Ishii to the Mets

great. he's your problem now.

he always has a winning record, but that's only because the Dodgers know him all too well; the normally anemic Dodger offense score nearly 7 runs per game for the guy, because they knew that there is a REALLY good chance that he will give up 5 runs in the first inning.

the most annoying pitcher I have ever seen. you don't have to look much farther than his WHIP to realize that.

we know the guy isn't Steve Carlton, but it isn't like the Mets gave up Johnny Bench ... we just see 13 wins and 172 innings for .218 BA backup catcher


http://mb6.scout.com/fnyfansonlyfrm1.showMessageRange?topicID=22994.topic&start=1&stop=20

you will be ready to skin him alive by the first week of June.

He is our 5th starter... I'll take him over a .200 hitting backup catcher.

look, I understand the "we got a 5th starter for a backup catcher" argument, even if it is Mike Piazza's backup. and the fact that LA is actually paying for Ishii this year may make it seem sweet. but the dodgers were looking at a career AAAA player, or one of two prematurely rushed legitimate prospects, at catcher this year. if you've got to have a clunker on the roster, I would personally rather that he not start every fifth day. there was no way he was going to make the rotation, and putting him in the bullpen is even more insane than putting him in the rotation. a trade was the only viable option, and it turns out that a backup catcher is when ishii is worth in trade.

Ishii trivia: how does a pitcher with an ERA of damn near 5 collect 13 wins? how does a pitcher that gets nearly 7 runs of support per game only manage 13 wins? and, for that matter, how the heck is that the same pitcher?

his walk:K ration was almost exactly 1:1. his 172 innings pitched last season is impressive, until you do the math, and realize that he averages about 5.5 innings per game. just for fun, throw out his two complete games (one was indeed a brilliant game, albeit against a bottom feeder, and the other was a blowout against another bottom feeder) and his IP/G drops harrowingly close to 5. so, if this guy can't get through the fifth, and he probably can't, then you have to begin to worry about the mets bullpen, because that's where he really creates mayhem.

and I would hate to imagine what Ishii's ERA WOULD have been if the Dodger's bullpen hadn't been so effective last year - the LA bullpen's IR/RA stats were terrific. when ishii comes out of a game, it's a mess; he manages to squirm out of so many 2-on, 0-out situations, that by the time it's apparent that he really is in trouble in an inning, the game situation is literally a ticking time bomb.

and I'm also not sure that NY is the most productive possible environment for ishii in terms of pressure, media glare, and, to put it politely, ishii likes to have fun.

personally, I think the mets manager and pitching coach have already fallen into the trap. I'm reading quotes from them saying that they're sure that they can "fix" him, and he's "talented", and a "winner", while I'm reading quotes from him saying that they just need to "relax" about his inability to throw a strike for several batters in a row, and just look at his results.

well, it turns out that his "results" depended more on freakish dodger offensive explosions, and an outstanding bullpen.

just food for thought, met fans.

We only need a fifth starter for three months. I think he was a better option than turning to Seo, Ginter, or Heilman. I'm not sure that Phillips is any better than Ramon Castro. I liked Phillips and wish him the best with you guys. He deserves a chance to start every day and as all mets fans know the very fact that we traded him means that he will be huge for you guys. =)

(I thought you meant Steve Phillips, the GM that NY fired, in your previous post. ooops :dunce: . . . too many damn phillips running around . . . makes more sense now )

Ishii is capable of being brilliant. in fact, he's so good at times, that it's easy to imagine that he's somehow doing it on purpose when he becomes erratic.

Jason Phillips is a solid catcher. The Mets will really miss him when Piazza makes his annual month-long trip to the DL.

because we essentially got him for nothing. Phillips is a good defensive catcher but thats about it. I had heard good things about Phillips when he was coming up but after 3 years of hitting .220, I'm not exactly crying over the loss.

she loved him. :(

I hope Ishii can pick up 12, 13 wins and just be a 6 inning pitcher every fifth day. If he can do that then he's worth all the headaches from the walks he gives up.

not.