12/22/11

Cutnpaste: - Cole Frenzel, Chuck James, Ike Davis, Darrell Ceciliani, Marc Kroon


12-7-11: - http://baseballdraftreport.com  - Like so many players we’ve talked about before, Arizona 1B Cole Frenzel’s greatest challenge will be hitting enough to warrant playing time at a position that demands consistent offensive excellence. A baseball pal who has seen Frenzel play a lot compared him to a poor man’s Jeff Cirillo at the plate. If he can play a few other positions passably, he could have a future as a four-corners utility guy. Also, there’s no way I’m the only guy who reads his name and immediately thinks of this guy, right?

Chuck James was picked up by the Mets after being released by the Minnesota Twins back in November. He posted a 6.10 ERA and no record in eight relief appearances across two two spells with the Twins this season. James spent the other five-and-a-half months of the year at Triple-A Rochester in the International League. He was 3-2 with a 2.30 ERA in 38 outings for the Red Wings. James has been a non-factor over the last three years at the big-league level. He hasn't been a full-timer since '07, and prior to in May with Minnesota, he had not thrown a pitch in the Majors since July 2008. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/987616-new-york-mets-2012-preview-what-to-expect-from-left-hander-chuck-james

I don’t know — your guess is as good as mine. Ike Davis has a long, uppercut swing that would seem to be prone to the streakiness that we’ve seen. But when he’s “on” — wow — he’s “on”. He has the propensity to hit majestic, towering homeruns. He can also take a walk. He has also shown an ability to go the other way. His fielding is stellar. On the down side, we’re not sure how much he’ll struggle against lefties, he tends to strike out quite a bit, and his already slow feet likely will be slower after the injury. Will he become an Adam Dunn type of player? Maybe. Or will be more like an Adam LaRoche? I think that’s the range for him from ceiling to floor, and if LaRoche is the floor, that’s not too bad. My guess is Ike Davis will fall somewhere in between the two Adams, and that’s fine by me. First, though, I want to see him healthy and on the field — let’s all keep our fingers crossed on that. http://www.metstoday.com/7305/11-12-offseason/2011-evaluation-ike-davis

12-19-11: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/12/19/2622862/2011-mets-minor-league-season-in-review-savannah-sand-gnats  - OF Darrell Ceciliani - STOCK DOWN - After a stellar 2010 with Brooklyn where he batted .355 with 33 extra-base hits in just 68 games, the '09 fourth rounder came back to Earth with a so-so campaign for the Gnats. His numbers were down in pretty much every department, most significantly his BABIP which dropped from .430 down to .327. And the scary thing is that's still kind of a high number. And while his average naturally took a huge hit as a result, the bigger concern is the nearly 200 point drop in slugging he experienced.  Now Savannah is a notorious pitchers paradise and like his underwhelming debut campaign Cecilliani battled some injuries this season. However, it's undeniable that the sky-high enthusiasm that many had for him last winter has to be dashed...at least somewhat.

On Sunday, The Baseball Historian posted an interview with early 1990s New York Mets prospect Marc Kroon. The Mets picked Kroon with their second round selection in the 1991 June Amateur Draft, their third overall pick that year. (New York had two picks in the first round, choosing high school outfielder Al Shirley with their first choice and California State University pitcher Bobby Jones with a supplemental choice received as compensation when Darryl Strawberry signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent.) The 6′ 2″ right-hander spent three years in the Mets organization before being traded to San Diego during the winter of 1993 for journeyman pitcher (and Brooklyn native) Frank Seminara.

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