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September Callup Thread

seawolf17 Aug 31 2005 08:01 PM

Howie & Gary said the Mets announced three callups for tomorrow: Shingo Takatsu was cut by the White Sox a few months ago, but he's given up one run in eight innings (with ten strikeouts) since joining the Mets' system. Japan's career saves leader went 1-2 with a 5.97 ERA and eight saves in 31 appearances with Chicago this season. Kaz Ishii has been pretty good since joining Norfolk: 2-2, 1.76 in 16.1 innings. He was awful with the big club earlier this year. Tim Hamulack was almost a Met last week in Arizona, but the Mets opted to keep Mike Jacobs around instead. The hard-throwing lefty has been excellent this year, with 34 Ks and only 9 BBs in 35.1 innings, pitching to a 0.82 ERA with six saves and a .167 batting average against him.

Valadius Aug 31 2005 08:02 PM

Hooray for Hamulack!!!

seawolf17 Aug 31 2005 08:13 PM

Hooray for Hamulack... that lefty in the bullpen Hamulack. Where any new batboy or young first sacker can be his backer 'cause he's looking grand. And any beer vendor will be Tim's defender if he pitches like he can. Hooray for Hamulack... they sent him home and then they brought him back. Where anyone at all from Keith Hernandez to Sid Fernandez is forever on the track, Go out to right and throw, you might be Jesse O! Hooray for Hamulack. Hooray for Hamulack... that boy he ain't no phony, Hamulack. He comes up from the Tides, the midnight flight he rides, throws from the left side, his name is up in lights. All armed with dreams of winning, pitching the seventh inning, deep in the Wild Card fights. Hooray for Hamulack... so glad to see you coming right on back... Watch out for three-card monte, go see Mr. Conti, he'll show you past the warning track. You might not break the bank-o, but just be better than Franco! Hooray for Hamulack!

TheOldMole Aug 31 2005 08:46 PM

Good job. Seawolf. I was going to try that. But you did it better than I would have.

SI Metman Sep 01 2005 01:21 AM

The hammur!! Apparently he can hit 95 with the fastball on occasion. Not called up was Royce Ring who went 3 innings in relief of Jose Santiago who went 6 tonight. Looks like the Mets aren't going to deplete the Tides playoff roster just yet.

Valadius Sep 01 2005 09:18 AM

And that brings up a good point: why do we have the Tides constantly run away with their division while we languish in mediocrity?

Elster88 Sep 01 2005 09:18 AM

Valadius wrote: And that brings up a good point: why do we have the Tides constantly run away with their division while we languish in mediocrity? ]Kaz Ishii has been pretty good since joining Norfolk: 2-2, 1.76 in 16.1 innings. He was awful with the big club earlier this year. That's why. _____________________________ This was the last post Elster88 made under the posting designation 169)Ellis Valentine

Edgy DC Sep 01 2005 09:30 AM

Because oft a AAA team is of augmented by veterans of the back of major-league rosters who can perhaps turn around a AAA team but could at best be a role player in Flushing. Excellent internal rhyme.

Rotblatt Sep 01 2005 01:46 PM

Ishii, Hamulack & Takatsu are available today. Calloway designated for assigment to make room on the 40-man.

metirish Sep 01 2005 01:49 PM

Will the kid 2nd baseman get called up?

Rotblatt Sep 01 2005 02:01 PM

No word about Hernandez yet. I'd assume they'll bring him up, but I don't know when . . .

Frayed Knot Sep 01 2005 03:23 PM

Anderson Hernandez would also involve a 40-man roster move and I'm not sure how much flexibility they've got there now. In addition to Ron Calloway being waived, Cameron was transfered to the 60-day DL (officially ending his season) to make room for the 2 guys added today; Hamulak & Tagatsu (Ishii was already on).

MFS62 Sep 01 2005 03:28 PM

Can anyone provide a good reason why Calloway stayed on the 40 man roster up until now? Later

Frayed Knot Sep 01 2005 03:38 PM

Was there someone he was holding back?

MFS62 Sep 01 2005 04:14 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: Was there someone he was holding back? Is Eric Valent still on the 40 man roster? If not, someone else will have to be dropped to add him. But once we had Cameron, Beltran and G. Williams, there might have been another "veteran" they could have added at AAA that might not have been so,uh, redundant. Later

Valadius Sep 01 2005 06:09 PM

I believe Valent is still on the 40-man roster.

Frayed Knot Sep 01 2005 10:37 PM

Yes I believe that Valent is still on the 40. He was exposed to waivers when he was sent down but he wasn't picked up. And Valent/Calloway, Calloway/Valent ... is there really that big a difference? Point is that Calloway has at least as much ML experience as Valent and with the possibility of Cliff getting hurt, Cameron getting traded, or Diaz falling on his face, there was certainly no harm in keeping Calloway around (AAA is filled with one-time MLers like him). And again, I don't think there's been anyone whose ML callup has been delayed due to him staying on the 40-man.

Edgy DC Sep 02 2005 12:17 AM

No, Valent is not on the 40. I guess the thinking is... if you're going to risk him once by exposing him by sending him down without options, might as well remove him from the 40 at the same time, so there's less risk of having to clear him through waivers a second time down the road if you need his spot.

Johnny Dickshot Sep 02 2005 07:40 AM

The Mets roster lists Hamulack as No. 46 and, Shingo as No. 10 (the # he wore in Chicago). Did anyone see those guys in uniform? If so, Shingo overtakes Corey Lidle (No. 11) as the lowest-numbered Met pitcher in history! How about that? This year Wells wore No. 3, briefly, in Boston and Toronto's Josh Towers wears 7.

G-Fafif Sep 02 2005 01:38 PM

Johnny Dickshot wrote: The Mets roster lists Hamulack as No. 46 and, Shingo as No. 10 (the # he wore in Chicago). Did anyone see those guys in uniform? If so, Shingo overtakes Corey Lidle (No. 11) as the lowest-numbered Met pitcher in history! How about that? They were each up in the pen yesterday wearing those numbers. Gary Cohen said "Mike Hampton wore 10 and he did OK". I assume he meant for Houston. He wore 32 for us and 20 at his press conference (as well as a Cleveland Browns helmet in the dugout during a doubleheader against the Expos which always rubbed me the wrong way...baseball, gentlemen). I guess we're not counting Desi Relaford (No. 8) as a Mets pitcher per se?

Johnny Dickshot Sep 02 2005 01:54 PM

Yeah, Ordonez wore 10 at the time Hampton was a Met, even though Rey hit like a pitcher and Hampton hit like a shortstop.

metirish Sep 04 2005 11:38 PM

From the Times.. ]Manager Willie Randolph said that reliever Danny Graves would rejoin the team Monday in Atlanta and that infielder Anderson Hernandez and another outfielder would be promoted from Class AAA Norfolk after Norfolk's postseason. [/code]

ABG Sep 04 2005 11:48 PM

Does anyone here realize that WE are in a pennant race? Why are they constantly giving a shit about Norfolk? You play to win the games. Hello.

SI Metman Sep 05 2005 01:15 AM

ABG wrote: Does anyone here realize that WE are in a pennant race? Why are they constantly giving a shit about Norfolk? You play to win the games. Hello. aside from Anderson Hernandez, there isn't much on Norfolk that would make a difference on the Mets. Do you want to bring up Koo and Ring now, both who were very ineffective in their stints? Bring back Daubach or Valent for 2 major league AB's combined during Norfolk's run? Besides, I'm betting that Willie will be gunshy with Hernandez after seeing how Jacobs responded post-Arizona. If Matsui gets hot, then there won't be a need for Hernandez.

ABG Sep 05 2005 10:01 AM

aside from Anderson Hernandez, there isn't much on Norfolk that would make a difference on the Mets. Do you want to bring up Koo and Ring now, both who were very ineffective in their stints? >>>>>>No. Bring back Daubach or Valent for 2 major league AB's combined during Norfolk's run? >>>>>>Sure. I care a helluva lot more about two MLB AB's than where the Tides finish. Besides, I'm betting that Willie will be gunshy with Hernandez after seeing how Jacobs responded post-Arizona. If Matsui gets hot, then there won't be a need for Hernandez >>>>>>He can't pinch run? Or come in for defense? Or perhaps even catch some lightning in a bottle? I can think of plenty of reasons to bring him up, and none not to.

duan Sep 05 2005 10:46 AM

for me the key is Valent - we could really use some left handed power AND he can play the OF and 1b so he really should be on the ML team rather then not.

metirish Sep 13 2005 10:10 AM

Any news on this.. ]Will Willie kid around? With Mets essentially out of wild-card race, Randolph could take a look at youngsters, especially Hernandez BY ANTHONY RIEBER STAFF WRITER September 13, 2005 With 13 games left at Shea Stadium beginning with tonight's against Washington, the Mets had hoped to sell the excitement of a wild-card chase to their fans. A 2-8 road trip pretty much took care of that notion. So the Mets instead will focus on finishing strong, maybe playing spoiler, and possibly taking a peek at a piece of their future. Or, as Willie Randolph put it, getting "a little glimpse of what might be, what could be." The Mets have a gaping hole at second base. Enter prospect Anderson Hernandez, a converted shortstop who could be promoted from Triple-A Norfolk as soon as today. "I'd like to see maybe this kid Hernandez come up eventually," Randolph said Sunday in St. Louis. Two things are significant about that: The manager mentioned Hernandez without prodding, and at the time he spoke, Norfolk's season wasn't over. It is now, as the Tides were eliminated from the International League playoffs Sunday night. The only obstacle in Hernandez's way is the Mets' 40-man roster, which is full. Team brass huddled yesterday to decide when and how to add Hernandez, who is likely to be the only significant minor-leaguer the Mets bring up before season's end. "I've heard some good things about him," Randolph said. "Just to get a look at how he handles himself and see if he's overmatched or anything like that. He's a switch hitter, had a nice little year in Triple-A, so you're kind of curious sometimes in what those kinds of guys can bring." Hernandez, 22, batted .315 with nine home runs, 54 RBIs and 35 stolen bases in a season split equally between Norfolk and Double-A Binghamton. The Mets acquired him from Detroit on Jan. 6 for Vance Wilson and he wowed them in spring training with his glove at short. The Mets don't need a shortstop, but given the struggles of Kaz Matsui and Miguel Cairo this season, they could use a second baseman. They also could use a No. 2 hitter, although Hernandez's high strikeout total (104) could be problematic in that spot. "In Triple-A, he's had a nice year," Randolph said. "When you're looking at the numbers, it's like he's the kind of guy, a switch hitter, that could fit in that spot. Probably. We don't know at the big-league level." With their roster full, the Mets aren't inclined to call up other prospects who aren't on the 40-man roster, such as pitcher Yusmeiro Petit or outfielder Prentice Redman. Petit struck out 14 in a playoff game Thursday, but it was only his fourth Triple-A start, and the Mets are leery of rushing the 20-year-old. More likely additions are old friends Dae-Sung Koo and Royce Ring. One youngster who will be getting a good look the rest of the season is first baseman Mike Jacobs, who started the last three games of the road trip and had a key RBI double in Sunday's 7-2 win. The Mets want to see what they have in the 24-year-old before the winter shopping season opens. First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz understands. "I knew it was going to happen," he said, "as soon as we fell out of the race. This ain't my first rodeo." Anderson Hernandez Dominican middle infielder acquired from the Tigers in January for Vance Wilson. Turns 23 on Oct. 30. A career .258 hitter in four previous minor-league seasons, the switch hitter batted .315 combined at Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Norfolk with nine HRs, 54 RBIs and 35 SBs. Struck out 104 times. It was his first experience at Triple-A. A slick glove at short, he was converted to second base this season.

Edgy DC Sep 13 2005 10:26 AM

Of course, Matsui's been the hottest bat in September.

SI Metman Sep 13 2005 03:19 PM

Meh, I don't know about Hernandezson any more. I was watching the Tides Game 4 on Saturday and watched him have the worst possible inning ever. In the bottom of the 7th of a scoreless elimination game, he botches a ball Buckner style and then throws it away allowing the go-ahead run to score. In the top of the 8th, he singles to lead off the inning and advances to second on the walk. He then decides to steal third with no outs and gets thrown out by a mile killing a potential rally, but was eventually bailed out later in the inning. Yeah, I know it was only 1 inning of a game, but imagine if he had done that in the Atlanta series..

Frayed Knot Sep 13 2005 03:33 PM

I've yet to read an objective, informed opinion on Anderson Hernandez - at least not one with his progress this season included. Prior to the season he didn't even make the top-10 list (acc to BA) in a weak Detroit system, and while he's certainly made some strides since then it is only one year. As usual, I suspect conventional wisdom will put him somewhere between the long-shot good-glove/no-bat deal that he was and the super-stud that some NYM fans are rushing to treat him as now.

Edgy DC Sep 13 2005 03:42 PM

Just so long as he isn't over-hyped by the Mets to dupe me into buying tickets. I hate that.

Elster88 Sep 13 2005 03:43 PM

]the super-stud that some NYM fans are rushing to treat him as now. This is one of the things that I get disproportinately angry about. The desire of Joe MetFan to promote some guy because he's hitting .300 in the minors. I have to learn to deal with this. _____________________________ This post had the designation 157) Alex Ochoa

Frayed Knot Sep 13 2005 04:02 PM

It's understandable, just a bit annoying when it goes overboard. A sizable percentage of Met fans have become so starved for young, good, homegrown talent that "Play the Kids" has become their virtual mantra with little discrimination as to which one(s). It's come to the point where I hear these calls to talk radio saying; 'the Mets gotta bring up this young stud infielder they got down there ... ahhh whatsiname' ... and it's obvious they know nothing about him, only that they heard he's good (likely from an another equally uninformed caller) and so they then assume that means he's a star. If/when said prospect turns out to fall short of their imaginations the fan quickly - as Edgy implies above - blames the team for "overhyping him". As I mentioned in the "Sid" thread on the NBF I heard Jody Mac - for the first time in months - on ESPN radio the other day when a caller started clamoring for A. Hernandez saying that "he may become the next Wright" - as if all prospects are created equally and one stands as good a chance at stardom as another. Jody - one of the few who knows a bit about minor leaguers - was smart enough to set him straight. I started thinking about how that call would go over w/the FAN crew: - Sid/Joe would have flat-out agreed with the caller that the Mets were somehow holding back greatness - M&MD would go the opposite and claim that any prospect who was worthwhile must suck or he'd already be here. - Steve Somers would have mis-heard the caller ... and then made a lame joke which wouldn't come close to answering the question.

MFS62 Sep 13 2005 06:06 PM

According to Eddie C on M&MD this afternoon, Hernandez is not currently in their plans to be called up. (Koo was). He added that Willie is still trying to win all the games possible and that "Matsui has an 8 game hitting streak." (he left that dangling out there, leaving us waiting for the answer to "and.....?") But Coleman did say that there would be an organizational meeting tonight to discuss other callups. Later

Elster88 Sep 13 2005 06:38 PM

LOL, LFK. Your synopsis was dead-on.

smg58 Sep 14 2005 12:53 AM

Super stud is definitely unreasonable, but Hernandez wouldn't have to be that good to be an upgrade over what we've had all year at second base. He seems to have turned a corner with his batting average, even if he doesn't appear to have much power and his walk ratio still needs some work. A .700 OPS with good speed and a solid glove might be optimistic, but not out of the question. Of course, the only way to get any sense of what the Mets have in Hernandez is to see the guy play, which is ultimately why I want him to get the call. Granted you can only learn so much in a handful of games, but I don't see why a quick look is too much to ask for.

Edgy DC Sep 14 2005 08:33 AM

Remember that it's also similarly not unreasonable to think Matsui is better than he's shown this year. But Hernandez will get a look, be it in September or May. The big problem between calling him up today or tomorrow is that he's not on the 40. Now, if you want to designate Jose Offerman for assignment, I won't stand in your way. (Or Cairo.)

Rotblatt Sep 14 2005 09:51 AM

We should be looking at who of our veterans is going to be on the team next year, and take off anyone who won't be. One of Cairo, Woody, Anderson & Offerman will NOT be on our 2006 roster, which makes one of them expendable. Management should figure out who, take him off, and call up a kid--whomever management thinks has the best shot at contributing next year. Maybe Hernandez, maybe Redman, maybe Lambin, definitely Valent . . . At this point, there's no harm in seeing what they can do in limited duty. The advantage to letting Matsui start is that every good game he has increases his trade value, and right now it's increasing dramatically. We're almost definitely going to try & move him this offseason, right or wrong, so it makes sense to play him as much as possible right now. That being said, there's no reason not to bring up Hernandez and see how he does as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement. Matsui can get the starts, go 7 innings, then we can see Hernandez for 2. Matsui's trade value goes up (hoepfully) and we get a better sense of Anderson. I actually think we should start Zambrano now as well to increase his trade value. Maybe we shut down Benson. Or Petey, although watching he & Seo pitch might provide one of the few bright spots of the next 18 games.

Edgy DC Sep 14 2005 09:57 AM

I think we should stop advocate shutting down apparently healthy productive players. The Ghost of September Past tells me that teams don't do that. They reduce workloads, but they do not end seasons prematurely. The NBA actually forbids teams from doing this.

Yancy Street Gang Sep 14 2005 10:09 AM

I don't see any reason to shut anybody down, either. Let Pedro and Benson pitch. Let Beltran play.

Rotblatt Sep 14 2005 10:12 AM

Fair enough. How about a six-man rotation, then? I'm just thinking we should showcase Zambrano a little.

Yancy Street Gang Sep 14 2005 10:19 AM

I like that idea better. It would be a good idea to get Zambrano a start or two.

Edgy DC Sep 14 2005 10:21 AM

Seems like a better idea every day.

Frayed Knot Sep 14 2005 10:48 AM

Not sure if Anderson Hernandez [u:c602a13b14]needs to be[/u:c602a13b14] protected on the 40-man this winter or not. If no, then putting him on just to bring him up and get some PR/PH/late inning appearences probably isn't worth it. You're not going to learn a ton about him at this point that they don't already know and it could make for one fewer guy who can be protected at Rule 5 time. In other words, whether you can find room for him now might not be the only consideration. Supposedly the brain-trust was going to pow-wow over this and presumably other questions.

Yancy Street Gang Sep 14 2005 11:28 AM

I wouldn't bring him up unless the plan was to let him start about ten games the rest of the way. Otherwise, it's not worth the trouble of juggling the 40-man and starting the clock on Hernandez's service time.