Ruben Tejada, Dillon Gee,Joe Bonfe, Ex-Mets, MMs Live from ST

·         The Mets may have a problem with SS Ruben Tejada. The team filed for his visa back in November and, frankly, all the kid had to do was pick it up and get his ass to camp early. He knew that it was critical to work with Daniel Murphy well before they even play their first ST game. Terry Collins is seething and the last thing the team needs going into this camp is another ego problem. Oh yeah, his replacement? Jordany Valdespin, the poster boy for ego

I asked Dillon Gee what his plans for ST were are he responded:

Hey Mack, first and foremost I want to get through spring training healthy. Other than that I just want to make sure I'm getting my body and arm in shape so I can be ready to help the team from day 1 of the season. It's really that simple.  Sounds boring but that's what my job is right now, along with improving my fielding and bunting. I definitely need to get better at that.

·         I also asked Joe Bonfe what his goals are this spring and he was candid:

I have really been trying to improve all my skills this off season. My biggest gain would have to be in the bat speed category, I have been working with a sports psychologist on my overall mental and physical aspect of the game (vision, bat speed, visualization, hand eye coordination, and pitch recognition). My bat speed has increased 15-20 mph from when we started working in November. My goals this spring training would be to put my gains to the test and start showing more power numbers and raising my on base percentage. Defensively I have been working on my speed and quickness and I am going to show my versatility as a player by showing the Mets they can put me anywhere on the field and they can trust me to get the job done.

Joe is a smart guy and managed to acquire additional work last year by taking on additional positions.  The opening for him is 3B (his natural position) with St. Lucie and wouldn’t it be nice to develop a 20-80 A+ hitter here?

·      Ex-Mets on the Move:

The St. Louis Cardinals signed  IF Alex Cora 

·   Mack’s Mets’ Jeremiah Alley will be live at spring training on March 3^rd and 4^th. He will be taking a ton of pictures and we’re trying to figure out how to display them on this Blogger site. He also will be posting live throughout those two days. Let us know if there are any specific photos you would like to see.

The Keepers - #84 - OF-3B-1B - Joe Bonfe

84.  Joe Bonfe

4-5-11 - Up: - 3B – Joe Bonfe –Bonfe returns to Savannah next week to play three positions… third base, the outfield, and third base. I believe he is ready for A+ ball; however, the Mets are a little deep right now in prospect third baseman. Bonfe knows you can’t play enough positions if you want to get to the Bigs some day and the 6-4, 220 pound Bonfe is much more suited to his new positions. 

82 – OF/1B – Joe Bonfe – Bonfe is a smart dude. He was a 2009 21st round pick that played third base and was basically going nowhere in the organization. He then decided to add the positions of first base and corner outfielder with an obvious eventually goal to snag a future utility position in Queens. Right now, he’s hitting .259 and will have to step it up both hit and power wise if this plan is to work. I’ll send him to St. Lucie to continue the journey. ETA: - TBD

10-10-11: - https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/132edccbf718965f  -  Joe Bonfe, who will turn 24 in December took over for Honeck, and played nearly everyday in the second half for the Gnats. A third baseman in Brooklyn in 2010, Bonfe hit .254/.318/.327 with surprising speed for a 6’4″ 220 pounder.

Cutnpaste: - Chemistry, Nelfi Zapata, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Fernando Martinez, Joe Bonfe

I was inspired by a few things today that caused me to analyze this type of chemistry.  See, I thought about the 2011 Mets, and their take on chemistry.  Look at RA Dickey and Justin Turner, to name a few.  Dickey was officially and unofficially “the man” whether he was on the mound or hanging out in the clubhouse.  His teammates loved him, went to bat for him (though usually, just not in games when it mattered) and even when he joined Twitter, interacted with fans on a level that they all fell in love with his gigantic personality even more.  Turner inspired us to make a “Justin Turner Facts” page on Facebook, and caused the team to play with a common purpose.  It was evident what the Mets lacked this year to prohibit them from winning, and it certainly wasn’t chemistry…it was clear that these guys love each other.  Even Carlos Beltran, who was traded midseason to the San Francisco Giants, caused a few tears to be shed when he left.  A guy that a good percentage of fans were not all that warm about.  Clearly, chemistry wasn’t enough of an X-factor to propel the Mets to even a winning season, let alone make the playoffs.- http://galforallseasons.com/2011/10/12/chicken-n-beer

10-7-11: - http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/season-review-short-season-catchers  - At the beginning of the season, Nelfi Zapata split the catcher’s job with Amauris Valdez. He hit .269/.271/.403 while swinging at everything, as evidenced by his one walk and nine strikeouts. He showed a little pop, but missed nearly all of August with a sprained ankle. Zapata, the Mets’ 19th round pick in 2009, has moved one level a year beginning at the Gulf Coast League in 2009.

10-10-11: - https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/132edccbf718965f  - Top five Met prospects -  Sunday, October 9, 2011 - The Record - 5. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, CF, 24 (.908 OPS in 53 games for Class AAA Buffalo): Likely would have gotten a good look in September, but a shoulder injury limited him to just 53 games and ended his season in June. Projections put him in a corner spot rather than center field.

10-12-11: - http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2011/10/12/2484736/5-questions-with-new-york-mets-expert-eric-simon  - On the other end, the continued stagnation of one-time phenom Fernando Martinez was probably the most disappointing storyline in the system this year. Not that anyone should have been surprised by his three separate DL stints, but the fact that he continues to post middling results even when he's on the field with Triple-A Buffalo is not a good portent for his future as an everyday major leaguer. And at this point, now that he is no longer young for his league, it's no longer even reasonable to expect him to become a big league regular, which shows just how far the stock has fallen for a kid who once garnered comparisons to Ted Williams

10-10-11: - https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/132edccbf718965f -  Joe Bonfe, who will turn 24 in December took over for Honeck, and played nearly everyday in the second half for the Gnats. A third baseman in Brooklyn in 2010, Bonfe hit .254/.318/.327 with surprising speed for a 6’4″ 220 pounder.

The Keepers: - #84 - 3B/1B/O - Joe Bonfe

84.  Joe Bonfe

4-5-11 - Up: - 3B – Joe Bonfe –Bonfe returns to Savannah next week to play three positions… third base, the outfield, and third base. I believe he is ready for A+ ball; however, the Mets are a little deep right now in prospect third baseman. Bonfe knows you can’t play enough positions if you want to get to the Bigs some day and the 6-4, 220 pound Bonfe is much more suited to his new positions. 

82 – OF/1B – Joe Bonfe – Bonfe is a smart dude. He was a 2009 21st round pick that played third base and was basically going nowhere in the organization. He then decided to add the positions of first base and corner outfielder with an obvious eventually goal to snag a future utility position in Queens. Right now, he’s hitting .259 and will have to step it up both hit and power wise if this plan is to work. I’ll send him to St. Lucie to continue the journey. ETA: - TBD