The New York Yankees continue to remain active on the trade front. Joel Sherman of the New York Post was the first to report that the team sent Chase Headley back to the San Diego Padres along with pitcher Bryan Mitchell. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Yankees will receive Jabari Blash in return.

The Yankees have been trying to clear salary since acquiring Giancarlo Stanton and Headley’s $13 million salary certainly fits the bill.

Headley will be heading back to where he started his career and played from 2007-2014. He also had his best season of his career there in which he posted a .286/.376/.498 slash line while hitting 31 home runs and driving in 115 runs in 2012.

While his career has been a far cry from that since, he did deliver solid production in the second half last year as he had a .300/.366/.455 slash line with eight homers and 25 RBI.

Mitchell, meanwhile, has a 4.94 career ERA in 48 games (nine starts) to go along with a 1.62 WHIP and .292 average against him.

The return of Blash is underwhelming, as a salary dump would lead one to expect, as he has a .213/.333/.341 slash line for his career to go along with 100 strikeouts in only 235 at-bats.

This deal leaves a vacancy at third base and could potentially open the door for a Todd Frazier reunion, as Bryan Hotch of MLB.com speculates.

On the Padres front, this leaves opens up the possibility for other trades according to Rosenthal. The Padres could now move an infielder such as Yangervis Solarte, Carlos Asuaje, Ryan Schimpf, or Cory Spangenberg.

The post Yankees Trade Chase Headley Back to San Diego appeared first on Metsmerized.

Questionable early exits of two opposing pitchers made for Monday morning quarterbacking Tuesday night in the Bronx.

New York managed to tie the series 2-2 with a 6-4 win, but not without a lot of head scratching from this lifelong baseball fan.

Yankee starter Sonny Gray was in the midst of a stellar performance matching the equally impressive outing of Astros all-star Lance McCullers.

After walking the leadoff batter in the sixth, a catcher’s interference put runners on first and second, provoking a jittery Joe Girardi to relieve Gray for the very reliable David Robertson. Mind you, at this point, the righty had relinquished one hit on a total of 85 pitches.

Robertson lost the battle with the first batter, a walk to Jose Altuve to load the bases. Carlos Correa went down swinging on an 85 mph curve, but Yuli Gurriel laced the 32-year-old’s slower offering to left for a bases-clearing double. Gurriel got greedy and was gunned down at third by Didi Gregorius’s relay to Todd Frazier. Alex Bregman ended the rally with an infield ground out.

McCullers was still sharp in the bottom frame, retiring the side in order. Houston made it four-zip off a double by Marwin Gonzalez, who scored on an error by Starlin Castro as he lost his footing trying to field a bad hop ground ball from Brian McCann.

In the seventh, Aaron Judge jacked a solo shot to center, sending Astros skipper A.J. Hinch to the mound to give McCullers the hook – a move that may haunt him forever.

“He was throwing the ball great at the end of his outing,” Hinch said of McCullers, “and we got him out after the one pitch. We had the pocket for Devenski with the two lefthanded hitting guys.”

Chris Devenski in relief made a mess of McCullers’ masterpiece, surrendering a triple to Gregorius and a sac fly to Gary Sanchez, cutting Houston’s lead in half. Joe Musgrove came out of the pen to put out the fire retiring Castro and Aaron Hicks via a ground out and fly ball to right.

Shane Greene, money throughout the regular and postseason, retired the Astros in the top of the eighth in order.

Musgrove returned from a previous inning well done, but as soon as Frazier lined a sharp leadoff single to left, you just knew that the series was heading back to Houston. And if you had any doubt, it was immediately erased when Chase Headley hit a pinch-hit single to left, advancing Frazier to third, taking second on a botched rundown.

With no outs and two runners in scoring position, closer Ken Giles became the third Houston hurler to try and stop the comeback bleeding, but New York wasn’t in a conceding state of mind. Brett Gardner got the baby bombers within one scoring Frazier on a ground out to second. Then Judge, the rookie who makes everyone in Yankee Stadium rise, doubled deep to left making it a 4-4 game.

“They were very patient at the plate,” Giles said. “They stayed off some good pitches. It wasn’t because we were unraveling as much as it was they were slowly driving us into the ground.”

Gregorius singled, and Sanchez, who sat this one out behind the plate, delivered in front of it with a go ahead two-run double, which held up after Aroldis Chapman picked up the save with a perfect ninth.

“There’s no doubt the crowd had an effect on the game,” Astros DH Carlos Beltran said. “This place is loud, same as it was in Houston.”

All I can say, it’s beginning to look a lot like Cleveland, or worse yet for Houston, New York redemption for being humiliated in 2004 by Boston.

The post Epic Comeback By Yankees Ties Up Series With ‘Stros appeared first on Metsmerized.

When it comes to Steven Matz, two things are clear: he has a history of injuries and he is a talented pitcher.

The 25-year-old had Tommy John Surgery in 2010; a year after he was drafted by the Mets. During his first season with the big-league club in 2015 he was placed on the disabled list for a partially torn left lat muscle, dealt with a blister, and was sidelined with back spasms and back discomfort. A year later he had a shoulder impingement, was placed on the disabled list for left shoulder tightness, and was treated for bone spurs.

Even with all those injuries he has managed to pitch well in his 28 career starts. He has gone 13-8 with a 3.16 ERA, 1.214 WHIP, and 163 strikeouts in 168 innings pitched. This past May 25, Matz won his seventh game in row and stood among elite company at 7-1 with a 2.36 ERA. He has definitely shown some signs of brilliance at the major league level.

If Matz stays healthy in 2017, the sky could be the limit for the southpaw. Staying healthy is his goal and he has taken a different approach as of late.

“I try to take all aspects of it, nutrition, strength conditioning and the baseball work,’’ Matz told reporters at Tradition Field on Wednesday. “I don’t think there is one thing that has caused me to get hurt the past couple of years, it’s just the way it is, but I think I can learn some things from last year.”

Matz is eating healthy, receiving massage therapy, and taking anti-inflammatories every once in a while.

Jacob deGrom joined his friend Matz in Port St. Lucie and both pitchers took advantage of the Mets TrackMan system. This system is analytical software which tracks a pitcher’s delivery.

For Matz, taking one day at a time is key.

“I don’t try to put any numbers on it,” Matz also said to reporters Wednesday. “I realize it’s most beneficial if I focus on what you’re doing today, then with that mindset, just go out and do what you got to do. All the preparation you did to get there should take care of itself.”

And preparation he did. Aside from the natural approach he took in terms of diet, he also worked out with fellow major leaguers Logan Forsythe, Ben Zobrist, and Chase Headley.

Mets fans can only hope that 2017 is Matz’ healthiest year to date. If so, it may be something special.

The post Steven Matz Eyes Healthy 2017 appeared first on Metsmerized.

In every organization, there are players that fly under the radar despite consistently producing at a high level in the minor leagues. Once these players reach minor league free agency, they are finally given a chance to replicate their minor league success in bigs. Last year, utility man Yangervis Solarte broke camp as the Yankees starting third baseman and was eventually dealt to San Diego for former All-Star Chase Headley.

This year, Allan Dykstra could be the next no-name prospect to rise to major league relevance.

Despite never really generating much buzz in the prospect world, Dykstra was consistently one of the top hitters in the Mets organization over the last few seasons. However, the Mets never acknowledged Dykstra’s solid performances or rewarded him with big league playing time. They repeated the lefty in Double-A for three straight seasons (even though he posted an OPS above .840 his first two years in Double-A) and failed to call him up to Queens despite his .930 OPS in 439 Triple-A plate appearances last year.

Unfortunately for the Mets, their inaction caused this underrated prospect to sign with the Tampa Bay Rays following the 2014 season. Dykstra, in the prime of his career at 27-years-old, has a real chance to open the 2015 season as the backup to James Loney at Tropicana Field.

The Rays may have gotten the steal of the minor league offseason, as their brand-new first baseman was excellent at the minor league’s highest level in 2014. Dykstra’s 2014 performance earned him a spot on MiLB.com’s Mets Organizational All-Stars list. He slashed a 280/.426/.504 line with Triple-A Las Vegas, and it was the fourth straight season that he posted above a 140 a wRC+. That means that he’s created 40% more runs than the league average ballplayer over last four years. Those are the kinds of players you just can’t let hit the open market.

In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find a season in which Dyskstra struggled in the Mets organization. After being traded to New York, the first baseman never batted below .261, posted an OPS less than .830, or drove in fewer than 74 RBI over a full season.

Furthermore, the former Padre first-rounder never reached base at lower than a .389 clip in his pro career, demonstrating that his power and contact tools stack up well against the minor league’s best competition.

Dykstra’s vulnerability to the strikeout is one of the few areas where he can legitimately be criticized; the lowest strikeout percentage he’s posted in his pro career was 22.1%. However, Dykstra counters this high-strikeout rate with a stellar eye at the plate. In 2014, he swung at only 9% of pitches outside the zone and he has averaged a 20% walk rate since 2012.

Considering the philosophy the Mets try to impose on their young hitters, it’s surprising Dykstra wasn’t given a chance at the big league level. He profiles as the typical moneyball player; he has solid power, an excellent batting eye, and would be playing at the major league minimum for the next few seasons.

There’s one clear reason why the Mets didn’t resign Dykstra; Lucas Duda emerged as a huge power-hitting threat in their lineup. However, while I believe Duda will continue to build on his success in 2015, having a quality power bat off the bench that also provides injury insurance is a valuable commodity. Should Lucas Duda get injured or even revert to his pre-2014 struggles, the Mets would have to shift Daniel Murphy to first, Wilmer Flores to second, and move Ruben Tejada to short as a probable contingency plan.

While Dykstra is a relatively unknown major league quantity, he has nonetheless averaged a solid .858 OPS in his first five professional seasons. He will finally get a chance to make a big league roster during 2015 Spring Training with the Rays. And if his minor league numbers are even somewhat indicative of his major league performance, the underrated slugger from California will maximize his opportunity and find a home in Tampa Bay.

Watch out. By midseason 2015, we could be talking about Allan Dykstra as the steal of the minor league offseason signings.

“I was in San Diego when he was drafted,” said Sandy Alderson last season. “A couple of us were involved in trading for him from San Diego to bring him here. He has had a great season, and he has approached the game, offensively, the way the organization hopes to approach the game at the major-league level.”

Should anything happen to Lucas Duda, the Mets could regret not retaining Dykstra after years invested in developing his skills.

The post Allan Dykstra Could Surprise For Rays This Season appeared first on Metsmerized.

With Pablo Sandoval landing in Boston and Chase Headley‘s market heating up, I wonder if the teams who miss out on both players would eventually have interest in our own Daniel Murphy. Offensively speaking, the differences in production between Sandoval, Headley and Murphy is negligible. Headley is the best defender of the three and also had a monster 2012 for his case while Sandoval has been the most consistent.

If Scott Boras was Murphy’s agent, he would point out to teams that not only do his offensive numbers match Sandoval’s, but Murphy is also quite capable of playing both 2B and 3B and that the only reason his defense is rated lower is because he is not a full time third baseman – his primary position. Whether this argument would hold any weight is beyond me, but it does make you wonder if Murphy could be as good as Sandoval at 3B.

Here are three scenarios I was thinking about, assuming we acquire a SS and move Wilmer Flores to 2B.

San Francisco Giants

Jeremy Affeldt or Javier Lopez and Adalberto Mejia (B+ prospect) for Murphy and Gonzalez Germen or Cory Mazzoni or Logan Verrett or Tyler Pill

Toronto Blue Jays

Brett Cecil or Aaron Loup and Daniel Norris (B+ prospect) for Murphy and one of Germen, Mazzoni, Verrett, Pill

Oakland A’s

Sean Doolittle or Fernando Abad or Eric O’Flaherty and Dillon Overton (B- prospect) for Murphy and and one of Germen, Mazzoni, Verrett, Pill

All three trades follow the same formula, acquire a lefty reliever and a lefty pitching prospect for Murphy and one of our AAA arms. The reliever helps us immediately this year and sends one of our many fringe AAA arms away. Adding another LHP to the upper minors also shores up depth behind Steven Matz, in case Jon Niese is dealt.

What other teams would you like to see the Mets trade Murphy to?

*This article was written before Josh Donaldson was traded to Toronto. It appears TOR has no intention of parting with Daniel Norris. 

The post Some Daniel Murphy Trade Scenarios appeared first on Metsmerized.

Yonder Alonso set a Padres rookie record with 39 doubles last season.

Series Preview

The Mets begin their 2013 season against the San Diego Padres, who they will face off in a three-game series at Citi Field. It’s the beginning of a rather easy April schedule for the Mets, whose April opponents posted just a .476 winning percentage last season.

The Padres are in rebuilding mode, but may be a sleeper team this season, even in the ever-more-difficult National League West. They struggled big time on offense, batting just .234 as a team in the first half. Missing Carlos Quentin for the first two months of the year, they didn’t have a big power threat in their lineup. They were 28th in ISO before the All-Star break, while also ranking 29th in wOBA and 26th in wRC+. Their pitching staff, which ranked 12th in ERA for the first half, just couldn’t produce enough to make up for the struggles on offense.

The second half was a different story for San Diego, however, as they turned it around drastically and found themselves playing above .500. Why did they start playing better? Simply put, they were scoring more runs. They went 17-35 in April in May because they were only scoring 3.2 runs per game. With Chase Headley, their only threat, ice cold in the first half, they had no offense. However in the second half, with the infusion of Carlos Quentin back into the lineup, and a historic resurgence by Headley, they scored about 4.6 runs per game. That, combined with their pitching staff holding steady allowed them to go 42-33 in the second half, compared to just 34-53 in the first.

Series Matchups

Game 1:

Jon Niese (190.1 IP , 3.16 K/BB, 113 ERA+) vs. Edinson Volquez (182.2 IP, 1.66 K/BB, 88 ERA+)

Volquez, 28, has had an up-and-down career to say the least. In 2008, he had a sensational year for the Reds in his first full season in the big leagues. He posted an ERA of 3.21 over 32 starts and finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting (in any other year, he would have won the award). A few injury-plagued seasons, however, and he ended up in San Diego after being dealt for Mat Latos. He had his best season since 2008, but command issues held him back. He posted a dreadful 5.2 BB/9 rate last year and walked a league-high 105 batters. In the minors, he had never posted high walk numbers, but since that 2008 season, they have been glaringly high.

Game 2:

Matt Harvey (59.1 IP, 2.69 K/BB, 141 ERA+) vs. Clayton Richard (218.2 IP, 2.55 K/BB, 91 ERA+)

Richard had another solid season for the Padres last year, settling in as the steady rock of the rotation at ge 28, and going over the 200 inning mark for the second time in his career. Two things to know about Richard: he doesn’t strike out many batters and he gives up a ton of home runs. He struck out 4.4 batters per nine innings last year, even lower than his career 5.7 K/9 rate. He also gave up a league-high 31 home runs. Keep in mind that he made 14 of his 33 starts at Petco Park, one of the toughest ballparks in the majors for home run hitters.

Game 3:

Dillon Gee (109.2 IP, 3.34 K/BB, 94 ERA+) vs. Eric Stults (99 IP, 2.04 K/BB, 128 ERA+)

Stultz had a very good season for the Padres after jumping into their rotation mid-season. He was claimed off the waiver wire from the White Sox in May, and proved to be a good pickup for San Diego with an impressive second half. He pitched in 18 games for San Diego and made 14 starts, in which he posted a 2.92 ERA. He is another guy who doesn’t strike out many, with a career K/9 rate of 5.0.

Series News & Notes

• The Padres will be without Chase Headley, who is out for a few more weeks. He was the driving force of the Padres’ second half success, hitting .308/.386/.592 with 23 home runs, 11 doubles, and seven stolen bases in only 75 games. He ended up finishing fifth in the NL MVP voting after hitting just .267/.368/.413 with eight home runs in 86 first half games.
• San Diego will also be missing starting second baseman Logan Forsythe, who is out with plantar fasciitis. He hit .273/.343/.390 with six homers, eight stolen bases, and three triples in 91 games.
• Watch out for Luke Gregerson and Huston Street in the back end of the San Diego bullpen. Gregerson finished with a 2.39 ERA in 71.2 innings last season while Street, the primary closer, saved 23 games and had a 1.85 ERA in 39 innings.
• Niese will be the third different starting pitcher in as many years for the Mets, and just the second pitcher other than Johan Santana to start the first game of the regular season since 2007. Santana opened from 2008-10, Mike Pelfrey got the nod in 2011, and Santana pitched Opening Day again last year.
• Padre third base prospect Jedd Gyorko will be making his major league debut. Gyorko was ranked the 50th best prospect in baseball by MLB.com and 71th by Baseball America. He hit .311/.373/.547 with 30 home runs and 28 doubles in 126 games between San Diego’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates last season.
• After losing their first eight Opening Day contests, the Mets have won 33 of their last 43 Opening Day games…New York took nine straight openers from 1975-1983 to tie a major league record…The Mets have won six of their last seven openers and are 9-4 in their last 13…The Mets shut out Atlanta, 1-0, on Opening Day last year.
• Today is the third time the Mets will host Opening Day at Citi Field…New York is 2-0, winning last year and topping the Marlins, 7-1, in 2010…The Mets are 19-2 in their last 21 Opening Days at home and 19-7 overall when starting the season at home.
• David Wright has at least one hit in every Home Opener since making his first Opening Day roster in 2005…Wright is hitting .375 (12-32) with three home runs and nine RBI on Opening Day…Wright is making his ninth Opening Day start today, tying him for the third-most in team history with Jerry Grote and Howard Johnson…Only Tom Seaver (11) and Bud Harrelson (11) have started more Opening Days in franchise history.

The post Series Preview: San Diego Padres vs New York Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.

March is fantasy baseball draft month, and with only a week left, leagues are beginning to finalize and finish their drafts. The fantasy baseball season officially kicks off on Opening Day, which is a little over a week away. Over the past week or two, a number of high caliber players have gone down. Here is some injury news to be aware of as you head into the final week of drafting, as some of the injured players may start the season on the disabled list.

Hanley Ramirez
Ramirez needs surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and will be out for eight weeks. He injured himself in the World Baseball Classic championship game against Puerto Rico. The eight week timetable puts him at a possible mid-to-late May return, but more likely early June.

Advice: Hanley’s fantasy value obviously takes a massive hit. Luis Cruz appears to be the leading candidate at shortstop, with Dee Gordon still a possibility as well.

Chase Headley
The Padres’ third baseman is out with a small fracture on the tip of his left thumb. The estimated time for his return to action is 4-6 weeks, which could mean a possible, early May return.

Advice: Headley will likely slip in drafts, and if he is still sitting there in round five you may want to consider scooping him up. Headley finally hit on his potential in 2012; I would grab him and stash him on your DL until he is ready.

Mark Teixeira
The first baseman has an to the tendon sheath in his right wrist, which is the same ailment Jose Bautista dealt with last year, which required surgery.  GM Brian Cashman recently estimated that Teixeira has about a 70 percent chance of avoiding surgery. If he has an operation, it would end his season.

Advice: Teixeira will likely not return until June at the earliest.  Keep in mind if you draft him, you are taking a chance, because if he ends up needing surgery, he will likely be done for the season. Kevin Youkilis has seen time at first base this spring, as well as Juan Rivera.

Zack Greinke
The righty threw 43 pitches over four scoreless innings in a minor league game Wednesday, and following the outing stated that his arm “felt really good… It felt strong.” With only two more exhibition outings scheduled, on March 25 and 30, he could potentially line up to make his Dodgers’ regular season debut on April 5.

Advice: I would draft Greinke as you had originally planned. He is on a powerhouse team, and appears to be healthy enough to start the season. Worst-case scenario is that the Dodgers take a cautious approach with their hefty investment, and he misses a couple starts to begin the season.

Albert Pujols
Prince Albert is recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee, as well as dealing with plantar fasciitis. He said he felt “great” during his first spring start at first base on Tuesday, and at this point it appears he should be firing on all cylinders come Opening Day.

Advice: The Angels would rest Pujols for the remainder of the spring, if it meant he would be ready to go on Opening Day. Right now, he is easing back into action, which is a good sign. As long as the knee is healthy, he will be good to go. He has dealt with the plantar fasciitis for the last 6-7 years.

David Ortiz
The lefty slugger is still dealing with a heel issue and is slated to begin the season on the disabled list. Right now, there is no clear timetable on when he will be ready to go.

Advice: Big Papi cancelled a scheduled batting practice on Wednesday, and it appears that once he comes off the disabled list, he will need a rehab stint. Anticipate him coming off the DL by mid-April, at the earliest, followed by a week or two rehab, which puts Ortiz at a possible late April, or early May return.

Derek Jeter
The Yankees captain will not appear in another Grapefruit League game this spring due to his balky ankle. The Bronx Bombers want to have the ability to backdate a disabled list stint if he is not ready to go on Opening Day. In the meantime, Jeter is expected to play in games on the minor league side of camp at some point next week. Not playing in major league games gives the Yankees the ability to backdate his DL stint if need be.

Advice: Anticipate a 15-day DL stint to start the season. The Yankees will not rush their captain, and risk losing him for a longer period, especially with all the injuries they currently have to key players.

Carl Crawford
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said earlier in the week that he believes Carl Crawford will be ready for Opening Day. The speedy outfielder has finally progressed to live game action, and picked up a pair of hits and an RBI in Monday’s tilt with the Diamondbacks.

Advice: At this point, he has yet to play in the field, which is a hurdle that will need to be climbed before he’s cleared for Opening Day. I’m not so sure I share the same optimism as Colletti. I believe this is a rushed attempt to return for Opening Day, and I expect some DL time for Crawford this season.

Post any questions you may have regarding injuries or possible replacement players, and I will respond throughout the day. Check back on Monday as I will be posting about possible sleepers, closer battles, and some prospects to keep an eye on.

The post Fantasy Baseball Alert: Injury News To Know Before Your Draft appeared first on Metsmerized.

Headley was voted the top defensive third baseman in the National League by managers and coaches. He was never really considered a solid defender at the hot corner, but this season he was a regular on Web Gems and turned in a National League leading .976 fielding percentage among all third basemen.

It probably didn’t hurt Headley’s chances that he also had one of the best offensive seasons at third base, batting .286 with 31 home runs and a league leading 115 Runs Batted In. Even though offense shouldn’t matter, I believe managers and coaches are still swayed by it.

David Wright was also nominated along with Aramis Ramirez. It would have been nice to see Wright cop the award, but after a few disappointing defensive seasons leading up to 2012, I’m sure that came into play.

Wright finished the season with a .974 fielding percentage and showed some improved range and really flashed the leather all year long. It would be great to see him replicate this improvement next season.

Here are all the 2012 Gold Glove Winners:

The post Headley Edges Wright To Win First Gold Glove At Third Base appeared first on Metsmerized.

For a college baseball player with aspirations of one day playing in the Major Leagues, the junior year is the most important one to his stock in the June amateur draft. The worst thing that could happen would be to get hurt at this critical time. That is exactly what happened to Charley Thurber of the University of Tennessee Volunteers. Battling untimely injuries, he fell in the draft from a top 10 round pick last year, all the way to the 39th round. There the Mets were lucky enough to find him still available after 1181 players had been taken. Much to their delight they took him with the next pick and now find themselves with perhaps one of the best late round finds in the draft. I caught up with Charley right after New Years, and he was kind enough to take the time and answer some questions for our readers at MMO:

Petey: We are chatting today with Charley Thurber, last season’s starting right-fielder for the Brooklyn Cyclones. Thanks so much Charley for taking the time to talk to me and the readers at MetsMerizedOnline.com. I hope you had a nice holidays. When the Mets drafted you in the 39th round of the 2011 MLB Player Draft, out of the University of Tennessee, how did you first hear about it, and what was that feeling like? Did you know the Mets were interested in drafting you? What round(s) were you thinking you might be taken in the draft?

Charley: First of all, it is a blessing to be able to chase my dream of being a Major League ballplayer through the opportunity the Mets have given me. It was great to hear my name called by the Mets, a moment I will never forget. With that being said, this year was one of great turmoil for me. Injuries inhibited my ability to play last spring at Tennessee. Unfortunately, these injuries dropped my stock from likely hearing my name within the top-ten rounds of the draft. I started my junior campaign with high hopes and determination, playing with and through a torn oblique and a broken right hand, which I had sustained diving back into first on a pick-off attempt. I continued to play until I took a fastball to the left wrist, fracturing my ulna and leaving me in a cast for five weeks. Thus, I was not able to show the same tools or match the numbers that I had shown in my sophomore year at UT and in the Cape Cod league. Still, I was fortunate to be invited to some pre-draft workouts, including by the Mets, at CitiField, with the goal of showing scouts that I was healthy and still looking to sign after my junior year. Fortunately, I was able to perform for the Mets’ staff in Queens and was blessed to hear my name in the draft at all after the aforementioned injury-plagued spring. So as you can understand, I’ve entered professional baseball with a little something more to prove.

Petey: Wow that is really starting out in the professional ranks with some adversity to overcome. But you have an outstanding attitude, and with that perseverance and good health, you will get to where you want to be I am sure. Is there one person, a coach, a friend or family member, or even another player, who you learned the most from, or who inspired you to chase your dream of becoming a major league baseball player?

Charley: For as long as I can remember the only thing I wanted to do was play in the Major Leagues. I was blessed to have parents that guided me to what I love but never pushed me toward anything. So in a way, baseball was a passion of my own, and I have always been very self-motivated, but my parents have always been my biggest supporters providing for my opportunities for exposure and I can’t thank them enough for completely supporting my dream.

Petey: Great answer! You played 3 years of college baseball for the Volunteers. In college of course, you used aluminum bats, are you completely comfortable swinging wood now? You got off to a slow start once you got to Brooklyn, hitting .176 as of July 3rd. But by the end of the season your batting average was up to .271, and you were a major contributor from the beginning of July, and down the stretch run. Was it just a matter of getting your feet planted solidly, and feeling comfortable in pro ball, that helped you get the bat going?

Charley: I think it definitely took a week or two for me to get used to the grind of playing every day again, after sitting out so much this spring. Once I was able to re-establish a routine, in the cages, the weight-room, and on the field, I felt much more comfortable at the plate and in game situations. For some reason I have always liked swinging wood better than aluminum. A wood bat has always kept my swing honest and true, whereas with metal there is a tendency to try and over-swing and do too much. I think when I dropped below .300 in August, I was aware of it, and it somewhat prolonged a slump back into the .270’s but I am grateful I was able to experience both success and failure so I can learn from both.

Petey: The bio says you are a big guy, 6’4″ 220 lbs., and we know you swing from the left side, but the only time I had the chance to see you hit was when the Cyclones were at Hudson Valley on June 23rd, and although you had a 1-3 night with a single, you guys got worked over pretty good by Wilking Rodriguez and Drew Leary, and managed only a run and 5 hits in a 4-1 loss. If you could Charley, give us a scouting report on yourself as a hitter. What kind of swing you have, and is there any one, or more things that you need to work on? Has there been any particular coach that has helped you with your hitting this past season since joining the Mets organization?

Charley: I feel scouts see me as a hitter who is able to drive balls into the gaps and create backspin, while hitting for average as well. I have a simple approach to look for pitches out over the plate and drive them into the middle of the field. I am able to hit deep into counts, but I feel my power numbers would be helped by hitting earlier in the count as well. In Brooklyn, I really found success using the opposite field, especially considering the oceanic winds blowing in from right field. At times this hurt me though, because I sometimes looked to force the ball that way. This off-season my main emphases have been staying smooth and in rhythm in the box and continuing to keep my swing plane through the middle of the field. This season I was able to find great success against left-handed pitchers, and I really feel capitalizing on right-handers will help me take another step closer this season. I really enjoyed working with Bobby Malek on my hitting this summer. As a fellow left-handed hitting outfielder, Bobby was able to relate to me and helped me transition into my first pro summer. Rich Donnelly, and Frank Viola were also great supporters for me.

Petey: Are you strictly a right fielder? Or have the Mets discussed giving you some playing time at any other positions? With a good throwing arm being necessary to play RF, how would you rank your outfield throwing? What are you working on defensively going into next season? Is there a coach that was especially helpful to you in working on your defense this year at Brooklyn?

Charley: I feel that I am versatile enough to play all three outfield spots although I likely profile in a corner. Right now I prefer right field because I love helping the team with my arm and I feel comfortable there after playing there for the majority of my college years. I consider my arm to be very strong, and I believe the organization does as well. In fact, my arm is probably my most developed tool at the moment and I do feel that it profiles well in right. I was able to save some runs with it this summer. Bobby Malek and Jack Voigt were great instructors for outfielders this summer and in Instructional League. I definitely picked up a lot from each of them and I am continuing to work on all facets of my defensive game in my jumps, routes, footwork, and throwing accuracy. But in the end, I am willing to play anywhere to advance, even pitch!

Petey: A 6’4″ lefty coming out of the Mets bullpen throwing gas? How’s your off-speed stuff? Haha! Your first professional homerun was a huge hit for your team, a 2-run shot in the 4th inning off Bryan Mitchell, in a 12-5 playoff win against the evil Staten Island Yankees on Sept 9th. You had a monster day, going 3-6 with the dinger, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI’s. Way to go Charley! Was that your biggest day on a baseball field so far?

Charley: That was an awesome day for me! We had such a strong batting order this summer and a different person stepped up every day for us. In this game, I saw the ball well and was able to get some good hitter’s pitches because of the great hitters around me. Hitting my first pro home-run was a great feeling! Unfortunately, we couldn’t pull out the series. A tie for my biggest moment was playing in the All-Star game this summer after a rough spring. But this was definitely a special game that I’ll always remember as well.

Petey: You grew up in Elmira, NY. What was your favorite baseball team? Your favorite player? Is there a major league player, past or present, that you think you are similar to in style? Or someone that you can see yourself playing like someday in the majors?

Charley: Growing up my favorite team was the Mets! My favorite players were Ken Griffey Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero. Now I try to model myself after Josh Hamilton, but my former coach, Ash Lawson, always tells me I remind him of Paul O’Neill. To me I really want to be my own player and if I can be mentioned in the same sentence as a big leaguer in a few years, it doesn’t matter who, I’ll take it!

Petey: What are your goals for next season? And how do you prepare over the winter, can you describe your workout regimen? What do you like to do during your time off for fun and recreation?

Charley: Next season I feel I can improve my OPS. In doing so, I can produce more runs for my team from both the batter’s box and on the bases. As I said earlier, I look to capitalize more on right-handers this season as well. This off-season I have been back in Knoxville, TN, at UT, working out with Herman Demmink of 3D Performance. We have been going through intense workouts focused on explosion, power, fast-twitch speed/quickness, and durability. I’ve had the pleasure to be working alongside a number of my former teammates from UT who are also in the professional ranks, including fellow Met and Volunteer, Blake Forsythe. We are enjoying working with a number of current major leaguers like Joe Nathan, Nate McClouth, and fellow Tennessee Volunteers Chase Headley, Mike Lincoln, and Luke Hochevar. Herman has a thorough, cutting-edge program and I look to come into this season the strongest, fastest, and healthiest that I’ve ever been. For fun, there’s nothing I enjoy more than just being around my family and friends.

Petey: Pick one teammate, position player or pitcher, that really impressed you with his play this year at Brooklyn, and tell us what it was that made you take notice.

Charley: We had a great team so it is hard to just choose one. Danny Muno obviously was an amazing hitter winning the batting title; Richard Lucas had a great year as well. But as a fellow outfielder I’d say Travis Taijeron had some huge clutch hits for us including a big walkoff home-run. Overall, we had a fun team to play on, and a strong batting order to hit in. Oh, did I mention we had some great pitchers too? I’d like to give everyone credit!

Petey: Don’t worry I’ll save a little ink for the pitchers in my next article! Well, to finish up Charley, just a little personal info not pertaining to baseball. What is your favorite movie? Favorite musician or band? Favorite food?

Charley: My favorite movie would be hard to narrow down but I would say The Dark Knight. Right now I can’t stop listening to Zac Brown Band, but while I’m working out Wale’s ‘Ambition’ album is second to none for me. My favorite foods range from to salmon and grilled chicken to Oreos, of course.

Petey: Thanks again Charley for taking time out for this interview. The readers and staff at MMO really appreciate it! Have a very happy, and healthy New Year, and we will be looking forward to seeing you in spring training!

Charley: Thanks Pete! Happy New Year to you as well. Thanks for the support and effort you all put into New York Mets Baseball.

I don’t know about you, but now that Charley has gotten his feet wet in pro ball, I am really looking forward to seeing what he can accomplish with a full season of long-season ball next year. That’s all it will take for him to start shooting up the prospect charts. He’s a great guy and definitely a player to keep an eye on in 2012!

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The post MMO Exclusive Interview: Charley Thurber – NY Mets Outfield Prospect appeared first on Metsmerized.