Kuzul

Earlier this season, many writers and fans, including myself, were wondering if Mike Pelfrey was an ace after his strong start to the year.

The question was certainty warranted as Pelfrey had gone 10-2 with one save after his first 15 starts. Pelfrey had posted a 2.71 ERA, a 1.85 K/BB rate, and held hitters to a .246 average over that period.

Since then, Pelfrey has done nothing but struggle. In his last seven starts, Pelfrey is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA. Pelfrey has an ugly 0.88 K/BB rate and has had hitters bat .437 against him over that span.

The biggest question on Mets fans’ minds is what caused Pelfrey’s struggles and can he return to the success he had at the beginning of the year.

At least a part of Pelfrey’s troubles can be attributed to a lack of luck. Through his first 15 starts, batters had a .281 BABIP against Pelfrey, but they have had a .481 BABIP against him in his past seven starts. A much larger percentage of balls hit off of Pelfrey are finding spots to land in the field. This can be partially explained by hitters line drive percentage off of Pelfrey.

Through his first 15 starts, only 18% of balls hit off of Pelfrey were line drives. This number jumped up to 29% in his last seven starts. Line drives are more likely than any other batted ball to be a hit. This increase is partially responsible for the higher BABIP that…(to read the rest click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Both the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have recently made trades to improve their ballclubs. The Braves acquired Alex Gonzalez and the Phillies picked up Roy Oswalt.

Even the Washington Nationals have made moves to improve their team for the future. The Nationals received Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps.

Of course, one would think that the New York Mets, who are still in playoff contention, would make a move to respond to their rivals’ moves.

This is exactly what the Mets did: The Mets announced that they had traded Mike Jacobs to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later. Right now, this trade cannot be named a total failure because we do not yet know who the PTBNL is, but it will most likely be just organizational filler.

With just hours until the trade deadline, the Mets need to decide if they are buyers or sellers. They cannot simply stand put.

The Mets have many players on their current roster that would be appealing to other teams.

If the Mets decide to be sellers, they should follow the Nationals’ example and look to move relievers. Potential players of interest to other teams include Bobby Parnell, Elmer Dessens, and Pedro Feliciano. All of these players could potentially bring back mid- to high-level prospects from a competitive team.

If the Mets decide to be buyers, they have a lot of top prospects that can bring back major league talent from other teams. Prospects that can be traded include Wilmer Flores, Josh Thole, Nick…(to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Wilmer Flores is one of the Mets’ top prospects and one of the top prospects in all of baseball. At just 18 years old, Wilmer has already been playing professional baseball for three years.

After a strong performance in Single-A this year, Wilmer was called up to High-A ball to play for the St. Lucie Mets. At 18 years old, Wilmer is the second youngest hitter in the Florida State League.

Wilmer’s success continued as a member of the St. Lucie Mets. He has a .349 batting average with two home runs and 19 RBI in 29 games.

Wilmer was recently kind enough to take some time out of his schedule for an interview with me.

At 16, most kids are still in high school and you were already playing in the minor leagues. What was that experience like at such a young age?

“You know, its not that easy playing with guys older than you. But you know, its just baseball. You just gotta worry about hitting the ball, catching the ball, and and run, but that’s basically what I do”.

At what age did you realizes that you were talented enough to become a professional baseball player?

“13, I just played to have fun though.”

Do you feel that it has been an advantage or disadvantage that you have always been one youngest players at each level you have played at?

“Like I say, I just go out and play. I mean I don’t see these guys as… (to read the rest of the interview click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

1) Jenrry Mejia, SP

Birthday: 10/11/89

2010 Stats: 0-2, 3.25 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 5.5 K/9 in 27.2 innings (Majors), 0-0 2.70 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, 13.5 K/9 in 3.1 innings (Triple-A)

What to Expect This Year: Mejia has had success in the majors this year as a reliever. However, he was sent down to the minors to get stretched out and work as a starting pitcher. It would not be surprising to see Mejia back in the majors in late August or early September. If the Mets are in the playoff race, Mejia may be back in the bullpen. If the Mets are out of contention, expect to see Mejia starting.

Best Case Scenario: Mejia has electric stuff and is definitely a power pitcher. He has the potential to become an anchor at the top of the Mets rotation for years to come. If he harnesses all of his potential he might be able to win a Cy Young.

Most Likely Scenario: Mejia will become a solid number two or number three starter. He will have electric stuff but will struggle with his control. A high walk rate will prevent him from ever putting together more than one or two outstanding seasons.

2) Fernando Martinez, OF

Birthday: 10/10/88 2010

Stats: .252/.314/.450, 9 HR, 29 RBI in 55 games (Triple-A), .267/.313/.333, 0 HR, 0 RBI in 4 games (High-A)

What to Expect This Year: With the logjam in the Mets outfield, there does not appear to be any room for Martinez in…(to read about Fernando Martinez and the other 8 prospects profiled click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It has become fairly obvious that the New York Mets need help in their bullpen. They have been rumored to be interested in trading for a reliever. The Mets have made a transaction for a relief pitcher.

The Mets signed Chad Cordero to a minor league deal. While this is not the big splash that Mets fans for looking for, it is your prototypical low risk/high reward move.

Cordero had labrum surgery at the end of the 2008 season and did not pitch in the majors in 2009. He made 14 rehab appearances with the Mariners rookie league and low-A level teams.

This season, Cordero moved up to Triple-A. He pitched fairly well in his 17 appearances. Cordero had a 4.12 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. His most impressive numbers were his 10.1 K/9 rate and his 1.8 BB/9 rate. This was enough to earn Cordero a shot with the Mariners major league team.

Cordero struggled in the majors this year. He made 9 appearances and had a 6.52 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. Cordero also saw his strikeout rate decline to 5.6 K/9 and his walk rate rise to 4.7 BB/9.

However, Cordero is just 28 years old and may not be fully recovered from surgery. There is a lot of potential for improvement in Cordero.

Before his injury, Cordero had 2.78 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Cordero also had a strikeout rate of 8.2 K/9 and a walk rate of 3.3 BB/9.

Cordero could…(to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Enough is enough.

There is simply no reason that Jerry Manuel should remain as the manager of the New York Mets. The team has played uninspired baseball throughout his tenure. Even the recent return of Carlos Beltran has not been enough to spark the team.

The Mets have lost three straight coming out of the All-Star break and appear to be falling out of contention in the National League East.

They are in third place—five games behind the Braves.

The Mets do however sit just two games back in the Wild Card race. So, there is still an opportunity for the Mets to make the playoffs.

However, Jerry Manuel makes too many poor decisions for this to happen under his watch.

After watching Hisanori Takahashi implode yesterday, it is has only been reaffirmed that he belongs in the bullpen. However, Jerry has said that he will start yet again next week.

Just by looking at his splits, it becomes painfully obvious that Takahashi is in the wrong role.

He has gone 4-3 with a 5.75 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 10 starts this season.

Takahashi has allowed 10 home runs and has a strikeout rate of 6.8 strikeouts per nine inning in 51 2/3 innings as a starter. Compare this to his numbers out of the bullpen.

Takahashi was 3-1 from the bullpen with a 2.79 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 16 appearances. He allowed one home run and had a strikeout rate of 10.9 per nine innings in 29 innings of work.

It is clear where Takahashi belongs.

On the topic of…(to read the rest click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the Mets set to start the second half of their season today, it is time to take the opportunity to look at all the issues the Mets will face the rest of the season.

Will Ike Davis be Able to Maintain his First Half Success?

Ike Davis’ success has definitely been a pleasant surprise for the Mets this year. He was able to bat .258 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI during the first half of the year. However, Ike has struggled mightily on the road.

He is hitting only .216 with a .281 on-base percentage and 40 strikeouts in 146 plate appearances. Compare this to his .298 batting average and .387 on-base percentage in 163 plate appearances at home. He also has only struck out 31 times at home.

Davis should eventually turn his road numbers around. It appears he has gotten more comfortable with the major leagues over the course of the season.

The Mets will need Ike to continue to have success if they have any chances of being a playoff team. Luckily for the Mets, Ike is young and will continue to develop. Davis should be able to have a strong second half. He is still adjusting to major league pitching and still has a lot of room to improve.

What Will the Mets Get From Mike Pelfrey?

Big Pelf was lights out early in the season. More recently though, he has began to struggle. Still, Pelfrey managed to post a 10-4 record with a… (to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the Mets having lost the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, they still are in need of another starting pitcher.

Losing the last two games to the Braves and falling to five games out of first place and two back in the wild card race have made this need even more obvious.

Names that have recently come up in connection with the Mets include Ted Lilly , Fausto Carmona , Jake Westbrook, and Dan Haren . However, all of these players come at a price.

A popular name that is being thrown around as a player who the Mets would need to include in a deal is Josh Thole.

At just age 22, Thole was able to achieve success in his short stint in the major leagues last season.

After starting the season in the minors, Thole has worked his way back up to the big league club.

He struggled in the minors this year posting just a .267 batting average and a .353 on-base percentage.

Many wondered if Thole had truly merited his promotion. Others wondered if it was an attempt to showcase him for a trade.

It appears to be the latter.

Thole would be a key piece in a deal for any of the aforementioned pitchers.

The Cubs appear to have no need for Thole, yet they have requested that he be included in a deal for Ted Lilly. This speaks volumes about the confidence the Cubs have in Geovany Soto.

Thole would…(to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the Mets having lost the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, they are still in need of another starting pitcher. Losing the last two games to the Braves and falling to five games out of first place and two back in the wild card race have made this need even more obvious.

Names that have recently come up in connection to the Mets include Ted Lilly , Fausto Carmona , Jake Westbrook, and Dan Haren . However, all of these players come at a price.

A popular name that is being thrown around as a player the Mets would need to include in a deal is Josh Thole. At just age 22, Thole had success during his short stint in the major leagues last season.

After starting the season in the minors, Thole has worked his way back up to the big league club. He struggled in the minors this year posting just a .267 batting average and a .353 on-base percentage. Many wondered if Thole had truly merited his promotion. Others wondered if it was in an attempt to showcase him for a trade. It appears to be the latter.

Thole would be a key piece in a deal for any of the aforementioned pitchers. He would have different value to each team.

The Cubs appear to have no need for Thole, yet they have requested that he be included in a deal for Ted Lilly. This speaks volumes about the confidence the Cubs have in Geovany Soto. (to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the Mets having lost the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, they still are in need of another starting pitcher. Losing the last two games to the Braves and falling to five games out of first place and two back in the wild card race have made this need even more obvious.

Names that have recently come up in connection to the Mets include Ted Lilly, Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook, and Dan Haren. However, all of these players come at a price.

A popular name that is being thrown around as a player who the Mets would need to include in a deal is Josh Thole. At just age 22, Thole was able to have success in his short stint in the Major Leagues last season.

After starting the season in the minors, Thole has worked his way back up to the big league club. He struggled in the minors this year posting just a .267 batting average and a .353 on-base percentage. Many wondered if Thole had truly merited his promotion. Others wondered if it was in an attempt to showcase him for a trade. It appears to be the latter.

Thole would be a key piece in a deal for any of the aforementioned pitchers. He would have different value to each team.

The Cubs appear to have no need for Thole, yet they have requested that he be included in a deal for Ted Lilly. This speaks volumes about the confidence the Cubs have in Geovany Soto. Thole would…(to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com