David Wright Injury Tracker | Diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis. In California to see specialist.
Mike Puma | New York Post- Michael Cuddyer is a giant homebody. The Mets outfielder continued his recent surge with a home run Wednesday in a 7-0 victory over the Phillies, raising his average to .381 over his last 12 games at Citi Field. “I like hitting at home, no matter where home is,” Cuddyer said. “You’re used to the background, you’re used to the surroundings, the confines, you’re used to everything. The more you play somewhere, the better off you are and if you look at my track record I have always hit better at home — no matter what my home was.” Overall, Cuddyer is hitting .322 with three homers and 15 RBIs at Citi Field this season. On the road, he is hitting .195 with two homers and seven RBIs.
(Chris Soto: When the Mets initially signed Cuddyer, the biggest concern was how his Coors induced home/away splits would translate moving to Citi Field. Oddly enough, that split has actually widened by coming to New York as shown by his road stats above. That said, he needs to start picking it up as those road stats aren't going to be acceptable going forward. While he does have an unfavorable BABIP of .240 on the road, it's not horribly bad. His 27.5% K rate on the road IS a bigger concern and is putting a ton of pressure on his average.)
David Hong | Metsmerized Online- Mets reliever Vic Black, who has been trying to come back from shoulder and neck issues, passed a significant hurdle last night. The right-hander has now pitched in back to back scoreless relief appearances with Double-A Binghamton and according to Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen, Black is now ready to come off the DL. “I think I’m ready,” Black told Lynn Worthy of the Press and Sun Bulletin. “I believe I am. It’s up to them. That’s just how this whole process goes.“I can get outs right now. I don’t care where you put me, I can get outs. I think that’s the biggest key outside of the back-to-back.”
(Chris Soto: Black will likely be activated in time for the Marlins series starting tomorrow with LHRP Jack Leathersich likely to be the guy who gets demoted for him. While it may not seem like much, having Black back in the fold is a big boost to the bullpen. While they won't immediately used him in high leverage spots, once he gets eased back in, he can provide better quality in the 8th inning than Carlos Torres. This has a trickle down effect...Black over C. Torres improves the 8th, C. Torres over A. Torres improves the 7th, which in turn reduces A. Torres' usage since Goeddel/Robles are pitching better than him anyway.)
Chris McShane | Amazin Avenue- The Mets have promoted right-handed pitching prospect Robert Gsellman from High-A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton and sent fellow right-handed pitching prospect John Gant down from Binghamton to St. Lucie. Gsellman is as solid a mid-tier pitching prospect as you're going to find. The 21-year-old prep product has filled out his sturdy, 6'4", 200 lbs frame nicely, adding a few ticks to a fastball that still works in the low-90s but now reaches 94 MPH without maxing out. His advanced command of that pitch, along with a surprisingly polished change-up allowed him to breeze through his first taste of full-season baseball.
(Chris Soto: Promotions have begun in Mets prospect land. Expect to see a number of player movements up and down at each level of the organization as clubs around the MLB begin prepping their short season minor league teams to start play over the next 3 weeks. With Kyle Johnson now manning CF for the 51's, they are short a corner OF so look for Jayce Boyd to be promoted soon with Conforto moving to Binghamton to join Nimmo and Cecchini.)
2015-2016 International Free Agent Signing Period (MLBPipeline.com)
- One important date that is sneaking up on us is June 1st. This is the official date that clubs may no longer sign international free agents against their '14-'15 budgets, After a 30 day rest period, clubs can begin signing this year's crop of 16 yr old talent from other countries. In the Mets case, generally they sign 1 high impact youngster and spread out the rest of the funds so lesser known "wild cards." However this year, it looks like they are having a bit of a strategy change. The Mets are rumored to have $1.0M+ agreements already in place for both the #12 and #14 overall international free agents. With a '15-'16 budget of only $2,531,300, the club may have blown through their entire allowance on just these two guys. So who are they?
- #12 SS Andres Gimenez- Scouts love what they see in Gimenez, who is 5-foot-11 and nearly 160 pounds. They also love that he makes the game look easy because of his natural abilities. He's smooth. Overall, Gimenez is lean, athletic and full of energy. The middle infielder has also shown the type of speed that could land him at the top of the order one day. He has a good hitting approach and is considered a line-drive hitter. He has some power and has displayed the ability to hit the ball into the gaps on a consistent basis. On defense, Gimenez profiles as an everyday shortstop if he continues to develop as expected. He has smooth defensive actions and an arm strong enough to keep him at the position.
- #14 SS Gregory Guerrero- The nephew of former Major League star Vladimir Guerrero and the cousin of fellow top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Gregory Guerrero has a famous last name, but he's also making a name for himself. Known for his strong arm and quick feet, Guerrero has opened eyes with his easy actions on defense. He's a fluid defender and has a knack for making plays look easy. His tools and athletic ability will likely keep him at the position as he grows into his body and develops as a player. On offense, the teen is not as strong as his cousin Vlad Jr., but Gregory has shown some raw power and the ability to hit home runs. He's a decent runner and has been working on stealing bases.
Robert Gsellman:
I grew up on a lawn in a suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles, spending my afternoons playing pick-up baseball, and spending my evenings faking ankle injuries as an excuse to head home because I was tired of being utterly upstaged in whiffle-ball by my more talented next-door neighbor. Last month, that same neighbor was picked in the 13th round of the MLB draft. And last weekend, he signed his contract to fulfill my father’s 10-year prophecy: one day, that little Yankees fan would play for our beloved New York Mets… http://bleacherreport.com/articles/754145-2011-mlb-draft-prospect-robert-gsellman-looking-to-shine-for-the-new-york-mets
Darin Gorski:
7-16-11 – http://www.baseballdigest.com/2011/07/16/minor-league-report-five-players-to-watch-3 - Darin Gorski, LHP, St. Lucie Mets, Florida State League – Gorski has dominated the league all season. He has not had a loss yet and collected 9 wins. He’s also leading the league in strikeouts with 102 and his 1.82 ERA is the FSL lowest. Between June 12th and mid-July he has been a revelation: 9 hits, 10 earned runs, 29 strikeouts in 37 innings. He finished June with a 0.79 ERA. Highlight: A one-hitter on June 27th against the Charlotte Stone Crabs.
Cole Frenzel:
7-14-11: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/7/11/2270752/mets-minors-road-report-binghamton-7-9-brooklyn-7-10 - I think the Lucas Duda comparisons are inaccurate. He’s shorter than Duda (listed at 6’2" which looks generous to me) and kind of stocky. Basically, he looks like he should be a catcher. He played a pretty solid first, though nothing too difficult came his way. He was a SS/3B coming out of high school, so he should be fine there. Like the swing, but don’t know how much power he will hit for, hamate or no hamate.
Reyes To Boston:
To what extent are the Red Sox prepared to build for the present? You don't go out and obtain Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to finish second to the Yankees. You get those guys because you've committed to winning it all. And to not finish things off would be foolish. So, as the trade deadline approaches in two weeks, the Red Sox have to identify what they need to accomplish their goal. From this perspective, they should load up the truck of prospects and send them to the Mets for shortstop Jose Reyes. "I know that everyone seems to think the Red Sox are going to bring in Carlos Beltran, or that they need a pitcher, but today proved to me that their biggest need is to get Reyes and solidify that shortstop position," said an American League scout - http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/297551-reyes-to-boston?utm_source=bleacherreport.com&utm_medium=referral#ixzz1STCPpnXu
Phil Humber:
Phil Humber bounced around in the 2010 offseason. He was claimed by the A's released and then claimed by the White Sox. He made the rotation out of spring training mostly due to injuries to other players. His performance solidified his place in the Sox rotation. In 16 starts, Humber has a 8-5 record, with a 3.10 ERA and a legitimate beef for not making the All-Star team. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/768175-each-mlb-teams-best-under-the-radar-roster-move-so-far#/articles/768175-each-mlb-teams-best-under-the-radar-roster-move-so-far/page/7
Josh Thole:
7-1-11: - newsday. - Thole, only 24 and without a full season in the majors, was batting .234 and was worried about his future. This was not how his season was supposed to start, not after the Mets had handed him the starting catcher's job based on his strong finish the previous year. "I will go through nothing like that ever again," Thole said this week at Comerica Park . "It was every day. It was the hardest thing I've ever been through. When you're going out there busting your butt and you don't get a hit, and then the catching is not going like you want it to go, it just builds up. It's hard. It's stressful. "You're thinking to yourself it can't get any worse, and the next day, something more happens, and then you think about your job. You really do. I can't tell you how many times I thought, I gotta get this thing going."
Robert Gsellman:
7-1-11: - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/754145-2011-mlb-draft-prospect-robert-gsellman-looking-to-shine-for-the-new-york-mets - Last week, I went over to Robert’s house to talk about his decision with him. He had verbally committed to Harbor College and really liked their program. Faced with the tough choice of professional baseball and junior college, he seemed genuinely unsure. When we said goodbye, he casually and quickly put on a fitted New York Mets cap that he had picked up earlier that day and hopped on his skateboard. At that point, he may still have been weighing his options, but the pride that I felt in the moment that the Mets hat fell onto his head was enough to carry me through the coming weeks. My neighbor and friend, Robert Gsellman, was drafted by the New York Mets and is working on his dream. I couldn’t be more proud. Now that he has signed with the team, he leaves this weekend for Florida for two months of baseball with the team. Knowing Robert, he’s going to continue to do incredible things as a top talent in the league.
Yeixon Ruiz:
7-1-11: - The Mets have a third baseman (he also plays 2B) on the DSLMets1 team named Yeixon Ruiz. No, I have no idea how to pronounce his name, but he may be woth keeping track of. Ruiz went 3-4 last night, raising his stats to .333/.407/.419/.826, but. More importantly, he had 5 stolen bases. Yesterday. A little old for the DSL (20), but we’ll keep an eye on him.
Mike Cameron:
7-1-11: - http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/news/story?id=6722677 - Mike Cameron's career with the Boston Red Sox essentially ended when Kevin Youkilis woke up Thursday morning with a sore left foot. As general manager Theo Epstein described it, that was the sequence of events that led the Red Sox to designate the 38-year-old outfielder for assignment, meaning the team has 10 days to trade him, waive him or release him.Cameron's spot on the roster was extremely tenuous, given his .149 average and 3-for-39 slump. But when Youkilis fouled a ball off his left foot Wednesday night, then reported his foot was still very sore the next morning, Epstein decided he had to make a move. The Sox recalled right-handed hitting Yamaico Navarro, an infielder by trade who was given a hasty tryout in the outfield by Triple-A Pawtucket and satisfied the team that he could handle the position.
Chris Schwinden:
7-2-11: - Schwinden continues to impress with Buffalo, going 7.0-IP Friday night: 0-R, 5-H, 8-K, 0-BB. His AAA ERA is now 2.87 and he has definitely earned his all-star status. Even more important is his increased K/IP ratio over the last few games.
