Hitting coach Count Dave Hudgens continues to voice his strong opinion that  the Mets need to stick with Ike Davis and not send him to Triple-A Las Vegas according to a report in the New York Post.

“I don’t even want to think about it, to be honest with you,” the Mets hitting coach told The Post yesterday before Davis went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in the Mets’ 5-5 suspended game against the Braves Friday night.

“I really like the idea of him being here, because I know what he can do. I know what he’s capable of and I have full confidence in him. I really do. I just think every time he goes up he’s going to do something and it’s just that one little breakthrough that he needs.”

Meanwhile, manager Terry Collins is now okay with the idea of sending Davis back to the minors for the first time this season.

“We’ve got to get him to believe in himself, get the confidence back, because that’s where it starts.,” Collins said. “ Sometimes you send him to a place like Vegas and that confidence can come back in a hurry.”

Original Post 5/24

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York spoke to some scouts who had this to say about Mets first baseman Ike Davis.

“Basically, you can beat him with velocity that’s up, and you can beat him with low-zone, ‘chase,’ softer breaking balls and changeups,” the scout said. “How I describe it is he has ‘in-between’ swings. And with all that excessive hand movement, once you get ahead, all you have to do is continue to pitch off the plate — not in the strike zone — and he’s going to get himself out. There’s no reason to go back and challenge him. So once you get ahead, immediately make sure that nothing is on the plate. If nothing is on the plate, the worst thing he can do is get a base hit. But he can’t hit for power.”

“He needs to go down someplace and get it right. It’s a hard place to get it right up here. All these guys are the best. Any flaws or holes are going to be exploited with the better stuff. What I don’t grasp is: How does it not serve him going someplace [in the minors] without that pressure, where he’s forced to make some of those adjustments, which are in his best interest? Forget about the team.”

“He would have been better served spending some time down there last year, just for the reality of, ‘OK, whatever it is that I’m doing, I have to change it,’” the scout continued. “The reality is he didn’t change last year. Until you make those changes, you’re just flying by the seat of your pants. You can’t do that up here.”

Davis has just one hit in his last 38 at bats and is hitless in his last 25 at-bats with runners in scoring position. He is hitting .147 with four homers and nine RBI this season

Murphy becomes the seventh player to be used in that spot by the Mets this season, joining Ruben Tejada, Jordany Valdespin, Mike Baxter, Collin Cowgill,Justin Turner and Kirk Nieuwenhuis. (ESPN)

Here is what Collins had to say about it:

“I’ll see how it goes. He’s swinging good. He’s swinging great. And we’ve got to get guys on ahead of David Wright.”

“I figured I’d give it a shot and get him up there enough times and maybe he can do some damage.”

Collins said he had given serious thought to batting Murphy leadoff as far back as Spring Training and realizes the team needs some help at that spot in the lineup.

Leadoff men have batted .185 for the Mets this season – worst in the major leagues. Their .255 on-base percentage ranks 29th in MLB.

It’s a double-edged sword for the Mets. Yes, they needed help at the top of the order, but in using Murphy they sacrifice a very hot middle of the order player to do it.

In my ideal lineup, I’d be batting Murphy third and Wright cleanup right now.

As to how long this new experiment lasts, you never can tell with Collins calling the shots.

Photo by Michael G. Baron of SNY.

Updated by Mitch Petanick on May 17, 2013

Adam Rubin has reported that Zack Wheeler is scheduled to start throwing again today, and is back with the team in Las Vegas. He was placed on the seven day DL, retroactive to his last start. He will rejoin the rotation next Wednesday when the team is in Iowa.

Wheeler received a cortisone shot last Wednesday after being diagnosed with inflammation of the AC joint in his throwing shoulder. He is still expected to only miss one start, which would have been on Saturday of this week.

Updated by Joe D. on May 15, 2013

Zack Wheeler has been diagnosed with slight inflammation in the AC joint in his shoulder, and will miss one start, according to Assistant GM John Ricco.

Wheeler received a cortisone shot at the Hospital for Special Surgery in his right shoulder and is flying to rejoin his team at Triple-A Las Vegas.

We spoke to his agent a few minutes ago who said there is no structural damage and that he is in good spirits.

That said, until I see Wheeler back on the mound pitching again, I will remain concerned.

It’s just the Mets fan in me.  :-)

Get back on that mound soon, Zack…

Original Post May 14, 2013

Zack Wheeler has a sore right clavicle, and will fly to New York to be examined by team doctors tomorrow at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.

“I think we’re being a little conservative,” assistant GM John Ricco told reporters about the Mets top prospect. Wheeler had already met with the team doctor in Las Vegas.

That said, Ricco added that Wheeler will not make his scheduled start on Saturday in Omaha.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that Wheeler will undergo an MRI exam on his collarbone while in New York.

Terry Collins commented on this and said:

“From what I’ve heard today, it doesn’t sound serious. But any time you miss a start, it’s for the best interest of the player. We’ll wait to hear the doctor’s report and go from there. If it’s only one start, that’s certainly something we can handle easily.”

After a rough start to the season. Wheeler made a mechanical adjustment and has had incredible success over his last three starts for Triple-A Las Vegas and walked only three while posting a 1.35 ERA.

Overall, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA for the season with 18 walks and 47 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched.

While the team calls this precautionary and conservative, any kind of soreness in the surrounding shoulder area should be a cause for some concern.

Thoughts From Mitch Petanick:

I’m hoping for the best here, but preparing for the worst. What I am worried most about is the fact that Zack Wheeler pitches using a delivery called the “Inverted W,” which could put added stress on the anterior labrum ligament in the shoulder — it slowly loosens the ligament and can actually lead to tears. Some pitchers use this delivery and go through their careers injury free, but many of them suffer injuries that require surgery…like John Smoltz and Stephen Strasburg.

Wheeler also recently tweaked his mechanics, which is what his improved control is accredited to, but could that mechanical fix in addition with the Inverted W delivery been enough to cause this shoulder discomfort? I guess we will find out after his MRI, but even precautionary MRIs are a cause for concern.

The Inverted W is like playing with fire…you can get burned.

Thoughts from Matt Musico:

Scott Atchison, who experienced numbness in his fingers while pitching Monday, has been placed on the disabled list according to Assistant GM John Ricco.

Atchison was examined Tuesday in New York by team doctors who said there is “no new structural damage.”

The 37 year old veteran reliever opted not to have Tommy John surgery last year despite a ligament tear in his right elbow.

Collin McHugh has been promoted from Triple-A and is in St. Louis. He will work out of the bullpen while with the team.

In eight starts for Las Vegas, McHugh was 3-2 with a 2.74 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. In 49.1 innings, he’s walked nine and struck out 36.

Originally Posted at 9:00 AM

Mets reliever Scott Atchison took the mound pitched last night at Busch Stadium with numbness in the fingers of his right hand, which he classified as a side effect of his torn elbow ligament.

The Mets plan to send Atchison for tests on his elbow, although the reliever is not sure what that will accomplish. He has been pitching with a torn ligament since at least 2009, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.

“It’s documented, obviously, with my elbow,” Atchison said. “Some of it’s, ‘What can I handle?’ I feel like I’ve been managing it pretty good all year, and today for whatever reason the tingling came back.”

Atchison, 37, missed more than two months last season after experiencing similar numbness, but opted against Tommy John surgery.

In 19 appearances spanning 18.0 innings Atchison has a 4.50 ERA and allowed 20 hits, 6 walks, six strikeouts and a 1.44 WHIP.

He said he could not feel his fingers last night when he failed to get an out and gave up three hits including a two-run homer to Matt Holliday.

What a beauty of a cover and an instant Mets collectible for all you die-hards out there. Get it signed, get it framed, I know I will.

MattHharvey has gone from New York sensation to a National sensation in less than a half season worth of starts.

SI.com’s Tom Verducci, calls Harvey:

“The most fascinating young power arm in baseball.”

“In an era dominated by pitchers, Matt Harvey has the ferocity of stuff and of will to rise above all of them,” writes Verducci who says Harvey has been groomed to become a great power pitcher with disciplined mechanics by his father, Ed, who coached Matt in high school in Connecticut.

On Sunday, Harvey told Steve Serby of the New York Post that his goal is not just to be the best, but to be a role model for kids.

“I love the little boy that’s in the stands and wants to be like you. I was that boy. I want to be a role model for those kids. I don’t want to be mediocre. I want to be one of the best and somebody that a lot of people look up to.”

It’s been a fascinating start for the young power-armed righty and every time he takes the mound you feel as though something special is going to happen. He is special.

Frank Francisco

Francisco hasn’t pitched since he last appeared in an inning of relief for Single-A St. Lucie. He hasn’t allowed a run five innings over five relief appearances with them.

yesterday, Adam Rubin reported that Francisco would head to Double-A Binghamton to continue his rehab, but obviously that probably won’t happen now.

Francisco had surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow in December and was shutdown early in Spring Training after experiencing discomfort in his elbow. He started the season on the disabled list.

After a woeful season in 2012, the Mets were hoping for a rebound from their closer who was signed to a $12 million dollar, two year deal by Sandy Alderson before the 2012 season. He is still owed $6.5 million for 2013.

Jeurys Familia

Asked if he was concerned about the situation, Familia shrugged. ”I’ll be OK in a couple of days. I want to play,” he said.

Manager Terry Collins said he was aware of Familia’s condition before the game.

No word if the Mets will have Familia get a precautionary MRI or if he was examined by team doctors. It’s also uncertain how long Familia will be sidelined and unavailable.

Familia said the soreness began on Wednesday, when he pitched one inning against the White Sox and allowed a run.

Harvey was originally scheduled to pitch tomorrow’s game on Sunday, but Jon Niese who was today’s scheduled starter, will pitch tomorrow’s contest instead.

With the Mets off on Monday, Harvey will get the nod on Tuesday when the Mets begin their homestand with a two game series against the Chicago White Sox.

This may not be a bad thing as Harvey is coming off a career-high 121-pitch effort in his last start on Monday. The bullpen could also use the rest after what has been a taxing week for them.

Today’s postponement was announced early this afternoon due to torrential rainfall and flood warnings in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

No makeup date has been announced.

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, team officials are saying that lefthanded starter Jon Niese reported no issues and is set to return to the rotation on Sunday against the Phillies.

“A little swollen, but it feels good,” Niese describe the injury Thursday morning.

Manager Terry Collins said they didn’t want Niese to break his routine, and he remains on target to make his next scheduled start.

Niese left Tuesday night’s game against the Dodgers after getting hit on his right leg on comebacker off the bat of Mark Ellis and X-rays taken soon after came back negative.

Meanwhile, the NY Post reported that Shaun Marcum is excited to about making his Mets debut on Saturday against the Phillies.

The veteran right-hander has missed nearly the first month of the season, but that hasn’t dampened his expectations much.

“Obviously that goal is not going to happen as far as making all my starts,”” Marcum told reporters.

“But with the snow-outs and stuff I still can come close to 30 starts, so hopefully I can come close to 200 innings and do what I can to go deep into those games.”

Collins has already said that Marcum will be on a 90-95 pitch count against the Phillies tomorrow.

The Mets have announced that they have recalled LHP Robert Carson from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Carson, 24, is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in eight appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas and has allowed two hits, two walks, while striking out seven in 7.2 innings pitched.

To make room on the active roster for Carson, the Mets have designated LHP Aaron Laffey for assignment.

In four appearances and two starts for the Mets, Laffey had a 7.20 ERA, allowing eight earned runs on 16 hits with four walks and nine strikeouts in ten innings.

The 40-man roster now stands at 39.

Original Post 4/21 at 1:00 AM

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, left-hand reliever Robert Carson, who was beaten out by fellow lefty Scott Rice for a bullpen spot at the end of spring training, is due to join the Mets, a baseball source told him.

Carson, 24, is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in eight appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas and has allowed two hits, two walks, while striking out seven in 7.2 innings pitched.

Rubin did not mention who could be cut from the active roster, but earlier today Joe D. speculated that Carson was primed for a promotion and identified Josh Edgin as a primary candidate for demotion as well as Greg Burke. Both have struggled out of the bullpen this season.

Terry Collins

Jeremy Hefner, Dillon Gee and Aaron Laffey – You’ve all been warned. Or maybe not.

Collins also said yesterday that it was unclear when exactly Wheeler might be called up.

“Wheeler could be an option soon? I wouldn’t say soon,” Collins said to reporters.

“But it all depends on what happens. That is why you have to be careful what you say. ‘Soon’ could mean July. To you guys it’s Friday, so there is a big difference.”

Sandy Alderson, who recently spoke with Adam Rubin, said Wheeler’s performance at Triple-A Las Vegas is the primary consideration for him to be promoted to the big leagues.

“Super Two status is a consideration. But his level of performance is probably the major consideration. He pitched at Triple-A last year. He’s pitching at Triple-A this year. His last outing was excellent. Let’s see how it goes,”

Wheeler is currently winless in three starts with a 3.86 ERA, but showed great improvement in his last start walking none which was key.

Shaun Marcum looks to be making steady progress. According to Adam Rubin, the veteran right-hander tossed four no-hit innings in an extended spring training game today.

Marcum has been on the 15-day disabled list with biceps tendinitis, retroactive to March 22, but has been rehabbing and tossing from a mound over the past ten days.

The Mets signed him to a guaranteed $4 million dollar deal in January, but he has been injured with one ailment or another since reporting to spring training. It now appears that he is getting healthy and putting all of that behind him. He possibly could join the Mets during their next homestand.

The Mets will not need a fifth starter again until a week from Saturday. Marcum could likely make his Mets debut on that day against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field.

According to this tweet by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Mets may have something cooking with the Texas Rangers who are seeking to move outfielder Julio Borbon.

Borbon, 27, was designated for assignment last week and the Rangers have until this afternoon to trade him or place him on irrevocable waivers. He has a slash of .283/.324/.358 over parts of four years in the majors.

Last season, Borbon hit .304/.349/.433 with 23 doubles, eight triples, 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 28 attempts for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate.

The Orioles have previously been tied to the Rangers outfielder and remain the heavy favorites to land him.

Thoughts from Joe D.

This doesn’t say much about the current Mets center field situation if the Mets connection to this rumor is true. For now the Mets have had a merry-go-round out there that has included Collin Cowgill, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Jordany Valdespin for the most part.

We certainly could use the help, but Borbon doesn’t look like an answer or a solution to me.

Plus if this involves other teams bidding, the odds the Mets come out on top seems like a longshot.

Updated by HoJo at 10:45 PM

Pedro Feliciano tossed a scoreless seventh inning for Advanced-A St. Lucie tonight in his first game action in nearly a month and the results were encouraging.

The Mets’ southpaw allowed one hit, one walk, and had one strikeout. But his velocity was in the 84-86 mph range, according to Adam Rubin, which was up from 82-83 in spring training last month.

Original Post 7:00 PM

Other Mets News

• Tonight’s game between the Mets and Rockies has been postponed due to snow. The two teams will play a split doubleheader tomorrow, the team announced. The first game will begin at 3:10 PM, and the second game will  start around 8:40 PM. It was the Mets second straight postponement for the Mets after wintry conditions in Minneapolis on Sunday forced the game against the Twins to be called off. It was rescheduled for August 19. Weather forecasts call for additional snow on Tuesday.
• Pedro Feliciano has officially joined Class A St. Lucie, the team announced today. The lefty reliever spent the past two weeks building up shoulder strength. According to Adam Rubin, the Mets asked Feliciano to give them a month in the minors from Opening Day before leaving the organization.
• Frank Francisco is set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Class A St. Lucie, a club source told ESPN New York. Francisco underwent surgery in December to remove a bone spur from his pitching elbow. He experienced inflammation upon arriving at spring training. An official rehab assignment starts a maximum 30-day clock after which the pitcher is due to be activated. The right-handed Francisco has disappointed since signing his tw year, $12 million deal before the 2012 season.  He went 1-3 with a 5.53 ERA in 48 relief appearances last season.
• Shaun Marcum will not be ready to be activated from the DL until the middle of next week at the earliest. He has been on the 15-day disabled list with biceps tendinitis, retroactive to March 22. Marcum is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday and then throw a three or four inning simulated game in Port St. Lucie on Thursday. Marcum, who signed a guaranteed $4 million dollar deal in January, has been injured with one ailment or another since he reported to spring training.
• A Monday morning fire damaged parts of the administration building at Citi Field, the club announced, though sprinkler systems contained the blaze before it was extinguished by FDNY. The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the team, though it did not damage areas accessible to fans and nobody was injured or harmed.

To date, the Mets front office has not even discussed the subject internally, according to one team executive. They probably will not do so before next winter. The team wants a bigger sample size on which to base projections on Harvey’s future performance and health. For as dominant as Harvey has been—posting a 2.33 ERA and striking out 10.9 batters per nine innings in 12 career starts—it is still only 12 starts.

Costa conducted his own study and polled a group of students from Pepperdine University who were recently honored by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and this was what they concluded after examining all the comps, history, injury risk and evidence.

To mitigate any injury risk, the Pepperdine team suggested the Mets wait until after the 2014 season before offering Harvey an extension. They then looked at the contracts of not only the five pitchers listed above but also other starting pitchers who signed extensions after their first or second professional seasons.

Weighing all this, they recommended that the Mets offer Harvey a four- or five-year extension worth $30 to $35 million after 2014, assuming he remains on roughly the same performance trajectory.

Makes logical sense to me, and while it’s too premature to be discussing a longterm deal after only 12 starts, this does show how high;y regarded Matt Harvey has become in so short a time.

The Mets right-hander owns a 2.33 ERA in those 12 starts, allowing just 46 hits and 30 walks in 73.1 innings while striking out 89 batters.

METS LAUNCH ONLINE BANNER DAY CONTEST

COMPANION PROGRAM TO BANNER DAY PARADE AT CITI FIELD!

Winner Will Secure a Spot to Join Banner Day Finalists at Citi Field

Banner Day Tickets Start at $12 and Are Available at Mets.com and (718) 507-TIXX

The New York Mets today announced the launch of an online Banner Day contest where fans can submit their designs at Mets.com/bannerday for the chance to join the finalists at Banner Day at Citi Field on Saturday, May 11.

Fans can enter their banner designs online through April 29.  The Mets will select four designs for a fan vote.  The winner of the fan vote will receive tickets to and automatically be one of the four finalists on Banner Day.

Online banners must have a Mets theme and fit within the banner specifications on Mets.com.  Banners cannot have vulgar or abusive language nor contain commercial messages, non-Mets websites or Twitter handles. The Mets reserve the right not to display banners in the gallery.

Banner Day was a Mets tradition from 1963 to 1996 with fans of all ages parading on the field showing their homemade banners made from bed sheets that professed their love for the team.  Banner Day returned last year as part of the Mets’ 50^th Anniversary season.

Fans planning on participating in the pre-game, on-field parade on May 11, should follow these guidelines:

• Banner Day participants must have tickets to the game
• Participants must check in at the Bullpen Plaza on 126th Street at 37th Avenue
• Registration begins at 10:00 a.m.  Space is limited.
• Banners must be bigger than 22” by 28”
• Banners cannot have vulgar or abusive language
• Banners can be commercially produced, but can’t have commercial messages (Web sites or Twitter handles are not allowed)
• There is a maximum of four people per banner
• The Mets reserve the right to deny access to the field to any banner or person that is deemed inappropriate

The Mets will announce judges and prizes for Banner Day in the weeks ahead.

Tickets for Banner Day are on sale now at Mets.com and at (718) 507-TIXX.

Yesterday, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reported that the Mets decided to send Omar Quintanilla to Triple-A Vegas to start the season so they could minimize the risk of losing him to waivers early in the season. Quintanilla is not currently on the 40-man roster.

Collins said the Mets were wary of carrying Quintanilla out of spring training in part because if they ever needed to free a spot on the major league roster and Quintanilla was the casualty, he would need to be exposed to waivers and the Mets would risk losing a valuable piece.

The Mets decided to carry Kirk Nieuwenhuis as an extra outfielder to provide another option to a weak outfield configuration.

It was a logical decision by the Mets who felt that they could get by for a week or two without having to rest the younger Ruben Tejada. But now it’s time to shore up the infield and cut loose one of the six outfielders.

Kirk has options remaining so he’ll be the one to go whether it’s deserved or not.

Essentially, the team will be using the off-day on Thursday to skip the fifth spot in the rotation this week.

“Laffey is going to be the guy until we figure out when Shaun’s going to be back, or if he’s going to be back, or where we stand,” Collins told Rubin. “There’s no number in mind of how many starts. It could be three. It could be seven. I don’t know.”

Until his next start, Laffey will be available out of the bullpen.

Laffey allowed three runs and ten hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings on Sunday and looked very hittable against a very weakened Marlins offense. In seven MLB seasons, the southpaw has a 4.40 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 149 appearances.

The Mets don’t owe Laffey anything beyond one last start to prove he belongs. He’ll have a tough go of it in Coors Field.

Catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who was expected to be among today’s cuts, survives to play another day and remains in major league camp. However, he is still expected to start the season at Triple-A Las Vegas.

According to the new CBA rules, any prospect on the 40-man roster who becomes injured in camp after this date would get major league service time and pay if the issue lingered into the season even if he were to start the season on the disabled list. It makes the TDA decision all the more curious.

The Mets now have 42 players remaining in big league camp.

MMO’s John Delcos just reported that the Mets have reassigned RHP Zack Wheeler, RHP Collin McHugh, RHP Gonzalez Germen, RHP Hansel Robles, RHP Elvin Ramirez, LHP Darin Gorski, 2B Reese Havens, OF Juan Lagares, IF Wilfredo Tovar, and OF Cesar Puello to minor league camp.

Wheeler said he was disappointed, but not surprised. Was told at start of camp this would happen

One major league executive estimated the Super 2 cutoff may be around June 15 this year, so we may not see Wheeler until after that date.

With the cuts, the Mets now have 45 players in major league camp.

Original Post 3/9

The Mets announced they have assigned RHP Cory Mazzoni, RHP Rafael Montero and catcher Juan Centeno to minor league camp.

Mazzoni finished the Spring with with a 3.38 ERA in eight innings, Montero had a 4.50 ERA in four innings, and Centeno was 0-for-1 in two Grapefruit League games.

The Mets currently have a full 40-man roster, but they also have many non-roster invites that are vying for spots on the 25 with a legitimate shot to make the team.

Those players include Scott Atchison, LaTroy Hawkins, Pedro Feliciano, Brian Bixler, Omar Quintanilla, Marlon Byrd and Andrew Brown. If any of them make the active roster, some cuts will need to be made.

Players on the bubble who could get removed from the 40-man include: Gonzalez Germen, Elvin Ramirez, Robert Carson, and then it starts getting a little dicey. Any of those players can be optioned to the minors without being exposed to waivers.

Currently, the only player in camp without any options is infielder Brandon Hicks. If he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, there’s a good chance he would be picked up by another team once he is exposed to waivers. The Mets acquired Hicks from the Oakland A’s during the offseason.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, a player with significant MLB experience the previous season who comes to camp the next year on a minor league deal gets an early decision on whether he has made the team.

Three players in Mets camp qualify: LaTroy Hawkins,Pedro Feliciano and Tim Byrdak. By noon on March 26, the Mets must either inform those players they’ve made the team, pay them $100,000 to go to the minors, or release them.