Minors Stuff

The Herd:


The thought brings a big, bright smile to the face of Fernando Martinez.

Of course, who wouldn't be excited to have his named bandied about for his first Major League call-up?

While there continued to be speculation that Martinez would be moving up to New York Mets if and when Ryan Church is placed on the disabled list, the 20-year-old outfielder spent his Monday productively in Buffalo, hitting a key two-run home run in the sixth to help the Bisons to an 8-7 win over Lehigh Valley before 6,316 in Coca-Cola Field.

"Nobody has said to me nothing, just to be ready for anything. Just wait for the moment. That's it," Martinez said. "Everybody wants to be there. I want to be there. I don't know when, but I hope pretty soon."

All indications are that it could be pretty soon. Martinez, one of the Mets' top prospects, extended his hit streak to seven games with the home run, though it was his only hit of the day in five at-bats.

Since May 19 Martinez is batting .379 with three doubles, four home runs, eight RBIs and seven runs scored. He entered Monday's game tied for first in the International League for extra base hits and now has 25 on the season.

"It's phenomenal. Where would we be without him?," said Bisons' manager Ken Oberkfell. "The guy for 20 years old is just mature. He knows how to play the game. He doesn't worry about [being called up]. He just goes out there every day and plays his game and whatever happens, happens."

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bisons/story/682612.html




THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

The Bisons lost four of six games last week to fall to 11-29 overall. They own the worst record in the league and are in sixth place in the North Division.

WHO'S HOT AND WHO'S NOT:

OF Fernando Martinez has hit .333 with four homers, nine RBIs and nine runs scored in his last 10 games. ... OF Wily Mo Pena has batted .189 in his last 10 contests and begins the week in a 3-for-22 slump. ... Buffalo catchers have struggled at the plate recently, with Robinson Cancel (.136) and Rene Rivera (.214) combining to bat .167 over the last 10 games.


BE MY VALENTIN:

Javier Valentin joined the Bisons on May 15 and promptly started hitting. In his first nine games with the Herd, he batted .333 with three homers, seven RBIs and five runs scored. Valentin also has drawn seven walks for a .471 on-base percentage. After catching for most of his professional career, he has played seven games at first base for Buffalo, which may put him in line to join the parent Mets as a replacement for the injured Carlos Delgado.


QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"I thought [Jonathon Niese] was awful. He didn't locate his pitches, he just didn't pitch well. [The Clippers are] a good hitting club and if you don't locate against that team, they're going to hurt you." -- Bisons manager Ken Oberkfell to the Buffalo News on May 22 after the left-hander allowed nine runs over 3 2/3 innings in a 10-4 loss to Columbus. On the season, Niese -- considered one of the Mets top pitching prospects -- is 0-3 with an 8.06 ERA in six starts for the Herd.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090524&content_id=4930626&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp



B-Mets:


Josh Petersen didn't need to swing the bat to win the game for the Binghamton Mets.
Petersen drew a bases-loaded, pinch-hit walk in the bottom of the 11th inning to cap a 5-4 come-from-behind B-Mets victory over the New Britain Rock Cats in the finale of a four-game Eastern League series on Monday afternoon at NYSEG Stadium.
Petersen's five-pitch walk off New Britain reliever Zach Ward scored Emmanuel Garcia with the game-winning run and snapped a season-long five-game losing streak.
"I was taking until he threw me a strike," Petersen said. "Even when (the count) was 3-1, I was going to take it, because I knew he was a little wild. This was a big win for us. We had lost, what, five in a row? Everyone's confidence is a little higher now."
The B-Mets twice rallied from two-run deficits, once in the ninth inning and once in the 10th. Josh Thole scored the game-tying run in the ninth on a fielder's choice by Garcia. In the 10th, after New Britain had scored twice off reliever Roy Merritt, Lucas Duda hit an RBI double and scored on a throwing error by Rock Cats first baseman Erik Lis.
"That was a big win for us," said first baseman Nick Evans, who went 2-for-6 with both hits coming in extra innings. "Being the last game of the series, and we had lost a few in a row, it was good to show some life and come back and get a win."
Adam Bostick (3-0) pitched his way out of trouble in the top of the 11th, striking out Brandon Roberts with runners on second and third to end the inning.

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20090526/SPORTS02/905260352/1118/Sports/B-Mets+walk+away+with+win+in+11th



Tuesday, May 26 Connecticut 6:35 pm LHP Mike Antonini (4-1, 4.88) vs. RHP Henry Sosa (3-0, 1.85)

Wednesday, May 27 Connecticut 6:35 pm RHP Tobi Stoner (1-1, 1.89) vs. TBA

Thursday, May 28 Connecticut 10:35 am RHP Ryan Coultas (3-2, 3.00) vs. TBA

Friday, May 29 at New Britain 6:35 pm RHP Dylan Owen (0-4, 6.55) vs. RHP Jeff Manship (4-3, 5.55)



LHP Mike Antonini makes his return to the B-Mets rotation tomorrow in the opener of a three-game series with Connecticut. Antonini was summoned to Buffalo (AAA) May 15 where he made two starts allowing 10 runs in 7.1 innings, giving up five runs in each go around. With Binghamton, he is 4-1 with a 4.88 ERA in six starts spanning 31.1 innings. He was the Mets’ 18th -round selection in the 2007 draft out of Georgia College & State University. The Defenders will counter with RHP Henry Sosa, who beat Binghamton with six strong innings May 21 at Dodd Stadium, allowing just one run.

International

The Dodgers inked a couple pitchers to minor league deals yesterday, Ji-Mo Lee and Hyang-nam Choi. The 22-year-old Lee was released by the Lotte Giants in 2008 and recently changed his first name "for good luck." Nice. Dodgers' Assistant General Manager of Scouting Logan White claims he has "two types of pitches that are already at a Major League level."
Choi, a 38-year-old journeyman, seemed close to signing a minor-league deal with the Cardinals this January but it looks like the signing might have fallen through because of issues with the posting system. Choi has spent the last two years also pitching for the Lotte Giants, but appeared in the Indians organization in 2006, where he posted a 2.37 ERA and a 103/35 K/BB ratio in 106.1 IP. The East Wind-Up Chronicle says he may not have a powerful arsenal but does have a black belt in Taekwondo.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/


Mets Alumni:

Carl Everett, who played 1,405 games in 14 big league seasons, is now in his third season of Atlantic League ball, and his numbers have improved each season. Could the soon-to-be 38-year-old DH find his way back to the Show? Through 24 games, he’s 30-for-84 with 16 runs, four doubles, four homers, 16 RBI, 21 walks and 15 strikeouts with a superb .481 OBP. I’m sure there are a few teams that could use a batting eye like that. Seattle, for instance, where Everett struggled in his last MLB season in 2006, could probably again use his services in a limited capacity. I mean, come on, Everett would have come a hell of a lot cheaper than Ken Griffey, Jr., and probably wouldn’t be doing too much worse. Okay, maybe he would.

http://www.rotorob.com/2009/05/25/indy-ball-roundup