Cutnpaste: - David Wright, Scout Fraud, Capuano, Angel Pagan, and Bobby Bonilla

David Wright:

As someone who follows the Mets closely I've heard quite a lot over the years about how David Wright is a streaky hitter. This term gets tossed around routinely in baseball circles. There has been a lot of work done to examine whether their is such a thing as "getting hot", and generally speaking every hitter will enjoy some degree of "hot" or "cold" streak throughout a 162 game season. But rather than dismiss the idea I thought I would examine the extent to which Wright is volatile--how often does he contribute positively to the Mets' chances of winning and, when he doesn't, how long and deep are those time periods? How drastic are his daily swings in performance? Has he become more or less volatile over his career? - BTBS  



Scout Fraud:

Authorities in the Dominican Republic have accused a baseball scout of fraud and of falsifying documents to obtain professional contracts for talented players. Police said in a statement Tuesday that the arrest of Victor Baez is part of a new push to investigate scouts they say are selling false hopes to young players. Baez has for many years run a well-known development program for local standouts that have gone on to play in the United States. Police did not identify any players that might be involved in the case and refused further comment. - espn  



Capuano:

Of the two new additions, Capuano has the most upside and the greatest likelihood of bringing signifiant positive value to the roster. He was worth 6.9 rWAR combined in 2005 and 2006 when he averaged 220 innings, 7.1 strikeouts per game, and 2.8 walks per game. That kind of upside wouldn't come with a paltry $1.5 million price tag if Capuano's 2011 forecast weren't shrouded in uncertainty. He had Tommy John surgery in 2002 and again in 2008 and has thrown just 66 innings in the last three years. The good news is that his velocity last season was 87.4 MPH, which is right back where it was before his most recent elbow reconstruction and might even have been a half-tick higher. - amazinavenue.  



Angel Pagan:

Outfielder – Now has 1,009 plate appearances over the past two years that say, “Hey! I’m really awesome at just about everything.” One of the ten or eleven best outfielders in baseball, and a worthy successor to Carlos Beltran in center field. Pagan is arbitration eligible for the next two seasons, but probably won’t make too much because his skill set is varied and undervalued. - bleacherreport.



Bobby Bonilla:

The most hated Met in team history, but still produced during his first stint with the team. Everyone says Bonilla didn’t produce like he did with the Pirates, but the numbers are very similar, and he developed better power during his Mets days. His ’95 season (18, 53, .325 batting average), would have been one of the better performances in Mets history if he wasn’t traded to Baltimore. Would have been served better as a second banana than the main offensive cog. He seemed to fit that role well in Pittsburgh, Florida, and Baltimore. - link