20
2011
Scott Hairston Signs Major League Deal, So Long Duda…
An article by Hojo's Mojo
Updated Post 3:00 PM
Initially it was first reported that Scott Hairston was signed to a minor league contract. We have now learned that it is indeed a Major League contract. Coupled with the signing of Chris Young which was also announced today, the Mets must clear two spots from the 40 Man Roster, not one.
Most likely candidates include Jason Pridie, Mike Nickeas and Luis Hernandez.
This of course means that there is only one spot up for grabs in the outfield at Spring Training, and barring an injury or disastrous performance it probably goes to Willie Harris.
Original Post 1/18 2:00 PM
As first reported by SNY’s Ted Berg via Twitter, the Mets have signed outfielder Scott Hairston to a minor league deal. An organization source confirmed the signing to ESPN New York as well.
Hairston played 110 games for the Padres last season and in 295 at-bats he batted .210 with a .296 on-base percentage. He hit ten homeruns and drove in 36 runs while scoring 34 of them.
Hairston bats right-handed, can play all three outfield positions, and is a solid defender. He also has a lifetime .245 batting average and .305 on-base percentage in 1,688 at-bats which doesn’t exactly add any punch to the bench.
Coupled with the addition of Willie Harris late last week, this pretty much locks up the 4th and 5th outfield spots for the Mets, and unless things go terribly wrong for either of them, Lucas Duda will be starting the season in Triple-A Buffalo, and most likely so will Nick Evans.
Given the choices and numbers of Harris and Hairston, I would have rather taken my chances with Evans and Duda, but that’s just me.
About the Author: Rob Johnson
31 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 25 | 18 | .581 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 21 | .523 | 2.5 |
| Phillies | 21 | 23 | .477 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 17 | 24 | .415 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 12 | 32 | .273 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/19/2013
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I hope they are not locked up as you say HoJo I was looking forward to seeing if Evans could impress enough to make the team. I’ll be looking for quotes from Collins or Alderson in the next week that hopefully sheds light on how locked in these 2 players actually are.
Duda likely is starting in AAA (unless somehow a starting spot opens up with the mets). Don’t see him now sitting on the bench.
Evans, I like him. But it does look like he could get squeezed out. Being out of options, I expect he will be gone from the organization if he does not win a bench role.
and hopefully the spots are wide open, with no one guaranteed a spot on the bench. See how the starters sort out (especially 2B, and how the OFs look), then figure out what specific need you are trying to fill, and go from there.
Duda’s bat impressed me big time at the end of last season. Don’t count him out of competition yet this spring training. He could be this year’s Ike Davis.
Duda has a very impressive swing – there is no way i can tell what’s gonna happen with him during the spring.
I know what you mean. There’s no way for me to really know what is going to happen with Daniel Murphy this Spring also.
Barring an injury, there really is no place for him, yet. Sitting on the bench getting maybe 100 ABs this year won’t help him.
Maybe later on depending on the injury situation or however the Beltran saga plays out, but right now, he’s better off in Buffalo where he can get a lot more game situation ABs.
I have to say the idea of Duda sitting on the bench is not something I’d like to see as well.
Yes, Duda has a very, VERY impressive swing. But this is not the AL, we in the NL have no need for a DH. The NL is about more all around baseball skill. Duda’s defensive skill is comparable to Ruben Tejada’s power ability. It’s just not there. Duda is a great trade chip. Not much more unfortunately.
I agree I think Duda is likely to start at AAA. Wherever he ends up just hope he continues to play well.
There is obviously going to be major bench competition. Only Hu is guaranteed spot. They’ll even be competition for back up catcher while Paulino sits out first 8 games for suspension for PED’s.
I don’t think Harris and Hairston are guaranteed anything – both had stinky 2010′s and are signed to minor league deals. Both Evans and Pridie are out of options and will be hard-pressed to clear waivers. Both have to shine in spring training as do the others. Losing both Pridie and Evans would be utterly stupid of Mets brass, depleting depth – in two young players with upside.
“I don’t think Harris and Hairston are guaranteed anything”
I am hoping the same.
You can thank the last administration for the Evans problem. Besides, aren’t Hairston and Harris minor league deals with spring training invites?
Whoops, sorry, read your post too fast.
LoL
Hojo. Evans if he doesnt make the team cant be sent to Buffalo as he is out of options. He will be DF and some other team may grab him.
Not a big Harris fan. Just send him to the AL where he will never face the Mets.
I don’t think he is guaranteed anything but a shot in ST and a ticket to Buffalo.
I do agree though that Duda likely starts in AAa to play every day, unless pagan or Beltran is hurt/traded.
I don’t buy into the Lucas Duda MUST start the season in AAA if he’s not starting argument at all.
All throughout baseball history plenty of guys made the team and had seasons of 50, 100, 200 ABs with lousy numbers with the big club and then eventually became stars
If he shows he’s better than Hairston and Harris (which is definitely possible) then he should be brought up,4th OF or not.
We have to win games and if he makes us a better team coming off the bench, 4th OF, spot starter and he’s better than Hairston, Harris, or anybody else he competes with then bring him up and let the chips fall wherever. It’s nothing new.
I am not disputing what you say “at all” but can you provide the last few players to accomplish what you suggest so I can have something to base it on?
he’ll give you schmidt and stargell. of course, those 2 guys started on teams that lost 90+ games and had all the time in the world to fail.
a team trying to contend can’t sit through having a rookie batting .205 through june. it just won’t happen.
well francis – that’s IF he bats .205
yeah if.
but unless our starters go down injured, we won’t know. he’s not getting those at bats any other way. it worked for pagan, so i won’t rule it out.
also, is he at risk of running out of options if he starts in the bigs and gets sent down ? i really don’t know how that works, just asking.
Francis, ask about the players that became all stars after seasons of 50,100,200 at bats.
i’ll pass, but after seeing r.a. dickey’s year, i’m willing to believe anything.
Coward.
well, plenty of guys have started as PT guys before becoming regulars, and some became all stars.
I think Duda should play every day more to get the defense part of the game improved. Not that it is going to keep him from ever being productive offensively.
He also does not seem to fit the profile of a 4th OF (such as not being a defensive replacement or being able to handle CF).
hard to pull guys from stat lines though, since you can’t tell who was called up for a temp stint vs. spent the year as a bench guy!
I was thinking kevin mitchell, but he actually got close to 400 ABs in 1986.
Keith hernandez got 41 Abs his 1st year, and 200 abs (64 games) his 2nd, before becoming a regular.
Always, Keith started the season in the minors in 1974. He played 102 games in Tulsa and 14 in St. Louis. In 1985, he started the year in St. Louis at .203/.275/.305 through 43 of his team’s 46 games and they shipped him back to Tulsa. Point I’m making is, he didn’t sit on the bench in the majors. A talent like Duda, he needs to play every day.
You have absolutely no idea if he needs to play everyday and neither do I.
You have to go North with the best 25 that give you the best chance to win. Period. If Duda blows away Evans, Harris, & Hairston, or anybody else then he HAS to come north as the 4th guy and the Sandy has to eat the 1 million paid to Hairston.
I don’t believe in a guy HAS to go to AAA in order to come back and start. Maybe going back HURTS him, it’s possible and it’s not the first time going back can hinder someone.
The list is endless and endless, of the guys who played w/the big club for a few seasons as part timers and then blossomed into stars or even Hall Of Famers! Or just good players.
Killebrew, McCovey, Werth, Hal McRae….oh geez…just google any name and you’ll find tons. McCovey and Jim Thome each had 4 seasons of part time work before establishing themselves. There’s probably 1000s.
Or maybe Duda might be an Oscar Gamble type. If he’s one of the best 25 players in ST – bring him up.
if duda dominates ST, he quite possibly will be with the team. Guys force themselves onto the roster all the time.
And hairston probably does not impact Duda. Duda if he makes the team most likely it is at the expense of harris.
a bench of Paulino, Hu, (emaus/turner) Hairston and Duda (assuming Murphy is starting 2b or platooning with the emaus/turner winner) actually looks pretty strong.
I don’t particularly care for harris anyway. I do like Evans though.
none of these roles are set in stone.
Well, if Sandy and Collins decide that’s best, I’ll trust them until they give me reason not to. My feeling is Duda’s too promising a prospect to get five ABs a week. But they know better than me.
Bayonne horrible examples. Tell me which of those players made their club out of spring training to be a pinch-hitter.
Thome was never even a part-time player. certainly not for four years. In ’91 he was a september call up. in ’92 he started in the minors, got called up, sucked, and then went back down. In ’93 he started in the minors, raked, and then got called up to start. In ’94 he made the team as the starting 3B. Four years of part-time work? really?? where do you get this stuff?
I swear every day you give us more and more reasons why you would be the worst GM on the planet. Prospects that just had a 1.000 OPS in AAA don’t make teams out of spring training to sit on the bench and be pinch hitters man. It doesn’t happen. anywhere. ever. holy moly. and you claim to actually know about this game?
“You have absolutely no idea if he needs to play everyday and neither do I.”
wrong, dude, everyone does. you seem to be the only one with no idea.
Duda can only play 2 positions, LF or 1B and for LF he’ll need to be backed up by a capable defensive player.
He’ll be going down to work on both of those positions and be ready to come up if he gets the call.
We’re slowly but surely getting some youth in AAA as backups in Gee, Tejada, Duda, Murphy if he goes back down, Fern. A much better idea than stashing a bunch of guys down there that really cannot play up here.