2-22-13 – Prospect Camp, Zack Wheeler, Fred Wilpon, Joe Spector, Hansel Robles

Rick Peterson‏ - @RickPeterson3P

                 Best of luck to Greg Burke

42 Mets minor leaguers have been invited to the ‘top-prospect’ camp that opens on Friday. This is when you learn that the team thinks you have a future with the team. This year’s list is:

P – Matt Bowman, Luis Cessa, Jacob deGrom, Miller Diaz, Michael Fulmer, Erik Goeddel, Chase Huchingson, Matt Koch, Jake Kuebler, Rainy Lara, Luis Mateo, Steven Matz, Alex Panteliodis, Greg Peavey, Tyler Pill, Chris Schwinden, Noah Syndergaard, Domingo Tapia, Logan Taylor, Logan Verrett, Gabriel Ynoa

(not invited – Mark Cohoon, Angel Cuan, Julian Hilario, Cory Owalt, Chris Flexen, TJ Chism, Adam Kolarek, Taylor Whitenton, Jeff Walters, Tyler Vandenheiden, Zack Dotson, Carlos Vasquez)

C – Albert Cordero, Blake Forsythe, Jeff Glenn, Kai Gronauer, Cam Maron, Francisco Pena, and Kevin Plawecki

(not invited – Tomas Nido, Nefli Zapata)

IF – Eric Campbell, Gavin Cecchini, Phillip Evans, Richard Lucas, Danny Muno, Matt Reynolds, Aderlin Rodriguez

(not invited – J.C. Gamboa, Y. De La Cruz, Rylan Sandoval, Robbie Shields, Ismael Tijerna, Brian Harrison, Cole Frenzel)

OF – Darrell Cecilliani, Gilbert Gomez, Alonzo Harris, Dustin Lawley, Brandon Nimmo, Travi Taijeron, Cory Vaughn

(not invited – Charlie Thurber, Eudy Pena, Greg Pron, Stefan Sabol, Bradley Marguez, Vincente Lupo)

Zack Wheeler

Zack Wheeler threw from the mound on one of the fields yesterday and basically stopped everyone in their tracks. There aren’t that many players that can make Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, Ike Davis, and David Wright stand there and watch the future throw by them. Some comments by Mets:

Marlon Byrd - “It’s not just him looking like a big leaguer, it’s him looking like a No. 1”

Justin Turner - “That’s the first time I’ve seen him throw in person and he’s got some late life on his fastball. It kind of jumps on you, and we’re talking the late explosion that [Stephen] Strasburg has on his fastball. I was impressed.”

Terry Collins - “He’s the real deal, there is no doubt. There’s a tremendous light at the end of the tunnel here.”

Metstradamus

But is it any surprise that ridiculousness reigns when the Wilpons are involved, whether it's proclaiming that your financial woes are over after almost everybody has been signed (like calling somebody when you know they're not home when you don't want to speak to them), yet can't even sign Jose Valverde unless they can get him for free. Or calling David Wright your version of Jeter just months after he called Wright "not a superstar". Or when Jeffy continues to awkwardly talk smack to players like he's a part of the team when the Chief Operating Officer couldn't operate an Office Depot much less a baseball franchise. The Mets play the Nationals on Saturday. And not a moment too soon. Because when the biggest development to come out of the first two weeks of spring is that Jenrry Mejia's name is actually Jenrry Mejia, it's time for games to start.

                        I love John’s writings. He hides behind humor so well, yet, at the same time, his criticisms can be quite biting. Coppinger can say the same thing as, say, Mark Healey, and he comes off cute while Mark sort of hits you with a hockey puck in the middle of your skull. If I wrote this way they'd say I'm some old crusty fart.

We’re all seriously in need of a baseball game and the spring schedule that starts this weekend should give us some new material. I was reminded of just how down I am on this team this week when I took place in an interview (see the post ‘Negativity’ later this week). We need to all get past this Wilpon shit and get back to baseball. 

Joe Specter

Unlike the majority who see the darkness in this poem, I take the positive from it.  I don’t try to dwell on the flaws this team of ours have.  We know it as well as a geneticist knows what composes DNA.  The Mets are in our DNA, it’s who we are, for better or worse and as long as there’s a hope for the future –and there almost always is even in our team’s darkest days—we stand true.  We argue we root, we hem and haw.  We sometimes take it too far and retract, remembering our roots.  But we come.  Every Spring, we come.

Anthony DiComo -  ‏@AnthonyDiComo

Four Mets officials, including Wilpon, crowded around to see Hansel Robles throw. Front office has been raving about him this spring.

Yesterday, it was Zack Wheeler. Today, it was the 5-11 RHP Robles who went lights out (6-1, 1.11, 12-G, 12-starts, 72.2-IP, 66-K) for Brooklyn last year. @013 will be the fifth year in the system for Robles (23-yrs old in-season) and was put on the 40-man to make sure the Mets evaluate this one correctly. So far, so good:

                        2009 –  DSL -   5-4, 2.91, 15-G, 9-Starts, 58.2-IP, 60-K

                        2010 –  DSL -  3-3, 3.09, 14-G, 12-Starts, 67.0-IP, 51-K

                        2011 –  Kingsport – 3-1, 2.68, 15-G, 0-starts, 37.0-IP, 42.K

                        2012 -  Brooklyn – 6-1, 1.11, 12-G, 12-starts, 72.2-IP, 66-K

My guess is he will bypass Savannah and leave his Cyclone buddies behind. The fastball sits in the 91-92 range, and can hit 94. He throws a slider and curve, but neither is a + pitch. No, it’s the downhill plain fastball that could get him to the majors, probably as either an 8^th inning guy or a closer. Until then, he’s start and work on his secondary slider and curve.