The job is more than drafting players. He could not run an organization making him a bad GM. Is he a good scout, I guess seems people with more baseball knowledge then me think so.

>>> Omar may have made the call after his signings got inured...(Cora, Tatis, Alou, Pedro) but to say he "brought them up" is a stretch. <!--< />-->>> Every camp was the same thing with Omar, eveyr position was an overpaid washed up veteran's job to lose. Duda, Tejada and Gee knew they had jobs this year and I believe that confidence helps the mindset of young players. <!--<

I agree with you, but have you ever thought that maybe those kids weren't ready yet? Remember, the Farm was a mess when Omar was named Mets' GM. He had no good prospects to really bring up who was ready. Wright & Reyes were brought up by Phillips, and speaking of the cad, he's the main reason our Farm was in shambles in the first place. He traded away our best prospects, and didn't refill the Farm properly. That was his way. This is a guy who said, on national TV, that he would've traded Stephen Strasburg to the Astros for Roy Oswalt a couple of years ago. The next GM wasn't as smart, trading Kazmir for Victor Zambrano. Omar did trade away some prospects, but he also replaced them with other prospects, something his predecessors didn't do.

Earlier, Gee, Niese, Ike, Duda, etc... they weren't ready for the Show. Now they are, and we're reaping what Omar left us.>--><!--</

I agree with you, but have you ever thought that maybe those kids weren't ready yet? Remember, the Farm was a mess when Omar was named Mets' GM. He had no good prospects to really bring up who was ready. Wright & Reyes were brought up by Phillips, and speaking of the cad, he's the main reason our Farm was in shambles in the first place. He traded away our best prospects, and didn't refill the Farm properly. That was his way. This is a guy who said, on national TV, that he would've traded Stephen Strasburg to the Astros for Roy Oswalt a couple of years ago. The next GM wasn't as smart, trading Kazmir for Victor Zambrano. Omar did trade away some prospects, but he also replaced them with other prospects, something his predecessors didn't do.

Earlier, Gee, Niese, Ike, Duda, etc... they weren't ready for the Show. Now they are, and we're reaping what Omar left us.>-->

Sorry but whether a prospect was ready or not, Omar would have given any starting job to a Tatis, or Cora, or Alou, or Sheffield.

I am not debating his eye for talent, I am debating how he utilized it, and how he spent money on multi-year contracts for oft-injure over the hill players like Duque, Tatis, Mota, Cora, Alou....should we go on?

This lineup as currently constructed with homegrown players, would never have existed on Omar's watch. I don't really feel anyone would argue this. I am kind of shocked.

>>There is no way if Omar was running this team that Lucas Duda would be a starting outfielder and Tejada would be the starting shortstop.<<

Tejada made his MLB debut, and started 72 games under Minaya.

As depth! Due to injuries. Do you think he could go out and sign a free agent at that point?

>>> Sorry but whether a prospect was ready or not, Omar would have given any starting job to a Tatis, or Cora, or Alou, or Sheffield. <<<

So why did he call up the prospects? If what you're stating is accurate, then he would've replaced any injured player with another washed up player.

>>> I am not debating his eye for talent, I am debating how he utilized it, and how he spent money on multi-year contracts for oft-injure over the hill players like Duque, Tatis, Mota, Cora, Alou....should we go on? <<<

Not really. In this I agree with you, he gave away some bad contracts. I didn't say he was a great GM.

>>> This lineup as currently constructed with homegrown players, would never have existed on Omar's watch. I don't really feel anyone would argue this. I am kind of shocked. <<<

Why be shocked? Omar ALWAYS said, since the beginning, that he planned on rebuilding the Farm and bringing the kids up when they were ready. He knew that in 2010 he was skating on thin ice, and needed to win at all costs to keep his job, but he never traded away the prospects for veterans, washed up or not. I 99% guarantee that if he was still GM, this would've been the roster he would've given the manager. Especially since he wouldn't have had the funds to sign anyone else.

I can't believe you would think that this would be the roster if Omar was GM. I think we are talking about a different person. There is no way. I would be curious how many people think as you do.

Omar did not hand out some bad contracts he ran a team poorly and handed out a ton of bad contratcs. He gave Ollie Perez 13 mil a year with no one bidding against him. Omar hamstrung this organization.

>>As depth! Due to injuries. Do you think he could go out and sign a free agent at that point? <<

What???

Tejada came up in June, and NEVER went back down. Which middle infielders were "injured" for that entire time??

Not Reyes....not Cora.....not even Castillo

>>Everyone thinks the GM drafts players, but that is almost never the case. This is a totally misguided thread.

Omar almost definitely didn't draft these guys<<

Who did?? Asst GM's? Someone else?

Okay you are right...Omar signed Luis Castillo to a 4 year contract and Alex Cora to a 2 year only to have those signings blow up in his face and have no choice but to go to the farm. Is this better?

What I am saying is never in my time watching the time under Minaya did I ever see a player without much pomp and circumstance like Murph, Duda, or Tejada be guaranteed a job going into camp.

Agreed! All the I am putting on the table is how Minaya set his roster in camp. I just don't understand what people are saying he did so well???

There were certain things that he handled fine but for the most part he embarrassed and hamstrung the team that I love.

Murph earned his job, going into the 2009 season.....no??

Agreed, but even this year you heard people talking about how they were concerned starting him at second. I could just hear Minaya insisting the team needs to be "strong up the middle" and keeping Murph as a bench player.

Like it or not this organization took a risk with Murph as an everyday player because they needed his bat. He was not bonafide at any one position, but is given the chance by Alderson to grow into as serviceable second baseman.

Last night though, that play made him look stellar! I was excited to see him perform well in the field.

I think Minaya was less than professional!! That was his downfall..

That Santana deal hurt us....Castillo was part of the deal.

Oliver Perez killed him toooo...

John Maine blew his arm up...

And the Mets farm system only produced Reyes and Wright!!!!!

In the 1980's we had like 10 prospects that got us over the hump...then we mixed in good veterans...they did make errors however by trading away Kevin Mitchell...

Murphy no doubt has played a big part in getting to where he is because of who he is..But the two biggest Murphy supporters at this level and men who played a significant role in Murphy being here was bernazard and Omar..those are the guys who sold this organization on Murphy from day 1..Long term Murphy was not viewed as a 1st baseman, Ike was..Omar had every intention of making Murphy an everyday player and had him working on secondary positions going back as far as 2008 in which he began working at 2nd base which was the position Omar/Bernazard saw him at..But an injury ended his off season and despite having no time to prepare that off season they went so far as to put him out there at a position he had no experience at..So they were doing everything they could to get Murphy out there..Had Emaus hit last season a bench player at best is all Murphy would have been..Once Emaus showed he could not hit ML pitching Murphy was in a platoon situation and went on to win over this management..The previous management always believed in Murphy and saw him as a long term piece in the starting lineup.

Minaya never gave Murphy 2nd base as his job to lose did he? No, he let Castillo perform poorly there for many years. That was the one place Minaya could have gotten Murphy settled into, but didn't, so the new administration had to evaluate wether he could play the position everyday or not.

Wow so many people could not stand Omar when he was here, but now he is infallible and a current administration that reduced payroll by 50mil and has put together a nice bunch of players that want to win is bad???

I am not sure why people hate Alderson and what he is doing and love Minaya now.It is truly a head scratcher.

So what is your point, GM's now don't get credit for the players they draft? Your logic is obsurd.. Omar brought Collins into this organization to replace Bernazard..It was Omar who picked up the phone and made the call to ask Collins if he would come join the Mets organization..Omar and Collins go way back and collins interviewed for the managers job with the Mets when Randolph was hired..Collins said Omar conducted the most professional interview he has ever been a part of..

You want to talk about our farm system ranking poorly as a ay to suggest omar drafted poorly ect..who's rankings? baseball america?ROFL The same baseball america who said our farm system did not have an ike, or tejada, or niese, or thole, or duda, or murphy, or parnell, or Gee ect ect ect..the list goes on and on and on..Do you think mets fans give a hoot what BA says when they see kids like they are seeing at the ML level producing? All it does is show Mets fans that BA is not the end all be all when it comes to how you judge a farm system..BA is a tool, if you take BA word as gospel you end up looking like a fool..

Omar had bad luck but it was due to poor prior planning? Omar did what ownership wanted him to do and under the circumstances I don't disagree. The farm system omar took over was not even remotely close to the farm system sandy inherited..The majority of the kids would be some 5+ years away at the least. In the mean time he did his best to field a championship caliber team and he built around some great young players..They had no depth. Only now do we see depth in our farm system. We have let two of the games best players go in the last year and many Mets fans feel like the replacements are more than capable as does the organization.

You now have hopped on the bandwagon for Omars kids but don't want to give him any credit. Can't have it both way

--->Great post. I see it the same way...

>>but is given the chance by Alderson to grow into as serviceable second baseman.<<

Omar initiated Murphy's transition into a 2B. (GM wise anyway)

Why was Alex Cora playing there after Castillo failed?? Omar had the chance to give him the job then. Murphy was playing 2nd in Double A at that time.