Mack Attack: July 5, 2008

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Saturday, July 5, 2008

Phils: 39 losses - Marlins: 42 – Mets: 44 - Braves: 46 – Nats: 54

Jose Reyes’ triple Thursday night was the 62nd of his career, trying Mookie Wilson’s franchise record.

Jose Reyes and Keith Hernandez had to be separated on the Mets charter plane Sunday night after a tense confrontation over Hernandez’s critical comments about the All-Star shortstop. A team source described the situation aboard the plane as “very heated.” One player told The Post that he thought Reyes and the popular former Met - now an analyst for the club’s SNY TV network - were close to exchanging punches until others stepped in. Reyes said yesterday he was angry at Hernandez after numerous friends and relatives told him Hernandez accused the Mets of “babying” Reyes during the broadcast of Sunday’s 3-1 win over the YankeesNew York Yankees at Shea Stadium. “He got his point [across] and I got mine,” Reyes, when asked to describe the confrontation, told The Post before he drove in three runs in the Mets’ 11-1 victory over the Cardinals last night. “I’m not too happy with the way he’s been talking.” According to one account, strongly denied by both Reyes and Hernandez, what set Reyes off during the flight was when Hernandez allegedly responded to Reyes’ concerns by saying: “I was just doing my job - you should do yours.” – NYP

Thursday night makes only the 5th time in 16 outings that Mike Pelfrey has turned in a ‘quality start’

A Projected Reyes-Flores conversion:

Boy, I know this sounds early, but their seldom has been the kind of excitement generated by a 16-year old since… well, since Jose Reyes joined the Mets organization.

Three things to remember:

1. Flores is currently playing in Kingsport at the age of 16 (turns 17 in August). We all must assume he will remain there for the entire season, but he will definitely play for either Savannah or Brooklyn in 2009 at the age of 17. That takes him to Lucy in 2010, the B-Mets in 2011, and a full time Met in 2012.

2. The last year of Jose Reyes contract is 2010, with a team option for 2011.

3. Wilmer Flores is almost 10 years younger than Jose Reyes.

If this kid is for real, and anybody that has seen him says he is (I’m heading there for 3 games at the end of this month to find out myself, than you might as well move aside everyone between him and Jose on the charts. That includes prospects Reece Havens (he would move to C or 2B) and Ruben Tejada (also a 2B possibility), as well as Jose Coronado and Juan Legaras.

Don’t laugh… and remember you read it here first.

A Look Back at the Trades:

1/4/06

Acquired:

RHP Duaner Sanchez

7-1 in 74 Mets appearances – still on team

RHP Steve Schmoll

Pitching for Nats-AA team in 2008

Traded:

RHP Jae Seo

0-0, 4.76 with Cleveland this year

LHP Tim Hamulack

Failed 2x in MLB – pitching now in AAA

Conclusion: Mets big winners in this trade

So, did the current Mets come from the Mets system:

Lucy also won the Divisional Championship, with a team full of Mets prospect talent, in 2003:

They were: 52 players that played on this team:

4 played at Lucy only in a rehab situation

10 roster players made the Bigs

Current Mets: 2

OF Angel Pagan

3B David Wright

Big Time Players: 1

SP Scott Kazmir – do we have to talk about this guy?

Marginal Pros: 4

P Neil Musser – still trying to make it with Kansas City

P Tyler Yates – 2-0, 3.69 with Pirates this year

P Lenny DiNardo – 10-14, 4.90 in 5 yr MLB career – now with Oakland

C Justin Huber – 4 sub-par seasons in the majors (.211 lifetime)

Cups of Coffee 3

P Joe Hietpas – trying comeback as pitcher

OF Matt Watson – 71 at bats in MLB

P Joselo Diaz – 4 games with KC – back with Mets at AAA-New Orleans

Zephyrs:

John Rodriguez homered and drove home three runs in the New Orleans 9-6 win last night in Albuquerque. The Zephyrs quieted the record crowd early scoring a run in the first and four in the third inning. Claudio Vargas returned to the Z’s from the Mets and pitched five scoreless inning and earned the win. Albuquerque starter Gaby Hernandez took the loss working two plus innings allowing five runs and walked four. The Zephyrs jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the contest but the Isotopes scored three in the seventh and three runs in the ninth to pull close. Albuquerque out-hit the Zephyrs 14-9 in the game. Rodriguez had four hits in the game for the Z’s. Isotopes Park announced an all-time record crowd of 15,189.

B-Mets:

The Binghamton Mets scored six times over their final two at-bats to send the game into extra innings, but the Akron Aeros pulled out an 11-8, 11-inning victory at NYSEG Stadium Friday. The B-Mets lost for just the second time in five games. Akron (53-33) didn’t trail after a four-run first. Wes Hodges hit a sacrifice fly to get the Aeros on the board before Stephen Head doubled in a run and Matt Whitney added a two-run homer. B-Mets starter Tobi Stoner settled down thereafter, retiring 13 of the final 14 he faced. The B-Mets (48-38) got on the board in the third when Fernando Martinez reached with a one-out single and Daniel Murphy followed with a two-run homer, cutting Akron’s lead to 4-2. In the top of the seventh, Akron batted around and scored four more runs. Nathan Panther began the frame with a homer before Ryan Goleski scored on an error. Bronson Sardinha singled in another run before Head’s sacrifice fly put Akron ahead 8-2. Binghamton pulled a little closer in the eighth. Nick Evans and Mike Carp began the rally with back-to-back, one-out singles before Caleb Stewart singled in Evans and Carp scored on a passed ball. Salomon Manriquez capped off the inning’s scoring with a single to right that brought in Stewart, pulling Binghamton within 8-5. Martinez and Murphy began the ninth with back-to-back singles before Evans lofted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Martinez. Carp followed with a base hit to right, plating Murphy. Two batters after Stewart walked, pinch-runner Jonathan Malo scored on Salomon Manriquez’s broken-bat single through the left side, tying the game 8-8. Sardinha’s homer off Tim Lavigne (1-1) put Akron ahead in the 11th. Whitney added a two-run single later in the frame.

There’s a new 2Bman in town…

Andy Green 2B R R 5-9 170 7-7-77 University of Kentucky

Green was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 24th round of the 2000 draft.

He spent 7 years in the Arizona organization, including 3 stints with the parent club (.199/.280/.265 in 226 at bats). He played 2007 in Japan and was playing this year for the Cincinnati AAA franchise (.249 in 221 at bats) when the Mets signed him.

Lucy:

Roster moves: P Nick Carr was promoted from Savannah and IF Matt Smith was placed on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 7/2

Gnats:

Through six innings the Drive (47-39, 7-9) had only allowed three hits and zero walks, while holding the Savannah Sand Gnats (39-47, 6-10) offense scoreless. But a four-run seventh, aided by a pair of walks and a three-run homer, was all the visitors needed for a 4-3 victory on Independence Day. Ryne Miller (1-1) struggled with his control to start the inning, issuing back-to-back walks to Jose Jimenez and Francisco Pena. After settling down to strikeout Sean McCraw, all it took was one pitch for Carlos Guzman to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead, as he belted a homer to straight-away centerfield.

Impressive on the mound was Maikel Cleto (3-6) for the Sand Gnats. The right-hander allowed the Drive’s lone run on three hits and a walk over 6.0 innings, but did not surrender Greenville’s first base-hit until the fourth inning.

K-Port:

P Eric Beaulac was transferred from Brooklyn to Kingsport.

And lastly:

"You've got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there." -YOGI BERRA, catcher (1946-65)