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Your Binghamton Mets

MFS62 Apr 03 2006 11:32 AM

http://2006.bmets.com/news/viewarticle.asp?a=796 I wonder. Is it the same Enrique Cruz who was lost in the Rule V Draft a few years ago? Anybody know? Later

SI Metman Apr 09 2006 10:32 PM

Nope, this Enrique Cruz was an ex-MFY [url]http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/C/enrique-cruz-1.shtml[/url] B-Mets took 3 out of 4 from Akron this Opening Weekend. They played 15 innings today and won on a walkoff homer from Jorge Padilla. Henry Owens faced 6 men, he struck out 6 men.

Edgy DC Apr 09 2006 10:38 PM

Holy Carl Hubbell, Batman!

Frayed Knot Apr 17 2006 09:50 AM

From 'Ask BA': Q: -- What do you think of Mets righthander Henry Owens? The New York papers were hyping him during spring training and his Double-A numbers (no hits, two walks, 14 strikeouts) are ridiculous so far, albeit in just six innings. Any chance we could see him in Shea Stadium this year? A: -- Owens is one of the best stories in a Mets system that has been depleted by trades. He hit just .277-6-20 at NCAA Division II Barry (Fla.) as a senior catcher/DH in 2001. With his baseball career figuring to end there, he planned on attending medical school. But scouts liked his arm strength, and the Pirates' Delvy Santiago signed him as a nondrafted free agent with the intention of converting him to the mound. Owens showed a mid-90s fastball and was able to simply blow heat by hitters in the low minors from the start, but coming up with an effective second pitch was more problematic. He was bothered by elbow tendinitis and back problems throughout 2004, after which the Mets grabbed him in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft. It took Owens a couple of months to get fully healthy last year, but once he did, he had a 1.04 ERA and 41 strikeouts in his final 26 innings at high Class A St. Lucie. His fastball hit 100 mph when he pitched in the Puerto Rican Winter League, and his slider made some strides. It's still not a finished product, however, as evidenced by Owens' performance in big league camp this spring, when he had a 10.50 ERA and opponents strafed him for 12 hits in six innings. The Mets are off to a good start, and Owens still has work to do on his slider, so a promotion isn't imminent. But if he continues to perform and the slider improves, New York is going to be tempted to give him a look later this year.

Frayed Knot Apr 25 2006 11:57 PM

Mike Pelfrey to start for Binghamton on Saturday

Nymr83 Apr 26 2006 12:07 AM

beware, Victor, beware.

SI Metman Apr 26 2006 12:23 AM

The problem with Owens if any is that he just turned 27 this past Sunday. B-Mets got 1-hit tonight. Pelfrey's debut will be on the road which sucks since I'll actually be in Binghamton this Saturday.

Edgy DC Apr 26 2006 09:47 AM

"Are you kidding me? You can't have Punjabs in the dugout!"

Frayed Knot Apr 26 2006 11:19 AM

And speaking of promotions; ... if you're looking for someone who the team is either real high on or maybe is hyping for purposes of mid-season trade bait it might be Carlos Gomez; the speedy, just turned 20 y/o, OFer who the Mets recently promoted from Hagerstown directly to Binghamton. Off to a slow start so far: .197/.300/.263; 9 SB w/2 CS; 18 Ks/8 BBs in 76 ABs

Frayed Knot Apr 27 2006 10:34 AM

Some stuff on Gomez from a BA Q&A: Q: What should Met fans make of Carlos Gomez? The Mets are hyping him as having better tools than Milledge, but he seems to struggle at the plate. What's the deal? A: Matt Meyers: Some people in the org say he has better raw tools than Milledge, which means they could be better, but aren't yet. At this moment, he is faster and has a better arm than Milledge. In fact, his arm and speed might both be legitimate 70 tools (on the 20-80 scale). But the most important tool, hitting, he lags behind Lastings. The organization certainly believes in him and this spring they felt they finally saw him truly responding to instruction and applying it quickly. As a result, they decided to have him skip high A. So far, he has been OK when you consider he skipped a level. He has a ton of upside, but has a ways to go. Guys like him often fail badly (see Escobar, Alex), but can be spectacular (see Guerrero, Vlad).

MFS62 Apr 27 2006 10:41 AM

My boy Henry Owens is still overwhelming AA hitters. As of last night his record is: 1-1, 1.50 ERA, 10G, 12 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 SV, 5 BB, and 27K. Later

MFS62 Apr 29 2006 09:14 AM

Last year's #1 draft pick, righthander Mike Pelfrey makes his first start for Binghamton today. Later

smg58 Apr 29 2006 12:51 PM

I forgot to mention that I got to a B-Mets game last week. The park is nice. The rest of Binghamton, well... My impressions. Jorge Padilla has major league power. Evan MacLane pitched, but does not strike me as a name to remember. I didn't get to see Carlos Gomez use his speed. Brett Harper is huge, but has no home runs to show for his size; he should develop power down the road.

MFS62 Apr 29 2006 01:43 PM

Owens update. Through last night's game: 13 1/3 innings, 31 Ks Writers are soon going to have to add "that's not a misprint" when they report his stats. Later

Nymr83 Apr 29 2006 09:34 PM

The B-Mets lost 1-0 to Erie, but look at Pelfrey's first AA game: 5 2/3 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts! he left the game with a runner on and 2 outs, i'll assume due to a pre-determined pitch count.

Edgy DC May 03 2006 11:45 AM

B-Mets manager Juan Samuel, struck in the face by a foul ball off the bat of Akron's Pat Osborn 4/24, underwent surgery to repair his nose and cheekbone Monday in New York. He isn't expected to return to the dugout until Saturday at the earliest. Kevin Morgan, the NY Mets' Coordinator of Field Instruction and a former B-Mets infielder ('95-'97) is serving as the interim manager. He is wearing number four.... --- oursportscentral.com

Gwreck May 03 2006 04:30 PM

Alay Soler now a Binghampton Met. From Adam Rubin's Daily News Blog: ]Cuban defector Alay Soler, who went 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in five starts for St. Lucie, has been promoted to Double-A Binghamton. Special assistant Tony Bernazard said Soler hit 94 mph his last outing. It had been in the upper-80s this spring. The Mets might face a difficult decision with Soler after the season. He will make at least $800,000 in 2007 unless Mets brass tries to pass him through waivers, which would allow other teams to claim him.

Edgy DC May 04 2006 02:16 PM

I think Pelfrey was to go today, but I just checked and Bingo has been rocked for 20 hits, losing 7-5 in the ninth.

MFS62 May 04 2006 02:23 PM

Pelfry-4ip, 13h, 3so, 1bb, 5r--today. I think all but two of the hits (doubles) were singles. His AA ERA now stands at 4.66 in two starts. The game started in the morning. Maybe his internal clock wasn't working. Later

OlerudOwned May 06 2006 10:53 PM

Soler makes a nice spash in his AA debut. 6.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 0 BB http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060506&content_id=67985&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

ScarletKnight41 May 28 2006 10:05 AM

We saw the B-Mets last night. They lost to Trenton 6-3. Collazo was the B-Mets starting pitcher - he gave up three in the first and one in the second before settling down a bit. The B-Mets were baffled by Trenton's Philip Highes in the beginning, but they eventually learned how to hit him and he was gone midway through the game. Juan Samuel is the manager, and he's a hesitant third base coach - the game might have been closer if he sent a couple of guys who wound up stranded at third. This wasn't an impressive bunch of B-Mets. Over the years I usually see guys at this level that seem worth following, but I wasn't too attached to anyone last night.

Nymr83 May 28 2006 12:41 PM

]Philip Highes Is this P. HUGHES, or another guy altogether? If its Hughes he's a well regarded pitchig prospect, if its "Highes" I've never heard of him.

Edgy DC May 28 2006 01:49 PM

B-Met Prospects Michael Pelfrey P Carlos Gomez OF Henry Owens P Matt Lindstrom P Brett Harper 1B Michel Abreu 1B Bobby Malek OF Zac Clements C Andy Wilson C Corey Ragsdale SS Jay Caligiuri 3B You can even throw Yunir Garcia in and make it three prospective catchers on the roster, but there's been a lot of non-hitting going on.

Nymr83 May 28 2006 02:19 PM

I'd cut that list down to Pelfrey, Owens, Gomez, Lindstrom, and Abreu if you want a list of guys likely to ever get 500 PA or 150 IP in the majors

ScarletKnight41 May 28 2006 04:53 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 28 2006 04:55 PM

I meant Hughes - that was a precaffienated typing error.

seawolf17 May 28 2006 04:54 PM

ScarletKnight41 wrote: I meant Hughrs - that was a precaffienated typing error. And that was a caffeinated typing error.

ScarletKnight41 May 28 2006 04:56 PM

That was a replying on the Sidekick typing error.

SI Metman May 29 2006 12:05 PM

Nymr83 wrote: I'd cut that list down to Pelfrey, Owens, Gomez, Lindstrom, and Abreu if you want a list of guys likely to ever get 500 PA or 150 IP in the majors Owens hasn't played in almost a month, Gomez has been injured and isn't hitting a lick, Abreu is 31... Really, the list of B-Mets prospects is a lot shorter than you'd expect.

duan May 29 2006 12:53 PM

outside of the 40 man roster guys AAA & AA really is a bit of a wasteland at the moment isn't it

MFS62 May 29 2006 03:11 PM

Owens has been throwing on the sidelines, reports his arm feels good, and may start a rehab assignment soon. (I just read that, and have forgotten where I read it). Later

Edgy DC May 29 2006 04:00 PM

]Owens hasn't played in almost a month Being injured doesn't kill your career. ]Gomez has been injured and isn't hitting a lick, See above regarding injury. He also was in the top ten of just about any Mets prospect list, and number two on a few. ]Abreu is 31. And just starting his career after arriving from Cuba. And has hit monstrously on a team that hasn't hit much at all. ]Really, the list of B-Mets prospects is a lot shorter than you'd expect. I don't really expect anything. These are just guys worth watching.

ScarletKnight41 May 29 2006 06:58 PM

According to the Mets' pregame report, yesterday Pelfrey gave up 1 run in 6 innings against Trenton.

Edgy DC Jun 05 2006 01:27 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 05 2006 04:29 PM

News today is that Zac Clements, who had fallen into disuse as a catcher with Binghamton, is switching now to pitcher. Hey, Aaron Hathaway, won't you please reconsider joining the Mets? You just climbed up a notch on the organziational depth chart by staying home and mowing your lawn.

Frayed Knot Jun 05 2006 04:07 PM

BA Notes: The Mets Henry Owens, out since April 30 with an elbow injury, returned to the mound for Double-A Binghamton and struck out two while pitching a perfect ninth.

Frayed Knot Jun 09 2006 02:19 PM

Pelfrey Thrusday Night: 7 shutout innings, 7 Ks, 1 BB, 2 hits Last 3 outings: 19 IPs, 1.42, 22/4 K/BB Scouts report (via BA): "He sat at 93-95 (mph) consistently throughout, and touched 97 a few times," the scout said. "He had real good command of the fastball, and moved it around to make it more effective. He was up, down and in, out--his fastball was unhittable--with a lot of late, downward movement. "The secondary stuff was just OK. His curveball is a hard, slurvy breaking ball that he just wasn't commanding well. The changeup was a non-factor that needs work, more in his grip than his arm speed. It looks fine (mechanically), but it doesn't have much depth to it at all."

Johnny Dickshot Jun 09 2006 02:29 PM

]Pelfrey Thrusday Night: 7 shutout innings, 7 Ks, 1 BB, 2 hits Last 3 outings: 19 IPs, 1.42, 22/4 K/BB Boing. Whoops.

Yancy Street Gang Jun 09 2006 03:01 PM

Gross. I'm glad that, for the moment at least, the rotation pressure is off, and Pelfrey can stay in the minors for a while longer. But if OHernandez and Soler don't continue to pitch as well as they did in their most recent starts, it's nice to know that the kid has been doing well in Binghamton.

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 03:10 PM

Bannister to return, too.

Yancy Street Gang Jun 09 2006 03:13 PM

Return to AAA maybe.

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 03:16 PM

I'd rather Bannister start and L Doo K go to the pen. Subject to change.

Frayed Knot Jun 09 2006 04:19 PM

The thing about Bannister is that he's not even eligible to pitch for another 2+ weeks - and then he'll need some rehab starts to get hisself tuned up again. IOW, he's AS Break at best. Maine's rehab time is up so he's officially at Norfolk for now and only pitching so-so at the moment. One of the papers even mentioned that Evan MacLane may have moved ahead of him on the depth chart for now. Nice recent outings by Soler & Ducky have stabilized things for now but the 2nd half could bring some changes.

Yancy Street Gang Jun 09 2006 04:24 PM

Yeah. I wouldn't be inclined to make room for Bannister on the big league roster, but when a need opens up, he'll be one of the options.

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 04:39 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: Nice recent outings by Soler & Ducky have stabilized things for now but the 2nd half could bring some changes. I'm as hopeful as the next homo saipien, but I'd like to point out that Ducky has had about two good starts all year.

Frayed Knot Jul 11 2006 10:03 AM

A couple of mentions this week for Binghamton OFer Carlos Gomez: Baseball America takes note of his recent hot streak; Since returning from an injury in mid-June, Gomez is hitting .321 and is 14-for-32 in July in what is the best offensive run of his career. Plate discipline is still a problem though as he has 58-13 strikeout-walk ratio in 245 at-bats. ... while Baseball Prospectus reminds us that, despite that, he was rushed to AA and is far from a sure thing; Gomez is an example of a 20-year-old in Double-A who didn't necessarily deserve the assignment. The Mets inexplicably skipped Gomez to the Eastern League to begin the season despite the fact that he hit an unimpressive .275/.331/.376 at Low Class A Hagerstown in 2005. While his raw athleticism is arguably the best in the Mets system, he's still just that--extremely raw, and was clearly not ready for the double-jump, hitting just .211 in the season's first two months. Gomez's bat has come alive of late, as he's gone 16-for-35 (.457) in his last 10 games, but even that has only raised his season numbers to .249/.322/.373. Throw in the fact that he's drawn a grand total of one walk in his last 22 games, and it hardly seems sustainable. The tools are there, but they are still locked up in the cabinet for now.

Edgy DC Jul 11 2006 10:42 AM

I'm not sure, but it seems like they have two different philosophies working at the same time. They seemingly push batters ahead, create crises, and try to facilitate development by forcing the batters to adapt to crises. At the same time, they'll hold a pitcher at a lower level that he's seemingly mastered., until he's refined all points of his game, even though hes doing well enough with what he has that he isn't forced to. That's just an impression and I'm sure there are notable exceptions, perhaps enough to sink that theory before it reaches deep water. I also wonder if they think that AAA is no place for any but the most modest of prospects.

Yancy Street Gang Jul 14 2006 02:55 PM

I just received the following e-mail: ]Every Franchise is built from the ground and The Mets have built some great relationships with cities around the country. And, provide quality entertainment that is the foundation on which The Mets were built. You should honor those cities and managers who put the souls and passion for the game on the line to build The Mets of your future. You got alot of work to do. Or you can chose to dishonor those who have given so much to you. Your chose My response: ]I choose to dishonor those who have given so much to me.

Edgy DC Jul 14 2006 03:23 PM

From whence came this dispatch?

ScarletKnight41 Jul 14 2006 03:25 PM

Probably Nigeria.

Yancy Street Gang Jul 14 2006 03:25 PM

E-mail to the UMDB mailbox.

Edgy DC Jul 14 2006 03:28 PM

From whom?

Yancy Street Gang Jul 14 2006 03:29 PM

Some guy. I don't know who he was; I already deleted the e-mail. I probably wouldn't have posted his name here anyway.

Edgy DC Jul 14 2006 03:30 PM

The inference I initially drew was that it was a Mets marketing e-mail.

Yancy Street Gang Jul 14 2006 03:31 PM

No, I think it was from a fan of one of the minor league affiliates.

MFS62 Jul 24 2006 10:43 AM

Righty Miguel Pinango, who has been in the organization for a while (he's 23) almost threw a (seven inning) perfect game for Binghamton yesterday . He was perfect going into the last inning, but shortstop Corey Ragsdale's throwing error allowed the only baserunner. He finished with a no-walk, seven strikeout no-hitter. While eyes have been focused on more highly touted pitchers at Binghamton this year (Plefrey, Owens, Soler) there was a stretch a few weeks ago when it seemed that Pinango was starting every other day. The Venezuelan has made a steady climb through the organization, but I doubt this one game will force the team to add him to the 40 man roster. Later

MFS62 Aug 02 2006 11:54 AM

The B-Mets are now in first place. They moved a half game ahead of Portland and Trenton last night. And Brooklyn moved into a tie for first place with Staten Island which is quite a feat given their dreadful start this year. Given that Port St. Lucie already won the First Half Season in their Florida State League division, there could be three Mets farm teams in the playoffs. Later

Gwreck Aug 02 2006 11:55 AM

BMets now have Phil Humber as well.

Johnny Dickshot Aug 02 2006 12:00 PM

They also promoted "Bazooka" Joe Smith, the sidearming kid they drafted in the 3rd round this year. That's very nice progress for the kid.

MFS62 Aug 02 2006 12:04 PM

With a bullpen of Owens, Lindstrom and Smith, all of whom throw serious heat, they can give batters a lot of o-fers. LAter

Frayed Knot Aug 08 2006 02:45 PM

BA: Carlos Gomez of, Mets (Double-A Binghamton): Prior to this season, Gomez was known more for his raw tools than his production on the field. Since returning in June from a back injury that sidelined him for a few weeks, he has been doing his best to reverse his rep. The 20-year-old is hitting .363 in that span and hit .406 in July and is hitting .435 in August. It is still mostly singles and he still strikes out too much, but it is still progress. This is the guy they skipped from Hagerstown directly to Bingo earlier this year.

ScarletKnight41 Aug 08 2006 02:50 PM

I'll be checking out the kids when they're in Trenton on Thursday night.

MFS62 Aug 08 2006 02:58 PM

ScarletKnight41 wrote: I'll be checking out the kids when they're in Trenton on Thursday night. Do they still have that big sign I used to see when coming into Trenton via train? It said "Trenton makes. The world takes". Later

ScarletKnight41 Aug 09 2006 07:28 AM

Yes. In fact, it's known as the Trenton Makes Bridge, and it was recently renovated.

ScarletKnight41 Aug 10 2006 10:41 PM

The kids weren't that impressive tonight, losing to Trenton 6-2. Philip Humber went 7 innings, giving up 4 runs (3 earned). Ivan Maldonado poured fuel on the fire in relief. The bats were relatively quiet for Binghamton, and they looked pretty lackluster on the whole.

MFS62 Aug 17 2006 10:48 AM

From Baseball America: ]The Double-A Binghamton Mets lost four pitchers to Olympic qualifying teams, including closer Henry Owens, who will pitch for Team USA. Starter Miguel Pinango may be selected for the Venezuela team, while Puerto Rican lefthander Willie Collazo and righthander Ivan Maldonado will represent their homeland. The Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament begins Aug. 25 in Cuba, and the pitchers will leave the Mets Sunday. "To put on the Puerto Rico jersey at the World Baseball Classic was so special," Collazo told the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. "I have no doubt that it will still be special to put on the Puerto Rico jersey and try to qualify for the Olympics. As much as I want to be here and try to qualify for the (Eastern League) playoffs, at the same time I’ve got an opportunity to play for Puerto Rico." Later

Edgy DC Sep 01 2006 12:10 PM

Michel Abreu, currently lieading the Eastern League wtih a .334 batting average, has been named the B-Met, MVP. Abreu has been absent from the team for several days following news of his mother's passing. I doubt he has been able to return to Cuba for a funeral, but allowing expatriates to return for funerals without fear of being detained strikes me as something the state department should negotiate, as it would seemingly be in both US and Cuban interests. Anyhow, the B-Mets organized a memorial mass in Binghamton and the entire team turned out. But it's unknow whether he will be travelling with the team to their season-ending series at Connecticut. I may not have my math right, but I think the B-Mets have to sweep Connecticut while Portland gets swept by New Hampshire, so the B-Mets could use him on their side, or New Hampshire's. Other award winners were Willie Collazo (Pitcher of the Year) at 7-6 in 18 starts with a 3.11 ERA, and Henry Owens (Most Inspirational Player), Henry went 2-2 with 20 saves and had a 1.58 ERA. Abreu was also name to the Easstern League Post-Season All-Star Team.