The Mets changed Triple-A affiliates this offseason, going from Buffalo to Las Vegas and from the International League to the Pacific Coast League. The biggest storyline for this team will be how the move affects development. The Pacific Coast League, especially Las Vegas, is notorious for inflated power numbers. It may be harder to judge how well a player is developing because hitters will have more home runs and pitchers will see their ERA shoot [...]

At this point, I think everyone knows that I am a Matt den Dekker fan. I’ve argued in his favor since early spring training, when he leaped through the St. Lucie night and pulled a would-be home run from beyond the left-centerfield wall. Many Mets fans never knew who den Dekker was until that moment. That catch brought him into the limelight. But maybe it was just one catch, people thought. If you’ve read the scouting [...]

Updated by Joe D. at 5:00 PM Here’s a brief update to this morning’s Jordany Valdespin post. Dog-house or not, it would seem like a big mistake to me if Valdespin fails to go north with the Mets when all is said and done. That said, Terry Collins continues to downplay his chances of making the team, saying, “It’s March 8th. I’ll wait.” It could be the manger’s way of keeping the 25-year old Valdespin motivated. Valdespin [...]

According to the Star-Ledger, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie spent some time on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio channel yesterday discussing the Mets. Christie has been a long-time Mets fan, and will be in the stands on April 1 when the Mets take on the San Diego Padres on opening day. Christie went through a list of players he likes, which he considers the nucleus, and includes David Wright, Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy. He’s also excited [...]

Opportunity could be knocking for Matt den Dekker if Kirk Nieuwenhuis’ knee injury turns out to be more serious than just a bruise. We’ll know more on that later today. The Mets will consider all their options if Nieuwenhuis were to miss any significant time, but one could make a strong argument that den Dekker could have a leg up on his competition because of his stellar defense which can impact a game as much as a [...]

Matt den Dekker, CF Bats: L Throws: L Height: 6’1″ Weight: 205 lb. Position: Centerfield Age: 25 (26 in August) ETA: 2013 MMO Top Prospect Rank: #12 Background: Here is a brief player profile from the recent 2013 MMO Top 25 Prospect series: Matt den Dekker has only been in the Mets farm system for three years, but his name has been relevant since the Mets tabbed him as a legitimate centerfield prospect. Den Dekker torched Binghamton upon his [...]

After reading the wonderful prospects list that some of my fellow MMO writers put together, (which is incredibly well-done, well-researched and a must-read for prospect gurus), I decided to share my own prospect list, which I have been working on for a while, with you all. In putting together this list, I tried to balance as best I could major league readiness with the so-called “ceiling” of each prospect. In compiling the list, I looked [...]

Last night, the Bisons beat the Rochester Red Wings in Buffalo by a score of 5-3 behind a solid pitching performance by Chris Schwinden. Schwinden took the mound looking for his eighth Triple-A win this season and looked to improve off his last start, when he allowed four runs in five innings. Last night was definitely an improvement for him. He allowed one run in the second on an RBI-single, giving the Red Wings a [...]

Behind a dominant performance by Collin McHugh, the Bisons squeaked by the Pawtucket Red Sox last night by a score of 2-0. This game was a pitching duel all around. Playing at Fenway Park, each team sent two up-and-comers to the mound to start. And it was quite a duel. Buffalo got their first run of the game in the top of the second, when Brad Emaus drove in a run with a groundout, scoring [...]

The Bisons defeated the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 4-2, thanks to a wonderful performance by Jenrry Mejia last night. Mejia was coming off a strong start his last time out, in which he held Pawtucket two just two runs over five innings. This time out against Lehigh Valley, he was even better. Mejia gave up the first run of the game in the top of the third on a run-scoring groundout. However, he was backed up [...]