Church Wants In; Alou Back To New York

Marty Noble at Mets.com on Ryan Church:

Although his forehead looked as if it had been scrubbed with steel wool and his knees were scraped and his name had been excluded from the Mets' lineup on Wednesday night, Ryan Church said he felt all right and he thought he was well enough to play if a need were to arise. Less than 24 hours after he suffered an apparent concussion, the Mets' starting right fielder said he was free of concussion symptoms and concern about his latest medical episode.

"I'm fine and I want to play," Church said.

In a separate article for Mets.com Marty Noble writes about Moises Alou:

With no visible indication of a problem, Moises Alou left the field on Wednesday night and returned to the Mets' clubhouse. The club announced shortly thereafter that Alou had a strained left calf. The outfielder will be heading back to New York for an MRI on Thursday.

You have got to be kidding me Alou. You know what, put Pagan back in left and leave the roster alone because Alou will be out for another month. This whole thing is getting on my last nerve.

Is It Finally Time For A Change?

Eddie D'Anna at Ya Gotta Believe writes about the whole Mets team and wonders if it's time to shake things up a little:

The Amazin's have officially flushed any momentum gained from the Subway Series by getting outscored 23-7 in three gutless games against the Braves. The manager is more worried about the media then his squad's mediocrity. One of about three guys on this team who plays like he actually gives a darn is concussed. Oh, and Moises Alou hobbled off the field with leg pain.

Time for some sort of change, no?

Church Doing Much Better

Over at Rotoworld they write about Ryan Church's situation:

Brian Schneider said on WFAN that he spoke with Ryan Church (mild concussion) on Monday, and that the outfielder is "doing good."

Church will report to the stadium at the regular time today, although it's unlikely that he'll play. He's day-to-day.

Church Out With Concussion

Ryan Lavner at MLB.com writes about Ryan Church and the mild concussion he suffered in last night's game against the Braves:

Mets right fielder Ryan Church was hospitalized on Tuesday night after suffering a mild concussion in the ninth inning of the Mets' 6-2 loss to the Braves.

Church collided with Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar while trying to break up a double play. Church's head slammed into Escobar's right knee when the shortstop went to throw to first base. Church stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes after the play but did not lose consciousness.

The collision caused a large scrape on the upper-right part of Church's forehead.

Lavner also goes on to say that this concussion isn't as bad as the one Church suffered in Spring Training. Well thank God for that because I don't think the Mets can survive right now without Church.

Church Finally Got What He Always Wanted

Anthony DiComo at Mets.com writes about Ryan Church and how his patience and Schneider's ear has paid off for him in the result of playing every day:

About not playing every day:

"He always got frustrated," Schneider said. "So I'd come and I'd sit there and let him vent. I just let the guy talk and I listened, and told him to stay positive."

On now playing every day:

One quarter of the way into this season, Church continues to lead the Mets in nearly every offensive category worth leading. His .307 average leads all regulars by no small margin, and his nine home runs are tops on the team. He's shown a knack for slugging, a proclivity for reaching base and a propensity for scoring once he gets there.

He's erased skepticism from a public that wasn't entirely ready to give up on Milledge, a then-22-year-old prospect who commanded higher expectations than Church ever did. And he's dissolved talk that he might not be fit to be a full-time player. Scrutinized all spring for an apparent inability to hit left-handed pitching, Church spent the season's first seven weeks constructing a .327 average and .551 slugging percentage against left-handers.

The Strong Shoulders Of Ryan Church

Pete Khazen at Scout.com writes about Ryan Church and how he seems to be carrying the Mets on his shoulders:

Ryan Church's shoulders don't seem to be getting tired. He's carrying the Mets team this early season. With a home run and four RBI on Tuesday, he now has eight and 30, respectively, on the season to go with his team-high .324 batting average.

I bet the critics of this trade are looking at their stat sheets and are shaking their heads because who would have guessed that Ryan Church would have been hitting this well?! He’s already over half way to matching his last season total home runs of 15 with 8. He is surely turning out to be the 2006 version of Xavier Nady.

Is Church The New 2 Hole Hitter?

Adam Rubin at Surfing the Mets writes about Willie Randolph’s decision to bat Church in the 2 hole and Castillo 8th:

Randolph gave more insight into why he’s batting Church second and Luis Castillo eighth. Aside from the obvious fact Church is hotter (.340 vs. .257), Randolph believed Church would benefit from seeing fastballs ahead of David Wright, particularly as opposed to the changeups he would otherwise see from the Nats all-lefty rotation this series. Randolph added that Castillo is a “perfect” No. 8 hitter because he doesn’t swing at many pitches out of the zone, and because he’s still quick enough to get to second base on sacrifice bunts.

Church And Schneider Set To Play Old Team

Anthony DiComo at Mets.com writes about Ryan Church, Brian Schneider and them getting set to play their old team for the first time:

"It's going to be good to get out there and play against guys I played with," Church said. "But at the same time, they're the enemy now."

Brian Schneider was also part of that trade, and unlike Church, the backstop never had the opportunity to face his old teammates in a Spring Training game. For Schneider, Tuesday night's series opener at Shea Stadium will give him a new sort of experience.

"I haven't done it yet, so I don't really know what kind of emotions there will be," Schneider said. "But I'm not anticipating getting all psyched up and excited for it. It's another opponent for us, and we need to get some wins."

Of course there is always some nervousness when you go into a series against a team that you played for so many years with, but now you guys are Mets and you need to step on their struggling necks and deliver the death blow. They need to beat teams like this.

On the other side of the spectrum, Milledge and Lo Duca will be facing the Mets and I’m sure there is going to be some bad blood for them facing the Mets, so they need to try and keep those two at bay. The good thing for the Nats is that they will be missing Johan and Perez. So that means it will be Maine, Pelfrey and Figueroa going into this one.

Church Still Not Cleared

At Rotoworld they write about Ryan Church and his attempt at resuming his Spring Training:

Ryan Church is still feeling the effects of his collision with Marlon Anderson on Saturday and was unable to participate in activities Wednesday.

"Not a good day," Church said. "Yesterday, I felt fine. Today, not so much." He felt randomly dizzy at times during a few morning drills and will not be cleared to return to the lineup until all his concussion symptoms have subsided.

Church Is Back

David Lennon at On The Mets Beat writes about Ryan Church being back at Mets camp:

Ryan Church must be feeling better -- or at least good enough to make it to Tradition Field this morning. Church arrived at 8:55, but still is moving pretty slowly. Not sure what he'll be able to handle aside from eating breakfast. He's expected to talk later this morning.

Church Looking For Power Boost In Shea

John Delcos at Lo Hud writes about Ryan Church and how he thinks that a change of home stadiums will help his power numbers:

Ryan Church said balls died in the gaps at RFK Stadium, and believes his power numbers should improve at Shea.

RFK is huge to begin with, but considering it has a circular upper deck, balls don’t get much help from the wind.

“I’ve always liked hitting there,” he said this morning. “I am anxious to play there. I think doubles will turn into homers.”

Over 20 Home Runs for Church In 2008?

Ray Flowers at The Roto Times puts up a case for Ryan Church's power and how he might just surprise us this year with his power numbers:

Do all those doubles that Church hit last season hint at latent HR power? Well, it has been generally accepted that hitters establish their own HR to flyball ratio, though the major-league average for hitters is generally around 11 or 12%. However, it also seems that players generally establish consistent levels over three years, so that if a player has a 15% rate in 2005-07, chances are fairly good hat he will, in the fourth year of 2008, closely approximate that rate. That's what makes Church's numbers the past three years a bit odd. In 2005-06, Church's HR/F rates were 17.9% and 18.0, but last year that number regressed to just 12.3%. What does this mean in the grand scheme of things? Well, it might indicate that some of those doubles from last season will become HR in 2008, so it is quite reasonable to expect to see Church approach or exceed 20 HR in 2008 if he can match his overall performance from last season.

Will his new home help this to become a reality? Last season, RFK had a Park Indices of just 68, or 32% below the average NL park, while his new home in New York, Shea Stadium, was far better at 93% (just 7% below average in the NL). The numbers show about the same split for left-handed power hitters with a 69 P.I. in Washington and 95 P.I. in NY.

Mets And Church Avoid Arbitration Hearing

At Rotoworld they write about the Mets and Ryan Church agreeing on a one year deal:

Mets agreed to terms with outfielder Ryan Church on a one-year, $2 million contract.

Church asked for $2.45 million and was offered $1.75 million. He's just a super-two player, so it's a nice payday for him. He'll be arbitration-eligible three more times prior to free agency.

Milledge Trade Comes In At #3

John Donovan at SI.com writes about the three most lopsided trades of the off season so far and the Lastings Milledge trade came in at number three:

The Nationals landed Lastings Milledge in a trade from the Mets. I refuse to believe that this one-time untouchable suddenly got that bad that quickly. I mean, what is he, Andy Marte? And getting Milledge for a backup catcher (Brian Schneider) and mediocre outfielder (Ryan Church)? Ow.