Kuzul

It is almost September. And taking the 2010 Mets season into consideration? La-di-da. Either way, the September roster expansion is looming. Based on some of the more productive members of the Mets farm system, there are indeed some guys I’d like to see before seasons end. Here are five guys that will, or at least should get recalled for the last month of the season.

Nick Evans- Talk about falling off the face of the Earth, or the Mets at least. Evans was hanging out at AA Binghamton for most of the year and has played at AAA Buffalo for the past couple weeks. His numbers have been better than ever, and one could wonder why we have yet to see him in a Mets’ uni this season. In 115 games, between AAA and AA, Evans has hit .300 and popped 22 home runs. The Mets have been waiting for his power game to develop for years. Now is the time to see him get some more action after the rosters expand this week.

Jenrry Mejia- So now that the complete mismanagement of Mejia’s development is out of the way, time for him to head back up to the big league club. Hopefully, all we’ll see from him is a start or two, just to see if he pitches as well as he did out of the pen earlier this year. He’s been impeccable since being sent back down to the minors and recovering from injury concerns. He’s made six starts at Binghamton, four since returning from his injury. He’s 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA in those starts with 26 K’s and a complete game shutout. His control hasn’t been anything special, but he’s still really young, so it isn’t surprising. Interestingly enough, lefties have hit just .167 against him. We’ve seen him mopping up for the Mets, but now it’s time to see how he fares in five or six innings against a team like Philadelphia.

Dillon Gee- Mets’ fans have been aware of Dillon Gee for quite some time. The right-handed starting pitcher has been tossing some hard stuff for a while now. His 4.87 ERA at AAA Buffalo in 26 starts this season might not be impressive, but the guy is a control freak. He has posted a 13-7 record, and in 151.2 innings, he has walked just 36 while striking out 150. When he is on a roll in game, he cruises. This is enough for anyone to be excited to see if his command will carry over to the Major League roster.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis- Disregard his struggles at Buffalo for the past month. He should earn a spot on the Mets in September. At Binghamton this year, the left-handed hitting outfielder hit .289 with 16 homers, 61 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. His ability to integrate some good baserunning with his power is impressive. He just needs to work out the kinks with his plate discipline. Either way, I’m looking forward to what he has to offer in the future.

Lucas Duda- I’ve been pumped about the development of outfielder Lucas Duda all season. He is a hulking individual, standing in at 6’5’’ and 240 pounds, so we’ll see how mobile he can be in the outfield. But the left-handed swinging outfielder has put up the most dominant power numbers I’ve seen from a Mets’ prospect this year. The 24 year-old made a flawless transition from AA to AAA as well. Between 110 games in both stops, he has hit .303 with 23 home runs while driving in 87. He struck out 77 times while drawing 58 walks. He pulverized right-handed pitching at Buffalo this season, hitting .353 against them. There is a lot of unexpected upside here, so it will be interesting to see what he can do.

See this and more Mets’ minor league coverage from Matt in The Mets Gazette

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After a 2-9 west coast road trip, the Mets (50-49) are reeling. With four days until the July 31st trade deadline, most fans are wondering when the team will make a move to either sure up their rotation or add a bat to their streaky lineup. 

As tweeted by Buster Olney, the Mets are reported to be in a “wait and see” mode at this point.  My suggestion to the Mets’ front office is to wait.

As a Mets fan, it is hard for me to say they should not make a trade before the deadline, but hear me out on this.  This 2010 Mets squad has been extremely streaky; especially the bats, and now with Mike Pelfrey struggling, there are many more holes in this team than there seemed to be three weeks ago. 

It would take trading away many of the Mets top prospects such as Jenrry Mejia, Wilmer Flores, and Fernando Martinez to bring back impact players that might help the club out this year.  But is it worth mortgaging the future to try to win now?  The answer is no and there are two reasons why.

The first reason why it is not smart to trade prospects away for the chance of winning in 2010 is that keeping young home-grown players is a successful strategy.  It’s hard for Mets fans to give credit to rivals, but looking at the 90’s Yankees, and the Phillies and Rays of the last couple years, you see great examples of what happens when an organization develops and builds around young talent. 

The second reason why they shouldn’t make a trade by the deadline is because it would be awesome to pencil in an infield that includes David Wright, Jose Reyes, Ike Davis, Josh Thole, and Ruben Tejada for the next five plus years.  Say what you want about these five young guys, but an infield like this brings a mix of solid defense, speed, power, and contact at the plate. 

The major argument against this strategy is that sometimes these prospects don’t ever pan out to be what we expect.  Over the last 20 years, this has happened to the Mets countless times, from Generation K to Lastings Milledge, and there is no way to tell if the same will happen with this group. 

My suggestion to the Mets organization and the fans is to be patient because winning this year is not as important as winning consistently in the near future.

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1) Jenrry Mejia, SP

Birthday: 10/11/89

2010 Stats: 0-2, 3.25 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 5.5 K/9 in 27.2 innings (Majors), 0-0 2.70 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, 13.5 K/9 in 3.1 innings (Triple-A)

What to Expect This Year: Mejia has had success in the majors this year as a reliever. However, he was sent down to the minors to get stretched out and work as a starting pitcher. It would not be surprising to see Mejia back in the majors in late August or early September. If the Mets are in the playoff race, Mejia may be back in the bullpen. If the Mets are out of contention, expect to see Mejia starting.

Best Case Scenario: Mejia has electric stuff and is definitely a power pitcher. He has the potential to become an anchor at the top of the Mets rotation for years to come. If he harnesses all of his potential he might be able to win a Cy Young.

Most Likely Scenario: Mejia will become a solid number two or number three starter. He will have electric stuff but will struggle with his control. A high walk rate will prevent him from ever putting together more than one or two outstanding seasons.

2) Fernando Martinez, OF

Birthday: 10/10/88 2010

Stats: .252/.314/.450, 9 HR, 29 RBI in 55 games (Triple-A), .267/.313/.333, 0 HR, 0 RBI in 4 games (High-A)

What to Expect This Year: With the logjam in the Mets outfield, there does not appear to be any room for Martinez in…(to read about Fernando Martinez and the other 8 prospects profiled click on the link below)

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1. Cliff Lee — Lee is by far the best pitcher in the group and is having a fantastic season. 

He had a late start to his season because of an injury, but he is already 5-3 on a really bad team with a 2.55 ERA.

The most staggering thing about Lee’s season so far is his K/BB statistic, which right now it sits at 16.75. The next person on the list is Roy Halladay with a 6.13 K/BB.  Lee is on base to shatter the MLB record because, frankly, he just isn’t walking anyone. He has walked just 4 batters all season, which is good for a .46 BB/9 INN. 

Lee is just doing everything you can ask of an ace pitcher: winning games, giving up no runs, no hits, walking no one, striking guys out and pitching deep into games. Right now, he is averaging nearly 8 innings per start and already has 3 complete games in 10 starts.

The problem with Lee pitching so well is that it is going to cost a lot to get him.

The one thing going for the Mets is that the Mariners were asking for bats in return so the Mets can still keep Jenrry Mejia. With Fernando Martinez just coming back from his injury two weeks ago, it was perfect timing for the M’s to get a good look at him. 

The other main prospect being thrown around in talks is Wilson Ramos of the Twins. The Mariners are in need of a catcher, but F-Mart is certainly the better prospect, and the Mariners outfield isn’t too great either, so he could surely help them up.

I understand the Mets have been reluctant to trade F-Mart in the past, but if there was ever the perfect opportunity to trade him, this would be it. Martinez is highly unlikely to match Lee’s success in the majors, and Lee would put the Mets over the top. Going into a playoff race with a rotation of Cliff Lee, Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana is just devastating and will dramatically increase the Mets’s chances of getting to the World Series.

2. Fausto Carmona — I really like Carmona and actually traded for him last season in my dynasty league (I am the Mets in the league). 

He reminds me a lot of Big Mike Pelfrey. Both of them rely heavily on their sinkers that have similar velocity and get similar horizontal and vertical movement, each of them complements their fastball with a nice slider, and change up. The only difference is Pelf’s change up is now a split-fingered fastball, while Carmona uses a more traditional change. 

It is interesting to note that when Carmona had his best season in 2007, it was the last time he threw a splitter regularly. It would be interesting if the Mets acquire him if they have him go back to throwing the split.

The problem with Carmona is that he is signed cheaply for a couple years, so he is going to cost a pretty penny. I am not sure what the Indians would be looking for in return, but if I were Jenrry Mejia, I would balk at their asking price. This is a case where I would consider trading Fernando Martinez, but I would never be able to sell myself 100% on the idea.

3. Jeremy Guthrie — Guthrie is a very sticky situation. 

He is a solid middle rotation pitcher who will be under control until 2012, but the Orioles are going to be looking for a return on a No. 2 type of pitcher. 

I like Guthrie and like Carmona, I traded for him in my dynasty league. His stuff is likely to play better in the National League and Citi Field where his fly balls aren’t going to carry out as much as they do at Camden. If he can be had for a reasonable price without having to give up any top notch prospects, I am all for it. However, something tells me the O’s are going to want someone like Wilmer Flores for him and I just don’t think it would be smart for the Mets to do something like that.

4. Ben Sheets — I have always been a huge Ben Sheets fan and when the Athletics signed him in the off season, you know the only thing Billy Beane had in mind was to have Sheets show he was healthy so he could trade him for a couple of prospects.

Sheets is having an okay season thus far. He is 2-7 with a 4.95 ERA, but almost all his other numbers are on par with his career numbers. He is actually getting more ground balls than usual, but the problem has been his control. He is walking way more batters than usual, with a rate of 3.81 BB/9 compared to his career average of 2.08. Part of the reason for the high ERA is the amount of home runs he has given up. His HR/FB percentage is all the way up to 12% since moving to the AL in Oakland, compared to 7.7% over his last 3 years. 

I think a move back to the NL could certainly help his numbers, and like with Guthrie, playing in Citi Field would definitely help his home run rate. I would really like if the Mets got Sheets because he shows flashes of being one of the best pitchers in the game, and he would certainly cost less than someone like Lee.

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The Mets have finally sent Jenrry Mejia down to the minors to stretch him out to be a starter. So the question is, are the Mets sending him down to stretch him out to be a starter in their rotation, or to trade him?

Jenrry Mejia is the Mets’ top prospect who has shown dynamite stuff and demonstrated that he can succeed in the major league level. He is only 20 years old and pitches into the mid 90’s. Mejia had a 3.25 ERA in the majors and struck out 17 batters he faced.

Some would feel that trading Mejia would only mortgage the future, but here are some reasons why that isn’t so.

The Mets have been doing well with drafting pitchers: They just drafted Matt Harvey out of UNC, who has been compared to Mike Pelfrey. Scouts are predicting that he will quickly make it to the majors fast.

They also have a pitcher Mark Cohoon in the lower A class where he pitched three consecutive complete game shut outs with a record of 7-1. He also went 9-2 last year with the Cyclones.

The Mets have basically been doing a good job with drafting pitchers.

If you could trade for Lee, but had to either give up Niese or Mejia, it would be smarter to trade Mejia. Niese is doing well right now. He has better stuff and more secondary pitches than Mejia. Mejia needs to develop more secondary pitches if he wants to be successful in the majors, and right now he doesn’t have them.

Jenrry Mejia has a bright future and it’s going to be a sacrifice giving him up, but in order to get a pitcher of Cliff Lee’s caliber you are going to have to make that kind of sacrifice. Now I’m not saying that the Mets should jump the gun here; they are going to have to be smart about how they this, because there is going to be competition for a player like Lee.

The Mets have expressed interest in Fausto Carmona who is having a great year, but he’s being compared to Oliver Perez in having problems with his command. There are questions about whether or not he can be successful on the New York stage.

The Mets don’t need question marks. They have enough of that. They need a definite. It’s going to be a gamble either way, but it’s less of a gamble with Lee—you’re only gambling because you don’t have him locked up beyond this season.

The Mets should not wait too long, despite the success they are getting from Takahashi and Dickey. The bullpen is shakey right now, so the Mets could use them both in the bullpen as well as the rotation. With a rotation of Santana, Pelfrey, Lee, and Niese, you have room to experiment with the fifth spot.

We’ll see what the Mets will do in the next couple weeks as the trade deadline approaches.

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The open of the 2010 season had many fans of the New York Metropolitans up in arms.

The starting first baseman and clean-up hitter was none other than Mike Jacobs. Gary Matthews, Jr. was the starting center fielder. Sean Green, coming off a career-worst season in many respects, was in the bullpen. Frank Catalanotto was the team’s prime pinch hitting option, instead of Chris Carter, who displayed his offensive prowess during Spring Training.

Phenom first baseman Ike Davis was in Triple-A, as Atlanta Braves prospect Jason Heyward, held in much the same regard to that organization, was making the Turner Field outfield his new stomping grounds. Manager Jerry Manuel attempted to transform one of the league’s best leadoff men into a No. 3 hitter. Angel Pagan was being placed sixth or lower in the lineup on a nightly basis, even after proving that he can be an asset to the top of the order with his high OBP and low strikeout numbers.

Finally, top starting pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia, 20, was facing major league competition, but as a reliever. Not only was Mejia’s stamina being negatively effected, but Manuel demanded that Mejia only throw his fastball, stunting the development of the secondary pitches he will need as a starting pitcher as his career develops.

Soon, however, GM Omar Minaya and Manuel started to wake up.

As the first week of the season concluded, so did Gary Matthews’ career as a starting major league outfielder. Angel Pagan assumed his duties and hasn’t relinquished them since.

After appearing in one game for the Mets in April and allowing a home run, Sean Green was placed on the Disabled List with a “right side injury.” He has yet to resume baseball activities.

Next, after seven games, seven strikeouts, and a .208 clip, Mike Jacobs was designated for assignment. Days later, 23-year-old Ike Davis was called up from Triple-A Buffalo. Davis has been the starting first baseman ever since.

The bench that consisted of Frank Catalanotto (batting .160), and Gary Matthews (.190) was eventually broken up. Catalanotto was DFA’d in favor of Chris Carter, who adds a tremendous amount of pop off the bench. Catalanotto retired just days later. Gary Matthews also was DFA’d in June, and career minor leaguer Jesus Feliciano was recalled to take his place.

After 20 games, the “Jose Reyes Batting Third” mission was aborted by Jerry Manuel. Reyes hit just .207 and sported an OBP of just .253 in 82 at bats. Upon returning to the leadoff spot on May 15, he’s batted .337 with an OPS of almost .900. The leadoff pep is back in his step.

“I am home,” Reyes said.

With Luis Castillo on the Disabled List, the two hole was no longer being held hostage. Angel Pagan was able to grab a hold on it June 2nd, and has remained there since. He has batted .300 since the move.

The most recent, and arguably most important, of the slue of corrections made by the Mets before the halfway point this season is the demotion of pitcher Jenrry Mejia. Mejia appeared in 30 games in relief this season. His lack of control proved to bite him on a few occasions, but Mejia was one of the most reliable arms in the pen during his time in New York.

Omar Minaya made the move after losing 4-0 to the Yankees Sunday. He explained to the media later that night, “We just felt that it was the right time to get him down there and continue his development,” he said. “He’s done very well here. We see him long-term as a starter.”

Mejia was pleased with the move as well.

“It’s not like they’re sending me down because I didn’t do my job. I want to be a starter.”, Mejia commented after learning of the move.

It’s no secret the Mets are looking to bolster their rotation with hopes of becoming the team to beat in the National League East division. The question now begs to be asked.

Is Mejia being sent down and converted to a starter to showcase him to other teams?

Other teams certainly have interest in Mejia. Will Omar Minaya be willing to part with the 20-year-old top-prospect in order to win in 2010? Will the Mets be able to land a top starter in New York without dealing Mejia?

Minaya and every Mets fan would be elated with a playoff appearance in 2010. It would be the team’s first since the magical 2006 season. However, trading away the franchise’s largest chip at age 20 could prove to be detrimental to the future.

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Jerry Manuel finally loosened his grip on the development of top pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia, following the Mets 4-0 loss in the Subway Series finale on Sunday, allowing the 20-year-old to return to AA Binghamton to become a starting pitcher again.

Mejia, who was named the Mets top overall prospect by Baseball America in 2009, ahead of Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada, and Jon Niese among others, had been used sparingly out of the bullpen since making the team as a reliever out of spring training.

Mejia become the youngest pitcher to appear on a Mets’ Opening Day roster since Dwight Gooden, although it remains to be seen if Mejia will ever become the pitching sensation Doc was.

But the bottom line is that Jenrry Mejia should never have been moved to the bullpen in the first place.

Sure, there are positives to look at when reflecting on his time with the big league squad. He got some experience pitching to major league hitters, he learned the nuances of being a major league pitcher from the coaching staff and K-Rod, and at times showed flashes of the talent he has.

However, none of that outweighs the negatives of disrupting the development of your top pitching prospect.

Instead of being in AA Binghamton learning how to pitch, Mejia spent the first 69 game of 2010 in the Mets bullpen, occasionally pitching in a big spot in the seventh inning, (like he did against the Yankees in his final big league game as a reliever) but more often than not he was used once or twice a week and in low-pressure situations.

Jerry Manuel is the culprit for the delay in sending him down, as Manuel had been holding him hostage as he fought to save his job earlier in the season. Most of the Mets brass wanted Mejia to remain and develop as a starter, but Manuel had said that as long as he was here, Mejia would be on the roster.

Selfish? Maybe. If I were Manuel, and I saw a guy who could throw that hard and I was in the last year of my contract, hell, I’d want him up here too.

Lucky for me, I’m not in the last year of my affiliation with the Mets, I’m a lifelong fan and I’m here for the long-term. I’ve said it countless times over the course of the year how bad of a mistake it was to bring Mejia up as a reliever and how frustrating it was that he wasn’t sent down sooner. (Evidence here , here , here and here .)

Mejia burst onto the scene in 2009 when he dominated High-A ball before posting a 9.54 K/9 in AA Binghamton at age 19, leading scouts to pay attention to him as a serious blue-chip prospect.

Not too shabby for a guy who used to shine shoes for a living and never picked up a baseball until he was 15, despite growing up in the baseball-obsessed Dominican Republic.

Nonetheless, it’s obvious Mejia needs to go down and work on his off-speed pitches. With the Mets this year, he threw his fastball about 78% of the time , and with an average velocity of 95.1 mph it’s easy to see why. However, he won’t be an effective major leaguer until he refines his curveball and his changeup so he can keep hitters from sitting on his fastball.

Right now, he’s only thrown 161.1 minor league innings, so he’s pretty much a baby in terms of his development. Hopefully he’ll be able to adapt quickly to his more familiar spot in the starting rotation with the hopes of helping this team down the stretch and in the future as a potential ace.

From the Mets perspective, I expect Bobby Parnell to be recalled to take Mejia’s spot in the bullpen. Parnell was last year’s version of Mejia, a lifelong starting pitcher who was moved to the bullpen in the majors because of his electric stuff, although Parnell has now made a permanent move to the bullpen as will likely remain a reliever long-term.

After losing two of three at Yankee Stadium, the Mets now get to return to Citi Field following a 7-2 road trip to face two tough AL Central teams in Detroit and Minnesota. The Mets have been a terrific home team all season , so hopefully they’ll continue their home dominance against two very good teams and get back on track after losing their first series in quite some time.

(This article was originally posted on my personal blog, MetsJetsNetsBlog and can be found here )

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Jenrry Mejia made the New York Mets’ roster after impressing the coaching staff throughout spring training. But the youngest pitcher to make the Opening Day roster since Dwight Gooden in 1984 is being sent back to the minors, according to an ESPN Source .

With the Mets’ starting rotation currently a mess, the team has decided to send Mejia to the minors to stretch him out and prepare him to return as a starting pitcher. The process will likely be similar to the way it’s done in spring training. Mejia will gradually build his arm strength and stamina until he is ready to go without restrictions.

The decision was apparently made during a closed door meeting of Mets’ staff in Atlanta on Monday.

Mejia will be sent down and the Mets will bring up R.A. Dickey to start against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.

After Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey, the Mets’ starting rotation has had many questions. John Maine has been effective lately but his velocity is noticeably down, Oliver Perez has been sent to the bullpen, and Jonathan Niese is nursing a mild right hamstring strain. Niese will miss his start Friday, and Hisanori Takahashi will start in his place.

Continue this article at Double G Sports .

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Former Mets first baseman and current television analyst, Keith Hernandez has said a few times during the course of the season that a team is never as good as they look during a hot streak, and is never as bad as they seem to be during a cold streak.

Well, the Mets have seen both sides of the coin early in this young season, which leads me to believe that they’ll end up, eventually, some place in the middle.

Right now, that middle seems to be the .500 mark, where the Mets are now hovering close to at 18-20, following a dismal four-game sweep at the hands of the Marlins down in Miami.

It’s not exactly the way the Mets envisioned the first four games of an eight-game road trip against division foes happening. Plus, things won’t be much better when they come home next weekend to host the Yankees and Phillies at Citi Field.

It seems like ages ago now that the Mets finished April on an eight-game tear, including a 9-1 homestand that saw them reach first place in an ultra-competitive NL East in which all five teams look like they’re for real this year.

Yet, since that eight-game win streak in April, the calender has not been kind to the Mets, who are now 4-11 in the month of May. In fact, had the Mets not rallied for six runs in the eight inning against the Nationals last Tuesday, they could be staring at an eight-game losing streak right now.

But it’s not as if the season is over. The season is not even one quarter of the way over yet. There is still time to try to fix this team and lift them back towards respectability.

One thing that shouldn’t be overlooked is that, despite the 4-11 record in May, the Mets have played games decided by 2 runs or less in 12 of their last 13 games, which tells me a few things.

Primarily, it tells me that the offense doesn’t quit, and they try to rally until the 27th out is recorded. We’ve seen them rally back from five, six, even seven runs down (with mixed results) and I love to see the fight and the never-say-die attitude. It’s a refreshing change from last year when often they’d look dead after falling behind in the game.

In addition, it tells me that at some point, the breaks have got to start going the Mets way. With so many close games decided by a few plays that go either way, at some point those breaks have to go the other way. It’s not as if the opposing team is going to continue to make every diving catch and get every slow roller to bang off the third base bag for a base hit.

I still believe that the core talent on this team has so much potential that it hasn’t fully realized yet, so today I’ll look at five moves that the Mets should make to try to salvage this season, with the hopes of contending both now in 2010, and in the future.

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