Tag: Rod Barajas

New York Mets’ Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco Making GM Minaya Look Like a Genius

Originally posted on Midwestropolitan .

All winter long I read about how the Mets were going to sign Bengie Molina.

Yesterday, news broke that Molina is still bitter that he didn’t wind up with the Mets.

I am still trying to understand his rationale for complaining, when he turned down the Mets one-year $5 million offer and wound up accepting a one-year $4.5 million deal with the Giants.

Instead of Molina, Omar Minaya decided to stick to his guns and not offer a two-year deal to Bengie Molina.  He chose to sign Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco to handle the pitching staff instead.

Handle the pitching staff, they have.

I will be the first to admit that I don’t understand all of the nuances that go into calling a game behind the plate.

However, I do get the feeling that both Barajas and Blanco have a plan for every situation their pitchers face.  More importantly, their pitchers appear to believe in the plan that ‘B Squared’ has provided.

If you would have told me that Barajas and Blanco would have helped straighten out this pitching staff at the beginning of the year, I would have gladly accepted it, without a care about their performance at the plate.

Not only have they helped straighten out the pitching staff, they have become an integral part of the offense.

Barajas especially.

He is leading the team with nine home runs and is starting to convince fans that he is a legitimate clean up hitter .

The much-maligned Minaya needs to be given credit here.  Instead of giving in to an over-priced veteran, he came up with a better solution that has improved the Mets both offensively and defensively.

Barajas and Blanco have placed an exclamation point on how right this move was.  They have given the Mets back to back wins with walk off home runs.

Right in front of Molina’s eyes.

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Arizona Immigration Law Critcized By Mets’ Rod Barajas

The parents of Mets catcher Rod Barajas came to the United States from Mexico, and he lives in Arizona. So Naturally, the new immigration law passed in that state has drawn his attention, and his ire.

Barajas was born in Ontario, Calif., three years after his parents moved there from Mexico. His father is from Mexicali and mother is from Michoacan, and his older brother was born in Mexico, too.

“It’s disappointing,” Barajas said. “I have a lot of family born in Mexico. You would like to hope there is no stereotyping going on, but it’s hard to see that there would not be. If they happen to pull someone over who looks like they are of Latin descent, even if they are a U.S. citizen, that is the first question that is going to be asked. But if a blond-haired, blue-eyed Canadian gets pulled over, do you think they are going to ask for their papers? No.”

Barajas addressed an issue that is important to him and his family. As a U.S. citizen, Barajas has less to worry about than many other major league players who came here from other countries to work legally as baseball players.

Some have not been in the U.S. very long and do not speak English fluently. Barajas wonders if they, too, could be singled out or harassed along with illegal immigrants. On Friday, the Major League Baseball Players Association issued a statement criticizing the law.

That made Barajas very proud. “I’m 100 percent behind the union,” he said. “There’s got to be a better way than this. It’s just not fair. It’s not fair to us.”  Or no group at all.

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New York Mets News: Bengie Molina vs. Rod Barajas and John Maine Shines

The news broke on January 19th of this year that Bengie Molina rejected a two year contract offer from the Mets to sign a one year deal with the San Francisco Giants.

I posted my thoughts about missing out on Molina here.  To summarize:

The Mets have continually displayed patience this off-season. They haven’t over-payed for anyone. They haven’t tied up tons of money for tons of years in an attempt to appease the disgruntled fan base.

Instead they’ve put their offers on the table, with a “go out and find a better offer” approach.

Molina wants a three year offer, the Mets offered him a year with a team option for a second. How a 35-year-old catcher can think he’s going to get a three year deal is beyond me, and apparently beyond the Mets.

Instead the Mets decided to go with two catchers, Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco, that would do more toward helping the pitching staff than helping the offense.

As it turns out, Barajas would do his part with the bat as well.

While he’s only hitting .231 out of the bottom of the Mets line up, he’s currently leading the team in home runs with seven and is third with 14 RBI.

Molina, while batting .333 on the season, has only hit two home runs while driving in nine.

Sure Barajas is a feast or famine type of hitter, but batting out of the eighth spot in the line up, home runs over batting average is something I’ll take any day of the week.

Last night, his solo home run in the top of the ninth proved to be the game-winning type, bailing out the over-used Fernando Nieve who gave up two solo home runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game.

John Maine’s solid effort should not be overshadowed by Barajas’ heroics.

Maine threw six strong innings giving up two earned runs and striking out six. He left the game with a 4-2 lead, and pitched well enough to earn a win.

Maine’s season ERA has finally dropped below 6.0 as he seems to be flourishing while on the hot seat. I’d still like to see more than six innings from John at some point, but I think it’s safe to say he’ll never be the type of pitcher to give you eight innings.

Maine’s velocity, which used to top out at around 94 mph is significantly down meaning his swing and miss high fast ball is a lot harder to miss these days. Without the strike out pitch, batters extend at bats and Maine’s pitch count is regularly around 100 pitches after six innings.

It’s something he may be able to work out by developing some secondary pitches, but for now I’ll take six solid innings out of him, as the bullpen has been very successful for the most part.

The Mets try and salvage the road trip today at 12:35 as Jon Niese matches up against Johnny Cueto.

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Rod Barajas: This Bargain Move is Paying Off for New York Mets

Be honest. Did anyone think Rod Barajas would have an impact on the Mets?

After Bengie Molina decided he could win a championship with the Giants by signing with them, the Mets scrambled to find anyone that was willing to catch.

Barajas assumed he would get a lucrative deal based on his service in the majors.

It didn’t happen that way.

Two desperate parties needed each other. That’s how the marriage between Barajas and the Mets was formed.

The Mets signed him to a one-year deal before spring training. Initially, it was not received well.

Sportswriters questioned the Mets for not being proactive in getting Molina, and the disgruntled fans expressed their displeasure about the Mets settling for a journeyman.

This cynical person expressed his doubts himself.

It’s hard to give the Mets the benefit of the doubt after several non-playoff seasons. The Mets conditioned folks to react with negativity for every move they make.

This turned out to be a good signing based on this month.

There’s no reason to think he will struggle the rest of the season. Even if his batting average turns out to be measly, he provides value to this team with his ability to call a game along with his defense.

He’s an upgrade over the stiffs the Mets assembled at catcher over the years. Watching Brian Schneider, Omir Santos, Ramon Castro and Paul LoDuca causes one to drink.

Roy Halladay paid Barajas an ultimate compliment by saying he enjoyed him as his catcher.

Of course, Barajas was not Minaya’s first choice. Minaya wanted Bengie Molina. Molina signed with the Giants because he felt he can win a championship. It’s hard not to blame him when the Giants trot out a good starter every game.

No one is complaining anymore about the catching position.

While everyone waits for Josh Thole to man the catching duties soon, Barajas has done well in his role.

It’s no secret the starters and the relievers have pitched better under the veteran’s guidance.

Mike Pelfrey benefited the most out of all the starters. Pelfrey has been known to be a headcase. Once he gets into a jam, he loses it altogether.

That hasn’t been the case so far. That’s a credit to Barajas for not only calling a good game, but getting Pelfrey to believe in himself.

He has done a decent job with Oliver Perez. Perez has been okay. Okay should be progress after two lousy years by him.

He and Jon Niese worked well together so far. Last night, Niese pitched seamlessly. The catcher did not had to go to the mound and talk to Niese at any point of the game.

Niese was good enough to allow one run and four hits in seven innings. He struck out seven Phillies.

The relievers are following the starters’ lead by throwing up zeroes on the scoreboard.

Catchers may not have value with their bats, but they certainly have value when they are behind the dish.

Good catchers make sure that their pitchers are effective. There’s a reason why A.J. Burnett and Greg Maddux are finicky when it comes to catchers.

They want catchers to help them be in a position to succeed.

It’s why Barajas will have a job every year even if he has a one-year deal with a team.

His hitting has been a bonus. The Mets did not expect much from him offensively.

They looked at him as a guy who can fill the position and work with the starters. They had to be surprised at what he has done at the plate.

He has been on base frequently, and he drives in runs.

He showed he can swing the lumber too. In last night’s game, he hit couple of home run in a blowout victory against the Phillies.

What stands out about Barajas is his leadership.

He proved he can be one without the macho talk. He lets his play exemplify his leadership role.

His work with the pitchers and his ability to step up says it all.

Last night’s performance should indicate that. A leader is about a player who rises to the occasion in a divisional game.

Barajas knows that’s where he proves his value to his teammates. He has been the game long enough to understand that.

He has been an instant hit from the day he came to spring training.

Now, Barajas should become a folk hero after what he did last night.

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