Cutnpaste: - Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Lucas Duda, Ruben Tejada, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Willie Mays:
Willie Mays is happiest when he visits the Giants clubhouse before ball games, holding court with players young enough to be his grandchildren. He sits at a card table and asks the players to sign it, and he’ll bring the table home as a souvenir. He doesn’t care for the loud music, but he is nonjudgmental about the players. Asked if Major League Baseball is ready for an openly gay player, Mr. Mays says, “Can he hit?” - ben maller\  

Jackie Robinson:

“Can a business survive if all the principals are looking out for themselves?” Fittingly, the words come from a man who keenly understood the meaning of the word “team.” On film, he introduces himself simply as “Jackie Robinson, your host.” But it is the same Jackie Robinson who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and went on to a 10-year career that put him in baseball’s Hall of Fame. - NY Times  



Lucas Duda:

OF/1B, Double-A/Triple-A/Majors, .314/.389/.610 in 298 PA - This is Duda’s line in Triple-A, when he had 42 XBH, including 17 HR. Duda saw extensive playing time with the Mets in September. He couldn’t buy a base hit his first two weeks in the majors. But in his final 55 PA, he put up a .314/.345/.647 line with 9 XBH and 4 HR. Duda has big-time power. The issue is: Where is he going to play? He played LF with the Mets in September, but that position is manned by Jason Bay. His best position is 1B, but Davis has a leg up there. Potentially, RF could be his home, but Duda was already stretched defensively in LF. In his brief action in the majors, he was below average in both range and arm. Again, Duda is a player that most others rank higher. My problem is that I just don’t see where he fits on the Mets. – Mets360  



Ruben Tejada:
Lost his rookie status last year, so you won’t see Tejada on prospect lists anymore. I was shocked at how tiny he is in person. He’s listed at 5‘11“ and 160 pounds, which is total BS. Maybe he’s 5‘9“ on a tall day. Maybe. Tejada has a couple of years to figure out how to get himself on base often enough to be a competent utility infielder. - Patrick Flood  


Kirk Nieuwenhuis

The Good: It's hard to find a weakness in Nieuwenhuis's game. He's a fundamentally sound hitter with gap-to-average power and average speed that should lead to home-run and stolen-base totals in the 15-20 range as a big leaguer. He's an energetic player who gets the most from his tools. The Bad: One scout described Nieuwenhuis as “a bag full of fives,” as he doesn't have a single true plus tool. The biggest concern about his future is his ability to stay in center field, as his range falls a bit short for the position, and his arm is a tick below average. He can get a bit power hungry at times, leading to a high strikeout rate. - .baseballprospectus.