Minors Stuff

Winter Leagues:

Surprise Rafters (7-4)

Ike Davis is hitting a solid .394 with two dingers and nine RBIs…. The Mets have to be disappointed in the two appearances of Jenrry Mejia. He hasn’t lasted past the second inning in both starts giving up three runs in each for an ERA of 18.00. He has walked six and struck out two in his three innings of work.

http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?m=200910

Magallanes 2, La Guaira 1 (12 innings)

Ezequiel Carrera (Mariners) singled and crossed the plate when Jesus Merchan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 12th inning to send the Navegantes to a walkoff win over the Tiburones. Chris Mason gave up two hits and struck out five over five scoreless frames for a no-decision in the losing effort.

http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091025&content_id=7545076&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Blogs:

I don't know what to make of this, the Gonzalez information comes in the same article in which Bill Madden said Jason Bay's agent is Scott Boras which simply isn't true ( go here for Bay's actual agent comments on WEEI). It wasn't just that he named Boras but insinuated that one of the reasons he may not re-sign with Boston could be in part be due to the agent's relationship with the organization.

But the information in regards to Adrian Gonzalez is quoted by former Padres GM Kevin Towers. According to Towers the Padres simply can't afford to keep Gonzalez. The All-Star 1B would cost a lot normally but a new GM is going to look to fleece a team and make a name for himself, so that he isn't ushered out of town by the fan base for selling the face of the franchise as his first move.

http://metsfever.blogspot.com/2009/10/padres-will-need-to-move-adrian.html

At midnight on Monday, October 26th, the New York Yankees won the 2009 American League pennant, completing a World Series matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies. Also at midnight on Monday, October 26th, the movie Armageddon was starting on my cable system. How fitting. The movie had a happy ending. But this, my friends, is Baseball Armageddon. There is no happy ending. Satan has been unleashed. The minions have arrived on earth. The Mayan calendar has ended little more than three years earlier than expected. The world will never be the same. And the next two weeks are going to be the worst two weeks on earth.

http://metstradamus.blogspot.com/2009/10/satans-series.html




Mets Alumni:

The Cleveland Indians have hired Manny Acta as their manager.

Acta signed a three-year contract with a club option for 2013, team spokesman Bart Swain said Sunday. Additional terms were not disclosed.

Acta was fired by the Washington Nationals in July.

The Indians chose him after a second round of interviews over former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine and Indians triple-A manager Torey Lovullo. The team also had been expected to interview Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly.

"We are very excited to have Manny Acta on board as our major league manager," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "After speaking with an impressive array of candidates, we feel that Manny is a very strong and experienced leader who possesses great energy and enthusiasm along with tremendous communication skills and a positive mindset that will command a presence in the dugout, clubhouse and with our fans."

The 40-year-old Acta, who was drafted by the Astros as a 17-year-old first baseman, also interviewed for Houston's opening this off-season.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=capress-bba_indians_acta-232153622&prov=capress&type=lgns

ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips, who was recently suspended for one-week after being embroiled in an affair with 22 year-old Brooke Hundley, a production assistant at ESPN, has been fired by the Worldwide Leader. The news of Phillips’ firing came by way of ESPN PR rep Mike Soltys via Twitter. “Steve Phillips is no longer working for ESPN. His ability to be an effective rep of ESPN has been significantly & irreparably damaged,” said Soltys.

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/mlb_analyst_steve_phillips_fired_by_espn

The Keepers - Special Edition - P - Rafael Castro

Rafael Castro – 8-8-91 – R/R – 6-2, 200 – Columbia

2009: VSL Mets - 0-1, 9.39 in six games, one start, 5-K, 9-BB, 7.2-IP

Made his professional debut in the Rookie-level Venezuelan Summer League. ... Posted a 1.96 ERA in his last five appearances of the season from July 4-26, striking out 21 over 18 1/3 innings. ... Had a .111 opponents' batting average against left-handed hitters (2-for-18).

2008: VSL Mets: 0-2, 3.96, in nine games, two starts, 6-K, 25.0-IP

Minors Stuff

New York Mets

In all of New York baseball, starting with the day in 1846 when Alexander Cartwright's Knickerbockers and the New York Nine crossed the Hudson to Hoboken to play the first recorded baseball game anywhere, there has never been anything like it ... not the Bobby Thomson home run, a spear aimed at the heart of all that was Brooklyn ... not the perfect World Series game by the Yankees' Don Larsen ... not the World Series catches by Willie Mays and Sandy Amoros and Al Gionfriddo.

They were all part of the magnificent cadence to which the only Megalopolis to ever have three major-league teams marched decade after decade ... a non-stop highlight show that stamped baseball as our culture.

But they all pale when measured against the unimaginable World Series sequence 40 years ago when Alice crashed through the looking glass, Gotham City became the Magic Kingdom and the meek inherited Baseball's throne room. In 1969 the Mets rose from their perennial coma like Lazarus in spikes and beat the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles four games to one in the kind of fabulous reversal of fortune that could only have been authored by Hans Christian Andersen.

http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2009/10/izenberg_there_was_no_bigger_n.html

Who could that be? Top-flight center fielders are a lot harder to find than left fielders, although what happens in contract talks with Jason Bay (or potential alternatives) this offseason may or may not prove that out.

One situation that bears close monitoring is Carlos Beltran with the New York Mets.

The Big Apple’s other team has descended back into the depths of mediocrity the past two years. There has not been a word about the team going into rebuilding mode, but Beltran, arguably the best defensive center fielder in the game the last few years, has $18.5 million left on each of his remaining two years in 2010 and ’11. He also has a full no-trade clause.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/other_mlb/view.bg?articleid=1207132&format=&page=2&listingType=mlb#articleFull



VSL Mets:

New York Mets minor league pitcher Rafael Castro has died of an apparent heart attack. He was 18.Castro died Friday at the Mets' academy in Carabobo, Venezuela. The Mets announced his death Saturday.Castro had spent two years with the Mets' team in the Venezuelan Summer League. The right-handed pitcher was from Colombia.

http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Mets_minor_league_pitcher_Rafael_Castro_dead_at_18/1429552


Winter Leagues:

Solar Sox 4, Rafters 3 (10 innings)

Blue Jays prospect David Cooper homered with two outs in the 10th inning as Mesa halted a two-game slide. Surprise rallied in the ninth on back-to-back homers by former first-round pick Ike Davis (Mets) and red-hot Yankees prospect Brandon Laird. Hank Conger (Angels) drilled a two-run blast and Steve Singleton (Twins) had a sacrifice fly for the Solar Sox, who got five strong innings from Red Sox farmhand Randor Bierd. Jarrod Dyson (Royals) collected three hits, including a run-scoring triple, for the Rafters

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091025&content_id=7542950&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Caracas 9, Magallanes 0

Cubs farmhand J.R. Mathes scattered eight hits over five innings as the first-place Leones rolled to their fourth straight win. Brewers prospect Adam Heether hit a two-run homer and Mets catcher Josh Thole added two hits, three runs scored and an RBI for Caracas. Blue Jays prospect Brian Dopirak went 2-for-4 to raise his average to .333 for Magallanes

Escogido 6, Gigantes 2

Outfielder Conor Jackson (Diamondbacks) went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and three RBIs to lead Escogido past the visiting Gigantes. Mets farmhand Tobi Stoner improved to 2-0 for the Leones, allowing one run on five hits over six frames. Leadoff man Luis Durango (Padres) went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs for the Gigantes, who fell to 0-4 on the road.

http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091024&content_id=7541666&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb



International:

Making probably one of the toughest choices of his career high school pitcher Yusei Kikuchi chose to play in Japan rather than trail blaze and play in the United States. You have to wonder how much pressure some of the old guard in Japanese baseball were placing on him not to go to the United States. One of the risks he takes is that there is no guarantee that you will be successful in the majors, and it would take at least four years of hard work to reach that goal. Mac Suzuki is a prime example of that. Yusei chose to begin that hard work in Japan. He can still pursue his dreams of playing in the major leagues, but it may be as a 28 year old veteran as opposed to a 22 year old rookie.

http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?m=200910



R.I.P.

Bill "The Big Whistle" Chadwick, the first U.S.-born official in NHL history who was later a popular broadcaster for the New York Rangers, died Saturday. He was 94.His death was announced by son Bill and confirmed by John Halligan, a family friend and hockey historian. Chadwick had been in declining health for a number of years and died while in hospice care.For 16 seasons, from 1939 to 1955, and despite being blind in one eye, Chadwick was one of the best officials the NHL. He invented and perfected the system of hand signals to signify penalties, and the system is now used throughout the world.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/sns-ap-hkn-obit-chadwick,0,5251424.story

The Keepers - #46 - 3B - Aderlin Rodriguez

46. . Aderlin Rodriguez 3B – Rookie – 17/yrs.

In July 2007, The Mets signed 16-year old Dominican 3B Aderlin Rodriguez, which included a bonus of $500,000+.

From: http://www.prosportsdaily.com/: Assigned 3B Aderlin Rodriguez (2008, Dominican Republic) to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. The bulky (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) third baseman signed for $600,000 last summer. Now he follows in the footsteps of Wilmer Flores, Jefry Marte and Cesar Puello, three Mets’ top international signees from ’07 who debuted in the U.S. rather than in Latin America

As most fans already know, the Mets don’t spend much time promoting their International signings, so, when you do read something about one, you tend to think of that prospect as being something special.

This one looks for real.

A-Rod finally surfaced during the season and played the remainder of the 2009 season for the GCL Mets. As a 17-year old: .290/.389/.387/776, in 62 at bats.

In February 2009, Baseball America listed him as the 30th Mets prospect.

Forecast: Let’s see… A-Rod is this year’s Wilmer Flores, who was last year’s Hector Pellot… or was it that Juan Legares is the next Jose Reyes? What I’m trying to say is, it doesn’t take a village to make a professional baseball player. It takes 3-4 excellent seasons at different minor league levels. Rodriguez has passed test one. 2010 should bring a promotion to either Kingsport, or Brooklyn and we’ll see.

Minors Stuff

New York Mets

Will the Wilpon family sell the team in the future because of its inability to provide the fans with a great product on the field and a productive farm system?-- Steven Cruz, Central Islip, N.Y.

The Mets played in the postseason in 1999, 2000 and '06, and were eliminated during the final weeks in '98, '07 and '08. Their 2001-05 seasons and the '09 campaign were unrewarding. So they have produced a pretty good record in six of their past 12 seasons, and the '05 season seemed to catch the fancy of most fans until the poor September.

Your definition of great may not apply to what the franchise has accomplished in that period, but the Mets have had their moments since '02 when the Wilpon family bought out Nelson Doubleday. And from what I know, Fred Wilpon stands by his '95 statement that his grandchildren will have a piece of the Mets, a quite large piece, I assume.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091023&content_id=7536928&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym&partnerId=rss_nym


Prospect Ranking:

PP: Who are a couple sleeper pitchers to look for in 2010?

Hyde: A healthy Dillon Gee might be very useful upper level depth for the Mets. Lefty Adam Bostick deserves a shot in spring training to win a bullpen role. Southpaws Urbina and Matz are the two most exciting arms the Mets added this summer.

PP: Lastly, an updated top 5 Mets prospect list would look like what?

Hyde: Martinez is still up there at the top along with Niese as both fell short of losing their rookie eligibility due to season-ending injuries. Mejia and Davis are also in my top five. I haven't decided who gets the last spot yet. Candidates include Thole, Tejada, Wilmer Flores and Holt

http://projectprospect.com/article/2009/10/11/minors-only-mets-system-qa


Buffalo Bisons:
Binghamton Mets:
St. Lucie Mets:
Savannah Sand Gnats:
Brooklyn Cyclones:
Winter Leagues:
Blogs:
New Met:
World Cup:
Free Agency:
Yusei Kikuchi will have a press conference on October 25. The NPB draft is scheduled for October 29. If Kikuchi wants to play major league ball he would announce at that time that no team should select him in the NPB draft. That would open up the major league teams to bid on him. The major league teams that have interviewed him so far are the Mariners, Mets, Yankees (but they remain mum), Indians, Rangers, Dodgers, Giants and Red Sox. There are other major league teams that have also expressed an interest, but they did not participate in the interview process in Japan. If he opens himself up for the draft and is drafted by an NPB team it is expected that no major league team would negotiate with him since he is now committed to that NPB team
http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?m=200910

International:
Mets Alumni:
Estrellas 7, Licey 0Evan MacLane, who helped pitch Memphis to the Pacific Coast League championship, allowed four hits over six innings as the Estrellas blanked the Tigres. Major League veteran Pablo Ozuna and former Texas League All-Star Juan Richardson delivered RBI doubles for the Estrellas, while Bernie Castro had two hits for Licey
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091024&content_id=7537926&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb


Saber:
2010 Draft:
The playoffs are cruising at full speed, which means one thing for amateur baseball: the World Wood Bat Championships are about to get started. This year's event has as much anticipation as ones of the past. Many of the top arms are scheduled to face the top hitters as the event expands to 85 teams this year. Baseball America will have three people covering what goes on so be sure to be on the lookout for some quality information about prospects for the 2010 draft and beyond.Texas Scout Team Yankees: This squad has the No. 1 prospect on BA's early Top 25 high school list. Jameson Taillon, a big righthander from The Woodlands (Texas) High, leads a pitching staff that also includes righthanders Connor Mason (Home Schooled, Suwanee, Ga.) and John Barbato (Varela HS, Miami) as well as Dylan Bundy (Sperry, Okla., HS), a top prospect for 2011. The Yankees offense will be led by outfielders Josh Sale (Bishop Blanchet HS, Seattle) and Brian Ragira (Martin HS, Arlington, Texas). Trace Tam Sing (Newport HS, Bellevue, Wash.) will hold down shortstop. The Yankees also have somewhat of a wild card as Dominican prospect Wagner Mateo, the outfielder who had a $3.1 million contract voided by the Cardinals, will be on the club
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/news/2009/269031.html


Fantasy:
General:
R.I.P.
Soupy Sales entertained generations of Americans with his off-the-cuff, wacky antics. He was 83. The funny man seen many times on popular game shows died at a New York hospice, said Paul Dver, Sales' longtime friend and manager. "We have lost a comedy American icon," Dver said. "I feel the personal loss, and I also feel the magic that he had around him being gone. That's a much more severe loss than a loss of a friend." Sales was known for his long-running children's show "Lunch With Soupy Sales," which started in 1953 and began his trademark slapstick pie-throwing antics. The comedy show featured skits that culminated in Sales getting walloped with pies in the face.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/23/soupy.sales/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

The Keepers - #47 - SP - Ryan Coultas

47. Ryan Coultas – SP – AAA – 28/yrs.

I love stories like this.

Coultas was a sixth round heralded draft pick in 2004 by the Mets, who received a $135,000 bonus to play shortstop.

From 2004-2007, Coutlas played 123 games at SS, 103 at 2B, 16 at 1B, eight in the outfield, and seven on third base. He rose as high as AA, but his combined stats were .243/.286/.339/.625, not what it takes to make it to the majors.

So, let’s make him a pitcher.

2008 was his first full season as a pitcher, going 1-5, 4.17 in 47 relief appearances for St. Lucie. Not super numbers, but fantastic for a shortstop.

2009 brought a conversion to a starter and a bump up to Binghamton, where he was easily the best pitcher on the staff until he went down with a bum wing. His stats, for a very bad team, were 4-3, 2.78, in 11 starts.

From: http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/: - One of the pleasant surprises in the Mets system in 2009 has been the work of AA RHP Ryan Coultas, who leads the B-Mets in IP (64.2) and in ERA (2.78) among pitchers who have called Binghamton home since Opening Day. It wasn’t supposed to be like this for Coultas, who the Mets drafted as a shortstop out of UC Davis in the 6th round in 2004. However, the 2002 DII Player of the Year hit just .243/.286/.339 over four seasons as a SS.

Then, on May 11, 2007, fortune smiled on Coultas in a Florida State League game. Bobby Parnell started for St. Lucie in Tampa, against the Yankees, but lasted just three innings. After four more relievers had come and gone, the game was tied 7-7 in the 11th, and the Mets were out of available pitchers. Coultas told his skipper that as he put it, he’d “briefly thrown in college and could possibly be an emergency guy.” Of his first professional pitching performance, Coultas recalls, “It was two innings. I think I walked the first guy, which was the last thing I wanted to do. …. We ended up coming back and winning the game. I actually led off the top of the 13th – and I singled. I remember Jose Castro doubled me home and I ended up scoring the go-ahead run and then went back out and closed it out in the bottom of the inning. It was a fun day.”

Forecast: Nobody ever writes shit about this kid (sort of like Jake Ruckle), and yet, he seems to have created a new future for himself in baseball. A control pitcher, you won’t see a lot of strikeouts here, but I expect him to be back healthy in the Buffalo rotation this spring.

Minors Stuff - Friday

New York Mets

ESPN's Keith Law, former special assistant to the GM in Toronto, mentioned a few interesting Blue Jays' non-trades in his chat today. He says that the Mets once offered 19-year-old David Wright for Jose Cruz Jr., but J.P. Ricciardi said "I'm not trading a major league player for some guy in the (Low Class-A) Sally League."

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/


Buffalo Bisons:

PP: Who are a couple sleeper pitchers to look for in 2010?

Hyde: A healthy Dillon Gee might be very useful upper level depth for the Mets. Lefty Adam Bostick deserves a shot in spring training to win a bullpen role. Southpaws Urbina and Matz are the two most exciting arms the Mets added this summer.

PP: Lastly, an updated top 5 Mets prospect list would look like what?

Hyde: Martinez is still up there at the top along with Niese as both fell short of losing their rookie eligibility due to season-ending injuries. Mejia and Davis are also in my top five. I haven't decided who gets the last spot yet. Candidates include Thole, Tejada, Wilmer Flores and Holt.

http://projectprospect.com/article/2009/10/11/minors-only-mets-system-qa



Savannah Sand Gnats:

Wilmer Flores SS (Mets) - Wilmer is still listed at short but most feel he will need to move to third or first base if he wishes to reach the major leagues. He played in the South Atlantic League and went from .307 in the Low A and rookie Leagues, but only hit .264 in the more advanced South Atlantic League. He still has a proclivity to strikeout, going down on strikes 72 times. He’ll also need to improve on his .305 OBA and his .332 slugging was a huge disappointment. Most think he will grow into his power but based on his 2009 numbers his power is being sapped. He needs to show more next year if he wants to stay on the prospect map.

http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?m=200910


Winter Leagues:

Aragua 12, Zulia 6 - Mets farmhand Chris Carter went 4-for-5 with a solo homer and three runs scored, powering the Tigres to their second straight win. Giants prospect Ramon Castro chipped in three RBIs as part of an 18-hit attack for Aragua, while Kenny Perez (Rockies) and Ernesto Mejia (Braves) hit two-run homers for Zulia. Box score

Magallanes 9, Caribes 2 - Blue Jays prospect Brian Dopirak homered and drove in three runs and Nationals farmhand Gustavo Molina hit a three-run shot, powering the Navegantes to their fifth straight win. Jose Sanchez (Mets) tossed four scoreless innings for Magallanes, while Reds prospect Daniel Dorn was 3-for-3 with a walk for the Caribes. Box score

Cardinals prospect Tyler Henley homered and knocked in three runs Wednesday as the Surprise Rafters held on for a 10-9 victory over the Peoria Saguaros. Henley and former Mets first-round pick Ike Davis teamed up twice to help the Rafters build a 7-0 cushion by the fifth inning. Surprise took a 1-0 lead in the second on doubles by Davis and Henley. Davis, who went 3-for-4, singled again in the fifth before Henley ripped his first Arizona Fall League homer, a two-run shot off Evan Englebrook (Astros) that made it 7-0.

http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091021&content_id=7517940&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Blogs:

If what Davidoff reports is true and Holliday prefers the Yankees over the Mets, the Mets have already lost. There is no way that the Mets can outbid the Yankees in a bidding war, especially with a very soft free agent market like this. Even though last season Yankee GM Brian Cashman said after the spending spree they went on the Yankees do have a budget, Matsui and Johnny Damon are both coming off the payroll and as of right now it doesn't look like the Yankees plan on resigning either outfielder.

http://www.metsfansforever.com/


International:

· The Mets now expect to meet with Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman and his agent later this week after initially saying they had no plans to do so, according to a person familiar with the situation. Chapman already is in New York, and has set up meetings with the Yankees, as well as a sitdown with Red Sox officials in Boston.

Chapman, a 21-year-old lefthander that throws in the high 90s, could be be one of the most coveted free agents this winter. But teams are uncertain just how ready he will be for the major leagues and that should affect his asking price.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/on-the-mets-beat-1.812057/mets-now-likely-to-meet-with-chapman-agent-1.1541675



Saber:

Strasburg threw 36 heaters in today's outing. I'm not sure of the two- and four-seam split yet -- right now I think he threw five sinkers, but that's not for sure. In any case, the fastballs from Strasburg came out of his hand at no less than 95, maxing out around 99.6. He sat around 97/98, which is nasty.

This was clearly an off day for Strasburg, so don't make too much of this. Only 48% of his fastballs found the strike zone. Even though hitters took a lot of fastballs in the zone (53% !) his B:CS ratio landed at a hefty (for a fastball) 2.7.

Despite control issues, the whiff rate of .143 against his fastball (swing rate .389) was pretty good, and he got the ball in play on the ground (.667). Still, each ball in play resulted in one base, on average, for an even SLGCON of 1.000.

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/


2010 Draft:

It was a learning experience for the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg on Thursday at Peoria Stadium. In his second Arizona Fall League start for the Phoenix Desert Dogs, the No. 1 pick in the nation plummeted to earth.
Strasburg allowed eight earned runs and seven hits, including three homers (one a grand slam), in a 9-6 loss to the Peoria Javelinas. It was his first look at that kind of disaster. Take note that he gave up only 16 earned runs in 15 college starts this season for San Diego State, for which he was 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA during his junior year.
In his two AFL starts, he's 1-1 with a 10.50 ERA. Welcome to professional baseball.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091022&content_id=7527876&vkey=news_was&fext=.jsp&c_id=was&partnerId=rss_was

The Keepers - #48 - RP - Will Morgan

48. Will Morgan – RP – Rookie –

You have to follow Mets minor league baseball every night in order to add someone like Wil Morgan to your list.

It’s not that Morgan has played that bad; he just hasn’t played much.

He was a 12th round pick in the 2007 draft and went straight to Brooklyn after signing, where he turned heads, striking out 39 in 35.2 innings. He had a 5.6 H/9, a WHIP of 0.84, and he was on “keep an eye of” list by the end of the year.

Morgan jumped Savannah in 2008 and opened up with Lucy, but, after only three outings, he went down with an injury in late April 2008 and has only got back to pitching in late August of this year, with the GCL Mets.

From: http://www.dembrooklynbums/: - Last season, Will Morgan was the glue that held the Brooklyn Cyclones bullpen together. Posting an uber-im­pressive 2.02 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 22 relief appearances in 2007, Mor­gan was a NY-Penn League All-Star and one of the most dominant reliev­ers in the league

In 2009, Morgan pitched for both the GCL Mets (0-0, 0.00 in 3 appearances, 7-K, in 4.0-IP), and St. Lucie (1-1, 2.70, in 2 appearances, 4-Ks in 3.1-IP.

His combined professional stats over three seasons are: 4-1, 1.91, 0.85, in 30 appearacnes, 53-Ks in 47.0-IP, and only 9-BB.

Forecast: Morgan will play 2010 as a 25-year old, so expect him to star next season at either St. Lucie or possibly, Binghamton. Remember, he’s never pitched bad, so keep an eye on this guy.

Minors Stuff

New York Mets

The country's biggest metropolitan statistical area is New York, with some 19 million inhabitants. New York has nine teams (we included the New Jersey Devils and Nets). Despite that large number and the greater likelihood for making the postseason and winning championships, New York ranks only third on our list. The nine teams have made a combined 16 appearances in the playoffs in the last three years, but together they have only one championship to show for their efforts (the 2007 Giants). That could change, of course, with the Yankees knocking on the World Series door at the moment.

The recent drag on New York pro sports scene? The lowly Mets, who haven't made the playoffs since 2006 (when they lost the NLCS to the St. Louis Cardinals).

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/21/best-sports-cities-lifestlye-sports-winning-teams.html

Buffalo Bisons:

Jim, whats the deal with Ike Davis, am I crazy or will he be ready for next year

Jim Callis - I think next year is pushing it a bit, but Davis got back on track after a weak pro debut. Maybe he'll be ready by midseason, but I think 2011 is more likely. You could make a case that he's New York's No. 1 prospect.

You mean there are actually 30 Mets worth talking about?

Jim Callis - They don't have a lot of prospects in the upper levels of their system, but their overall depth isn't bad. And we can find 30 guys to write up in any system!

I got into an argument the other day with a friend over Josh Thole. I said he didn't have enough power or defensive ability to be a long-term starter in the majors, my friend argued that his eye and contact would translate and make him an above average hitting catcher.... who do you agree with?

Jim Callis - I think you're probably closer to the truth.

Ike Davis and Jennry Mejia for Prince Fielder. Who says no first?

Jim Callis - Brewers. I'd want a comparable big league pitcher, not a pitching prospect.


http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/29011



St. Lucie Mets:

PP: Who are a couple sleeper hitters to look for in 2010?

Hyde: (Francesco) Pena is a better approach away from putting it all together. He needs to lay off the stuff out of the zone, and walk more than three times a month. With more discipline, his power would become more fearsome. I have a soft spot for second baseman Alonzo Harris, who popped 10 homers for Kingsport as part of a .273/.321/.447 campaign. He's a terrific athlete who turned down multiple big-time Division 1 football scholarships and he is a plus runner who is very raw defensively. When in doubt, bet on the tools. Like Pena, Harris is pretty hacktastic, fanning 59 times against 17 walks in 58 games. With a little more refinement on both sides, he could be THE breakout guy next year in the Mets system. I like third baseman Richard Lucas, who can go the other way with very rare authority for a player of his age. I've seen him sting balls literally from line to line. Outfielder Nick Santomauro has some pop, but some holes in his swing.

http://projectprospect.com/article/2009/10/11/minors-only-mets-system-qa



Winter Leagues:

Wilson Ramos continues his power stroke, hitting his fourth homerun on Tuesday to give Aragua a 13-8 over Zulia. Ramos 2-run bop turned an 8-4 lead into a 10-4 lead. He also scored three runs. The other Chris Carter who played for the Red Sox last year and is now on the Mets roster was a homerun shy of the cycle, driving in two runs and scoring two. Brewers slugger Brendan Katin hit a 2-run homer for Zulia in a losing cause

http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?m=200910

Blogs:

Wait, let me get this straight ... the Mets made money off the Madoff scandal?And still never signed an extra bat???I mean, there was extra money? I don't buy it. If there was extra money, then why did I get an e-mail from the Mets offering a chance to win Dunkin' Donuts coffee for a year ... an e-mail which had absolutely no connection to the Mets whatsoever. Nice. If I wanted offers from Dunkin' Donuts, don't you think I would have subscribed to the Dunkin Donuts' e-mail list???You can tell me that it wasn't just the Mets that did this. I got the same e-mail from the Cubs ... yeah, the team that filed for bankruptcy!So all that money sat there doing nothing but collecting interest? F***ing Wilpons. Give it to someone who can actually use $47.8 million.Like Steve Phillips! Hey, that should cover alimony for a couple of months.

http://metstradamus.blogspot.com/2009/10/misplaced-funny-funds.html


Mike Cameron was the Mets center fielder from 2002-2004 and the right fielder for 2005 after the Beltran signing.

Cameron was a gold glover caliber fielder with a solid bat and decent speed, who was taken back by the acquisition of Carlos Beltran.

Some believe that the one time All-Star and lifetime .250 hitter requested a trade after the 2005 season, at 33 y/o he still had several years left in his legs in center.

http://metsfever.blogspot.com/2009/10/cammy-back-to-ny.html



But if sports figures are going to wear inappropriate outfits, here are a few more that I would like to see:Oliver Perez wearing a CC Sabathia jersey: "I just wanted to feel like I was living up to my contract."Razor Shines wearing Tim McClelland's umpire uniform: "I just wanted to feel like someone who has even less of an idea about what is going on at third base than I do."Dan Warthen wearing new Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson's jacket: "I just wanted to feel like I once coached a pitching staff into the playoffs... But do I have to wear this jacket when it's 90 degrees?"Scott Boras wearing a ski mask: I just wanted to feel like I got the Mets to give Matt Holliday Teixeira money.Omar Minaya wearing no shirt at all: "I just wanted to feel like I was challenging minor leaguers to a fight."

http://subwaysquawkers.blogspot.com/2009/10/imagine-if-jerry-manuel-wore-jimmy.html

Mets Alumni:

Tracy Strawberry says she and her husband have nothing to hide. So the published report on Monday that Darryl Strawberry owes the state of California and the IRS a combined $554,000 is nothing shocking to the couple. "There have been a lot of years of that wreckage," she said Tuesdayof her husband's long, recurring problems with addiction and debt, "and we've been compliant. This is no secret for us." Tracy Strawberry, Darryl's third wife whom he met in a Florida recovery facility, said that the state of California recently sent Darryl a request for documentation regarding the $259,480 the state is owed in back taxes. The state of California filed a lien against Strawberry on April 13 in Sacramento County Court. The state of California also filed a lien for $44,359 on Jan. 25, 2008. The IRS filed a $250,184 lien in Hillsborough (Fla.) County Court on Dec. 2, 2008. -- Newsday

http://msn.foxsports.com/rumors/mlb



2010 Draft:

Could Nationals go with Taillon or Ranaudo over Harper?

Jim Callis:Sure they could. I'll do a column on this at some point, but I don't think it's far-fetched to conceive of Bryce Harper falling out of the first round. It's going to be almost impossible to live up to the hype, and if he falls short and is looking for big money--is Strasburg's contract a starting point--he may scare off clubs, who know he can re-enter the 2011 and 2012 drafts and still have lots of leverage. It's also possible that after spending $15.1 million on Strasburg, the Nationals don't want to spend huge money on another No. 1 overall pick.
http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/29011