2011 DRAFT: - J.D. Davis, Jake Skole, Alex Meyer, Joe Ross... and Matty Ott

J.D. Davis:



7-13-10: - MaxPreps Junior All-American Baseball Team - J.D. Davis, Elk Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.), All-Purpose - Helped Elk Grove reach the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship game and earned All-Metro honors by the Sacramento Bee after batting .483 with 62 RBI, 56 hits, 10 doubles and 8 home runs.

Jake Skole:


7-25 from: - link  - I have him as an above-average straight line runner whose times to first base on a typical swing are more along the lines of average for a left-handed hitter, as he usually takes a pretty healthy cut. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was faster than that post-injury, though, as he finally got a chance to rest up his legs after years of playing both baseball and football almost non-stop.. Above-average to plus raw power. He’s a definite power threat.

 Alex Meyer:


7-26 from: - link  - Here are some names of draft eligibles for 2011 who have not been mentioned much and are definitely on the radar for 2011 MLB scouting depts. - RHP - Alex Meyer, Kentucky, 6'8 220, has had mediocre college career but still possesses that arm and size to intrigue clubs. Has to progress this coming season.

Joe Ross:


7-27-10 from: - link  - Joe Ross, RHP/3B, Bishop O’Dowd (CA) HS - I haven’t heard anyone mention Ross as an infielder and I agree wholeheartedly he’s a pitcher first. But Ross is an impressive athlete with good hands and fluid defensive actions to go with a smooth righthanded swing. Ross’s 6’3”, 180 lb frame looks like it belongs wherever you want to put it in just about any sport. His loose arm and low-90s fastball are inviting, but I’d at least keep an eye on him as a hitter going into his senior year.

Matty Ott:


7-27-10 from: - link  - Matty Ott (LSU)- He has been one of the best relief pitchers in the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer with 2-0 record in 13 games while accumulating a 0.50 ERA, and holding opponents to a .121 batting average. He has also struck out 16 batters in only 18 innings of work. Ott was impressive as a freshman in the 2009 College World Series, but had a tough 2010 season with the Tigers going 2-4 with a 6.38 ERA as he made 28 appearances while getting eleven saves. If Ott can find his freshman form then the LSU Tigers will be fine next year as they will probably need to replace Anthony Ranaudo, who had a solid summer down the Cape and is expected to sign with the Boston Red Sox in the near future.

The Keepers - # 75 - RP - Brant Rustich

75. Brant Rustich – RP – AA – 25/yrs.



Rustich’s 2007 stats with UCLA: 20 appearances (1 start), 3-2, 6 saves, 6.67 ERA, 29.2 IP, 31 H, 20 BB, 28 Ks, 3HRs, .265 BA.


A scouting report prior to draft: A physical beast at a listed 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, at times Rustich has three above-average pitches in his 93-96 mph fastball, power slider (at times touching 87 mph) and split-finger fastball. He's still bothered by a finger injury that caused him to redshirt last season, and his command is nearly nonexistent. In terms of stuff, he's a first-round talent, but his lack of pitchability makes him a 22-year-old with a 6.10 career ERA and 75 walks in 124 innings.


And a local article just after the draft: UCLA right-handed pitcher Brant Rustich was selected by the New York Mets in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft Thursday afternoon. Rustich, the 93rd overall selection in the 2007 draft, became the 28th baseball player in school history to be chosen in the first two rounds. Rustich, a hard-throwing 6-foot-6-inch right-hander from El Cajon, Calif., leads the Bruins with six saves this season. The redshirt junior has tallied a 3-2 record and a 6.67 ERA in 20 appearances, striking out 28 batters in 29.2 innings. Rustich limited hitters to a .265 clip and made one start midway through the season. Rustich becomes just the seventh Bruin to have been chosen by the New York Mets. At least one UCLA ballplayer has been selected within the first two rounds in three of the past four drafts. The former Grossmont High School standout received a medical redshirt in 2006 after suffering a finger injury. Rustich recorded a 1.50 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings of relief that season.


The Mets drafted Rustich in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft. He started the 2007 season for Kingsport (1-0, 0.87 in 5 games, 2 starts), but was quickly promoted to Brooklyn (2-0, 2.13, 0.39 in 10 appearances).


In September 2007, Rustich was assigned to play in the Hawaiian Winter League (which is always a sign that the organization wants to invest more time and money in you). It is also quite an honor for someone who was drafted in the same year to be assigned this high. Aslo in September, Baseball America ranked Rustich as the 20th top prospect to come out of the NY-Penn league.


In November 2007, Scouts.com ranked Rustich as the 4th top Mets prospect, while BA had him 6th.


In late January 2007, Baseball America ranked him as the 6th overall Mets prospect.


In February 2008, Baseball Prospectus awarded him a 3-star rating and ranked him as the 5th overall Mets prospect.


Also in February 2008, Rotoworld ranked Rustich as the #7 Mets prospect, saying: Rustich was terribly inconsistent at UCLA, posting a 6.10 ERA and a 114/75 K/BB ratio in 124 career innings. He wasn't any better last year, finishing with a 6.67 ERA and a 28/20 K/BB ratio in 29 2/3 innings. Still, the Mets made him a second-round pick and he pulled off a stunning turnaround in the low minors, finishing with a 21/2 K/BB ratio in 23 innings. Rustich throws in the mid-90s and has a powerful build, so it's not surprising that he was drafted as early as he was. Still, he figured to be a long-term project. Now it's conceivable that he could see the majors before the end of this year, depending on whether his command holds up. He has a better chance than Kunz of turning into a closer someday. However, he's also the more likely of the two to have no significant career at all.


Rustich pitched dinged for most of the 2008 season, for Savannah, but still managed to post stats of: 3-4, 3.62, in 20 games, 8 starts, 48Ks, 49.2 IP


In 2009, Rustich dug in to St. Lucie and produced an all-star season: 1-1, 2.45, 1.28, 19 appearances, 3 starts, 46-K, 47.2-IP.

New Met: - PTBNL

Name:   PTBNL

Date of Birth:  2-18-88

Hometown:  Field of Dreams, Kansas

Bats: Yes  Throws: Barely 

5-11   187 

High School:  GED

College - none - signed originally an national undrafted no college guy

2011 DRAFT: - Daniel Norris, Troy Channing, Grayson Garvin, Dillon Maples... and Austin Wood

Daniel Norris



7-13-10: - MaxPreps Junior All-American Baseball Team - Daniel Norris, Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.), Outfield - Although known mostly for his pitching, Norris was also a strong outfielder at Science Hill. Named the area player of the year for the second straight season by the Johnson City Press, Norris had an 8-0 record (25-1 in his career) with a 1.96 ERA. He struck out 140 batters in 64.1 innings pitched and walks only 37. he also batted .483 with 55 RBI, 7 home runs, 16 doubles and 10 triples.


7-15-10 from: - link  – top ten high scholl LHPs: - 1. Daniel Norris- Science Hill HS

Troy Channing


7-25 from: - link  - Plus raw power, but not a lot else. He’s a fringe-average hitter who’s going to swing and miss a good number of times, and his time on the Cape has shown us that he’s not exactly polished against quality pitching with a wood bat. He’s a long-term first baseman, so his bat needs to work for teams to spend an early pick on him.

Grayson Garvin:


7-26 from: - link  - Here are some names of draft eligibles for 2011 who have not been mentioned much and are definitely on the radar for 2011 MLB scouting depts. - LHP - Grayson Garvin, Vanderbilt, 6'4 200, on a loaded team for 2011 CWS road to Omaha. Arm strength is there, pitches at upper 80's consistently and has bite on the breaking ball, scouts want to see more "killer instinct".

Dillon Maples:


7-27-10 from: - link  - Dillon Maples, 3B/RHP, Pinecrest (NC) HS - I’m going to buck “the word on the street” and say Maples is a better hitting/third base prospect than pitching. Granted, I probably watched Maples’ worst outing on day one of the Tournament of Stars, but I think his athleticism comes out much better at the hot corner than it does on the mound. Maples has arm-strength, but a stiff delivery and on that day he was very wild. Maples has a position player’s body, an aggressively powerful righthanded bat, and a chance to become a big league starting 3B in my estimation. Not many low-mid-90s guys get moved off the mound, but I’d at least consider it with Maples.

Austin Wood:


7-27-10 from: - link  - Austin Wood (St. Petersberg)- He is starting the game for the Western Division. He is currently 3-0 with a 0.58 ERA in six games (five starts). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth round (131st overall) and will attend USC next season if he does not sign. Wood started his collegiate career with Florida State but transferred to St. Petersberg where he spent this past spring.

7-30-10 from: - link  - • Austin Wood, RHP, St. Petersburg -- Another outstanding pure arm, Wood lived at 93-96 mph in his one inning of work, reaching as high as 97. He did not have much opportunity to show much in the way of secondary pitches but his fastball comes out nicely and the arm action is relatively clean.

Bisons Notes 7/31/10 - Lehigh Valley at Buffalo (7:05 p.m.)

from press release:
*Mets RHP Sean Green has joined the Bisons on an MLB rehab assignment*



RHP SEAN GREEN has joined the Bisons on a MLB rehab assignment. Green has been out of action since the Mets placed him on the DL on April 11 with a right intercostal muscle strain. Green has gone 1-0 with a 3.86ERA in seven combined outings with the Rookie Gulf Coast League Mets and the Single-A St. Lucie Mets.



Buffalo Bisons  vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Saturday, July 31, 2010 (7:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field

LHP Pat Misch (9-4, 3.44) vs. LHP Joe Savery (1-8, 5.03)

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

 TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons face the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the opening game of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). After the Herd’s 3-1 victory in Columbus last night, Buffalo is now 3.5 games behind Louisville in the Wild Card standings. This will mark the beginning of an eight-game homestand for the Bisons, during which they will also play the Clippers.



vs. IRONPIGS: The Bisons are 4-4 against the IronPigs this year, splitting series at home and on the road. The Herd lost the season-series last year, 6-10. Since returning to the IL, the Herd is 18-22 (.450) against Lehigh Valley.



“MISCH”IN: IMPOSSIBLE: LHP PAT MISCH will take the hill for the Herd tonight in search of his 10th win of the season. However, the lefty is 0-1 in his first three attempts to complete the feat. The last Bisons’ pitcher to get 10 victories in a single campaign, RHP JEREMY GUTHERIE in 2005, also went 0-1 in his first three starts before collecting his 10th W. Guthrie finished the ‘05 season with a 12-10 record.



DUDA MATH: OF LUCAS DUDA was 2-4 yesterday with a double, a triple and a run scored in the Buffalo win. The slugger completed the eight-game roadtrip with .323 batting average, three home runs, eight RBI, eight extra-base hits, and a .806 slugging percentage. Duda leads all current Bisons with 13 home runs and 37RBI. Since he joined Buffalo on June 14, Duda is tied for second in the IL in homers, tied for fourth in RBIs and is second in OPS (1.048).



BURNIN’ TURNER: INF JUSTIN TURNER went 1-3 in last night’s victory with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base. With last night’s performance, Turner extends his hit streak to seven games. During that stretch, Turner has hit .500 (13-26) with four doubles, two home runs, four RBI and four walks. He continues to lead the IL in July with a .387 batting average in 18 games.



GO GREEN: RHP SEAN GREEN has joined the Bisons on a MLB rehab assignment. Green has been out of action since the Mets placed him on the DL on April 11 with a right intercostal muscle strain. Green has gone 1-0 with a 3.86ERA in seven combined outings with the Rookie Gulf Coast League Mets and the Single-A St. Lucie Mets.

The Keepers - #76 - RHP - Jacob deGrom

76. Jacob deGrom:



The Mets drafted deGrom in the 9th round of the 2010 draft



From his college web site: - 2009 Played in 39 games with 36 starts at shortstop... Led the team in sacrifice bunts with six... Finished 10th on the team in at bats with 128 and batting average at .258... Had eight multiple hit games and three multiple RBI games... Longest hitting streak on the season was eight games... Was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored against ETSU (5/9/09)... Was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored in his first game of the season against Iowa (2/27/09)... Was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored against UNF (5/3/09)... Had one appearance as a pitcher allowing no runs and striking out one in one inning vs. UCF (5/6/09).



2008 Played in 34 games as a freshman with 28 starts at 3rd base... Finished 10th on the team in at bats with 107, hits with 26, doubles with three and runs scored with 16... Had five multiple-hit games and one multiple-RBI game... Longest hitting streak of the season was six games... Was 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI at LSU (3/8/08)... Was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored vs. Central Michigan (3/5/08)... Was 9-for-20 with 5 runs scored during a 5-game hitting streak in March.

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Cavalry Christian Academy in Ormond Beach, Florida... Played Division 1A baseball under head coach Andy Bello... Also played varsity basketball for CCA... Earned Most Valuable Player honors in both baseball and basketball... Was First Team All-Conference in baseball... Played summer ball for DeLand Post 6 American Legion team... Helped his team win the American Legion State Championship in 2006...Was named American Legion Rookie of the Year as well as



6-14-10 from: - http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/6/13/1516247/new-york-mets-draft-review  - 9) Jacob deGrom, RHP, Stetson: 90-93 MPH fastball, workable slider, athletic enough that he played shortstop at times. This one looks like an interesting sleeper pick that needs to be tracked closely. Walked just 16 in 82 innings.


7-9-10: - deGrom pitched an outstanding game last night against Bristol. He put up 5.0 quality innings, and gave up no runs and only five hits. Eleven balls ht were grounders and he struck out three while walking only one. Stats for the year so far: 3-G, 0-1, 3.86, 1.71, .415-BABIP, 3.31-FIP

2011 DRAFT – 1B TROY CHANNING

Rich Valle

The West Coast Conference where he plays is known as the stepsister of the Pac 10 and Big West, but in 2010 they had a record 31 players drafted and the future of the conference appears bright.
Channing could be the top position player from the WCC in 2011. The 6’ 0” 235 lb R/R Jr. corner infielder has played both 3B and 1B at St. Mary’s College (CA) in his two seasons. His home in professional ball will be 1B thanks to nine (9) and eight (8) errors in his first two years in college respectively and a combined sub .950 fielding percentage. He was drafted in the 40th round out of Foothill HS (CA), but opted to attend St. Mary’s where he has put on a power display both his freshman and sophomore seasons. He has garnered multiple post season awards including Baseball America’s 1st team Freshman All-American and 2nd team All-American in 2009. He was also a semi-finalist for the Dick Howser award.
In all fairness I must preface my comments that his yard, Louis Guisto Field is a bit of a band box, but 35 HR’s in 390 AB’s is mighty impressive. His two year batting average stands at .338 with 69 BB’s and 91 SO’s, a pretty decent ratio for a power hitter.
Troy is playing his 2010 summer ball for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League.
Look for him to go between the 5th and 10th rounds.

STOCK UP: - Cory Vaughn, Yohan Almonte, and Fernando Martinez

Cory Vaughn:



7-31-10: - Vaughn continues to lead the league in home runs, hitting his 10th last night. Seasonal stats are now: .310/.401/.581/.982, with an impressive 21-BB. Vuaghn continues to quiet critics, including myself, and seems a lock on the Sterling Award winner this season for the Clones.



Old Cory stuff:



6-14-10 from: - http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/6/13/1516247/new-york-mets-draft-review  - 4) Cory Vaughn, OF, San Diego State University: Son of Greg Vaughn, so he has good bloodlines. Very athletic, fast and skilled on the bases, has considerable power potential, but problems with contact may limit his batting average/OBP against professional pitching. Good upside, but also a lot of risk.


6-19-10: - John Klima of http://www.baseballbeginnings.com/  had this to say about Vaughn: Vaughn has a leaner and more athletic body than his father had when he first came to the major leagues. Cory Vaughn hits from a wide stance and has a short trigger. He has fast hands and keeps the firm front side even when he is fooled. He's going to have the power to play a corner and I think he's going to be athletic enough to steal some bases if he wants to. He's a first-round talent in 2010. His numbers weren't much to look at on the Cape, but I'm not scouting results. You can't hide the power and you can't hide this guy's body and athleticism. If I were looking for a comparison at this stage, Matt Kemp might work


6-30-10: - Vaughn hit his fourth home run of the young Cyclone season Tuesday night and we need to put him on the watch list. Included in the stuff I compiled on him below is my analysis of how I felt about thw Mets picking him. My thoughts were similar to what I originally said a few years ago about Ike Davis, so this should be good news for both the Mets and you fans out there. Sure, there is only 43 at bats, but you have to respect a .651 slugging percentage and a 1.036 OPS.


7-14-10 from: - http://www.espn.com/  - Cory Vaughn, for those looking for signs of hope in his strong performance for Brooklyn, homered off a pitcher throwing 85-87, and walked in another plate appearance where none of the four balls came within a foot of the strike zone. He's just a 21-year-old college player faring well against younger competition.


7-16-10 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/2010/7/16/1571838/4-122-new-york-mets-cory-vaughn -of Cory Vaughn is a high-ceiling collegiate outfielder from San Diego State University. Vaughn originally came to San Diego State from Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California, the same school that produced fellow Draft Notebook prospect Justin Parker, as well as Lars Anderson and J.P. Howell. Vaughn was a year behind Anderson, and he was every bit as eye-opening when Anderson was drafted in 2006 due to big tools and his bloodlines, as he’s the son of long-time Major League slugger Greg Vaughn. However, by the time the 2007 draft rolled around, scouts weren’t big fans of Vaughn’s rawness and signability, so he fell to the Phillies in the forty-third round of the 2007 draft. He didn’t sign and headed for San Diego State, where he just finished his third year of starting in the outfield. At the plate, he’s a fringe-average hitter due to huge swing-and-miss liabilities, though his plus raw power makes up for it. He’s also a plus runner underway, and that gives him a high ceiling for a college bat. In the field, he profiles well for right field, where he has an above-average arm and solid-average range, as he isn’t the best at reading the ball off the bat. With such good tools and bloodlines, the only thing really holding him back is that he can’t hit a breaking ball, and that’s always going to hold him back. He’s expected to go somewhere in the sixth to tenth round range, where he’s expected to sign for average money.


7-19-10: - It’s not the two hits he got on Monday that got him this stock up… nor is it the fact that one was another home run, which he leads the league in producing. Additionally, it’s not the fact that he now has his batting average up to .291. No, none of that earned him this listing. It was the fact that he had two outfield assists during the game also, throwing out runners at both third and second base. That’s an outfield performance we don’t see very often in the Mets’ minor leagues.


7-23 from: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2010/2610396.html  - Team: short-season Brooklyn (New York-Penn) - Age: 21 - Why He's Here: .517/.545/1.270 (15-for-29), 1 HR, 3 2B, 8 RBIs, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 4-for-5 SB - The Scoop: The son of former big league slugger Greg Vaughn—he of 355 career home runs—Cory has launched his pro career in style after quickly signing as the Mets' fourth-round pick. (At San Diego State, he was teammates with some Strasburg guy.) Vaughn is batting .326/.403/.620 through 129 at-bats, with a New York-Penn-leading nine home runs and 32 RBIs. And if he connects for seven more longballs this season, then Cory will match his father's output during his pro debut. A 21-year-old Greg Vaughn hit 16 home runs in 1986 for Helena of the Rookie-level Pioneer League.


7-23-10 – Q&A from Hot Sheet: - Is Cory Vaughn better than most people thought heading into the draft, or is this just a hot streak that he doesn't have the tools to maintain? - Matthew Eddy: This is exactly the question I've been trying to answer, so I turned to college baseball guru Aaron Fitt for more. His response: "Vaughn has always had big tools — look at our writeup of him when he ranked as the top prospect in the Northwoods League after his freshman year. And he's had hot streaks like this in his college career, but sustaining has always been the issue. As pitchers adjust to him, can he make adjustments? He did not show a whole lot of ability to do so in college."

Yohan Almonte:


7-31-10: - Almonte continues to elevate himelf, both as the ace of the Clones staff, and as a Mets prospect of the future. Last night, he went 7.0-IP, 0-ER, 3-H, 4-K, 0-BB. The 20-year old is now 4-3, 2.31, 1.04, with only 10-BB in 50.2-IP.



Recent Almonte stuff:



Almonte was signed as an international unsigned free agent in 2007.



He pitched well in his first pro season for the DSL Mets (2008: 3-3, 2.95), and split time in 2009 with the GCL Mets and Kingsport… 4-1, 3.45, in 13-starts. Almonte also struck out 57 in 62.2-IP.



7-4-10: - Almonte pitched another good outing for Brooklyn Saturday night. The 20-year old righthander went 5.2 innings, gave up one earned run, and struck out four. His season ERA is down to 3.63 in four starts



7-19-10 from Pete Spiewak/Mack’s Mets: - Cyclones starter Yohan Almonte allowed seven hits in five innings on Monday, while the ValleyCats scored three unearned runs off of the 20-year-old righty. The Dominican Republic native lowered his ERA to 2.37 and now has a 24/8 K/BB ratio through 38 innings pitched for Brooklyn. He has only given up one earned run in his last three outings, and the last time he gave up more than one earned run was June 23 against Hudson Valley, when he gave up four runs over 6.2 innings in a loss to the Renegades.

Fernando Martinez:

7-31-10: - It’s been awhile since we wrote something nice about this guy, but let’s give credit when credit is due. F-Mart was responsible for the Bisons win last night, going 2-4 and hitting his 11th home run of the season. Seasonal stats are eh: .250/.309/.449/.758, and with Mike Jacobs now gone and Jesus Feliciano and Mike Hessman called up to the Mets, this would be a great time for him to re-take his old team.



Lots of F-Mart stuff:



9-9-9 From http://www.hardballtimes.com/ : - He didn't fair all too well in the majors, but not many 20 year-olds do. His AAA numbers were solid, as he displayed his power with a .250 ISO. His centerfield defense was shaky, although he was solid in left field (sample size warning). He'll probably start 2010 in Triple-A as he recovers from knee surgery, but could be a breakout player by 2011.



9-15-09 from: - http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?cat=42  - 1. Fernando Martinez OF - His struggles with injuries continue. He had an opportunity to play for the Mets because of injuries, but yet he was injured. Since he has played beginning in 2006 he has yet to be free from injury, whether it was a bone bruise or sprained knee as in 2006, a broken hammate bone in 2007, hamstring problems in 2008 and now torn cartlige in his knee this year. When he was up he wasn’t hitting well with an average of .176 in less than 100 at bats. At 21 he is still pretty young to be playing at such a high level so next year expect him at AAA to start the season, unless he rakes in spring training.



2010: Look, if 2009 was a normal year, this would be an easy call. Why would you call up a kid who hasn’t played an entire professional season without a DL injury, when you have a .280 hitter named Gary Sheffield you can sign to a one-year contract? I’m sure the Mets will call him up which could a huge mistake. I’m talking Alex Escobar-type mistake.



2-10-10: Fernando Martinez – Yes, I know, he was the MVP in the Carribean World Series. Big deal. Do the same at AAA and I’ll believe in you for the fifth time. In my book, Martinez is a dud and I’d love him to prove me wrong anytime he chooses to.


5-10-10: - Martinez was taken out of the game on Sunday due to an injury. This new injury should not be confuse with his surgery due to repair a torn meniscus (7-16-09), a right thigh injury (12-13-09), a lower back strain (4-28-10), an injured thumb (5-22-06), a right elbow strain (2009 Carribean World Series), or a fractured wrist (2007). Up to this point, he had hit .244 for the season. More important, this is his fifth professional season and he has had only 1,187 official professional at bats. His lifetime minor league stats going into this season are an unimpressive: .281/.337/.445/.782 plus only 30-HRs and 132-AB is an amount of at-bats that averages around three full seasons.


6-11-10 from Bisons’ Press Release: - The Buffalo Bisons today announced that OF FERNANDO MARTINEZ has been added to the Herd’s active roster. Martinez began the year with Buffalo, but missed 23 games from May 14 - June 7 with a left hamstring strain. He was then transferred to Single-A St. Lucie of the Florida State League where he played four games. He hit .267 (4-15) with a double and a run scored for St. Lucie this week.


6-12-10: - Fernando Martinez returned to Buffalo last night. The Bisons are having difficulty after losing multiple starts to the parent club. There was as little fanfare about his return to the upstate as there was for his rehabbing in Florida. No one basically covers this guy anymore since every age excuse in the book has been used through his multiple slumps and countless injuries. First it was “hey, he’s still only 18-years old”, which has now grown into “hey, he’s only turning 22… The plan now seems to be to target the checkbook in the off season to the agent for Tampa Bay Rays CF Carl Crawford. If things go as hoped, Crawford will take over in CF with Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran on the corners. As for Martinez, he basically has no trade value until he plays a full season without an injury.


7-1-10: - We haven’t reported on Martinez much this season. Yes, he is back from his latest trip to the DL, but his value as a future Met just seems to keep fading. First, it’s the injuries. Next, the lack of consistent pop, then, he no longer plays CF and goes to right. And, now, he doesn’t even start on Tuesday. Martinez did come in as a pinch hitter, stayed in the game, went 1-2, and rasied his batting average to .259. Right now, you’d have to say that he would not be the main chip in a trade package. In fact, many teams like Cleveland might want guys like Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Sean Ratliff, or Eric Campbell more. Sometimes it seems like last month when the Mets had this incredible future outfield maturing, consisting of Martinez, Carlos Gomes, and Lastings Milledge. To date, not one of them have reached their potential.


7-12 from: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2010/7/12/1564807/mid-term-farm-system-review-part-i   - Any discussion about Martinez has to start with his health. Fernando has always had problems staying on the field and 2010 has been no different. First he went down early with a back strain in April and more recently missed over a month with a strained hamstring. Aside from giving rise to the idea that he won't be able to handle the rigors of a 162-game schedule, Fernando has missed important developmental time with his various stints on the DL. In his 4.5 year pro career, Martinez has yet to play over 90 games in a season; that's not good. While he once had a bit of a buffer thanks to his advanced placement at such a young age, that margin is quickly closing and he soon needs to put up or shut up. What's worse, his numbers thus far certainly don't jump off the page (like his Phillies counterpart Domonic Brown) nor do they suggest very much growth as his always problematic K:BB ratio is worse this year than ever before. The one-time hope that he'd play center is also all but dashed with a seemingly permanent move to RF. On the bright side, his calling card has always been his easy power and with seven bombs thus far, he's currently on pace to top his career high of ten homers in 2006. All in all Martinez is losing a lot of that top prospect luster with his average performance on the field and his mounting time off of it. Once unanimously considered the Mets top prospect, Fernando has certainly been passed by the likes of Ike Davis, Jon Niese and Jenrry Mejia with guys like Wilmer Flores and Kirk Nieuwenhuis breathing down his neck. It's very telling that in trade talks for Cliff Lee, Seattle's reported demands never included Fernando's name.


7-28 from: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2010/7/28/1592006/mets-farm-q-a-with-baseball   - I never understood why the Mets pushed him so aggressively, and he never has put up big numbers in the minors outside of a 46-game stretch in low Class A four years ago. I think it's time to revise expectations to solid regular at best, and even that's not a lock.

Cutnpaste: - Kai Gronauer, Dwight Gooden, Brad Holt, Wilfredo Tovar... and Davey Johnson

Kai Gronauer:


7-30 from: - link  - Amid a seven-game losing streak, the catcher for the St. Lucie Mets visited the Helping People Succeed summer camp Wednesday to teach the kids that with perseverance and determination, no slump lasts forever. German-born Kai Gronauer, who dons No. 2 for the minor league team, educated 19 campers about goal-setting and how to follow through with hopes and dreams. “I want to help the kids and pass along knowledge,” said Gronauer, 23, who has played with the baseball team for the past three years. “It’s very important for everybody to give something back and help the community.”

Dwight Gooden:
link  - "He was someone who was an iconic figure," Hershiser said of Gooden, "someone you were jealous of because of his ability. Even when we had his pitches, he was still hard to hit. He was hard to bunt. You didn't know if the ball would stay up towards your face or come back down. It was always quicker to show bunt and then pull off and get out of the way, rather than wait and try to go towards the ball." "Electric," said Hershiser's former catcher, current Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who hit a famous game-tying home run against Gooden in Game 4 of the 1988 National League Championship Series. "I remember facing him when he first came up. You could see the talent was above and beyond what you would expect not only a 19-year-old kid to have, but what you would expect from a major league staff. They were all tough. He could move that fastball around. Elevate it. Pitch in. That curveball was as good as you're going to see. It was just sharp and big out of the same look as his fastball. It was nasty. If you did a pitch that was in your zone, you just hoped you were going to square it up and hit it hard. He didn't make many mistakes when he was young. He was certainly dominant when he first came up."

Brad Holt:



7-28 from: - link  - Holt wasn't good in Double-A last year, perhaps because he hurt his ankle after his first start, but that can't be the reason he has been awful for most of this year, necessitating a demotion to Double-A. He has one of the better arms in the system, but he's more thrower than pitcher and still needs to learn there's more about pitching than velocity. I wonder if he's going to be more than a reliever in the long run.

Wilfredo Tovar:



link  - The Mets had Tovar up at St. Lucie to start the season, a very aggressive promotion for someone who hit .243 in the GCL in 2009. And he hit about as well as you would expect, batting .246 with no patience or power. Tovar's principal skill is as a fielder, so it came as a surprise when he showed up in Savannah and suddenly started to hit, batting .338 over his first twenty games. There is a qualification, however. It's still unclear whether this is just a hot streak or whether his bat speed has caught up to better pitching, but any improvement is something. And best of all his age: he won't turn 19 until August 11. I wouldn't get too excited yet, especially since all he's really doing is hitting singles, but keep your eyes peeeled.

Davey Johnson:


link  - A man who admittedly drank a little too much and once popped Rolaids in the Mets’ dugout like M&M’s, Johnson, 67, has survived a bad case of managerial burnout, the loss of a daughter to a degenerative tissue disease and a stomach ailment that might have killed him had he not checked into the Mayo Clinic. It was in 2005, right after his daughter, Andrea, died that Johnson experienced a stomach pain worse than his old Mets teams ever caused him with their world-class carousers.

Cutnpaste: - Mike Jacobs, DSL, Straw, Jenrry Mejia,,,and Cesar Puello

Mike Jacobs:



Trading Mike Jacobs for a player to be named later can only be a positive for the Mets. I spent some time with Mike at ST and no one wanted to me the Mets first baseman more than he did, but he had his chance and could not win the job. Daniel Murphy handed it to him when Murph went down and the old numbers just weren’t there for Mike. We all know how this story ends and the last think the Mets need now is Jacobs playing AAA and waiting for Ike Davis to be injured. Mike deserves another shot in the Bigs and we wish him well in Toronto.

D.R. Baseball:



link - - The D.R. is baseball's puppy mill. The buscones develop and sometimes feed and house these teenage players, with the intent of selling them to the highest bidder, a major league team willing to fork over thousands, if not millions, of dollars to secure a prospect. As a reward for their work, buscones typically pocket 25% to 50% of the prospect's signing bonus. Many folks in the Dominican Republic resent being labeled a buscón because of the term's other connotation: swindler.

Straw:


link  - "You didn't realize the presence of Darryl Strawberry from the outfield, until you played first base," said Kruk, an ESPN "Baseball Tonight" analyst, who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres. "He hit balls farther than anyone and harder than anyone. You were just praying that your pitcher would pitch him hard inside, or pitch him away and that he'd hit the ball the other way. "You didn't want Darryl Strawberry hitting the ball close to you, if there was a guy on first base that you were holding on. If the ball was hit near you, it would go by you. But if he hit it at you, it could kill you.

Jenrry Mejia:


7-28 from: - link  - It shouldn't affect him long term unless the Mets start jerking around him, shuttling him back and forth from the bullpen to the rotation and from the minors to Triple-A. He could wind up being a reliever in the long run, but it would be silly not to try to turn him into a quality starter.

Cesar Puello:

link - He's fallen off somewhat from a year ago—what little power he had fell off a cliff and his average dropped to .258—but he moved up a level and he's still young for the league. And most importantly the patience has held up: his isolated discipline is .088, up .011 from his mark in Kingsport last season. With his speed, if he can make more consistent contact in the second half, he'll really improve his chances at making it as a leadoff hitter. What bothers me the most, however, is that he's been playing right chiefly; Zapata's a good defender in center, but Puello carries far less value in right, where his utter lack of power is big negative. Put a gun to my head and ask me right now, and I'll say Puello probably needs to repeat Savannah, but a big second half could change my mind.

Buffalo 3, Columbus 1

from press release:

A rough road trip came to a happy end with a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Clippers on Friday night in Columbus behind a dominant pitching performance from Ramon Ortiz.



Ortiz threw a complete game allowing just one run on two hits both in the fourth inning to pick up his second win as a Bison. He retired the final 16 batters of the game. He becomes the third Bisons pitcher with a complete game this season, joining Pat Misch and R.A. Dickey.
 After going 0-2 with an 8.53 ERA after his first four starts with Buffalo, Ortiz has come into his own in his last four starts, going 2-1 and cutting his ERA more than in half as it now sits at 3.94. Ortiz has four quality starts in a row in which he's given up just three earned runs in his last 29 innings on the mound. During that span he has walked just two batters compared to striking out 19.


Buffalo jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Fernando Martinez's eleventh homer of the year. The Bisons would never relinquish the lead. Lucas Duda continued his hot hitting going 2x4 with a double, triple and RBI.

The Bisons two-city eight-game road trip comes to an end after the Bisons went just 2-6 on the trip, including getting swept in a four game series at Toledo. The Herd earned a series split with the Clippers with tonight's win.



The Herd will open an eight-game home stand tomorrow night with the first game of a four-game set with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The Bisons will than play four more with the Clippers at Coca-Cola Field.



BISONS NOTES: Justin Turner went 1x3 in the game extending his hitting streak to seven games...The time of the game was 2:09, nearly an hour quicker then the previous three games in the series...Nick Evans went 1x4 in his first game with the Bisons this year after being brought up from Double-A Binghamton

Brooklyn 11, Aberdeen 3

from Aberdeen press release:

The Brooklyn Cyclones used a seven-run fifth inning on Friday night to top the Aberdeen IronBirds 11-3 and complete a three-game sweep. The Brooklyn Cyclones struck first with a lead off home run by Rylan Sandoval to give them a 1-0 lead.

In the fifth inning, the Cyclones sent 11 batters to the plate and recorded eight hits with their seven runs. Brian Harrison capped off the scoring in the inning with a two-run home run to deep left field with two outs that made the score 8-0.



Cory Vaughn would add another run in the seventh inning on his league leading 10th home run of the season to make the score 9-0.



The IronBirds got on the board in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly by Blair Dunlap.



In the eighth inning the Cyclones scored their final runs of the game on an RBI single by Sandoval and a sacrifice fly by Kurt Steinhauer.
The IronBirds would get two runs in the eighth inning on a two-run single by Sammie Starr, but would fall 11-3.

The winning pitcher was Yohan Almonte who threw seven innings and gave up just one unearned run while striking out four.

Justin Anderson got the loss going 4.1 innings and giving up a season high six runs on eight hits in his second loss of the season.

Erie 11, Binghamton 8

from press release:

Josh Satin drove in three runs with a pair of hits, but two crucial errors committed by the B-Mets in the late innings Friday night swayed the game in Erie’s favor 11-8 at Jerry Uht Park. The game, which lasted three-hours, 54-minutes, was the longest of the season for Binghamton and the fourth-longest, nine-inning game in the 19-year history of the franchise.


Erie struck the crippling blow in the bottom of the eighth courtesy of an error in left field. John Lujan spelled Dylan Owen in the seventh and got into trouble with runners at the corners and two outs. Alden Carrithers came to the plate and lined sharply to left, where Sean Ratliff misread the ball and muffed the catch, allowing both runners to score, putting the SeaWolves on top for good, 10-8. Erie would tally again in the eighth, thanks to another error. Lujan allowed three unearned runs over two innings and was hung with his first loss of the year.

Satin put the B-Mets in front in the first. After Raul Reyes singled leading off the game and took second on a wild pitch, Satin grounded a single into center off Anthony Shawler, plating Reyes.


Binghamton (53-54) brought nine men to the plate in the second and stretched the lead to five. Marshall Hubbard doubled to start and scored with one out when Jose Coronado followed suit with double into the right field corner, making it 2-0 B-Mets. Brahiam Maldonado followed and was hit by a pitch, putting two aboard. After Reyes struck out, Satin ripped a double off the wall in right-center, chasing two more home. Ratliff capped the inning with an RBI knock to left, advancing the lead to 5-0. Shawler was pulled in favor of lefty Ramon Garcia after Ratliff’s hit. The starter was charged five runs on seven hits over 1 2/3 innings.



Erie (44-63) issued a reply in the second against Mike Antonini, who had struck out the side in order in his first inning. Rawley Bishop worked the southpaw for a walk to start, Billy Nowlin and Kody Kaiser followed with consecutive singles and Bryan Pounds cleared the bases with a grand slam homer to left, pulling the SeaWolves within a run, 5-4. It was Pounds’ fourth jack of the season with Erie.



Bishop brought the teams back even in the third. Antonini served up his second gopher ball of the game to the SeaWolves first baseman who lofted the ball out to right-center for his sixth homer, a solo shot, tying the game at five.



Antonini lasted until the fourth. After giving up back-to-back singles to Pounds and Jeff Kunkel, Cale Iorg smacked a two-out, two-run double to left, vaulting Erie into the lead, 7-5, and knocking the southpaw from the game. He was charged for seven runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings.



Owen relieved Antonini and worked the next 2 1/3 innings allowing a run in the process to give Erie an 8-5 lead.

Meanwhile, Garcia was dominant until the sixth inning, having held the B-Mets hitless over 3 1/3 innings. However, Mike Nickeas woke up the Binghamton dugout with a solo homer to left leading off the sixth, his fourth of the year. Two batters later, Maldonado joined Nickeas with a solo blast to left, his seventh of the season, bringing the B-Mets within a run, 8-7.



The SeaWolves bullpen imploded in the next inning. Jose Ortega, who replaced Garcia in the sixth after the long ball, retired the first three men he faced before walking Zach Lutz with two outs in the seventh. Left-hander Matt Hoffman was summoned to face the left-handed hitting Marshall Hubbard, but walked the first baseman. He proceeded to walk the next two as well, culminating with Coronado, whose bases-loaded walk forced home Lutz to tie the score.



The B-Mets were outhit 16-10 by Erie, which was led by Pounds, who drove in five runs with a 3-for-5 performance.

Kingsport 6, Pulaski 4

from Pulaski press release:

It was a close contest Friday night as the Kingsport Mets (18-20) slipped past the Pulaski Mariners 6-4, to split the series 1-1.



The Mets came out strong early in the game, scoring three runs in the first two innings, thanks to hits from Nelfi Zapata and Ismael Tijerina. But the Mariners rallied back as usual when pinch hitter Andrew Giobbi smashed a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to put Pulaski on the board.



The Mariners (20-18) would then tie up the score with runs in the sixth and seventh innings thanks to the bats of Jorge Agudelo and Giobbi. The game was tied 3-3 going into the ninth inning, but the Mets added a run to take the lead with hits from Javier Rodriguez and ZeErika McQueen.



The Mariners were able to recover in the bottom of the ninth, with a well hit double to left field by Hassiel Jimenez off of Mets pitcher Michael Weldon. Mario Yepez pinch ran for Jimenez and would score off a single from Derek Poppert to tie the game.



Mets had runners Chase Greene and Justin Schafer on base in the top of the tenth when Lucas Stewart hit a double to right field to score both runners and seal the victory for Kingsport. The Mariners weren't able to recover in the bottom of the inning and finished the night with a loss.



Michael Weldon pitched two innings to pick up the victory for the Mets, with Joshua Edgin being credited with the save. Mariner pitcher Matthew Bischoff took the loss for Pulaski

GreenJackets 15 Gnats 2

The second game of the four game series between the Augusta GreenJackets and the Savannah Sand Gnats was played Friday evening at Grayson Stadium in front of 1,753 fans. It was the worst defeat of the year for Savannah as Augusta scored 15 runs on 20 hits.
The GreenJackets exploded for 7 runs in the 1st on 2BB, 4 hits, a fielding error by the third baseman, and 2 sacrifice flies. They added two more runs in the 2nd on a two run home run to deep left-center field by cTommy Joseph.
Savannah scored one run in the 3rd when cDock Doyle singled and later scored on a ground out. Cesar Puello led off the 6th inning with a triple-he scored on a double steal when Jet Butler stole second. Puello went 1-for-2 and stole his 39th and 40th base of the year. Doyle was 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Savannah Sand Gnat starting pitcher, Collin McHugh, pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up 9 runs on 7 hits and walked two. McHugh is now 3-7 for the year.

Final Under Armour Rosters

AMERICAN



Name Pos. Ht. Wt. High School


Carson Baranik RHP 6-3 205 Parkway HS, Bossier City, La.


Dante Bichette, Jr. 3B 6-1 215 Orangewood Christian HS, Maitland, Fla.


Greg Bird C/1B 6-3 205 Grandview HS, Aurora, Colo.


Hudson Boyd RHP 6-2 235 South Fort Myers HS


Shon Carson OF 5-9 195 State rules prohibit high school being named


Porter Clayton LHP 6-3 195 Bonneville HS, Idaho Falls, Ida.


John Curtiss RHP 6-4 190 Carroll HS, Southlake, Texas


Nicky Delmonico C/1B 6-2 185 Farragut HS, Knoxville


Tyler Greene IF 6-3 175 Roswell (Ga.) HS


John Hochstatter LHP 6-4 205 San Ramon Valley HS, Danville, Calif.


Adrian Houser RHP 6-3 190 Locust Grove (Okla.) HS


Connor McKay OF 6-3 190 Regis Jesuit HS, Aurora, Colo.


Benton Moss RHP 6-2 180 Rocky Mount (N.C.) HS


Brandon Nimmo OF 6-3 180 East HS, Cheyenne, Wyo.


Mason Robbins OF 6-1 198 George County HS, Lucedale, Miss.


Addison Russell IF 6-1 193 Pace (Fla.) HS


Kyle Smith RHP 6-0 175 Santaluces HS, Lantana, Fla.


Deion Willams IF 6-3 190 Redan HS, Stone Mountain, Ga.


NATIONAL


Name Pos. Ht. Wt. High School


Jacob Anderson 1B/OF 6-4 188 Chino (Calif.) HS


Bryan Brickhouse RHP 6-2 190 The Woodlands (Texas) HS


Aaron Brown OF 6-2 200 Chatsworth (Calif.) HS


Nick Burdi RHP 6-3 195 Downers Grove (Ill.) South HS


Connor Castellano IF 5-11 180 Evangel Christian Academy, Shreveport, La.


John David Crowe, Jr. C 6-0 187 Oak Mountain HS, Birmingham


Rookie Davis RHP/1B 6-5 220 Dixon HS, Holly Ridge N.C.


Ronniel Demorizi IF 5-11 165 San Francisco de Macoris, D.R.


Ronald Guzman OF 6-3 170 La Vega, D.R.


Skylar Janisse RHP 6-4 200 Villanova HS, Lasalle, Ont.


Spenser Linney LHP 6-4 175 Head-Royce HS, Oakland


Lance McCullers, Jr. RHP/IF 6-2 195 Jesuit HS, Tampa


Chris McFarland IF/OF 6-1 195 Lufkin (Texas) HS


Dwight Smith, Jr. OF 6-0 180 McIntosh HS, Peachtree City, Ga.


Bubba Starling OF/RHP 6-5 200 Gardner-Edgerton HS, Gardner, Kan.


Drew Stiner C 6-2 201 Charles Page HS, Sand Springs, Okla.


Jerrick Suiter RHP 6-3 210 Valparaiso (Ind.) HS


Brandon Woodruff RHP 6-4 215 Wheeler (Miss.) HS

2011 DRAFT: - Profile: - RHP - Kyle Winkler

23. Kyle Winkler -



1-7-10: invited to join Team USA in July 10 - Kyle Winkler-RHP-TCU - This is the second invite for Winkler as he participated in the 2009 trials last summer. Winkler completed a successful freshman season, tying for the team lead with seven victories. In 17 appearances, he made 14 starts and posted a 7-1 record to go along with a 4.15 ERA. In 73 2/3 innings pitched, the righty tallied 48 strikeouts. He was named to the Mountain West Conference All-Tournament team and the Fort Worth All-Regional Team. TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle on Winkler: “This is a great honor for Kyle and our program,” Schlossnagle said. “Representing your country is one of the greatest honors one can receive in amateur baseball and Kyle was very close to making the team last year. I’m sure he will represent TCU at the highest level when the trials begin this summer.”


3-15-10 from http://pnrscouting.com/rankings_2010_houstoncollegeclassic.html  - Top 10 Players (2011 Draft Class) - Kyle Winkler, RHP, Texas Christian Univ. - Yet another potential Day 1 arm, Winkler mixed a low-90s fastball with a low-80s change and a mid-70s downer curve; biggest problem area continues to be control and command over the course of his starts, allowing more to reach by walk than by hit (5:4) over his 6.1 IP.


5-24-10 from: - http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/052410aab.html   - TCU sophomore Kyle Winkler have been named Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week. Winkler, a native of Sugar Land, Texas, tossed seven scoreless innings in helping TCU to a 12-0 non-conference shutout of Cal State Bakersfield last Friday. The sophomore righthander fanned seven batters without a walk and surrendered just four hits, only one of which went for extra bases. He retired 18 of the last 19 batters he faced, including the final 10.


7-6 from: - http://web.usabaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100706&content_id=12003730&vkey=news_usab&gid=  - USA Baseball kicked off its Collegiate National Team (CNT) trials Tuesday afternoon at the National Training Center (NTC), which will run through July 11. - Kyle Winkler (Texas Christian) toed the rubber for two frames surrendering one run two hits with four strikeouts


7-10 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/07/10/team-usa-collegiate-national-team-trials-game-4-recap  - Kyle Winkler (Texas Christian), Madison Boer (Oregon) and Nick Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton) combined to throw a one-hitter as the Red team took Game 4 of the Collegiate National Team (CNT) Trials in easy fashion Friday night 7-1 at the National Training Complex (NTC). Winkler picked up the win after tossing three perfect innings with three punch outs, while Boer fanned three over two innings of hitless work.


7-15 from: - http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2010/07/14/team-usa-defeats-korea-3-0-with-a-combined-no-hitter  - The sophomore pitching trio of Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt), Kyle Winkler (Texas Christian) and Noe Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton) struck out 13 batters and combined to toss a no-hitter in the Collegiate National Teams 3-0 win Wednesday night over Korea. Winkler relieved Gray in the seventh retiring six of the seven batters he faced.


7-23-10 from: - http://pnrscouting.com/articles_teamusacollegiate_finalroster_07212010.html  - USA CNT Roster Breakdown, Spring Stat Links and Trials Notes: - Kyle Winkler RHSP So. Texas Christian Univ. - Trials Notes: Winkler matched the fastball velocity he showed down in Houston at the College Classic this past March, regularly ranging 90-92 mph, with several 93s and one evaluator registering a 94. The biggest improvement from the Spring, however, has been with his breaking ball, which has climbed into the mid-80s and hitting as high as 88 mph on Friday. It boasts very hard, late break and works well as both a freeze/backdoor pitch or as a chase offering. Most impressive is his ability to set it up with his fastball, working down against lefties and then burying the slider and working up-in against righties and freezing them with a slider on the inside half. His change-up has climbed a little, as well, to the 82-84 mph range, as opposed to 80-82 in March, but Winkler is still feeling for it. He throws from a high-3/4 slot, getting downhill on his fastball and tilt on his slider (which can get close to a "downer" at times). He looks to have added some strength in his trunk and core over the last few months, though some will still label him a future reliever given his listed sub-6-foot height. Winkler has a solid build with a repeatable motion -- he could be equally effective as a starter or power arm in the pen for Team USA, and will likely slot-in behind Purke in a solid TCU weekend rotation next Spring.


7-25: - http://www.fanhouse.com/ : - Fanhouse Top 70 Prospects - 18. Kyle Winkler, RHP, TCU

The Keepers - #77 - RHP - Akeel Morris

77. Akeel Morris:



6-14-10 from: - http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/6/13/1516247/new-york-mets-draft-review  - 10) Akeel Morris, RHP, Virgin Islands HS: Another interesting sleeper, Morris has reportedly hit 92-94 MPH but needs experience and refinement. Connors State Junior College in Oklahoma recruit.



6-10-10 from: - http://virginislandsdailynews.com/sports/4-v-i-baseball-players-tapped-in-mlb-draft-1.838936  - Akeel Morris, a 17-year-old CAHS pitcher, was picked by the New York Mets in the 10th round. James Sneed, a left-handed outfielder at St. Croix’s Educational Complex, was drafted by the Anaheim Angels in the 14th round. Canton said that Blash and Sneed have not decided whether they will sign, and Morris is planning to play this summer on a traveling team in Florida in hopes that his performance will attract a better offer. Players have until Aug. 15 to negotiate their contracts. Asked at a press conference Wednesday what would determine whether he signs, Morris said, “The money has to be good, and, really, the money has to be good.”



6-3-10 from: - http://virginislandsdailynews.com/sports/pro-teams-targeting-v-i-talents-1.828426  - Akeel Morris pitched a perfect game past season for the Charlotte Amalie High School baseball team, which is just one accomplishment on a baseball resume the 17-year-old is hoping will attract interest from a professional baseball team. Morris is one of a handful of baseball players from the U.S. Virgin Islands who should be selected during next week’s Major League Baseball Draft, V.I. Future Stars Baseball founder Darren Canton said. “The Virgin Islands isn’t exactly known for baseball, but right now, we’re developing a little name for ourselves,” said Canton, who started the baseball recruiting organization five years ago. “Nationally, we’re making strides. We are putting out talent that can compete and it’s just going to get better and better.” The MLB Draft starts Monday and goes through Wednesday, but Canton and the players involved should find out which team will draft them beforehand. As the players participated in daily workouts at the University of Virgin Islands this week to prepare for upcoming summer leagues, the excitement was starting to build. “I think I have a good chance to go in the middle rounds,” said Morris, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound right-handed pitcher. “It’s been a long process as far as being scouted. I’ve been to so many tournaments and I’ve followed up on all the scouts and coaches I’ve met. It’s been quite a ride.” But just because a young player can throw a 94 mph. fastball — like Morris — getting drafted doesn’t guarantee a starting spot alongside Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees. Actually, getting drafted doesn’t guarantee much at all



7-17-10: - Morris is a newbie with the Mets and only pitched in his second professional game last night; however, it was his first start and he got off to a good one. Obviously on a strict pitch count, he went: 2.0-IP, 0-ER, 1-K, 2-BB. That gives him a two-game ERA of 0.00 which works for me. Too early to throw a parade, but worth writing about on a slow night for standouts.

2011 DRAFT: - Brett Austin, Jett Bandy, Josh Poytress,Ricky Jacquez... and Kolten Wong

Brett Austin:



7-13-10: - MaxPreps Junior All-American Baseball Team - Brett Austin, Providence (Charlotte, N.C.), Outfield - The Southwestern 4A Conference Player of the Year, Austin was also named to the All-Observer team after batting .436 with 12 home runs, 8 doubles, 2 triples and 29 RBI.

Jett Bandy:


7-25 from: - link  - I thought long and hard about having Bandy in my top 50, but there are enough questions about his catching ability for me to have him in the 51-65 range. He’s got a solid-average bat with above-average raw power, though he’s more of a gap-to-gap hitter right now with the power being more about projection and his batting practices. There’s little doubt that he’ll be able to be at least a solid hitter against quality pitching, so the question is more about his glove. He has an above-average arm, but his footwork and receiving needs some work. I was a little surprised he was cut from Team USA in the trials, as I’d take him over Steve Rodriguez and have him and Pete O’Brien as a relative wash.

Josh Poytress:


7-26 from: - link  - Here are some names of draft eligibles for 2011 who have not been mentioned much and are definitely on the radar for 2011 MLB scouting depts. - LHP - Josh Poytress, Fresno St, 6'1 185, another out of the pen arm who touches low 90's, repeating delivery is key for his future.

Ricky Jacquez:


7-27-10 from: - link  - Ricardo Jacquez, RHP/SS, El Paso Franklin (TX) HS - Jacquez is only 5’9”, but I see an especially quick arm and project him as a reliever. Super-athletic with a fluid arm-action, Jacquez can deliver in the low-90s for a couple innings and has the makings of a knockout big league slider. Jacquez’s athleticism comes through at shortstop and he may have the tools to play there all the way up, but he’s “only” an average runner and the bat is not nearly as superlative.

Kolten Wong:


7-27-10 from: - link  - Kolten Wong (Hawaii)- He is second in the league with a .331 batting average while hitting three homers and driving in six runs. He has 17 stolen bases in 24 attempts this summer. I saw Wong last summer with the USA Collegiate National Team where he had a .215 average with eight RBI in 21 games. He had a much stronger 2010 college season with Hawaii as he hit .357 with seven homers and 40 RBI while stealing 19 bases in 26 attempts.