3/31/13

TTF - Mock Top 108





11. New York Mets — Reese McGuire, C, Kentwood HS (WA)
The best defensive catcher in the 2013 MLB draft, the 6’-1” hits from the left side and can rake. Over six games this season, he is 8-for-16 (.500) with four doubles, a triple, home run and has walked five times to no strikeouts for a .636 OBP/1.063 SLG. He put on a clinic for U18 Team USA over the summer, hitting .462 (12-for-26) with four doubles, 11 RBI, eight walks and a .583 OBP over nine games as Team USA won the gold in Seoul, South Korea.


48. New York Mets — Jeremy Martinez, C, Mater Dei HS (CA)
A polished player who is a two-time gold medal winner for U18 Team USA, Martinez is a very good defensive catcher but some question his hit tool. Over seven games this season, he is hitting just .150 (3-for-20) but he has drawn five walks to no strikeouts, so the average should start to rise. A true leader and a very high understanding of the game.


76. New York Mets — Casey Shane, RHP, Centennial HS (TX)
Shane is a 6’-4”, 200-pound right-hander with a nasty, sinking fastball that sits in the low 90s. He also features a mid-80s change-up and low-80s curveball that both project to above-average. His mechanics need some work as his hip turn in his delivery may account for his command issues. A lot of projection due to his size and already above-average arsenal.


84. New York Mets — Christian Arroyo, INF, Hernando HS (FL)
Arroyo, the MVP of gold medal winning U18 Team USA at the 2012 World Championships, has been shooting up 2013 MLB draft boards because of his all-around play this season. Over 10 games, he is hitting .514 (18-for-35) with three doubles, a triple, three home runs, 10 RBI and has stolen five bases. He has also drawn six walks for a .605 OBP and .914 SLG. A highly intelligent player who can play almost everywhere in the infield, his progress as a hitter have him rising up 2013 MLB draft boards.

Read more at http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2013-mlb-draft-4/30877/#bHckWjvzowCzJ9sl.99




March Mock Madness




March is coming to an end and we’re getting closer to the June draft. We’ve averaged together all of the March mock drafts on the net and here is the current ranking of available players, both high school and college:

1.  OF   Clint Frazier             Loganville HS (GA)
2.  OF   Austin Meadows      Grayson HS (GA)
3.  LHP Sean Manaea          Indiana State
4.  RHP Jonathan Gray                Oklahoma
5.  RHP Mark Appel              Stanford
6.  3B-OF  Kris Bryant          San Diego
7.  RHP   Ryne Stanek          Arkansas
8.  C    Jonathan Denny       Yukon HS (OK)
9.  RHP   Kohl Stewart          St. Pius X HS (TV)
10.              SS  J.P. Crawford    Lakewood HS (CA)
11.              3B    Collin Moran    North Carolina
12.              C      Reese McGuire       Kentwood HS (WA)
13.              LHP Trey Ball         New Castle HS (IN)
14.              1B    Dominic Smith   Serra HS (CA)
15.              LHP   Kevin Ziomek                Vanderbilt
16.              OF   Ryan Boldt       Red Wing HS (MN)
17.              RHP   Chris Anderson     Jacksonville
18.              LHP   Ian Clarkin     James Madison HS (CA)
19.              RHP   Braden Shipley              Nevada
20.              LHP   Marco Gonzalez            Gonzaga
21.              RHP   Ryan Eades                   LSU        
22.              OF   Austin Wilson         UCLA
23.              RHP   Jonathan Crawford        Florida    
24.              OF     Phillip Ervin           Samford
25.              SS     Oscar Mercado      Gaither HS (FL) 
26.              RHP   Bobby Wahl                   Mississippi  
27.              OF     Justin Williams      Terrebone HS (LA)
28.              RHP    Jordan Sheffield           Tullahoma
29.              RHP   Caros Salazar       Kerman HS 
30.              SS     Andy McGuire       James Madison HS  
31.              LHP   Robert Kaminsky   St. Joseph HS (NJ) 
32.              RHP    Trevor Williams    Arizona State
33.              OF     Aaron Judge          Fresno State
34.              SS     Drew Ward            Leedey HS (OK)
35.              LHP   Stephen Gonsalves   Cathedral HS (CA)
36.              RHP   Clinton Hollon       Woodford HS (KY)
37.              RHP    Dustin Driver        Wenachee HS (WA)
38.              3B-1B  D J Peterson        New Mexico 
39.              LHP    Matt Krook            St. Ignatius Prep (CA)
40.              RHP     Andrew Mitchell   TCU 
41.              LHP    Jonah Wesley      Tracy HS (CA) 
42.              RHP    Brett Morales       King HS (FL) 
43.              C      Nick Ciuffo              Lexington HS (SC)
44.              C      Chris Okey             Eustis HS (FL) 
45.              RHP    Connor Jones      Great Bridge HS (VA)
46.              RHP   Andrew Thurman     UC Irvine 
47.              OF   Michael Lorenzen    CSF
48.              C    Jeremy Martinez       Mater Dei HS (CA) 
49.              RHP    Hunter Harvey      Bandys HS (NC) 
50.              RHP     Trey Masek         Texas Tech     

March Mock Madness - You Make The Pick





March is coming to an end and we’re getting closer to the June draft.

We’ve averaged together all of the March mock drafts on the net and here is the current ranking of available players, both high school and college:

Here, according to the experts, will be the first 10 picks:

1.  OF   Clint Frazier             Loganville HS (GA)

2.  OF   Austin Meadows      Grayson HS (GA)

3.  LHP Sean Manaea          Indiana State

4.  RHP Jonathan Gray        Oklahoma

5.  RHP Mark Appel              Stanford

6.  3B-OF  Kris Bryant          San Diego

7.  RHP   Ryne Stanek          Arkansas

8.  C    Jonathan Denny       Yukon HS (OK)

9.  RHP   Kohl Stewart          St. Pius X HS (TV)

10.              SS  J.P. Crawford    Lakewood HS (CA)

Okay... you're Sandy Alderson and you're on the clock. Here's some of the names still on the board:

RHP - Bobby Wahl, Jordon Sheffield, Jonathan Crawford, Ryan Eades, Carlos Salazar, Chris Anderson, Braden Shipley

LHP - Marco Gonzalez, Trey Ball, Robert Kaminsky, Kevin Ziomek, Ian Clarkin

C - Reese McGuire

1B - Dominic Smith

SS - Oscar Mercado, Andy McGuire

3B - Collin Moran

OF - Austin Wilson, Justin Williams, Ryan Boldt, Phillip Ervin




Q and A - Mike Olt


Zack Biju to me -



 Mack,
Thanks for the work you do on the site.  It ‘s very informative.  My question is about getting ready for 2014.  I think the Mets are really only a good Right Fielder away from competing in 2014 … no, I don’t think they’d challenge the Nats for NL east title, but could certainly make a run at one of the WC spots. I think the rotation of Harvey, Wheeler, Niese, Montero, one of Gee/Hefner/Mejia and a bullpen anchored by DeGrom, Familia, and Parnell in 7,8,9 roles and Edgin as the primary lefty could be very good.  Potential line-up could look something like this:  Valdespin (lf), Flores (2b), Wright, Davis, RFer, D’Arnaud, Den Dekker, Tejada.  I’m assuming Den Dekker can hit around .230 with 15+ HRs … that should be acceptable with his D. 
So, my question is what would the Mets have to give up to get someone like Mike Olt?  Theoretically, Mets could have Buck, Duda, Murphy, one of Gee/Hefner available to trade at the deadline this summer.  Could some package of these players plus a minor league arm like Mateo get it done?  I don’t want to trade Syndergaard.  A future (starting 2015?) rotation of Wheeler, Harvey, Niese, Syndergaard, Montero could make us dominant for a while, and frankly, I think is necessary to compete with the Nats.  You never know when any one of these pitchers will get hurt or fail … so, really don’t want to give up Fulmer or Tapia either.  It’s not often a team gets to have the kind of pitching depth the Mets have in the farm, and I think it’s prudent to be very stingy with those arms in potential trades.
Thanks for your thoughts,

Zach P.

First of all, thank you for your readership and your email.

Your first paragraph seems to have the 2014 team tagged and, yes, it is pretty close to a winner. I project this team out sort of like the Nationals over the past four years... 10 more wins a year beginning in 2014.

I think you're being aggressive asking den Dekker to hit 15-HRs in 2014, but, you are right, a .230 batting average would be fine for a guy that's going to win you three games with his glove.

Regarding Olt, here's the problem.

The game is changing as I write this. Today alone, Justin Verlander and Buster Posey received long term extensions. This is the future of this game. Teams are going to be built with draft picks and UDFA out of Latin America. Players that excel during their minor league career will be offerrd 3-5 year extensions beginning with their first arbitration year. No one is going to let their talent run away, and, because most of these years were under team control, the team received quite a discount for their services over the long run.

Future monies will be invested in more extensive scouting systems and better training facilities throughout the system.

Olt is not Wilmer Flores or Aderlin Rodriguez, who are both one dimensional and show no ability to play the corner outfield positions. The projection is he can easily move over to first or play either corner, so there is no immediate pressure to trade him or Adrian Beltre.

Frankly, you have a better chance of working out a deal for Beltre and taking over his last two years (2014-2015) for $35mil. 

Remember, this is a team that is going to lose OF Nelson Cruz after the 2013 season as well as C A.J. Pierzynski and OF David Murphy. The last thing this team is going to do is trade away a guy this young and talented that is still under team control for 5 more years.




Mack Ade – Morning Report – 3-31-13


       


Well, $40 more came in and the donation total with one day to do in March is $420. We fell $80 short but what a month! Thanks again and I won’t bother you again until the season is over and we’re drowning in our beers J. Again, thank you all and God bless.


Thanks to Tommy2Cat for talking into dropping my article on a possible racial divide in the Mets minor league clubhouse. Subjects like this one are hard to confirm and even harder to write about and I don’t want to get lopped in with all the radical Mets bloggers out there. I don’t need an excuse to piss off the 17 readers I got left here, right J


The regular season starts next week and so does the format at Mack’s Mets. The 8am post will remain but it will be followed up to 12noon with the results and details of the four full season minor league teams from the night before. This will then be followed by original articles from the other Mack’s Mets writers and the day will end with draft stuff.


JD@Section51828m - Ed Coleman said Aderlin Rodriguez actually stopped at the dugout for high fives before rounding the bases on Wheeler.


The Mets have released P Brad Holt, P Danny Herrera, P Craig Hansen,OF Mike Wilson, OF Corey Patterson, OF Pedro Zapata & INF Brandon Brown


Baltimore signed pitcher Freddy Garcia to a minor league contract

Rockies option Tyler Colvin to Triple-A

Cubs released Hayden Simpson less than three years after drafting him 16th overall

Giants trade Scott Proctor traded to Baltimore for cash considerations

Reese Havens outright to Las Vegas

Oakland claimed pitcher Josh Stinson off waivers from the
Milwaukee Brewers and optioned him to Midland (TL).


Ken Davidoff on Sandy Alderson - link

3/30/13

Q and A - Sandy Alderson


Michael Scannell
1:52 PM (28 minutes ago)
to me

I do believe in Alderson as the new Cashen.  I also agree with the point he made that Alderson's pursuit of Bourn and Upton
shows that he's ready to move onto the next phase.  We'll be thankful that he struck out on these two when next offseason comes
around and he adds better options.  Sometimes the best moves are the ones not made.  We're getting two new OF for 2014, maybe even three.You know who I want - Stanton and one of Gordon, Ethier, Markakis, or Choo.


Mack - 

Michael, I don't know...

I really like what Alderson has done, but, in my opinion, he hasn't done enough.

He seems to have a cavalier attitude that the entire baseball world needs to knock down his door. He really screwed up the Upton/Bourn situtation. The Mets should have one of them in their outfield right now.

I'm very, very unimpressed with his 2-year draft class. All the experts have the three kids he traded for in the top 25-30 prospects in baseball, but 90% have no one else from the system. The team is ranked 16th in system talent. Where would this ranking be without these three kids?

The first thing I want him to do (to impress me) is to double the scouting staff, especially internationally. 

Secondly, enough of the surprise names with the early picks in the draft. Go Matt Harvey-like and stay there until you run out of money.

The system under Omar Minaya has produced some very good players. What has Alderson's people done? Well, it's too early to tell, but write these names down... Ahmed Rosario, Alfredo Reyes, Pedro Perez, Manuel Hilario, and Wuilmer Beccera...  out the list in your desk for three years and pull it out in 2016. We'll see how he did then.

Alderson will not have a chance to win me over until, first, the draft, and then, the all-star break. Ask me then what I think.


Mets Cuts and old "Keeper" Information



These are the Mets cuts from yesterday and some of the information I had saved from my old “Keepers” series.

P Brad Holt:

The Mets picked Holt in the supplemental portion of the 1st round in the 2008 draft. College stats:  3.18 ERA, 11-1, 93.1 IP, 78 H, 36 BB, 95 K, .225 BAA, 8 HR allowed
Holt pitched the day before the draft… threw 149 pitches and was clocked at 94 in the 9th inning.
In 2008, Holt was spot on for Brooklyn, going 5-3, 1.87 in 14 starts. He also struck out 96 batters in 72.1 IP. Holt won the Sterling Award as the the top Met player for the 2008 Brooklyn team.
5-29-10: -  Brad Holt got one more shot at starting last night and he past the test. I remember talking to Rick Waits out on the back mounds about Holt in the spring of 2009 and he told me that the emphasis last year would be on creating secondary pitches for Holt. I left that day thinking his ERA would be up for 2009 (which it was) simply because you’re going to have to throw these new pitches during game time condiditons. Well, it hasn’t worked, and now Holt’s velocity on his fastball is in question. Listen, if you’re a one pitch pitcher, it better be a fastball… and if it’s a fastball, you’re a bullpen pitcher… and if you’re a one pitch fastball pitcher with lost velocity… well, you’re playing in the Central Park League.
6-23-10: - Well, sending him back to St. Lucie doesn’t seem to be the answer to Holt’s woes. He pitched last night, giving up five runs, four earners, in 4.0-IP. That’s a 9.00 ERA, still up in the range of his 10.20 in Binghamton. Only two strikeouts and eight hits against him; yes, eight hits in four innings. Boy, if there was ever a pitcher that needs to be shut down…
6-30-10 from: - Holt had a rare good outing Tuesday night, though it was at the A+ level, at least one level below where he should be dominating at this stage in his professional career. Stats were: 5.0-IP, 1-ER, 2-H, 1-WP, 5-K, and still 5-BB. This is the best he’s been all year long and the last thing we should be applauding is five walks and one wild pitch in five innings, but in his case, we’ll take what we can right now. Holt’s A+ record now is 1-1, 5.00… combined A+/AA: 2-6, 9.00. Far from prospect material.
7-17-10: - look, it’s not every day that you get a chance to write something good about a Brad Holt outing. The young man did good last night, going: 5.0-IP. 1-ER, 7-K, 3-BB… forget the yearly stats; we’ll take one good outing and take it from there. BTW… the word from the Mets pitching coaches is there really isn’t anything wrong with the kid’s velocity, or mechanics. He simply is pitching like shit this year. Regarding last night, we’ll take it.
8-4-10: - Holt got off to a decent start last night, but, in the end, this was just another bad outing in a series of many this season. 4.2-IP, 5-R, 4-ER, 2-BB, 2-HBP. He’s started 10 games for the B-Mets (1-5, 10.20) and now he’s 2-5, 5.85 for St. Lucie… add to that a 6.21 ERA last year for Binghamton, and one must now question whey he remains in the rotation. Everyone around him says that Holt’s velocity remains high, but this is a one pitch pitcher that tends to be dominate in the first two inning pitched. They call this… a reliever.
8-21-10: - Stock Down: -  SP Brad Holt pitched again Friday night for St. Lucie and didn’t fair well: 5.1-IP, 5-H, 3-ER, 6-K, 5-BB, 3-WP.  Holt’s A+ stats this year are 2-7, 6.26, 1.79. These look great compared to his AA stats ( 1-5, 10.20). It’s late in the season and there shouldn’t be much movement in players anymore, so it’s safe to assume that Holt will finish this season as a rotational pitcher for Lucy. The ex-suppliment 1st rounder has been around long enough now to have developed something other than his fastball, which is obviously being sat on. The three wild pitches are simply embarrassing at this point. Mets minor league pitching coach guru has said numerous times that there is nothing mechanically wrong with Holt’s delivery, so one tends to start realizing that this looks to be another wasted high round pick. I’m sure the Mets will move him to the pen next year, especially since he’s not ready for AA, and there are plenty of more successful starters in Savannah and Brooklyn that deserve their shot. Shame. I thought this was a live one.
1-7-11: - -word seems to be that Brad Holt is going to be given another shot at an SP slot in 2001, probably at the AA level, The problem is, there already is five guys slotted there, with five more backed up at St. Lucie. Details at 11. Still, Holt easily has the God given talent to be more successful than most of the guys in the AAA/AA rotations. You can’t teach tools and Holt has them. He has pro-like velo and movement to boot. Let’s keep a candle lit.
4-9-11: - In Binghamton, Brad Holt got the nod as the starter. Frankly, we weren’t sure he would get another chance in a Mets rotation. I spent a lot of time watching this guy pitch and, I’m telling you, there is nothing wrong with his ability. I stand by my opinion that the Mets just kept screwing with his mechanics to a point that Brad lost confidence on the mound. Well, Holt past the test. He pitched 5.0 innings, did not give up a run, struck out three, but did walk two. He also only gave up three hits. This, like Jeurys Familia the night before, is great news from a starter that has had control problems
4-21-11: - You know what I think about this roster. That saying, Brad Holt is an important part of the Mets future and it’s vitally important (to his head) that he keeps pitching well this season.  He kept it up tonight posting: 6.0-IP, 2-H, 1-ER, 6-K, 2-BB. ERA “soars” to 0.50. Only three stats, but could he be back?
5-7-11: - Interesting outing by Brad Holt. He obviously had a control problem, giving up five walks in four innings. His pitch count was killed early, but the good news: 0-R and only 2-H. Season ERA: 2.59. They’re letting him pitch this year, but he has given up 9-BB in his last 6.1-IP... 17 walks/22 Ks.  We don’t know what the coaches told him to throw so we have no idea how bad of any outing this was. Remember, in the minors, a pitcher could be told to pitch 25% of his pitching in a particular outing (just like Greg Peavey was told to do last Sunday for Savannah) using his weakest pitch. That’s how they learn.
5-14-11: - Those of us that do this for a living were quite excited when SP Brad Holt got off to a great start this year, but that might be coming to an end. He has now pitched seven games (34.2-IP) and has almost as many walks (20) as strikeouts (24). This includes 10 in his last two outings. I can’t see the Mets moving him out of the rotation yet, but, if this continues, he will be re-targeted to the pen and, hopefully, make Queens someday that way.
5-19-11: - You may remember how wonderful it was early this season to see SP Brad Holt eliminate the control problems he suffered from last year. No one has ever questioned his talent. It was just that fact that he couldn’t hit the barn that concerned a few of us. Well, last year’s Brad is an understatement compared to what we saw on Thursday in New Hampshire.  Holt went into this game with 10 walks in the past two starts. No big deal. He had eight in 4.0-IP for this game. That’s 18-BB in 11.1-IP. I’m sure he’ll stay in the rotation because the Mets are determined not to rush any of the prospects kids below this level. Jeurys Familia has already arrived and Matt Harvey will stay where he is during the first half of the St. Lucie season.
5-24-11: - Mets Minor League Pitching Coordinator Rick Tomlin to Matt Eddy/BA on Holt: - “The stuff is there. The ability is there. With some guys, their mechanics need to be straightened out. …. And for some (like Holt), it’s all about how they handle the mental side of pitching.”
5-31-11: - In the past four starts RHP Brad Holt has posted: 18.2-IP, 13-H, 16-BB, 15-R. It’s not easy to find a pitcher that gives up more walks than hits. This is the same Brad Holt who’s first 18 innings this year yielded 9-H, 2-R, and 5-BB.
7-13-11: - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/765098-new-york-mets-dillon-gee-and-the-mets-top-10-young-pitching-prospects#/articles/765098-new-york-mets-dillon-gee-and-the-mets-top-10-young-pitching-prospects/page/2   In his first season with the Brooklyn Cyclones, he broke the minor league team franchise record with 96 strikeouts (including 14 in one six-inning performance). His fastball now reaches 93-95 mph, and he has been clocked at 97 mph after reaching back. He has good command for the pitch, and has developed a deep endurance that ensures his fastball maintain the same velocity late in the game. Holt is described as having the ideal built for a pitching prospect, and has been compared to Randy Johnson. At this point, however, Holt is 24 years old and pitching for the Binghamton AA team. He hasn’t had a winning record since getting the call-up to AA ball in 2009, and his ERA has been very high. He has been unable to develop an efficient secondary pitcher, and many worry whether or not Bradley Holt only smells like success because he looks (and sounds) like a professional player.
7-17-11: - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/769428-mlb-trade-rumors-ranking-each-teams-best-minor-league-trade-asset#/articles/769428-mlb-trade-rumors-ranking-each-teams-best-minor-league-trade-asset/page/19 - The Mets thought they were getting a pitcher who could get to the Majors pretty quickly when they tabbed Holt as their first-round pick (33rd-overall) back in 2008. He impressed greatly during his debut season, reaching Double-A just 24 starts into his career. Unfortunately, that's where his career has stalled. In fact, since his promotion in 2009, Holt hasn't posted an ERA under 5.00 at any level, including a demotion to High-A ball during last season. He finished 2010 with a 3-14 record, and an ERA of 8.34.
7-26-11: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/7/26/2287253/mets-mid-term-farm-system-review-2011-binghamton#storyjump - RHP Brad Holt - STOCK DOWN - So those of us holding onto hope for Holt coming into 2011 look pretty stupid now huh? I will say that keeping him in my top 20 (#19) isn't as bad as BA listing him at #10 overall. 2011 has basically just become an extension of 2010 as he's continued to have serious issues throwing strikes. And finally the inevitable happened as he was shifted to the bullpen in what has pretty much become a salvage job. It's sad to say but if he has any impact on the major league club at this point it will be considered a success. I will say that there are some positives here. For one, he's FAR less hittable this year than last (2011 AVG: .219 | 2010 AVG: .336). Two, his stuff is definitely playing up in relief. Reports have him hitting 94mph with the heater much more consistently and he's struck out 20 guys over his 15.1 relief innings. And finally, a relief role seems to have had the desired effect on his control as he has not walked a man in his last six appearances. Nothing to write home about but there is still a glimmer of hope that maybe he can settle into a nice 7-8th inning role with the big club.
7-30-11: - Holt’s been trying to make the conversion from starter to pen and, frankly, he started out as inconsistent as a reliever as he’s been in the rotation. Last night; however, was his third plus outing, throwing 2.0 scoreless innings. That’s five scoreless innings in his past three outings. Boy, wouldn’t it be great if this worked out.
8-11-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/08/baseball-americas-mets-top-10-list-prior-to-2011-where-are-they-now.html - SP – Brad Holt: Lost his starting job because he could not find the strike zone. He was great in his first few starts, but then came the wildness. He totally lost command of the strike zone and never found it again. He was relegated to the bullpen where he has been much better. It doesn’t look like this former first round pick will ever be more than a reliever at this point. - Started 2011: Double-A  Currently: Double-A
9-3-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/09/prospect-pulse-buffalo-2012-help-on-the-way.html - RP:  Brad Holt - The enigmatic 6’4″ right-hander with the “perfect pitchers body” and the power fastball, has been a real head-scratcher so far. After breaking out of the box like a runaway train for Brooklyn, as a starter, making his professional debut in 2008, Holt ran into a brick wall the following season. For 9 games in 2009 he did fine for St Lucie, but then when called up to Bingo, all-hell-broke-loose. He suddenly couldn’t get anybody out. The remainder of ’09 he pitched to a record of 3-6 with a 6.21 ERA. In 2010, after starting out in AA going 1-5 with an alarming 10.20 ERA, he was demoted to St Lucie where he didn’t do much better, going 2-9, 7.48 ERA. 2011 hasn’t been eye-popping, but he is definitely making progress. His overall numbers this year are average, 8-7 with a 4.67 ERA, but most of the runs he gave up were in the first half when he was being utilized as a starter. Since being converted to a relief pitcher full-time, he has been quietly doing a superb job in one and two inning stints. In his last ten games out of the pen Holt is: 4-0 with a 3.07 ERA, and opponents are hitting .179 off him. The biggest improvement Holt has made is in his increased command, which has resulted in fewer walks, and that was crucial for him. If he can keep moving forward, and make the necessary adjustments to the higher caliber of play at AAA, he could emerge as a “relief ace” for Buffalo, a real lock down, 8th inning guy, which is exactly what the Mets see him as in the bigs. Will he be a help to the Mets at sometime in 2012 as a bullpen option? Why the heck not? He’s got the talent, hopefully his mechanics will fall into line.
9-17-11: - Brad Holt (Mets supplemental first-round pick in 2008): The right-hander from UNC-Wilmington rocketed through the minors for the first year of his pro career. But after reaching Binghamton in June 2009, his career has come to a dead stop. After back-to-back rough seasons in Double-A, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mets take a chance and leave him unprotected. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/yankees_mets_must_make_key_decisions_5aKoxsOfZQzXf4dhd226oK#ixzz1YEru7IJn

This one will always be on ex-Mets pitching coach Rick Waits. Waits tried to change the mechanics of a good pitcher into basically a mess that never recovered both mentally and physically. This shit happens sometimes when one is trying to develop a major league starter, rather than a college kid or minor leaguer that can live with two pitches. This one was and remains a real shame. Nice kid too.

P Danny Herrera:

9-1-11: - Press Release from The Mets: - The New York Mets today announced the team acquired lefthanded pitcher Daniel Herrera from the Milwaukee Brewers to complete the trade that sent righthanded pitcher Francisco Rodriguez and cash considerations to the Brewers on July 12. Herrera, 26, appeared in two games with the Brewers this season after he was claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds on May 23, 2011. He was 1-4 with a 2.20 ERA (15 earned runs/61.1 innings) three saves and 54 strikeouts in 46 combined games this season between Louisville (AAA) of the International League and Nashville (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League. The 5-6, 165-pounder went 1-3 with a 3.91 ERA (10 earned runs/23.0 innings) in 36 games with the Reds in 2010. The Odessa, TX native appeared in 70 games as a rookie with the Reds in 2009, going 4-4 with a 3.06 ERA (21 earned runs/61.2 innings). Herrera is 5-7 with a 3.94 ERA (41 earned runs/93.2 innings) in 115 major league games with the Reds and Brewers. He has allowed 110 hits, issued 34 walks and notched 66 strikeouts.

 P Craig Hansen:

OF Mike Wilson:

OF Corey Patterson:

OF Pedro Zapata:

Zapata’s 2007 pro debut with the DSL Mets was an impressive one…  .325/.382/.425 in 160 at bats. He also had 23 stolen bases and an OPS of .807.
Zapata was named the winner of the Sterling Award for the Mets MVP  for the DSL Mets in 2007.
He had a disappointing year in 2008 with Kingsport, hitting only .221 in 226 at bats.
4-23-11 – Up:  -  OF – Pedro Zapata – No one has ever placed a prospect tag on Pedro, which is fine with him. He just goes out and hits the ball, which he really is doing this year. His seasonal stats so far this season are .421/.450/.447/.897, which includes a .429 BA over his past 10 games. I look for him to be the first Lucy promotion to the B-Mets sometime next month.        
5-22-11: - St. Lucie LF Pedro Zapata basically gets no press due to the fact that plays with Matt den Dekker and Cesar Puello in the outfield. That being said, no one on the team is having a better season than he is. Seasonally, he is hitting .355, which includes going 5-6 on Saturday and hitting at a .382 clip for the past ten games. It’s no secret how bad the current Binghamton outfield is hitting and this would be a perfect time for the 23-year old to be considered for a bump up.
9-3-11: - 67 – OF  Pedro Zapata – Zapata is a no-pop speedster that plays the outfield. He’s had a very nice season (.293/.330/.391/.721) for St. Lucie and there’s a slot waiting for him in Binghamton next spring. I especially like the 34 stolen bases and only six errors all season. Most of the outfield talent in the sytem is either at his level or below, so his fate is in his own hands. ETA: Utility 2014

photo by NYFS
IF Brandon Brown:

7-22-11: - It sure looks like we need to keep an eye out on this guy. He’s currently ranked 9th in the NY-Penn league with a .323 batting average, plus tied for 4th in the league with five home runs. Brown was a 22nd round pick in 2010 that hit only .209 last year of Kingsport. His slugging percentage alone has gone from .288 to .500 this year. He is a 24-year old shortstop.