12-7-11: - http://baseballdraftreport.com - The first big overslot prep arm selected by the Mets was Deer Creek HS (OK) RHP Michael Fulmer. Fulmer’s big fastball is already a plus pitch and his hard slider is well on its way. Those two pitches, combined with a mature frame with little growth potential, have many thinking future reliever. As always, it comes down to the development of a usable third offering. If Fulmer’s changeup, splitter, or whatever, turns into a quality pitch, his ceiling gets elevated. Without having any knowledge of if or how he’ll manage that third pitch, he’s a future reliever. RHP Michael Fulmer (Deer Creek HS, Oklahoma): 90-94 FB, 97 peak; 83-85 SL; CU needs work; 6-2, 200 - Solid. That’s the word I’ve heard used most often to describe North Carolina State RHP Cory Mazzoni. He throws three pitches for strikes, showed steady improvement in three years in the ACC, and has the control to be trusted as a reliever if that’s where he ultimately winds up. He pitched well in limited pro innings, but continued to have difficulties keeping the ball on the ground. Not all successful pitchers get groundballs and not all groundball pitchers are successful, but the ability to keep the ball out of the air is really important for pitchers who lack premium stuff. Remember, Mazzoni’s repertoire is solid…not premium. Also, for what it’s worth, I’ve had people I trust tell me that all of Mazzoni’s reported mid- to upper-90s peak heat was all recorded on hot guns. Baseball America, based out of nearby (to Raleigh) Durham and likely to have had multiple staffers on site who have seen Mazzoni throw over the years, says he’s hit 97 MPH. I don’t know who to believe, but I figured I’d pass along my info and let you, John Q. Public, decide on whether or not to trust the industry leader or some fool with a free WordPress blog. Choose wisely!
It is December 8th, 2011, Major League Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings are well underway, and New York Met Jonathon Niese is one of the more valuable commodities in baseball. He has been for some time now: a six-foot-four, 25-year-old, left-handed starter who can locate both his fastballs and mix in a major-league change is a highly valued asset in any organization. The real draw with Niese, though, is his out-pitch: a bending 12-6 curve that, given a bit more time, could become dominant. He hasn't overwhelmed the NL East so far, but few pitchers in their early 20s do. Niese's strikeout-to-walk ratio has improved every season; his first year in the majors, just under 44 percent of his pitches that were put in play were groundballs. Last year, 51.5 percent. This is exactly the sort of development a team wants to see, because groundball contact leads to an out almost 80 percent of the time, and by definition, it cannot clear the fences. Meanwhile, the percentage of plate appearances against him that end in a base on balls has dropped by half since he entered the league—from 11.6 percent in 2008 to 6.3 percent in 2011. By his peripherals, he is a fine young pitcher for any team to have in the back of its rotation, and if his development continues, he'll be moving to the front quickly. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15644
Now when I say fat, I mean overweight for my age/height. Not P.H.A.T., which would be cooler. In the 9th grade I was about 5'4'' and 170 lbs. Chunky, for lack of a better term (See picture below for reference). Up until my fateful 9th grade year I was very confident in my athletic abilities. Growing up I played just about every sport a boy in Atlanta could. Baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, street hockey, flag football (no real football at my school). If there was a projectile object and any sort of goal, I was playing. Then came JV basketball tryouts. We had a good team the year before, and returned nearly all the starters. There were just enough open spots for about six 9th graders to make the team. I had always fancied myself one of the best athletes in the grade (despite my stature, speed and pudginess). In my mind there was no way that I would fall behind the 6 other classmates and not make the team. I was wrong. I went into the coach's office and was told, in no uncertain terms, that my general body shape was not going to be an asset on the basketball court. I was crushed. Having not made the basketball team and watching Greg Maddux dominate yet another year, I made up my mind that there was only one sport out there for me. Baseball! - http://adayolderadaywiser.blogspot.com/2011/12/pitching-and-soft-bodies.html
It is tempting to respond to this week’s topic with, “Frank Viola is perhaps the only member of the early 1990s Mets that no one ever said anything bad about,” or, “He spent a season pitching to Mackey Sasser and still won 20 games,” but that would diminish a fine career to mere humor. It is more fitting to focus on Viola’s role in resuscitating a down franchise. After winning from 91 to 102 games in six of nine seasons from 1962 to 1970, the Twins had gotten lost in the Me Decade, fielding a series of occasionally decent but mostly unspectacular clubs. They finally crashed in 1981with a team whose best player and pitcher were John Castino and Doug Corbett. With their farm system popping, the Twins decided to blow things up and start over, turning over the team to Tim Laudner, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky—and Frank Viola. The 1982 Twins lost 102 games, but they were on their way to being a better team. By 1984, Viola had established himself as the ace of the staff and an indispensible part of the 1987 champions—a team that won despite having only two strong starting pitchers, Bert Blyleven and Viola himself. —Steven Goldman http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15671#.TuikZD98xWU.twitter
After playing with the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2008, Havens spent all of 2009 at high-A St. Lucie, accumulating 430 PA while batting .247/.361/.422 with 14 homers. While the batting average is nothing to write home about, Havens demonstrated his keen eye, turning in a 12.8% walk rate. The following season Havens split between St. Lucie and Binghamton and got off to a hot start. Over a combined 140 PA, Havens hit .312/.386/.592 with nine homers and a 10.0% walk rate. Then Havens encountered what he thought was oblique trouble. As it turned out, one of Havens’ rib was pressing against the other, and he underwent a procedure to remove an inch from one of his ribs. The surgery delayed the start of Havens’ season, but once recovered, he returned to hitting. Outside of three games at St. Lucie, Havens spent most of the season at Binghamton. Between the two clubs, he hit .288/.373/.455 with six homers and an 11.4% walk rate in 255 PA. Across his minor league career, Havens owns a .269/.366/.463 batting line with an 11.8% walk rate and averaging a homer every 28.8 plate appearances. His 21.3% strikeout rate is a little high, but that is somewhat acceptable if he can draw walks and hit homers http://risingapple.com/2011/12/14/fresh-apples-reese-havens
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