Cutnpaste: - Chris Schwinden, Saul Katz, Rick Peterson, Reyes Cyclone Card, Rafael Montero

9-23-11: - http://risingapple.com/2011/09/23/the-stuff-that-dreams-are-made-of-chris-schwinden-via-seedlings-to-stars - Chris Schwinden was never considered much of a prospect, and FanGraphs’ Mike Newman, who had seen him pitch in Low-A years ago, was shocked that he ultimately made it to the big leagues. But here he is, and Schwinden’s made three starts, covering 16 innings. He hasn’t been that bad, either–he’s allowed just one homer with a 12/5 K/BB ratio. The 25-year-old righthander, who turned in a solid year in Triple-A this season, is not a hard thrower; the fastest pitch he’s thrown since his callup is about 91 mph. Schwinden throws three pitches: an 85-91 mph cut fastball (average: 88.1 mph), a 72-78 mph curveball (average: 74.4 mph), and a 79-83 mph changeup (average: 81.3 mph).

Wilpon and one of his senior partners say they were aware of investigations of Madoff by the Securities and Exchange Commission but were always comforted that nothing seemed to come of them. (Saul) Katz, for his part, even appears to make light of his investing I.Q. With a mix of pugnacity and pride, Katz testified that he had earned nothing more than a 2.1 grade-point average at Brooklyn College. He testified that he had not bought stock on his own in 19 years and “got killed” trading stock options a quarter-century ago. “I’m not good at it,” he said. “It’s not my business.” - http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/35270/mets-morning-briefing-9-23-11

The dismissal of Tomlin tells me Alderson and company recognizes the need for an organization-wide pitching philosophy. The perfect guy for that kind of job is the one that was fired over three years ago. Hiring (Rick) Peterson wouldn’t just be about bringing him on as the pitching coach. It would be having him head up what each pitching coach at each level of the organization should be stressing. It would be incorporating an organization wide training program that will allow pitchers to stay healthy. The Mets don’t just need another pitching coach. They need to bring back their “CEO of pitching” to do to the staff what Hudgens has done to the offense. - http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=40163

Jose Reyes was only a Cyclone for a day, but the moment is immortalized on cardboard in the 2011 Brooklyn Cyclones team set. On July 18th, the Mets star shortstop played for the Cyclones to test out his hamstring before returning from the disabled list. He went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Right now, Reyes is the only player in the set who’s appeared in a major league game, however that’s likely to change in a few years. The Cyclones are the Mets’ short-season Class-A affiliate; most of the players are first or second year pros – you’ll find college stats on the backs of many of the cards - http://randombaseballstuff.com/2011/09/22/minor-league-baseball-card-set-review-2011-brooklyn-cyclones

9-23-11: - http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com  - Baseball America is into their league-by-league top 20 lists and has named Mets RHP Rafael Montero the #20 prospect in the GCL. Ben Badler wrote this about Montero: Montero’s best pitch is his fastball, which sits at 90-93 mph and touches 95 with late hop, making it tough for hitters to pick up. His fastball plays up because his command of the pitch was so advanced for Rookie ball. He’ll need to improve his secondary pitches, a fringy changeup and a below-average breaking ball, though he throws them both for strikes.