Off-Season Thread

[Sick Of It All]

To turn things around we need young pitching and veteran catchers who receive and call great ball games.

We have the young starting pitching with Niese, Harvey, Wheeler, and Gee + Hefner, Mejia, Pelfrey, and Familia

Now we need veteran catchers who can help mentor the staff and have a good - solid reputation/background.

It starts with Kelly Shoppach and ends with one more veteran like him.

I agree with you till you brought up Shoppach, I am meh on him as well.

I rather they sign a Ross and he would be getting more playing time as a Met that he would in most other organizations, so that may be a thing that he may like if the Mets pursue him.

Thole could be Dickey's personal catcher, I think he will have a better season next year, but he should start less than he did this year if they decide to keep him, though I think he will be non tendered.

[YoungStuna28]

Hundley would be a cheap cost complimentary piece to the bigger trades we make to get impact outfielders. Finding solid two-way catchers is not an easy thing to do. Ross is old and will cost some money that we don't have.

If Hundley bounces back with a change of scenery, he can be our catcher for the next 3 years at least until maybe a Plawecki is ready.

[MetsJets0809]

Hundley would be a cheap cost complimentary piece to the bigger trades we make to get impact outfielders. Finding solid two-way catchers is not an easy thing to do. Ross is old and will cost some money that we don't have.

If Hundley bounces back with a change of scenery, he can be our catcher for the next 3 years at least until maybe a Plawecki is ready.

Exactly. We get Hundley for cheap and then, we use the majority of the money and prospects to get a new OF hopefully and maybe a bullpen guy or two

[Sick Of It All]

2 above average years and 1 good year with a poor rookie season and one abysmal injury-riddled year. Again, I do not know why keep ignoring this fact, the average catcher has a .312 wOBA and 95 wRC+ while Hundley in 2009 had a .315 wOBA and 97 wRC+ followed by a .317 wOBA and 102 wRC+ in 2010. That is above average, not ****** like you keep saying.

That is not above average, but average at best, and nobody is ignoring those numbers and that was as a part time guy as he has been throughout his career. Even with that he still has poor over all numbers in his career and am not going to give him a pass like you want to do.

Again, I'm not gonna continue this debate until you tell me this: Maybe the coaches want Thole to pull the baseball because he keeps getting busted inside. How can you go the other way on fastballs on your hands?

When I posted that article you were ******** on Thole for trying to do what the coaches told him and now you are ******** on him for not being able to do what the coaches told him? Thole had shown better pitch recognition before this year and obviously being more aggressive with pitches inside lowered his BB% and increased his K%.

Why does age matter here? Thole seems to have gotten worse with age, and his tools suggest he's nothing better than what he has been doing. There was no way he was going to keep up the walk rate while being just a ****** hitter with no power.

Age matters because a young guy can still improve, yes Thole had a ****** year in 2012 and that may be what he is from now on, but nobody knows that for a fact, Hundley is 29 and he is what he is a guy with one above avreage year who is likely to have more ****** years than good ones from now on.

Hundley was better than Arencibia at his the same age, and then Hundley broke out last year.

...and Arencibia could break out as well, but since you can see the future you know that this wont happen.

[Sick Of It All]

and there is the word that you and Sandy will tell Mets fans to hang your hat on.

If

If usually turns to who else is available the next year because he sucked balls as his career had shown he did.

Like I said if you do not want Arencibia, then fine go for one of the Milwaukee guys or go for the other guys from the Jays.

I am not betting any money on Hundley being good from now on because those odds are **** stacked against me.

[YoungStuna28]

Well I'll take a slightly above average catcher that can hit homers and actually play catcher as opposed to the garbage that Thole is. Teams have figured him out, throw him inside and he won't do **** because he is weak and has no bat speed.

A ****** young player with no tools does not suddenly become a good player with a few more years of experience.

And I did not say Arencibia could not break out, but he did not improve at all from last year because his plate discipline is piss-poor.

[Sick Of It All]

Well I'll take a slightly above average catcher that can hit homers and actually play catcher as opposed to the garbage that Thole is. Teams have figured him out, throw him inside and he won't do **** because he is weak and has no bat speed.

A ****** young player with no tools does not suddenly become a good player with a few more years of experience.

And I did not say Arencibia could not break out, but he did not improve at all from last year because his plate discipline is piss-poor.

Does Thole have not show a good ability to hit for average in the past? Has he not show an good eye as well?

To say he has no tools is just hating for hating purposes.

Your problem is you think the guy you are advocating for somehow will produce going forward and the other guys mention who have similar career numbers and are 3 years younger will not. That is being blind period simply because you do not want to accept that you are or may be wrong.

[YoungStuna28]

Not really, it's not like he ever hit .290 over a full season. .268 for a contact hitter with no power isn't good at all. He has no tools at all. His bat is not plus, he has no power, is slow, doesn't have a strong arm, and is an average fielder at best. Teams have finally stopped pitching around him and are going right after him.

I'll take the guy who can do this: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?co...20881&c_id=mlb

It takes talent to do that. Hundley is a nice cheap option for us because we don't have to give up valuable assets like we would for one of the catchers on Milwaukee or Toronto.

[MetsJets0809]

Hundley crushed that! I'm telling you guys, he's a throwback player. I have gotten to go to a few Pads games over the past 4 seasons, and many fans like Hundley. They like his game calling and offensive upside. I was talking to a fan 2 seasons ago when I was there and he was saying that Hundley had a chance to be a very solid player for a long time. If the Mets could get him, it would really be a nice little move that could be low cost, high reward

[YoungStuna28]

Exactly, but since Sick said he sucks, he sucks and we should look elsewhere.

[Sick Of It All]

lol based on one homer he is good, give me a ****ing break. Talk about grasping at straws.

[MetsJets0809]

C'mon Sick. You gotta, at the very least, agree that Hundley has potential to be a solid catcher and good stop gap to a young catcher like Plawecki or whomever

[Sick Of It All]

This is the bottom line with Hundley in a small sample of 308 PA in 2011 he was very good, in his other 1,037 PA he has been ****** and well below average and this is the guy that is a better option than Thole?

Yeah I don't think so.

I don't like him because stats show he has not been good for most of his career except for 308 PA in 2011.


If your happy with bottom feeding and going for guys like Hundley be my guest, I rather hope they do much better than him.

[Sick Of It All]

C'mon Sick. You gotta, at the very least, agree that Hundley has potential to be a solid catcher and good stop gap to a young catcher like Plawecki or whomever

How, his stats do not show that except for 308 PA in 2011, if I want a stop gap guy their are better options, give me a veteran like Ross or a guy like Soto.

[Sick Of It All]

...and one last thing the last thing I want is the Mets to get a catcher with knee problems because as we know that spells a healthy season in 2013 and on.