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| Michael G. Baron |
2010 Stats:2-6, 3.30 ERA, 1.53 WHIP - Prediction: Mets - With the loss of Hisanori Takahashi, the Mets cannot afford to have another solid lefty leave their bullpen. Feliciano was a workhorse for the Mets last year and should be back. - Bleacher Report
Don Wakamatsu:
Went from genius to fired in one year with the Mariners - in conjunction with the team being re-modeled from a fundamentally sound overachiever to a dysfunctional mess. Early on last year, Wakamatsu had a major falling out with team icon Ken Griffey Jr. over the leaked story about Griffey sleeping in the clubhouse during a game. Shortly before his firing, there was the dugout meltdown in which Wakamatsu came to blows with Chone Figgins, the team's most expensive off-season free agent. In the end, it was one of the uglier manager firings in recent years. - NYDN
But is practical randomness the best the Mets can do for a manager? Are we to believe that it didn’t matter who succeeded Wes Westrum as fulltime Met manager in 1968, that Gil Hodges didn’t have a profound impact on the fortunes of this franchise? That Davey Johnson was not essential to the unprecedented long-term success that coincided with his appointment prior to the 1984 season and all but expired with his dismissal in 1990? That when the Mets snapped a veritable six-year losing streak in 1997 and contended every year through 2001 that anybody could have been filling out lineup cards and that Bobby Valentine’s handwriting and fingerprints were just incidental? - FaFiF
11-15-10 from: - Project Prospect - While he is quiet and controlled at the plate, he has a very inefficient path to the ball. He pushes his hands back and away from him, and pulls the barrel forward with his bottom hand as he brings the bat through the zone. His lead arm is straight throughout most of his swing, costing him quickness and efficiency. He weight shift could use some work, as he mostly spins on his back leg when he swings. Some people will call out Havens’ 2009 batting average on balls in play as unlucky, but he hit a lot of fly balls and not many line drives. He could be someone who hits for a low batting average due to his high fly-ball rates. Havens won’t wow you on defense at second, but he’s a solid athlete with good hands. We think he’s a good bet to remain at the position. Havens was a shortstop in college and his first full season in pro ball. He was initially rumored as a candidate for catcher, but was tired at shortstop before being shifted to second base at the Arizona Fall League. Havens doesn’t do one thing exceptionally well, but he has the potential to be a very solid player with some refinement. His patience and power combo is very intriguing – especially at an up-the-middle position – though his swing needs some work. Learning to do less pulling with his front and more driving forward with his backside will be paramount for Havens to reach his potential as a slightly above-average regular.
11-15-10 from: - link - The problem is that the kid is too raw. In the field, out of control play leads to unnecessary errors. At the dish, the lefty-swinger has virtually no plate discipline, regularly walking in the single digits. His walk rate has declined at each of his past three stops as pitchers learn to throw him balls and reached a horrid 1.7% in Double-A. To top it all off, Valdespin has a definite maturity problem and has been suspended on multiple occasions by the organization. The good news here is that though he's not exactly a youngster (23 in December), Valdespin is young in terms of experience; 2010 was his first pro season where he topped 70 games and only his third overall in the states. Valdespin may have the tools to play at the highest level but he has a long way to go before he can be considered a possible everyday major leaguer and with Rule V eligibility looming, adding him to the 40-man roster is a very tough call.
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