Cutnpaste: - Matt den Dekker, Eris Peguero, Randy Meyers, Collin McHugh, Jeff Francoeur





8-21-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/08/prospect-pulse-left-handed-hitters.html  - Matt Den Dekker – Den Dekker was the Mets 2010 5th round draft pick, out of the University of Florida. He started this, his second pro season, at St Lucie, high A. After 267 AB’s and a .296 BA, he was promoted at mid-season to Bingo. He started out in AA struggling mightily, and only recently has begun to hit the way he is capable. After 210 AA AB’s, he is hitting .245 with 8 HR’s and 25 RBI’s, but is hitting .290 over his last ten games. The biggest problem for him is the strikeout. In 477 total AB’s this season, he has struck out a staggering 134 times, with only 47 walks, for an OBP of .347. Den Dekker is a very good fielding center-fielder, but if he is going to keep climbing the ladder he must cut way down on his strikeouts, increase his walks, and thereby bring up what is an abysmal OBP for a lead-off hitter.

8-23-11: - DSL 2011 End of Season Wrap-Up - http://www.nyfuturestars.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35808&sid=e8719b8eddffd9bc033d0ab708d8aff5  - Eris Peguero, 21, OF - Peguero had a .308/.376/.392 line with a homer, 4 3Bs, and 20 RBIs. He stole 30 bags and had 3 outfield assists while playing mainly CF and LF.

The Mets have always been known to have some of the best left-handed relievers in baseball history. Randy Myers was one of them, as he became the Mets' closer in the late 1980s and one of the better left-handed relievers during his career. Myers was drafted by the Mets in 1982 and made his major league debut at the very end of the 1985 season. He pitched two scoreless innings in his only appearance of the season. In 1986, Myers made just 10 appearances with the Mets while spending more time in the minor leagues. He had a 0-0 record and a 4.22 ERA in the 10 major league appearances. Although the Mets won the 1986 World Series, Myers was left off the postseason roster. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/822566-new-york-mets-top-10-relievers-of-all-time#/articles/822566-new-york-mets-top-10-relievers-of-all-time/page/6

9-2-11: - minorleaguebaseball.  - (Colin McHugh struck out 11 during the first nine-inning complete game of his career on Thursday in the Double-A Mets' 2-1 victory over the Erie SeaWolves. The effort also represented the time this season that a B-Mets' starter earned a complete-game win. McHugh (8-2) allowed a run on five hits -- including Rawley Bishop's RBI bunt single in the seventh -- while walking two. He retired the final eight batters he faced and recorded 10 total outs on the ground. The 24-year-old right-hander, an 18th-round draftee in 2009, ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak. He last lost on July 5, in his seventh Double-A start, not long after being promoted from Class A Advanced St. Lucie.

Career hit No. 1,000 was a big one for the Royals' Jeff Francoeur. Francoeur belted a 0-1 pitch from Tigers rookie Jacob Turner, a 20-year-old right-hander, into the left-field seats in the second inning of the Royals' 11-8 victory on Thursday. His 16th homer of the season came with Eric Hosmer on base after a leadoff single. "He told us he was going to get it in his first at-bat and he did, he didn't mess around with it," manager Ned Yost said. - http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110901&content_id=24049324¬ebook_id=24057746&vkey=notebook_kc&c_id=kc  

Cutnpaste: Phillip Evans, Jeff Glenn, Ron Hunt, Jeff Francoeur, Josh Thole

Phillip Evans:


8-17-11: - http://www.metstoday.com/6911/mets-minors/reviewing-the-mets-draft  - Phillip Evans stunned everyone. When the Mets drafted him, he was considered a lock to play college ball at San Diego St. But when you throw supplemental-round money to a 15th-rounder, you make moves. Evans signed for $650k, well over what MLB suggests. He’s a shortstop right now, but the Mets are considering moving him to catcher, which I don’t agree with. We all see how Josh Thole turned out. Don’t mess with what’s not broken, right?


Jeff Glenn:


8-14-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/08/kingsport-mets-team-report-stretch-run-edition.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MetsMerizedOnline-GetMetsmerized-NewYorkMets+%28Mets+Merized+Online%29&utm_content=Twitter  - Jeff Glenn - The other half of Kingsport’s catching tandem, along with Cam Maron, Glenn was drafted in the 9th round in the 2009 draft, out of Winter Haven H.S. in Winter Haven, Fla. When Glenn is catching, Maron DH’s, and vice-versa, so they are both getting plenty of AB’s while keeping their legs fresh, a smart move by manager Frank Fultz. Although much taller, at 6’3″, and more athletic behind the plate, than Maron, Glenn’s offensive skills lag behind a bit. After a hot start to the season, Glenn is fading as the stretch run wears on. He is only batting .114 in his last 10 games, but overall his numbers look like: .234 BA, in 128 AB’s, 13 Runs, 30 Hits, 12 2B’s, 3 HR’s 15 RBI’s, .398 SLG, and a 37/12 K/BB ratio. Glenn and Maron should emerge in the next year as catching prospects to watch.


Ron Hunt:


Hunt was a guy who also had a decent twelve-year career as a major leaguer, making two All-Star teams, hitting .273/.368/.347/.715. He didn’t have a lot of power or speed, but as his OBP suggests, he did get on base. His batting average was unremarkable yet strong and he would get his share of walks and HBP, to make him a valued player. He helped re-introduce the HBP as a valid strategy for getting on base. Hunt’s motto was, “Some people give their bodies to science; I give mine to baseball.” He thought it ironic that he started getting plunked mainly when he was a member of the Giants. "Why would you hit me to face Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Jim Ray Hart?" he said to Baseball Digest in 2000. - http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/the-top-10-career-hit-batters-the-method-to-the-madness  


Jeff Francoeur:


Royals signed OF Jeff Francoeur to a two-year contract extension. Exact terms aren't yet known, but with Dayton Moore at the helm in Kansas City, we had a sinking feeling this was coming. Francoeur, 27, is batting .278/.328/.465 with 15 homers, 66 RBI and 19 stolen bases over 509 plate appearances this season while playing his usual solid defense in right field. That being said, he hasn't made any strides with his plate discipline and his batting average on balls in play has been rather fortunate, so we wouldn't be surprised if he resumed being terrible next season. It's just an odd fit for a franchise with so many young, high-upside talents on the way. - http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/337993/baseball-headlines?r=1  


Josh Thole:


8-18-11: - http://www.metstoday.com/6922/opinion-and-analysis/mets-2011-end-of-season-review  - Josh Thole is a capable receiver. Again he too is at the age where he is what he is and there’s little chance that come 2012, Josh Thole will come to Port St. Lucie performing like Joe Mauer. Accepting that as a reality there are many areas he can improve especially defensively. In fact I have a feeling Terry Collin’s wouldn’t mind one bit if Thole’s learning curve leaned heavily towards improving his defensive skills.

Cutnpaste: - Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Richard Lucas, Jeff Keppinger, Jeff Francoeur, Lucas Duda

Tsuyoshi Shinjo:


Shinjo, who was the second Japanese position player to play in the MLB (Ichiro being the first), had an impressive rookie season. He had 10 HRs, 56 RBIs and had a respectable batting average of .268. Along with that he had the fifth most outfield assists with 12, as well as 12 game-winning hits. He came up huge for the Mets time after time that year. Then Shinjo and Desi Relaford were traded to the SF Giants for pitcher Shawn Estes after the 2001 season. Shinjo had a disappointing season with the Giants in 2002, but he became the first Japanese player to play in the World Series. After the year he came back to Flushing for an encore in 2003. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791417-five-mets-who-you-might-or-might-not-remember-since-the-year-2000#/articles/791417-five-mets-who-you-might-or-might-not-remember-since-the-year-2000/page/5  


Richard Lucas:


8-8-11: - http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/news/topstories/index.html?article_id=1204  - RICHARD LUCAS - Selected in the fourth round of the 2007 MLB Draft, the 21-year-old infielder has been one of the most consistent players in the New York-Penn League. Lucas ranks fifth in the league in hitting (.322), tied for fourth in hits (55), tied for third in extra-base hits (20) and leads the league with 36 runs scored. Lucas has reached base safely in 43 of his 46 games this season.



Jeff Keppinger:


8-9-11: - http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=14747  - Jeff Keppinger, San Francisco Giants (Yahoo! 9%, ESPN 4%, CBS 13%) - Keppinger continues to hit as he always has; he is now hitting .308/.343/.354 in San Francisco after batting .307/.320/.436 in Houston to start the season. Despite a .370/.400/.370 week at the plate, however, the Giants plated Keppinger only three times. In fact, Keppinger has only come around to score in 21 percent of his times on base while with San Francisco, well below his 29 percent career mark and the 36 percent rate he mustered with an equally poor Houston offense. The Giants' inability to bring him home is hurting a big part of his fantasy value as a counting stat machine. Still, he is not leaving VP for performance but rather because I feel he has been discussed enough on the VP list.


Jeff Francoeur:


Jeff Francoeur: .273/.324/.466, 15 HR, .344 wOBA 2.1 fWAR - Last Month: .261/.308/.442, 11 HR, .333 wOBA, 1.6 fWAR - Frenchy's surprisingly improve since early July, and his wOBA is his highest in a single season since his 274 plate appearances in 2005 with the Braves. From 2008 through 2010, Francoeur accumulated a grand total of 0.1 fWAR, but he could wind up with his second-best season by the metric if he keeps it up. If you're tempted to miss him, though, note that his 115 wRC+, which is park- and league-adjusted, ranks 15th out of 23 qualified right fielders. - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/8/9/2353274/where-are-they-now-2010-mets-august-update  


Lucas Duda:


8-10-11: - http://www.patrickfloodblog.com/2011/08/10/lucas-duda-sabermagician  - When Duda came to the plate – eighth inning, with the Mets down one at home with runners on first and second – they had a 51.8% chance of winning the game according to Fangraphs. (That is, the Mets had a 51.8% chance of winning the game in a vacuum, if we ignore the quality of the teams, pitchers and batters.) After the Duda’s sacrifice bunt, the Mets’ chance of winning the game went up to 53.1%, a 1.3% increase. So on a basic level, Duda executed the percentage play.

Wayne Garrett, Randy Fontanez, Matt den Dekker, Juan Urbina, Jeff Francoeur

Wayne Garrett:


Garrett first came up as a rookie in 1969 and platooned with Ed Charles at third base. Because Garrett was a left-handed hitter, he had the majority of playing time at third base, but he also played a good amount of second base that year as well. For the season, Garrett batted .217 with one home run and 39 RBI. Garrett's hitting improved a lot in 1970, as he raised his average to .254 and had 12 home runs and 45 RBI. Garrett only played in 56 games in 1971 due to military duties that caused him to miss part of the season. This would certainly explain why he batted just .213 with one home run and 11 RBI. While Garrett was developing, the Mets at the time always felt the constant need to upgrade at third base. However, many of these efforts did not pay off. Joe Foy and Jim Fregosi both did not turn into long-term fixtures and Garrett was still the third baseman after all that time. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/770405-new-york-mets-top-10-third-basemen-in-team-history#/articles/770405-new-york-mets-top-10-third-basemen-in-team-history/page/6  


Randy Fontanez:


7-22-11: - Cyclone’s rookie Randy Fontanez went into Friday’s game with a 4.15 ERA, but came out smelling 2.84… 4.0-IP, 0-R, 3-K, 0-BB. The 2011 27th rounder got off to rough start on his third time out (7-6); however, he returned to his scoreless way. The 6-1, 205 pound Fontanez was a starter out of the University of South Florida.


Matt den Dekker:


7-22-11: - den Dekker hit his third home run in the past four games for Binghamton last night (Can you start a sentence with a lower case “den”?). It has taken him only 121-Abs at in AA to hit five home runs, while it took him 267-Abs earlier this year in A+ to hit six. I guess this is what they call maturing.


Juan Urbina:


7-22-11: - Urbina actually had his best outing tonight, going: 5.0-IP, 2-ER, 4-H, 6-K, 1-BB. His ERA is now 8.28. Frankly, I'm still moving him back on the Keepers list. He may have "pro" in his blood, but others, like Francisco Pena, have proven that's not enough.


Jeff Francoeur:


7-23-11: - http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/  - Jeff Francoeur: One of the perrenial teases in all of baseball, Frenchy was hitting at a .407 wOBA clip through the end of April. Despite all the talk about a changed approach at the plate, Francoeur currently sports a .333 wOBA which is a bit higher than the .309 the regression predicted.

Justin Turner, Choo Choo Coleman, Jordany Valdespin, Jeff Francoeur, Beltran deal

Justin Turner:


7-13-11: - amazinavenue.  - B- The major league average second baseman has a.254/.316/.378 line this year. Turner has a .268/.331/.364 line right now. He gets a nod above average just because of the history of the position here in New York maybe. But Turner is also another in a long line of Mets players that has cut his strikeout rate, and he's done so while maintaining his walk rate. He just won't show much more power until he gets the ball off the ground though (48.7% GB).


Choo Choo Coleman:


1961-1966 (Mets/Phillies)- The Mets of the early 1960s were as entertaining as they were terrible. Almost as amusing as Marv Throneberry was lightweight catcher and career .197 hitter Choo Choo Coleman. Long before Rickey Henderson allegedly forgot who his teammate John Olerud was, Duke Snider once asked Coleman, "Do you know me?" only to have Coleman respond, "Yes, you're number four." Coleman may have been big-timing Snider—he was coming off a career high .250 average in 1962. Manager Casey Stengel didn't think too highly of Coleman either, saying of him, "You have to have a catcher or you'll have all passed balls - http://deadspin.com/5820622/the-100-worst-baseball-players-of-all-time-a-celebration-part-2  


Jordany Valdespin:


7-14-11: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/7/11/2270752/mets-minors-road-report-binghamton-7-9-brooklyn-7-10  - I am pretty high on Valdespin. He’s already walked more this year then he did all of last year, and he’s turned some doubles into home runs. These are both good signs, as it means the tools are starting to turn into baseball skills. He showed everything that makes him both a intriguing prospect and a maddening one in the doubleheader. He chased a high fastball to strike out, he dropped a perfect drag bunt for a basehit, he laced a 2 RBI double to right, and he got a little fancy with a flip to Satin to try and start the 6-4-3. Part of the reason he had to try the flip to Satin is he is not as rangy as you would expect, and despite his speed and base stealing ability, he hasn’t quite figured out shortstop. He’s a second baseman in the end, probably, albeit one who has an all-star ceiling.


Jeff Francoeur:


Specifically, yes, of course, outfielder Jeff Francoeur has heard those growing trade rumors that link him to Detroit, Boston and Philadelphia. Those rumors, and others, are only likely to intensify in the days preceding the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline. Francoeur would prefer to stay put. “People keep asking me about it,” he said. “And what I say is I’m sure if a team came to the Royals and overwhelmed them (with an offer) for me or Melky (Cabrera), they’d probably have to do it. But you know what? I think a lot of us will be here.” - http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/14/3015300/francoeur-wants-to-stay-put-as.html#ixzz1SBHvCyFw  


Beltran Deal:


In 2004, the Kansas City Royals knew they weren't going to be able to re-sign pending free agent, Carlos Beltran. So at the trade deadline, they along with the Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics worked a three-team deal that had Beltran (Royals) and John Buck (Athletics) go to the Astros, Octavio Dotel (Astros) ending up on the Athletics and Mike Wood and Mark Teahan (Athletics) going to the Royals - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/764844-mlb-trade-rankings-the-20-worst-deadline-deals-of-the-last-25-years#/articles/764844-mlb-trade-rankings-the-20-worst-deadline-deals-of-the-last-25-years/page/4