Over Slot Picks, Don Ruff, Johan Santana, Mike Carp, Kingsport Roster

Over Slot Picks:


I’ve said earlier that it is one thing to draft high school projected prospects and it’s another thing to sign them. Mike Diaz over at http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/mets-draftees-mulling-over-options has printed some of the comments some of these kids have said about being drafted by the Mets and I don’t hear a lot of excitement from 7th round- Cole Frenzel,1B, U. of Arizona, 12th round- Kenny Matthews, LHP, Diamond Bar (Calif.) HS, 16th round- Brad Marquez, OF, Odessa (TX) HS, 18th round- Travis Taijeron, OF, Cal Poly Pomona, 20th round- Mason Robbins, OF, George County HS (MS), 28th round- Jharel Cotton, RHP, Miami-Dade CC (FL), 29th round- Josh Ake, SS, Hunterdon Central HS (NJ), 45th round- Andrew Marra, SS, St. Thomas of Villanova SS (Ontario), or 49th round- Sean Buckle, LHP, Wilson HS (CA)


Don Ruff:


Earlier this week, 2007 Notre Dame alum Rich Ruff was scheduled to fly to Florida, but could have saved money on airfare. That’s because he was floating on a cloud. A 46th-round draft pick of the New York Mets in last week’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Ruff was to begin workouts at the team’s Port St. Lucie training complex on Wednesday. The right-handed pitcher expects to spend the remainder of the summer playing for one of the organization’s short-season Class A affiliates, which are located in Port St. Lucie, Kingston, Tenn., and Brooklyn, N.Y.- http://niles.suntimes.com/sports/5940499-419/former-don-ruff-drafted-by-mets-as-pitcher.html


Johan Santana:


I see that Santana stopped throwing around ten days ago when he experienced some soreness in his surgically repaired left shoulder, after trying to pump up the volume. This is normal… for a shoulder that isn’t healed yet. Sandy Alderson followed this news with a comment that he will be “prudent” with Santana this season. Prudent means, hola Johan, hasta la vista until April.


Mike Carp:


The Seattle Mariners recalled ex-Met Mike Carp. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=14236 - This season, Carp has seemingly managed to unite superior power and on-base ability in a single stat line, producing a whopping .348/.409/.661 performance that earned him an invitation to Seattle. For the first time in his career, the lefty has forsaken first base entirely this season, spending most of his defensive innings in left field. That position switch is no accident; the arrival of Justin Smoak closed Carp’s window as a first baseman in the organization, but left field has been an unproductive abyss for the Mariners since Raul Ibanez’s last tour of duty in the Pacific Northwest in 2008.


Kingsport Roster:


We’re starting to get some information on the upcoming K-Port roster. Good news is ex-DSL prospect outfielder Eudy Pena (2010: .310) will play in Tennessee this season. Draftee SS Chad Zurcher will also be assigned to K-Port, joining another hot ex-DSL prospect, SP Carlos Gomez (2010: 7-2, 1.47).