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Arizona Stink Weed

Edgy DC Oct 16 2006 03:43 PM

Player POS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E Michel Abreu 1B 3 11 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 .231 .182 .091 .413 1 Bobby Malek OF 5 13 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 .200 .077 .077 .277 0 Fernando Martinez OF 5 15 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 .125 .067 .067 .192 0

Edgy DC Oct 16 2006 03:49 PM

A little less dreary on the pitching ledger. Player W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR HB BB SO WHIP HLD GF Philip Humber 0 0 4.50 1 1 0 0 0 2.0 2 1 1 0 0 1 3 1.50 0 0 Kevin Mulvey 0 0 9.00 1 1 0 0 0 2.0 2 2 2 0 1 1 1 1.50 0 0 Mike Pelfrey 0 0 0.00 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2.00 0 0

Valadius Oct 16 2006 03:55 PM

But only a little. Yikes.

RealityChuck Oct 16 2006 04:20 PM

Doesn't mean anything. One game for each of the pitchers? And Martinez is, what, 12 years old or something?

Nymr83 Oct 16 2006 04:20 PM

small sample size edit- chuck beat me to it and injected some reality into this post

Edgy DC Oct 17 2006 03:09 PM

Martinez went 2-4 yesterday. No other Mets played. Yay.

Frayed Knot Oct 27 2006 09:53 AM

BA [url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/news/262723.html]looks at some Arizona-based Mets[/url]: Mets righthander Mike Pelfrey is currently having an awakening of sorts in the Arizona Fall League. The book on Pelfrey for much of his first full season, after signing late as New York’s first-rounder (and ninth overall) in 2005, was big fastball velocity and command, with below-average secondary pitches. Pelfrey has made strides--along with some alterations--with his offspeed stuff over the last three weeks. He scrapped his hard curveball for the equivalent of a slider. It's a sharp, late-breaking offering that has shown flashes of having good depth and tilt. "You can see he struggles with it at times," a scout from an American League club said, "but when he stays on top of it and stays easy in his arm action, it has the makings of a plus pitch." It's something Pelfrey needed, but with his fastball in the mid-to-upper 90s, adding an 85-87 mph slider is only half the battle. He didn't have good command of his changeup for much of 2006 either, but has worked extensively on controlling his arm speed and tinkered with his grip slightly to have an effective third pitch--especially against lefthanded hitters. "I quit throwing the curveball and picked up on this slider a little while back, and I think it's right where it needs to be right now," Pelfrey said. "I think it's going to complement my style a little bit better and be a good pitch for me once I get more consistent with it. "With the changeup, I'm starting to command it a little bit better and it has some sink on the end. I think I just got more comfortable with the grip we're using now and I'm throwing it more than I had in the past, so the confidence is starting to get there too." Pelfrey went a combined 7-3, 2.43 with 109 strikeouts in 96 innings between high Class A St. Lucie, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Norfolk, with a brief promotion to New York mixed in. In the AFL, the 6-foot-7 righthander has allowed one hit in four innings, facing a total of 13 batters for Mesa. "It’s 60-feet, six inches for everybody else, but for Pelfrey it's more like 50 feet--total," Solar Sox righthander Kevin Slowey (Twins) said. "He gets such good extension, he's very free and easy and the ball just explodes out of his hand. And with that height advantage, the ball's on top of hitters a heck of a lot quicker than a lot of other guys out here. Add in that velocity and he's dirty . . . just plain filthy." Pelfrey dominated the Florida State League in 2006, but allowed 13 runs in his first five starts at Double-A. So the Mets brought in veteran catcher Mike DeFelice to Binghamton to give their prized prospect some kind of comfort level. With DeFelice behind the plate, Pelfrey went on a tear, reeling off 3-1, 2.32 numbers with 35 strikeouts in 31 innings in June. "I even told the Mets that he was the one who turned my season around," Pelfrey said. "He was just a guy I felt like I could talk to--someone who's been (in the big leagues), somebody who's had that experience. He taught me more about attacking hitters in mixing in my breaking ball and make it more useable, because honestly it's never been great. But he put me in situations where I could use it and have success and gain confidence in myself. He was a big reason I was able to do what I did." Pelfrey has plenty of aggressiveness and nasty pure stuff, but he knows keeping hitters off the pace of his fastball is what it takes to have any kind of success at the next level. "I just have to keep using the slider and the changeup to where I'm comfortable throwing either one at any time and know I can command and locate it where I want it," Pelfrey said. "I'm happy with where things are right now, but I know I still have a lot of work to do to get them where they need to be." MULLING MULVEY: The Mets didn't have a first-round pick in the 2006 draft, selecting Villanova righthander Kevin Mulvey as their top choice in the second round. So far, Mulvey been holding his own. The New Jersey native jumped to Double-A in his debut where he went 0-1, 1.35 in 13 innings. Mulvey has been just as impressive in the AFL, despite allowing five runs over his eight innings of work. "He's got good command of three pitches," a scout from an American League club said. "Good velocity on the fastball--90-93 (mph)--and a nice mix of secondary pitches with a pretty darned good feel for his changeup." Mulvey was a 34th-round pick of the Cardinals out of high school but opted to head to Villanova, and the move paid off after three seasons as he emerged as a second-round talent. The Phillies were heavily linked to Mulvey heading into the draft, but he wound up going to his favorite team--and the team his parents were watching while his mother Carole was going through labor. "I just found this out recently, but apparently they were watching the Mets-Cubs game on TV in the hospital," Mulvey said. "All I know is Doc Gooden was pitching, so it makes everything that’s happened a little more special." MUY CALIENTE, FERNANDO: Mets outfielder Fernando Martinez is the youngest player in the history of the AFL, turning 18 on the Fall League's Opening Day, but even facing players five to six years older, Martinez has shown tools worthy of his $1.4 million bonus. Martinez is hitting just .233 (10-for-43) for Mesa, but that includes a 1-for-18 start. He has shown excellent bat speed, instincts and the ability to use the whole field in a prospect-laden showcase. "He's still so young, but the ball just jumps off his bat," Solar Sox manager Pat Listach said. "He's a tough kid with tremendous natural ability. He's hit some balls I'm just amazed by, to be honest. The first day of batting practice, he's out there hitting opposite-field home runs. I know it's BP, but for a 17-year-old to be out there taking balls out the other way, it's just very impressive." Martinez was expected to play all three outfield spots in Arizona, but has played exclusively center for Mesa. And while the tools are there offensively, his defense is still a work in progress. "He still needs some time on routes, jumps, those types of things that will only get better with more experience," Listach said. "This is a real test for him and he's responded."

soupcan Oct 27 2006 10:09 AM

Frayed Knot wrote: MULLING MULVEY: ...The Phillies were heavily linked to Mulvey heading into the draft, but he wound up going to his favorite team--and the team his parents were watching while his mother Carole was going through labor. "I just found this out recently, but apparently they were watching the Mets-Cubs game on TV in the hospital," Mulvey said. "All I know is Doc Gooden was pitching, so it makes everything that’s happened a little more special." The kids birthday is 5/26/85 so [url=http://www.ultimatemets.com/gamedetail.php?gameno=3723]this[/url] must have been the game. Yeah Doc was pitching, but what are the odds it would've been one of his only 4 losses that season?

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 10:51 AM

Wow, I got three chills from one post. How gullible does that make me? And, criminy, how much more aggressively can the Mets push their talent?

soupcan Oct 27 2006 10:55 AM

David West, Alex Ochoa, Alex Escobar. 'Nuff said.

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 10:57 AM

Nah.

soupcan Oct 27 2006 11:09 AM

Just in terms of the Mets pushing their talent.

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 11:23 AM

I used push in the sense that Reyes, Wright, Milledge, and now Martinez have gotten fast-tracked through the minors, not in the sense of promotion. Is that how you mean it?

soupcan Oct 27 2006 11:34 AM

Yeah, that's how I meant it. Thought you were saying the same thing. As nicely as Reyes and Wright have turned out, I still think of the ones I was conned into believing in. Especially West for some reason even though his 'potential' or lack thereof ultimately worked in the Mets favor.

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 11:39 AM

Well, that's Baseball America doing the "pushing" there, and all the quotes come from non-Met sources. Really, if the Mets were promoting their top prospects up levels rapidly, and overhyping them, it would be all kinds of foolish. "Youngest player in the history of the AFL" is sobering, no?

soupcan Oct 27 2006 11:47 AM

True dat. But let's not pretend that the Mets wouldn't have a reason to overhype. Make your chips look as attractive as possible to enhance possible trade value. I don't blame them when they do it, but when I was young and foolish I always fell into that trap and it drove me crazy. So when I read great things about minor leaguers I tend towards the skeptical. Which is not so bad really and works nicely on the rare occasion when the prospect does pan out. I never believed any David Wright hype, never expected much from him. Now it just shits and giggles whenever I think about the Mets third baseman for at least the next 7 years.

MFS62 Oct 27 2006 11:47 AM

soupcan wrote: Especially West for some reason even though his 'potential' or lack thereof ultimately worked in the Mets favor. Soupy, I recall reading some comments by one of the Phillies coaches after they acquired him from the Mets. He wondered how a pitcher with West's great stuff had apparently received little or no coaching in some pitching basics while in the Mets organization. As it turned out, they weren't able to improve him much when he was there either. Later

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 02:21 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 27 2006 02:27 PM

Before this gets too far off topic, the moment calls for a far less stinky update. Player POS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS E Michel Abreu 1B 8 33 6 8 3 0 3 7 20 5 5 0 1 .242 .342 .606 .948 1 Bobby Malek OF 12 38 5 10 5 0 0 4 15 4 6 0 0 .263 .333 .395 .728 0 Fernando Martinez OF 12 43 6 10 0 0 2 5 16 0 9 0 0 .233 .261 .372 .633 0 Abreu also had the RBI ending [url=http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l119&t=g_box&gid=2006_10_12_msswin_gcrwin_1]this 17-inning game[/url], believed to be the longest in AFL history.

MFS62 Oct 27 2006 02:25 PM

Edgy, I think you may want to take another look at the headings on your chart and flip-flop two of them. Those averages don't look right. Later

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 02:28 PM

Gotcha. Michel Abreu is too old to be putzin' around in the minors. I think he gets a good shot to make the 2007 Mets.

Frayed Knot Oct 27 2006 02:40 PM

Back in the olden days, those pre-historic times before the internet, talk radio, fan message boards, and before things like Baseball America or other rotisserie-aimed web sites were analyzing prospects to within an inch of their lives by the time they're barely out of their teens, about all a standard fan had to go on as far as the future of minor leaguers was the spin coming out of the team's pr dept. The Mets were absolutely guily of revving up the hype machine during the 'Gen-K' days. Since then, if anything, I think they've been overly-cautious to go exactly the other way. David West was a guy who had his rep somewhat articfically puffed up (something the Mets later admitted to) mostly for trade purposes. Back in those pre-'Moneyball' days when the dreams of scouts still prevailed, there was no shortage of people - both fans and those within the business - who were willing to bet on the future of a 6'-6" LHP with "stuff". I don't know now, and certainly didn't know then, to what degree West was actually 'dominating' in the minors and how much was merely hope. Ochoa - He was highly touted in the Bal'mer system at the time of the trade (I remember Gammons raving over him) and was also considered close to being ready. Everyone remembers the "5-tool" comments - although, in fairness, they did say; 'four, with the potential for the 5th' power) developing as time went on. That he never went on to hit at the ML level (he could always run, throw & field) is what doomed his career. Good thing we insisted on him in the Bonilla deal instead of that Benitez kid the Orioles were trying to pawn off on us, huh? Escobar - The classic case of putting too much stock in success at a lower level. Escobar, unlike say West, did grow up in the era where monor leaguers were closely tracked by outsiders. The problem with him was that everyone - in a rush to claim that they were touting him first - went overboard in declaring him the next great thing after his "breakout" season in Low-A ball! He then came up with a back injury which knocked him out for over a year and never really dominated the way he had that one season. Problem is, that 'Next Great Thing' label hung in people's minds to the point where they acted as if deceived when he didn't set the world on fire. Had they really been paying attention, they shouldn't have been. Fernando Martinez right now is in a similar place to where Escobar was when everyone jumped on his bandwagon: Exciting and promising, just wait for a bit more success up the ladder before you start penciling him in to your '08, '09, or '10 lineups.

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 02:47 PM

Ochoa had himself a modestly good career. No better or worse than most other fourth outfeilders.

Frayed Knot Oct 27 2006 02:55 PM

Yeah, it just that he wasn't supposed to be a 4th outfielder. And basically that post was just my long-winded way of saying that fans need to learn to treat each "propsect" differently. There's no reason to assume that player 'X' is going to fail because years ago 'Y' didn't meet up to someone else's idea (and maybe not an informed opinion at that) of what he "should have" become, and that the "can't miss" guys of yesteryear maybe never should have been stamped that way in the first place.

Nymr83 Oct 27 2006 02:58 PM

thats true, but i think it is ok to assume, at least on some level, that some teams hype their prospects more/less than others and so we should be more/less suprised when a hyped prospect of a given organization fails. of course with BA and the growth of statistical analysis its no longer as easy for a guy to be hyped up by his own team without any backing, but i'm sure it still happens...and if other teams are going to believe even a small fraction of the hype then its worth doing it to boost trade values

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 03:04 PM

Why aren't we talking about that isolated power average of .364 that Michel Abreu is posting?

old original jb Oct 27 2006 03:31 PM

="Frayed Knot"]BA ...Mets righthander Mike Pelfrey is currently having an awakening of sorts in the Arizona Fall League. "It’s 60-feet, six inches for everybody else, but for Pelfrey it's more like 50 feet--total," Solar Sox righthander Kevin Slowey (Twins) said. "He gets such good extension, he's very free and easy and the ball just explodes out of his hand. And with that height advantage, the ball's on top of hitters a heck of a lot quicker than a lot of other guys out here. Add in that velocity and he's dirty . . . just plain filthy." So he's what, about 5-10 feet taller than all the other pitchers?

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 03:46 PM

He's pitching in the AFL All-Star Game today.

Frayed Knot Oct 27 2006 03:48 PM

]So he's what, about 5-10 feet taller than all the other pitchers? Only 3 feet taller actually, but his arms are like 7 longer than the average man!! Makes it tough to buy shirts.

Nymr83 Oct 27 2006 04:34 PM

Edgy DC wrote: Why aren't we talking about that isolated power average of .364 that Michel Abreu is posting? sample size. if he puts that up next season i'll be talking about it more than any of you would like to hear also, isn't he a bit old for the AFL or even AA?

Nymr83 Oct 27 2006 04:35 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: ]So he's what, about 5-10 feet taller than all the other pitchers? Only 3 feet taller actually, but his arms are like 7 longer than the average man!! Makes it tough to buy shirts. i'm "only" 6'5 and pants are hard to find...another few inches and you'd be totally screwed

Edgy DC Oct 27 2006 04:48 PM

Nymr83 wrote: ="Edgy DC"]Why aren't we talking about that isolated power average of .364 that Michel Abreu is posting? sample size. if he puts that up next season i'll be talking about it more than any of you would like to hear also, isn't he a bit old for the AFL or even AA? He's more than a bit old. But talking about it how he sure can hit (.935 OPS at Bingo) sure beats carrying on the endless blahblah talk about overhyped prospects.

MFS62 Oct 27 2006 06:28 PM

Abreu is a Cuban defector. This was his first (or second) year in organized US ball. Minorleaguebaseball.com list his year of birth as 1979, but I recall stories when he signed that he may be 1-3 years older than that. Hey, compared to Julio Franco, he's just a kid. He's also listed at 6'0", 220 pounds, so it sounds like first base/ PH is where we might see him. Later

metirish Oct 30 2006 11:56 AM

quote] Pelfrey has own October Met rookie rises in Fall League BY ADAM RUBIN DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER MESA, Ariz. - The night of Steve Trachsel's short-lived outing in St. Louis during Game 3 of the NLCS, Mike Pelfrey also took the mound. The 2005 first-round pick, who once figured to be a contributor to the Mets' postseason, instead was tossing a scoreless inning against the Peoria Saguaros at Hohokam Park in his Arizona Fall League debut. Of course, he still had one eye on the television throughout the Mets' playoff run. "When we didn't have a game, when we weren't playing, then we were watching on TV at home," said Pelfrey, who is living with Mets farmhands and Mesa Solar Sox teammates Bobby Malek and Blake McGinley during the AFL season. Pelfrey took extra pleasure from Oliver Perez's and John Maine's postseason performances - particularly Maine's, as a fellow rookie. He called Maine after the Mets' elimination to offer congratulations on his showing. Maine, a teammate of Pelfrey's at Triple-A Norfolk and with the Mets during in '06, went 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA in three October starts, including a huge Game6 win in the NLCS, when he tossed 5-1/3 scoreless innings against eventual-champion St. Louis with the Mets facing elimination. "The main thing is they went out and they put the team in position to win," Pelfrey said. "Especially when it's a younger guy, and he's contributing, you feel awesome." As he watched, Pelfrey couldn't help but feel that maybe he could have been part of the Mets' first postseason in six years. He went 2-1 with a 5.48 ERA in four major-league starts. But he suffered a lat muscle strain late in the season with Triple-A Norfolk and made only one appearance with the Tides after Aug. 6. His back was still sore when he returned to the Mets on Sept. 13, and Pelfrey never made any appearances the rest of the season. He still labels the injury 90%. "If I didn't get hurt I thought there was a possibility I could have been there throwing," Pelfrey said. "Everything happens for a reason. Now I'm working on things and trying to get better so the next time they're in the postseason I'm there." In September, Pelfrey worked with Rick Peterson on a slider. The pitching coach instructed him to stop throwing the curveball he brought from Wichita State, which actually resembled a slurve. The curveball ranged from 78-82 mph, while the slider is thrown harder. "It looks like a fastball and then has late movement," Pelfrey said. "I'm throwing it more and more, and I think it's going to be a better pitch for me in the long run. So far I've been throwing it in the game a lot and I'm getting more consistent with it. I think it will be there for that extra pitch. Peterson said for my game - my fastball and my changeup - I needed something that looks kind of the same that goes the opposite direction (away from righties)." Pelfrey remains a work in progress, though he can foresee a scenario in which he joins Maine and Perez in the '07 rotation out of spring training, while Pedro Martinez recovers from rotator-cuff surgery. He walked 12 in 21-1/3 innings with the Mets. On Friday, in an AFL all-star game, he loaded the bases in the first inning with none out. Then he struck out three straight prospects swinging - Cleveland's Kevin Kouzmanoff, Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury and St. Louis' Amaury Marti - while relying on his fastball. "I'm just really trying to go out here and get better so in spring training I put them in a tough spot where they say, 'Hey, we don't want to send you to Triple-A' - or wherever they're going to send me," Pelfrey said. "I just want to go out there and prove that I belong, that I can pitch at that level, and get the opportunity." FREE: Jose Valentin and Michael Tucker filed for free agency yesterday, joining Cliff Floyd, Orlando Hernandez, Ricky Ledee, Steve Trachsel and Chris Woodward on the list of Mets who have submitted their paperwork. Originally published on October 30, 2006

Edgy DC Oct 30 2006 12:09 PM

They're missing the best part of Pelfrey's AFL tour: Pitchers rule day in Rising Stars Showcase Heavy-hitting AFL quieted by some of game's top pitching prospects By Jim Street / MLB.com SURPRISE, Ariz. -- All it takes is a short memory to recall the days when the Arizona Fall League was considered a hitters' haven. Last season comes to mind. AFL teams combined to score more runs than ever, the league batting average was a record high, there were more home runs hit per game and the league ERA was the highest in the AFL's 14-year history. But in Friday night's inaugural Rising Stars Showcase, the pitchers stole the show. There were more strikeouts (23) than hits (15) and walks were minimal (five) as the East handed the West a 3-1 setback before 2,373 fans at Surprise Stadium. "I thought it was going to be an offensive game, but it definitely was a pitchers' game," East manager Tony DeFrancesco said. "When you put a group like this together, the top pitchers in the league, they can impress a lot of people." And impress, they did. The deciding runs came with two outs in the seventh inning. Catcher Curtis Thigpen reached on a walk and scored on a double to right field by Jamie D'Antona. Eighteen-year-old Fernando Martinez, the youngest player in the AFL this season, delivered a run-scoring single up the middle. "There has been a lot of offense in the league this year, but that was a well-pitched game -- by both sides," West manager Randy Ready said. "Some of the best pitchers in the league were out there tonight, and it showed." The first three strikeouts of the game just might have been the most important ones all night. Right-hander Mike Pelfrey, one of the Mets' top pitching prospects, found himself in a bases-loaded, no-out predicament in the first inning. After gathering his composure, he proceeded to strike out the next three batters. "It would have been nice to scratch one across right there," Ready said, "but Pelfrey turned it up a notch and got out of it with no damage at all. We could have blown it open right there." Francesco agreed. "That was the game right there," he said. "I'm sure he was a little nervous when he first went out there. But he got his composure back and made some quality pitches." The East scored the game's first run in the second inning, and was lucky to get it. Center fielder Hunter Pence walked with one out and broke for second base an instant before left-handed Gio Gonzalez threw to first. Pence was caught in a rundown, but made it back to first base safely when the East team botched the rundown. Pence stole second on the next pitch, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball. Gonzalez ended up with two strikeouts in the inning, but still surrendered a run. But his team pulled even in the third when Amaury Marti singled, went to second on a walk and scored when shortstop Michael Garciparra bounced into a forceout at second base. The West left the bases loaded in the first and seventh innings, stranding 12 overall. "We just lacked the timely hit," Ready said. The most timely hit came off D'Antona's bat in the seventh inning. He had replaced Scott Moore at first base in the sixth inning and came to bat with two outs and Thigpen on first via a walk. "I was still a little cool coming off the bench and just wanted to make good contact," D'Antona said. "I didn't make good contact, but the ball went over his (first baseman Joe Koshansky's) head." DeFrancesco had Thigpen running on the 1-and-2 pitch and the runner scored easily to put the East ahead to stay. "Thiggy runs well for a catcher and with two strikes, I decided to put him in motion. That was a big play for us," DeFrancesco added. And so was the ball Martinez slapped up the middle, driving in an insurance run off lefty reliever Tony Sipp, who had just replaced right-hander Devin Perrin, the losing pitcher. "We had the matchup we wanted and the ball scoots under his (Sipp) glove for their third run," Ready said. "They pitched well, but we pitched well too. Everybody had good location and zip on their pitches. "They made good pitches when they had to." Right-hander Marcus McBeth pitched the ninth inning for the save. He struck out two. It was that kind of a night. --Jim Street/MLB.com Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

MFS62 Oct 30 2006 01:18 PM

I think Martinez' hit was as a pinch hitter. And the fact that he hit it off a lefty makes me feel all tingly. Later

Edgy DC Nov 17 2006 12:38 PM

Final Numbers: Player POS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS E Michel Abreu 1B 22 93 16 26 7 0 6 25 51 12 11 1 0 .280 .362 .548 .910 2 Bobby Malek OF 25 88 9 20 6 1 1 12 31 9 17 0 1 .227 .306 .352 .658 0 Fernando Martinez OF 25 87 16 22 5 0 2 7 33 5 17 1 3 .253 .305 .379 .685 5 Player W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR HB BB SO WHIP HLD GF Philip Humber 0 0 4.50 1 1 0 0 0 2.0 2 1 1 0 0 1 3 1.50 0 0 Kevin Mulvey 0 2 6.00 5 5 0 0 0 15.0 17 12 10 1 2 8 7 1.67 0 0 Mike Pelfrey 0 0 0.00 2 1 0 0 0 4.0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.75 0 0 Blake McGinley 1 1 2.70 6 1 0 0 0 10.0 6 3 3 2 0 4 12 1.00 1 1 Brandon Nall 1 0 0.00 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1.00 0 0 What stands out are the crappy stolen-base numbers for our fleet young outfielders (their teammate Eric Patterson [Cubs]) had 15) and those 5 errors of Martinez's, seemingly all in the second half of the season. Oh, yeah, Abreu's power is a curiosity also.

Vic Sage Nov 17 2006 02:46 PM

Can Abreu play LF? Is McGinley going to get a legitimate look next Spring?

Edgy DC Nov 17 2006 03:53 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 17 2006 04:12 PM

It sure would be nice if Abreu could make the team backing up outfield as well as first, because we already have two guys pretty well nailed to first. I can't find out if the Mets have tried him there. I found a snarky critique at a roto site: Michel Abreu (1B, NYM, AA) – Slower than Javier Lopez with David Ortiz strapped to his back. I celebrated two birthdays while he was trying to run out a ground ball. On a play at the plate, the catcher remembered he had left an iron on, caught a bus back to his apartment, turned off the iron, made a cup of coffee, waited for it to cool down, drank it, couldn’t catch a bus so walked back to the stadium, took the throw from the outfield, and still found that he had to run up the line to get Abreu who had tagged from third. Abreu has what scouts call “calendar speed.” Carlos Delgado + glacial speed + 27 years old in AA = fuggedabouddit. But consider the source there. If McGinley beats the Rule V again, I can't imagine the Mets wouldn't look at him. You get three pitchers in the whole organization to send to Arizona. You don't waste those spots on guys you don't want to look at.

metirish Nov 17 2006 04:11 PM

A truely awful cliche driven critique from that person.

Nymr83 Nov 17 2006 04:50 PM

yeah, if you're gonna trash his speed you can stop after "lopez carrying ortiz on his back" we didn't need the rest. all that tells us is that he's slow, ok so what? mike piazza, john olerud, and robin ventura were slow too. i wish they'd have devoted some time to his positives.

OlerudOwned Nov 17 2006 05:52 PM

Javing Julio under contract for this season sucks for Abreu. I would like to see him get a chance, his numbers in AA were excellent and even if he is 27, we aren't looking for an everyday player here. His bat has to have more life in it than Franco's did last, where he actually started to look kinda old.