Stock: Jose De La Torre, Marcos Camarena, Kyle Allen, Gonzalez Germen, Sandy Alderson

8-29-11: - Stock Up – RP Jose de la Torre – Jose returned last night from the DL and pitched another scoreless inning for the Buffalo Bisons. Injuried have held him down to 19 outings this season, but he still produced a 1.14 ERA. The 25-year old definitely deserved his turn in the Queens pen, and it’s good to see him healthy again. Who knows, maybe a September call up.




photo by Allan Greene

 8-29-11: - Stock Up – SP Marcos Camarena – we’re at the point of the season where every great outing gets you closer to a level promotion come next spring. I’m not sure what plans the Mets have for the 6-3 23-yr. old righty, but, hopefully he gets himself a juicy winter assignment and repeats nights like this one for a full season team. Tonight’s line: 5.0-IP, 1-ER, 5-H, 5-K, 0-BB.

8-29-11: - Stock Down – SP Kyle Allen – and then there is the opposite situation. Finish the season with a shit outing after a shitty season and… well, tonight’s stat line for Allen: 5.0-IP, 9-R, 0-K, 2-BB, 1-WP. You just might have read the last paragraph I ever write about this guy.





photo by Allan Greene

 8-29-11: - Stock Down – SP Gonzalez Germen – and you thought the Allen stat line was going to be the stinker of the night? Well, check out GG: 1.1-IP, 10-H, 7-ER… it is only a matter of time before Germen would have been moved to the pen and this outing may just of done it.

8-31-11: - Stock Up – GM Sandy Alderson – Mr. Alderson did something Omar Minaya never did when he was General Manager of the New York Mets. He visited and attended a Savanah Sand Gnats baseball game in Savannah. Last night.

Building 2012 Rosters Prospects First - Picks 51-55:

51: - SP Steve Matz – The best at thing I can say about Steve at this point in his professional career is he gives a great interview. Oh yeah, he’s from New York too. That’s two things. I had very little on him when the Mets drafted him and a lot of the fans have forgotten he’s still in the system. Hopefully, he will heal up this winter and we’ll see him in the spring. No sense in printing old velo stats; the kid is basically starting over here. He’ll start with baby steps. I have him in K-Port. ETA: ???

52: - 3B Elvis Sanchez – No, I’m not going to say that Elvis is in the house. Oh, shit. Sanchez was signed last year as a 16-year old and was hyped with having similar power as Aderlin Rodriguez. You can’t ask for more when he went yard on opening night for the DSL2 team. He wound up having one of the strangest seasons and might go down in history as the most patient teenager in baseball: 198-AB… 73-K… .157-BA… but, 62-BB! That translates to an OBP of .367 with a slugging percentage of .222. The Mets plan on working on removing his bat from his shoulder, and if they are smart, they’d leave im in the DR for another season. ETA: ???

53: - RP Jose De La Torre – The 25-year old had a banner year in 2010, relieving in 51-games for Binghamton and Buffalo and combining for a 3-2, 2.69 record. This included 80Ks in 70.1-IP. This year, most of the year was spent on and off the DL, but he did get in 20 games for GCL/Clones/Bisons and has a stat line of: 2-2, 1.09, 25-K, 24.2-IP.ome April 2012, but I might change that before this report is done. He really deserves to be in Queens. ETA: - Queens pen sometime in 2012.



photo by Allan Greene

 54: - SP Domingo Tapia – I probably have Tapia too low. He’s making quite a name for himself this season, throwing at 100 for K-Port. 2012 will be the 5th year in the Mets system for Dom, who will play 2012 as a 21-year old. I have him starting for Savannah next season, but this is a closer in waiting. You give him one more season throwing 100+ heat, plus control on some pitch with sink, and you watch how fast this kid moves. ETA: Projected Mets closer 2014.

55: - SP Ryan Fraser – I can’t wait for the off-season so I can have another interview with Ryan. This is a career reliever that was pumped at the end of 2010 when he was told he was going to start for the Sand Gnats in 2011. I thought it was just a way of getting him more innings so he can be evaluated in the future. Let’s face it, the kid just hasn’t thrown a lot in his career and his arm could use a good, seasonal test. Well, he got what he wanted, and did a good job, earning him another starting slot next spring, this time with Lucy. ETA: Mets pen 2015


Rosters So Far:


Buffalo: (14) –SP Chris Schwinden, Collin McHugh, Brandon Moore, RP Robert Carson, Eric Beaulac, Jose De La Torre, IF Alan Dykstra, Reese Havens, Jordany Valdespin, Zach Lutz, OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Fernando Martinez, Mike Baxter, Juan Lagarus


Binghamton: (9) – SP: Mike Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jeurys Familia, Darin Gorski, RP Josh Edgin, Brad Holt, IF Jefry Marte, OF Matt den Dekker, Cesar Puello


St. Lucie: (13) – SP Greg Peavey, Taylor Whitenton, Angel Cuan, Tyler Pill, Ryan Fraser, RP Cory Mazzoni, Jack Leathersich, Chase Huchingson, IF Wilmer Flores, Aderlin Rodriguez, OF Cory Vaughn, Gilbert Gomez, Darrell Cecilliani


Savannah: (6) – SP Akeel Morris, Alex Panteliodis, Erik Goeddel, Logan Verrett, RP T.J. Chism, IF Cam Maron


Brooklyn: (5) – SP: Michael Fulmer, Juan Urbina, Domingo Tapia, IF Phillip Evans, OF: Brandon Nimmo


Kingsport: (4) – SP Luis Mateo, Christian Montgomery, Steve Matz, OF Vincente Lupo


GCL: (0) –


DSL: (1) – IF Elvis Sanchez,

The Keepers: - #45 - RP - Jose De La Torre

45. Jose De La Torre – RP



De La Torre signed out of high school with Milwaukee, in 2004, but was rleased after extended camp. He then played two years in college and then signed as a free agent with the Mets.


He has a 4-seam 90-91 fastball, 2-seam FB, changerup, and his go-to pitch is a nasty slider.


He has played three seasons for the Mets, sitting out the entire 2008 season due to injuries (TJS)


This past year, Jose pitched well for both St. Lucie (3-3, 2.77, 26-G, 3-SV, 35-K, 39.0-IP) and Binghamton (3-2, 2.67, 18-G, 2-SV, 37-K, 30.1-IP.


His combined three year minor league stats are impressive for a non-drafted pitcher: 12-15, 3.21, 95-G, 168-K in 168.0-IP.


1-1-10: - Normally, a 26-yard old pitcher at the AA level would yoss him into the AAAA bin, but not relief pitchers. De La Torre had done little wrong in the Mets system, and has actually come back stronger after TJS surgery. He had no formble with the AA prospect-rich lineups in 2009. He should start off in Buffalo in the spring, but there is a chance they’ll hold him back in Binghamton. Either way, he looks to make a run at a Mets bullpen slot in 2011.


4-21-10: - Stock Up: De La Torre has picked up where he left off last season going 0-0, 1.04, in 8.2-IP for the B-Mets. It also includes 12-K’s, four of which were last night in his two perfect innings pitched. Many of us thought we might have seen the last of him when he was operated on for TJS and missed the entire 2008 season, but Jose came back strong last year, first going 3-3, 2.77, 26-G, 3-SV, 35-K, 39.0-IP for St. Lucie, followed by late season stats of 3-2, 2.67, 18-G, 2-SV, 37-K, 30.1-IP for Binghamton. De La Torre is playing 2010 as a 25-year old, and features a 4-seam 90-91 fastball, a 2-seam FB, a change-up, and, his go-to pitch, a nasty slider. Oh yeah… he’s a right handed reliever… know anybody that could use one?


7-22-10: - The Mets are looking for some relief help and maybe they just need to make a phonecall to Buffalo and ask Jose De La Torre to hop on a shuttle. He is once again putting together a great year at AAA… (1-1, 2.96, in 21-G), after even better numbers for the B-Mets (0-0, 2.05, in 15-G). Last night, he went 2-.1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, and 4-K. De La Torre is only 24-years old and maybe it’s his turn