11-23-11: - http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.js p?ymd=20111110&content_id=25949502&fext=.j sp&vkey=news_milb&partnerId=rss_nym - Shortstop -- Danny Muno, Brooklyn (59 games): Embarking on his first pro season, Muno led all Mets farmhands with at least 200 at-bats in hitting (.355) and was in Ted Williams territory with his torrid second half (.396). The New York-Penn League midseason All-Star also impressed with a 43-39 walk-to-strikeout ratio, while his .466 on-base percentage led the league. "I don't think many players had a better year than Danny Muno. He did everything," DePodesta said, adding that Muno has a chance to continue his career at shortstop.
Lucas Duda should be helped out by the Mets’ decision to move in the fences at Citi Field. While he hit his homers, like Davis, deep enough that the right-field wall might not have been a problem, his ability to hit to the opposite field will likely allow him to keep his swing intact and hit more homers. He also noted that with his limited speed, the fences moving in could help him as much defensively as offensively. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=teamreports-2011-mlb-nym
So the only question becomes, "can he win?" Provided he's learned from his previous experiences with the Mets and is able to make adjustments to how he relates to upper management and to star players, without changing the essence of who he is and how he does things in the room, then he can absolutely win. The good thing about Bobby Valentine's reputation with veteran players is that having been out of the league for ten years, a lot of those veteran players like Cliff Floyd and Tom Glavine who made no bones about how they feel about Bobby are out of the league. So just as the current Mets gave Terry Collins a clean slate coming in and paid little to no attention to his past, the current Red Sox roster will give Valentine a clean slate as well. If Valentine's relationships with star players stay positive and don't deteriorate to the level that it did with Hundley, the Sox will be fine. That's up to both player(s) and manager to work out. Seeing that the reason Valentine's here is to clean out any real or perceived nonsense, it will be up to the players a little bit more. It'll certainly be a culture shock for these players, but if they didn't need it, Valentine wouldn't be here. http://www.metstradamusblog.com/2011-articles/november/eye-black-is-back.html
The Mets are among the at least half-dozen teams that have inquired seriously about Oakland closer Andrew Bailey, a person familiar with those talks told The Post. However, the A’s are selling high on the righty and currently do not believe the Mets have the necessary pieces to obtain Bailey, a two-time All-Star and the 2009 AL Rookie of the Year. The Reds, Rangers and Blue Jays are among the teams that are pursuing Bailey, a New Jersey native who went to college at Wagner. Oakland has made it clear it wants bats, preferably outfield bats, for Bailey, who has 75 saves and a 2.07 ERA over three seasons. In Lucas Duda, Fernando Martinez and Kirk Nieuwenhuis, the Mets have some potential fits. But Martinez’s value has decreased with his continuing inability to stay healthy. Scouts from opposing teams see Nieuwenhuis as either a complementary starter or fourth outfielder. And, for now, Duda is the Mets’ starting right fielder and probably too valuable to them to include in a trade for a closer. http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/mets_eye_bailey_qvOvEnSpPlng8QgrlN9x0I#ixzz1fHs8OdB4
Barring injury, Josh Thole is almost certainly going to catch more often than any other Met in 2012. There are few everyday catchers available as free agents and fewer available in a trade the Mets would make. It could be a good thing; in a perfect world, Thole will get better and better the more he plays. But I’m concerned that he’s already taken his athleticism as far as possible with the old school receiving techniques that the Mets organization taught him; he might improve using different mechanics, but it’s highly unlikely he’ll have the opportunity to learn them. Further, Thole may not have the typical, strong personality of a backstop. While he works hard, plays hard, can handle the physicality of the position, and isn’t afraid to get dirty, his body language and actions display him more as a “follower” rather than a leader, and he seems to lack confidence; in fact, he’s borderline meek. Catchers usually have a more “type A” personality — one who takes charge and commands respect. That’s generally not something that can be learned — you either have it, or you don’t. http://www.metstoday.com/7234/11-12-offseason/2011-evaluation-josh-thole
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