Daily Archives: January 17, 2008
According to a team press release, former-Met Joe McEwing will begin his coaching career this season with Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
…congratulations, joe…good luck on your new career…
Having released their Top 10 Mets Prospects list in November, Baseball America is set to release its 2008 Prospect Handbook this February. The book offers scouting reports on each organization’s top 30 prospects; as part of its yearly tradition, the Handbook’s lead editor, Jim Callis, names a “team” of players that just missed the cut for their respective organization’s top 30 prospect list.
Two Mets made the “31st” team; outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, and right hander Dylan Owen.
…interestingly, in the chat he gave after BA released the mets’ top 10, John Manuel wrote that both Carrera and Owen would make the cut… maybe the mets’ system somehow improved in the past two months…
Carrera, a 20-year old center fielder that hit .341 in 179 Gulf Coast League at bats and .300 in 70 at bats for the Brooklyn Cyclones this past season. Callis writes:
Carrera profiles as a fourth outfielder because of his lack of power but he could have the small-ball skills to become a regular… he’s willing to draw walks, has improved as a bunter and is a plus runner, though he’s not a burner… Defensively, he’s accomplished in center field, with above-average range and an accurate if below-average arm.
…certainly not a top prospect, as his power really is non-existent: he had just one homer and just 14 extra base hits overall this past season… still, it’s nice to see another young latin prospect make a successful jump to american ball… hopefully this is a precursor to success for some of the mets’ more recent latin signings, and a good indicator of the mets’ ability to provide a smooth transition for what must be a difficult adjustment for such young kids…
…according to Manuel, the mets have some significant talent in their lower minor league levels, especially from the good international signing classes they’ve scooped up the past few years… in fact, judging by his comments in his top 10 chat, you can expect to see a good number of these players in the top 30 when the book comes out…
The Mets drafted Owen in the 20th round of this past June’s Amateur draft, out of Francis Marion University. The 2007 NCAA Division II Pitcher of the Year (10-1, 1.04 ERA), Owen dominated for Brooklyn, going 9-1 with a 1.49 ERA in 14 games, 13 of which were starts. In 72.1 innings, he allowed just 51 hits and walked 12, while striking out 69 NY-Penn League hitters.
In his report, Callis writes:
He spots his 86-90 mph fastball to all four quadrants of the strike zone, and while he has below-average velocity, he can get to 91-92 when needed, even late in games. He has above-average fastball command, and he can vary his breaking balls depending on the situation, using shorter sliders for groundballs and bigger curves for strikeouts.
…Owen isn’t a top prospect, as his stuff and stature (5’11) don’t match traditional models of top big league pitchers… however, he clearly knows how to pitch, and given his polish, could be on the fast track to a back of the rotation or bullpen role at Citi Field… as we know, pitching depth never hurts…
In addition to over 900 scouting reports, the Prospect Handbook offers overall top 50 prospect rankings from four different editors, as well as a guide to the 2008 Amateur Draft, to be held in June. You can order the 2008 Baseball America Prospect Handbook here.
Tagged Minors |
On Monday night during SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, the Star-Ledger’s Dan Graziano and former Mets GM Jim Duquette talked with Kevin Burkhardt about the state of the National League East.
To watch a clip of the discussion, go to 
…while i refuse to be pollyannish about the disappointment of the Mets off-season up until this point, we sometimes have a tendency to look at the Mets within the context of a vacuum…i find that it is important to take a step back and recognize that the Phillies and Braves have had mixed off-seasons as well, and their success will also likely depend on several ‘if’s’…
…Brad Lidge is essentially the key to the Phillies off-season…while the acquisition allows Brett Myers to return as an upgrade to the rotation, there are concerns whether lidge can survive in Citizen’s Bank Park, and in Philadelphia for that matter…and don’t forget that the Phillies lost Aaron Rowand, a fan-favorite and crucial piece of their locker room’s identity…as a result, Shane Victorino will presumably shift to center, while a platoon of Jayson Werth and the newly signed Geoff Jenkins will patrol right…
…while the team has reportedly had discussions about free-agent 3B Pedro Feliz, a shaky trio consisting of Wes Helms, Greg Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett are set to share the load at the hot corner as of now, which isn’t going over very well with Phillies fans…also, J.C . Romero was re-signed to a questionable-at-best three-year deal, while RHP Chad Durbin - who allowed 21 HR in 127.2 IP last season – was added to the rotation…
…as for the Braves, 41-year old Tom Glavine was reunited with his 40-year old buddy John Smoltz…isn’t that just adorable…if only nostalgia equated to wins…while one old favorite has returned, Andruw Jones left for Los Angeles…needless to say, it has certainly been a busy and creative off-season for new GM Frank 
Wren…the recently acquired Mark Kotsay is pegged to fill the gap in center, but there are lingering concerns about his surgically repaired back…likewise, their fans do not seem thrilled about 2005 first round pick Joey Devine going to the A’s in the deal…
…Edgar Renteria was traded to the Tigers in exchange for Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez…as it stands, jurrjens will likely compete for a spot in the starting rotation…Yunel Escobar, who impressed with his spark plug-like play last season, is expected to be the full-time shortstop and hit near the top of the batting order…perhaps most important, the Braves bullpen remains a potential Achilles Heel and the acquisition of Will Ohman does little to address that concern…
…i typically don’t like grading off-seasons while rosters are still in the process of being shaped, but no team in the NL East has done anything significant enough to qualify themselves as the front-runner…at least not yet…knock on wood…
In a post to his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes…
“Spoke with a talent evaluator recently who thinks that if the
Twins are intent on swapping Johan Santana for a relatively modest package of prospects before the start of spring training, this may reflect some concern over the pitcher’s physical condition. In the aftermath of Santana’s 17-strikeout game against the Rangers on Aug. 19, there was some evidence of diminished velocity in the left-hander, and it was noted by at least one scout that he used his slider much less often.”
As Olney points out, Santana has a 5.11 ERA during his final seven starts of last season.
…on the other hand, i have heard some people suggest that santana became very distracted, and dejected after last season’s trade deadline, especially after the team gave up and traded Luis Castillo, who santana is very good friends with…
Prior to the trade deadline last season, Santana had a 2.91 ERA.
He had a 4.18 after the deadline.
Lawrence from NJ asks…
“When is Aaron Heilman a free agent? How about Endy Chavez, Ryan Church and the team’s other young players.”
Heilman, Chavez, Church, Pedro Feliciano, Oliver Perez and Jorge Sosa are all eligible for salary arbitration this off-season.
In fact, all six filed for arbitration yesterday.
…however, in standard Mets fashion, i expect all six to settle outside of a hearing, and agree to new one-year contracts…
Heilman, Feliciano, Church and Duaner Sanchez are eligible for free agency after 2010, while Perez and Chavez can become free agents after this coming season.
John Maine isn’t eligible for arbitration until after this coming season, meaning he will not be a free agent until after 2011.
Tagged Oliver Perez, Pedro Feliciano |The Associated Press details a 12-day orientation by the 
Red Sox, for the team’s prospects, modeled after a Cleveland Indians program, ‘during which players stay with host families while seeing sights and learning their way around Boston.’
This year, UCONN basketball coach Jim Calhoun was among the program’s motivational speakers, while ESPN.com’s Peter Gammons spoke to the group about dealing with reporters.
…this is a very interesting program…if it’s effective, and i don’t know why it wouldn’t be, i’m surprised that the Mets and Yankees do not run a similar program, seeing as people are always concerned whether specific people can or cannot play in New York…it seems to me, having a seminar like this can only help…or, at least help answer that question a bit better…
The Rangers have signed free-agent RHP Jason Jennings to a one-year, $4 million deal, reports ESPN.com.
…from what i can gather, the Mets checked in on jennings at the start of the off-season, but did not push very far from that point…i sense there was some apprehension about guaranteeing another spot in the rotation to a pitcher with a history of injuries…
In 19 starts for the Astros last season, the 29–year-old Jennings was 2–9 with a 6.45 ERA.
However, he missed the final six weeks of the season after an MRI revealed he had been pitching with a ttorn tendon in his elbow.
In 2006, he posted a 3.78 ERA in 30 starts for the Rockies before being traded to Houston last off-season.
During his six seasons with the Rockies, Jennings was 27–34 with a 4.36 ERA on the road, i.e., not in Coors Field, spanning 83 starts.
…last off-season, before he was traded to the Astros, the Mets, Cardinals, Reds, Cubs, Twins and Rangers were all rumored to have had interest in jennings…
According to Sox Prospects, Joe McEwing is officially retired.
…talk about your scrappy fan-favorite…
…best of luck, joe…
…though i only knew him through what i saw on television, i always got the impression he would make a good coach…i know David Wright was disappointed when super joe left the organization a few years ago, and i’ve heard similar comments from other young players who he took under his wing while in Houston and Boston…
…thanks to Asher for the link…
According to Joe Christensen in the Star-Tribune, Twins officials believe Johan Santana will be traded before spring training.
The Twins ‘realize none of the packages 
will appease their fans,’ writes Christensen, who adds…
“It’s possible the Twins will trade Santana without landing one player who is universally recognized as a big help in 2008. Lately, the Twins have seemed most intrigued with the Mets’ offer…
“If the Red Sox and Yankees don’t improve their offers - and the Twins have reason to believe they won’t - Santana could wind up with the Mets…
“The Twins would make that deal and step into a public relations nightmare.”
…so, if i am reading this correctly, all that really stands between santana and Queens is Twins GM Bill Smith becoming comfortable with public-reaction to a deal with the Mets…
…the thing is, if you read how his team’s fans comment to articles in the Star-Tribune, or read fan blogs from Minnesota, it often reads as though they are quite in favor of what the Mets are rumored to be offering…
…for more on this exact notion, read my post from 
Tuesday, by clicking here, in which i wondered if this exact scenario would hold things up for the Mets…
If the Mets do not acquire Santana, and he goes to the Yankees instead…
[poll=41]
