Breaking: Elmer Dessens to be the first Met ever to wear No. 64.
Hey, and the first Elmer too. Longtime fan of the orange-and-blue:
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Swing and a Misch
Just like me to predict the Mets are poised to make a run as they approach new lows. Following a rain-soaked, dreary series with the Rays at home, the Mets on Monday placed Carlos Beltran on the 15-day DL with knee trouble and moved to patch a beleaguered with a series of moves.
Fernando Martinez was recalled to take Beltran’s spot and was reacquainted with the No. 26 jersey he wore when he was sent down to Buffalo last week. In the meantime pitcher Ken Takahashi was outrighted to Buffalo and and infielder Wilson Valdez was designated for assignment as Elmer Dessens and Pat Misch werecalled to the big club for the first time.
Dessens, a veteran starter, had been closing games for Buffalo with some success. Misch is a lefty who struggled in a few tryouts with the Giants when the Mets swiped him on a waiver claim earlier this month (he’s struggled in Buffalo too).
We spied Misch tonight in No. 48 but are still looking for Dessens to appear (he’s worn 45 and 71 before and rocked 64 in spring training with the Mets.) Let us know when you know…
Nicky Six
Just a brief message to note Nick Evans is back with the Mets after Fernando Martinez was sent to AAA after a short, semi-successful tryout. You’ll remember Evans wore No. 6 in his runs with the Mets last season but after nearly making the club out of spring training (only Gary Sheffield’s late arrival cost him) Evans suffered a brutal start at AAA Buffalo and was sent to see psychologists and Binghamton instead and in the in-between Ramon Martinez got a brief infield gig wearing No. 6.
We’ll let you know what he shows up in — I would guess 6 just for its ubiquitousness but then things could get interesting (for me at least) if and when Marttinez reappears, since he’s already been in tweo numbers.
(Thanks to Gene for the awesome headline)
Ouch
Thanks for the readers who pointed out Jon Switzer‘s debut in No. 56 last night. I was lucky enough to be out celebrating my anniversary with my wife and missed his debut — but we were unfortunate enough to arrive home in time to catch the 9th inning on TV.
I have no explanation for all the horrendous plays we’ve seen this year but it’s obvious there’s been way too many of them, and I won’t suggest Luis Castillo needs your forgiveness right now. But rather than lead an ugly campaign to make someone pay, I’m gonna suggest instead you get outdoors, have dinner with your family, take a few days off. That’s what I’m gonna do.
Switzer? I Barely Even Know Her
So the Mets are rattling into MFYankee Stadium with the burden of a few disappointing losses and maybe a bigger loss in the starting rotation. Initally scheduled to pitch the opener tonight, John Maine was pushed back, then removed altogether, going onto the disabled list with shoulder fatigue and the promise that some rest will do him good.
The plan now is to have Livan Hernandez pitch Friday, promising but unproven Fernando Nieve to throw on Saturday, and recalling lefty Jon Switzer to take the place of Maine on the roster. We don’t know quite yet what number Switzer turns up in but we’d suggest 47 — which we gave away earlier this year to a lefty from Buffalo, Casey Fossum (remember him? I think he’s actually pitching in the MFYs’ system now). Anyway, Switzer’s a southpaw with a reputation for being hard on lefties, he may see some action this weekend.
I won’t need to remind anyone the Mets are not looking particularly threatening right now but that’s just going to make this whupping of the Yankees a little sweeter. Let’s Go Mets! Check in when you see what Swtizer’s wearing!
Fernandomania
Today the Mets recalled Fernando Nieve from AAA Buffalo to take the place of JJ Putz who finally stopped pretending there wasn’t something wrong with his arm. Nieve has reportedly been assigned No. 38. Nieve wore No. 50 in spring training, but that number went to Sean Green once Green decided he was unworthy of comparisons to Aaron Heilman(how right he was) and swapped in No. 48.
Not to say I told you so but we smelled trouble long before this Putz-Green-Heilman deal ever got done inasmuch as “addition by subtraction” is a concept that works great in opinion columns and talk radio but rarely on the baseball field. I’m not saying that time hadn’t come to swap away Heilman (not to mention Endy Chavez, Joe Smith, Jason Vargas, Makiel Cleto,and Mike Carp) but seeing as we’re looking at a $9 million fat guy having elbow surgery, a righty specialist who’s already lost his job, and a reserve outfielder, this whole deal is looking pretty much like “subtraction by subtraction” so far.
Nieve by the way will be the third Fernando in uniform for the Mets, which has to be some kind of record.
Brown Comes to Town
Quick note: Emil Brown, the veteran outfielder signed as AAA depth recently, was called up to the active roster today as Ramon Martinez hits the disabled list with a finger injury. Brown was assigned No. 29. That number was assigned to four different guys last year, though only three of them (Jorge Sosa, Chris Aguila and Andy Phillips) wore it in combat.
Alex Cora in the meantime was activated today as expected. He takes the place of cursed outfielder Angel Pagan who yesterday commenced with his customary, hot-streak-interrupting visit to the disabled list.
They’re really banged up right now.
Castaway
The controversy of the Mets’ catching situation seemed almost too easily resolved as Ramon Castro was traded to the White Sox on the same night that Omir Stantos drove in both Mets runs, including the walkoff gamewinner, and Brian Schneider returned to the dugout for the first time in weeks.
Castro, the meaty backup who’d been a reserve forMike Piazza, Paul LoDuca and Schneider, and who provided a buttload of big moments for the Mets, was swapped for Lance Broadway, a tall 25-year-old one-time prospect.Castro leaves as the longest-serving No. 11 since Tim Teufel (1986-91). Despite ranking sixth in games played among Met 11s, Castro has more home runs and RBI than every Met 11 except Teufel and all-time leader Wayne Garrett.
Broadway — who just has to appear in New York at some point — is assigned for now to the starting rotation at AAA Buffalo. He was wearing No. 41 in the White Sox bullpen before the trade.
Good luck to Castro, who despite frustrating the Mets with injuries and a seeming unwilliness to take over starting duties when the team needed him, at his best was probably a better hitter than Santos will ever be. But, Santos certainly has been the man for this season, and the next few months will probably be pretty close anyway.
Home runs by guys who wore 11 *
1. Wayne Garrett 55
2. Tim Teufel 36
3. Ramon Castro 33
4 (tie). Duke Snider, Lenny Randle 7
6. Gene Woodling 5
7. Dick Schofeild 4
8 (tie). Ed Bouchee, Roy McMillan, Kelvin Chapman 3
*-Only HRs hit while wearing No. 11 count
For You and Me, for Liberty
So the Mets today went ahead and called up Fernando Martinez from Buffalo and started the 20-year-old in right field against the Nationals. He was issued No. 26 — a number Met fans of my generation will probably always associate with Dave Kingman. Some commenters have already speculated that won’t be a long-term placement, given Ramon Martinez had a one-game appearance in 26 only a week ago, and I suppose I wouldn’t be surprised at some point for a change. I get a single-digit or teens feel from him. But we’ll see.
He was recalled to take the place of Ryan Church, now an unhappy resident of the disabled list. He’s joined there by Jose Reyes whose absense — along with Ramon Martinez‘s shaky credentials as a capable backup — prommpted the Mets to make a deal with the Indians for their AAA shortstop, Wilson Valdez, once they agreed on the number of balls that make up a bag. Valdez was issued No. 4.
The Mets went and won handily, getting an RBI groundout from Fartinez, a three-run homer fromGary Sheffield, doubles from Ramon Martinez and Omir Santos, and a complete-game from Livan Hernandez. None of these men were in even the wildest imaginations of Met fans as recently as March.
Fartinez Alert
Never too late, as far as I’m concerned, to vote in the poll predicting Fernando Martinez‘s uniform number. Although the watch was a false alarm last year, with martinez destroying it in AAA Buffalo and Ryan Church the latest Met to be suffering injury (the NY Daily News reports a trip to the disabled list is under consideration, especially while Carlos Beltran nurses a sore knee) it’s possible we could see “Fartinez” as soon as this evening.
Martinez is wearing No. 3 in Buffalo (Alex Cora occupies it here) and had 67 in spring training. The poll — pretty much neglected for months — showed some support for No. 8 perhaps as a backlash for the Mets seeming reluctance to re-issue since Gary Carter‘s election to the Hall of Fame along with Carter’s gauche politicking for the managing job.
Hey, how about that Omir Santos?
