Good to see 'role players' making contributions
 

I have to admit that all season long I've been skeptical of the value of bench players on the team like Harris, Valdez, et al. However, tonight I was thrilled to see these guys make contributions and have extremely solid nights.

Hopefully Heisey and Stubbs come back soon and are able to perform up to levels expected of them. In the meantime if the bench guys can fill in and have nights similar to this Mets game we should be fine.

As a side note it is good to see that with a Pirates loss there is another game separating us from them, and if KC can hold off the Cards in the last few they have, we will be ahead of them by the same.

Right now I'm feeling like my namesake.

Re: Good to see 'role players' making contributions
 

i was never concerned about Valdez because he was a good backup for the Phillies the past few years. Harris had one good game tonight so lets give him a few games before giving him any credit. Costanzo should have never been on this roster and when Rolen gets back he will be a good "hopefully backup player."

Re: Good to see 'role players' making contributions
 

Bench players can often make or break you. Remember the great play Cairo, Heisey, Janish provided in 2010?

Re: Good to see 'role players' making contributions
 

Don't get me wrong, one night of performance a turnaround does not make, but at least we saw a contribution from Harris after being called up with the DL'ing of Stubbs. I do think that on the days off that hopefully allow Rolen to be more effective will make him a useful hitter off the bench if needed in a clutch situation. Of course that depends on how he is used when he comes back. Ideally he plays 3 while Frazier pulls the other four.

Re: Good to see 'role players' making contributions
 

Don't forget that Frazier was just a role player until Rolen bowed out for the season and Cairo struggled. Now, he'd be looking like a contender for rookie of the year if not for Bryce Harper. .904 OPS is nothing to scoff at from a guy who didn't make the 25-man to start out with, let alone start. We're lucky to have a guy who stepped up to the plate when given full starting time.

Hopefully Valdez continues to contribute and Cairo turns it around and becomes the player he was last year (don't forget he seemed like our only decent hitter for a time). Having solid backups will do wonders for this team.

Re: Good to see 'role players' making contributions
 

I agree. Costanzo just doesn't even look like a ball player at the plate. Belongs in Louisville. Harris was a solid backup with the Mets, much more solid than he has been with us. I would imagine Rolen will be just that for a month or so before he steals the starting spot back from Frazier.