B-Mets:
7. Jenrry Mejia - The third Dominican on the top ten list, with Flores being from Venezuela. Jenrry had a solid season in the Florida State League with the Saint Lucie Mets, finishing with a 1.97 ERA in nine starts. While Mejia did not struggle as badly as Holt, he found that AA Binghamton was more of a challenge with a 4.47 ERA in 10 starts. He was a little more hittable in AA (.217 to .263). Among the pitchers on this list he is the hardest thrower, and as he gains strength he could routinely hit 100 on the radar gun. This may make him an attractive option for the bullpen if his secondary pitches don’t improve.
8. Reese Havens SS - He has more potential for shortstop than Flores, but his future is at second base because his foot speed will limit his range. Like the major league Mets, a quadricep injury limited his bats. He finished with an identical .247 average that he hit for the Cyclones in 2008 with an improved OBA and a slugging percentage that was slightly lower. He did hit 14 homeruns in only 97 games and his 55 to 73 walk to K ratio indicates that his average should improve.
6. Jefry Marte 3B - Like Flores, he was an 18 year old playing in Low A. His numbers were also unimpressive, .233, 6 homeruns and only a .338 slugging. His 25 to 117 walk to K ratio was much worse than Flores and needs to show improvement if he wants to advance. With David Wright at third, a decision does not need to be made soon whether it is Marte or Flores who is the player they will keep as their future third baseman. The loser may have to move to the outfield. Marte needs to learn that he is no Vladimir Guerrero and can not hit breaking pitches that are out of the strike zone.
Lefthander Mark Cohoon has been named the Brooklyn Cyclones' 2009 Sterling Award winner, emblematic of the team's Most Valuable Player. The Sterling Awards are announced annually, honoring the top performers at each of the Mets' affiliate levels, as well as a Player and Pitcher of the Year.Cohoon led the New York-Penn League with nine wins (9-2), and ranked sixth with a 2.15 ERA. In a league-high 92.0 IP, he allowed 69 hits, 26 runs, 22 earned, and 20 walks, with 70 strikeouts. Opponents hit .210 against Cohoon, and he surrendered just 18 extra-base hits, while facing 356 batters. Mark’s nine wins tied a Cyclones’ franchise record, and his 92.0 innings established a new club record. Cohoon pitched six or more innings in 12 of his 14 starts, and allowed two earned runs or less 10 times. He struck out a season-high nine batters on 8/15 vs. ONT.
Queens:
The Mets have a strong core of superstars, and their collective health almost has to improve in 2010. I don't see the logic behind trading Reyes, Wright, Beltran, or Santana.
The Mets need a catcher, first baseman, and corner outfielder. They may be competing with the Braves for certain first base and left field candidates. But the Mets also need at least one solid starting pitcher as well as bullpen help.
The catching market is weak, but pairing someone like Gregg Zaun with Thole makes sense. First base presents more options. Who's a bigger health risk - Carlos Delgado at 38 or Nick Johnson at 31? Johnson's .428 OBP is hard to ignore.
The market is flush with left fielders. With so many needs, I have a hard time seeing Minaya take a run at Manny Ramirez, Matt Holliday, or Jason Bay. Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, and Jermaine Dye are more reasonable targets. With Castillo, Johnson, Wright, Beltran, and Abreu, the Mets would potentially have five .400 OBP players. Zaun (assuming the Rays let him go), Johnson, and Abreu could be signed for less than $25MM in 2010 salaries.
With the remaining money I'd attempt to lure Randy Wolf from the West Coast while also pursuing Erik Bedard, Brad Penny, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, or Ben Sheets for a one-year deal. Admittedly there wouldn't be much left to spend on relievers, but decent arms can be found for a million or two.
Certainly the Mets could use top free agents like Holliday and John Lackey. However, the available money would be better used to acquire four or five sensible free agents. Let's hear your recommendations in the comments.
Point is, the Mets’ across-the-board optimism for 2010 is a dangerous antidote to their current pandemic; it’s what got them in trouble in the first place. Minaya placed too much faith in his upper-tier players; he assumed everyone would stay and have career years.
The miscalculation was devastating. You see the result every night. In one sense Manuel is lucky: his team is so pathetic, no one assumes the Mets will ever win another game. If they do, it’s a pleasant surprise.
Manuel’s players are taking full advantage of this late-September vacation, if not the manager himself. He keeps urging the Mets to focus, finish out strong, cling to the fundamentals that got them to the majors. But more and more, Manuel’s oratory is as substantive as vapor. He has the impact of Jeff Torborg, circa 1993.
...That sorry attitude is born, in part, by the lopsided balance of power in New York. The gulf between the Mets and Yankees hasn’t been this wide since the late Seventies. The difference is these Mets are expensive. They came into the season with the National League’s biggest payroll, which earns them the dubious title of the worst team (more) money could buy.
http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/klapisch_mets_cant_bank_on_a_better_2010
Mets Alumni:
Livan Hernandez wanted to pitch against the Mets, if only because he'd hoped to demonstrate his value to the very team that saved money by releasing him. Hernandez suggested on Thursday that the Mets cut ties with him not because of his record (7-8, 5.47 ERA), but because of soon-to-trigger incentives clauses. Hernandez's contract, according to the Web site Cot's Baseball Contracts, called for the pitcher to earn $100,000 for reaching 130 innings and another $100,000 for reaching 140 innings. He would have earned three separate payments of $150,000 by reaching 150, 160 and 170 innings. Though Hernandez couldn't recount those specifics, he estimated he lost $500,000 because of his release, which occurred after he pitched 135 innings, earning only the first bonus payment. -- Washington Post
Billy Wagner is not one to mince words when he believes he has pitched poorly, and last night was one of those nights. Entrusted to maintain a 3-3 tie in the ninth inning against the Angels, Wagner instead allowed a walk, a sacrifice and a bloop single to absorb his first loss with the Red Sox in the 4-3 defeat. "I was terrible," Wagner said. "I couldn't get the ball up and they got some bunts down. It was all started by the walk. If the guy gets a single so be it, but to give up a walk always comes back to hurt you." Wagner walked Juan Rivera on five pitches to open the ninth. All four balls were low. He then allowed Reggie Willits to lay down a sacrifice bunt before Howie Kendrick's bloop to short right fell just beyond the outstretched arms of Dustin Pedroia . "I couldn't get the ball up," Wagner lamented. "Usually I can't get the ball down. I didn't get the ball up until the second hitter, and by then it was too late." -- Boston Herald
2 comments:
Mack, Jefry Marte made 49 errors playing third base for the Gnats. If he returns to Savannah for 2010, I hope they try him at another position. One regular fan told me,"their is no telling how many of those errors cost the Sand Gnats a game." I know that it is not wins in the SAL that counts, it is development of the players.
One caution about concern for minor league errors by very young Latins...
the record for the most errors by an infielder in A ball is...
Derek Jeter
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