Alderson is disappointed with the team’s performance this season, particularly with some of the players he acquired for this transition year who did not perform to his expectation.

He no doubt was referring to Collin Cowgill, who he expected to become the team’s leadoff hitter and regular center fielder. Cowgill batted .157/.173/.294 before being demoted to Triple-A after only 19 games.

Andrew Brown failed to make the opening day roster and batted .200 during a brief call-up.

Shaun Marcum, who was signed to a guaranteed $4 million dollar deal, was supposed to replace R.A. Dickey. But the right-hander started the season on the DL, missed nearly a month, and has a 6.59 ERA in five starts since being activated.

Left-hander Aaron Laffey was released after posting a 7.20 ERA in four appearances including two spot starts, and relievers Greg Burke and Scott Atchison have struggled, each with 4.50 ERAs on the season.

Sandy is also concerned with some of the players whom he considered to be part of the future core. When asked to explain who he was talking about, he declined to comment saying only, “I think Met fans know who I’m talking about.”

He left off saying that it’s very tough to watch the team play and not be able to do something to help. However, he will remain patient, but not too patient. Alderson said he would look to some of the younger players in their system to improve the major league roster and named Rafael Montero, Zack Wheeler and Travis d’Arnaud as those who could help.

After the game, SNY analyst Bobby Ojeda pointed out that Alderson looked like a man who is very dejected and very disappointed with some of the moves he’s made in putting this team together. He certainly was different than what we’re used to seeing. There were no jokes this time. I think Sandy realizes that it’s time for him to stop talking about the future and deliver on it already. It’s time to produce something tangible. I believe a lot will be riding on how Wheeler and d’Arnaud produce once they are promoted – especially Wheeler.

It will be interesting to see how this drama unfolds… My gut tells me that by the end of this season, Sandy Alderson will either be on very solid footing or a very slippery slope and I’m leaning toward the latter. His fate will be tied to Wheeler’s immediate performance. Stay tuned…

Because of Murphy’s high on-base percentage, batting him leadoff is something I have advocated, and I’m glad Terry Collins was thinking outside the box enough to make the move.

“He gets on base, because he can hit,’’ Collins told ESPN.com. “And, when he’s swinging good, he can get some walks. We’ve got to get some people on ahead of David [Wright]. That’s for sure.’’Notice how Collins didn’t mention getting on base ahead of Ike Davis, but I guess he couldn’t say that with a straight face.

Murphy is the seventh Met to hit leadoff this young season, and of the previous six, is there one who you can note with conviction that will be here next year?

Ruben Tejada (12 times), Jordany Valdespin(10), Mike Baxter (eight), Collin Cowgill (seven),Justin Turner (two) and Kirk Nieuwenhuis (one) have all appeared without much success at the top or the order. Mets leadoff hitters have hit a major league low .179 with a 29^th ranked .238 on-base percentage.

Collins was non-committal on how long he’ll use Murphy leading off, but considering he’s a .300 hitter with a .337 on-base percentage, he doesn’t have better options.

With their leadoff hitters and Davis, the Mets have two slots in the batting order hitting less than .200, and overall they have four positions in their regular lineup hitting below .240.

Collins thought about Murphy hitting first during spring training, but then he had to come up with a center fielder and decide what to do with Tejada. Meanwhile, Murphy, because of his willingness to take a pitch, also seemed suited to hitting second.

“I thought about it in spring training, to be honest, whether or not to lead Murph off,’’ Collins said. “We’ll just see how it goes. It might be something we’ve certainly got to consider as we get deeper into the season, because he can hit.

“He gets on base. If he does that, certainly we’ve got to keep our options open with Murph being the leadoff hitter.’’

Murphy hitting first seems the way to go for now, but slotting him there doesn’t alleviate all of Collins’ concerns. Rick Ankiel can be an answer defensively in center field, but the outfield remains subpar.

The Mets now need a No. 2 hitter, but because Tejada insists on hitting fly balls, he’s not an ideal fit there.

Let’s face it, currently Murphy and Wright are the only hitters in the lineup who are reliable.

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.

Rubin spoke with Scott Hairston who dismissed rumors that the Mets had made him an offer, but understood the situation and respected Sandy Alderson’s decision.

“There were times where I wasn’t sure what they wanted to do, so I waited. But as a player you can only wait so long, so I knew I had to move on and I had to move forward, and that’s just the way it was.”

Hairston, who was clear he wanted a two-year deal, did not get any offer from the Mets. Not even one year.

“There were reports that it happened, but the Mets never made me a one-year offer,” he said.

For what it’s worth, Hairston is off to a slow start and is batting just .125 in 48 at-bats with three home runs. But on the flipside, his replacement Collin Cowgill has already been demoted to the minors.

Read Adam Rubin’s full article here.

Las Vegas 6, Round Rock 5

Zach Lutz and Wilmer Flores hit solo home runs Thursday for the Las Vegas 51s, helping them take down visiting Round Rock, 6-5.

Lutz, who also homered Wednesday, started the scoring in the second inning with a home run to right-center field. The 51s scored two more runs in the frame, on an RBI single from Juan Centeno and another when Eric Campbell scored on a wild pitch. Flores homered in the third inning to give the 51s a 4-0 advantage. After being relatively silent at the plate through the initial six innings, Round Rock batted around in the seventh to score five runs and take the lead, 5-4. But Las Vegas scored two runs in the eighth to win the game, taking the lead on a run-scoring double from Collin Cowgill and an RBI single from Josh Satin.

Chris Schwinden started this game and pitched relatively well, allowing just three earned runs while pitching into the seventh. Greg Peavey vultured the win out of the ‘pen. Greg Burke picked up his second save of the season in the ninth, getting Round Rock’s Engel Beltre to ground into a double play to end the game.

Key Stats

Collin Cowgill: 2-for-3, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 R

Josh Satin: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Wilmer Flores: 1-for-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Zach Lutz: 2-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Juan Centeno: 2-for-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Chris Schwinden: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 ER

Gonzalez Germen: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 ER

Greg Peavey: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Greg Burke: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB

(Team Report)

Terry Collins says a lot of things that will raise eyebrows whenever we go to these pre and post game press conferences. Many times he’ll say one thing on Monday and then do the exact opposite on Wednesday.

Just to cite two recent examples remember when he proclaimed Collin Cowgill the everyday center fielder on Opening Day? Cowgill then proceeds to start in just 6 of the next 15 games.

Or how about two weeks ago when Collins said that he didn’t want to move Lucas Duda up in the order because he was a sensitive guy and in a good groove, and didn’t want to upset the apple cart. The next day however, there was Lucas Duda batting cleanup.

You gotta love it.

On more than a few occasions, Terry said he’s toying with the idea of using Justin Turner in the outfield. Yes, that Justin Turner, how many Justin Turners do you know?

In last night’s loss to the White Sox, Turner came in to pinch-hit for LaTroy Hawkins in the eighth inning and delivered a run-scoring single for the Mets’ second run of the night. How clutch has Turner been this season? He’s as automatic as Jordany Valdespin off the bench.

Anyway, to the surprise of many, out goes Justin Turner in the top of the ninth taking over in left field for Lucas Duda who started the game there.

“When you have a guy like Justin Turner, you want to get his bat in the lineup,” Collins said. “We have some guys who are struggling. We can get him in there, but we’ve already experienced enough guys playing out of position up here and its hurt us in the long run.”

Getting Turner’s bat in the lineup on a more regular basis makes a lot of sense despite what our friends at Amazin Avenue think about that. He ended up getting another hit in the game and finished 2-for-2 on the night.

He’s batting .372/.391/.442 in 43 at-bats and the next best hitter on the team is David Wright who is batting 74 points lower with a .298 average.

“I haven’t played outfield much in a ballgame either, so I won’t really know too much until I get that first ball out of the way and then we can go on,” Turner said after the game.

“We had talked about it last homestand, on a double switch all the outfielders had been used already, so I knew it was a possibility it would happen. That’s why I’ve been trying to get out there every day and get some work out there.”

No word yet on if Turner is expected to get a start in the outfield as the Mets begin a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates today, but don’t be shocked if it happens.

Las Vegas 3, Round Rock 2

Collin McHugh took the mound tonight and pitched a heck of a game. He continued his tremendous start to the season tossing seven scoreless innings. The righty threw 90 pitches (59 strikes), allowed just five hits, struck out five, and left the game with a 1-0 lead. McHugh came into the game leading the 51s with a 3.57 ERA, but after tonight’s masterful performance, he lowered his ERA to 2.98.

McHugh was in line for the win when he left the game heading into the eighth inning, but the combination of Gonzalez Germen and Justin Hampson squandered the lead allowing the tying run to score. Greg Burke took the ball in the top of the ninth up 2-1, but was unable to nail down the save. He allowed a double followed by an RBI single, and saw his ERA balloon to 5.19.

The Vegas offense was held to just three hits on the night, but was highlighted by Josh Satin hitting his fifth home run of the season, and an RBI single by Juan Centeno. Eric Campbell had a very patient night at the plate, accumulating three walks, and scored the go ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Vegas a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Reese Havens singled to lead off the inning, and was moved to second on a ground out by Satin, before being pinch ran for by Brian Bixler. The next batter Zach Lutz struck out swinging, but the ball hit the dirt and had to be blocked by the catcher. Bixler plated the winning run on an errant throw by the catcher attempting to throw out Lutz at first base.

Key Stats

• Wilmer Flores: 0-for-2, BB
• Josh Satin: 1-for-3, HR, R, RBI, BB
• Juan Centeno: 1-for-3, RBI
• Reese Havens: 1-for-4
• Eric Campbell: 0-for-1, RBI, 3 BB
• Collin McHugh: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, ND

Las Vegas 6, Sacramento 2

Zack Wheeler took the hill yesterday afternoon against the River Cats and was firing on all cylinders as he made quick work of Sacramento, cruising to his second victory on the season.

Wheeler took the mound looking to build off of his solid outing against the Reno Aces in which he struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings back on April 30th. This time, the Mets top prospect went six shutout frames allowing just three hits and a walk while punching out four. Each of the baserunners allowed were scattered through different innings as the River Cats failed to get a runner to second base with Wheeler on the mound. After struggling mightily to start the season, Wheeler has now put together back-to-back solid efforts in the infamously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

On the offensive side of things for the Vegas 51s, everyone in the lineup had themselves a base hit with the exception of Juan Centeno and Josh Satin. Las Vegas put up a two-spot in the second on the strength of a double off the bat of Omar Quintanilla to score Wilmer Flores and Jamie Hoffmann, his fifth on the year. They would be held off the board until the top of the sixth when the recently demoted Collin Cowgill (more from him later) scored on a Zack Lutz fly ball to center. The following inning however, is where the game was broken open. With Quintanilla on second and Centeno at first, Cowgill, in just his second game since joining the 51s, clubbed a three-run bomb to left field to make it a 6-0 ballgame. Vegas batters only struck out three times in this game and tallied ten hits and a pair of walks against Sacramento pitching.

Justin Hampson came on in relief of Wheeler and had himself a difficult outing. After plunking Scott Moore, Josh Horton took Hampson deep to make it a 6-2 game. Hampson would eventually retire the side. Greg Peavey and Gonzalez Germen came in and pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth respectively as the 51s would go onto win by a final score of 6-2.

Key Stats

Collin Cowgill: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Zach Lutz: 1-for-3, 1 RBI

Eric Campbell: 2-for-4

Omar Quintanilla: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R

Zack Wheeler: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 4 K

Justin Hampson: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 2 ER, 1 K

Greg Peavey: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER

Gonzalez Germen: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Keep it up, kid. You’ll see AA soon…

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas was shut down by Sacramento, 3-0. 
• Binghamton got beat by Harrisburg, 3-1. 
• St. Lucie was also shut out in their loss to Fort Myers, 6-0. 
• Savannah had their game suspended till 5/30, and trailed 1-0 after three innings before the postponement. 

Prospect Pipeline

• Well, it was a relatively quiet night last night in Mets Minors as all three teams that managed to finish their games lost. Each team did receive good starts from their starters – Chris Schwinden, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, respectively. Syndergaard, as I’m sure you all know by now, was the Mets #3 prospect and our #4. His start last night, which spanned six innings and resulted in only one earned run, helped string together a little mini-streak for him. He has not gone less than six innings in his last three starts, while walking no more than two and allowing no more than one earned run. That is a pretty nice sign for a player who had a career high of six innings pitched coming into the season, as he looks to develop a little consistency and move his way to Binghamton.
• In Jacob deGrom‘s case, he had issues out of the gate last night, where he allowed four straight hits to begin the game. The latter hit was a two-run double, which capped off a three run inning against him in the first. The good news, however, was that he immediately settled in and did not allow any more runs for the rest of the game, allowing him the luxury of departing with a quality start. There is a lot to like about deGrom as he progresses through our system and most of it circles around his dominant fastball. I’m interested to see if he and Syndergaard can build on whatever momentum they have built up with a dominating start each in the near future.
• Cesar Puello has been tearing it up since returning from his injury, and he has a ten-game hitting streak to his name to prove it. His .333/.368/.583 slash over the streak has been accompanied with seven RBI and three steals. He went deep last night for Binghamton’s only run.
• Defensive wizard Wilfredo Tovar had his second multi-hit game in as many starts for Binghamton last night, and he has hit safely in eight of his last ten ball games with a .286 average. He still needs to show me more at the plate before I start jumping on that bandwagon.
• The Sand Gnats’ game may have been postponed, but Steven Matz did get the start for the three innings that were played. He allowed one earned run over that span, off two hits and one walk. He struck out four and was actually looking rather impressive. Rainy Lara will start tomorrow, and he leads the entire Mets organization in ERA for qualifying players with a sparkling 1.88 figure in that category.
• Kevin Plawecki failed to get a hit in his one at-bat, which broke his hitting streak, but his .402 average continues to be ridiculous in every possible way. Plawecki got a mention for his insanely hot week, .455 with five doubles, in Jim Shonerd’s BA chat for the week although he said that K-Plaw needed to do a little more to end up on the hot sheet from Low-A ball. Shonerd also mentioned Gabriel Ynoa, where he said “Slightly above-average fastball with control. Secondary stuff has further to go but he’s only 19 (turns 20 later this month) and has pitched well against older competition both last year in the New York-Penn League and so far this year in Savannah.”
• Hat tip to the Leather Rocket, Jack Leathersich, who struck out the side in his inning last night in dominating fashion.
• I’ve kept track of Jeurys Familia for many years, and I was very glad to see him pick up his first MLB save last night. His fastball was always electric, but if his breaking pitches fall into place…can you say closer quality stuff?

Stat Line of the Day

Noah Syndergaard: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 5 K

Transactions/Injuries

• As you may have already heard, Collin Cowgill was demoted to Las Vegas yesterday, and Andrew Brown was called up in his place.
• Brandon Nimmo was not in the lineup for Savannah before their game was suspended. He is still nursing his left hand injury and is not even taking batting practice.
• Marcos Camarena is on the 7-day DL for St. Lucie.

Video of the Day

Check out Kirk Nieuwenhuis performing a catch that may actually be illegal in a few states, where he robs a home run by extending over the barricade…

Photo of the Day

Things weren’t so hot on the farm last night, but we can fix that…

The Braves acquired both Upton brothers this offseason.

The Braves made headlines this offseason with their acquisition of B.J. Upton in November, signing him to a five year deal worth about $75 million. However, just when the offseason was winding down and it appeared the Braves were done, they surprised everyone and acquired B.J.’s brother Justin from the Diamondbacks. The tandem added a boost to the Atlanta offense that they so badly needed, and had some experts picking them to challenge the Nationals for the NL crown.

Thus far, it appears the Braves made the right move, at least with Justin Upton. If the season ended today, he would be the unanimous MVP. Upton is leading the majors with 12 home runs, three more than anyone else. That, to go along with a not-too-shabby .287/.387/.693 has carried the otherwise mediocre Braves offense.

In reality, it has been the pitching that has carried the Atlanta Braves this season. Despite trading Tommy Hanson this winter, the Braves lead baseball in team ERA with an outstanding 3.10 mark coming into today’s action. More specifically, it has been their bullpen, which has been even stronger than last year’s. Craig Kimbrel has continued his dominance, striking out 15 batters in 10.2 innings. Kimbrel and Jordan Walden, who the Braves received in the Tommy Hanson trade, are among five relievers with at least ten innings pitched and an ERA under two. Compare that to the Mets, who have two such pitchers.

This Braves team is good (yes, even better than the Marlins if you can believe it) and will put up a very tough fight, especially in close games. The key for the Mets will be scoring runs off their starting pitching, because  if they trail in the late innings, the odds are stacked against them.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Shaun Marcum (5.2 IP, 50 ERA+, 1.33 K/BB) vs. Mike Minor (31.2 IP, 125 ERA+, 5.40 K/BB)

Minor, 25, was selected seventh overall in the 2009 draft by the Braves and quickly rose to stardom in their minor league system. Once he reached the big leagues, he never pitched like the ace some thought he could become. Minor came into the season with a career ERA of 4.37 in 302.2 career innings. This year, however, has been much better for him, at least so far. Over five starts, he has a 3.13 ERA and career-best 1.4 BB/9 rate. He was roughed up for six runs in 6.2 innings against the juggernaut Detroit offense, but had a 1.80 ERA in four starts coming into that outing.

Game 2: Jonathon Niese (32.2 IP, 112 ERA+, 1.31 K/BB) vs. Julio Teheran (28.1 IP, 77 ERA+, 2.50 K/BB)

Teheran has been a highly-regarded prospect since his breakout year in the minors in 2009. He worked his way through the minors fairly quickly, until stalling at Triple-A last season. Coming off a dominant season in Triple-A in 2011, Teheran failed to earn a job out of spring training, and was sent back. Once he was back in the minors, Teheran wasn’t the same pitcher. His 3.0 walks per nine wasn’t terrible, but his 6.7 strikeouts was a career-low. What was most concerning was the 18 home runs he gave up, doubling his previous career-worst of nine. Teheran has a 5.08 ERA in five starts, striking out 20 and walking eight in 28.1 innings.

Game 3: Matt Harvey (40.1 IP, 237 ERA+, 3.83 K/BB) vs. Tim Hudson (35 IP, 101 ERA+, 2.18 K/BB)

Even at age 37, Hudson continues to be the rock of the Atlanta rotation. In 11 of his past 12 seasons, Hudson has posted an ERA below four. This year, he has a 3.86 ERA in 35 innings over six starts. In his last outing, Hudson shut down the Nationals, holding them to one run on three hits in seven innings on only 96 pitches.

Series News & Notes

• The Mets sent down a struggling Collin Cowgill today in favor of the red-hot Andrew Brown, who has been tearing it up with the Las Vegas 51s. Brown was hitting .367 with a .440 On-Base Percentage and two home runs in 25 games.
• Jordany Valdespin slugged a three-run pinch-hit home run on Wednesday to give the Mets a 5-4 lead…It was the Mets first pinch-hit home run of the year and the sixth pinch-hit of Valdespin’s brief career…He is tied for second all-time on the club’s pinch-hit home run list.
• New York has scored three or fewer runs in eight of itslast 12 games and is hitting .202 (89-441) over that span…Overall, the Mets are seventh in the majors scoring 4.85 runs per game.
• Craig Kimbrel recorded his 98th career save Monday in Atlanta’s 3-2 win over Washington…Kimbrel’s career save percentage of 89.1 (98/110) ranks fi fth all-time among pitchers with at least 100 save opportunities (see chart at right)…According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the quickest anyone has ever reached 100 career saves was Eric Gagne, who did in his 104th opportunity, followed by John Smoltz (107th) and Joakim Soria (112th)…Kimbrel could tie Soria for third all time if he can convert each of his next two opportunities.
• The Atlanta bullpen’s homerless streak was snapped at 21 games last Friday (April 26) at Detroit when reliever Anthony Varvaro surrendered a three-run shot in the fourth inning…Since the franchise moved to Atlanta (1966), that was the furthest into a season (21 games) that a Braves team has gone without the bullpen allowing a home run.

Updated on May 3 at 2:40 PM

The Mets have selected the contract of OF Andrew Brown from Triple-A Las Vegas and added him to the 40 man roster, the team announced.

The 28-year old was batting a sizzling .367/.440/.622 to go along with 13 doubles, three triples, and two home runs. He was leading the team in several different offensive categories including 27 RBI and 61 total bases.

To make room for him, the team optioned Collin Cowgill to Triple-A which is exactly what I figured would happen.

Cowgill batted just .157 with a .467 OPS in 51 at-bats after being named the Mets everyday center fielder on Opening Day. Maybe he’ll have better luck at the Black Jack tables.

Original Post May 2, 2013

According to what a source told Adam Rubin, the Mets will be promoting right-handed hitting outfielder Andrew Brown from Triple-A Las Vegas, where Brown was tearing it up at the plate.

Rubin says that Brown will be on hand for tonight’s game against the Braves in Atlanta.

Ironically, in our Mets Minors Report yesterday morning we wrote:

Andrew Brown went 3-for-5 last night with a home run, double and 3 RBI as he continued his “Seriously, call me up to the MLB team” tour.

The 28-year old was batting a sizzling .367/.440/.622 to go along with 13 doubles, three triples, and two home runs. He was leading the team in several different offensive categories including 27 RBI and 61 total bases.

They will have to make room for him on the 40 man roster and I’m betting Collin Cowgill will get the boot as I’ve been suggesting the past week and a half.

Brown probably won’t set the world on fire, but he’ll certainly be an upgrade over Cowgill and Mike Baxter. As one of our readers wrote yesterday, he has a chance to do what Scott Hairston did for us last season.

One thing to note is that Josh Satin took over for Andrew Brown in the outfield during last night’s game for the Las Vegas 51s. He’s another player the Mets could use right now and his ability to play first base, third base and outfield could pave the way for another roster move in the very near future.

A couple of weeks ago I profiled Josh Satin and called for him to be promoted and at the very least platoon have him with Ike Davis at first base as he continues to struggle against left-handed pitching.

Rob Brender, a contributor to Mets Minor League Blog, got a chance to ask Satin a few questions last night and spoke to him about his early-season success and what he needs to work on to get back to the major leagues.

Rob Brender: You’re having a great season so far, batting .346, which is second on the team to Andrew Brown (.357 BA). You must feel pretty good about the way you’re swinging the bat?

Josh Satin:  Yeah, I changed a few things up last year to make myself feel more consistent. I was a little too hot and cold last year and in previous years. I like where I’m at right now. I’m still working on a few things but I like where my swing is right now.

Rob Brender: You’ve hit four home runs and seven double (this season). Have you noticed that the home runs have come as a result of your approach at the plate or is some of it because of the altitude?

Josh Satin: I really think it’s learning how to hit better. Home runs come in certain counts and when you give yourself certain opportunities to take a chance. In previous years, especially the beginning of my career, I didn’t really know how to take a chance and never really did, so every homerun I hit was kind of a mistake. It just happened. This is my fifth year in professional baseball so I’ve learned when and how to take a chance better.

Rob Brender: Does playing in the high altitude of Las Vegas give you any added confidence as a hitter?

Josh Satin: I personally don’t think that Vegas has been that much of a hitters park at this point. It hasn’t been that warm. I know it’s going to get better. I think the only advantage so far is the ground is so hard that balls get through. I don’t know if the pitchers have a fear of letting the ball getting in the air. As a hitter, it’s definitely a better feeling knowing that if you square a ball to the opposite field you’re going to get better results.  Sometimes last year in Buffalo the wind would blow in from right field off the water and I would get scared to hit the ball the other way because I thought it was an out. It’s definitely a welcomed change that that’s not the case.

Selected by the New York Mets in the sixth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of California-Berkeley, Satin wasted no time at all proving that his bat was legit. The big right-hander hit the ground running from the moment he signed his first professional contract and has posted an.865 OPS during his minor league career with the Mets. He has made the Minor League All Star Team every season since 2009.

The first baseman is a huge part of the Las Vegas 51s offense and is batting .330 with a .427 OBP, .545 SLG and ranks second on the team with a .973 OPS. Satin is pacing the team with four home runs and has 17 RBI and 20 runs scored in 88 at-bats this season.

Satin has always been a great and disciplined hitter and one look at his career .397 on-base in six minor league seasons should have the suits in the front office with their tongues hanging out of their mouths, as would his .466 slugging percentage.

I don’t know about you, but I’m growing tired of watching Ike Davis suffocate this offense and have been calling for a reduced role for him since the season began. He’s not suddenly going to magically begin teeing off against lefty pitching as a few lingering fans still believe. That’s a wooden bat he has in his hands, not a magic wand.

Ike Davis is nothing more than the long end of a platoon player at best. I’ve said that before and continue to stand on that position.

Josh Satin deserves a chance to prove he belongs. He’s paid his dues and has nothing left to prove in the minors. Let’s get this done and right a wrong that has gone on for far too long. Let’s give this kid his well-deserved shot.

I know some of you would rather see Andrew Brown called up before Josh Satin, but as bad as the Mets outfield and first base situations are right now, it shouldn’t be a question of one or the other – both of them need to be on the Mets roster and there’s plenty of dead fish that needs to be tossed overboard already. (Lets start with Collin Cowgill and Mike Baxter)

The worst thing that a team as bad as the Mets could do, is to keep trotting out the same undeserving and underperforming ballplayers while some hidden gems waste away at Triple-A when they should be here instead helping the team score runs.

Bob Klapisch of The Record, mirrors my post from Monday that the Terry Collins watch has begun:

The countdown on Terry Collins began on the first day of pitchers and catchers and nothing so far has made it any easier to believe he’ll be back with the Mets in 2014. Of course, Collins has handled his lame-duck status with grace and maturity — he’s an honest guy, good with people — but that hasn’t stopped Sandy Alderson from letting his manager continue to drift away from the mother ship.

Collins, no dummy, knows he would’ve already received a vote of confidence, even in private, if Alderson and Jeff Wilpon were entirely sold on his body of work. Both men know what job security — or its absence — does to a manager’s standing in the clubhouse. Without a commitment from ownership, Collins looks like a short-timer on a bad team, a latter-day George Bamberger. The current six-game losing streak, including embarrassing back-to-back losses to the Marlins, doesn’t help his cause, either.

Collins seems to be making one bad decision after another during this current losing streak. It’s hard to ignore his bad calls and the become more glaring especially with the team losing 10 of their last 13 games.

Last night, in a critical save situation – in a game the Mets needed so desperately to win – he called upon Brandon Lyon while his regular closer Bobby Parnell was armed and ready to go.

Lets just say that it didn’t work out too well for the Mets…

Reportedly, Parnell was pissed off after the game and was angry that he didn’t get the chance to preserve the win for Jeremy Hefner who pitched the game of his life and deserved a better fate.

Tick, tick, tick, tick….

Original Post 4/29

After getting off to a 7-4 start to the season, the Mets have now lost nine of their last 12 games and aside from when Matt Harvey and Jon Niese are on the hill, you don’t get the sense that the Mets will win that day.

Part of the problem was a middle to back end of the rotation that was ill-conceived from the beginning. The ever so reliable R.A. Dickey was replaced with Shaun Marcum who has already missed nearly a month of the season. Not surprising coming off an injury plagued season in 2012.

The bullpen, which has been among league’s worst for two years in a row, is in familiar territory once again and sporting the highest ERA in the league and the second worst mark in baseball. While Bobby Parnell has made advances in the closer role, the league is batting .324 against LaTroy Hawkins, Josh Edgin and Glen Burke have already been cut, and Scott Atchison, Brandon Lyon and Robert Carson each have ERAs over 4.00.

The outfield, which many thought would be better than last year’s version, is producing at the bottom of the MLB barrel again. Collin Cowgill is batting a gritty .169, and Marlon Byrd is providing a veteran presence to go with his .235 average. Those two were announced as everyday outfielders on Opening Day and experiment that lasted all of three games. Adding to the folly is the scrappy Mike Baxter and his .229 average. After a solid start, Lucas Duda has been mired in a slump and is batting .233 in his last ten games. Jordany Valdespin is probably the Mets’ best option, but is still relegated to bench and spot duty. He didn’t even merit a start a day after a game winning grand slam.

You have a mixed bag in the infield with David Wright holding up his end of the bargain with a .309 average and a .506 slugging, and Daniel Murphy continues to defy his skeptics offensively and defensively. Ike Davis has been a sore spot all season long and as I said two weeks ago it’s time to bring up Josh Satin who leads the organization with a 1.10 OPS and platoon him at first. Ruben Tejada hasn’t cut it defensively or offensively and yet somehow he frequently finds himself batting leadoff.

This team has gaping holes everywhere. Today on MetsBlog, Matt Cerrone provided a glimmer of hope:

“A Zack Wheeler and a Travis d’Arnaud there, an Ike Davis hot streak there, and things can turn around quick.”

I don’t see that changing the climate in Flushing. The Mets were at their worst last season when Davis got hot, Wheeler can’t seem to find the strike zone in Vegas, and D’Arnaud has missed nearly the first month of the season on the DL.

Yesterday on Twitter, I posted this message:

Mets won’t do anything to draw negative attention before All Star Game. I think Collins will be chopped after that if things don’t improve.

— Mets Merized Online (@MetsMerized) April 28, 2013

I put much of the blame on yesterday’s loss on Terry Collins. His decision to remove Niese when he did was a terrible one, and the worst part was what he said afterward:

“I knew they were going to put Howard in,” Collins said. “Scott Atchison‘s breaking ball is really difficult to hit. I don’t care who it is.”

He knew Mets killer Ryan Howard would come in and yet he proceeded as Scott Atchison is the second coming of Dennis Eckersley.

He also replaced Juan Lagares with Collin Cowgill and as one reader pointed out, that Howard two-run double probably would have been caught with the speedier and more agile rookie who Collins himself said was better than Matt den Dekker defensively.

Is it too early to call for Collins’ head?

Probably, but while we can fix the bullpen, the outfield, the infield or the backend of the rotation, you can’t fix stupid. As I said, the Mets won’t do anything now with the All Star game closing in at Citi Field, but there’s a reason why Sandy Alderson opted to let Terry Collins go into this season without an extension and as a lame duck manager.

Is it time for some Wally Ball at Citi Field?

While it is conjecture Wright might have done something to aggravate his condition, the question can’t help be asked. Seriously, is winning a game in April worth losing Wright for a period of time? That’s the perception today and considering the Mets’ history in handling injuries, it is warranted.

The Mets played fast and loose with injuries to Carlos Beltran, Ryan Church, Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana and Wright in the past several times only to have it come back to bite them. Perhaps I am being an alarmist, but following the Mets does that to a person.

“I would say it’s better now than it was when I woke up this morning, which is a good thing,’’ Wright told reporters in Miami after the Mets’ 15-inning loss to the Marlins. “So I think the treatment that I got on it during the day helped and was beneficial. I’ll wake up tomorrow and see how it feels. I’d like to play as soon as possible, so we’ll see.’’

That the Mets used Wright when they didn’t have to only indicates the panic mode the team – and manager Terry Collins? – must be in with their losing streak now at five.

The Mets’ heretofore lousy bullpen blew two leads last night. Sure, it is semantics to say Shaun Marcum is a reliever, but he was used in that role. First Bobby Parnell, who had been the Mets’ only reliable reliever, and then Marcum.

Blame the pen if you want, but the Mets went 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position and stranded 26 runners.

Compounding matters, the Mets not only wasted numerous opportunities to win the game, but squandered a Matt Harvey outing, one in which he threw 121 pitches to boot.

The Mets can’t afford to waste games pitched by Harvey and Jon Niese, but that’s what they’ve done the last two times through the rotation with them, winning only Harvey’s no-decision last Wednesday against the Dodgers.

While not as bad as it was for a month stretch last summer, the Mets’ offense is in tatters.

* Ike Davis struck out three more times last night and is on pace to fan 196 times this season. That’s more than once a game. He has more strikeouts (29) than walks (12) and hits (13) combined, and there are no signs of him breaking out of his funk.

* Speaking of funks, after hitting over .300 for most of April, Daniel Murphy is on a 5-for-31 slide (.161 average with only one walk in that span).

* Wright’s on-base percentage is up, but needs to produce more than two homers and 19 RBI.

* Overall, the Mets have scored just ten runs in their last five games, and on the season have scored four or fewer runs in 13 of 25 games. They are averaging 8.5 strikeouts per game.

Thoughts from Joe D.

I guess a five game losing streak is a great time to clear the air. If not now, then when? Is it too early? Sure it’s early. but what does that have to do with some of the bad decisions we’ve been getting recently from Terry Collins? Is there a stat that shows Collins is a better strategist in July than he is in April? Do managers have slumps like players? Or are they just good or God Awful? Excuse me for going with the latter in Terry’s case. Sorry, Skip…

To begin, I think the concept of of bringing in a defensive replacement is lost on him. He substituted Collin Cowgill for Juan Lagares on Sunday and then got burned when Cowgill got a late break, a bad read, and watched a Ryan Howard shot sail over his head for a two-run double. He went with Cowgill again last night against the Marlins and left the better defender Lagares on the bench. On cue, Cowgill misplayed another flyball that translated into a Marlins win come-from-behind win.

And what’s the fascination with career utility outfielder Mike Baxter who has now made defensive miscues in three consecutive games?

Does he know that that the goal of a defensive replacement is to put in the player best equipped to bump your defense and not one who does the complete opposite?

Is someone telling him he HAS to play Cowgill and Baxter? Is it a clause written into their contracts? Because I don’t quite get the fascination – especially for Cowgill. He should be the next outfielder the team cuts and has no use to this team at all - offensively and defensively.

Yesterday, I blasted Collins for how he mishandles the bullpen, is too quick with the hook on starting pitching and then has the nerve to complain about them not going deep during his press conference. Both Jon Niese and Shaun Marcum admitted they wanted to stay in the game and had plenty left in the tank.

This is what happens when you’re a lame duck manager. It’s like trying to get work done while your boss looks over your shoulder. You make more mistakes, you slip up in areas you were once good at, you lose focus. Collins used to have a defender in me, but he looks like a dead man walking to me now.

A robot would probably have put in Juan Lagares instead of Collin Cowgill in the late innings last night … That’s because robots are nothing if not logical. Robots don’t go on intuition or hunches, they don’t make bullpen decisions based on their gut … Their guts are wires and blinking lights and oil cans and stuff. Robots don’t have “favorites,” ever.

A robot would not have told Jeurys Familia to walk Solano on a 1 – 2 count. To a robot that would not compute, you’d probably start seeing smoke coming out of the robot’s ears and it’s head would start spinning around if it made a move like that.

A robot manager could also squirt Gatorade directly into players’ mouths and blast them  with super-cold frozen carbon dioxide vapor when it’s real hot out.

Another good thing about Robots is that they wouldn’t get snippy during the postgame press conference for being second guessed neither. A robot also wouldn’t snap at the guy from the New York Post for asking about the weird double switch. See sometimes you get the sense that Terry Collins pulls the double switch because he likes how it looks on a scorecard and makes people think he’s doing his job.

“Yeah, had to pull three double switches tonight, honey… Boy am I bushed.”

A robot would use the double switch only when there was a logical reason for one … like taking out Lucas Duda. A robot would never forget to take Lucas Duda out in the late innings, Lucas Duda’s defensive metrics would be hard wired into the robot’s circuitry, “no hard feelings Lucas … bmeep bmeep bmoop bmoop.” Also, a Robot wouldn’t refuse to play Valdespin because Valdespin is irritating and obnoxious. Robots don’t have feelings, a robot wouldn’t care if Valdespin beats his chest after a triple.

A robot manager could also wax the floor of the dugout during a game.

You could also train a gorilla to be manager. They’ve taught some gorillas to use hand signals you know, how hard could it be? You’d have to get him into a uniform of course … I’m sure a few of Dave Kingman’s old jerseys are still around somewhere. The gorilla could just signal for a bunt with David Wright up and no one on base … He wouldn’t even have to follow the game, you could teach the gorilla six or seven signs and have him randomly use them during the game. So he might call for a triple steal or pull his starter after only one inning. A gorilla also wouldn’t care if Valdespin beats his chest after a triple, he’d probably beat his chest in response. Not only would it be a big improvement over Terry Collins, it would be hugely entertaining, win-win! You might want to equip Hudgens with a deluxe pooper-scooper to take care of any “accidents,” if you go the gorilla route.

Or you could pay a fifth-grader to be the manager. They will often work for candy and gum, and they can be pretty smart, especially the ones who read books and stuff. If the kid yells at Tim McClelland because he fell asleep or maybe had a small stroke between pitches McClelland can’t eject him because the kid would be too young to go unsupervised. I know McClelland is slow to call balls and strikes but I swear there were times last night where he was waiting to see how the batter would react so he could call the opposite, just to screw with the hitters for being so unbelievably awful. I don’t blame him really.

A fifth-grader might even be able to get away with kicking the umpire in the shin. If a fifth grader were running things every baserunner would steal on every pitch. Hitters would swing at everything, the hit and run sign would always be on. Runners would steal home as soon as they got to third base, it would be pure chaos! (The awesome kind not the boring Ike Davis kind.) You could put Dan Warthen in charge of getting the kid cotton candy and hot dogs and bubble gum … the kid might need his own bullpen cart but it’s a small price really …

What can be said about last night’s Mets game that hasn’t already been said about my high school prom.

It was long, nobody could score and it turned out to be a huge waste of time.

They say hindsight is 20/20, but my foresight in this one wasn’t so bad either. There were a few poor decisions that were easily predictable.

I’m still flabbergasted by Terry Collins’ inexplicable decision to take Jordany Valdespin out for defensive purposes and put in…Collin Cowgill. Huh? The move proved costly after Cowgill misplayed a routine fly ball in centerfield that lead to a game-tying run.

It’s a good thing no one was actually at the ballpark to see this exercise in futility. For all the Mets fans on the East Coast who stayed up past midnight, I offer my condolences. Luckily, I live on the West Coast and only had to keep my eyelids open till 9:45 p.m. They often fell closed because my brain refused to subject myself to this horrendous game willingly.

Truth was stranger than fiction in this one. Matt Harvey looked off, but still pitched well enough to keep the Mets in it to win. The bullpen played great except for Bobby Parnell. Parnell has been the only solid arm in the ‘pen thus far, but blew the save. They Mets offense just couldn’t get anything going offensively and went 1-18 with RISP and left 14 men on base. Ugh. I haven’t seen so many people stranded since I watched Shutter Island.

Baseball is a team sport and the team was collectively bad. Shaun Marcum had a chance to get his first win of the season, but blew a one-run lead in the bottom of the 15th, adding further insult to an already downtrodden Mets rotation.

There were some bright spots though. Justin Turner and Ruben Tejada put in good days at the plate. John Buck is continuing his incredible April with another home run off that God-awful sculpture in left-center. As I’ve been saying, he could be a valuable trade chip down the line. Harvey didn’t have his best stuff, but it’s easy to tell he’s an elite pitcher because his off days are better than most pitchers’ on days.

I’m not sure where the Mets go from here. You can’t get much more rock bottom than this. I imagine other teams are laughing at the Mets. Losing 4-3 in 15 innings to the Marlins is definitely a low point. I doubt opposing team get too fearful when they see the Mets coming up on the schedule. It’s not even the end of April and the towels already look ripe for throwing in. It already feels like June.

Oh, well. I guess I’ll put my Mets hat back on and watch people pass me by as they look at it in obscurity. Such is being a Mets fan I suppose. It’s getting harder to find the silver linings these days. The Mets are on pace to lose 90 plus games this season. It’s still early, but if I have to make any more comparisons to my forgettable years in high school, I might start taking peoples heads Robb Stark-style.

What did you think of last night’s game?

I feel bad for all you die-hards who stood up till 12:45 AM like I did to watch the Mets lose to the Marlins 4-3 in 15 innings.

I’m dead tired so this recap will be a quickie…

After the Mets took the lead in the top of the 15th on a Lucas Duda double followed by a passed ball and then a clutch Ruben Tejada RBI infield single after they intentionally walked Ike Davis, I thought this game was over. Wrong…

Shaun Marcum blew the save and took the loss in the bottom of the inning with Justin Ruggiano scoring the winning run on a sac fly to Lucas Duda.

The Marlins tied the game in the bottom of the ninth against Bobby Parnell who now has two saves and two blown saves. A botched play by Collin Cowgill in center field, allowed the Marlins to put runners on first and third, with the lead runner coming home on sac fly a batter later.

Matt Harvey tossed a career high 121 pitches to get through 5.1 innings allowing one run on seven hits, two walks and striking out seven,

The Mets were 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left 28 men on base. Lots of chances to break it open, but a total lack of execution by everyone except you know who….

John Buck‘s two-run bomb in the fourth inning was the highlight of the game for the Mets. He matches a franchise record with his ninth homer of April.

The Mets (10-14) have lost five straight and are now a season-worst four games under .500.

This was just an awful loss. The Mets will go back at it with the Marlins again with Jeremy Hefner (0-2, 5.12 ERA) opposing right-hander Kevin Slowey (0-2, 2.43) at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday.

Hey on a positive note, we brought back our game chat sometime around the ninth inning and logged over 600 comments from 36 users in two hours. Not bad considering it came back without much fanfare.

Not happening. We are looking at a fifth straight losing season, and please, don’t delude yourselves into thinking the Mets will suddenly go on a spending spree this winter. Now that the Mets have substantially reduced their payroll and after this year will be finally rid of the contractual anchors of Johan Santana and Jason Bay, do you honestly believe they’ll be writing a lot of checks this winter?

Next year could be more of the same. After being swept over the weekend by Philadelphia, going 3-6 on their recent homestand and losers of nine of their last 12 games overall, all appearances have the Mets are packing it in before the All-Star break this season. I’m not saying the effort isn’t there, just the talent.

The weekend proved the Mets don’t need Arctic conditions to play their worst. Without Matt Harvey to protect them against the Phillies, the Mets had breakdowns with their rotation, bullpen, defense and hitting this weekend. It was as complete a sweep as can be.

* The Mets are 5-0 when Harvey starts and 5-13 when he doesn’t. He goes tonight at Miami against fellow phenom Jose Fernandez.

* The last two winters GM Sandy Alderson made rebuilding the bullpen the priority. However, this year’s nightmarish edition is the major league’s worst with an ERA nearing 5.50. It doesn’t even matter how close Frank Francisco is to returning as he proved he’s not the answer, either. Typical Mets. Their best reliever is closer Bobby Parnell and they can’t even get to him.

* Terry Collins said at the beginning of the season he wanted to use set line-ups. Twenty-three games later he has used 20 different batting orders/line-ups. That’s not even close to being stable.

* The outfield remains fluid, with something different each day. Jordany Valdespin provides a spark and then sits. Does anybody really think Juan Lagares is the answer? Collin Cowgill won the starting center field job coming out of spring training, but was sitting by the fourth game of the season and only has 47 at-bats.

* Ike Davis continues to flounder and look overmatched at the plate with half as many hits (13) as strikeouts (26). He’s on pace to strike out 183 times. He’s also on track to hit 28 homers, but drive in only 56 runs. Need I say he’s hitting less than .200?

With the way the Mets are playing, there’s no guarantee they’ll get better with three games in Miami. About the only encouraging thing you can come up with concerning this series is even if the Mets are swept, they can’t fall into the cellar behind the Marlins.

Ah, good times.

Most baseball pundits cast off the Mets’ outfield as being the worst in the league heading into the season.

On paper, maybe that is correct, but based on performance, the Mets outfield hasn’t been all that bad.

Lucas Duda has looked good offensively, Marlon Byrd has had some big hits, Mike Baxter gives all-out effort every time he’s on the field, and Jordany Valdespin proved last night what a great asset he is to the ball club.

Of the group, Collin Cowgill has struggled since his Opening Day grand slam, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis really didn’t have a place on this roster.

So Juan Lagares was called up to replace Kirk. But the timing of it all is somewhat strange.

Lagares was hitting .346 in Las Vegas so a call-up was certainly warranted. But where does he fit on the big league roster at this point?

Duda is entrenched in left field. That’s a given. In right, Byrd hasn’t exactly played himself out of the batting order, and again Baxter – as exhibited by his key hustle double last night – produces when given the chance.

Center field has been the revolving door, but Valdespin has shown that he could be productive if given the chance. Cowgill might be in a cold spell, but he could very well regain his hot form from spring training.

The thing that confuses me is that Lagares should not be in the Majors unless he’s playing every day. He’s said to be a great defensive center fielder – which is of course important – but he needs to consistently be put up against top-notch pitching.

If Terry Collins is insistent on trying to get Cowgill regular at-bats, then Lagares should still be in Vegas. And throw Valdespin in the mix, and who knows what’s going on in center?

Even a platoon situation with Lagares and Valdespin would not do the kid much good. If he ever plans on being a regular, he’ll need to face both righties and lefties.

Here’s a potential scenario, that I hope does not play, out but could be an option. If Ike Davis continues his abysmal stretch, the Mets may consider sending him down to Vegas to find himself. Duda then moves to first, and Valdespin can play left with Lagares in center.

We learned last season that even after a slow start, Davis can turn it on in a big way. His second half last year has basically earned him a free pass to struggle early on this year. But if he doesn’t find his stroke like he did last season, maybe a change would do him good.

Again though, let’s hope Davis finds his stroke.

Right now, let Valdespin play; he’s an electric talent. Everyone keeps saying that he’s so raw, but the only way to get more refined is to constantly be in the lineup.

Not many players can say they are not in the starting lineup the day after hitting a walk-off grand slam. Sure, the Mets are facing a lefty, but again, you have to give Valdespin the exposure.

Same goes for Lagares. If Collins can find him regular at-bats, that’s one thing. But if Cowgill is getting the start over him, then he should be playing every day in Vegas.

Maybe I haven’t given this enough time to properly play out, but there’s no point in having a prospect sit on the bench in the Majors when he could be refining his game every day in the minors.

Juan Lagares Is Legit – (Photo by Gordon Donovan)

Updated 2:30 PM

Whatever I said below, it’s now official…

Updated at 11:30 PM

Outfield prospect Juan Lagares, who is tearing up the Pacific Coast League, likely will join the Mets as soon as Tuesday, baseball sources told ESPN New York.

Lagares, 24, is hitting .346 with three homers and nine RBIs through 78 at-bats with Triple-A Las Vegas. All 17 of his appearances with the 51s have been in center field. He also has experience.

See you again soon, Kirk… Nice getting to know you…

I’m getting really good at this….

Original Post 3:00 PM 

Prospect Spotlight: Juan Lagares Is Finally Getting His Due

When we did our MMO Top 25 Prospects back in January, we caught some flack for including outfielder Juan Lagares at No. 21.

Some of the blowback we received on Twitter and in our threads included some of these gems:

• Anyone can do a top ten, that’s easy. You need to really know the system to start doing top 25. Putting Lagaras anywhere on it speaks volumes. Having him at 21 is nuts. (Umm it’s Lagares, not Lagaras.)
• The fact you’re the only site that has him ranked in the top 25 doesn’t say much for your analysis, Lagares sucks.

After we finished releasing out MMO Top 25, several other sites rolled out their own Prospect Rankings weeks later and aside from Mack’s Mets and Toby Hyde, Juan Lagares was included in everyone else’s Top 25 including Amazin Avenue, Jonathan Mayo, and John Sickels (Top 20, but had Lagares among honorable mentions).

Here is our original MMO Profile:

21. Juan Lagares, OF

Height: 6’1″
Weight: 175 LBS
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Juan Lagares had a monster season in 2011 and followed it up with a good season at Binghamton hitting .283 with some improvement in his plate discipline and his continuing ability at playing CF. Lagares’ value at this point is held to which position on the field he will play because despite the high batting average, Lagares doesn’t exhibit the type of power you would expect from a corner outfielder. Expectations would see Lagares going to Las Vegas for the 2013 season to either start in CF if possible, otherwise playing a corner and proving his bat is solid

Outlook: Lagares can hit but the only downside is the tweener label at this point and value that goes to each position. The Mets outfield at this point is so devoid of right-handed bats, if Lagares came up to the Mets for the 2013 season I would not be surprised in the least bit. That being said, I think Lagares gets 400+ AB in Las Vegas, playing all three OF spots and makes the big club by September 2013 for a tryout for 2014.

In one of my replies to one of those commenters, I wrote the following about Lagares sucking:

Not according to what Paul DePodesta had to say about him yesterday, when he said Lagares will most likely make his MLB debut in 2013. (That was based on comments DePo made at a Citi Field event back in January.)

Even before Travis d’Arnaud injured his ankle, the top slugger on the Triple-A Las Vegas squad was and continues to be Juan Lagares and my other MMO fave, Josh Satin.

Lagares is swinging a .346 bat to lead the 51s with a .378 On-Base, .551 Slugging and a .929 OPS. In 17 games played he has three doubles, two triples and three home runs to go with 13 runs scored and nine driven in.

As we projected, Lagares is Wally Backman‘s leadoff man and with the injury to Matt den Dekker he has started every game in center field where he ranks third in the PCL in range factor and fifth in fielding percentage. He leads the team in putouts and has already had his arm tested, accumulating four outfield assists in barely two weeks.

Is this a fluke? Not really, in 2011 – and in a not so hitter-friendly league – Lagares batted .370/.391/.512 for Double-A Binghamton in 170 plate appearances. Combined with St. Lucie that season he hit .349 in 550 Plate appearances.

Last season toolsy outfielder produced at a .287 clip and some people were already willing to toss him into the wood chipper. What also gets overlooked is Lagares’ speed and in the last three seasons he has stolen 21, 15 and 25 bases.

I feel strongly that unless Collin Cowgill gets that on-base percentage significantly over .200 real quick, Juan Lagares will be promoted from Las Vegas to fill the void and see plenty of time batting leadoff for the Mets. His right-handed bat would pair very well with Jordany Valdespin as a platoon in center field.