Ah, yes. Mr. Fennelly gives the starting rotation a grade of “B” stating that, “…Santana and Maine have pitched wel,l but Perez and Pelfrey need to be more consistent.”
Santana and Maine do seem to be playing All-Star-level ball. Johan is not quite living up to the hype and the contract, but has given the Mets a chance to win every fifth day
Pitching coach Rick Peterson can accept a grade of “B” for his work as pitching coach, guiding his staff to a 3.81 ERA, fourth-best in the National League
Keeping Peterson from getting an “A” is his bullpen, which Fennelly gives a grade of “C,” noting that, “…only Wagner and Smith have been good. The others are mediocre to bad.”
Schoeneweis and Feliciano aside, Fennelly is right on with the others
Now on to the “Cs.
Catcher Brian Schneider can take a “C” for his adventurous first quarter. He barely made it out of Spring Training with leg ailments, but kept Raul Casanova on the bench longer than any other position player. However, Schneider missed time with a bruised forearm and thumb infection.
His offense has been a nice surprise, garnering a .304 average in 92 at-bats. But his defense, which is what he was brought in for, has been quite inconsistent. While he has called good games and help shut down opponents’ running games, there have been far too many passed balls and wild pitches in the early going.
Fennelly claims that the lineup as a whole belongs in this category, stating, “[Jose] Reyes needs to start hitting left-handed full time. Wright has to stop pressing against righties. [Carlos] Beltran has been awful. Church has been a pleasant surprise, but I don't see him hitting .300. Maybe .285, which means he's going to cool down. [Moises] Alou is the key to the Mets offense—he puts the ball in play.
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