The Mack Attack - 2-8-9

Mets News:

USA TODAY Sports Weekly's 100 Names You Need to Know:

11. Dan Murphy, OF-2B, Mets: Murphy's versatility is a big plus. Originally a third baseman, he was used by New York as a left fielder last season and filled in at first base. This offseason, he played second base in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .397 with 18 RBI in 15 games. The Mets were not satisfied with second baseman Luis Castillo's 2008 performance, and this could create additional playing time should the team explore other left-field options. A left-handed hitter with emerging power, Murphy, 23, has hit .290 over three minor league seasons. He can run a bit. He had 14 steals to go with 13 homers at Class AA Binghamton (N.Y.) before his call-up to New York.

38. Jonathan Niese, LHP, Mets: Niese, a 22-year-old lefty, will try to earn a spot in the Mets' rotation this spring after a three-start audition during last year's pennant race. Featuring an outstanding curveball and a developing changeup to go with his low-90s fastball, Niese has gone 34-26 in four minor league seasons. He has worked to become more consistent with his velocity, and exposure to Johan Santana will likely improve already-strong mechanics on his changeup. "I'd be surprised if he's not in the rotation this year," assistant GM Tony Bernazard says. "He's got great mechanics and four pitches he can throw for strikes."

81. Nick Evans, OF/1B, Mets: Evans, 23, can play first base and the outfield. At 6-3, 210, he has consistently improved at the plate and demonstrated reasonable power. Evans has 44 homers in his last three minor league seasons. A right-handed hitter, he'll likely serve as a backup to first baseman Carlos Delgado and could end up battling Dan Murphy for playing time in left field.


Numbers assigned to new Mets invited to ST:

Rocky Cherry - 30 Sean Green - 48 Brandon Knight – 35 Eddie Kunz – 40 Darren O'Day - 36 JJ Putz - 20 Connor Robertson - 29 Robinson Cancel - 4 Alex Cora - 12 Jeremy Reed – 18 Cory Sullivan - 3 Adam Bostick - 72 - Matt DeSalvo - 66 - Nelson Figueroa - 27 - Casey Fossum - 47 - Freddy Garcia - 56 - Dillon Gee - 73 - Tom Martin - 38 - Heriberto Ruelas - 68 - Kyle Snyder - 65 - Tobi Stoner - 71 - Jon Switzer - 70 - Rene Rivera - 77 - Omir Santos - 76 - Josh Thole - 78 - Michel Abreu - 63 - Jose Coronado - 79 - Andy Green - 10 - Rob Mackowiak - 26 - Fernando Martinez – 67


Jack Pranitis, a fixture in both clubhouses at NYSEG Stadium for the past 15 years, died peacefully on January 27th after a lengthy & courageous battle with cancer. He and his wife Pat of 52 years adopted visiting and B-Mets teams as their own and touched many lives throughout professional baseball. His devotion to the Binghamton Mets extended to his “vacations” in Port St. Lucie, Florida for spring training where he assisted with the New York Mets minor league clubhouse operations.


Great stuff from Mets Tailgate, who listed the top ten Mets pitching performances:

10. David Cone, 1988 - 231.1 IP, 2.22 ERA, 146 ERA+, 2.58 FIP
9. Al Leiter, 1998 - 193 IP, 2.47 ERA, 170 ERA+, 3.15 FIP
8. Johan Santana, 2008 - 234.1 IP, 2.53 ERA, 166 ERA+, 3.51 FIP
7. Jon Matlack, 1974 - 265.1 IP, 2.41 ERA, 149 ERA+, 2.42 FIP
6. Tom Seaver, 1969 - 273.1 IP, 2.21 ERA, 165 ERA+, 3.11 FIP
5. Dwight Gooden, 1984 - 218 IP, 2.60 ERA, 137 ERA+, 1.69 FIP
4. Jerry Koosman, 1969 - 241 IP, 2.28 ERA, 160 ERA+, 2.67 FIP
3. Tom Seaver, 1973 - 290 IP, 2.08 ERA, 175 ERA+, 2.57 FIP
2. Tom Seaver, 1971 - 286.1 IP, 1.76 ERA, 193 ERA+, 1.93 FIP
1. Dwight Gooden, 1985 - 276.2 IP, 1.53 ERA, 228 ERA+, 2.13 FIP

Per Adam, here's a list of projected managers for the Mets' minor-league system, which you'll note as a couple of former players returning to the organization:

Buffalo (AAA): Ken Oberkfell
Binghamton (AA): Mako Oliveras
St. Lucie (Hi-A): Tim Teufel
Savannah (Lo-A): Edgar Alfonzo
Brooklyn (short season): Pedro Lopez
Kingsport (rookie): Mike DiFelice
Gulf Coast League (rookie): Julio Franco


Fernando Martinez played the regular season with Escogido, but when a team reaches the World Series they can supplement their roster with additional players from other rosters. Licey is happy to have added Fernando Martinez to the team. He hit a pinch hit 2-run homerun in the se to lead Licey to a 2-1 win over Puerto Rico.

-he is now done with winter ball, after sufferring his 67th boo-boo in three years...

New Mets:

Heriberto Ruelas

LHP - Born: May 28, 1982 - 6-2 235 Bats: L Throws: L

2008 Pitching Statistics

Mexico City AAA 2-1 5.91 1.71 44 relief appearances

Ruelas debuted in the 2000 Arizona League with AZL Mexico, going 0-3 with a 8.08 ERA. He allowed 33 hits and struck out 24 in 22 1/3 IP. He made his Mexican League debut in 2002 with the Cafeteros de Córdoba, going 3-5 with a 7.73 ERA. In 2003, Ruelas was 3-2 with a 5.16 ERA for the Mexico City Red Devils. Rueles went 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in the 2003 Baseball World Cup. He allowed 21 hits and 13 walks in 14 2/3 IP for the 2004 Red Devils, posting a 11.05 ERA. In 2005, Heriberto was 0-2 with a 11.25 ERA as a LOOGY for Mexico City. He allowed 26 hits in 16 innings spread out over 38 games. In 2006, Ruelas was 3-0 with a 4.23 ERA for the Monterrey Sultans, working a total of 27 2/3 IP in 38 games. In the winter of '06, the left-hander was 1-0 with a 7.84 ERA for the Cañeros de Los Mochis and totaled just 10 1/3 IP in 25 contests. Ruelas pitched 36 games and 27 innings for Mexico City in 2007, going 2-2 with a save and a 6.33 ERA. He gave up a .330 batting average. In 2008, Heriberto pitched 44 games (35 innings) for Mexico City and was 2-1 with a 5.91 ERA. source BR.com


OF Frank Diaz –

Positions: OF-759 - Born: October 6, 1983 Valencia, Venezuela - 6-2 180

Bats: Right Throws: Right - drafted: Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Expos in 2000

2008: POT/A+ Washington 43 G 164 Abs .256/.299/.366/.665

COL/AAA Washington 38 G 117 Abs .291/.331/.359/690


Prospects:

Toby Hyde on his #19 - IF Rueben Tejada (currently only on ‘honorable mention’ part of Mack’s Mets Prospect List):

Tejada survived the entire 2008 season playing nearly every day in the Florida State League at the tender age of 18. Tejada did not turn 19 until the final weekend of the season, so time is certainly on his side. Tejada has very soft hands, and an average arm at shortstop. He showed nearly average range at short where he was more comfortable moving to his left, and was working on improving his backhand pick. Evaluating Tejada’s offensive ability is made more difficult by balancing 1. his youth, 2. the four level jump he made from the GCL in ’07 to the FSL in ’08, 3. his size. Tejada’s swing works to put the barrel on the ball, but he was generating very little power or loud contact. 2008: Rushed to the FSL, Tejada had one month (June) where he hit over .300, two where he hit in low.200s (April & August) and two where he hit below .200 (May & July). The best part is that he persevered and played everyday as the smallest player on the field. Projected 2009 Start: I just can’t make the argument that Tejada is ready for AA, and with Adam Wogan indicating that Jose Coronado will start in Buffalo in ’09, there aren’t a lot of candidates to play SS everyday in Binghamton. The Mets could put Tejada on the Coronado track - that of gifted defensive SS SS - aggressively assigning him to Binghamton, despite the fact that he has not conquered the FSL. Moreover, the St. Lucie middle infield could be crowded with Greg Veloz and Reese Havens also vying for playing time. St. Lucie is the call, with the staff working hard to find everyone enough pt.

Mack: Tobi has seen much more of this kid than I have, so there’s a good chance he’ll be back on my list as soon as he starts to deliver. The few times I saw him at ST, he was a mess defensively, and he had a horrible season last year at the bat. Was he rushed? Yes. Should he stay in Lucy for another year? Yes. We’ll see from Tejada v1.0 (not to be confused with Miquel in the chain )as the season progresses.

Toby Hyde on his #18 – P Robert Carlson (#7 on Mack’s Mets Prospect List):

Carson shares many of the attributes of pitchers ranked below him on this list: really good size and a good fastball with average or better MLB velocity, sitting in the low 90s, from the left side. Carson differentiates himself in part from those below him was the development of his slider, a pitch that became an effective weapon for him in 2008. The trouble that hitters had driving the ball against Carson is reflected in the fact that he allowed just one homer in over 50 innings of work in 2008. Moreover, he’s already filled out to some degree, and that’s not a bad thing. 2008: Carson missed almost all of 2007 after getting hit on the head by a baseball, but the high school draftee made up for lost time with a strong ’08. He announced that he was done with the GCL in early July when he allowed a combined, two hits, no walks, no runs and fanned 16 over back-to-back six inning performances. Promoted to the Appalachian League, Carson’s walk rate moved up, and his strikeout rate dropped, but he induced nearly three times as many ground balls as fly balls. Projected 2009 Start: Savannah if all goes well in spring training.

Mack: Tobi and I are on opposite poles on this kid, but that’s probably caused from the criteria used to rank these kids. I don’t care how many years they’ve been in the organization, or if their turn comes next. All my rankings are based on my opinions on who has the most tools, highest ceiling, and projects out (if they continue to produce as they have in the past) as a future major league star player. This is why kids like Bobby Parnell and Nick Evans are lower on my list that most bloggers that project prospects. Yes, Parnell and Evans will make it to the Bigs, but I don’t see their starting potential as high as some of the younger kids, like this one.

Toby Hyde on his # 17 – OF Cesar Puello (#5 on Mack’s Mets Prospect List):
Puello was impressive in his professional debut as a 17-year old in the GCL, showing a nice swing that produced line drives to the big part of the park. He’s strong across his upper body and has solid batspeed, but wasn’t yet driving the ball consistently in games in July. That will come as he learns to use his strength. He has the range and arm to handle right. 2008: Puello’s OPS increased in every month from .537 in June to .605 in July and .867 in August. In August, he hit .357/.410/.457, walking three times and getting plunked four times in 70 AB. Projected 2009 Start: Savannah

Mack: Same philosophy as Carson. Puello is easily the 2nd top Mets OF prospect, though he’s only 4 years old. Still, he’s a beast so far and everyone involved in the minor league Mets system is high on this kid. I hope Tobi is right about Savannah. I can’t even begin to imagine Puello, Flores, and Marte all playing for the Sand Gnats at the same time. Woop, woop.


Mets Alumni:

Hardball Times on P Aaron Heilman: - Heilman is finally getting his shot to start after four years of agitating for one. He was among the better relief pitchers from 2005-'07, but took a major step back in 2008 as his walk rate spiked to five per nine innings. This likely motivated the Mets to move him, and with the Mariners in a rebuilding phase and perhaps better suited to having Heilman close for them, the fit was never there. For the Cubs, the fit is there for him to step in as a No. 5 starter and, worst case, the bullpen. All he needs to do to return to his effective ways is to lower his walks. His other peripherals are in line with his career, so if he can overcome that interesting bout of wildness, he can log quite a few good innings for Chicago

Minnesota pitcher Phillip Humber is out of options and will have to clear waivers first if he is sent back to the minors.

The Houston Astros signed 2B David Newhan

The Milwaukee Brewers have signed reliever Jorge Julio

USA TODAY Sports Weekly's 100 Names You Need to Know:

33. Anderson Hernandez, 2B, Nationals: The former New York Mets prospect impressed the Nationals enough to make Emilio Bonifacio expendable. The slick-fielding Hernandez, who can also play shortstop, dispelled at least some doubts about his bat in 28 games with the Nationals after joining them in a trade for Luis Ayala. Hernandez, 26, hit .301 at Class AAA in 2007 and .203 in 2008, so his true hitting ability remains a mystery.

83. Mike Carp, 1B, Mariners: Carp, 22, is still probably a year away from the big leagues, but that's OK. He can go to Class AAA and build on his solid Class AA season in the New York Mets' system while stopgap Russell Branyan and Bryan LaHair man first base in Seattle. Unless LaHair establishes himself, by 2010, the Mariners could go forward with Carp.