9/19/09

Minors Stuff




The Herd:


9. Nick Evans 1B - An injury to Carlos Delgado gave Nick Evans an opportunity to play first base with the Mets. The AA jump was too much for him and he hit .226 with only one homerun in 62 at bats. Demoted to AAA his struggles continued with a .211 average and 10 homeruns. A hot August where he hit .289 with five homeruns gave him another shot at the show but the power has yet to appear to justify playing at first base. In 2008 he only had two homeruns in 108 at bats. With his most recent arrival he has been relegated to a picnh hitting role, but in 16 at bats the ball has yet to leave the yard.

10. Eddie Kunz RHP - With the injury to Billy Wagner last year Eddie Kunz had an opportunity to show the Mets that they did not need to sign a free agent closer for 2009. Eddie had 27 saves and a 2.79 ERA. In his four appearances with the Mets he finished with a 13.50 ERA. The Mets signed Francisco Rodriguez for 2009. His AAA performances have not been as successful. In 40 games he has a 5.02 ERA. His walk to K ratio is an unimpressive 31 to 38. He got progressively worse as the season went on with ERAs of 2.38 in April, 3.86 in May, 3.97 in June, 6.00 in July, 8.16 in August and a 5.40 ERA in two September appearances.

Tobi Stoner RHP - Stoner was born in Germany to a father in the Air Force. Perhaps Germany can invite him to their next National team tryout. Myworld was impressed with a game he pitched last year against the Bay Sox. He is not overpowering but he has good composure and a good lower half that could allow him to be an innings eater. He pitched well for Binghamton (2.68) and Buffalo (3.96) that earned him a September appearance with the Mets.

Carlos Delgado might have played his last game for the New York Mets.
The slugger had another setback while rehabbing from right hip surgery and it appears increasingly unlikely that he'll be able to return to the lineup before the season ends.
Sidelined since May 11, Delgado tried again to run outside last weekend but his hip became inflamed. He said the recent soreness in his side and back also were related to the hip injury.
"It's been a long, kind of frustrating four months," Delgado said Friday. "I don't have very much time, so I mean, I don't want to rule anything out. We'll see how it is over the weekend and I guess soon we'll have to make a decision. It's kind of unfortunate because you like to see things go smooth."

The 37-year-old Delgado can become a free agent after this season, his fourth in New York. Ravaged by injuries all year, the Mets might look for a younger and perhaps less expensive option at first base in 2010.
If the season ended last night, the Mets would be in position for the 6th pick in the first round of the 2010 MLB draft.


2010 Draft:
Several of the top high school players in the Class of 2010—as well as the top college player available, CC of Southern Nevada’s Bryce Harper—will try to help USA Baseball’s 18-and-under squad win a gold medal at the age group’s Pan American Junior Championships. The entire event will be played with wood bats, as opposed to metal bats as has been the case in the past.
The 18U roster has 20 players on it and was selected after a six-day trials period this week in Cary, N.C., and ended a process that began at the Tournament of Stars in June. The team will work out with exhibitions against local junior-college teams before heading to Venezuela on Sept. 24. The tournament concludes Oct. 4, and Team USA has never won gold in the Pan Ams. Garye LeFevers, a veteran of USA Baseball national teams, will serve as head coach.

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