11/30/10

Mets ST Schedule

February



26 Atlanta Braves at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


27 University of Michigan at Port St. Lucie, 12:10 p.m. (split squad)


27 Atlanta Braves at Disney, 1:05 p.m. (split squad)


28 Washington Nationals at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


March

1 Washington Nationals at Viera, 1:05 p.m.


2 St. Louis Cardinals at Jupiter, 1:05 p.m.


3 St. Louis Cardinals at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


4 Florida Marlins at Jupiter, 1:05 p.m.


5 Atlanta Braves at Disney, 1:05 p.m.


6 Boston Red Sox at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


7 Detroit Tigers at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


8 Washington Nationals at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m. (split squad)


8 Houston Astros at Kissimmee, 1:05 p.m. (split squad)


9 Houston Astros at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


10 Florida Marlins at Jupiter, 1:05 p.m. (split squad)


10 Washington Nationals at Viera, 1:05 p.m. (split squad)


11 Florida Marlins at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


12 Atlanta Braves at Disney, 1:05 p.m.


13 St. Louis Cardinals at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


14 OFF


15 Washington Nationals at Port St. Lucie, 7:10 p.m.


16 Minnesota Twins at Fort Myers, 1:05 p.m.


17 Boston Red Sox at Fort Myers, 1:05 p.m.


18 Atlanta Braves at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


19 Washington Nationals at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m. (split squad)


19 Atlanta Braves at Disney, 1:05 p.m. (split squad)


20 Florida Marlins at Jupiter, 1:05 p.m.


21 Atlanta Braves at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


22 Detroit Tigers at Lakeland, 1:05 p.m.


23 St. Louis Cardinals at Jupiter, 1:05 p.m.


24 St. Louis Cardinals at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


25 Florida Marlins at Jupiter, 1:05 p.m.


26 Atlanta Braves at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


27 St. Louis Cardinals at Jupiter, 1:05 p.m.


28 Florida Marlins at Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.


29 Washington Nationals at Viera, 1:05 p.m.


30 Florida Marlins at Port St. Lucie, 12:10 p.m.

The Mack Draft Report - Nov. 30, 2010

The Mack Draft Report - Nov. 30, 2010



Hunter Scott - http://ht.ly/3gXGi  - RHP - 6-3, 215 - R/R -Fr./HS - Lubbock, Texas/Coronado - Hunter Scott didn't have to go far when looking for his next step along his baseball career path. A local standout during his high school career at Lubbock Coronado High School, Scott succeeded at both the plate and on the mound. Scott signed with the Red Raiders after a junior season that saw him bat .406 with two homers, nine doubles and a .496 on-base percentage while going 6-1 with two saves and 47 strikeouts on the mound. Scott will now focus primarily on his talents on the mound with the Texas Tech pitching staff.

Brian O’Connor: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5126  - University of Virginia head baseball coach Brian O’Connor is a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, a western Iowa burg that lies just across the Missouri River from Omaha, Neb. O’Connor played college baseball at Creighton University, which is located in Omaha. That’s the same Omaha, of course, that has hosted the College World Series for the past 61 years and will open a new state-of-the-art stadium just for that event in 2011.


Jeremy Baltz - http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2010/11/29/jeremy-baltz-top-100-countdown-st-johns/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CollegeBaseballDaily+%28College+Baseball+Daily%29&utm_content=Twitter  - Baltz had one of the best seasons by a freshman in school history leading the team in each of the triple crown categories. He finished with a .396 batting average with 24 homers and 85 RBI. He picked up a myriad of awards for his season including being named 2010 Big East Rookie of the Year, Louisville Slugger Freshman of the Year, and NCBWA National Freshman Hitter of the Year. He was named a Freshman All-American by NCBWA, Louisville Slugger, and Baseball America while being named a First Team All-American by Baseball America while being Second Team All-American by ABCA, Louisville Slugger, and NCBWA



Zach Komentani (San Diego) - http://baseballdraftreport.com/  - Love Komentani’s upside both at the plate and behind it. Plus raw power, super quick wrists, plus throwing arm, raw defender at present but above-average tools should turn into playable skills in time, good athleticism, and overwhelmingly positive results when called upon for both San Diego last spring and this summer’s Prospect League. Maynard’s plate discipline and overall approach to hitting gets me all hot and bothered, but I wonder if his defensive versatility will blind some teams to the fact he is a more than capable defensive catcher. Schaffer, Bandy, and Cron have similar scouting profiles (above-average to plus arm strength, raw defensively but tools to work with, potential above-average bats at position), but Schaffer’s raw power upside gives him the edge for me, despite Cron’s crazy 2010 power display.


OF Taylor Matthews — Memphis, Tenn. - http://blugrassbaseball.com/  - •2010 Stats: .312 BA, 8 2Bs, 36 RBI, 17 SB - •Buster Kelso: “Taylor has developed into one of our most dependable players. He is solid in all areas defensively and, offensively, he is unselfish and hits the ball well to all fields. He is an excellent student, as well as a fine citizen.”


http://ht.ly/3gWNk  - The Virginia baseball program will host the ninth annual Step Up to the Plate event Saturday, Jan. 29 at John Paul Jones Arena. The featured speaker for the evening will be former MLB player/manager and current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine. Tickets for Step Up To The Plate go on sale at 9 a.m. Monday and can be ordered in person at the UVa Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall, by phone at 1-800-542-UVA1 or online at VirginiaSports.com. Sponsored tables may be reserved by calling the Virginia Athletics Foundation at 800-626-8723. Proceeds from the event will go toward the Virginia Baseball program.


Dereck Rodriguez: - 11-5-10: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5095 – WWBA stars - CF Dereck Rodriguez (Houston Heat): Rodriguez is already a high level defensive outfielder so it’s just been a matter with evaluators to keep a handle on how much stronger Pudge’s son is getting with the bat. Rodriguez had 8 hits in the Heat’s first 3 games, strongly addressing that issue.


Steven Proscia 3B, Virginia - http://www.draftsite.com/article/2011-MLB-Draft-Preview-College-Hitters/43 - Proscia is a player that will not wow you at any one thing, but remains solid in many. He was a two-way player coming out of high school, but has played third base for the Cavaliers. At the plate Proscia’s swing is not the prettiest; he has a poor weight transfer and tends to slightly collapse his back side. But he is a big strong kid at 6’2" and 215 lbs and produces decent power numbers. In the field he is fairly solid; his strong arm remains, and he can make the plays at third. He isn’t the most athletic, but he produces numbers and with a few tweaks could be a good player at the next level.


Dwight Smith: - 11-11-10 from: - http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com - #33 - OF Dwight Smith Jr. McIntosh HS, Peachtree City Ga 5'11 185 L/R - comps to his father when Dwight Sr played for the Cubs years back, Jr has a good solid stroke with bat speed and strength in his swing, running speed and throwing arm are just ok, not ML average but definitely playable, better quickness than speed, he has a chance to improve speed by a .10 or .20 with work and dedication, arm can get better too in time. There is no real rush on this kid and dad says he'd like Jr to get an education but knows that signing quickly out of HS will only aid him in getting to the show quicker.

Mets Prospect Ranking By Experts

Top Prospect Alert Top Mets Prospects:

1. Jenrry Mejia
2. Wilmer Flores
3. Matt Harvey
4. Kirk Nieuwenhuis
5. Fernando Martinez
6. Erik Goeddel

7. Matt den Dekker

8. Cory Vaughn
9. Juan Urbina

10. Cesar Puello

Fangraph’s Top Mets Prospects:

1. Wilmer Flores, SS
2. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF
3,. Matt Harvey, RHP
4. Juan Urbina, LHP
5. Fernando Martinez, OF
6. Aderlin Rodriguez, 3B
7. Reese Havens, IF

8. Cesar Puello, OF

9. Cory Vaughn, OF
10. Robert Carson, LHP


John Sickles Top Mets Prospects:
Wilmer Flores, SS, Grade B+

Jenrry Mejia, RHP, Grade B

Matt Harvey, RHP, Grade B
Aderlin Rodriguez, 3B, Grade B-
Fernando Martinez, OF, Grade B-
Cory Vaughn, OF, Grade B-
Juan Urbina, LHP, Grade B-
Reese Havens, 2B, Grade C+
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF, Grade C+Lucas Duda, OF-1B, Grade C+

Cutnpaste: - Terry Collins, Keith, Javy Vasquez, Reese Havens, and Disco Demolition Night


Brian Costa
 Terry Collins:

Terry Collins, Mets. New Mets GM Sandy Alderson, who was last to choose, picked from a selected field of four finalists who were already working for the Mets (Collins plus Bob Melvin and Chip Hale were ex-GM Omar Minaya hires while Wally Backman was mostly a Jeff Wilpon import). Collins, who hasn't managed a major league team since 1999, knows his baseball but looks like he might be the riskiest choice of all after bad endings in Houston, Anaheim and with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan. Collins appeared like the favorite the moment his close relationships with new team VP Paul DePodesta and the immortal Sandy Koufax, who also happens to be Mets owner Fred Wilpon's childhood friend, came to light. Mets people say the feisty Collins rounds out an erudite front office. Moneyball men also tend to pick guys they have pre-existing relationships with who can be counted on to fulfill the orders of the front office. Collins is no dummy, and his fiery shtick should play well at the start (especially among those Mets fans who craved for Wally Backman, a starter on the 1986 World Series champion Mets), but his history suggests he may have difficulty making it all work in New York. Grade: D-plus. - sportsillustrated.  



Keith:

After frequent clashes with manager Whitey Herzog, Hernandez was finally dealt from St. Louis during the 1983 season. Hernandez hit .306/.424/.434 over the remaining 95 games with the Mets, and captured his sixth consecutive gold glove. He went on to play another six season in a Mets uniform, and over that period was elected to three all star games (1984, 1986-87), won five more gold gloves (1984-88), was in the top ten in MVP voting from 1984-86 (including a second place finish in ’84), and even won a Silver Slugger (1984). - bleacherreport.  



Javy Vasquez:

But there are probably some people in the Marlins organization that aren't nearly as happy about the Vazquez signing. If you're Sean West or Alex Sanabia, the two young pitchers who were in line to compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation come spring, you're probably banking on an injury now to get some turns in the rotation. But they shouldn't expect to take those turns from Javy- 2010 was his first season with less than 198 IP in 10 years, he's pitched at least 154 innings in every season of his 13-year career, and in those 13 years he's averaged 204 innings per seasaon. So while West and Sanabia toil in pitching purgatory on a team that can't fit them onto the roster, let's take a look at exactly who these two young pitchers are: - BTBS  



Reese Havens:
11-24-10 from: - mets geek  - 6. Reese Havens. One of the Glass men in the top 10, Reese has the world’s weakest Oblique of any athlete. If healthy, he’d be in the top 3, no doubt in my mind. I like his bat. He will bring a plus bat to a position that has been weak since Edgardo Alfonzo left and signed with San Francisco. I heard he looked fluid at second base but not flashy. I do not believe he is the type of player that I would label as flashy anyway. Best case scenario sees him in the Mets lineup as a second hitter from 2012 till free agency. Worst case scenario is him fading away because of his weak oblique. There have been rumors circulating on his health and no one is sure when he will start baseball activities. If he starts the season healthy, it will be for the Double A ballclub.


Disco Demolition Night:

The turnout for this promotion far exceeded all expectations. White Sox management was hoping for a crowd of 12,000, about double the average for a Thursday night game that year. But an estimated 90,000 turned up at the 52,000-seat stadium. Thousands of people climbed walls and fences attempting to enter Comiskey Park, while others were denied admission. Off-ramps to the stadium from the Dan Ryan Expressway were closed when the stadium was filled to capacity and beyond. - shake shake shake... shake shake shake... shake your booty...  

The Mack Report – December 1, 2010

The Mack Report – December 1, 2010



Regarding Pedro Feliciano's declining arbitration...
I'm sure Pedro is doing what he thinkgs is best for him. The next contract he signs will most probably be his last one and he deserves to get as much as he can from any team in the league.
For those of you that don't think he's worth more, check out what Colorado went to contract with SP Jorge De La Rosa. Trust me, there's still money out there for a quality workhorse like Feliciano.


Michael G. Baron
 The good news... he may still wind up a Met and the Mets may get a supllement draft pick. 2011 isn't the greatest draft in the 2000s, but they top 50 players are all quality B+ to A prospects. What this means is the Mets will get two of them, and, with a little luck in the second round, possibly three.

Rosters are starting to fill out after ranking and slotting the top 90 people. There are still well over 50 more players under contract, many of which are fighting it out for a slot on the top four teams.


Continuing our prospect slotting…

91. SP Dylan Owen – 25/yrs. old - Owen is one of thousands of minor league pitchers that are standouts in mid-school, high school, college, and lower level minor leagues; however, very few get to play regularly in the major leagues. We tenderly call all of them “SP5’s”, which is a nice way of saying that they may have great control, but don’t have enough velo or sickness to make a major league team’s rotation. Oweb will have the opportunity to prove me wrong in Buffalo in 2011, similar to the way that Dillon Gee proved everyone wrong in 2010.

2011: Buffalo rotation

2012: Met pen or out of the system



92. P John Church - 24/yrs. old – I’m now at the 92nd top Mets prospect and I think I screwed up. Church should have been higher. The Mets used him as a relief pitcher for the first year and a half, but converted him back to a starter after the 2010 all-star break. His 2010 stats as a reliever for Savannah were great: 3-0, 1.93, 26-appearances, 39-K, 42.0-IP… and his starter stats weren’t shabby either: 4-2, 3.24, 10-starts. It will be interesting to see what the new bosses do here. I have him remaining a starter; however, he is blocked in St. Lucie and would have to return to A-ball as a 24-year old.

2011: Savannah rotation

2012: Binghamton pen



93. RP Daniel Carela – 23/yrs. old – Carela is the pitching version of Carlos Guzman. He was signed out of New York City as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and assigned to the 2009 GCL Mets (0-2. 5.79, 13-appearances). He was invited back in 2010, pitched in three games again for the GCL team (0.00) and shipped off to Brooklyn, where he went 2-1, 1.82, 19-games, 25-K, 24.2-IP in front of his home town fans. There’s no reason to send this 23-year old to Savannah and I have him bumping directly to St. Lucie to continue his dream.
2011: St. Lucie pen
2012: Buffalo pen



94. C Blake Forsythe – 21/yrs. old - Forsythe was a big-time draft prospect until his last season (2010) in school, where he totally under-performed. He fell in the draft which looked to be the Mets bonus, but he continued the under-performing last season for Brooklyn (.238 in 101-Abs). I was sort of excited when the Mets picked him, because I remember what a stud he was two years ago. I’d still like to think that 2010 was just a bad year all around for him, but I did have to drop him to 94th. I would send him to St. Lucie, where Dock Doule could back him up. This will allow Albert Cordero and Juan Centeno to duke it out in Savannah.

2011: St. Lucie

2012: Binghamton




Allan Greene
 95. 2B Alonzo Harris – Harris is an undersized second baseman, with decent pop and the ability to spot play in the outfield as well. He played Savannah in 2010 and under-performed (.224 in 380-AB). Many of us had him projected as a prospect; however, the Mets will have their second base problems figured out well before Alonzo develops, if ever. I’ve got him playing St. Lucie in 2011, which would be the natural progression.

2011: St. Lucie
2012: Binghamton


So… here’s what our rosters look like so far for the 2011 season, based on 2012 need:



Buffalo (18):

Rotation: (4) - SP Jenrry Mejia, Josh Stinson, Mike Antonini, Dylan Owen

Relievers: (4) – Manny Alvarez, Jose De La Torre, Roy Merritt, Michael O’Connor

Catchers: (1) – Mike Nickeas

Infielders: (5) – 1B/3B Eric Campbell, 1B/2B Josh Satin, 2B/SS Reese Havens, 2B/SS Jordany Valdespin, 3B Zach Lutz

Outfielders: (3) – Fernando Martinez, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Lucas Duda



Binghamton (23):

Rotation: (6) – Jeurys Familia, Robert Carson, Eric Beaulac, Mark Cohoon, Brandon Moore, Chris Schwinden

Relievers: (7) – Nick Carr, Brant Rustich, Brad Holt, Scott Moviel, Eric Turgeon, Rhiner Cruz, Ryan Coultas

Catchers: (2) – Kai Gronauer, Francesco Pena

Infielders (4) – 1B Michael Fisher, SS Rylan Sandoval, 3B Wilmer Flores, UT Matt Bouchard
Outfielders (4) – Sean Ratliff, Pedro Zapata, Rafael Fernandez, Carlos Guzman



St. Lucie (19):

Rotation (5) – Matt Harvey, Kyle Allen, Yohan Almonte, Collin McHugh, Jimmy Fuller

Relievers (5) – Eric Goeddel, Ryan Fraser, Michael Powers, Gabriel Zabala, Daniel Carela

Catchers (1) – Blake Forsythe

Infielders (2) – 1B Stefan Welsh, 2B Alonzo Harris, SS Robbie Shields, 3B Joe Bonfe

Outfielders (4) – Cesar Puello, Cory Vaughn, Matt den Dekker, Juan Lagares



Savannah (15):

Rotation: (4) – Greg Peavey, Chris Hilliard, Angel Cuan, John Church

Closer: (1) – Ryan Fraser

Relievers: (3) – T.J. Chism, Samuel Tavares, Nelson Pereira

Catchers: (1) – Albert Cordero

Infielders: (3) – 2B J.B. Brown, SS Wilfredo Tovar, 3B Aderlin Rodriquez

Outfielders: (3) – Darrell Ceciliani, Javier Rodriguez, Jenry Marte

Per Rubin: - Feliciano Declines Arbitration

Pedro Feliciano has declined the Mets' arbitration offer and will continue to pursue free agency

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-yorkmets/post/_/id/12563/feliciano

Cutnpaste: - Nick Carr, Jeff Kent, Juan Urbina, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and Jose Reyes

Nick Carr:

11-30 from: - Deep Leagues  - Here are the top 25 relief pitcher prospects. Relivers are often overvalued in fantasy because it’s difficult to predict whether the pitcher will close (ex: Ryan Perry). This logic does not apply to the top three (Chapman, Scheppers, Sale) becuase they will probably start if they do not close. - 24. Nick Carr—Mets



Jeff Kent:

Kent was a 28 year old who never reached his full potential over four and a half seasons with the New York Mets (1992-96). Baegra was a 27 year old who, already in his seventh Major League season, had been a three time all star (1992-93, 1995) and a two time Silver Slugger (1993-94). He had posted a batting average of .300 or above and an OPS of .800 or above 1992-95. In a swift reversal of fortune, Baegra quickly became the one to not live up to his potential while Kent became one of the best players in the game in the late ‘90’s and early 2000’s - bleacherreport.  



Juan Urbina:

11-24-10 from: - Mets Geek  - 7. Juan Urbina. I debated having this kid so high on this list considering no one has really seen him other than scouts. He’s not even old enough to buy smokes in this country. With that said, he already features a plus sinking changeup with great arm action. He key for him is that change up. Best case scenario sees him becoming a top flight starter. Worst case scenario is getting trapped in the lower minors without developing his arsenal. He should start 2011 in extended spring training with a jump up to Brooklyn, Kingsport or Savannah.



Kirk Nieuwenhuis:

11-25-10 from: - MWOB  - 9. Kirk Nieuwenhuis OF - Kirk lacks the range to play centerfield and he may be short in the power department to play one of the corners. Some feel he could end up as a 20-20 type player, falling short in 2010 with just 18 homeruns and 13 stolen bases. He struggled a bit in AAA hitting only .220 after 120 at bats. He played in the AFL where hit a rather pedestrian .256. with an alarming 25 whiffs in just 26 games. He struck out 132 times in 2010 between AAA and AA. He is not going to win any glod gloves as a defensive outfielder and if his power does not develop his best hope may be as a fourth or fifth outfielder. One of the things he needs to improve on is his contact. His current strikeout numbers can be tolerated if he were to hit 35 to 40 homeruns and drive in over 100, but Kirk will not be that kind of hitter.




Mack Ade
 Jose Reyes:

Reyes is never going to be a big OBP guy because, as you said, he rarely draws walks. But no one cared much when he was batting close to .300 with 15-20 homers and 60-plus stolen bases per season. At 27, there's reason to believe Reyes can still be that player, who the Mets would embrace. Alderson does not value on-base percentage above all other statistics. He simply values inefficiencies in the market. And he certainly values anomalies such as Reyes. - MLB  

Cutnpaste: - Juan Samuel, Jose, Bobby V., Capt. Kirk, and Familia

Juan Samuel:

Samuel was a pretty good hitter for the Phillies in the early-mid 80s, and his 28 HR 100 RBI season in 1987 was fresh in the baseball world’s mind. However, Samuel would play just 86 games for the Mets in 1989, hitting just .228 with 3 HR and 28 RBI. In December of ’89 he was traded from the Mets to the Dodgers. Samuel played until 1998, with stops in Kansas City, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Toronto after leaving Los Angeles in 1992. He was never the same hitter he was in the early part of his career.

bleacherreport.  

Mack Ade
 Jose:

On the day the team picked up his option, Reyes said he wanted to remain in New York, but would not commit to signing an extension before experiencing free agency. It is becoming increasingly difficult to predict his future employer, because a healthy and productive season at age 27 will earn Reyes substantial offers from many teams - and another year dimmed by injuries might cause the Mets to deem Reyes a part of their disappointing recent past.

NYDN






Bobby V.
The Virginia baseball program will host the ninth annual Step Up to the Plate event Saturday, Jan. 29 at John Paul Jones Arena. The featured speaker for the evening will be former MLB player/manager and current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine. Tickets for Step Up To The Plate go on sale at 9 a.m. Monday and can be ordered in person at the UVa Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall, by phone at 1-800-542-UVA1 or online at VirginiaSports.com. Sponsored tables may be reserved by calling the Virginia Athletics Foundation at 800-626-8723. Proceeds from the event will go toward the Virginia Baseball program. - link  



Kirk Nieuwenhuis:

11-24-10 from: - mets geek - 8. Kirk Nieuwenhuis. I am not sold on Nieuwenhuis as some around here and throughout the Mets blogsphere are. His true worth is as a center fielder. If he can run down balls in center and cut down on his strikeouts, his bat will play on any team. I love his effort defensively and he shows a good bit of versatile out there. I think the main argument is whether his bat will play at the corners. Honestly, He needs to dramatically cut down on his strikeouts before I will take away the label of a 4th outfielder. Best case scenario is a solid starting outfielder for a team that won’t rely on him as its superstar player. Worst case scenario is failing to cut down on his strikeouts thus becoming a 4th or 5th outfielder type. He will start 2011 in Triple A and should stay there till September.


Jeurys Familia:

11-25-10 from: - MWOB  - 10. Jeurys Familia RHP - Every time I see his name I am reminded of the Pirates theme song “we are family”. Jeurys right now is limited to a fastball that sits in the low 90s but can reach the mid 90s. His secondary pitches are a slider and change and both need improvement for him to have success as a starter. If they do not pan out he can always find himself in the pen. The Florida State League is reputed to be a pitcher’s league so his 6-9, 5.58 ERA have to be major disappointments. His two year career entering this season was 2.71. While he did strike out 137 hitters in his 121 innings of work he needs to reduce the 74 walks, which translates to about 5.5 walks per nine innings pitched. He was a Future Games Selection in 2010 and is currently pitching for the Gigantes in the Dominican Republic Winter Leagues. Despite his poor 2010 season the Mets still may promote him to AA.

The Mack Report – November 30, 2010

The Mack Report – November 30, 2010



Regarding the injury news on Fernando Martinez and Daniel Murphy... before someone starts writing that the Mets shouldn't have played either one of them, you need to realize that's what ballplayers are suppose to do. Play.

Martinez was put down for the end of the 2010 season with the same knee problems. Now, one game back, he now calls it "pain". Talent has nothing to do with a body breaking down. Some quarterbacks like Brett Farve can seem to play forever. Other's like Joe Namath, can't. Both had or has tremendous talent but Broadway Joe had to hang the cleats up much earlier that expected.


Michael G. Baron
 This reminds me of spring training a few years ago when some of us saw first hand the breaking down of Carlos Delgado. Those that were there knew his days were numbered, similar to last spring when some of us saw John Maine throw on the first day of pitcher/catcher reporting. This shit happens. It's sad, but it happens.

Murphy's problems seem less serious, but we'll hopefully find out more today. Either way, it's better to know you have problems now than a week before you break camp in Port St. Lucie.

One more observation before we move on to more prospect slotting...

I hope this entire process now shows all of you just how much the Mets need to draft, or sign, or steal a future catcher. Those of you that know me know that I am a big fan of Josh Thole; and I’m jumped on board the Kai Gronauer train, but beyond that, everything looks like steak knives to me. We have now picked the top 85 Mets minor leaguers and we have four catchers, two of which were picked only because of roster needs rather than talent. I’m still pissed the Mets didn’t choose Yazmani Grandal last draft and I light a candle every night they pick either Blake Swihart or Peter O’Brien this June; however, until then, this process will continue to expose the talent the Mets currently have on this position.


Continuing our prospect slotting…



86. SP Mike Antonini – I really have nothing against Mike. Well, yes I do… he turned off his Facebook account. Other than that, he’s just one of the thousands of SPs that throw in the 87-91 range and never get past AAA for anything more than a cup of coffee. Mike will start the 2011 season in the Buffalo rotation, but his only future as a major leaguer would be in the pen. Hopefully, the Mets give the guy a chance and begin the conversion during the season.

2011: Buffalo rotation or pen

2012: Mets pen or out of system



87. IF Justin Turner – 26/yrs. old - The Mets got lucky with this one last year. The Orioles dropped him from the 40-man to make room for a returning player and Omar scooped him up. Batted .333 for Buffalo last year after the pickup and should have been called up for a September cup of coffee, but wasn’t. Wanna say that cost Omar his job, but that would be a stretch. Move ahead a year and everything changes. Josh Satin moved up to AAA and there’s no place for this kid on the team. It would be rude to send him to Binghamton, and I can’t see him making Queens out of ST, so I’ll add him as a AAA utility player, if he signs.

2011: Binghamton

2012: Buffalo



88.1B Michael Fisher – 26/yrs. old – Another good Omar pickup, this one from Atlanta. Fisher’s a quality AAAA first baseman that could stick around for awhile now that Ike Davis has locked up the position in Queens. Hit .300 combined in 2010 for Savannah/St.Lucie/Binghamton, and I have him going back with the B-Mets come spring. He did ht .298 there in 57-Abs.

2011: Binghamton
2012: Buffalo








89. OF Juan Lagares – 22/yrs. old - It seems like Lagares was signed by Joan Payton. 2011 will actually be his 6th season in the Mets organization, and I don’t expect him to be lost in the Rule V. Had all kinds of Jose Reyes comparisons when he first signed, but that just didn’t happen. Finally hit well in his 4th season in Savannah (.300), but fell to .233 in St. Lucie.There’s a good chance he won’t be around, but I’d keep him as a 4th outfielder at Lucy. He’s still relatively young.
2011: St. Lucie

2012: Binghamton



90. SP Ryan Coultas – 29/yrs. old – The Mets quietly resigned Ryan Coutas less than a month ago. He’s been in the Mets organization for seven years, first as a shortstop, then a relief pitcher, closer, and, in 2009, a successful starter (4-3, 2.78, 11-starts) for Binghamton. Went down mid-season 2009 and was lost for the entire 2010 season. I never thought we’d see him back and it will interesting to see where and what he becomes after spring training. At 29, he obviously has no chance for the Mets rotation, so I’d put him back in the pen, first at Binghamton, to see if he can make his way back.

2011: Binghamton pen

2012: Mets pen or out of system



So… here’s what our rosters look like so far for the 2011 season, based on 2012 need:


Buffalo (17):

Rotation: (3) - SP Jenrry Mejia, Josh Stinson, Mike Antonini

Relievers: (4) – Manny Alvarez, Jose De La Torre, Roy Merritt, Michael O’Connor

Catchers: (1) – Mike Nickeas

Infielders: (5) – 1B/3B Eric Campbell, 1B/2B Josh Satin, 2B/SS Reese Havens, 2B/SS Jordany Valdespin, 3B Zach Lutz

Outfielders: (3) – Fernando Martinez, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Lucas Duda



Binghamton (23):

Rotation: (6) – Jeurys Familia, Robert Carson, Eric Beaulac, Mark Cohoon, Brandon Moore, Chris Schwinden

Relievers: (7) – Nick Carr, Brant Rustich, Brad Holt, Scott Moviel, Eric Turgeon, Rhiner Cruz, Ryan Coultas

Catchers: (2) – Kai Gronauer, Francesco Pena

Infielders (4) – 1B Michael Fisher, SS Rylan Sandoval, 3B Wilmer Flores, UT Matt Bouchard

Outfielders (4) – Sean Ratliff, Pedro Zapata, Rafael Fernandez, Carlos Guzman



St. Lucie (16):

Rotation (5) – Matt Harvey, Kyle Allen, Yohan Almonte, Collin McHugh, Jimmy Fuller

Relievers (4) – Eric Goeddel, Ryan Fraser, Michael Powers, Gabriel Zabala

Catchers (0) –

Infielders (2) – 1B Stefan Welsh, SS Robbie Shields, 3B Joe Bonfe

Outfielders (4) – Cesar Puello, Corey Vaughn, Matt den Dekke, Juan Lagares



Savannah (14):

Rotation: (3) – Greg Peavey, Chris Hilliard, Angel Cuan

Closer: (1) – Ryan Fraser

Relievers: (3) – T.J. Chism, Samuel Tavares, Nelson Pereira

Catchers: (1) – Albert Cordero

Infielders: (3) – 2B J.B. Brown, SS Wilfredo Tovar, 3B Aderlin Rodriquez

Outfielders: (3) – Darrell Ceciliani, Javier Rodriguez, Jenry Marte

11/29/10

R.I.P. - Gil McDougald

Gil McDougald, who was an infielder on five World Series-champion New York Yankees teams, has died of prostate cancer at the age of 82, the team said.



The Yankees said McDougald died at his home in Wall Township, N.J., on Sunday.



A five-time All Star, McDougald was the first Yankee player to win the American League's Rookie of the Year award after batting .306 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI in 1951.



He played all 10 of his major league seasons with the Yankees and was a member of eight pennant-winning teams and five teams that won the World Series, including the group that won three straight from 1951-53.



McDougald was a lifetime .276 hitter while playing every infield position except first base.



He is survived by his wife, Lucille, seven children, 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, the team said.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/29/1949141/longtime-yankee-mcdougald-dies.html#ixzz16jPMAAMF