Mets 1B Doug Mientkiewicz, as quoted in this morning’s Minneapolis Star Tribune by Patrick Reusse. (link courtesy Repoz and Baseball Think Factory)
The New York Mets have an option on Doug Mientkiewicz that would pay the first baseman $4 million next season.
“I don’t why they would pick up my option, but if they do, I might quit,” he said. “I’m serious. I don’t want to be back there.”
The Mets must announce a decision within three days of the end of he World Series. No doubt, they will elect to pay Mientkiewicz a $450,000 buyout and make him a free agent.
He said his preference would be to return to the Twins, who aren’t as solid with Justin Morneau at first base as everyone figured when Mientkiewicz was shipped to Boston on July 31, 2003.
“People think Gardy [manager Ron Gardenhire] and I have a big problem,” Mientkiewicz said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. He’s like an older brother to me. We get mad, yell some, but it’s because we’re both competitive and emotional.
“I always thought Minnesota was a great place to play. After a year with the Mets, an organization that doesn’t have a clue, I know that for sure.”
Mientkiewicz’ 2005 looks something like this :
275 AB’s 36 runs, 66 hits, 13 doubles, 11 HR’s, 29 RBI’s, .240 BA, .322 OBP, .407 slugging percentage. Clearly, the Mets were out of their minds when they benched the 31 year old down the stretch in favor of Mike Jacobs (11 HR’s, 23 RBI’s, 1.085 OPS in 100 at bats).
Gerard, when you put the numbers side by side like that you’re doing a great disservice to Mientkiewicz. How could the fact that a young player produced almost equal numbers in almost 1/3 as many plate appearances take into account the fact that 1) Doug does not wear batting gloves and 2) that he’s a great clubhouse presence. When he’s not taking a warm dump on the organization that (over)pays him, I mean.
Actually, Manichevitz’ season wasn’t far off his career averages – he’s averaged 111 TB per 275 AB prior to 2005, so the 112 TB were about right. He averaged 40 RC per 313 PA but had only 36 RC in 2005. His HR production was much better – he averaged 5.4 HR per 275 AB, so 11 was a banner season. There is usually a drop off in production when a player moves to a new team and especially a new league, so overall Doug had a good season for him. It’s the Mets fault for thinking they were getting anything other than a poor hitting, good fielding first baseman.
True enough, but I think the Mets expected more than 2/5 of a season from the guy.
Junior Mient’s 2005 production cycle looked something like this: slump-slump-slump-faint revival-strange injury-period of injury-repeat. The Mets seemed quite glad to get a poor-hitting/good-fielding 1B, and most fans were glad about it at the season’s start. The problem was that they never quite got him, at least not for more than a couple of weeks per month. And not all of that can be blamed on Willie Randolph who, by all appearances, didn’t really like the guy much.
Man-kay-fuck-it-z was the Mets’ plan Z when they failed to entice Carlos Delgado. Had he not been injured so often, we’d not have seen the likes of marlon Anderson, Chris Woodward, etc. at first base. Nor would Mike Jacobs have gotten so many chances after Mientkiewicz recovered.