CUTNPASTE: - Ruben Tejada, Jon Niese, PEDs, Willie Randolph... and Brad Holt

Ruben Tejada:



9-29-10 from: - bisons  - 2010 Notes: - Began the season with the New York Mets but was optioned to the Bisons on April 10. Recalled to New York from June 4 – July 11 and August 7 to the end of the season. Played 65 games over his two stints with the Bisons. -Ranked 9th on the Bisons with 61 hits. -Had just 2 hits in fi rst 25 at-bats with the Bisons (8 games). Hit .306 (59-193) over fi nal 57 games with the Bisons. -Hit lone home run of the season came on April 29 vs. Durham. -Went 4-4 with a run scored on May 10 in Louisville.-Excelled in May, hitting .316 (31-98) n 29 games. -Season-high 7-game hit streak, May 3-10 (.522, 12-23). -Made 8 errors in 58 games at SS (.968) and 2 errors in 7 games at 2B (.950).

Jon Niese:



metsblog  - Prior to Niese speaking with reporters, SNY’s Bobby Ojeda had some strong words about Niese’s most recent efforts, and for the most part I agreed with his sentiment, but one thing I think should be noted is Niese is in unchartered territory with his innings, so his struggles could simply be the result of both mental and physical fatigue – it’s not an excuse at all, because if he’s going to be a big leaguer, he needs to learn how to withstand the trials of a 162 game schedule, and hopefully October, and so going into Spring Training in 2011, I would expect he will take the next step with his maturity, and prepare appropriately in the off-season, should that be his primary problem.

PEDs:



nbc  - But some people are watching "The Tenth Inning," including our friend lar from Wezen-Ball. And he notes this morning that the most interesting thing from last night's episode was when Washington Post columnist Tom Boswell said that he once saw a player -- who is now in the Hall of Fame -- drink something in the clubhouse which the player called "a Jose Canseco milkshake." Which could have been Slim Fast and B vitamins for all we know, but since Boswell was talking about it during a segment about steroids, he clearly took it to mean that the thing was chock full of PED-ly goodness. Based on the clues Boswell gave to the player's identity -- a guy who (a) is already in the Hall of Fame; and (b) who hit more home runs after Jose Canseco arrived in the league than he ever had before -- lar tries to figure out who it was. I won't give it away but his number one suspect is a guy about whom people have whispered in the past and whom would certainly have benefited from proximity to Jose Canseco.

Willie Randolph:



maller  - Ken Macha, whose 2011 option is expected to be declined by the Brewers, thinks Willie Randolph deserves another crack at managing. “He’s got a strong desire to manage again,” Macha said. “I’m hoping he gets the opportunity to do it.” As for how Randolph has handled his role as bench coach, Macha said, “His strengths have been the way he mingles with players. And he knows what I want during the game. He has done very good with that. “One of the big factors is that the guy’s got to have (the manager’s) back. He’s been good with that. Your coaches have to be loyal.” Part of that loyalty is not hovering over your boss’s job, so Randolph isn’t going to talk about possibly replacing Macha. Brewers owner Mark Attanasio grew up as a Yankee fan, which would seem to work in Randolph’s favor, and he did interview for the job when Macha was hired. One club source said that doesn’t mean Randolph is the logical successor, however

Brad Holt:



hyde  - Holt, who will turn 24 on the second day of the AFL season on October 13, was the single biggest disappointment in the system in 2010. The 33rd overall pick in the 2008 draft bombed out of AA with a 10.20 ERA in 30 innings only to struggle in the advanced-A Florida State League with a 7.48 ERA with 56 walks and 62 strikeouts in 65 innings. Scouts reported varying velocities on Holt in AA, but the Mets claimed that his velocity was consistently better in the FSL than it was in AA. Maybe the Mets saw something better from Holt in Instructional League, going on in Florida, that made the team think Holt was ready for the advanced hitters and tough pitching conditions in Arizona.