Mets Merized Online

Hot off the Mets press (release)…

Mets.com is reporting,

The New York Mets today announced that they recalled catcher Josh Thole from Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League. The Mets’ 13th round selection in the 2005 First Year Player Draft is expected to join the Mets in Colorado for tomorrow evening’s game and will wear uniform # 30.

Josh Thole will get his first cup of coffee with the MLB Mets, and it’ll be interesting to watch. His debut has been pretty hyped, as he has been dubbed the catcher of the future. Something to note is this :

The lefthanded-hitting catcher hit .328 (88-268) against lefthanded pitchers, while also hitting .328 (88-268) against righthanded pitchers.

Obviously that’s just AA ball, but he looks like he can hit. Good luck Josh Thole!

INT AAA: Buffalo 6/11/1, Rochester 1/5/1

SS Argenis Reyes 2 for 4, run, RBI, .284
2b Andy Green 1 for 5, K, .250
cf Jesus Feliciano 1 for 4, run, .301
1b Mike Lamb 1 for 3, run, 2b, BB, .256
rf Chip Ambres 2 for 4, run, HR, 2 RBI, K, .258
lf Jason Dubois 1 for 3, 2b, BB, K, .192
3b Javier Castillo 0 for 4, K, .254
c Robinson Cancel 1 for 4, run, 2b, .250
dh Josh Petersen 2 for 4, run, .270
Tobi Stoner 9 IP, 5 H, ER, 1/3 BB/K, HR, 3.93 era, W (6-7), 106:68:38, 14:10:3
—–
lf Justin Huber 1 for 4, .268
rf Dustin Martin 0 for 3, .254
Phil Humber 6 IP, 6 H, 4/2 R/ER, 1/3 BB/K, HR, 5.17 era, L (7-8), 87:58:29, 11:4:3

EL AA: Binghamton 7/15/1, Akron 10/11/1

Kirk Nieuwenhuis saw AA pitching tonight, and was not impressed. Nieuwenhuis had 3 more hits, including a triple, in his Binghamton debut, leading a 15 hit, 3 walk attack, but it was in vain, as Michael Antonini got shelled into oblivion, allowing 8 runs in 5.2 innings on 10 hits and 4 walks. The Mets were 5 for 14 (.357) with RISP and left 10 on base. Zach Lutz took the only 0-fer, also in his AA debut.

cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 3 for 5, run, 3b, 2 Ks
ss Ruben Tejada 3 for 4, 2b (22), 3 RBI (42), .289
1b Ike Davis 2 for 5, run, HR (13), 2 RBI (43), 2 Ks, .309
rf Caleb Stewart 2 for 3, run, 2 BBs, K, .233
dh DJ Wabick 1 for 5, run, 3 Ks, .288
3b Zach Lutz 0 for 5, 2 Ks
2b Jose Coronado 2 for 5, run, RBI, 3 Ks, .269
lf Emmanuel Garcia 1 for 5, run, RBI, .245
c Salvador Paniagua 1 for 3, run, BB, K, .203
Michael Antonini 5.2 IP, 10 H, 8 ER, 4/4 BB/K, 5.25 era, L (7-4), 4:9:4
Emary Frederick 0.2 IP, H, 2 ER, 3/1 BB/K, 6.31 era, 1:0:1
Edgar Alfonzo 1.2 IP, BB, 4.01 era, 1:4

NYPL A-: Brooklyn 5/10/2, Lowell 8/10/0

The Cyclones were down 8-0 heading to the 8th, then exploded for 5 runs, but fell short in their comeback, falling 8-5 to the Spinners. Darin Gorski got oblierated for 7 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits and 3 walks in 3 innings for his 4th loss of the season.

The Conies offense had 10 hits and 6 walks, while going 3 for 10 with RISP and leaving 11 on base. Matt Gaski (3), and Ralph Henriquez (2) had multi hit games, while Jordany Valdespin (0 for 2, .296), Dock Doyle (0 for 4, BB, .256), Luis Rivera (0 for 2, 2 Ks, .301), and John Servidio (0 for 3, BB, K, .181) took 0-fers.

>>ph, 2b Matt Gaski 3 for 3, RBI, .258
3b Richard Lucas 1 for 4, run, BB, 2 Ks, .333
>>cf RJ Harris 1 for 3, 2 Ks (A- debut)
dh Ralph Henriquez 2 for 4, run, BB, K, .243
1b Sam Honeck 1 for 3, run, 2 RBI (26), 2 BBs, .252
lf Alex Gregory 1 for 5, run, .286
ss Robbie Shields 1 for 4, run, 2b, 2 RBI (9), K, .176
Darin Gorski 3+ IP, 8 H, 7/5 R/ER, 3/4 BB/K, 5.24 era, L (3-4), 2:1:4
Manuel Olivares 2 IP, 2 H, R, 1/4 BB/K, 1.50 era, 1:1:4
Tim Chism 2 IP, 1/2 BB/K, 0.00 era, 4:0:2
Bobby Gagg IP, 3.52 era, 2:1

APPY R: Kingsport 12/16/0, Danville 2/6/2

The top 6 players in the Kingsport lineup had multi hit games, combining to go 14 for 29. Luis Nieves (0 for 5, 2 Ks, .265) took the only 0-fer. The Mets overall had 16 hits and 7 walks, while going 8 for 25 (.320) with RISP and leaving 15 on base.

Zach Von Tersch benefitted from the offensive explosion, he went 7 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits (2 homers) and 4 walks for his 3rd win, while lowering his ERA under 4.

2b Alonzo Harris 3 for 6, 2 runs, 3b (5), K, .273
cf Kurt Steinhauer 2 for 4, 3 runs, 2b, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BBs, K, .370
3b Joe Bonfe 2 for 6, run, 2 2b, RBI, 2 Ks, .333
1b Jeff Flagg 2 for 6, run, 2b, 2 Ks, .301
dh Ryan Mollica 2 for 2, 2 runs, 2b, 3 BBs, .288
rf Cesar Puello 3 for 5, run, 2 RBI (23), K, .293
c John Freeman 1 for 4, run, 2b, 2 RBI, BB, 3 Ks, .221
lf Pedro Zapata 1 for 4, run, 2 RBI (21), BB, .324
Zach Von Tersch 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4/3 BB/K, 2 HR, 3.92 era, W (3-0), 11:6:3
Tyler Howe IP, H, K, 0.00 era, 1:1:1
Travis Babin IP, K, 3.63 era, 0:2:1

So pitching wise, I’d have to say we did not see a bad week for the Mets, with the Mets starters throwing out two Johan-esque performances (Misch, Figueroa), some decent ones (Redding, Figueroa), and some…bad ones (Parnell, Pelfrey, Parnell). I did that the AAAA team won’t mail in the season yet, as they’re still out there playing, so I guess it’s the right attitude. I’m looking forward to September callups in about a week. But anyway, on this week’s award.

My choice for MetsMerized Player Of The Week is… Fernando Tatis!

Fernando Tatis. This is a guy who had one great season and has since then bounced around, amassing time with 5 MLB teams. Coming to New York last year, Fernando became the King of Clutch, as his clutch hits helped the Mets win a few games. However, through most of this season, Fernando had been playing as the King Of Double Plays, much to the dismay of Met fans. But Fernando has turned it around lately.

Batting .405 (11-27) on the week, Fernando slugged a home run and drove in 5 runs, while scoring 3 times. Of those 11 hits (which led the team), he managed two 2B, and put together 16 total bases on the week, which also led the team.

Tatis also put together a nice week on defense filling in for David Wright, as he only had one error but fielded the position fairly well. The 2008 NL Comeback Player of the Year has toughed it out this year and played hard, so Kudos to Fernando Tatis!

Honorable Mentions:

Jeff Francouer: .320 (8-25; 4 2B) 5 RBI, 3 R, 12 TB

Anderson Hernandez: .435 (10-23; 2 2B, 1 3B) 3 RBI, 3 R, 14 TB, .609 SLG

Nelson Figueroa: 2 GS, 1-1. 12 IP, 1.50 ERA, 10 H, 2 ER, 12 K.

Past Award Winners:

One Hit Wonders: Ryan Church, Daniel Murphy, Johan Santana, Jeff Francoeur, David Wright, Fernando Tatis

Been There, Done That Twice: Luis Castillo, Angel Pagan.

Of Note 8/23-8/30

I’m not sure what genius wants Wright to fly with the team to Colorado, but I guess it’ll happen regardless. Beltran seems to be on the path to returning; No news on Reyes. But can we put Francouer on the DL or something? He’s playing injured for no reason.

Whopping 2 HRs for the Mets this week (Pagan, Tatis) but 16 2Bs.

Lance Broadway’s up! Is he gonna start? He deserves a shot. Parnell can hit the pen for a while.

Conformation that Thole’ll be up when the MILB season ends. Keep his ABs limited and against RH-pitching seems to be the plan and I agree.

Billy Wagner most likely pitched his last inning as a Met this week. I wish him the best in Boston, because he was a great player.

Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman are both saying that Dr. David Altchek will be performing surgery on both Johan Santana and Oliver Perez on Tuesday.

What a lucky break for the Mets… It must be “Two for Tuesday” at the Hospital for Special Surgery…

Santana, of course, will have bone chips removed from his left elbow, while Oliver Perez gets his knee repaired.

Both pitchers are expected to be healthy and ready by spring training, but isn’t that what they said about John Maine last season?

The fact of the matter is that the Mets should stay out of the predicting and projecting business because they stink at it.

That said, get well soon Johan…

Okay you too Ollie…

Atlanta Braves: (5-5; -8)

The Atlanta Braves lost two of three in Philadelphia, and will open a weekday series with the Florida Marlins. Matt Diaz has continued his hot streak for the Braves, and Tim Hudson is likely to return soon. The Braves are 3.5 back in the Wild Card.

Florida Marlins: (4-6; -8)

The Florida Marlins lost two of three to the San Diego Padres and will head home to face the Atlanta Braves. With one game left to play in August, both Chris Coghlan and Hanley Ramirez have a chance to finish with the Marlins club record for hits in one month. The record was held by Luis Castillo with 45 in 2002. Ramirez has 45 and Coghlan has already passed the record with 46. Coghlan is having an excellent rookie year, and is hot right now, in case any of you are fantasy owners.

Philadelphia Phillies: (6-4; Leader)

The Philadelphia Phillies took two of three from the Atlanta Braves, and will head home for a huge series with the San Francisco Giants, in what could be a 1^st round preview. Jonathan Sanchez faces Cole Hamels on Tuesday, Tim Lincecum faces JA Happ on Wednesday.

Washington Nationals: (3-7; -30.5)

The Washington Nationals were swept out of St. Louis by the Cardinals and will head to San Diego for a series that could have big Bryce Harper ramifications. Also, the Nationals traded Ronnie Belliard to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a warm body or two, and Stephen Stasburg doesn’t like the extra attention that his workouts get. That’s what happens when you sign the largest amateur contract. The Nationals lead the Bryce Harper sweepstakes by 4.5 games over the Kansas City Royals. The Mets are 13 games back and a mere 5 games back of the 3^rd spot.

Weekly Useless Trivia:

The Florida Marlins became the fastest team to reach 1000 hit batsmen, reaching the mark in only 17 years, blowing away the previous mark. Chris Coghlan has the honor of being the 1000^th batter hit.

The Mets reached their 1000^th HBP on May 1, 1994. Which hitter took one for the team?

Hint: He’s well known.

Till Next Time

When the Mets selected first baseman Ike Davis with the first of their two first round selections in the 2008 June Draft, expectations were high for the Arizona State slugger. However, a disappointing showing in his first taste of professional baseball had many wondering if Davis was a first round bust.

While playing for the Class-A Brooklyn Cyclones, Davis hit just .256 with 15 doubles and 17 RBIs in 58 games with Brooklyn. But what was most troubling, was how many homeruns he clubbed for the Cyclones; none.

Davis would start his 2009 season playing for Class-A St. Lucie and not at Binghamton as many had initially hoped. The Mets felt they needed Davis to show some improvement before promoting him to Double-A, and there were some growing concerns within the organization.

This time however, Davis was ready to prove his 2008 showing was just a fluke and not the norm.

In 59 games for St. Lucie, Davis would hit a much more respectable .288 and he nearly doubled his RBI output from a year ago. More importantly, he started swinging the bat with the type of power that had drawn the Mets to him in the first place. To go with his 17 doubles and three triples, Davis had also swatted seven homers, and a lot of folks began to breathe a little easier.

He was soon promoted to Class-AA Binghamton, and in 202 at-bats he is hitting .307 and leads the team with a .940 OPS. Oh yeah, and as for the homeruns… he’s hit another dozen and drove in 42 RBI’s to go with them. I’m not going to tell you where I’ve ranked Ike Davis in our Top 25 Mets Merized Prospects which will be released next month, but you can be sure he cracked the top five. 

Yesterday, Ike Davis fell a triple shy of the cycle and drove in three runs Sunday to lead Binghamton to a 5-3 victory at Akron, but that wasn’t the big story of the day for Ike.

Davis is one of 23 privileged players who were selected to play for Team USA and compete in the World Cup which begins on September 9th and will feature teams from 20 different countries from all over the world. Davis will leave Binghamton and join his teammates in Europe as they prepare for the start of the competition. Davis was thrilled to be selected,

“It’s always a great honor to play for your country. It’s totally different, but it’s great. All you’re concerned about is winning. If you go 0-for-4 but you win, it doesn’t bother you that much. It’s like a throwback to when you’d go out there and nothing mattered but winning. It’s always a privilege.”

It’s going to be a busy year for Ike Davis because as soon as he gets back from World Cup play, he is expected to join his fellow Mets teammates who have been chosen to appear in the Arizona Fall League, where he will play with and against baseball’s elite prospects.

Obviously, Ike has come a long way especially when you consider how poorly he started off in 2008. That seems like just a distant memory at this point, as Davis has shown himself to be the power hitter the Mets are thirsting for and I’m not exaggerating.

Davis has hit 19 home runs so far this season which leads every player in every level of the Mets organization including the big league team.

At just 22 years old, Davis must now be considered the odds on favorite to replace Carlos Delgado in the heart of the Mets order and take over first base duties from Dan Murphy. At this point the question is not if Ike Davis becomes the Mets future first baseman, but when. Once he improves his plate discipline and works on his pitch recognition, it’s not far fetched to believe that Ike Davis could appear at first base for the Mets by July of next season.

I think the odds of him winning a job in the spring are very long, but a solid showing in Buffalo next May and June, could have Ike in Flushing faster than one of his towering longballs flying out of the park.

The Mets have released a statement that the fall instructional league has not been canceled, but only shifted to the the Dominican Republic. Still, it’s a cost cutting maneuver no matter how they wish to present it. They can do all the damage control they want and deny every instance of their obvious cost cutting moves, but it doesn’t change the facts.

1. Traded Billy Wagner for low level AA prospects…………………………………………….Savings $3,400,000.00

2. Announce decision to keep Omar Minaya……………………………………………………Savings $3,500,000.00

3. Announce decision to keep manager and coaches…………………………………………..Savings $7,000,000.00

4. Cancel fall instructional league…………………………………………………………………….Savings $300,000.00

5. Average team spent $26 million in June Draft, Mets spent 18MM (Ranked last)………….Savings $8,000,000.00

This list doesn’t include some of the other transparent cost-cutting measures whose values cannot be determined and only approximated, but you get a good glimpse of the overall picture and it’s not pretty.

1. They pulled Gary Sheffield off waivers and didn’t trade him because they only owed him $125,000.00 and it would have cost more to replace him on the roster. This kept the team from acquiring potential prospects for their depleted farm system.

2. In January, Omar said he had $5-6 million in payroll flexibility to spend at the trade deadline and he opted to sit on his hands and let the team sink instead. What makes this more strange was that Omar was under intense pressure to do something after getting so much scrutiny from last years deadline when he failed to add an arm for the bullpen which ultimately broke down and imploded for the second straight season. I guess lightning does strike twice in the same place.

3. The Mets had no problem handing about $2 million dollars each to utility infielders Alex Cora and Fernando Tatis before the Madoff scandal news broke, but afterward they scoffed at the idea of getting a proven all star second baseman in Orlando Hudson for just $3 million dollars. This happened at a time when no Mets fan wanted to see Luis Castillo return in 2009. It turned out okay for the Mets, but back in January this decision was puzzling to say the least.

4. A proven lefthanded starter in Randy Wolf for just $5 million dollars, was passed over for Nationals refugees Tim Redding ($2.25 MM) and Livan Hernandez ($2 MM). Quantity over quality, which in the end proved costly. The Mets could have hedged their bets after signing Ollie for $36 million, and instead they compounded their problems. Livan has now been cut while Redding toils in and out of the bullpen with a 5.94 ERA. In 28 starts, Wolf has a 3.,25 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.

There’s probably more one can add to this short list, but the point is made. Since the Bernie Madoff scandal broke, the Mets have been operating with a different set of rules. Whereas before the focus was on what moves would make the team better, the new focus is now on how can they cut costs further.

The Mets can deny it all they want, but actions speak louder than words.

Despite some earlier rumors that suggested Carlos Beltran’s season may be over, he continues to work toward a September return. I don’t know exactly what purpose his return will serve at this point in time, but it would be nice to see him playing centerfield and providing some additional pop to our anemic lineup.

Beltran took another step in his recovery from a right knee injury when he ran the bases this weekend in Port St. Lucie. He is expected to get another MRI this week to see if the bone bruise has shrunk in size. Beltran has already stated that he is pain-free, and his goal is to be back to play the last 2-3 weeks of the regular season.

“I want to get back,” Beltran said. “It’s no fun just sitting down and not being able to do anything. This is what I love to do, and that’s why I’m rehabbing the way I’m doing. I want to be back. It’s something personal.”

Before he was sidelined with the bone bruise, Beltran was batting .336 with eight homers and 40 RBI and was the team’s MVP. Despite the earlier losses of Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and John Maine, the Mets were still in the thick of it and hanging tough with the Phillies. But the Mets went into an immediate tailspin once Beltran went down.

Coupled with the imminent return of David Wright, who is expected back on Tuesday, the Mets should take on a much more familiar look as the season winds down. If nothing else, we’ll at least get a glimpse of what could be in 2010 as Angel Pagan slides over to left field and Fernando Tatis splits time with Dan Murphy at first base. It will be interesting to see how he fits in with newcomer Jeff Francoeur, and how Jerry Manuel will fill out his lineup card.

According to former Mets GM Jim Duquette, now a baseball analyst for Sirius XM Radio, the Mets have canceled their Fall Instructional League as a cost-cutting measure.

The decision will save the Mets approximately $300,000 and continues to add to the mounting evidence of financial upheaval despite denials from the Wilpon family.

Duquette believes that it sends the wrong message to their developmental staff, young players in the system, and future draft picks and minor league free agents.

“It gives you a chance to extend the development of your young players, of your prospects,” Duquette said. “If you’re development oriented, canceling the instructional league is not a good decision, in my opinion.”

Of course, Duquette is right. For a team that likes to boast about their prospects so much, this certainly is an odd play.

The cost for this program is less than 1/100th of the contract they gave Oliver Perez.

Considering how unprepared and undeveloped many of the minor leaguers they have promoted this season have been, this shows how much the organization devalues basic fundamentals.

Instructional leagues spend most of their time teaching good base running skills and focus on situational hitting and fielding fundamentals.

The Wilpons say everything is okay and cash flow is not a problem, but their actions say otherwise. Especially when they make irresponsible decisions like this one that hurt the organization in the long run.

The organization is choking again, September must be around the corner.

When Johan Santana was disabled with a season-ending injury, the Mets knew his replacement would have some big shoes to fill.  Since replacing Santana in the rotation last week, Nelson Figueroa has done his best to pitch like the Mets ace.  Today, he pitched into the eighth inning and struck out a career-high 10 batters, as the Mets avoided being swept out of Chicago.  Figueroa’s dominant performance and the hitters’ ability to strike early and often against Cubs’ starter Carlos Zambrano helped lead the Mets to a 4-1 victory on Sunday.

Figueroa had never struck out more than eight batters in a major league game, but he had already surpassed that total by the fourth inning.  He gave up a run in the first inning, but recorded all three outs via the strikeout.  It was the only run he’d give up all afternoon.

The Mets came out swinging against Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs.  They turned that early deficit into a lead by scoring two runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth.  They didn’t need to take their pitches or hope for a bad call by the umpires. They just came out hacking, getting a combined nine hits in the two innings that they scored runs.

Angel Pagan started the rally in the third inning by using a prototype version of his new reflecto-glasses to blind Carlos Zambrano on the mound.  His ingenious tactics worked perfectly as Zambrano gave up a one-out single to Pagan.  The next three batters (Castillo, Murphy and Francoeur) also singled to give the Mets a 2-1 lead.  Zambrano did not help his own cause as he committed an error trying to pick off Pagan at second base.  Perhaps he was still blinded by Pagan’s shades.  The Mets could have done more damage in the inning, but Jeremy Reed (making a rare start in left field) lined into a double play to end the inning, as Daniel Murphy was doubled off second base.

In the fourth inning, the Mets kept their hitting shoes on, continuing to do their best to give the Big Z a Big L.  Five consecutive hits in the inning, including an RBI triple by Anderson Hernandez and an RBI single by Nelson Figueroa (he of the .333 average) chased Carlos Zambrano into the Wrigley Field showers.  No word on whether the Gatorade coolers survived his departure.

That was all Nelson Figueroa needed to pick up his second victory of the year.  He was removed in the eighth inning after a blown call by the second base umpire allowed Milton Bradley to reach base on an infield single.  Figueroa’s final line was much like Johan Santana’s lines from the early part of the 2009 season:  7+ innings pitched, one run, six hits, two walks, 10 Ks.

Jon Lovitz came into the broadcast booth to schmooze with Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen after Figueroa’s departure, but his Mets debut was short-lived as Brian Stokes needed only six pitches to get three outs in the eighth.  He induced Derrek Lee to ground into a double play and got Aramis Ramirez to pop out to Luis Castillo.  Yeah, that’s the ticket!

The Mets barely broke a sweat in the ninth inning as Francisco Rodriguez needed only eight pitches to pick up his 28th save of the season.  It was only his fifth save in seven attempts since the All-Star Break.  That means the Mets spent $36 million on Oliver Perez and $37 million on Francisco Rodriguez, or as I like to call them, a win streak killer and a bullpen seat filler, respectively.

The Mets have a day off on Monday as they prepare to take their one-game winning streak into Colorado to face the Rockies.  The Rockies were the last team the Mets won a series from, when they took three out of four at Citi Field in late July.  In the month of August, the Mets lost seven series and split two others.

David Wright will be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday.  As has become the tradition with the Mets, they have decided to take a man who suffered a concussion and activate him for a series at the home of a team that plays its games in the thinnest air.  Way to go, Mets!  The follies continue Tuesday night at 8:40 PM when Mike Pelfrey takes on Josh Fogg.

In the past two years, the Mets entered the final month of the season hoping it would be a September to remember.  Now that the Mets are far from playoff contention, they can only hope the team can make it through the month in one piece so that it doesn’t become a September to dismember.