings against St. Louis. He allowed two hits, and neither fanned nor walked anyone. His fastball velocity remained mired mostly in the low-to-mid -80s. (news)

Beltran wants to be in right

When they reported to spring training, Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan shared a desire: that Beltran's knees would allow him to continue as the Mets center fielder. But after two weeks, as the gulf between hope and reality became clear, the mentor handed his position to the protégé.

After beginning a running program designed to strengthen his surgically-repaired and arthritic knees, considering his future, seeking advice from agent Scott Boras, his wife and father, and Carlos Delgado, Beltran approached Terry Collins Monday morning and asked for a change. The duo then notified Pagan that his fellow Puerto Rican, his hero for more than a decade, was handing his position over to him.

"He's a big mentor for me, and I wanted him to be 100 percent and be able to play center field," Pagan said. "But now that he has given me that opportunity, I'm really grateful to be next to him. I feel really fortunate to be passed this torch to the player I have always looked up to." (News)

Izzy might just make the team

Jason Isringhausen's trip down memory lane finished the day after the Mets officially invited him to spring training. He's all business lately, and starting to turn a few heads at the team's spring training complex.

You can maybe even remove the "long shot" label from the 38-year-old Isringhausen in his attempt to win a job in the Mets' bullpen. It comes 12 years after the Mets traded their former "Generation K" prodigy.

"I've seen a lot more than I expected at any time," pitching coach Dan Warthen said yesterday. "The ball is coming out of his hand great. He still has the Izzy curveball, and he's added a nice little cutter and changeup. I couldn't be more pleased." (Post)

Mehia to start in AAA

Those who watched Jenry Mejia pitch batting practice Wednesday can understand why former Mets manager Jerry Manuel was seduced into using him in the majors last season. Only 21, Mejia has an overpowering fastball, with movement, and an unshakable confidence to go with it.

But manager Terry Colins - formerly the Mets' minor-league field coordinator - said Wednesday that he believes Mejia is better off beginning the season as a starter at Triple-A Buffalo rather than relieving with the Mets. Period.

"I understood exactly what happened last year, and I certainly don't blame the decision that was made," Collins said. "I will never second guess that decision. I, in turn, as the guy on the other side of the field, from the development side, from what I had heard, I thought he should go start. (Newsday)

Beltran to start out at DH

Motivated by the desire to maximize at-bats for Carlos Beltran, the Mets have contacted Grapefruit League opponents until March 10 and agreed to use a designated hitter.

The use of a DH in spring training games is optional, and up to the teams to agree upon. In this case, using the DH could allow Beltran to hit before he is ready to play in either center or right. Beltran is first participating in a running program designed to test his surgically repaired knee.

Terry Collins said: "I'm going to tell him: 'Look, I don't want you running hard. Let's get into this slowly. Let's get you some at-bats if we can and when you think you want to get some DH-ing in, we'll get this leg going.'" (News)