[Quint1129]

This question is for fans of every team or sport, not just Met fans. I myself am a NY Met fan and I would like to know if anyone sees this situation the same as I do.
Why is it that Pedro Martinez gets hurt so often? There have been other (oldish) pitchers in this league with less injuries. I'm not the kind of fan that knows the salary of every player on the team but I know Pedro must be making in the $15 million range. If we cannot get close to a full season out of him, is he worth the money.
I'm starting to think that this guy does not come to camp in the best possible shape and that is why he gets hurt so often. Anyone else have an opinion?

 

[Gaucho]

Pedro caught what is called ....."The Mets Curse"....currently Beltran has it...

 

[crabman1130]

Everyone is different. Pedro has a lot of innings under his belt and perhaps his boby just can't do it anymore. But Pedro was a goodsend to the Mets in other ways. First he put butts in the seats. Second he showded fans and other players that the Mets were serious about building a winner. They might not have Beltram, Delgado and Santana if first they didn't get Pedro.

And don't try to tell me that when he came to the Mets you didn't think it was a great move.

 

[shoeman]

i agree crab but i don't agree beltran has it gaucho

 

[Koz54]

I agree that there are older pitchers in the league with fewer injuries, but I also believe that there are younger pitchers with injuries too, some more serious.

In Pedro?s case I am not sure what to make of it, age and years of pitching a lot of innings has something to do with it, but I think he lacks putting a full effort into correcting his issues. I remember last year when they were talking about the cleats he had specially made to help with his toe problem.

The brew-ha was they did not fit/work right and they had to fiddle with them. The thing to me is that Pedro knew he had a toe issue, but waited until his arrival at spring training camp to try on the shoes?? In my opinion he should have had those shoes ready to go in January.

The late season ?readiness? of Pedro last season in my opinion was to make sure he had enough gas in the tank to pitch deep into the post season. He did not want to pitch a full year, but wanted to be ready for the playoffs. If the Mets needed him earlier, he might have come back earlier but they were running away with their division

. (Most of us know how that worked out )

What gets me (or makes me think) about this latest hamstring injury is it might be that Pedro (again) does not want to pitch a full season. He wants his arm strong for the post season, but we have to get there first. Pulling a hamstring with a pitching related move (not running or fielding a batted ball) means to me either he was not in the shape he needs to be in, or it is not a bad pull, but Pedro is a tad of a ?sissy?. (can?t take pain

)

I think Pedro is a prima-donna, always has been, always will be one. That doesn?t mean I don?t like him, I remember being at Opening Day his first season as a Met. The centerfield ?hitter?s eye? malfunctioned (rotating billboard got stuck) and the game was delayed a good 10 minutes or so. Pedro was having a good time joking around and making light of the situation.

My bride is a true Mets fan who hates the Red Sox. It took her two years to warm up to Pedro.

LETS GO METS!!!

 

[shebeen]

Not just recently.

Pedro's injuries were becoming more frequent and prolonged back when he was with Boston. He's not a guy that's gonna come back too early no matter what management asks him behind closed doors....he's protecting his body in an effort to extend his career, always has.

Like Crabby wrote, there's a lot of things Pedro brings to a team. Players and fans love the guy.....still do in Boston. He's up there with gentleman Jim Lonborg and El Tiante as the all-time most liked Boston pitchers.....going 117-37 with the Sox didn't hurt either.

 

[MakoMike]

shebeen wrote:

Not just recently.

Pedro's injuries were becoming more frequent and prolonged back when he was with Boston. He's not a guy that's gonna come back too early no matter what management asks him behind closed doors....he's protecting his body in an effort to extend his career, always has.

Like Crabby wrote, there's a lot of things Pedro brings to a team. Players and fans love the guy.....still do in Boston. He's up there with gentleman Jim Lonborg and El Tiante as the all-time most liked Boston pitchers.....going 117-37 with the Sox didn't hurt either.


John has that right. He was injury prone and took a long time rehabing even when he was in Boston. Ain't gonna change just because he's in NY.

 

[tomjg]

Pedro is suffering from more injuries, probably, due to the fact that he is on the small side. He was a dominant power pitcher for many years. That takes a toll on any body , but when you are under 6 feet tall and weigh 170-180 pounds and throw over 1500 innings - throwing 95 mph- it beats the body down. I still think Pedro was a great pick up for the Mets at the time and if they had to do it again - i think they would.

 

[Savvy18]

That was some record Pedro had with Boston!

If someone asked you today, has the Mets signing of Pedro Martinez paid off? What would you say?

Not sure what he makes but I think it's more than $10 million per. I am no baseball expert (or finance major) but I have not seen him do anything that warrants that kind of loot.

Will he earn that salary in a Met uniform? I sure hope so in the way of a World Series Championship. I am pulling for him to "one day" be worth the cash they shelled out. But as of right now, my answer would be...NOPE!

 

[crabman1130]

Sometimes posting here is like talking to a wall.

 

[Quint1129]

Hey Crab, does that mean if the Mets had signed Halladay (for instance) instead of Martinez, then Delgado, Santana & Beltran would not have come to NY?
Actually, I was thinking if Omar Minaya's name was Omar Kolchick (for instance), the Mets may have signed someone other than Pedro.

 

[Quint1129]

Savvy, looks like something you said struck Crabman the wrong way

 

[crabman1130]

I think that when you are going after a marquee player it helps to have a big name already on the team, especially a pitcher. You need someone to build around. Pedro was a good start. He had just come off a world series win and he was one of the best out there at the time. It makes the decision on where to go easier if you think they have a chance to win. Pedro certainly gave them that chance. There were other teams willing to spend the money, but winning can be the deciding factor. So I believe he gave them credibility.

 

[Savvy18]

Yeah, I tend to do that sometimes. He'll get over it I'm sure!

My mother used to tell me it was like talking to a wall when she told me to clean my room!

I always did my best to make her happy though. From now on I'll try to remember to do that more when posting here!

This post edited by Savvy18 11:49 PM 04/08/2008

 

[Quint1129]

Savvy, I actually kind of agreed with what you said though.

Crab, good point. On paper, signing Pedro was a good move.

 

[crabman1130]

And he put butts in the seats. I'm not a Met fan but I went to Shea to see him pitch. I'm sure others did too.

 

[Quint1129]

I think what shebeen said hits the nail on the head. Towards the end of his stay with Boston, Pedro's injuries became more frequent and prolonged. Might be one of the reasons they did not outbid the Mets to keep him. My big problem with him since he became a Met is that it seems like he does not come to camp prepared to participate the entire season. Almost like a drunk that rolls into work a few hours late and expects the boss to say nothing. At this point, nobody in the organization has said anything (publicly). I could be way wrong on this but when a life long Sox fan like shebeen chimes in with the same sentiments, I start to think I am not that far off. I want nothing more than to see Pedro pitch the lights out in NY. Just not sure when that is going to happen if he is always hurt.

 

[Savvy18]

I'll venture a response here even though I could offend someone...

I'm thinking that the Mets "anticipated" that Pedro would be in the starting rotation for "most" of the season and therefore lend a hand at getting them to the playoffs. After watching Maine & Santana lose to the Braves this weekend, the message is clearly sent that the Braves are for real too and Pedro's "assistance" just might be necessary in achieving such a lofty goal.

Now, is Mr. Martinez actually going to "pitch in" (pun intended) and carry his share of the load this season remains to be seen. IF, he is healthy enough to do so....of course

!

Ahhh, I made it through. Hope I did not hurt anyone's feelings on that one.

 

[MakoMike]

Pedro is going to do what's best for Pedro, especially when it comes to coming back from an injury.

 

[Savvy18]

You got that right Mike. Always has. Always will. He collects his check whether he pitches or not.

I'd love to see the Mets make a real run this year and not collapse like last year. They are gonna need to be poppin' on all cylinders though. That means Delgado, Reyes, Beltran & Martinez are going to have to be BIG this year.

One of these days we might even see Pedro do something for the Mets that warrants our adulation.