9/30/10

CUTNPASTE: - R.A. Dickey, Corey Vaughn, Ryan Fraser, Wilpon... and Hisanori Takahashi

R.A. Dickey:



nj.com   - Baseball would not allow them to plan for the future. So they learned to live moment to moment, drawing vitality from lessons learned and friendships made in their 14-year journey. In the days before what should be Dickey’s final start for the Mets today, they remained unwilling to look ahead to next year. General manager Omar Minaya tabbed Dickey before the season as someone “in that pool of insurance guys.” Now he appears a key piece of the 2011 rotation. Eligible for arbitration, Dickey (11-8, 2.92 ERA) should after this season receive some compensation, a seven-figure influx to aid his family. Yet they still refuse to plan for it.



Corey Vaughn:



9-28-10 from goldstein  - I want to say yes, but I can’t do it without a bit of trepidation. Look, this guy has oozed tools forever, but he never quite translated them into results during his college years, so you have to be a bit nervous, as history is littered with guys who did things in the New York-Penn League never to be heard from again. There’s still a truckload of swing and miss in his game, but the power and speed are very real and as a scout once said to me many years ago, “always bet on the tools.”



Ryan Fraser:



9-27-10 from: - amazin  - Fraser possessed the most powerful arm on the entire Brooklyn staff in 2010, blowing NYPL hitters away as the Cyclones' closer. After being drafted in the 16th round this June out of Memphis, Fraser flew out of the gates, allowing just a single earned run through June & July. He slowed down in August, allowing three runs for the month but more importantly, walking batters A LOT more often (2.6 BB/9 in July vs. 7.9 BB/9 in August). Fraser's story sounds a lot like Bobby Parnell's: Big, strong righty fireballer with undeveloped secondary stuff and spotty fb command drafted in the middle rounds out of a solid college program in the South, bouncing between starting and relief in college. Fraser is already in the 'pen as a pro but there are rumblings that the Mets want to see what he can do as a starter. Like Parnell, I see Fraser moving fast once they commit to a long-term role as a high-velocity reliever.



Wilpon:



networkedblogs  - The Mets do NOT need another go-along-to-get-along executive in charge, not do they need a guy who will re-arrange the entire baseball department regardless of individual merit. When Pat Gillick took over the Phillies, he kept several of Ed Wade’s people in place, including assistant GM Ruben Amaro and a core of minor league staffers who had overseen good value drafts. That’s why Pay Gillick is going to the Hall Of Fame, because winning is far more important to him than ego. Far too often, personal politics play a huge role in Mets policy, and the new GM, whoever he or she is, must stand up to ownership to prevent this continued practice. I mean, how many people reading this even know who the Phillies owners are? I’m guessing very few. The Wilpons have tried Steinbrenner Light, and got the 1980′s Yankees. Maybe they should try a new direction, hire a respected baseball man to run the baseball department, and go on safari. Like Nelson Doubleday.



Hisanori Takahashi:



metsfever  - However, Hisanori Takahashi is a completely different story. Despite being two years older I would offer Takahashi a two year deal. Now if someone gives him three years or promises to make him a starter then he's all theirs. The difference is that Takahashi can be a lefty specialist, close, cross over relieve, spot start, and long relief. He has at least another year before the league figures him out but with so many pitches he has plenty to make adjustments. Japan is a shorter season and despite being a starter for most his career his inning load was much less then a major leaguer.

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