Randolph, Minaya - oldies not goodies
the failure to produce a fifth starter for an entire season falls squarely on the shoulders of management - NOT Rick Peterson btw AND
the golden oldie brigade of Hernendez and Glavine fizzled as the season wore on - and the Mets were a team without an ACE
and if I hear Randolph butt kiss his veterans one more time - I'm going to vomit!
going with your veterans does not take guts and imagination and insight - NOR ignoring the hit and run as a tool for sending an otherwise dormant team a wake-up message
Wright and Reyes were the mets best players - yet despite the fact they are both growing - they take the hit for Beltron & Delgado & Green - the 3 under producers and achievers - who failed to inspire or lead the team
Maine is really a semi-ace in waiting and Perez a solid third starter at the moment - Glavine while capable of giving ace like performances was not the answer at season's end - and in essence the Mets had a group of old and young 4th or 5th starters
SO perez and maine could be alternating third and fourth starters and there was no first or second starter and a committe of 6 5th or 4th starters including Glavine & Hernandez Mota set the tone for the bull pen - an over-hyped pitcher whose accomplishments were based on steroid use - but ignored all the same by Minaya
some relievers didn't see the light of day - so who is to say what was under the covers - some say the bull pen was over-used - I'm not sure what the stats reveal - but I would rather have a starting staff that gets you to the eight and a stack of pitchers for the 8th and 9th - rather than Heilman and Wagner being the de facto closers
and in all deference to Minaya's success over the years in uncovering young talent - the Mets were not the expo's and needed stabilization as opposed to experimentation - the Huber experiment being a feeble attempt to match the Yankees headline grabbing call ups -
I can't remember the names of the other 5th starter experiments - but then that speaks for itself!