Bad News B-Mets Thread

[metirish]

Lastings Milledge promoted to Binghamton.
Brian Bannister promoted to AAA
Humber and Gabi Hernandez promoted up a peg as well.

[Guest SI Metman]

Yes, the B-Mets got swept today in a DH, but the big news is the promotions.

Tomorrow night's starting pitcher is Phillip Humber. Lastings Milledge could be playing centerfield, or he could wait to join the team back home on Thursday after the All Star break.

[seawolf17]

Oh, sure. NOW everybody gets to see Mr. Number One Draft Pick and Mr. Thumping Outfield Prospect, while I had to sit through monsoon season to see Brian Bounceypitch and Matty Mormon.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

MFS62 wrote: Nice job, Wolf. Thanks. Too bad you had to waste a shot on Corey Ragsdale who is already a waste of oxygen. If that waste a of a high draft pick ever gets his average above .250 at Binghamton (its around .100 now), I will allow him to breathe again. Later

What an obnoxious post. Who would you have chosen?

[metirish]

BTW, great job on the report and pictures,.

[Guest SI Metman]

I had the pleasure of meeting Jake (Mike Jacobs) earlier this season, and that last photo is exactly the type of person he is. Very outgoing.

[Frayed Knot]

I think someone was asking about this guy on some thread somewhere.
Well a note just popped up on him in BA:

Mets lefthander Evan MacLane just keeps mowing down hitters. He threw a five-hit complete-game shutout Sunday against Bowie in his Double-A debut. He struck out seven batters and walked two in a 2-0 Binghamton win. MacLane, 22 and a 25th-round pick from Feather River (Calif.) Community College in 2003, was 8-5, 3.20 with a 92-15 strikeout-walk ratio in 112 innings at high Class A St. Lucie.

[MFS62]

He's a soft-tossing lefty in the Blake McGinley mold.
He has good control and a decent breaking ball, which can usually guarantee success through the lower minors. But I believe his FB tops out in the mid 80's. I hpe he can keep it up at this (and higher 0 levels.

Later

[MFS62]

="Johnny Dickshot"] What an obnoxious post. Who would you have chosen?

Take a look at his numbers and please explain to me what he has shown at any level since he was drafted as a number 2 pick to justify his subsequent promotions to higher levels.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/corey_ragsdale.shtml

They say he is an excellent fielding shortstop, but last year he had over 30 errors. In fact, he had more errors than RBI for the season.
To quote sportswriter Dick Young (talking about Pirate bonus baby Bob Bailey, "On one hand, he can't hit. On the other hand, he can't field, either." But he was talking about Bailey atthe major league level. Ragsdale has been demonstrating the lack of both abilities in the minors.

I'd have chosen just about anyone else on the B-Mets. I dunno. Victor Hall?

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

He had a lousy 30 at-bats of course when that post was made, but he's just as lost now 80 at-bats into his B-Mets season.

But just about everybody, unless they're looking to attack somebody, knows that error totals do not equal fielding ability. They're certainly not irrelevant, but they're not the last word.

The draft is a hit-and-miss thing, and it's not the success of one pick that reflects on a team, but the overall success. It's not like the rest of league is basking in the success of their picks from the second round of the 2001 draft.

The Mets, of course, are two general managers past the one who was in charge when that pick was made. To accuse them of promoting him to somehow cover themselves, as you've suggested in the past, is paranoid. To bash the player and the team over a single pick that hasn't worked out is really cheap. To wish death on him, even jokingly, as if you or I are entitled anything at all...

He may well be a washout sooner rather than later. One of dozens in the system every year -- some with high draft positions. The post still seems small to me.

A better question than Dickshot's is who the Mets should have drafted second this year (since they didn't get one) now that very little data is in? who should they draft second next year?

[MFS62]

Ok, so maybe it wasn't a nice thing to say, even in jest.
But some players seem to hit the same at all levels, neither showing dramatic improvement nor degradation as they get promoted.
One who stayed about the same was Bud Harrelson, who seemed to hit around .230-.250 (IIRC) at every level, but played in the day when a shortstop's defense was how he was measured. You knew what you were getting and you got it. And it is an old baseball axiom that defense is the only thing consistent from level to level. I don't see that great defense in Ragsdale's numbers.
And Todd Hundley was touted as a good field/ no hit catcher when he came up to the majors, where he improved his offensive numbers.
But I don't get the same feeling about Ragsdale.

I don't follow the draft as much as I follow the minor leagues, so I really can't answer your other question.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

BA:
The Mets are trying to get Mike Jacobs more innings behind the plate as the season winds down. Jacobs, a 38th-round pick in 1999, has played primarily first base this season. Wherever he plays, Jacobs shows no ill-effects at the plate--he's hitting .358-7-34 in 134 at-bats when he catches, .296-13-41 in 203 at-bats when he plays first base, and .308/.360/.584 in 377 at-bats overall this season at Double-A Binghamton.

[MFS62]

Yep, as for those traditional counting stats, those 34 doubles, 22 HR and 78 RBI don't look too shabby, either.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

MFS62 wrote: And it is an old baseball axiom that defense is the only thing consistent from level to level. I don't see that great defense in Ragsdale's numbers.

He may well be dreadful, but that axiom is completely unsupportable.

And the only numbers we're working with here are error totals, which we know to often be deceptive. Particularly with minor leaguers.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Are you suggesting that defense isn't consistent from level to level?

Or just that there's no proof that it is?


I've always thought it logical to assume that chasing down a fly ball, or scooping up a grounder, is pretty much the same in A ball as it is in the big leagues. But Kaz Matsui's Gold Gloves in Japan make me wonder about that.

What factors, though, would make catching and throwing a ball different from league to league?

[MFS62]

Huh?
That was a blast from the past. I thought you already mentioned that in another thread. We're on to bigger and better things.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

]Are you suggesting that defense isn't consistent from level to level? Or just that there's no proof that it is?

The latter.

]I've always thought it logical to assume that chasing down a fly ball, or scooping up a grounder, is pretty much the same in A ball as it is in the big leagues. But Kaz Matsui's Gold Gloves in Japan make me wonder about that.

An excellent example.

]What factors, though, would make catching and throwing a ball different from league to league?

Two are age and experience. They're big ones. Another is the quality of opponents and teammates. For instance, according to Bill James, you can measure the quality of a league --- from tee ball right to the top --- by the number of chances the pitchers get.

[Theoldmole]

Another is how hard the ball gets hit.

Look at a great woman tennis player playing against a top male player. She'll look awkward just because of the new level of velocity.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Jerrod Riggan is back in the Mets organization? Since when?

[url]http://oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3206752[/url]

]Welcome Back Last night, Riggan pitched a scoreless ninth in his first appearance for Binghamton in five years. The righthander, who saved a club-record 28 games in 2000, last pitched for Japan's Hanshin Tigers in 2004 before signing with the Mets this past off-season, is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

[Guest SI Metman]

He's been working his way up the last few weeks. He started out with the GCL team, then pitched a week for St Lucie and is now back up to Bing. Jake Joseph is another recovering reliever who will be following him up the charts.

As for the team, Jacobs clobbered a pair of homers last night. He's up to 25 on the season. There should be mass rioting in the streets if he doesn't get a September callup.

[MFS62]

IIRC, the reason he went to Binghamton was to see if his surgically repaired arm was ok. He had mastered AA the year before his injury. Seems to me that he should have at least been brought up to AAA by mid season once he showed he was healthy.

BTW_ about his reputation for not having a good arm. This year's Baseball America scouting book commented that his problem lies in taking a long time to straighten up before throwing. There was nothing said about his arm strength or accuracy.

Later

[seawolf17]

In searching the B-Mets pitching stats for updates on my adoptee, I noticed this line:

Bacani 4 G, 4 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

That's a pretty impressive pitching line for a 5'7" infielder.

[MFS62]

I mentioned that in another thread - a few weeks ago. I think I posed it as a trivia question - something like "What Met minor leaguer hadn't given up an earned run in the last two years?"

Bacani had some scoreless innings last year, too.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Hollins goes nuts.

"Indefinitely." Wow.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Good stuff. When Hollins played for the Phillies, teammates thought he was crazy and nicknamed him "Mikey" -- their name for Hollins evil inner personna that would show itself in tense moments.

I wouldn't doubt he was a roid user, along with Dykstra, on that 93 team.

Hollins banned after minor melee
By Jeff Horrigan
Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - Updated: 07:19 AM EST
DETROIT � Binghamton Mets coach Dave Hollins has been suspended indefinitely by the Eastern League for a bizarre incident Monday night, when he charged the bench of the Red Sox' Double-A affiliate Portland Sea Dogs and set off a melee at Hadlock Field.

�����Hollins, who played 12 seasons in the major leagues, including a 1995 stint with the Sox, erupted after Portland manager Todd Claus asked for an umpire's clarification regarding whether a Corey Beam pitch hit Binghamton batter Corey Ragsdale or his bat in Game 1 of a doubleheader. Hollins took offense and exchanged words with Sea Dogs pitching coach Fernando Arroyo before charging into the home dugout from the first base coach's box.

�����Portland hitting coach Russ Morman intercepted Hollins, 38, before he could reach Arroyo, 53, and ended up being treated at a nearby hospital for an injured finger on his right hand. Eastern League commissioner Joe McEachern did not allow Hollins and Arroyo to dress for the second game.

�����``I've spoken with the Mets organization and they're equally as concerned about this and for Dave as we are,'' McEachern said.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]Hollins, who played 12 seasons in the major leagues, including a 1995 stint with the Sox, erupted after Portland manager Todd Claus asked for an umpire's clarification regarding whether a Corey Beam pitch hit Binghamton batter Corey Ragsdale or his bat in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

Sometimes I think the minor leagues is just one big festival of Coreys.

[Frayed Knot]

A couple of quickie comments from Baseball America's 'Hot List':


Continuing to transform from a tools king to a complete baseball player, Lastings Milledge has improved his plate discipline at Double-A, leading (not surprisingly) to more hits and better power (.547 slugging in August).


A physical doppelganger of Bartolo Colon, Yusmeiro Petit has recovered from a slow start in the Eastern League by going 3-0, 1.57 in three August starts while allowing just 11 hits in 23 innings. Petit's 118-18 strikeout-walk ratio is among the best in the minors.

[Guest SI Metman]

Hollins is one of those guys who looks like he could still play if you put him in the lineup today.

Petit went 8 shutout innings today, 3 hits and 12 k's.

Mike Jacobs extended his hitting streak to 22 straight games.

[metirish]

]The New York Mets have announced that infielder David Bacani has been called up to Triple-A Norfolk and catcher Rafael Arroyo and infielder Russ Triplett have been added to the Binghamton roster from Low-A Hagerstown. After picking up a hit in his only at-bat in Binghamton�s 4-0 win at Portland Wednesday, Bacani departs with a .291 average, five homers and 40 RBI in 86 games with the B-Mets, getting into 36 games at third base, 22 games at shortstop and 18 games at second base. Last month, the Long Beach, CA native was selected to play in the Eastern League All-Star Game for the second straight year. The Norfolk call-up is Bacani�s second in as many seasons. After starting the 2004 season with Binghamton, the fifth-year pro hit .264 with two homers and 14 RBI in 44 games with the Tides. Bacani has spent his entire pro career with the Mets after they drafted him in the 22nd round in 2001 out of Cal State-Fullerton. He was in uniform for Norfolk�s game at Toledo tonight, but did not play. Arroyo will be joining the B-Mets for the first time. The Panorama City, CA native combined to hit .206 with five homers and 11 RBI in 43 games between Hagerstown and SS-A Brooklyn this year and threw out 40 percent of would-be basestealers between the two stops. Arroyo, drafted by the Mets in the 26th round in 2004 out of Division II Cal State-Los Angeles, will serve as Binghamton�s backup catcher, replacing Mike Jacobs on the roster. The New York Mets called up Jacobs Wednesday. This will also be Triplett�s first action with the B-Mets. The Johnson, SC native hit .271 with three homers and 18 RBI in 42 games with Hagerstown, playing 23 games at third base, 14 at second base and seven at shortstop. The second-year pro was signed by the Mets in June, 2004 as a non-drafted free agent out of Clemson (SC) University. Both Arroyo and Triplett are expected to be in uniform Friday night when the B-Mets start a seven-game homestand with three against the Trenton Thunder. The Harrisburg Senators are in town for the final leg of the homestand Monday through Thursday.

[metirish]

Petit�s Eight Shutout Innings Lead B-Mets Past Portland

Yusmeiro Petit struck out a season-high 12 and retired 24 of 27 to face him Wednesday afternoon as the Binghamton Mets salvaged the finale of their five-game series against the Portland Sea Dogs with a 4-0 win at Hadlock Field. The win, Binghamton�s seventh shutout of the season, snaps their six-game losing streak.

After Portland (68-57) starter Anibal Sanchez retired nine of the first 10 to face him, the B-Mets were able to get on the board in the fourth. Wayne Lydon began the frame with a leadoff walk followed by an Aarom Baldiris groundball that shortstop Raul Nieves threw away for an error, putting Lydon at third and Baldiris at second. After Sanchez (3-3) intentionally walked Mike Jacobs, Brett Harper lined a single into center, scoring Lydon with the game�s first run.

The B-Mets (53-71) picked up two more runs in the sixth. After Lydon led off with a single and Baldiris walked, Jacobs singled to right, scoring Lydon. The single extended Jacobs� hit streak to 22 games. After Harper bounced into a double play, Jay Caligiur reached on an infield single that brought home Baldiris for a 3-0 Binghamton lead.

Binghamton got its final run in the seventh. Zac Clements doubled to start and Lastings Milledge followed with an infield hit. Clements moved to third and then came home when the ball was booted by second baseman Scott Youngbauer.

A Sheldon Fulse double in the fourth, Jared Sandberg�s single in the fifth and Bret LeVier�s infield hit in the eight were all Portland could muster off Petit (9-3), who didn�t walk anyone en route to winning his fourth consecutive start.

After an off-day Thursday, the B-Mets are back in action Friday, starting a seven-game homestand with a three-game set against the Trenton Thunder. Orlando Roman (3-4, 5.08) will start for Binghamton. The first pitch from NYSEG Stadium is slated for 7:00 with the Horizons Federal Credit Union Pre-Game Show kicking off the radio broadcast at 6:45 on Newsradio 1290 WNBF.