Of course the name that jumps out at you here is 2008 first rounder Brad Holt who was once held in the same regard as Michael Fulmer and Noah Syndergaard are today.

I remember how he blew away everyone in his first spring camp and how coaches and players would stop what they were doing and gather around whenever the right-handed phenom was on the mound.

They would all be making the same exclamations you hear now about Zack Wheeler. There were even whispers that he could move quickly and be in the Mets rotation by 2010. Scouts drooled over the late movement on his fastball, and what a fastball it was.

The 21-year-old, got his first taste of pro ball in 2008, and the kid didn’t disappoint. Holt had a spectacular debut with the Brooklyn Cyclones where he led the New York-Penn League with a 1.87 ERA and racked up 96 strikeouts in 72 innings for an 11.9 K/9. It seemed like everyone was right and Holt would be with the Mets in no time. It looked like the Mets netted themselves a first rounder with true ace potential.

But then injuries and a failure to develop his secondary pitches all caught up with him and eventually it all came crashing down.

Holt represents a good example of how quickly things can change without those all-important secondary pitches and why so many other young phenoms hit a brick wall once they get to Double-A – that’s the level where you separate the men from the boys.

Let’s hope that all those great, young, Mets right-handers we keep hearing about, don’t suffer this same disappointing fate.

BUFFALO 5, INDIANAPOLIS 1:

Brian Sweeney shut out the Indians for six innings, helping the Bisons to a 5-1 win in Indianapolis Thursday. Sweeney allowed just one run, a solo homer by John Bowker in the seventh inning. He left after that inning, allowing four hits and striking out four with no walks. After three starts with Buffalo, Sweeney is 1-2. Valentino Pascuccui went 2-for-2 with three walks and three RBI, including a two-run double in the first inning off of Indians starter Sean Gallagher. In the third, Gallagher allowed a double to Luis Figueroa before an RBI single by Michael Fisher. The pitcher loaded the bases, walking Pascucci and hitting Herd catcher Mike Nickeas in the wrist. Raul Chavez then replaced Nickeas at first and caught the final seven innings. Gallagher avoided major harm in the third, getting Jesus Feliciano to ground into an inning-ending double play. Fisher, who went 4-for-5 with two runs, added his second RBI of the day with a solo shot off of Gallagher in the fifth. Gallagher left after five, allowing four runs (all earned) on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Sweeney helped his own cause with a sixth-inning double off of reliever Dan Meyer, but was caught in a rundown when Figueroa grounded out to end the inning. Kirk Nieuwenhuis went 2-for-4, scoring twice. After Pascucci scored Nieuwenhuis in the seventh, the Bisons again left the bases loaded, but held on for the victory with relievers Dale Thayer and Justin Hampson shutting out the eighth and ninth, respectively. The Bisons close their eight-game road trip Friday night in Indianapolis, looking for a win to salvage a split with the Indians. BOX

NEW HAMPSHIRE 7, BINGHAMTON 2:

Brad Holt labored through four innings with a career-worst eight walks to take his second straight loss. The defeat gave New Hampshire a sweep in the three-game series. The B-Mets have now lost four straight and seven of eight overall. New Hampshire (25-14) tallied three runs in the first. Holt retired the first two hitters of the frame, but walked Anthony Gose to extend the inning. Gose stole second, was wild pitched to third and scored on a Holt balk to give the Fisher Cats a quick 1-0 lead. Holt eventually walked Mike McDade and Moises Sierra, which brought Ricardo Nanita to the plate. Nanita dropped an RBI single into center to score McDade, and Sierra would follow on a throwing error by catcher Jean Luc Blaquiere, which made it 3-0 New Hampshire. John Tolisano increased the lead to four runs with a solo homer to right-center in the second inning, his first of the year. Holt ran into trouble again in the third after walking Gose and McDade. A wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position and Gose scored on a Nanita sacrifice fly to right, which upped the lead to 5-0. Binghamton (13-24) got on the board in the fifth against the Eastern League leader in ERA, Rey Gonzalez, who started for the Fisher Cats. Carlos Guzman and Blaquiere singled to start the inning. Lorenzo Scott moved the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Jordany Valdespin followed and brought Guzman in to score with a sac fly to left, which cut the deficit to four runs. Holt exited after four innings to his third loss. He was charged with five runs (four earned) on two hits. Brandon Sage replaced him and gave up two more runs in the last of the fifth on a two-run homer from Sierra. Gonzalez tossed his seventh consecutive quality start for his fifth win. The righty worked six innings and allowed a run on four hits. The B-Mets got their final run against the bullpen with a two-out rally in the eighth. Brahiam Maldonado doubled off Evan Crawford to start it. After Crawford walked Allan Dykstra, Eric Campbell looped a broken-bat RBI single to center which chased home Maldonado, who was 2-for-4 in the game. Binghamton went a disappointing 1-6 on its seven-game road trip, but returns home Friday for a 7:05 p.m. game with the Harrisburg Senators. Left-hander Robert Carson (1-4, 3.96) will start for the B-Mets. BOX

TAMPA 6, ST. LUCIE 4:

Michael Powers dropped to 1-4 after surrendering two seventh-inning runs that broke a tie. Matt den Dekker and J.B. Brown had three hits apiece for St. Lucie. Brown drove in three runs. BOX

Compiled from team reports.

Email Andrew O’Brien at aobrien7@gmail.com or follow him on at www.twitter.com/aobrien7

After starting off his stint in the Dominican Republic Winter League with an underwhelming 0-8 at the plate, Murphy exploded with a big performance in his third game for the Aguilas.

Last night he helped spark a three run comeback victory by going 3-4 and two RBIs. All three hits were doubles and he drew a walk as well.

Murphy missed the entire 2010 season because of a pair of MCL injuries to his right knee including a collision while playing second base for the Buffalo Bisons last season while on the comeback trail to the majors.

Going into the 2011 season, Murphy could compete with Ruben Tejada and Justin Turner for the second base job this spring. The Mets are hoping he adapts well to the position and some scouts who are watching him play in D.R. have said he has looked good and has made all the routine plays. Another said, he has been working hard in practice and it seems to be paying off.

Given that Murphy is lefthanded, there is a possibility he may end up in a platoon with Tejada, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

What do you think? Do you see Daniel Murphy assuming a vital role with the Mets next season? Would you rather see the Mets sign a veteran second baseman? Should the Mets give Ruben Tejada the everyday job until Reese Havens is ready, whenever that will be?

* * * * * *

Brad Holt is also making news again after retreating into absolute obscurity last year. It seems he has found happiness in the Arizona Fall League as well as his control and velocity.

The 2008 first-round Draft pick tossed three more scoreless innings on Saturday as the Mesa Solar Sox beat the Surprise Rafters 7-2. That now gives Holt nine scoreless innings.

 Holt is trying to rebound from a disastrous season that saw him go 3-14 with an 8.34 ERA in 24 appearances between Class A Advanced St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton.

Holt said he is now feeling more comfortable on the mound. Some scouts see Holt as a solid reliever in the major leagues, but the Mets will continue to groom him as a starter with the hope that his secondary pitches will improve.

There are whispers in the organization that the time has come to bring up prospects like pitchers Brad Holt and Jenrry Mejia, as well as infielder Ruben Tejada.

I hope the Mets are not really considering such drastic actions, because bringing up these young players now would be costly in terms of harming their development. I would understand the move if the organization really believed these players were ready to make the jump, but they know fully well that that is not the case. Neither of these three players are ready to pitch or play at this level, and the Mets know it.

The only thing motivating them right now is their greed. They are willing to risk the development of these prospects as long as there is money to be gained by it.

The biggest concern for the Mets right now is trying to keep the fans coming out to Citi Field. As the team’s season dwindles away into nothing, they need to find new ways to keep selling tickets. They could have achieved that with a Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, Matt Holliday or even Roy Halladay, but instead hey sat on their hands. Of course they said they wanted to protect the farm, but the truth is they wanted to protect their fat pockets.

So now they are ready to hit the panic button and blow up the farm they are charged with protecting, all for the love of money.

The closest thing the Mets had to prospects that were major league ready for this season, were Nick Evans and Fernando Martinez. We all saw how that turned out.

Now they want to reach down to their teenage sensations and put the world upon their shoulders. Sink or swim… A literal baptism by fire.

On Saturday, rookie reliever Bobby Parnell will be thrust into the starting rotation after only being stretched for three innings just once in his last appearance. Could you imagine the Red Sox or Yankees doing something like that to one of their prized arms?

It’s a desperate act that wreaks of the stench of an ill-conceived plan and a poor and ineffectual team philosophy. Even if you were to ignore the potential injury risk this poses for Parnell, what exactly has Parnell done to merit such a promotion? Hitters are batting .286 against him and he has a 1.60 WHIP which ranks in the bottom 10% of all MLB pitchers.

Brad Holt was moving along nicely since being drafted in 2008, but the Mets decided to rush him to AA in June and  now he’s struggling and has a 5.35 ERA to show for it. Jenrry Mejia was pushed to AA also in June and after a sizzling 1.94 ERA at St. Lucie, he is now having a tough time keeping his ERA under 4.00 and has yet to win a game. Ruben Tejada might be the best prepared for such a jump, but what will a .282 average in Binghamton  translate to in the major leagues?

Minaya told us that we didn’t a need a trade because all our guys were coming back. So where are they? Was it just another cover story for a failed season?

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of delving into this subject with Kerel Cooper of the excellent Mets site, “On The Black“. You can hear us discussing the wisdom of bringing up the kids and other Mets issues.

The Mets are ultimately going to do whatever the Mets want to do. I urged them to trade Luis Castillo and Gary Sheffield when they had the chance, but they wanted to maintain the pretense that they were buyers when in fact they had no intention of buying anything. Even after the trade deadline, Omar continued to insist he had some things in the works and that there would be some solid players that would become available via waivers. Where are they?

It’s one big fallacy after another. You don’t even know what to believe anymore. Unfortunately, you CAN believe that the Mets will indeed bring up their prized prospects, especially if it can resuscitate dwindling ticket sales. However, in my opinion, this would be more egregious than taking off their shirts and challenging the prospects to a fight.

The 2008 supplemental first round draft pick, has impressed scouts with his plus fastball and his other pitches continue to improve. I asked Adam Rubin of the Daily News about him on Tuesday, and he now has him ranked among the top three prospects in the Mets organization.

Last week, Baseball America released their mid season prospect rankings and Brad Holt was the highest ranked Met at number 40 overall.

With the trade deadline fast approaching, John Manuel of Baseball America penned an article about some players he feels should be untouchable, and he included Brad Holt among them.

The Mets’ problems are obvious. It’s probably too late for them to become buyers, and a huge problem with this season’s team is the lack of upper-level minor league talent to fill gaps on the big league roster caused by injuries. Holt, last year’s supplemental first-round pick, looks close to being ready to help a rotation that has given 27 starts to the likes of Livan Hernandez and Tim Redding. The best homegrown arm in system has reached Double-A in his first pro season and is comparable stuff-wise to Mike Pelfrey, only with a better breaking ball.

Just last week, Brad Holt was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week. Holt notched two wins going 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. Eastern League hitters are batting just .216 against him on the season.

It’s a little bit of good news in a week where good news has been pretty scarce.

The Mets did appear at number numbers 40 (RHP Brad Holt) and number 47 (RHP Jenrry Mejia).

The Philadelphia Phillies had three players in the Top 25. Here is the complete list…

Mid-Season Top 25 Prospects
1. Jason Heyward, of, Braves
2. Mike Stanton, of, Marlins
3. Jesus Montero, c, Yankees
4. Justin Smoak, 1b, Rangers
5. Madison Bumgarner, lhp, Giants
6. Buster Posey, c, Giants
7. Carlos Santana, c, Indians
8. Chris Tillman, rhp, Orioles
9. Brian Matusz, lhp, Orioles
10. Logan Morrison, 1b, Marlins
11. Freddie Freeman, 1b, Braves
12. Jarrod Parker, rhp, Diamondbacks
13. Neftali Feliz, rhp, Rangers
14. Alcides Escobar, ss, Brewers
15. Yonder Alonso, 1b, Reds
16. Wade Davis, rhp, Rays
17. Dominic Brown, of, Phillies
18. Desmond Jennings, of, Rays
19. Jason Castro, c, Astros
20. Tim Beckham, ss, Rays
21. Brett Wallace, 3b, Cardinals
22. Matt LaPorta, 1b/of, Indians
23. Michael Taylor, of, Phillies
24. Kyle Drabek, rhp, Phillies
25. Michael Saunders, of, Mariners

Last years top draft pick for the New York Mets, first baseman Ike Davis, got a special mention in this weeks Baseball America’s Prospect Hot Sheet.

The Mets used the 18th overall pick in last year’s draft to select Arizona State 1B Ike Davis mostly on the strength of his power projection. The key word is “projection,” because the 6-foot-5 lefthanded batter provided precious little power in the short-season New York-Penn League in his debut, batting .256 with zero home runs in 58 games. With high Class A St. Lucie this season, the 22-year-old Davis has just four home runs, but his 16 doubles are tops in the Florida State League. He did launch two homers this week, however, in batting .350/.458/.800 (7-for-20) with a double, a triple, six RBIs and a 4-to-3 walk-to-strikeout ratio.

We really haven’t heard much from Davis due mostly in part to a tough first season where he failed to register even one homerun. So it feels good to actually see some positive news on him.

One name that we write a lot about on Mets Merized, is righthander Brad Holt who as we reported last week, was promoted to Class-AA Binghamton.  Holt made his AA debut last night and had a solid outing, he gave up 3 runs (2 earned, due to his own error) on 2 hits and 3 walks in 6.1 innings. He is moving quickly and maybe even faster than Mike Pelfrey did. I am not ruling out the possibility that Holt could find his way into the Mets rotation as soon as this season.

Finally, Josh Thole continues to light it up at Binghamton. The young catcher of the future for the Mets is scorching the ball with a .354 batting average and .903 OPS. His on-base percentage is .423 and he leads the team in hits, doubles and total bases. That’s another player we like and are keeping a close eye on.

Some great news on the Mets prospects front, courtesy of Adam Rubin,

Mets officials say Brad Holt is on a similar trajectory to Mike Pelfrey. So Holt, the 33rd overall pick in the draft one year ago and the fastest-rising pitching prospect in the organization, was promoted to Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday. He could even make an impact in the major-league rotation if the need still exists late in the season.

His B-Mets debut is slated for Friday.

“I feel like as far as I’ve come along, I’ll be able to pitch at that level,” Holt said in St. Lucie just before learning about the news. “I’m throwing my secondary pitches for strikes. They’ve come a long way. (St. Lucie pitching coach) Phil Regan has picked up where (2008 Brooklyn pitching coach) Hector Berrios left off.

Rated the organization’s No. 4 prospect entering the season, Holt clearly has leapfrogged the Mets’ top upper-level prospects in stature — either because they have underwhelmed, such as Jon Niese, who has an 8.05 ERA at Triple-A Buffalo, or because they have landed on the disabled list, such as Dillon Gee with a shoulder strain.

One scout said this about Holt while observing him last season,

“The guy showed me a plus breaking ball, plus velocity on his fastball [and a] plus curve,” the scout said. “He threw strikes and while the second time the curve wasn’t quite as good, he had the makings of a very good curve. You’re talking two plus pitches – an above average fastball and an above average curve.”

The same scout said this of Holt last August,

“I think he can start next year in (High-A) St. Lucie, and could end up in Double-A, depending on how he’s doing,” the scout said. “It’s not like a reliever, like (Joe) Smith or Kunz, but I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of next year he was in Double-A. And once guys get there, they can move up quick.”

That turned out to be quite prophetic and it only proves how talented Holt really is. I have loved Holt ever since we drafted him almost a year ago. He was a supplemental first round pick that was the end result of Tom Glavine re-signing with the Braves in 2008.

Tony Bernazard, the Mets’ VP for player development, labels 22-year-old righthander Brad Holt the best starting pitching prospect in the organization.

He continues to impress at every level and his fastball is rated the best in the organization by Baseball America.

His strikeout to walk ratio is off the charts and a huge improvement from 2008:

2008:
BB/9 = 4.12
SO/9 = 11.98
SO/BB = 2.91

2009:
BB/9 = 2.31
SO/9 = 11.28
SO/BB = 4.89

What are your thoughts on Holt? Does anyone think there’s a chance we can see him this season?