The Mets' recent history has been littered with pitchers who simply refuse to come inside for the express purpose of making a point or protecting a teammate. Now, the Mets add Matt Wise who might be clinically unable to come inside, so he'll fit right in. "Wise, 32, went 3-2 with a 4.19 earned run average in 56 relief appearances for Milwaukee in 2007. But his season turned sour July 25, when he hit Cincinnati’s Pedro López in the jaw with a pitch, and then went 0-1 with a 10.45 E.R.A. in his final 16 games. Opponents hit .466 against him in that span."I see the Mets have acquired an afterschool special for the bullpen. Matt Wise ... the pitcher who cared so much that he dared not hurt anybody ever again. "Don't worry Matty, you'll find your inner soul ... as soon as you find your inner half." Ralph Macchio would be so all over this role. Might even put his career back on the map.
.466? Did batters face him with aluminum bats?
17 comments:
Sounds like the kind of head case that Rick the Jacket loves to fix.
At least Omar only gave him a 1-year deal, as opposed to the multiyear contracts for middle relievers that had been his questionable policy for the last couple of years.
Would you rather have a rage-aholic like Clemens? I am rooting for Matt 100%!
Lets not make fun of him, it might make things worse.
He's slightly better than average for his career - career OPS+ of 108 - and he's had some very good seasons. In 2005 his WHIP was under 1 although the past 2 years it has gone up quickly. His groundball/flyball ratio is right around 45% which shouldn't hurt him as much in Shea as in Miller Park and he doesn't give up too many home runs. All in all, not a bad signing he could turn it around and turn into a real asset in the bullpen.
*Career ERA+...sorry it's early.
yeah mp...a real ASSset.
I want Mark Prior!
Metstradamus -
I am a big fan, but you have been drinking a serious portion of the haterade this offseason. i know 2007 has been a pretty ugly year in mets history, but some support wouldn't hurt. i feel like you used to be a voice of reason, but now on some days there's not a whole lot to separate you from the fringe metsblog commenters who suggested getting erik bedard by trading jose reyes and bringing in miguel tejada. thank you houston astros...but that's another story for another day.
the sky isn't falling - it's just a little dented in the middle. give this team a chance to raise the roof back up a little bit. you can be supportive without imitating Marty "the homer...RYAN CHURCH GIVES THE METS LINEUP LEFTY RIGHTY BALANCE!" Noble.
as far as Matt Wise goes, give it a chance. low-risk high-reward. it could end up panning out nicely.
Don't hate the numbers upstate....hate the game.
didn't this guy play Laura Palmer's dad in Twin Peaks? Maybe that was Ray Wise.
I'm starting to love the Sabermetrics stuff- it really appeals to my inner geek and makes me feel better about this.
But what are Wise's stats when Mercury is retrograde during a presidential election year on astroturf in night games?
I like this signing. We needed to do something in the bullpen, without overpaying or giving a multiple year contract that kills us when he doesn't pan out ala Schoenweis. Maybe Pedro will learn him how to pitch inside again.
Matt,
I don't so much "drink" Haterade as much as I take it via an I.V. drip.
Here's the ironic part about the whole thing (and I say the following with a big smile on my face): I like the signing too! I hope it pans out. Those old enough to remember Afterschool Specials remember always rooting for things to work out in the end, especially for a one-year deal. Omar did good here. That probably didn't come through in my post, but trust me, that's what I'm thinking.
That being said, .466 is a ridiculous number. It's not like he hit the guy in the head and then gave up hits at a .290 or .320 clip. Four sixty-six! Again, I like the move, but whether you like the move or not, .466 is an enormous number! Guys hit .466 in high school (thus, the aluminum bat comment.)
Now, why Milwaukee discarded him and thought Guillermo Mota was a good idea, I'll never know. And yes, I'm rooting for him. And yes, it's a good signing. Maybe if I said George Clooney instead of Ralph Macchio, I wouldn't have seemed so acerbic.
All I have to say is that if Matt Wise gets so mad thinking about what I write that all his frustrations come out as he plunks Hanley Ramirez in the ribs with a fastball with a big evil smile on his face, and he lives happily ever after, you'll be thanking me and my December dose of Haterade I.V. drip.
But don't forget, there's a clause in his contract that says he gets paid $750K if he gets cut, which is an admission that there's a very real chance that instead of being a bullpen rock, he could also be the next Steve Blass.
P.S. You're right, the sky isn't falling. It already fell last September. I have the bumps on my head to prove it. Maybe it's not fair to cast so much doubt on everything and anything. And maybe it's not fair that I've become Stadler and Waldorf from the Muppet show. But that's what happens when you're only as good as your last game. And in the Mets last game ... let's just say we need another game. And it's a long ways away.
:)
Did somebody mention George Clooney?? that got my attention. And "haterade"? I never heard that before - but I love it.
And Metstradamus, seriously, you're getting your haterade by IV? Aren't you afraid of needles? Donald Fehr says indignantly that the reason players shouldn't be subjected to blood tests for HGH (which may be available soon) is that they shouldn't be expected to be "pincushions".
I guess having a completely ignorant untrained non-medical person like your teammate or coach give you weekly intramuscular injections, using god-knows-what kind of equipment, injecting a questionable substance that was prepared in a bathtub in China (see Mitchell report page 235) is preferable to having a certified lab technician do a safe and simple venipuncture a few times a year.
I've got you beat metstra - I'm having a hatemaker® installed, that will detect postitive feelings, optimism and joy, and will deliver a stream of negative electrons to the happiness centers of the brain.
On that note- I'm off to watch my snowy bootleg copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special on my betamax. Happy Life Day everyone.
Katherine, I'm not afraid of big needles, I'm not Mo Vaughn.
Matt Wise for Steve Carlton. St. Louis will fall for that one...
Don't know if anyone saw the recent Blanton to Mets rumor flying around...
http://ketchuponyouricecream.blogspot.com/
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
Heilman, Mulvey, and Gomez...good deal?
Too much.
After he broke Lopez' face, he wasn't the same. He pitched scared and you could see batters foaming at the mouth ready to tee off on his change. Normally that pitch and handle leftys well.
Only knock on him is his inability to pitch consecutive days/innings. After the bullpen retooling in Milwaukee and adding a mess of power arms, his soft stuff didn't fit in and he became expendable...but he's $2M cheaper than Mota and he will get people out. Not a bad pickup.
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