The Mack Attack - 12-31-9

The Mack Attack - December 31, 2008

MLB – NY Mets:

The Mets have announced that partial season ticket plans for the 2009 season will be available to the general public on January 6th at 10 a.m

Pedro Feliciano pitched a scoreless inning for Ponce/DWL. - 0 hits, 1 walk, 1 K.

ProjectProspect ranked the top SS under 25 years of age: - 1 Hanley Ramirez SS Followed .400 wOBA in '07 with .394 rate in '08; much improved patience (7.4% BB vs. 13.3%) 24.8 FLA - 2 Jose Reyes SS Returned to '06 form (.356 wOBA) in '08 (.351 vs. .329 in '07); 20% LD, but only .317 BABIP 25.3 NYM - 3 J.J. Hardy SS Coming off most productive yr of career (.283/.340/.478); wOBA increase in each MLB season 26.2. (no mention of Wilmer Flores).

AAA – Buffalo:

The Fantasy Man ranked the top 20 baseball prospects of 2009: - 11. Fernando Martinez, OF, NYM - 20 - This guy is the pride and joy of the Mets farm system. No matter what, the Mets won't include Martinez in a trade. Somehow, the Mets kept him out of the Johan Santana deal and so far in this off-season, the Mets have kept him out again. I think they're going to go with some combination of Carlos Beltran, Ryan Church, Josh Reed, Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis in the outfield with Beltran and Church as the mainstays while the other guys hold the fort for Martinez to mature. Martinez possesses a fantastic power/speed combo as he had 8HR and 6SB in 352AB. Those numbers don't jump off the page at you but Martinez is only 20 but he missed some time last year with some injury. Martinez probably won't make the team out of spring training but could be a mid season call up if A. the Mets are decimated with injury or B. Martinez absolutely tears up AA.

The Buffalo Bisons have heavy hearts this holiday season. The Bisons are deeply saddened at the passing of long-time team official scorer and dear friend Mike Kelly at the age of 62. On December 27, Kelly lost a 10-year battle with prostrate cancer

1B Michel Abreu was 0-3 with a walk and a run scored for Azucareros/DWL

C Rene Rivera went 0-3 for Arecibo/PRWL

RP Eddie Camacho retired the only 2 batters he faced for Arecibo/PRW

LP Edgar Alfonzo gave up a hit in 0.1 innings for Magallanes/VWL

OF Jose Coronado was 0-3 with a walk and an RBI for Caribes/VWL

C Robinson Cancel was 1-6 with an RBI for Ponce/DWL.

Of Jesus Feliciano was 2-5 with 2 runs scored for Arecibo/PRWL


AA – B-Mets:

OF Brahiam Maldonado was 0-2 for Caguas/DWL.

RP Emary Frederick struck out 1 in a scoreless inning for Carolina/PRWL


A+ - Lucy:

From MiLB.com: - Hector Pellot, 2B - Sometimes repeating a level is a good thing. Pellot was sent to the South Atlantic League in 2006 at age 19, and it didn't go so well. The second baseman hit .189 in 100 games for Hagerstown, then the Mets' affiliate. Last year, he went back to the SAL, this time with Savannah, and the results were much different. Pellot batted .274 with 33 steals in 114 games and was named a SAL All-Star. He finished the season with a nice six-game stretch in St. Lucie and a good showing in Hawaii Winter Baseball, so he's ready for a full year with St. Lucie at age 21.A – Gnats:P Manuel Oliveras gave up 2 runs in 2 innings for Zulia/VWL, 3 hits, 2 walks, 3 Ks.

From MiLB.com: - Francisco Pena, C - The Mets were aggressive with Pena and several other international signees last year and Savannah's roster was full of teenagers. The son of Tony Pena, Francisco started out like he'd handle the transition just fine, hitting .278 in April and .256 in the first half. Then the wheels fell off and Pena saw first-hand just how long a full season is. He hit just .166 after the break and clearly was out of gas. He learned how important staying in shape, eating well and resting is over the long haul of a pro season. He'll go back to Savannah for another try and, since he'll be just 18 all year, it's not like he's fallen behind the curve.


Rookie – K-Port:

C Juan Centano was 1-1 with a triple and a run scored for Carolina/PRWL


2010 Free Agents:

First basemen:

Russell Branyan (34)Frank Catalanotto (36) - $5MM club option with a $2MM buyoutCarlos Delgado (38)Ross Gload (34) - $2.6MM club optionNick Johnson (31)Adam LaRoche (30)Chad Tracy (30)Dmitri Young (36) -$6MM option vests with 500 PAs in '09


Fantasy:

Fr. RotoAuthority: Scott Kazmir is being drafted 12th among starters, in the sixth round on average. I have Kazmir posting a 3.70 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 185 Ks in 170 or so innings. There are definitely more than eleven starters I would take before Kazmir. Kazmir missed April with an elbow strain, and he was mediocre-to-bad in the season's final three months. His walks continue to damage his WHIP, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him miss more time due to injury or post an ERA over 4.00 in 2009. There is no way I would take a player this risky in the sixth round. The latest you'll see him drafted is the ninth round, but even then he wouldn't be my top choice among starters.


International:

From espn.deportes: - Right-hander Yadel Marti, Cuba's best pitcher in the first World Baseball Classic in 2006, and outfielder Yasser Gomez left the island and are in an unknown location before attempting to reach the Dominican Republic to seek an MLB career, sources told ESPNdeportes.com. Players' relatives and friends in Cuba confirmed their departure, without disclosing details of the planned route. Marti and Gomez, members of the popular team Industriales de la Habana, were kicked off the team's payroll for the current National Series tournament "for having committed a serious [infraction]," according to the Cuban baseball authorities. Sources informed ESPNdeportes.com last month that Marti and Gomez were punished and banned from Cuban baseball after being caught with others while trying to board a boat to leave the country illegally. A talent scout who has seen Marti and Gomez playing at international events told ESPNdeportes.com that both are ready to play in the majors. Marti, 29, was the best of Cuba's pitchers in the 2006 WBC. The right-hander went 1-0 with two saves and led the tournament in ERA (0.00) after not allowing a single run in 12 2/3 innings. He was elected to the WBC All Star team. Marti won 67 games with a 3.23 ERA in his career with Industriales but participated in a limited capacity last season (4-2, 3.12 ERA in 15 games). Gomez, 28, is a fast outfielder who was Rookie of the Year in 1997 and hit .394 with 51 runs scored and 41 RBIs in 66 games in the most recent National Series tournament. He has a .331 career average with Industriales. He was left off the Cuban National Team in the 2006 WBC and the 2008 Olympic Games.Alumni:

From BrooklynBums: - Joe Smith- I've already spoken at length about how good Smith was in Brooklyn, so I'll spare everyone the brown-nosing. In his rookie year, Smith was overused by Mets manager Willie Randolph, but still put up solid numbers, going 3-2 with a 3.45 ERA. Last season, despite some bumps and bruises, the kid pitched in 82 games and had a 3.55 ERA. Simply put, I think he's got the ability to be one of the best situational relievers in the game. It's too bad the Mets gave up on him before that really happened.

Ezequiel Carrera- This was one of those late-season call-ups in 2007 that everyone knew was going to mean something in the future. Hitting over .300 in 20 games with Brooklyn that year, every reporter knew that Carrera pretty much earned himself a promotion to either Savannah or St. Lucie for 2008. A .283 hitter with 50 steals in only 179 minor league games, Carrera has the tools to be an Endy Chavez type-player down the line and maybe even more. His defense is solid, even though I dig his range much more than his arm. His 83 strikeouts last season with St. Lucie where a bit alarming, but overall, I like his patience at the plate and his speed is too damn good to deny him a spot at the bigs in the next few seasons.

Evan Maclane- One of my good buddy and Home Reporter writer Jim Dolan's all-time favorite Cyclones and for good reason, he can pitch. Given up in the Shawn Green deal, Maclane was 9-8 for Norfolk when the Mets traded him to the D-Backs. He's had some problems over the past two seasons with Tuscon, the AAA affiliate of Arizona, especially with the gopher ball, but he's got great control and I think would another guy who could be a great situational reliever at the MLB level.

Kansas City signed LHP Lenny DiNardo to a minor league contract.

The Los Angeles Dodgers released P Scott Strickland.

The Minnesota Twins signed P Bobby Keppel.


General Baseball News:

Fr. Fenway West: - If you didn't have enough reason to dislike the Yankees prima donna third basemen, here's another story to add to the list. From the NY Daily News: Onlookers say, the Yankees slugger blocked traffic with his black Maybach while waiting for a parking spot at the Bal Harbour Mall. "It was ridiculous," one witness fumed. "He's in a $400,000 car, chatting away on his cell phone, oblivious to everyone honking at him. He was holding up traffic in both directions. You'd think he could pay the $25 for valet!"