Jorge Castillo of the Star Ledger, spoke with Jenrry Mejia on his noticeably reduced velocity in his last start and for those of you who may have been worried, fret not.

Mejia, has intentionally dialed back on his fastball velocity to avoid the discomfort in his elbow which is being caused by floating debris – a common occurrence for a pitcher who is a year removed from surgery.

“You have to lower the velocity so you feel better during the course of the game,” Mejia said.

“You can’t throw hard. You need to throw intelligently so the arm doesn’t start bothering you because everyone knows what I have. It’s better to throw intelligently, throw strikes and get outs.”

Matt Harvey has also dialed down his velocity a bit in his last start. It was in an effort to go deeper into games without tiring and it resulted in his first career complete game – a four hit shutout.

Mejia, 23, seems to know exactly what he’s doing, and understands that in the end it’s not about velocity, it’s about commanding the strike zone effectively, something he has become quite adept at during his rehab in Binghamton and his first two starts with the Mets. He too is altering his style like Harvey, in an effort to last longer in games and pitch longer into the season while keeping any elbow pain away.

Mejia has tiny bone fragments in his right elbow which he will have removed this offseason during a minor surgical procedure. He will then begin a soft tossing program at Port St. Lucie before the start of Spring Training and will be ready to begin his first full season in the majors.

It’s been a remarkable comeback for Mejia, who has dealt with a strained forearm and also underwent Tommy John Surgery in May of 2011.

Mejia will make his next start on Monday, when the Mets open up a three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The post Mejia Takes Cue From Harvey, Says It’s Better To Pitch Intelligently Than Harder appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• The Las Vegas had a night off — Zack Wheeler takes the hill tonight.
• Binghamton topped Portland, 8-6.
• St. Lucie had the night off.
• Savannah dismantled Delmarva, 9-3.

Prospect Pipeline

• All eyes will be on Zack Wheeler as he is coming off his six walk performance from last Friday night. Wheeler is still seeking his first win at the Triple-A level, as his record is currently 0-1. Hopefully he gets his season back on track tonight.
• With two more hits last night, Jayce Boyd became the leading hitter on the Savannah Sand Gnats. He is now batting .411 on the season, good for tops in the organization and the South Atlantic League. Second on the list: Brandon Nimmo.
• The three top hitters in the organization are all on Savannah – Boyd, Nimmo and Kevin Plawecki. Brandon Nimmo’s average has dropped below .400 after another hit less night. His average is now sitting at .392 for the season, good for second in the SAL. Kevin Plawecki is batting .372, which is sixth-best in the SAL, and he keeps hitting doubles because he’s a doubles machine.
• Alonzo Harris stole another base in last night’s game, he now leads the Eastern League with nine on the year.
• Rafael Montero Watch: Jorge Castillo, of the Star Ledger, asked Terry Collins what he thought about Montero making the jump straight from Binghamton to Flushing this year. “I can envision it absolutely,” Collins said.
• Adam Rubin reports that Matt den Dekker’s cast is scheduled to be removed on Monday, and then he will undergo a two week rehab program before beginning baseball activities. He also reports that Michael Fulmer has completed the rehab process, coming off of surgery for a torn meniscus, and he was scheduled to throw one inning in an inter-squad game in St. Lucie yesterday.

Stat Line of the Night

Jeffrey Glenn: 3-for-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Transactions/Injuries

• Savannah Sand Gnats placed RHP Logan Taylor on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to April 22, 2013 with a strained oblique.
  
• Adam Rubin reports that Cesar Puello has been held out of games since the 18th with an apparent left wrist injury.

Quote Of The Day

Lefthander Steven Matz is hitting 95 mph on the radar gun. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, caught up to him, his manager, his pitching coach and his catcher who are all impressed:

Most importantly, Savannah pitching coach/fellow Long Island product Frank Viola noted, Matz has now thrown 81 pitches in each of his last two outings and is growing confident injury woes are behind him.

“It’s so important to know you can do it,” Viola said.

Said Savannah manager Luis Rojas: “He’s a smart kid, and he’s blessed. He still has a great arm. His fastball has got a late hop, and it’s really heavy. His breaking pitch, he’s really discovering now. He’s changing from a curveball to a slider. And he actually has a good feel for it.”

Matz believes the slider is more conducive to his natural arm slot.

“His fastball had a lot of movement, and he obviously was throwing pretty hard,” said Kevin Plawecki, who caught Matz’s most recent outing. “I think he’s still kind of in that phase where he’s getting a feel for his pitches again. That was a good step in the right direction. He’s got a good, live arm. It does jump at you a little bit, especially from the left side. I think it gives hitters a little bit of a struggle.”

Photo of the Day

These Mets Minors Reports always make me smile.

The post Mets Minors Report 4/25: Wheeler On The Hill Tonight, Boyd Smoking The Ball, Harris Leads League In Swipes appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

That would give him about five starts, assuming there are no other setbacks, before Opening Day.

Frankly, I don’t care if he’s starting Opening Day. I just want him to get fully healthy as soon as possible, even if that means missing a few starts early in the season.

The Mets are faced with a tough situation regarding Santana is he regains some of his form from previous seasons.

In one scenario, Santana could get off to a great start when he returns, and the team too could play great baseball out of the gate.

Santana would provide leadership and experience for the Mets’ young pitchers, and if he has his stuff working, he will try to keep the Mets competitive for as long as possible, hopefully deep into September or even October.

But scenario two could work out just as well for the Mets.

Santana could pitch very well out of the gate, and the Mets could swing a deal similar to what they did in 2011 with Carlos Beltran.

Beltran was tearing the cover off the ball and the Giants needed an outfield bat, so Sandy Alderson pulled off a deal for San Francisco’s top pitching prospect, Zack Wheeler.

Now, even if Santana starts red hot, he likely wouldn’t command a Wheeler-type prospect in a midseason trade, merely based on his recent injury history. But there’s no reason why the Mets can’t acquire an impact player as they gear up for a strong season in 2014.

It’s going to be a difficult call. If the team is hanging tough, Santana will likely be part of that success, yet the team needs to be realistic in its chances. A contender needing a starting pitcher could certainly look to bring in a starter of Santana’s caliber.

These scenarios, however, will be rendered irrelevant if Santana continues to struggle with injuries or pitches poorly.

But from the Mets’ perspective, a healthy Santana can help this team both in the present –  if he’s pitching well – and in the future – if the team can acquire another young prospect in a trade.

The post Johan Santana and the Mets Have Reached a Crossroad appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In a rehab start for Double-A Binghamton yesterday, John Maine pitched four scoreless innings allowing just one hit and two walks, while striking out five.

According to Anthony Coleman of the Trenton Times, Maine’s velocity topped out at 88 mph. Maine didn’t seem too concerned.

“I don’t really worry about velocity. It’s just looking at swings, seeing how they react. It was OK, I guess.”

However, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger,

Mets manager Jerry Manuel indicated that he would need to see an increase in Maine’s fastball velocity before he could move him into the rotation. Manuel hoped for something between 90-92.

McCullough explains why velocity is so important in Maine’s case.

Maine’s arsenal, however, relies on his fastball. Even with his velocity decreasing, he has thrown the pitch 74-percent of the time this year, according to pitch data from Baseball Info Solution. Back in 2007 and 2008, when his average fastball clocked in at 92, he used it 62.9 percent and 71.8 percent. His two secondary pitches, changeup and slider, rely on the fastball.

Maine is scheduled to pitch in Buffalo on Friday, before being activated.

I don’t see him bumping Niese, Dickey or even Takahashi out of the rotation right now, but he could bump Iggy out of the bullpen and back to the minors.

The post Maine Closing In On Return To Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mets will hold a voluntary 3-day minicamp next week in Port St. Lucie. Perez, Santana, Niese, Maine, Murphy among those likely to attend.

I’m sure there will be even more players on hand, but I’m glad to see the initial list includes just about everyon who ended the season on the disabled list last year. We should be able to get some solid updates on the health of Jose Reyes and Johan Santana, both of whom concern me the most.

Also, check out the brand new Spring Training batting practice hats from New Era.

It seems like no matter how hard we keep urging them to get rid of the black, the more they keep sticking it in our faces. 

Personally, I think the design is awful, especially with the way the black piping comes down the front of the cap to the black trim on the bill. I guess there will also be new jerseys to match.

The post Spring Is In The Air, Training That Is… appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

To obtain the questions I scoured the forums, as well as the chat room here at Mets Merized to try to come up with the best and most frequently asked questions regarding the team’s future.

I’m confident that this interview will give you, the fans, valuable insight on the team’s plans for the 2010 season. Enjoy!

PH: It seems that the Mets are making an effort to stock up on catchers this off-season. They have already signed Chris Coste and are rumored to be looking into Henry Blanco and Bengie Molina. That being said, where does this leave Omir Santos, who showed the potential of being a solid backup behind the plate? Could he be used as a piece in a trade to fill one of the team’s other needs?

BC: The signing of Blanco is bad news for Santos, who now appears unlikely to make the Opening Day roster. Santos would be a viable backup, but Blanco will be a better one. If the Mets pursue a trade with a team that could use an extra catcher, sure, it’s conceivable they could throw in Santos. But he would be a very small piece of any significant trade.

PH: Many have criticized Mets GM Omar Minaya over the years for unnecessarily overpaying on veteran players, such as Julio Franco and Marlon Anderson. Recently, he re-signed utility infielder, Alex Cora, to a one year deal worth $2 million dollars with a vesting option for 2011. In your opinion, for a team that is rumored to be cutting back why would Minaya commit so much money to a reserve position that could have been filled at a cheaper price?

BC: I know why the Mets wanted to re-sign Cora, but I don’t know how they arrived at $2 million, other than that’s what his base salary was last year. I agree, it’s a lot of money for a utility infielder. But I don’t think it’s going to have any bearing on whether or not they sign Matt Holliday or John Lackey or anyone else.

PH: It seems as if there are two different schools of thought amongst sports writers on how to “fix” the Mets. One theory seems to be that the team is a couple of free agent signings away from a return to the post-season, whereas the other theory feels that the team needs to rebuild entirely. What is your take on this? Do the Mets need to rebuild entirely or will one or two big-name free agents be enough for a playoff run?

BC: No, I don’t think they need to rebuild entirely. And no, I don’t think a big-name free agent or two is all this team needs. Long-term, I think they need to invest more in their farm system — the draft in particular — because that will be the foundation of whatever success they have in the next decade, especially with other teams increasingly locking up young talent early with long-term deals, which leads to weaker and older free-agent markets. But that doesn’t mean they have to give up on next year. If they address their needs in the offseason and stay reasonably healthy (remember Jose Reyes?) — all major ifs — it’s not crazy to think they could contend for a playoff spot.

PH: Roy Halladay, Matt Holliday, John Lackey, Jason Bay and Adrian Gonzalez are all names that have been thrown around a countless number of times on the Mets blogosphere. Based on your knowledge, which one of these five players do the Mets have the best chance of landing this off-season?

BC: I’m not sure they’ll land any of them, but Holliday and Lackey seem like the most realistic targets at this point.

PH: The Mets have been linked to a number of second tier pitching free agents this year, mainly Joel Pineiro, Randy Wolf and Jason Marquis. Of these three pitchers, who is the best fit for the Mets rotation?

BC: In terms of pure ability, probably Wolf, with Pineiro a close second. But a lot of it depends on how much all three are asking for. Marquis might be a better overall value than the other two, especially since he’s a local guy who would love to pitch for the Mets.

PH: Even with a solid 2009 campaign, Luis Castillo still has about $12 million left on his contract, which is turn off for many of the teams interested in acquiring him. In your opinion, will Omar Minaya be able to move the 34 year-old this winter to clear the way for someone else to take over at second base or should do you think Castillo should return?

BC: They can move him. It’s just a matter of what they’ll be able to get in return, and whether that’ll make it worth doing. It’s good when the other GM says, “Sure, we’ll take Castillo.” Not so good when he continues, “if you’ll take Milton Bradley.” My guess is they’ll find a way to move him and sign Hudson.

PH: Around this time last off-season, the Mets acquired J.J. Putz. Clearly things did not work out the way the team would have liked with him last year. Have you heard if the Mets are keeping in contact with the pitcher’s agent or will the team look elsewhere to fill the setup role?

BC: The Mets haven’t talked to his agent lately, and I expect Putz to sign elsewhere. The bullpen isn’t a priority for the Mets right now. They’ll address their other needs first. Plus, Putz would prefer to be a closer — and if not, then to sign for more money than the Mets are likely to offer.

PH: This isn’t really a hot stove question, but pitcher Dillon Gee turned heads last Spring and had a decent year in Buffalo before being shut down with an injury. Do you have an update on his health and whether or not he will be ready to go for Spring Training this year?

BC: Gee, as you know, is rehabbing from labrum surgery. He is expected to be ready for spring training.

Once again thank you to Brian Costa, who took time out of his busy schedule to answer a number of questions for me. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out his blog on NJ.com, as well as following him on Twitter.

The post Exclusive Interview With Star Ledger’s Mets Beat Writer Brian Costa appeared first on Metsmerized Online.