Baseball and Stuff – Cole Hamels, Joey Votto, Red Sox Update

Baseball and Stuff – Cole Hamels, Joey Votto, Red Sox Update

·        Tyler Pastornicky won the starting SS job for the Atlanta Braves.

·        Buster Olney - ‏@Buster_ESPN - Johnny Damon looking for opportunity with 450 PAs, according to agent Scott Boras. "Damon will be signed by May 1st; just don't know where."

·        Roy Oswalt is still available

·        Andrew Bailey told he needs thumb surgery

·        Florida RHP Carlos Zambrano – 12.1-IP, 15-BB

·        San Diego reassigns Matt Clark, Jeff Suppan, Casey Kelly and Joe Wieland.

·        The Giants will pay $62mil  to Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito in 2013

·        Happiest guy in baseball today? Pending free agent Cole Hamels, whose price just went way up. Happiest guy in the Giants clubhouse? Aside from Cain, I’d have to go with Madison Bumgarner, who looks poised for superstardom and could be up for an extension right as the Giants are shedding Zito’s contract and looking to lock up a partner for Cain. link

·        It’s probably pretty close to it, honestly. Joey Votto’s been a +7 win player each of the last two years, but a decent chunk of his offensive value is tied up in his career .352 BABIP, which is pretty much the absolute upper limit for a sustainable performance over the long term. Over the last 20 years, the top three on the BABIP leaderboard (min 3000 PA) are Derek Jeter (.355), Matt Kemp (.352, just barely over 3000 PA), and Ichiro Suzuki (.351). You’ll probably note that all three of them are pretty fast, and can leg out infield hits when they need to. The best comparison for Votto is Miguel Cabrera, who comes in at .347 – in other words, it’s not impossible for Votto to keep getting balls to fall in at this rate, but there’s really nowhere for him to go but down in that area. More likely, we should probably project Votto as a +6 win player going forward, which accounts for some overall regression and variability of health. - link

·        And so it begins for the 2012 version of the Boston Red Sox. The 2012 season for the Red Sox is starting off like the 2011 ended — like a hot mess. Carl Crawford is going to miss the first month with a wrist injury. Josh Beckett has a thumb injury. The Red Sox are so thin in the starting rotation they have been forced to move Daniel Bard to the starting rotation. And now, their closer is on the shelf. According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, closer Andrew Bailey was told yesterday that he will need thumb surgery. No timetable has been set for the surgery and how long Bailey will be out for has not yet been determined. link

Mets In ESPN Top 500 Players List

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RANK	PLAYER	SCORE
60	David Wright Third Base | @Mets | Age: 29 | Stats	6.84
197	Ike Davis First Base | @Mets | Age: 25 | Stats	5.53
220	Johan Santana @johansantana LHP | @Mets | Age: 33 | Stats	5.34
249	Jonathon Niese RHP | @Mets | Age: 25 | Stats	5.16
266	Frank Francisco RHP | @Mets | Age: 32 | Stats	5.06
269	Mike Pelfrey RHP | @Mets | Age: 28 | Stats	5.03
277	R.A. Dickey @RADickey43 RHP | @Mets | Age: 37 | Stats	4.97
293	Jason Bay Left Field | @Mets | Age: 33 | Stats	4.91
312	Lucas Duda Right Fielder | @Mets | Age: 26 | Stats	4.84
352	Daniel Murphy Second Base | @Mets | Age: 27 | Stats	4.68
357	Andres Torres Center Field | @Mets | Age: 34 | Stats	4.66
378	Ruben Tejada Shortstop | @Mets | Age: 22 | Stats	4.58
389	Jon Rauch @jrauch60 RHP | @Mets | Age: 33 | Stats	4.53
416	Dillon Gee RHP | @Mets | Age: 26 | Stats	4.42
423	Bobby Parnell RHP | @Mets | Age: 27 | Stats	4.39
468	Josh Thole C | @Mets | Age: 25 | Stats	4.23

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/espn500_2012_mets/new-york-mets

Baseball and Stuff – Cesar Cabral, Aaron Crow, Jurickson Profar

Baseball and Stuff –  Cesar Cabral, Aaron Crow,   Jurickson Profar,

·        The Yankees took two players in this year’s Rule 5 draft in lefty Cesar Cabral and righty Brad Meyers. Neither player will make the team, but neither player is leaving the organization either as both are headed to the DL, according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News. Cabral had a good shot of making the team, but an elbow fracture has his future in doubt. Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Jennings that he expects him to pitch this season, but until he is healthy the Yankees are allowed to stash him on the DL. - http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/2012/04/yankees-rule-5-picks-headed-to-the-dl/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

·        Aaron Crow started out 2011 with a bang. He had a 2.08 ERA, which he rode into the All-Star game as the Royals only invitee. The problem was that he was riding a bit of a lucky streak led by a 0.243 BABIP. He regressed quite a bit in the second half of the season when his ERA jumped to 4.34 because of a 0.393 BABIP. Also in the second half of the season, he did not record 1 Save or Hold. He was though able to accumulate 5 Blown Saves during that time frame. Going into spring training, he attempted to become one of several relief pitchers league wide to transition into becoming a starting pitcher. After a few weeks, the experimentation was stopped when Joakim Soria was lost for the season and Crow was moved back to the bullpen. - http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/aaron-crow-and-drew-smyly-stock-watch/

·        Cincinnati Reds Claim Alfredo Simon Off Waivers

·        Jurickson Profar - Shortstop, Rangers - Still a teen, Profar's shadow ascends on AA. It isn't long before the Rangers, locked in a dead heat with the rival Angels, are clamoring to make a trade. Fans of Elvis Andrus propose trading the budding star, while others argue that current steward of the keystone should go. In a shocking move, the Rangers call up Profar in mid-August after a trade of second baseman Ian Kinsler. Kinsler, packaged with Martin Perez, is shipped to Washington for Jordan Zimmermann where he immediately signs an above-market extension. Jon Daniels causes an uproar when he decides to hand short to Profar, shifting Andrus to second. As expected, the pressure doesn't get to Profar whose leadership qualities spark and his bat excels. An infarcted epiploic appendage keeps the shortstop one at-bat shy of exhausting his rookie status. http://bullpenbanter.com/rtmenu/725-projected-2013-top-10-prospects

·        Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey to undergo surgery to reconstruct ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb

·        Alfredo Despaigne hit his 34th HR of the season, a new single-season record in Cuba

Press Release - Matt Harvey

Matt Harvey Named Bisons Opening Day Starter
Herd Opens Season in Pawtucket –April 5 (7:05 p.m.)
 
April 3, 2011 – Buffalo Bisons manager Wally Backman has named RHPMATT HARVEY his starting pitcher for season’s first game, Thursday, April 5 in Pawtucket against the Red Sox (7:05 p.m.)
 
Harvey, 23, is the Met’s #2 rated prospect byBaseball America. New York’s 1st round pick (seventh overall) out of the University of North Carolina in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft is in just his second professional season.
 
Last season, Harvey combined to go 13-5 with a 3.32ERA in 26 starts between Single-A St. Lucie of the Florida State League and Double-A Binghamton of the Eastern League. They righty led all Mets minor leaguers with 13 wins and 156 strikeouts. He was a Florida State League All-Star and pitched in the Futures All-Star Game at Chase Field in Arizona where pitched 0.1 innings to earn a save in the game.
 
The Bisons open the home portion of the 2012 season on Wednesday, April 11 against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees at Coca-Cola Field (2:05 p.m.).

GNATS RELEASE TENTATIVE 2012 OPENING DAY ROSTER

Savannah, GA – The Savannah Sand Gnats, in conjunction with the New York Mets, released the team’s tentative Opening Day Roster today. The Mets will make roster moves prior to Opening Night to finalize the roster.   


The Gnats begin the 2012 season with a seven game home stand against the Augusta GreenJackets.  The Gnats roster will feature many new faces in 2012; Currently, five of the players on the tentative Opening Day roster saw action with the 2011 SAL Southern Division Champion Sand Gnats. 


Sand Gnats veterans Aderlin Rodriguez, Luis Nieves, Sam Honeck, and Albert Cordero return to Savannah for the start of the 2012 season. Cordero, a right-handed catcher, spent the entire 2011 season in Savannah and is likely to be the anchor of a strong line-up of catchers in Savannah once again. Cordero hit .286/.324/.382 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 44 RBI in 104 games in 2011. Aderlin Rodriguez spent much of the 2011 season at third base for the Gnats. Rodriguez hit .221/.265/.372 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 17 home runs and 78 RBI last season. Second baseman Luis Nieves has spent the past two seasons in Savannah, playing in 87 games last year. Nieves hit .238/.312/.297 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in with 20 RB I in 2011. First baseman Sam Honeck rounds out the veterans on the Opening Day roster. Honeck played 75 games in 2011 before he was injured after taking a line drive to the face. Joining the infielders is the 2010 Mets 13th Round pick -- Hilton Head native Brian Harrison. Harrison spent 2011 in short-season Brooklyn of the New York-Penn League, hitting .237/.332/.311 with 30 RBI in 62 games. Harrison was originally selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2007 draft (29th round), but did not sign, choosing to attend Furman University in Greenville, SC. Mets 2010 22nd round draft pick, Brandon Brown, spent last year with the Brooklyn Cyclones, and TJ Rivera, who split last season between Kingsport and Brooklyn hitting a combined .301 (AVG), round out the infielders. 


On the mound, the Sand Gnats will welcome five top-ten 2011 draft selections. Michael Fulmer was the 44th overall pick in 2011 out of Oklahoma City, OK. Fulmer spent 2011 with the Rookie level Gulf Coast League Mets. Fulmer is currently ranked eighth on Baseball America’s Mets Top Ten Prospects. Former Florida Gator, Alexander Panteliodis, pitched in the 2011 College World Series. Panteliodis is ranked seventh all-time on the University of Florida’s win list with twenty-three victories. The Mets 2011 5th round draft pick, John Lethersich, appeared in nine games for Brooklyn in 2011 posting a 0.71 ERA. Right-handed Logan Verrett was a 3rd round draft pick in 2011. Verrett did not see professional action in 2011 while he was playing for Baylor University. Verrett went 7-6 for Baylor with a 2.93 ERA, leading the Bears staff in innings pitched (101.1). Right-handed Tyler Pill spent time last season playing in short-season Brooklyn and posted a 3.86 ERA with the Cyclones. Pill also appeared in two games with the Gulf Coast Mets. Tyler Pill is a Cal-State Fullerton grad and was a semi-finalist for the Dick Howser Award for the Nation’s top player. Right-handed pitcher Jeffery Walters attended the University of Georgia and was drafted in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. Walters spent 2011 with the Brooklyn Cyclones, going 4-6 with a 3.32 ERA.  


The Sand Gnats outfield looks promising as well. The Mets 2011 18th round pick, Travis Taijeron, and 19th round pick Dustin Lawley headline the outfield. Taijeron spent the 2011 season with the Brooklyn Cyclones, hitting .299 (AVG) with nine home runs. Taijeron was an MiLB.com organizational All-Star and a mid-season All-Star for the New York-Penn League. Dustin Lawley spent time most of 2011 with the Kingsport Mets and played three games in Savannah. Lawley hit .276 (AVG) in 2011, and hit 10 home runs combined (Kingsport and Savannah). Lawley and Taijeron are joined by Tillman Pugh, a 2010 15th round draft pick. Pugh spent last season between Kingsport and Brooklyn, and is a career .271 (AVG) hitter. Joining them in the outfield are 2011 draft picks Charley Thurber (39th round) and Gregory Pron (42nd round). 


In addition to Albert Cordero behind the plate, the Gnats welcome Camden Maron.  The Mets acquired Maron in 2007. Last year Maron hit .318 (AVG) for the Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League.  Maron was named an MiLB.com organizational All-Star as well as the Appalachian League post-season All-Star. 

Mets Stuff - Joel Sherman, Omar, Ruben Tejada, Steve Swisher, Sandy, Pettite vs. Johan, Gil

Mets Stuff  - Joel Sherman, Omar, Ruben Tejada, Steve Swisher, Sandy, Pettite vs. Johan, Gil

It was early April. The rosters were set and Opening Day was hours away. Unexpectedly the Mets exhibition game against the Expos was cancelled due to a players strike. With a free afternoon and nothing to do, the Mets manager and some of his coaches decided to walk across the street and play a round of golf at the Palm Beach Lakes Club. Later that afternoon on their way back to the Ramada Hotel where the team was staying, manager Gil Hodges collapsed in the parking lot of a heart attack just 2 days prior to his 48th birthday. He was pronounced dead at 5:45 pm.  link

Joel Sherman on season:

Johan Santana needs two DL stints to survive just a 15-start season, but uses his savvy to go 8-5 with a 3.58 ERA when he does pitch. Jon Niese’s command and maturity catch up to his competitiveness and stuff, allowing him to become a 15-game winner with an ERA in the threes. Andres Torres tanks and the Mets turn to Matt den Dekker, who proves to be Devon White Lite: Long legs and a long swing leading to ace defense, bunches of strikeouts and some lefty pop. Ike Davis and Lucas Duda each top 30 homers, but Davis does it with Gold Glove contention defense while Duda is so troublesome in right the Mets are forced to consider whether he can play there long term. The same goes for Daniel Murphy as a definitely-can-hit, but-can’t-field second baseman.

Omar Minaya on Ruben Tejada:

“He’ll surprise you. Listen, you’re not going to replace Jose. But I don’t think Ruben is of that mindset. Ruben is a fine shortstop. He’s a young kid who can throw, catch, who is going to hit the ball into the gap. He’s a well-rounded baseball player.”

Andy Pettitte vs. Johan Santana (20 starts) — In this showdown of sage, veteran lefties who did not pitch last season, Santana gets a head start with the Opening Day assignment while Pettitte is not due before May 1. But Santana came down achy in the last week, needed an anti-inflammation shot and, thus, reminded folks that he unlikely is to make it through the season without interruption. The Mets have penciled in an extra day of rest after each of his first seven starts and already recognize there probably will be times they will have to skip him entirely as they try to avoid disabled-list stints. -  link

Sandy Alderson on lack of Yankees starts in Mets-Yankees game on Tuesday:

“That’s an issue for Major League Baseball, not for us. But I don’t know whether Yankees fans are happy to see a Yankee uniform or would prefer to see somebody recognizable in the uniform.”

                       

Steve Swisher on ST at Port  St. Lucie:

From age 8, when his father, the former major leaguer Steve Swisher, was a minor league manager with the Mets and later a coach with the big-league club, Swisher was a fixture at the Mets’ spring training. There were the days when he won $100 off Todd Hundley, joked around with the eccentric Bill Pulsipher and took what he estimated were a million swings on the back fields. Returning here Tuesday as a 31-year-old Yankees right fielder brought back a stream of memories for Swisher, who celebrated his return by hitting a home run in a 7-6 loss to the Mets in the same park where he used to shag fly balls as a youngster.

D1 Game Notes – Tucker Brown, Kieran Lovegrove, Rhett Wiseman

·        D3: J.P. Maples smacked three home runs and drove in eight runs on the day, while Tucker Brown belted a school-record four homers in the first game to lead Central Oklahoma to a doubleheader sweep of Arlington Baptist on Wednesday afternoon at blustery Wendell Simmons Field. -

http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2012-03-28/central-oklahoma-rolls-dh-sweep

·        Seventeen-year-old Kieran Lovegrove made his mark in sports at the age of two and has not let up since. However, it was not baseball with which he initially gained his skill. A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Lovegrove honed his batting skills playing cricket before he moved to the US at the age of five. It was then when he fell in love with baseball. He is currently a senior pitcher at Mission Viejo High School, the 65th ranked player in Baseball America’s 2012 Prospect Top 100, and was also selected to the USA National 18U Team Trials. In the fall, Lovegrove will be taking his talents to Phoenix to play for Arizona State University.  http://www.youth1.com/baseball-latest-features/a-grand-slam-for-the-community.html

·        Rhett Wiseman, OF, BB&N - Height: 6-foot-1  Weight: 195 lbs.  Bats: Left  Throws: Right  Hometown: Mansfield, Mass.  College: Vanderbilt  2011 Stats: .447, 12 doubles, 5 triples, 11 home runs, 29/29 stolen bases.  Scout’s Take: “Rhett is one of those outfielders who you look at and try to figure out if he can continue to progress as a Centerfielder, or if eventually you have to move him to Left because of his arm strength. The way his speed plays, you could probably keep him in center until he proves he can't handle it. Then the bat comes into play – is he a power guy or is he more of a speed guy who can make his power play? His power was on display in the bigger events last summer, but he’s also shown a propensity to strike out quite a bit against top-tier pitching. Obviously the power is going to be there as he gets older, but putting the ball in play and allowing his speed to show itself more consistently will be a big piece for him. Ultimately, I think he's a gap to gap guy who will be able to hit HR's as he learns to stay within himself and take what he is given. He’s shown the ability to play at a really high level, but it’s going to be a matter of whether people are willing to buy into his swing. He tends to get a little stiff on his front side; if he can smooth that out and show development and the ability to go the other way a little bit, he's going to put himself into the mix. It's a tough sign because of his commitment to Vanderbilt and the new CBA rules, but I can see someone taking a chance on that.”  Projection: First five rounds.

·        Missouri State RHP Pierce Johnson - mild forearm strain and will miss start this week

·        OH: Minster H.S. (OH) RHP Adam Niemeyer (2013) 1-hit CG, 14-K, 89-FB

·        Speed Checks

o   RHP Kevin Gausman 94-97, 99,  97 – 115^th  pitch

o   Aaron Nola (2014)  90-94, 95, 78-79-CV, 81- CH

o   Hobart  H.S. Brandon Murray (2014) - 88-89,  90

o   Rancho Bernardo (2014) C Alex Jackson – 80, 1.94

The Keepers - #107 - OF - Alonzo Harris

107. OF Alonzo Harris 

 Harris was one of the best baseball players to ever come out of the Mississippi High School system. In 2007, for McComb High School, he batted .540 with 25 singles, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 11 home runs, 45 RBIs, and 60 runs scored. He signed a scholarship to play baseball with Southwest Mississippi College before he was drafted. He was selected The Daily Leader (local newspaper) ”Mr. Baseball” and Most Valuable Player on the 2007 All-Area Dream Team. Harris stole seven bases in the Mississippi Class 5A/4A All-Star Game in June. At McComb, Harris played a variety of positions from shortstop, second base, outfield, and pitcher. Harris is runs a consistent 4.4 forty yard dash, and has been time as fast as a 6.5 in the 60-yard dash. He also starred at quarterback for the McComb football team. He rushed for over 1,000 yards. 

The Mets drafted Harris in the 39th round of the 2007 draft. He signed with the Mets just before the deadline and was assigned to the Instructional camp in Florida. 

The Mets have Harris penciled to start as a second baseman/outfielder in the minor leagues. 2008 was a great first year for Harris. He played for the GCL Mets, hitting .308/.379/.510/.889 in 104 at bats, which included 5 HRs. In 2009, Harris disappointingly didn’t get assigned to a full season team and played for Kingsport (253 at bats, .273/.321/.447/.768… 10-HR, 39-RBI, 59-K, 17-BB, 15-SB. I like any Mets minor league that hits at least 10 home runs a season. I had heard early on that he was held back in ST due to an injury but never confirmed that. Anyway, he bumped to Savannah for the end of the season and got in 25 at bats 

1-1-10: Forecast: Harris will come back to Savannah in the spring and should anchor a pretty decent young outfield. I like this kid and I look for a 15-HR, 60-RBI, .280 season from the 20 year old. 

6-28-11: - Harris tweeted on Tuesday: Pro_zo Alonzo Harris Jr. –“ i wish i knew what plan they got for me”........#headstartingtohanglow – Let’s see if we can help him out here… Harris is only 21-years old and is in his 4th season in the Mets organization. He had a fair amount of prospect talk early on after being drafted in the 39th round in 2007. Hit well (.308) and played the entire season in 2008 with the GCL Mets. Conservatively bumped to K-Port in 2009 (.273) where he showed promising pop (10-HR). Once again, promoted to the next level, Savannah, in 2010, where he stumbled (.224). He was also 2nd on the team last year in errors (21) as a second baseman, so the Mets decided to play him more in the outfield this year. Problem with this is Darrell Ceciliani and Cory Vaughn were promoted from Brooklyn (with all that bonus money hanging off them) so “Zo” lost more “Mo”. Now, he’s hit .321 in his last ten games (.264 overall) as he repeats Savannah, watching his playmates get sent to the airport. Normally, I would tell him to just keep hitting above .300, but how has that helped either Josh Satin or Juan Lagares? Conclusion: He’ll finish the year in Savannah. There’s no one ready behind him in the outfield so he should play every day. Frankly, I’d put him back on second and give him another shot there. 

8-28-11: - Stock Up – OF Alonzo Harris – There just isn’t that many games that a Met minor leaguer hits two home runs in one game, but Sand Gnats’s Zo Harris pulled it off last night. Harris has had a frustrating Mets career so far and keeps falling behind in the outfield pecking order. We’ll see if a game like this gets him ending strong for the season. 

 9-3-11: - 69 – OF Alonzo Harris – Harris has been lost and passed by in Savannah for the past few years. He even changed positions from second base to the outfield in hopes of turning a coach on. So far, it hasn’t. He can’t stay in Savannah for a third year, and there’s four other guys projected for St. Lucie, so I have him as either the 5th outfielder there, or out of the system. ETA: OOS 2014 

 3-31-11 – Simply put, I don’t see much of a Mets future for Harris. There just seems to be too many other outfielders ahead of him in the pecking order.

R.I.P. -- LHP Prospect - Stephen Gant

·        2012 Tenn. Prep pitcher and Vandy commit  Stephen Gant has passed away.

A Tennessee high school baseball standout is dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Stephen Gant, 19, was a star pitcher at Riverside High School in Decaturville, just south of Parsons and about two hours southwest of Nashville.

Perry County Chief Deputy Nick Weems told Nashville's News 2 dispatchers received a 911 call around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday that Gant was walking along Godwin Road in Linden with a gun and threatening suicide.

Officers arrived within minutes to find his body about 30 feet off the road with a single gunshot wound to the head, Weems said.

Authorities said the gunshot wound appears to be self-inflicted although the shooting is under investigation.

Weems said they are unsure who made the 911 call.

Gant was a projected to be a first round pick in the upcoming Major League Baseball draft but planned to instead attend Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

"This stops you right in your tracks," head baseball coach Tim Corbin said in a statement.  "These are life occurrences that can't be explained... there are no 'do-overs.'  We are all deeply saddened for Gloria, Tony, his brothers and sister, as well as the many friends that Stephen had.  All we can do is be supportive for the family and be there for them."

Gant signed with the Commodores last fall and was scheduled to join the team after graduation.

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