MLB Player News: [Injury] Duaner Sanchez (RP), NYM

Posts: 4543 · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 11:35 am

Baseball Player News: Duaner Sanchez (RP), NYM
By: James Meyerriecks

News: Sanchez suffered a setback earlier this week in his attempted return from a broken shoulder. The doctors are recommending that he have a second surgery to repair the problem, which would likely keep him out until April.

Views: Not much fantasy impact, but horrible news for the Mets. They were already entering the season with a shaky rotation, and now the bullpen is starting to look like a mess as well. With Guillermo Mota suspended for the first fifty games of the season and Sanchez likely out until August, Aaron Heilman will have to move to the eighth inning full-time. With Heilman free to pitch in the sixth and seventh innings and Sanchez throwing the eighth, the gap would have been bridged a lot better. Good news for Phillies, Marlins, and Braves fans.

Posts: 6747 · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 11:47 am

Perhaps we are forgetting Sanchez didn't pitch in the second half last season? And the Mets didn't fare too bad.

Posts: 2984 · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 12:28 pm

The Mets are going to have a hard time repeating last year's strong performance though I think we should be okay.

I think we need two more right handers out of the pen to replace Sanchez/Hernandez and Bradford from last year. Burgos still has no control of his pitches, though with Peterson there is some hope. Hopefully Joe Smith can replace Bradford as he's been filthy in camp and throws about 10mph faster than Bradford. It's hard to expect as good a year from Feleciano and he's more of a lefty specialist. Schoeneweis is even more of a lefty specialist as he gets torched by righties (though he had a good year last year). Looks like Chan Ho will replace Darren Oliver as our long arm out of the pen - can't see that going very well as Oliver had a solid year. Mota will be back in a couple of months but who knows what to expect from him...

Thoughts Alex?

Posts: 6747 · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 1:41 pm

Well I see it...

Wagner
Heilman
Schoeneweis
Feliciano

are going to be rock solid.

Smith has had a fantastic spring and will obviously make the club. Juan Padilla is also expected back about the same time Mota is so if the pen can hold for two months or so, they'll will get a lot of help. Dave Williams also comes back in early May, which will kick Park out of the pen.

Posts: 7324 · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 1:52 pm

Ollo wrote:

Well I see it...

Wagner
Heilman
Schoeneweis
Feliciano

are going to be rock solid.

Smith has had a fantastic spring and will obviously make the club. Juan Padilla is also expected back about the same time Mota is so if the pen can hold for two months or so, they'll will get a lot of help. Dave Williams also comes back in early May, which will kick Park out of the pen.

Any chance Pelfrey does long relief? Is he a starter? I don't think he is.

Posts: 6747 · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 1:56 pm

Pelfrey is the number #5 man in the rotation.

Posts: 5212 · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 6:06 pm

Posts: 6641 · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 7:08 pm

Ollo wrote:

Pelfrey is the number #5 man in the rotation.

because he performed so well in the spring PELFREY has earned the spot in the rotation, it will be interesting to see how much leeway willie randolph and company give him though if he struggles early in the season

Posts: 1710 · Posted: Mar 29, 2007 12:58 am

Ollo wrote:

Well I see it...

Wagner
Heilman
Schoeneweis
Feliciano

are going to be rock solid.

Smith has had a fantastic spring and will obviously make the club. Juan Padilla is also expected back about the same time Mota is so if the pen can hold for two months or so, they'll will get a lot of help. Dave Williams also comes back in early May, which will kick Park out of the pen.

I'll give you Wagner and Heilman at least. In Schoenweis, we're talking about a 34-year-old lefty specialist who had a 4.88 ERA last season.... that's better than his career ERA (5.01). Sure... he looked strong with the Reds down the stretch, but Minaya was paying for two months worth of decent work.

Feliciano's also coming off a career year. I think he's solid in the 3.50 ERA range, though his WHIP will remain at its typically high rate. A solid K pitcher and lefty specialist.... that makes two lefty specialists. He got tagged by righthanders last season (.266 as compared to .231 vs. lefties) and also walked five more righties than he struck out.

Again, like I said with my initial report on the Mets, Heilman is their only solid righty out of the bullpen. I like Burgos' upside, but he's clearly not there yet. This is going to be trouble, and no.... Feliciano and Schoeneweis are not rock solid.

Posts: 1710 · Posted: Mar 29, 2007 1:02 am

Pelfrey won the fifth spot, though the Mets' schedule apparently may allow them to go without a fifth starter for the first couple of weeks. There's a chance he gets sent down to start the year so that he can get regular work in, and there's also a chance that he throws out of the bullpen.

Posts: 5212 · Posted: Mar 29, 2007 10:15 am

How good is his slider looking?

Posts: 2984 · Posted: Mar 29, 2007 10:37 am

Jim Meyerriecks wrote:

Ollo wrote:

Well I see it...

Wagner
Heilman
Schoeneweis
Feliciano

are going to be rock solid.

Smith has had a fantastic spring and will obviously make the club. Juan Padilla is also expected back about the same time Mota is so if the pen can hold for two months or so, they'll will get a lot of help. Dave Williams also comes back in early May, which will kick Park out of the pen.

I'll give you Wagner and Heilman at least. In Schoenweis, we're talking about a 34-year-old lefty specialist who had a 4.88 ERA last season.... that's better than his career ERA (5.01). Sure... he looked strong with the Reds down the stretch, but Minaya was paying for two months worth of decent work.

Feliciano's also coming off a career year. I think he's solid in the 3.50 ERA range, though his WHIP will remain at its typically high rate. A solid K pitcher and lefty specialist.... that makes two lefty specialists. He got tagged by righthanders last season (.266 as compared to .231 vs. lefties) and also walked five more righties than he struck out.

Again, like I said with my initial report on the Mets, Heilman is their only solid righty out of the bullpen. I like Burgos' upside, but he's clearly not there yet. This is going to be trouble, and no.... Feliciano and Schoeneweis are not rock solid.

Jim, your assessment is similar to mine. I'm not exactly how Willie is going to juggle the pen when Feliciano and Schoeneweis are essentially one out lefty specialists. Schoeneweis even more so than Feleciano. Schoeneweis has a career .291 BAA vs righties to .231 vs lefties.