September Callup Thread

[seawolf17]

Howie & Gary said the Mets announced three callups for tomorrow:


Shingo Takatsu was cut by the White Sox a few months ago, but he's given up one run in eight innings (with ten strikeouts) since joining the Mets' system. Japan's career saves leader went 1-2 with a 5.97 ERA and eight saves in 31 appearances with Chicago this season.


Kaz Ishii has been pretty good since joining Norfolk: 2-2, 1.76 in 16.1 innings. He was awful with the big club earlier this year.


Tim Hamulack was almost a Met last week in Arizona, but the Mets opted to keep Mike Jacobs around instead. The hard-throwing lefty has been excellent this year, with 34 Ks and only 9 BBs in 35.1 innings, pitching to a 0.82 ERA with six saves and a .167 batting average against him.

[Valadius]

Hooray for Hamulack!!!

[seawolf17]

Hooray for Hamulack... that lefty in the bullpen Hamulack.
Where any new batboy or young first sacker can be his backer 'cause he's looking grand.
And any beer vendor will be Tim's defender if he pitches like he can.
Hooray for Hamulack... they sent him home and then they brought him back.
Where anyone at all from Keith Hernandez to Sid Fernandez is forever on the track,
Go out to right and throw, you might be Jesse O! Hooray for Hamulack.

Hooray for Hamulack... that boy he ain't no phony, Hamulack.
He comes up from the Tides, the midnight flight he rides, throws from the left side, his name is up in lights.
All armed with dreams of winning, pitching the seventh inning, deep in the Wild Card fights.
Hooray for Hamulack... so glad to see you coming right on back...
Watch out for three-card monte, go see Mr. Conti, he'll show you past the warning track.
You might not break the bank-o, but just be better than Franco! Hooray for Hamulack!

[Theoldmole]

Good job. Seawolf. I was going to try that. But you did it better than I would have.

[Guest SI Metman]

The hammur!!

Apparently he can hit 95 with the fastball on occasion.

Not called up was Royce Ring who went 3 innings in relief of Jose Santiago who went 6 tonight.

Looks like the Mets aren't going to deplete the Tides playoff roster just yet.

[Valadius]

And that brings up a good point: why do we have the Tides constantly run away with their division while we languish in mediocrity?

[Elster88]

Valadius wrote: And that brings up a good point: why do we have the Tides constantly run away with their division while we languish in mediocrity?

]Kaz Ishii has been pretty good since joining Norfolk: 2-2, 1.76 in 16.1 innings. He was awful with the big club earlier this year.

That's why.

_____________________________
This was the last post Elster88 made under the posting designation 169)Ellis Valentine

[Guest Edgy DC]

Because oft a AAA team is of augmented by veterans of the back of major-league rosters who can perhaps turn around a AAA team but could at best be a role player in Flushing.

Excellent internal rhyme.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Ishii, Hamulack & Takatsu are available today. Calloway designated for assigment to make room on the 40-man.

[metirish]

Will the kid 2nd baseman get called up?

[Guest Rotblatt]

No word about Hernandez yet. I'd assume they'll bring him up, but I don't know when . . .

[Frayed Knot]

Anderson Hernandez would also involve a 40-man roster move and I'm not sure how much flexibility they've got there now.

In addition to Ron Calloway being waived, Cameron was transfered to the 60-day DL (officially ending his season) to make room for the 2 guys added today; Hamulak & Tagatsu (Ishii was already on).

[MFS62]

Can anyone provide a good reason why Calloway stayed on the 40 man roster up until now?

Later

[Frayed Knot]

Was there someone he was holding back?

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: Was there someone he was holding back?

Is Eric Valent still on the 40 man roster? If not, someone else will have to be dropped to add him.

But once we had Cameron, Beltran and G. Williams, there might have been another "veteran" they could have added at AAA that might not have been so,uh, redundant.

Later

[Valadius]

I believe Valent is still on the 40-man roster.

[Frayed Knot]

Yes I believe that Valent is still on the 40. He was exposed to waivers when he was sent down but he wasn't picked up. And Valent/Calloway, Calloway/Valent ... is there really that big a difference?

Point is that Calloway has at least as much ML experience as Valent and with the possibility of Cliff getting hurt, Cameron getting traded, or Diaz falling on his face, there was certainly no harm in keeping Calloway around (AAA is filled with one-time MLers like him).
And again, I don't think there's been anyone whose ML callup has been delayed due to him staying on the 40-man.

[Guest Edgy DC]

No, Valent is not on the 40. I guess the thinking is... if you're going to risk him once by exposing him by sending him down without options, might as well remove him from the 40 at the same time, so there's less risk of having to clear him through waivers a second time down the road if you need his spot.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

The Mets roster lists Hamulack as No. 46 and, Shingo as No. 10 (the # he wore in Chicago).

Did anyone see those guys in uniform? If so, Shingo overtakes Corey Lidle (No. 11) as the lowest-numbered Met pitcher in history! How about that?

This year Wells wore No. 3, briefly, in Boston and Toronto's Josh Towers wears 7.

[G-Fafif]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: The Mets roster lists Hamulack as No. 46 and, Shingo as No. 10 (the # he wore in Chicago). Did anyone see those guys in uniform? If so, Shingo overtakes Corey Lidle (No. 11) as the lowest-numbered Met pitcher in history! How about that?

They were each up in the pen yesterday wearing those numbers. Gary Cohen said "Mike Hampton wore 10 and he did OK". I assume he meant for Houston. He wore 32 for us and 20 at his press conference (as well as a Cleveland Browns helmet in the dugout during a doubleheader against the Expos which always rubbed me the wrong way...baseball, gentlemen).

I guess we're not counting Desi Relaford (No. 8) as a Mets pitcher per se?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Yeah, Ordonez wore 10 at the time Hampton was a Met, even though Rey hit like a pitcher and Hampton hit like a shortstop.

[metirish]

From the Times..

]Manager Willie Randolph said that reliever Danny Graves would rejoin the team Monday in Atlanta and that infielder Anderson Hernandez and another outfielder would be promoted from Class AAA Norfolk after Norfolk's postseason. [/code]

[Guest ABG]

Does anyone here realize that WE are in a pennant race? Why are they constantly giving a shit about Norfolk?

You play to win the games. Hello.

[Guest SI Metman]

ABG wrote: Does anyone here realize that WE are in a pennant race? Why are they constantly giving a shit about Norfolk? You play to win the games. Hello.

aside from Anderson Hernandez, there isn't much on Norfolk that would make a difference on the Mets.

Do you want to bring up Koo and Ring now, both who were very ineffective in their stints?

Bring back Daubach or Valent for 2 major league AB's combined during Norfolk's run?

Besides, I'm betting that Willie will be gunshy with Hernandez after seeing how Jacobs responded post-Arizona. If Matsui gets hot, then there won't be a need for Hernandez.

[Guest ABG]

aside from Anderson Hernandez, there isn't much on Norfolk that would make a difference on the Mets.

Do you want to bring up Koo and Ring now, both who were very ineffective in their stints?

>>>>>>No.
Bring back Daubach or Valent for 2 major league AB's combined during Norfolk's run?

>>>>>>Sure. I care a helluva lot more about two MLB AB's than where the Tides finish.

Besides, I'm betting that Willie will be gunshy with Hernandez after seeing how Jacobs responded post-Arizona. If Matsui gets hot, then there won't be a need for Hernandez

>>>>>>He can't pinch run? Or come in for defense? Or perhaps even catch some lightning in a bottle? I can think of plenty of reasons to bring him up, and none not to.

[duan]

for me the key is Valent - we could really use some left handed power AND he can play the OF and 1b so he really should be on the ML team rather then not.

[metirish]

Any news on this..

]Will Willie kid around? With Mets essentially out of wild-card race, Randolph could take a look at youngsters, especially Hernandez BY ANTHONY RIEBER STAFF WRITER September 13, 2005 With 13 games left at Shea Stadium beginning with tonight's against Washington, the Mets had hoped to sell the excitement of a wild-card chase to their fans. A 2-8 road trip pretty much took care of that notion. So the Mets instead will focus on finishing strong, maybe playing spoiler, and possibly taking a peek at a piece of their future. Or, as Willie Randolph put it, getting "a little glimpse of what might be, what could be." The Mets have a gaping hole at second base. Enter prospect Anderson Hernandez, a converted shortstop who could be promoted from Triple-A Norfolk as soon as today. "I'd like to see maybe this kid Hernandez come up eventually," Randolph said Sunday in St. Louis. Two things are significant about that: The manager mentioned Hernandez without prodding, and at the time he spoke, Norfolk's season wasn't over. It is now, as the Tides were eliminated from the International League playoffs Sunday night. The only obstacle in Hernandez's way is the Mets' 40-man roster, which is full. Team brass huddled yesterday to decide when and how to add Hernandez, who is likely to be the only significant minor-leaguer the Mets bring up before season's end. "I've heard some good things about him," Randolph said. "Just to get a look at how he handles himself and see if he's overmatched or anything like that. He's a switch hitter, had a nice little year in Triple-A, so you're kind of curious sometimes in what those kinds of guys can bring." Hernandez, 22, batted .315 with nine home runs, 54 RBIs and 35 stolen bases in a season split equally between Norfolk and Double-A Binghamton. The Mets acquired him from Detroit on Jan. 6 for Vance Wilson and he wowed them in spring training with his glove at short. The Mets don't need a shortstop, but given the struggles of Kaz Matsui and Miguel Cairo this season, they could use a second baseman. They also could use a No. 2 hitter, although Hernandez's high strikeout total (104) could be problematic in that spot. "In Triple-A, he's had a nice year," Randolph said. "When you're looking at the numbers, it's like he's the kind of guy, a switch hitter, that could fit in that spot. Probably. We don't know at the big-league level." With their roster full, the Mets aren't inclined to call up other prospects who aren't on the 40-man roster, such as pitcher Yusmeiro Petit or outfielder Prentice Redman. Petit struck out 14 in a playoff game Thursday, but it was only his fourth Triple-A start, and the Mets are leery of rushing the 20-year-old. More likely additions are old friends Dae-Sung Koo and Royce Ring. One youngster who will be getting a good look the rest of the season is first baseman Mike Jacobs, who started the last three games of the road trip and had a key RBI double in Sunday's 7-2 win. The Mets want to see what they have in the 24-year-old before the winter shopping season opens. First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz understands. "I knew it was going to happen," he said, "as soon as we fell out of the race. This ain't my first rodeo." Anderson Hernandez Dominican middle infielder acquired from the Tigers in January for Vance Wilson. Turns 23 on Oct. 30. A career .258 hitter in four previous minor-league seasons, the switch hitter batted .315 combined at Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Norfolk with nine HRs, 54 RBIs and 35 SBs. Struck out 104 times. It was his first experience at Triple-A. A slick glove at short, he was converted to second base this season.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Of course, Matsui's been the hottest bat in September.

[Guest SI Metman]

Meh, I don't know about Hernandezson any more. I was watching the Tides Game 4 on Saturday and watched him have the worst possible inning ever.

In the bottom of the 7th of a scoreless elimination game, he botches a ball Buckner style and then throws it away allowing the go-ahead run to score. In the top of the 8th, he singles to lead off the inning and advances to second on the walk. He then decides to steal third with no outs and gets thrown out by a mile killing a potential rally, but was eventually bailed out later in the inning.

Yeah, I know it was only 1 inning of a game, but imagine if he had done that in the Atlanta series..

[Frayed Knot]

I've yet to read an objective, informed opinion on Anderson Hernandez - at least not one with his progress this season included. Prior to the season he didn't even make the top-10 list (acc to BA) in a weak Detroit system, and while he's certainly made some strides since then it is only one year.
As usual, I suspect conventional wisdom will put him somewhere between the long-shot good-glove/no-bat deal that he was and the super-stud that some NYM fans are rushing to treat him as now.