Mack Attack: June 21, 2008

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Saturday, June 21, 2008

Phillies: 33 losses - Marlins: 33 - Mets: 36 - Braves: 39 - Nats: 45

In the last 14 games, Mets starters have posted a 3.53 ERA.

NY Met catchers have allowed the fewest stolen bases in the majors.

The list of Futures Game managers over the past nine years has been full of Hall of Famers, All-Stars and World Series champions. So why would year No. 10 be any different? It was announced on Thursday that two-time All-Star and four-time World Series winner Tino Martinez will manage the World Team in the XM All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, July 13, at Yankee Stadium in New York. "I'm thrilled to death," Martinez said. "It's quite an honor to be able to manage that team. To have the opportunity to do it in Yankee Stadium, it doesn't get any better than that." The person in the other dugout is no stranger to the Fall Classic, either. Davey Johnson, a four-time All-Star as a player and a World Series-winning manager, will head the U.S. Team.

A Possible Scenario To Consider:

So, the manager of Seattle was fired yesterday. That’s funny… ESPN News didn’t cover that for 3 hours!

Anyway, you have to consider things might not be going too well there.

Let’s look at 1B:

The current 1Bman is Richie Sexson, who is batting .220 and turns 34 in December. He’s also a free agent at the end of this season. He’s making $14mil this season and. With his average, looks like the second coming of Carlos Delgado.

Below him in AAA is some guy named Bryan LaHair, a AAAA-type batting .258, but it’s the 2 blue-chippers in AA that have me drooling:

1B Johan Limonta – 24-yrs old - A+/AA 2008: .316/.411/.504/.915 in 244 at bats - .289 vs. lefties - .322 vs. righties -
2007 stats: .300/.366/.454/.820 in 474 at bats

1B Thomas Hubbert – 26 years old – AA 2008 stats: .360/.464/.596/1.059 - .321 vs. lefties - .370 vs. righties
2007 stats: .270/.361/.447/.808

In addition, Seattle owns one of the top 1B prospects in baseball,

So, if I’m Omar, I call them up and say… look, “we’ll take Limonta off your hands” for Mike Carp, who you can play at first next year, or DH (their current DH, Jose Vidro, is batting .219) and save yourself 10mil+ from the old Sexson contract…

But that’s me…

Mack’s Prospect List Update:

Well, it’s time to add SP Tobi Stoner to the ever-shrinking M.P.L..

Actually, before adding Tobi this morning, the list was down to 17 guys that are showing the early ability to excel at their craft.

In no particular order, they are (now):

Infielders: Mike Carp – Mike Evans – Greg Veloz – Rueben Tejada – Reece Havens Wilmer Flores - Miquel Tejada - Dan Murphy - Jefry Marte -

Catchers: none

Outfielders: Cesar Puello - Fernando Martinez

Starting Pitchers: John Niese - Tobi Stoner - Dillon Gee - Dylan Owen - Brad Holt - Orlando Tovar

Relief Pitchers: Eddie Kunz -

Draft News:

Scouting Report by Braunstein:

1 S 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.

Zephyrs:

Saturday 6 p.m. vs. Omaha: RH Brian Stokes (7-5, 4.00 ERA) vs. LH Tyler Lumsden (2-7, 6.88 ERA)
Sun 2 p.m. vs. Omaha: RH Nelson Figueroa (3-1, 3.18 ERA) vs. RH Roman Colon (2-2, 4.88 ERA)
Mon 7 p.m. vs. Omaha: RH Tony Armas (5-6, 2.47 ERA) vs. LH Horacio Ramirez (1-1, 1.42 ERA)
Tuesday 12 p.m. vs. Omaha: LH Willie Collazo (4-4, 3.96 ERA) vs. RH Matt Wright (2-4, 5.38 ERA)

The Cubs¹ six-run ninth-inning rally was not enough to hold off New Orleans as they fell 12-8 in front of 11,395 people at Principal Park Friday night.

After being down 12-2 in the top of the ninth, Iowa came to bat swinging. Josh Kroeger led off the inning with a home run to start the six-run rally. Felix Pie doubled to drive in Casey McGehee and Koyie Hill and up Iowa's total, 12-6. Bobby Scales then scored off Ben Broussard¹s singled. Jason Dubois drove in Pie before the inning would end, for the 12-8 final.

New Orleans scored six runs in the first inning before Iowa starter Rich Hill left the game with two outs in the inning after allowing three hits and four walks. Greg Reinhard came in and pitched 3.1 innings of relief and allowed three runs on five hits.

The Zephyrs had a 6-0 lead after the first inning and added another three runs in the second, two thanks to Jesus Feliciano¹s triple. Dubois, who was 2-for-4, hit his third home run in as many games in the second inning, to get the Cubs on the board.

McGehee upped Iowa's total in the fourth inning when he drove in Josh Kroeger for his team-leading 42nd RBI. Kroeger, Dubois, Luis Figueroa and Scales each had two hits.

Hill (2-4) was tagged with the loss while New Orleans¹ Ruddy Lugo (5-6) picked up the win, allowing two runs on four hits over seven innings.

B-Mets:

Bobby Parnell struck out six over six one-run innings, helping the Binghamton Mets to a 3-1 win over the first-place Trenton Thunder at Waterfront Park Friday. The win is Binghamton’s 16th in their last 21 games.

The B-Mets (40-32) didn’t trail after a two-run second. Caleb Stewart and Ambiorix Concepcion began the frame with back-to-back singles off Eric Hacker, putting two men on with no outs. Two batters later, Emmanuel Garcia’s sacrifice fly brought in Stewart. Mike Nickeas followed with a single that was misplayed by Trenton leftfielder Colin Curtis for an error, allowing Concepcion to score.

Binghamton loaded the bases with one out against Hacker (1-1) in the fifth when Nickeas singled, Eric Reed reached on an error and Jose Coronado walked. Evans then drew a four-pitch walk, forcing in Nickeas for a 3-0 B-Mets advantage.

Trenton (43-29) didn’t get to Parnell (6-4) until the sixth, when Edwar Gonzalez doubled in the Thunder’s only run. Joe Hietpas, Eddie Camacho and Eddie Kunz followed with three innings of one-hit relief, with Kunz notching his 17th save in 20 chances.

Lucy:

From Rotoworld:

Ruben Tejada went 4-for-5 with a homer and a steal Thursday for Single-A St. Lucie. - The 18-year-old Tejada was easy prey for FSL pitching during the first two months, but he's hit .361/.412/.475 this month, giving him a 625 OPS for the season. His numbers would tell us more about his progress if the Mets had him open the year in the Sally League. Besides maybe the Mariners, there's not another team in baseball that would have been as aggressive with him

SP Dillon Gee threw one hell of a game tonight... it was a no-hitter for 6.2 innings...

Lucy had only 7 hits but 3 of them were by C Josh Thole, who has quietly taken over the full time catching duties there. I remember being with him at the end of last season and wished him well in Florida... he looked at me and said "yeah, but what position?" No one expected Sean McCraw to fall so fast and make room for Josh, who placed mostly at 1B and the OF last year for the Gnats. I'm very happy for the 21-year old.

Gnats:

The Rome Braves defeated the Savannah Sand Gants 10-1 Thursday evening at State Mutual Stadium in front of 3,505 fans.

Rome got on board in the second inning when Freddie Freeman slammed his ninth home run of the season giving the Braves the lead 1-0.

In the third Rome posted six runs. Samuel Sime singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error by Brant Rustich. Sime then scored on a Stephen Shults single for the 2-0 lead. Cole Miles reached on a sacrifice bunt and moved to second on the second throwing error of the inning by Rustich. Shults advanced to third on the play and scored on a CJ Lee base hit which also scored Miles. The Braves continued the hit parade when Jason Heyward singled and advanced Lee to second. Heyward and Lee both scored after Freddie Freeman doubled. Freeman scored on a Benji Johnson single, making the score 7-0.

In the fourth, Savannah scored their lone run of the night when Jose Jimenez doubled and went to third while Joaquin Rodriquez grounded out. Jimenez scored on a Francisco Pena double, making the score 7-1.

K-Port:

K-Port lost 5-4, to Johnson City... P Zack Rosenbaum really got 'baumed', gicing up 4 ER in 1.2 IP (21.60)... C Dock Doyle went 2-4.

Clones:

GCL Mets:

Brahiam Maldonado had been added to the GCL Met roster to rehab and went 3-4 in the GCL Mets 7-0 win over the Marlins. Eduardo Aldama pitched an impressive 3.o innings, striking out 5.

DSL Mets:

VSL Mets:

Minor League Bios:

Raul Casanova C B R 6-0 221 8-23-72 Ponce H.S. Puerto Rico

Casanova was originally drafted by the New York Mets, in the 8th round of the 1990 draft.He spent 2 years in rookie and A ball for New York, and was traded in 1992 as part of the Tony Fernandez trade.

Casanova then spent 3 years with the Padres organization, and was traded to the Detroit Tigers to start the 1996 season. He played 4 years in the Tigers organization, rising to the parent team 3 times, including as a starter (.248/.308/.322/640 in 304 Abs) in 1997. Since then, he has bounced around from Milwaukee, to Baltimore, to Colorado, to Kansas City, Boston, the White Sox, Oakland, and Tampa Bay. It seems to me that he keeps a bag packed. The Mets signed him in the off-season.

This Day in Mets History

1989 - White Sox Carlton Fisk surpasses Yogi Berra as the American League leader for career home runs by a catcher as his 307th home run helps to beat the Yanks, 7-3.

2003 - In the 13th inning at Veterans' Stadium, pinch-hitter Todd Pratt hits a two-run giving the Phillies a walk-off 6-5 victory over the Red Sox

2006 - Jose Reyes becomes the ninth player in Mets history to hit for the cycle. The 23 year old shortstop from the Dominican Republic hits a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first inning followed by a double in the third, then and a triple the fifth, and completes the feat eighth inning single in a 5-4 loss to the Reds at Shea Stadium.

And lastly:

From Bill James:
Are you interested in writing for Bill James Online? Here’s the deal. At this point, we can’t afford to pay you. We have xxxx subscribers as of now and expenses averaging about $y,yyy a month, so. . .do the math; we’re losing money.

(I guess if he’s losing money, there’s no hope for people like me…)