Bad News B-Mets

[Guest AG/DC]

BINGHAMTON METS Roster

Pitchers:
Nick Abel
Salvador Aguilar
Edgar Alfonzo (my erstwhile son)
Eric Brown
Eddie Camacho
Joe Hietpas
Eddie Kunz
German Marte
Jon Niese
Bobby Parnell
Jake Ruckle
Jose Sanchez

Catchers:
Rafael Arroyo
Salomon Manriquez
Salvador Paniagua

Infielders:
Mike Carp
Jose Coronado
Nick Evans
Emmanuel Garcia
Jonathan Malo
Daniel Murphy

Outfielders:
Ambiorix Concepcion
Jamar Hill
Fernando Martinez
Josh Petersen

[metirish]

This is a team I would like to see play.

[Benjamin Grimm]

A much more interesting roster than in New Orleans.

In addition to Fernando Martinez, there's Kunz, and Niese.

Are Carp, Parnell, and Murphy still considered prospects? (I don't pay nearly as much attention to the farm system as I used to, I'm afraid.)

And there's the continuing storyline of Hietpas reinventing himself.

[Guest AG/DC]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Are Carp, Parnell, and Murphy still considered prospects? (I don't pay nearly as much attention to the farm system as I used to, I'm afraid.)

Depends on what you mean by prospects, but if you mean "better than 50% chance they will drink a big-league clubhouse beer before they're through," yup.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yeah, I guess that's what I meant.

Not "future stars" necessarily, but guys who may contribute to a major league team.

[smg58]

Aren't Carp and Evans both first basemen? Are they moving one to the outfield?

[Guest AG/DC]

The Eastern League has this thing they call the Desginated Hitter. It freaks me out, but apparently, a guy can "play" by batting every time through the order, but never taking the field.

I know, right? Talk about bush leagues. Whoo.

[Vic Sage]

wasn't Hietpas a catcher?
did i miss something?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Now he's a pitcher. One game in 2006, full time in 2007:

http://leaptoad.com/mets/profile.php?PlayerCode=0747&tabno=1&subtab=m

[Fman99]

I've been meaning to drive to Binghamton (75 minutes or so from home) to catch a game. It's just easier and more convenient to stay local and watch AAA ball in Syracuse.

Ideally next year I'm watching the Mets AAA affiliate instead of Toronto's. Not that the Mets won't continue to send their 90% of their best prospects to AA anyway.

[soupcan]

What's the deal with the park in 'Cuse?

When I was there (early to mid '80s) I think it was called MacArthur Field and the Syracuse Chiefs (who I think were the Jays affiliate) played there. Didn't they build a new place and the team name changed to SkyChiefs I think, right?

I saw the Tides play there once or twice - Magadan, El Sid and maybe Shaun Abner.

[MFS62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Now he's a pitcher. One game in 2006, full time in 2007: http://leaptoad.com/mets/profile.php?PlayerCode=0747&tabno=1&subtab=m

I noticed that he had a very effective outing toward the end of Spring Training. MetsFairy must be very proud of her adoptee.

Later

[Fman99]

soupcan wrote: What's the deal with the park in 'Cuse? When I was there (early to mid '80s) I think it was called MacArthur Field and the Syracuse Chiefs (who I think were the Jays affiliate) played there. Didn't they build a new place and the team name changed to SkyChiefs I think, right? I saw the Tides play there once or twice - Magadan, El Sid and maybe Shaun Abner.

They tore down MacArthur Park which had been built back in the 1930s, so they could move into a new park with luxury boxes. Sounds familiar somehow...

The new park is nice enough, if not a bit generic. It's biggest drawback has been the use of phony baloney turf a la the Skydome. I understand they're converting to grass for this season so that should help.

The team has been Toronto's affiliate for a number of years. They actually changed the name back to the Chiefs a year or two ago. They are perennial cellar-dwellars unfortunately. My wife and I have lived in Syracuse since 2000 and we've gone to 6-8 games per season. Cheap seats (the best box seats cost $8) and quality baseball.

I've seen the Mets minor league team a few times, including one of Traschel's starts when Valentine sent him down to get his shit together.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Fman99 wrote: They tore down MacArthur Park which had been built back in the 1930s, so they could move into a new park with luxury boxes.

I thought it had melted in the dark.

[soupcan]

I thought that was Itchy-Koo Park.

[Guest SI Metman]

AG/DC wrote: The Eastern League has this thing they call the Desginated Hitter. It freaks me out, but apparently, a guy can "play" by batting every time through the order, but never taking the field. I know, right? Talk about bush leagues. Whoo.

The pitcher still hits when both teams are NL affiliates, but that only happens for about a 1/4th of the schedule.

Same rules apply in all AA and AAA leagues.

[Guest AG/DC]

http://www.distantreplays.com/distant/assets/product_images/PAAAIADIHLLJIJBP.jpgB-Mets open with a 2-0 win over Trenton

Niese: five shutout innings, one hit, one walk, five strikeouts.

Kunz: two Ks and a walk to close the game in the ninth.

Carp: solo homer in the second.

Martinez: 1--4 with a strikeout, batting leadoff.

Prediction: Mike Carp will one day play for the Hiroshima Carp.

[Valadius]

Prediction: Kunz will play for the Mets in '09. Wagner was grooming Kunz during Spring Training to someday replace him.

[Fman99]

SI Metman wrote: ="AG/DC"]The Eastern League has this thing they call the Desginated Hitter. It freaks me out, but apparently, a guy can "play" by batting every time through the order, but never taking the field. I know, right? Talk about bush leagues. Whoo. The pitcher still hits when both teams are NL affiliates, but that only happens for about a 1/4th of the schedule. Same rules apply in all AA and AAA leagues.

I never knew that... the Chiefs have been a Blue Jays affiliate since I moved here, so I've never been to a minor league game between two NL affiliates that I can recall.

[Frayed Knot]

Binghamton split it's first 8 games (going W-L-W-L-W-L-W-L)

- Jonathan Niese is looking good in his first 2 starts; giving up 1 run on 3 hits & 2 BBs, 10 Ks over 11 IPs

- 1B Mike Carp hitting .409/.462/.909 with 3 of the team's 4 HRs

- Fernando Martinez, hitting leadoff so as to garner the most ABs, is off to a slow start (.192/.241/.385) although is coming off a 2B & HR game



Roster/Stats

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'd really like to see Niese get a start or two for the Mets this year. (As long as he's ready, of course. I guess what I'm saying is I'd like to see him be ready for a cup of coffee in 2008.)

I'd much rather see him get one of those fill-ins than Tony Armas or Claudio Vargas.

[Benjamin Grimm]

And maybe that's what will happen.

From today's Newsday:

David Lennon wrote: Farm report: Major move in Niese�s future? By trading their top prospects to the Minnesota Twins for Johan Santana during the offseason, the Mets may have helped clear the path for another lefthander, Jon Niese, to join them in the majors at some point this season. Niese filled in for Pedro Martinez in his only Grapefruit League start, throwing two no-hit innings against the Dodgers, and the 21-year-old lefthander has stayed on a roll at Double-A Binghamton. Niese is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in two starts, with 10 strikeouts and one walk in 11 innings. He's allowed only three hits, including a home run, and opponents are batting .083 against him. A seventh-round pick in 2005, Niese has four pitches, including an excellent curve, and has thrived under the Mets' plans to fast-track him through the minors. He had a 2.34 ERA in his final eight starts for Class A St. Lucie last season. "Last year he came a long way and he's responded well," said Tony Bernazard, the club's vice president for player development. "We'll see how long he can stay on that pace."

[MFS62]

Murphy - 10 games - .474 18 hits 38 AB 0 hr 8 rbi 3 2b 1 3b 3 bb 4 ks
Evans - 10 games - .444 16 hits 36 AB 2 hr 13 rbi 3 2b 2 3b 5 ks
Carp - 10 games - .474 18 hits 38 AB 4 hr 14 rbi 4 2b 4 ks

Going to take a lot of pressure off martinez, if these 3 can stay hot

Later

[Guest Triple Dee]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Orlando Hernandez in August of next year. But I don't see it happening with Delgado.

You mean August of this year, right?

If Delgado hasn't started hitting by July, do they trade for somebody and start Delgado occasionally against righties, or as a PH, and then keep him off the post-season roster?

[Guest AG/DC]

Sorry, I split the thread out from under you there.

[Frayed Knot]

A good week from Fernando Martinez lands him on Baseball America's 'Hot List'

.355/.364/.452, 11-for-31, 3 2B, 5 R, 2 RBIs, 1-for-1 SB, 1 BB, 5 SO
... He hit in all seven games last week, four of them two-hit affairs. ... Experienced lefties have given Martinez fits this season (.194/.244/.278), but he's more than held his own versus righties (.321/.356/.446) in the early going.

[Guest Triple Dee]

This must be best news the Mets have had all week. That and Jonathon Niese's continued dominance.

[Frayed Knot]

More Fernando love from BA's new "Hot List"


For the week: .360/.370/.720 (9-for-25), 4 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 1 BB, 5 SO

The Scoop:
[Martinez is] the youngest player in Double-A—heck, [u:d28ecddfd9]if he were in high Class A, he would still be the second-youngest player[/u:d28ecddfd9] at that level. Teenagers in Double-A shouldn't be hitting for power, a skill that normally blossoms later in a player's career. But that's exactly what Martinez did last week, as four of his nine hits went for extra bases, highlighted by yesterday's two-homer game, the first multi-homer game of his career.
[u:d28ecddfd9]It's not as though Martinez is dominating the league[/u:d28ecddfd9] — in 144 at-bats, he's hitting .264/.297/.403 — but his ability to drive the ball against much older competition is encouraging as he starts to take advantage of his prodigious tools in game situations.

[Guest AG/DC]

Strange goings-on last week as Mako Oliveras went Wacko Oliveras after Altoona Curve manager (and former B-Mets coach) Tim Leiper.

Supposedly, Leiper tauted Oliveras in a manner that drove him nuts, he went after his counterpart, and all hell broke loose. Ejected were Oliveras, Bingo pitching coach Ricky Bones and outfielder Ambiorix Concepcion.

It gets odder after that. Before the Eastern League could decide who to suspend, the Mets took a pre-emptive strike and suspended Concepcion three games. According to one article:

Concepcion had to be restrained several times from going after Altoona players and, at one point, grabbed a bat and pointed at the Curve dugout before being restrained by several teammates.

Oliveras said Mets front office officials decided to suspend Concepcion because he wielded a bat during the fight.

"Concepcion told me he was just going to slam the bat on the ground because he was so mad," Oliveras said. "But you can't grab a bat during a fight."

Then came the league actions, and they were pretty draconian. Oliveras gets a nine-game vacation, Bones, five games, and Concepcion four, the League seeming to disagree with the Mets thinking about the relative severity of Concepcion's indiscretion.

Met-baiter Leiper remains free to manage a baseball team thus far, having no punishment given him beyond his initial ejection.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yeah, that's about the only highlight I got during my week in the woods. I got pretty good radio reception of the Altoona game, this was the day after the event, where the announcers lauded league officials for their wisdom in handing down what was then described as "indefinite" suspensions, though it was hard to make out exactly what for.

Meantime, top draft pick Ike Davis of the Clones apparently made a stupid sexist remark to a female reporter .