The Mets announced the signings of two pitchers to minor league deals with invites to Spring Training, Scott Rice and Carlos Torres. Additionally, VP of amateur scouting Paul DePodesta tweeted that the Mets have signed outfielder Jamie Hoffman to a similar minor league deal.
Rice, 31, a 1999 first-round Draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles, has never made it to the majors but has 14 years experience in the Minors and independent leagues (including in 2008 with the Long Island Ducks). He pitched last season for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes, posting a 4.40 ERA and nine saves in 54 games.
Torres, 30, drafted originally by the White Sox organization, made 31 relief appearances for the Colorado Rockies in 2012, posting a 5.26 ERA. As for his time in the minors this year, Torres had much more success in Triple-A for the Colorado Springs, going 5-4 with a 3.98 ERA to boot over 13 starts and lone relief outing.
As for Jamie Hoffman, 28, he was signed by the Dodgers in 2003 as an undrafted amateur free agent and spent last year with the Orioles at the Triple-A level. Hoffman hit .254 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 366 at-bats for the Norfolk Tides in 2012. Although what probably appealed most the Mets organization was his walks, Hoffman has a career .286/.356/.419 line in eight season in the minors, averaging around 45-55 walks per year over roughly 400 at-bats.
Personally, I really like the Hoffman signing, He has pop, can walk, and can steal 10-15 bases per year. As was stated before, all have invites to Spring Training, so keep an eye on them to see if they can make a run to break camp with the big club.
