1-30-13 – Armondo Rodriguez, Scott Hairston, Michael Bourn, TPA Top Mets Prospects

Gio Gonzalez‏ - @GioGonzalez47

I've never used performance enhancing drugs of any kind and I never will. I've never met or spoken with Tony Bosch or used any substance

Rob Castellano -

RHP Armando Rodriguez - In his first season of relief, the 24-year-old had good success posting career-highs in strikeouts per nine (9.54) as well as walks per nine (2.60) as a member of the Double-A B-Mets bullpen. Remember a couple years ago when Omar Minaya compared his arm to that of Jenrry Mejia? Well obviously that wasn't entirely accurate, made clear by the fact that he went unclaimed in the most recent Rule 5 Draft. However, at the very least Rodriguez offers good command of a very strong fastball -- and not much else -- which, thanks to a spotty relief crew, should be enough to give him a real shot as middle relief fodder at some point in 2013.

I’ve always liked Rodriguez. He came on the scene in 2009 as a 21-year old International free agent from a country (DR) you usually read about teams signing 16-year olds. Where was he for five years? Then again, who was he for five years? That being jokingly said, Rodriguez has basically done nothing wrong during his four year accent to AAA. His career stats are: 19-18, 3.22, 1.13, 361-IP, 365-K… and last year’s stats at Binghamton (2-3, 3.22, 1.09, 72.2-IP, 77-K) got him past that hump. He finished the season pitching in one AAA game which is where he will start off this season. The 6-2 righty does sit in the low 90s where his velo seems to have peaked. We all know that the Mets pen is one of the areas that need improvement. Rodriguez will get his chance sometime in 2013 a la Elvin Ramirez did last season. Hopefully, the results will be different.

Jon Heyman‏ @JonHeymanCBS

Scott Hairston deal with Cubs is for $5M over 2 yrs. incentives, if hit, can add $1M extra.

Wow. I expected this to be a much bigger dollar figure. I know Hairston and his agent wanted many more year than this, but this is chump change based on what some of the other free agent outfielders got this off-season. I thought Hairston was going to bring back any deal to the Mets and, based on last year’s stats and the state of the current Mets outfield, why wouldn’t Sandy Alderson match this? No, there was more here, something we’ll probably never read about.

Fangraph  got into the action regarding the possible adjustment of the Mets 11^th pick:

But, if the idea behind the compensation system was actually to promote competitive balance, then perhaps MLB should immunize the Mets from having to sacrifice their first round pick to sign Michael Bourn. Changing the rules in the middle of an off-season doesn’t seem fair, but the change would be narrow enough that no other team would be affected by the change, as the Mets were the only franchise pushed out of the top 10 by the Pirates failure to sign Appel. No other franchise could claim that the agreed upon rules had a material affect on whether or not their first round pick should be considered their “highest available selection”.  My guess is that MLB will rule against the Mets and declare that their pick is still eligible for forfeit, but it might be a more interesting decision that it seems on its face. If Major League Baseball is serious about continuing the charade that draft pick compensation is for the benefit of losing teams, making an exception for the Mets would be a good way to support that claim.

            Everybody just needs to move on here…

TopProspectAlert - 2013 Top 150 Major League Baseball Prospect

#10 Zack Wheeler – RHP – New York Mets (47) -  Born 5/30/1990 -  Highest Level Reached Triple-A Buffalo Bisons -  2012 Combined Stats:  MILB: 12-8, 3.26ERA, 149IP, 59BB, 148K, .221BAA

#25 Travis d’Arnaud – C – New York Mets (21) -  Born 2/10/1989 -  Highest Level Reached Triple-A Las Vegas 51′s -  2012 Combined Stats:  MILB: .333, 21(2B), 2(3B), 16HR, 52RBI

#44 Noah Syndergaard – RHP – New York Mets (107) -  Born 8/29/1992 -  Highest Level Reached Low-A Lansing Lugnuts -  2012 Combined Stats:  MILB: 8-5, 2.60ERA, 103.2IP, 31BB, 122K, .212BAA

#92 Gavin Cecchini – SS – New York Mets (NR) -  Born 12/22/1993 -  Highest Level Reached Short-A Brooklyn Cyclones -  2012 Combined Stats:  MILB: .240, 9(2B), 2(3B), 1HR, 22RBI

#114 Brandon Nimmo – OF – New York Mets (99) -  Born 3/27/1993 -  Highest Level Reached Short-A Brooklyn Cyclones -  2012 Combined Stats:  MILB: .248, 20(2B), 2(3B), 6HR, 40RBI

       this seemed like a tribute to Alderson's trading, rather than his drafting, ability. I also was surprised that Wilmer Flores didn't make the list.

Scott Hairston, David Wynn, Noah Syndergaard

P Pat Misch was signed to a minor league contract by the Detroit Tigers.

The list of available outfielders continue to dwindle. Charles Thomas signed a minor league contract with Kansas City. Ben Francisco signed a minor league contract with Cleveland. Philadelphia signed a one-year deal with Delmon Young and David Murphy avoided arbitration and signed a one-year deal with his current club, Texas. There aren’t that many more outfielders left out there that could help strengthen the case for Scott Hairston’s agent. It seems to me that all that’s left to do here is to give him a nice raise for 2013 and get on with it.

Continuing our series on the ‘Class of 2012’, David Wynn represents a dark horse. Wynn came out of American Christian College and signed with the Mets undrafted. The school went 10-41 in Wynn’s last year there (2011) and his senior stats were: 5-5, 7.14, 80.2-IP, 110-K, 43-BB. The only thing we can figure was the K/9 ratio that attracted some unknown Mets scout to sign this relatively small (5-10) lefty. It turned out he threw in the 85-88 range and his go-to pitch turned out to be the curve. Anyway, so far, so good after a 2012 Cyclones stat line of: 21—G, 0-1, 1.44, 1.00, 25.0-IP, 21-K, 13-BB. Observation: Twenty-one games in Brooklyn should earn him a shot in Savannah, though most guys with these limited abilities don’t go much higher. We will; however, be rooting for him.

Jim Callis‏ @jimcallisBA

 Very close. Prefer Syndergaard. @psltoflushing: how big of a difference between Aaron Sanchez and Syndergaard for you?


Ashley Mitchell (http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120517&content_id=31566448&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&tcid=tw_share  wrote a great story about Noah Syndergaard last May... click on link to read it.

More good old school Synder shit fro Mike Newman/2009: http://www.rotoscouting.com/darnaud-travis-2009.html 

Soccer Wars, Arbitration, Scott Hairston, ST Bus

This gets interesting. The New York Cosmos were rumored to be the 20^th team in the MLS, it was also assumed they would then play in Flushing Meadows on land owned and operated by the Wilpon family. Now, a new story has developed that the club has proposed a brand new sports complex a la Camden Yards, in the town of Elmont. So much for a New York team being the 20^th team in the MLS, meaning so much for a Wilpon windfall.  Read all about it : NYP .

Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy and Bobby Parnell have all filed for arbitration. Salary figures get exchanged on Friday.

            Players become eligible for arbitrations after playing at least three seasons, but not more than six. In addition, there are “Super 2” players who’s usual cutoff is 2-yrs, 128-days. They also must have 86 days the previous season. Lastly, players that have filed for free agency can file for arbitration if both the club offers it and the player goes along with the process.

            Teams must make an offer to players under thei control by December 12^th, unless it is a player that has filed for free agency. Then, the club must offer him arbitration by December 1^st. If the free agent accepts it by December 7^th, he goes back on the roster

            Teams must offer a player at least 80% of what they made the previous year, or 70% of the average of the past two years.

            Now the fun begins. The team and the player each submits a salary figure to a 3-person panel in January (that’s now). All cases are heard between Feb 1-20. Both parties will try to work things out, but, if they don’t it will go to a hearing. Bother sides get an hour to argue their point and 30 minutes to rebut what the other party said. After the arguments are heard the panel gives the player a one year non-guaranteed contract at either the high figure or the low. If that player is cut within 16 days of the season opener he is entitled to just 30 days termination pay. If he is cut during spring training, but after 16 days before the season opener he is entitled to 45 days termination pay.

I see that Scott Hairston asked the Mets for a 2-yr, $8mil contract. He has to out of his fucking head, though the Mets might be the only club stupid enough to do that. No, I take that back, The Nats will sign anybody. Rafael Soriano for $28mil? What you talking about, Willis? Getting back to Hairston, I’d tell him to stick it and go to camp with what they have, though it does look like less than nothing. At least Kirk Nieuwenhius and Lucas Duda will get the major playing time needed to determine if they really are major league starters.

Mets equipment bus is on the way to St. Lucie. 

Carl Pavano, Wilmer Flores, Scott Hairston, Noah Syndergaard

MetsBlog - The Mets have had “very preliminary” discussions with the agents for RHP Carl Pavano, but there is mutual interest, reports Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger.

                Fine.

                At this point, just sign someone and get it over with.

                I’m quite pissed they aren’t giving the SP5 rock to Jenrry Mejia, so Pavano is as good as any of the other scrubs out there the Mets can pitch until Zack Wheeler is ready.

                

                What about Mejia? Does he start in Vegas or pen in Flushing? Is he ‘unstretched’ for the fourth time?

AA - takes a look at the Mets playing winter ball with a special look-see at the number one bat: - ●Let's start with Wilmer Flores, who began the winter hot as a pistol but didn't necessarily finish that way. In fact, on November 3rd, he was batting .313 with an .849 OPS. Unfortunately, he cooled off down the stretch, batting .176 in his last ten games as his Bravos did not make the cut for the Venezuelan Winter League playoffs. Regardless, he continued to showcase solid plate discipline and a burgeoning power game and looks primed to make his case as an offense-first third baseman in Double-A come spring.

                This is the guy we all kept an eye on in the off-season. He’s the organization’s top bat and the Mets seem to have decided to let him develop as a third baseman rather than move him to other positions that could get him to Queens earlier. Does this make him trade bait? You betcha.

                I don’t know why AA has him projected to go back to Binghamton. He did have 251-at bats there (.311) and Aderlin Rodriguez is pushing him at that level. Only Zach Lutz is in his way at Las Vegas and his days as a Met may be numbered.

                No, I’d love to see an Eric Campbell-Reese Havens, Wilfredo Tovar-Flores infield at AAA come April 1^st.

According to MetsBlog “it appears that the bidding for free-agent outfielder Scott Hairston mainly involves two teams: The Yankees and the Mets.”

It seems to me that the Hairston drama will end sometime this week. The Mets can offer him so many more games to play than the Yankees, but he's never going to get a ring playing in Flushing during the next two seasons. I expect he's lost to the Yankees. We'll have to just wait and see, but, if he is, let's just 'shut it down' and go to camp with what we have. Give the CF job to Nieuwenhuis, tell Duda he's got LF locked down, and let Baxter, Cowgill and Valdespin platoon in right. Concentrate your development efforts on Matt den Dekker, Cory Vaughn, and Darrell Ceciliani and just leave it alone until after the all-star break. We'll re-visit this then with a pocket full of money.

Metropolitan Tales wrote:

The Lansing Lugnuts played 12 games last year broadcast by MiLB.tv. I’ll give you one guess at how many Syndergaard started. Yup, so we’re going off the reports. Fortunately, the reports are pretty damn good. Syndergaard’s fastball will immediately be among the best in the system, featuring mid-nineties velocity and ‘heavy sink’ according to Jason Parks. The secondary stuff is in need of refinement of course, but Parks at least sees two potential plus offerings there in the curve and change. (Baseball America is less enthusiastic, especially about the curve.) If Aaron Sanchez is the Zack Wheeler of the Blue Jays system, Syndergaard was the Matt Harvey. Like Tapia and Fulmer, I could see Syndergaard breaking out this year in St. Lucie, but unlike those two, he’s already a Top 100 prospect in the game.

I'm going out on a limb here and say we're pretty safe with this one. At the least, he will pitch the entire 2013 season in St. Lucie where all the Mets organizational pitchers can work with him daily. He's not going to have the pressure of someday having to be either the SP1 or SP2 of the Mets staff. That will already be assigned to Wheeler and Harvey. No, Syndergaard will join Jon Niese in 2015 as part of the National League's most talented rotation.

Mack Stuff – Keith Law, Travis d-Arnaud, Grady Sizemore, Scott Hairston

Q - Klaw, do you see TDA continuing at C long term, or do the Mets need to think of him in the outfield or first base (and trading / mivng Ike Davis). If he can stay healthy and at C, the Dickey trade was a no brainer for the Mets, but if not ...

A – Keith Law - d'Arnaud is a catcher. He's not Posey where the bat might play elsewhere and still make him a star.

Q - Do you agree that d'Arnaud is a "scouting" prospect, as some have recently suggested? I've seen his numbers, from the hitters-friendly PCL, compared unfavourably to Gomes and Jeff Mathis.

A – Keith Law - You largely have to discard hitters' park numbers (it's not the PCL specifically, but certain parks, like Vegas and Albuquerque) for top position players and focus instead on performance at other levels and the scouting reports. The main problem is that non-prospects can rake there but top prospects still face a ceiling on their overall stats - a natural .250 hitter might hit .320 in Albuquerque, but a natural .330 hitter won't hit .400. I've seen d'Arnaud, and I believe he can hit and he's coming into some power. He needs to play more than 88 games a year.

Q - I thought the biggest issue in trading d'Arnaud was not necessarily losing him, but being locked into Arencibia behind the plate. Does he still hold value because of his power? Should there be a time share with him and Thole?

A – Klaw - Arencibia shouldn't start for anyone, and I think the Jays are well aware of that.

Word Series Odds -  NYM  75-1

B-Mets – play 58 games in first 60 days of schedule.

SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt says the Mets are “very interested” in OF Grady Sizemore.

                I’m really not that stoked about somebody that won’t be ready to play baseball until after the all-star break. I’m even less excited about someone that hasn’t played since he sucked in 2010 (.224, 10-HR, 32-RBI). This is not the 2005-2008 Sizemore. He’s long gone. Just one too many surgeries. It all went to hell 33 games into the 2010 season and Sizemore had to have microfracture surgery on his left knee. He returned in 2011 but went back on the DL after sliding and hurting his right knee, closely followed by his second hernia surgery. Then in 2012, Sizemore had surgery (have you noticed the key word in this paragraph is ‘surgery’?) on his back and complications cost him the entire season. This is not the solution to the Mets outfield problems.

Andrew Hersh‏ - @SNESmaster - @AmazinAvenue Upon hearing this, Sizemore jumped for joy and tore his groin #injuredgradysizemore

                I did watch Kevin Burkhardt on SNY and found his comments on Scott Hairston similar to my thoughts on the same subject. This isn’t a guy looking for a ten year deal. He loves being a Met and he’s let it known publically that all he wants is a two-year deal. Can’t the Mets get this done? The high end of market value here is the recent 2013-2014 $10mil deal given to OF Jonny Gomes by Boston. The low end would be the $1.1mil he was paid last year by the Mets. This was a part time player last season that hit 20 home runs, with an .803 OPS. This has to be worth 2-yrs, $5mil in this market and don’t you want to put this present under your Christmas tree before you close the office down for the holidays?  Come on Sandy, do it. No one is going to hold this one against you.

                                Q - Cody Ross to the Rangers for 2 yrs/15 million. Good/bad deal for Texas?

A – Keith Law - Extra outfielder. That's about twice the $ I think he's worth

Q - Nieuwenhuis, Valdespin, Cowgill: can any of them post average defense in CF or league average bat?

A – Klaw - None of the above.

Mack Stuff – RA Dickey Update, J.P. Arencibia, Scott Hairston, Jackie Bradley Jr.

C-1B Mike Napoli signs 3-yr., $39mil deal with Boston

                Napoli in 2012: .227 BA, 30% K rate, 24 HR, 56 RBI

Saltalamacchia in 2012: .222 BA, 31% K rate, 25 HR, 59 RBI

Toronto claims their 4^th catcher, Eli Whiteside

The Nats resign LHRP Zach Duke

OF Angel Pagan agrees to stay in San Francisco, 4-yrs, $40mil

OF Cesar Puello – 1-2, 2-R, , 2B, .125

C Francisco Pena – 1-1, 1-R, 2B, 2-RBI, .253

LF-2B Jordany Valdespin – 0-3, .255

Regarding RA Dickey, Monday was pretty much a posturing day for Sandy Alderson. Multiple reports had him receiving some initial offers, which are always low-end. Thin what the Democrats and Repulicans are putting on the table right now. That final bill will never look like the original offers. Alderson needs to show patience here, while, at the same time, not sign an extension too early. Pitchers like Zack Greinke, and Anibal Sanchez need to get their deals done which will make Dickey one of the few premier pitchers still on the market. Sean McAdam ‏of Red Sox Talk reports:  “The Mets are more than willing to listen on R.A. Dickey, but to date, according to a source, the Red Sox have shown no interest.”

 (Ted Berg):

J.P. Arencibia, frequently linked to the Mets in early trade rumors, is merely a mild upgrade. He hits for way more power, but his production is mitigated by his inability to get on base with any frequency. His 88 career OPS+ is only a tick higher than Josh Thole’s 85, and his .275 career on-base percentage is about exactly the same as Thole’s post-injury mark in 2012. And he’s not much of a defender.

                

            Ted makes a good point and strengthens my earlier posts where I suggest that Thole be given another year to turn around a horrible 2012. He simply can’t hit that bad again because this is a kid that has worked so hard to become a major league hitter. It has to be concussion related.

MetsBlog: :

In a report for ESPN New York, Adam Rubin says the Giants, Cardinals, Indians and Tigers have shown “real interest’ in Scott Hairston. Hairston told Rubin it was still “probable” he could return to the Mets, although it remains to be seen whether or not they offer market value for his services.

                

            This would solve a bunch of things if the Mets could pull this off at a decent amount of money/years, especially if they could still pull off a deal for a full time outfielder for Dickey. You’re not going to find a better platoon player than Hairston. Give him two years plus a third option.

MetsBlog

“The Red Sox met with Mets to talk about a possible trade for R.A. Dickey, according to a baseball source,” ESPN Boston reporter Joey MacDonald tweeted today. MacDonald says the Mets had interest Red Sox SS prospect Xander Bogaerts and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.

              

             A SHORTSTOP? What’s with all these fucking shortstops? Ruben Tejada, Phillip Evans, Gavin Cecchini… now. JBJ is Alderson’s kind of player and finished hot last season in AA. He’s at least a year away but he’d fit in perfect into the 2014 plan. I’d do it for Bradley and Salty.

Jarod Alley - The Bug is Biting

          Davis, Havens, Wright and Hairston are each having problems with their aching bodies of late. While Wright and Davis seem like they will eventually be fine Hairston and Havens look like there may be a black cloud hanging over head. In years past Mets fandom would be calling for the medical staff's jobs and questioning how little the organization knows about treating player's injuries. This time though one can only think of one word...Fluke! Ike and the "Valley Fever", Wright with a sore back/ribs, Hairston straining the same oblique that put him out of action last year.

          All of these just a bi product of some poor stretch of luck. After David's possible case of  Spondylolysis last year it would be naive to assume that he wouldn't have some sort of re-occurring issues especially with the rigors he faces during training and actual game play but chock this one up to the initial exertion of a player coming to camp. Give him a week and he'll be as good as new doing what it takes to put his best effort forward for the team. Ike is just an example of wrong place wrong time as the fungal sore he's been infected with only seems to be located in the South Western U.S. or Central and South America. True, this kind of fungal infection can be the sign of an autoimmune illness, of which HIV and Cancer are the most prevalent. However, I would like to believe that players get blood work done on a regular basis and Davis is just one of the unlucky few who contract the infection for no other reason than being in proximity of the spore.

          Which would bring us to the two cases I am least optimistic about recovery from. Scott and Reese are both unlucky because they have re-injured prior injuries or in the case of Havens, still cannot overcome the side effects of his multitude of back problems. These two guys will need to benefit from a strategic plan from the training and medical staff in order to come back soon and be as productive as the club hopes hey will be. With a definite need for a utility player and bench bat Hairston's injury seems like it could be the most debilitating. Especially since Havens, while a great asset offensively, has yet to play a full season of minor league ball. Some would say he has the skill set to move up to the bigs regardless but I don't think you supplant a big leaguer to find out. In fact, I think the more prudent thing to do is trade him if and only if he stays healthy in Buffalo this year thus making teams want to take a gamble.

         In all, while it is a bit worrisome, the "injuries" sustained should not hamper what the team will do in fact I will go on record saying no difference is a certainty. A few days missed here by Wright is no big deal, a month by Hairston should be digestible, a week or two for Ike is bearable and Havens if he isn't on the field wouldn't be much different from past years. It will be interesting to see if anything further develops though...and not in a good way.

I May Be Wrong, But… Matt den Dekker, Pedro Beato, Right Field, Bobby Parnell

·         The important thing to take away from Wedneday’s game is the fact that every position had substitutes come in… except centerfield. No one will tell you this, but this was an early test for Matt den Dekker. The Mets need a backup plan for center in case Andres Torres goes down, and the two being considered are den Dekker and Kirk Nieuwenhuis. The plot thickens.

·         Andy McCullough pointed out something on twitter that stood out like a bad reliever. The batters that faced Pedro Beato in the second half of last season had an .890 OPS.That’s pretty bad.

·         Fangraphs came out with their ranking of team’s right fielders. The Mets, who had Lucas Duda and Scott Hairston represented here, came in 28^th among 30 teams in the league. That’s understandable. Duda hasn’t even played an entire season yet. They like to call Lucas “The Big Lebowski” on Fangraphs, which is pretty funny.

·         Andy Martino wrote a good article today about Bobby Parnell and his attempts to hang on as part of the Mets bullpen. I think the Mets lost out here. There was a lot of chatter last year at this time and the Mets could have dealt off Robert for a decent prospect. There’s nobody in the system right now that can take his job away, so I believe he will go north come April, but his role as a Mets reliever has been reduced to pitching only when the team is way ahead or losing by a bunch.

I May Be Wrong, But… Roster Opening – RHH OF/Back-up CF

People are telling me that the Scott Hairston injury can easily prevent him from heading to Queens in April. Hairston is your right-handed backup outfielder, plus the only player currently on the 25-man that legitimately can backup Andres Torres in centerfield.

There’s not many options ( and don’t get hung up by these stats because there are so few at-bats right now):

RHH Juan Lagares – (.000/.000/.000/.000) – The Mets need to play this guy in center during the spring to see if he has the range.

RHH Vinny Rotinno – (000/.000/.000/.000) – definitely not a center fielder (and we have already learned this short ST season that he has limitations at third).

LHH Kirk Nieuwenhuis – .250/.250/.250/.500 – The Captain may bat left, but he’s the only possible centerfield replacement if Torres went down (it’s just too early to consider Matt den Dekker).

RHH Josh Satin – (.600/.600/.600/1.200) – this is the bat the Mets need, but he’s never played a game in center.

RHH Cesar Puello – (.500/.500/.500/1.0000 -played some center today in a split schedule game.

Summation:  Too early to call.

Mets: Wilfredo Tovar, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Vinny Rottino, Scott Hairston

1-30-12 - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/30/2757346/2012-amazin-avenue-top-50-mets-prospects-21-30  - SS Wilfredo Tovar - Tovar actually dropped one spot from last year's list, though due to no fault of his own. This was another case of the previously mentioned influx of talent into the organization. Otherwise, Tovar was perfectly fine in 2011, heading back to Savannah and once again showing off the skills that put him on the map last season. Specifically the plus defensive abilities at shortstop, the excellent contact skills as well as an improving eye at the plate. Now he didn't make huge strides in any one area and he's still not hitting for any power, but he was solid across the board in 2011. His average dipped a bit compared to his .281 mark in 44 games with Savannah last season, but it was mostly due to a slight drop in BABIP (.271). As an added bonus, Tovar made a surprise appearance in the AFL and shined, showing off the kind of power in about 100 at bats that we've never seen from him before. In fact, he ranked second in the entire league in doubles, trailing only league MVP and Rockies top prospect Nolan Arenado. Yes, the AFL is an offense-friendly environment but that's exactly the kind of gap-power you want to see Tovar develop in the coming years. I'm always a big fan of Tovar as one of only a handful of prospects in this system with a true major league plus skill at his disposal right this minute (defense). And in my view there's no reason why he can't become a player very much like Ruben Tejada, just a little slower/less aggressive on the development curve.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis was rewarded for his torrid campaign by jumping into the top ten Mets prospect list in 2011, as well as earning a Spring Training invite. He was on pace to join the big league club in September, but surgery to repair a shoulder injury prevented him from coming up. The question is, does he have a chance to recapture his form in 2012? Apparently Minor League Ball believes so. Having ascended four spots from last year, its obvious that the Mets have faith in him and hope he'll either crack the Opening Day roster, or be promoted early. Given the success of the Mets last outfield prospect, Lucas Duda—who has developed into somewhat of a power hitter, albeit with some defensive quirks—it would be nice to see Nieuwenhuis provide the contact that we have desired from Jason Bay since he signed a four year, $66 million deal, as well as the glove we need. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1044894-baseball-prospect-profile-and-2012-outlook-mets-outfielder-kirk-nieuwenhuis

•Nov 17: C Vinny Rottino - Like most of the guys on this list, the 31-yr old hasn't done much at the major league level, batting just .194 in 39 major league pa's. However, at the minor league level he has a more impressive .294/.363/.421 career triple-slash. In 2007, he ranked in the top 20 of John Sickels' Brewers Top Prospects list and in 2009 he was the starting catcher for Team Italy in the WBC under the tutelage of hitting coach Mike Piazza. This spring he'll contend with numerous other righty backstops for the role of Thole's understudy. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/31/2753903/taking-inventory-of-the-mets-minor-league-free-agents

  In 2008, Scott Hairston struggled to get on base but most definitely hit for power, belting 17 home runs in only 362 plate appearances. Through the first half of 2009, he was getting on base at a much better clip while improving upon his power numbers, and the Padres traded him to the Oakland A’s in July. In his brief time with Oakland, Hairston was pretty awful with the bat, and after the 2009 season, the A’s traded him back to the Padres. His 2010 season was mediocre at the plate at best, but the one thing Hairston maintained was his ability to hit home runs. When he finally hit free agency at the end of the year, the Mets signed him to be a fourth-outfielder type for the 2011 season. Although Hairston had always been a part-time player in the big leagues, the Mets only used him for 145 plate appearances last year. Despite the limited playing time, Hairston managed to hit 7 home runs – one home run approximately every 21 plate appearances. One quirky thing about the season was the Hairston raked against right-handed pitching and didn’t do so well against left-handed pitchers, the opposite of his career splits, but that can be chalked up to the tiny amount of data on the year. On top of producing with the bat, Hairston appeared in all three outfield positions, and he looked like a capable if unspectacular defender at all of them. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/31/2761508/2012-mets-player-profile-scott-hairston

I May Be Wrong, But…

1. I’m taking SP Dylan Owen, RP Roy Merritt, and RP Josh Stinson off the “Keepers” list. The all are over 24-years old which is the unwritten limit one can be considered a prospect; however, I’m also removing them due to their lack of progress. All the information will be saved, if needed in the future.

2. Terry Collins and I got on the same page about Lucas Duda. No one knows for sure if he can handle RF on a daily basis, especially in the confines of CitiField, however, if he hits 30-HRs and knocks in 110-RBIs, don’t sweat the small stuff. Captain Kirk has to be kicking himself in the ass for trying to catch that ball.

3. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see either Scott Hairston or Jon Niese again this season. TC is looking for every chance he can get to bring some different players to Queens to start the evaluation process for 2012. There’s no reason to rush either of these guys. Hairston will get multiple offers in the off-season and Niese could use the additional rest.

4.I’m thrilled Nick Evans hit a 3-run homer on Wednesday against the Phillies. A few years ago, I sort of adopted a Mets minor league pitcher named Jake Ruckle. Jake and Nick used to ride together from out west to spring training every year and I was hoping they would both become Mets someday. Jake is long gone after injuries and Nick is showcasing for other teams and a good three-run bomb is going to help get that done in the off-eason. Way to go, Nick.

5. Right now, the Mets are toying with a 2012 draft pick in the 11-15th overall selection. There are the obvious names that won’t be around by then (Lance McCullers, Mark Appel, Kevin Gausman); however, there is a good chance that the Mets could find their future catcher here, either in the name of Mike Zunino or Stryker Trahan.

Best Case Scenario

The Mets are 4 games below .500, are plagued with injuries etc... etc... Is anyone surprised? Well if you are, then you shouldn't be. Things happen... seemingly more often to the Mets, but all over sports. The Mets have performed beyond admirably, considering all of the many problems they've faced. So at this point does Terry Collins break out a nude dress-up doll of Fred Wilpon and take off a piece of clothing for every Met win? (Maybe better to put a piece on for every win and remove one for a loss) Or are the Mets just kidding themselves about 2011?

The FACT is, that 2011 has plenty of games left to play and who knows... maybe Lucas Duda will convert to Voodoo and start hitting HRs like he's Jobu's favorite son. You don't give up on the season because the Mets are not statistically likely to compete. But... there are some things you COULD do.

1. Shut Down Davis: Get him the surgery and have him healthy to start Spring Training 2012.
2. Leave Johan To Rehab: Rehab starts are fine but there is NO reason to rush him back for 2011. If all he did in 2011 was pitch in the minors and get back into shape, I'd be happy.
3. Slow Reyes Down...: He's already lowered his price tag for this off-season TWICE with injuries but he's also the future of the franchise. Don't need to push him back early or too hard once he's back.
4. View The Future: September Call-Ups are big. We need to see these kids play a little in the "Bigs." We don't need to see Willie Harris or Scott Hairston anymore.
5. RELAX: 2011 was deemed a .500 team AT BEST and that is basically what we've gotten.
   

Cutnpaste: Benny Agbayani, Danny Muno, Willie Harris, Scott Hairston, Bobby Parnell

Benny Agbayani:


Benny Agbayani really became a fan favorite in 2000 when he had his best season in the majors; he batted .289 and had 15 HRs and 60 RBIs. He was admired for his clutch hitting that year, but I will personally remember him, and so will many other Mets fans, for the play he made on August 12th of that year. In the top of the 4th inning, the Giants had the bases loaded with one out. Bobby Estalella hit a fly ball to Benny Agbayani. Agbayani, thinking that he just caught the third out handed the ball to a young fan. After realizing that it was only two outs, he then took the ball back from the kid and threw it back into play. This was certainly not one of his best moments from an overall solid season. - 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/6  


Danny Muno:


8-8-11: - http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/news/topstories/index.html?article_id=1204  - DANNY MUNO - Selected in the eighth round of the 2011 MLB Draft, Muno has shown Brooklyn fans what made him such a winner in college. Despite missing more than a week with a broken finger earlier in the season, Muno still ranks third in batting (.338) and leads the league in on-base percentage (.450).


Willie Harris:


Harris hasn't had a solid year and hasn't exactly been the most reliable player for the Mets either. His offensive woes continue despite putting up 12 RBI, and his defense is enough to make a case as to why he is even on the Mets anymore. His last multi-hit game, for example, was back in May which was his first since Opening Day. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/796340-chone-figgins-and-every-other-mlb-teams-most-unreliable-player#/articles/796340-chone-figgins-and-every-other-mlb-teams-most-unreliable-player/page/3  


Scott Hairston:


Scott Hairston, a free agent following this season, is likely to be placed on waivers by the Mets before the end of this month. The Mets came close to trading him to the Atlanta Braves in July, but the deal did not end up being finalized. The Boston Red Sox also had interest in him prior to the trade deadline. Hairson is batting .264 with seven homers in 68 games. He doesn't project as either a Type-A or Type-B free agent, meaning the Mets could be motivated to negotiate a trade with any team that is awarded a claim on him to receive some compensation for him leaving rather than allow him to leave for nothing. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/795736-mlb-trade-rumors-20-top-players-who-could-be-moved-in-august-waiver-deals#/articles/795736-mlb-trade-rumors-20-top-players-who-could-be-moved-in-august-waiver-deals/page/15  


Bobby Parnell:


But it is Parnell, he of the triple-digit mile-per-hour fastball, who appears to have the greatest upside and thus the inside track on the closer's job for next season. He won't be handed it, however, and the Mets can't do that. He has to earn the job -- or at least earn the first crack at it. But the last month hasn't helped. Fact is, Parnell has allowed 23 hits and 12 runs (11 earned) in 13 1/3 innings over his past 14 outings, pitching to a 7.42 ERA and an opponents'.354 batting average dating back to July 9. It has been location, as in pitches up over the plate. - http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/parnell_audition_not_going_well_Tdm5TdkXPsG5Gknbclaa3N#ixzz1Uinn1P1e  

David Wright, Scott Hairston, Ambiorix Burgos, Allan Dykstra, Joe Tushack

David Wright:


7-13-11: - amazinavenue.  - B - David Wright is still hitting 19% above league average, and if you focus on the positives, the grade makes more sense. Sure he has a bad batting average and his strikeout rate looks about the same. But that .276 BABIP will change as soon as he can put some balls in play, and Wright also has cut his swinging strike rate back from his career-high last year (9.1% this year, 10.4% last year, 7.7% career). He's done this by reaching less and making better contact on balls outside the zone. His power isn't quite back to career levels, but he's known as a fairly streaky player and a good week could change everything in that department. There are some good signs in his numbers.



Scott Hairston


Teams love Hairston for his professionalism, all-out play, team-first attitude, versatility, clubhouse demeanor, and ability to occasionally hit dramatic homeruns. He’s a solid 25th man on a pennant contender — the type of “final piece” that could help out a team short on offense. Compare to 2006, when the Mets added Eli Marrero to the bench, or in 2007 when they sent two minor leaguers to the Reds for Jeff Conine. You never know — bench guys with good reps seem to draw more interest than one might expect. - http://www.metstoday.com/6684/opinion-and-analysis/who-will-the-mets-shop-this-month



Ambiorix Burgos:


2005-2007 (Royals/Mets) - Ambiorix Burgos was a bad closer. In 2006, the second of his three seasons, he pitched 73.1 innings for the Royals, allowing 16 home runs, and posting a 5.52 ERA. (Say what you will about the necessity and meaning of the closer position, but 18 saves in 30 attempts is just not good). Off the field, Burgos was one of baseball's most frightening human beings. He was convicted of assaulting his girlfriend by biting, scratching and slapping her; he has been charged with a hit and run on two women on the Dominican Republic, one of whom later died; and also in the Dominican Republic he has been charged with kidnapping and attempted murder for allegedly poisoning his ex-wife. - http://deadspin.com/5820622/the-100-worst-baseball-players-of-all-time-a-celebration-part-2



Allan Dykstra:


7-14-11: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/7/11/2270752/mets-minors-road-report-binghamton-7-9-brooklyn-7-10  - Not much new to say about Dykstra. He is very patient at the plate, drawing a pair of walks in game one of the doubleheader. Made a nice scoop at first. First at-bat gave it a ride, but it was right at the New Britain centerfielder. Still not Eddie Kunz. I think we are basically talking about an org guy or AAA roster filler for the next couple of years. Just don’t see how he is more than a 15-20 homer guy in the majors, and he can’t hit lefties at all. If he does make the majors, with the strikeouts he will struggle to hit .250. And while .240/.350/.450 might play at 1b, .240/.350/.390 doesn’t. Non-zero chance to be a bench bat/platoon DH for a 2nd division AL team, but that’s towards the top of his ceiling.

Joe Tuschak:


7-14-11: - The Mets signed 6th round draft pick, OF Joe Tuschak:


Overall talent and speed put Tuschak on Division I radar even before he landed on the American Legion East-West roster in 2009. Patrolling centerfield for skipper Brian Robison at Northern, the 6-1, 185-pounder hit .547 from the left side this spring, helping steer the Polar Bears to a second straight Mid-Penn Colonial title. Tagged five home runs and was 12-for-12 in thefts, earning a spot on The Patriot-News Big 11 Team. Things really heated up in the summer as Tuschak joined coach Mike Chroniger's Mid-Atlantic Rookies team and showcased his five-tool talents up and down the East Coast. - http://highschoolsports.pennlive.com/news/article/-7276622027491955982/baseball-recruiting-watch-joe-tuschak  


“I’m actually looking forward to it because I don’t really have any expectations,” said Northern center fielder Joe Tuschak, who worked out in Philadelphia Friday and for the New York Mets at Citi Field Sunday. He’ll grab some shuteye on the bus trip to Altoona today as the Polar Bears open the PIAA Class AAA tournament against District 5 champ Somerset at Blair County Ballpark. “I mean, I’ve thought about it a little bit, but I’ve just kind of kept it in the back of my mind because we’re still playing. I always have college to fall back on.” One American League scout projected Tuschak, who signed with Coastal Carolina, could fall anywhere from rounds 4 through round 10. - http://highschoolsports.pennlive.com/news/article/8569897566266968281/derek-fisher-joe-tuschak-await-mlb-draft-call