Mack Attack: Aug. 2, 2008

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Saturday, August 2, 2008

Pennant: Phillies: 50 losses - Mets: 51 – Marlins: 52

Wild Card: Milw: 49 losses - St. Louis: 49 - Mets: 51 - Marlins: 52

While the Yankees made tabloid headlines, the Mets refused to part with top prospects for much needed bullpen and outfield help. GM Omar Minaya admitted he tried to get Ramirez, but “what Boston was looking for, we could not provide.” - SportingNews

Zephyrs:

2B/3B/1B/OF Dan Murphy was promoted to New Orleans from Binghamton.

B-Mets Hitting Coach Luis Natera on Dan Murphy - He’s got a lot of ability and he wanted to get better. We’ve spent a lot of time together. Three days ago, I saw Murphy a little down, and I asked him, ‘do you have any doubt that you’re the best hitter in this league?’ He just lifted his eyes, and I told him, ‘you can’t have any doubt.’ Maybe he’s not leading the league in hitting, but to me, he’s the best hitter in the league right now. Last year, he didn’t use his lower half to hit at all. He used his hands to hit. And in the second half of the season, we incorporated the lower half in his swing and we did that from the beginning this year. Now, his hands are fresh because he’s used his lower half from the beginning. He’s a better player. He’s learned the game. To me, all he needs is a couple more AB 100, 150 to be ready to be good hitter at the major league level. - TobyHyde

The New Orleans Zephyrs got home runs from Chris Aguila and Michel Abreu ina four-run first inning, and Jesus Feliciano added four hits to lead the Zephyrs past the Tucson Sidewinders on Friday, 9-3. After Tucson took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Feliciano led off the bottom half with a single and Andy Green followed with a walk. Aguila then hit a towering drive over the left field fence to give the Zephyrs a lead they would not relinquish. Abreu's homer two outs later, the first of his three hits, made it 4-1. Zephyrs starter Brian Stokes needed the run support, as he fought control problems through his five innings of work. Stokes (10-8) gave up three runs - two earned - on four hits and walked five, including the pitcher twice. The win was his first since beating Nashville on July 12. Feliciano collected a hit in each of his first four plate appearances, his first four-hit effort of the season and the eighth overall by a Zephyr. Third baseman Dan Murphy, promoted from Double-A Binghamton earlier in the day, went 1-for-4 with two runs scored in his New Orleans debut, which could prove to be his only game there, as he was called up to the Mets after the game.

B-Mets:

Mike Carp had a hand in all four of the Binghamton Mets’ runs in their 4-3 win over the New Britain Rock Cats at New Britain Stadium Friday. Binghamton has won three in a row.

New Britain (44-67) took a 1-0 lead in the second, thanks to Brock Peterson’s homer off Bobby Parnell. However, Binghamton (60-54) responded in the third. Jose Coronado singled and Jonathan Malo walked against Kyle Aselton, setting the table for Carp, who tripled to center, scoring both. Carp then came in on a throwing error for a 3-1 B-Mets lead.

Binghamton got to Aselton (4-5) again in the fifth. Coronado led off with a double and was bunted to second by Malo before Carp’s sacrifice fly brought him in.

Erik Lis homered and Drew Butera drove in a run with a groundout for New Britain in the bottom of the fifth.

Parnell (10-6) departed after six innings. Joe Hietpas, Edgar Alfonzo and Eddie Kunz combined on three innings of two-hit relief. Kunz got the final four outs for his 27th save in 30 chances.

Eddie Kunz is one save away from tying the B-Mets’ single-season record (Jerrod Riggan, 28 – 2000)…

Lucy:

A look back at the 2001 St. Lucie Mets:

C: Mike Jacobs .251/.289/.381/.670
SS: Jose Reyes .288/.355/.462/.817
OF: Jason Bay .272/.356/.437/.793
OF: Angel Pagan .343/.405/.448/.853

Lucy played a much needed doubleheader… everything went just about perfect in the first game… they beat Jupiter 7-1, with a 10 hit attack led by OF D.J. Wabick (3-4, .280)… excellent pitching by Eric Niesen (5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Ks)…

Gnats:

The Gnats scored early and often in the homestand finale, taking a 10-0 lead after three innings before rolling to a 12-4 win to complete a four-game sweep of the Hickory Crawdads on Friday night. It was a complete offensive attack for Savannah, who completed a 6-2 homestand with a 16-hit night. Carlos Guzman went 4-for-4 with a run and 2 RBI while Joaquin Rodriguez added 3 hits, a double, 2 runs and an RBI. Greg Veloz, Francisco Pena and Nick Giarraputo added two hits apiece. Savannah (20-19, 53-56) wasted no time in the first, scoring four runs off Hickory starter Duke Welker. With the bases loaded and one out, Giarraputo knocked in Veloz and Pena with a double to left. Jefferies Tatford followed with a single to center, scoring Sean McCraw and Giarraputo for a 4-0 lead. The first six batters reached base for the Gnats in the third, who scored five times to take a 10-0 lead. Mark Cohoon (1-0) worked 5.0 innings for the win, permitting 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits while walking 3 and striking out 2. Welker (3-9) lasted 3.0 innings, allowing 10 runs (8 earned) on 10 hits. The four-game sweep is the second of the season after a sweep of the Lexington Legends from July 11-14 - sandgnats.com

Clones:

After their first hearty helping of games in the minor leagues, many young ballplayers begin to understand that they have to change their approach on the field to be successful. Eric Campbell isn’t one of those players. Hitting .283 with 13 RBI through the team’s first 35 games in ‘08, the Brooklyn Cyclones third baseman/left fielder believes he’s just getting started proving what he’s capable of on the field. At 6′3 and 220 pounds, many originally saw Campbell as a DH or someone who would contribute more with his bat than his glove and legs. After half a season in Brooklyn however, Campbell has shown a more than adequate arm from the hot corner and has even proved he could play left field when asked upon. The same thing can be said about his legs, which he’s used to get to balls down the third base line and up against the left field wall that no one thought he had any business near. – DemBrooklynBums

From the look of the box score, 2007 hero Jason Jacobs is back in town, which may be indicative to the seriousness of Ike Davis’ ankle injury he suffered on Monday in Staten Island. When the team comes back home on Saturday – DemBrooklynBums

K-Port:

K-Port lost the first game of their scheduled doubleheader, 5-4, to Bluefield… 2B Kyle Suire kept up his torrid hitting pace, going 3-4 (.307), including his 4th homer of the season… SP Robert Carson kept wowing them… 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1.00 ERA…

GCL Mets:

The GCL Mets lost Friday, 5-4, to the Nats… 19-year old Jeurys Familia had another wonderful start (5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Ks, 2.04)… 17-yr. old OF Cesar Puello went 3-4, including his first professional home run, and raised his season BA to .282. Familia, Puello, and 3B Jefry Marte are 3 legitimate prospects being groomed at GCL this year.

Minor League Bios:

Eddie Kunz RHP R R 6-5 250 4-8-86 Oregon State

Kunz was the setup man in 2006 for the Oregon State Beavers, and replaced Kevin Gunderson in 2007 as the closer. In 2007, he pitched in 23 games (2-0 2.45 9 saves) with 32 Ks in 33 IP.

Kunz was picked in the supplemental portion of the 1st round (42nd overall) of the 2007 draft by the New York Mets.

Baseball America had him projected as the 89th top draft prospect in the nation. He has a plus fastball that tops out at 94, plus he throws a slider and an effective changeup to lefties. He keeps his fastball down in the zone, and it has some above-average sink to it. His slider sits in the 80-82 mph range. It's a true slider, with a short, late break and hard bite. He has average command and throws from a three-quarters arm slot out of the bullpen. He lacks a true weapon against good left-handed batters but his sinker will induce a lot of ground balls and chew up bats in pro ball. Because of his struggles against lefties, he projects more as a set-up man in pro ball, rather than a dominating closer.

2007 Scouting Report: Kunz was lost in the shuffle on a dominant pitching staff for the College World Series champion Beavers a year ago, but asserted himself with a breakout summer in the Cape Cod League and has played prominent role as OSU’s closer this season. He could overpower hitters in the past with essentially one pitch, a 95-96 mph fastball from a three-quarters angle with outstanding sink. He would jam hitters with it and produce a steady stream of ground-ball outs. But he has make significant strides with a second and third pitch this year: an 80-82 mph slider with a short, late break and a hard bite, and a changeup with diving action. That has enabled him to strike out more hitters this year—he was averaging a strikeout an inning, while going 2-0, 2.84 with 10 saves. But he remains primarily a ground-ball machine. Scouts questioned his toughness in the past, but he has shown poise this year with a game on the line.

In 2007, Kunz pitched for Brooklyn, going 0-1, 6.75, 1.33 in 12 relief appearances, 5 saves.

In September 2007, Kunz was assigned to play in the Arizona Winter League (which is always a sign that the organization wants to invest more time and money in you). It is also quite an honor for a player just drafted in the same year.

In November 2007, Scouts.com named Kunz as the 11th top Mets prospect, followed by BA naming him #5.

In December 2007, Jonathan Mayo/MLB.com had this to say about Kunz:

A short reliever who helped Oregon State win two national titles, Kunz could be on the fast track after a brief pro debut. After tossing 12 innings in Brooklyn, the supplemental first-round pick pitched in the Arizona Fall League. College relievers often move quickly, so don't be surprised to see Kunz in the Mets bullpen sooner rather than later.

In late January 2007, Baseball America listed Kunz as the #5 Mets prospect in their system.

In February 2008, Baseball Prospectus gave Eddie a 3-star rating and ranked him the 3rd overall Mets prospect.

Also in February 2008, Rotoworld ranked Kunz as the #6 Mets prospect, saying:

The Mets used their first pick in the 2007 draft on a pure reliever. Kunz had a 2.91 ERA and a 37/18 K/BB ratio in 46 1/3 innings in his final season at Oregon State. With his low arm angle and sinking 94-mph fastball, he should prove to be very tough on right-handers. However, left-handers may do enough damage against him to prevent him from becoming a closer. The hope is that he'll move quickly, but he obviously has to cut back on the walks before he'll be ready for the majors.

In March 2008, BA wrote the ten prospects to watch out for in 2008:

Eddie Kunz, RHP - The Mets didn't have a pick in last year's draft until the supplemental first round (No. 42 overall) and they used it to take Kunz, the big right-handed closer out of Oregon State. He struggled a bit in his pro debut and in the Arizona Fall League, but considering he had helped OSU win its second straight national title, he gets a bit of a mulligan. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Kunz has tremendous presence and likes to be on the mound in pressure situations. His fastball, which sits in the mid-90s, works as a power sinker and has plenty of movement. He also throws a slider and can throw a changeup. The Mets drafted him in the hopes he'd move quickly and that's still the plan, with the right-hander likely to begin the year with Double-A Binghamton.

In June 2008, BA did a post-draft adjustment of their top 10 Mets prospects and Kunz was ranked #6, with the comments: “7. Eddie Kunz, rhp - New York's top 2007 pick has held his own in Double-A in his first full season.”
In late July 2008, ProjectProspect.com updated their top 10 Mets prospect list and Kunz was ranked 7th.

Kunz will have to be added to the 40-man roster by 11-20-11, or he will become eligible for the 2012 Rule V draft.

Ex-Mets:

The Yankees have signed P Victor Zambrano to a minor league contract.
The Nats released C’s Paul LoDuca and Johnny Estrada.