It Was Never Meant To Lastings

How the mighty have fallen!  According to mlbtraderumors.com, former Mets prospect Lastings Milledge will not be playing in the United States in 2012.  Instead, he will be a member of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, earning $570,000 next year, plus performance bonuses.  Milledge also has a club option for the 2013 season.

Prior to the 2006 season, Milledge was the Mets' top minor league prospect as a 21-year old and was one of the top prospects in the country.  However, his flashiness (Milledge high-fived fans at Shea Stadium after an extra-inning game-tying home run) irked his teammates and rubbed opponents the wrong way.  In addition, Milledge was not exactly skilled at pitch selection (in 391 plate appearances as a Met, Milledge drew 25 walks while striking out 81 times).

As a result, the once highly-touted prospect was traded to Washington following the 2007 season for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.  In 2008, Milledge appeared to be on the way to fulfilling the lofty expectations placed on him as a rookie in 2006.  In 138 games for the Nationals, he hit 14 home runs and stole 24 bases.  But that was the last time Milledge would be an everyday player in the major leagues, as injuries and poor performance derailed a once-promising career.

Since his kinda-sorta breakout season in 2008, Milledge has played for the Pirates and White Sox, but hasn't come close to replicating his one good season.  Milledge split the 2009 season with the Nationals and Pirates, combining to hit .279 with four home runs, 21 RBI and seven stolen bases in 244 at-bats.  In 2010, Milledge played the entire season in Pittsburgh, picking up 379 at-bats.  However, his production was not that far off from what he accomplished in 2009, despite the extra 135 at-bats (.277, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 5 SB).

Milledge signed as a free agent with the White Sox prior to the 2011 season but only played two games in Chicago before being sent down to AAA-Charlotte, where he returned to his 2008 form (.295, 12 HR, 27 SB).  Despite appearing to be back as the player the Mets expected him to be when they first called him up in 2006, Milledge was not re-signed by the White Sox following the 2011 season and was granted free agency.

Now in Japan for up to two years, Milledge will try to prove that he wasn't just a flash in the pan.  At age 26, he still hasn't entered his baseball prime and could potentially do well enough for the Swallows to draw the attention of a major league scout or two, but it's amazing how far his star has fallen.

After growing tired of him, the Mets turned Lastings Milledge into Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.  They then turned Church into Jeff Francoeur.  Francoeur was traded to Texas last year for Joaquin Arias, who is now in the Kansas City Royals organization.  The Mets now have nothing to show for Milledge.  Then again, Milledge had nothing to show for the Mets when he was here.

Some players have gone to Japan and returned to the United States to embark on a long, successful career (see Melvin Mora).  Perhaps this will be the case with Milledge, a player I once had such high hopes for.  Good luck, Lastings!  I've got a high-five waiting for you when you come back.

Yes, Joey Beartran, There Is A Sandy Claus!

It's the holiday season, a time for giving and good cheer.  It's also a time when children send their annual letters to Sandy Claus, asking him for anything and everything they can think of.  I had never thought of becoming one of these letter writers, mainly because I had better things to do with my time, like visiting baseball stadiums from sea to shining sea.

Recently, I gave in and finally sent a letter to Sandy Claus, not really expecting to get a response.  However, a few days after I mailed out the letter, a mysterious package arrived at my cubby hole (see photo below).

Could it be a gift from Sandy Claus?

I remembered in my letter, I asked Sandy Claus for a healthy and productive season from Johan Santana.  I also wanted Jason Bay and pretty much the whole team to take advantage of the lowered and moved-in fences at Citi Field.  In addition to that, I asked for R.A. Dickey to get more run support and for the top pitching prospects to stay in the minor leagues until they were ready to face major league hitters.

I didn't think any of those things I asked for could fit in a box, but one of the other things I asked for was a set of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.  However, I did specifically say I didn't mean it literally.  I'm sure those fighting robots can be lots of fun (especially if someone spikes my chicken nachos first), but I was using them as a metaphor.  What I really wanted was for the Mets to not back down from a challenge and to show some fight in them.  That, of course, could also not be squeezed into a box.

Then I remembered my last wish in my letter to Sandy Claus.  I asked for a box of chocolates.  Could that be what was in the package?  My parcel was shaped like a box and chocolates could fit in there easier than R.A. Dickey's run support or Jason Bay's power stroke.

Without wasting another second, I carefully ripped open the box with my paws and found its contents to be even better than what I expected.

Life is like a box of chocolates.  Or in this case, a GKR mug full of chocolates.

The package was indeed full of chocolates.  But it wasn't just any chocolates.  They were Ferrero Rocher chocolates!  And they didn't just come in any old box.  They came in a Gary, Keith & Ron mug!

For so long, I had made fun of all those kids who wrote letters to Sandy Claus.  I never thought any of them ever received what they asked for.  But my mind has now been changed forever.  I'm Joey Beartran and I now have my proof that there is a Sandy Claus.

As I said earlier, the holidays are a time for giving and good cheer.  Sandy Claus gave me a GKR mug full of delicious chocolates and as a result, I ended up with all the good cheer I could handle.  This holiday season, I hope all of you give of yourselves and spread good cheer to those you love (and even those you don't - like Yankees and Phillies fans).

One way to give good cheer to those less fortunate is by making a donation to a good cause.  Perhaps you have a cause you'd like to get involved with.  If you don't, might I suggest the cause championed by the gentlemen on the chocolate-filled mug above?  I can't guarantee that you'll get a mug full of decadent confectioneries for your generosity, but I can guarantee that when you pitch in for a good cause, someone in need will receive holiday cheer because of you.  Isn't that what the holiday season is all about?

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some chocolates calling my name.  I can't leave them waiting, can I?  From me (Joey Beartran) and my colleague (Ed Leyro), we'd like to wish you and yours a very happy and healthy holiday season!  Be good to each other and never stop believing!

What If The Mets Had Followed The Minayan Calendar?

Today is December 21, 2011.  According to those who follow the Mayan Calendar, that means the world is supposed to end exactly one year from today, on December 21, 2012.  For some Mets fans, however, the world came to an end on the day it was revealed the Wilpons had less money than this guy.

Still, there are some Mets fans who believe they will see better days before they see the end of days.  After all, the Mets from the late '70s, despite needing magic to come back (and a GM named Frank Cashen), eventually did see better days in the mid '80s.

But let's just say for argument's sake that the end of the world was coming in one year.  And let's also say that the reason for its coming was because Omar Minaya was never fired.  What if the Mets had not subscribed to the Mayan Calendar, but instead believed in the Minayan Calendar?

We recently pretended to ask Omar Minaya himself a few questions about what he would have done to the current Mets had he still been employed by the team.  The answers he made up were quite surprising to say the least!

Studious Metsimus:  Seeing that no one stood out at second base in 2011, what do you plan to do to give some stability to the position?

Omar Minaya:  I'd re-sign Luis Castillo to a three-year, $20 million deal.  Hey, Dan Uggla got five years and $62 million from Atlanta.  All he did was hit .233 and watch as the Braves collapsed in September.  With Castillo, we'd get a player who has experience with late-season collapses and can hit for a higher average than Uggla.  So what if Uggla had a 33-game hitting streak last year.  Castillo topped that, hitting in 35 straight games in 2002.  Did it happen as a Met?  No.  But it could.  So that being said, I think Castillo would be the perfect choice for the Mets.  We can sign him and commit two fewer years and $42 million less than the Braves gave to Uggla.  I'd say that's a bargain.


Studious Metsimus:  Last year, R.A. Dickey led all Mets starters with a 3.28 ERA, but only won eight of 21 decisions.  The team leader in wins (Dillon Gee) had a fine start, but faltered as his innings piled up.  What would you do to bolster the starting rotation in 2012?

Omar Minaya:  I'd like to get a top notch starter, perhaps one who recently won a Cy Young Award.  Remember 1989?  That was the year the Mets traded Rick Aguilera, Kevin Tapani, David West, Tim Drummond and Jack Savage to Minnesota for former Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola.  If memory serves me correctly, Viola won 20 games for the Mets the following season.  No Met has won more than 18 games in a season since then.  Drummond and Savage combined to win three games in the major leagues.  West finished 31-38 in ten major league seasons.  I don't recall what Aguilera and Tapani did, but judging how the other three pitchers did after being traded to Minnesota, I'd assume they probably didn't do too well, you know what I'm sayin'?  Therefore, I suggest trading Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jeurys Familia and Jenrry Mejia to the Chicago White Sox for Jake Peavy.  Peavy won the National League Cy Young Award in 2007 as a member of the San Diego Padres and is only under contract for one more year, with a team option for 2013.  Yeah, he's going to make $17 million in 2012 and he only won seven games in both 2010 and 2011, but that shows he's consistent.  We can't go wrong with this deal!


Studious Metsimus:  What about your bench?  As things currently stand, the Mets could use a little help in that department.

Omar Minaya:  Help is on the way in the form of Julio Franco!  This signing would serve two purposes.  First, he would come off the bench as our top pinch-hitter and would serve as a backup to Ike Davis at first base in case David Wright decides to play footsie with Ike near the pitcher's mound again.  Second, with all the talk of Jamie Moyer attempting to return to the major leagues at age 49, it would just be another way for the Phillies to take the spotlight away from the Mets again.  Julio Franco should ALWAYS be the oldest player in the major leagues.  Not Jamie Moyer.  Not anyone else.  Plus, should Terry Collins fail, I could always have Franco be player/manager.  I'd be a fool not to sign Julio Franco!


Studious Metsimus:  I'm contractually obligated to ask you this question, so I apologize in advance if this brings up painful memories.  Oliver Perez.  Are you going to bring him back to pitch for the Mets?

Omar Minaya:  No apologies necessary.  And Mets fans, you don't have to worry.  I'm not bringing back Oliver Perez to pitch for the Mets.  That being said, I am going to sign him as our new pitching coach.  Look, Dan Warthen has been the Mets' pitching coach since the team played at Shea Stadium.  That's way too long for a man who wasn't even a good pitcher during his time in the major leagues.  Did you know that over his career, Warthen walked 198 batters in 307 innings?  That comes out to 5.8 walks per nine innings.  It's also almost a walk higher than Oliver Perez's career rate (5.1 BB/9 IP).  That's the man the Mets entrusted to teach their pitchers how to throw strikes consistently?  I'd rather take my chances with Ollie.  At least he could throw a strike every once in a while.


Studious Metsimus:  Here's a tough question.  Mets fans are still bitter over the loss of Jose Reyes.  What would you do to offset the departure of one of the most beloved players in franchise history?

Omar Minaya:  That's an easy one.  Obviously, with Reyes staying in the division, we're going to see him quite a bit and I'm sure he's going to try to run wild on the bases when he plays us.  We're going to need someone who can punch him out whenever he tries to steal a base, that's for sure.  Therefore, I'm going to trade for Miguel Olivo.  Olivo has always been good at throwing out baserunners, but in case Reyes tries to show us up on the bases, Olivo can literally punch him out.  Surely, you remember the John Maine game of the 2007 season.  Most people remember it for the near no-hitter that kept the Mets alive in the race for the division title.  I remember it because of Miguel Olivo.  Since that game, I've wanted Olivo on my team.  I'm not letting this chance pass me by.


Studious Metsimus:  Finally, I'd like to ask you one more question.  It's a topic we've discussed recently on this blog, regarding statues at Citi Field.  If you could immortalize a former Mets player with a bronze statue, which player would that be and why?

Omar Minaya:  Come on!  Are you serious?  Who's the most beloved Met of all-time?  Do you even have to think about it?  Clearly, it's Joe McEwing!  When I was languishing in Montreal as their GM hoping I'd get the call from the Mets, I watched Super Joe show off his skills on the field regularly.  I'd never seen anyone hit Randy Johnson so well in my life.  In fact, he was so good against the Big Unit that he had fifteen more at-bats against him than any other pitcher he faced in the major leagues.  In 44 at-bats against Johnson, McEwing batted .250 with five doubles and one home run.  Trust me, that's actually pretty good, as Johnson held opponents to a .221 batting average over his two decades in the majors.  The Mets already have VIP entrances for Casey Stengel, Gil Hodges and Tom Seaver.  They also have their retired numbers up on the left field wall.  Erecting a statue to honor any of them would be overkill.  Therefore, I vote for a Joe McEwing statue.  It's the least I could do to make up for releasing him prior to the 2005 season, you know what I'm saying?

We know what you're saying, Omar.  That being said, what exactly did you just say?

Statue of Limitations

Earlier this week, the Baltimore Orioles announced that in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the opening of their ballpark at Camden Yards, six bronze statues will be unveiled honoring each of the team's Hall of Famers, all of whom have had their numbers retired by the team.

The Orioles are not the first team to honor their greatest players and managers with statues.  In fact, many teams have bestowed that honor to its greatest representatives.  This past August, the Chicago Cubs dedicated a statue to the late Ron Santo, who was recently selected by the Veterans Committee for Hall of Fame enshrinement.  Santo's statue joined the sculptures of other Cub greats outside Wrigley Field such as Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and broadcaster Harry Caray.

Other teams with statues of their greatest players include the Pittsburgh Pirates (Honus Wagner, Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente), San Francisco Giants (Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda) and Atlanta Braves (Warren Spahn, Hank Aaron, Phil Niekro).  Those franchises have been in existence far longer than the Mets, but there are other clubs who haven't been in the league as long as the Amazins that have statues of their best players.

For example, the San Diego Padres have a Tony Gwynn statue outside Petco Park while the Milwaukee Brewers have a Robin Yount sculpture welcoming fans to Miller Park.  Both Gwynn and Yount are members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  The Houston Astros, on the other hand, have statues of Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell outside Minute Maid Park.  As of this writing, neither player has been inducted to Cooperstown.  (Bagwell received 41% of the vote last year and Biggio is not yet eligible.)

All four players mentioned in the previous paragraph played their entire major league career with the teams that immortalized them in bronze.  But some teams have chosen to honor some of its best players with statues despite the fact that these players played less than half of their careers with these teams.  One particular name comes to mind immediately.  Nolan Ryan played five of his 27 seasons with the Texas Rangers, but who's statue stands beyond the center field fence?  Of course, it's the Ryan Express. 

In addition to statues of its best players, some teams have other baseball-related busts.  The Colorado Rockies have a statue outside Coors Field dedicated to "The Player".  In Arizona, a statue of a player with his fans stands outside Chase Field.

So why am I making all this hubbub about statues?  Perhaps it's because the Mets don't have one outside Citi Field.  Of anyone.  Even though there's a certain "Franchise" player who received the greatest percentage of Hall of Fame votes in history.

 Strike a pose, Tom.  Perhaps someday this one will be bronzed for all eternity.

As of now, the Mets are one of only five teams without a sculpture of any kind to honor its best players and personnel.  (The others are the Rays, A's, Marlins and Dodgers.)  Why don't the Mets have anything other than the third base VIP entrance dedicated to Tom Seaver?  When fans enter Citi Field, they should be greeted by Tom Terrific in bronze form.  Not only is he the greatest pitcher in franchise history, but he is also the sole Mets player in the Hall of Fame and the only player whose number has been retired by the team (Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges both had their numbers retired for what they accomplished as managers).

The lack of a statue to honor the man known as "The Franchise" when some teams have statues dedicated to non-Hall of Famers and other teams have sculptures for players despite having a shorter history than the Mets is an absolute shame.

The Mets should have a Tom Seaver statue at Citi Field.  In addition, they should also have a statue of Jesse Orosco's iconic pose after striking out Marty Barrett to end the 1986 World Series.  It's time for the Mets to be proud of their history, not hide from it.

We want "The Franchise" at Citi Field.  Not just for an occasional ceremonial first pitch, but forever.  A life-sized bronze statue of Tom Seaver would ensure that.  It took until Citi Field's second season for the Wilpons to make the ballpark look like it belonged to the Mets.  Hopefully, it won't take them much longer to realize that Tom Seaver should be immortalized with a statue at the park they built.  After all, it's their "Franchise", is it not?

Don't Trade Jonathon Niese!

On Friday, a story broke about the possibility of trading Jonathon Niese to the Colorado Rockies for outfielder Seth Smith.  Fortunately, that trade will not become a reality, as earlier today, Jerry Crasnick of espn.com and Baseball America tweeted that the Mets have no interest in sending Niese to Colorado for Smith.

Of course, looking at Jerry Crasnick's tweet on the topic suggests the Mets wouldn't trade Niese to Colorado in a package involving Smith.  It doesn't say the Mets wouldn't trade him to the Rockies in a Smith-less deal.

Trading Niese at all right now would be foolish.  A player like Seth Smith, who will turn 30 before the 2012 season ends, does not give the Mets the production at an outfield position they need.  Since becoming an everyday player in 2009, Smith has averaged 24 doubles, 16 HR and 55 RBI per season, while hitting .275 with a .346 on-base percentage.  He has also played an average of 138 games a year over the past three seasons.

By comparison, Lucas Duda has played in 129 games in the major leagues since his first call-up in 2010.  In those 129 games (which are nine fewer than Smith has averaged per season since 2009), Duda has combined to hit .273 with a .347 on-base percentage, picking up 27 doubles, 14 HR and 63 RBI along the way.  Seems like the same player, doesn't it?  The only difference is that Duda is giving the Mets Seth Smith-type numbers at age 25, before entering the prime of his career, while Smith has already entered his peak years and has been achieving his numbers in a hitters' park.  Duda has played half of his games at cavernous Citi Field.

Although Niese has spent time on the disabled list in 2010 and 2011, he has still averaged 28 starts per season over the past two years.  Before getting hurt, he made great strides in 2011.  Niese increased his strikeout rate (7.7 K/9 IP in 2010, 7.9 K/9 IP in 2011) while showing better command of his pitches (3.2 BB/9 IP in 2010, 2.5 BB/9 IP in 2011).  He also did a better job of keeping the ball in the park, reducing his home runs allowed from 20 in 2010 to 14 in 2011.

Jonathon Niese is the type of pitcher the Mets have given up on too soon in the past.  Rick Aguilera did fairly well (37-27, 3.58 ERA) in his four and a half seasons in New York.  Kevin Tapani was also a promising prospect in the Mets organization.  Both pitchers were traded to Minnesota while they were still in their twenties.  Aguilera went on to become the Twins' all-time saves leader (recently surpassed by Joe Nathan and Tapani won 143 games in a 13-year career in the big leagues.

Even a player like Pete Schourek, whom the Mets gave up on after three seasons in New York, went on to surprise the non-believers.  In 1994, he went 7-2 for the Cincinnati Reds, who claimed him off waivers.  He followed that up by going 18-5 in 1995, leading the Reds to a division title and finishing second to Greg Maddux for the National League Cy Young Award.

It's been quite some time since the Mets have let a homegrown pitcher develop in the big leagues.  Not since Bobby Jones has the organization produced a pitcher that had some success in the major leagues as a member of the Mets.  Unfortunately, Jones last pitched for the Mets over a decade ago.  The team has failed to develop and keep one of its own pitchers ever since, choosing to fill its starting rotation with free agent acquisitions and players acquired via the trade market.  The one recent exception has been Mike Pelfrey, and he's only become the first Mets pitcher to give up more hits than innings pitched in six different seasons.

Jonathon Niese has the potential to become the next great homegrown pitcher for the Mets.  He also has the potential to be traded to a player of Seth Smith's caliber.  After so many failures with trading away young pitching talent too soon, shouldn't the Mets give Niese a chance? 

Colorado Carlos

In 2011, Carlos Beltran had his finest and healthiest season in three years, combining to hit .300 for New York and San Francisco.  He also added 39 doubles, 22 home runs and 84 RBIs between the two teams.  Despite those impressive numbers, Beltran wasn't attracting much attention in the free agent market.  Until now.

According to Jon Heyman, there is one team that's putting Beltran on top of their wish list this offseason.  Heyman's tweets say it all:

#rockies are making a push for carlos beltran. they also made an offer to cuddyer. want 1 or the other.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 13, 2011

#rockies goal is to sign either beltran or cuddyer. they offered cuddyer more than the $25M for 3 the #twins bid
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 13, 2011

#rockies a terrific fit for beltran. they are interested in cuddyer too but figure it might be hard to get him out of minny
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 13, 2011

If Colorado doesn't get Michael Cuddyer from Minnesota, they will go all out for Beltran.  You may recall that in a game at Coors Field this past May, Beltran swatted three home runs for the Mets against the Rockies.  All three blasts came with a man on base, making Carlos the first Met to ever hit three multi-run homers in the same game.

Although Beltran only has a .276 career batting average at Coors Field, more than half of his hits have gone for extra bases.  As a result, Beltran's lifetime slugging percentage in Denver is .552, which is well above his career mark of .496.

Colorado could be a good fit for Beltran offensively, but Coors Field's spacious outfield could be difficult on his ailing knees.  Carlos has publicly stated that he would not want to be a DH, so staying in the National League would afford him the opportunity to remain an everyday outfielder, although it would be a risk for any team to sign him to a long-term deal.

Stay tuned for more news on Carlos Beltran as it breaks.  Hopefully, Jon Heyman will have his Twitter finger ready to go should Beltran sign with the Rockies soon.

Joey's Letter To Sandy Claus

Dear Sandy Claus,

You may not know me, but I know you.  I know you're the guy who spreads holiday cheer at Citi Field by giving Mets fans what they ask for when they write you a letter, so here's mine.

My name is Joey Beartran.  I've been a Mets fan all my life, from the time I was born at Shea Stadium in 2004 to Jose Reyes' final game as a Met.  In the time I've been a fan, I've seen Art Howe do nothing but make excuses for his latest loss.  I've also seen Willie Randolph take his team to within one long hit of a World Series berth and I had one eye open when he was unceremoniously axed in Anaheim.  Jerry Manuel?  I saw him do something a real gangsta would never do - laugh at every question in the post-game interview, even after gut-wrenching losses.

Last year, I met Terry Collins in person and realized he's barely taller than I am.  I also saw a man who resembled you, but his name was Sandy Alderson.  Still, he was a very nice man to talk to and I think you should hire him as one of your helpers.

Anyway, I have some things I've been wishing for.  They're things that all Mets fans would probably want as well, so I hope you read my letter and can give us what we want for the holidays.  Here goes.

I'd like Johan Santana to pitch an entire season for the Mets.  Ever since his Herculean effort in the next-to-last game at Shea Stadium in 2008, Johan has missed the entire last month of the season in every year.  Last year, he didn't pitch at all for the Mets.  I go to many Mets games and I'd like to come to the ballpark with reasonable expectations that the Mets are going to win.  Johan used to give me that feeling.  Please give me that feeling again in 2012.

Speaking of Johan, I'd also like the Mets not to say that a player is day-to-day and then have him miss two and a half months.  When David Wright was placed on the disabled list in mid-May, he was supposed to resume baseball activities in a week and a half.  Two and a half weeks later, he was told he had to stay away from baseball for another three weeks.  It took over a month from that point for Wright to return to the Mets' lineup, finally playing again in late July.  I don't even want to get into Ike Davis, whose injury caused him to be originally listed as day-to-day when his proper status should have been season-to-season.  Let's stop with those incorrect injury assessments, okay?

I'd like Jason Bay to regain his power stroke.  After hitting 36 homers and driving in 119 runs for the Red Sox in 2009, I expected him to do the same when the Mets signed him during that offseason.  In the two years since his signing, Bay's cumulative power numbers (18 HR, 104 RBI) are still short of his numbers compiled during his final season in Boston.  The fences have been moved in at Citi Field for 2012.  Let's hope Jason Bay has noticed this.

Speaking of the walls being moved in, how about sending out a memo to the rest of the team as well?  Since the Mets moved in to Citi Field three years ago, only David Wright has surpassed 20 HR in a single season (29 HR in 2010).  You can even take that a step further.  In that 2010 season, Ike Davis finished second to Wright in home runs with 19.  No other Met has hit more than 15 HR in a single season since they moved to New Ebbets Field.  (Daniel Murphy hit a team-leading 12 HR in 2009 and Carlos Beltran led the team with 15 HR in 2011.)  In 1998, Sammy Sosa hit 20 HR in the month of June alone.  Only one Met has reached that total in an entire year since Citi Field opened its doors.  Let's make it two in 2012 (but three or four would be better).

I'd like some Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.  That's not meant to be taken literally.  I meant that figuratively.  I want the Mets to show some fight in them for a change.  If a player gets knocked down by an opposing pitcher, I want a Mets pitcher to knock down an opposing hitter.  Bob Gibson did it.  Don Drysdale did it.  Both pitchers are now in the Hall of Fame.  The Mets only have one Hall of Fame pitcher, and I'm sure no one wanted to face Tom Seaver either, especially after an opposing pitcher knocked down one of his teammates.  No one is afraid of the Mets.  Make them afraid.  Make them very afraid.

I need R.A. Dickey to get some run support in 2012.  Dickey led the team in 2011 with his 3.28 ERA.  But keeping opponents' runs to a minimum didn't help his won-loss record, as R.A. went 8-13 last year.  From May 20 to the end of the season, Dickey sported an excellent 2.69 ERA.  Surely he must have had a winning record over those final 24 starts.  Unfortunately, he did not, as he went 7-8 with nine no-decisions during that stretch.  (And don't call me Shirley.)  Dickey allowed two earned runs or less in 15 of those 24 starts, but was only credited with a win in five of those starts.  Let's get R.A. the help he needs by crossing the plate a little more in his starts.

I'd like Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler to be the real deal in the minors.  The last time the Mets had several highly touted pitching prospects in the minor leagues at the same time, Generation K was born.  How did that go for the Mets?  In less time than it takes to not make Jose Reyes a formal contract offer, Generation K turned into Generation KO, as injuries and poor performances knocked out Paul Wilson, Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen before the Mets became legitimate contenders.  Don't rush Harvey and Wheeler to the majors until they're fully ready.  Jenrry Mejia was rushed to the majors in 2010 and what did that do for him?  You guessed it.  Injuries and poor performances.  It happened a generation ago.  Don't let it happen again with Harvey and Wheeler.  They're not to be promoted until they're ready to face major league hitters.  Period.

Last but not least, I'd like a box of chocolates.  It doesn't have to be a $106 million box of chocolates.  I'm just really hungry and want a box of chocolates.  And if it's not too much trouble, perhaps you can bring me a new Mets hoodie as well.  I've had this one since I was born and it's getting a little old.  Thanks so much.

Love and best wishes for the 2012 season,
Joey Beartran

P.S.  My Studious Metsimus colleague would also like Jonathon Niese not to be traded.  He has some weird obsession with him, one I can't explain, but who am I to argue with him?  Thanks, Sandy Claus!  Hope you read my letter!