September 01, 2008

And The Bench Gets Bigger

When the Mets' Johan Santana takes the mound against the Brewers' Ben Sheets, manager Jerry Manuel will have additional options on the bench and in the bullpen as rosters officially expanded today. Joining the team today in Milwaukee are infielder Marlon Anderson, who is being activated from the disabled list, as well as infielder Ramon Martinez (formerly with the Dodgers), catcher Gustavo Molina (no relation to the other Molina catchers), right-handed reliever Carlos Muniz (who has been up and down a few times this season), left-handed starter Jon Niese [See photo] (who will start this Tuesday in place of John Maine, as he auditions for a spot in the rotation in 2009), right-handed starter Robert Parnell, who will probably become a reliever for the rest of the season, right-handed pitcher Al Reyes (because there aren't enough Reyes' on the team), second baseman Argenis Reyes (glad to see him back) and left-handed bullpen veteran Ricardo Rincon. I'd like to see a few more players added, like pitcher Nelson Figueroa, catcher Raul Casanova and outfielder Trot Nixon, and we'll likely see one of these players promoted soon. Additionally, I think, based on the seasons they've had in triple A, Val Pascucci and Chris Aguila deserve a chance to have a cup of coffee in the bigs as well. I know that Omar is resisting bringing up F-Mart, and I agree with that, as I'd rather he rest up and play ball in the Dominican this off-season, and come into Spring Training ready to take AAA by storm! I'm sure Mike Carp is lonely down in Binghamton, missing Evans and Murphy, and he must be confused as to his place in the organization, as it looks more and more like he's just not in the big club's plans.

Let's hope the additions to the bullpen add some stability over the next 4 weeks, as the last 25 games will not only determine whether we make it into the play-offs, but will see the end to our beloved stadium (and namesake) - we're sure hoping the fireworks will come from our bats, as we give Shea a World Series exit!!! Enjoy the game today, and as always, Let's Go Mets!!!!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

FYI Nelson Figueroa had been recalled on August 27th and has been on the roster since that day in the bullpen.