Mets signed RHP Scott Atchison to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league Spring Training.
Atchison compiled a 1.58 ERA with the Red Sox last year, ranking 4th in the majors in ERA among relievers with at least 50.0 IP.
2012 Boston:: 2-1, 1.58, 0.99, 42-G, 51.1-IP, 36-K, only 9-BB 6-2, righty
Mack’s Mets – the premier site for information on the New York Mets talent pipeline and dialogue on Mets prospects, Mets news, and Mets opinions.
1/29/13
FLASH - Huge Drug Story Via Miami Newspaper
Click on this link...
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2013-01-31/news/a-rod-and-doping-a-miami-clinic-supplies-drugs-to-sports-biggest-names/
Also, turn on MLB-TV and follow this story this morning...
There's quite the story coming out of the Miami New Times about Latin ballplayers claiming their use in illegal drugs supplied by a Miami clinic.
Some of the players... Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, Nelson Cruz, Cesar Carilo, Yasmani Grandal.
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2013-01-31/news/a-rod-and-doping-a-miami-clinic-supplies-drugs-to-sports-biggest-names/
Also, turn on MLB-TV and follow this story this morning...
There's quite the story coming out of the Miami New Times about Latin ballplayers claiming their use in illegal drugs supplied by a Miami clinic.
Some of the players... Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, Nelson Cruz, Cesar Carilo, Yasmani Grandal.
1-29-13 – 2013 Bullpen, Matt den Dekker, Sandy Alderson, Sean Manaea, Sickels System Ranking
Mets announce Banner Day has been
rescheduled for Saturday, May 11 prior to a 1:10 p.m. game vs. Pirates
Mark Simon - @msimonespn
Mets pitchers had the
highest rate of getting opposing hitters to swing at pitches outside the strike
zone with 2 strikes in 2012- 45%
Alderson was more optimistic about adding a
pitcher for the bullpen, since there are several significant, available arms,
though most are past their prime. Among them is former Giants closer Brian Wilson. Alderson and pitching
coach Dan Warthen watched Wilson throw in California recently and the GM said
he expects to see Wilson again “in the next several days.” The Mets are
hesitant to hand Frank Francisco the closer job again after an ugly first year
in New York that was followed by elbow surgery. Wilson is coming back from
Tommy John surgery last year.
Look, we all know the disappointment everyone
is feeling about the lack of quality of the outfield, but maybe it’s time to
move on and strengthen another area. The starting rotation and infield are just
fine and the relief crew looks like it just needs a little tweaking. Bobby Parnell, Frank
Francisco, and Josh Edgin definitely have spots here, though Francisco’s actual role
might be in question. My guess right now is that Greg Burke and Jeremy Hefner go into camp with a
slot, while Jeurys Familia, Elvin Ramirez and Robert Carson are still trying to win
one. The wild card is Pedro Felciano who I expect to step up. My guess right now is
your LOOGY/ROOGY will be Felciano and Familia and the one addition to this
staff may be a new closer.
OF Matt den Dekker - After tearing apart the
competition at Double-A Binghamton in 2012 (.960 OPS), more advanced pitchers
took advantage of the 25-year-old's overly aggressive approach at the plate in
Triple-A (.629 OPS). He'll try to polish some of that swing-and-miss out of his
game early in 2013 (28.5% strikeout rate) to justify an everyday role; however
if all else fails he already features the best outfield glove that currently
resides within the Mets organization. With the Mets current outfield situation
in shambles -- not just offensively, but defensively as well -- expect to see a
good amount of den Dekker whether he irons out the kinks in his offensive
profile or not.
Sandy Alderson:
“We continue to look, but I think, realistically at this
point, there’s not a lot left on the shelf, so at some point we have to realize
that, well, perhaps the outfield is not the strength of our team. But at least
going into spring training we may be looking at what we have and not being able
to make an addition. There's a long time between now and the beginning of
February. There's still some good players on the board. There’s still a lot out
there and we’re looking. Well I’d say right now it’s an incomplete, but there’s
still time in the semester, to give an educational metaphor. We’ve been
watching the market, we know what’s available, we’ve known what’s available. We
reconvene and review periodically, meaning every couple of days. There are a
number of things that we’re currently involved in pursuing. But we’re hopeful
we’ll have some additions before spring training starts, and I expect that we will
have some additions, but at this point to say we’ve been patient is probably an
understatement but that’s what we’ve been."
Like I have said before, I’m fine with this off-season if
it was to end right now. Sure, I wish there was a better outfielder and I think
the pen could use one more anchor pitcher, but Travis
d’Arnaud, John Buck, Noah Syndergaard, a top
Latin prospect outfielder, Shaun Marcun, Greg
Burke, and Pedro
Feliciano for a 38-year old pitcher is fine
in my book.
Rafael Montero is one of the Met top prospects and probably deserves to be
in the top 5 based on his 2012. Silly
scouts might differ. The reason he did
so well here is because he limited walks and hits to an EXTREME level, so this
might get a little wonky in AA but he does seem to be on track to be a
front-end pitcher (based on numbers). Is Montero moving up on my list? Yes.
How high? 4th? He’s still likely a tick behind Snydergaard but
based on this math it’s hard for me to place him below Nimmo or Fulmer and it’s
really close with Wilmer Flores. 2013 will be a defining year for Montero and
could make things interesting for 2014 and beyond with the Mets.
Groveman has always been high on Montero and I
agree with him that 2013 will be the year that one of the younger prospects separates
himself from the pack. Montero impressed at two levels and should return to St.
Lucie because he only pitched eight outings there; however, time and prospects
march on and the projected Lucy squad looks filled with last year’s Savannah’s
starts. I hope they don’t rush Montero too fast. My breakaway money is on Domingo Tapia, who will pitch in
Florida with the press concentrating on others like Noah Syndergaard and Michael Fulmer.
College pitching looks to the be the strongest
at the top of the board with Mark Appel, Ryan Stanek, and Sean Manaea. Mark Appel has the strongest stats and career
to go off of right now and will likely have the least leverage in negotiations
despite have Scott Boras in his corner. Stanek is more of the scouts dream with
a nice fastball and wipeout slider to rack up strikeouts in the SEC. However,
Manaea is almost a left-handed Stanek that is a little more rough around the
edges with his mechanics but has a breakout performance in the Cape to back him
up. All three of them profile as frontline starters with the Ace ceiling. I
need to see more of Manaea this season with how he performs and develops with a
close look at his mechanics. If he continues to post good numbers and I start
to like some adjustments in his mechanics, I may be drooling my June. I think
he has the highest ceiling of all the draft prospects right now but his floor
is considerable lower than the other two pitchers. But, because of the ceiling,
he is my pick right now.
You regulars here know I write a weekly column
for www.bigleaguefutures.net
and keep up a composite mock draft throughout the year. This is a good post to
get up to speed on the draft so give it a click… BTW, I agree that Manaea will
go #1.
There’s
no one better at this than John Sickels so I was quite impressed with where the
Mets faired here
1) St. Louis Cardinals (ranked #5 last year):
Strengths: Everything. They have pitching, hitting, high upside, and depth.
They have a proven track record of player development. Weaknesses: none really.
They could use a shortstop with a better bat but so could most teams.
NL
East:
8) Miami Marlins (29)
12) New York Mets (15): Strengths: strong at the top with
trade acquisitions Zack Wheeler, Travis D'arnaud, and Noah Syndergaard all ranking as Grade A- prospects. Pitching in general is
a strength, with large amount of depth behind the top group. Weaknesses: impact
hitting behind D'Arnaud and Wilmer Flores.
20) Philadelphia Phillies (24)
25) Washington Nationals (14)
27) Atlanta Braves (8)
1/28/13
Fangraphs - Tampa Bay Rays Top 15 Prospects (2012-13)
#1 Wil Myers (OF)
| Age | PA | H | 2B | HR | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA |
| 21 | 591 | 165 | 26 | 37 | 61 | 140 | 6 | .316 | .389 | .602 | .425 |
Myers, 21, split the 2012 season between double-A and triple-A, and hit 37 home runs between the two levels. He has impressive raw power, obviously, but his approach at the plate is still a work-in-progress and he struck out 140 times in 134 games, mainly due to the conscious effort to hit for more pop. His .314 career average has been influenced by some very high BABIPs that will be hard to duplicate at the big league level until he improves against breaking balls and tightens up his two-strike approach.
Defensively, Myers is still learning the nuances of right field but he has average range and a plus arm. He has also played some center field where he projects to be fringe-average, as well as third base where he’s raw but could develop into an average fielder. Myers should open 2013 back in triple-A for a little more seasoning – perhaps to push back his arbitration clock – but he could reach Tampa Bay by mid-season. He projects to develop into an all-star, run-producing right-fielder with 30-plus home run potential.
| Age | G | GS | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | GB% | ERA | FIP | WAR |
| 23 | 6 | 4 | 29.1 | 11.05 | 3.99 | 43.7 % | 4.60 | 3.40 | 0.5 |
He also features a good slider and the quality of his previously-below-average changeup surprised me. It showed some potential but he needs to keep the pitch down in the zone. He did a nice job of establishing and getting ahead with the fastball before mixing in his secondary pitches. A contact I spoke with made it clear that it’s not just Archer’s stuff that makes him a special pitcher. “You look at his stuff… it’s really good. This kid has top-notch character and he has really good work ethic,” he said. “These are the ingredients that give a player a chance to be a good big leaguer.”
After taking five years to reach double-A, the pitcher made his big league debut in 2012 and showed that he’s capable of retiring big league hitters. After the trade of both James Shields and Wade Davis this past off-season, Archer has a shot at breaking camp as the club’s fifth starter. He has the ceiling of No. 2 or 3 starter.
| Age | PA | H | 2B | HR | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA |
| 21 | 630 | 143 | 15 | 4 | 62 | 123 | 40 | .257 | .335 | .345 | .322 |
At the plate, Lee holds his hands very high and shows a quick bat that’s short to the ball with a level stroke. He looks a little too passive at times, allowing very hittable pitches to go by, and helping to explain why he struck out more than 100 times last season. When I saw him play, he showed the ability to make adjustments by going the other way for a single to left field on the exact same pitch he struck out on in his previous at-bat.
In the field, Lee possesses above-average range as well as a strong, accurate arm and good actions. On the base paths he has the potential to steal 30-40 bases. The biggest need for Lee at this point is to get stronger — as witnessed by his one extra base hit in 20 Arizona Fall League games — but he looked stronger in 2012 than he did when I saw him in ’11. The talent evaluator stated, “As he matures physically and mentally, he should become a very good ball player.” The shortstop prospect should move up to triple-A Durham in 2013 and could be ready to assume the Rays’ starting shortstop job in 2014.
click here for the rest of the list... http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/tampa-bay-rays-top-15-prospects-2012-13/
Michael S. - 2013 - If I Had My Way
There are still rumblings that the Mets want to add Michael Bourn, another relief pitcher, and possibly another starter. Given that, this is how I would approach the next 6 months.
I think signing Bourn could be beneficial to the team, but only if the Mets don't have to forfeit their top pick and associated draft budget. I also don't think the team should commit to him for more than a year or 2. If Bourn is looking to re-establish his value before hitting the market again next year, he and the Mets have a mutually-beneficial opportunity. His signing can address an area of need and prove to the fans that the team might actually be competitive in 2013. However, a longer contract takes up too much payroll for a lead-off hitter when the savings that the Mets' penny-pinching should be allocated more towards run-producing. Bourn also provides a potential trade chip at the deadline; if he's signed long-term he'll be here long-term and I don't see him as part of the big picture for the team. This same rationale can be applied to any additional starter the Mets add as well as any potential relief additions the team makes. For the sake of argument, let's say the Mets sign Bourn, Jair Jurrjens, and Brian Wilson before the season gets underway. The lineup would likely shape up as:
CF Bourn
2B Murphy
3B Wright
1B Davis
LF Duda
Ca Buck(d'Arnaud)
RF Nieuwenhuis
SS Tejada
SP1 Santana
SP2 Marcum
SP3 Niese
SP4 Harvey
SP5 Jurrjens
The bullpen will feature Gee, Francisco, Parnell, Edgin, and Wilson. Jurrjens' signing could bump Gee to the spot starter/bullpen temporarily which could be beneficial for him as he eases back in after last year's injury. This team top to bottom could be very competitive based on the strength of its pitching. However, there are enough questions about some of the pitchers (prior injury, age, etc.) and the potency of the offense that the team could also be out of the playoff picture come the trade deadline.
In keeping with 2014 as the reboot for the franchise, I'd begin making moves with that in mind. The first move I'd like to see made is a deal for Seattle's Nick Franklin. I've already written about how I think he could be available and could be a great fit for the future of this franchise (http://tinyurl.com/aslz45l). Since the Mariners don't have a future 3B, I think this could be an opportunity to flip Wilmer Flores for a useful part. Franklin should be ready for MLB at some point in the first half of the season, making Daniel Murphy expendable.
As much as I like Murphy (Top 10 2B in MLB though?), I think he's a defensive liability and his offense doesn't make up for it. Franklin will be the superior player both offensively and defensively and I think he'll pass him before long. Toronto is obviously 'all in' for this year and will likely look to upgrade any areas they can as they push towards the playoffs. Although they acquired Emilio Bonifacio in the offseason, I think Murphy provides a stronger solution for them. As they have expressed interest in Murphy before and the two teams obviously have had a decent working relationship with each other, I would target the Blue Jays as a destination for him. The return? Anthony Gose. The Mets had interest in Gose as part of the Dickey trade, although I think they received two superior players in d'Arnaud and Syndergaard. He brings elite speed and potential gold glove defense and could be another foundational player for many years at a reasonable and team-controlled cost. A good scouting report on Gose's upside can be found here at Jays Journal - http://tinyurl.com/b7pxyla. Going into 2014, I'd much rather take the chance on Gose as part of the Next Mets than overpay long-term for Michael Bourn. Murphy probably wouldn't return Gose by himself, but I could see one of the team's upside arms (Tapia, Verrett, etc.) added to make a deal work.
Assuming the team is out of it when the mid-summer comes around, the Mets could have a lot of assets to sell for prospects. Bourn, Santana, Marcum, Jurrjens, Francisco, and Wilson could all be put on the market as all (if healthy) could be valuable to teams pushing towards the playoffs. None of them would be signed for 2014 and are not likely long-term players here. Of course, if they're all attractive to playoff teams it follows that the Mets might be in the thick of things, I'm just expecting the offense to come up short as the younger players are experiencing their growing pains. That's as many as 6 deals for prospects that the Mets could potentially make. Franklin would replace Murphy, Gose replaces Bourn, and Wheeler's eventual promotion fills one rotation spot while Gee and Mejia could fill the other two. The bullpen would suffer (maybe) but this is all to help build for the future, but it's not as far off as it has been. The Mets would go into next offseason with their foundation looking like:
2B Franklin
OF ---
3B Wright
OF ---
1B Davis
Ca d'Arnaud
CF Gose
SS Tejada
SP1 ---
SP2 Harvey
SP3 Niese
SP4 Wheeler
SP5 Gee/Mejia (Syndergaard)
This Next Mets lineup would cost about $33.5M for 2014. I'm assuming Davis will earn about $5M 2014 and while I think Syndergaard will eventually be in the rotation (likely 2015), whoever is the #5 starter in 2014 won't likely make more than the league minimum. This team would be strong up the middle defensively and potentially offensively as well with d'Arnaud, Tejada, Franklin, and Gose. Wright and Davis provide strong offense and defense on the corners as well. The future of the rotation would obviously be sitting pretty if Harvey and Niese pick up where they left off and Wheeler arrives as expected. A year from now, every player in the lineup would already have some major league experience so the added veterans would be able to help bring everything together and hit the ground running. It would finally be time to add this generation's Keith and Gary to the mix.
Getting here would only take two small trades (Franklin/Flores+ and Murphy+/Gose) and selling off whatever extra pieces possible at the deadline. With all the money saved by building with youth and with a greatly strengthened farm system, the FO would be in prime position and have all the resources needed to be major players for just about any player on the market. The Mets would only have 3 major needs heading into 2014 and should be able to address them, even overpaying if necessary to ensure they get what they want.
1-29-13 – Michael Baron, 2014, Ed Bouchee, Izzy Powell, Amos Otis
13 days until pitchers and catchers
officially report to Port St. Lucie
As I’ve written before, I’m sick of the losing.
There’s no doubt about it, and I am certainly a weathered Mets fan as a result
of it. But I’m more frustrated with what led to this problem, and I am onboard
with what is going on to try and fix this. I know Rome wasn’t built in a day,
even though I sometimes wish Alderson could snap his fingers and correct the
issue. But while the scaffolding is still up, the building is starting to take
shape, and that’s pretty exciting. I am glad Sandy Alderson is not only dedicated
to fixing the problem, but is sticking with his plan, even if it means he has
to pass on immediate fixes now. If the Mets can get their organization to the
point both the Braves and Nationals have been able to, it’s going to be a lot
of fun these three teams for many years to come.
Michael and I have spoken about this for the past two years and we are both on the same page. This team will become a playoff contender in 2014 and one of a hand full of teams that will be projected to play in the 2015 World Series, regardless of who plays in their outfield. This is a team being built around top pitching, some of which won’t arrive until 2015. The Dickey deal may go down in history as the top ever made by the Mets.
Ed Bouchee wrote the first draft of Bad Stuff ’Bout The
Mets. If he’d hung around a little longer, one assumes he would’ve found fault
with Mr. Met (“just a ball hog with a big head”). Whatever merit there was in
the man’s observations — Casey was not necessarily revered by every single Met;
Gil was on the last legs of a brilliant career by the time he arrived at the
Polo Grounds; and we Mets fans, no matter how sweet-natured our collective
disposition, are inherently incapable of suppressing our more unflattering
opinions — it can’t be ignored that Ed Bouchee was a .161 hitter in 50 games as
a 1962 Met. Even on the 1962 Mets, that was pretty lousy. No Met position
player who got into that many games that year recorded so low an average. Ed
Bouchee died last week at the age of 79, making him the eighth of fourteen
Originals from the Mets’ first box score to have passed on. True, he left
behind a light statistical legacy and a few sour grapes, but I invoke him here
out of a degree of respect. One of the sentiments attributed to him in Peary’s
book I still find pretty solid:
The 5-month-old daughter of Mets catcher Landon Powell has died. The family
said on its Facebook page that Izzy Powell died Friday night of an immune disease that
attacked her liver and bone marrow. The family wrote in a post Saturday that
she "fought until the end" and "her life served a great purpose
in her short 5 months on this earth."
Amos Joseph Otis was originally drafted
by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round of the 1965 amateur draft. After playing in the Red Sox minor league
system for two seasons, Otis was selected by the Mets in the December 1966
minor league draft and sent to AAA-Jacksonville to start the 1967 season. Otis played well in Jacksonville, batting
.268 with 21 extra-base hits in 126 games.
But the best part of his game was his speed, as Otis swiped 29 bases in
34 attempts for the Suns. His successful
season in the minors earned Otis his first call-up to the big leagues in
September. But in 19 games with the
Mets, his minor league success failed to translate at the big league level, as
Otis hit .220 with two doubles and one RBI.
He also was thrown out in all four of his stolen base attempts.
The Mets did make a mistake on this one, but every team makes them once in awhile. Right now, with the current outfield situation, Mets writers are reaching back and telling great stories about past outfielders that roamed Shea Stadium. Me? To be honest, if I could I would switch current teams/countries with the current projected opening day Mets outfield and give Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, and Fernando Martinez another go.
The Mets did make a mistake on this one, but every team makes them once in awhile. Right now, with the current outfield situation, Mets writers are reaching back and telling great stories about past outfielders that roamed Shea Stadium. Me? To be honest, if I could I would switch current teams/countries with the current projected opening day Mets outfield and give Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, and Fernando Martinez another go.
1-28-13 – Familia, Marcum, Kirk, Horowitz, Fulmer, Tapia, Flores, Pelph
Simon Daillie - Jeurys Familia was developed in the Mets farm system as a starting pitcher
up until his promotion to Queens in September of 2012. Familia’s relatively limited pitching
repertoire, command issues, and minor league struggles as a starter all were
indications that he might be best suited for a relief role. His debut with the Mets came in St.
Louis. The first batter he faced was Lance Berkman whom he blew away with a 97
miles-per-hour four-seam fastball up in the zone. During his debut appearance, Ron Darling referred to Familia’s delivery as “strong”
and “compact.” While Familia would
sometimes struggle to find the strike zone, in five of his eight appearances
Familia did not walk a single batter.
During the twelve and a third innings of work in his first stint with
New York, Familia allowed only one extra-base hit that would have been a single
were it not for an ill-advised dive by Fred Lewis in left field.
There have been a number of Mets pitching
instructors try to harness Familia’s heater which just may not be possible or
probably. Still, you don’t get much time to figure out if you swing or not when
the ball is coming at you at 97 miles per hour. Shaun Marcum has filled the fifth
rotation spot. Jenrry Mejia is the emergency guy and Zack Wheeler is in the wings.
Familia’s chance of any rotation role have come and gone; however, he is 22
years old and under team control for many more years. Look for Familia to
become the team ROOGY in 2013.
Shaun Marcum has a 2.67 road ERA since 2011, best
among pitchers with at least 100 IP
Mets VP Media/Public
Relations Jay Horwitz now on Twitter - @Jay_HorwitzPR
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis - "I'm excited to get back out
there. I feel 100 percent heading into Spring Training."
Comment From Mack Ade - Mike, we all know the level of
projected talent that came out of the Savannah rotation last year. Which one of
the Mets pitchers that are moving on to St. Lucie look like an eventual keeper?
Mike
Newman: - Reports on Michael Fulmer are very good and Domingo Tapia has a big league fastball now which will
carry him to New York on its own. As for the rest of the group, I'm not quite
sure. Savannah has been down the past couple of years and there hasn't been
much reason to specifically target them.
9. Wilmer Flores,
Mets: Signed out of Venezuela in 2007 for $750,000, Flores had trouble getting
out of A-ball but took a big step forward in 2012. A two-time Futures Game
participant, he earned a promotion to Double-A and hit well there, starting to
show power and plate discipline and turning potential into performance. A
shortstop for much of his career, he shifted to third in 2012, though he
dabbled a bit at second base as well. His feel for hitting should help him get
to the big leagues. Where his long-term defensive home is remains to be seen.
1/27/13
'The War Room'
Some questions to ponder...
1. What do the Mets do this year with Jenrry Mejia? Start him in Las Vegas. Relief in Queens?
2. You've signed Shaun Marcum for $4m/$4+ more in incentives and what if he's 8-2 at the all-star break... do you re-negotiate and sign him for a couple of more years or do you deal him off to a 2013 pennant contender the way you would with Santana and Buck?
3. Or, feel free to talk about anything... I'm sitting this one out.
1/26/13
BA - Top 10 Prospects - Arizona
| TOP
TEN PROSPECTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BEST TOOLS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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click here for the details... http://ht.ly/2uo6Ab
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