6
2012
Rounding Out The Herd
An article by 
With opening night Thursday for the Buffalo Bisons, here is the “official” opening day roster for the Mets AAA entry in the International League. With at least five major league prospects on the roster in Harvey, Familia, Valdespin, Lutz, and Nieuwenhuis, this AAA team is getting away from the image of fielding a team full of retreads every year. Perhaps this incarnation of the Herd can compete for it’s first playoff appearance since before the Mets moved there in 2009. So it is without further adieu, I present to you the 2012 AAA Buffalo Bisons.
STARTING ROTATION
1) Matt Harvey (RHP)
2) Jeurys Familia (RHP)
3) Chris Schwinden (RHP)
4) Jeremy Hefner (RHP)
5) Garrett Olson (LHP)
BULLPEN
Dylan Owen (RHP)
Fernando Cabrera (RHP)
Chuck James (LHP)
Daniel Herrera (LHP)
Justin Hampson (LHP)
Jeff Stevens (RHP)
Jack Egbert (RHP)
Jenrry Mejia (RHP) D.L.
Chris Young (RHP) D.L.
CATCHERS
Rob Johnson
Lucas May
INFIELDERS
Val Pascucci
Josh Satin
Jordanny Valdespin
Omar Quintanilla
Zach Lutz
Bobby Scales
Michael Fisher
OUTFIELDERS
Kirk Nieuwenhuis
Adam Loewen
Vinny Rottino
Matt Tuiasosopo
Corey Wimberly D.L.
STAFF
Wally Backman – Manager
Mark Brewer – Pitching Coach
George Greer – Hitting Coach
Joe Golia – Athletic Trainer
Ronald Kenyatta – Strength Coach
It’s hard to say where this team might end up this year. Of course a lot of it will depend on what happens with the big league club this season. Last year injuries to the major league team caused a mass exodus out of Buffalo and into Flushing, and it pretty much torpedoed the Bisons’ season. Hopefully this year the Mets remain healthy, and the Bisons roster remains intact. If all breaks well for this team they could make a run at the playoffs.
The Herd opened up the 2012 regular season last night in a match-up on the road with the Pawtucket Red Sox. Matt Harvey, the Mets 2010 1st-round draft pick, was slated to pitch for Buffalo.
About the Author: Peter Shapiro
The first time I went to Shea was not for a Mets game, it was for the Beatles concert there in August of '66. My first Met game was '67, a guy named Salty Parker was the interim-manager then. My first pennant race was 1969. As a 12 year-old that summer and fall, I managed to get to the park for 3 games. The first was the beginning of the Miracle which actually started on Tuesday July 8, 1969 with a day game against the Cubs. I was there a lot in '73. I saw games 3 & 5 of the 1973 NL Playoffs against the "Big Red Machine", from the upper deck behind home plate. It was from there that I witnessed the fight between Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose, and the mayhem that ensued. And that sweet victory in game 5! I saw a couple of WS games at Shea that year against that legendary Oakland A's club. I was there in 1985 for every single game Dr. K pitched including his two 16 strikeout performances, and the day he one-hit the Cubs on an infield single and the Mets won 1-0. I loved being a Met fan in those days. Hopefully we are once again preparing to emerge from the darkness.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 24 | 18 | .571 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 20 | .535 | 1.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 32 | .256 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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Thats always the funny thing about the AAA teams Pete…Excellent point there!
It always seems like the MLB squad has a much bigger impact on their record than the players they have do!
AAA clubs seem to have the talent sucked out of them every year which is what makes them an excellent training ground for Managers but maybe not the best place for developing kids unless you plan on sucking them up into the MLB roster!
Oitcher get hurt the most which is why you should never really judge a Pitcher based on AAA numbers but more about how he is delivering the pitches to the plate, the rest is all about factors not really under his control that can hurt his numbers because he has a scrub behind him, no run support and no decent relievers to finish off and protect his leads.
Now that Nieuwenhuis got called up who will replace him? Also the Tuiasosopo family has some freakishly athletic genes! Father (Manu) and two brothers (Zach and Marques) all played in the NFL at different positions. Anyone know anything about Matt?
Nice catch on those guys.
I am not sure when a guy from AAA gets called up for what is expected to be a short stint if they replace him with anyone good. Most likely either sign someone or move up a utility type guy from AA.