11

Ruben Tejada didn't look ready to be an everyday player during the Mets' initial slide into irrelevancy so I found it rather odd that he was the guy they called for when things got really desperate this week. Not that I disagreed with kicking Alex Cora off the bus: For all he contributed prior to his injuries last year, he hasn't been good for more than a year and certainly hadn't earned the approaching second year vest in his overpriced contract, so a release was called for. Consider him, along with Castillo, Jeff Francoeur and Oliver Perez (and Jason Bay?), as what they'll recall when Omar Minaya is gently kicked upstairs after the year is out. But, wasn't Justin Turner available?

Meantime, Jesus Feliciano was demoted and Fernando Martinez returned. If Fartinez can take a few starts from Francouer ... or Carlos Beltran ... or Bay ... well, maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing to get another look at, since whoever's in charge nest year will have some big decisions to make in the outfield. Martinez is back in 26 and Tejada in 11, by the way.

And while another radical slump from David Wright sure isn't helping things, Jerry Manuel's managing of this team remains woefully counterproductive, and, I think, contributes to that frightened offense. He'll vamoose as well after this year ends and we now know how it will.

Quick update before I head out to the park tonight (meet me at McFaddens! I'll be wearing No. 70):

Gary Matthews Jr. has been designated for assignment, at long last -- only to be replaced on the roster by ... surprise! ... Omir Santos, our old friend from last season who unfortunately is hitting Class AA pitching about as well as Sarge Jr. hit in the majors this year. This development was sparked by reports indicating Henry Blanco has been hurting. Omir you might recall wore No. 9 last time we saw him. 

Also returning to the squad, and reportedly in tonight's lineup, is infielder Ruben Tejada, who was recalled when Luis Castillo finally went onto the disabled list with achy breaky feet. Tejada wore No. 11 last time through.

Ready or not, here they are. It's been a weird offseason (Omar general managed like someone whose job wasn't on the line) and an odd spring (thyroid issues, knee surgeries, controversially aggressive promotions, and not nearly enough solid performances, especially from the pitchers) but at 1 p.m. today, they go to war.

I wish I felt a little better about just what this group is going to bring us, but I sort of admire that it was assembled with a minimum of stunts, a good deal from within, and that expectations are back where they probably ought to be for a team with questionable starting pitching, an unproven bullpen and a few too many outmakers in the lineup. But let's be optimistic on opening day. There a chance we shove it up all their asses. There's a good crop of prospects on the horizon; and let's face it, there's little holding them back. They finally seemed to do something about CitiField's relentless blandness. Bring it on.

We welcome Ryota Igarashi, Hisanori Takahashi, Jenrry Mejia, Ruben Tejada, Jason Bay, Henry Blanco, Rod Barajas and Frank Catalanotto to the All-Time Roster (likely players 875 to 881). Thanks to the fans who wrote in to inform me that Tejada will wear No. 11 and Mejia No. 32. Chip Hale and Dave Jauss join the coaching ranks for the first time, while Alex Cora, Mike Jacobs and Gary Matthews Jr. return to the Mets in new numbers.

Let's Go Mets!

PS -- Thanks to MBTN reader Glenn below who indicated that this year's bat boys would wear No. 00.

I am certain that on some level, my tardiness in reporting that Anderson Hernandez is once again a member of the Mets is a realization that acknowleding it publically will prevent me from walking around pretending it never happened, which is what I really want to do.

Once upon a time, I held a reasonable hope that the Mets might once and for all cure themselves of their penchant for carrying worthless middle infield reserves who play too often, only to see Wilson Valdez, Angel Berroa, Argenis Reyes and now Hernandez come back from the dead, almost all of them polluting the No. 4 and/or 11 jerseys.

Hernandez was actually reacquired by trade late last week from the Washington Nationals, for whom he flamed out this season already -- and to whom I was only too happy to see him go a year ago (and that was for Luis Ayala). I know, with the way things have gone this year this is about what we're going to get but it doesn't remind me any less of Wilson Delgado and Ricky Gutierrez stinking up the joint out there in 2004.

Hernandez' addition to the roster resulted in a DFA for Berroa and for Anderson's third different number with the Mets -- he'd worn 1 and 4 in previous visits. The Mets also replaced the injured Jon Neise on the roster by recalling Elmer Dessens from AAA. Dessens was back in No. 64.

 

Way to stick it to the Cardinals, fellas.

Tonight's beatdown included the return of reserve middle infielder Argenis Reyes to the team, who stepped in for lefty Jon Switzer (and hopefully won't stay for too long). And despite his former No. 4 being made available by this week's designation of Wilson Valdez, Reyes suited up instead in No. 11.

But the news on Reyes is what he wasn't wearing a few weeks back with AAA Buffalo. Yes, he went to the disabled list with injuries related to taking a shot in the onions while not wearing a cup.

 

The controversy of the Mets' catching situation seemed almost too easily resolved as Ramon Castro was traded to the White Sox on the same night that Omir Stantos drove in both Mets runs, including the walkoff gamewinner, and Brian Schneider returned to the dugout for the first time in weeks.

Castro, the meaty backup who'd been a reserve for Mike Piazza, Paul LoDuca and Schneider, and who provided a buttload of big moments for the Mets, was swapped for Lance Broadway, a tall 25-year-old one-time prospect.Castro leaves as the longest-serving No. 11 since Tim Teufel (1986-91). Despite ranking sixth in games played among Met 11s, Castro has more home runs and RBI than every Met 11 except Teufel and all-time leader Wayne Garrett.

Broadway -- who just has to appear in New York at some point --  is assigned for now to the starting rotation at AAA Buffalo. He was wearing No. 41 in the White Sox bullpen before the trade.

Good luck to Castro, who despite frustrating the Mets with injuries and a seeming unwilliness to take over starting duties when the team needed him, at his best was probably a better hitter than Santos will ever be. But, Santos certainly has been the man for this season, and the next few months will probably be pretty close anyway.

 

Home runs by guys who wore 11 *
1. Wayne Garrett 55
2. Tim Teufel 36
3. Ramon Castro 33
4 (tie). Duke Snider, Lenny Randle 7
6. Gene Woodling 5
7. Dick Schofeild 4
8 (tie). Ed Bouchee, Roy McMillan, Kelvin Chapman 3

*-Only HRs hit while wearing No. 11 count

Being a positive guy who desperately wants to like the team he roots for I'm hoping there's some hidden benefit at work amid the recent managerial misadventures of Jerry Manuel. But they cannot be worth the the price in bad baseball we've witnessed this week.

For the second time in as many series against the Marlins, Jerry overmanuevered the Mets into losing two of three winnable games. He pulled his starters too early, inserted relievers unnecessarily and/or curiously, and this afternoon, publically flipped off Ramon Castro and called it a pinch-hitting decision.

None of it worked, and the team, once again, seems to be taking on the passive and frightened style of its manager.

I admire Jerry and came into the year convinced he possessed a good understanding of what troubled this team and how to fix it but it seems he's determined to demonstrate that the hard way. I can't imagine Castro sees much more time with the Mets, and wonder what it might take to get Ken Takahashi to show that No. 36 he got the other day. Yeah, David Wright could make it all go away with a few well-timed hits but he's struggled before too. Onto Philly.

Ramon Castro returned to the active roster on Saturday while Raul Casanova was designated for assignment as the Mets swapped lumpy reserve catchers. Casanova took a few games too many to get going while Brian Schneider sat out with injuries or he might have made this a more difficult decision. The sample is obviously not fair to anyone but that's life for a backup.

Castro was in "action" as the Mets, predictably, followed a more-or-less solid Game 1 win with a listless, sloppy loss to the Reds in Game 2. We're seemingly up against it this afternoon when Reds phenom Johnny Cueto opposes Oliver Perez in the rubber game. Cueto has said he channels Pedro Martinez while on the mound: His stature and, sometimes, his numbers, suggest a resemblance.

Yup, that was me forgetting to button my top button on Mets Weekly. They stuck a mic in there.

 

With the New Orleans Zephyrs swept out of the AAA playoffs over the weekend, representatives of the losers arrived in time to see — and participate — in the worst display of Met baseball since the Art Howe Era.

Soft-tossing righty Brian Lawrence 54 stepped in and registered what we can only hope would be the last outing of his Mets career, coughing up a 4-run lead to Washington. Joe Smith 35 is back, but the velocity he sidearmed with earlier this year apparently didn’t come along with him. Ramon Castro 11 didn’t have the health to stick through short-season games with Brooklyn but is back here anyway. Weak-hitting utilityman David Newhan? Yes, he’s back too, still torturing Keith Hernandez in No. 17.

Perhaps the only interesting returnee from a unicentric standpoint is infielder Anderson Hernandez, who we last saw wearing No. 1 in July. Hernandez was recalled only to discover the Mets had issued No. 1 to Luis Castillo during Hernandez’ stay in New Orleans. No. 4 was hanging in his locker this time around. When he gets into a game, he’ll become the Mets’ 14th 15th player to wear No. 4, and the first since Chris Woodward a year ago Ben Johnson earlier this year. (Props to Gene, below for the correction).

Only time will tell whether this latest stumble is just another stumble or the beginnings of an historic collapse, but you can bet we’ll be here hating ourselves for watching every minute of it!