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From: david@fisher.UUCP (David Rubin)
Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Suprising Starts
Message-ID: <623@fisher.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 22-May-85 09:06:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: fisher.623
Posted: Wed May 22 09:06:05 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 22-May-85 14:41:54 EDT
References: <618@fisher.UUCP> <361@h-sc1.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Princeton University Department of Statistics
Lines: 26

> And they still have untapped tallent in Tidewater.  I really can't believe
> it!! I thought at the beginning of the year that depth would be the
> Met's weakness, and it's turning out to be a strength.

I, too, am pleasantly surprised, but at least I can say that I didn't
join the stampede of hand-wringers over the Mets' pitching that
has occurred in the media.  An important ramification is that the
Terrell-Johnson trade looks like a great one, despite Johnson's slow
start and the Mets' injuries.  Now, it is still possible that even
more injuries will accrue to the staff or that Johnson is going to
have a bad year, in which case it will have hurt the Mets THIS year.
But I now believe that with all the arms apparently available at AAA
that Terrell was a replaceable (but still desirable) quantity (and how
many sinkerballers do we want on the staff, anyway?).  Johnson has
shown me a lot, even in his slump.  He has turned out to well ABOVE
average on the field (but defense is the most easily learned skill,
right Davey?), to be a good and smart baserunner, and to have a good
eye at the plate.  I have little doubt that by this time next season,
Johnson will be established as the first successful full-time
thirdbasemen in the Mets history, relegating Knight to right-handed
pinch-hitting duty.  It isn't often that a .140 hitter impresses me as
a sure success, especially after coming over in a trade that I
questioned at the time.

					David Rubin
			{allegra|astrovax|princeton}!fisher!david