Category: Minors

Jenrry Mejia Injured, Mets Trade Chip Damaged

June 06 2010: Mets' relief pitcher Jenrry Mejia (32) delivers a pitch during MLB action between the New York Mets and the Florida Marlins at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. The Mets beat the Marlins 7-6.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe timing couldn’t be any worse for the Mets. The word from Metsblog is that Jenrry Mejia left yesterday’s start in the second inning with shoulder stiffness. He had only thrown 44 pitches and I’m sure we’ll be getting updates throughout the day. He was pitching for Double-A Binghamton.

The MLB non-waiver trade deadline is coming up on July  31 and the rumors are that the Mariners are ready to deal Cliff Lee now. The Mets biggest trading chip in the organization is suddenly damaged goods, possibly untradeable.

We’ll need to prepare ourselves for the cost of getting a Lee or Roy Oswalt to include Jon Niese. Sure, there are other good players in the organization. But these big deadline deals usually include some young, promising pitching.

The timing for this injury is the worst.

Mets Trading Prospects Not Depth For Cliff Lee

May 11, 2010: Cliff Lee for the Seattle Mariners pitches during a game against the hometown Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Mariners beat the Orioles 5 - 1.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsTrade month is almost upon us, and the Mets definitely look to be buyers this season. With that said, any talk of trading Angel Pagan (selling high) needs to be thrown out immediately. I’m not saying the 29 year old will be a major cog in the next couple of years. Who knows? But it is simply a matter of depth.

Carlos Beltran’s knees are never again going to be a sure bet. Pagan is also not a player who has been kn0wn to avoid the disabled list. It doesn’t hurt having four more than capable outfielders sharing time. Just yesterday, Angel was pulling himself out of a game because of a strained muscle. Depth in the outfield, and in general, is essential and in our case could be a strength.

We all remember what happened in past seasons when we lost key players late. Losing Fernando Tatis in 2008 helped to make our offense as inept as any in baseball at that time. The year before, we lost an aging Alou and Valentin who were key offensive pieces. Depth will allow the hot bats to find the lineup and give a manager the ability to get more creative. Continue reading “Mets Trading Prospects Not Depth For Cliff Lee”

John Maine Suffers Setback In Rehab Start

New York Mets starting pitcher John Maine delivers a pitch to the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning of play in their MLB National League baseball game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, May 4, 2010. REUTERS/John Sommers II (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe road to recovery for John Maine just hit another speed bump. John Maine pitched Friday night for Buffalo and only went 4.1 IP while throwing 88 pitches without being able to increase velocity. Jerry Manuel told reporters before Sunday’s game that Maine didn’t feel well after the start and needs to be re-evaluated by team doctors.

It’s too bad for Maine for this to happen in his walk year. He looked like a rising start in 2007 only to have three injury plagued seasons to follow. Manuel also told reporters that he wasn’t considering removing Hisanori Takahashi from the rotation at this point. And Omar Minaya told reporters that he didn’t see Maine as a fit in the Mets bullpen.

The message is pretty clear from those statements. There isn’t a spot on the big league roster for Maine. If he gets healthy and they can’t put him on the roster, most likely he’ll be designated for assignment. I really do think Maine’s days with the Mets are numbered.

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Mets Option Jenrry Mejia To Binghamton

April 22 2010: Mets' relief pitcher Jenrry Mejia (32) delivers a pitch in the 9th inning during MLB action between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. Mets defeated the Cubs 5-2.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe Mets have finally given up on the idea of Jenrry Mejia relieving at the big league level this season. According to multiple media reports he’s been optioned to Double-A Binghamton to stretch out and start again.

Bobby Parnell will replace Mejia in the bullpen. He’s been pitching fairly well at Triple-A Buffalo where he’s 1-1 with a 4.14 ERA in 41.1 IP. He pitched in 68 games including 8 starts for the awful 2009 Mets to a 5.30 ERA.

I’m still not sure that I see Mejia as a starter. He’s clearly still a “thrower” not a pitcher. But the velocity that he generates and the lack of secondary pitches seems to me would be more of a fit in the bullpen than the rotation. Either way, he’s not developed enough to succeed in the majors in either capacity right now.

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Mets’ Cory Vaughn to Brooklyn

Brooklyn Cyclones
Image via Wikipedia

The Mets fourth round selection, Cory Vaughn, is heading to the Single A affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones. Cory has a strong pedigree of baseball in the family and the frame to prove it. Cory’s father, Greg Vaughn, was a feared slugger for the Padres and set their single season home run mark at 50. He is also related to a player that Mets fans may not want to remember in Mo Vaughn.

Nevertheless, the Vaughns of years past have a track record of launching tape measure shots into the seats. Cory’s size (6’3 230) certainly gives us reason to believe that Coney Island natives could soon be catching home run balls from the top of the famed Cyclone coaster. Another reason to be optimistic is the coaching. Tony Gwynn, one of the best hitters of our or any generation, coached the young slugger during his tenure at San Diego State. Continue reading “Mets’ Cory Vaughn to Brooklyn”

Mets’ Wilmer Flores Making Strides

ST LOUIS, MO - JULY 12: World Futures All-Sta...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

It seems like just last week I was hearing about some young phenom named Fernando Martinez launching majestic home runs nightly for Double-A Binghamton. Nowadays, we’re starting to learn more about a new stud whose making some noise on the farm. 18-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Wilmer Flores continues to turn heads and provide a presence at the plate that is well beyond his years.

Flores is sporting a .286/.352/.451 clip for Class A Savannah of the South Atlantic League thus far this season. According to Scouting the Sally, Flores is maturing rapidly at the plate. He tacked on 10-15 pounds of muscle during the off-season, and once he makes it to the show he is projected to possess ample power from the right side. We’re talking about a kid who batted .307 between Rookie and A ball in 2008 as a 16-year-old. Continue reading “Mets’ Wilmer Flores Making Strides”

Mets Links: Beltran, Maine, Santana

FLUSHING, NY - JUNE 23: Shortstop Edgardo Alfonzo #13 of the New York Mets watches the flight of the ball during the MLB game against the Kansas City Royals on June 23, 2002 at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Mets won, 5-4. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe Mets are off today so I thought it was a good time for some links. It still seems like a dream that they could actually win a series on the road, much less sweep one, but sweep the Orioles they did. They’re on the way to Cleveland to start a series there on Tuesday. Here are the links

Carlos Beltran has been working in Port St. Lucie to return from knee surgery. He’s been playing some center field in squad games and plans to return “soon”. Despite Jerry Manuel’s comments about Beltran coming back to DH next weekend in the Bronx, the Mets says that’s not happening.

John Maine made a rehab start for the Binghamton Mets in Trenton yesterday. His fastball topped out at 88 mph and he’s expected to make another start on Friday for Buffalo. It’s going to be very interesting to see if Manuel believes that Maine should walk back into the rotation and supplant Hisanori Takahashi. Personally, I think Maine belongs in the bullpen.

In other injury news, Fernando Martinez is back with Buffalo and went 2 for 4 with a home run yesterday. Continue reading “Mets Links: Beltran, Maine, Santana”