What? Dude, there should be a sandwich named for Mike Piazza at Citi Field regardless of if he makes the Hall of Fame. There should be a standard sandwich named for Mike Piazza available all over the place, like a Reuben or an Elvis. And it’s pretty obvious what it should be: Mike Piazza is an Italian hero. So all your finest Italian meats and cheeses piled high on a hero, with some oil and balsamic vinegar, red roasted peppers, and maybe sundried tomatoes if those are your thing.
I have no idea, but I can’t imagine adding Havens does much for a deal at this point beyond freeing up a 40-man roster space for the Mets. Even if you haven’t given up hope for his career, teams aren’t going to give up anything of value for a 26-year-old who has yet to play above Double-A and has never played 100 games in a season. So is Dickey and a non-Harvey, non-Wheeler pitching prospect enough to get a trade for Trumbo and Bourjos done? I kind of doubt it, but I suppose it depends on how much the Angels value the pitching prospect.
I’m way less excited about Trumbo than many Mets fans seem to be, for what it’s worth. He has a ton of power and he hits right handed, both of which would satisfy some of the Mets needs. But without having seen a ton of him in the outfield, I can’t say for certain he’d be a great fit in a corner at Citi Field. And his approach at the plate seems at least a bit foreboding.
Check this out: In 2012, Trumbo posted a .317 on-base percentage and a .491 slugging. Since 2000, only 11 other players have enjoyed seasons with an on-base percentage below .320 and a slugging above .490, and it’s not a very inspiring list of hitters: Jay Gibbons, Jason Lane, Garrett Jones, Jorge Cantu, Nelson Cruz, JJ Hardy, Mike Jacobs, Garrett Anderson, Alfonso Soriano, Tony Batista and Curtis Granderson.
Granderson, Jones and Trumbo all did it in 2012. Of the rest, only Soriano managed an OPS above .800 in the following season. And Batista, Jacobs, Hardy, Cantu, and Lane all collapsed to significantly below average hitters the year after doing it. The endpoints are pretty arbitrary and based on Trumbo’s season, but the point shouldn’t be that difficult to grasp: It’s hard to keep hitting for lots of power without lots of patience.
And since I suspect Trumbo would require more in a deal than Bourjos would, and that Bourjos might come with additional prospects where Trumbo likely would not, I’d take Bourjos over Trumbo. He’s younger, and because of his value on defense I imagine he has a higher floor than Trumbo. His numbers from 2011 don’t seem terribly out of line with how he performed in the Minors, given the expected improvements for a 24-year-old, and I’d take a chance that his 2012 numbers were at least partly the result of playing part time for the first time in his professional career and try to buy low on him instead of buying high on Trumbo.
But all that said, given the price that’s been paid for pitching on the open market, the Mets should probably hold their cards for at least a bit longer and see if someone goes crazy with prospects or young players.
Nope. He’s 22. I know a knock on Tejada when he was coming up was that due to his body type and physical skills, he didn’t stand to improve much. I… well, I don’t really believe that. Maybe he won’t get faster or more rangey in the field, but I’d bet he gets stronger and more selective at the plate over the next few years.
It was Beltran.
If we’re talking about their baseball prime and not their Mets prime, the Mets get Willie Mays. So that’s sweet.
My starting nine looks like this:
SP: Pedro Martinez
Cases could be made for Tom Seaver, Johan Santana, and oft-forgotten Met Warren Spahn, but Pedro’s 1997-2003 prime was one of the best things we’ll ever see in our lifetimes. <3 Pedro so much.
C: Mike Piazza
Duh.
1B: Keith Hernandez
It was a tough call between Keith, John Olerud and Carlos Delgado — who was an awesome, awesome hitter with the Blue Jays. But Mex wins by a mustache.
2B: Edgardo Alfonzo
Fonzie’s prime didn’t last long, but it provided some of the best seasons in Mets’ history. I know some of you might say Jeff Kent, but f- Jeff Kent. And though Robbie Alomar was probably the best of all of them, I can’t in good conscience include Robbie Alomar even despite the parameters of this exercise.
3B: David Wright
No brainer. Honorable mentions to Hubie Brooks and Chico Walker for having cool names.
SS: Jose Reyes
Another lay-up.
OF: Carlos Beltran, Willie Mays, Darryl Strawberry
Beltran has to play left because of Willie Mays. Willie Mays is Willie Mays. Darryl Strawberry a) still owns the Mets’ home run record and b) one time bought me a sandwich.
Incidentally, by baseball-reference’s WAR, Bernard Gilkey’s 1996 is the best season ever by a Mets right-fielder. But that’s mostly because the defensive WAR kills Strawberry in 1988. I’ll take the Straw Man.