Mack Stuff – Gorkys Hernandez, Jason Botts, Aaron Laffey

Mack Stuff –  Gorkys Hernandez, Jason Botts, Aaron Laffey

I had suggested earlier this week that the Mets should target OF Gorkys Hernandez from the Miami Marlins roster. For what it’s worth, as of Thursday, he’s hitting .362 for Caribes de Anzoategui in the VWL… which also leads the league.

Another of my targeted players, OF Jason Botts, currently leads the Mexican League. He remains unsigned.

Playoff time – DWL  - RF Jordany Valdespin - Leones del Escogido -  3-5, 1-R,

                                      LF  Cesar Puello - Toros del Este – 0-0, .000

2B Wilmer Flores - Bravos de Margarita – 1-4, .279

The Mets inked another player to a minor league contract, but continues to be the only baseball team not to sign a player to a major league contract. This time it’s LHP Aaron Laffey, a 27-year old that was a 16^th round pick in 2003 by Cleveland. Laffey has been around (Cleveland, Seattle, NYY, Toronto) who was granted free agency in October. He was a starter for Cleveland, was converted to the pen by the Yanks and Seattle, but went back to the rotation for Toronto in 2012: 4-6, 4.56, 1.36… only a 5.1 K/9 last year… Of the 50-odd active lefty pitchers with 400+ career innings pitched, he has the worst K per 9 (4.4)… this move makes very little sense to me. Laffey does have the MLB chops. But has had very little success. I was hoping for a little more than this to hold down the SP5 until Zack Wheeler arrives.

Mack Stuff – Justin Upton, Jason Botts, Edwin Jackson, Carl Pavano

NYP - Alderson needs to try to acquire Upton. Go for another game changer. The Mets have made fascinating strides lately. They need to make another big push to reach higher ground in the NL East.

-          I have a lot of respect for Kevin Kiernan but I don’t think he thought this one out. Trading for a star like Upton takes more than absorbing his contract ($9.75 million in 2013, $14.25 million in 2014 and $14.5 million in 2015). Frankly, the “new” Mets can afford that. They have enough left in 2013 and 2014 and beyond is wide open.

Your “future” nucleus includes David Wright, Travis d’Arnaud, Zack Wheeler, and Matt Harvey. For me, everyone else is still on the table.

A player of this caliber is going to have to produce two players as well as taking on 100% of the salary. The Mets don’t have the kind of player depth to pull this off unless Arizona needs to fill a void. So far this off-season, they hav  strengthened the team's bullpen, added an upper-tier starting pitcher, solidified the bench and, improved at shortstop. They don’t need a second or first baseman, so Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, and Ruben Tejada isn’t an option.

I don’t see how you pull this off.

I’m going to keep bringing this name up…  OF Jason Botts hit a 2-run home run for Los Mochis in the Mexican Pacific League. Botts is now up to .328… this was his 15^th home run this off-season in 204-AB… he also hit .336 last season in the Mexican League. He’s a switch hitter. He’s an ex-Met. He’s 32-years old. And, he’s without a team.

Cubs sign RHP Edwin Jackson to 4-year, $52 million deal

                                

                                He was the top pitcher still out there in the free agent market and nowhere near the level that the Mets might be looking to add an SP5. It’s simply amazing what you have to pay fifty million dollars for these days. A career 4.40 ERA, a 6.9 career K/9, and traded six times in his first nine professional years.

Ken Davidoff‏ - @KenDavidoff -  The #Mets have reached out to the reps of free agents LHP Francisco Liriano and RHP Carl Pavano

                -We talked about Liriano a few posts ago. Pavano is an alternative. He started 11 games for Minnesota last year (2-5, 6.00), throwing 63.0 innings. His best years are far behind him, including 2010 (Minny – 17-11, 3.75). Still, he’s a control pitcher that’s been around (37-yrs. old) and could hold the fort down until Zack Wheeler is ready. Just finished a 2-year, $16.5mil contract he doesn’t stand a chance of getting near. He probably would be available for around $3mil for one year.

5.20.11 – Fernando Martinez, Michael Fisher, Jason Botts, Brad Holt

Queens:


OF Fernando Martinez will DH for the Mets on Friday and Saturday against the Yankees.






Buffalo:


Covering both the Bisons and the B-Mets are getting increasingly more difficult every day. These are two very bad teams with very few players that can someday benefit the Mets.


2B Michael Fisher had four hits. He’s another of the thousands of players the Mets have tried at econd base somewhere in the system these past few years. He joined the Mets in 2010 with Savannah (.354) and, frankly, he has hit at every level so far. Turned 26 this past March. Think Justin Turner with black hair.






The Mets signed Jason Botts and assigned him to Buffalo. The 6-5 Botts was playing outfield/1st base for York in the Atlantic League. He originally was a 46th round draft pick by the Texas Rangers in 1999 and spent nine seasons in the Rangers organization. His major league totals are: .230/.325/.344/.669, though his lifetime minor league BA is .291. He currently was hitting .370 for York.






Binghamton:

You may remember how wonderful it was early this season to see SP Brad Holt eliminate the control problems he suffered from last year. No one has ever questioned his talent. It was just that fact that he couldn’t hit the barn that concerned a few of us. Well, last year’s Brad is an understatement compared to what we saw on Thursday in New Hampshire.


Holt went into this game with 10 walks in the past two starts. No big deal. He had eight in 4.0-IP for this game. That’s 18-BB in 11.1-IP.


I’m sure he’ll stay in the rotation because the Mets are determined not to rush any of the prospects kids below this level. Jeurys Familia has already arrived and Matt Harvey will stay where he is during the first half of the St. Lucie season.


I’m including what I have written about Holt since he joined the Mets because it may be awhile before I write about him again:


The Mets picked Holt in the supplemental portion of the 1st round in the 2008 draft. College stats: 3.18 ERA, 11-1, 93.1 IP, 78 H, 36 BB, 95 K, .225 BAA, 8 HR allowed


Holt pitched the day before the draft… threw 149 pitches and was clocked at 94 in the 9th inning.


In 2008, Holt was spot on for Brooklyn, going 5-3, 1.87 in 14 starts. He also struck out 96 batters in 72.1 IP. Holt won the Sterling Award as the the top Met player for the 2008 Brooklyn team.


5-29-10: - Brad Holt got one more shot at starting last night and he passed the test. I remember talking to Rick Waits out on the back mounds about Holt in the spring of 2009 and he told me that the emphasis last year would be on creating secondary pitches for Holt. I left that day thinking his ERA would be up for 2009 (which it was) simply because you’re going to have to throw these new pitches during game time conditions. Well, it hasn’t worked, and now Holt’s velocity on his fastball is in question. Listen, if you’re a one pitch pitcher, it better be a fastball… and if it’s a fastball, you’re a bullpen pitcher… and if you’re a one pitch fastball pitcher with lost velocity… well, you’re playing in the Central Park League.


6-23-10: - Well, sending him back to St. Lucie doesn’t seem to be the answer to Holt’s woes. He pitched last night, giving up five runs, four earners, in 4.0-IP. That’s a 9.00 ERA, still up in the range of his 10.20 in Binghamton. Only two strikeouts and eight hits against him; yes, eight hits in four innings. Boy, if there was ever a pitcher that needs to be shut down…


6-30-10 from: - Holt had a rare good outing Tuesday night, though it was at the A+ level, at least one level below where he should be dominating at this stage in his professional career. Stats were: 5.0-IP, 1-ER, 2-H, 1-WP, 5-K, and still 5-BB. This is the best he’s been all year long and the last thing we should be applauding is five walks and one wild pitch in five innings, but in his case, we’ll take what we can right now. Holt’s A+ record now is 1-1, 5.00… combined A+/AA: 2-6, 9.00. Far from prospect material.


7-17-10: - look, it’s not every day that you get a chance to write something good about a Brad Holt outing. The young man did good last night, going: 5.0-IP. 1-ER, 7-K, 3-BB… forget the yearly stats; we’ll take one good outing and take it from there. BTW… the word from the Mets pitching coaches is there really isn’t anything wrong with the kid’s velocity, or mechanics. He simply is pitching like shit this year. Regarding last night, we’ll take it.


8-4-10: - Holt got off to a decent start last night, but, in the end, this was just another bad outing in a series of many this season. 4.2-IP, 5-R, 4-ER, 2-BB, 2-HBP. He’s started 10 games for the B-Mets (1-5, 10.20) and now he’s 2-5, 5.85 for St. Lucie… add to that a 6.21 ERA last year for Binghamton, and one must now question whey he remains in the rotation. Everyone around him says that Holt’s velocity remains high, but this is a one pitch pitcher that tends to be dominate in the first two inning pitched. They call this… a reliever.


8-21-10: - Stock Down: - SP Brad Holt pitched again Friday night for St. Lucie and didn’t fair well: 5.1-IP, 5-H, 3-ER, 6-K, 5-BB, 3-WP. Holt’s A+ stats this year are 2-7, 6.26, 1.79. These look great compared to his AA stats ( 1-5, 10.20). It’s late in the season and there shouldn’t be much movement in players anymore, so it’s safe to assume that Holt will finish this season as a rotational pitcher for Lucy. The ex-suppliment 1st rounder has been around long enough now to have developed something other than his fastball, which is obviously being sat on. The three wild pitches are simply embarrassing at this point. Mets minor league pitching coach guru has said numerous times that there is nothing mechanically wrong with Holt’s delivery, so one tends to start realizing that this looks to be another wasted high round pick. I’m sure the Mets will move him to the pen next year, especially since he’s not ready for AA, and there are plenty of more successful starters in Savannah and Brooklyn that deserve their shot. Shame. I thought this was a live one.


1-7-11: - -word seems to be that Brad Holt is going to be given another shot at an SP slot in 2001, probably at the AA level, The problem is, there already is five guys slotted there, with five more backed up at St. Lucie. Details at 11. Still, Holt easily has the God given talent to be more successful than most of the guys in the AAA/AA rotations. You can’t teach tools and Holt has them. He has pro-like velo and movement to boot. Let’s keep a candle lit.


4-9-11: - In Binghamton, Brad Holt got the nod as the starter. Frankly, we weren’t sure he would get another chance in a Mets rotation. I spent a lot of time watching this guy pitch and, I’m telling you, there is nothing wrong with his ability. I stand by my opinion that the Mets just kept screwing with his mechanics to a point that Brad lost confidence on the mound. Well, Holt past the test. He pitched 5.0 innings, did not give up a run, struck out three, but did walk two. He also only gave up three hits. This, like Jeurys Familia the night before, is great news from a starter that has had control problems


4-21-11: - You know what I think about this roster. That saying, Brad Holt is an important part of the Mets future and it’s vitally important (to his head) that he keeps pitching well this season. He kept it up tonight posting: 6.0-IP, 2-H, 1-ER, 6-K, 2-BB. ERA “soars” to 0.50. Only three stats, but could he be back?


5-7-11: - Interesting outing by Brad Holt. He obviously had a control problem, giving up five walks in four innings. His pitch count was killed early, but the good news: 0-R and only 2-H. Season ERA: 2.59. They’re letting him pitch this year, but he has given up 9-BB in his last 6.1-IP... 17 walks/22 Ks. We don’t know what the coaches told him to throw so we have no idea how bad of any outing this was. Remember, in the minors, a pitcher could be told to pitch 25% of his pitching in a particular outing (just like Greg Peavey was told to do last Sunday for Savannah) using his weakest pitch. That’s how they learn.


5-14-11: - Those of us that do this for a living were quite excited when SP Brad Holt got off to a great start this year, but that might be coming to an end. He has now pitched seven games (34.2-IP) and has almost as many walks (20) as strikeouts (24). This includes 10 in his last two outings. I can’t see the Mets moving him out of the rotation yet, but, if this continues, he will be re-targeted to the pen and, hopefully, make Queens someday that way.