Here was my part of the conversation:
The Mets picked up Mike Jacobs on a Minor League deal recently to compete for the job at first base in 2010. Did the club make a mistake in waiting around to see if Carlos Delgado was healthy enough to play, instead of going after one of the better free agent first baseman earlier in the offseason, such as Adam LaRoche?
Onan Coca, South of Shea
There was never a “sufficiently” better option to Daniel Murphy on the free agent list. Murphy’s defense will prove to be plus-plus, and I think he will show up a lot of naysayers this year. He has excellent range, soft hands, and is aggresive to the ball – I think he has a chance to be a very good defensive 1st baseman. The question in my mind is can he hit consistently and with enough power to be useful. I would have like to have seen the Mets sign Troy Glaus to platoon with Murph at 1st base (instead of Tatis) but I really don’t think Jacobs has a chance to win the every day job. I think you will see Jacobs spend the majority of the year at AAA Buffalo and really only get a chance with the big club if there are a string of injuries.
At the end of the day, I think going with Murphy was Omar Minaya’s best option unless he had a shot to get Adrian Gonzalez away from the Padres – there just wasn’t much better out there for the money it would have cost.
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Hi. I enjoy your blog very much. I agree with your analysis up to a certain point. I don't believe Murphy will develop for power the way that many hope he will. I see him being a John Olerud type, but maybe not as good of a hitter. I realize that is not a fair comparison, but I only mean it in the sense of solid to good defense (although Olerud was sensational on defense) and an above average bat with mediocre power at best. I would take that in Citi field, but in his prime, not right now. I thought they should have forgotten about Delgado sooner and Tatis as well now that I think of it. I really wanted to see them pursue Hank Blaylock. He is a pure power hitter and an okay fielder with more range than Delgado. You could have platooned him with Murphy or just brought Murphy in off the bench or late inning defense. It's too late now, though. I think Jacobs will bounce back and produce this year. Call me naive, but it's just a feeling. Your thoughts? Thanks for posting and people like me will keep reading. Also, I have a blog and would love to add you as a link, with your permission. Write me on it, it's http://nyfaninsjersey.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI think Murph has the ability to be a very good defensive 1st baseman....he did come up as a 3rd baseman. However, I'm more concerned with his bat. I'm not one who feels that both corner positions should be filled by power bats, but it would be nice to have a nice mix of right and left handed power bats (That was the good thing about Delgado). Even still, I think he will hit for a decent averge, especially since he's in a position where he feels more comfortable. Also, in my opinion having a platoon for Murph is not absolutely necessary as I think he will most likely be hitting 7th/8th in the lineup. A break every few days with Tatis coming off the bench should suffice, however like most Mets fans, I think Omar could have tried a little harder this off-season to add depth to the roster. Good article.
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