| Mark Kelley. 13th February, 2006 - 5:38 pm
 May 22nd, 1998 was supposed to be as similar as any other for New York Mets fans. Through the first month and change of the season, the team had performed fairly well, piling up a 23-20 record through the first forty-three games of the season. Yet, regardless of the decent start (and follow up to 1997s 88 win season), New York lacked the necessary firepower to truly get over the hump and become a playoff contender. As each game passed by, the division leading Atlanta Braves began to get blurrier and blurrier at the top of the eastern division. Equipped with their traditionally splendid starting rotation, the Braves were also using an improved offense to capture victories. Javy Lopez had begun to break out, and Chipper Jones was establishing himself as a legitimate MVP candidate.
Early that morning, though, seven words changed the landscape (and attempted to shift the power) of the National League East: Mike Piazza was headed to New York. Acquired for three prospects, the price to get Piazza was nothing close to cheap. New York gave up a promising young outfielder named Preston Wilson (yes, that Preston Wilson), and two pitching prospects including one, Ed Yarnall, who had assembled a 7-0 record through seven starts at class AA Binghamton (including an eye-popping .39 earned run average). The deal hurt an already damaged farm system after the Al Leiter deal earlier that off season (where the new Toronto Blue Jay AJ Burnett was dealt). But it was all worth it.
The Mets needed a face to their franchise. They had good, quality ball players who went out each day and performed extremely well (Edgardo Alfonzo, John Olerud, and Al Leiter to name a few) but they lacked a true power source, both on the field and off. Piazza’s deficiencies had been well documented for years: he was horrendous throwing out runners. But, in having a weak and terribly inaccurate arm, Mike began to be labeled an all around poor defensive catcher, something that was simply not true. He called a very good game, blocked the plate as well as anyone in baseball, and took pride in knocking balls down in the dirt.
The fact that he was one of the best hitters in baseball (not just the best hitting catcher) topped it all off. He had the ability to hit for power or average, and did so on a daily basis. His ability to hit the ball opposite way made each and every pitch a grind for the pitcher because he wouldn’t beat himself. He’d go with the ball to right field and, with his lightning fast bat speed, could turn on anything on the inner half of the plate. Though he looked like a wounded animal while running, it did little to diminish the power that he supplied at the plate. It was a joy to watch.
Piazza symbolized more than a great hitting catcher. His ability to come through in the most important situations quickly won him over in the hearts of New York fans (well, of course, after he was booed terribly early on in his tenure with the club). The most joyous memories of Mike in a Mets uniform are perhaps too abundant to mention. His three run home run off of Billy Wagner in 1998; his game winning blast off of then-untouchable Trevor Hoffman, also in 1998; his screaming line drive that cleared the left field fence to cap off the ten run inning versus Atlanta; his home run in the team’s first game back at Shea after 9/11.
With each blast, it became more and more clear how lucky Mets fans were that the Dodgers foolishly decided against paying Piazza close to one hundred million dollars (instead, they spent it on oft-injured Kevin Brown). They were lucky due to his quiet personality off the field but big hits on the field, but also lucky due to the position he played. Traditionally the catchers spot in the lineup has been one where a good defensive player resided, and little else. Generally they had batted down in the order, and their primary job was to handle the pitchers. Mike broke away from the common mold, giving the Mets an asset that no other team besides the Texas Rangers could boast of having. The importance of this could not be overlooked: he gave the team a bat where most others didn’t have one. He allowed the team’s notoriously poor outfield play to not be a backbreaker. For what seemed like an eternity, Mets fans didn’t have to think twice about the catching position. It was consistently there, a rock that need not be overturned. But, with the closing of his seven year, ninety-one million dollar contract that he signed in late 1998, New York finally needed to fill the catching hole this off season.
General manager Omar Minaya, in his second year running the club, was not without options in filling the hole on the diamond. Unlike previous seasons where quality backstops were hard to find, Minaya went into the off season with four decent catchers to work with: Ramon Hernandez (formerly of the San Diego Padres), Bengie Molina (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), Paul Lo Duca (Florida Marlins, and a potential casualty of the cost-cutting deals expected by Florida management), and lastly, to bring back Mike Piazza for a season.
Mets fans had to put their love for Piazza behind them when attempting to make a rational decision on the direction of the position for the present as well as the future. However, this didn’t mean that Piazza was entirely done. At a reasonable price, he could have easily filled in for a season, and then walked his way right into Cooperstown. Let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of the four available catchers, ranked in order of my preference:
Ramon Hernandez, 6’0”, 225 pounds, Bats Right, Throws Right
Hernandez, my top choice coming into the winter, was the youngest of the four potential suitors. Catchers have traditionally broken down in their early 30s (evidence included Ivan Rodriguez’s poor performance last season), which leaves this extra year on Molina (and multiple years on Piazza and Lo Duca) as extremely important. Essentially, it guarantees another year of productivity. Over the past three seasons, a sample size most accurate in judging a player, Hernandez has shown good power for the position (his slugging percentages since the 2003 season compare favorably with Piazza’s, and trumps that of Lo Duca and Molina) and an overall good bat. He has put up a comparable OPS+ (a statistic created by www.baseball-reference.com, which takes into account park factors when evaluating a player’s offensive ability) Piazza, Molina, and Joe Mauer of the Twins while blowing out the aforementioned Rodriguez and Lo Duca. Hernandez is decent behind the plate, but his injury risks are cause for concern. However, with all four members of this list far from durable, it’s less of a sticking point.
Bengie Molina, 5’11”, 210 pounds, Bats Right, Throws Right
For years, Molina was known more for being the brother of teammate Jose Molina (and later on, Yadier Molina of the Cardinals) and his good throwing arm than for his overall catching game. In a way, this was for good reason, as before 2005, Molina could be defined as nothing more than a weak hitting catcher. But not surprisingly, his contract year produced a season far above his standard norm. Bengie set career highs in batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage all the while playing his consistent defense. In the American League Divisional Series against the Yankees, he couldn’t have upped his stock any more as he exploded on the Bombers to the tune of a 1.388 OPS. Molina’s speed isn’t cause for concern, but his weight problems and injury history surely has put fear in the eyes of teams throughout the off season.
Mike Piazza, 6’3”, 215 pounds, Bats Right, Throws Right
Piazza’s decline has been tremendous. Sure, he hasn’t been nearly as productive recently as he was in the past. But, this dramatic decline has more to do with the lofty expectations he set for himself over his first ten seasons in the big leagues than the actual decline he saw. In reality, Mike was still one of the better hitting catchers in baseball last season. He still had power for the position, which kept him valuable in the order, albeit down in the order. What has plagued him his entire career (and it has really been upped as he has gotten older) is his defense, specifically his throwing arm. But, as a one year player, there was little to lose in having him return for a season.
Paul Lo Duca, 5’10”, 185 pounds, Bats Right, Throws Right
Lo Duca has been one of the more overrated players in baseball since 2002, following his breakout 2001 campaign where he set career highs in every category across the board. That season seemed to have left a lasting impression in the minds of baseball fans, as he still is considered a top hitter for the position. Frankly, it’s just not true. He has a decent offensive game, marked mainly by multiple singles (he has very little power, nor does he have many extra base hits) which leads to a decent average. He doesn’t walk much, and is nothing more than average behind the dish. The fact that he is likeable is nice and all, but having intangibles and being a team leader can only go so far. His age is also a potential concern.
Ideally, the Mets would go with either Molina or Hernandez. In a way, it seemed like it was a foregone conclusion going into the off season. When talking predictions, one of either Molina or Hernandez was always headed to the Mets. Piazza was essentially out of the mix, and Lo Duca was not even on the radar (granted, at this time Lo Duca wasn’t yet on the trade block; the Marlins hadn’t started their firesale). Neither Molina nor Hernandez figured to break the bank (I expected both of them to get in the six to eight million a year range, for no more than four years), hardly expensive for two guys who are just below the top tier at their respective positions. Yet, with three catchers still on the free agent market, Minaya decided to pull the trigger on a deal for Lo Duca, sending emerging prospect Gaby Hernandez to the Marlins in exchange for the catcher.
So many words were available to describe my reaction. Distraught. Shocked. Stunned. The best option was simply confused, as I had no idea how the GM of the team could possibly make this decision at the time he made it. Omar was not backed into a corner. He had options available to him, and all were expected to make roughly the same money (outside of Piazza who, again, wasn’t really an option in the first place). Outside of this, signing a player as opposed to dealing for Lo Duca would only have costed a draft pick; dealing for him lost Gaby Hernandez, considered by many to be the third best pitcher in the system behind recently-signed Mike Pelfrey and the always-steady Brian Bannister.
Let’s break this deal down a bit. The Mets had four catchers available. To me, Lo Duca was the worst option of the four. Though he is still considerably younger than Piazza, the difference in salary and years makes Piazza’s current contract status much more favorable to any team. He’s a ridiculously overrated hitter, still living off of his spectacular 2001 season. At this point, though he does make good contact (he hardly strikes out), it’s not as though he consistently makes hard contact. He’s a singles hitter with no power, lacking extra base hits of any kind. His defense is porous at best and though it is better than Piazza’s, whose isn’t? As a player, it doesn’t seem debatable to me that he isn’t superior to Hernandez and Molina. Only taking into account total dollars, the trade was simply unnecessary.
But, with the farm system emptying by the second, hanging onto Gaby Hernandez could have turned out to be vital if a front-line starter becomes available mid-season. I’m not opposed to dealing Gaby in the right deal as he’s far from can’t-miss. But, he does have value, and that value far exceeds anything that Lo Duca will bring to the team. Frankly, Lo Duca could have been obtained without including Gaby. I just have to think that Omar offered him up originally, deciding to offer high and quickly get a deal done as opposed to low balling Florida and working from there.
I realize that many may say that the team has improved tremendously since 2004, and I should just keep quiet. But why? The Lo Duca deal is far from the only questionable move Omar has made, though that is another topic for another time. I’m optimistic on the team’s chances this season, but number thirty one’s shoes could have been filled with a more productive player. |
