No big news coming out of St. Lucie today, just the regular drills and more “ITBSOML” stories. But when it comes to our team, no news is good news, right? 😉
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Andy McCullough passed this along and I thought it was worth noting.
“I’ve now heard a few Mets officials talking up right-hander Cory Mazzoni, the club’s second-round pick last June. Mazzoni looked excellent during a brief debut last season, striking out six batters for every one he walked in Class-A Brooklyn and St. Lucie.”
Mazzoni was one of those prospects that was invited to Mets STEP camp where most of the organization’s top prospects are now working out. The Mets regulars were going to get a chance to see these kids in a game that was originally scheduled for Sunday between the regular players and the top prospects, but Terry Collins nixed that idea. He felt it was more important for him to have his team play an intrasquad game so the regulars could get more playing time before the Spring Opener on March 5th. Looks like someone’s got his priorities in order.
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Did you get a look at that deal the St. Louis Cardinals gave Yadier Molina last night? Their All Star catcher cashed in to the tune of $75 million dollars for 5 years. This past season, Molina set career highs in batting average (.305), homers (14), RBIs (65), slugging percentage (.465) and OPS (.814). Still, that’s a lot of escarole for a catcher who will be 30 when this deal kicks in during the 2013 season.
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Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has suffered a setback in his recovery from Achilles surgery and will be sidelined indefinitely following a procedure to clean an infection from his original wound. They had to reopen the original wound because it had become infected. When asked if the setback was would be days or weeks, the surgeon said, “I truly don’t know that answer.” All together now Mets fans… AWWWW…
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The biggest draw in Mets camp so far is not Ike Davis, or David Wright or Matt Harvey. Believe it or not it’s Lucas Duda who draws a crowd whenever it’s his turn in the batting cage. Besides fans who try to get a glimpse of the Mets big slugger, teammates and coaches stop what they’re doing to watch as well. This kid’s special.
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From the files of Oops I Did It Again, second base prospect Reese Havens hasn’t participated in workouts for a few days and now we know why. According to David Lennon Havens is nursing a sore back. Now 25, Havens has been hampered by side and back issues since he was drafted the same year as Ike Davis in 2008. He has been limited to only 213 professional games over four seasons, and underwent surgery last year to remove an inch of a rib, which was believed to be the cause of his back problems. This is getting old…
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Gary Cohen arrived in St. Lucie and made his way to Digital Domain Park this morning. It must be getting closer to March 5th when the Mets take on the Nationals in their Grapefruit League opener which will be aired on SNY. Here’s the Mets’ Spring Training viewing schedule:
Have a great day!
