After subpar April, Mets need to "Wright" the ship

by Mike Trovato

Maybe the past month has just been a bad extended April Fool's joke. Maybe Oliver Perez is actually Mr. Consistency. Maybe the Mets are actually good hitters in the clutch. Maybe they're actually "the team to beat..."

I wish these things were true. Realistically, after watching Wednesday's series finale against the Florida Marlins, the most glaring things the New York Mets have shown through April are that they are consistently inconsistent, poor hitters in the clutch, and at this point, not even close to being "the team to beat."

Blowing yet another gem of a performance by Johan Santana, the Mets wrapped up a disappointing April with a 4-3 loss to the Marlins, dropping them to fourth in the NL East at 9-12. I'm aware that it's too early to jump ship 21 games into the season, but the season is 1/8 of the way through, and at this rate, the Mets will end up 32 games out of first place.

David Wright looks wrong; he has already recorded 27 strikeouts, and is on pace to whiff 208 times. Mark Reynolds of the Diamondbacks is the only player to ever reach 200 K's; not even Ryan Howard, Jim Thome and Adam Dunn- perennial strikeout fiends- have reached the 200 plateau In fact, should Wright keep this pace, he would break the all-time Major League record for strikeouts by any one player in a season.

The shortcomings of the Mets' club have been well documented by the ever-present New York media. Frankly, a lot seems to have been forgotten since 2006, when the Mets had a swagger and cockiness about them that in itself seemed to have opponents beat, even on days when they weren't at their best. There is something off with this team, and I believe it starts at the top, not on the field.

The 2009 Mets have been less than memorable in so many ways, starting with the very building they play in- Citi Field. Yes, the ballpark is beautiful, but there seems to be no sense of tradition, nostalgia, or anything resembling pride within the Met organization. Evidently, nowhere in the blueprints did they include any Met insignia, as the ballpark is practically void of any representation of Mets history. To boot, the first game ever played in the new home of the Mets didn't even involve the Mets. Hell, they were even going to get rid of Doc Gooden's signature on a wall in the outfield before they realized, hey, maybe that's completely asinine. Maybe I'm being picky, but in listening to callers on WFAN, clearly I'm not alone on this issue.

Aesthetics aside, what matters most is what the New York Mets do on the field, and on the field the Mets have certainly been forgettable thus far as well. Wright has forgotten how to make contact, no less hit to all fields. Carlos Beltran has hit like a beast, but has apparently forgotten how to slide. Daniel Murphy has forgotten how to stay on his feet in the outfield. Oliver Perez has forgotten how to pitch through 5 full innings, save one 6 inning performance in a win against San Diego. Jose Reyes has forgotten that he has speed, having stolen just 4 bases, equaling his lowest total in any full month since April of 2005. The team has flat out forgotten how to hit home runs, though they try, sometimes too hard.

In all these lost nuances of the game, the Mets have forgotten the keys to winning, and in their lackluster start, have provided a constant reminder of the '07-'08 seasons that the fans wish they could forget. Yet, despite all these negatives, there are certainly reasons to still have hope. After all, it is only May. Believe me, as a die-hard Mets fan, the positives are hard to find. But last season it took the Mets until the end of June to wake up, so being only four games back at this juncture is not an insurmountable challenge. Of course, for this to happen, a lot of things must improve.

Johan Santana is the one concrete link in the rotation, but John Maine's 6 inning 0 ER performance against the Marlins on Monday lowered his ERA from 7.47 to 5.40, and was at the very least a step in the right direction. The bullpen, despite a shaky outing here or there, is much improved from last year's disaster.

At the plate, the Mets have been knocked for not hitting in the clutch, and rightfully so. They are 18th in the league with a .252 team batting average with runners in scoring position, and an appalling .179 with the bases loaded. Carlos Delgado is the team home run leader with just 3 dingers. Yes, these things must improve, and drastically so. But there have been bright spots in the lineup, which one would figure, at some point, would have to come together at once and help the Amazins' put together a solid string of games.

Luis Castillo, before being sidelined with back spasms, had bounced back nicely from a down year in 2008, and is batting .370 with an OBP of .433. Omir Santos has been a nice addition behind the plate in Brian Schneider's absence, and he's got much better speed for a catcher than both Schneider or Ramon Castro. I like the idea of keeping him around even after Schneider gets healthy, and Jerry Manuel seems to like him as well, having pulled Castro in a big 9th inning spot on Wednesday in favor of Santos.
(Click for Santos' Grand Slam, 4/27 vs. FLA)

Carlos Beltran (.388) is leading the National League in batting, second in the majors behind Kevin Youkilis (.405), who is simply tearing the cover off of the ball. Ryan Church has responded extremely positively to the addition of Gary Sheffield; rather than being disgruntled, Church is hitting .313 and is tied with David Wright for third on the team with 8 RBI.

As for Wright, despite his massive strikeout total, his career numbers are reason enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. David got off to a slow start in 2007, posting just 6 RBI with a .244 average in a homerless April, but ended the season at .325/30/107.

If Wright is going to be the face of this team, he's going to have to be a leader on the field. 11 strikeouts in 31 at-bats with RISP is unacceptable, but if his career to date is any indication, David Wright will turn things around at the plate, and hopefully the Mets will follow suit. The question is, when?

Well, how about now?

Look, it's a new month. It's time to put April in the rear view and not dwell, because May is huge. The Mets have 16 games against NL East foes. And what better way to usher in the new month with a chance to knock the reigning World Champions down a peg? To kick off May, New York plays 5 of its next 7 games against the Philadelphia Phillies, who boast the National League's worst ERA at 5.63. They avoid Cole Hamels, having to face Chan Ho Park, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton, none of whom have an ERA under 5.00, and truthfully, only Moyer (5.09) is within 2 runs of that mark. Additionally, Brad Lidge has come back down to earth; after being just about perfect in 2008, Lidge has blown a save to snap his streak of 49 straight, his ERA is well over 7.00 and opponents are batting .297 against him.

That being said, if nothing else, the Mets bats must come to life. Between the Phils' pitching and the sandbox dimensions of Citizen's Bank Park, any lack of hitting will immensely magnify an already pressing issue for Jerry Manuel's troops. To get good pitching from Pelfrey, Perez and Maine would be a pleasant surprise, yet in all honesty, this point is crucial. For Perez, his start on Saturday may be his last for a while should he turn in another performance resembling the 7-run abomination against the lowly Nationals in his last outing.

If the Mets don't come away from Philly this weekend with at least 2 wins, they are in serious trouble. The last thing this team needs right now is to lose to the team that has cruised past them each of the last 2 Septembers, laughing all the way to their World Series title last season.

This is the Mets' first true test of the season, and it's the one that matters most. This is not just a three game series, this is a psychological battle that will represent just how much or how little heart the 2009 New York Mets really have. This will set the tone for the season one way or another. Either the Phillies win and retain their claim to being "the team to beat," or the Mets send a message to the Phils- and themselves- that not only does this team have a pulse, but it will not go down without a fight. That's what I loved about the 2006 team, and I'm dying to get that feeling back.

Now is the time for David Wright to make this team his team. Now is the time for Oliver Perez to start showing that he does have that upside that the Wilpons are paying $36 million for. Now is the time for the Mets to get their act together and string together one solid at-bat after another, and not let up until K-Rod shuts the door in the 9th. Now is the time to knock the Phillies on their asses and show that there is some fight in this team.

Jets make huge splash on draft day, land Sanchez

by Mike Trovato

Rex Ryan may be the new head coach of the New York Jets, but Eric Mangini has not finished leaving his mark on the franchise. Numerous rumors swirled around New York all week leading up to draft weekend, regarding both the Jets and Giants. There was some speculation that the Jets would make a bid for Brady Quinn, the Browns' second first round pick in the 2008 draft. Other reports suggested that the Jets were targeting the likes of Jason Campbell, a wide receiver, or to trade up in the draft to snag either a QB or wideout, both glaring needs for Ryan's squad. When the smoke cleared on Saturday afternoon, the New York Jets had its new franchise player.

For the second straight season, Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum pulled the trigger on a trade to land a big-name QB in New York. Last summer it was 39 year-old Brett Favre, whom the Jets acquired from the Packers for what wound up being Gang Green's third round pick. On Saturday the Jets dealt three players and two draft picks for the Cleveland Browns' number 5 overall pick, which they used to select USC's Mark Sanchez.

The pick came at a much higher price than the Jets paid for Favre, a future Hall of Famer. Gang Green sent their first and second round picks (17th, 52nd overall) to Cleveland, along with defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam, and quarterback Brett Ratliff . Coleman, Elam and Ratliff join C.J. Mosley, Hank Poteat, Eric Barton and David Bowens as the latest ex-Jets to reunite with Eric Mangini in Cleveland.

When the Seattle Seahawks passed on Sanchez to take Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry, Radio City Music Hall began buzzing as Jets fans watched the Browns helmet turn into Gang Green on the clock. Minutes later, the fans erupted as Commissioner Goodell announced Mark Sanchez to be the newest member of the New York Jets.

Obviously, you cannot please everybody, but I found it particularly interesting to see shots of elated Jet fans juxtaposed with other Jet fans who looked less than thrilled. I have to admit, I myself wasn't quite sure how to react. At first, I yelled "they're gonna get Sanchez!!" Then I realized that they must have given up quite a bit to move that far up in the draft, and got worried. When I saw they gave up their first and second round picks, I thought that was all they gave up, and thought they pulled off a steal... Then they listed the three other human pieces to the puzzle.

I had no problem with the picks the Jets gave up to move to number 5. What worried me the most is that they traded three players for the potential of Sanchez, who according to some experts has the highest upside at QB for this draft class. To a lesser degree, I was slightly concerned about Sanchez' limited starts at USC. Yet when all is said and done- which it is- I have come to terms with the trade, and feel that this is without a doubt the right move for the Jets.

Unfortunately for Brett Ratliff, he was slated to compete with Kellen Clemens for the Jets starting quarterback position. Now he will probably compete for a roster spot behind up Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, should Cleveland choose to keep both of them. I was intrigued by Ratliff, who had a solid preseason in 2008, but people will be surprised if Ratliff pans out; this is hardly the case with Sanchez. The 2009 Rose Bowl MVP, Sanchez has the highest upside of all the quarterbacks in this year's draft class. Yes, there is that slim chance that Ratliff will turn out to be that hidden gem in the mold of Tom Brady. Realistically, he's just another guy with potential- less potential than Mark Sanchez.

If Ratliff develops into a diamond in the rough, so be it, but let's face it- at this point,he was expendable to the Jets. The same goes for Abram Elam, who was likely going to see a significant cut in playing time with the Jets as a result of the signing of Jim Leonhard. That leaves Kenyon Coleman. While I'm not sure that Coleman is expendable, I don't think the Jets will be hard-pressed to replace the 53 tackles and .5 sacks.

I won't cry over Ratliff until he gives me reason to do so. And I'll soon forget about Abram Elam with the first hard hit I see Jim Leonhard make, lined up in the secondary alongside Pro Bowler Kerry Rhodes. Go ahead, Eric, take Coleman and the two picks. Have a blast. The bottom line is this- I'll take Mark Sanchez any day.

The Jets possess the 12th pick (76th overall) of the third round, the 15th pick in the fourth (115th), as well as 6th and 7th round picks. Now that they have addressed the need for a QB, the Jets can focus on finding a WR for Sanchez to throw to, as there are a number of second-tier receivers available.

One player the Jets may want to consider is Dominique Edison. A product of Stephen F. Austin, Edison was highly productive last season, recording 67 receptions for 1,016 yards. What stands out most are his 18 touchdown receptions. At 6'2", 204 pounds, Edison ran a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash, and possesses the size and speed to be a solid compliment to Jerricho Cotchery. Coming from a smaller school, Edison may not receive the same attention as other available prospects, and could wind up being a steal on day two of the draft.