…yes, i know the joke, i have heard it a dozen times already, which goes: or, Matt, you guys can just stay home at watch the minor league team play the Nationals this weekend in DC…

Nevertheless, we will be working on a video for SNY.TV that will run at some point in the future, however I will be live blogging random observations from the trip through Twitter.

The updates, of course, will also appear here in a post on MetsBlog.com, so be sure to check it out through the weekend.

By the way, the following is a introduction video for the Binghamton Mets, produced by August Publications:

…a) any video put to theme from the A-Team is going to be a hit, and b) speaking of video, if you go to team’s webpage, BMets.com, they are now featuring the occasional highlight video following a big game or road trip…good stuff…to get a glimpse of Dan Murphy, scroll to the 1:25 mark in the first video…

…thanks to vifam for the video link…

First, in his blog at the Daily News, Adam Rubin talks about 1B Nick Evans, 3B Dan Murphy and 1B/DH Mike Carp, who are bashing their way through the Eastern League. Focusing especially on Evans, Rubin talked to Mets’ assistant GM Tony Bernazard about the young slugger:

“He’s a very good athlete, very good potential as a player,” Mets VP Tony Bernazard said about Evans, a fifth-round pick by the Mets in 2004 out of high school in Phoenix. “The ball jumps off his bat. He has a lot of power potential. He can hit the ball in the gaps. He’s very smart, a leader-type player. A quiet leader.”

On the season, Carp leads the team with a .435 average and five homers, and is second with five doubles and 16 RBI. Murphy sits at .426 with 13 RBI, and is tied for the team lead in doubles with six. Evans is hitting a mere .355, leading the team with six doubles, two triples and 18 RBI.

At the NY Post, Tim Bontemps profiles RHP Eddie Kunz, the 2007 supplemental first round pick whom the organization has projected as its potential closer of the future. Bernazard, being the go-to-guy for any and all minor league stories, tells Bontemps that the team would not be afraid to call Kunz up straight from Double A this year.

Bontemps also spoke to an AL scout, who gave his take on Kunz’s stuff:

“[Kunz] gets good leverage and velocity behind it, and it really explodes at the plate… A hard sinker in the low 90s like that is a pretty devastating pitch.”

The scout also liked Kunz’s slider, which hits 83-84 on the radar gun. “At times, when he would throw it right, it would just disappear. If we’re just talking stuff, Eddie’s going to be an All-Star. You only have to watch him throw a couple pitches to see there’s some pretty special pitches coming out of that arm.”

Kunz is 1-0 with three saves and a 4.26 ERA on the season, thanks to one spotty outing; he hasn’t been scored upon in four out of his five appearances. He has allowed three hits and four walks while striking out four in 6.1 innings.

Fernando Martinez and the B-Mets will open their season Friday against the Trenton Thunder at NYSEG Stadium.

MetsBlog’s Jordan Zakarin interviewed several players from Binghamton, including Martinez and Jon Neise, complete with video and pictures, all of which will be posted to MetsBlog in the next few days.

For more on the Binghamton Mets, check out Moritz’s blog about the B-Mets for the Press & Sun Bulletin.

Luis Natera, who spent last season with Single-A St. Lucie, will replace Nelson Silverio as Binghamton’s hitting coach.

The B-Mets finished last in the Eastern League Northern Division with a 61-81 record in 2007, Bones and Oliveras’ first season with the team.

Bones was named in the Mitchell Report in December.

…oliveras stold reporters last season that he wanted to be back with the club - and i’ll admit, i didn’t entirely believe him…

…even though the B-Mets struggled, they had a good clubhouse…with Fernando Martinez likely returning to binghamton - if he isn’t traded - the move makes sense…

The League’s press release described the game and the selection process, stating…

“It places as many top prospects as possible on one field at one time. It’s a natural way to showcase the tremendous talent rising in baseball…

“Scouting and minor league directors of every organization had the opportunity to complete a ballot to select the players for Friday’s game. Most roster selections were based upon their input.”

Meanwhile, the article explains that “strong performances in the AFL are a nice bonus, but not a requirement for being invited to play in this game. Rather, these are rosters filled with players believed to have the most upside potential and are thus ‘on the rise.”

Carp, a 21-year old first baseman who battled injuries while in Double-A Binghamton this season, is hitting .256 with three doubles, no homers and seven RBI in 39 Fall League at bats. In 359 Binghamton at bats this past season, he hit .251 with 16 doubles and 11 homers, missing time with a broken hand and then struggling thereafter.

Muniz, a 26-year old right handed reliever who served as Binghamton’s closer this season, is 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA in four appearances for the Scorpions, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits and three walks, in 5.2 innings thus far. He has struck out five, while surrendering two homers. Muniz saved 23 games for the B-Mets this year, putting up a 2.45 ERA in 58.2 innings over 44 appearances. He walked 17 and struck out 62.

…rob is a good guy, and a great friend to MetsBlog, having hooked me up with interviews and insight over the last few years…i wish him the best of luck…