Daily Archives: February 28, 2010
In a report for Newsday, David Lennon says Jeff Francoeur believes his performance over the final two months of 2009 will carry over into 2010, and says he is in a different mind set than he was a year ago when he was at Spring Training with the Braves.
Lennon says Darryl Strawberry has taken a special interest in Francoeur this Spring, and Strawberry feels Francoeur is on the verge of a breakthrough season, telling Lennon:
“I think he should be a 25-homer-a-year guy, with 90 to 100 RBIs easy…You don’t just hit 25 home runs one year, then you drop off and you’re done. That’s not how this game works. When you have the ability – and he has the tools to do it – it’s just all about the right mind-set and the right approach to hitting.”
…when Omar Minaya acquired Frenchy last summer, i thought it was a phenomenal acquisition…not from the standpoint that he was going to come and save the team, but i thought, for the future, they got a young kid with a great attitude and mindset and even when he was with the Braves, i was always waiting for him to figure things out again because he had the track record and such a positive attitude…from a performance standpoint, i watched him take batting practice for a bit inside Tradition Field yesterday, and while it’s only batting practice in February, it appears he is in sync with his fundamentals already…
For more on Francoeur, check out Lennon’s report for Newsday here.
According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Jason Bay says he would like to improve upon his .267 batting average from last season, saying “I’m a better average guy than .260…I feel like I’m a .275 or .280 guy.”
Bay also acknowledges that strikeouts are a part of his game, and while his high strikeout totals bothered him early in his career, he feels comfortable with that weakness provided he is doing everything else.
…i think the only concern i have with the high strikeout total from Bay is if David Wright doesn’t improve upon his strikeout total from last year, as that is an awful lot of strikeouts to have planted in the middle of the order…of course, if David bounces back from last year, like i expect him to do, then it won’t be a problem…
However, Puma says while Bay recognizes there can be a tradeoff with power and batting average, he isn’t willing to sacrifice power in order to boost his batting average.
…i’m hoping Bay doesn’t try and do too much right out of the gate, and he just plays the way he is expected to…if he does that, and Bay is Bay right out of the gate, he will have a great all around year…
For more on Bay, check out the New York Post here.
According to the Daily News, Jose Reyes talked to Federal agents last Thursday, regarding his association with Dr. Tony Galea, “who is under investigation for drug violations, including conspiring to smuggle HGH into the United States from Canada.
This morning, Reyes told reporters he met with the FBI in St. Lucie last Thursday; and, according to SNY producer Matt Dunn, though the shortstop was surprised by the visit, he knew he had nothing to worry about because he knows what Galea put in his body.
“I was like, ‘Oh, man, what I do wrong,” Reyes said.
However, the FBI told him, “There should be no problem with me.”
The report says Reyes is one of several elite athletes, including Tiger Woods, Carlos Delgado and Chris Simms, who received treatment from Galea.
In December, Reyes told WFAN that he did not recieve HGH or other drugs from Galea.
In his talk with reporters today, he explained, “Basically, he took my blood out, spun it in some machine and put it back in my leg.”
In the end, Reyes said he is not worried about public perception of him, because he hasn’t done anything wrong.
In a report for MLB.com Aiden Gonzalez says Oliver Perez has put 2009 behind him, and attributes all of his struggles last year to his knee which, he says, limited him to just 14 starts last year.
Perez told Gonzalez:
“When I throw a bullpen, the next day, I just wake up as if I had pitched in a prior game…It’s just normal soreness. That’s what has me pleased — that I haven’t felt any severe pain…First and foremost, I’m just happy to be healthy, and I’ve prepared myself hard for this time of year to be on par with everybody else.”
Perez was supposed to throw a bullpen session yesterday, but it was canceled due to poor weather conditions at Tradition Field.
…regarding Perez, the only thing i’m concerned with at this point is the upcoming season as frankly, the past is the past…so far, he has looked outstanding in camp, and he is healthy and appears, at least to me, very focused and relaxed this Spring…of course, only time will tell with him and yes, his roller coaster history is a big question mark, but the stuff has never been a question, and i’m hopeful he has a new outlook and approach to his game now…
For more on Perez, check out MLB.com here.
I have added pictures from Saturday’s workout and photo session at Tradition Field to my Spring Training Photo Collection.
To see those photos, click here.
In addition, I have uploaded a video with highlights from yesterday’s workout and photo session, which you can see below:
…once again, i think there is a major emphasis on strength and conditioning as well as the basic fundamentals at camp this year…i think camp is more relaxed than it has been in the past, but at the same time, i think the players are much more focused than they have been in prior camps and while they appear to be enjoying themselves out there, as well they should, i get the sense they are determined to prove 2009 was a fluke…
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets are still considering free agent LHP Joe Beimel, but not at his current $2 million asking price.
…with Kelvim Escobar‘s status in flux right now, i think the Mets need to strongly consider adding Beimel, even if the price is a little high…i think eventually, Beimel will end up signing for less than what he’s asking, considering there isn’t much of a market for him and Spring Training has begun…
