Carlos Beltran and Jeff Francouer are to receive awards at the annual winter dinner staged by the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The chapter voted on the recipients of its nine awards to be presented Jan. 23 at the Hilton, New York.

Beltran is to receive the Joan Payson Award for community service, named after the first owner of the Mets. His ongoing philanthropy will be hailed at the chapter's 87th dinner. Francoeur was voted to receive the Ben Epstein-Dan Castellano "Good Guy" Award. Epstein, who died in 1958, covered the Yankees for the New York Daily Mirror for most of 15 years - 1943-58. Castellano covered the Mets for the Newark Star-Ledger from 1979 through 1991. He lives in Dumont, N.J.

The World Series champion Yankees were voted three awards. Derek Jeter is to receive the Joe DiMaggio "Toast of the Town" Award. Alex Rodriguez was voted the Babe Ruth Award for postseason most valuable player. And the "Core of Four" Yankees - Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada will share the "Willie, Mickey and the Duke" Award, given annually to players who are forever linked in our memories.

The other award winners include Joe Mauer of the Twins; Don Zimmer, the former Yankees coach, Red Sox manager and Dodgers and Mets player;  Aaron Boone, who made his way back to the  big leagues after heart surgery; and former Indians and Tigers slugger Rocky Colavito. Mauer is to receive the Sid Mercer-Dick Young "Player of the Year" Award, and Zimmer is to be recognized for long and meritorious service with the William J. Slocum-Jack Lang Award. The Arthur and Milton Richman "You Gotta Have Heart Award" goes to Boone, and the "Casey Stengel "You Could Look It Up" Award goes to Colavito.

-- Marty Noble

Mets general manager Omar Minaya confirmed Friday that Carlos Delgado plans to play winter ball, and that Delgado is hopeful of playing close to his home in Aquadilla, which is on the West coast of Puerto Rico. The last time the free-agent first baseman played winter ball, he was with the Carolina team that plays on the East Coast of the island. Delgado is trying to make arrangements to change teams.

His motivation to play in the winter is to demonstrate his readiness to play at a high competitive level. Delgado never returned to the Mets after undergoing surgery on his right hip May 19. A strain of his right oblique Aug. 12 prevented his planned return.

He has filed for free agency but, as are all free agents, he is prohibited from negotiating all clubs except his 2009 club until after the free agent filling period ends Thursday. The Mets seem ambivalent about re-signing the 37-year-old first baseman. But playing winter ball will give all clubs opportunity to assess his movement and swing.

-- Marty Noble

Without adding to their pitching personnel, the Mets have initiated bullpen improvements. They are quite literally renovating the bullpen. Less than a year after the opening of Citi Field, the club has begun changing the layout of both bullpens beyond the right-center field wall, making them more visible to fans, the dugouts and the television cameras.

Rather than have the home bullpen run parallel to the outfield fence and have the visitors' bullpen beyond it, the club essentially is turning the two pens 90 degrees, so that the end of each is visible.

COO Jeff Wilpon acknowledged the change and the reason for it Friday, saying the alignment that existed for the 2009 season prevented the television and radio announcers from identifying the pitchers warming up, especially the pitchers in the visitors' 'pen.

"It was something that slipped through the cracks," Wilpon said. "We had a lot of things happening last year." The radio and television announcers often referred to secrets of the bullpen during their broadcasts and telecasts. "We came in under budget [on the overall construction of Citi Field], so why not make it right?" he added.

Other improvements are underway, not the least of which is the addition of a Mets Hall of Fame.

Workers also are painting the gray concrete in the staircases orange and blue.

-- Marty Noble

Jeff Francoeur underwent surgery to repear a ligament tear in his left thumb. Here's the release from the Mets:

FLUSHING, N.Y., November 2, 2009 - New York Mets rightfielder Jeff Francoeur today underwent successful surgery to repair a tear of the collateral ligament in his left thumb. The surgery was performed in Atlanta by Dr. Gary Lourie. Following the surgery, Dr. Lourie and Mets Medical Director Dr. David Altchek of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York discussed that the surgery went according to their plan. Francoeur is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

Francoeur, who was acquired July 10 by the Mets from the Atlanta Braves, suffered the injury August 23 while making a diving catch against Philadelphia. He hit .311 with 20 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 41 RBI in 75 games with the Mets. He batted .280 with 32 doubles, 15 home runs, and 76 RBI in 157 games during the 2009 season.

--Anthony DiComo

Manager Jerry Manuel said after Sunday's 4-0 season-ending win over the Astros that he would have an announcement regarding his coaching staff on Monday. A shake-up of some sort is all but certain. And despite the belief that this offseason may be a relatively quiet one for the Mets, there are more than enough issues to dominate the winter months.

After Sunday's game, Carlos Beltran talked about how much he would like to continue to play with Carlos Delgado, who is a free agent -- "There's nothing bad I can say about Carlos," Beltran said. Other free agents include Gary Sheffield, Brian Schneider, J.J. Putz and Tim Redding, and then there are several non-tender candidates -- such as Sean Green -- who may not be back.

With the managerial and front office positions seemingly secure for now, however, the most pressing offseason issues for the Mets look something like this:

• Will Jose Reyes be healthy? The Mets don't know and can't know just yet, but they also can't afford another season like this one from the fragile Reyes. Without a 100 percent healthy Reyes, their journey to the postseason would be a tough one.
• What to do about the rotation? Even if the shadow of Bernie Madoff did not loom, the Mets will be entering a market all but devoid of front-line starting pitching talent. Can they proceed comfortably with John Maine and Oliver Perez as their third and fourth starters? Probably not. But what alternative do they have?
• Is Daniel Murphy a big leaguer? He did not play like one at times this year, but again -- the Mets have few options. With only so much money to spend and with no guarantee on Delgado's return, they will have to look long and hard at first base this winter.
• And what about catcher? Like in left field, the Mets seem to have a hole behind the plate. Omir Santos appears better equipped to be a backup, and Josh Thole is not quite ready as a receiver. The Mets may look elsewhere for their answers.

--Anthony DiComo

The common misconception about Mike Pelfrey is that he is an extreme ground ball pitcher. He is not. Statistically speaking, Pelfrey has proven merely average at inducing ground balls throughout his career, submitting a Major League ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio of 1.05. The 1.09 ratio he has posted so far in 2009, in fact, is the highest mark of his big league career. And his lifetime rate does not compare favorably to that of other notable MLB sinkerballers, including Tim Hudson (1.51), Derek Lowe (1.75) and Brandon Webb (1.89).

Up until this year, though, What Pelfrey did boast was a knack for inducing ground balls when he needed them most -- an ability that allowed him to rack up 29 double plays last season.

This year, he has just 15.

With that in mind, after Wednesday's game I asked him about his counterpart, Hudson, who was seemingly able to induce double plays at will. Pelfrey's answer -- "I used to be able to do that" -- surprised me.

So I asked Pelfrey what's been different between this year and last year, when most of the National League bowed down to his sinker. Here's what he had to say:

"I just think that the command of the ball hasn't been this good this year as it has been in the past. Usually, I can go out there and feel like I can pound that sinker and get ground ball after ground ball after ground ball. If you're throwing the ball at the thighs, you're not going to get too many ground balls."

What's clear is that this has been something of a lost season for Pelfrey, who has seen a pause in his development at a critical time in his career. Could his lack of command have something to do with his hefty innings total from last year? Perhaps. Could his problems be mental? Also a possibility. Either way, next season has become the critical one for Pelfrey. Next year will determine whether Pelfrey can rediscover his 2008 form, or whether he will remain what he is right now -- merely average.

--Anthony DiComo

It's tough to find things to smile about at Citi Field these days. Until you walk out to batting practice, that is, and stumble over this:

--Anthony DiComo

Each year, the Mets release what they call their Sterling Awards, honoring the top Minor League performers in their system. Below is a copy of this year's release:

FLUSHING, N.Y., September 17, 2009 - The New York Mets today announced that Ike Davis was named the Sterling Minor League Organizational Player of the Year while righthanded pitcher Jeurys Familia earned Sterling Pitcher of the Year honors.

In addition, the Mets announced the 2009 Sterling Awards, emblematic of the Most Valuable Player for each of their nine affiliates.

Outfielder Jesus Feliciano was the Sterling Award recipient at Buffalo (AAA) of the International League, catcher Josh Thole received the award for Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League, outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis was honored at St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League, lefthanded pitcher Robert Carson captured the award for Savannah (A) of the South Atlantic League, lefthanded pitcher Mark Cohoon received the honor at Brooklyn (A) of the New York-Penn League, first baseman Jeff Flagg was the recipient for Kingsport (R) of the Appalachian League, outfielder Julio Concepcion was honored with the rookie-level Gulf Coast Mets, first baseman Alexander Sanchez captured the award for the Dominican Summer League and outfielder Andres Perez received the award for the Venezuelan Summer League.

STERLING ORGANIZATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: IKE DAVIS (1B)

Height: 6-4       Weight: 215      Bats: Left   Throws: Left            Born: 3/22/87     Resides: Scottsdale, AZ                         Obtained: Mets' first round pick in 2008  Signing Scout: Mike Brown

Davis combined to hit .298 (128-429) with 58 runs scored, 31 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs and 71 RBI in 114 games between St. Lucie and Binghamton. He finished the year with a .381 on-base percentage and .524 slugging percentage. Davis, 22, was selected to Team USA's roster for the 2009 World Cup which is currently taking place in Europe. Davis, the son of former major leaguer Ron Davis, hit .444 (4-9) with a triple and home run in the first round of the tournament. He was also named to the Surprise Rafters roster of the Arizona Fall League.

STERLING ORGANIZATIONAL PITCHER OF THE YEAR: JEURYS FAMILIA (RHP)

Height: 6-3       Weight: 186      Bats: Right   Throws: Right        Born: 10/10/89     Resides: San Cristobal, DR                        Obtained: Signed as a non-drafted free agent (7/07) Signing Scouts: Ramon Pena, Ismael Cruz, Marcelino Vallejo                                                                                                          

Familia was third in the South Atlantic League with a 2.69 ERA, while ranking fourth in wins (10).  He posted a 10-6 record with a 2.69 in 24 games, 23 of which were starts, with Savannah.  In 19 of his 23 starts allowed two runs or less. Familia racked up 109 strikeouts in 134.0 innings and surrendered just 109 hits. The righthander won seven of his final nine decisions and held opponents to a .221 batting average against.

2009 STERLING AWARD WINNERS

BUFFALO (AAA) OF THE INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE: JESUS FELICIANO (OF)

Height: 5-11      Weight: 174      Bats: Left   Throws: Left            Born: 6/6/79     Resides: Bayamon, PR                       Obtained: Signed as a free agent (2/07) Signing Scout: LA Dodgers (1997)

Feliciano finished fifth in the International League with a .311 batting average and led the IL with 154 hits. The 6-0, 174-pound outfielder scored 57 runs, collected 30 doubles, one triple, one home run, 41 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 130 games for the Bisons. Feliciano, 30, became just the eighth Bisons player in the modern era to reach the 150-hit plateau.

BINGHAMTON (AA) EASTERN LEAGUE: JOSH THOLE (C)

Height: 6-1       Weight: 205      Bats: Left   Throws: Right          Born: 10/28/86     Resides: Breese, IL                       Obtained: Mets' 13^th round pick in 2005  Signing Scout: Quincy Boyd

Thole finished second in the Eastern League with a .328 batting average and was third in the EL with a .395 on-base percentage. At the time of his promotion to New York - on September 1^st - he was fourth in the Eastern League with a 30.2 (20-86) caught stealing percentage. Thole, 22, was named to the Eastern League mid-season All-Star Game but did not play due to a dislocated left thumb that kept him out of action from June 30^th-July 18^th. Thole scored 48 runs, had 29 doubles, two triples, one home run, 46 RBI and eight stolen bases in 103 games with Binghamton.

ST. LUCIE (A) FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE: KIRK NIEUWENHUIS (OF)

Height: 6-3       Weight: 178      Bats: Left   Throws: Right          Born: 8/7/87     Resides: San Dimas, CA                     Obtained: Mets' third round pick in 2008             Signing Scout: Fred Mazuca

Nieuwenhuis hit .274 (132-482) with 91 runs scored, 35 doubles, five triples, 16 home runs, 71 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 123 games with St. Lucie. Nieuwenhuis, 22, was named to the Florida State League All-Star team and ranked among the team leaders in batting average, home runs and RBI.  His 16 home runs ranked him second on the team and third in the FSL.  Niewenhuis also finished the season as the FSL leader in doubles, slugging percentage, extra-base hits, and runs scored. He batted .406 (13-32) with eight runs scored, three doubles, one home run and three RBI in eight games with Binghamton at the end of the year. Niewenhuis ranked 10^th in all of minor league baseball with 99 runs scored.

SAVANNAH (A) SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE: ROBERT CARSON (LHP)

Height: 6-4       Weight: 230      Bats: Left   Throws: Left            Born: 1/23/89     Resides: Hattiesburg, MS                      Obtained: Mets' 14^th round pick in 2007 Signing Scout: Benny Latino

Carson went 8-10 with a 3.21 ERA in 25 starts for Savannah. He hurled two complete games with one shutout. In 131.2 innings, he allowed 139 hits, 68 runs, 47 earned, with 45 walks and 90 strikeouts. Carson, 20, was named to the South Atlantic League All-Star team. He twirled a 9.0 inning, three hit shutout with eight strikeouts at Lexington on July 11^th earning SAL Pitcher of the Week honors.

BROOKLYN (A) NEW YORK-PENN LEAGUE: MARK COHOON (LHP)

Height: 6-2       Weight: 195      Bats: Left   Throws: Left            Born: 9/15/87     Resides: Buleson, TX                    Obtained: Mets' 12^th round pick in 2008    Signing Scouts: Ray Corbett

The lefthander led the New York-Penn League with nine wins, and ranked sixth with a 2.15 ERA en route to being named to the NYPL All-Star team.  He started the All-Star Game as well as Game One of the playoffs for Brooklyn. Opponents hit .210 against Cohoon, and he surrendered just 18 extra-base hits, while facing 356 batters.  Mark's nine wins tied a Cyclones' franchise record, and his 92.0 innings established a new club record.  Cohoon, 22, pitched 6.0 or more innings in 12 of his 14 starts, and allowed two earned runs or less 10 times.

KINGSPORT (R) APPALACHIAN LEAGUE: JEFF FLAGG (1B)

Height: 6-6       Weight: 246      Bats: Right   Throws: Right        Born: 11/7/85     Resides: Jacksonville, FL                    Obtained: Mets' 27^th round pick in 2008 Signing Scouts: Benny Latino

Flagg led the Kingsport Mets in batting average (.301), home runs (10) and RBI (59) and was second on the team in runs scored (47) in his second professional season out of Mississippi State University.  His 10 home runs also ranked second in the Appalachian League, while his 59 RBI were tops in the league.  Flagg, 23, had 17 multi-hit games in 57 starts for Kingsport while hitting .364 (47-129) with runners on base.  

 GULF COAST LEAGUE (R): JULIO CONCEPCION (OF)

Height: 6-4       Weight: 198      Bats: Right   Throws: Right        Born: 9/5/89     Resides: Santo Domingo, DR                       Obtained: Non-drafted free agent (3/07) Signing Scouts: Ramon Pena, Ismael Cruz, Sandi Rosario

Concepcion finished seventh in the Gulf Coast League with a .306 (49-160) batting average. He scored 21 runs, and collected four doubles, two triples, 12 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 45 games. Concepcion, 20, had at least one hit in 35 of his 45 games played and had a .354 on-base percentage.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE (R): ALEXANDER SANCHEZ (1B)

Height: 6-3       Weight: 200      Bats: Right   Throws: Right        Born: 11/28/90     Resides: Santo Domingo, DR                  Obtained: Non-drafted free agent (6/09) Signing Scouts: Ramon Pena, Ismael Cruz, Franklin Taveras

The 18-year-old first baseman finished the season tied for the Dominican Summer League lead with a .372 (71-191) batting average.  In 47 games with the DSL Mets, Sanchez drove in 42 runs, which was among the team leaders.  In 213 plate appearances, Sanchez struck out only 19 times and hit .432 (48-111) with three home runs and 25 RBI in 27 games during the month of July.    

VENEZUELAN SUMMER LEAGUE (R): ANDRES PEREZ (OF)

Height: 6-1       Weight: 180      Bats: Right   Throws: Right        Born: 7/5/89     Resides: San Cristobal, DR                  Obtained: Non-drafted free agent (8/07) Signing Scouts: Ramon Pena, Ismael Cruz, Marcelino Vallejo

Perez hit .311 (75-241) with 25 runs scored, 14 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 44 RBI in 67 games for the Venezuelan Mets. He posted a .356 on-base percentage and a .440 slugging percentage. Perez finished fourth in the League in RBI, batting .406 (28-69) with runners in scoring position.

--Anthony DiComo

In researching a pregame story about Mets rookie catcher Josh Thole this evening, I uncovered some interesting statistics on one of my favorite baseball sites, Fangraphs.com.

NOTE: At the time of this posting, Thole has stepped to the plate 24 times in the big leagues, so be sure to take all of this with a big fat grain of salt. BUT...

In those plate appearances, Thole has a contact rate of 93.9 percent -- that is, when he has swung, he has hit the ball an incredible 93.9 percent of the time. Albert Pujols, by comparison, has a contact rate of 86.7 percent. Strikeout king Mark Reynolds is at 62.6 percent.

On balls inside the strike zone, Thole has made contact 96.2 percent of the time.

Now I'm by no means saying Josh Thole is a better hitter than Albert Pujols or Mark Reynolds, but what you should take home is this: Thole's ability to put bat on ball is well beyond his years. And that's important.

Earlier today, Manuel spoke about Thole's ability to be a two-hole hitter at some point in the future, and good No. 2 hitters do two things well: contact and bat control. At the very least, Thole is well on his way to mastering the first half of that equation.

--Anthony DiComo

During a baserunning discussion Tuesday afternoon in which, among other things, Jerry Manuel lamented that players these days don't spend enough time learning proper fundamentals, Manuel made an interesting point: though the Mets are first in the National League with a .286 average with runners in scoring position, they rank nowhere near the top of the league when it comes to actually scoring those runs. In fact, the Mets have knocked in 473 runs all season with men in scoring position -- roughly 40 fewer than the Dodgers, who are hitting merely .262 in such situations.

The numbers can be confusing, but here's Manuel's explanation:

"If you have a lot of singles hitters and the outfielders play in, if you have infield hits, those count as hits with runners in scoring position," he said. "We get them from second to third. It's between third and home that we don't make the right decisions."

Translation: The Mets don't hit the ball particularly deep (their slugging percentage is 14th in the league with RISP), and they don't hit home runs with men on base (28th in the Majors). All of which renders that high batting average pretty insignificant.

--Anthony DiComo