10/18/09

Minors Stuff




Binghamton Mets:

PP: Assess the progress of the two 2008 first rounders, Ike Davis and Reese Havens.


Hyde: We'll do the easy one first. After a homer-less and very disappointing 2008 debut, Davis was everything a first rounder is supposed to be in 2009. He made stops in High-A and Double-A and did that while hitting and hitting for power in both places. A .298/.381/.524 season with 31 doubles and 20 HR has put him towards the top of the organization's prospect list.

He has bat speed and very real pull power from right-center on over. He's a strong defensive first baseman with nice footwork around the bag and active hands. The remaining weakness in his game is his performance against lefthanders, but even over the course of 2009, he made progress through repetition. Davis hit .197/.231/.279/.509 in 61 at-bats against southpaws in High-A, but improved on that to .268/.342/.465/.807 in 71 Double-A at bats. Even while adding 300 points of OPS, he was 200 points shy of his destruction (.331/.409/.618) against righthanders. Nonetheless, the strides he made were significant. Davis could hit his way into a look for the Mets in 2010.

While Davis' 2009 put to rest any questions about his underlying ability, Havens' season did not. Havens was nicked up and missed significant time in 2008. He did the same in 2009. When he was drafted in 2008, scouts wondered whether he would have the agility to play short in the big leagues. After committing 21 errors in 97 games in High-A, those concerns remain. When he was drafted, there were concerns that professional pitchers would exploit his unusual swing in which he started his hands very low. After hitting .247/.361/.422 in High-A, those concerns remain as well. Havens did not strike out at alarming rates -- 73 times in 97 games -- so perhaps his average will rebound.

He clubbed 19 doubles and 14 HR in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League and his ISOP of .175 is not far from Davis's FSL mark of .198. That suggests that some power is there, and with 55 walks, he showed some real plate discipline. The move to Double-A in 2010 will answer a lot of the outstanding questions about Havens.

Caracas 6, Lara 5
Indians outfield prospect Jordan Brown tripled, doubled and scored twice and Mets right-hander Lance Broadway allowed four unearned runs on two hits over 3 2/3 innings as the Leones (6-2) won their fourth straight game. Major League veteran Hernan Iribarren (Brewers) and Jose Yepez each had two RBIs for the Cardenales (3-5).


Blogs:

According to Adam Rubin of the Daily News, Manny Acta is a potential third base coach candidate for the Mets. If Acta does return to coach third base, then Sandy Alomar Jr. will be the first base coach, and Razor Shines will serve as the bench coach. I don't know about you, but I want a first base coach like Davey Lopes, who has experience stealing bases, rather than Alomar. Since when did Alomar's 25 career stolen bases jump out at you? Rubin also writes that the Mets, "likely will trade for a righty-hitting first baseman with a short-term commitment to pair with Daniel Murphy in 2010."

The Red Sox purchased the contract of Reynaldo Rodriguez, the 2009 Rookie of the Year in the independent Golden Baseball League, from the Yuma Scorpions of the Golden Baseball League. Playing for a team owned by former Sox shortstop Edgar Renteria and his brother, Edinson, the native of Colombia hit .335 with a .380 OBP and .486 slugging mark while adding six homers, 48 RBIs and 18 steals (in 21 attempts) to his line in 74 games. He was named the GBL’s top prospect by Baseball America.
These are the kind of postseason games that baseball-reference, fangraphs, or SABR can’t explain. How can a guy that went unsigned and only pitched significant baseball against the Dutch shut down the Dodgers offense? They might not be the Phillies, but they still were fourth in the NL in runs scored. These are the games where great pitchers find a way to maximize whatever talent remains. Pedro threw all sorts of off speed stuff to keep LA chasing. Logic says he can’t get it done anymore, but his heart thinks he may have another few wins left. Craft and intelligence, not power, is what drives Pedro Martinez. That is why someone like an aging Randy Johnson would get clobbered in games like this, while Pedro finds a way to get it done. How many simulations would have Pedro Martinez shutting down the Dodgers for 7 innings? I bet the percentage chance was in the tenths of a point.

Pedro Martinez wouldn’t have saved the 2009 Mets. I am not sure anyone could have done that, but it almost seems unfair that he gets a chance to pitch for another ring before sundown comes to his career in a uniform other than orange and blue. Do I think he could do this again? I still have my doubts. I am not sure Charlie Manuel could trust Martinez against an American League lineup in the World Series. However, that is what logic dictates and, once again, sometimes heart, desire, courage, intelligence and will trump whatever facts are thrown out there.
Padres right-hander Sean Gallagher allowed one earned run on six hits with three strikeouts over three innings and Mariners prospect Ezequiel Carrera belted a solo homer as the Navegantes (5-3) won their second straight. Twins catching prospect Wilson Ramos went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored for the Tigres (1-7), who dropped their sixth in a row

Licey 2, Aguilas 0
Two-time Mexican League All-Star Wilton Chavez allowed two hits and struck out three over five innings and Major League veteran Wily Mo Pena belted a solo homer as the Tigres (2-0) remained unbeaten. Left-hander John Halama (Braves) yielded a run on four hits with three strikeouts in five innings
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