Mack Attack: July 30, 2008

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Pennant: Mets: 49 losses - Phils: 49 – Marlins: 51 - Braves: 57

Wild Card: Milw: 47 losses - St. Louis: 49 - Phils: 49 - Marlins: 51

According to SI.com, Mets’ GM Omar Minaya contacted the Red Sox to see if they are at all serious about potentially dealing left fielder Manny Ramirez. Apparently Omar is more “in love” with the idea of Manny at Shea than the Wilpons, but he has indeed made the call.

Ambiorix Burgos, the hard-throwing reliever acquired from the Royals two winters ago, is visiting the Mets today. Burgos has been throwing off a mound for 20 days and expects to pitch in a minor-league game for the first time Saturday. He had Tommy John elbow surgery last August. - AdamRubin

InsideEdge/ESPN ‘report card’ on:

Fernando Tatis Total at Bats: 152

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

Overall Effectiveness B Well Hit Avg. of At-Bats .243 .234 B-
Slugging % .533 .441 A+
On Base Average .376 .338 B+
Quality At-Bat % (WH outs + 7p. outs + H + BB + HBP + SAC / PA) 45 % 44 % B-
Location Performance C+ Well Hit Avg. of Swings: Location INSIDE .101 .078 B
Well Hit Avg. of Swings: Location MIDDLE (vertical) .130 .179 D+
Well Hit Avg. of Swings: Location OUTSIDE .120 .114 B-
Well Hit Avg. of Swings: Location UP .116 .111 B-
Well Hit Avg. of Swings: Location MIDDLE (horizontal) .144 .156. C+
Well Hit Avg. of Swings: Location DOWN .101 .102 C+
Fastball Performance C Batting Avg. on Fastballs .348 .294 A-
Well-Hit Avg. of Fastball Strikes .094 .096 C+
% of Fastball Swings Put in Play 37 % 45 % D-
Offspeed Performance B- Batting Avg. on Offspeed Pitches .286 .240 B+
Well-Hit Avg. of Offspeed Strikes .079 .078 B-
% of Offspeed Swings Put in Play 38 % 41 % C
Plate Discipline A- Chase % Early in Count (Before 2 Strikes)* 15 % 19 % A-
Chase % with 2 Strikes* 35 % 38 % B+
Chase % of Non-Competitive Pitches (not near strike zone)* 15 % 20 % A
Clutch Tendency A- Quality AB % in Close/Late Games 49 % 43 % A-
Quality AB % with Runners in Scoring Position 53 % 46 % A
2 Strike Tendency B+ Strikeout % of PA's that reach 2 Strikes* 36 % 35 % 83.16
On Base Average with 2 Strikes .368 .271 A+
2 Strike Miss % of Swings* 20 % 2,000 % B

Overall Grade B *Low numbers are better for these stats.

Zephyrs:

Jesus Feliciano added three hits last night and since assuming the leadoff spot in the lineup 30 games ago, Feliciano is 44 x 124 (.342) and has reached base in 28 of the 30 games …

The New Orleans Zephyrs, Class AAA Affiliate of the New York Mets have added left handed pitcher Jon Niese to the roster. The 21-year old Niese is the New York Mets 8th rated prospect according to Baseball America. Niese went 6-7 with a 3.04 ERA in 22 starts with Class AA Binghamton, and is coming off seven scoreless innings at Erie. … He was Selected by the New York Mets in the seventh round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. He was Ohio’s first ever back to back high school player of the year. He will make his Triple A debut on Wednesday night for the Zephyrs. The Z’s host Tucson in a four game series beginning on Wednesday night at 7PM. The Zephyrs finish up a series in Salt Lake this evening with a 8:00 first pitch.

The Salt Lake Bees scored their runs in bunches getting four in the fourth inning and five runs in the sixth in a 11-6 win over the visiting New Orleans Zephyrs on Tuesday night. The loss is the Zephyrs sixth in their last eight games on the rugged eight game road-trip. Salt Lake erupted with four consecutive hits off of starter Claudio Vargas in the fourth. The inning started with a triple, a double and then back to back home runs to give the Bees a 4-0 lead. New Orleans rallied sending nine batters to the plate in the sixth inning scoring six runs. The Z’s were led by catcher Gustavo Molina’s three run home run. The Zephyr lead did not last long as the Bees would strike for five runs in the bottom of the inning. The Z’s defense failed commiting four errors leading to three unearned runs. The Bees win the series three games to one. Z’s reliever Jose Santiago takes the loss and Bees starter Dustin Moseley gets the win.

B-Mets:

Emmanuel Garcia left the Binghamton Mets on Monday after receiving one of the ultimate promotions. Garcia is joining the Canadian National baseball team and will represent his home country at the Summer Olympics in Beijing next month. Garcia, 22, will be an infielder for Team Canada, which lost the bronze medal game in the 2004 Olympics. "Since I was a kid, it's been my dream to represent my country and play for the national team in the Olympics," Garcia said by phone. "Playing international games, whether it's in the World Cup or the qualifying tournament, is really emotional. Every little thing matters." – pressconnects.com

Shawn Bowman had two hits and drove in three runs in his Double-A debut, but the Binghamton Mets fell to the Connecticut Defenders 7-6 at NYSEG Stadium Tuesday. Binghamton has lost three straight.

Connecticut (55-53) took a 2-0 lead against Eric Brown on Pablo Sandoval’s first-inning RBI double and an error that allowed Carlos Sosa to score in the second.

The B-Mets (57-54) responded with a three-run fourth against Garrett Broshuis (12-6). Singles by Mike Carp, Caleb Stewart and Ambiorix Concepcion loaded the bases for Bowman, who singled to right, scoring Carp and Stewart. Concepcion scored on a passed ball for a 3-2 B-Mets lead.

Brown (5-8) yielded four runs in the fifth. Ryan Rohlinger hit a game-tying RBI single before Ben Copeland’s two-run triple put the Defenders ahead for good. Sandoval added a sacrifice fly. Rohlinger’s solo homer off Brown in the seventh gave Connecticut a 7-3 advantage.

Binghamton rallied with two outs in the seventh. Back-to-back singles by Jose Coronado and Jonathan Malo brought up Daniel Murphy, who scored both with a double to right.

Bowman added a solo homer with two out in the eighth off Paul Oseguera, but Connecticut closer Justin Hedrick retired all four he faced for his seventh save in as many chances.

Lucy:

Matt Smith ended rehab assignment with Brooklyn, reinstated from the St. Lucie DL and sent to Brooklyn roster… Add P – Julio Polanco and Josh Stinson to roster from Savannah

Place P – German Marte on suspended list retroactive to 7/28

Gnats:

The New York Mets remained busy today, promoting RHP Josh Stinson and LHP Julio Polanco to High-A St. Lucie. It will be the first stint in High-A for both pitchers. Right handed pitchers John Holdzkom and Eric Beaulac have been called up from Rookie-ball in Kingsport to replace Stinson and Polanco. Stinson, 20, spent most of 2008 in the bullpen but was added to the starting rotation at the beginning of July. In six starts this season, Stinson went 2-3 with a 4.80 ERA. As a reliever, the Louisiana native was 1-3 with a 2.59 ERA in 15 games. Polanco, 21, also began 2008 in the Savannah bullpen after spending 2007 as a starter. Like Stinson, Polanco was recently added to the rotation with Elvin Ramirez being placed on the disabled list. In three starts this season, Polanco was 1-0 with a 4.20 ERA. The left hander went five innings for the win against Asheville on Sunday. As a reliever, he was 1-1 with 5 saves and a 4.19 ERA.
Holdzkom makes his return to Savannah after being sent to Kingsport on June 9. In the first half with Savannah, Holdzkom appeared in 15 games with a 2-1 record and an 8.31 ERA. He registered 26 walks compared to 25 strikeouts. With Kingsport, the 20-year-old was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA in eight games (seven starts). Even more impressive, he has a 44-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Beaulac was drafted in the ninth round of this year’s draft by the Mets out of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. With the Dolphins, Beaulac set the single-season record for strikeouts with 113 and helped lead them to a 33-21 record. He was the 2008 Division I Independent Pitcher of the Year with a 9-3 record and a 2.93 ERA. He was only the 20th player taken in the school’s history. With Kingsport, he was dominant, going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in six games (two starts). He had a 9.82 ERA in two games with Brooklyn.

Greg Veloz hit a three-run homer and Carlos Guzman hit a solo shot as the Sand Gnats (17-19, 50-56) took the series opener from the Hickory Crawdads, 7-5, on Tuesday night.

Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, the bottom of the Sand Gnats order began a four-run rally off Rodolpho Aguirre (0-1). Darren Clark led off with a single to center before Joaquin Rodriguez, who was 2-for-3, reached on a bunt single to set the table for Veloz. The second baseman hit a three-run shot over the 24-foot wall in right for his sixth long ball of the year.

Savannah starter Maikel Cleto took the hill in the fifth with a 6-1 lead after the Gnats added a pair of runs an inning earlier. He ran into trouble though, issuing a walk, allowing a hit and hitting a batter to load the bases. After an RBI groundout, Jordy Mercer ended Cleto’s night with a run-scoring hit to left, trimming the lead to 6-3.

Stephen Puhl made his Savannah debut from the bullpen and allowed both inherited runners to score. With two Hickory base runners in scoring position, Puhl struck out Albert Laboy, the ninth hitter of the inning, to preserve a 6-5 lead.

Guzman’s towering homer in the sixth stayed fair down the right field line for a 7-5 lead.

Cleto (4-9) allowed 5 runs on 5 hits in 5.1 innings for his first win since July 4. Jose Bierd showed signs of recapturing his old form, striking out a pair for his eighth save. - sandgnats.com

Clones:

On a rare New York-Penn League night when baseballs frequently sailed out of the park, Brooklyn outfielder Sean Ratliff saved the best home run for last. Ratliff's two-out solo blast in the top of the ninth inning carried over the 30-foot batter's eye in straightaway centerfield, believed to be only the second such shot in the eight-year history of the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George. – Silive.com

When Cyclones outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis is in the batter’s box, he’s a sight to behold. At 6′2, 195 pounds, he already has the physical makeup of a future major leaguer, but it’s his patience at the plate and intensity in the outfield that may eventually send him there one day. Watching him play, with his eyes steadily focused at the plate, or running full boar in the outfield, you’d expect him to be just as high energy off the field. Right? However, soft-spoken and unassuming, Nieuwenhuis is quietly carving up a solid season for himself, hitting .263 with 10 RBI, 17 walks and three stolen games in 38 games. - brooklnblog

DSL Mets:

The New York Mets today announced the opening of their new, $8 million, state-of-the-art baseball training academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. Dominican President Leonel Fernandez and Dominican government leaders joined Mets Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon and General Manager Omar Minaya at the ceremonial opening of the Mets Dominican Baseball Academy

-the new locker room has 65+ lockers, so I would look for the Mets to possibly go to 2 DSL teams next year…

Minor League Bios:

Bradley (B.J.) Hubbert C R R 6-4 210 8-24-85 Alcorn State

Hubbert played college ball at Alcorn State, where he batted an outstanding .404/.479/.687 in 2006. BlackCollegeBaseball.com named him as the 1st team starting catcher on its 3rd annual Black College Baseball Awards. He was a transfer from Georgia State. Hubbert was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2006 draft by the Mets. He signed late and was eventually assigned to Kingsport, where he batted .250/.323/.429 in 84 Abs. Baseball America tagged Hubbert as the ‘best raw power’ of all signed 2006 Mets draftees.
Hubbert first played for the GCL Mets in 2007 and hit .203/.290/.313 in 128 at bats (3 HRs), and ended the season with Kingsport (.264/.316/.434 in 53 at bats).

Observation: Mets personnel tell me that this is one of the nicest guys you will ever find. He is willing to attend whatever charity event the team needs him to be at.

Ex-Mets:

Braden Looper gave up just 2 runs in 7 innings for St. Louis

Paul Byrd tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings as the Indians blanked the Tigers, 5-0.

A.J. Burnett allowed just one unearned run and struck out 10 through 7 innings

And lastly:

Three Cubs fans face felony charges after allegedly beating a White Sox fan so badly at a child’s birthday party that he lost his eye, McHenry County authorities said Monday. Robert Steele, 32, of Gurnee told the Northwest Herald that he went to the Sesame Street-themed party for his fiance’s 2-year-old niece on July 19, where the three men allegedly started teasing Steele that White Sox fans had missing teeth. The taunting escalated into a physical fight that involved all four men, Steele’s fiance, April Bieze said. Steele’s nose and orbital bone were broken and he lost his right eye after getting kicked in the face, authorities said.