Mack Attack: July 28, 2008

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Monday, July 28, 2008

Pennant: Mets: 48 losses - Phils: 49 – Marlins: 50 - Braves: 55

Wild Card: Milw: 45 losses - St. Louis: 49 - Phils: 49 - Marlins: 50

Ryan Church received word after Saturday’s game that he’s been cleared to accompany the team to Florida after Sunday’s game. Expect around 5-6 rehab games before he’s ready to play again.

Carlos Delgado has now passed Carl Yastrzemski on the all-time homer list, after hitting 2 homers (total 453)for 32nd all time

The Mets are seeking a corner outfielder as the July 31 trade deadline approaches, and Mets GM Omar Minaya has long been an admirer of embattled Red Sox star Manny Ramirez. But even the Mets are saying “no’’ to Ramirez now. Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told Tim McCarver on FOX’s broadcast of the Yankees-Red Sox game that he would try to trade Ramirez if Ramirez would waive his no-trade clause. As a 10-and-5 player, Ramirez has veto power over trades. However, baseball people doubt there’d be a great trade market for Ramirez considering his contractual situation and recent transgressions. The Mets had interest in Casey Blake and Xavier Nady but may now turn their attention to Mariners left fielder Raul Ibanez. Pirates star Jason Bay is also available, but Mets people balked at including top outfield prospect Fernando Martinez for Nady and are said to be extremely reluctant to part with either Martinez or left-handed pitching prospect Jon Niese. - BBTF

InsideEdge/ESPN ‘report card’ on:

Billy Wagner Total Outings: 42 Total Pitches: 634

Category………….. Grade…………….. MLB Avg………………….. Grade

Working Ahead in Count A- 1st pitch strike % 64 % 58 % A
1 of first 2 pitches for strike % 88 % 85 % B+
2 of first 3 pitches for strikes % 67 % 60 % A-
% of 0-1 counts that become 0-2 counts 54 % 47 % A-
% of 1-1 counts that become 1-2 counts 64 % 53 % A
Command B Strike % of fastballs 68 % 64 % B+
Strike % of offspeed pitches 64 % 61 % B
Finish Off Hitters A 2 strike at bats becoming outs 80 % 72 % A
Offspeed Effectiveness A- Well hit average vs. offspeed strikes * .033 .076 A+
% of offspeed pitch chased 35 % 31 % B
Overall Effectiveness A Well-hit average (of AB's) * .155 .267 A+
Well-hit average (of strikes) * .059 .102 A+
On-base average against the pitcher * .226 .338 A+
% of batters faced who score * 9 % 12 % B+
Dominance A % of outs that are K's in 4 pitches or less 19 % 11 % A+
123 innings % of complete innings pitched 50 % 31 % A+
Swing and miss % of strikes 17 % 14 % B+
Efficiency B+ % of PA's that go to 3 ball counts * 17 % 19 % A+
1st batter of inning out % 80 % 68 % A+
3 or less pitch PA's 46 % 47 % C+
4 or less pitch PA's 66 % 65 % B-
Battle Tendency B+ % of runners who score * 37 % 36 % B-
% of 2-0, 2-1, & 3 ball counts ending in outs 65 % 54 % A

Overall Grade…………………………………… A-

B-Mets:

Bobby Parnell allowed two runs over seven-plus innings, but got the loss in the Akron Aeros’ 2-1 win over the Binghamton Mets at Canal Park Sunday. The B-Mets lost two of three in the series, finishing their eight-game road trip at 4-4. Akron (65-43) went ahead in the third, thanks to Nathan Panther’s leadoff homer. Binghamton (56-52) rallied to tie in the fourth against Akron starter Steven Wright. Daniel Murphy hit a one-out double and stole third. After Mike Carp walked, Caleb Stewart’s infield single brought in Murphy, knotting the score 1-1. Parnell (9-6) was pulled after walking Damaso Espino leading off the eighth. Edgar Alfonzo got the next two outs before pinch-runner Jose Constanza stole second and scored on Matt LaPorta’s base hit to right. J.D. Martin (8-3) followed Wright with three scoreless innings of relief. Scott Roehl worked around a pair of two-out singles in the ninth to earn his fifth save in seven chances.

Gnats:

Sean McCraw went 2-for-3 with a double and 3 RBI while Jefferies Tatford clubbed a pair of doubles to lead the Sand Gnats to a 5-2 win over the Tourists on Sunday afternoon. McCraw gave the Gnats an early lead in the first, scoring Casey Craig with a base hit to right. In his first game with the Sand Gnats, Tatford made an immediate contribution in the second. He scored Giarraputo from first with a double to the wall in center field. Gnats starter Julio Polanco (2-1) pitched well with the lead, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits in 5.0 innings. Junior Guerra worked 4.0 perfect innings for his second save. A pair of walks set up a Savannah rally in the third. Craig and Juan Lagares each earned a free pass from Asheville starter Fabian Robinson. McCraw followed with a double to right, scoring Craig and Lagares to extend the lead to 5-0. Sand Gnats left fielder Darren Clark went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk. – sandgnats.com

Clones:

The Cyclones fell behind early on Sunday and never recovered, losing by a final score of 15-2 to Staten island. The 15 runs and 17 hits were the most allowed this season by Brooklyn. The loss drops the team's record to 18-21.

The Cyclones got production from their first basemen, as Jose Jimenez hit his second home run of the year and Ike Davis picked up a pair of hits and scored a run. Josh Satin and Kirk Nieuwenhuis also each had hits.

Tim Stronach made his sixth start of the year, but pitched just a third of an inning and allowed five runs. Jeff Kaplan, Erik Turgeon and RHP Wendy Rosa all followed Stronach. They allowed a combined eight runs, but struck out 13 Yankees.

Minor League Bios:

Bradley Holt P R R 6-4 195 10-13-86 UNC Wilmington (NC)

The Mets picked Holt in the supplemental portion of the 1st round in the 2008 draft.

College stats: 3.18 ERA, 11-1, 93.1 IP, 78 H, 36 BB, 95 K, .225 BAA, 8 HR allowed

Comments by Baseball America before draft day:

With an impressive performance, Holt could vault himself into position to be a back of the first-round or early supplemental selection. A team such as the Mets with multiple picks in the first 50 could be especially interested in a guy like Holt. Mets scouting director Rudy Terrasas is known for liking pitchers with pure arm strength such as Holt, and with picks at 18, 22 and 33, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mets take the Seahawks righthander. This weekend will not be the first time that Terrasas and his staff have seen Holt—as the scouting director, along with multiple other members of his staff, was in attendance to witness Holt pitch eight innings against Old Dominion. Holt struck out 11 and only allowed one earned run in the outing. The Brewers are another team with three selections in the first 35 picks that could be especially interested in Holt.

Also from Baseball America:

His fastball has improved since arriving in Wilmington and now sits between 92-94 mph, touching 96… He is able to maintain his velocity deep into games. [He has] vastly improved command. Holt at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, has a perfect pro body with a clean delivery and a first-round arm… The only thing holding him back is the lack of a usable secondary pitch…. Even though his secondary stuff is in need of refinement, teams will not walk away from the pro body, strong arm and life on the fastball.

From Keith Law:

Ultimate Role: Setup man

Summary: Holt shows consistent arm strength and holds it through his starts as well as any starter in this draft, sitting 93-96 mph every week from his first inning to his last. The velocity is easy; the ball comes out of his arm well and has good downhill plane and some life to it. He pitches almost exclusively off his fastball, throwing offspeed stuff less than 25 percent of the time. His curveball, which has a short downward break and moderately tight rotation, is his best secondary pitch; it could become an average offering, but it's a one-plane pitch. He has a changeup, but he guides this mediocre offering to the plate. He takes a long stride forward off the mound, holding his velocity even from the stretch when he doesn't stay over the rubber at all, and has just a little bit of violence at the end when his head snaps slightly. If he had a better changeup or could handle a splitter -- his arm slot might be too low for it -- he'd have a chance to be a back-end starter. But as a one-and-a-half-pitch pitcher, he's more likely to work in the bullpen when he reaches the majors.

Holt pitched the day before the draft… threw 149 pitches and was clocked at 94 in the 9th inning.

In June 2008, BA did a post-draft adjustment of their top 10 Mets prospects and Holt was ranked #8, with the comments: “8. Brad Holt, rhp - 2008 supplemental first-rounder can touch 96 mph, needs a reliable second pitch.”

From Braunstein:

1 S 33 Bradley Holt - Wore #25 in college. Louisville slugger 2nd team All-American selection. Played in NC State games. Was 19th best prospect in NC by Impact Baseball, #26 by BA. Set school record w/404 Ks. Saw his video and like him. His FB had good sink, and hides the ball well. SL has nice swerve and depth. Didn’t see a CU. Gets over well and has a repeatable delivery and could be a #3 type SP.

In July 2008, From The Hardball Times:

Brad Holt – RHP - Holt does a really good job loading his arm horizontally toward first base. By loading his arm this way, Holt is "scap loading." I've talked about scap loading before, but if you haven't heard the term, here is a semi-detailed definition: Scap loading is the horizontal loading of the arm. By loading the arm horizontally, the pitcher almost seems as if he is trying to touch his throwing elbow to the mid-point of his back. By carrying out this action, the pitcher creates tension in all the elastic muscles and tendons of the shoulder, and if done efficiently, the shoulder unloads aggressively toward home plate due to these elastic muscles being stretched and then released like a rubber band you let go after stretching.
The end product is a high-velocity fastball, which is exactly what Holt possesses. Holt's fastball is very lively, reaching up to 95, and it gets on the batter quick. It seems to pick up an extra gear just before it reaches home plate. My opinion is that he even has some velocity left in the tank, which could be tapped either through mechanics (like getting his hips moving a little earlier toward home plate) or by filling out his projectable frame.

In July 2008, BA’s ‘Hot Sheet’ said: - #9 – P Brad Holt: - Age: 21 - Why He's Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K. - The Scoop: A supplemental first-round pick out of UNC Wilmington, Holt delivered his best professional outing yet by pitching seven shutout innings and striking out 10 in a game against State College. Holt struck out the game's first four batters and retired the leadoff batter in each of the first six innings. His first start did not go well, but since then Holt has allowed three earned runs in 20 2/3 innings, as hitters are struggling to catch up to his 94 mph fastball.

In late July, BA Hot Sheet had Holt on their hot list 2 weeks in a row:
No. 5 BRAD HOLT - Why He's Here: 1-0, 11 1/3 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 21 SO
The Scoop: Holt makes his second straight appearance on the Hot Sheet after a two-start week where he fanned 21 batters in 11 1/3 innings. Holt struck out 14 in six innings on Thursday, running his season strikeout total up to 51, tops in the NYP. The only worse news for league hitters is that Holt told a reporter that he has been throwing his curveball more, meaning he may have been successful in developing that second pitch.

This Day in Mets History:

1979 - Cubs' slugger Dave Kingman becomes the sixth player in major league history to hit three home runs in one game twice in one season. The Mets win the game, 6-4.

1989 - Vince Coleman's major league recording-setting consecutive stolen base streak ends at 50 as Expos' backstop Nelson Santovenia nails him trying to swipe second base. The Cardinal speedster surpassed the previous record of 38 established by Davey Lopes of the Dodgers in 1975.

2000 The Mets' have a busy day on the trading block as they obtain Oriole shortstop Mike Bordick for utility players Melvin Mora and Mike Kinkade and minor pitchers Lesli Brea and Pat Gorman. A few hours later Mets complete a four-player deal with the Devil Rays receiving reliever Rick White and outfielder Bubba Trammell in exchange for minor leaguers Jason Tyner and Paul Wilson.

And lastly:

A fan was seriously injured after plunging 25 feet from the handrails of an escalator at Shea Stadium during Saturday’s New York Mets game, police and team officials said. The accident happened fewer than four months after another spectator was killed in a similar fall. The fan, a 26-year-old man, fell about 10 p.m. from the box-seat level to a floor near Gate D at the stadium as the Mets played the St. Louis Cardinals, police Detective Brian Sessa said. The unconscious man was taken to a hospital, the Fire Department said. He was in critical condition early Sunday but expected to survive, said police Lt. John Grimpel. As the game continued in extra innings, the team issued a statement saying it was aware of the fall and was investigating. On April 15, fan Antonio Nararainsami, 36, lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death in a section below the left field stands. Nararainsami was leaving the stadium with his family after the Mets played the Washington Nationals. The stadium’s escalators were also the scene of a fatal fall in 1985, when a 21-year-old Yonkers man fell 100 feet. - AdamRubin