Cutnpaste: - Juan Urbina, Wilmer Flores, Johan Santana, Collin McHugh, Blue Walls

10-27-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/10/mmo-top-20-mets-prospects -17-juan-urbina-lhp-exclusive-interview.html -   In his last 7 GS of 2011, Juan Urbina went 4-3 with an ERA of 4.00, giving up 36 hits in 36 IP, while striking out 34 and walking 8. Although the overall numbers weren’t so great for the year, it was clearly not a lost season for Urbina. He fought through adversity to turn the season from a negative, into a positive, and learned from the experience. Urbina, now 18, has a clean, effortless delivery and at 6’2″, shows excellent mechanics and good command. His fastball and change-up are his best pitches, though the curveball still needs refinement. If he can sharpen his breaking-ball and miss some bats with it, he can move quickly through the system

10-26-11: - http://www.metstoday.com/7132/mets-minors/a-look-into-the-future-top-shortstop-prospects   -  Wilmer Flores -  DOB: 8/6/1991  Birthplace: Valencia, Venezuela  Height: 6’3”   Weight: 175  R/R -  I know it is not fair to write off a player at the age of 19 (cough, cough, cough Nelson Cruz) but I have to. By now, Flores is supposed to be Detroit Tigers first basemen Miguel Cabrera. He’s supposed to be knocking over 20 homeruns, showing great plate discipline. But it’s just not there yet. I think Flores is not responsible for the disappointment. You can blame publications like Baseball America for over-hyping someone, as they did with Alex Escobar and Fernando Martinez. Flores had a pretty decent season at high-A St. Lucie, hitting 9 homeruns while driving in 81 runs. He hit .269, which was a bit disappointing. That’s all I really have to say about him. I hope he proves me wrong. He will not be at shortstop if he makes it to the big leagues. He’ll be in a corner outfield spot due to his lack of speed and mobility. He’ll be 19 at the start of the 2012 season, presumably back in St. Lucie. This will be a huge test to determine if he is indeed the future of the Mets.

Johan Santana: Nobody knows how healthy he is, which means he’s staying put for now. Should Santana come back and be solid and healthy in the first half, you could see the Mets trying to deal him if they aren’t in contention. Even if they were, they might pull the trigger on a trade to free up salary. This bears watching, but not until June and July.  http://www.newyorkmetsreport.com/2011/10/25/mets-have-precious-few-pieces-to-trade

10-26-11: - http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/10/26/colemans-corner-mets-position-players-shining-in-arizona-sun   - At St. Lucie, Collin McHugh pitched in 9 games, making 6 starts. He went 1-2 with a 6.31 ERA while the league hit .318 against him. Not great. He was then bumped to Double AA Binghamton and again started slow. At the All-Star break, he was again 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA, giving up 39 hits in 37 innings with a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. But manager Wally Backman saw something he liked in McHugh, worked with him, and he took off from there. After the Double AA All-Star break, McHugh was undefeated – 7-0 with a 1.53 ERA – yielding just 34 hits over 47 innings, with a 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (54K’s-11BB). But McHugh has had his problems in Arizona. He’s 1-2 again in 3 starts and 1 relief appearance – but this time with a hefty 8.18 ERA, surrendering 18 hits in 11 innings

This morning, Matthew Cerrone reported that the Mets have finally discussed making the outfield walls blue. It makes sense; I personally think the orange foul poles clash with the mossy green outfield walls. Making the outfield walls blue could be the latest effort to Metsify Citi Field after many fans have complained that it was too reminiscent of Ebbets Field. Me? I was just happy that the Mets Hall of Fame museum wasn’t hidden anymore. Efforts have been made to pay tribute to Mets history over the past two seasons; the installation of the entrance shadows, the ’69 and ’86 teams being commemorated, and my favorite feature: the Topps baseball cards with that day’s starting lineup. Since the Mets can’t rebuild Citi Field to look like a giant blue cupcake, the least they can is make the outfield walls blue like Shea…because I miss the giant blue cupcake. http://itsallmetstome.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/the-metsification-of-citi-field

Mack’s 25-man: - LHSP Johan Santana

Look, let’s be serious and pragmatic at the same time. There’s a big ass contract here so we might as well give the guy a chance to pitch.

It is Johan Santana. A 50% Johan Santana is better than some of the guys this team has tried to sell us on in the last couple of years.

A lot of Mets fans thought they were going to see Santana pitch at the end of last season, but that was never in the plans. They did send him to pitch here in Savannah during their playoffs and only Savannah would punch out no additional attendance to see him start the game (no “Two For Tuesday”). The Sand Gnats actually asked him not to come back for a second game which spoke volumes to his rehab progress.

Still, as I said earlier, he is Johan Santana and, for that reason only, he’s my opening day pitcher. I mean, like, what’s the option?

My guess here is that Santana will go hot and cold during the first half of the season. I’m figuring in the 4.25 ERA range, but, he will become a trade factor once  Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia start knocking on the fall door. The Mets will eat the majority of his remaining salary and deal him off for a prospect.

Was it a great trade. Hell yes. Sure, Phil Humber showed some spunk last season and Deolis Guerra is supposedly being reborn in the minors as a reliever, but the Mets lost nothing when they obtained one of the most exciting players in the game.

Still Yet Another Approach

Since Carlos Beltran froze up against that fabled Wainwright curveball, Mike Francessa has been calling for the Mets to "Break Up The Core." Now... I'll note that he did it in an egotistical, I'm a Yankee fan and therefore the light shine out of my arse, way but he's been saying it for a while. Perhaps instead of trying to find a way to win NOW... we should be looking for a way to sell EVERYONE.

Step 1: Allow Jose Reyes to go. The Mets net two draft picks and move on from their all star short stop. This means that Ruben Tejada is moved across the diamond to short and that Jordany Valdespin is promoted to starting at 2nd.

Step 2: Trade David Wright. I went over the options in this previous post. The Mets can trade Wright for a bevy of prospects without worrying TOO much over WHERE they play because we're ready to move in a new YOUNGER direction.

Step 3: Ship off Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey and anyone else that might be worth even a middling prospect. Shed the payroll and stock the farm with every available person. You are going to have to potentially eat some contract but isn't it going to be worth it?

Step 4: Sign mediocre guys looking for a rebound. Sign them to one-year deals and no more.

Conclusion: The Mets would be worthless in 2012, would begin to build in 2013 and might make a run in 2014. If they stumbled at all... Mike Francessa would again call for the team to be broken up.

2012

Lineup:
1. Jordany Valdespin, 2B (L)
2. Ruben Tejada, SS (R)
3. Lucas Duda, RF (L)
4. Ike Davis, 1B (L)
5. Yasmani Grandal, C (S)
6. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, CF (L)
7. Zach Lutz, 3B (R)
8. Jason Bay, LF (R) [HE CAN'T BE TRADED]

Bench:
Josh Thole, C (L)
Nick Evans, Util (R)
Fernando Martinez, OF (L)
Josh Satin, IF (R)
Jason Pridie, OF (L)

Rotation:
1. Jon Niese, LHSP
2. Chris Young, RHSP
3. Dillon Gee, RHSP
4. Javier Vazquez, RHSP
5. Chris Schwinden, RHSP

Bullpen:
Bobby Parnell, RHRP
Pedro Beato, RHRP
Manny Acosta, RHRP
Tim Brydak, LHRP
D.J. Carrasco, RHRP
Daniel Herrera, LHRP
Josh Stinson, RHRP

2013

Lineup:
1. Matt Den Dekker, CF (L)
2. Reese Havens, 2B (L)
3. Yasmani Grandal, C (S)
4. Ike Davis, 1B (L)
5. Lucas Duda, RF (L)
6. Zach Lutz, 3B (R)
7. Stephen Drew, SS (L)
8. Jason Bay, LF (R)

Bench:
Josh Thole, C (L)
Nick Evans, Util (R)
Fernando Martinez, OF (L)
Jordany Valdespin, IF (R)
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, CF (L)

Rotation:
1. Matt Harvey, RHSP
2. Jon Niese, LHSP
3. Cole Hamels, LHSP
4. Jenrry Mejia, RHSP
5. Colin McHugh, RHSP

Bullpen:
Jeurys Familia, RHRP
Bobby Parnell, RHRP
Pedro Beato, RHRP
Manny Acosta, RHRP
Daniel Herrera, LHRP
Josh Stinson, RHRP
Robert Carson, LHRP

Cutnpaste: Johan Santana, Citifield, Bob Murphy, Dwight Gooden, Paul DePodesa

Johan Santana, who threw a three-inning simulated game on Sunday, is scripted for two games in the instructional league, also in his hometown of Fort Myers, Fla. Santana’s instructional league games are planned for Oct. 1 and Oct. 7.  After that, his itinerary will be reevaluated. - http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/35118/santana-has-2-upcoming-games

So instead of bringing the prices down to bring more people in the park, they'll bring the fences in. Forget the players ... looks like the psychology is being used on us instead. Bring the fences in, bring the people to the ballpark that think the enjoyment of a baseball game is proportionate to the amount of runs scored. Seems we have plenty of those ... well not plenty, but a high percentage. Hey, want to sell offense? Stop signing players who can't hit. Problem solved. Although you could move the fences back to the Holiday Inn and it wouldn't help Mike Pelfrey and the group of criminals who impersonate a bullpen night in and night out. - http://www.metstradamusblog.com/2011-articles/september/mr-alderson-tear-down-that-fence.html

Robert Allen Murphy was born September 19, 1924 in Oklahoma. Bob spent fifty years doing play-by-play of MLB games on television and radio. 41 years of those years were spent with his beloved New York Mets, from their inception in 1962 until his retirement in 2003. Murphy’s first broadcast job was in the minor leagues, with the level D Muskogee, Oklahoma Reds. His first major league job was with the Boston Red Sox in 1954, working with the legendary Curt Gowdy. Murphy stayed in Boston broadcasting the Red Sox for six years, seeing them finish a highest of third place twice. He then moved to the Baltimore Orioles for two seasons 1960-1961. His call of Roger Maris' record-tying 60th HR in 1961 was what he used as an audition tape that landed him a job with the expansion New York Mets in 1962. - http://www.centerfieldmaz.com/2011/09/mets-broadcaster-bob-murphy-1962-2003.html

Dr. K and His Royal Curve -  A movie about the life of Dwight Gooden just feels like something Hollywood would pursue. The film would likely have to take creative liberties with the timeline of Gooden’s career by mashing everything together, but the idea of a phenom rising to the stars only to descend due to very real and very human flaws is a common premise and one that works. There are traces of a comeback story within Gooden’s tale too, and frankly, his return to the major leagues serves as a happier ending than his post-retirement life. —R.J. Anderson - http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15089

That was (Paul) DePodesta when he took over the Dodgers in February 2004, a 31-year-old prodigy occupying a seat once held by Branch Rickey and Al Campanis. That light made him blink, and he wasn’t the only one. He clearly wasn’t ready for the job, which lasted only two years before he was fired for essentially tearing the place apart. But I clearly wasn’t ready for him, and never really gave him time to implement the baseball sabermetrics that I have since come to accept and understand. “The Dodgers have a new face, and it is dabbed in Clearasil,” I wrote when he was hired. “The Dodgers have a new voice, and it speaks in megabytes.” Yeah, I never really gave him much of a chance, I saw him as some robot enemy brought here to destroy our blue heaven. Watching him in the movie reminded me that he was, instead, nothing more sinister than a numbers cruncher who just couldn’t equate with people. - http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/plaschke_paul_depodesta_is_captured_to_a_t_in_film_moneyball

Cutnpaste: Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Chris Carter, Bradley Marquez, Johan Santana, Ruben Tejada

9-17-11: - Kirk Nieuwenhuis (Mets third-round pick in 2008): Nieuwenhuis was tearing through the International League for Triple-A Buffalo this spring when he was lost for the second half of the season with a shoulder injury. Like Havens, expect the center fielder to be kept, and possibly have a shot at winning a starting job for the Mets next season. Read more: link  

Wow, Chris Carter is a big-time overachiever in the classroom. He was pre-med at Stanford (“the Harvard of the west coast”) and graduated in only three years. Needless to say, that is one hell of an accomplishment. Unfortunately, it’s been hit or miss (mostly miss) for this utility man in the Majors. Like #5 Perez, Chris is currently hanging out in the minors; however, he did manage to play in 100 games and get 180 plate appearances last year for the Mets. Though with all of their injuries in 2010, the Met’s were not much better than a minor league team. - http://www.totalprosports.com/2011/09/16/9-smartest-players-in-major-league-baseball  

9-18-11: - http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=39990  - Marquez is trying to do better and become a pro at two sports at the same time. He is a great athlete that possesses tremendous speed. In high school he rushed for 2,210 yards and 29 touchdowns his senior year, and also was a Texas state finalist in the long jump. He will play baseball from mid-May to the end of July and then spend the rest of the year playing Big 12 football. Texas Tech signed the number one running back class in the nation this past spring so they asked Marquez to move to wide receiver. A shortstop by trade in high school, the Mets drafted him as an outfielder.

Prior to the 2009 season, Santana was one of the best pitchers in baseball and had a pretty good track record in regards to his health. However, since 2009, Santana has had various injuries and has not performed as well as he usually has. In 2012, Santana could return and pitch like he did during his two Cy Young seasons that he had as a member of the Twins. However, at the rate of his current track record, Santana could also have more injuries and not pitch as well as the Mets expect him to. Hopefully, for the sake of the Mets, their fans, and Santana himself, he can have a great comeback season in 2012 - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/855532-new-york-mets-will-johan-santana-ever-be-the-same-again  

9-19-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/09/with-or-without-reyes-ruben-tejada-is-a-keeper.html  - Ruben Tejada was once viewed as a light-hitting, slick-fielding middle infielder, similar to Rey Ordoñez, although not as flashy. However, this season he has shown that he can handle the bat better than anyone expected him to, and has handled pressure situations like an established veteran. Tejada has been a model of consistency at the plate, hitting .281 vs. RHP and .276 vs. LHP. He is also hitting .272 at Citi Field and .287 on the road. His .356 on-base percentage ranks second on the team behind Jose Reyes for players currently on the active roster. Tejada has also struck out only 47 times in 339 plate appearances.

Cutnpaste: Matt Harvey, Johan Santana, Dickey on NYPD Hat, Chris Schwinden on Ceremony, Jon Niese

9-3-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/09/prospect-pulse-buffalo-2012-help-on-the-way.html  - -SP1: Matt Harvey - I can’t believe I’m projecting Harvey to be the “ace” at AAA already, after only one year of pro ball, but his performance at AA this year has been gaining momentum and he seems up for the challenge. After completely dominating the Florida State League in the first half, he was promoted to AA Bingo at the end of June. It was then that he ran into his first adversity as a professional, losing his first three Eastern League decisions, and getting knocked around pretty good. But being the perfectionist that he is, Harvey was quick to adjust to the league, and turned a corner with his start on July 28th. Since that night, in his last six starts, he is 5-0 with a 2.65 ERA. In 34 IP, he has given up 25 hits, and only 1 HR, and his K/BB ratio is 34/11. Harvey will get one more start this season, which will bring his innings total to nearly 140, about 65 of which were at AA. With his advanced pitching capability, and ability to make quick adjustments, I don’t think it’s a stretch to see him opening the season with Buffalo. Considering how far Harvey has progressed in his first year, his first start at Citi can’t be that far off.

Johan Santana: Yes, that Johan Santana, the one who's missed the entire 2011 season after undergoing surgery to repair a tear of the anterior capsule in his left shoulder last September. The left-hander will make his final minor-league rehab start Friday with Class A Savannah, and if all goes well, it appears very likely that Santana will rejoin the big league club next week. I doubt that two appearances will reveal whether he can still be the Mets' No. 1 rotation option next season, but it will really be a shot in the arm to see him out there throwing again. I think this rotation misses a savvy veteran presence like Santana, especially since it doesn't appear that the front office will go out and get any legitimate top-of-the-rotation guys this offseason. Let's see what he's got. - http://newyork.sbnation.com/new-york-mets/2011/9/9/2415542/five-reasons-to-watch-the-new-york-mets-jose-reyes-lucas-duda-johan-santana  

Twitter from @RADickey43: For those upset we didn't wear the hats, I understand your anger. However, they physically took them from us after ceremony.

Twitter from Chris Schwinden - Sorry to disappoint you guys. That ceremony was unbelievable. I don't need a hat to show that I am respectful of every unit that was there. Wish I could of worn the hat though. We were wearing some of the hats in the bullpen tho until they were taken

The 2011 season has not even ended yet, but I am already excited by the variety of players I may potentially roster next year at a discount. Many owners come into their drafts with a target list of players that they are hoping to acquire. To be honest, I do not understand this at all for single-season leaguers. All I am interested in is value and do not really care what name is attached to my projected stats and resulting valuation. Without getting further off topic, I did a quick sort by SIERA and was surprised to see Jonathon Niese‘s name ranked 18th, right behind Tim Lincecum. - http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/undervalued-in-2012-jonathon-niese  

I May Be Wrong, But…

1. When the Mets pitching coach tells you that Johan Santana’s velo is “around last year”… that’s MetsSpeak for “it still sucks”. Santana’s velo has been diminished for two years now and the only effective pitch he has left is his change-up. I sure hope no one in the organization is hoping for a miracle here.

2.Regular readers here will remember that I have consistently said that Mike Nickeas is not only the best defensive catcher in the organization, but that pitchers love to be “managed” by him. Through 9-7’s game, Nickeas has a 2.87 ERA, while Josh Thole comes in a7 4.26, and Ronnie Paulino 4.37. Interesting.

3. I saw where http://www.deepleagues.com was the first site that ranked P Zack Wheeler ahead of Matt Harvey. It came BEFORE Wheeler threw 98 in St. Lucie’s playoff game on Wednesday. Frankly, some scouts are questioning whether Harvey has that plus-plus pitch needed to be an ace, and the comparisons to Mike Pelfrey scare the hell of me. I think we all are going to see a maturation process of these two, next season, which is going to determine the fate of this team for many years to come.

4. I’m very proud of what RP Josh Stinson is doing. It goes to show you that anyone can reinvent himself with the right amount of confidence and talent. And, it makes you wonder how many other pitchers in the organization (Brandon Moore, Colin McHugh, Mark Cohoon) could do the same thing. Remember, all a reliever needs is two plus pitches, one of which is a plus-plus. It doesn’t have to be a fastball. Just twitter Mario Rivera and ask him.

5. I tried getting the Mets to do something special for a friend of mine who is dying. I was met with “what do you want from me now? I do all this for free, one reason being because people like you enjoy it. It has nothing to do with the organization. It is all about the players.

Glass Half Awesome: Minor Leaguers To Watch

The Mets of Queens may not be in a pennant race but that doesn't mean that the franchise is without playoff drama. Johan Santana, the Met ace has been rushing back through rehab to aid the team in our hour of need.

Just as we expected, Santana DID make it back in time to help our team in a playoff run. Brooklyn, Savannah and Port St. Lucie all in playoff races there is still plenty of playoff juice. He's been shipped to Savannah where he will be helping the Sand Gnats to fend off elimination. Some interesting things to note about his start.

• He is the only Cy Young winner to be featured in the SAL playoffs
• He is the oldest player on either roster
  
• He makes more than every single player and coach combined in the entire SAL league

I have to feel for Augusta a little. Imagine you are 22, you've played all year against other guys around the same age and now this 32 year old lefty who you'd probably like to get an autograph from is going to be facing off against you. He only has to prove he's healthy... you have to prove you're worthy. I don't envy that position.

I'm glad that Johan made it back in time to make a playoff impact for ONE of the Met teams. Perhaps next year he could make an impact with one in Citi Field. For all you glass half empty people, pour yourselves a nice tall glass of Watkins Pain Relieving Liniment and drink your worries away. (Please Note: Watkins Liniment is not intended for consumption.)

Stock: Josh Stinson, Domingo Tapia, Johan Santana, Kyle Allen, Brian Harrison

9-2-11: - Stock Up – RP Josh Stinson – Stinny made a simply explanation about the difference of being a starter and a reliever’. “You relaly only need two effective pitchers when you’re pitching relief, bnot like the three you would need as a starter.” Well said and his major league professional debut Friday night was all aces. Kudos Stinny.




photo by Allan Greene

 9-3-11: - Stock Up – SP Domingo Tapia – Brooklyn got it’s first taste of Domingo last night and they liked what they saw: 6.0-IP. 5-H, 0-R, 6-K, 0-BB, 0.00. Tapia will take his 100MPH show back to Coney Island next spring and is quickly becoming a real viable rotation option in the future.

9-3-11: - Stock Up – SP – Johan Santana - Look, you have to give the dude a little credit. He just as easily could have sit home all season and counted his money. Pitching two innings for St. Lucie just sends all the right signs that maybe, just maybe, he can earn his keep come 2012.

9-3-11: - Stock Down – SP – Kyle Allen – I hate to hit a horse while down, but we’ve been saying for quite awhile that Kyle Allen looks to be done. Tonight was probably the last: 0.2-IP, 7-ER. Kyle's a good guy who has given his

9-4-11: - Stock Up – 3B Brian Harrison – Harrison had a great game last night for Brooklyn: 3-4, 2B, BB, HR, 4-RBI. Brian played Savannah last year, but started this year on the DL and got pushed back to Brooklyn. I see him back in Savannah come the spring of 2012.