4/30/10

DRAFT: - Kris Bryant, Nick Rumbelow, Jordan Ribera, Matt Lipka... and Cody Stanley

Kris Bryant:


4-30 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft  - At 6-5 and 190 pounds, Bryant is your stereotypical power-hitting third base prospect. With his long levers and strong lower half, he generates plus power as a high schooler with lots of leverage and loft.He reportedly hit home runs in six straight games as a Bonanza sophomore. Bryant usually makes good contact, but one AL Central scout says he has to avoid getting caught up in the "Home Run Derby" mentality.








Nick Rumbelow:

4-30 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/4/30/1451211/casing-the-states-texas-part-four#storyjump  - RHP Rumbelow has some striking similarities to Chance Ruffin above. The big difference is that Rumbelow is three years behind Ruffin as a high school prospect. A smaller pitcher with a fast arm, Rumbelow doesn't have much projectability, but he uses a pair of solid pitches to dominate high school competition. He starts out his arsenal with a low-90s fastball that has good life, and he spots it pretty well most of the time. Like with most high school pitchers, he can struggle repeating his mechanics at time, which causes him to lose control temporarily in some outings, and that's a main reason why he hasn't taken a step forward in scouting circles this spring. Rumbelow's best secondary pitch is a biting circle changeup that gets excellent late life, though he's struggled mightily to spot it this spring. It's a plus pitch already when it's on, and that's an excellent sign for success in his future. His breaking ball is a fringe-average slider without much projection left, and some scouts see him in the Trevor Hoffman tradition of late-inning relievers that rely on a fastball-changeup arsenal. However, he's committed to LSU, and while he won't start immediately, he's expected to get his chance to start there, and since he hasn't taken a big step forward this spring, a lot of scouts think he'll end up on campus. Projected Draft Range: 8th-25th Round

Jordan Ribera:

4-27 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/26/wac-players-of-the-week-9/#more-25694  - Fresno State’s Jordan Ribera has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week, for April 19-25. Ribera, a junior first baseman from Fresno, Calif. (Clovis West HS), hit .625 (10-for-16), helping the Bulldogs to a pair of wins at Nevada last week. Ribera scored seven runs with two doubles, five home runs, nine RBI and a 1.688 slugging percentage over four games last week. With his five home runs last week, Ribera now leads both the WAC and the nation with 20 home runs this season. Ribera has now hit a home run in five-straight games, tying the Fresno State record for consecutive games with a home run.

4-29 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/04/sleepers-for-the-2010-mlb-draft/#more  - Sleepers For the 2010 MLB Draft - Jordan Ribera, Fresno State, 1B - Although an average defensive first baseman (at best), Ribera has been phenomenal at the plate: .360/.414/.811 with 20 home runs and 14 doubles

Matt Lipka:

4-29 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/4/29/1450107/casing-the-states-texas-part-three#storyjump  - Matt Lipka, SS, McKinney HS, McKinney - Lipka is teammates with Zach Lee, and he's been an interpreter of sorts for Lee, who has refused to talk to scouts directly due to the distraction. Aside from that act of kindness, Lipka is quite a player himself. A natural athlete who also has a possible football career ahead of him at Alabama, Lipka features a potential plus hit tool, as well as plus-plus speed that rates as the top speed in the state. While he doesn't project for anything more than below-average power in the 8-10 home run category in his prime, that's not his game. He's a better hitter when he's going gap-to-gap, punishing balls with good balance. He's rather raw in his pitch recognition, which might result in a longer path in the minors, but the talent is good enough to warrant a high pick anyway. In the field, he's just as raw as he is recognizing pitches. He has above-average range, but his reaction time is sometimes below-average, and he can get his footwork mixed up a little at times. Some scouts want to move him across the bag to second base, where he could use his natural athleticism and above-average arm to be an elite fielder with a good bat. However, he could also land in center field, which would require less polish in order to accelerate his learning at the plate. Like Lee, Lipka's going to have to make a tough decision in the coming weeks, as scouts will want to know his signability before draft day, though his signability is less concerning than Lee's. Projected Draft Range: 2nd-5th Round

Cody Stanley:

4-29 from: - http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/college-catcher-defense  - We're a little more than a month away from this year's draft, and the chatter is already mounting regarding just how high Miami's Yasmani Grandal will climb up draft boards. Let's take a look at a few other top contenders. - Cody Stanley - North Carolina. +1.5 in both '09 and '10. Nothing very noteworthy in his record. He consistently limits opponents to about a 65 percent success rate in stolen base attempts, and he does everything else a bit better than average.

DRAFT: - Chris Duffy, Chris Sale, Joey Leftridge, Micah Gibbs... and Rob Segedin

Chris Duffy:


4-29 from: - link  - Sleepers For the 2010 MLB Draft - Chris Duffy, Central Florida, OF - A forgettable junior year saw Duffy return to school for his senior season where he is killing the ball - .442/.518/.836 with 16 home runs this spring. However, at 6'2" and 240lbs, there is concern about his mobility and defensive position.
Chris Sale:

4-27 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/27/tcbb-players-of-the-week-april-27th/  - The College Baseball Blog continues our tradition of naming National Player and Pitcher of the Week. This week we honor Florida Gulf Coast LHP Chris Sale is our Pitcher of the Week. Sale was outstanding again this weekend as he pitched a complete game one-hitter against Belmont on Friday in a key Atlantic Sun showdown. He allowed only a fifth inning single to Packy Elkins and a seventh inning walk to Matt Zeblo. He ended up striking out 15 Belmont batters on the evening which broke his own school record for strikeouts in a game. Sale is currently a perfect 6-0 with a 2.15 ERA in 11 appearances including 10 starts. He has struck out 93 batters while only walking nine on the season.





Joey Leftridge:

4-29 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/4/29/1450107/casing-the-states-texas-part-three#storyjump  - Joey Leftridge, OF, Howard JC - Leftridge is a rare hitting prospect in the Texas junior college ranks this year. In fact, Leftridge represented the only returning regular position player from the prize-winning 2009 Howard team that has graduated players such as Ole Miss' Miles Hamblin. Originally out of Duncanville High School in Dallas, Leftridge was a late-round draft pick of the Twins out of high school, and he didn't emerge at Howard until last spring after sitting out for a year. He was a 27th round pick of the Braves after an outstanding freshman year, but he returned to Howard. An outstanding athlete, Leftridge has spent most of the season getting on base and running, as well as playing outstanding defense in center field. At the plate, he doesn't have much usable pro power, but he's an above-average hitter with a good eye and plus to plus-plus speed. He hits leadoff now, and that's his projection as a pro, too. In the field, he's an above-average defender in center, but with a fringy arm, which will limit him to center or left in the pros. I expect him to handle center just fine. The drawback with Leftridge is that he's not projectable, as he's already 21, but the athleticism is good, and he's a candidate to be a higher pick than expected due to a weaker four-year college outfield class. Projected Draft Range: 4th-8th Round

Micah Gibbs:

4-29 from: - http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/college-catcher-defense  - We're a little more than a month away from this year's draft, and the chatter is already mounting regarding just how high Miami's Yasmani Grandal will climb up draft boards. Let's take a look at a few other top contenders. Micah Gibbs - LSU. +3 in '08, +6 in '09 (8th best in D-1) and +0.5 this season. The numbers suggest that Gibbs is an absolute monster at keeping the ball around the plate. Nearly one-third of his defensive value last year came from pitch-blocking, ranking him best in college baseball in that department. He hasn't been nearly as successful stopping the running game this year, explaining his lower numbers.

Rob Segedin:

4-29 from: - link  - Sleepers For the 2010 MLB Draft - Rob Segedin, Tulane, 3B - A veteran of Team USA where he performed well, Segedin continues to hit the ball this spring - .429/.505/.833 with 12 home runs, 23 doubles and a 21-15 BB/K ratio in 41 games.

B-Mets Game Notes -

LAST GAME: Binghamton jumped on Portland righty Casey


Kelly in the first inning with two runs on an RBI single from

Lucas Duda and a sac fly from Luke Montz to take an early 2-

0 lead and the B-Mets would not look back in a 9-3 victory

Wednesday night. Montz came up with another RBI in the

third on a two-out RBI single. He went 2-3 with a double and

three RBI. Zach Lutz had a breakout game with a 3-3 showing

including a double, a homer, three runs scored and three RBI.

Eddie Kunz bounced back after back-to-back losses with his

best start of the year. The righty tossed five-plus innings allowing

three runs for his second win of the year. Roy Merritt retired

all six men he faced in two scoreless innings, including

getting out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam without allowing a

run.


STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Brad Holt is due to make

his second start of the year. He missed his first three turns in

the rotation due to a right wrist ailment. In his first start, Holt

threw two innings and allowed one run April 24 versus New

Hampshire in a losing effort. Last season, he made 11 starts

for Binghamton and struggled with a 3-6 record and a 6.21

ERA in 58 innings. He is considered the No. 5 prospect in the

Mets system by Baseball America. Holt was drafted by the

Mets as a first round supplemental pick in 2008, going 33rd

overall out of UNC-Wilmington.


LHP Ryan Edell will be making his fourth start of the year

tonight for Akron. Last time out, the lefty was roughed up for

seven runs and 10 hits over three innings to pick up his first

loss of 2010. He is 0-1 with a 5.54 ERA in 13 innings with two

walks and 11 strikeouts on the year. Last year, Edell split the

season between Akron and Columbus (AAA). With the Aeros,

he was 4-1 with a 2.32 ERA in 89.1 innings with 19 walks and

81 strikeouts. He was drafted in the eighth round of the June

2005 draft by Cleveland out of the College of Charleston.


WONDER WABICK: B-Mets outfielder D.J. Wabick has hit in

eight consecutive games. During the streak, he is batting .333

(11-33) with five doubles. His average has jumped from .056

April 18 to .235 entering play tonight.


LIVIN’ LA VIDA LUTZ: Third baseman Zach Lutz broke out of a

3-27 (.111) slump Wednesday night with a perfect 3-3 night

with a double and his Eastern League-leading sixth homer of

the year. Lutz is second in the league in slugging (.614) and

third in on-base (.443).


CANAL PARK COUNTING: Last season, Binghamton split eight

meetings with Akron at Canal Park. However, the defending

Eastern League Champs outscored the B-Mets 42-29.

Bisons Notes 4/30/10 - Durham at Buffalo (6:05 p.m.)

From Press Release

Buffalo Bisons (12-9, 3rd(-1.0), North) vs. Durham Bulls (15-7, 1st(+5.0), South)

Friday, April 30, 2010 (6:05 p.m.) - Coca-Cola Field

LHP Pat Misch (1-0, 3.09) vs. RHP Aneury Rodriguez (2-0, 0.00)

Radio: WWKB AM 1520, http://www.bisons.com/

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons host the Durham Bulls in the final game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (6:05 p.m.). The Herd is looking for the series win as they lead the Bulls two games to one. Buffalo is 6-3 at home this season while Durham has an 8-4 road record. Tomorrow, the Bisons will welcome in the Louisville Bats for the start of another four-game series.

vs. THE BULLS: Dating back to last season, the Bisons have now won five of their last seven games against Durham. In 2009, the Bisons won three of four from the Bulls in Buffalo and split the season series, 4-4. The Bisons haven’t lost a season series to the Bulls since 1999, with five season-series wins.

ALMOST PERFECT: RHP R.A. DICKEY retired a Bisons Modern Era-record 27 consecutive batters in last night’s 4-0 win. After a lead-off single to FERNANDO PEREZ in the first inning, the knuckleballer set down the next 27 Bulls’ batters. He needed just 90 pitches (68 strikes) in the second-fastest game in Coca-Cola Field history (1 hour, 45 minutes). He had just one three-ball count didn’t throw more than 13 pitches in any inning. The previous Bisons’ record for consecutive batters retired was 25, set by RHP BARTOLO COLON in Cola-Cola Field’s lone no-hitter, June 20, 1997 against New Orleans (4-0).

MORE R.A.: RHP R.A. DICKEY already has two complete games at Coca-Cola Field this year, having also gone the distance in an 8-2 win over Pawtucket on April 14. He’s only the second Bisons’ pitcher to post two complete games at home in one season in the last 13 years (JOHN HALAMA, 2008). Dickey has half of the International League’s four complete games this season. He has also pitched seven more innings (38.2) this year than any other IL pitcher. Dickey is tied for the team lead with three wins and 10th in the IL with a 2.33ERA.

HIT MACHINE: With two more hits last night, OF JESUS FELICIANO now has the International League’s top batting average at .389. Feliciano has hit in eight straight games, averaging .455 (15-33) since April 19.

HITTING HESSMAN: INF MIKE HESSMAN drove in his team-leading 20th run last night. He is 2nd in the IL with six home runs, tied for 2nd with 20RBI and 3rd with a .630 slugging percentage.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (13-9) begin a six-game roadtrip tonight with the first of a three-game series in Philadelphia (7:05 p.m.). New York leads the Phillies by a half a game in the NL East Division. The Mets are coming off a 9-1 homestand that included back-to-back sweeps of the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Former Bisons’ INF IKE DAVIS has averaged .355 (11-31) in his first 10 MLB games.

St. Lucie Roster Moves

Add IF – Reese Havens to roster from Extended Spring


Send OF – Joey August to Extended Spring

The Mets Next Moves:

I’m sure you have all read that Carlos Beltran is not healing as fast as all of us hoped he would. His return has been put back to sometime in June, his agent isn’t saying shit, and basically, the Mets need to put together a plan in case Carlos doesn’t come back at all this year. No problem… they can just promote Fernando… err… no, “Day-To-Day” Martinez is, yup… day-to-day.


For now, the Mets have to live with a starting outfield of Jason Bay, Jeff Francoeur, and Angel Pagan. Not what we all wanted, but not chopped liver either.


Everything is clicking right now for the Mets, but things are very fragile. Hitting isn’t winning games. Pitching without giving up runs is. I specifically say it that way because, though the team currently has the third lowest team ERA, they also lead the league with the most base on balls. What all this means is the Mets pitching is very lucky right now and majoring in scramble. Eventually, those extra base runners will turn into extra runs scored, which will create wins against the Mets unless they start hitting.


Normally, I wouldn’t change anything during a streak like this, but it seems to me that the next two moves are quite obvious:


1. Return Manny Acosta to Buffalo when RP Ryota Igarashi comes off the DL.


2. Release Frank Catalanotto when Daniel Murphy comes off the DL.


This would represent two quality upgrades in both the pen and the bench. I still would rather have Jenrry Mejia at AA at this point of his career, but he’s been in 10 games in Queens and as long as his ERA stays below two, why move the kid?


Regarding Murphy, he probably has lost any chance of getting his first base job back, which shouldn’t be confused with the outfield and infield position he has lost in the past. Still., he’s a quality team player that offers a much better alternative to Catalanotto, which was a nice idea gone nowhere.


That should do it until either Beltran returns or the all-star break happens. The Betran move will probably be the end of Gary Mathews Jr. as a Met, and, if the Mets are still in the race at the all-star break (which sure looks right now as a lock), this would be the time to go get themselves an additional SP for the stretch run.


But that’s another post.

Minor Rags: - R.A. Dickey, D.J. Wabick, Eric Beaulac... and John Church

Bisons:


Dickey, 35, allowed a leadoff single to short right field by Durham center fielder Fernando Perez — and then retired the next 27 Bulls to break the Buffalo franchise record of 25 straight set by Bartolo Colon during his 1997 no-hitter here against New Orleans. That remains the only no-no in the ballpark's 23 seasons. Pitching against the International League's top offensive team, Dickey was oh-so-close to Buffalo's first perfect game since Dick Marlowe befuddled Baltimore in 1952. - link

B-Mets:

After a seven-game home stand to open the season, the Binghamton Mets' offense was off to blazing start. With seven players hitting .300 or higher, it almost seemed like the whole lineup could do no wrong. But lost in the mix was D.J. Wabick, an Eastern League All-Star last season, primarily on the bench and mired in a 0-for-12 slump. "I didn't feel good from Day 1," said Wabick, who only got three starts in the team's first 11 games. "And not getting consistent at-bats, I never really got into a groove." - link
Lucy:

The Charlotte Stone Crabs built a 3-0 lead and hung on for a 4-2 win over the St. Lucie Mets on Thursday in Port Charlotte and won two out of three in the series. The Mets scored a run in the eighth inning on a home run by Eric Campbell and a run in the ninth on a wild pitch. Charlotte got home runs from Stephen Vogt and Michael Sheridan. The loss went to Eric Beaulac (0-1). - link








Gnats:

When the Savannah Sand Gnats needed help Thursday night, they went to John Church. Right-hander John Church pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief and the Gnats overcame a slow start to defeat the Lexington Legends, 6-3, before 1,919 fans at Grayson Stadium. Church has been part of a bullpen that has collectively played well. In the last three games, Gnat relievers have gone 10 1/3 scoreless innings and collected two saves. - link

Buffalo 4, Durham 0 - Dickey Retires 27 Straight Batters

From Press Release:


***Bisons RHP R.A. DICKEY threw a complete game, one-hit shutout over Durham on Thursday night***

After a leadoff single by Bulls CF Fernando Perez on an 0-2 pitch, Dickey RETIRED THE FINAL 27 BATTERS IN A ROW.

Here are some of the numbers from Dickey’s performance:

Dickey retired a Bisons Modern-Era record 27 consecutive batters. In the Bisons lone Modern Era no-hitter on June 20, 1997 against New Orleans, Bartolo Colon walked a batter in the first inning. After that runner was caught stealing, Colon retired the next 25 batters.

It was the 11th one-hitter by the Bisons in Coca-Cola Field history. It was the first nine-inning one-hitter by one pitcher since Kevin Blankenship one-hit Oklahoma City on August 1, 1991 (5-0). Overall, the last one-hitter by the Bisons at Coca-Cola Field was on June 28, 2008 when Matt Ginter and Brian Slocum combined for a 3-0 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

At 1 hour and 45 minutes, it was the 2nd shortest nine-inning game in Coca-Cola Field history. The Bisons lost to Louisville, 2-1, on August 5, 1993 in 1:42.

Dickey needed just 90 pitches for the complete game

He threw 68 strikes (76%) and only 22 balls.

He got 12 ground ball outs, nine fly outs and had six strikeouts

He had just one three-ball count. With one out in the 5th inning, he fell behind Bulls’ LF Chris Richard 3-0 before getting him to fly out to right field on a 3-1 pitch.

The most pitches in any inning was 13, in the 9th inning.

The most pitches to any batter was six. With one out in the 9th inning, Bulls’ DH Alvin Colina fouled off a 2-2 pitch before popping out to second base.

Dickey needed just seven pitches to get through the 8th inning and eight pitches to get through the 5th inning.

Legends errors help Sand Gnats win 6-3


The Savannah Sand Gnats scored six runs on four hits Thursday evening at Grayson Stadium. Lexington Legends committed five errors and their three pitchers had four wild pitches.
The first inning saw the Legends score their three runs on two singles and two doubles.
In the first inning, the Sand Gnats scored two runs: Pedro Zapata reached first on an error and Wilmer Flores hit his third home run of the season to left field.
Savannah scored their third run in the 5th without a hit when Pedro Zapata walked, reached third on two wild pitches and scored on an error.
In the 6th inning, the Gnats scored two runs without a hit on a walk, batter hit by pitch, wild pitch, a throwing error by the pitcher and a throwing error by the second baseman.
The final Gnat run was scored in the 8th, when Cesar Puello singled, reached third on a stolen base and an error and stole home.
Starting Sand Gnat pitcher, Jimmy Fuller, pitched 5 innings, gave up 3 runs on 7 hits. John Church(1-0) got the win pitching 2.2 innings and gave up 4 hits and no runs. Michael Powers earned the save pitching 1.1 innings allowed no hits and no runs with 1BB.
The 1,919 fans saw the Sand Gnats steal 6 bases.

4/29/10

DRAFT: - Yasmani Grandal, Jake Magner, Tyler Thornburg, Niko Gallego... and Kevin Keyes

Yasmani Grandal:

4-17 from: link  - Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal was one of the best players from the 2007 draft to fail to sign that year, falling because of a high price tag and concerns about his ability to hit. A tremendous junior year at Miami is going to make that decision look prudent, as he's in line for a seven-figure bonus and could continue moving up the board with the lack of college bats in this year's talent pool.

4-29 from: - http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/college-catcher-defense  - We're a little more than a month away from this year's draft, and the chatter is already mounting regarding just how high Miami's Yasmani Grandal will climb up draft boards. Let's take a look at a few other top contenders. Grandal. +0.5 in 2008, +2 in 2009 and +0.5 so far this season. He has only gunned down better than 40 percent of base-stealers once, but for his entire career, opponents have avoided running on him. Last year, his pitch blocking was solid, but for the most part, there's nothing in his record that stands out as particularly positive.

Jake Magner:

4-27 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/27/tcbb-players-of-the-week-april-27th/  - The College Baseball Blog continues our tradition of naming National Player and Pitcher of the Week. This week we honor Jake Magner of North Dakota as our Player of the Week. Jake Magner had a great week with the North Dakota Fighting Sioux as he had a .556 batting average (10-for-18), six home runs, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored in four games last week. On Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader against New York Tech, he went 4-6 at the plate including four homers with 9 RBI. In game 1, he also hit two homers as he went 3-4 with four RBI. You can check out a full interview with Magner and North Dakota coach Jeff Dodson below.

Tyler Thornburg:

4-28 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - While Charleston Southern University isn’t a historic hotbed of scouting, that has changed thanks to righthanded pitcher Tyler Thornburg. A two-way star for the Buccaneers – who leads the team in home runs – Thornburg can run his fastball up to 95 MPH and compliments his good heater with a changeup and curveball, each of which rate as above-average offerings. Thornburg is able to generate big-league stuff from his 5-foot-11, 190 pound frame thanks to Lincecum style mechanics, generating good leg drive and coming from a high, over-the-top arm angle. Thornburg is still a bit of sleeper and not seen as a first round pick by most, but wherever he does get selected in June he could yield first-round value.




Niko Gallego:

4-29 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/2010/04/29/niko-gallego-snapshot/#more-5789  - This is the kind of infielder who does so many little things well and understands how to play the game. Put that with the tools and you can see him finding his way just fine. I see Gallego as a right-handed hitting line-drive type who will live by using his hands and going center to left field. There may be modest pop in there in the coming years as he gets stronger, though I would be wary of too many balls in the air. Hitting with wood every day should smooth that out quickly. Defensively, he sticks. I like his athletic actions up the middle. I think he’s at least a 60 fielder who can stay at short – arm is enough, great hands, just enough range. Average runner. Rangy, tall and athletic body type. Some physical projection remains. This is a player who grew on me the more I watched him. Many times, the guys who grow on a scout are the guys who hang around the game the longest. Grades: Hit 30/55, Power 20/50, Run 50/50, Arm 50/50, Field 60/60 OFP = 53

Kevin Keyes:

4-29 from: - link  - Keyes has been fairly well-known on the prospect scene for awhile, and he was a 26th round draft pick of the Rangers coming out of Connally High School in 2007. He didn't play much of a role during his freshman year, but he really turned some heads with an impressive sophomore year with the Longhorns. However, he imploded on the Cape, looking tired after a long season that included a trip to the College World Series. He ended up gaining weight, leading to a temporary assignment to first base in the fall. However, he's back in right field now, and he seems to have gained back some of the athleticism he lost over the last year-plus. He features above-average raw power and a fringe-average hit tool, and when he's at his best and in shape, he's an average runner. However, he's going to be a corner outfielder at any level, but he has a big enough arm to handle right field, while having average range. He's not having the best season, but he's still an attractive prospect, especially in a thin college class. Projected Draft Range: 3rd-6th Round

DRAFT: - Cole Green, Matt Harvey, Drew Cisco, Tony Wolters... and Adam Bailey

Cole Green:

http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/26/phillips-66-big-12-baseball-weekly-honors-2  - Cole Green from Texas have been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for games of April 19-25. Green pitched his second consecutive nine-inning, complete game shutout. He was the only Big 12 pitcher to post a complete outing last week. The Coppell, Texas-native allowed just four hits (all singles) and two walks while silencing the bats of the second-best offense in the conference. Green is 9-0 on the season while maintaining a 1.82 ERA.

Matt Harvey:

4-28 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - Matt Harvey has been known to draftniks for a long time. Heralded as neck-and-neck with Rick Porcello out of high school by some, Harvey has been up-and-down during his time at the University of North Carolina. Fortunately for Harvey, this spring has mostly been up. Control has been a problem at times during his collegiate career but this spring he’s walked 9.8% of the batters, a number that will need to come down as a professional but it’s not a terrible figure. Harvey’s mediocre control is offset by a lot of strikeouts, 28.3% of batters this spring including 15 in his last outing versus a very good Clemson squad. Harvey’s fastball has shown impressive velocity, touching 96-97 MPH late in starts and excellent sink, 69% of his batted ball outs have come on the ground. In high school, Harvey’s main breaking ball was a plus curveball; in college he’s spent more time toying with a slider that flashes plus but is still inconsistent. While he may not go as high as some though he deserved out of high school, Harvey still looks like a solid first round pick.

Drew Cisco:

4-28 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft  - Similarly, Cisco is ahead of the curve as well. finished the season 8-0 with 63 strikeouts in just 47.1 innings pitched. And he hit .425 on the season, too. The 6-0, 205-pound righthander is solidly built with a compact delivery, but stands tall at the height of his windup. This allows him to produce good leverage and a decent downward plane despite his modest height. But it's a smooth and easy delivery. He will sit in the 89-91 range with a two seamer that has good sink and pairs that with a quick spinning curve. It's not a true 12-6 spike. And he commands both pitches well. He also shows a changeup that has the makings of a plus pitch if he needed to use it more, which has not been the case

Tony Wolters:

4-28 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/  - Rancho Buena Vista High School, SS - Wolters is an advanced defensive player who will probably shift to second base as a professional. His fielding actions are quick and fluid, and Wolters can make any play you can dream up—turn the pivot, charge the ball, short hop, go in the hole, etc. A lefthanded hitter, Wolters begins his swing in a wide crouch, with his hands held just above his waist. As the pitch approaches, Wolters moves his hands into a launch position and then attacks the ball with a sweeping uppercut. Wolters' finish is inconsistent—on some swings he releases his top hand too soon, in effect swinging with one hand. On others, he will whip the bat around his head in an awkward circular motion.

Adam Bailey:

4-28 from: - http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/DisplayArticle.aspx?article=2287  - Adam Bailey began his college baseball career at Arizona State as a pitcher, but he's finishing his college days at Nebraska as one of the top sluggers in the country. Bailey, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound right fielder, is hitting .388 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs as a senior after going 2-for-4 against the Iowa Hawkeyes Tuesday night. He leads the Big 12 Conference in home runs, hits, RBIs and total bases, ranks second in slugging percentage and has the fifth-best batting average among all Big 12 players who have at least 100 at-bats. "My season is going all right. It's a different story with my team," he said softly after the Cornhuskers lost to Iowa, 5-2.

Gnats Game Notes: 4/29 vs. LEX (7:05 pm)

From Press Release:

Savannah Sand Gnats (13-8, 1st, Southern) vs. Lexington Legends (11-10, 4th, Southern)

Game #22 - Home Game #14 - Thursday – 7:05

LHP Jimmy Fuller (3-1, 1.26) vs. RHP Zach Grimmett (0-0, 0.00)

Historic Grayson Stadium - Savannah, GA

Radio: WBMQ News/Talk 630, http://www.sandgnats.com/


Tonight: The first-place Gnats play game two of a four game set with the Lexington Legends. It is the sixth game of an eight-game home stand on which the Gnats are currently 3-2. The Gnats lead the Greenville Drive by one half game and the Augusta GreenJackets by one full game for first place in the SAL Southern Division.

Last Night: Wilmer Flores was 3-for-4 with a triple and Armando Rodriguez threw 6.2 strong innings to lead the Gnats over the Legends 4-1. Rodriguez allowed just one hit through the first five innings before surrendering a run in the sixth and departing the game with two outs in the seventh in his longest outing of the year. .

Now Pitching: Mark Cohoon will make his fifth Sand Gnats start of the year. The Gnats are 4-0 in Cohoon’s starts and have supported him with 6.3 runs per game. His 1.90 ERA is ninth-best in the SA and he is tied with five other pitchers for the league lead in wins with three. He spent all of 2009 with Brooklyn in the New York-Penn League where he was 9-2 with a 2.15 ERA in 14 starts. He fanned 70 and walked 20 in 92 innings. His 2.15 ERA was 6th in the League and the Mets recognized him with the team’s Sterling Award as the Cyclones MVP. In 2008 with Savannah, Cohoon was 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA in seven starts after moving directly from the Kingsport Mets, skipping over Brooklyn. The Mets drafted Cohoon in the 12th round of the 2008 draft out of North Central Texas College.

First is not the Worst: The Gnats have had at least a share of first place for eight days, since pulling even with Augusta after beating the GreenJackets 9-4 on April 21. The Gnats have been tied for first on five of those seven days, and had first all to themselves three times.

Roster Update: Thursday, Sam Honeck was assigned to the Savannah Sand Gnats roster from Extended Spring Training. OF Rafael Fernandez was placed on the Gnats’ disabled list with a strained left neck. Honeck, the Mets 11th round pick out of Tulane hit .250/.339/.305 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in 65 games for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the New York-Penn League in 2009.

Flo - tastic: Gnats shortstop Wilmer Flores has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games. The 18-year old is fourth in the SAL in batting average (.357), sixth in slugging (.560), third in hits (30), fifth in doubles (9) and third in total bases (47) while maintaining his spot as the fourth-toughest hitter in the league to strikeout (SO/PA -10%)

Pitching and Defense: Gnats have the second-best ERA in the SAL (2.94), but have allowed the fewest runs (71) in the league. West Virginia has allowed the second-fewest runs (77). Only Asheville (9) has allowed fewer unearned runs than the Gnats 10.

Who’s Hot: Alex Gregory has hit safely in his last five games over which time he is 9-for-29 (.310) with one double and two RBI…Jefry Marte has hit safely in three straight games, going a combined 4-for-12 (.333)…. Kai Gronauer remains the hardest hitter in the SAL to strikeout (6% SO/PA).

Who’s Not: 1B Jeff Flagg, who delivered the game winning hit Sunday is hitting just 152 (5-for-33) in his last eight games.

Four for Sure: Savannah is 13-1 when scoring four or more runs and 0-7 when scoring three runs or fewer. When Gnats pitching allows fewer than four runs, the team is 10-3. When the Gnats allow four or more runs at home, the team is 1-3.

DRAFT: - Chad Lewis, Cameron Rupp, Bryce Brentz, Alex Wimmers... and Greg Brodzinski

Chad Lewis:

4-28 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/  - Marina High School, 3B - Lewis has the prototypical big league third baseman’s frame at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds. Concentration lapses affect his fielding consistency, but Lewis profiles as a plus defender. His range may be a tad short, but Lewis has buttery smooth actions, outstanding play making ability and a strong, accurate arm. While his running speed is below average, Lewis shows interesting potential as a hitter, for he possesses both power and bat speed. At this stage, Lewis struggles with pitch recognition and has a habit of over striding and pulling his front side off of the ball, resulting in weak ground balls to the left side. Nonetheless, it is not difficult to imagine Lewis becoming an impact hitter as he progresses through pro ball, which will provide him the chance to play every day and get his swing in a groove.

Cameron Rupp:

4-26 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/26/phillips-66-big-12-baseball-weekly-honors-2  - C Cameron Rupp from Texas was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Player Pitcher of the Week for games of April 19-25. Rupp recorded three doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI while compiling a 1.286 slugging percentage to lead Texas to a 4-0 week. In the Longhorns’ three-game sweep of Oklahoma State, he went 3-for-3 with one double, two home runs and seven RBI in his three first-inning plate appearances. Rupp connected on two-out, three run home runs in the initial inning of the first two games to give UT a lead. The junior catcher posted two doubles, two home runs, four runs and 11 RBI to help Texas register the Big 12’s only sweep of the weekend. He also hit a two-run home run in the third inning to put the Longhorns on the board first in a mid-week victory over UT-Arlington. Rupp went 2-for-4 with one double, one home run, two runs and two RBI against the Roadrunners. Behind the plate, the junior called pitches for a staff that allowed just six runs (five earned) over 36.0 innings for a 1.25 ERA on the week.

4-28 from: - http://collegebaseball360.com/2010/04/27/cb360-primetime-performers-10-april-27  - Texas junior catcher Cameron Rupp (Plano, Texas) and Florida freshman lefthander/DH Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) headline the nation’s players who turned in noteworthy performances during the past week, as the college baseball regular season entered its final month. Rupp has been named the national Primetime Player of the Week and Johnson is the Primetime Pitcher of the Week, while 17 others (listed below, with headshots and info. capsule) join them in comprising the Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll, as selected by CollegeBaseball360.com.

Bryce Brentz:

4-27 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft  - Middle Tennessee State outfielder/pitcher Bryce Brentz returned to action April 13 after suffering a hairline fracture in his ankle in late March. He struck out as a pinch hitter against Vanderbilt in his first at-bat. Brentz (pictured) missed 11 games because of the injury. Before he got hurt, he was batting .354 with eight homers and 17 RBIs. But scouting directors who evaluate players with injury concerns pay as much attention to how the players rebounds off the injury as the severity of the injury itself. In the eight games after that pinch-hitting appearance, Brentz went 9-for-32 (.281) with three homers, 14 RBIs, 10 runs scored, six walks and two doubles.

Alex Wimmers:

4-28 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers has solidified himself as a potential first round pick with a dazzling spring, striking out 29.4% of batters and walking 7.5%. He also has yet to surrender a home run in 265 batters faced. Wimmers has drawn a few Mike Leake comparisons as an undersized righty without plus velocity but good control. Wimmers isn’t as good as Leake, but is still a good prospect. His fastball works 89-91 MPH with solid sink and excellent command and his curveball has shown plus potential with big break coming from his over-the-top arm slot. Also featuring an above-average changeup, Wimmers has a quality three pitch mix. While his upside may not be more than a good No. 3 starter, he’s pretty likely to reach it.

Greg Brodzinski:

4-28 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/category/2010-draft  - Greg Brodzinski decided a long time ago that he didn’t want to let the weather get in the way. I first saw him in Southern California last summer. I immediately thought he was a hitter. Turns out, so does every area scout working the Northeast. Defense was something that he needed to work on, so he committed himself to improvement this winter. That means living in the tunnels, getting the shovel out to play long toss, and making appointments for scouts to come check you out under light bulbs instead of the sun.

St. Lucie Roster Moves

Place IF – Matt Bouchard on DL


Add OF – Seth Williams to roster from Binghamton

DRAFT: Sam Dyson, Nick Ramirez, Christian Bergman, Jake Magner... and Kendall Lewis

Sam Dyson:

4-27 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/27/sec-players-of-the-week-10 - PITCHER OF THE WEEK - Dyson hurled a three-hit complete game shutout and earned a victory in seven innings in the 5-0 win vs. Georgia on Sunday, April 25 in game one of a doubleheader. He is only the third SEC pitcher to record a complete game shutout this year and the second this season to do it in SEC play. Dyson finished with 69 strikes out of 96 pitches and allowed just one runner from Georgia to get in scoring position in the seven-inning shutout. All 21 putouts by the Gamecock came from the diamond, as Dyson struck out five batters and recorded 14 ground ball outs.

Nick Ramirez:

4-27 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/27/big-west-players-of-the-week-7  - Cal State Fullerton sophomore Nick Ramirez (Anaheim, Calif./Katella HS) garnered Big West Baseball Field Player of the Week honors after hitting .643 to help his team to a 4-0 record. The first baseman hit safely in all four games and now owns a hitting streak of 16 straight. He scored six runs and had five RBI as the Titans defeated Pepperdine in a midweek non-conference game and swept Cal Poly in a Big West series. Ramirez belted four doubles among his nine hits for the week, including a pair of RBI doubles in CSF’s 12-5 win over the Waves Tuesday. He went 4-for-5 with three RBI in that game.





Christian Bergman:

4-27 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/27/big-west-players-of-the-week-7  - Christian Bergman (Altadena, Calif./St. Francis HS) threw a near perfect game for UC Irvine to claim Big West Pitcher of the Week accolades, using an economical 89 pitches to shut down UC Davis in a 13-0 victory Saturday. Bergman faced the minimum 27 batters in the complete game effort, allowing just a leadoff single in the first inning to Daniel Cepin. Following a caught stealing on Cepin in a stolen base attempt, Bergman retired the next 26 batters he faced in hurling his first complete game shutout.

Jake Magner:

4-27 from: - link  - The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA)­ released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending April 25, today. North Dakota junior first baseman Jake Magner was named National Hitter of the Week. Magner set school records for home runs and RBI in a single game as he went 4-for-6 with four home runs and nine RBI to lead the Sioux to a thrilling 20-19 victory in game two of a Saturday doubleheader against New York Tech. Two of his four home runs in the contest were three-run shots and he opened the scoring with a solo blast in the first. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native finished the doubleheader with six home runs and 13 RBs, going 7-for-10 with seven runs scored in the two games. His five runs in the nightcap tied a UND record and he was the first player in DI this season to hit four homers in a game. For the series against NYIT, Magner hit .556 (10-for-18), scored 10 runs, hit six homers and drove in 14 runs.

Kendall Lewis:

4-27 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/27/ncbwa-national-players-of-the-week-6/#more-25736  - The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA)­ released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending April 25, today. Eastern Michigan sophomore right-handed pitcher Kendall Lewis was named National Pitcher of the Week. Lewis had a record setting performance in the Eagles’ 1-0 victory over Western Michigan, April 24, as he went 11 innings, giving up just three hits and one walk, while striking out a career-high 10 batters in the shutout win. The Huntsville, Ohio native’s 11-inning outing is the longest by any pitcher in the nation this season.

Bisons Notes 4/29/10 - Durham at Buffalo (6:05 p.m.)

From Press Release:

*Tonight’s game is the first of the Bisons’ 5-game SNY schedule for 2010. SNY will feature the LIVE broadcast of Bisons/Bulls, starting at 6pm.

The Bisons/Louisville Bats game on Sunday, May 2 will also be aired LIVE on the SNY network (1:05 p.m.)

Buffalo Bisons (11-9, 2nd(-2.0), North) vs. Durham Bulls (15-6, 1st(+6.0), South)

Thursday, April 29, 2010 (6:05 p.m.) - Coca-Cola Field

RHP R.A. Dickey (2-1, 3.03) vs. LHP Heath Phillips (1-1, 3.42)

TV: SNY, Time Warner Cable SportsNet 13 Radio: WWKB AM 1520, http://www.bisons.com/

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons host the Durham Bulls in the third game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (6:05 p.m.). Both teams have collected a win in the series as the Herd won 9-5 on Tuesday before the Bulls rebounded with a 9-2 victory last night. After tomorrow’s game, the Bisons will welcome in the Louisville Bats for the start of another four-game series on Saturday at 4:05 p.m.

vs. THE BULLS: This series will be Durham’s only trip to Coca-Cola Field in 2010. Last year, the Bisons won three of four from the Bulls in Buffalo and split the season series, 4-4. The Bisons haven’t lost a season series to the Bulls since 1999, with five season-series wins over Durham and five splits.

R.A. IS A-OKAY: RHP R.A. DICKEY has worked eight or more innings in each of his last three starts. On April 24 in Pawtucket, the knuckleballer allowed just two runs in eight frames to collect his second victory of the season. Dickey also has one of the International League’s two complete games, April 14 against the Red Sox. Dickey’s 29.2 innings of work trails Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s RHP IVAN NOVA by just a third of an inning for the IL lead.

LEADING OFF: OF JASON PRIDIE enters tonight’s game with a seven-game hit streak. The outfielder is 12 for his last 30 for a .400 batting average. Pridie leads the club with 26 hits and six stolen bases on the season.

METS UPDATE: The red-hot Mets (13-9) completed an amazing 9-1 homestand with a 7-3 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday. Former Bisons’ OF ANGEL PAGAN had a two-run triple and INF IKE DAVIS had two more hits to raise his average to .355 for New York. The Mets have an off day today before starting a six-game roadtrip tomorrow night against the rival Philadelphia Phillies.

Minor Rags: - Jeremy Hellickson, Zach Lutz, Sean Ratliff... and Armando Rodriguez

Bisons:


The Buffalo Bisons were enjoying a bit of a run-scoring surge for nearly two weeks, but it finally came to a halt thanks to Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson, one of the game's brightest young prospects, pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs as the visiting Bulls defeated the Buffalo Bisons, 9-2, Wednesday night at Coca-Cola Field. Chris Richard, Angel Chavez and Rashad Eldridge all went deep for the Bulls (14-6), who rebounded from a 9-5 loss to the Herd on Tuesday. The right-handed Hellickson (4-0) struck out five and gave up six hits. - link







B-Mets:

With a stiff wind blowing from left to right at NYSEG Stadium, it was surprising that there were no home runs to right field on Wednesday. As it turned out, Zach Lutz didn't need the breeze's help. In fact, he defied it with a towering three-run home run that cut through the wind to left-center and locked up the Binghamton Mets' 9-3 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs on Wednesday night. "I was getting some good pitches inside, and had a full count," said Lutz, who was 3-for-3 and a triple short of the cycle. "I was really looking to just put the ball in play somewhere, and got a slider up in the zone and put a good swing on it." - link

Lucy:

The St. Lucie Mets scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to erase a 3-2 deficit and go on to win 5-3 over the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Tuesday in Port Charlotte. Sean Ratliff hit a two-run home run and Eric Campbell added an RBI single to pace the Mets rally. The Mets used the long ball to score their other runs. Joshua Satin and Campbell had solo homers in the third and fourth innings respectively. Jimmy Johnson (1-0) got the win and Manuel Alvarez recorded his sixth save. - link
Gnats:

Savannah Sand Gnats right-hander Armando Rodriguez has one of the best fastballs in the New York Mets' organization. But the organization wants to see Rodriguez complement the fastball with something off-speed. What better place to work on it than Class A baseball? Rodriguez had everything working Wednesday night at Grayson Stadium and he showed determination during a 109-pitch effort. - link

Doubles, Brad Burns, Bobby Gagg, Twitter...and Fernando Nieve

Doubles:


My good friend Jim Storer just called to ask me who I thought held the Mets record for doubles. My response was Ed Kranepool, simply because Ed is the only hitter to have a long career with the Mets. I would have been correct two hours ago, but Wednesday afternoon, David Wright doubled, the 226th of his short career. That broke the tie with Kranepool, giving David the all-time record for doubles by a Mets player. Jim and I both found this fairly amazing, but when you think about it, the Mets really never had a franchise hitter. The Padres had Gwynn, the Astros had Bagwell and Biggio, the Twins had Kirby Puckett. Ed Kranepool was the Mets franchise hitter, and he’s remained in that position for 30 years. New York either picks good hitters up late in their careers (Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter) or lets them go early (Lenny Dykstra, Kevin Mitchell), or has them get into trouble (Strawberry). It’s tough to accumulate team records when you aren’t around that long. - link

Brad Burns:

The Mets released RP Brad Burns. From “The Keepers”…

82. Brad Burns – RP – A+ - 24/yrs.

Burns was drafted in the 26th round of the 2007 draft by the Mets.

Oklahoma right-handed pitcher Brad Burns was the sixth and final Sooner taken in the 2007 MLB Draft on Friday. Burns was selected 813th overall in the 26th round by the New York Mets. The organization also drafted the junior back in 2004 in the 37th round following his high school career at Lookeba-Sickles.

From: www.soonersports.com: - The Gracemont, Okla., native has 22 career starts under his belt at Oklahoma, including seven in 2007. Overall, Burns made 16 appearances this season and finshed with a 1-1 record and a 5.75 ERA. He earned his first career victory in 2007 on April 11 against Dallas Baptist after tossing a five-hit shutout with eight strikeouts across 5 2/3 innings.

From: www.metsbaseball.blogspot.com: - Most Mets fans probably don't know who Brad Burns is, but that will change if he keeps on pitching as he has for the Kingsport Mets. On Friday night, in an away game against the Princeton Devil Rays, a game the Mets won 2-1, Burns pitched five innings of four-hit ball. In the seven games in which he's pitched in his first season of pro ball, righty Burns gave up two runs once, one run twice, and no runs four times. His ERA now stands at 1.71, the fourth lowest in the Appalachian League. He's been particularly effective in home games and against lefties. His ERA in both situations is 0.00, which is also what his ERA is when the bases are empty. Thus he hasn't given up any solo shots. In fact, he hasn't given up a homerun.

Burns pitched 2009 with Savannah and St. Lucie, combining for 1-2, 1.45, in ten games, one start. He also had 24-Ks in only 18.2-IP. His combined three year stats are: 4-7, 3.88, 1.52, in 31 games, nine starts, 77-K’s, 81.1-IP.

Bobby Gagg:

The Mets released RP Bobby Gagg.


Gagg came to the Mets last year as an undrafted free agent, even though many of us draft weenies had him prior to the draft as a 20-35th round pick. He was immediately signed and split time in 2009 with the GCLMets, Kingsport, and Brooklyn.


His combined 2009 stats were: 2-1, 1.60, in 16 appearances, with 24-K and only 6-BB in 24.0-IP.

Twitter:

Multiple sources have confirmed to me that Major League Baseball is cracking down on Twitter usage, ordering MLB.com writers to cease tweeting about all non-baseball topics and scolding players for their Twitter usage in general. As someone who has every MLB.com beat writer and several MLB players in my Twitter feed, this is very unfortunate and strikes me as a massive overreaction. Allowing the writers and players to show a bit of personality and interact with fans/readers was a positive thing and certainly caused me to become a fan of those who did it well. - link



Fernando Nieve:

Oh, there’s a bunch of reasons why the Mets are playing so well this home stand, but let’s give a special “stock up” to relief pitcher Fernando Nieve. If I remember correctly he had a horrible outing the first week of the season but, since then, he’s been lights out for a manager that seems to use him every game. Most of the Mets starters have serious trouble getting past the sixth inning, maining doe to the amount of pitches they throw. Yes, the team ERA looks nice, but the WHIP is bloated. Pitchers like John Maine, Oliver Perez, and especially, Mike Pelfrey, have had to scramble to get out of innings that produced many baserunners, though little runs. In most cases, it was Nieve that came in from the pen first and settled things down with somewhere between one and two innings pitched. Hats off to Fernando.

Binghamton 9, Portland 3

After scoring just 11 runs in their previous five games, Binghamton’s offense came alive in a 9-3 wire-to-wire victory over the Portland Sea Dogs at NYSEG Stadium Wednesday night. Zach Lutz managed a three-hit day including a three-run homer and Carlos Guzman ended an 0-13 slump with a three-hit night of his own to pace the B-Mets 13-hit attack. Eddie Kunz benefited from the banner offensive showing, picking up his second win of the year with five-plus innings of work.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis helped Binghamton (11-9) out to an early lead in the first when he singled leading off against starter Casey Kelly. With Jose Coronado at the plate, Nieuwenhuis stole second to move into scoring position, his fourth stolen base of the young season. Coronado moved him up to third with a groundout to the right side of the infield. Lucas Duda gave the B-Mets the lead with an RBI single to center, raising his Eastern League-leading total to 19. Luke Montz chased home another run in the inning on a bases-loaded sac fly to left that took leftfielder Ryan Kalish to the warning track, making it 2-0.

Lutz got the third inning rolling with a one-out double off the right field wall. The two-bagger marked the end of the night for Kelly, who tossed 2 1/3 innings. Right-hander Eammon Portice was summoned and promptly allowed Lutz to reach third on a wild pitch. After striking out D.J. Wabick, Portice surrendered a two-out, RBI single to Montz to push the lead to three.

Binghamton’s scoring onslaught continued in the fifth inning with a three-run outburst. Duda and Lutz led off the inning with singles. After Wabick popped out to second, Montz laced a double into the left field corner to score Duda from second. Then, Guzman cleared the bases with a double down the first base line to double lead.

Kunz faced two over the minimum through the first five innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth. Kunz walked Jason Place, hit Nate Spears and gave up a single to Ray Chang to load the bases. With the bases juiced, Kunz exited in favor of Jose De La Torre, who did not have his best stuff. De La Torre misfired with Kalish at the plate, uncorking a wild pitch to score Place. After walking Kalish, he issued another free pass to Luis Exposito with the bases loaded to chase home Spears. The next hitter Che-Hsuan Lin lined a single to left-center to plate Chang. The Sea Dogs had cut the Binghamton lead in half and still had the bases loaded with no one out.

However, Roy Merritt relieved De La Torre and put out the fire retiring the next three men in order to strand the bases loaded and keep the score at 6-3.

In the home half of the frame, the B-Mets got those three runs back on one swing of the bat. T.J. Large came on in the sixth in relief of Portice. Nieuwenhuis singled to open the inning. After Coronado sacrificed him to second, Large issued a walk to Duda, putting two on for Lutz. Binghamton’s third baseman launched a Large slider over the left-centerfield wall for his league-leading sixth homer to put the lead back at six.

The bullpen would take it the rest of the way for the win. Merritt retired all six men he faced, Clint Everts tossed the eighth in scoreless fashion and Edgar Ramirez worked around a Jose Iglesias leadoff double to hurl a scoreless ninth, securing the 9-3 victory.

Kunz allowed three runs in five-plus innings to pick up his second win. The righty allowed four hits, walked three and struck out one.

Q&A: - Jenrry Mejia in the Pen, Reese Havens, and the Mets Pick in 2010 Draft

Q&A:

CJ asked: - I am still unsure why Meija is with the big league club besides Omar and Jerry wanting to save their jobs. He has looked good throwing primarily fastballs, but he clearly needs a secondary pitch to complement the fastball. Even if the team views him as a future closer, it seems silly to have him in games that matter with the big league club where he can't work on his secondary pitches. It is great that K-Rod is supposedly mentoring Meija in the bullpen, but Meija is not Johan Santana, Liriano, or even Joba - pitchers that had refined secondary pitches when they were eased into the big leagues in a bullpen role. I may have missed it, but I have yet to see Omar address how Meija will continue to develop into a future starter in his current role. Is there any logic to this, especially considering the glaring need of high upside starting pitching in the upper levels of the system?

Mack: There is no logic on the Mejia move. Logic doesn’t play into what comes out of some of those meetings.


Right now, I don’t think anyone wants to screw with the karma, but the fact is, Nieve and Takahashi are sort of setting the table right now in the pen. They, followed by Valdez, Feliciano and K-Rod, are getting most of the work, leaving very little for Mejia in the past 10 games.


On the other hand, the Mets ERA, is 3.21, third in the league, and Mejia’s is 1.80.


I don’t see much changing while things are going well, though someone will have to go down when Igarashi comes back. Right now that would be Acosta, but it could be Mejia, especially if the AA and A+ SP prospects don’t start turning things around.


Gary Santangelo asked: Mack, do you know where Reese Havens is playing baseball? I cannot find him on any of the Mets minor league rosters? Is he hurt? The last I heard of him he was playing in the 2009 Arizona Fall League.

Mack: Havens started the season on the injured reserve list with, as the Mets released, “an oblique muscle” problem. I have reached out a number of times to peeps I know, trying to find out what’s up but have had no response to my inquiries. As I have mentioned before, the Mets stay very quiet about injuries and I’m sure they tell their people to not respond to press questions regarding the health of their players. At this point I can categorically state that he’s still receiving a Mets paycheck. After that, it would be all opinion and speculation.

Another CJ question: - Any buzz yet on any organizational strategies for the upcoming draft? Without any sandwich picks or a 2nd round pick, the Mets need to try to compensate with at least a few guys who drop because of signing concerns. However, I feel that fairly soon we should start hearing reports that the Mets do not planning on going overslot for many players.

Mack: You seem to have figured out the Mets “non” strategy already…


I will say this. I think the Mets brass have learned from the Ike Davis pick that a quality player is tantamount to the future success of this team.


Secondly, there was a little subtle move a few months ago. The Mets gave their first pick (2nd round) last year, P Stephen Matz, an $800,000 bonus, but did not sign their next two pitcher picks, Damien Magnifico at 5th and David Buchanan at #6. LHP Darin Gorski did sign at #7, but the next pick, a local boy here named Zach Dotson, out of South Effingham High School, didn’t sign. Instead he went and pitched lights out in the off-season.

The Mets, knowing their next pitcher pick, #15 (Casey Schmidt) didn’t sign, and they didn’t have another pitcher drafted, and signed until #22 (Zach Von Tersch)… dug down and signed Dotson with a $500,000 bonus.


Not only was this #2 bonus money by the Mets, it was for an 11th rounder…

I think we may be seeing a change in drafting strategy beginning with that move.


Regarding their first round pick, it looks like SP Anthony Renaudo may fall to that pick due to an off-season injury and a poor performance against Ole Miss this past weekend. Renaudo was the lock #2 pick overall after Bryce Harper, and I’m sure the Mets won’t let this kid go if he’s there.


The other good news is it’s hard to screw up a 7th pick overall. This draft only has around 9 top quality players, all of which are either Harper or pitchers. LHP Drew Pomeranz and RHP Jamerson Taillon will be long gone, but, if Renaudo is picked in the first six picks, that leaves only two slots before the Mets, with RHPs A.J. Cole, Deck McGwire, Karsten Whitson, and LHP Chris Sale to chose from.


Believe me, none of their four suck and the Mets will definitely pick one of them.


It’s their next pick in the 3rd round, 89th overall, that’s the key to a successful draft and this might be where the Mets take a chance on a guy who has dropped due to either a sign ability problem or an injury. I would love the Mets to pick LHP relief specialist Josh Osich here, who was considered a first round pick before he went down and had TJS surgery before the season started. I’d roll the dice here.

Sand Gnats 4 Lexington Legends 1


The Lexington Legends were at Grayson Stadium Wednesday evening to play the first game of the four game series with the Savannah Sand Gnats. The 1,126 fans saw good pitching from both teams.
The first run of the game was scored by the Gnats when Cesar Puello made a bunt single, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. He scored on a sac fly to center by Alonso Harris.
Lexington scored their only run to tie the game in the 6th inning when Jose Altuve singled and scored on a double by J.D. Martinez.
Savannah took the lead in the 6th: Wilmer Flores tripled to left field and scored on a single by Jefry Marte. In the 8th inning the Gnats scored their final two runs with out a hit thanks to a base on ball, an error, and a wild pitch.
Starting Legends pitcher, Tanner Bushue, went six innings, gave up 2 runs on 8 hits,2BB, and struck out five. Baseball America Prospect Handbook(2010) ranks Bushue as the 7th best prospect in the Houston Astros organization.
Armando Rodriquez (1-3)was impressive for the Gnats winning his first game of the year. He pitched 62/3 innings, allowed 1 run on 5 hits, walked two and struck out seven.
The Sand Gnats had 9 hits for the game: Wilmer Flores went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Jefry Marte was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

4/28/10

DRAFT: - Robbie Anston, Aaron Sanchez, Kellen Deglan, Yasmani Grandal... and Drew Pomeranz

Robbie Anston:

4-26 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/04/26/acc-baseball-weekly-honors  - Boston College outfielder Robbie Anston has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Week. Anston continued his torrid hitting streak throughout last week, recording three hits in each of BC’s four games. The senior from Odessa, Fla., is currently on a nine-game hitting streak and has recorded two or more hits and an extra-base hit in each of the last six games. Anston led the Eagles in batting, runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBI, total bases (23) and slugging (1.045) and was second in on-base percentage (.545) for the week. In the first game of a three-game series sweep at NC State, Anston accounted for six of BC’s nine runs as he drove in three and scored three runs of his own. Anston also came up big in clutch situations as he drove in the game-winning runs on Saturday. With the bases loaded with one out and the score tied, Anston singled to center on a 1-2 count to drive in two runs to give BC the 10-8 win. Then on Sunday with BC down 7-6 in the top of the eighth, he led off with a solo home run to tie the game in an eventual comeback win.

Aaron Sanchez:

4-27 from: - http://www.baseballrumormill.com/2010/04/mlb-draft-notes-high-school-review-419-426/#more  - Barstow HS's Aaron Sanchez struck out twelve batters in a seven inning effort recently. He now has a whopping 82 strikeouts in 44.2 IP. According to Churchill "Sanchez reaches the 93-94 mph range with his fastball and turns over an improved curveball from a high three-quarter arm slot. His arm strength, projectable 6-3 frame and athleticism could get Sanchez into the first round."

Kellen Deglan:

4-27 from: - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/MLB_Draft  - Meanwhile, this year's top Canadian player, British Columbia prep catcher Kellin Deglan (pictured), has been slowly creeping up draft boards. One NL West scout said comparisons to Joe Mauer and Matt Wieters are inevitable because of Deglan's size (6-2, 200). Deglan has the physical attributes to develop into a major league backstop in the mold of Giants prospect Buster Posey.

Yasmani Grandal:

4-28 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/04/28/lincolns-2010-draft-board  - Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal has vaulted himself into the top 20. Grandal has been extremely productive, hitting .432/.548/.764 while walking in 19.1% of his trips to the plate and striking out just 12.8% of the time. Those numbers stack up with anyone in the country, especially when they come from a switch-hitting catcher with good defensive tools. Grandal’s arm strength is solidly above-average and there are little, if any, doubts about his ability to be at least average defensively behind the plate. A rumor has floated around that Grandal could be headed to Kansas City with the fourth pick in the draft. Grandal is certainly a better prospect than Tony Sanchez, last year’s top college catcher who went to the Pirates in a pre-draft deal.

Drew Pomeranz:

4-28 from: - http://pnrscouting.com/scoutingreports_2010_pomeranzdr.html  - Pomeranz leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination, but with his current stuff and profile he doesn't have to. A lefty with good velocity, a plus breaking ball and big workhorse build, all with an easy arm action and solid mechanics is a winning combination no matter how you slice it. The mechanical nits discussed above could prevent him from ever being more than an average command guy and, while his fastball/curve combo baffles collegiate hitters, he'll need to be a bit more precise to show consistent success at the next level. He started off the year in strong fashion from a BB/9 standpoint (an area that I marked as a potential concern due to his long arm action and potential difficulties repeating his release). However, the big lefty has regressed some as the season has worn on, going from 1.59 BB/9 in his first two starts to 3.16 BB/9 in March and 5.32 BB/9 in April. He continues to miss bats, but his ceiling is ultimately limited by his command and above-average, but shy of elite, arsenal. His erratic command and high strikeout totals also tend to lead to high pitch counts and could make it difficult for him to regularly work deep into games against more advanced hitters, though his build is such that he stands a good chance of enduring the long pro season provided he keeps-up with his conditioning. Pomeranz represents a fairly safe first round option in a draft filled with high school power arms and limited surefire offense. He should move quickly and provide good value as an inning-eating #3 starter with a shot at #2 upside