Some more encouraging news in the world of Mets injuries — Matt den Dekker is in the starting line-up for the St. Lucie Mets tonight as he looks to work his way back into the Mets outfield picture.

He is batting lead-off and playing center field. The young outfielder was cleared for game action back on June 6th so it’s nice to see him getting back into the groove. He fractured his right wrist in Spring Training this year and has not seen any game action in the 2013 season.

Thanks to Daniel Wexler for the hat tip.

He is the seven-day sensation that is sweeping the nation. Yasiel Puig has been a major league ballplayer for barely a week and is already making national headlines with a historically hot start to his career.

On Friday night, Puig blasted his fourth home run in just his fifth career game, the second player to do that since 1900, the first being Mike Jacobs in 2005. The 22-year old Cuban native has hit the ground running, batting .464/.483/.964 in his first week in the majors, leading to a great deal of well-deserved attention. In particular, he has grabbed the attention of legendary Dodger and Hall-of-Famer Tommy Lasorda.

“He’s been great, I saw him in Spring Training and he looked really good in Spring Training,” said Lasorda. “We’re hoping he can give something to the club.”

With both Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp going down with their respective ailing hamstrings and Andre Ethier being anything but productive, the Dodgers have been in desperate need of production from their outfield. Enter Puig; who in seven games has already belted twice as many home runs as Kemp had all season.

“With our leftfielder and centerfielder out, we need some power and he can give us that power,” said Lasorda. “He can hit the ball far.”

That he can, and that he has. PuigMania is in full force in Dodgertown as their young spark plug has breathed life into a once slumping L.A. ballclub again.

When asked about a single player past or present that reminded him of Puig, Lasorda had an interesting response.

“I had [Raul] Mondesi play for me, and I think he’s the same type of player as Mondesi,” said Lasorda, after giving it some thought. “He’s big, he’s powerful, he can run, he can throw; he’s an outstanding outfielder. I’d say he’s another Mondesi.”

Mondesi averaged 26 homers and 82 RBIs while also stealing an average 22 stolen bases from 1994-2003; certainly high praise from Lasorda. The Dodgers would be happy to have themselves “another Mondesi” in their offensively-challenged lineup.

However, they have something with the potential to be even better; they’ve got Yasiel Puig.

“I hope everybody understands if and when this guy comes, he’s not going to be the savior. There’s a lot of pieces that have to work. One guy is not going to turn this around for us. It takes 25.”

Wheeler, who is 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA this season for Triple-A Las Vegas, could be promoted as soon as next week when the Mets return home to face the Cardinals and Cubs. One reporter I spoke to is certain he’ll debut during next weekend’s Cubs series rather facing the powerhouse Cardinals led by Carlos Beltran.

As to who does or doesn’t get bounced from the rotation, Collins kept his cards close to the vest.

“Everybody expects this to happen, and I don’t know when it’s going to happen,” Collins said about Wheeler. “When the time comes, it’ll probably be if someone’s not pitching well. If everybody’s pitching good and this kid comes, then we’ll have to make a decision on who would fit best someplace else.”

Collins preached caution and toning down expectations.

“Certainly, everybody’s excited because he’s a prospect, and you look down the road with that arm and that stuff and he could be a good pitcher for a long time,” Collins said. “But there’s a lot of adjustments there that have to be made by him, as Matt Harvey made them.”

No matter what Collins or Sandy Alderson say or do, the media and fan attention on Wheeler will be immense and intense. For two years he has been portrayed as the poster boy for a new Mets renaissance that was going to lead to years and years of sustainable championship baseball and the first true Mets dynasty. Now we’ll all get to see what everyone has been raving about. As soon as he tosses his first pitch, the clock will start ticking.

The Future Is Coming…

He struggled in the second half of 2012 and finished with a .252 BA, seven home runs and 28 RBI in 91 games. His struggles carried over into spring training where he hit .086 in 35 at-bats, and they continued into the regular season where he batted .125 in 16 games before being finally demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas.

While initially struggling at Vegas, over the last ten games Nieuwenhuis has started to heat up. In that span Kirk is batting .297 with five home runs. More importantly is the fact that he has ten walks as well. While these numbers may be somewhat heightened due to the friendly hitting environment of the Pacific Coast League, it is a monumental step in restoring the 25-year old’s confidence which has taken a hit. If this success continues, it will be interesting to see what the Mets decide to do with him and whether he can reclaim some type of role in the Mets outfield configuration.

Mejia was starting to show positive signs in his extended spring training rehab, writes Puma. But he had a flare up last week.

Once the top pitching prospect in the Mets system, Mejia has endured a myriad of injuries throughout his career. Most recently, he was shut down during spring training after experiencing soreness in his right elbow. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list with right elbow tendinitis and inflammation two weeks ago.

The 23-year old last pitched for the Mets on September 30, 2012. He made three starts last season and appeared in five games while posting a 5.63 ERA. He missed the entire 2011 season due to Tommy John Surgery.

Collin Cowgill did just that; he hit .303/.378/.591 in 66 spring training at-bats, and earned the honor of being the starting center fielder on opening day. Kirk Nieuwenhuis struggled to an awful .086/.220/.086 spring line, but his defense helped him to earn a roster spot. The organization hoped he’d find the magic in his bat from the first half of 2012. So far, neither one of them have performed well, and their slumps have followed them from the majors back down to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Cory Vaughn and Cesar Puello are having strong starts to 2013 for the Binghamton Mets. Since they’re still in Double-A, Mets fans probably won’t see them until at least September. For right now, Cowgill and Nieuwenhuis are the two best options the organization has when it comes to trying to find production in the outfield (along with Andrew Brown).

Cowgill carried his success from Port St. Lucie up north to Flushing for opening day against the San Diego Padres, going 2-for-5 with a grand slam, double, and four RBIs. From there, it went downhill, and found himself hitting .157/.173/.294 through 51 at-bats before getting demoted to Triple-A.

It didn’t take as long for Nieuwenhuis to get sent packing to fix his swing; he was demoted in favor of rookie Juan Lagares after hitting .125/.176/.188 in 13 games (16 ABs).

With both of them getting sent to Las Vegas to get back on track, 51s manager Wally Backman said they would each get significant playing time, and share duties in center field. Mets fans were hoping their bats would show some form of life in order to help the big league team, but it hasn’t happened yet. Here’s the results so far since getting sent down:

• Collin Cowgill - .219/.306/.406, 3 HR, 10 RBI in 64 AB
• kirk Nieuwenhuis - .198/.303/.349, 3 HR, 6 RBI in 86 AB

Needless to say, what they’ve done upon arriving to Vegas won’t help them to get a call back up to the Show anytime soon. It’s very discouraging to watch them continue struggling because they take one step forward and two steps back. In watching them play recently, they’ll put together a nice at-bat, ending in a hard-hit ball. Just when I think they turned the corner on offense, their following at-bat says the opposite.

Soon, Matt den Dekker will return to action after breaking his wrist in spring training. While he didn’t show much at the plate in spring training either, he’s someone the Mets haven’t tried yet in the outfield. If Cowgill and Nieuwenhuis continue their current lack of production, den Dekker will eventually leapfrog them on his way to the majors.

I’m a fan of both Cowgill and Nieuwenhuis, and it’s frustrating to watch them have such a tough time getting into a groove at the plate. They each play the game the way it should be played: hard. There is still time for them to turn things around and get their careers back on track. The opportunity to get back to the majors and play well enough to find a role on the team (whether it’s in the starting lineup or on the bench) is still available.

However, with players Vaughn, Puello, and den Dekker getting closer to being ready for their chance in the spotlight, time is running out. At the end of the day, the Mets are trying to figure out who has a future with the organization. The above three prospects still have one with New York, but if the two incumbent Vegas outfielders don’t show consistent signs of life soon, they will be on the outside looking in.

For the best coverage of the Mets Minors, there’s only one place to go…

Byrd captured the attention of Mets fans and earned himself a spot on the roster with an incredible spring training, in which he hit .357 with a .965 OPS and a team-leading nine doubles, five more than anyone else on the team. However, once the calender turned and regular season play began, Byrd struggled, and was relegated to a lesser role. He finished the month of April with a .232 batting average and a .759 OPS.

Since May began, Byrd has turned it on at the plate. Despite having a diminished role, Byrd has hit .357 with a  .988 OPS this month along with two home runs in 29 plate appearances.

The reason for Byrd’s decline over the past two seasons (other than just getting a little bit older) may very well be his plate discipline. Byrd, in his best years, was swinging at pitches outside the strike zone somewhere in the range of 29 to 30% of the time. That number has increased to the high-30% range over the past few years. This year, he is swinging at a career high 40.9% of pitches outside the strike zone, but recently, has improved on that dramatically. He stuck out in almost 32% of his plate appearances in April, striking out at least once in almost every game, but has lowered that significantly, to just 24% this month.

Compared to the rest of the outfield recently, Byrd has been by far the best hitter. Here is how he compares to the rest of the outfield this month:

Byrd has been overlooked the entire season, when in reality, he one of the best options the Mets have on the 40-man roster. Remember, not too long ago, Byrd was a reliable 10-15 home run hitter with a .280-.290 batting average, which isn’t great, but it is certainly better than the struggling Mike Baxter.

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.

Frank Francisco

Terry Collins said he would first like to see how Francisco responds after back to back appearances on Sunday and Monday before the team makes plans to activate him from the disabled list.

Either way, there’s no question that Bobby Parnell will continue on as the team’s closer after Francisco returns.

“Parnell has done a good job,” Collins told reporters.

This isn’t really surprising as we’ve been saying it’s Parnell’s job no matter what since spring training. If Francisco didn’t know that already, he does now. This is Parnell’s bullpen.

“He’s just asserting himself as the leader of the bullpen and the guy you want in the ninth inning,” team captain David Wright said. “No question, there’s a different mindset for him.”

Parnell was angry during one game during the recent road trip when he was bypassed in a save situation, and he let Collins know it.

“When it comes the ninth inning and it’s a save situation or a close ballgame, in my head, that’s my inning,” he said. “Every one of us down there can pitch in that inning. Every one of us is capable of doing that. But since Day 1 of Spring Training, in my head, I’ve thought, ‘That’s my inning.’ I want to be out there.”

Parnell has come a long way and for a while I didn’t think he’d be able to handle the role. But his tenacity on the mound has made me a believer.

Updating Adam Rubin’s report this past weekend, which you can read about below, Mets GM Sandy Alderson spoke to the Daily News and said the following:

“It’s no secret Jordany has had a slightly different approach to some things, there is a certain level of tolerance that we have. I hope he doesn’t exceed that level.”

As I’ve been alluding to for months now, my conspiracy theories and pursuit of this so-called “non-story” wages on.

Alderson is hoping that Valdespin continues to mature, but clearly he is as close to “persona non grata” as you can get despite his enormous potential and upside.

“I am hoping he will continue to mature,” Alderson said. “He has, I think, made progress. Hope he continues to do so on that front.”

I just call them the way I see them.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, just someone who is very good at reading between the lines.

So let’s talk about this non-story some more, shall we?

Well actually, now it is a story… Which negates about three-quarters of the comments telling me I was barking up the wrong tree …

Insights > Willful Blindness

Wipon = Front Office = SNY = Wilpon

It’s the Circle of Life, baby…

Original Post May 4, 2013

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reported that Jordany Valdespin was asked to attend early batting practice at Turner Field yesterday, but opted to not participate.

Rubin said that Valdespin was told by a coach he did not have to participate in the batting practice session, so he simply didn’t show up which in turn annoyed the team and coaching staff.

“Valdespin is exciting,” Terry Collins said after last night’s game. “He plays with a lot of excitement, a lot of enthusiasm, especially when it’s crunch time. You know you’re going to get things that you don’t expect sometimes.”

Last night, Valdespin came in as a pinch-hitter and ignited the rally that would win the game and he scored the winning run.

Of course, we don’t know how many other players didn’t show up for the “voluntary” early batting practice, but this is Valdespin and for some reason any chance they get to make him look bad always finds its way out somehow.

Maybe they should try hitting him in the face with a sledgehammer next time instead of a pie. Maybe that will fix him.

The folks at MetsBlog assess the situation as follows:

I understand the team’s frustration with Valdespin’s quirks and behavior as well – in the end, this is a workplace for the players, not a summer camp, and he has created a perception of immaturity for himself which he has to work hard to shed. If Valdespin’s superiors request he attend a batting practice session to get some extra work in, he should take the hint and just go. In the end, this isn’t a huge deal so much as it’s another reminder of who Valdespin is. Perhaps if he conformed to the culture and practices of the team consistently, he would reap the rewards of his performances and talents and be respected a little more as well.

I have a problem with that. Valdespin shouldn’t have to conform to any cultural guidelines to gain his respect. His play alone is worthy of respect. In that regard he should be getting more respect than anyone else on the team with four of the team’s wins directly attributed to him.

If the Mets coaches wanted him at early batting practice, then they should have simply told him that. Running to the press and calling him out? Typical Mets under this current regime and ownership.

How about the Mets conform to the US Constitution and afford Valdespin his rights to live his life the way he sees fit as long as he’s not breaking any laws? Voluntary means just that, voluntary.

Voluntary visits to Walter Reed Hospital, voluntarily not reporting early enough to Spring Training, not participating in a voluntary batting practice… Honestly, who created those dramas, the players or the Mets?

The sad part here is that many fans draw their conclusions from the messages and vibes that the Wilpon owned SNY cable and blog network communicate.

It led to a comment like this from one prominent blogger who wrote last week:

Happy that the Mets had won, although it a homer was by my 25th favorite Met, I rolled over, hit off and drifted off to dreams of updating this post in the morning.

What kind of message is that?

Or how about this one from Mack (I’m not a Met fan) from Mack’s Mets:

I stopped following him (Jordany Valdespin) both on Twitter and Facebook a while back because I just got sick and tired of all the pictures of himself that he kept posting. This is one sick conceited dude…The dude is just a thug and a jerk. Dump him.

Needs to conform to culture? My 25th favorite Met? A thug? A jerk? A sick, conceited dude?

Who do you think is creating these misconceptions? The player, the team or their paid messengers?

Maybe it’s a combination of all three, but is this the kind of PR a team who needs an emergency image transplant needs right now?

They call me negative because I bitch whenever the team that I love loses, and yet you see comments like this flying under, over, and through the damn radar screen and nobody says a word.

I’m pretty certain that I’ll get called out for speaking my piece on this for sure… There goes Joe D. again – getting all negative and spouting truths… The nerve of that guy…

I don’t believe anyone expected him to show up and deliver an “A” game, but with a fastball that ranged around 80-84 mph I think he’s in for some rough times ahead. His control was very spotty and hopefully he can step it up in his next start.

After the game, Marcum expressed disappointment with his performance.

“It’s not what I wanted from a statistical standpoint or helping this team,” Marcum told reporters.

“I wasn’t very efficient with my pitches there in the second and third inning. My pitch count rose pretty quickly in those two innings. As far as health, everything felt pretty good.”

Marcum’s final line was three earned runs on five hits, two walks, a wild pitch, and three strikeouts. The veteran right-hander was activated from the DL before the game after dealing with some biceps tendinitis as well as neck and shoulder pain during spring training.

Even though he was pulled after 71 pitches, Marcum said that he felt he had a lot more left in the tank.

During the FOX broadcast, Kevin Burkhardt said that it was catcher and former teammate John Buck who convinced Marcum to sign with the Mets. Both played together for the Toronto Blue Jays. Buck, who hit his eighth home run of the season in the game, said he saw shades of “vintage” Marcum.

Marcum, 31, has a 3.79 ERA in 150 career starts with a 1.24 WHIP. I think most Mets fans would sign up for numbers like that if Marcum can find his way back to that level of play.

What the hell was the deal with that pie to the face by John Buck?

Check out this GIF courtesy of @MetsKevin11 on Twiitter:

That was messed up.

It was a tasteless act and in my opinion Buck needs to be fined or disciplined.

I want to know who else was behind this and also why Buck delivered the pie rather than the usual Justin Turner who had this to say about it:

This saddens me and I wonder if the reactions would be totally different if it were Matt Harvey who had been the recipient of that?

I bet there would be a lot more outrage… A lot more….

I’m sorry, but this is not how teammates are supposed to act.

Hey Captain, step up to the plate and find out what’s going on in your clubhouse.

What if he had gotten a broken nose or fractured face or eye socket? Did you see the force behind it?

Collins hasn’t help matters because it seems like Valdespin has been in his doghouse since the day he reported to Spring Training. All Spin did was out-produce every single player on this roster in camp. His reward? A bench spot.

Valdespin is currently batting .286 to lead all Mets outfielders. His reward? Getting cold-cocked in the face.

Here is what some of our commenters on MMO had to say about it:

Mike Lloyd – Buck ‘s pie to the face almost looks angry …I don’t care how anyone tries ‘Spinning’ that. WTF?

Return of the King – I actually didn’t think his teammates hated him at all. . . until I saw that. What was that about?

Matt Balasis – Seriously what was the deal with Buck’s pie in the face? I’ve seen him get on Jordany a couple of times and now he almost decapitates him with a pie

Mike Lloyd – Joe D. I keep watching it. That’s just wrong. Somebody needs to ask Buck WTF he was thinking …

Gary S. – The pie to the face is bush to begin with and imho has no place after winning a game in april.What Buck did was a disgrace.Could have busted his nose or messed up an eye with that move.I just don’t get it.

Ray Sadecki – And what about the spanking at home plate? that was totally uncalled for and unprofessional, and they spanked him too hard, Much too hard, He might have gotten injured. Yes, I think there should be an investigation right away.

Jordany Valdespin deserved better than this from his teammates. They owe him an apology.

What happened on that field after the win was not fun or funny. It was sad and pathetic. What should have been a memorable Mets moment was tainted in my opinion.

Rafael Montero by MMO Contributor and Photographer Gordon Donovan.

Updated by Joe D. on 4/24

It’s almost word for word from what Mitch wrote yesterday, but here is what VP of Player Development Paul DePodesta had to say about Rafael Montero:

“His fastball is very advanced right now, but the secondary pitches need to continue to get better,” DePodesta says.

“He just needs to face better hitters, and he needs to face some adversity. And I think he will… We’ve already sped the development of the player up quite a bit, and he has responded to it very well.”

Can a pitcher make the jump from Double-A to the majors?

“It all depends on the individual,” DePodesta says. “There are guys who can make that jump from Double A to the big leagues with little or no time at Triple-A, and there are guys who need some or even significant time at Triple-A.”

By the way, we are actually chasing down Paul DePodesta at Citi Field. Got off the phone with John and told him to seek him out and emailed him 4-5 questions to ask.

Stay tuned…

Original Post 4/23

In case you missed the feature on MMO about Rafael Montero on Saturday, I posed the question on whether or not it was possible that Montero actually makes it to Flushing before Zack Wheeler:

“Never thought I would be pondering this question, but if Montero keeps up this pace, is there a chance that we will see him in Citi Field before Wheeler?

The answer is yes, it is a definite possibility.”

That was written after another dominating performance by Montero, where he struck out six batters and walked none. That brought his season totals to 27 Ks and one walk. I couldn’t do that in a game of MLB The Show, and here is Montero, putting these numbers up in real life.

Once he got to Double-A, his numbers were supposed to dip a bit as he made an adjustment to a higher level of hitters – the complete opposite has taken place. He has made the jump up to Double-A look as if it was a step down. And how should the Mets reward Montero if he continues this utter dominance? How about a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas?

Heck No.

The last thing the Mets should do is promote Montero to Las Vegas. The only reason why he would have to stop in at Triple-A, would be if he needed to continue working on mastering the strike zone. The difference in facing Double-A hitters and Triple-A hitters isn’t great – and actually very similar to the difference between Low-A and High-A ball hitters.

Montero has already mastered the strike zone. Montero is already a great pitcher.

He needs a few more starts in Double-A, but if he continues this dominance then you bump Montero straight to Flushing with no layovers in Vegas.

Why send this dynamite talent to a notorious hitter’s league?

There are no written rules that say that a pitcher needs X number of starts at Double-A, followed by X number of starts at Triple-A before they are ready for big league action. A pitcher tells you when they are ready by showing sheer dominance, and that is exactly what Montero has shown.

I still find it funny that Metsblog had Montero labeled as “raw” during spring training. Raw pitchers do not have a 27:1 strikeout to walk ratios. I guess “raw” is a term to use when an analyst has never heard of a guy and has no clue what they are looking at. Montero is not raw, he may be the most polished pitcher in the entire Mets system right now. Going back to his last season, the fireballing righty has struck out 137 batters while walking only 20.

Had Wheeler shown this dominance at any level, then we would be having the same discussion about him. However, Wheeler is a “thrower” at this point, using his overpowering stuff to get hitters out, but he hasn’t mastered the art of pitching yet. When he does master it, watch out.

Montero’s stuff is electric – Wheeler’s stuff is better. That’s a scary thought.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York (who else), posted the full details of the deal the Mets signed with Shaun Marcum. The one-year deal guarantees him $4 million as well knew, but here’s the breakdown of the other $4 million he can earn with incentives:

– $250,000 apiece for reaching 120, 140, 160 and 170 innings.

– $375,000 apiece for reaching 180 and 190 innings.

– $500,0000 for reaching 200 innings.

– $375,000 apiece for 90 and 120 days on active roster, or on disabled list for injury unrelated to his right arm.

– $500,000 apiece for being on active roster or DL for injury unrelated to right arm for 150 and 170 days. (The major league season is 183 days.)

Marcun tossed 52 pitches over five scoreless innings in an extended spring training game yesterday in St. Lucie. He’s on target to make his Mets debut on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Rubin says that Marcum will most likely will be capped at 90 pitches.

Remember, Marcum was supposed to replace the 200 innings we lost in R.A. Dickey. Nobody expected him to replace what the reigning Cy Young did last season, but Marcum was being relied upon to be an innings eater for the team despite missing a good chunk of the season with arm troubles last season.

Since arriving to camp in February, he has dealt with one ailment or another ranging from weak shoulder, neck pain and biceps tendinitis.

So far, he is already out of the running for the $500K bonus for being on the active roster for 170 days. That ship has already sailed.

I think it’s a safe bet to say he won’t pitch more than 160 innings this season which wipes out another half dozen of those incentives.

My question is this…

If Marcum was supposed to replace Dickey’s innings as stated by Sandy Alderson after he signed him, why then did he need all those incentives to simply achieve that end?

It appears to me that Alderson had some deep and abiding concerns about whether marcum could even pitch 100 innings, hence all these incentives. So why give him $4 million guaranteed in the first place?

Why didn’t we invest the $8 million he apparently was willing to commit on a less riskier starting pitcher who was a proven innings eater that didn’t have the injury concerns that Marcum had?

Throw in the fact that Johan Santana was still incommunicado on January when Marcum was signed and nobody knew if Johan would be ready to pitch in Spring Training. And I do mean nobody.

All I’m saying is that we could have put our money (what little of it we had) on a safer bet.

Thank God for Matt Harvey and Jon Niese or the Mets placing in the NL East standings would be much more different right now. Those two alone have accounted for seven of the Mets nine wins.

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.

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.

Alderson insisted that the team had to show the kind of selectivity at the plate that has been a hallmark of the general manager’s career.

As a result, the Mets are seeing 156.11 pitches per game in 2013, up from 145.82 in 2012, according to Puma.

That increase is being attributed to the team shunning the offensive philosophy that saw them struggle in the second half of last season, or so they say.

“It’s getting a good pitch to hit, and these guys are sorting through the pitches they are seeing to get something to hit,” Alderson explained to Puma.

“That approach is what really made us successful offensively in 2011 and the first half of 2012, and then we lost the approach. We couldn’t generate any offense in the second half of last year.”

The Mets have been doing surprisingly well, but is it a case of the philosophy or playing less than elite teams, or a combination of both?

Daniel Murphy, to use one example, seems to be much more aggressive at the plate than David Wright, and is enjoying a great start to his season.

I think 11 games into the season is not enough of a sample size to make any real determination, and if not for John Buck‘s tremendous exploits at the plate, things would be much different in the standings.

As I stated before the season started, the Mets had an easy schedule for most of April and so far they’ve  won series against the Padres, Marlins and Twins, while losing a series to the much more superior Phillies among those teams. That was something I hoped they would do and expected going into the season.

Lets see how they do against the Nationals, Dodgers and Phillies during the next homestand that begins on Friday. And lets see what happens when Buck comes back to earth. We’ll know a lot more about this team, the outfield, and the rotation by the early part of May.

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.

MATT HARVEY: TRUE BLUE METS PHENOM!

Starting Lineup

1. Kirk Nieuwenhuis CF
2. Daniel Murphy 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. Marlon Byrd RF
6. Lucas Duda LF
7. John Buck C
8. Ruben Tejada SS
9. Matt Harvey RHP

Game Notes

David Wright played his 61st consecutive game without an error yesterday, extending the franchise record for third basemen…It is also the longest current errorless streak by a third baseman in the majors.

John Buck is tied for the National League lead with nine RBI…Buck tied a team record with nine RBI in his first five games with the team…Mike Jacobs also had nine RBI in his first five games with the club in 2005…Buck did not record his ninth RBI until May 13 (in his 25th game) last year.

Daniel Murphy ad five RBI in the three-game series vs. Miami, including two home runs, including a solo blast on Sunday… Murphy did not hit his second home run of the season last year until June 27 (his 74th game when he actually hit first two home runs of the year at Wrigley Field)…Murphy has collected an extra-base hit in three consecutive games.

Mets starting outfield of Collin Cowgill, Lucas Duda and Mike Baxter combined to go 0-for-10 on Sunday, but Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Marlon Byrd delivered clutch hits off the bench in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Mets to a 4-3 walk-off win.

This season, Mets starters have combined to post a 1.98 ERA (five earned runs/36.1 innings pitched), ranking second in the majors behind Los Angeles-NL (1.32)…Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, Dillon Gee, Jeremy Hefner and Aaron Laffey have combined for 31 strikeouts in the club’s first six contests, the sixth-most among National League clubs.

New York’s bullpen tossed 4.2 scoreless innings yesterday to help preserve the win…The Mets has a 3.57 ERA (seven earned runs/17.2 innings), ranking 15th in the majors. Scott Rice earned his first major league victory yesterday, pitching a scoreless inning…Rice spent 14 years in the minors prior to this year.

Game Preview

The Mets start their first road series of the year in Philadelphia tonight. The Mets are fresh off of winning their first two series of year for the first time since 2006 and their first walk off win of the year. Aaron Laffey allowed a lot of hits in the first 4.1 innings and somehow only 3 earned runs. The bullpen took over after that and didn’t allow a single run and the Mets were able to stage a rally in the ninth inning. The Phillies have gotten off to a rocky start dropping their first two series of year with a 2-4 record. Tonight Matt Harvey looks to repeat his first performance as he goes up against Roy Halladay.

Matt Harvey picked up the win in his first start not allowing any runs in 7.0 innings while striking out 10 batters and only walking 2. Last season he was 3-5 over 10 starts and 59.1 innings. Last season he faced the Phillies twice, picking up a win in 13.1 innings of work allowing only 3 earned runs while walking 5 batters and striking out 13. The Phillies have the following numbers against Harvey:

Howard 0-5
Rollins 2-5, 2B, HR
Utley 1-5
Mayberry 0-5
Nix 1-3, 2B
Brown 0-2

The Mets batters look to do battle with Roy Halladay tonight who could be in a rough spot. He struggled early on Spring Training and it looks like some of his pitches have become flat. That struggle (11 ER in 16.1 innings at Spring Training) continued into the season as Roy allowed 5 ER over 3.1 innings against the Braves. He only pitched against the Mets once last year allowing 2 ER over 7 innings, and he normally does well against the Mets who have the following numbers against Halladay:

Wright 4-24, 2B, 3B
Buck 4-22
Davis 5-22, 2B
Byrd 5-16, 2 2B, 3B
Duda 0-9
Murphy 2-9
Tejada 0-8

Let’s Go Mets!

Mets Lineup

1. Collin Cowgill CF
2. Daniel Murphy 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. Mike Baxter RF
6. Lucas Duda LF
7. Ruben Tejada SS
8. Anthony Recker C
9. Aaron Laffey LHP

Game Notes

The Mets optioned RHP Jeurys Familia to Triple-A Las Vegas. They also moved Johan Santana to the 60-day disabled list and removed him from the 40-man roster. The Mets will make a corresponding move tomorrow.

David Wright has now played 60 consecutive games without an error after Saturday’s win against the Marlins. He continues to extend the franchise record which was once held by Lenny Randle who played in 54 consecutive games without an error during the 1978 season.

John Buck contributed four RBIs and Daniel Murphy produced a tiebreaking triple in the seventh that plated Mike Baxter as the Mets beat the Marlins, 7-3, Saturday. He will get his first day off today and a well deserved rest. He has an NL-leading nine RBI’s through his first five games.

Terry Collins said the outfield won’t be as consistent as predicted only a week earlier. Baxter, who reached base three times and scored twice while batting in the leadoff spot, should start again Monday against Halladay in Philly, according to the manager. The outfield will be in flux most of this season and you can call it an outfield by committee.

Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton tallied a pair of singles in Saturday’s loss to the Mets. The base knocks boosted his batting average to .222 (4-for-18), though the right fielder is still in search of his first homer of the year.

Game Preview

The Mets find themselves in a rubber game situation today as they bounced back from a two game slide yesterday. In their last game, the Mets and Marlins traded runs until it was a 3-3 game. After that, the Mets scored 4 unanswered run, 3 in a rally. The difference for the Mets in yesterday’s game was timely hitting and being aggressive on the base paths. Twice in one inning, a Mets runner stole second, forced a bad throw/reception and was able to move ahead to third base. Both of those runners would score. Today at Citi-Field, Aaron Laffey will be making his Mets debut as he faces Marlins phenom Jose Fernandez.

Fernandez, 20, will make his big league debut on Sunday, despite having never pitched at a level above Class A. The right-hander, ranked No. 7 on MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospect List, was the Marlins’ first-round Draft selection in 2011 and was selected after the Mets took Brandon Nimmo with the previous pick. He’ll be the youngest hurler in team history to appear in a game.

Aaron Laffey was with the Blue Jays last year where he had a 4.56 ERA over 20 games, 16 starts and 100.2 innings. In that stretch he walked 37 batters and struck out 48. For the Mets in Spring Training, he allowed 12 runs over 4 games. This is his first time in his career being on a National League team, thus it is also his first time facing the Marlins. The has faced a few batters on the Marlins roster:

Kotchman 9-12, 4 2B
Polanco 4-12, 2B
Olivo 2-10, 2B
Pierre 0-5

The Mets will be facing one of the prized prospects in the Marlins organization, Jose Fernandez. Baseball America ranks him as the #5 prospect in baseball and MLB.com ranks him as #7 (between d’Arnaud and Wheeler). Most people, basically everyone, expected to see Fernandez in the major leagues some time next year, maybe at the end of this year. However, the Marlins are going to do what the Marlins do and promoted the 20 year old phenom to the majors without reaching AA. Over 25 starts last year between low A and high A (or A and A Advanced, whatever it’s called now), Fernandez was 14-1 with a 1.75 ERA over 133.0 innings. In that time, he walked only 35 batters and struck out 155. He only pitched 2 innings in official spring training games this spring, allowing 1 hit, no runs and striking out 2. Today will be an interesting day.

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