7-19 from: - link - Solid knuckleball pitchers seem to never come along in the National League. R.A. Dickey is certainly defying that notion as he turned in a ton of quality starts for the Mets this year. In 10 first half starts, Dickey went 6-2, posting an impressive 2.77 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. His 48 strikeouts are surprising from a knuckleballer. It could be that he's getting better with age. The 36-year old has never seen this kind of success before. That only will lead many to view him as a fluke, especially until the NL figures him out. Based on the recent history of knuckleball pitchers, and the lack of them, it doesn't seem likely that Dickey will experience any long-term success. His strikeout numbers might not hold up down the stretch. He might be a good option in the Mets rotation right now while he's hot, but he may go down as nothing more than the 2010 version of Aaron Small. Conclusion: Flash in the pan
7-19 from: - link - The New York Mets has a fragile-but-good starting rotation and one of the best closers in the league in Francisco Rodriguez. However, they've had trouble crossing the bridge from the starters to the closer. The new-and-improved Bobby Parnell appears to be the answer to that problem, with his 1.42 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 12.2 innings pitched.
7-19 from: - link - Billy Wagner turns 40 on the 25th of this month. His left arm, attached to a 5’10” frame, has tossed more than 870 innings and more than 8,300 pitches since 2002. The used car of free agent closers, the Braves allowed Mike Gonzalez to walk and traded Rafael Soriano for a crack at Wagner. Further, they even gave up their first round pick to sign Wagner to a one-year deal with a club option for 2011. A year ago, it would not have been the least bit surprising if Wagner retired. Right now, he could be fishing or resting that arm for good. Instead, Wagner is shining with the opulence of a newly christened game-saving prince from the nicest of Bobby Cox’s ninth inning dreams. Velocity is a measure of speed that holds no grasp on age. That much is apparent from Wagner’s mid-to-upper 90 MPH heater. Depowering batters since the middle of the 1990s, Wagner is 39 appearances into the campaign and holds the best ERA through that mark of his career
7-19 from: - link - The Mets are tiring of the injuries to Jose Reyes. With his combination of speed, bat and glove he has the potential to be one of the better shortstops in the major leagues, if he can stay healthy for a full year. While he has been out the Mets have been relying on Ruben Tejeda. Wilmer Flores is playing short in the lower minors and ripping the ball at a .382 clip in the Florida State League. Many feel that his lack of range and future physical development will force a move away from short and his future is at third base or a corner outfield. Reese Havens is another player with a solid bat but questionable range to fill the position at the major league level. He has already been moved to second base at the AA level where he is hitting .338.
7-14 from: - link - If you were wondering who has been the biggest disappointment of 2010 in the Mets farm system, you're looking at him. Exhibit A: Twelve combined walks in his last three starts. Holt's season has been an unmitigated disaster. Exhibit B: .336 BAA in Binghamton. And frankly, I wish there was more I could say about it but so far there isn't. He hasn't attributed his inconsistent velocity or his suddenly scattershot command to any sort of lingering ailments from his checkered injury history. Even on days when his velocity is back up near where it should be he's not looking like the guy who set the Cyclones single season strikeout record back in '08. The really scary part is that the fallback bullpen option which seemed so failsafe before is now suddenly just as questionable, as his one plus pitch is suddenly lacking any of the electricity it once had. In short, Holt seems to have gone all John Maine and lost the one skill that truly made him a top pitching prospect and without it, he's little more than Eddie Kunz. Every fifth day I keep hoping to hear that he corrected a minor mechanical flaw and is back to normal but if that doesn't happen soon, a move to the bullpen is imminent.
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