Minors Stuff

The Herd:

“Hot Sheet: - No. 2 FERNANDO MARTINEZ, LF --Team: Triple-A Buffalo (International)

Age: 20 - Why He's Here: .385/.467/.923 (10-for-26), 4 HR, 2 2B, 6 RBIs, 9 R, 4 BB, 2 SO, 2-for-3 SB

The Scoop: Fernando-Mania gripped the National League in 1981, when Dodgers rookie lefthander Fernando Valenzuela paced the circuit in strikeouts, innings and shutouts. Now, Fernando-Mania is making its rounds through the IL. He may have closed April on a 1-for-18 skid, but Martinez has come roaring back in May to bat .351/.400/.703 with six homers, six doubles and 15 RBIs through 20 games. He appears to have caught up to the speed of the Triple-A game, too, collecting six walks while striking out nine times in 74 at-bats.

Martinez's home run roll call for the week: Gwinnett's Todd Redmond (May 15), Pawtucket's Enrique Gonzalez (May 18) and prized Red Sox righthander Clay Buchholz (twice on May 19). He leads the IL with 23 extra-base hits, standing side by side with minor league veterans Todd Linden and Oscar Salazar.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2009/268168.html



B-Mets:


Saturday, May 23 New Britain 7:05 pm RHP Ryan Coultas (3-1, 2.54) vs. RHP Matt Fox (2-2, 3.96)

Sunday, May 24 New Britain 6:35 pm RHP Dylan Owen (0-3, 6.18)) vs. RHP Jeff Manship (3-3, 6.42)

Monday, May 25 New Britain 1:05 pm RHP Jose Sanchez (1-5, 6.59) vs. RHP Jay Rainville (1-2, 5.60)

Tuesday, May 26 Connecticut 6:35 pm TBA vs. RHP Henry Sosa (3-0, 1.85)


RP Adam Bostick:


INHERITED RUNNERS/SCORED: 5/0 VS. LH: .269 (7-26) SAVES/OPPORTUNITIES:

LONG OUTING: 3.0 IP (4/25 @ NHF) VS. RH: .214 (6-28) FIRST BATTER RETIRED %: 75 (6-8)

LAST HR ALLOWED: 4/29 @ POR (Aaron Bates) LAST WIN: 4/19 vs. POR LAST SAVE:

MOST STRIKEOUTS/GAME: 5 (4/16 vs. POR) MOST WALKS/GAME: 2 (4/23 @ NHF)

RESIDES: Greensburg, PA

ACQUIRED: Traded to Mets from Florida, 11/20/06

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 9th season
∗ 2009 NOTES: Placed on the 7-day Disabled List 5/12 retroactive to 5/10...Reinstated from Disabled List 5/19.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 2008: Opened season with New Orleans (AAA) making 11 appearances before season-ending knee surgery...

2007: Made 20 starts with New Orleans (AAA) in first season with Mets organization...Struck out a season-high 10 batters against Portland 7/30...Strung together 11 shutout innings in wins against Tacoma and Portland 7/25 and 7/30...Made six starts in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions with a 2-0 record and a 2.74 ERA in 23 IP.

PERSONAL/MISCELLANEOUS: Traded to Mets from Florida along with LHP Jason Vargas in exchange for RHP Henry Owens and RHP Matt Lindstrom 11/20/06...Father, Adam, played basketball at Bradley University...Uncle, Sidney, played basketball at West Virginia...Offered a football scholarship by Slippery Rock University...Marlins’ 6th round selection, 2001 draft.


Lucy:


“Hot List”: - No. 11 JENRY MEJIA, RHP - Team: high Class A St. Lucie (Florida State)

Age: 19 - Why He's Here: 1-0, 1.82, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 SO

The Scoop: Mejia is about the most unconventional prospect imaginable. He's 6-feet, tops, and weighs in at about 165 pounds. He's very athletic, though, and his action is clean, helping him regularly touch 94-96 mph. One scout this year described his offspeed pitch as a fosh change—others have dubbed it a straight change, a split or a cutter—but whatever hybrid it is, it's an out pitch. The scout also liked Mejia's curveball, though he noted that the righthander lost confidence in it and didn't use it enough.

Mejia signed out of the Dominican Republic in April '07 with little fanfare, yet here he is at age 19, one of the FSL's youngest players. And the really scary part is that over his last four starts he's gone 3-0, 0.35, surrendering just three runs (one earned, and with no homers) and 16 hits in 26 innings. He struck out 19 and walked three in that span, completing eight innings of work once and seven another time, to move into second place in the FSL's ERA race at 1.82.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2009/268168.html
Gnats:


Queens:


They will represent 18 percent of a list compiled for The Sporting News by a blue-ribbon panel of voters that included 13 Hall of Famers, 13 Cy Young Award winners and 12 league MVPs among a jury 150 strong. The rules stressed that the "greatest" designation only applied to current stars, not players still active but in the twilight of great careers. So, if I was starting the first argument, the question would be: How the hell does Mets outpatient Carlos Delgado weigh in at No. 47? The old warhorse can still launch a fastball but has averaged just 143 games over the past five seasons.

But I'll give you Delgado and throw down a bigger mace. How does the team that plays in BrokeBank Field (thanks go to an e-mailer) lead this august assembly of living and breathing stars with six current players? I guess Choke Factor didn't make it onto the ballot. But Mets Meltdown '08 was certainly not the fault of lefthander Johan Santana, No. 3 on the list. The Mets shriveled in the stretch like George Costanza in the Seinfeld classic "Shrinkage" episode. The other Mets are David Wright (13), Jose Reyes (22), Carlos Beltran (23), Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez (34) and Delgado.
Hopefully, the blue-ribbon panel missed the Dodgers' three-game sweep of manager Jerry Manuel's Hollywood revival of the Keystone Kops. The only thing missing from the end game of the second game of the series was calliope music and a ringmaster. Players were provided by Hertz Rent-a-Clown.

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/conlin_list_of_top_50_players_arguable


International:

The United States can watch the amazing performance of Zack Greinke. Japan has their own version of Greinke, though Masahiro Tanaka doesn’t have as exciting a personal story. He did pitch in the high school Koshien tournament and threw 742 pitches in six appearances, throwing one out under 53 innings. His 458 strikeouts in high school surpassed the record that had been held by Daisuke Matsuzaka. He also hit 13 homeruns, including a homerun in four games in a row. In 2007 he was voted the Pacific League Rookie of the year. Shoulder problems limited his 2008 season to 24 games.

This year he has started six games, completed five of them and thrown three shutouts. His ERA stands at 0.87 with 47 strikeouts in 52 innings, but only 24 hits given up. He was taken off the roster for a couple weeks for a tired shoulder so that will have to be watched. He throws a fastball clocked at 91 to 93, a sharp slider with a nasty downward bite, forkball and curveball. The one thing he needs to improve on is holding runners.

http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?m=200905


Mets Alumni:


Ex-Mets pitchers drafted with the first pick of the draft:

1994: Paul Wilson, RHP, Florida State (Mets, 1st overall) 40-58 (.408), 4.86 ERA, 88 ERA+, 942 innings.

1996: Kris Benson, RHP, Clemson (Pirates, 1st overall): 69-74 (.483), 4.38 ERA, 101 ERA+, 1222 innings.

http://www.minorleagueball.com

Deolis Guerra, rhp, Twins: That Johan Santana trade hasn't panned out for the Twins like they had hoped. They've dropped Philip Humber from the 40-man roster after he posted a 12.46 ERA in four outings; center fielder Carlos Gomez is batting .230/.301/.311 in Minnesota; and righthander Kevin Mulvey is 2-2, 4.19 with 19 walks in 35 innings in Triple-A. But Guerra has to rank as the most disappointing of the acquisitions. Back in the high Class A Florida State League for a fourth year, with Fort Myers, Guerra has given up 48 hits and 13 walks in 39 innings. He's still only 20 years old, but his once plus velocity has all but disappeared.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2009/268168.html


Draft:


Jonathan Mayo’s Top 10 picks for the Draft:

1. Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State.
2. Seattle Mariners: Dustin Ackley, 1B/OF, North Carolina
3. San Diego Padres: Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt
4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Alex White, RHP, North Carolina
5. Baltimore Orioles: Aaron Crow, RHP, Fort Worth Cats
6. San Francisco Giants: Michael Trout, OF, Millville Senior HS, N.J.
7. Atlanta Braves: Zack Wheeler, RHP, East Paulding HS, Dallas, Ga.
8. Cincinnati Reds: Kyle Gibson, RHP, Missouri
9. Detroit Tigers: Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS, Mission Viejo, Calif.
10. Washington Nationals: Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kenesaw State