New York Mets vs Minnesota Twins: Rapid Fire Series Preview Interview

Frank Gray
MM Editor

In hopes of shaking off an abysmal series in Philadelphia and the first leg of their road trip, the Mets head westward into the eye of the wintry storm that is hitting the midwest. Their destination? Minnesota.

The Twins are coming off of a horrible road series of their own as they were swept in Kansas City by the red hot Royals. They only scored four runs in the entire series.

It is with the two struggling teams playing in cold weather serving as a backdrop that we turn to Twins blogger Jesse Lund of "Twinkie Town" to give us a deeper look at the Twins in our five question series preview.



MM- What is the biggest news story for your team entering this series? 

JL- Right now it's probably the magic act being performed by Kevin Correia. Most of us expect it all to come crashing down any moment now. Well, it's either that or the debate over whether the Twins made the right decision in awarding the center field job to Aaron Hicks. Some fans are questioning whether it would have been better to leave him in Triple-A to start the season, since he's never played above Double-A.


MM- Who is the one pitcher due to break out this series? 

JL- I think it'll be Vance Worley. I only say that because, if you've taken a stroll through our rotation options, there aren't many breakout candidates. Worley is due for a good start since he's had one decent outing and one pretty discouraging outing.


MM- Who should the Mets be afraid to face and why? 

JL- Pedro Florimon has been making a habit of being the proverbial thorn-in-your-side, but outside the Mauer-Morneau-Willingham trinity it's also a good idea to keep an eye out for Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee. Both can generate some power while being works-in-progress. If the Minnesota offense is going to generate runs, both of these guys will need to contribute in the six and seven holes.


MM- Who on the Mets are your fans most interested in seeing and why?

JL- David Wright is a stud. I'd say Johan Santana but that has to be a sore point for all parties. It'll be nice to see old friend LaTroy Hawkins once or twice. If there's one pitcher I want to see though, it's Matt Harvey.


MM- What are your predictions for this series and why? 

JL- Both teams are at a point where they really just want to get as many wins under their belt right now as possible, because there's no guarantee of how many they'll be able to pick up later this summer. But the Twins' offense has been soft so far this season and I like New York's starters in this series, so I'm giving the Mets two games and Minnesota one.


***To read more of Jesse's work or Twinkie Town, please click here***

What would define a successful 2013 season?

Wendy Adair
Editor

How long will Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins be part of the Mets picture after 2013 will be a burning question until this team, as currently configured, becomes successful for more than a half of a season, especially similar to 2012.

The infield appears to be the teams greatest strength, anchored by David Wright and Ike Davis at the corners, and Daniel Murphy and Ruben Tejada as the middle infielders.

Needless to say, the outfield is the greatest concern at this time, but Spring Training is a time for young outfielders to audition for spots and last minute deals could possibly be made in time for Opening Day.

Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas are no longer with the team, but Travis D'Arnaud and John Buck will be closely watched in the next few weeks to decide how the every day catching responsibilities will be handled by Collins.

There is no doubt that the last few years have been an incredible disappointment, both on the field and in the front office for the Mets.  The beginning of 2012 showed such promise, David Wright was playing like an MVP, Johan Santan and RA Dickey were virtually unhittable and the word underdog seemed to be on everyone's minds.

While Wright and Dickey were both participants in the All Star game, neither really played a role in the outcome, but regardless the National League still won and once again has home field advantage for the World Series.

The All Star Break proved to be the turning point of the season, injuries to key players and the lack of action by the front office to make mid season acquisitions only hastened the downward spiral of the team.  Wright went into a slump and the rest of the team could not pick him up, it was only a matter of time before the law of averages hit and he was neutralized.

 He did have a good September and ended up surpassing Ed Kranepool in franchise hits and will be looked at to carry this 2013 team, but the Mets need Ike Davis, Lucas Duda and the rest of the lineup help the team and take some of the burden off of Wright.

Fans are having a hard time believing the reassuring words from both the Wilpon family and Sandy Alderson regarding the state of the team, both in the present and future.  Terry Collins can only work with the roster  he has been given, and he is not considered to be the long-term solution to this team, only a stop gap until a forward thinking manager is put in place by senior management.

Johan Santana is another high priority for this year, does he have what it takes to complete a season? Since 2008, his first year as a  Met, he has yet to be on the roster in September and October.  RA Dickey is now a Toronto Blue Jay but Shawn Marcum has been added to the roster and Matt Harvey will continue to be touted as the future ace of the team.

In order for 2013 to be considered a success, veterans such as Wright, Buck, and Santana will lead their teammates and prove excellence over the course of the long season.  Ike Davis and Lucas Duda will need to show that they are every day players and the outfield will need stability.  The pitching staff will be fine as long as Johan Santana, Dillon Gee, Jon Niese, Matt Harvey and Shawn Marcum pitch anyone near as expected as the starting rotation.

The bullpen has been a major weakness for many years, but in order to be successful, Bobby Parnell will ned to be a formidable closer.  He has been given many chances, and has done well in short spurts but the "closer by committee" method has not worked effectively.  Pedro Feliciano has been given another chance in Queens and he could prove to be an extremely valuable addition to the bullpen.

Most importantly, the front office will need to show the fans that they are not afraid to make changes, subtle or drastic, in order to impove the team.   That is the only way to gain and keep the fan's trust, Mets fans are very knowledgeable and passionate, a competitive team on the field is what matters most to all fans.

The World Baseball Classic: Why David Wright, Johan Santana and other players should avoid it

Photo courtesy of NY Daily News

Frank Gray
Editor

The concept of the World Baseball Classic is not a bad one, in and of itself. It allows baseball to spread popularity of the sport around the world. That exposure is huge for Major League Baseball. It allows them to attract the very best from other countries to play in America and it helps TV ratings.

This is all understandable. To this point, it makes sense that MLB should only want the very best of their players to represent their countries; the better the athlete, the better the competition, the better the games, the better the ratings and popularity levels.

With all that said, baseball does not need to grow in other countries as much as MLB is protesting that it does. According to the International Baseball Federation, there are 118 countries throughout the world that play professional baseball. This includes the dozens of countries in the WBC. MLB has branched out to these countries where the sport is most popular. They have repeatedly played their season games in Japan, Puerto Rico and Mexico, just to name a few.

Does that mean the sport couldn't use more growth? Absolutely not. Globally speaking, baseball is not always even a top five sport in television ratings, with Cricket, Soccer, American Football, Basketball and the Summer Olympic Games all ranking higher at various points this past year than our beloved sport of baseball.

Therefore, it is in the MLB's best interest to have their best players on the biggest global stage; the WBC. However, is it the best thing for the players? The answer isn't immediately clear. There is always the risk of injury when a player will play extra games for another team and not the initial team of which he is signed.

That, of course, means he will be impacting his contractual teammates, their clubhouse, their environment and their rhythm for an extended period of time, not to mention the player's rhythm own as well. While there is no hard evidence that links an injury curse to the WBC, it is always a relevant possibility.

Whether it is national pride or professional ego, playing in these games is tempting and prestigious for players. They get national recognition and are embraced as heroes. Some, like Oliver Perez, have actually parlayed their performances in the WBC into large MLB contracts.

Still, others seem to be effected negatively by the extra effort. Take the face of the Mets franchise for example, David Wright, He hit 33 home runs the year prior to the WBC and just 10 the year of the WBC. That 2009 season is also the debut of Citi Field, so this could be a coincidence, but there are others.

Jose Reyes, for example, had a dismal 2009. He only played 36 games and was shut down due to a calf injury in May. In addition to Reyes, Carlos Beltran's downward spiral with the Mets began after his appearance in the 2009 WBC. He only played 81 games and hit 10 home runs in that 2009 campaign. The next few years, he spent nursing the same ailments that would repeatedly be re-aggravated.

One more example would be Carlos Delgado. In 2009, he played in the WBC and was subsequently shut down in May of that season and would never play a Major League game again..

While other teams can claim the same type of horror stories with a few of their players, it is not wise for anyone in the Mets organization to take part in the WBC. They are not in a position where they have the type of depth to make up for a major player going down to injury or could afford the hit of a major player having an underachieving year.

Johan Santana (if healthy) and David Wright have both confirmed they will participate in this year's festivities. While it can be debated how much good or bad they can do for their national rosters, it can be certain that their MLB team can't afford taking the chance.

If the Mets don't wish to step in because they are contractually covered, the mantle of responsibility falls on the player. They have more to risk in being accountable to their everyday teammates and fans than their national teammates should something go awry in this WBC.

When it comes to the WBC, for the good of the players, the team, the fans and the health of the clubhouse, the players must resist the temptation and just say no.