According to multiple sources, the Miami Marlins have signed veteran starter Edinson Volquez to a two year deal worth $22 million, pending a physical.

Volquez, 33, is coming off a down year during which he went 10-11 with a 5.37 ERA for the Royals. His 113 runs allowed were the most in the American League.

Mets fans will recognize him as he started two games for the Royals in the 2015 World Series against the Mets. He pitched well despite two no-decisions, posting a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings with eight strikeouts.

The Marlins needed an innings guy as they try and rebuild their rotation after the loss of Jose Fernandez. Volquez has pitched at least 170 innings every season since 2012 and there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue that trend, as he threw 189.1 innings in 2016 despite his ineffectiveness.

Photo Credit: NBC News

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The recent performance of 27-year old Eric Campbell (AKA “Soup”) in Las Vegas may be proving costly in Josh Satin’s future as bench player/platoon first basemen for the Mets. In limited at bats this year for the Mets, (14), Satin has batted .143 with six strikeouts to go along with a .294 OBP. His strikeout percent is up from 25% to 35% this year. Again, Satin has not been given much time on the field and his time will increase in the future now that Ike Davis out of the picture.

However, Mets prospect Eric Campbell has been tearing it up in Las Vegas so far this season. Through 19 games, Campbell has produced a .346/.430/.556 clip, including three home runs and 18 RBI’s. Campbell has also walked more times than he has struck out (11 BB,9K), a very healthy line thus far.

When comparing Satin and Campbell’s minor league stats in Las Vegas, they have both produced similar numbers. The clear advantage that Campbell has as a bench player is his ability to play multiple positions. Campbell has played every infield position this year in Las Vegas, including one games at shortstop, a position he hasn’t played since his early minor league years.

Additionally, Campbell has also played both corner outfield positions during his 2014 campaign. Campbell has yet to commit a fielding error this season, and has a career .981 fielding percentage in his seven-year minor league career. Campbell has proven to not be a liability at the multitude of positions he is capable of playing. While many players see their offensive production decline when they are learning and experimenting at different positions, Campbell has been able to keep a solid batting average and on-base percentage while playing his role as a gap-to-gap hitter in the middle of the 51’s lineup.

It would be interesting to see the set up of the Mets bench with Campbell on the team instead of Satin. Satin only plays first and third base for the Mets, while Campbell could be a viable backup at first base, second base, third base, and the corner outfield positions. I am not sold on him being able to act as a backup shortstop in the majors, but he can sure play there in a pinch.

With Campbell on the team, the Mets can send down an outfielder to make room for a higher upside bat, maybe a Wilmer Flores or a Kirk Nieuwenhuis (assuming he is sent down once Lagares returns). It is an interesting thing to consider reforming the Mets bench and giving them flexibility in late game situations.

I see Satin’s days on the big league squad dwindling if Campbell can continue his AAA production and provide an upside opportunity for the Mets bench.

Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

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After Kevin Plawecki‘s breakout 2013 season, along with his rising prospect status, the Mets have a rare commodity in today’s game– depth at catcher. Marc Carig of Newsday spoke to people within the Mets organization about Plawecki as well as their riches at one of baseballs thinnest positions.

“When you watch catching, it’s like everything kind of right now gets knocked up a peg,” one talent evaluator told Newsday. “Because there are no catchers, really.”

Sandy Alderson was quick to praise Plawecki, who was taken under the GM’s watch in the 2012 MLB Draft.

“He’s somebody we feel very highly about,”  Alderson said. “He does have our approach and we like what he does behind the plate.”

Alderson also commented on whether having a surplus talent at the position would open the door for a potential trade.

“We’ll keep developing,” he said. “We’re happy it’s a strength. We’re not looking to trade from that strength necessarily.”

Manager Terry Collins also liked what he saw in Plawecki.

“Just watching him in BP, he has a clue,” manager Terry Collins said. “He squares it up pretty good and it’s loud. I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen at the plate.”

As for Plawecki, who turns just 23 this Wednesday, he’s just trying to soak it all in during his first big league camp.

“I’m trying to learn as much as I can from these older veteran guys,” he said last week at camp. “Hopefully, I can use it to get better and hopefully use it to succeed this season.”

With incumbent Travis d’Arnaud, also amongst baseball’s best catcher prospects, looking to rebound from a poor start to his MLB career, it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. I don’t think anyone believes Travis won’t bounce back, while Plawecki looks to continue to rise through the system. For now, it’s a great problem to have.

Check out the entire article at Newsday and be sure to follow Marc on twitter @MarcCarig

Photo Credit: David Conde, MetsmerizedOnline.com

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Baseball Prospectus released their Organizational Rankings on Wednesday, and the Mets came in 8th overall. That gives the Mets their second top ten ranking this year after Keith Law ranked them 6th earlier this month.

Here’s some of what BP had to say about the Mets system:

“Solid blend of pitching and positional talent, ranging from high-risk/high-reward types at the lower levels to safer high-floor prospects nearing the major-league level.”

“The Mets will likely graduate four of the top five prospects in their system, but the helium from low-level talents like Rosario, Molina, and Meisner could keep the system holding strong in the top 10 in the game, despite the graduations.”

It’s great to see the Mets farm system get the respect it deserves. Two top ten rankings is nothing to sneeze at, especially from an organization that was near the bottom just a few years ago.

It’s also great to see the depth our organization has accrued, especially in the form of high-ceiling starters and relievers. The system is filled with intriguing prospects from the upper levels down to the lowest levels. A great deal of the credit has to go to Sandy and his staff as well. Although they inherited some of these players, they’ve also done a commendable job of adding talent via the international arena, the draft, and through several trades.

(Photo Credit: William Perlman/USA Today)

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John Harper of the NY Daily News writes that lefty reliever Jack Leathersich‘s live stuff and deceptive delivery could make him a late-inning star, if he solves his control issues.

Harper compares Leathersich’s control to ‘Wild Thing” Mitch Williams, and calls him the Mets’ most intriguing pitching prospect.

In his three seasons moving through the Mets organization, Leathersich has 241 strikeouts in 143 innings of relief and Harper shares that the lefty’s deceptive delivery makes his 94-mph heater look more like 100 to hitters.

“Hitters tell me he throws an invisi-ball,” Zack Wheeler joked with Harper. “For some reason, they just don’t see it very well.”

Leathersich, who is 5-foot-11, isn’t a big presence on the mound like Noah Syndergaard, but his ability to strikeout a ton of batters, helps his case. In 2013, Leathersich began the season with Binghamton (AA) and recorded 16.9 strikeouts per nine innings with a 1.53 ERA in 24 games. However, after he was promoted to Las Vegas (AAA), his ERA ballooned to 7.76, but he still managed to record 14.6  strikeouts per nine innings. He also walked nearly double the batters with Vegas in about the same 29 innings of work.

“He’s got a big-league arm,” Triple-A manager Wally Backman shared on Sunday. “If he gets past the command issues, he could be special.”

Making the jump from Double-A to Triple-A he learned quickly how losing command of his pitches could change a game, “Even though I was still getting swings and misses,” Leathersich tells Harper, “I was also losing guys (to walks) or getting behind. And when you get behind on guys at that level, they make you pay.”

“That stuff had never really affected me before, but at that level I realized I needed to make a change, so all offseason I worked on getting the ball down. I’ve made a couple of tweaks in my delivery to keep my front shoulder from flying open, and it should help me throw more strikes.”

On Sunday at Mets camp, I watched as Leathersich threw to live batters and did struggle with his command, and not sure if you can chalk that up to just nerves or something he still hasn’t been able to shake.

If Leathersich is going to enjoy any success at the major league level, he is going to have to get a handle on his command issues. With highly regarded pitching coach Frank Viola there to help, he may be able to get those issues resolved and earn himself a spot in the Mets bullpen at some point this season.

Photo Credit: Howard Simmons/NY Daily News. You can read the entire article at the NY Daily News and follow John on twitter @NYDNHarper

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The move will first be voted on by the owners and then will need to be approved by the Players Association.

The Daily News reports that Sandy Alderson, who is also the chairman of the rules committee, made the announcement yesterday at the Winter Meetings in Orlando:

“Ultimately what we want to do is change the culture of acceptance that these plays are ordinary and routine and an accepted part of the game,” Alderson said. “The costs associated in terms of health and injury just no longer warrant the status quo.”

Alderson continues to share about the new changes:

“The exact language and how exactly the rule will be enforced is subject to final determination,” he said. “We’re going to do fairly extensive review of the types of plays that occur at home plate to determine which we’re going to find acceptable and which are going to be prohibited.”

This is a very significant rule that will greatly impact major league baseball.  But with regards to the safety of the game this might be something that needs to be addressed.  All around it may benefit the players, especially to avoid extensive injury, but it will also change the dynamic of the game.  As exciting as it may seem to have a play at the plate; watching a player get knocked out due to a collision, and some have been extremely hard to watch, is not something that the teams or fans want to see. It can end a career.

Home plate collisions have been part of the game for many years, just good ole hard nosed baseball. Times are changing and maybe something does need to be done to protect the players. But it will also be interesting to see how the rule truly affects how the game is played, because in the heat of the moment with the winning run at third and the game on the line, I am sure the runner will now have to rethink that whole process of how he will be able to score without taking out the catcher. Safety does come first, but to what extent.

(Photo Credit – Pat Sullivan/Associated Press)

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Hitters taking part in the event will receive two minutes to hit against live pitching and be rewarded for points between 100-500. Hitters also can earn points by hitting a wide array of targets on the field and their final swing will come off a tee and be worth double points.

Oversized trading cards, an outfielder on a trampoline and a moving human sphere will be among the targets.

Seven of MLB’s Top 100 Prospects will be taking part in the event, including the No. 1 prospect Byron Buxton and Gavin Cecchini‘s brother, Garin. From the looks of it, each MLB team was able to send one player — so the Mets chose Cory Vaughn out of their AFL group, which makes sense to me. He’s the most polished hitter in the group of our players there.

You can read a little more on the event here and check out a full list of participants as well. The event takes place tomorrow evening at 8:35 ET at Salt River Fields.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

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The Eastern League announced that Binghamton Mets reliever Chase Huchingson was suspended for 50 games today without pay, after his second violation of the league’s drug abuse policy. (marijuana, cocaine, etc,)

This news comes on the heels of two scoreless innings from Huchingson yesterday — and in fact, a spectacular season in relief for Binghamton overall.

He has appeared in 45 games for Double-A Binghamton, while posting a 1.61 ERA and a 29/68 BB:K ratio. The young left-hander had finished 15 games for Binghamton in 2013, earning one save, and his 45 appearances have spanned 67.0 innings.

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Chris and Jenson bring you another edition of The Mets Weekly. In this episode they recap the week that was against the Diamondbacks and Brewers while weighing in on so many other Metsian storylines ranging from our two 2013 MLB All Stars as well Minor League All Stars Wilmer Flores and Brandon Nimmo.

Of course, no weekly Mets recap of any kind would be worth its weight in salt without touching on the Josh Satin and Ike Davis situations. Oh and Mrs. Met too! Oh and Panini Machines, yes Panini Machines….

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Follow Chris and Jenson on Twitter at @TheMetsWeekly and you can subscribe to them on their YouTube channel at youtube.com/themetsweekly.

Thoughts from Joe D.

Nobody is safe from my occasional intrusions, not even Chris and Jenson…

In an effort to inject even more Mets comic relief into your week, here is a bonus video which comes from Ramblin223, who caught the hilarious exchange on SNY when Keith Hernandez said….

Oh just watch it already and see for yourselves…

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(Photo Credit: Michael Baron)

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In perhaps what is my favorite interview of our young prospect to date, David Laurila of FanGraphs  profiled Noah Syndergaard after he made his Double-A debut last Sunday. The 6’6” right-hander, who is now gaining notoriety as “Thor”, looked very impressive and is advanced for his age.

There are some awesome quotes in the interview that I whole-heartedly recommend that you read, where he discusses his repertoire, mechanical changes, and his feelings about making his Double-A debut.

Syndergaard gives his own scouting report — stating that he throws a fastball in the high 90s with a curveball, slider, and a changeup. He touts the curveball as his second best pitch and explainst hat he felt like it really came into its own last year, and he likes the spin on it. He also mentions that the Blue Jays toyed with his slider a bit and almost turned it into a cutter — so he basically made his own adjustments to it and throws it the way he feels comfortable.

Here’s a little on what the Mets have done to develop him recently:

“I changed my arm angle a little bit before my last start in St. Lucie. My velocity was about the same as last night; I was topping out at 98. I’m using my core a lot more, and also my legs. [St. Lucie pitching coach] Phil Regan has kind of toyed with my mechanics a little bit. When he first got a hold of me, I was kind of on my heels and not using my legs as much as I should. He got me more on my toes and driving toward home plate. Instead of falling off the pitch, I was driving through the pitch. And instead of my arm being directly over the top, I dropped it down just a little bit. I’m more three-quarters than over the top now. I have a little more velocity, and a little more run on the ball.

Reading through this interview, I was amazed at how eloquent of a speaker Syndergaard was — reminiscent of R.A. Dickey and his gift of gab. Syndergaard had some moments where he talked like a scout — but my favorites were his quotes on his pitching mentality.

…I just went out with the mindset of locating my fastball to both sides of the plate, working in my changeup from there, and then, second time through the order, starting to mixing in my curveball and slider. I basically trusted Blake [Forsythe]. I had never thrown to him before, but he and I were on the same page the entire game. I didn’t shake him off once.

…In certain situations, I’ll pitch to contact. When there’s nobody on base, I’m just trying to locate my pitches, and if I happen to strike the guy out, that’s fine. If I have a runner on first base, I’ll throw a sinker away to try to get a ground ball double play. In the fifth inning, with a runner on first, I got a ground ball to second base. That’s exactly what I was going for. It was one of the pitches I executed well.

This kid knows his baseball. I had one thought coming off reading this interview — we found ourselves a keeper.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

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