R.A. Dickey: Teams don’t trade for journeyman knuckleball pitchers in the off-season. They wait for the trade deadline. He’s been arguably the Mets most consistent starter, but he’s a No. 4 according to most scouts, maybe a No. 5. He’s somebody a contender might covet in July, but he’s not going to bring back a lot of talent. http://www.newyorkmetsreport.com/2011/10/25/mets-have-precious-few-pieces-to-trade
10-28-11: - http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/102611aaa.html - Damien Magnifico, a 2009 fifth rounder of the New York Mets, and Gray, a 2011 10th rounder by the New York Yankees, were both clocked in the mid-to-high 90s in the intrasquad. Magnifico tripped triple digits on the MPH display on the scoreboard, topping out at 102. "It's pretty amazing," added Golloway on the two pitchers' performance. "We've had that display for a number of years and I have never seen it hit 100. And you have Magnifico hitting 100, 101, 102 today, then you have someone like Jon Gray pitching against him, and he's sitting there rocking the gun at 97-98. It's pretty amazing but those guys also understand its about throwing strikes."
Purely as a hitter, Duda put up numbers over 324 plate appearances last year that stack up on a percentage basis with what Mike Stanton did in 2011 and what Ryan Howard did in 2005. And that’s why I think Duda is a star with the bat in his hands. There are certainly reasons to be skeptical. Duda has neither the pedigree nor track record that Stanton and Howard possess. He’s not come close to matching the over the fence power of either of those two players. And his outfield defense is atrocious. But when he steps into the batter’s box, Duda has put up some eye-opening numbers. Now we have to see if Duda can overcome the adjustments that pitchers make against him this year. We have to see if he can produce over a full season. And we have to see if he can cut it in the outfield. But there are definitely reasons to be excited, too. And the proposed new outfield dimensions at Citi Field could help improve his power numbers. Duda could be the best hitter on the 2012 Mets. That is if they don’t trade him for help in other areas. http://mets360.com/?p=8305
TO THE untrained eye, Dae-Sung Koo looks like any other weekend warrior at Petersham Oval. But this 42-year-old baseballer is not your garden variety pitcher. After all, we're pretty sure most of his teammates haven't won an Olympic medal, starred for the New York Mets, don't possess a 150km/h fast ball or have an estimated $50 million in career earnings. But while he can't walk down the streets of his homeland, South Korea, without getting mobbed, Koo has been preparing for the Australian Baseball League in the relative anonymity of a Sydney winter league. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/korea-opportunities--mets-unlikely-hero-finds-a-home-in-harbour-city-20111029-1mpek.html#ixzz1cBfUbUGf
New York Mets star David Wright has been trying to sell his swank penthouse in NYC’s Flatiron District for quite some time… He paid $6.1M for it back in 2006, tried originally selling it for $7,850,000, and has continued to lower the price to unload…Here’s what my real estate expert says about the property, ” I hear rumblings that it’s gonna come down another $200k to $6,750,000. No buyers are stepping up to the plate…In the meantime, Wright is living in a $12,000 pad on the Upper East Side.” http://www.terezowens.com/david-wright-trying-to-sell-swank-penthouse-in-nycs-flatiron-district
Dae-Sung Koo:
On May 21st, 2005 Dae-Sung Koo had his biggest moment in the majors when he hit an unlikely double against future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. Koo would hit a shot over Bernie Williams’ head right after Tim McCarver said that it was "the biggest give-up at-bat." He would then hustle around and score on a Jose Reyes bunt. At that moment he had the Mets fans screaming "Koooooo!" That was when Koo, became a Mets legend. Well, not really. Unfortunately for Koo, 2005 was his only season in the majors. He only pitched in a total of 33 games, and had a 3.91 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 23 innings, but at least he was able to provide Mets fans with a memorable moment from the Subway Series. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791417-five-mets-who-you-might-or-might-not-remember-since-the-year-2000#/articles/791417-five-mets-who-you-might-or-might-not-remember-since-the-year-2000/page/4
Mike Baxter:
The 26-year old Baxter was an intriguing waiver steal by the Mets back on July 22nd when they nabbed him from tonight's opponent, the San Diego Padres -- no doubt another player DePo kept an eye on from his time there. The Padres had been stashing him on the 60-day DL since he tore thumb ligaments back in March, but lost him to a numbers crunch when he returned -- probably hoping he'd quietly slip through waivers without any notice. The 26-yr old Queens native was originally drafted in the fourth round -- 128th overall -- in ‘05 after playing first at Columbia and then transferring to baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt. For those wondering, yes he WAS a teammate of fellow Buffalo outfielder Fernando Perez with Columbia. He also teamed with David Price in his junior year with the Commodores - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/8/8/2351884/prospect-spotlight-of-mike-baxter
Tyson Seng:
8-8-11: - http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/news/topstories/index.html?article_id=1204 - TYSON SENG- A 33rd round selection in the 2011 MLB Draft, Tyson Seng has been one of the most effective relievers in the league’s most effective bullpen. The righthander has allowed only two earned runs in 28.0 innings for a 0.64 ERA. Since July 1st, Send has allowed just one earned run and has struck out 29 while compiling a 3-1 record with two saves out of the Brooklyn bullpen.
Ruben Tejada:
8-9-11: - The Mets have seen glimpses of excellence from the 21-year-old Tejada, but still are not convinced he can hit enough to be an everyday player. Tejada, who went 1-for-4 with a single, is batting .250 with no homers and 19 RBIs in 172 at-bats for the Mets this season. Collins said he told Tejada this is his chance. "I said, 'If you approach the game the way you're supposed to here, you'll never see Buffalo again,' " Collins said. "As we've often said, 'This is your chance to show everybody this is where you need to be and where you're going to stay.' - http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/collins_to_tejada_it_your_chance_Ox4v6b4qgbZEblXT9geb1M#ixzz1UXJCPEUJ
Paying Jose:
This latest injury to Jose Reyes’ hamstring puts the nail in the coffin. There is just no way the New York Mets can sign him to a Carl Crawford-like contract with his injury history, nor should they. He’s a wonderful athlete and a wonderful player while on the field, but literally since the day he came to the majors, he’s had problems with his legs. If you recall at one point as a rookie while rehabbing, they even tried to teach him to run differently. Forget the blood disorder or any other aliments he’s had, it’s the recurring leg issues for a player whose biggest attribute is in the fact that he excels in an area of the game that you can’t teach, running, that’s the problem. Reyes had four injury free years from 2005-2008, but that’s sandwiched between years where he just could not stay on the field. Even with that four year stretch where he averaged 158 games, in his nine year career Jose has averaged playing only 113 games per year. Playing only 77 games per year on average for five years spoils the party. If you can’t stay on the field, you can’t produce. If you can’t produce, you can’t get paid. Sorry Jose - http://thexlog.com/201108090812/xtra-bases/mlb/mets-guarantee-daniel-murphy-opportunity-for-starting-spot-in-2012
