Eric Simon of Sabermets clued me in to this, which I read while drowsing in Guerrero limbo with the rest of Mets Nation. (Somehow that doesn’t sound right. Mets...Kingdom? Is that lame? That’s lame.) At first glance it may seem little more than a mini camp update, reporting exciting stories from lovely St. Lucie, FL, like pitching guru Rick Peterson teaching Grant Roberts crucial, universally applicable fundamentals like how to follow through and also how not to humiliate anyone ever associated with you by passing out from bong hits. There are also some wonderful pictures of our prospects – judging by their terrified expressions, fully cognizant of their chances as speedy outfielders with no power – juxtaposed with shots of Vance Wilson and Joe McEwing, cool customers, veterans of the war that is the game that is also the childhood pastime of baseball.
All this is worth a look, of course, especially if you’ve got nothing better to do than write scathing, uninformed blog posts rehashing jokes so old Steinbrenner is giving them 2 years, $6 million (you mean to tell me Mo Vaughn is fat? And you swear Piazza likes what?). But if you’re living a more meaningful life – and let’s face it, who isn’t? – I’ve extracted the truly remarkable information in the article, which touches on something I’ve been interested in for some time: how Peterson is going to be handling our young pitchers, the essence of the franchise’s future.
The players are responding enthusiastically to Peterson's system with all reports and feedback from the players so far being universally positive. Peterson continued to work with Met pitchers on a one-on-one basis, spending lengthy sessions today with both Roberts and Wheeler.
Ok, so far so good. Of course, it’s only been a couple of days, but I like that he’s giving them individual attention this early and that everyone seems to be happy. Could be worse.
Both players appreciated the personal attention from Peterson and the blend of eastern philosophy, active visualization, and biomechanical science.
Wait, hold on. Eastern philosophy and active visualization? The only thing that calls to mind is the Zen-like indifference on Roberto Alomar’s face as he actively visualized yet another reachable ground ball trickling into the outfield. Biomechanical science sounds promising enough, though. If it were just biomechanics, I’d be worried, but I figure biomechanical science must be a more rigorous discipline.
Roberts said he was excited about the possibility of visiting Peterson's lab in Birmingham and was "looking forward to it." He then mumbled something about “no choice” and “the implant” as his eyes glazed over into a flat unblinking stare.
Ok, right, so the last line isn’t true, but the stuff about Dr. Peterson’s Biomechanical Science Laboratory is gospel. Oh, baseball. First on base percentage, and now this. I hardly know you anymore. Here’s hoping Peterson’s kooky new age pitching advice and ginseng tablets will see our young arms through the perilous fight, so that they can one day be called veterans or at least stop smiling like they’re afraid major league sluggers or Mo Vaughn will eat them for breakfast. (See, I get it – he’s overweight! From eating. Oh, you card!)
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