Ageless Wonder

Here is our own Chris Saunders discussing New York Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran 

Article by Christopher Saunders

When the Yankees signed Carlos Beltran to a three-year, $45 million deal two off seasons ago, it seemed like a good arrangement for both sides. Initially, as Beltran started the first season of his contract, it appeared the deal was going to work out. Optimism turned to pessimism though, after Beltran flipped over the right field wall and suffered an elbow injury. That marked a turning point not only in Beltran's personal performance but in the impact it had on the team's overall statistics.  He ended the 2014 season with .233/.301/.402, 15 HR’s and 49 RBI’s in 109 games. The Yankees obviously weren’t banking on  Carlos Beltran playing in his prime, but between the numbers he put up, and the amount of time he spent off the field, executives viewed his previously viewed profitable contract as a disappointment.  

The middle of the order has suffered dearly over the last two years between the laundry list of injuries not only to Beltran and but to Mark Teixeira as well, The impact of injuries is magnified when you add the non-productive/inconsistent months from Brian McCann throughout the first couple of  years of  his contract.  While McCann has been a leader behind the plate guiding the young and veteran Yankees' pitchers through the rigors of a one-hundred sixty- two game season, his batting average has dropped each season between his time with the Atlanta Braves and now with New York.

The combination of the Yankees injuries and subsequent lineup concerns along with their inconsistent pitching led the team to finishing behind in the league standings.  They not only placed after the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 but then went on to blow a seven and a half game lead in 2015 to the Toronto Blue Jays!!  

So... with Beltran two years removed from his first year in pinstripes, what are the Yankees expecting from him?  While his days as a predominant player may be waning considering his age (37 years), management and coaches alike expect Beltran to produce in the middle of the order.  While the Yankees would love to see him limit his injuries this season so Joe Girardi can include him in the lineup for every game, let's be honest. Injuries are part of the game.  Keeping Beltran healthy throughout the season is the key to keeping him in the games.  One suggestion might be to utilize his bat as DH.  The issue that arises with that idea though is that the Yankees have one of the oldest lineups in the Major Leagues.  Given the players "maturity", the thought OLD GUYS NEED REST comes to mind.  It's only a thought, but one that may not only benefit the team's health, but improve their rank in the standings.

With that being said, there is only 1 DH, and unless Major League Baseball changes the rule to increase batters in the lineup (Which I don’t  EVER see happening!), the  Yankees will have to be very creative.

Beltran is a borderline Hall-of-Famer, but many wonder about that concept, even going back to his first season in pinstripes.   Was either a fluke or a hint of things to come? Did the Yankees make the right choice in giving Beltran a contract, or could this be a case of another signing gone wrong? Beltran has the chance to prove himself worthy, and that journey to redemption starts when camp opens next week.

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Who Says Dreams Don't Come True

Here is our baseball writer Chris Saunders, talking about MLB pitcher Josh Smoker. 

Article by Chris Saunders

Pitchers spend years honing their skills in the pursuit of achieving their dream of maybe one day joining the ranks of Andy Pettitte, Randy Johnson, and Tom Glavine. If they're  lucky, the road to the major leagues will have only a few twists and turns.  Some players who possess the talent, youth, and physical health walk onto that mound with minimal roadblocks.  Others experience a seemingly interminable journey in making their dream a reality.  Josh Smoker can relate to that latter description.  His path to the majors has been anything but smooth, yet that has not deterred him from the fight to make his dream come true.

 Left-hander Josh Smoker was once the 31st overall pick in the 2007 draft out of a Georgia high school, three slots ahead of All Star and Home Run Derby Champion Todd Frazier, and six slots ahead of current teammate Travis d’ Arnaud.  Injuries, however, undermined Smoker’s career in the Washington Nationals system. With his fastball mph sagging to the mid-80s losing life in the zone, Smoker was released after reaching high-A with Washington in 2012.

With no Major League club willing to give Smoker a chance, he pitched in relief for Rockford in the independent Frontier League for the 2015 season and figured he would give independent ball one more shot this season before calling it a career. Luck finally found Smoker when a freelance scout located him and alerted the Mets.  A healthy Smoker was throwing with a velocity back in the mid-90s.  The scout alerted the Mets to the southpaw’s revival, which coincided with the end of spring training.
Smoker, 26, has breezed from Savannah to St. Lucie and now to Binghamton this season. Through 10 relief appearances with the Double-A B-Mets, he has a 1.64 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 11 innings. He is sitting at 95-96 mph with his fastball and touching 97-98. “There was a point a couple of years ago when I pretty much thought I was done,” Smoker said. “I was planning on going back to independent ball this year just to kind of play one more year and have fun with it. I really wasn’t expecting much to come from it. Luckily, it did. Sometimes things happen when you least expect it."

“I think the biggest difference is I’m finally healthy.” Smoker stated. “Before, every time I picked up the ball, it seemed like my arm was going to fall off. It’s good to finally be healthy. I had a few shoulder surgeries. It was my labrum and cuff. It was from a bone spur that was rubbing everything. I just ended up tearing it all up. So I got that all cleaned up and taken care of and now everything feels good.”
Just how close did Smoker come to leaving baseball?  “I was in independent ball a little bit last year, and I was trying to get with some teams.  Nobody was really giving me any looks,” related Smoker.   “The guy that usually catches my bullpens in the offseason couldn’t do it so he hooked me up with another guy.” Luckily for Smoker he just happened to be birddog scout Paul Fletcher, the pitching coach for the York Revolution.  “He said he catches their guys sometimes when they’re low on catching.” Smoker said.  

I guess you could say he saw something in Smoker that resulted in a call to the Mets.  His dream is coming true.  Making the twenty- five man roster on a major league ball club is almost as hard as hitting the lottery, but when you are pursuing a dream, you pull out all the stops and hope for the best.  Josh Smoker did just that.  Injuries, negativity from coaches, and thoughts of not even playing indy ball did not destroy his dream.  I'm not sure how many possible major leagues pitchers would have endured the worst to achieve the best.  What would Josh's advice be to players facing the same obstacles?  From his example, I have a feeling it would be don’t ever give up, never give in, and always believe in your dream. We are all rooting for you Josh!   Speaking as a fellow left- handed pitcher,  you live out your dream, man!!

Comment-  Twitter- @C_Broadcaster, Facebook- Chris Saunders, Email Chrisweather16@yahoo.com

New articles will be uploaded on in the evening of Thursday March 17th, get ready!!!!

Beware of What You Wish For

The Met's have a chance to go back to the World Series this season, though Chris Saunders discusses how the Met's should handle to workload of a season for their staring pitchers, to make another deep postseason run. 

Article by Chris Saunders

One of the merits of the Mets playing so deep into the season is that it makes for a very quick off-season. It’s crazy to imagine that spring training has already begun with some clubs already playing games against college or other minor league teams.

Even with all the hype of last year’s dream season, one does need to pump the brakes a little. Yes, Mets fans, I’m talking to ALL of you!  The only reason why the Mets even made it as far in the Fall Classic was because the rotation carried the offense for a majority of the season!   That begs the question:   How will the Mets manage workloads for their starting pitchers, all of whom threw into unchartered territory from an innings perspective in 2015?

Typically, the organization prefers its young starters to have a net increase of 30 innings over their previous full year. Due to injury, Steven Matz saw the lowest net increase from his innings count last year. Jacbo deGrom went modestly above that 30-inning preference by about eight innings, although Terry Collins suspected deGrom (who was suffering from fatigue at times in September and October) threw above his previous innings high (+37 1/3 innings).  Like deGrom, Matt Harvey also went modestly above the 30-inning preference from his previous high. Some late-season controversy arose when both Harvey and his agent questioned the hard 180-inning cap, inclusive of the postseason, as he was coming off Tommy John Surgery. Their concern was unfounded, however, when Harvey went 36 innings above that threshold.  Further evidence of not only his determination but also his heart and belief in his ability was his epic performance in Game 5 of the World Series. That doesn’t mean there can’t be ramifications. The concern from Harvey and his agent was genuine and understandable, and he threw well above expected levels despite having just had major elbow surgery the previous year. Fortunately, he is now two years removed from the procedure itself, which can only help his particular circumstance.  First and foremost, Harvey does need rest, no matter what he thinks.

Noah Syndergaard went well above the 30-inning preference, doubling his efforts  (+65 2/3) , and he only seemed to get better with each start he made down the stretch and in the postseason as well. That doesn’t mean the Mets shouldn’t tread lightly with Syndergaard. It’s worth considering that Zack Wheeler is on-track to return at around the All-Star break. Given that time frame, he should not be under an innings limit coming back from his injury.  This could possibly allow the Mets to give Syndergaard  additional rest and keep him healthy throughout his career. No matter how he looked, he endured a lot of extra mileage on both his arm and his body, thanks to his postseason workload, and that cannot be overlooked.

The coaches have assured Mets' fans that they have no reason to be worried, though. They have a plan on how to manage their pitchers not only through this winter, but in spring training as well. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Dan Warthen said the plan is to delay all of their throwing and preparation programs in spring training, and not have them throw in Grapefruit League games until later in March. “They wouldn’t miss any starts [in April], but we may wait until later in spring training for them to start throwing,” pitching coach Dan Warthen told Puma.

Having said that, they could choose to use Wheeler at times to skip starts for their other starting pitchers and insert Barolo Colon back into the rotation.  Colon will presumably be dispatched to the bullpen once Wheeler returns. That way, they can avoid using a six-man rotation, keep everyone in a routine, maintain stamina and agility, and keep everyone happy in the process. It's a tricky circumstance and one with which either the staff or the pitchers have experience. That’s not a bad thing, considering they just played in a World Series. Given the short off-season and the need for particular players to heal and be ready for the season plus be ready for another 162-game run relatively soon, it’s going to take some unconventional thinking and execution.  All this really begins now!

Beware of what you wish for, Mets fans, because while getting to the Fall Classic and reaching the World Series is expected now, remember this…there are consequences to achieving that goal!  

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