Phoreshadowing The Phillies' Phuture

In making the final out of the Phillies' season for the second straight year, Ryan Howard suffered an apparent Achilles injury, falling to the ground and writhing in pain as the Cardinals celebrated their unlikely division series victory.  In a worst-case scenario (torn ACL), Howard would miss nine months or more while recovering from surgery to repair the tear.  In other words, Howard's 2012 season would be kaput.

Although Ryan Howard batted only .253 for the Phillies in 2011, he was their main power source, providing 33 HR and 116 RBI in 152 games.  For a team that plays half of its games in a hitter-friendly ballpark, Howard was the only player to hit over 20 HR.  Free-agent-to-be Raul Ibañez was second on the team with exactly 20 HR and 84 RBI.  Take out Howard and the soon-to-be 40-year-old Ibañez, and no Phillie hit more than 17 HR (Shane Victorino, of all people, hit 17 bombs) or picked up more than 63 RBI (accomplished by Jimmy Rollins, another free-agent-to-be who has already gone on the record as saying he won't accept a hometown discount to re-sign with the Phillies).

So if Howard doesn't play in 2012 and Ibañez leaves via free agency, the Phillies' lineup will look an awful lot like the Mets.  Even with those two players in the everyday lineup for Philadelphia in 2011, the Mets still scored more runs (718) than the Phillies (713), produced more doubles (309 to 258), triples (39 to 38), hits (1,477 to 1,409), stolen bases (130 to 96) and even led them in walks (571 to 539).  That's right.  The Mets, who used Daniel Murphy as their cleanup hitter for 33 games, were walked 32 more times than the Phillies, who supposedly have a more fearsome lineup.

Now take Howard and Ibañez out of that lineup and what do you have left?  A declining and oft-injured second baseman in Chase Utley, an as-yet unsigned shortstop who will be 33 in November and who has a career OBP of .329 primarily out of the leadoff spot in the batting order, and a 36-year-old third baseman who produced a .277, 5 HR, 50 RBI season in 122 games played (numbers eerily similar to Justin Turner's 2011 season). Basically, the Phillies offense will be led by Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence.  I mean, catcher Carlos Ruiz led all Phillies' starters (minimum 100 games played as a Phillie) in batting average with a .283 mark.  When your most consistent hitter over a full season is Carlos Ruiz, that says a lot about your offense.

Does anyone really think Chase Utley is going to return to his All-Star caliber form?  Utley played in 103 games in 2011 and hit .259 with 11 HR and 44 RBI.  Think about that.  Batting in the middle of that lineup and playing in that bandbox of a ballpark, Utley managed only 44 RBI in 454 plate appearances.  To put that into perspective, Daniel Murphy drove in five more runs (49) than Utley did in 31 fewer plate appearances (423).  Even Josh Thole (40 RBI) drove in more runs per plate appearance (386 PA) than Utley did in 2011.  Since 2007, when Utley hit .332, his batting average has gone down every year.  He hit .292 in 2008, .282 in 2009, .275 in 2010 and bottomed out at .259 in 2011.  The Phillies will have to deal with his declining production for the remaining two years and $30 million of his contract.

 Like the rest of his teammates, Chase Utley is literally down and out.

If Jimmy Rollins doesn't return, who will be their starting shortstop?  (It better not be Jose Reyes.)  Surely, they can't entrust the position to Wilson Valdez, he of the .294 OBP in 2011?  But maybe his defense is better than Rollins.  Uh, actually it's not.  Rollins played in 142 games and made only seven errors, while Valdez played in 99 games and committed nine errors.

Ever since Scott Rolen showed his brotherly love for Philadelphia by leaving the city in a trade in 2002, the Phillies have been searching for his replacement.  They tried David Bell from 2003-2006 and got nothing.  They employed a trio of third sackers in 2007 (Greg Dobbs, Wes Helms, Abraham Nuñez), all of whom started at least 50 games at the hot corner.  They tried Pete Happy (Pedro Feliz) for two seasons in 2008 and 2009, before finally settling on Placido Polanco in 2010.  This is the same Placido Polanco who was acquired in the Scott Rolen trade in 2002 and replaced him at third base for the remainder of that season before moving over to second base in 2003 and 2004 to accommodate David Bell.  Once Chase Utley was called up to the team, Polanco was out of a job and was traded to Detroit in 2005, where he blossomed, hitting .311 in four seasons with the Tigers.  So of course, the Phillies re-signed him prior to the 2010 season and have seen his numbers wilt.

As of right now, Hunter Pence is the only regular position player on the Phillies who isn't north of age 30.  The pitching staff of Halladay, Lee, Hamels and Oswalt might be truncated by one in 2012, as Roy Oswalt has a $16 mutual option for the 2012 season.  However, Oswalt went 9-10 for a team that won 102 games, finished the year with his second-highest ERA over a full season in his 11-year career, and spent almost two months on the disabled list.  If the Phillies think that's worth $16 million, who am I to stop them?

Vance Worley might be able to replace Oswalt in the rotation, but is he for real?  In parts of two seasons with the Phillies, Worley is 12-4 with a 2.86 ERA in 23 starts.  But this great start wasn't something that could have been predicted after looking at his numbers in the minor leagues.  Worley started 76 games over parts of four seasons in the minors.  In those starts, he was barely above .500, going 25-23.  His ERA was unimpressive (3.80) and his WHIP (1.25) wasn't exactly among the league leaders.  He also wasn't a strikeout pitcher in the minors, averaging 6.9 strikeouts per nine innings.  Then he comes to the major leagues, where hitters aren't familiar with him and he lowers his ERA by a full run, while upping his strikeout rate to 8.1 K/9 IP.  At least Cole Hamels' major league success followed an impressive minor league career, one in which he went 14-4 with a 1.43 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and registered 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

You didn't think I'd mention Cole Hamels and not show his photo, did you?

There are too many question marks surrounding the Phillies in 2012.  Their position players are getting older and piling up more injuries.  Their main source for power might miss the entire 2012 season, a season in which his new five-year, $125 million contract kicks in.  Their left side of the infield might consist of Placido Polanco and Wilson Valdez, two players in their mid-30s, who combined for six home runs and 80 RBI in 2011.  If John Mayberry (15 HR, 49 RBI in 104 games) becomes the Phillies' main power source in 2012, their lineup won't look very scary at all.

Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee might continue to be All-Star-caliber pitchers for years to come.  Or maybe they'll both realize that they're entering their mid-30s and will suffer the same setbacks the other thirty-somethings on the Phillies are.  The Phillies are in more trouble than people think.  Their seasons are ending earlier year after year (World Series losers in 2009, NLCS losers in 2010, NLDS losers in 2011), and that may be a sign of things to come.

For a team like the Mets, the gap between them and the Phillies might be as wide as it's going to get.  The Mets might not have to shorten that gap on their own.  The Phillies might be helping them do it with their multiple albatross contracts and their inevitable meeting with Father Time.  And it all began last night, when Ryan Howard's Achilles decided to go kaplooey.  Because of it, the Phillies' dominance in the National League might soon be going kaplooey as well.

M.U.M.'s The Word (Most Underrated Mets): Kevin McReynolds

The 1986 Mets were perhaps the most beloved team in franchise history. They combined a great pitching staff along with veteran leadership (Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Ray Knight) and youthful exuberance (Darryl Strawberry, Lenny Dykstra, Kevin Mitchell) to win their second World Championship.

However, after the season ended, general manager Frank Cashen decided that Kevin Mitchell had too much youthful exuberance, which was the polite way of saying that Mitchell was a bad influence on Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden. It was time for the versatile rookie to go, and so Cashen traded Mitchell (along with Shawn Abner, Stanley Jefferson, Kevin Armstrong and Kevin "No, not that one" Brown) to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Gene Walter, minor leaguer Adam Ging and a good ol' country boy from Arkansas named Walter, although Mets fans probably know him better by his middle name.

You can't call him Wally, but you can call him underrated.

Walter Kevin McReynolds was coming off a 1986 season in which he set career highs in batting average (.288), runs scored (89), home runs (26), RBI (96) and stolen bases (8). It was not his first good year in the majors, as he had a stellar 1984 season for the Padres, finishing 17th in the NL MVP voting and helping the Padres advance to their first World Series. However, McReynolds broke his hand in Game 4 of the 1984 NLCS and did not play in the World Series, which the Padres lost to the Detroit Tigers in five games.

Although McReynolds was the Padres' primary centerfielder, the Mets acquired him to play left field, a position he had only played for 43 games over his first four seasons in the majors. The Mets had gone through four and a half years of the underachieving malcontent, also known as George Foster, from 1982 until midway through the 1986 season, when they released him soon after he stayed glued to the bench during a bench-clearing brawl between the Mets and the Cincinnati Reds.

There's a better chance you'll find Waldo in this donnybrook than George Foster.

The Mets used four leftfielders after Foster's release, never starting Mookie Wilson, Kevin Mitchell, Danny Heep and the newly re-acquired Lee Mazzilli for more than five consecutive games at a time. The team needed a steady leftfielder, one that wouldn't be a cancer in the clubhouse (a la Foster) or a bad influence on the young stars (a la Mitchell). Kevin McReynolds fit the bill perfectly and gave the Mets quite the ballplayer in left field.

McReynolds' career as a Met didn't start off with a bang. After a loss to the Chicago Cubs on June 9, 1987, the Mets slipped to fourth place with a .500 record (28-28). One of the reasons for the poor start to the season was the hitting (or lack thereof) of Kevin McReynolds. Big Mac's numbers at the plate (.249, 9 HR, 26 RBI) weren't that much different than what George Foster was giving the Mets in 1986. All that changed the following afternoon (June 10), when McReynolds collected four hits (two singles, two doubles), scored two runs and drove in another. That began a two-month stretch where McReynolds and the Mets simultaneously caught fire.

From June 10 to August 7, McReynolds played in 53 games (52 starts). Over that time period, he batted .338, with 13 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 42 RBI. The 25 extra-base hits over the two months gave him an exceptional .572 slugging percentage. The Mets needed McReynolds' power in the lineup because Darryl Strawberry was not driving in runs at his usual pace (30 RBI over the same 53-game stretch). When McReynolds woke up from his early season slumber, so did the Mets, as the team went 35-18 during Big Mac's hot streak. In two months, the Mets went from a fourth-place, .500 team to a second place team that was within striking distance of the first place St. Louis Cardinals.

Then September 11 happened. No, not THAT September 11. On the night of September 11, 1987, the Mets and Cardinals squared off at Shea Stadium, with the Mets trying to close to within half a game of the first place Redbirds. Everything was going perfectly for the Mets. Ron Darling took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and the Mets had a 4-1 lead (St. Louis scored their run on two walks and two groundouts).

Then Vince Coleman dropped a drag bunt that not only ended Darling's no-hitter, but his season as well, as Ronnie injured his thumb while diving to make a play on the ball. Once Terry Pendleton hit a two-out, two-run game-tying homer in the ninth inning off Roger McDowell, the Mets' chances to catch the Cardinals in the standings vanished. The Cardinals went on to win the NL East, denying the Mets an opportunity to defend their World Series title.

Although the Mets failed to advance to the postseason in 1987, it was not the fault of Kevin McReynolds. In fact, McReynolds was one of the reasons why the Mets stayed in the division race for as long as they did. He batted .276, and set career-highs with 163 hits, 32 doubles, 29 HR and 14 stolen bases. He also picked up 95 RBI while showing great discipline at the plate, striking out only 70 times in 639 plate appearances. Big Mac didn't help the Mets to the postseason in 1987, but 1988 was a different story.

McReynolds started the 1988 season with a bang, going 4-for-5 with two homers on Opening Day in Montreal. The two blasts were part of a six-homer barrage by the Mets, which included a monster shot by Darryl Strawberry that hit the roof of Olympic Stadium. The Opening Day fireworks by McReynolds were just a prelude for what was to come. Over his first six games of the season, Kevin hit .565 (14-for-23). He slid back to reality after his dominant start to finish the first half of the season with respectable numbers (.281, 11 HR, 47 RBI, 11 SB). Once he returned from the All-Star Break, McReynolds took his game to another level, starting with the first game in Atlanta.

On July 14, the Mets and Braves were engaged in a seesaw battle. The Braves had an early 3-0 lead, but the Mets poured it on, scoring eight unanswered runs to take an 8-3 lead. The big blow was a three-run homer by McReynolds in the fourth inning. The Braves refused to lose quietly, storming back with five runs of their own to tie the game at 8. Darryl Strawberry led off the top of the ninth inning by reaching first on an error. Unfortunately, he was thrown out trying to steal second in the hopes that McReynolds would drive him in. Darryl's over-aggressiveness might have cost the Mets the go-ahead run, as McReynolds doubled into the gap in left-center. A ground ball double play by Gary Carter ended the Mets threat and the game moved on into extra innings, where the Mets won the game in the 11th inning on a base hit by...you guessed it...Kevin McReynolds.

For the game, Big Mac was true to his nickname, going 5-for-6, with three runs scored, two doubles, a home run and four RBI. July 14 wasn't the last time McReynolds had a big game in the second half. Two weeks later against the Phillies, he went 4-for-4, hitting another home run and driving in five runs. In August, he had another five-RBI game, this time against the Cubs. But he saved his hottest RBI streak for the most important time of the year.

Over a two-week stretch in September, McReynolds was a one-man wrecking crew. In 14 games, he batted .400, with six home runs and 18 RBI. While McReynolds was rockin', the Mets were rollin'. New York won 13 of those 14 games, including the game against the Phillies on September 22 which gave them their second NL East title in three years. Not surprisingly, McReynolds went 2-for-4 with an RBI in that game. It was the third of five consecutive multi-hit games for the leftfielder, who was now in the middle of everyone's MVP conversations.

Unfortunately, the MVP Award was not to be, as Kirk Gibson's performance for the Dodgers (.290, 25 HR, 76 RBI, 31 SB) was considered more valuable than McReynolds' season (.288, 27 HR, 99 RBI, 21 SB) and teammate Darryl Strawberry's year (.284, 39 HR, 104 RBI, 36 SB). It was widely agreed that voters who picked an MVP candidate from the Mets split their votes between Strawberry and McReynolds, allowing Gibson to sneak away with the award. However, had the voters noticed that McReynolds also led the league with 18 outfield assists (including seven runners thrown out at the plate) and set a major league record by having the most stolen bases in a season without being caught (later broken by Chase Utley in 2009 with his 23-for-23 season), perhaps they would have changed their vote to the player who was truly the most complete player in the National League in 1988.

McReynolds continued his dynamic 1988 season into the playoffs, where the Mets faced off against Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team they had defeated 10 out of 11 times during the regular season. Hershiser had finished the 1988 season by pitching 59 consecutive scoreless innings and he continued to do the same in Game 1 of the NLCS, holding the Mets to zero runs through eight innings. But things began to unravel for "The Bulldog" in the ninth inning.

In 1988, the National League was schooled by Hershiser and his "Orel" exams.

After a leadoff single by wünderkind Gregg Jefferies, Keith Hernandez moved him to second base with a groundout. Darryl Strawberry then lined a double to right field, plating Jefferies and ending Hershiser's scoreless streak and his night, as he was removed from the game for closer Jay Howell.

Kevin McReynolds was the first batter to face Howell, and he was able to draw a walk. After Howard Johnson struck out, the Mets were down to their final out, but they still had their two MVP candidates on the bases and Gary Carter at the plate. With the Dodger Stadium crowd on their feet in anticipation of the final out, Carter silenced the ballpark by looping a double in front of a diving John Shelby. Strawberry had already scored the tying run as McReynolds was rounding third. The throw from Shelby to Mike Scioscia arrived at the same time as McReynolds' lowered shoulder did. The jarring home plate collision led to the go-ahead run for the Mets and they held on to that lead, taking Game 1 in their final at-bat, with the winning run scoring on the shoulders of Kevin McReynolds.

The Mets split the next two games of the NLCS, taking a 2-1 series lead into Game 4, the game forever known as the Mike Scioscia game. With the Mets about to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, manager Davey Johnson left Dwight Gooden on the mound the start the ninth inning. At the time, the Mets led the game 4-2. Gooden stayed in the game even after issuing a leadoff walk to John Shelby. The reasoning for the non-move was simple. The next batter was light-hitting catcher Mike Scioscia, who had hit only three home runs in 408 regular season at-bats and was a prime candidate to hit into a double play. There was no double play, unless if you can start one from behind the outfield wall.

One former Dodger who wore #14 helped the Mets win the World Series in 1969. Nineteen years later, another one prevented the Mets from reaching the World Series.

With Mike Scioscia tying the game with his Pendletonian blast, the momentum shifted over to the Dodgers, especially after Kirk Gibson's two-out, solo homer in the 12th inning off Roger McDowell gave Los Angeles a 5-4 lead. The Mets fought back in their half of the inning, as the first two batters reached base against former Met Tim Leary. After retiring Gregg Jefferies, another former Met came into the game to face lefties Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry. That man would be Jesse Orosco.

Orosco was able to induce a popup from Strawberry that could not score the tying run. The next batter was Kevin McReynolds. Orosco would not get a chance to face Big Mac, as future Met and current Bulldog Orel Hershiser would get the call to come in from the bullpen.

McReynolds had already contributed greatly to the game. His solo homer in the fourth inning had given the Mets a 3-2 lead, a lead that was extended to 4-2 in the sixth inning when McReynolds hit a ground rule double and scored on Gary Carter's triple. Big Mac had also drawn a walk in the 11th inning, followed by a stolen base to put his potential winning run in scoring position. However, that is where he was left stranded. Now the game was in the 12th inning, and it was up to him not to leave anyone stranded.

With the Shea Stadium crowd expecting another comeback victory, McReynolds lifted the third pitch from Hershiser into short center field. Everyone's thoughts went back to the ninth inning of Game 1, when John Shelby failed to catch Gary Carter's short fly ball, allowing the tying (Strawberry) and go-ahead (McReynolds) runs to score. That Game 1 moment would not be revisited in Game 4, as Shelby raced forward and tumbled onto the Shea Stadium grass, this time with ball in glove. Game 4 went to the Dodgers, as did Game 5.

You mean to tell me that the Mets were beaten by a guy wearing braces?

The series shifted back to Dodger Stadium for Game 6 with the Mets trying to stave off elimination. Their chances looked good with 20-game winner David Cone on the mound, although he had already been defeated by the Dodgers in Game 2. A repeat performance by Cone in Game 6 would mean that the hitters would have to come through to save the Mets' season. That's exactly what Kevin McReynolds did.

Batting with the bases loaded and one out in first inning, McReynolds hit a sacrifice fly to right field, giving the Mets the early 1-0 lead. In the third inning, after a leadoff single by Strawberry, McReynolds followed with a base hit of his own, moving Strawberry into scoring position, where he eventually scored on a double by shortstop Kevin Elster. The Mets still had a slim 2-0 lead in the fifth inning when McReynolds delivered the crushing blow, a two-run homer to left that knocked out starting pitcher Tim Leary. The blast gave the Mets a 4-0 lead and they went on to win the game 5-1, on the strength of David Cone's complete game and Kevin McReynolds' fireworks at the plate.

Alas, the Mets would not be celebrating a pennant after Game 7, as Orel Hershiser pitched a five-hit shutout to send the Dodgers to the World Series. McReynolds' 0-for-4 performance in the NLCS finale did not take anything away from his otherwise stellar series. Over the seven games, he collected seven base hits, including two doubles and two homers, scored four runs, drove in another four and stole two bases. For his efforts, he was rewarded with a three-year, $5.5 million contract during the off-season.

Although the Mets did not return to the playoffs in 1989 and 1990, it was not the fault of McReynolds. In fact, his two seasons were very similar:

• 1989: .272, 22 HR, 85 RBI, 74 runs, 25 doubles, 15 SB, 9 assists
• 1990: .269, 24 HR, 82 RBI, 75 runs, 23 doubles, 9 SB, 12 assists

Going into the 1991 season, things had changed for the Mets. The team McReynolds joined in 1987 was a shadow of its former self. Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Lenny Dykstra, Mookie Wilson and Darryl Strawberry were no more. Those veteran players had been replaced by a new group of veterans. It's too bad the new cast of non-characters included Rick Cerone, Vince Coleman, Hubie Brooks, Garry Templeton and Tommy Herr, players who would have made a formidable team had they brought their DeLoreans with them with the time coordinates set for 1980-1985.

The Mets could've used 1.23 gigawatts of electricity in their bats in 1991.

The team was in disarray. There was no chemistry among the diverse group of players. As a result, performances suffered and the team fell apart, as they finished with their first losing season since 1983. McReynolds was not immune to the underachievement virus being passed around in the clubhouse, as he finished the 1991 season with his poorest numbers as a Met (.259, 16 HR, 74 RBI, 65 runs scored, 32 doubles, 6 SB, 9 assists). His only bad season in New York was also his final one, as McReynolds was traded to the Kansas City Royals (along with Gregg Jefferies and Keith Miller) for Bret Saberhagen and Bill Pecota (whose sole claim to fame as a Met was that he became the first position player to pitch in a regular season game when he did so in 1992).

Saberhagen had a Pedro Martinez-like Mets career, pitching four years in New York, with almost half of his victories coming in one of them (Saberhagen won 29 games as a Met, with 14 of them coming in 1994. Martinez won 32 games in New York, with 15 of them coming in 2005), while Bill Pecota only collected 269 at-bats in his one season as a Met.

The move to Kansas City did not help McReynolds' career, as he failed to hit .250 or pick up 400 at-bats in either of his two years there. In fact, his cumulative power numbers during the 1992 and 1993 seasons in Kansas City (24 HR, 91 RBI) were similar to what he produced in one average season during his prime with the Mets.

Despite the fact that McReynolds' career was on the downside, the Mets re-acquired him prior to the 1994 season. The main reason for McReynolds 2.0 was not to try to resuscitate his dying career. The Mets pulled off this deal in order to rid themselves of Vince Coleman (a.k.a. Vincenzo Grucci), who left his career in St. Louis, but brought his fireworks to New York.

Was Vincenzo Grucci responsible for this as well? (Photo by David G. Whitham)

Unfortunately, injuries took their toll on the 34-year-old McReynolds, as he was placed on the disabled list three times during the 1994 season. But before his second stint on the DL, McReynolds was showing signs of his former self. In his last eight games before his second trip to the disabled list, McReynolds hit .308, with a .400 on-base percentage and a .731 slugging percentage. He also scored seven runs, drove in nine and stole a base. Once he returned from the DL on July 8, he picked up right where he left off, batting .300 over his next nine games. His start on July 19 was vintage Kevin McReynolds.

The Mets were trailing the Dodgers 4-2 going to the bottom of the eighth inning. It was the second time the Mets had trailed by two runs in the game. In the fourth inning, the Mets were losing 2-0 when Todd Hundley cut the lead in half with a solo home run. With one out, Kevin McReynolds put himself into scoring position with a double off Dodger starter Kevin Gross. He later came around to score on a triple by Jeff Kent (who probably received a cheer or two from the 22,045 fans in attendance) that tied the game at 2.

In the sixth inning, with the Mets down 4-2, McReynolds delivered his second hit of the game, but was erased when Joe Orsulak followed Big Mac by grounding into a 6-4-3 double play. The next time Big Mac got an opportunity to hit, he would make sure the Mets would not go quietly.

With one out and two runners in scoring position, McReynolds came up to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning. A sacrifice fly would score a run, but a base hit would tie the game. Big Mac would come through with the latter, delivering a base hit to left that scored the tying runs. Later on in the inning, the Mets would load the bases against former Met Roger McDowell. First baseman David Segui hit a ground ball to his counterpart at first, Eric Karros, who threw home to force out McReynolds. But centerfielder Ryan Thompson followed that up by clearing the bases with a double to left, giving the Mets a 7-4 lead, a lead that John Franco protected in the ninth inning.

The Mets' five-run eighth inning, fueled by McReynolds two-run single, ended a two-game losing streak. But during his slide into home plate during the game-changing inning, McReynolds jammed his knee. It was later revealed that he had suffered cartilage damage in his right knee, necessitating a third trip to the disabled list. McReynolds did not start another game for the Mets, although he did come off the disabled list to appear as a pinch-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on August 11, the day before the 1994 players strike was set to begin. In his final turn at-bat, McReynolds pinch hit for starting pitcher Jason Jacome and flied out against Fernando Valenzuela (yes, El Toro was a Phillie then) in the eighth inning. The Mets went on to lose the game 2-1 in 15 innings, then went on strike an hour later.

During the players strike, McReynolds decided that baseball was no longer in his future, so he retired back home to Arkansas for a life as an outdoorsman and duck hunting entrepreneur.

Duck season? Wabbit season? In the late '80s, it was Big Mac season at Shea.

Kevin McReynolds played 12 years in the major leagues, six of those seasons with the Mets in two separate stints. His 122 home runs as a Met are good for eighth on the all-time club leaderboard, but at the time he retired in 1994, only three Mets had ever hit more home runs than McReynolds (Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson, Dave Kingman). Also, McReynolds remains in the top ten on the franchise's all-time RBI list with 456, but was sixth at the time of his retirement (surpassed only by Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson, Ed Kranepool, Cleon Jones and Keith Hernandez). In addition, he was one of the smartest baserunners in franchise history, stealing 67 bases in 83 attempts (80.7% success rate). He also registered 60 outfield assists during his six seasons in New York, making him one of the better defensive players among Mets outfielders.

When Kevin McReynolds became a Met prior to the 1987 season, he was supposed to be the player the Mets thought they were getting when they signed George Foster five years earlier. They got far more than that. They got a player who wasn't a cancer in the clubhouse and one who was consistently good in all aspects of the game. Yes, sometimes he seemed to have his mind on hunting a little too much, but that was just a little bit of Arkansas that he brought with him to the big city.

Kevin McReynolds might be the best leftfielder in Mets history (no offense to Cleon Jones), yet so many people forget how valuable he was to the Mets during his time in New York. No leftfielder had a better stretch as a Met than McReynolds did from 1987-1990. If a big hit was needed, you could count on Big Mac to come through. If you needed a runner in scoring position, a successful steal attempt would soon follow. Need a strong and accurate throw from the outfield to cut down a run at the plate? McReynolds was your man. Without question, Kevin McReynolds is one of the most underrated Mets of all-time. It's just that he was too quiet to let you know it himself.

Dan Uggla To Atlanta; Castillo Still A Met

On Tuesday, the Florida Marlins traded their second baseman, Dan Uggla, to the division rival Atlanta Braves. In return, the Marlins received utility player and questionable All-Star Omar Infante and pitcher Mike Dunn.

The Mets, on the other hand, still have the one-armed bandit (Luis Castillo) playing second base.

Let me get this straight. The Florida Marlins were having difficulty signing Uggla to a multi-year deal, so they traded him to a division rival (one that finished ahead of them in the standings) and all they got in return was Omar Infante and Mike Dunn? Let's do a short analysis of this deal.

Daniel Cooley Uggla is the only second baseman in history to have four seasons of 30 or more home runs. Only four other second basemen had compiled three such seasons in their careers and none of them did it for three consecutive seasons. Uggla has had four straight seasons of 30-plus home runs, hitting a career-high 33 HR this past season.

Over his first five seasons, Dan Uggla has been incredibly durable, playing in least 146 games every season. In those five seasons, this is what an average Uggla season looks like:

155 games, .263 batting avg., 100 runs, 34 doubles, 31 HR, 93 RBI.

The man considered to be the premier second baseman in the National League is Chase Utley. Over Utley's six full seasons in the majors, his offensive numbers look quite similar to Uggla's:

145 games, .298 batting avg., 105 runs, 36 doubles, 27 HR, 95 RBI.

Despite the similar numbers (other than batting average), Uggla has always been a distant second to Utley in discussions about who the best second baseman in the National League is. It seems like the photo below is the only way Uggla can get close to Utley in anything.

Photo by Jennifer Zambri-Dickerson

Uggla has been a two-time All-Star and won his first Silver Slugger Award in 2010. Although he is a human windmill, striking out 149 times last season and averaging 152 strikeouts per season over his career, he always draws his share of walks, averaging 82 walks per year since 2008. During the same three-year time period, his on-base percentage was .361. By comparison, Mets' leadoff hitter Jose Reyes, whose primary job as a leadoff hitter is to get on base, has never had a single season on-base percentage higher than .358.

Here's one other important fact about the man whose parents gave him a middle name of "Cooley". His favorite ballpark to hit in is Atlanta's Turner Field.

In 45 career games in Atlanta, Uggla has absolutely raked. He's a .354 hitter at Turner Field, picking up 16 doubles, 12 homers and 36 RBI there. Since he will now be playing 81 games in Atlanta, that projects to 29 doubles, 22 HR and 65 RBI for the 2011 season, which would be a good full season for a second baseman, let alone half a season's worth of games.

Basically, Uggla could have a monster season playing half his games in Atlanta, especially considering that he will be eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.

What about the guys Atlanta gave up for Uggla? How do they stack up against the Cooley Man?

Well, Omar Infante has been in the major leagues since 2002. Only once has he reached double figures in home runs (he hit 16 HR in 2004 for the Detroit Tigers). In that one "magical" season, Infante also reached his career high in RBI, with 55.

Considering that so many people were talking about Infante in 2010 when he "earned" his first All-Star appearance, he only finished the season with eight home runs and 47 RBI. Uggla had reached those numbers by the All-Star Break.

Yes, Infante hit a career-high .321 this past season, but that lofty batting average only raised his career mark to .274. Prior to the 2010 season, Infante's career batting average was .264, or one point higher than Uggla's .263 career average. Also, Infante has never met a pitch he wouldn't swing at, as evidenced by his career .319 on-base percentage.

Before the 2010 season, Infante's career OBP was .310, a number that should be familiar to both Mets fans and Braves fans, for that is the same career on-base percentage of a Mr. Jeffrey Braden Francoeur.


So clearly, Infante is an inferior offensive player when compared to Dan Uggla. That must mean the other player in the trade, Mike Dunn, must be a stud pitcher, right? Not quite.

Most people reporting the deal made note of the fact that the left-handed Dunn was 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in 25 games for the Braves. He also struck out 27 batters in 19 innings. When you look at those numbers, he looks like a promising young pitcher. But there's one thing they neglected to mention.

Mike Dunn makes Oliver Perez look like a master of control.


In those same 19 innings, Dunn walked 17 batters. In four innings with the Yankees in 2009, Dunn walked five batters in four innings. Therefore, in his brief major league career, Dunn has walked 22 batters in 23 innings, which averages out to 8.6 walks per nine innings. That's actually worse than Oliver Perez's walks per nine inning ratio over the past two seasons (7.9 BB/9 innings in 2009 and 8.2 BB/9 innings in 2010).

In fact, Dunn looks like he's getting worse as he gets older. His control was actually very good in the minor leagues in 2007. He walked 45 batters in 144.2 innings playing A-ball for the Charleston River Dogs (a Yankees affiliate). His average of 2.8 walks per nine innings would be an excellent ratio in the major leagues. However, from season to season, that number has gone up at an alarming speed.

In 2008, Dunn pitched 18.1 fewer innings than in 2007, but walked 14 more batters (4.2 BB/9 innings). In 2009, he pitched in Double-A, Triple-A and briefly in the major leagues with the Yankees. Combining his minor league and major league numbers, he pitched 77.1 innings and walked 51 batters (5.9 BB/9 innings). Then came his 2010 season, where we walked almost a batter per inning for the Atlanta Braves.

So basically, this is what the trade boils down to. The Atlanta Braves are trading away a player who gets on base at a Jeff Francoeur rate with similar power numbers to Jason Bay's 2010 season, along with a pitcher that has studied and graduated with honors from the Oliver Perez Pitching Academy. In return they get the only second baseman in major league history to hit at least 30 HR in four consecutive seasons, who is coming off his best season in the majors, with career-highs in batting average (.287), home runs (33) and RBI (105). This is also a player who has always performed well at his new home ballpark, Turner Field.

Why am I making such a big deal about this? Because the Mets still have Luis Castillo as their second baseman.

Neither Uggla nor Castillo are great defensive second basemen, although Castillo used to be. But surely, the run-production contributed by Uggla more than makes up for his Hole-In-The-Glove caliber defense he provides. What can Castillo contribute offensively? He gets hit by pitches occasionally.


In 2007 and 2008, the Marlins put the final nails in the Mets' coffins. The Mets nailed their own coffins throughout the entire 2009 and 2010 seasons. Now it looks like the Marlins are doing it to the Mets again, this time in the off-season, by sending one of the best offensive second basemen in recent history to their division rivals for Jeff Francoeur and Oliver Perez clones.

The Marlins traded away Luis Castillo to the Minnesota Twins after the 2005 season to make room for Dan Uggla. It's too bad the Mets couldn't think to do the same in 2010.

Jimmy Rollins Sticks Foot In Mouth And Injures It

No, the title of this blog is not meant to be taken literally. But Jimmy Rollins is indeed injured. The Phillies have placed their All-Star Big Mouth and leader of the Lollipop Guild on the 15-day disabled list with a strained calf.

Did he suffer it while running the bases? No. Did he get hurt while being taken out at second base during a double play attempt? Nyet. Pay close attention.

Jimmy Rollins got hurt while warming up before Monday's home opener.

That's right. While doing routine warmups that he's done thousands of times before, he gave his calf a boo boo that will now take two to four weeks to heal.

There are two things worth noting about this news. First, Rollins becomes the latest Phillie to be placed on the disabled list, sharing a suite at the DL Hotel with pitchers J.C. Romero, Brad Lidge and Joe Blanton. If you recall, prior to the season, the Phillies were picked by Sports Illustrated to win the World Series in 2010.

That same periodical picked the Mets to win the 2009 World Series. Then every Met player and their mothers got hurt and the team fell off the map, landing somewhere near Albuquerque and the Washington Nationals in the standings. Can history be repeating itself with the Phillies this year?

Second, Wilson Valdez was called up by the Phillies to replace Rollins on the roster. When last spotted in the major leagues, Valdez was photographed by yours truly in the Mets dugout (see photo below).

That makes yet another Mets castoff who has hooked up with the Phillies, following Pedro Martinez last year, Brian Schneider during the offseason and Nelson Phigueroa last week. Weren't Tug McGraw and the legendary Rico Brogna enough?

What's next? Will Shane Victorino get hurt leading to the acquisition of Jeremy Reed? Will Chase Utley and his greasy scalp go on the DL only to be replaced by Ruben Gotay?

Ever since Roger McDowell and Lenny Dykstra were traded to the Phillies on Father's Day 1989 for the Soul Glo spokesman, Juan Samuel, I have hated the Philadelphia Phillies. Although I would never root for anyone to get injured (except for the Cryin' Hawaiian, Shane Victorino), I cannot feel sorry for Jimmy Rollins or any of the other injured Phillies.

Watch out, Phillies. Karma can be a bee-yotch.

Why We Can't Have A Yankees-Phillies World Series

The Yankees finished with the best record in baseball, swept the red-hot Twins in the ALDS and are now playing the Angels in the American League Championship Series. The Phillies won their third straight division title, were clutch in Colorado and are now trying to repeat as National League Champions. Both teams are currently three wins away from a World Series showdown.

I am a Mets fan. I hate the Yankees. I hate the Phillies. I hate the possibility of a Yankees-Phillies World Series, although I know it might very well happen. However, if the world is to continue spinning on its axis, we CANNOT have a Yankees-Phillies Fall Classic (or Fall Crassic, if you will). I'm Joey and here is why this matchup could be a potential disaster.


As Mets fans, how could we root for either team? Yay, Derek Jeter just struck out with the bases loaded! Oh wait, it was Cole Hamels who struck him out. Woohoo, Utley just let a ball go through his legs! Here comes A-Rod to score the go-ahead run. Ugh! See what I mean?

This potential World Series matchup would be like 1999 all over again for Mets fans. In 1999, Kenny Rogers roasted the Mets and their fans by walking every member of the Atlanta Braves in the bottom of the 11th.

Random thought: Perhaps this is where Oliver Perez learned his mantra of "walks are part of the game". If he was going to learn from a master, he should have learned from Pai Mei and not from the Gambler.










Because of Kenny's donations to the Atlanta Frequent Walker Club, we were subjected to a Yankees-Braves World Series. I was not alive then, but my colleague was. He told me that he did not watch a single pitch of that World Series because he couldn't root for the Bronx Bummers or the team that prevented the Mets from playing on.

Although the same teams faced each other in the 1996 World Series, the Braves did not have the same rivalry with the Mets in '96 as they did in '99 (the Mets were 71-91 in 1996). Therefore, that World Series wasn't as unwatchable as the '99 Series was.

If Studious Metsimus is going to cover the 2009 World Series, we would probably need to watch at least one pitch of it. I can be sure that if the Yankees play the Phillies, we'll be watching "Ghost Hunters" or the series premiere of "V" instead.

In addition to it being an unwatchable World Series for Mets fans, please recall that the Yankees and Phillies have played each other in the World Series once before. That was in 1950, when the Yankees swept the so-called "Whiz Kids", which was the stupid name the Phillies were playfully known as that season. What happened after that World Series? The USA entered the Korean War and the Yankees went on to win the next three World Series.

We do not need a repeat of that! As the movie "Team America: World Police" so succinctly stated, don't f**k with Kim Jong-il! America does not need more conflict overseas and Mets fans certainly don't need to see Alex Rodriguez finally win a ring or three, thereby becoming a "True Yankee".

Let's hope the Angels and Dodgers can pull out victories in their respective series to prevent our hated rivals from winning a pennant and playing for a World Series Championship.

I would like to watch baseball in November and not have to worry that a particular fan base will be spending the entire winter bragging about their pennant and/or championship. Besides, I'm getting the feeling those aren't real ghosts being recorded on the infrared vision and EVP recorders on "Ghost Hunters" anyway.

Phillies Take Candy From The Mets...Again!

The Phillies have won three straight division titles. If you hear it from some of their philthy mouths, you'd think they were about to break the Braves' record of 14 consecutive division titles.

However, division titles and last year's World Championship just aren't enough to satisfy them. Just like a spoiled brat, if the Mets have something, the Phillies want it.


When the Mets brought out Mr. Met as their mascot in 1964, the Phillies wanted some of that and debuted the Phillie Phanatic in 1978.

When the Mets won the division title in 2006, the Phillies wanted it and now they've won three consecutive NL East titles.

When the Mets chose not to re-sign Pedro Martinez, the Phillies snatched him up (and then Pedro pitched well against the Mets and mostly everybody else).

Now the ultimate slap in the face has occurred. The most hideous thing a Phillies player could have done to a Mets player has become reality.

Chase Utley has erased Kevin McReynolds from the record book.















That's right, Mr. Greasy Scalp himself, Chase Utley has erased Kevin "Hee Haw" McReynolds from the major league record books.

You see, in 1988 Kevin stole 21 bases for the Mets. In stealing those 21 bases, Don't Call Me Walter (McReynolds' first name is Walter. Kevin is his middle name) was not thrown out. His 21-for-21 season represented the most stolen bases in a single season without being caught stealing.

Now it's 2009 and the potty-mouthed Utley has decided to take candy from the Mets again. Utley stole 23 bases this season and was not thrown out, erasing McReynolds from the major league record books.

When Studious Metsimus approached McReynolds for comment, the usually reserved K-Mac had this to say:

"Please let me eat my Egg McMuffin in peace."

It was clear from his well thought out comment that the former Mets legend was perturbed that Utley had taken his baseball immortality away from him. However, since McReynolds is a gentleman as well as a renowned hunter, it is possible that he might want to congratulate Grease Face with a duck hunting trip in the secluded Arkansas woods and a special meet-and-greet with hunting buddy and expert marksman Dick Cheney.

Chase Utley is still playing baseball in October while the Mets are not. We've gotten used to seeing that over the past three seasons. Good for him. His team survived the 162-game schedule and is now being rewarded for it by playing on the frozen tundra of Coors Field.

However, to take away a record from the most famous #22 in club history (with apologies to former World Series MVPs Donn Clendenon and Ray Knight, but Mr. NRA was tops for Studious Metsimus) is taking it a little too far. Enjoy your record, Mr. Utley and enjoy your hunting trip. I hear the bears are quite hungry in Arkansas this time of year.