Editorial. Photos by AP News
It seems that for the better part of the decade, the New York Mets found new and inventive ways to lose on an almost daily basis. Last year was more of the same. Not to mention the fact that the roster was decimated by injuries, and manager Jerry Manuel was forced to rely on a number of young call-ups from the minors.
But a new season brings new optimism; at least, it should. There are still a lot of uncertainties facing New York as they prepare for Opening Day down in Port St. Lucie, especially the guys who will be taking the mound.If the Mets brass has done its homework, the team may finally be able to answer the questions surrounding the bullpen-by-committee that is the Mets’ pitching staff.
The big story this week was the spring debut of closing pitcher Francisco Rodriguez, who threw seven pitches to retire the St. Louis Cardinals and earned the victory after Angel Pagan hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to seal the 6-5 win.
Prompted by his bout with pinkeye, K-Rod took the mound last Monday with a new look, sporting orange-tinted prescription glasses. This isn’t the first time he’s worn them -- he first donned the wraparounds from 2004 through 2007 -- and there’s speculation that he’ll keep them for the rest of the year.
A few people have already commented that Rodriguez looks intimidating in his glasses on the mound. Maybe the rest of the Mets pitching staff should consider getting orange and white specs, considering the jury is still out on who will lock down the fifth start’s spot.
Competition had been heavy between Jonathon Niese, Fernando Nieve, Hisanori Takahashi and Nelson Figueroa. At the start of spring training, Niese appeared to have an edge, which Manuel hinted at. Halfway through the Grapefruit League schedule, it became apparent that Manuel intended for the quartet to fight for that spot.
So far, the man who may have had the best shot is Takahashi. A former No. 1 pick in Japan, Takahashi has a minor league deal with New York, but has been wowing the pitching staff with his strong play; although he has a smaller window of time before the Mets make their decision with what to do with him, the left-hander has displayed great poise and control of the ball.
On Thursday, he came in earlier than expected when Pedro Feliciano was hit in the leg and left the game. Takahashi finished the inning and then threw two more solid innings, giving up two hits. He earned the save in the Mets’ 5-2 win over the Marlins.
Ultimately, it seems that Manuel is sticking to his guns, with Niese having the edge.
It seemed that as the Mets prepared to wrap up their third week of the preseason, they were in need of a little pick-me-up after a 3-7 loss to Minnesota on Friday and a 5-6 loss against St. Louis. New York split up their roster -- half drove north to take on the Houston Astros and the rest taking on owner Fred Wilpon’s alma mater, the University of Michigan -- with Niese giving up one run to the Astros before the game got rained out, while Nieve was perfect in two innings and the Mets took to beating up on a bunch of college kids by an 8-1 score. Go figure.
Speaking of college kids, perhaps the biggest surprise out of camp has been a pitcher who is still young enough to be in college. 20-year-old Jenrry Mejia, who’s already earning rave reviews for his fastball and earning comparisons to Dwight Gooden, has been posting some impressive numbers. Through five games, Mejia has appeared in 9 1/3 innings, allowing only two runs on six hits with eight strikeouts.
Granted, the comparisons of Mejia to “Doc” might be a bit too soon. But anytime Mets fans are given even a glimmer of hope to return to the glory days of 1986, you can bet they’ll be clamoring for more.
With Opening Day just two weeks away, Manuel and Minaya still have their hands full with their pitchers. Baseball is a business; not everyone can get the job even if the interview goes well. You just hope that the Mets don’t have to start downsizing if things head south again.
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