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AFL Mets

Frayed Knot Sep 07 2011 10:49 AM

NYM prospects (or suspects) will be part of the [u:iwerzcc8]Peoria Javelinas[/u:iwerzcc8] (along with players from the Brewers, Padres, Cardinals & Mariners) in this year's Arizona Fall League. John Sickels gives scouting capsules for the Mets slated to be on that roster: - Collin McHugh, RHP This 24-year-old right-hander out of Berry College [was that named for Straw or Ken?] has a 2.89 ERA with a 100/32 K/BB and just two homers allowed in 93 innings for Double-A Binghamton. An 18th-round pick in 2008, he could be a surprise contributor next year. He has an 88-92 MPH fastball, a good slider, and a workable cutter and curve. - Taylor Whitenton, RHP This right-hander has attractive stats with a 2.51 ERA and a 118/48 K/BB in 111 innings in Low-A, with just 76 hits allowed, but is old for the level at age 23. A 39th-round pick in 2009 from Darton College, he has a chance to impress against better competition. - Reese Havens, 2B The 24-year-old former South Carolina star is effective when healthy (.288/.373/.455 this year in 198 at-bats in Double-A) but has problems staying that way, hampered by a variety of maladies. He needs at-bats and here is a chance for him to get them - Jefry Marte, 3B Scouts remain intrigued with his 20-year-old despite mediocre numbers in Low-A (.249/.314/.346). His power hasn't developed yet, but he did steal 14 bases in 15 attempts. His glove needs a lot of work, with a fielding percentage still hovering around .900. - Juan Lagares, OF A 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic, Ligares broke out big this year with a .350/.385/.500 season between High-A and Double-A, stealing 14 bases. He doesn't draw walks but has sound contact hitting skills and gap power. Skeptics think he's just been lucky with a high BABIP this year.

Edgy MD Sep 07 2011 11:33 AM Re: AFL Mets

Havens was a safe bet. Some good picks there. I think they usually sent six --- three pitchers and three hitters. Zack Wheeler? Eric Goeddel?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 07 2011 11:40 AM Re: AFL Mets

Gotta say, those are good numbers from the pitchers I wouldn't have guessed.

Edgy MD Sep 07 2011 12:20 PM Re: AFL Mets

I'm honestly not sure if I've ever heard of Taylor Whitendon. Almost sounds like a fake baseball name. Good fake baseball names: Shane Van Meyerhoffer Diego Rijos Cory Outlander Shawn Emory

Ashie62 Sep 07 2011 03:51 PM Re: AFL Mets

I thought this thread was about the American Football League...shit.

MFS62 Sep 08 2011 08:32 AM Re: AFL Mets

My kid's going to Arizona. Don't forget your identity papers, Juan. Oh, and Ashie, Jeppeson High School Stadium, Frank Youell Field or Balboa Stadium. Which one did you like? Later

Ashie62 Sep 08 2011 08:04 PM Re: AFL Mets

Something about Balboa and War Memorial I liked...Frank Youel..the home of da Raiders!

Edgy MD Oct 04 2011 09:03 PM Re: AFL Mets

Opening the season, your Peoria Javelinas going up against the rival Salt River Rafters: Colin McHugh, who had a nice season for Bingo, starts and is raked for three runs on five hits in two innings. He walks one and fans zero. But he's not the only Bingo baby on the Javelinas. Erik Turgeon came in to pitch the fourth with the Javs up 5-3, having bailed McHugh out. He did his best to blow that, though, coughing a run up in his inning. Not wanting to let Bingo go unredeemed, Robert Carson came on and gave up a run, but he went one and a third. That's... better. Fearing the system would be completely embarrassed, in came Anthony Whitenton, the fourth Mets pitcher on the day and the third in a row, but this time from the Savannah Sand Gnats. Unlike his more advanced teammates, he left without a tally, loading the bases on a hit and two walks but escaping with a 1 1/3-inning hold. That's all messy. Perhaps we got some hitting done, no? Well, in a 12-9 slugfest, Savannah secondbaseman Wilfredo Tovar managed to go 0-4, and... that's it. Havens, Marte, and Lagares all had splinter-picking duty and reportedly performed admirably. Maybe tomorrow.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 04 2011 09:09 PM Re: AFL Mets

I never heard of most of these guys.

MFS62 Oct 04 2011 09:35 PM Re: AFL Mets

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I never heard of most of these guys. You could see Havens playing second for the big club next year and Lagares in the outfield the year after that. Later

Lefty Specialist Oct 05 2011 07:31 AM Re: AFL Mets

I'm just hoping Havens doesn't get injured by a cactus.

TheOldMole Oct 05 2011 09:23 AM Re: AFL Mets

When did Peoria get moved to Arizona?

Edgy MD Oct 05 2011 09:49 AM Re: AFL Mets

From Wikipedia: Peoria (/pi???ri?/) is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. Located primarily in Maricopa County, it is a major suburb of Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau releases, the population of the city is 154,065.[3] Peoria is currently the sixth largest city in Arizona for land area, and the ninth largest for population. It was named after Peoria, Illinois. (The word peoria is a corruption of the Illini word for “prairie fire”.[4][5]) Peoria is now larger in population than its namesake. It is the spring training home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners who share the Peoria Sports Complex. In July 2008, Money magazine listed Peoria in its "Top 100 Places to Live".[6] Interesting that the word comes from the Illini. Like so many retiring mid-westerners after them, much of the tribe migrated (under duress) to the southwest.

TheOldMole Oct 05 2011 09:57 AM Re: AFL Mets

Are there two pitchers named Whitenton?

Edgy MD Oct 05 2011 10:03 AM Re: AFL Mets

No, he's Anthony Taylor Whitendon, apparently going by "Taylor" except in my recaps.

Edgy MD Oct 17 2011 09:44 AM Re: AFL Mets

Marte shows some harte. Mets' Marte makes first AFL homer a big one Third base prospect hits go-ahead two-run blast in eighth inning By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com | 10/15/11 8:01 PM ET Jefry Marte was off to a slow start in the Arizona Fall League, but that could be starting to change. The Mets' No. 10 prospect slugged his first fall homer Saturday afternoon as the Peoria Javelinas held on for an 8-7 victory over the Scottsdale Scorpions. Serving as the Javelinas' designated hitter, Marte snapped an eighth-inning tie with a two-run blast -- his second extra-base hit in seven AFL games. Peoria hitting coach Alonzo Powell said it's only a matter of time before the 20-year-old gets back on track. Jefry Marte hit .248 with seven homers and 55 RBIs in 131 games in the Florida State League. (Mark LoMoglio/MLB.com)"He's a young kid with a lot of potential with pretty good strength and good bat speed," Powell explained. "He's a lot like the other kids here, he just needs a little fine-tuning. There was not really an adjustment in his swing. He had a pitch to hit in his at-bat before and he popped it up in the infield. The next time, he got a pitch he could handle." Marte, a native of the Dominican Republic, was hitless and struck out twice in his first three at-bats before coming up with one on and out out in the eighth. After taking Pat Lehman's slider for ball one, he pulled the next pitch over the left-center field fence. "He got a 1-0 fastball up in the zone and he put a good swing on it to left-center field," said Powell, a former Major League outfielder. "He's been swinging the bat well and he came through with a big hit for us today. I see a kid that has got really good bat speed and gap-to-gap power. He just needs to be more confident." A Futures Game selection this summer, Marte was not the only Mets prospect to deliver a big hit for Peoria (6-5). Center fielder Juan Lagares went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second. He's batting .389 (7-for-18) with four RBIs in four games as one of two players on the Javelinas' taxi squad. "Juan came through with two strikes," Powell noted. "He got a fastball up in the zone, too, and hit it into the bullpen. He is a five-tool type of player and he plays a real good center field. He has a lot of potential. "We make sure we try to get him in there on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He's done a good job and he's been working hard. It is difficult for [Lagares and Zelous Wheeler]. Everybody else is playing every day, and if you're playing every day and have a bad game, you can make up for it quickly. They're in a difficult situation and they understand that. When they do play, they make the most of it." Wheeler, a Brewers prospect who hit .272 in 82 games between Double-A Huntsville and Triple-A Nashville this season, was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Mariners top prospect Nick Franklin also had two hits, drove in two runs and scored once. Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford went 3-for-5 with an RBI to raise his average to .360 for Scottsdale, while Angels outfielder Mike Trout -- MLB.com's No. 1 prospect -- chipped in two hits. Cardinals right-hander Keith Butler (1-1) tossed a hitless inning for the win and Padres prospect Miles Mikolas picked up his first save, despite allowing a run on three hits in the ninth. Lehman (0-1), who pitched at two levels in the Nationals system, was charged with two runs -- one earned -- on two hits and a walk while fanning two over two innings. Ashley Marshall is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Edgy MD Oct 26 2011 07:16 AM Re: AFL Mets

If I can make this an all-offseason action thread, the US ended 40 years of Cuban domination at the Pan-Am games, ending Cuba's run of 10 straight titles by beating them 12-10 in Monday's semifinals. And then promptly lost to Canada 2-1 in the final yesterday. Ernie Whitt managed the Canadians. And it was the fourth straight silver for the US. Met farmhand Jonathan Malo played shortstop for Canada. Former Met prospect Shawn Bowman also appeared for the Maple Leafs. No Mets played for the US.

MFS62 Oct 26 2011 08:14 AM Re: AFL Mets

Edgy, my baseball fan Canadian friend will be vacationing in Cuba in a few weeks. Are there any baseball things you'd like him to inquire about while he's there? He usually posts pictures on the private portion of their website. I'll ask him to post them on the public forum as well. Later

Edgy MD Oct 26 2011 08:22 AM Re: AFL Mets

I would discourage any Canadian in Cuba from making inquiries about their ballplayers.

MFS62 Oct 26 2011 08:35 AM Re: AFL Mets

Edgy DC wrote: I would discourage any Canadian in Cuba from making inquiries about their ballplayers. LOL! Maybe you're right. Discreet isn't in his Canadian dictionary. Later

Edgy MD Nov 01 2011 11:29 AM Re: AFL Mets

Joshie done got sent home. – The “Leones del Caracas” decided to dismiss Mets' Josh Satin yesterday after only three weeks of winter ball. Satin hit .146, but he had 2 HR's, 12 runs scored (leading the team) and an OBP of .407. He also was playing left field for the first time in his career. I like how "Leones del Caracas" is in quotes. They're not actual lions, see.