2/15/12

Mets: 2012, Jordany Valdespin, Jason Bay, Rich Donnelly



The Mets’ payroll should be around $90 million this year. Alderson pointed out that there are some “misconceptions” about how far that figure has dropped in recent months; he said the on-field payroll is close to what it was at the end of the 2011 season — after Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez were gone. However one adds up the salaries, the Mets face a daunting task. They must contend with a division that Alderson said “rivals the American League East” in its competitive depth. The Mets’ best hope for a .500 season involves Santana, Wright and Jason Bay reviving their careers in the same year. If that doesn’t come to pass, they could finish last for the first time since Steve Trachsel was their No. 1 starter. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/mlb-teams-that-got-worse-over-offseason-Oakland-As-New-York-Mets-Chicago-White-Sox-Seattle-Mariners-Houston-Astros-021212  

2-10-12 - http://seedlingstostars.com/2012/02/10/s2s-2012-team-prospect-lists-new-york-mets/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter   - Shortstop: Jordany Valdespin. Valdespin hit .294/.333/.468 between Double-A and Triple-A, but at 24, he remains raw. He has solid-average contact ability and very good power for a middle infielder, but doesn’t walk much and gets caught once in every three steal attempts. He also fielded just .925 at shortstop this past season and may have to be more of a 2B/3B in the majors. He has skills and is near the big leagues, but there’s an eerie resemblance to Ian Desmond in his skillset. Grade: B-

But in my opinion, one of the more interesting questions has flown under the radar: Will Jason Bay return to the form he exhibited before signing with the New York Mets? I don’t know a single Mets fan that criticized the Bay signing prior to the 2010 season. But I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who likes it now. The reality is that the Mets have no choice but to put him out in left field every day. His contract is not movable and quite frankly, they have no other options. The positive part? He is an athlete with a lot to prove in this town — and he is determined to do it. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/02/14/coutinho-will-jason-bay-ever-be-a-core-bat-for-mets/

Twenty-six-year-old Rich Donnelly was ready to give up on baseball when he learned he was destined for a third season as catcher at Class AAA Denver in 1972. “I was upset I wasn’t going to be the first-string catcher, so I actually walked back from the spring training complex to the hotel in Plant City. I was going to quit.”  If he had, he would have missed out on one of the most bizarre, yet memorable, seasons in baseball history. And who knows if his career would have taken him to what became a 38-year career as professsional baseball coach, including a stint in 2011 with the Brooklyn Cyclones http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/news/topstories/index.html?article_id=1284

No comments: