7-15 from: - link - Francoeur is still running on the fumes of his former potential, but it's time to realize that he is what he is: A 26-year-old plodding outfielder with a great arm who is capable of hitting some singles when a lefty is on the mound. Does that sound like a player who can help a team in the midst of a nip-and-tuck playoff race? The Mets' margin of error for making the postseason is already small. Giving playing time to Francoeur only makes it smaller.
7-15 from: - link - Sometimes, organizations may choose to put a player at a certain position simply because they “feel” that said player is a “good fit” there, not based on analytics or statistics, but on subjective and inherently prejudiced (not in the conotational sense) beliefs. When I started following Mets prospect Jenrry Mejia, a baby-faced righty with a fantastic arm, I instantly got nervous. Despite his potential to be an extremely valuable starting pitcher, Mejia had the “look” of a reliever, in the Francisco Rodriguez or Mariano Rivera mold. In an interview with my good friend Jeremy Greenhouse at The Baseball Analysts this past winter, I said the following: I’m really worried the Mets are going to put [Jenrry Mejia] in the bullpen to start the season. I hope that doesn’t happen. I hope they put him back in Binghamton next year. His peripherals in Binghamton were really solid last year. I hope he continues to prosper there and move up the ranks. I don’t want to see him get thrown in. He has that look of a set-up guy or closer that people can think “Oh, this is one of those late-inning guys, a K-Rod because of that electric arm.” And they can forget that he can actually be a very good starter if they leave him in the minors for long enough.
7-15 from: - link - This one is spot on. Matthews basically parlayed one decent year and one fantastic catch into a $50 million contract and whined when he couldn’t get playing time with the Angels. Why would he be considered overrated, after the Mets finally dumped him last month? Possibly because he managed to make the opening day lineup for the Mets in center field, despite the fact that he’s just plain not good – GMJ has posted a total of -1.1 WAR since 2007. The players find him overrated for the same reasons we do – he’s bad, overpaid, and somehow manages to keep finding roster spots – the Reds signed him to a minor league deal recently, so there’s still a chance that Matthews’ MLB career isn’t over.
7-12 from: - link - TRDMB’s 2nd Annual Mets First Half Report Card - Elmer Dessens - A-: Perhaps the better comparison to Darren Oliver…remains to be seen if he will keep this up, but thus far his 2010 has been nothing short of remarkable; even more amazing if one is familiar with his overall career.
7-14 from: - link - Like Gronauer, Welch isn't a true prospect but despite poor plate discipline he has shown the ability to hit for decent average at just about every stop so far. To me, this becomes worth noting once it persists against the more advanced pitching in Hi-A. If he can keep it up in Double-A (probably in 2011), then he can start being discussed as potential major league bench fodder. Also like Gronauer, as an Australian Welch most likely has a longer development time due to a different level of play in his home country. Welch actually reminds me quite a bit of fellow countryman and former Mets prospect Justin Huber, for better or for worse.
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