Acosta began the season in the Buffalo Bisons bullpen but made it back to MLB in early June. His 2011 MLB season was very much like 2010 — uneven and marked by strings of strong outings that may or may not have outweighed the bad ones. His overall stats were a little worse in comparison to ’10, with his ERA jumping a half-run (2.95 to 3.45), a raised WHIP (1.21 to 1.38), and a lower strikeout rate (9.53 K/9 to 8.81). One thing he did improve was his walk rate, which was reduced from 4.1 BB/9 in 2010 to 2.9 BB/9 in 2011. But, opposing hitters took advantage of more pitches to hit, as batters hit for a higher average (.219 in ’10 to .269 in ’11), with more power (slugging percentage jumped over 100 points, from .328 to .430); batters increased their OPS against him from .636 in ’10 to .759 in ’11. Acosta allowed 9.6 hits per nine innings in 2011, compared to 6.8 in 2010. Finally, he allowed 7 of 17 inherited runners to score, or 41% — that’s bad (the league average is 30%). http://www.metstoday.com/7120/11-12-offseason/2011-analysis-manny-acosta
10-24-11: - http://risingapple.com/2011/10/24/2011-season-in-review-fernando-martinez - So what is next for F-Mart? In an ideal world, he would’ve spent most of the year at Buffalo, healthy and getting plate appearances, and then received consistent playing time with the Mets as their season drew to a close. Since that wasn’t the case, it seems likely that Martinez will begin his fourth season in Buffalo at the age of 23 (although to be fair, none of those seasons have been full ones). But what about long term? Given his chronic leg problems, F-Mart isn’t a candidate to replace Angel Pagan in center. With Jason Bay locked into left field and Lucas Duda seemingly next year’s starting right fielder, Martinez is going to have to either hit like crazy or serve as an injury replacement in order to see significant playing time next year. It seems like Martinez has been around forever, and yet he only has registered 145 Major League plate appearances. At this point, it doesn’t seem like he will develop into the hitting stud which he was once projected, but that doesn’t mean he should be written off completely. There is still time for F-Mart to home his raw talent and become a productive player at the Major League level.
10-24-11: - http://scoutingthesally.com/game-report-mets-prospect-juan-urbina - Fastball: Urbina featured an above average fastball. He worked primarily in the 87 to 91 MPH range, touching 93 more than once. When working in the high 80′s, he showed some plus downward movement on his 2 seam fastball. As the night went on, he had difficulty commanding this pitch. His 4 seam fastball left something to be desired. At times was flat, especially when he reached back for extra velocity. A 93 MPH flat 4 seam fastball got driven for a home run, another was lined sharply for an out. He did not lose velocity despite getting tired, and he last fastball he threw was 93. When right, he worked in and out with his fastball on right handed hitters, setting them up for his vaulted change up. Change up: Going into this game, any scouting report I found about Urbina talked about how good of a pitch his change up is, Those reports didn’t disappoint. Clearly it’s his best pitch and the pitch that has the ceiling of a plus-plus offering. His arm action on this pitch is tremendous, especially when you consider he is only 18. He only slowed down his motion as he got tired and I don’t believe, even then, a good swing was made on the pitch. It sat between 80-83, with good downward movement. On more than one occasion, it just dropped off, resulting in an ugly swing and miss. Breaking Ball: Honestly, I didn’t see enough to really say anything about his breaking pitches. I have heard he throws a Curveball and a Slider, but they weren’t on display that evening.
Now, Darren Oliver has his best chance at getting the one thing all players long for, a World Series ring. With the series tied at 1, Oliver and the Rangers head home for the next three games as the heavy favorite to win the Series. For Oliver, it would be the crowning achievement for a man who was out of the Major Leagues just seven years ago. If the Rangers can win the World Series it would be another defining moment in the professional life of Darren Oliver. It would make him a World Series champion and give him a World Series ring that so few players ever get a chance to wear. It is funny how a moment can change a life. One moment, he was almost out of baseball. Because he chose to sign with the Mets, he worked with Peterson and emerged as a quality reliever. Now, he’s in his second World Series. His resiliency and his openness to change under Peterson led him to this moment–back with his original team and trying to win the organization’s first World Series title. What a moment that would be. http://www.baseballdigest.com/2011/10/22/darren-olivers-second-act
Last week, I lamented the Mets' mediocrity, and — while I still rue every single member of that organization — my life is made infinitely more miserable by Yankee fans. Even though the Yankees had an early exit from this year's playoffs at the hands of some guy named Fister, I still hear it from my Yankee−fan friends because the Mets are constantly cast in the shadow of the most successful sports franchise in history. Our cross−town rivals outclass us in every way: legacy and championships, not to mention those fancy pinstriped jerseys. After each Yankees victory, Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" (1977) can be heard booming from the PA system. It doesn't get classier than that. Do you know what they play after the Mets win? Me neither, 'cause I've never seen it actually happen, but I'm pretty sure it's in Spanish. http://www.tuftsdaily.com/sports/zach-drucker-the-loser-1.2657886
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