Cutnpaste: - Carlos Beltran, Anthony Young, Sean Ratliff, and Cory Vaughn

Carlos Beltran:

The Mets have one of the highest payrolls in all of baseball, coming in at well over the $100 million mark, and they will once again be behind the Phillies and Braves at least in the NL East, with the Marlins looking better and better each season and even the Nationals now greatly improved.


At some point, they are going to have to tear things down and start over, and dealing Beltran could be the first step. They will no doubt have to take on a good deal of the $18.5 million that he is due next season before he becomes a free agent, but for a contender he could provide a big spark down the stretch.


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/579567-50-bold-predictions-for-the-2011-mlb-season#page/5



Anthony Young:

So, without further adieu, I bid you Anthony Young as the player to represent the 19th Day Until Pitchers And Catchers Report. Bobby Ojeda was without question a better pitcher than Young, and he was nearly the man I chose for his savvy, gritty pitching and leadership in 1986. Tim Foli was on the short list as well, partially because anyone with the nickname “Crazy Horse” has to be in the conversation (where did all the nicknames go?). Heath Bell almost made the cut for his constant shuttling between Flushing and Norfolk. And, Lino Urdaneta was considered because of his ERA of infinity.



http://www.metstoday.com/6107/spring-training-countdown/19-dupacr-anthony-young



Sean Ratliff:

1-24-11 from: - http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/2011/01/24/tim-teufel-teaching-hitting-an-impressive-record  - Through 2009, Sean Ratliff was a .255/.308/.429 hitter in 188 minor league games for Brooklyn and Savannah with a week in St. Lucie. In 57 games in advanced-A as a 23-year old in 2010, he hit .275/.331/.432. Promoted to AA Binghamton, where he joined Teufel. The Stanford product erupted for a .317/.371/.562 line with 21 doubles and 16 home runs in 73 games. There are a few other recent examples (Daniel Murphy/Ike Davis) of guys’ numbers jumping a bit in concert with a move out of the offense-depressing Florida State League to  AA Binghamton



Cory Vaughn:

1-24-11 from: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/1/24/1951399/mets-farm-system-top-5-power-hitters  - Bloodlines certainly don't hurt Vaughn, the son of the one-time 50 home run masher Greg Vaughn. After being drafted in the fourth round this June, Cory wasted no time knocking ten bombs in his first 160 ab's. Vaughn went on to post a magnificent .250 ISO in his pro debut, finishing top 3 in the NYPL in homers, slugging, extra-base hits & RBI's, pretty much cementing his status as a potential middle-of-the-order threat. The 21-year old Vaughn possesses an ultra-athletic 6'3", 225lb frame which just oozes raw strength and allows for easy power to all fields as well as huge pull-side strength, figuring to cancel out the unfriendly righty dimensions at Citi. It remains to be seen whether Vaughn will continue to excel against more age-appropriate competition but he certainly possesses the kind of tools to project for big things.