Mets:
Stat wise, here's where the Mets stand so far this season:
Batting: .278 - 8th out of 30 teams
Pitching: 4.15 - 13th out of 30 teams
Fielding: .972 - dead last out of 30 teams
As a whole, our sample of hitters (including both of Guerrero's years) had a .289 batting average and struck out in only 12.6 percent of their plate appearances. The bat is simply the most important tool with the largest spread in talent, and it's incredibly difficult to teach the hand-eye coordination needed to routinely square up the ball. Some contact can be sacrificed with the trade-off of additional power, but legitimate prospects shouldn't be swinging and missing at DSL pitching with much frequency. The players who tend to make frequent contact usually have good fundamental swings, staying short to the ball with a swing that helps them stay inside the baseball, rather than longer swings that can get them in trouble against more advanced pitching. The Mets, who have one of the best international programs in the game, seem to have targeted this type of player as part of their international strategy. The best Latin American players who the Mets have signed the last three years—Fernando Martinez, Flores and Marte—all are bat-first players who seem certain to eventually move off their current positions. That's not a bad trio of players, which includes two of the game's top 50 prospects, all for a combined investment of $2.6 million.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...09/267777.html
Minors Thoughts:
Bisons:
There’s very little offensive good news coming out of Buffalo so far this season, but one ray of hope (and frankly, only one of two everyday player worth keeping your eyes on for this team), is Fernando Martinez, who seems to finally have added some additional pop to his bat.
The bottom line on this team… there are five players worth following… Martinez, Nick Evans, Dillon Gee, Jonathan Niese, and Eddie Kunz. You can throw the rest back in the pond.
Speaking of Kunz, he put up three more scoreless innings today (0.00) and the big news is he is obviously being moved away from the closer role he has had over his minor league career. The Mets signing of Putz and Rodriquez takes away any need for that position to come out of the minors system for the next few years.
Lucy:
Speak of the devil… I mention that this might not be too early to consider some bump ups in the rosters, and walla, Lucy summons SP Edgar Ramirez from Extended Camp, and assigns RP Manuel Alvarez retroactively (4/11) to the 15-day DL. This now gives Lucy 7 starters, with only 6 relief pitchers, so I assume Ramirez will be switched to the pen.
Gnats:
Everybody is quite excited about the “bats” the Mets sent to the Coastal Empire this season, but frankly, it’s been the pitching to pull the weight so far this early season. Going into Tuesday’s game, eight pitchers (Elvin Ramirez, Jeff Kaplan, Jeurys Familia, Rhiner Cruz, Josh Stinson, Manuel Oliveros, Jimmy Johnson, and Erik Turgeon) have a combined 0.00 ERA through a collective 29.1 IP…
John Sickles on 2B Josh Satin (MMP #20): “Mets second baseman Josh Satin at Class A Savannah is off to a hot start, 6-for-12 (.500) with two walks. He had a terrific season at the University of California last year, earning a spot in the sixth round, but he was a senior and an old one at that: he's already 24. He's polished and could make short work of A-ball, but lacks physical projection and doesn't excite scouts. Let's see what happens at higher levels.”…
what minor league Met 2Bman would play where was thrown for a curve this pre-spring when prospect dumbass Kyle Suire got busted and given a 50-game suspension. I’m sure, if this didn’t happen, would have had Suire in Savannah, Satin with Lucy, and Greg Veloz (MMP #16) in Binghamton.
Catcher Jordany Valdespin played second base Tuesday night… I guess everyone in the organization is going to get a shot at this job. Kyle Allen (MMP #34) started the game… Allen began his Mets career as a stand up reliever, with two saves, and moved into the GCL rotation last year in early August. For the season, he went 1-1, 2.12, in 11 games, and impressed everyone around him. Tuesday: 2.2 IP, 7 ER, 22.63 ERA.
That leaves SP Eric Beaulac (MMP# 18) as the only starter that hasn’t started this year …???
Clones:
On Monday, August 3rd, the Brooklyn Cyclones will host Darryl Strawberry Night, and the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a limited-edition “Strawbobble” – a bobblehead depicting the New York baseball legend. Strawberry will also be on hand for the Cyclones’ third annual Golf Outing, on Sunday, August 9th. He will play in the tournament that day, and will be a keynote speaker at the outing’s dinner that evening.
International:
According to Dominican scouts, this might be a very exciting signing period come July 2nd… there are somewhere around 10 great prospects that could sign bonuses in the seven figure range. Additionally, there are some Cuban players that are playing in the DR that could be signed, especially top prospect RHP Yunesky Flores.
It’s always fun looking back at some old articles… here’s one from July 2007:
The Mets also made a splash on the international market as expected, signing Venezuelan shortstop Wilmer Flores, Venezuelan lefthander Martin Perez ($560,000), Venezuelan catcher Kelvin Mostcantero ($400,000), and Dominican third baseman Jeffrey Marte ($550,000) and two-way player Adrian Polanco ($400,000).
Mets Alumni:
Eric Chavez sat out Monday night's game with a sore right shoulder, and he's likely to be out again Tuesday when the Oakland A's play the Boston Red Sox
Mike Piazza combined with Tom Seaver for the ceremonial first pitch at the new home of the New York Mets, Citi Field, Monday. While Seaver answered question after question from the media, Piazza was on his way out of the park, according to the New York Times. It was unclear if Piazza's reluctance to talk was connected to allegations of steroid use in a recently published book, "The Rocket That Fell to Earth," by Jeff Pearlman. The book is about Roger Clemens, but in one section Pearlman writes that Piazza confided to unidentified reporters during his career that he had used performance-enhancing drugs, the Times reported
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/rumors/p...urn=mlb,155638
The team (LA Angels) has shuffled its rotation to postpone the decision on how to replace Adenhart in the rotation until Saturday in Minnesota. But Reagins said the team is still in 'weather-the-storm' mode and is not looking to add a starting pitcher either via free agency or trade – and that includes Pedro Martinez whose agent "reached out" to Reagins recently to let him know the unsigned free agent has continued working out since pitching for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. "We haven't made any offer or had any discussions about bringing him in," Reagins said. "We're still in this pattern where we're waiting for guys – (Ervin) Santana, (John) Lackey – to get back
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/r...79-team-season
The Nats are tired of Lastings Milledge, their 24-year-old center fielder, acting like a 10-year veteran who has earned a central position in their locker room when, in fact, he has accomplished little. When he doesn't show up until 30 minutes before team stretching exercises or is late to a team meeting the day before Opening Day, it sends a bad message that honors are given before they are earned in the Nats' world. So don't be surprised if, fairly soon, the Nats' clogged outfield problem is solved, at least temporarily, in an unexpected way: by sending Milledge back to the minor leagues. He's a gifted athlete but, both in center field and as a leadoff hitter, he is still an unpolished and undisciplined player. The Nats' front office still refers to the zig-zag routes he runs to fly balls, like two more adventures yesterday, as "pass patterns" because he breaks in so many different directions. As a leadoff man, he seems to have no sense of his get-on-base role. If the Nats take this course, they can put Elijah Dukes, whom one executive refers to as "a warrior," in center field – Washington Post
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