The Mack Attack - 3-15-9

Mets News

Rob Mackowiak, Eddie Kunz, Valerio de los Santos and Josh Thole were reassigned to the minor league camp.

LHP Tom Martin, who has a broken right wrist, was reassigned to minor-league camp.

Mike Schmidt calls himself “a nearly 60-year-old man who’s a fan of these young stars and their lives,” so he’s been watching David Wright closely in the week or so the two have been together with Team USA. And Schmidt, perhaps the greatest third baseman of all time, thinks Wright is not only the kind of guy “you’d want in a son,” but possibly headed to Cooperstown. “I think,” Schmidt said Tuesday, “you’ve got yourself a future Hall of Famer there on the Mets.” ..."From a baseball standpoint, he seems way beyond his years,” Schmidt said. “Hitting-wise, he’s your prototypical good modern generation hitter in that he stays inside the ball. In my day, we hit around the ball - pulled the ball more. It’s impressive to me he creates the production he does as a righthanded hitter, seeing a lot of righthanded pitchers, the tough relievers, the matchups he gets. “Back in our day, you’d compare him to a (Steve) Garvey or heck, even a Roberto Clemente-type hitter where he uses the whole field, hits around .300, can hit you some home runs, break up a game. He’s a good solid RBI guy - what did he have last year, 128 (actually 124). I think my best year was in the low 120s (121 in 1980), so even last year he had more than I ever had.”

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/mike_schmidt_says_david_wright_might_be_fit_for_hall_of_fame

Profile on David Wright in Sporting news:

Born: Dec. 20, 1982, in Norfolk, Va.

Alma mater: Hickory High (Chesapeake, Va.)
What's on TV: House, Entourage
What's in my iPod: Dave Matthews, Lil Wayne
What I drive: Audi
Favorite flick: Anything with Will Ferrell
Magazine subscriptions: Maxim, SI, ESPN
Bookmarks: Anything about fantasy football
Worst habit: Biting my nails
Favorite meal: Pizza
Favorite athlete to watch in another sport: Tiger Woods
Favorite city to visit: Chicago
Favorite team as a kid: Mets and Giants
Favorite value in others: Honesty
Favorite physical attribute about myself: My smile
And least: My height
My greatest love: Family
My heroes: My parents


Prospects :

John Sickles:

Elvin Ramirez, RHP, New York Mets - A Dominican signed by the Mets in 2004, Ramirez posted a 3.67 ERA with a 62/36 K/BB in 81 innings last year in the Sally League, not overly impressive. But he gets tons of grounders with his 90-94 MPH sinking fastball, flashes a good curveball and changeup, and has made progress with his command. He's had durability problems and command remains an issue, but he should be watched for signs of further development.


MWOB on:

Wilmer Flores SS (Mets) - As Wilmer develops he may end up looking more like Miguel Cabrera, which would make a stay at shortstop unlikely. As a below average runner who lacks first step quickness his best position may be third base or an outfield corner. Unlike Alcides, there is no question that Wilmer will have a powerful bat, but unlike Alcides his defensive tools are not suited for shortstop. The Mets will keep him there until he shows he becomes a liability at the position. As his bat develops don’t be surprised to see 30 homerun power.

From Rotoworld’s TOP 10 list this month:

1. Fernando Martinez - OF - DOB: 10/10/88 - ETA: June 2010
.462/.500/.692, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2/0 K/BB, 0 SB in 13 AB (R GCL Mets) .287/.340/.432, 8 HR, 43 RBI, 73/27 K/BB, 6 SB in 352 AB (AA Binghamton)

Three seasons into his pro career, Martinez has just 22 homers and a pedestrian .281/.338/.429 batting line to his credit. Still, he didn't turn 20 until after 2008 and the Mets had to be excited to see him hit .318 with seven homers in 154 at-bats over the winter, even if he did go down with a strained elbow in the Caribbean World Series. Martinez no longer has much chance of developing into a superstar, but he'll be a 25-homer guy in time and he'll likely hit for solid averages. A center fielder in the minors, he'd be as a corner outfielder in the majors even if he didn't have Carlos Beltran in front of him. After spending the last two seasons in Double-A, he's due to move up to Triple-A this season. It's possible that he'll need two years at the level, but since the Mets aren't committed to their current options in the corners beyond this season -- even if Daniel Murphy does prove to be real, he might be more valuable as Carlos Delgado's replacement at first base -- it's possible that he'll be a regular in 2010.

2. Wilmer Flores - SS - DOB: 08/06/91 - ETA: 2013
.310/.352/.490, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 28/12 K/BB, 2 SB in 245 AB (R Kingsport) .267/.290/.300, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 7/1 K/BB, 0 SB in 30 AB (SS-A Brooklyn) .400/.400/.400, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2/0 K/BB, 0 SB in 5 AB (A- Savannah)

For Flores to hold his own as a 16-year-old in the Appy League would have been quite an accomplishment. However, the native of Venezuela was actually one of the circuit's better players, amassing an 842 OPS in 245 at-bats before a couple of brief stints at higher levels. Seen as a future 30-homer guy, Flores has supplanted Martinez in having the greatest offensive upside in the Mets' system. He's not going to last at shortstop, and his most obvious landing spot, third base, is likely out as an option with David Wright entrenched. However, it's something the Mets won't have to worry about for a few years yet.

Project Prospect listed their top 50 hitters under the age of 25:

20 Lastings Milledge CF Seems like he's been around forever, but '08 was 1st full MLB season: .320 wOBA, .134 IsoP

38 Carlos Gomez CF 7th youngest hitter in MLB last season; exceptional D; could be an average hitter in his prime

46 Fernando Martinez CF/LF Wasn't overmatched as youngest AA player (.332 wOBA); IsoP up from .106 ('07) to .145 ('08)


Mets Alumni:

The Maimi Herald on:

Ty Wigginton, 31, broke into the majors with the Mets in 2002, four years after being selected in the 17th round of the amateur draft by New York. "When I started out with the Mets, I thought I'd play my entire career there. Then a guy named David Wright comes along, and everyone knows how special he is. They needed room for him so I got shipped to Pittsburgh," Wigginton said. Wigginton then went to Tampa Bay, then Houston, before coming to the Orioles. "I guess it's good to be wanted. That's the way I look at it," he said. "I never looked at it as a negative thing. It's not like I played bad." Wigginton won't have to an All-Star to fulfill expectations in Baltimore. "We know what he's going to give us. But the intangibles he's going to bring here speak louder to everybody in that clubhouse, and the people that are watching at home or sitting in the stands," Trembley said. "That's what we're trying to get done here. That style of play, that type of guy. Those are the kind of people you want on your club." Told of Trembley's assessment, Wigginton did not accept it as flattery. "I don't believe anything like should be considered a compliment," he said. "That's the way you're supposed to play. So to me, it's just normal.” Wigginton smiled when asked if he would have enjoyed playing baseball in the 1950s. "Absolutely," he said. "I would love to sharpen my spikes and go out and play."

On March 7, P Brain Bannister gave up offense. His line was pretty impressive: 10 H 10 ER 3 BB and 3 HRs in 1.o IP against the Yankees.

Matt Wise, who pitched last season for the Mets, has decided to end his baseball career.