New York Mets: The Wright Way

Introduction
We all know David Wright is one of the best third basemen in the league right now, and one of the best overall players in the game, altogether. His ability to hit for average, power, drive in runs, and steal bases is better than anybody, except maybe Hanley.
I want to see if I can recreate his current success, and keep it going to a point that he becomes maybe the best third basemen ever, and breaks the all-time RBI mark.

GOALS
1. Have David Wright break the RBI record (Hank Aaron – 2297)
Doing this in Shea will be hard, as Shea is a pitcher-friendly park. Home Runs (97), Batting Average (91), and Doubles (99) are all lower than what I’d like. However, with Reyes on the team, hopefully Wright will always have someone in scoring position for him.
2. Stay under payroll budget at all times
Staying under the payroll is the most important thing for me. Should I go over the payroll budget, I will immediately go under it by means of releases.
3. Build a successful team around Wright
This may be a dynasty aimed towards David Wright, but there is still one team goal, and that is to win. Winning is the goal of every team, in every dynasty, period. To do this fairly, I am going to implement some rules for myself.

HOUSE RULES
Free Agency
During any two week period of free agency, I can sign 3 players. I can only sign a maximum of 2 players a week, so long as there is a 3 day difference inbetween the signings. The maximum I can sign per week is 3. The reason for this is so that if, say the top hitter, and pitcher both want to negotiate with me, I can't sign them both, and must give other teams a chance to sign them.
I cannot sign 3 players with an overall or potential of 81+ in any given offseason. If there is a(n) 90 overall/peak player, and I sign him, I can only sign players under the 80 overall/peak mark the rest of free agency. I can only sign 10 free agents in any given off season. I cannot sign 2 players that have 81+ overall without signed a(n) player with an overall/peak of under 81 inbetween the two signings. Lastly, I can only sign two players in any given week, and 3 players every two weeks.

For in-season free agency, I can only sign the player to a 1-year deal. I can only sign 1 player per calender month.
*I will be using Mizerak's OFG Negotiator App

Trades
I will only be allowed to trade within the seven day period starting rom July 25th, and ending on the trading deadline. I will allow myself 2 trades if I am more than 2 games under .500, and only one if I have either a winning team, or I am a game, or two under .500.
The only way I will allow myself to trade outside of this week-long period, is if a season-ending injury happens. If the the season ending injury does happen, I can only trade for the specific position that is out, and that position must have a 1 year contract, and his overall/peak cannot be higher than 85.

Amateur Draft
I must draft 2 hitters, and 2 pitchers in any given Amateur Draft. My first pick can be whoever I want. Picks after my first, must have at least a 'C' fit to team, and have to be 5 overall points lower than my first pick.

Contract Extensions
I am only going to allow myself to extend 3 players in-season. Last season, I signed like 10, and that is unrealistic, I realise. As far as re-signing players in the offseason goes, I will allow myself to sign 5 players, and after that, it counts towards my 10 player limit.


*Rules can, and will be updated whenever someone gives me another idea, or if I find myself doing unrealistic stuff.*

Mets deal for Corky Miller
3.1.04
The Mets traded there backup catcher, Vance Wilson (71), as well as 21-year old second basemen, Anderson Hernandez (64/76), for the Red’s excellent fielding catcher, Corky Miller (69/73).



Mets trade Danny Garcia
3.6.04
Mets trade prospect second basemen, Danny Garcia (66/80), for outfielder DeWayne Wise (77/80). Wise is the second guy they’ve brought in for possible late inning fielding replacements.



Mets acquire utility man Ryan Freel
3.22.04
With Spring Training coming to a close, the Mets added another great fielder to there bench. The Mets gave up 22-year old outfielder Victor Diaz (67/78) for one of the better fielders in the game at all positions [except catcher], Ryan Freel (79/81)



Mets trade for Punto
3.24.04
Two days after getting a utility infielder/outfielder in Freel, the Mets appeared finished in bolstering there bench full of late inning replacements. The Mets gave up prospect reliever Royce Ring (61/79), in return, they got utility infielder Nick Punto (72/77).



Mets release 14 on Opening Day Eve
3.31.04
In an effort to cut the payroll, the Mets released 14 players Wednesday. Included in the 14 cut players were third basemen, Todd Zeile, second basemen, Joe McEwing, and 43-year old reliever, John Franco.
The cuts will shed 26.39M of there current payroll, giving them over 80M to work with under the budget.

Positional Breakdown

Catcher
1. Mike Piazza (87)
Piazza is quite arguably the greatest catcher to ever grace a Baseball Diamond, offensively at least. However, at 35, his playing days may be done. Met fans wonder how much he has left in the tank.
2. Corky Miller (71/76)
Miller was brought in for late inning defensive replacements, nothing more, nothing less.

First Base
1. Jason Phillips (74/78)
If the Mets can get a replacement for the future, they would surely love to. Phillips is not a great starter. In the future, the Mets would prefer to have his bat on the bench, were he would be more of a help.

Prospects:
1. Craig Brazell (69/80)
It's hard to tell if Brazell will be the future at first base for the Mets. At 23, he is still at least 1-2 years off. He appears as if he will have good contact whenever he comes up, though.

Second Base
1. Kazuo Matsui (74/87)
This Japanese Import was a great base-stealer in his native Japan. If Matsui can bring his hitting abilities with him, and he will make a good starter in New York, if not, then we could use his running abilities on the bench.
2. Nick Punto (77/82)
Punto is a second basemen, though can however play any position on the infield, and play it better than most everyday players at their position. He also was brought in for his fielding abilities, rather than his bat.

Prospects
1. Jeff Keppinger (80/90)
Keppinger is ready to come up to the big leagues now, but with Reyes at short, and Japanese Import, Kaz Matsui at second, he is kind of stuck at the moment. He likely is the second basemen of the future, however.

Third Base
1. David Wright (85/94)
The guy I am doing the dynasty about. Wright is a great young phenom. He will develop into a great hitter, with good power, and speed, as well as becoming one of the best fielders at third. He is not only the third basemen of the future, but also the future of the Mets. There’s not even another third basemen on the roster!

Shortstop
1. Jose Reyes (70/86)
Reyes, just like Wright, is a young phenom. Reyes will be one of the best shortstops in the near future, showcasing a quick bat, with blazing speed, and inconsistent power, he could pave his way into the record books. Also like Wright, there is not another shortstop on the roster.

Left Field
1. Cliff Floyd (82)
Floyd is a pretty good hitter, showcasing occasional power, and pretty good speed. He's not a great fielder, and will likely get taken out late in games.
2. Eric Valent (76/81)
Eric will be DHing against AL teams, as he easily showcases the best bat on the bench. He has played in the big leagues for three seasons, yet is still a rookie. Thanks to his inconsistent bat, he is used just as a pinch-hitter.

Prospects
1. Carlos Gomez (68/94)
At age 18, he may already be the fastest man in the majors. His blazing speed around the base paths will give him a spot on most major leagues teams, should his hitting not pan out. He is the future of the Met's outfield.

Center Field
1. Mike Cameron (84)
A career .250 hitter has showed decent pop in his bat over his career. Cameron has two more years on his contract, but may be cut as early as the All-Star break, depending on performance.
2. Ryan Freel (76/79)
Ryan was brought in for his ability to play absolutely anywhere when called upon to do so. His fielding is absolutely phenomenal, and when combined with very good speed, makes his one of the best overall fielders in the game.
3. Esix Sneed (67/73)
Sneed is here just so one of the good future starting prospects doesn't have to waste a year of progression on the bench. Sneed's best asset is his speed, which is not as good as two, or three others on the bench. He will receive little to no playing time.

Prospects
1. Jeff Duncan (83/91)
The only thing that will keep him from being called up the 'The Show' is his mediocre hitting skills. He is very quick, and is one of the best fielding outfielders there is.

Right Field
1. Richard Hidalgo (83)
The highest paid player on the team is a great fielder, and a decent power threat. He will also hit for a decent average. He will be gone soon, hopefully.
2. DeWayne Wise (73/77)
Just a slightly better fielder than Hidalgo, so won't get much time late in games, at least not in right. Wise can also play left, just as good, if not better than he does right.

Prospects
1. Lastings Milledge
Milledge will develop into a great fielder with good speed, contact, and a slight pop in his bat. Milledge is the future of this Met outfield.

Starting Pitching
1. Tom Glavine (85)
Glavine still has some left in the tank, though it can’t be much more anymore. Despite his age, Glavine can still throw his good fastball in the mid-90’s, and get big league hitters out.
2. Steve Trachsel (83)
Is just 33, but age is already starting to take an effect on him. His fastball is down into the upper-80’s, but he still has good control and decent movement.3. Al Leiter (79)
Leiter, like Trachsel, has an upper 80’s fastball. Unlike Trachsel, however, Leiter has a great slurve ball. With his old age, his control is no longer what it once was.
4. Aaron Heilman (81/88)
Heilman appears as if he is the future ace of this rotation. He throws a sinker, and slider, both with great movement, as well as a nice changeup. He won’t overpower hitters, but he could easily get a few with those breaking balls.
5. Jae Weong Seo (62/71)
He’s only in the rotation because we don’t have another starter who has enough experience here. Unfortunately, due to the age of our rotation, he will have to make some starts.

Prospects
1. Mike Pelfrey (69/95)
Once Pelfrey develops a bit more, he is going to be one of the best strikeout pitchers in the league. Mixing a mid-to-upper-90’s fastball, along with a sharp, hard curve, he could be one of the best strikeout pitchers the Mets have seen.
2. Brian Bannister (69/83)
The complete opposite of Pelfrey. Bannister will get a lot of groundouts. He mixes a 90 mph fastball with a good cutter, and good control. Bannister shouldn’t pan out to be better than Pelfrey, but he will wind up a good compliment to him.

Relief Pitchers
CL. Braden Looper (89)
Looper is a pretty good closer, but isn’t in our future plans. He has two good fastballs that top out in the upper 90’s.
SU. Heath Bell (80/85)
Bell may be the future of closer for a short stint. A good power pitcher, he throws a 90 mph fastball, complimented by a nice, sharp slider.
SR. Pedro Feliciano (83/90)
A good lefty specialist that can, and will also get righties out. We plan for him to be a major contributor to the bullpen for years to come.
SR. Dan Wheeler (82/88)
He could be a closer in the future for another team, but we hope he will wind up our future set up guy. Like Bell, a good power pitcher, throws a slider as his best pitch with a low 90 mph fastball.
MR. Dave Weathers (78)
Weathers is still a good pitcher, despite a decline in skills from age. He can still reach back and throw a 95 mph heater.
LR. Mike Stanton (80)
Despite his age, Stanton still has a good tailing fastball that he can throw for strikes. As our long reliever, hopefully, he won’t pitch a whole lot, but he will likely see a lot of innings.

Prospects
1. Orber Moreno (79/88)
This 26 year old may be getting in the rotation sooner rather than later. He will be one of the future guys in the bullpen, regardless though, and will be pitching in it next year, regardless.
2. Henry Owens (69/89)
If the 24 year old can work on his control, he will be a solid contributor to the bullpen for years to come, despite throwing just a fastball, and slider.
3. Philip Humber (57/90)
He still has a lot of work to do, but it appears he will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

Mets Lose Opening Day in Walk-Off Fashion
4.1.08
The Mets tied the game 2-2 in the ninth, but Heath Bell couldn't hold the game off, as he gave up a walk-off single to Cintron, giving the Mets there first loss of the season.
Wright went 0-4 with 2 K's in his ML Debut.

Mets Win Thanks to Long Ball
4.2.08
Cliff Floyd puts the Mets ahead in the eighth for good, thanks to a solo homer.
David Wright picked up his first two career walks, his first steal, and his first run, as Mike Piazza drove him in the third inning.

David Wright Steals 4; Mets Win
4.4.04
Matt Cain delivered a 3-1 fastball to David Wright in the first inning, and Wright knocked the ball in short left-center for his first ever hit. He then preceded to steal second, and third.
David Wright got his first RBI in his next AB, as Reyes walked, then stole second, and third, and ran home on Wright's base hit to short center. Wright then repeated what he had already done, and what Reyes just did: stealing second, and third. Cliff Floyd homered him in, and the Mets won, 5-3.

Late Inning Heroics Gives Mets Win
4.10.04
Bottom of the ninth, down 3-2, this is the moment some players dream of. As Billy Wagner stepped to the mound, this is the reality David Wright faced.
Wright watched a fastball whiz by for ball one, then a slider grazing the corner for strike one. With a 1-1 count, Wagner let loose a fastball, and Wright gave it to some kid in the second row of the left field seats.
In the eleventh, Reyes double, and Cliff Floyd hit a walk-off basehit to finish off the come-from-behind win.
David Wright went 3-6, with his first career Home Run, and his first career double, as well as a Run, and an RBI. He was a triple short of the cycle.

Mets Bang Out 20 Hits In Win
4.12.04
The Mets went full throttle and demolished the Padres in game 1 of there series, winning 13-5. Hidalgo, and Reyes had 3 RBIs, Hidalgo also added a Home Run.
David Wright went 2-6, hitting a double for his second game in a row. He also drove in two.

Mets Get 8 In First; Win 15-3
4.13.04
The Mets got 20 hits for the second straight night, got a Home Run from Hidalgo the second straight night, and saw Cliff Floyd get 5 hits, including 3 doubles.
Wright went 1-5 with a walk, and RBI, and 2 runs.

Cameron Drives In 6; Tying Braves For First
4.16.04
Mike Cameron drove in six runs, including a Grand Slam in the fourth. Wright his second solo shot of the year.

Wright Homers In 3 Straight Games
4.18.04
Wright homered in all 3 games in the Atlanta Series, that the Mets lost 2-1. putting them 2 back in the division. Unfortunately for Wright, and the Mets, Wright's homers were all solo shots.

Mets Win In Extras
4.24.04
Nine innings was not enough for the Mets - Cardinals game, so they went to 10 were Freel drove in the game-winning run with a base hit. Looper came in to close it out in a 1-2-3 tenth.

This is aggravating. The only two starters I have in the farm system are my prospects, and I am not going to possibly ruin there future so I can possibly win 5 games.
Glavine, Leiter, and now Trachsel are all 3 out, and all three were originally scheduled for 3 weeks out, give or take a few days. Also, LR Mike Stanton is out for a little over 2 weeks.
I'm going to see if I can go out and get a couple more veteran pitchers. I'm looking at upper 70's type guys, that older type guys, just fill in guys, basically.
Hope you guys like this so far.


Also, the end of the month stuff will be up after I try to get a trade, or two in.

APRIL IN REVIEW

New York Mets: 15-11, 4 GB in NL East, 1/2 GB in WC
AVG: Cliff Floyd - .356
HR: Richard Hidalgo - 8
RBI: Richard Hidalgo - 30
SB: Jose Reyes - 13
W: Heath Bell – 3 (WTF – SU Man Leading Team in Wins??)
ERA: Aaron Heilman – 4.10
K: Aaron Heilman - 31
SV: Braden Looper – 6

Started the month good, going 8-2, ended a lot worse than it started, going 7-9 to finish out the month. It would’ve ended on a lot sweet note had Glavine, Trachsel, Leiter, and Stanton had not gotten injured. Not to mention Piazza’s out for a week.

Standings
ALE: Boston (20-8), Toronto (4.5 GB), New York (5.0 GB), Baltimore (9.0), Tampa Bay (10.0)
ALC: Minnesota (17-12), Cleveland & Detroit (2.0 GB), Kansas City (4.0 GB), Chicago (5.0 GB)
ALW: Anaheim (17-10), Oakland (1.0 GB), Texas (5.5 GB), Seattle (8.0 GB)
ALWC: Oakland (16-11), Toronto (1.0 GB), New York (1.5 GB), Cleveland & Detroit (2.0 GB), Kansas City (4.0 GB)
NLE: Atlanta (20-8), Philadelphia (3.5 GB), New York (4.0 GB), Montreal (6.5 GB), Florida (13 GB)
NLC: Pittsburgh (16-10), Houston (1.5 GB), Chicago (1.5 GB), St. Louis (3.5 GB), Milwaukee (4.0 GB), Cincinnati (8.0 GB)
NLW: Colorado & Arizona (14-14/13-13), Los Angeles & San Francisco (0.5 GB), San Diego (2.5 GB)
NLWC: Philadelphia & Houston (17-12/15-10), New York (0.5 GB), Chicago (1.0 GB), Colorado (2.5 GB), Los Angeles (3.0 GB)

Offensive League Leaders
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/600...ttingstats.jpg
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/apr...jpg/1/w640.png

Pitching League Leaders
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/299...chingstats.jpg
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/apr...jpg/1/w640.png

Mets Hitting Stats
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/921...ttingstats.jpg
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/apr...jpg/1/w640.png

Mets Pitching Stats
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/510...tchingstat.jpg
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/apr...jpg/1/w640.png

LEAGUE NOTES
Boston (20-8), and Atlanta (20-8), are dominating their respective leagues. A Marlins winning% of .231 (6-20) is good for lowest in the league.

NYY trade 3 prospects to CIN D’Angelo Jimenez
SDP trade Andy Ashby, and Akinori Otsuka to TOR for Vernon Wells, and Eric Hinske

Jim Thome signed 4 year extension @ 16.8M
Eric Gagne signed 3 year extension @ 8.6M
Adam Dunn signed 3 year extension @ 2.05M
Eric Chavez signed 4 year extension @ 8.0M
Alfonso Soriano signed 4 year extension @ 11.3M
Ichiro signed 3 year extension @ 4.7M
C.C. Sabathia signed 3 year extension @ 3.9M
Jason Kendall signed 5 year extension @ 13.6M
B.J. Ryan signed 3 year extension @ 4.3M
Torii Hunter signed 5 year extension @ 16.9M
Barry Zito signed 3 year extension @ 5.7M
Keith Foulke signed 4 year extension @ 6.0M
Mike Sweeney signed 5 year extension @ 6.0M
Matt Clement signed 4 year extension @ 16.2M (WTF!!)
Ben Sheets signed 2 year extension @ 2.55M
Chipper Jones signed 5 year extension @ 9.0M
Aaron Rowand signed 3 year extension @ 1.2M
Kerry Wood signed 3 year extension @ 6.6M
Juan Pierre signed 3 year extension @ 3.25M
Jimmy Rollins signed 3 year extension @ 3.35M
Mark Buehrle signed 3 year extension @ 3.45M
Johan Santana signed 3 year extension @ 5.1M
A.J. Burnett signed 3 year extension @ 1.9M
Albert Pujols signed a 3 year extension @ 8.5M
Rafael Furcal signed a 3 year extension @ 4.3M

Armando Benitez: Broken Elbow – 3 Months
Alfonso Soriano: Broken Elbow – 3 Months
Steve Kline: Broken Ankle – 3 Months
Luis Gonzalez: Ruptured Cervical Disc – 3 Months
John Maine: Broken Hip – 4 Months
Johan Santana: Broken Neck Vertebra – 6 Months
Andrew Jones: Severe Shoulder Separation – 2 Months

Larry Walker: 2000 Hits
Andres Galarraga: 400 Home Runs
Tino Martinez: 300 Home Runs
Edgar Martinez: 300 Home Runs
Mike Mussina: 200 Wins
Kevin Appeir: 2000 Strikeouts
Omar Vizquel: 300 Steals, 2000 Hits
Alex Rodriguez: 1000 RBIs
Roberto Alomar: 1500 Runs
Luis Castillo: Hit for the Cycle

Robin Ventura Retires
John Franco Retires

Looking at the Farm System
Outfielder Jeff Duncan is hitting an atrocious .194, with an OBP of under .300. However, the other New Orleans hitter, Jeff Keppinger, is hitting .388 with 25 RBI.
On the pitching side of New Orleans, reliever Tyler Yates is shutting down opposing hitters. Yates has a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings.

In Double A Binghamton, the ace combo of Pelfrey, and Bannister has done very well. Pelfrey is underachieving, however. Through 6 games (38.1 IP), he has an ERA of 3.99, and has as many strikeouts, as he does walks (17 apiece).
Bannister is performing excellent, however. Bannister has an ERA of 2.09, with 19 K’s. In 6 starts (38.2 IP), hitters are hitting just .210 against him.

In St. Lucie, the two future Met outfielders, Carlos Gomez, and Lastings Milledge are seeing the ball great.
Milledge is hitting .380, driving in 21, with 3 home runs, and 10 doubles. Gomez, on the other hand, is hitting .393, also with 3 homers. Gomez has drove in 17, hit 6 doubles, 4 triples, and is 17/17 in stolen bases.

In Kingsport, Joe Smith has pitched in 5 games, just over 10 innings, and has allowed just 1 run. Humber has pitched in 3 games, averaging 3 innings per, and has allowed just 1 run as well.

My man, why the hell is Wright batting leadoff?

Oh, and, GREAT work so far. Enjoying it.

good so far and mets i think he is doing wright lead off to get him more at bats to break records

Well, I had Reyes leading off for that first month, but as you could tell, he was only hitting .211, with an OBP of .262. As a lead off guy, even if you have 13 steals in one month, that is unacceptable.
At this point, I don't have a true lead off man that can get on base consistantly, so I am going to experiment with Wright. Hopefully Reyes can start playing like he does in reality and start hitting at least .260. I would prefer to have Wright in the middle of the order, but considering only 8 out of 28 of his hits have been for extra bases, he doesn't yet have the middle of the order power I am looking for, either.
Glad your enjoying.

Btw, that is not the lineup I used for last month, that is the lineup with the changes that I will be going with this month.

Mets Trades For Marquis, and Hendrickson
5.1.04
The Mets traded away there prospect first basemen, Craig Brazell, and there former backup catcher, Tom Wilson for Mark Hendrickson, and Jason Marquis.

Wright Inspires Late Inning Rally; Mets Fall Short
5.1.04
After Josias Manzanillo got the first two outs in the inning, 3 straight singles, started by Wright started a late inning rally. A Hidalgo single scored Wright, but that was all they got in the ninth, as the Mets fell 4-3.
Wright went 3 for 5 with a run, and a double in his first game batting lead off.

Fish Sweep Mets
5.2.04
Despite a Home Run off the bat of Hidalgo, his ninth of the year, and a bases loaded single in the first inning from Jason Phillips, the Mets still fell to the Marlins, 4-3, in the series finale.
Wright went 1 for 4 on the night, with a walk.

Mets End 6-Game Losing Skid
5.4.04
The Mets six game losing streak is finally over. It took a little over 5 hours, and 14 innings, but the game was finally decided by a walk-off error in the fourteenth giving the Mets there first win in the last week.
After a 2-run 8-ining performance from Hendrickson, the bullpen came in and shut down the Expos. I MEAN SHUT DOWN. Yates allowed 2 walks in the ninth inning, but after that, no Expo reached base.
Wright went 0-3 with a run.

Wright Hits First Career Triple
5.9.04
In a 9-8 win Sunday, the Mets young third basemen hit his first career triple as his team won. Reyes also joined Wright with a triple, his second of the past week. Reyes, as well as Cliff Floyd, and Mike Cameron hit home runs in the slugfest.
Wright went 2 for 6 with the triple, an RBI, and a run.

Glavine Returns; Piazza Powers Mets To Victories
5.15.04
Glavine came back from injury and pitched 5 innings, giving up 3 runs. Piazza hit his third homer in the past two games, edging the Braves out.

Weong Seo Pitches Another Gem
5.19.04
For his third straight game pitched, Weong Seo has gone 8 innings, allowing no runs. In his past 3 starts, he has given up 1 run over 24 innings, striking out 14, with a record of 2-1.

Mets Make Trade With Twins
5.21.04
The Mets traded for Luis Rivas (74), Doug Mientkiewicz (77), and Christian Guzman (75). They sent relievers Henry Owens (64/80), Carlos Muniz (67/81), and Orber Moreno (80/83) to the Twins.
Guzman will start at shortstop immediately, allowing Reyes to go down to AAA to polish his skills.

Bernie Moves From Pinstipes to Bluestripes
5.21.04
The Mets traded away Mike Cameron (86), and Esix Snead (68/74) to the Yankees, in order to bring Bernie Williams (85) to Shea. Cameron has hit 9 home runs this year, but is struggling to make contact. Williams, on the other hand, has hit 8 home runs, and is struggling to keep his average from going under .300.

Bernie Pleases Met Fans In Debut
5.21.04
Almost 44,000 fans saw Bernie William's first Met game, live. Those who saw it, loved it.
In the fifth inning, Bernie stepped to the plate, and watched two fastballs from Livan for called strikes. The 0-2 pitch was a changeup that got changed up as it sailed through the air, and into a fan's glove.

Mets Win In Ten
5.22.04
Nine frames was not enough for this game. Everytime one team scored, the other came back and replicated it. It took extra frames to finally decide the game. Corky Miller got the pleasure of a game winning hit, singling home Christian Guzman.

I will post the Amateur Draft results tomorrow. I'm pretty tired, so i'm going to get me some sleep. Hope you guys enjoyed the Dynasty up to this point.

Your trades are very nice, very fair. This dynasty is fantastic, great job so far. Keep it up, I'm reading.

Amateur Draft results will be posted after I do the dishes.

Thanks for the feedback. I can't put a trade limit on myself, because I know I will likely break it with the older players I have, so I just to try to trade for guys that a team would actually trade away. Glad you like it.

I agree with bomber and as a die heart Mets fan I'm here for ya

Alright, my Dad wanted to get on the computer for a while, so now I am going to work on posting the Amateur Draft results, then post the monthly review.
Glad you guys are enjoying this so far.

Great dynasty man I'm really enjoying it.

Amateur Draft

R1P4: Yovani Gallardo (62/94)
http://www.minorleaguenews.com/graph...2WGallardo.jpg
The 18 year old out of Trimbal Technical High School was the fourth overall pick out of the draft. He has good endurance, and appears as if he will develop into a great strikeout pitcher in a couple more years. Gallardo features a great mid-90's fastball, and a sharp, breaking curve.

R2P34: Dave Eulmessekian (52/91)
Dave was one of the hardest throwers in the draft, easily touching the upper-90's. He is going to be a workhouse in the future, that can pick up strikeouts with relative ease. Not only was his fastball one of the fastest in the draft, it was also probably the best.

R3P64: Nick Picks (50/88)
The first outfielder picked up in the draft by the Mets should develop into a fine doubles hitter in the future. He has pretty good power, and decent speed.

R4: RF. Daveed Ortiz (48/79)
R5: CF. Nick Kayser (59/68)
R6: 3B. Phillip Carroll (55/67)

Top 10 Picks
1. DET: RP. Juan Compas (69/91)
2. TBD: RP. Paul Chase (66/95)
3. SDP: RP. Tim Edenborough (66/95)
4. NYM: SP. Yovani Gallardo (62/94)
5. CLE: C. Chris Wilder (58/95)
6. MIL: SP. Mike Quinlan (66/88)
7. CIN: SP. Homer Bailey (55/85)
8. BAL: CF. Cole Braytham (61/95)
9. TEX: RP. Ross Detwiler (54/96)
10. COL: SP. Franklin Morales (62/88)

This will be the last draft in which I use POC's draft rules. As you can see, I broke them. After the fourth round, I could not find any players that were both 10 points lower than my first pick, and at least a 'B' rating to my team.
I will be making my own house rules for the draft, and will be posting them before the Rule 5 Draft in December.

MAY IN REVIEW

New York Mets: 27-27 (12-16 in May), 4 GB in NL East, 3.0 GB in WC
AVG: Mike Piazza - .326
HR: Mike Piazza – 13
RBI: Richard Hidalgo - 46
SB: David Wright – 12 (Reyes in Minors w/ 17)
W: Jae Weong Seo - 5
ERA: Jae Weong Seo – 3.86
K: Aaron Heilman - 60
SV: Braden Looper – 10

Our team has to start hitting the ball, plain and simple. Our team’s batting average is .253, good enough for worst in the NL, and second worst in the majors (Oakland - .248). Our Team ERA is a lot better than could be expected at 4.53.

Standings
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/2122/alstandings.jpg

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8821/wildcard.jpg

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8821/wildcard.th.jpg

League Leaders
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/899...gueleaders.jpg
[URL=http://g.imageshack.us/img24/hittingleagueleaders.jpg/1/][IMG]

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/440...gueleaders.jpg
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/pit...jpg/1/w640.png

Mets Stats
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/941...ttingstats.jpg
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/met...jpg/1/w640.png

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/770...chingstats.jpg
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/met...jpg/1/w640.png

LEAGUE NOTES
Every division except the AL West is competitive at the moment, heck, you may ever consider the West close as well (Oakland 5.0 GB). Yankees are 36-21 for best AL record, and Phillies take over best in the NL at 32-24.

Two Huge Deals This Month:
Ken Griffey (90) Heads to Pittsburgh for Ian Snell (75/92)
Now for the big one…
NYY Gets: RP. J. Putz(90/95), SP. J. Moyer (82), 2B. B. Boone (78)
SEA Gets: 2B. R. Cano (74/88), SS. A. Cannizaro (66/82), CF. K. Lofton (76), RP. P. Quantrill (79), 1B. Andy Phillips (68/73), SP. J. Lieber (75),

If you think either of these two deals should be overturned, let me know. I think the first one is fine, the second, to me, appears border-line. First 3 for overturn, or leave it is the verdict for the two trades.

Jake Westbrook signed 2 years @ 1.8M
Scot Shields signed 2 years @ 2.4M
Josh Fogg signed 2 years @ 670K

Sean Borroughs: Broken Wrist – 8 Months
Kenny Lofton: Torn Knee Ligament – 2 Months
Zach Duke: Fractured Skull – 2 Months (I bet he has headaches…)
Vladimir Guerrero: Dislocated Hip – 6 Weeks
Orlando Hernandez: Torn Elbow Ligament – 3 Months
Austin Kearns: Severed Knee Ligament – 6 Months
Adam Eaton: Broken Back Vertebra – 5 Months
Steve Finley: Torn Knee Ligament – 2 Months

Orlando Hudson: 20-Game Hitting Streak
Josh Phelps: 24-Game Hitting Streak
Kevin Brown: 200 Wins
Craig Biggio: 2500 Hits
Bernie Williams: 2000 Hits (Got 2000 w/ NYY)
Geoff Jenkins: Hit for the Cycle
Chipper Jones: 1000 Runs
Fred McGriff: 2500 Hits
Manny Ramirez: 1000 Runs
Jim Thome: 400 Home Runs
Mariano Rivera: 300 Saves

Roberto Hernandez Retires
Terry Mullholland Retires

Looking at the Farm System
In 9 games at AAA, Reyes is hitting .371. If he can continue playing like this over the next month, the Mets may call him up depending on Guzman’s play. Jeff Keppinger is batting .385 with 50 RBI. With Nick Punto batting .236, the Mets may call up Keppinger and see if he can hit .385 against big league pitching. With Keppinger at AAA, Matsui hasn’t played much, hopefully this can change. Meanwhile, Duncan has raised his average to .285, but still needs to polish those hitting skills up.
Both Grant Roberts and Tyler Yates are pitching very well for the Zephyrs. Yates has an ERA of 2.57, while Roberts has an ERA of 2.85, and has started 6 games. After giving up 15 runs in less than 13 innings, Marquis has pitched 18.1 innings for New Orleans, and given up just 6 runs. Marquis may be getting ready to be called back up.

In Binghamton, Gomez is batting over .400 through 9 games, Milledge, under .300.
The two-headed pitching monster in Binghamton has pitched amazingly well. Bannister still has an ERA under 2, and Pelfrey has lowered his to a 3.31.

In St. Lucie, Joe Smith has pitched 7.1 innings, and given up just 1 run, while Humber has pitched an inning more, and given up a run more. Humber has also fanned nine.

MAY IN REVIEW

New York Mets: 27-27 (12-16 in May), 4 GB in NL East, 3.0 GB in WC
AVG: Mike Piazza - .326
HR: Mike Piazza – 13
RBI: Richard Hidalgo - 46
SB: David Wright – 12 (Reyes in Minors w/ 17)
W: Jae Weong Seo - 5
ERA: Jae Weong Seo – 3.86
K: Aaron Heilman - 60
SV: Braden Looper – 10

Our team has to start hitting the ball, plain and simple. Our team’s batting average is .253, good enough for worst in the NL, and second worst in the majors (Oakland - .248). Our Team ERA is a lot better than could be expected at 4.53.

Standings
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/212...andings.th.jpg

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1926/nlstandingsk.th.jpg

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8821/wildcard.th.jpg

League Leaders
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8995/...leaders.th.jpg

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/440...leaders.th.jpg

Mets Stats
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/941...ngstats.th.jpg

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/770...ngstats.th.jpg

LEAGUE NOTES
Every division except the AL West is competitive at the moment, heck, you may ever consider the West close as well (Oakland 5.0 GB). Yankees are 36-21 for best AL record, and Phillies take over best in the NL at 32-24.

Two Huge Deals This Month:
Ken Griffey (90) Heads to Pittsburgh for Ian Snell (75/92)
Now for the big one…
NYY Gets: RP. J. Putz(90/95), SP. J. Moyer (82), 2B. B. Boone (78)
SEA Gets: 2B. R. Cano (74/88), SS. A. Cannizaro (66/82), CF. K. Lofton (76), RP. P. Quantrill (79), 1B. Andy Phillips (68/73), SP. J. Lieber (75),

If you think either of these two deals should be overturned, let me know. I think the first one is fine, the second, to me, appears border-line. First 3 for overturn, or leave it is the verdict for the two trades.

Jake Westbrook signed 2 years @ 1.8M
Scot Shields signed 2 years @ 2.4M
Josh Fogg signed 2 years @ 670K

Sean Borroughs: Broken Wrist – 8 Months
Kenny Lofton: Torn Knee Ligament – 2 Months
Zach Duke: Fractured Skull – 2 Months (I bet he has headaches…)
Vladimir Guerrero: Dislocated Hip – 6 Weeks
Orlando Hernandez: Torn Elbow Ligament – 3 Months
Austin Kearns: Severed Knee Ligament – 6 Months
Adam Eaton: Broken Back Vertebra – 5 Months
Steve Finley: Torn Knee Ligament – 2 Months

Orlando Hudson: 20-Game Hitting Streak
Josh Phelps: 24-Game Hitting Streak
Kevin Brown: 200 Wins
Craig Biggio: 2500 Hits
Bernie Williams: 2000 Hits (Got 2000 w/ NYY)
Geoff Jenkins: Hit for the Cycle
Chipper Jones: 1000 Runs
Fred McGriff: 2500 Hits
Manny Ramirez: 1000 Runs
Jim Thome: 400 Home Runs
Mariano Rivera: 300 Saves

Roberto Hernandez Retires
Terry Mullholland Retires

Looking at the Farm System
In 9 games at AAA, Reyes is hitting .371. If he can continue playing like this over the next month, the Mets may call him up depending on Guzman’s play. Jeff Keppinger is batting .385 with 50 RBI. With Nick Punto batting .236, the Mets may call up Keppinger and see if he can hit .385 against big league pitching. With Keppinger at AAA, Matsui hasn’t played much, hopefully this can change. Meanwhile, Duncan has raised his average to .285, but still needs to polish those hitting skills up.
Both Grant Roberts and Tyler Yates are pitching very well for the Zephyrs. Yates has an ERA of 2.57, while Roberts has an ERA of 2.85, and has started 6 games. After giving up 15 runs in less than 13 innings, Marquis has pitched 18.1 innings for New Orleans, and given up just 6 runs. Marquis may be getting ready to be called back up.

In Binghamton, Gomez is batting over .400 through 9 games, Milledge, under .300.
The two-headed pitching monster in Binghamton has pitched amazingly well. Bannister still has an ERA under 2, and Pelfrey has lowered his to a 3.31.

In St. Lucie, Joe Smith has pitched 7.1 innings, and given up just 1 run, while Humber has pitched an inning more, and given up a run more. Humber has also fanned nine.

I am going to re-do the screenies, hold up guys.

Okay, there we go. 2 Weeks through Wright's rookie year, and he has gotten his first injury (sprained shoulder - 8 days).

I think the second trade should be overturned.

I agree

The first one is fine seeing as Griffey is aging and Snell has a good upside. The second one is just blah, overturn please. Putz is better than everyone offered IMO.

Damnit, I deleted the images on photobucket...I gotta upload again =(.
And I will overturn that trade, and keep the other. Glad you guys agree with me on that.

BigBomber: Were did you get those bars in your sig? I've seen those around on forums of past and present, and I've always wanted some.

I read your PM, but I had to go earlier. I got them from a website, I typed in something into google. Try userbars.be thats what I used I think. It was a year ago, but if it sucks use userbars.com

Okay, got an avvy, got my siggy bars, and got my screenies fixed. Once Wright comes back, and I take a piss, everything will be perfect!

Struggling Punto Sent To Minors, Phillips Benched
6.1.04
Keppinger gets a double in his ML debut, while Mientkiewicz goes 0-4 is his first start since coming over from Minnesota.

Mets Win Homer-Fest
6.2.04
Nine runs were scored during the five home run game Wednesday. Thanks to a three run seventh inning, the Mets won, 5-4. The Met's two homers came in this inning, a 2-run shot around the pole by Guzman, and a solo shot by Hidalgo, his thirteenth on the year.

Mets Lose In Walk-Off Fashion
6.4.04
After 6 runs through 3 innings for Seo, the Mets bull pen did good until it allowed a walk-off base knock in the tenth by Chris Stynes to win the game for Pittsburgh.
In other news, Dan Wheeler tore his hamstring, and is out for a month. :(Wright will be back in 2 days! :D

Mets Spark Rally; Fall Short
6.5.04
Despite nine runs in the last two innings, including a seven-inning ninth, the Mets couldn't scratch another run across the board somewere to force extras, and lose 10-9.

Another Walk-Off Error Helped Mets Win
6.12.04
In the tenth inning, the Mets Cliff Floyd hit his second walk-off error for a Met win. This is the second of this type for the Mets this season, and for Floyd.
Wright has been 7 for 27 since coming back (.259), 5 of the seven hits being doubles.

Mets Shutout; Second Time This Week
6.13.04
Against the D-Backs on Tuesday, Steve Sparks pitched 8 shutout innings, and Valverde came in to close out a 2-0 Met loss. This time around, Brett Myers pitched 8 strong, striking out 8. Wagner came in to close this one out, his 15th save of the season.
Seo pitched 7 innings, allowing 2 runs.

Ryan Howard Singles Home A Met Loss
6.14.04
Abreu singled in the eleventh, then preceded to steal second, and come home on a Ryan Howard single, putting the Mets down 3-2.
In the Met's half of the inning, they managed runners on first and second with 2 outs, and Bernie Williams flew out to right to end the game.

Bernie Redeems Himself
6.15.04
After flying out to right with 2 runners on base last night, and losing the game, Bernie singled in 12th inning, and came around to score on an Eric Valent base hit.
This win puts the Mets 3 games under .500, and 7 GB in the division.

Expos Rally Late; Not Good Enough
6.17.04
Expos get 4 in the ninth, but fall a run short, as the Mets win 8-7.
Piazza homered, his 18th on the season, and drove in 4. Wright committed an error, but scored twice.
The Mets are a game under .500.

Mets Score All 3 In 8th To Win
6.22.04
Hidalgo had an RBI double, driving home Mike Piazza, and Cliff Floyd hit a 2-run homer, his 15th of the year, to lead the Mets to a 3-run eighth, and a victory.

Bernie Denies Mets Extension
6.24.04
As the Mets have begun talking to there arbitration eligible players, and those whose contract is up at the end of the year. The Mets talked to Bernie on Thursday about an extension, and Bernie politely told them he was either going to retire, or see if he could get with a World Series team in free agency. Current closer Braden Looper told the organization that he'd talk to them in the offseason.
They talked to Mientkiewicz regarding an extension, he asked the Mets to wait until the All-Star break, as well as Luis Rivas, and Al Leiter.
Steve Trachsel signed a contract that will pay him a total of 7.2M until the end of the '05 season. The Mets also locked up Jason Marquis for 4 years. The contract will reportedly pay him 3.4M.

Wright Hits A Granny; Hidalgo Drives In Other 5
6.26.04
David Wright hits his first career grand slam, and Hidalgo adds two homers, and 5 rbi of his, as these two power the Mets to a 10-0 win.
Wright is hitting .309, with 8 home runs, and 16 steals. He has driven in 29.

I'm going to get something to eat, then upload my screenies, and post the near-halfway mark review.
Look out, I am going to try to snag a good player from a weak team to make a playoff push. Biggest need is a true leadoff man, and a reliever or two. Lower down the list is a leftfielder who can hit a little more for average than Floyd can, and some middle infielders that can hit in the .270's.
Now, if I can't get any of these at a reasonable price, I will have a mini sell, trading away older producers for good prospects like Piazza, Floyd, and Bernie (who will likely get traded anyway, seeing as how he won't resign with me).

JUNE IN REVIEW

New York Mets: 40-43 (13-16 in June), 7 GB in NL East
AVG: Richard Hidalgo - .320
HR: Mike Piazza – 20
RBI: Richard Hidalgo - 62
SB: David Wright – 16 (Reyes in Minors w/ 17)
W: Jae Weong Seo, Aaron Heilman - 6
ERA: Aaron Heilman – 3.91
K: Aaron Heilman - 92
SV: Braden Looper – 19

Our bullpen is not keeping us in the games. Not that our hitting is great, though we do have some nice power, nor I am saying our pitching is great, though there are two guys in the upper 3’s of ERA, highest in the rotation is Leiter’s 4.58. If the bullpen can get it under control, our team will have a lot better chance to win these ball games.

Standings
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/178...ndingsr.th.jpg

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/434...andings.th.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/215...andings.th.jpg

League Leaders
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/541...leaders.th.jpg

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/187...leaders.th.jpg

Mets Stats
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/6606/nymhitting.th.jpg

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/370...itching.th.jpg

League Notes
The NL is highly competitive, all divisions with no more than 3.5 GB separating first, and second place. The Wild Card has 4 teams with-in 2.5 games. Were as in the AL, NY/BOS is controlling the East/WC, and the Halos are controlling the West. The Central is a very good battle, however, with Minnesota, and Chicago with a game between them.

Trades
1B. Brad Fullmer (90) leaves Texas to go to Minnesota for SP. Carlos Silva (70/88) - Rangers are 21 games under .500, 19.5 back, so this is good for me. There pitching sucks, and always have, let me know if you guys think it should be overturned, however.

Boston gets 2B. Brian Roberts (who I was thinking about trading Keppinger for, but his .260-ish average drove me away) for 1B. Jeff Bailey (67/92, also 25 years old), and LF. David Murphy (69/84) – Boston greatly overpaid for Roberts, in my opinion. Let me know if I should overturn it.

3B. Russell Branyan (75) left Milwaukee for Cleveland for LF. Ben Francisco (60/73), and 2B. Joe Inglett (61/73)

If you think any of these deals should be overturned, let me know. First 3 votes for overturn, or leave it is the verdict for the trades.

Extensions
RP. Joaquin Benoit – 2 Years
SP. Doug Davis – 3 Years
SP. Tim Redding – 2 Years
RP. Francisco Cordero – 3 Years
OF. Geoff Jenkins – 4 Years
SP. Carlos Zambrano – 3 years

Injuries
Kevin Slowey: Broken Wrist – 7 Months
Jeremy Affeldt: Ruptured Cervical Disc – 3 Months
Akinori Otsuka: Severe Elbow Tendonitis – 3 Months
Mark DeRosa: Severed Knee Ligament – 7 Months
Andy Pettitte: Severed Elbow Tendonitis – 3 Months

Milestones
Moises Alou: 1000 RBI
Derek Jeter: 21 Game Hitting Streak
Fred McGriff: 500 Home Runs
Troy Percival: 300 Saves
Jack Wilson: 26 Game Hitting Streak
Sammy Sosa: 1500 RBI
Magglio Ordonez: 22 Game Hitting Streak
Chipper Jones: 1000 RBI
Carlos Delgado: 1000 RBI
Tim Salmon: 1000 RBI

Retirees
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/6219/ellisburks.th.jpg
^Hall of Fame Worthy?^
Jeff Fassero

Looking at the Farm System
Reyes is back under the .300 mark, and has stolen 15 bags in AAA. Matsui is hitting just .237 in AAA, and will likely be used as trade bait this month. Punto is hitting .425 in 20 games, and appears ready to be called up again. Duncan is hitting only .269, and he also may be used as trade bait.
Grant Roberts has been phenomenal in New Orleans this season, pitching in 77.2 innings, with an ERA of 2.55. He may help one of the relievers be used as trade bait, as he appears ready to step up to the next level. Tyler Yates, in 51 innings, has yet to give up a home run, and has an ERA right at 3. Jason Marquis, through 5 starts, has an ERA of 3.73, and may find himself as a spot starter next season.

In Binghamton, Pelfrey is steadily dominating, pitching an ERA of 3.5 through 17 starts, with a 7-3 record. Bannister is steadily dominating, as his ERA is still just 2.04. He is 9-1 through 16 starts and should be promoted to AAA, for the second time this season.
Milledge is hitting .293 with 24 RBIs through 33 games. Gomez has stolen 17 bases through 34 games, and is hitting .307. Gomez is a perfect 40/40 on steals this season between A-ball, and Double-A ball.

Joe Smith has pitched 26.2 innings for St. Lucie this year. He has thrown up an ERA of 2.03. Phillip Humber has pitched in 13 games, starting 4. He has pitched through 32.2 innings, and has an ERA of 3.31.

The Mets first overall pick in this year’s draft has started 2 games, allowing 7 runs in 11 innings. He has struck out 7.

Damn, that was the quickest month in review ever for me. Only took about 15 minutes, half of what it usually takes.

Anyone have any mid-season predictions for MVP, or Cy Young?

One question, do you want the pics to be that small so we can click on them or do you want them enlarged? If you want them enlarged I can help.

And I think a trade should be overturned, Fulmer for Silva, thats stupidity. Wait what age is Fulmer and whats his salary?

BTW I vote Matt Clement for Cy Young atm and Pujols MVP.

Fullmer is 29, with a salary of 3.15M thru 2006. However, he is greatly underperforming for his ability (.248, 13. 39, only .310 OBP). Also, with the Rangers performing that badly, they need to prepare for the future, having a pitcher that looks like he'll evelop into there future ace is vital, since there pitching has always struggled (5.18 Team ERA, third highest in AL, fourth worst in the majors).

I think that Lance Berkman'll win MVP.

I have a trade lined up with Colorado that I don't know if I should make, or not. Mind you, the Rox are 34-48, 14.5 GB, so there done for the year. They also have a pretty old team, and have Morales/Jimenez as well as Holliday/Tulo in Minors. Holliday is ready now, the others should be in 2-4 seasons.
Proposed Offer: (Overall/Peak, Age, Contract)
Coming: SP. Aaron Cook (90/95, 25, 293K @ ARB 05) RF. Larry Walker (87, 37, 4.5M @ 1 YR), RP. Steve Reed (79, 39, 1.75M @ 1 YR), and C. Todd Greene (72, 33 1.1M @ 3 YRS)
Going: CF. Bernie Williams (84, 35, 4.3M @ 1 YR), 2B. Jeff Keppinger (84/93, 24, 293K @ ARB 07), CF. Jeff Duncan (79/86, 25, 293K @ ARB 06), and C. Joe Hietpas (68/73, 25, 15.4K @ ARB 07)

you win that in my eyes get a young sp and lose 1 young hitter plus get walker for a year or 2 till yur of's are ready

I'm not going to do that. Too unrealistic. The Rockies are in a super sell mode, and I don't feel like taking advantage of that. Regardless of the fact that Cook isn't pitching well (likely because of Coors field), I'm not going to take advantage of his low value to Colorado.
However, I may work up a good offer for Cook. Something that could help the Rockies out in the future.

Yeah don't do it.