2005 New York Mets

[goyanks225]

As most of you can probably tell from my username, I'm a Yankee fan. Nevertheless, I'm starting this Mets dynasty because they've started out well this season (despite being 11-9) and I'm curious as to see what could happen to them in the future. I'm going to start the season making my roster as close to the actual Mets roster as possible while having it make sense (for example, having a long reliever/spot starter in the bullpen), but I won't hesitate to make moves as the season goes on. I can't tell how long I'm going to be able to do this; my schedule gets pretty hectic. Still, I'll try to keep it going for as long as I can. ALL COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED, SO DON'T HESITATE TO POST

Settings
Difficulty: Fan
Equalize Cities: Off
Shuffle Players: Off
Fictional Players: Off
Simulation Mode: Off
League Revenue: +30%
Salary Demands: -10%
Injury Frequency: -50%

Goals
1) Win 80-85 games
2) Play meaningful games in September
3) Makes the playoffs by 2007 at the latest
4) Get a new stadium by 2010

Next: Roster and finances

[goyanks225]

Line-up
1) Jose Reyes - SS, 77/80 (I expect big things from him in the future)
2) Kaz Matsui - 2B, 81/81 (Not a big fan of him, he could be gone soon if he doesn't perform)
3) Carlos Beltran - CF, 93/93
4) Mike Piazza - C, 84/84
5) Cliff Floyd - LF, 81/81
6) Doug Mientkiewicz - 1B, 77/77
7) David Wright - 3B, 81/92
8) Victor Diaz - RF, 77/100 (I like him MUCH more than Mike Cameron)
9) Pitcher

Bench
Miguel Cairo - IF, 78/78
Mike Cameron - OF, 85/85
Eric Valent - Util, 71/71
Joe McEwing - Util, 72/72
Joe Hietpas - C, 69/74
Andres Galarraga - 1B, 49/50

Rotation
1) Pedro Martinez - 96/96
2) Tom Glavine - 81/81
3) Kris Benson - 81/81
4) Steve Trachsel - 78/78
5) Victor Zambrano - 79/79

Bullpen
Closer: Braden Looper - 84/84
Setup: Heath Bell - 80/83
Short: Roberto Hernandez - 81/81
Middle: Mike DeJean - 81/81
Long: Felix Heredia - 75/75
Alt.: Jae Weong Seo - 72/72

Prospects
Wayne Lydon - AAA, CF, 67/74 (Contact/speed guy)
Ambiorix Concepcion - AA, CF, 69/83 (Contact/speed guy)
Craig Brazell - AA, 1B, 70/93
Lastings Milledge - A, CF, 70/75
Jeff Keppinger - A, 2B, 77/87 (already an 86 contact)
Yusmeiro Petit - AAA, SP, 84/94 (WILL be in the rotation next year)
Joselo Diaz - AAA, RP, 80/83
Royce Ring - AAA, RP, 77/83
On a team with Carlos Beltran, the CF spot isn't really up for grabs right now. The LF spot will be in a few years, so if a trade or two is needed in the middle of the season, I won't hesitate to trade 1 or 2 of the CFs.

Finances
Farm System: $10,000,000 (1st)
Scouting: $10,000,000 (1st)
Medical Staff: $10,000,000 (1st)
Player Salaries: $77,010,102 (10th)
Revenue (Projected): $150,044,238
Expenses (Projected): $107,010,882

Next: April

[goyanks225]

Overall Record
9-15, 5th place, 8 games back

Nobody on the team has been just awful, but nobody has been great either. We had a tough schedule with series against the Astros, Braves, and Marlins, so hopefully we'll bounce back next month.

Hitting (Avg/HR/RBI/OBP)
Jose Reyes - SS, .259, 0, 6, .289, 7 SB
Kaz Matsui - 2B. .330, 0, 8, .372, 2 SB
Carlos Beltran - CF, .284, 6, 15, .411
Mike Piazza - C. .261, 6, 24, .327
Cliff Floyd - LF, .289, 5, 10, .372
Doug Mientkiewicz - 1B, .282, 1, 7, .367
David Wright - 3B, .267, 3, 13, .360
Victor Diaz - RF, .253, 1, 4, .314

We need the lead off spot to get on base more, but other than that, we've done a good just at just getting on base for the most part.

Pitching (Rotation) (W-L, ERA, innings)
Pedro Martinez - 0-2, 4.10, 37.1
Tom Glavine - 2-1, 4.13, 28.1
Kris Benson - 3-1, 3.19, 36.2
Steve Trachsel - 1-1, 4.15, 34.2
Victor Zambrano - 1-1, 4.94, 27.1

Pitching (Bullpen) (S, BS, ERA, IP)
Braden Looper - 5, 1, 4.15, 8.2
Heath Bell - 0, 1, 7.62, 13.0
Roberto Hernandez - 0, 1, 4.40, 14.1
Mike DeJean - 0, 0, 3.60, 5.0
Felix Heredia - 0, 0, 4.50, 10.0
Jae Weong Seo - 0, 0, 7.71, 2.1

Next: May

[goyanks225]

Record: 14-14, 23-29 overall, last place, 10.5 games back

We started out strong at 7-2 for the month, but completely fell apart towards the end after Carlos Beltran went down for 26 days with a dislocated shoulder (Mike Cameron is currently filling in).

Hitting


Last First G AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 36 0.29 10 29 0.402
Benson Kris 10 0.136 0 1 0.136
Cairo Miguel 38 0.265 2 10 0.32
Cameron Mike 48 0.26 6 17 0.349
Diaz Victor 48 0.242 2 9 0.276
Floyd Cliff 46 0.252 5 16 0.35
Galarraga Andres 23 0.281 0 1 0.378
Glavine Tom 11 0.125 0 0 0.192
Heredia Felix 0 1 0 0 1
Hietpas Joe 9 0.13 0 1 0.231
Martinez Pedro 11 0.115 0 1 0.179
Matsui Kazuo 49 0.293 0 17 0.338
McEwing Joe 20 0.313 0 1 0.313
MientkiewiczDoug 48 0.251 4 19 0.328
Piazza Mike 47 0.283 10 41 0.354
Reyes Jose 46 0.254 0 16 0.306
Seo Jae Weong0 0.25 0 0 0.25
Trachsel Steve 10 0.217 0 0 0.308
Valent Eric 36 0.326 2 12 0.392
Wright David 48 0.263 5 27 0.359
ZambranoVictor 10 0.2 0 3 0.2


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 1 5 0 6.44 29.1
Benson Kris 4 5 0 5.58 61.1
DeJean Mike 1 1 0 2.35 15.1
Glavine Tom 4 2 0 3.75 69.2
HernandezRoberto 1 1 0 2.61 31
Heredia Felix 2 1 1 4.96 16.1
Looper Braden 0 4 10 4.3 23
Martinez Pedro 4 2 0 3.29 82
Seo Jae Weong0 0 0 4.15 8.2
Trachsel Steve 3 3 0 4.57 67
ZambranoVictor 3 5 0 4.46 66.2


If things don't get better in the next month, I'm going to try to make a couple of moves to get our team going. I don't see much to do on the line-up side of things, unless I want to get rid of Kaz or get a temporary right fielder and send Diaz to AAA. On the pitching side, I'd like to try to trade Benson, Trachsel, or Zambrano for a young starting pitcher. I could also try to help the bullpen.

Next: June

[goyanks225]

Record: 10-16, 33-45 overall, last place, 17.5 games back

Not a good month at all, see below for trades.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.307 18 49 0.416
Bell Heath 0 0 0 0
Benson Kris 0.097 0 1 0.125
Cairo Miguel 0.311 2 13 0.357
Cameron Mike 0.216 6 21 0.305
Diaz Victor 0.253 6 23 0.286
Floyd Cliff 0.239 8 26 0.355
Galarraga Andres 0.227 0 1 0.358
Glavine Tom 0.097 0 0 0.152
Heredia Felix 1 0 0 1
Hietpas Joe 0.194 0 1 0.286
Martinez Pedro 0.094 0 1 0.171
Matsui Kazuo 0.289 1 23 0.352
McEwing Joe 0.167 0 2 0.214
MientkiewiczDoug 0.278 7 33 0.352
Piazza Mike 0.264 16 57 0.345
Reyes Jose 0.258 0 25 0.311
Seo Jae Weong0.2 0 0 0.2
Trachsel Steve 0.167 0 0 0.242
Valent Eric 0.313 3 17 0.371
Wright David 0.239 9 41 0.324
ZambranoVictor 0.161 0 3 0.161


Beltran has been great. Keep in mind he's only played 53 games, which is why he has just 10 HR and 48 RBIs. Reyes and Diaz have continued to struggle, and Matsui has been ok.

Pitching


Last First W L SV IP ERA
Bell Heath 2 6 0 45.1 6.95
Benson Kris 7 7 0 99.1 5.53
DeJean Mike 1 3 0 24.1 3.7
Glavine Tom 5 5 0 97.2 4.24
HernandezRoberto 1 2 0 46.1 3.11
Heredia Felix 2 1 1 22.2 6.35
Looper Braden 0 6 14 38 4.03
Martinez Pedro 5 4 0 117 3.38
Seo Jae Weong0 0 0 13.1 8.1
Trachsel Steve 5 4 0 103 4.72
ZambranoVictor 5 7 0 94 4.31


Pedro's been great, he just hasn't been getting much run support.

TRADE
JULY 1 - METS trade Steve Trachsel (SP) and Brian Bannister (SP, AAA) to WHITE SOX for Jon Garland (SP, 77/77)
Analysis: Trachsel is 34 with 4 seasons left on his contract. Garland is 26 in the last year of his contract. If Garland pitches well for us, we'll resign him. My plan for the off-season is to let Zambrano go to make room for Petit, then either let Garland or Glavine go or trade Benson to make room to sign a big time starting pitcher (possibly a Ben Sheets, wink wink).

I'm in the process of negotiating a trade with the Rangers involving Kaz Matsui, one of my CF prospects, and Alfonso Soriano.

July 13 - METS trade Kaz Matsui (2B). Wayne Lydon (CF, AAA), Jeff Keppinger (2B, AA), Orber Moreno (RP, AAA, 82/86) and $1 million to RANGERS for Alfonso Soriano (2B)
Analysis: Soriano is a GREAT young 2B, and while it was tough to give up such a great prospect in Moreno, Soriano is worth it. And with Soriano in the line-up, Keppinger was no longer needed. With Lydon gone, Concepcion and Milledge were both moved up a level in the minors. The new line-up looks like this:
1) Soriano - 2B (21 HR, but 12 SB and a .362 OBP)
2) Mientkiewicz - 1B (I just want to get a guy who gets on base in the 2 spot, and he has a .383 OBP)
3) Beltran - CF
4) Piazza - C
5) Floyd - LF
6) Wright - 3B
7) Diaz - RF
8) Reyes - SS (I haven't given up on him yet and I still think he's going to be a star, he just needs to develop more before he moves back up in the line-up)

Next: Skipping straight through July and moving on to August

[goyanks225]

July record: 16-11, 49-56 overall, last place, 17 games back
August record: 15-12, 64-68 overall, 4th place, 18.5 games back

We really came together these last two months and played well. Soriano and Mientkiewicz are getting on base much more together than Reyes and Matsui were, and Garland has been good for us.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Arroyo Rafael 0.219 2 4 0.242
Beltran Carlos 0.303 28 81 0.405
Bell Heath 0 0 0 0
Benson Kris 0.115 0 2 0.145
Cairo Miguel 0.286 2 14 0.333
Cameron Mike 0.242 10 34 0.324
DeJean Mike 0 0 0 0
Diaz Victor 0.277 11 48 0.317
Floyd Cliff 0.234 10 44 0.345
Galarraga Andres 0.184 0 2 0.295
Garland Jon 0.192 0 2 0.222
Glavine Tom 0.107 0 0 0.18
HernandezRoberto 0 0 0 0
Heredia Felix 0.5 0 0 0.5
Hietpas Joe 0.233 1 3 0.298
Martinez Pedro 0.115 0 1 0.156
McEwing Joe 0.225 0 6 0.273
MientkiewiczDoug 0.297 12 57 0.368
Petit Yusmeiro 0 0 0 0
Piazza Mike 0.27 28 98 0.352
Reyes Jose 0.259 3 46 0.308
Seo Jae Weong0.2 0 0 0.2
Soriano Alfonso 0.312 29 90 0.356
Valent Eric 0.262 3 21 0.323
Wright David 0.277 16 69 0.358
ZambranoVictor 0.17 0 3 0.185


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 5 8 1 5.56 79.1
Benson Kris 12 8 0 5.54 164
DeJean Mike 4 6 1 3.83 49.1
Garland Jon 7 8 0 4.14 143.1
Glavine Tom 10 7 0 3.61 172
HernandezRoberto 3 2 1 2.58 76.2
Heredia Felix 2 1 4 6.41 39.1
Looper Braden 1 8 22 3.41 63.1
Martinez Pedro 10 10 0 3.73 198
Petit Yusmeiro 0 0 0 1.29 7
Seo Jae Weong0 0 0 8.1 13.1
ZambranoVictor 8 10 0 4.06 157.1


Next: End of season evaluation

[goyanks225]

September record: 20-10, 84-78 overall (Pythagorean 82-80), 3rd place, 9 games back

Goals:
1) Win 80-85 games - Accomplished after a phenominal second half
2) Play meaningful games in September - Accomplished because we were an exciting team to watch in our quest to go .500
3) Makes the playoffs by 2007 at the latest - We're on the right track
4) Get a new stadium by 2010 - We made $55,000,000 this year, so I'd say it's not too far away.

Final Hitting (Games, Avg/HR/RBI/OBP)
1) Alfonso Soriano - 2B, 148, .302, 33, 104, .345, 21 SB
2) Doug Mientkiewicz - 1B, 150, .282, 14, 64, .355
3) Carlos Beltran - CF, 137, .306, 33, 96, .400
4) Mike Piazza - C, 145, .265, 32, 113, .347
5) Cliff Floyd - LF, 145, .238, 15, 61, .341
6) David Wright - 3B, 149, .277, 18, 84, .349
7) Victor Diaz - RF, 146, .260, 14, 56, .303
8) Jose Reyes - SS, 142, .266, 4, 53, .312

Final Pitching (Rotation (GS, W-L, ERA, Innings)
1) Pedro Martinez - 34, 15-11, 3.19, 248.0
2) Tom Glavine - 33, 15-8, 3.42, 218.2
3) Kris Benson - 33, 13-11, 5.02, 202.2
4) Jon Garland - 29, 8-11, 4.36, 171.1
5) Victor Zambrano - 29, 12-11, 3.72, 203.0

Final Pitching (Bullpen) (W-L, S, ERA, IP)
Braden Looper - 1-8, 31, 2.68, 80.2
Heath Bell - 5-8, 2, 5.81, 88.2
Roberto Hernandez - 6-2, 1, 2.61, 89.2
Mike DeJean - 5-6, 1, 3.61, 58.2
Felix Heredia - 2-2, 4, 6.38, 48.0
Jae Weong Seo - 0-0, 0, 6.45, 22.1

Prospects
Ambiorix Concepcion - AA/AAA, CF, 71/87. .270/8/52/11 in 97 games in AA, .261/4/25/7 in 47 games in AAA. It's between him and Milledge for the LF spot in the future
Lastings Milledge - A/AA, CF, 70/75. .311/9/47/16 in 92 games in A, .285/5/22/6 in 45 games in AA. Conception is the more talented player between the 2, but Milledge has MUCH better statistics and is playing better than Concepcion. Advice anyone?
Craig Brazell - AA, 1B, 72/94. .304/26/69. He'll play in AAA next year, and then hopefully he'll be ready to start up in the big club.
Yusmeiro Petit - AAA, SP, 83/94 (WILL be in the rotation next year). 6-0, 3.63, 71 hits allowed in 89 innings.
Joselo Diaz - AAA, RP, 81/86. 5.23 ERA in 13 starts (29 games), 75 hits allowed in 98 innings.
Royce Ring - AAA, RP, 79/84. 4.51 ERA in 10 starts (39 games), 106 hits in 103 innings.

Playoffs
Division Series
Twins over Blue Jays in 3
Athletics over Red Sox in 4
Cardinals over Dodgers in 5
Braves over Cubs in 5

Championship Series
Athletics over Twins in 7
Braves over Cardinals in 7

World Series
Athletics over Braves in 4

Next: Off-season

[goyanks225]

Re-signings
Alfonso Soriano at $7.65 million a year for 5 years
Jose Reyes wins arbitration and will receive $1.6 million next year
Migual Cairo at $2.35 million a year for 6 years
Eric Valent loses arbitration will receive $400,000 next year
Jae Weong Seo wins arbitration and will receive $400,000
Jon Garland at $2.65 million for 3 years
Braden Looper at $3.8 million for 2 years with a 1 year player option of $3.85 million

Releases
Doug Mientkiewicz (I would have liked to have kept him for 1 more year until Craig Brazell is ready to come back, but Doug would not hear of it.
Andres Galarraga retires
Tom Glavine (wanted $4 million and we need to make room for another first-tier pitcher)
Victor Zambrano (asked for $3.6 million in arbitration, so Petit will take his spot)
Roberto Hernandez (pitched well, but he's 41 and we have 2 young relievers in AAA who can come up)
Mike DeJean

Needs
- a 1B for a year or 2 until Brazell is ready
- a first-tier SP (there are 3 of them in Ben Sheets, Oliver Perez, and Jake Peavy available)
- a reliever to fill the hole left by DeJean, then Hernandez's spot will be filled from within the farm system

Signings
Mike Sweeney - 1B, 80/80, $6.35 million for 1 year with a no-trade clause. He's out for 133 days with a torn ankle ligament so he'll be back for the season, but I see 2 major upsides with him. First, he gets on base A LOT, which I need. Second, if he happens to get hurt over the course of the season, it will give Brazell a great opportunity to show us what he can do.

Eric Young - OF, 70/70, $1.15 for 2 years with a no-trade clause. Needed a bench player who can get on base.

Jeff Nelson - RP, 83/83, $3.55 million for 2 years with a no-trade clause.

Ben Sheets - SP, 95/95, $9.1 million a year for 7 years with a player option for an 8th year at $9.1 million. He's an exciting pitcher with great potention. A combo of Pedro and him in a 5-game series will be a nightmare for any other team, and we feel Petit will be just as good as these 2 in the future.

Draft
Round 1 (18) - Steve Fisher - RP, 17, 57/97. He might actually be ready to play this year. He's going to be amazing and a possible closer of the future.
Round 2 (48) - Peter Duke - SP, 18, 47/94. He will be a great major league pitcher someday.
Rounds 3-6 - Nothings.

Spots up for grab in Spring Training
- if Brazell has a good spring and Sweeney has a bad one, the starting 1B job could be Brazell's.
- AAA starting job at CF between between Concepcion and Milledge. The other will start in AA, or I might have to change one to a LF and start him in AAA.
- 3rd, 4th, and 5th spots in the rotation to be battled out between Benson, Garland, and Petit
- 2 bullpen spots between Felix Heredia, Steve Fisher, Royce Ring, Joselo Diaz, Neal Musser, and Bartolome Fortunato

Next: Line-up and rotation

[goyanks225]

First, goals:
1) Go to the playoffs
That's it. The line-up is improved with the development of our youngsters, the rotation is better with the additions of Sheets and Petit, and the bullpen is better. There is no excuse for us not to go to the playoffs.

April 1 - JOSE REYES is signed to a 4 year extension at $1.6 million a year (I lock him up for a few years at a cheap salary)

Line-up
1) Alfonso Soriano - 2B, 91/93
2) Mike Sweeney - 1B, 80/80 (last year of contract)
3) Carlos Beltran - CF, 93/93
4) Mike Piazza - C, 81/81
5) David Wright - 3B, 89/92
6) Cliff Floyd - LF, 77/77 (last year of contract)
7) Victor Diaz - RF, 79/96
8) Jose Reyes - SS, 86/86 (I don't want him to have the pressure of hitting in the lead-off spot, so he'll hit 8th for this year then next year hopefully he'll move back up)

Bench
Miguel Cairo - INF, 77/77
Mike Cameron - OF, 86/86
Eric Young - OF, 70/70
Eric Valent - Util, 71/71 (last year of contract)
Joe Hietpas - C, 71/72
Joe McEwing - Util, 72/72 (last year of contract)

Rotation
Pedro Martinez - 95/95
Ben Sheets - 95/95
Yusmeiro Petit - 82/93
Jon Garland - 77/77
Kris Benson - 80/80 (all had good springs, Petit is the pitcher of the future, Benson had a rough year last year. It was a good decision to have to make, I think)

Bullpen
Closer: Braden Looper - 81/81
Setup: Heath Bell - 81/81
Short: Jeff Nelson - 83/83
Middle: Royce Ring - 79/83 (everyone had decent springs, but he had the best)
Long: Felix Heredia - 76/76 (didn't pitch poorly enough to lose his spot, but it's anything but safe), (last year of contract)
Alt: Jae Weong Seo - 72/72 (last year of contract)

Prospects
Ambiorix Concepcion - CF, AAA, 22, 71/80
Lastings Milledge - LF, AAA, 21, 67/74 (I decided to have them both in AAA. At this point, I'm not sure either is the LF of the future, but we'll see as the next year or 2 progress)
Craig Brazell - 1B, AAA, 25, 74/89 (I would say he has a year or 2 to develop, but since he's already 25, this is his last year before taking over for Mike Sweeney)
Joselo Diaz - RP, AAA, 26, 76/77 (Needs to improve his control)
Neal Musser - SP, AAA, 25, 78/79 (Not a starter in the future or anything, but could be our alternate starter soon)
Steve Fisher - RP, AA, 17, 58/96 (Had a decent spring, has a few years to develop)
Peter Duke - SP, AA, 18, 49/94 (A mystery of what will happen to him)

Next: April

[goyanks225]

Despite having a team average of .236, we got off to a 14-10 start, good enough to be tied for first in the division with the Braves because of outstanding pitching (team ERA of 3.43). Everybody with the exception of Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes are hitting under .250 right now, but it's only the first month so I'm not too worried yet. Beltran has 9 homers, too. Kris Benson is off to a tough start, but Braden Looper has almost been unhittable, giving up just 4 hits in 11 innings without allowing a run.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.296 9 24 0.346
Benson Kris 0.25 0 0 0.4
Cairo Miguel 0.333 1 6 0.4
Cameron Mike 0.294 2 5 0.4
Diaz Victor 0.209 3 10 0.242
Floyd Cliff 0.239 1 9 0.368
Garland Jon 0.077 0 0 0.077
Hietpas Joe 0.143 0 0 0.143
Looper Braden 0 0 0 0
Martinez Pedro 0 0 0 0
Petit Yusmeiro 0.1 0 1 0.1
Piazza Mike 0.227 2 6 0.284
Reyes Jose 0.329 1 10 0.367
Seo Jae Weong0 0 0 0
Sheets Ben 0.125 0 0 0.125
Soriano Alfonso 0.25 2 6 0.301
Sweeney Mike 0.207 6 15 0.258
Valent Eric 0.167 0 1 0.214
Wright David 0.165 3 9 0.26
Young Eric 0.6 0 1 0.6


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 1 0 0 3.26 19.1
Benson Kris 0 3 0 8.47 17
Garland Jon 2 0 0 1.23 36.2
Heredia Felix 0 0 0 4.05 6.2
Looper Braden 3 0 3 0 11
Martinez Pedro 1 3 0 4.18 32.1
Nelson Jeff 0 2 0 8.53 6.1
Petit Yusmeiro 3 1 0 3 33
Ring Royce 0 0 0 3.86 7
Seo Jae Weong0 0 0 15.43 4.2
Sheets Ben 4 1 0 1.76 41


Next: May

[goyanks225]

We started out the month 8-1, but ended with a 17-10 mark for the month of May, putting us at 31-20 overall, .5 game ahead of Atlanta for first in the division. Alfonso Soriano got his average up over .300, but Beltran completely fell apart and is down to .242 and only hit 4 homers this month. Cliff Floyd and David Wright are really struggling. At this point, neither Concepcion nor Milledge have been impressive in AAA, so I may try to deal Floyd and one of them off mid-season to get another hitter. The pitching has continued to be outstanding, with an overall ERA of 3.28 now. Looper has now given up 12 hits in 22.1 innings, allowing just 2 runs. Sheets and Petit have ERAs under 2.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.242 13 34 0.35
Benson Kris 0.2 0 0 0.294
Cairo Miguel 0.286 2 12 0.329
Cameron Mike 0.25 2 8 0.389
Diaz Victor 0.235 7 25 0.276
Floyd Cliff 0.184 3 14 0.286
Garland Jon 0.053 0 0 0.053
Heredia Felix 0 0 0 0
Hietpas Joe 0.357 0 0 0.4
Looper Braden 0 0 0 0
Martinez Pedro 0.133 0 0 0.161
McEwing Joe 0 0 0 0
Petit Yusmeiro 0.15 0 1 0.15
Piazza Mike 0.242 5 26 0.32
Reyes Jose 0.317 2 19 0.359
Seo Jae Weong0 0 0 0
Sheets Ben 0.103 0 0 0.133
Soriano Alfonso 0.315 7 26 0.367
Sweeney Mike 0.246 12 33 0.32
Valent Eric 0.212 0 5 0.289
Wright David 0.221 7 27 0.29
Young Eric 0.556 0 1 0.6


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 2 2 0 4.13 32.2
Benson Kris 2 6 0 5.68 50.2
Garland Jon 2 3 0 4.23 61.2
Heredia Felix 0 0 0 2.38 11.1
Looper Braden 3 0 6 0.79 22.2
Martinez Pedro 4 3 0 3.02 80.1
Nelson Jeff 2 2 1 4.32 16.2
Petit Yusmeiro 8 1 0 1.93 70
Ring Royce 0 0 1 3.18 17
Seo Jae Weong0 0 0 14.09 7.2
Sheets Ben 8 3 0 1.85 87.1


Next: June

[goyanks225]

After starting out the month 9-8, we started to heat up and ended the month 17-10. Overall now, we're at 48-31, a good 5.5 games ahead of Atlanta. David Wright is still under .200 after 3 months of the season, which worries me. Cliff Floyd is only at .212, and if he doesn't start hitting before the trading deadline, he may have to pack his bags. The pitching has still been very solid.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.254 19 50 0.363
Benson Kris 0.111 0 0 0.172
Cairo Miguel 0.276 3 17 0.333
Cameron Mike 0.214 3 10 0.333
Diaz Victor 0.251 13 40 0.287
Floyd Cliff 0.212 6 24 0.296
Garland Jon 0.074 0 0 0.107
Heredia Felix 0 0 0 0
Hietpas Joe 0.3 0 0 0.364
Looper Braden 0 0 0 0
Martinez Pedro 0.19 0 1 0.227
McEwing Joe 0 0 0 0.222
Nelson Jeff 0 0 0 0
Petit Yusmeiro 0.167 0 2 0.167
Piazza Mike 0.247 10 42 0.325
Reyes Jose 0.279 2 25 0.329
Seo Jae Weong0.2 0 1 0.333
Sheets Ben 0.098 0 0 0.119
Soriano Alfonso 0.297 11 43 0.357
Sweeney Mike 0.266 18 55 0.33
Valent Eric 0.192 1 7 0.302
Wright David 0.198 9 35 0.273
Young Eric 0.467 1 3 0.5


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 5 4 0 4.63 46.2
Benson Kris 3 9 0 5 86.1
Garland Jon 3 5 0 4.93 95
Heredia Felix 0 0 0 3.48 20.2
Looper Braden 3 0 16 0.95 38
Martinez Pedro 8 4 0 2.93 116.2
Nelson Jeff 5 3 1 2.97 33.1
Petit Yusmeiro 10 2 0 2 103.1
Ring Royce 0 0 1 3.67 27
Seo Jae Weong1 0 0 10.45 20.2
Sheets Ben 10 4 0 2.38 121


Next: July

[goyanks225]

In a month that featured an 8 game winning streak right before the All-Star break, we finished the month 16-10, 64-41 overall, and with a 7 game left on Atlanta with 57 games left. Magic number: 51 (not to get ahead of myself).

TRADE
July 31, 2006 METS trade Cliff Floyd (LF), Lastings Milledge (LF), and Joselo Diaz (RP) to RED SOX for Manny Ramirez (LF).
Analysis: We were quite surprised we could get Manny as easy as we did. However, he is out for 19 days with a spiked achilles tendon, and has a $20,000,000 contract with 4 years left. We know it's a lot, but for Manny Ramirez, who is hitting .338 with 23 homers in 98 games, we thought we'd splurge. Manny now hits clean-up, with Piazza and Wright moving down a spot (hopefully this will take some pressure off of David, who got his average to .214 this month. Until Manny comes back, Eric Young will move into the starting line-up in the 8 hole and Esix Snead will be called up from AA.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.276 25 64 0.385
Cairo Miguel 0.265 3 18 0.32
Cameron Mike 0.239 5 14 0.346
Diaz Victor 0.266 20 63 0.307
Hietpas Joe 0.31 0 2 0.394
McEwing Joe 0 0 0 0.2
Piazza Mike 0.234 14 53 0.33
Ramirez Manny 0.338 23 81 0.445
Reyes Jose 0.286 3 45 0.327
Soriano Alfonso 0.281 17 59 0.343
Sweeney Mike 0.241 21 66 0.307
Valent Eric 0.197 1 9 0.284
Wright David 0.215 13 48 0.302
Young Eric 0.417 1 3 0.44


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 7 4 1 3.78 69
Benson Kris 5 10 0 5.18 114.2
Garland Jon 4 7 0 4.5 130
Heredia Felix 1 0 0 4.5 28
Looper Braden 4 1 17 2.65 51
Martinez Pedro 10 6 0 3.32 154.1
Nelson Jeff 7 5 1 3.69 53.2
Petit Yusmeiro 12 3 0 2.41 134.1
Ring Royce 1 0 2 3.34 35
Seo Jae Weong1 0 1 10.32 22.2
Sheets Ben 12 5 0 2.39 158


Next: August

[goyanks225]

Well, we started the month 12-4 with Manny Ramirez hurt, and ended it with a 15-13 record for the month, with Manny hitting .179 with 3 HR in 12 games. David Wright was down for 2 weeks in the middle of the month. It's ok though, because we're still 6.5 games ahead of Atlanta with a 79-54 record.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.284 32 82 0.391
Cairo Miguel 0.257 3 23 0.306
Cameron Mike 0.248 8 21 0.362
Diaz Victor 0.274 24 84 0.314
Hietpas Joe 0.31 0 2 0.394
McEwing Joe 0 0 0 0.182
Piazza Mike 0.231 17 60 0.321
Ramirez Manny 0.323 26 88 0.439
Reyes Jose 0.283 4 55 0.322
Snead Esix 0.6 0 0 0.6
Soriano Alfonso 0.291 27 78 0.348
Sweeney Mike 0.255 27 82 0.318
Valent Eric 0.185 1 10 0.292
Wright David 0.236 16 58 0.329
Young Eric 0.244 1 8 0.319


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 9 8 1 4.07 84
Benson Kris 7 11 0 4.7 141.2
Garland Jon 6 7 0 4.08 172
Heredia Felix 1 0 0 3.82 37.2
Looper Braden 5 2 21 2.63 68.1
Martinez Pedro 12 9 0 3.47 197
Nelson Jeff 7 5 1 3.39 66.1
Petit Yusmeiro 14 4 0 2.54 170
Ring Royce 2 2 2 3.35 40.1
Seo Jae Weong1 0 1 9.49 24.2
Sheets Ben 15 6 0 2.28 205


Next: End of season

[goyanks225]

With a combined record of 15-14 in September and October, we ended the season 94-68, four games ahead of Atlanta to claim the National League East title. Although we struggled, we're looking to forget about it and move on to the playoffs, where we will take on the Central Division champs, the Cardinals. Manny Ramirez improved, but was not great, hitting .257 with 7 HR in 41 games with the team. I'm looking forward to see how our Big 3 pitchers do in the playoffs.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.272 35 89 0.377
Cairo Miguel 0.264 3 24 0.309
Cameron Mike 0.233 9 23 0.35
Diaz Victor 0.259 28 95 0.3
Hietpas Joe 0.355 0 3 0.429
McEwing Joe 0 0 0 0.182
Piazza Mike 0.231 23 79 0.319
Ramirez Manny 0.316 30 105 0.426
Reyes Jose 0.29 6 64 0.33
Snead Esix 0.6 0 0 0.6
Soriano Alfonso 0.294 35 94 0.351
Sweeney Mike 0.253 29 89 0.321
Valent Eric 0.191 1 12 0.291
Wright David 0.235 18 65 0.326
Young Eric 0.238 1 8 0.312


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 10 9 1 4.13 102.1
Benson Kris 9 13 0 4.54 176.1
Garland Jon 7 11 0 3.98 212.2
Heredia Felix 1 1 0 5.16 45.1
Looper Braden 5 2 27 2.84 82.1
Martinez Pedro 15 11 0 3.53 239.1
Nelson Jeff 8 5 1 3.1 78.1
Petit Yusmeiro 16 6 0 2.71 206
Ring Royce 2 3 2 3.8 47.1
Seo Jae Weong1 0 1 9 26
Sheets Ben 20 7 0 2.36 252


NEW FEATURE
Team MVP: Carlos Beltran
Team CY Young: Ben Sheets
Team Rookie of the Year: Yusmeiro Petit
Team Most Improved Player: Jose Reyes

Next: Playoffs

[goyanks225]

After defeating the Giants in a tiebreaker, the Braves earned their spot as the NL Wild Card.

Division Series
Mets (94-68) vs. Cardinals (97-65)
Game 1: Cardinals win 9-5 on a walk-off grand slam by Scott Rolen in the bottom of the 9th. Due to rest schedules, Ben Sheets started and Pedro will start Game 3.
Game 2: Cardinals win 5-3 with 2 in the bottom of the 8th off Heath Bell
Game 3: Mets win 4-3 with RBIs from Carlos Beltran and Manny Ramirez in the bottom of the 9th, keeping us in the series
Game 4: Mets win 5-4 after Victor Diaz hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th to put us up 5-3. Ben Sheets was outstanding, giving up just 3 runs, 2 earned, in 8 innings
Game 5: Mets win 5-3 after rallying from down 3-1 with 1 run in the 7th and 3 in the 8th

Dodgers (100-62) vs. Braves (91-72)
Dodgers take it in 3

Angels (105-57) vs. Blue Jays (85-77)
Angels win in 4

Yankees (96-66) vs. Twins (89-73)
Twins in 4

Championship Series
Mets vs. Dodgers
Game 1: Dodgers win 4-2, Pedro giving up the 4 runs in 7 innings of work
Game 2: Mets win 6-5 on a HR by Mike Piazza in the top of the 14th
Game 3: Dodgers win 6-3 after scoring 3 against Heath Bell (9 ER in 7.2 innings this playoffs) in the 8th
Game 4: Dodgers win 11-3, scoring 7 runs off Jon Garland in the 2nd
Game 5: Mets win 5-3 after getting 7 innings of 2 run ball from Pedro
Game 6: Dodgers win 3-0, 2 of the runs being unearned, but still ending the Mets season

Angels vs. Twins
Twins take it in 6

World Series
Dodgers vs. Twins
Dodgers sweep

Next: Off-season

[goyanks225]

Well, before I go into this, let me list my one and only team goal for the season, apart from the long-term goal of getting a stadium by 2010:
- make the playoffs: ACCOMPLISHED.
I'm very happy with how this season went. The hitting, of course, needs to get better, but I see a lot of upside with my players and the pitching has an Oakland A-esque Big 3 of Pedro Martinez, Ben Sheets, and Yusmeiro Petit.

We got good news on November 6, when we found out that Ben Sheets won the NL Cy Young in his inaugural season with the Mets, going 20-7 with a 2.36 ERA.

One transaction before going to re-signing/free agency:

November 6, 2006 - in order to avoid arbitration, I signed David Wright to a 6 year deal at $5.05 million a year.

We have about $30 million to spend this off-season, but I don't anticipate us making any big signings as of now.

Re-signed
Eric Valent loses arbitration and will receive $400,000 next year.

Released
Mike Sweeney - 1B. Brazell, we feel, is ready to come up.
Joe McEwing - Util
Felix Heredia - RP. Apart from the fact that we have 1 or 2 prospects that could be ready to come up, he's just not good.
Jae Weong Seo - SP/RP. He's had a rough couple of seasons, and we think Neal Musser deserves a chance to be our spot starter.

In other news, Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's all-time home run record this season, now having hit 778 dingers.

We don't have any needs this off-season except a bench player to replace Joe McEwing. I plan to sign a guy with contact of at least 85, hopefully closer to 90. I do want to look to see if I can deal Kris Benson. He hasn't pitched great for us, especially considering he's making $7.5 million a year next year (the last year of his contract). I have some prospects in the minors, including Concepcion, who I no longer need because of the acquisition of Manny Ramirez, to deal. I put him, Benson, and Anderson Hernandez (a SS prospect from A) on the trading block, and Cleveland offered Kip Wells. Though not a standout, he is an 84/84, 29 years old, and making $4.5 million this year (the last year of his contract). He had a decent year this year, so I decided to take shot with him. If he doesn't work out, then next off-season we'll have plenty of money to sign another starting pitcher. Thus,

TRADE
November 10, 2006 - METS trade Kris Benson (SP), Ambiorix Concepcion (CF), and Anderson Hernandez (SS) to INDIANS for Kip Wells (SP) and $2 million

There aren't really any high contact guys on the market right now who would be happy serving as a back-up, so I took the $2 million I got from the Benson deal and went shopping.

TRADE
November 12, 2006 - METS trade $2 million to MARINERS for Jamal Strong (OF).
Strong can hit, run, and field - I like it.

Draft
Round 1 (26) - Miguel Bolero - LF, 20, 65/91. Manny Ramirez is 34 with 3 years left on his contract. Bolero could be ready for the big show by that time, and with no real pressing needs right now, we decided to draft him.
Rounds 2-6 - nothings, a pretty weak draft class.

Spring Training
Going into Spring Training, there aren't many roster spots up for grabs. There's a spot in the bullpen left by Felix Heredia, but nothing else. There are, however, many battles for positions in the batting order, with no clear lead-off or #2 man. I will pick the hitters who get on base the most to take those spots.

Next: Opening Day

[goyanks225]

Going into the 2007 season, I have set up 3 goals for the team to go along with our goal of having a new stadium by 2010.
1) Win 95 games. This is a developing team that won 94 last year; I see no reason why this shouldn't be accomplished.
2) Win the division. Again, no reason not to.
3) Draw 4,000,000 fans over the course of the season and playoffs (we had 3,999,000 last season).
It looks like we could get the new stadium either this year or next year, I can't wait!

Line-up
1) Alfonso Soriano - 2B, 94/94.
2) David Wright - 3B, 93/93. Despite having an off year last year, he had an amazing spring, a .371 OBP, 7 HR, and 18 RBI in 22 games that earned him the #2 spot in the order.
3) Carlos Beltran - CF, 93/93.
4) Manny Ramirez - LF, 93/93. We're looking for him to have a BIG year this year.
5) Craig Brazell - 1B, 80/93. We know he's a rookie hitting in the 5 hole, but we think he's up to the task after having a great spring.
6) Victor Diaz - RF, 83/95. This could be his breakout year.
7) Mike Piazza - C, 82/82. He's just not the hitter he once was anymore. (Last year of contract)
8) Jose Reyes - SS, 86/86. We're actually thinking about trying him out in the 5 spot if things don't work out with Brazell, so we'll see come June or July.
9) Pitcher

Bench
Jamal Strong - OF, 74/74
Miguel Cairo - IF, 75/75
Mike Cameron - OF, 85/85
Eric Young - Util, 67/67. (Last year of contract)
Joe Hietpas - C, 71/72
Eric Valent - Util, 70/70. (Last year of contract)

Rotation
1) Ben Sheets - 96/96
2) Pedro Martinez - 94/94
3) Yusmeiro Petit - 89/92
4) Kip Wells - 83/83. (Last year of contract)
5) Jon Garland - 77/77

Bullpen
Closer: Braden Looper - 79/79. (Last year of contract)
Setup: Heath Bell - 81/81
Short: Jeff Nelson - 79/79. (Last year of contract)
Middle: Royce Ring - 81/82
Long: Bartolome Fortunato - 77/77. He made the team after having a PHENOMINAL spring
Alt: Neal Musser - 79/79

Prospects
Miguel Bolero - LF, 20, AA, 65/91
Steve Fisher - RP, 18, AAA, 48/95
Peter Duke - SP, 19, AAA, 61/93

Next: April

[goyanks225]

After starting out the season just 4-5, we started to come together and ended the month at 16-8, putting us in 1st place a game ahead of the Braves. Unlike last season, we started out hitting well with a team average of .282 and a team ERA of just 3.42 (both are best in the division). Our top 3 hitters have a combined 26 home runs (Soriano and Wright with 9, Beltran with 8). So far, the decision to put Wright in the 2 hole has worked out, him having a .435 OBP. Piazza's really struggling, hitting just .165 and homerless. The pitching has been outstanding, with the exception of Braden Looper (who somehow hasn't blown a save).

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.317 8 22 0.378
Brazell Craig 0.271 2 10 0.314
Cairo Miguel 0.364 1 3 0.385
Cameron Mike 0.313 0 5 0.5
Diaz Victor 0.365 5 15 0.407
Hietpas Joe 0 0 0 0
Piazza Mike 0.165 0 5 0.29
Ramirez Manny 0.282 5 17 0.39
Reyes Jose 0.279 0 8 0.34
Soriano Alfonso 0.315 9 26 0.339
Strong Jamal 0.429 0 3 0.467
Valent Eric 0.167 0 3 0.375
Wright David 0.358 9 19 0.435
Young Eric 1 0 0 1


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 1 1 0 5.68 12.2
Fortunato Bartolome0 0 1 2.92 12.1
Garland Jon 1 2 0 2.88 25
Looper Braden 1 1 2 10.8 5
Martinez Pedro 4 1 0 3.57 35.1
Musser Neal 0 0 0 4.5 4
Nelson Jeff 0 0 1 6.23 4.1
Petit Yusmeiro 4 0 0 0.73 37
Ring Royce 1 0 0 3.86 9.1
Sheets Ben 2 1 0 3.25 36
Wells Kip 2 2 0 4.5 32


Next: May

[goyanks225]

We pitched lights out this month. Lights out. The team ERA is down to 3.15 and the average is down to .263. 22-6 this month, amazing, putting us at 38-14 overall, 8 games ahead of the Braves.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.27 12 33 0.351
Brazell Craig 0.268 6 27 0.315
Cairo Miguel 0.225 2 5 0.233
Cameron Mike 0.257 0 9 0.409
Diaz Victor 0.344 13 34 0.388
Hietpas Joe 0 0 0 0.143
Piazza Mike 0.216 5 21 0.3
Ramirez Manny 0.281 8 31 0.388
Reyes Jose 0.296 1 21 0.345
Soriano Alfonso 0.262 13 35 0.3
Strong Jamal 0.276 0 3 0.323
Valent Eric 0.182 1 7 0.28
Wright David 0.293 13 28 0.381
Young Eric 1 0 0 1


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 4 1 0 3.51 33.1
Fortunato Bartolome0 0 1 3.57 17.2
Garland Jon 5 4 0 3.29 63
Looper Braden 1 1 15 3.5 18
Martinez Pedro 9 1 0 2.51 82.1
Musser Neal 0 0 1 3.72 9.2
Nelson Jeff 1 0 1 2.92 12.1
Petit Yusmeiro 7 1 0 2.49 65
Ring Royce 1 0 0 2.92 12.1
Sheets Ben 6 2 0 2.67 84.1
Wells Kip 4 4 0 4.71 65


Next: All-Star Break

[goyanks225]

June was not a good month to be a Mets fan. They saw the Mets go 12-14 and have their first place lead shrink to just 2.5 games. July, however, has been better thusfar. We are 8-2 (58-30) going into the All-Star break and have expanded out lead to 6. Mike Piazza is hitting just .190 with 10 homers. Ben Sheets is 11-4 with a 2.93 ERA, Pedro Martinez 13-2 2.32, and Yusmeiro Petit 11-4 3.40. No trades at the trading deadline; nothing is needed but a catcher, but we'll stick with Mikey until his contract expires this year.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.249 16 44 0.329
Brazell Craig 0.259 11 46 0.301
Cairo Miguel 0.288 2 8 0.319
Cameron Mike 0.303 0 12 0.395
Diaz Victor 0.323 17 54 0.374
Hietpas Joe 0.2 0 1 0.25
Piazza Mike 0.191 10 36 0.271
Ramirez Manny 0.277 12 48 0.389
Reyes Jose 0.308 2 29 0.343
Soriano Alfonso 0.275 22 61 0.308
Strong Jamal 0.218 0 5 0.282
Valent Eric 0.25 2 12 0.348
Wright David 0.293 18 46 0.383
Young Eric 1 0 0 1


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 4 1 0 2.21 53
Fortunato Bartolome0 0 1 4.56 23.2
Garland Jon 7 7 0 4.3 98.1
Looper Braden 1 5 23 3.79 35.2
Martinez Pedro 13 2 0 2.32 136
Musser Neal 1 0 1 2.57 21
Nelson Jeff 1 0 1 1.23 29.1
Petit Yusmeiro 11 4 0 3.4 113.2
Ring Royce 1 0 0 3.55 25.1
Sheets Ben 11 4 0 2.93 135.1
Wells Kip 8 7 0 4.49 118.1


Next: End of July and August

[goyanks225]

We ended July strong, completing the month with a 20-7 record. August did not start so great, but a 7 game winning streak to end the month secured yet another 20-7 record for the month, putting us at 90-42 (just 5 wins away from my goal) and 11.5 games ahead of the Phillies, 15.5 ahead of the Braves. Mikey's up over .200, and Beltran and Manny still aren't hitting too much. The pitching, however, has been FANTASTIC. The team ERA is 3.06, and Pedro Martinez already has 20 wins.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.267 20 63 0.363
Brazell Craig 0.277 17 78 0.317
Cairo Miguel 0.272 4 18 0.294
Cameron Mike 0.301 3 20 0.393
Diaz Victor 0.288 21 70 0.352
Hietpas Joe 0.167 0 1 0.2
Piazza Mike 0.207 16 50 0.294
Ramirez Manny 0.259 22 80 0.376
Reyes Jose 0.304 4 41 0.338
Soriano Alfonso 0.298 35 96 0.337
Strong Jamal 0.215 0 5 0.284
Valent Eric 0.22 3 14 0.303
Wright David 0.292 28 72 0.397
Young Eric 1 0 0 1


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 6 3 0 1.95 73.2
Fortunato Bartolome1 0 1 3.57 35.1
Garland Jon 11 7 0 4.03 145.1
Looper Braden 2 6 34 3.61 52.1
Martinez Pedro 20 4 0 2.56 204
Musser Neal 1 0 1 2.63 24
Nelson Jeff 2 0 1 1.09 41.1
Petit Yusmeiro 16 6 0 3.25 174.1
Ring Royce 1 1 0 3.66 39.1
Sheets Ben 16 7 0 3.03 211
Wells Kip 14 8 0 3.28 192.1


Next: End of season

[goyanks225]

We ended the season a combined 19-11, putting us at 109-53, easily taking the division by 14 games over the Phillies.

Hitting


Last First AVG HR RBI OBP
Beltran Carlos 0.27 28 89 0.367
Brazell Craig 0.269 17 95 0.303
Cairo Miguel 0.254 4 19 0.285
Cameron Mike 0.281 3 22 0.379
Diaz Victor 0.28 27 92 0.341
Hietpas Joe 0.167 0 1 0.2
Piazza Mike 0.22 19 61 0.305
Ramirez Manny 0.261 26 97 0.369
Reyes Jose 0.301 5 52 0.339
Soriano Alfonso 0.307 43 127 0.347
Strong Jamal 0.241 0 6 0.328
Valent Eric 0.197 3 14 0.274
Wright David 0.294 33 85 0.396
Young Eric 0.8 0 1 0.8


Pitching


Last First W L SV ERA IP
Bell Heath 9 3 0 2.08 99.1
Fortunato Bartolome1 0 1 3.77 43
Garland Jon 13 9 0 3.93 178.2
Looper Braden 3 6 40 3.27 63.1
Martinez Pedro 23 7 0 2.7 246.1
Musser Neal 1 0 1 3.42 26.1
Nelson Jeff 2 1 1 2.26 55.2
Petit Yusmeiro 22 7 0 3.3 218.1
Ring Royce 1 1 0 3.5 46.1
Sheets Ben 19 8 0 3.2 256.1
Wells Kip 15 11 0 3.24 225.1


Team MVP: Alfonso Soriano (Who also takes the team Triple Crown)
Team Cy Young: Pedro Martinez
Team Rookie of the Year: Craig Brazell
Team Most Improved Player: David Wright

Next: Playoffs

[goyanks225]

Division Series
Mets (109-53) vs. Cubs (97-65)
Game 1: Mets win 6-5 on Eric Valent's 2 RBI single in the bottom of the 9th
Game 2: Mets win 3-2 behind a great performance by Pedro
Game 3: Mets win 6-1 behind 13 Ks from Petit
Series MVP: Manny Ramirez

Dodgers (100-62) vs. Phillies (95-67)
Phillies win in 4

Yankees (97-65) vs. Angels (97-65)
Yankees sweep

Mariners (105-57) vs. Twins (85-77)
Twins in 5

Championship Series
Mets vs. Phillies
Game 1: Phillies win 7-3
Game 2: Phillies win 4-0 to take both games at Shea
Game 3: Mets win 2-0 after Petit dazzles the crowd, throwing a complete game, 11 K shutout
Game 4: Mets win 7-5 despite the Phillies trying to come back with 1 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th
Game 5: Phillies win 5-0, tapping Pedro for 4 runs in 6 innings
Game 6: Mets win 4-3 following an RBI sac fly by Soriano in the bottom of the 8th to win it
Game 7: Mets win 8-0 with Petit throwing his 2nd complete game shutout of the series
Series MVP: Yusmeiro Petit

Yankees vs. Twins
Yankees in 6

World Series
Mets vs. Yankees SUBWAY SERIES
Game 1: Mets win 3-0. Pedro pitched a CG, 3 hit, 10 K shutout
Game 2: Mets win 8-4 on Manny Ramirez's walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th, causing another 10,000 Yankee fans to kill themselves
Game 3: Mets win 9-7 on Craig Brazell's 2-run, 2-out double in the top of the 9th
Game 4: Mets win 17-9
Series MVP: Manny Ramirez

Next: Off-season

WE WON!!!!

[goyanks225]

Going into the off-season, I think I have a pretty strong team all around with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions.

October 28, 2007 - In order to avoid arbitration, Victor Diaz signs a 3 year deal at $3.5 million a year.

October 28, 2007 - News came in that Pedro Martinez won the NL Cy Young

Re-signed
Jamal Strong (OF) wins arbitration and will receive $400,000 next year
Eric Young (OF) signs a 1-year deal at $700,000 a year
Joe Hietpas (C) wins arbitration and will receive $500,000 next year
Eric Valent (Util) loses arbitration and will receive $400,000 next year
Braden Looper (RP) exercised his player option and will return at $3.85 million next year
Heath Bell (RP) loses arbitration and will receive $3 million next year

Released
Mike Piazza (C)
Kip Wells (SP) because although he had a great year, we want to see what's on the market. If nothing comes, we'll be glad to re-sign him
Jeff Nelson (RP) had a good year, but he's 41 and we have a great prospect in AAA

Heading into the off-season, we have a couple of needs.
- a catcher
- a starting pitcher
- possibly a reliever

Signings
Justin Huber - C, 25, 93/93, $6.9 million for 4 years with a no-trade clause. Is a great fielder and always has an OBP between .350 and .390.
Kip Wells - SP, 30, 82/82, $7.95 million for 2 years. It's a lot, but we can afford it and we didn't want to sign him to a long-term deal.
Until we see how Fisher does in Spring Training, we won't sign a reliever.

Draft
Round 1 (30) - Irving Obley - SP, 19, 59/95. Pedro's not going to be here forever...
Rounds 2-6 - Nothings

Next: Opening day

[goyanks225]

Goals:
1) Repeat and win the World Series again
2) Get our new stadium by 2010

April 1, 2008 - Steve Fisher had a decent spring, but we think he needs 1 more year to develop, so we signed Dave Veres (77/77) to a one year deal at $850,000

Line-up
1) Jose Reyes - SS, 86/86. He stole 46 bases last year and had a .355 OBP in Spring Training, earning the lead-off spot.
2) David Wright - 3B, 95/95. AMAZING last year as the 2 hitter
3) Carlos Beltran - CF, 93/93
4) Manny Ramirez - LF, 91/91
5) Alfonso Soriano - 2B, 94/94. This is the only spot he really fits in to in the line-up. If Beltran or Ramirez get into trouble during the season, he could move up.
6) Victor Diaz - RF, 87/95
7) Justin Huber - C, 93/93
8) Craig Brazell - 1B, 83/89

Bench
Jamal Strong - OF, 76/76 (last year of contract)
Miguel Cairo - IF, 71/71
Mike Cameron - OF, 84/84
Eric Young - Util, 65/65 (last year of contract)
Joe Hietpas - C, 71/72 (last year of contract)
Eric Valent - Util, 69/69 (last year of contract)

Rotation
1) Pedro Martinez - 93/93 (last year of contract)
2) Ben Sheets - 95/95
3) Yusmeiro Petit - 91/91
4) Kip Wells - 82/82
5) Jon Garland - 77/77 (last year of contract)

Bullpen
Closer: Braden Looper - 76/76 (last year of contract)
Setup: Heath Bell - 82/82 (arbitration year)
Short: Royce Ring - 82/82
Middle: Bartolome Fortunato - 78/78
Long: Dave Veres - 77/77 (last year of contract)
Alt: Neal Musser - 79/79

Prospects
Miguel Bolero - LF, AA, 21, 65/94
Steve Fisher - RP, AAA, 19, 59/92
Peter Duke - SP, AAA, 20, 65/93
Irving Obley - SP, AA, 19, 59/95

Next: April

[goyanks225]

Due to the fact that this dynasty turned out to be incredibly easy, I've decided to stop this one. It took me just 3 years to win a World Series, and I didn't make that many changes. I'm going to start a new one later tonight with a team that will (most likely) present a bigger challenge.