Starting lineup:
•Catcher: Rod Barajas
•First base: Russell Branyan
•Second base: Felipe Lopez
•Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra
•Third base: Joe Crede
•Left field: Johnny Damon
•Center field: Endy Chavez
•Right field: Jermaine Dye
•Designated hitter: Carlos Delgado
Rotation:
•Pedro Martinez
•Chien-Ming Wang
•Jarrod Washburn
•John Smoltz
•Braden Looper
Bullpen:
•Closer: Kiko Calero
•Right-handed relief: Chan Ho Park
•Left-handed relief: Will Ohman - link
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2916327 reports that Korean catcher Lim Soo-Hyuk finally passed away after being in a coma for ten years. He had collapsed at second base soon after the 2000 season. Reports are that lack of immediate care after his collapse resulted in brain damage because of lack of oxygen to the brain. At the time the KBO did not have ambulances at the stadium. Lim’s parents sued the Lotte Giants and KBO for 800 million won, but ultimately settled out of court for 330,000 million won. The KBO now has medical personnel and ambulances at all KBO games. Lim was being cared for by his parents for all these years, but suffered difficulty in breathing and passed after being taken to the hospital. He had a seven year career in the KBO, hitting .266 with 47 homeruns. http://koreabaseball.blogspot.com/ originally linked this story - link
Still on the to-do list: They're certainly not set at first base or catcher, but it doesn't seem likely they're gonna add at either position. They're going to start Daniel Murphy again at first base (and hope if he leads the team in home runs again, he'll have more than 12), and they just brought back Fernando Tatis to back him up, which killed Carlos Delgado's chances of a return " even though he hit .298 with four homers and 23 RBIs in 26 games in the Puerto Rico winter league, he's reportedly no longer a viable option at first base after last year's hip surgery (expect him to become a DH in the American League). And the Mets brought in a couple experienced catchers in Chris Coste and Henry Blanco as insurance for youngsters Omir Santos, who was solid all-around as a rookie last season, and Josh Thole, a prospect who could push for the No. 1 gig after hitting .321 in 59 plate appearances during his September callup last year. So whether Mets fans agree with these stay-the-course tactics (they don't), they're stuck with them. Where the might be some movement from now till spring training will be in regard to the starting pitching, which was pretty awful by National League standards last year (4.77 ERA). The only guy they can even remotely count on to perform is Johan Santana, above, though he's been a bit fragile lately. He had knee surgery in October 2008, then was shut down after Aug. 20 last year to have surgery on his left (throwing) elbow. After Santana, it's really shaky -- Oliver Perez (knee) and John Maine (shoulder) both contributed to the clubs' major league-worst 1,400-plus days on the disabled list in '09, Mike Pelfrey still hasn't explained how he was drafted No. 9 overall in 2005, and there aren't any knock-your-socks-off prospects lingering. Oh, and forgive us if we have doubts just how much bargain-basement signings Kelvim Escobar (one start since 2007) and Josh Fogg (15 starts since 2007) are going to help. Both right-handers figure to be bullpen candidates, too, but the more pressing need is in the rotation, so they'll get a look there first. The word is the Mets now are going after right-hander Todd Wellemeyer, who would fit right in. He was good a while back, but spent time on the disabled list in 2009 (elbow). - link
Ken Oberkfell:
Alou wasn't the only man feeling giddy. Add "manager of a Caribbean Series champion" to Ken Oberkfell's resume. Oberkfell, the manager of the Mets affiliate in Buffalo, took the job because he thought it would help him become a Major League manager one day, but he said the experience turned out to be much more rewarding. "This was a lot of fun," Oberkfell said. "It's been a great experience, because I really didn't realize how passionate the fans are about the game of baseball. It was an honor to do this, and I'm happy to be able to bring a championship to the Dominican." Detroit shortstop Ramon Santiago finished with a .316 batting average, and Philadelphia outfielder Freddy Guzman went 0-for-4 with one run scored on Sunday. Guzman was named to the All-Tournament team along with teammates Pablo Ozuna, Kevin Barker and Nelson Figueroa. - link
SS/3B (2009 – Power 35; First Base Rate 52; Discipline 74; Speed 35) - The third straight Latin American prospect, and the third straight prospect with tremendous upside that is being pushed too fast, Flores had a disappointing 2009 season, posting a .637 OPS in the SAL—as a 17yo. With a 6’3”, 175lb, frame, Flores has significant projection left in him, as we expect him to hit for more power as he fills out, and likely move off of SS, probably to third base. Still he makes solid contact, sprays the ball with authority, and possesses good strike zone management skills. Like many Latin American players, he can be overly aggressive at the plate and will need to learn to take more walks. He will never be consider a base stealing threat, but, other than pure rawness, there are few weaknesses here. Our hope is that regime changes in the Mets organization will allow for Flores to return to the SAL for at least the first half of 2010, as if he does there is potential for a breakout campaign. - link
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