Where is Al Reyes?

"jonathan" <jmerin77.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ca63b2f2-6c8d-43b3-94ae-7758fda1a889@c58g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
On Aug 28, 2:56 pm, "Micheal Ray" <m....RemoveThis@spamspam.com> wrote:

[...]

So far, Dan Warthen has impressed me with his work with the starters.
He hasn't impressed me in the bullpen at all. I'd love to rehire
Peterson just to work with the bullpen.
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In addition to this, I'm worried about Warthen's impact on those who are
doing well under his stewardship. I mean, Peterson was a stickler for
avoiding pitching injuries, something Warthen isn't known for. It looks
like Maine has gone down as the first casualty, and I'm crossing my fingers
in regard to Ollie's new windup.

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>
>
> > Stokes and Ayala have looked promising (and Heilman looked good
> > recently for 3 innings). Odd to think that the others could just melt
> > down en masse, but maybe a shakeup could renew their effectiveness.
>
> I don't think it's that odd because they're all pieces of one unit. If one
> guy has to step up to become the closer in Wagner's absence, it pretty
> much
> upsets the apple cart for everyone else, as they, too, have their roles
> changed. Ditto for fatigue, which seems to be a virus best cured by the
> infusion of a couple of non-tired arms (e.g., Stokes and Ayala).
>

Stokes has some stuff. He's mid-90's with a decent breaking ball.
The biggest problem is his fastball is very straight and his command
leaves a lot to be desired. I actually think he could be a decent
reliever, and I believe he's not even arbitration eligible until after
next year. I think he could be a good part of next year's bullpen.

Feliciano is wearing me out because each year his command seems to go
a little bit more. It seems like he's 2-0 and 3-1 on everybody, even
the lefties.

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To use Jerry's words, he's avoiding contact. To these eyes, he just looks
tired.

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I actually think Schoeneweis has been decent, especially as a
situational guy, and he'll be around next year with the contract.
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Interestingly, he seems to be the guy they tried to deal at last month's
deadline. Although they didn't find any takers then, I'd bet the ranch they
ditch him this off-season.

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I think Sanchez is still hurt. If he's not, then he lost what he
had. He can't survive at 88-90. When he was 94-96, he was nasty. He
doesn't have the stuff to be 88-90.

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He's really wasting a roster spot right now. I had suggested earlier in the
year that he accept a demotion to AAA, in the hopes that he could regain his
velocity down there. By now, I'm more concerned with how many games he
might negatively impact in September and whether they'll include him on the
post-season roster.
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I've never been a Heilman guy. Like Feliciano, his command has seemed
to get worse over the years. He pitches behind a lot.

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The things that jump out from Heilman's stat line are his walks, dingers
surrendered and HBP -- all of which suggest that command has been an issue.
Beyond the whole Yadier Molina/fragile confidence issue, there's also the
idea that he's again throwing his slider, a pitch Peterson didn't want him
throwing. Was Peterson against the slider because he only wanted Heilman to
be a two-pitch pitcher, or was he forecasting a potential arm injury?
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I have been a Joe Smith guy because I just like having sinkerballers
in the bullpen because theoretically, they're harder to take deep. I
don't know that he'll ever get lefties out but he's dominant against
righties.

The reason the '06 bullpen was so good was the Mets had two guys
(Heilman and Sanchez) who could get lefties and righties out. That
allowed them to use everybody else (Feliciano, Bradford, etc.) in
situations. This year, nobody out there has been able to get both
out, and that's been the biggest problem. I have some hope for
Stokes, and Ayala looks good, although he's a free agent after the
year.

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I like Ayala. He has the potential to be that Cinderella story of that guy
trapped on a losing team all his life, but rising to the occasion when he
gets dealt to a contender. And lord knows, the Mets need him to step up
like Cinderella right now.
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> > Hopefully before Stokes and Ayala catch bullpen-itis from the others.
> > Sounds mystical but how did the entire BP take a simultaneous dive.
> > Not like they hadn't performed well earlier.
>
> That's really why I want Al Reyes here: To give the other guys a few days
> off.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Again, it can't hurt. He can't be any worse then what's been out
there.
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I have to think Reyes would be an upgrade over Sanchez. I mean, Reyes has
been serving up dingers, but he's still able to strike people out.