As first reported by Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, Tim Teufel has officially been named the manger of the Buffalo Bisons. The move was expected, but had not been announced until today. Terry Collins will be on hand as the keynote speaker at a luncheon to precede the press conference. Cold and frigid is the forecast but it’s plenty hot for baseball today for the Bisons as they host their annual Winter Hot Stove [...]

On Tuesday, the New York Mets announced that they had re-signed lefty reliever Mike O’Connor to a minor league contract with an invite to major league spring training. According to Bisons.com, O’Connor, 30, spent the entire 2010 season with the Bisons and was the club’s most used reliever. In a team-high 51 appearances, O’Connor was 5-2 with a 2.67 ERA and six saves (70.2 IP, 65 H, 25 R, 21 ER, 17 BB, 70 K). He ranked [...]

As we head into the weekend, here is an update on how our boys are doing in winter league baseball. Dominican Winter League Fernando Martinez finally made his debut and went 1-3 with 2 RBIs on Wednesday. Daniel Murphy continues to rake batting .320 with four home runs and 22 RBIs. However, after just one game, his season is most likely over after experiencing pain in his knee. “I feel a lot of pain in [...]

About two weeks ago, I emailed some questions to our friends at Mets Prospect Hub. After much deliberation, here are the responses I got back from David and Tejesh, the guys behind their great blog. They did a nice job. The two of them do an amazing job covering the Mets minors both during the regular and offseason. 1. Where do you rank the Mets Minor League System on a scale of 1-10 in the following areas: [...]

On the last day for teams to add minor leaguers to their 40-man roster and protect them from the Rule 5 draft, the Mets made a few moves. They added pitchers Josh Stinson and Armando Rodriguez and infielders Zach Lutz and Jordany Valdespin to their 40-man roster.. Previously, pitcher Manny Alvarez had been added. The deadline for protecting players from the Rule 5 draft is 11:59 PM tonight. In case you were wondering who the Mets cut to create these open spots, [...]

Mack from the always informative Macks Mets, was gracious enough to answer a few questions for me last week on the “middle of the pack” Mets minor leagues. 1. Where do you rank the Mets Minor League System on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) in the following areas:  A) Starting Pitching: 4 – Lots of good talent but mostly SP5 material… Harvey, Mejia, and Urbina are only velocity guys. B) Power Hitters: 5 – It did [...]

From the one and only John Sickels of Minor League Ball, his just released Mets Top Prospects list for 2011. 1) Wilmer Flores, SS, Grade B+: He’s coming around with the bat. How fast will the new regime push him, and what position will he play long-term? 2) Jenrry Mejia, RHP, Grade B: I’m concerned enough about his health to lower his grade a notch, but I still like him. Not a technical rookie due to service [...]

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus reexamines their pre-season Top 11 Mets Prospects and issues some quick analysis on each. No. 1 Prospect Jenrry Mejia, RHP (48th overall)  What Was Said: “…his fastball alone could land him in the Mets bullpen.” Analysis: Mejia’s heater did earn him a big-league job, but to what end? The soon-to-be 21-year-old Dominican needed innings and repetition more than getting his feet wet in the big leagues. He’s back to starting, but [...]

The Mets current number one prospect in the organization is shortstop Wilmer Flores a non-drafted free agent signed out of Venezuela. Last winter, Mejia knocked Fernando Martinez out of the top spot on the Mets prospect list after batting .264 with three homeruns and 36 RBI in 528 plate appearances with the Sand Gnats. This season, Flores began the season in Low-A before being promoted to Single-A St. Lucie where he batted .300 with four home [...]

Last night, Adam Rubin of ESPN NY reported that Mets second base prospect Reese Havens, may be facing back surgery. According to an organization source, Havens is in New York, where he received injections for season-long injury trouble that started with his oblique muscles. If the trouble is not relieved within a few weeks, surgery may proceed. Havens has been highly regarded since being drafted by the Mets in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Originally a shortstop, the [...]

Reminder: This is my last report offsite, it’s been an honor and pleasure sharing these with you over the past few years. Be sure to check out the site (http://www.metsprospecthub.com). Tej A- New York Penn League: Brooklyn 1/5/3, TriCity 5/11/2, Cyclones lose championship series 0-2. Yohan Almonte gave up 3 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits in 4.2 innings to take the loss as the Cyclones lost tonight, losing out on the title. They only [...]