6-1-12 - Daily Mets Minors Report

Date: 6-1-12

Mets:

There will more rumbling on the Mets roster in the next couple of weeks and we need to review that here.

The arrival of C Josh Thole and RP Elvin Ramirez, coupled with the DFAing of P Chris Schwinden and C Rob Johnson is just the beginning. Four more rehabs will be coming to an end, possibly beginning tomorrow (Pedro Beato), followed by P Jenrry Mejia, and ending next week with Miguel Batista and Chris Young

All I can is speculate that this point.

Assuming Chris Young works out, your Mets rotation will be Johan Santana, R A Dickey, Jon Niese, Young, and Dillon Gee. This eliminates the need for Pat Egbert, Chris Schwinden (released today), and Jeremy Hefner. It also eliminates any need for Batista would would most probably become the emergency SP6 , playing in Buffalo.

Beato and Mejia would join a pen of Bobby Parnell, Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Tim Byrdak, and… and… my guess is that Ramon Ramirez will stick around if for contract reasons only; however, room will have to made for Beato.

SS Gavin Cecchini and OF David Dahl worked out today for the Mets at Citi Field. Dahl commented it on Twitter           - “good workout with the mets today. going to the cardinals vs mets game tonight”. So much for “keep it under your cap, son”.

There’s a good chance one of these two high school seniors will be the 12^th pick. In my opinion, Dahl is a little more intriguing, though Cecchini projects as a Gold Glove second baseman some day.

AAA-Buffalo:

1B Josh Satin took one look at what I wrote about him this week and went yard in the first inning. Not really, but it sounds good. Everyone knows I’ve loved this bat the same way I loved Shawn Bowman, but the Mets math just never worked for these guys. I really wish the Mets would cut fish here and give the kid a chance to sign with a team where there’s a chance he could make it. Think Mike Carp here. You’re not a bad ballplayer just because you don’t make it as a Met.

Remember I said earlier this week that Satin will finish the season above .300. Well, he tried to do it tonight. Got to .282 after his first two (successful) at-bats. Who knows, could be in Queens tomorrow after the Mike Baxter injury tonight at Citi Field.

                                                                        -

This is a really, really important outing for Jeurys Familia. Players are being cut, moved around, and reassigned and it’s time he starts to show he can command either his changeup or curve. If he doesn’t his 94+ fastball and sick slider wind up in the Queens pen.

Familia has always started slow at different levels, but he still doesn’t pound the zone with three pitches. You can’t be a successful starter these days with only two pitches and the system is too deep to waste a slot.                                                               

Next year looks like Johan Santana, RA Dickey, Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, and Chris Young. There’s no room for Dillon Gee, no less Familia, and you have Zack Wheeler right behind him and Michael Fulmer right behind Wheeler. Big pitching train.

Forget the ERA or WHIP here. He needs to throw pitches he hasn’t been able to command. You can’t throw them against a barn anymore. There are only game time conditions and there are no minor league levels left.

He started big tonight, sitting at 94, ranging 92-95, and hitting 97 in the second inning.  Bigger news is a couple curve balls in the 2^nd. He has to throw this. He faced the minimum in the 4^th inning… after five innings:  1R, 5H, 3K, 0BB. 3 DP's. 66/44 strikes. Forget the homer. He had a quality start throwing three pitches throughout. THAT’S what starters do! Done: 6IP 3R 6H 4K 1BB. 91/59 strikes.  

AA-Binghamton:  

Baseball America had Zack Wheeler in their ‘Prospect Hot List” today, saying: “A first-round pick of the Giants in 2009, Wheeler is enjoying great success in his first season in Double-A. With a win yesterday against the Reading Phillies, Wheeler improved his season record to 5-2. Wheeler leads all Eastern League pitchers with 60 strikeouts through 53 innings, and his 1.88 ERA is fourth best in the league. In his last three starts, he has gone seven innings or more, earning the win in all three of those outings.”.

The world is Wheeler-sanity right now, which is fun, but let’s remember. Scouts still project him as a very successful… SP3. David Rubin told me to write that he’s on the record that Zack will be the Mets SP1 someday. Done, David.

I believe the scouts are wrong two, but I have him as a future SP2. My problem is I also have Matt Harvey as the SP2. Whatever.

2B Reese Havens breaks up a no-hitter in the 5^th inning with a home run. Weird day today.

RP Brandon Moore made his first appearance this season. He may be the only one of the suspension kids that stick with the team this year, because of his talent… walked first three batters faced.  

A+ - St. Lucie: -  

C Dock Doyle was released – you simply do not want to test positive about ANYTHING in this organization… go  to Google… determine the last 20 mets who tested positive and determine how many are still in the organization.

Named to the all-star team - Cory Mazzoni, Adam Kolarek, Chase Huchingson, Blake Forsythe, Wilmer Flores, Wilfredo Tovar and Cory Vaughn – you almost could have put this whole team on the… err… team.

Baseball America had Wilmer Flores on their ‘Prospect Hit List’ today, saying: That age listed above isn't a typo: Flores is still just 20 years old. He returned to the Florida State League for a third straight season (he'll likely reach 1,000 Florida State League at-bats next week) and is producing like never before. Flores hit three home runs this week to increase his season total to 10, a career high. His season line now stands at .330/.371/.543, after he had never produced an OPS above .758 in a full-season league. Scouts have never liked Flores' aggressive approach at the plate, but he has struck out in less than 10 percent of at-bats on the season and improved his walk rate for a third straight year. This season Flores has played exclusively at third base, after he played below-average defense at shortstop in his first four seasons.” The entire scouting world shakes their head when asked why this kid is still playing in Florida. One unnamed source told me “leave him alone… he’s only 20”.

Game was rained out, but the lineup card showed that CF Darrell Cecilliani was scratched for the second night without an explanation. The entire St. Lucie staff is famous for their stealth approach to media, and Fred probably doesn’t know why DC was pulled after grounding out the other night.

It hasn’t been a fun day in Metland today. A real nice guy was released (Chris Schwinden), others were cut (only name I got was C Dock Doyle), people were transferred without press releases (Tyler Pill), and one player told me on the phone “it’s Black Thursday around here… don’t ask me anything and keep me out of everything.” 

A – Savannah:

Quite the pitching duel tonight in the Coastal Empire. The Mets put up Rafael Montero, who many insiders feel has the highest ceiling of all the pitches in Savannah. Greensboro put up Josh Hodges.

Montero was lightning – 8.0-IP, 4-H, 0-R, 6-K, 0-BB, 2.43, but remember, it’s only A-ball.

A – Brooklyn:

Season starts June 18

Rookie – Kingsport:

Season starts June 19th

DSL Mets:

Season starts June 2^nd.