Mets Prospects

O Fernando

2010-02-08T16:56:00.002-05:00

O Fernando Martinez, I guess everyone forgot all the hype that has been surounding you the few years this off-season. The Mets lost Beltran for the begining of the season so it seemed as though you might have a shot to see some real playing time. But I guess your freequent injuries and your unssucessful stint in the majors last year batting .176 hasnt helped your cause. So what do you do to get back into the spotlight?

Something tells me going into the Caribbean World Series and hitting 2 home runs along with a .348 batting average puts you back in the mind of Mets fans and the Mets organization.

So what are you going to do next F-Mart? My advice would be to stay healthy for once. Start the season in AAA Bufalo and stay healthy! You hit .290 last season there with 8 home runs and 16 doubles in just 45 games. It's only a matter of time until one of Pagan or Mathews doesnt produce so look to shine and this time, please do.

Just My Opinion on Fred Wilpon

2010-02-03T19:40:00.005-05:00

Yes, I know I have not updated Mets Prospects since the last day of July, But I am back now and ready to provide my insight on the Mets farm system and opinion on the Mets. I recently saw this article on the Mets on Forbes.com titled, Mets suffer under Wilpon, essentially arguing that Fred Wilpon is the worst owner in baseball.

First off, how can you say a man that spends the millions of dollars causing the Mets to have one of the highest payrolls in baseball is a bad owner while owners like the Pirates could not care less if they win because they don’t want to spend any money. Fred Wilpon just paid for, or at least partially paid, for a brand new 850 million dollar stadium in order to give fans a cleaner new stadium while giving fans a more comfortable and intimate feel while watching a baseball game.

But does Fred Wilpon really spend all this money so the fans will be happy and the Mets will win? If you actually believe Fred Wilpon cares about the fans and that he is a good owner then you are really trying to see the best in people and are being narrow minded.

CitiField might be the worst thing for the average Mets fan. The days of showing up at a game on the day of and buying a 15 dollar ticket are over. I don’t know if you have been to CitiField, but if so, how is cutting 15,000 seats and raising ticket prices good for the fans? The upper deck at Shea might have felt far away but at the “Promenade” at CitiField you can’t even see half the field from most angles.

At the beginning of last season, the Mets held a day for season ticket holders and partial holders to come watch the team practice. At the time I had a Sunday plan so I gladly attended to watch my Mets practice and to see the new stadium. After finding out the complete rip off of my seats in the promenade, I went back down to field level to watch batting practice. As batting practice took place, Fred Wilpon came out to sign autographs. Yeah, I know, who would value an autograph from some rich guy. Anyways, as Wilpon stood underneath me in the tunnel, I called out to him. He looked up at me and then I proceeded in telling him how he was taking the average fan out of baseball by limiting cheap seats and increasing ticket prices. I ended my claim by explaining that if I wanted to go to a business dinner then CitiField was the place to go but it wasn’t where real fans could go to watch a game anymore.

Fred proceeded by exiting through the tunnel. Less than five minutes later, security came down looking for me to throw me out of the stadium. Luckily I left that area, but my friends who were there told me how they were asking around trying to find me to throw me out. Thanks Fred.

I’m not saying Fred Wilpon doesn’t want to win and make the fans happy, but I am saying that he overlooks what fans really want and doesn’t understand how to win. In the article, Thomas Van Riper says,” Wilpon's two biggest problems: his assumption that New York fans demand a winner each and every year, and his apparent obsession with the Yankees.”

Mets fans are a rare breed. We wholeheartedly care and know about are team and actually understand baseball. We understand that it is impossible to win every year. So when we need to rebuild, please take a year off. We have the core to compete so if necessary make a trade at the break. But as the season is nearing, the Mets team looks questionable. So lets just hope Omar and Fred did the right thing this off-season...

Red Hot Davis

2009-07-31T18:25:00.002-04:00

Ike Davis has been playing his best baseball since the all star break. After a slow start to the first half of the season for AA Binghamton, .256 with 3 home runs, Davis has put on a show since the all star break. In 14 games since the all star break Davis is batting .375 with 5 home runs, 4 doubles, and 12 rbis.

I have seen Davis play twice this year and he has looked very good. He is finally hitting breaking balls and has always been able to hit fastballs which is contributing to his success. If Davis continues this hot streak he could make a bid for a call up in September especially if the Mets continue to go through outfielders.

Seven Scoreless for Holt in New Britain

2009-07-25T16:08:00.005-04:00

On July thirteenth i took the trek to New Britain Connecticut to see Brad Holt pitch. Holt pitched a 7 scoreless innings of 4 hit baseball and struck out 7. He looked extremely dominate as his mid 90s fastball was overpowering the New Britain hitters. Scouts have said that Holt's fastball is really his only plus pitch but he has come a long way with his curve ball and on that Monday it looked pretty nice and had a lot of sharp movement.

In two starts since Holts great outing in New Britain, Holt allowed 2 runs in 6.2 innings in a win and then took the no decision on july 23 after surrendering 5 runs in 6 innings. With the way the Mets are playing it is not out of the question to bring up their top pitching prospect to see what he can do for them this year. Last year Bobby Parnell got called up in september after playing most of the year in Binghamton. So there is definetly a chance that Holt could make his major league debut this season.

Holt warming up

Bet against the Mets

2009-07-05T19:40:00.002-04:00

With the Mets looking terrible lately, I decided what better time to try betting on them now. The Mets offense has been dreadful and there pitching has been shaky so how could I loose? I found this Site called Bet Us, set up an account and decided to test my luck. I then went to the baseball betting section, found the Mets and selected them to loose even with the spread. Of course they lost and I made some money. So even though the Mets can not win a game, at least I made some money... especially because they rip you off on tickets.

Fuller Dominates Brooklyn

2009-07-01T13:03:00.003-04:00

Can someone tell me why James Fuller is still in A Brooklyn? Fuller, a 22 year old lefty out of Southern Connecticut State has dominated Brooklyn in the time he has been there. Last year in 8 games, 1 start, 18 innings, Fuller had an era of 1 with 22 strikeouts and opponents hit just .238 against him.

This year in 2 starts, 13 innings, Fuller is 2-0 with 13 strikeouts and just 2 walks. Fuller has shown that the hitters in the New York Penn League are no match. So I would suggest promoting him to A Savannah. He really cant do much better in Brooklyn so why not move him up...

Futures Game

2009-07-01T12:45:00.002-04:00

17 year old Wilmer Flores and 19 year old Jenrry Meja have been selected to play in the Futures Game in St. Louis on July 12. Flores is considered the Mets top prospect after and incredible season last year in the rookie leagues at just 16 years old. Meja is a power pitcher with a great arm and a heap of potential. Full bios will be available later in the week.

Ike Davis in AA

2009-07-01T12:24:00.005-04:00

After being the Mets first pick in the 2008 amateur draft everyone had high expectations for Ike Davis. After tearing it up for Arizona State, Davis was sent to A Brooklyn. In 58 games for the cyclones Davis struggled with both injuries and the bat. He hit .256 with 15 doubles, 17 rbis, and no home runs.

So as the 2009 season came Davis needed to prove to the Mets organization and the fans that 2008 was a fluke. Davis started the year in A St. Lucie and did a good job proving himself in 59 games there as he hit .288 with 17 doubles, 3 triples, 7 home runs, and 28 rbis.

At 6 foot 5 Davis has alot of raw power but did not show it in 2008. He has the ability to hit for both power and average and is a decent defender with a good arm. In St. Lucie Davis did a good job showing his potential power blasting 7 home runs. Davis also has a good eye as he has had an on base percentage almost .100 points higher then his batting average in every league he has pleayed in thus far. He needs to cut down on his stirkeouts a little and learn to go opposite way a little more.

Davis was called up to AA Binghamton and has played 8 games there and he has hit .333 with 3 doubles and 6 rbis. I saw Davis play Wensday, June 24 against Bowie. The B-Mets were down 4-2 going into the 9th inning. After scoring 1 run the B-mets were only needed 1 more to send it into extras. There was 1 out, runners on first and second, Davis, who was already 1-3 with a walk and 2 strikeouts stepped to the plate. Davis ripped a double down the first place line to end the game as the B-Mets won. It was a very exciting game which Davis really showed hit ability as a good hitter, clutch player, but also that he still needs alot of work before reaching his potential.

Coronado Sent Down

2009-05-18T19:23:00.001-04:00

23 year old shortstop Jose Coronado was recently sent down from AAA Buffalo to AA Binghamton. The Mets have been rushing Coronado through the farm system and after hitting .141 for Buffalo they had to send him down.

Coronado ended the 2005 season in A- Hagerstown (now Savannah) batting .225. The following season the Mets had Coronado play the entire year as a 20 year old in the Florida Coast League for the St. Lucie Mets where he hit .225 in 138 games. The following season the Mets started him in AA Binghamton where he continued to struggle with the bat as he hit .212.

Coronado has always struggled with the bat but he does play good defense due to good hands and average arm and athleticism. It is very clear the Mets have been rushing Coronado up because he starts in a better league every year. Though, there should be no rush for Coronado because the Mets have Jose Reyes at shortstop and he will be a Met for at least a few more years. Leaving the young shortstop in AA for at least the all star break would be a good move. Coronado is 3 for 9 since being sent down with only 1 strikeout. He needs to show he can hit consistently if he wants to move up to AAA and eventually the majors; If not he will be a defensive specialist at best because he has no power and average speed.

The Right Handed Power Bat We May Already Have

2009-03-10T19:13:00.004-04:00

Anybody I get into Mets talk with is over time going to hear of a quote/idea/ or general baseball philosophy that I received in one of my daily Mets conversations with who I call My Crazy Uncle Ritchie. I call him this with the upmost fondness and a little bit of a buddy like punch in the arm. He is the reason I am a Mets fan in March. Or if you would prefer, he is to blame for me being a Mets fan as I cry in my Starbucks in September. (But this year that will change). For example; there was not a single day that passed in Willie Randolph’s entire tenure as Mets manager were I did not here a minimum of 10 times per day “Willie has no expletiven idea how to handle a pitching staff.” Well needless to say that my Crazy Uncle Ritchie was right, like he usually is, and about a year too late the organization realized the same thing. The reason he said it 10 times a day for 3 &1/2 years is because he is crazy. Anyway, several times a day for the last 4 or five months I have been hearing. “They better hold on to that Nick Evans kid. He looks like he has the make up to be a very productive hitter. You can also tell that he is going to develop more and more long-ball capabilities the more comfortable he gets. I am telling you Bren they better not screw this kid up. He could be very special. Did you hear what the expletivin Yankees are trying to do now?”

Unfortunately I had to wait until the Dodgers signed Manny Ramirez before I posted this. I admit it; I was a little mesmerized by the idea when the Manny rumors were gaining wind even though the captain was not on board. But now that this is in the past and we move towards opening day for all teams from the big squad on down I must say that I took my uncle’s advice and looked a little closer at this Evans kid.

D.O.B : 1/31/1986 There is that year again. I have to find out why it seems so significant within this forum.

Vitals: Good heavens the kid is right handed. Part of the Big Binghamton 3 last year (The well hyped Dan Murphy, and recently Marinered Mike Carp being the other 2) Evans’ AA numbers stood up to what I like to call the minimum requirement minor league range test. Batted .311 with a .365 obp. Normally I like to see at least a 75 point disparity between batting average and on base percentage. He did not meet this criteria. And 54 points is a big difference than 75 points. But, I see 2 other factors that sway my opinion more towards his favor. 1) Because he was needed at various times on the big club he only had 296 at bats in AA. That is different than the standard big league starter’s 400-450 at bats. I am not going to make this about math but if he had 5 or six more bases on balls he would likely have cleared the 75 point plateau. Especially towards the end of the season when the single A pitchers get promoted and are only interested in showing off how hard they can throw and give up more walks in the last month than any other 2 months combined. And 2) In 2007 in St. Lucie facing said single A pitching his o.b.p. was .374 with a batting average of .286. So we are not talking about an impatient hitter.

Up – Side: Though I am not sure how reliable my sources are, but I will say that they are multiple, and in one case very close to the big league team. I have heard that he was hurt last year for periods beyond his stint on the D.L. but was not a complainer. He just went out and played ball and made no excuses. That is worth a lot to me. Scouting reports on his potential vary from very good to nothing to write nothing about. However; they all seem to be consistent in saying that he has tremendous potential as far as power is concerned. He did have 14 Hr. 18 2b. &even 7 3b in those same 296 at bats. So when he got a hold of one he usually seems to make the most of it. He only had 2 Hr in 109 big league at bats but that is 3 more than I had.

And let’s face it; He is right handed. At the moment our best right handed bat off the bench on the big club is our back-up catcher.

Prediction: Makes the club out of Spring Training or shortly there after. Why the hell not. He could give a break to Murphy in Left, Church in Right, Delgado at first (All positions he has at least some experience at. Any manager the Mets face is going to have 2 left handed specialists’ available and warm at all times. To me it seems like it is either Evans or Angel Pagan who I am not against but Pagan is another story for another day. For now I have to get this posted because Nick Evans hit a double and a triple against legitimate pitchers today after hitting a grand slam yesterday. I am afraid if I wait any longer it will seem like I am writing an article on what a bright future Jose Reyes has. STOP – Re-read the sentence. I said I was afraid it would happen. I did not make any comparisons. I just told my Crazy Uncle Ritchie that I had to call him back so I could finish this. I get to hear about the afore mentioned double, triple, grand slam and how they better not screw this kid up for the rest of the evening... And I would not have it any other way. (Dig the Doogie Howser ending)

Written By: Brendan Burt

WBC Talent

2009-03-08T20:19:00.001-04:00

The World Baseball Classic is an interesting time because players from various parts of the world come together to compete for their countries. While many of these athletes are major league players in the MLB or professional leagues like the Japanese league a large chunk of them are minor league players. The Mets have a plethora of there major league talent on the various international teams but they also have players from their minor league system.

19 year old Ruben Tejada is the starting shortstop for Team Panama. In 2007 Tejada hit .324 with 41 rbis, 45 runs, 16 stolen bases, 35 strikeouts, and 38 walks in 67 games between the Venezuelan summer league and the rookie gulf league. He was unable to continue that success in 2008 as he struggled throughout the year in the hitter friendly Florida state league. He only managed a .229 average with 37 rbis, 55 runs. He stuck out 77 times compared to 41 walks and was thrown out stealing 5 times out of 13 tries accumulating for only 8 stolen bases. Tejada plays solid defense and has a very good arm but his bad is very inconsistent.

Shawn Bowman is a third baseman on Team Canada. Bowman who was once a highly touted prospect has been healthy recently. Bowman had a career year for the A Capital City Bombers when he was 20 years old putting up 19 home runs, 69 rbis, and 66 runs while batting .258 in 110 games as he carried his team to an 89-47 record. Bowman won’t see much time in the world baseball classic but it could be a good opportunity to regain his status as a prospect.

Third baseman/First baseman Stefan Welch will represent team Australia. Welch is a tall kid with a lot of potential to hit for both power and average. Welch hit .281 with 4 home runs, 8 triples, and 14 doubles in the Appalachian league last season.

I think this World Baseball Classic is especially interesting for minor league players. It gives them a chance to play against major league players and the opportunity to escalate themselves into hopefully becoming major leaguers earlier.

Spring Training, Finally!

2009-02-26T20:14:00.001-05:00

Spring Training is finally upon us. Spring training is great because it prepares older players for the regular season while showcasing future talents. This year the Mets have a decent amount of talent some of whom have an actual chance of making the team.

Lefty Jon Niese and hard throwing righty Bobby Parnell arguably have the greatest chance to make the team. Parnell who relies on his mid 90s fastball needs to show he has improved his breaking pitches and is a more complete pitcher then last season. Niese has to show that he is more consistent and can truly handle being in the majors. Niese was rushed up to the Mets after making only a few starts in AAA. Niese started 3 games for the Mets while struggling in 2 and pitching 8 scoreless innings in the other game. Niese has a shot to be the 5th starter but he needs to outpitch solid competitors in veterans Freddy Garcia, Livan Hernandez, and Tim Redding.

Fernando Martinez is once again in camp. He is another year old and closer to finally reaching the Mets. Martinez has tremendous tools but has had problems staying healthy. Many people think Martinez will be called up around July but if he has a good spring he could reach the Mets even sooner.

The Mets have many other prospects in camp like Brad Holt and Dillon Gee, arguably there 2 best pitching prospects. Both will not make the team but it will give them good experience and a chance to show off there potential. Strong hitting catcher Josh Thole and shortstop Jose Cornado will also be in camp to name a few more prospects. Thole has been getting increasingly more popular as hit bat is improving and he might have surpassed Francisco Pena as the Mets top catching prospect.

Putz trade in the end

2009-02-04T19:33:00.003-05:00

Earlier this off season the Mets acquired JJ Putz, Jeremy Reed and Sean Green for Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith, Endy Chavez, Jason Vargas, Mike Carp, outfielder Ezequiel Carrera and righty pitcher Maikel Cleto. Right now the trade seems like a steal but I would like to take a closer look to see who the Mets really gave up.

Everyone knows the big name players whom the Mets surrendered to the Mariners and Indians like Smith, Chavez, and of course Heilman. But many people do not know the young prospects who were traded and what their future might hold.

The top prospect the Mets gave up is first baseman and future DH Mike Carp. Carp is known for his bat and hit .299 with 17 home runs and 72 rbis last year for AA Binghamton as a 22 year old. Carp was highly regarded in before the 2007 season and was invited to spring training, but during the season he injured his hand and struggled in the power category for sometime afterwards. His lack of power was shown when Carp hit .243 and had 0 home runs in 2007 in the Arizona Fall League and still managed to be the AFL Prospect Team. Carp had a strong 2008 season which allowed to be used as the high chip prospect in this deal.

Lefty Jason Vargas was acquired in November of 2006 along with pitcher Adam Bostick in exchange for right-handed relievers Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom. Vargas had a lot of potential when he arrived in New York but never lived up to it. He spent most of his time in AAA. In 2007 he started 2 games for the Mets, but he allowed 14 runs in 10.1. Vargas missed all of 2008 with injuries but faired well in the AFL as he had a 2.1 era. Vargas isn’t the young talent he was a few years back and at 26 years of age he better get it together if he wants to make it in the big leagues. I wouldn’t even really call Vargas a prospect anymore but he would be considered the 4 prospect in the deal.

Ezequiel Carrera is a pretty good outfielder with a lot of speed. He hit 263 in 2008 while stealing 28 bases. The 21 year old also managed 11 doubles, 12 triples, and 7 homeruns which shows he can hit for average and power and uses the entire field, indicated by the amount of triples. Carrera has also had high on base percentages, .344 in 2008. He had a pretty good amount of potential and is the number 2 prospect in the trade.

Maikel Cleto is a young 19 year old pitcher who pitched decently in 2008 for A- savannah. Cleto relies heavily on his fastball, as most young pitchers due. He allowed 140 hits, 34 walks, 81 strikeouts with a 4.25 era in 135.2 innings for the Gnats. He often struggles with his control which can be seen by the high number of hits and more importantly he surrendered 25 wild pitches. As a young pitcher he has to get better control of his good fastball and needs to become more comfortable with his breaking balls if he wants to find success. He is the number 3 prospect in the deal.

Pinch Hit Home Run

2009-02-03T20:29:00.005-05:00

In tonight’s Caribbean Series game of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico Mets Prospect Fernando Martinez put the Dominicans ahead with a pinch hit 2 run homer. This put the Dominican Republic on top where they won 2-1.

The Mets have several players in the Caribbean Series. On the Dominican Team: pitcher Valerio De Los Santos, catcher Salvador Paniagua, and Fernando Martinez. On Puerto Rico: Catcher Robinson Cancel and outfielder Jesus Feliciano

Bowman to represent Canada

2009-01-22T22:40:00.002-05:00

When Shawn Bowman was 20 years old he was considered one of the New York Mets top prospects. Bowman just had a career year for the A Capital City Bombers putting up 19 home runs, 69 rbis, and 66 runs while batting .258 in 110 games as he carried his team to an 89-47 record. The following year Bowman couldn’t maintain his success batting .221 but he was still had pop in his bat as he bombed 17 homeruns with 53 rbis in 87 games for St. Luicie. But by the end of the2005 season Bowman had chronic back pain which ended up taking the next two and half years to rid of.

As the 2008 season arrived Bowman was not the highly noted hitting prospect he was 4 years prior. He had not been healthy in two and a half years and had a lot to prove. With all the doubt about his health and if he still had any potential Bowman hit .340 in 26 games for St. Lucie but had lost most of his power only knocking 2 home runs and 11 rbis. He then was promoted to AA where he struggled, batting .248 with 2 home runs and 10 rbis in 29 games.

This fall Bowman was invited to play in the prestige’s Arizona Fall League. He didn’t see a lot of playing time but Bowman made the most out of it. In 37 at bats Shawn hit .297 with 2 homes runs and 0 strikeouts. As the 2009 season roles around Bowman should start the season in AA Binghamton and hopefully end up in AAA buffalo by seasons end.

A 6 foot 2 third baseman, Shawn Bowman has some pop to go along with a decent bat. Bowman has a tendency to strikeout (110 strikeouts in87 games in 2005, 35 strikeouts in 29 games in 2008) while drawing few walks showing poor plate discipline. He is not the same hitter he was 4 years ago which makes his future less promising. He could end up being a pretty good bench player but if he wants to make it he needs to fix his discipline problem and stay healthy. Bowman will also play for team Canada in the World Baseball Classic and this could be a good opportunity to show his stuff.

Ranked 17

2009-01-22T21:16:00.003-05:00

Recently the Mets Farm System was ranked by ESPN.com while placing 17th.
"It took a few major trades, but their system finally has thinned. Their international scouting department has saved the system, with three of their top six prospects (Fernando Martinez, Wilmer Flores and Jefry Marte) all coming via that route. Keep an eye on Brad Holt, a potentially fast mover from the 2008 draft whose curveball is improving."

Everyone knows about Fernando Martinez as he has been regarded as the Mets top prospect for awhile now but Flores and Marte both have tremendous potential. Both are very young and had very strong season's last year so this upcoming year will be especially important.

A Gun Slinger Named Holt:

2008-11-24T23:22:00.004-05:00

Okay before I go into why I think Bradley Holt is the closest thing to a pitching sure shot in the Mets lower farm system, let me have a little fun with just his name. It holds no true value and certainly does not have a check box next to a player evaluator in any scouting system anywhere. But come on. “Now taking the mound Bradley Holt.” “The Holt 45.” “And the Braves playoff run has come to a screeching Holt.” I admit that last one was a stretch but you have to admit the guy has a good baseball name. This being said, I am still dumbfounded that a guy who’s name was (and to my knowledge still is)Butch Husky is not preparing his hall of fame speech right now. So we better play it safe and look at the player. Just in case the name doesn’t pan out.
Born: October 13, 1986. Sorry, that is the second time that October of 1986 has come up and it has been eating me alive trying to remember why that month and year are so important to me.

Drafted: 2008 Compensatory pick out of the University of North Carolina. Worthy of note, the draft pick the Mets got for not resigning Tom Glavine after he concluded his Mets career with “Just like any other game. Do I have enough sky miles to fly me and my family back to Atlanta?”

Vitals: Throws right handed (How rare…) Builds around his fast ball. Radar reports vary but most have his heater in the 91-94 range. Throws 3 pitches for strikes and this time next year it should be four.
Took a perfect game into the 6th inning of his second professional start.

Stats: 14 Starts all with the Brooklyn Cyclones. 5W 3L – 1.87 ERA – 96 K – 72.1 IP –
It should also be noted that as endearing as a 1.87 ERA is on July 29, 2008 he gave up 7 walks, 3 hits, 3 earned runs in 3.1 innings of work. His ERA for a day when he could not get out of the 4th inning was 8.10 he still managed 2 strikeouts. What I like to see here is: In the previous game he went 6 innings gave up no earned runs and struck out 14 on July 24. The lousy game happened. How did he respond? With pure heart. On August 3rd he went six strong innings giving up one run, 4 hits, 3 walks and struck out 5. This tells me? He had a bad start. Shook it off. Made adjustments i.e. he only struck out 5 and relied more on his brain than he did his arm. Without the game on July 24, his ERA would have been around 1.25.

Potential: I had to be careful when I did my first write up on Josh Thole because between the time I started to research him and the time I started to write, a buzz had begun to … well buzz. This time I am pulling no punches. I have seen Holt pitch in person he appears to have the heart of a lion and the brain of a UNC graduate.
X Factor: another thing you can’t research on the web, is this kid’s determination and ability to make adjustments. He already seems to have the on field demeanor of a big leaguer. In my opinion it is just a Question of when. I predict Citi Field in some capacity by 2010. You heard me. That is the season after next.

Up-Side: He did four years in college so is likely on the fast track. I don’t think he will need more than 75-85 innings in AA ball before people start to talk. He possesses tremendous control of his fastball to the point were I would almost say he throws 2 different fast balls as well as a change up. Very high ceiling. Just for comparison, I did not see as much potential in Pelfrey or Heilman after they were drafted. I won’t discuss the gentleman down in Tampa who I saw a lot of potential in as well.

Down-Side: Secondary pitches take time to develop, and even more time to master. At this stage in his career he seems to reach for the fastball a little to soon and often when the count does not necessarily call for an out pitch yet. Big leaguers will see that and make him pay in sums of great pride. He needs to spend next year mastering his secondary pitches. He does have the motion and build to throw a good cutter (that’s a cut fast ball to all of you non catchers out there, and a slider to anybody over the age of fifty. Maybe he can start to develop one of those.

The Mets Very Own Joe Maur? Or The Curse Of The Soutpaw?

2008-11-24T22:53:00.004-05:00

Josh Thole played most of the year behind the plate in Port St. Lucie and had been selected to the Florida State League Mid –Season and post season All Star team. Mr. Thole is presently playing in the winter leagues and from what I have read thus far, his numbers in winter ball are likely to improve before I am done typing. (7:56 a.m. November 14, 2008)
Born: October 28, 1986 – Now what do I remember most about October of ’86. I forget
Drafted: 2005 player draft. 13th round (389 overall).
Born: 10/28/1986
Vitals: Bats Left Throws Right. 82 point disparity between batting average and on base percentage. Struck out 38 times in 347 at bats. (Puts ball in play almost 90%)
Stats: St Lucie 2008: .300 avg. -111 games – 347 AB – 49 R – 104 H – 25 2b– 2 3b - 5 HR – 56 RBI – 45 BB – 2 SB. - .427 SLG.
AFL 2008: (up to the minute) .368 avg. – 16 g– 58 AB – 15 R – 21 H – 1 2b – 2 HR – 15 RBI – 1 SB for good measure. He only struck out 4 times in 58 at bats. Did I mention that he has plate discipline?

Potential: Difficult to predict as he has not played AA ball as of yet. With main focus on patience and pitch selection possible spring training invite, subsequent promotion to Binghamton. He could work his way north to Buffalo as soon as July 2009. Then its anybodies' guess. His numbers in the AFL are starting to create a little buzz. Trade bait? Could he be the future starting catcher at Citi Field? Back up catcher to big league club? We must keep in mind that the area behind the plate wherever the Mets play is the closest piece of real estate the Mets have to the coveted centerfield at Yankee Stadium. And we sure do have an affection for our own home grown talent.
I would need to see more at the higher levels to be definitive. I hope he gets an invite to spring training because I plan to make a few trips down there next year. I would need to see the way he calls a game against A-level big leaguers.
Up-Side: Patience and plate discipline (or didn't I mention that.Josh batted .667 in 12 at bats vs. left handed pitching in the AFL. Lefty against Lefty, advantage: Pitcher)
X-Factor Josh has only recently become a full (or most of the) time catcher. When it comes to defense behind the plate, I do not trust any other reports but my own. As a catcher myself, I need to be in the building to see his a) Footwork. b) Arm. More specifically how he gets his throws off. Are his throws merely academic? or does he have that look in his eyes that every good catcher should have? The look that sees the runner and says “Dead.”
A possible“Down Side” believe it or not is the fact that he bats left handed. I have never seen any organization with this problem, but the Mets have too many left handed everything. This may prove a short term disadvantage but when all is said and done if the player rises to the league and does not wait for the league to lower itself to the player (which seems to be the case in the early stages) there will be room for him. Hell we learned to live with a left handed batting catcher for a good chunk of the big club's season this year. But this could be an eventual...
Down Side He was drafted in 2005 and has not crossed A-ball. Again, in a world where lefties are rare, and even more rare in baseball players, the Mets have found a way to have too many. (The best example I can think of to elaborate on this point just in cas I haven't beat it to death and again back to life is, Ryan Church of the big club. The man went through hell to get back on the field, having began to prove his critics wrong by hitting left handed pitching at the beginning of the season, returns just in time to have to face southpaws in six of his first seven starts. The Transition may have been easier if they did not already have Delgado, Chavez, Schneider and often Daniel Murphy in the same lineup) Of course this is the kind of problem baseball teams generally wish for. And considering how patient he is at such a young age this should be no great obstacle.
Finally: Consider this, there were 2 catchers selected in the first round that year and by the 79th pick (all supplemental rounds included) 6 catchers had been selected. This was also the same draft that brought us such names as Ryan Braun, Jacoby Elsbury, Ryan Zimmerman, Troy Tulowiyski, Clay Bucholz and the Mets own Mike Pelfrey. Surely this could be a draft were a great talent was overlooked until the mid rounds. Anybody remember a Mets back stop who was drafted with the last pick of the last round (as a favor to Tommy Lasorda I might add.. well I did add) by the Dodgers in the early 90s? All told, I like the numbers this kid is putting up. I must admit to being (on ocasion) a little too optimistic when it comes to Mets farm hands because the first name I think of when I see a lefty hitting catcher is Joe Maur. I will conveniently overlook the offensive numbers of the Mets present (8:32 a.m. November 13, 2008) catcher, also a lefty.

F-Mart Update:

2008-11-10T22:37:00.001-05:00

Fernando Martinez has been dominating the Dominican winter league. In 41 at bats, Martinez is hitting .341 with 2 home runs, 3 doubles, and a triple.

Rising Stars Game

2008-10-26T23:03:00.002-04:00

In the National League Rising Stars 7-6 win over the American League Stars Josh Thole had the game tying hit in the top of the ninth on an rbi single. Eddie Kunz had a blown save pitching .2 innings allowing 2 hits and a walk. Daniel Murphy also had a walk in his only plate appearance.

F-Mart Update:

2008-10-26T22:55:00.002-04:00

Fernando Martinez has played solid baseball in the last week. After starting the season 2 for 9, Martinez has recorded 7 hits in 21 at-bats and has a 5 game hitting streak. More importantly, 3 of hits 7 hits have been doubles and Martinez has just 3 strikeouts which shows he is putting the ball in play and is not over matched.

Greg Veloz Struggles

2008-10-24T17:31:00.002-04:00

Greg Veloz has continued to struggle over the last few weeks. Veloz, who at one point was hitting in the low/mid .300s, is now batting just .233 and .129 in his last 10 games. The 20 year old had a good year in A- Savannah batting .286 with 25 doubles and 28 steals in 111 games. He closed out the year playing 21 games in the hitter friendly A Florida State League but he only managed a .234 with a double and a steal.

As one of the top second base prospects for the Mets, Veloz is a raw athletic player with a ton of potential. He has good gap power which can be seen in his statistics for doubles and triples. Though Veloz needs to work on his strikeouts as he put up 113 combined St. Lucie/Savannah in 132 games. Scouts have also said that he is a little shaky on defense but he is only 20, and he is one of the Mets better second base prospects along with Reece Havens, Hector Pellot, and Emanuel Garcia. Though, at this point in time I would call him the top second base prospect. So now that Veloz is struggling, look to see how he bounces back and see how resilient the young kid is.

AFL Update:

2008-10-22T20:48:00.004-04:00

Peo Saguaros won 8-1 today. Bobby Parnell had a solid start pitching 4 innings of 1 hit, no run ball. Tobi Stoner pitched a scoreless 8th inning while Eddie Kunz surrendered the only run of the game after walking 2 hitters and giving up a hit in the 9th. Shawn Bowman went 0-4 as the only Mets farmhand position player in the game.

On top of this Daniel Murphy, Josh Thole, and Eddie Kunz have been named to the Arizona Fall League's "Rising Stars Game" which will be Friday night in Surprise, Ariz.

Murphy and Thole playing well

2008-10-21T20:45:00.002-04:00

In todays 11-18 Peo Saguaros loss Dan Murphy and Josh Thole both had multiple hit games. As the only two mets prospects to play in the game Murphy went 3 for 5 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 rbis. After an average start to the season Thole is 7 for his last 11 including 2 hits and a run in todays game and is now batting .421 without a strikeout.

Hawaii League Update:

2008-10-21T17:55:00.003-04:00

Greg Veloz has just 2 hits in last 17 at bats shrinking his average to .259. Veloz has really struggled lately as is hitting just .156 in his last 10 games (32 at bats). Ruben Tejada apparently left Sundays game in the fourth inning. He is hitting .318. More information will be available on his status when known.

On the flip side pitchers Scott Shaw and Roy Merrit are continuing there success. Shaw has shown great stuff and good command in his 15.2 innings pitched. He has accounted 19 strikeouts and has prevented base runners from reaching base which can be seen in his very low whip of 0.38. Merrit has an era of 2.19 with 14 strikeouts in 12.1 innings.

In Josh Stinson's last start he gave up 5 runs in 2.1 innings. But other than that Stinson has pitched well as he only allowed 1 run in his other 3 starts. Junior Guerra has been average since giving up 5 runs in an inning on October 7th. He now has an era of 7.59.

Dominican Winter League

2008-10-21T17:49:00.002-04:00

Argenis Reyes and Fernando Martinez began playing for the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League. The season started last week and Martinez is 2 for 9 while Reyes is 3 for 15.

Kunz Good and Bad

2008-10-20T21:33:00.002-04:00

Eddie Kunz has been great thus far in the Arizona Fall League except for 1 game. In 5 of Eddie's 6 games he did not surrender a run. But on October 17 against the Mesa Solar Sox Kunz allowed 8 earned runs on 7 hits in .1 innings giving him an era of 216 for the game. After a good scoreless outing today Kunz has an era of 13.50.

I have seen this out of Kunz a lot in his short minor league career. He has pitched well very often but he usually will have an outing where he just doesn't have it while getting bombed. In order to be an effective relief pitcher, especially if he wants to be a setup man or closer in the majors, Kunz needs to learn how to pitch when he doesn't have his good stuff. So as Kunz continues to progress, keep an eye out to see if these occasional horrendous outing continue.

Saguaros Win Again

2008-10-17T08:06:00.003-04:00

Last night Saguaros of the AFL won 8-2. In the win Bobby Parnell started the game. He struggled going only 1.1 innings allowing 2 runs on just 1 hit but surrendered 4 walks. He was then replaced by Jason Vargas who has an impressive game as he held Phoenix scoreless in 3.2 innings of no hit ball.

On the offensive side Murphy, Bowman, and Thole started. Murphy was 0-4 with a walk and a run lowering his average to .429. Bowman was 2 for 5 with a run and a strikeout which gives him a .400 average on the short season thus far. Thole had his best day yet as he was able to snag 2 hits in 4 at bats and pick up a rbi. He now is batting .250

Stoner Success

2008-10-16T17:11:00.002-04:00

In last nights 3-2 win, Tobi Stoner picked up his league leading 2 win after a scoreless inning an lowered his era to 1.59 after 5.2 innings pitched. Eddie Kunz snagged his 2 save after pitching a scoreless inning to keep his era at 0 after 4 innings.

On the other hand the Sharks in the Hawaii Winter league had a bad loss yesterday due to poor performances by Mets farmhands. Josh Stinson gave up 5 runs in just 2.1 innings only for Junior Guerra to follow that up by surrendering a double and allowing the inherited runners to score. To top it off Ruben Tejada and Greg Veloz combined to go 0-5 with 2 strikeouts and a rbi.

Murph's Big Day

2008-10-14T22:38:00.002-04:00

Daniel Murphy went 4-for-4 and drove in two runs as the undefeated Peoria Saguaros scored nine times in the eighth inning in an 11-6 win over the Surprise Rafters on Monday.

After the game Murphy said, "All you can do is try to have a quality at-bat, and fortunately right now I'm just missing the players on the field and finding some holes. I knew they ran a lefty out there, so we all tried not to do too much, just keep the line moving. We just want to have quality at-bats. I want to play well, give myself the best opportunity. I'm trying to get better on defense, I've taken some ground balls at second, went to the outfield a little. But mostly I'm hoping to stay as crisp as possible and play the game hard."

Kunz Blogging

2008-10-14T18:11:00.001-04:00

Pitcher Eddie Kunz is blogging about his experience in the Arizona Fall League. To view the blog click.

"Last year I learned how to control my pitches and get my slider on track! Which worked and got me to start in AA this year and 2 weeks in the Big leagues in August. This year in the Fall Ball I am working on being more consistent with all my pitches and learning that the game is not in a hurry, I am a pitcher and I control the whole game."

Bowman AFL Player of the Week

2008-10-13T21:20:00.002-04:00

Shawn Bowman was recognized as the Player of the Week for the first week of the AFL season. The 23-year-old, right-handed-hitting third baseman contributed a double and his second home run of the fall season to the 5-2 victory the Peoria Saguaros scored against the Peoria Javelinas on Monday. That production put Bowman at the top of the league's hitters in batting average (.545), slugging percentage (1.273) and home runs (two other players have hit two as well).

He also ranks ranks third in on-base percentage (.615) and extra-base hits (four). A native of New Westminster, British Columbia, Bowman was the Mets' 12th-round selection in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. He was the 357th player selected.

Tejada Improving

2008-10-13T19:48:00.002-04:00

After a poor season last year for A+ St. Lucie in the Florida State 19 year old shortstop Ruben Tejada is having a successful start to his season in the Hawaii Winter league. In 2007 Tejada hit .324 with 41 rbis, 45 runs, 16 stolen bases, 35 strikeouts, and 38 walks in 67 games between the Venezuelan summer league and the rookie gulf league. He was unable to continue that success in 2008 as he struggled throughout the year in the hitter friendly Florida state league. He only managed a .229 average with 37 rbis, 55 runs. He stuck out 77 times compared to 41 walks and was thrown out stealing 5 times out of 13 tries accumulating for only 8 stolen bases.

It looks like the 5 foot 11 kid is back on track as he is hitting .324 after 9 games and has 7 runs to go along with 8 rbis. Tejada does not have great tools. He does not have a lot of power and is more like a second baseman then a shortstop but after a great 2007 season he looked very polished and advanced for his age. This can be attributed to more walks then strikeouts and a high batting average to say the least. His defense is very good and even though he struggled in St Lucie he is said to have good plate discipline.

AFL 1 week

2008-10-12T18:49:00.003-04:00

After the first week of the Arizona Fall League most of the Mets Prospects are performing very well. Shawn Bowman is hitting .545 with 2 homeruns and Daniel Murphy is batting .400 with 1 homerun. Vargas, Kunz, and Parnell all have an era of 0 while Stoner has a win and a 1.93 era after 4.2 innings pitched.

AFL Update:

2008-10-09T19:16:00.002-04:00

In todays 9-2 Peo Saguaros win Shawn Bowman had a double, a homerun, and 4 rbis. Murphy went 0-4 but scored a run due to a walk. Finally, Kunz had another strong outing recording 2 more strikeouts in an inning

Hawaii Winter League update:

2008-10-09T12:02:00.002-04:00

The Hawaii Winter League a few weeks ago and there are several players in the Mets minor league system on the Honolulu Sharks. Representing the Mets are pitchers Junior Guerra who has a 10.29 era after 7 innings pitched, Roy Merrit who is 0-1 with a 4.05 era after 6.2 innings pitched, Scott Shaw with a 1.35 era in 6.2 innings, and Josh Stinson who is 2-0 with a 0.87 era after 10.1 innings.

Position player wise the Sharks have young shortstop Ruben Tejada who is batting .308 after 6 games, catcher Jordan Abruzzo who has a .214 average after 14 at-bats, and second baseman Greg Veloz who is hitting .323 in 8 games.

Josh Thole

2008-10-08T18:49:00.001-04:00

Catcher Josh Thole had a breakout year at the plate in A St. Lucie. Prior to the 2008 season, Thole never had the position all to himself. In 2007, Thole had to split time with Francisco Pena, and boy how he developing, or should I say not developing. Prior to the start of the 2008 season Thole did not have the starting job and was set to split time with Sean McCraw and Jason Jacobs. While McCraw and Jacobs struggled, Thole began to hit. As the all star break arrived Thole was hitting a mediocre but fine for a catcher average of .262. Then Thole really performed, he hit .333 after the break raising his average to .300 for the year and also ending with 25 doubles, 5 home runs, 56 rbis, 38 strikeouts, and 45 walks in 111 games. Anytime a player has more walks then strikeouts, you know he is putting together good at-bats.

The soon to be 22 year old was selected by the Mets in the 13th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of high school. Thole had a slow start to his career but has finished up the season strong and received FSL Mid and Post Season All-Star. The 6 foot 1, 190 pound righty hits lefty and will split time this season in Arizona. But with the Mets lack of depth in catchers in there farm system, Thole is at the top of the list and if he continues to improve he might see playing time in a year or two, especially if he continues to hit.

AFL Mets:

2008-10-07T22:05:00.003-04:00

The Mets have 7 players representing them in the Arizona Fall League on the Peoria Saguaros. Representing the Mets are pitchers Tobi Stoner, Jason Vargas, Eddie Kunz, and Bobby Parnell, and Shawn bowman (infielder but primarily 3b), Daniel Murphy who will usually be playing 2b, and the solid hitting catcher Josh Thole.

Both Murphy and Bowman are in the opening day lineup and will be playing second and thirdbase while batting second and seventh in the lineup.

Mets Prospects will provide more information on the players representing the Mets in the AFL in the next couple of days.

Early Future

2008-10-06T14:50:00.000-04:00

So how will the Mets Prospects affect the Mets next year? I honestly see Evans being traded and Murphy will continue to get a lot of playing time. Mike Carp could be used as a power hitting lefty off the bench but could just play in AAA and will not get significant time with the Mets if he is called up. I see Fernando Martinez playing a lot more of his games in the Minors this year and possibly making the move to the Mets later in the season if he plays well.

The Mets will also rely on young pitchers. Niese will probably be in the rotation and Parnell could be in either the pen or rotation. Dillon Gee or Dylan Owen could be called up at some point if they have success in AA next year. In 4 starts in AA Gee was 2-0 with a 1.33 era. Eddie Kunz could be used in the Mets bullpen but I believe he still needs a lot of work in the minors first. Eddie Camacho could be a sleeper for the bullpen as he posted good numbers in AA before struggling in 14 games for New Orleans. He has good stuff and is dominant against left handers 1.80 era but has shown he can get rattled pretty easily (7.5 era away games, runners on 8 era, behind in count 8.44 era).

Not Again!

2008-10-05T14:08:00.001-04:00

The Mets season once again ended in a blink of the eye. Once again, on the final day of the season the Mets were unable to win just one game and get themselves into the playoffs. But we learned a lesson this year. We learned what we will need to make our club a championship club.

First the bullpen; the Mets need a total reconstruction of the bullpen. They need to trade Heilman, Schoenweis, and one other reliever whether it’s Ayala or Sanchez I don’t really care. Everyone knows Heilman has good stuff but he is a complete nutcase and can not get it done when it counts. Schoenweis is just a joke but give him a little credit because at least he cares, something you can’t say about a lot of other Mets.

The Mets starting pitching will be significantly different next season. The Mets will most likely not retain Oliver Perez and who really wants Pedro back after his inability down the stretch. That means the Mets will only have Maine, Pelfrey, and Santana. Most likely Niese will also be in the starting rotation but who knows. With that being said the Mets will need to get 1 solid starter if they want to have a deep rotation.

Time to talk about the Mets position players; the easiest decision this off season might be to trade Luis Castillo. Castillo batted a mere .245, .47 points under his career average. He cannot do anything at the plate in all honesty and he doesn’t have the same range he used to have on defense. I feel like Orlando Hudson would be the perfect player to put at second. He wants to play in New York and his personality is great and he can be a leader in the clubhouse. I also see an outfield change whether they bring in a free agent in left or trade church.

AA Update:

2008-08-21T13:12:00.002-04:00

Dylan Owen made his AA debut last night and earned his first win after going 6 innings while allowing 1 run on 6 hits. Fernando Martinez who was hitless in his last 4 games had a very good night going 3-4 with a double and 3 runs.

Gee makes good debut

2008-08-13T17:22:00.002-04:00

Dillion Gee made his first start for AA Bingamton last night. Gee pitched very in his 7 innings of 4 hit ball as he allowed only a solo home run and had 5 strikeouts.

Some Respect for Murphy

2008-08-10T09:56:00.002-04:00

Dan Murphy is turning heads right now as he is 10 for his first 20 with a home run and 5 rbis. Murphy has not always been this highly looked upon. In November of last year, when Murphy was tearing up the Arizona Fall League, Minor League baseball rated him as the 18th best prospect behind players like Hector Pellot, an ok second baseman, and Mike Carp, who at the time had not hit for power or average after his wrist injury.

Even as early as spring training Murphy was not getting the respect he deserved. Everyone talked about Nick Evans or Mike Carp ahead of Murphy. I always thought Murphy would be the best player out of the three and now everyone is seeing his patience, desire to win, and apparent opposite field power...

Notes from B-Mets game

2008-08-01T23:09:00.006-04:00

I was fortunate enough to attend the Bingamton Mets game tonight in New Britain. Bobby Parnell made the start tonight pitching 6 innings while allowing 3 runs on 7 hits. Personally, I am a big fan of Parnell. He has a very good fast ball, a pretty good change, but a pretty flat breaking ball from what I saw. His biggest problem was leaving his fastball up in the strike zone and that resulted in two big home runs. He looks good but very raw and needs more work until he will be ready for AAA or the Majors.

Mike Carp looked good tonight. He went 1 for 3 with a walk, a triple, and 3 rbis. There was actually an overthrow on his triple so he ended up scoring. The ball seemed to carry off Carps bat very well as he hit all his balls to deep parts in the outfield and most of the time it went a lot farther then it looked, always a good thing.

Kunz looked pretty good but a little wild as he walked 2, struck out 2, and gave up a hit while recording his 27th save.

Prior to the game, I showed up nice and early to interact with the players. Fernando Martinez did not play tonight but he said that he thinks he will play tomorrow night. He did however take batting practice and boy does he look good using the entire field. He was also real nice and signed autographs for everyone. Carp signed for only a short time because he was so busy trying to practice first and outfield. By the way, Mike Carp and Shawn Bowman look exactly the same. Bowman even ran by saying, "Sorry, I'm not Carp." The nicest guy though was Eddie Kunz. He signed before and after bp making sure everyone was happy. I asked Joe Hieptas if he was planing to catch again and he said that ship has sailed which cracked up Kunz. (Pictures: Martinez top, Kunz bottom)

Promotions:

2008-08-01T23:05:00.002-04:00

The Mets have called up Dan Murphy to AAA. Murphy was batting .308 with 13 home runs and 67 RBI to go with 14 stolen bases for AA Binghamton. Earlier in the week, the Mets promoted Jon Niese who had a successful first start where he went 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits.

Muniz back up

2008-06-25T10:45:00.003-04:00

Claudio Vargas has been designated for assignment, and will be replaced by pitcher Carlos Muniz. I am a big fan of Muniz and am very glad to see him back up. Vargas was pitching extremely poorly late so I definitely agree with this move. The only thing I worry about is does Manuel keep Muniz up if he pitches well because Willie kept sending him down even though he was pitching well in order to make room for the guy coming back from injury...

Martinez back from injury

2008-06-24T20:59:00.001-04:00

In his first game back from a hamstring injury, 19–year-old Fernando Martinez was 1 for 3 with a strike out as the designated hitter on Sunday for the Single-A GCL Mets.

Davis Signed

2008-06-24T20:57:00.001-04:00

The Mets have agreed to terms with first-round pick Ike Davis for $1.5 million dollars. Davis was interviewed by Kevin Burqhart of SNY while in New York and talked about his previous experiences in New York and the type of player he is.

Mets Sign Two

2008-06-16T19:10:00.002-04:00

The New York Mets announced that they have signed shortstop Reese Havens and righthanded pitcher Brad Holt and assigned both to Single-A Brooklyn of the New York-Penn League.
Havens was the club's 22nd overall selection in the first round of the 2008 Major League Baseball's First Year Player Draft from the University of South Carolina while Holt was the 33rd overall pick in the first round compensation round from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

Havens, 21, hit .359 (89-248), with 76 runs scored, 13 doubles, 18 home runs and 57 RBI in 63 games during his junior campaign with the Gamecocks this season. Following the year, in which he led South Carolina to a 40-23 record and an NCAA Regional appearance.

Holt finished his junior campaign at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington with an 11-1 record and a 3.18 ERA (33 earned runs / 93.1 innings) in 15 starts during the 2008 season. In 93.1 innings, he allowed 78 hits, of which only 17 went for extra-bases, while walking 36 and striking out 95. He also tossed the first one-hitter since 1992 for the Seahawks, when he struck out seven without a walk as Wilmington defeated Northeastern 11-1 on April 5th.

I really like Reese and I am quite excited to see him play. The Mets are really low on second baseman in the minors. They have two average prospects in Hector Pellot and Emanuel Garcia but Havens is much better than either of them.

Draft 08

2008-06-05T20:13:00.001-04:00

The MLB ametur player draft took place today. The Mets snaged to college bats in the first round. To learn about them click here and a full report on the entire draft will be up in less then a week.

Muniz Demoted

2008-06-03T15:27:00.003-04:00

In last night's blowout loss to the Giants, Carlos Muniz had the worst outing of his young career. He had yet to allow a run this season before allowing 4 runs in 1.2 innings. Due to this outing and roster moves he was sent down to AAA to make room for Pedro Martinez. I hope and believe he will be back with the Mets at some point this season.

Evans is up!

2008-05-24T14:37:00.001-04:00

Reports show that the Mets will promote Nick Evans from AA Binghamton to replace Anderson on the Mets 25–man roster. Evans is batting .292 with eight doubles, eight HR, 31 RBI and 32 strike outs in 45 games.

I'm glad he is getting called up but I also would like to see Dan Murphy get a call with his .339 batting average

Willie and Crying

2008-05-21T13:15:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, in a pre-game press conference, Willie Randolph claimed the media was being 'hard on him' because he is a black manager.

Here we go...Days of Our Lives: Guest Starring Willie Randolph

Willie, suck up, and manage your team, don't say 'the media is mean to me because I am black'. Really Willie? You are actually going to go there? Don't you think it COULD be, could be, this is only a suggestion, the fact that your club is ONE GAME ABOVE .500 AND IN 4TH PLACE!?!?

So, in Willie's opinion, no other manager in New York has been criticized...nay, he said ONLY the black managers or coaches have been criticized. Willie brought up Herm Edwards, and Isiah Thomas, saying they didn't do too well and were run out of town.

Willie, I swear, by everything that I view baseball-holy, if you compare yourself to ISIAH THOMAS, I will punish you.

CRY ABOUT IT WILLIE! Seriously! Complain to the media all you want, about how they don't show 'the fiery side' of Willie Randolph, and how the SNY camera crew doesn't show when you are getting fired up. Do that. See how it works out.

Hint: IT WON'T!

You are being criticized for the job you are doing, not because you are black.

I seem to remember Joe Torre being pummled by the NY media in the 70's and early 80's, and I also seem to remember Bobby Valentine criticized towards the end of his Mets career...oh, and who can forget, ART HOWE, and how he was CHASTIZED by the NY Media when he wallowed in last place for two years...

What is the common element here?

It's that they were all managing LOSING ball clubs; and none of them were black

case closed, suck it up

Death By Double-header

2008-05-21T13:03:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, the Mets dropped not one, but TWO games to the Atlanta Braves, at Turner Field after taking two from the Yankees this weekend.

No boxscore is going to be posted, just take my word for it, it was ugly.

I love playing at Turner Field, and I really think all Met fans do...this is absolutely RIDICULOUS! INEXCUSABLE! Are you kidding me!? I AM OUTRAGED! WE PLAY GOOD, CRISP, CLEAN, BASEBALL IN THE BRONX, AND SWING THE BATS! GO TO ATLANTA, FACE 98 YEAR OLD TOM GLAVINE, AND HE SHUTS US DOWN, AND THEN WE GET SHUT DOWN BY SOME ROOKIE RELIEVER (Jorge Campillo) MAKING A SPOT START!? IS THIS A JOKE? HONESTLY, NEW YORK METS, IS THIS A JOKE...

I cannot even explain how mad I am, because now we are in 4th place, and the embarrassing part about our division, the "strongest division in baseball" is that the 4th place team is 2.5 games out and a game over .500...great...so the first team to decide to go 6 games above .500 wins the division...

SO, let us recap the debacle that has become the New York Mess in the past few years: BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL and we get knocked out of the playoffs by a 83-win St. Louis Cardinals team

We, as fans, all say, 'ah, so close, NEXT YEAR is our year', and the sad part? WE BELIEVED THAT! So, 2007 comes and goes, we blow lead after lead after lead, and BANG, Phillies win division.

We get Johan Santana this winter, we make 'the big blockbuster deal', the deal that is going to make everyone 'forge' "THE COLLAPSE".

So far, NOT HAPPENING! And here is the icing on yesterday's cake of crap: the most consistent player this season, Ryan Church, was mildly concussed breaking up a double play ball that ended the game. good. GREAT! So, now, we have ONE hitter in the batting order batting above .300...oh...right, he hits 8th...good job Brian Schneider, you really are an example for everyone, keep up the good work because you are now the only player I have confidence in when you bat...

This needs to stop. NOW. I have had enough. Play baseball, and start now, or trust me, Citi Field will not be a happy place next season

Mets Sweep Shortened Series; Onto Atlanta

2008-05-19T13:04:00.002-04:00

The Mets beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium last night by a score of 11-2.

For a boxscore, click here.

Great win...great series...offensive explosion, with a combination of good pitching? WHERE HAS THAT BEEN ALL YEAR!? I joke, but seriously...where has it been...

Oliver Perez did not seem to look too good early on, because he was out of rhythm and doing all those herky-jerky ollie things that he does, but found a way to get it done, and by get it done, i mean SHUT THEM DOWN...

Delgado's ball, which was initially ruled a home run, was then ruled foul by the umpiring crew, which was the wrong call...i initially, my first thought was 'damn, now he is going to strike out' but Carlos has been swinging the bat really well, and got an rbi single later in the at-bat, so way to prevail Carlos...

On the call, which was clearly the wrong ruling, Willie Randolph went out to argue the call and was CLEARLY steamed at the call...later, he was told to 'shut up' by the home plate umpire, and then Willie's bench coach, Jerry Manuel, was ejected for chirping from the dugout...

nice job Jerry, way to fire the team up, because the inning continued and the mets were up 4 runs by the time the Yanks came to bat again...

Jose homered for the second straight game, and doubled as well, so maybe he is starting to get going...Ryan Church is still locked in at the plate, belting a home run to dead center, in which Jon Miller described it as 'hit into REGGIE JACKSON territory'...and i thought that was funny...

Way to go guys, we needed this with a HUGE 4 game series coming up, and so we need to go into Atlanta and take at least two games (by my standards, 3 of 4)...

TCB

Update: Parnel and Niese

2008-05-14T16:27:00.002-04:00

Bobby Parnel may have started the season pitching extremely poorly but now he is red hot. In his last start Parnel got the win after going 7 strong innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits. Parnel has received wins in all of his last 3 starts. His era might be a 5.27 but his last 3 starts might be an indication that he is on the fast track to the big leagues.

Jon Niese has had a good season with some high and low points. He has an era of 3.15 with 35 strikeouts, 16 more than Parnell. But in 2 of his last 3 games he has given up 4+ runs.

Vargas over Bostick

2008-05-14T16:19:00.003-04:00

Claudio Vargas will make his Mets debut tonight. Vargas was 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in two starts for New Orleans. In 11.0 innings, he allowed 13 hits, six runs, earned, with one walk and 11 strikeouts. In Claudio's last start, on May 8th, he hurled 7.0 shutout innings vs. Fresno, surrendering four hits, no walks with seven strikeouts. He also made one start for St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League. In that outing, he worked 5.0 innings, permitted three hits, two runs, one earned, with no walks and six strikeouts. Vargas, 29, was signed to a minor league contract by the New York Mets on April 10th. Claudio was released by Milwaukee on March 25th earlier this spring. The 6-4, 238-pounder was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA in five spring training starts before he was released. In 18.2 innings, he allowed 17 hits, eight runs, earned, with six walks and 10 strikeouts. Opponents hit .238 against him.

Though, I was hoping the Mets would give Adam Bostick a chance. The 25 year old lefty is 2-1 with a 3.83 era, 26 strikeouts in 8 starts (9 games). Last season Adam was 6-7 with a 5.66 era, 91 strikeouts, and 45 walks in 21 games (20 starts, 97 innings), Bostick had a strong fall and winter. He pitched in the Arizona Fall League going 2-0, with a 2.74 era, 23 strikeouts in 6 games.The Mets acquired left-hander Adam Bostick along with lefty Jason Vargas in November of 2006 in exchange for right-handed relievers Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom. Bostick is a pretty average pitcher but I like him and would like to see him get a chance this year with the Mets if he continues to pitch well.

News:

2008-05-14T16:17:00.001-04:00

The New York Mets announced yesterday that they have selected the contracts of right handed pitcher Claudio Vargas and infielder/outfielder Fernando Tatis from New Orleans (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League, activated right handed pitcher Matt Wise from the 15-Day Disabled List, designated right handed pitchers Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa for release or assignment and placed outfielder Angel Pagan on the 15-Day Disabled List, with a left shoulder contusion. In addition, catcher Raul Casanova cleared waivers and will be assigned to New Orleans.

Mets Bust Slump with Offensive Explosion, End West Coast Trip With a Bang

2008-05-08T12:02:00.002-04:00

The Mets finished their West Coast swing with a bang yesterday, stomping the Dodgers 12-1 in Los Angeles.

For a Box score, click here.

John Maine looked great, and kept the Dodgers off balance all afternoon, he gets a game ball...Maine had a great spring, and then struggled his first few starts, but has had two or three very good starts in a row, and is shaping up to the be pitcher we all know he can be...

About time the offense started fluctuating, especially Luis Castillo, who was 2-4, with a walk, 2 rbi's and a run scored, hopefully this will get him going, because it would great if the Willie had the option of moving Ryan Church into an rbi spot, like 6th, right behind Moises Alou, which would allow the Mets to move Carlos Delgado, who had the afternoon off, down into the 7 hole...

It was also great to Marlon Anderson break out of his season long slump, with 2 hits, a rbi and a run scored...the Mets need him to be raking like he was last season off the bench, because he is so vital in the late innings...

While it is great to get a huge win, let's not quite start signing hallelujah just yet, because if you look at the box score, you will notice a few things: Jose Reyes went 0-3, David Wright went 1-5 and Carlos Beltran went 1-5 as well...the offense as a whole was great, but that included bench players, like Raul Casanova, who was 2-4 with 2 rbi's and 2 runs scored, and Marlon going 2-5 as well...of course, Ryan Church continues to produce, going 3-4 with a HR...keep it up and soon we will be saying "Xavier who"?

All in all, good win, time to take on Cincinnati this weekend

TCB

Mets Need to Start Playing the Way They Know How

2008-05-06T13:47:00.002-04:00

The Mets lost last night to the Dodgers 5-1.

For a box score, click here.

Oliver Perez went six innings, and gave up five runs.

In a post game conference, Willie Randolph was quoted as saying, "I thought he pitched pretty well...I thought his line looked pretty good."

pretty good...pretty good Willie? you think that five runs in six innings is 'pretty good'? What standard do you hold your players to, mediocrity at its finest? gimme a break...i get mad when i see these kinds of things from Willie, because it confirms what everyone thinks: he is too complacent...

Right now, there is one shining star in the mets offense, and that is Ryan Church. no offense to Church, but when he is currently the best of the best in an offense containing David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo and Moises Alou, then we have some problems...Yes, Church is surprising everyone with his play, which is great...he is hitting .310 by the way...but when you have six of your eight starting position players hitting under .280, then something is wrong...

It calls for me to ask, "WHAT IS GOING ON OUT THERE!" This is silly, for a team with an offense like this to be two games over .500. don't even get me started on the bullpen...Sosa and Schoeneweis pitched scoreless innings last night...good job guys, way to get it done, IN A GAME THAT MEANS NOTHING AND IN WHICH THE METS ARE LOSING 5-1! HOW ABOUT CLOSE GAMES, WITH JOHAN LEAVING WITH THE LEAD! I'm sorry...i got mad...

the point is, these guys are not performing like they are capable of right now. this is the mets starting lineup, with their batting averages:

Jose Reyes SS: .263
Ryan Church RF: .310
David Wright 3B: .274
Carlos Beltran CF: .221
Moises Alou LF: .186
Carlos Delgado 1B: .216
Brian Schneider C: .295
Luis Castillo 2B: .231

the numbers do not lie folks...Alou gets a pass, because he just came off the DL...it's interesting how the only two players above .280 are actually Nationals that we got in the off-season...it is time to play-ball guys, because "it's only may" is not something i am happy about saying...

Johnson Released

2008-05-05T21:04:00.003-04:00

The Mets released Ben Johnson. The Mets traded John Adkins and Johnson for Pitcher Royce Ring and Pitcher Heath Bell. The Mets already released Adkins back in October.

I always thought Johnson was pretty good. The problem was he was injured literally the entire time while being in the Mets organization. At only 26 years old, Johnson played 89 games in 2 seasons for the Padres in 2005 and 2006. He batted .232 through 05/06. It would have been nice to see Johnson healthy and see if he could have improved, especially now with the lack of outfield depth in the Mets minor league system.

Article:

2008-05-05T21:02:00.001-04:00

Over at the Daily News, Adam Rubin profiles Emmanuel Garcia, who is probably the Mets 2nd best second baseman prospect.

Garcia, signed in ‘04 as an undrafted free agent out of Collège Ahuntsic, said he’s trying to make adjustments to the better breaking pitches he’s now seeing in Double-A. He noted that playing in the Florida State League last year was the first time he participated on a full-season team, so he’s still learning. Because he’s batting first, second and seventh, he’s focusing on taking pitches and getting on base. Garcia actually hasn’t homered since Aug. 12, 2006 with Kingsport, although he has 82 steals in 1,042 minor-league at-bats.

Willie's Bad, Peterson's Bad, etc etc etc, ALL COMPLAINTS!

2008-05-02T21:02:00.002-04:00

ENOUGH already! Everywhere you turn you hear "Willie needs to go, Peterson needs to go, blah blah blah"

ENOUGH!

It is still too early for changes that drastic to be made. Let us examine what is going on right now, and what has gone on over the past few years with Willie Randolph and Rick Peterson: Willie has won more games than he has lost, and by a considerable margin at that. Rick Peterson has done EVERYTHING he can, and has turned John Maine into a potential All-Star and Cy Young candidate-to-be, has taken Oliver Perez, and last year, did what he could with an erratic, wild, headcase of a pitcher, and turned him into a double-digit winner.

People, INCLUDING ME, bash Willie for his lack of intensity, and for his "it's OK, we'll get 'em tomorrow" attitude. Trust me, I hate it JUST as much as all of you do, and possibly even more. I am a player myself, and I like nothing more than when a manager shows some fire, and sticks up for a player on a bad call, gets in your face WHEN IT IS NECESSARY, and does what he can to get his team fired up. That being said, Willie just IS NOT THAT GUY. Which is a shame, because if he was, I feel his players would respond better to pressure, because they know that if and, lately, WHEN they fail, over and over again (I am talking to YOU Aaron Heilman, and I am talking to YOU Carlos Delgado) it will be "OK, no worries, get 'em later."

That is the wrong mind set to have your players in. Do you think a SINGLE player on the Cubs thinks that way? OF COURSE NOT! Why? Because Sweet Lou isn't afraid to make changes, and to say "ya know what? YOU AREN'T GETTING THE JOB DONE, TAKE A SEAT ON THE BENCH UNTIL YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET IT DONE!"

Here is the problem: we do not have a manager like that. We just don't. I am not a Willie Randolph fanatic, and I am BARELY a supporter, but if you look around, what else do you have? The only other person who I would put in charge is Sandy Alomar. He has some fire, he knows the team, and I personally think it would work. Will that happen? Doubtful. Doubtful to say the least. Would I embrace the change? I might. But right now, with the team at 14-12, and half game out of first, I do not believe it is the time to make changes.

Yes this sounds like a condescending rant, with me changing my opinion frequently, but here is what it comes down to: I am acknowledging that Willie Randolph is not exactly what we need right now, but I also think that he is the best we have, and that things are not bad enough to make a change as drastic as firing the team's manager (that would be WAY to Steinbrenner-ish)

Two weeks from now, if this team is still 2 games above .500, I can make everyone who reads this blog a FORMAL guarantee that I will make another post.

And trust me, it will not be as nice as this one was.

Pellot Slow Start

2008-05-02T06:57:00.001-04:00

I know it is early into the season, but you have to be disappointed with A St. Lucie second baseman Hector Pellot. Hector, who I think is the best second baseman prospect in the Mets system, is off and stumbling with a .165 average through 22 games; by the way he has 0 stolen bases. In 2006 he played poorly batting just .189. But last season he batted .274 in 114 games with 33 stolen bases for the Sand Gnats and finished up the season playing 6 games for St. Lucie batting .304 with 2 stolen bases. In 2007 he was honored as a SAL Mid-Season All-Star. He also batted .275 in the Hawaii Winter League.

I became quite fond of Pellot over the last year. He is only 21 years old and is a very raw player with a lot of developing left to do. I did expect him to get off to a better start this year though. I would keep an eye on not only his stolen bases, to see if he swipes as many bags as last year, and to see if his stolen base percentage improves. Last year he was just 66% (33/50) for Savannah, a very low percentage.

Church is not for me

2008-05-01T18:18:00.000-04:00

Yes, Ryan Church is off to a very hot start. Yes, he is hitting .316 with 3 home runs and has 19 rbis. But, I just can not like him. As a huge Lastings Milledge fan I was heartbroken when they traded him away for what seemed like nothing. Schneider has been great with the rotation, though rarely healthy. And yes, Church has been tearing it up. It is so early I am just uncomfortable rooting for a guy that caused my favorite player to be traded away. I still want the Mets to win but I secretly root for Church to fail. I don’t know why but I just can not find a way to stop disliking church. It is so early into the trade I still feel like the Mets will get the raw end in the future.

AA Starters: Niese Good, Parnell Bad

2008-04-30T16:18:00.002-04:00

In AA Binghamton, Jonathon Niese has been wonderful on the mound. After 5 starts, Niese has managed to go 2-1 but more importantly have an era of .71. The Mets 7th round draft pick pitched very well in his first career spring training start this past spring training. He had 3 starts and went 1-0 with a 3.12 era, 5 hits, 6 strikeouts, and 7 walks.

The 20 year old left handed pitcher finished up the regular season with an 11-7 record with a 4.29 era and 110 strikeouts. Niese went 5-3 with a 5.32 era before the all star break and had since gone 6-4 with a 3.52 era. Niese was 8th in the league in strikeouts. The thing to watch is opponent’s batting average against Niese; it is .285, not very good. In his only start for St. Lucie in the playoffs Niese pitched superb going 6 innings with 1 hit ball and 9 strikeouts. He Went 11-9 with a 3.93 ERA in 25 starts with Class A Hagerstown in 2006.

On the other hand, Bobby Parnell has not been so hot. He is 0-2 with an era of 7.15 after 5 starts. He has given up more walks (14) then he has strikeouts (13)... never a good sign.

The Mets 7th pick in the 2005 draft Robert Parnell was invited to spring training this year. Parnell started his career in Brooklyn with 2 wins and 3 losses but a 1.73 era, 67 strikeouts in 15 games, 14 starts. The 6 foot 3, righty pitcher went 5-10 with a 4.04 era with 54 strikeouts in 18 starts for A Hagerstown in 2006.

He also started 3 games for A St. Lucie; 0-1, 9.26 era.Parnell started the 2007 in St Lucie going 3-3 with a 3.25 era, 62 strikeouts in just 12 starts (55.1 innings) making him a FSL Mid-Season All-Star. After being called up to AA Binghamton, the 23 year old struggled with a 5-5 record and era of 4.19 in 17 starts.

The scariest stat for Parnell in AA was the difference between bases empty, runners on base, and runners in scoring position. Bases Empty he had an era of 1.09, runners on 7.99 era, runners in scoring position 12.04 era.

Relievers in the Minors

2008-04-30T16:01:00.003-04:00

The New York Mets bullpen has not been very good after the first month of regular season play. With starting pitching being very spuratic, the mets relievers are being overworked. Just to name a few, but Heilman is on pace to pitch in around 90 games and he has an era of 6.28. Schoenweis, Smith, and Sosa are all on pace to pitch in the almost 80 games. With this being said the Mets will need to get fresh arms, and luckily they have plenty in their minor league system.

In AAA, one of my favorite relivers, Willie Collazo has pitched in 10 games and has an era of 1.71. Carlos Muniz has an era of 0 with 2 saves after 6 games.

In AA, Eddie Camacho has an era of 2.3 after 8 games (15.2) innings. German Marte has an era of 1.54 and 2 saves after 8 games. After a fast start, Eddie Kuntz is once again struggling and now has an era of 5.06 and 4 saves after 9 games.

In A+ the best reliver is Ryan Coultas after starting the season with a 3.52 era after 9 games pitched. Finally, in A-, the best reliever thus far has Jose Bierd with a 1.04 era in 9 games.

Mest Edge Bucs in 11

2008-04-30T12:55:00.003-04:00

Last Night, the Mets pulled out an 11-inning, 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Jorge Sosa got the win in relief, and John Van Benschoten took the loss.

Nice to see David Wright get the game winning hit, he needed that, as he has been slumping lately...Johan Santana actually looked pretty good, with the exception to the pair of home runs that he gave up to Nate McLouth and former Mets farm-hand Jason Bay. Santana just threw a lot of pitches, because the Pirates were having good at-bat's all night, and were refusing to chase Johan's low change-ups and fastballs slightly off the plate...is Ryan Church dialed in or what? This is a guy who people were criticizing as early as spring training. So far, Church has been for real...

Wagner picked up his first blown save of the year, but it really wasn't his fault...Reyes already has made 5 errors this season, one of which was throwing error in the ninth inning last night, that ended up leading to the tying run crossing on a 2-out RBI single by Freddie Sanchez...

All in all, let's not dwell on what went wrong, let's just go out and win this afternoon...

TCB

Carlos: No Curtain Call; No Problem

2008-04-29T17:54:00.002-04:00

On Sunday, Carlos Delgado hit a home run late in the game, his second of the afternoon, and jogged around the bases; business as usual.

However, the Shea crowd wanted a curtain call from Carlos, feeling he deserved it. Carlos decided to stay in the dugout, and David Wright was seen crossing his arms, as if giving the "safe" sign as an umpire would, and mouthing "DO NOT GO OUT THERE".

After the game, Delgado said, "it was not me sending a message to the fans." He also later said, "There is not bad blood between the fans and the players."

interesting...very interesting...I can't decide which I find to be more intriguing: Delgado NOT coming out, or Wright TELLING him not to...interesting indeed, however, I was at the game on Sunday, and I was one of the many in attendance calling for the curtain call. I was NOT however, one of many that BOOED when Delgado did not emerge with a fist pump, and a wave.

Initially, I was unhappy with his decision, especially since I was one of the fans who wanted one. However, after looking at the situation, taking into account his season up until now, I agree with him. Why would you a) go and wave to fans that have been booing you at every oppertunity, b) go and wave when all you did was hit two homeruns, which he has done many times before in his career? If it is mid-season, and Delgado has been hitting a little better, than MAYBE a curtain call happens, but I just think that in this situation, Carlos made the right decision

Sorry Carp Fans

2008-04-27T19:26:00.014-04:00

In today's game, Carlos Delgado hits 2 home runs bringing his average up to .205 and increasing his home run count to 3 along with improving to 12 rbis. There has been lots of talk about decreasing Delgados playing time or even getting rid of him. One of the most viable options talked about is first baseman Mike Carp in AA.

Carp is leading the Binghamton Mets in a plethora of categories ranging from average to total bases. His stats include the following: a .376 average with 6 home runs, 20 rbis, 16 runs, 7 doubles, 14 strikeouts, 6 walks, and a slugging percentage of .645 in 93 at bats. As good of numbers as this is, Carp has struggled unbelievably after injuring his wrist last season.

A power hitter, Carp, batted He hit .243 and had 0 home runs in last season in the Arizona Fall League and still managed to be the AFL Prospect Team. Last season, Carp batted .251 with 11 home runs, 48 rbis, and 55 runs in 97 games for AA.

Carp was highly regarded early last season and was invited to spring training, but since his injury has had a lot of trouble up to his recent success this year.

People might want the Mets to call up Carp because of his great numbers right now but it is a very poor idea. Carp does not usually hit very well for average and his biggest problem is his strikeouts. Through 2007, Carp struck out 329 times in 381 games. The kid needs to show that he will continue to hit in AA and then AAA before being called up. He simply is not ready to make the leap and it is a stretch to say he will be ready next year either. Carp really needs to play a large part of the season in AA and some in AAA and must play a full season in AAA if he will have lasting success at the Major League Level

Post Game Wrap for April 27 Win Over Atlanta

2008-04-27T18:57:00.004-04:00

The Mets beat the Braves today at Shea Stadium, taking the rubber game of this three-game series, 6-3.

For a boxscore, click here.

good outing by Nelson Figueroa...he pitched into the 6th, and got into a little bit of trouble, and left with a 4-2 lead, and runners on the corners and one out, but Joe Smith came in, and after surrendering a lead off single, got the final two outs, and extinguished the fire in the Atlanta bats.

The Mets got on the board in the first by a wild pitch, which scored Jose Reyes from third base...I was at the game today, and I predicted John Smoltz would be out by the 5th inning...he was pulled after the 4th inning in favor of Buddy Carlaisle, so I was correct.

Raul Casanova went yahtzee in the second inning, after Delgado had walked...Smoltz just seemed to not have it today, much to the delight of the Shea faithful...

Welcome back, Mr. Delgado. Carlos, where has that been all season? Two homeruns today, and a walk. He looked NOTHING like that .185 he came into the game hitting.

Thank god Aaron Heilman got a day off...it just looks like every single time Willie brings him in, he gives up runs. He is looking like (dare I even say it) this year's GUILLERMO MOTA!

Luis Castillo is back in business, going 3-4 today...he looks dialed in at the plate, which is really big for this team, because once Reyes gets hot, Castillo will be right there behind him to move him up, drive him in, set the table for the 3,4,5 hitters, etc, all of that "#2 hitter" stuff Slappy is so great at.

By the way, Scott Schoeneweis owed Ryan Chruch a steak dinner for running down a ball that would have not only scored a run, but put the tying run on second, possibly third, with two outs in the seventh...what was funny was how on the scoreboard, they showed a replay of the catch, and then the reaction Schoeneweis had, which was just blowing air out of his mouth, with a baffled look on his face...priceless...

All in all, it was great to take a series from Atlanta, and by the way, the Mets are 4-2 against the Phillies this season, so even though the team has started 13-11, we are getting it done against the division rivals

TCB

Choke Artist

2008-04-21T21:43:00.005-04:00

In tonight's game against the Cubs, Aaron Heilman once again proved he has 0 composure. If there is an error, a lucky base hit, or a bad call, Heilman seems to blow up afterwards. In tonight's game, Jose Reyes started the 8th inning with an error. Once Reyes committed the error I was certain Heilman would be giving up runs. The bases eventually became loaded with 0 outs. Heliman was able to get 2 outs and 2 strikeouts on the hitter before giving up a 2 run single. When there was 2 strikes I was thinking to myself, "Hey, Heilman might actually do it this time." But then I remembered that its Heliman and he always lets you down and before for I know it he gives up 5 runs.

I first noticed this about Heilman last May and it has proven to be correct countless times. I don't know if it is just me that notices this but how can you miss it. I just can not stand Heliman anymore.

Why Hate Milledge?

2008-04-20T18:08:00.011-04:00

Earlier this week, the Mets played the Washington Nationals. Lastings Milledge returned to Shea for the first time after being traded and was boo'd pretty loudly. I was really surprised to see the hatred for Milledge by Mets fans. I was at the game and tried to find people that liked Milledge but was surprised to see such few Mets fans did. I really do not understand it. He was abandoned by the Mets and in return got treated poorly by the fans. I always thought Mets fans liked Milledge because he actually had swagger instead of another Yankee like attitude. I just would like to know why Mets fans boo'd and now hate Milledge. His rap label is not that bad.

Article:

2008-04-20T17:53:00.003-04:00

Adam Rubin at the Daily News profiles Nick Evans, Mike Carp, and my favorite of the three Dan Murphy.

On Evans: “He’s a very good athlete, very good potential as a player,” Mets VP Tony Bernazard said about Evans, a fifth-round pick by the Mets in 2004 out of high school in Phoenix. “The ball jumps off his bat. He has a lot of power potential. He can hit the ball in the gaps. He’s very smart, a leader-type player. A quiet leader.”

On Carp: Mike Carp – the league’s reigning Player of the Week, who had an off-year in 2007 that resulted in being snubbed for an invite to big-league spring training – ranked fifth in all of minor-league baseball with a .448 average through Friday.

On all three: During the opening month in the Eastern League, teams use the DH, which has allowed the Mets to mostly use Carp in that role, while Evans largely plays first and Murphy mostly third. Bernazard said the plan is to expose each of those players to multiple positions – with Murphy and Evans alternating between first and third and Carp mostly playing first and the outfield.

It is great to see that Carp finally has his power back after an extremely long drought. Carp is the youngest of the three and before injuring his foot last year, he was the top first base prospect. Evans has the most power 286 with 15 homers and 54 RBI in 378 at-bats in the pitching-rich Florida State League last season. Dan Murphy is my favorite prospects out of the three. I don't know why but I really like him. He is the oldest and probably has the least upside of all three (but all three can play). I like him because he was able to come out of college and successfully play in high A ball his first season. The only problem is his defense. He has already made 5 errors at third base and will most likely need to switch positions.

Muniz can Pitch

2008-04-12T16:13:00.003-04:00

Twice I have said that Carlos Muniz is underrated. After having a lot of recent success in the minors over the last year or so, Muniz is really starting to show potential in the Mets bullpen. Today he pitched another 2 innings allowing 1 hit, 0 runs, and a strikeout. In 4 innings this season, Muniz has yet to allow a run.

Possible Option:

2008-04-11T18:53:00.002-04:00

After 2 starts Adam Bostick is 1-0 with an era of 2.25, 12 strikeouts in12 innings. After having a very decent year last year in AAA New Orleans going 6-7 with a 5.66 era, 91 strikeouts, and 45 walks in 21 games (20 starts, 97 innings), Bostick had a strong fall and winter. He pitched in the Arizona Fall League going 2-0, with a 2.74 era, 23 strikeouts in 6 games.

The Mets acquired left-hander Adam Bostick along with lefty Jason Vargas in November of 2006 in exchange for right-handed relievers Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom. So far, the trade has favored the Marlins but if there are problems in the rotation and newly signed Claudio Vargas does not pitch well then Bostick is one of the best candidates in the farm system to take a spot on the Mets rotation.

Angel Pagan is the Man

2008-04-11T18:46:00.001-04:00

After last nights walk off win by the Mets I am officially declaring Angel Pagan, The Man. I doubted Pagan at the start of the season thinking he had a good spring training, but it will not convert to regular season success. So far, I have been wrong. He is leading the team in many offense categories such as rbis and has really proven that he can play. After being drafted in the 4th round of the 1999 draft by the Mets only to never make it to the Mets until this year is a great story and now that Angel has been extremely clutch I think I can say that Angel pagan is the man.

Minor League Starts

2008-04-05T21:02:00.002-04:00

The Minor League season is underway. The New Orleans Zephyrs are 2-0 with starts from Adam Bostick (Win, 5 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts) and Tony Armas Jr. (no decision, 5 innings, 9 hits, 3 runs, 2 strikeouts). In relief pitching, Willie Collazo has pitched 3.2 innings while allowing 1 runs and Carlos Muniz has 2 saves in 2 attempts while not allowing a run. Offensively, Anderson Hernandez is batting .333 with 2 rbis, 1 run, and 2 doubles. Caleb Stewart is batting is .125 with a double, run, and rbi.

AA Binghamton is 2-1. Both Jonathon Niese (5 innings, 1 hit, 5 strikeouts) and Jose Sanchez (5 innings, 3 hits) picked up wins while Bobby Parnell (3.2 innings, 2 runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts) snagged a loss. Both Joe Hietpas, Eddie Kuntz, German Marte, have pitched 1 scoreless inning in relief. Offensively, Mike Carp is batting .375 with a home run, and 3 rbis. 21 year old shortstop is batting .375 with a stolen base. Dan Murphy is batting .333 while F-Mart is batting .200. Finally, second baseman prospect Emanuel Garcia is batting just .125 with a stolen base and 2 runs.

Surprisingly, A St. Lucie has started out the year 0-2. Both the Dylan’s (Owen and Gee) have started for the Mets. After an amazing year for Brooklyn, Owen went 5 innings giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts while taking the loss. Gee went 5 innings allowing 3 hits and a run while getting the no decision. Brandon Nall blew his only save opportunity. Hector Pellot is batting .154 with a double. Ruben Tejada has just 1 hit in 13 at bats and 4 strikeouts.

Finally, the A Sand Gnats are 2-0. Michael Antonini pitched 6 perfect innings in his start while Scott Moviel pitched 5 innings with 5 hits and a run; both received wins. Francisco Pena is batting .333 with 2 doubles and 2 rbis. Pena is the only player on the gnats to hit above .300 thus far in the season.

WHAT TO TAKE OUT OF THIS:
It is very early into the season but there have been some good performances. The AAA starters have pitched well and if Nelson Figueroa continues to pitch poorly (I say this because he has given up 2 runs in 2 innings) for the Mets, Bostick or Armas Jr will be called up. I think the smarter decision would be Bostick… It is good to see Niese continuing to pitch well even though Parnell did not. The relievers have also been solid and it is not out of the question to see Kuntz pitch this year and I would say Hietpas is a long shot chance if the bullpen really struggles and he pitches really well. Wow, Carp actually hit a home run; hopefully his power will start to come back after his power outage. I would continue to keep an eye on both Dylan’s because of there dominance last year in Brooklyn; will it continue? Ruben Tejada could develop into a serious prospect if he starts to hit. Finally, it is very important that Pena has gotten off to a decent start so hopefully he will rebuild his confidence and not struggle as much as last year.

Article:

2008-04-05T20:23:00.002-04:00

Over at MILB.com, Jon Star profiles Fernando Martinez. "Fernando is like everyone says. He's a special kid that has great talent, especially at the plate. He's got a good eye, he knows exactly the pitches he wants to hit, and he's got good power to the gaps, but we worked with him on staying level and stay consistent. We want the kids to be good hitters first, the power's there. Just concentrate more on being a gap-to-gap guy, line drives instead of trying to lift the ball. If you become a good hitter, then you become a power hitter."

Also, there is an article on Brandon Nall. Armed with one of the best sliders in the farm system, the right-hander with the atypical delivery continues to climb the ladder as a reliable late-game arm. The 25-year-old right-hander, who was plucked out of a free agent pool following the 2005 draft, returned to Binghamton and was assigned the role of stop-gap from the starters to closer Carlos Muniz."

I guess I was right

2008-04-02T18:56:00.001-04:00

Just one week ago I wrote about how Nelson Figueroa should be the Mets fifth starter. Now, Pedro is hurt and Nelson recently flew to Miami and will now be the Mets fifth starter.

Nelson has not pitched in the Major leagues since going 0-3 with a 5.72 era with the pirates in 2004. Since then he has played in an independent league (0-1, 2.79 era), 1 year in AAA (4-5, 4.38), and last season in Mexico (8-6, 3.87). He finished up spring training going 2-2 with a 4.32 era in 8 games (2 starts), with 8 walks, 8 strikeouts, 16 hits in 16.2 innings pitched.

Why Wise?

2008-04-02T18:50:00.001-04:00

Last night, Manager Willie Randolph mismanaged the bullpen for the first, but definitely not last time this year. On opening day, Randolph thought it would be a good idea to use 4 relievers to get out just a couple of batters. In last nights game, Pedro hurt his hamstring and had to be replaced by Jorge Sosa. Sosa, who pitched in the opener, saved the Mets by going 2.2 scoreless innings. After trailing, the Mets tied up the game starting the battle of the bullpens. Schoeneweis and Smith combine for just 3 outs. Heilman faced trouble with a runner in scoring position and 1 out but got out of the inning while giving the Mets 2 shutout innings.

So the first extra inning game of the year took place. In the bottom of the tenth, Randolph selects Matt Wise to pitch even though Wagner and Feliciano were available. Wise got 2 good strikeouts and then fell behind the last hitter 2-0. He came in with a high changeup and even Gary Cohen said he got away with that pitch. Next pitch, high changeup, home run, walk off, game over, Marlins win.

The right decision would have been to bring Feliciano in. Why would you not bring in one of your best relievers at the start of extra innings? Feliciano was also not used in the Mets opener while Wise was. I also thought Wagner should have pitched. Sure, you could say it wasn’t a save situation but let the Mets get to a chance where a save situation is possible before bringing in your worst pitcher of the ones available. Frankly though, who is really surprised? Willie mismanaged the bullpen last year, and has already shown that he cares about testing people then winning.

Roster Moves

2008-03-30T22:38:00.000-04:00

The Mets have announced that Catcher Raul Casanova, Pitcher Mike Pelfrey, Pitcher Joe Smith and Outfielder Brady Clark have made the team and been added to the team’s 25-man roster. Pelfrey has been named the Mets fifth starter due to Orlando Hernandez being place on the 25 DL

Say It ain't So Ruben

2008-03-28T16:52:00.002-04:00

Ruben Gotay was put on waivers yesterday and was claimed by the Atlanta Braves today. The Mets put Gotay on waivers because they did not have any room for him on the major league roster. They wanted him to start the season in AAA. In order for him to be sent to the minors he has to go through waivers, and the Braves picked him up.

I am furious about this move and think it is quite stupid. Last season, Gotay stepped up his game and took over the second base job. He was really crushing the ball with an average in the low to mid .300s and playing average defense. The Mets then went out and traded for Luis Castillo to replace him. The main reason for the trade was because Castillo was an experienced veteran who has postseason experience. I didn’t mind this trade that much because I knew was Castillo was capable of a lot but everyone knew that Gotay did not deserve to be benched. Gotay’s average then dropped and he finished the season batting .295 with 4 home runs, 24 rbis, 25 runs, and 3 stolen bases. It must have been an insult to Gotay signing Castillo to a 4 year deal showing Gotay that he will not be starting at second base any time soon.

The Mets once again did not trust a second baseman from their minor league system. Again, the Mets gave a young second baseman a chance and took it away. The Mets gave Jeff Kepinger a chance and he hit .284 with 3 home runs, 9 rbis, and 9 runs in 116 at bats but eventually traded him to the royals for Ruben Gotay. The Mets gave Anderson Hernandez a shot 2 years ago when he started the season as the Mets second baseman. He made a spectacular catch in the Mets Opener but shortly after got injured and did not receive the second baseman job again. And now Gotay, the Mets started him and he flourished, but I guess they didn’t think he had what it takes.

The Mets wanted to send Gotay to the minors because of his inability to hit left handers. Even though he is a switch hitter, Gotay only hit .194 against lefties. The Mets are most likely going to bring Fernando Tatis with them to start the season. The 33 year old hit .194 in 2003 and did not play in the majors again until 2006 for the orioles where he hit just .250. The Mets essentially gave a way a young bat who is working on hitting left handers for a 33 year old third baseman who has not hit higher than .250 since 2000. He better not miss left handers then because that doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.

The thing about Gotay is that he really wanted to win and wanted to be a Met. In the Bergen Record, Steve Popper wrote: “Gotay sat alone in the clubhouse with tears in his eyes as he made phone calls to family and to his agent, trying to find out what is next.”

This incident reminds me of a few things in recent Mets history. The Mets traded Mora to Baltimore in midseason 2000 with two minor league players and Mike Kinkade for shortstop Mike Bordick. In 2006, Bell was traded with fellow relief pitcher Royce Ring to San Diego for outfielder Ben Johnson and reliever Jon Adkins. Most recently, in December of 2006, the Nationals claimed Jesus Flores, one of the Mets best catching prospects out of the Rule 5 draft. In all of these cases the Mets underrated these players and just tossed them around. Now they are all on new teams and playing great.

Last December, I suggested another option for Gotay would be to move him to the outfield. “I believe it would be a smarter move to convert Gotay into an outfielder. He could get a lot of playing time and he is a pretty good hitter. Alfonso Soriano recently made the switch from second base to outfield so why can’t Ruben Gotay do it. I do not want to waste Gotay’s bat for just pinch hitting and the rare start.” I also suggested that Gotay could play first base because of the extreme lack of depth in the minor league system.

The absolute worst part about this trade is the fact that the Atlanta Braves claimed him. It couldn’t be some random American League team; it had to be one of the Mets rivals. So now he will be on the Braves 25 man roster and will be competing against the team he once loved. What could be better motivation for Ruben Gotay?

Catching Options: Part 2

2008-03-27T06:58:00.003-04:00

Another option for a catcher to be called up is Mike Nickeas. The 25 year old Canadian is a good defensive catcher who lacks with the bat. Nickeas batted .288 with 10 home runs and 55 rbis for Spokane. In 2005, he played for the Rangers AA team, the Frisco Roughriders. The 6-0, 205-pounder was Texas' fifth round selection in the June, 2004 Free Agent Draft after spending three years at George Tech.

Though, Nickeas had a disappointing year at the plate, batting only .202 with 5 Home runs and 24 rbis in 68 games, but Baseball America named Nickeas the best defensive catcher in the Rangers minor league system. He was traded to the New York Mets August 20, 2006 for outfielder Victor Diaz. Mike played most of last season in AA Binghamton batting .217 with 1 home run, 15 rbis, and 26 runs, in 65 games. He also played in the Arizona Fall league. He batted .196 with 1 home run, and 6 rbis in 13 games. His offensive stats have gotten worse almost every year since college. He could be helpful to the Mets in a defensive role because he is better than Salomon Manriquez.

Parnell Pitches Well

2008-03-26T16:07:00.000-04:00

Robert Parnell pitch superb in today’s game against the Marlins going 5 innings without allowing any runs while giving up just 3 hits, 5 strikeouts, and a walk.

Catching Options: Part 1

2008-03-26T15:52:00.000-04:00

The 2008 season begins in less than a week and the Mets have a serious lack of depth at catcher. Brain Schneider has barely played due to hamstring problems, Castro is injured, and Cancel is injured, leaving only Raul Casanova healthy. One guy that could sneak up if Schneider gets hurt again or Casanova injures himself is Salomon Manriquez.

The 6 foot 1, 25 year old right hander has never seen the major leagues and finished the last 2 seasons at AA. He has had months where he has crushed the ball but is a very hot and cold hitter. Last season, after batting .306 in April and .327 in June, Manriquez ended the year with just a .275 average. In April of 2006, Manriquez got off to hot start batting .352 in April but ending up with a .257 average. He is more of a defensive player but so is Schneider so it really isn’t a huge blow to the lineup. If you are thinking, he is in AA isn’t that a big jump to the majors. It really isn’t that rare, especially for catchers. A few years ago Mike Jacobs got called up only to hit a homerun his first at bat. Jacobs ultimately was traded along with Yusmeiro Petit for Carlos Delgado. Manriquez would be used primarily for defense and could see time this year.

2005 Draft Class

2008-03-25T21:31:00.000-04:00

Jon Niese went 4.2 innings, giving up 2 hits and 2 runs, and 6 walks. He pitched extremely well in his first 4 innings allowing just 2 hits but Niese got into a little trouble in the fifth after the bases were loaded. He is now 1-0 with a 3.12 era, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts, in 8.2 innings pitched. Good news for tomorrow, Robert Parnell is scheduled to start in place of Pedro.

Robert Parnell is another pitched out of the 2005 draft class which landed the Mets Pelfrey, Niese, Parnell, pitcher Nick Carr, and second baseman Hector Pellot. Parnell has pitched 2 innings this spring training, allowing 0 runs while striking out 2 and walking 1.

Making the case for Nelson Figueroa

2008-03-25T20:12:00.002-04:00

The 5th spot in the Mets rotation is up in the air right now due to the recent struggles of both Orlando Hernandez and Mike Pelfrey. After both pitches were lit up on Sunday, questions were asked if whether Pelfrey is ready and if Hernandez is just too old. Pelfrey has been very inconsistent but has had games where he is getting the ground ball outs he intends to get. Though, his record is 0-1 after 5 games and he has an era of 8.31. In only 17.1 innings pitched, Pelf managed to give up 29 hits while giving up more walks (7) than strikeouts (6). Hernandez has pitched in just one game due to injuries. His age has really caught up to him as he is throwing his fastball in the low 80’s to upper 70’s. Major league hitters will crush him if he just slightly misses his target, especially on his breaking pitches in the 60’s. In that lone game for El Duque, he allowed 5 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks, and a strikeout. So as of now, Pelfrey and El Duque are not up to par, posing the question who should the Mets fifth starter.

I believe the best option would be to give 33 year old Nelson Figueroa a chance. Nelson has not pitched in the Major leagues since going 0-3 with a 5.72 era with the pirates in 2004. Since then he has played in an independent league (0-1, 2.79 era), 1 year in AAA (4-5, 4.38), and last season in Mexico (8-6, 3.87). He has been overlooked in spring training even though he has pitched pretty well. In 7 games (2 starts), Figueroa is 2-1 with a 2.87, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts. He has had success in the majors and it is possible it could happen again. In 2003, Figueroa went 2-1 with a 3.31 era in 12 games (3 starts). All I am saying is for the Mets to give him a chance. They don’t have to have him as their fifth starter but just don’t overlook him. If Pelfrey and El Duque continue to struggle during the last week of spring training then the Mets would be smart to consider Nelson Figueroa

Watch Out Angel

2008-03-20T17:38:00.001-04:00

The start of the 2008 season is almost 2 weeks a way. Moises Alou will be out for years so the Mets are most likely going to use Angel Pagan as their starter. Pagan started out spring training red hot hitting in the .400’s up until recently. Now Pagan has cooled off and is only hitting .333.

Something tells me that when the season starts Pagan is going to hit terribly leaving the Mets in a bad situation. I know this sounds pessimistic but it seems like one of those times where a player has a great spring training and then play crappy when the season starts. Just keep an eye out for how Brady Clark finishes spring training and how Fernando Martinez does in the minors because both could either end up starting or platooning in left for awhile.

Thoughts on Citi Field

2008-03-20T17:19:00.002-04:00

As everyone knows, this season will be the last season at Shea Stadium. The Mets are building a brand new stadium that is supposed to be more fan friendly creating a better experience when you go to a game. But will Citi Field actually be better than Shea?

With Citi Field you get a new, clean, high tech stadium where every seat is a good seat. No more back row lodge or mezzanine where you can’t even see half the field. There will be more restaurants, activities, and most importantly more leg room at your seat. Everything will be easier to get to in the stadium making Citi Field very easy and fun.

But with the good comes the awful. There will be close to 13,000 fewer seats and with attendance records being re-set every year, it will be nearly impossible to get a seat. Ticket prices are going to soar. I can already see it, paying 40 dollars for an upper deck seat. I thought baseball was supposed to be the cheapest sport to get tickets too. I can not wait to go to a game and pay 40 dollars only to be forced into standing and not having a seat. Who am I kidding, I will never be able to go to a game and get tickets on game day anymore.

Let’s not forget to focus on the most important issue, bathrooms. There are a total of 568 bathrooms at Shea and 345 (61%) are men’s bathrooms. It is already hard enough having to wait in the line if you go during the break between innings. Citi field will only have 51% of there bathrooms being men’s.

In the end, Citi Field is a good thing. Not for the average fan, but for the Mets and their investors by increasing the number of suits from 45 to 54.

Roster Moves

2008-03-20T16:51:00.000-04:00

The Mets have reassigned RHP Tony Armas Jr., RHP Nate Field, RHP Joselo Diaz and OF Fernando Martinez to minor league camp. Martinez hit .373 in 47 at bats.

In case you're wondering

2008-03-14T18:05:00.002-04:00

Lastings Milledge is batting .359 with 5 doubles, 9 runs, 8 rbis, 5 stolen bases, and just 6 strikeouts in 12 games.

Ryan Church is batting .238 with no extra base hits, 1 run, no rbis, and no stolen bases in 10 games.

Brian Schneider has been injured for most of spring training and is just 1 for 5 with a home run, an rbi, a run, and 3 strikeouts.

Roster Moves

2008-03-13T17:46:00.000-04:00

The New York Mets re-assigned infielder Michel Abreu to minor league camp; optioned lefthanded pitcher Willie Collazo and righthanded pitcher Carlos Muniz to New Orleans (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League.

Nick Evans Today

2008-03-12T19:58:00.003-04:00

Nick Evans had a pinch hit double in todays win against the O's. The 22 year old is now 2 for 2 with 2 runs, an rbi, and 2 doubles. He was a 2004 fifth-round pick, Evans put up some pretty solid numbers in the Florida State League, with 15 homers, 25 doubles and a .476 slugging percentage at age 21. That might not sound that terrific, but it put him seventh in slugging and tied for ninth in homers.

Muniz is Still Underated

2008-03-10T22:18:00.007-04:00

In early september last year I wrote about how underated Carlos Muniz is. He pitched great in AA and was shortly called up to the Mets around 3 weeks later. He struggled a bit but showed some positive stuff being put into a tough situation. He ended up giving up 2 runs in 2.1 innings with 1 hit last year and was named to the AFL star showcase during the offseason. He has not been used very much in this years spring training but has pitched well in his 3 games. He is 2 for 3 in save oppertunities with 2 hits, a run, a walk, and 2 strikeouts in 3 innings. He most likely will not make the team but will be called up when someone gets injured in the upcoming season.

Pelfrey News

2008-03-10T22:12:00.002-04:00

Over at Mets.com there is an article about how Mike Pelfrey has fixed his problem of tipping his pitches. Last year he fanned his glove for a changeup; a visible tongue meant fastball; and if he did neither it could easily be identified as a slider.

Pelfrey pitched great in his first two games but got roughed up in his last game. So far this spring traing Pelfrey is 0-1 with a 7.56 era, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, 7 runs in 8.1 innings pitched.

Please, No Bonds

2008-03-07T17:37:00.001-05:00

There has been recent talk of the Mets possibly signing Free Agent Barry Bonds. The pile of injuries are stacking up for the Mets right now, especially in the outfield with Alou, Church, and Anderson out. The Mets will need to find a replacement for Alou as he will be out 4 to 6 weeks but probably more like 8 weeks. At his ESPN.com blog, Buster Olney believes it time for the Mets to discuss signing Barry Bonds following the recent wave of injuries.

I do not want Bonds to be on the Mets. I would rather the Mets loose games rather than have to cheer for him. On July 31 I wrote an article showing my hatred for Bonds and what I would do if I caught his homerun ball. Bonds is arrogant and has 0 class. I have already heckled him at Shea and I am sure almost all Mets fans would rather have Fernando Martinez in left rather than Bonds.

Roster Moves

2008-03-07T17:35:00.001-05:00

The Mets today announced the following roster moves: Left-handed pitcher Adam Bostick has been optioned to New Orleans (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League while the following players have been sent to minor league camp for re-assignment: Right-handed pitchers Robert Parnell, Eddie Kunz, Juan Padilla, Andy Cavazos, Brant Rustich, Ivan Maldonado, left-handed pitchers Jonathan Niese and Ryan Cullen, catchers Salomon Manriquez and Mike Nickeas, infielder Anderson Machado and outfielder Ben Johnson.

Maybe Anderson Hernandez

2008-03-05T21:19:00.002-05:00

Anderson Hernandez went 3 for 5 today and batted in the run in the bottom of the 9th to win the game. With Ruben Gotay injured, Hernandez has a chance to become the backup middle infielder. He is solid defensively at both shortstop and second base but is extremely streaky with the bat. In 87 at bats for the Mets since 2005, Hernandez has a .138 average consisting of 6 runs, 3 rbis, 2 walks, and 17 strikeouts. Though he has the ball better every year going from a .056 to .152 to .333. The 25 year old did bat .301 last season for AAA New Orleans with 84 runs, 42 rbis, 28 doubles, 5 triples, 5 home runs, and 16 stolen bases. He was the Mets starting second baseman going into the season just 2 years ago and made one of the best catches of the year opening day. If he stays healthy I would not be surprised to see him make the team.

Alou Injured; F-Mart?

2008-03-05T18:29:00.003-05:00

Moises Alou has been sent back to New York for tests after compaining of a sore groin. So now Ryan Church, Marlon Anderson, Carlos Beltran, and Alou are all injured... Awsome. At least now we will really get to see Martinez play. Fernando Martinez doubled, singled and walked Wednesday to help the Mets edge the Dodgers 3-2. The 19-year-old Martinez is 6-for-20 with a 2/2 K/BB ratio this spring. For more on other outfield options click here. Update 9:21 pm: Alou out 4 to 6 weeks.