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[duan]

="Benjamin Grimm":1but6tbs]I'd be happy to see him get about 100 to 120 starts in left field in 2009 and to have them revisit the second base idea for 2010.[/quote:1but6tbs] if he makes 100-120 starts in LF next year he'll never play anywhere else. ="Benjamin Grimm":1but6tbs]True. Their last two high-visibility position changes didn't work out, so maybe they've become gun-shy. Although both of them are now several years in the past. (Reyes to second to make room for Matsui, and Piazza to first.)[/quote:1but6tbs] John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 29 2008 01:05 PM I think the "experts" see Parnell ultimately as a late-inning guy. I suppose this means they think his stuff is good but not good enough to get thru a lineup twice or thrice a night? Or maybe his full complement isn't there but his fastball/sinker are OK? There some kind of backhanded complement to it. smg58 Oct 29 2008 01:07 PM I think the worst-case scenario right now with Murphy is that he can play 2B well enough to fill in there as a reserve, which would enable the Mets to carry an extra outfield bat (i.e., a better hitter than a typical reserve infielder) on their bench. That's encouraging. The Mets have Santana tied up for a while, Maine under control for three more years, Pelfrey for at least four more years, Niese coming up in 09 or 10 and likely hanging around for a while, and presumably a free agent signing for multiple years. In that context, I would be neither surprised nor disappointed if they commit Parnell to the pen. Edgy DC Oct 29 2008 01:13 PM There's the possiblity that Murphy at second is trade bait also --- making his tenure there a chance for someone else to take. Benjamin Grimm Oct 29 2008 01:31 PM Oh, I hope not. I'm rooting for Murphy to be the Wigginton/Keppinger type guy that they actually keep. Edgy DC Oct 29 2008 01:54 PM No doubt. I'm just exploring their possible thinking. I think they should write him in at second, get a righthanded veteran backup ready and tell any grousing fans to suck it. metirish Oct 29 2008 01:58 PM Sherman from the Post had the Mets talking to the Royals about their" headache contract " Jose Guillen and the Royals taking Castillo in return. That was last week IIRC , Metsblog then had this from the Royals version of Marty Noble. �The whole scenario doesn�t sound right because a) Castillo went on the disabled list last July 3, and who wants a player with a strained hip flexor? and Guillen has a no-trade clause in his contract that includes the Mets. Guillen will earn $24 million for the next two seasons, while Castillo is due to make $18 million for the next three. Benjamin Grimm Oct 29 2008 02:01 PM Would you consider Castillo as the veteran backup? Historically he's hit well against lefties, although not in 2008. There's also Easley and Ramon Martinez. MFS62 Oct 29 2008 02:06 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":3shu83wl]Would you consider Castillo as the veteran backup? [/quote:3shu83wl] I don't care what he is called in 2009, as long it isn't a Met. Later Edgy DC Oct 29 2008 02:09 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":3pfmu0mf]Would you consider Castillo as the veteran backup? Historically he's hit well against lefties, although not in 2008. There's also Easley and Ramon Martinez.[/quote:3pfmu0mf] They're mostly fine for what they are, but I'd like to see some creativity. Castillo isn't really versatile, so he'd force Murphy to be. Vince Coleman Firecracker Oct 30 2008 06:47 AM ="metirish"]Sherman from the Post had the Mets talking to the Royals about their" headache contract " Jose Guillen and the Royals taking Castillo in return. Let's see, a second baseman with a .360 OBP for a corner outfielder with a .300 OBP. Sounds like a great fucking trade to me! Maybe we can throw in some prospects, too! What do you think, Jerry Manuel? ]"You don't see a lot of guys that have statistical numbers play well in these championship series" Absolutely! Let's get the worst "statistical numbers" players we can find! Our batters will make outs all the way to a championship! /getting worried about this offseason Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 07:23 AM I don't think that's particularly fair. Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 07:32 AM 1) Castillo's career OBP may be .367 but his OBP last season was .355. 2) Guillen's OBP last season was .300 but his career OBP is .327. 3) All that is apart from the tremendous differences in their slugging. 4) Castillo's OPS + last season was 77 and Guillen's 96. 5) The Mets could use a righthanded power hitter to give them some lineup balance. 6) Guillen's been healthy the lasst two years, and Castillo hasn't. That said, Guillen gives me pause. He's been a jerk and roid user. The Manuel quote is out of context. He received an unfair beatdown for it at FireJoeMorgan.com, of the kind usually reserved for Ozzie Guillen. metirish Oct 30 2008 02:24 PM From Ken Davidoff , ] Quick thoughts on Yankees and Mets prospects, from a scout who recently spent time in the Arizona Fall League: For the Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes: "He scuffled when I saw him." First baseman Juan Miranda: "He's got a little power. He's no Gold Glove, though, despite what the Yankees say about him." Second baseman Kevin Russo: "He played hard and saw the ball well." Centerfielder Austin Jackson: "He threw well. He's a pretty good athlete." Mets reliever Eddie Kunz: "He's got some ceiling." Daniel Murphy: "Not too pretty at second base." Benjamin Grimm Oct 30 2008 02:30 PM In the last few years, "scuffled" has become a euphemism for "struggled." It doesn't sound as bad, but it means the same thing. Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 02:49 PM Sign me up and I promise you I'll play hard and see the ball well. Nymr83 Oct 30 2008 03:33 PM I'd make the trade: 1. Guillen is a better overall hitter than Castillo 2. Guillen is healthier than Castillo 3. They both have bad contracts, but Guillen's is shorter in duration 4, Guillen plays a position at which the Mets are thinner right now Edgy DC Nov 11 2008 02:57 PM Our men are still hitting, though there's been some errors. Player POS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E Daniel Murphy 2B 15 63 22 25 8 0 2 18 39 13 6 1 0 .487 .619 .397 1.106 4 Josh Thole C 14 51 14 19 1 0 2 14 26 7 4 0 0 .429 .510 .373 .938 1 Shawn Bowman 3B 9 37 6 11 3 0 2 7 20 2 5 0 0 .333 .541 .297 .874 0 Gotta love them walk rates. Edgy DC Nov 13 2008 08:05 AM I think we may need to formulate a rescue plan for Edddie Kunz. The other pitchers are all holding their own in what appears to be a hitters' league. Player� W� L� ERA� G� GS� CG� SHO� SV� IP� H� R� ER� HR� HB� BB� SO� WHIP� HLD� GF� Jason Vargas 1 0 2.61 7 1 0 0 0 20.2 15 6 6 1 0 4 11 0.92 3 0 Bobby Parnell 3 1 2.81 6 6 0 0 0 16.0 14 5 5 0 1 8 17 1.38 0 0 Tobi Stoner 2 0 2.81 9 0 0 0 0 16.0 13 5 5 0 0 6 12 1.19 0 1 Eddie Kunz 1 2 10.95 12 0 0 0 2 12.1 21 15 15 2 2 9 11 2.43 0 8 Benjamin Grimm Nov 13 2008 08:11 AM Prediction: The Mets don't open the 2009 season with Eddie Kunz as their closer. (I'm really going out on a limb on that one.) Edgy DC Nov 13 2008 08:15 AM I think congress needs to bail his ass out. smg58 Nov 13 2008 08:27 AM Nobody pitches more than a few innings per game in Arizona, I've noticed. Vargas appears to be thriving in a mostly relief role. But is it enough to justify tendering him a major-league contract? Stoner appears to be handling an inning or two of relief work as well. That might get him to the bigs sooner. I don't like the walks for Parnell. He'll need to get his control in order if he wants to contribute in Flushing next year. Can we all agree that Eddie Kunz is not next year's closer? John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 13 2008 08:36 AM ="smg58"] Vargas appears to be thriving in a mostly relief role. But is it enough to justify tendering him a major-league contract? Yes. ]Stoner appears to be handling an inning or two of relief work as well. That might get him to the bigs sooner. Good. I looked up "Tobi Stoner" on Facebook and 3 chicks appeared. ]I don't like the walks for Parnell. He'll need to get his control in order if he wants to contribute in Flushing next year. Not a good rate, 1 every 2 innings. But he's not gonna get more than 2 inning stints if he winds up in the pen! Problem solved! OK, not really, but I like the lack of HRs. ]Can we all agree that Eddie Kunz is not next year's closer? His 600-some Facebook friends will be disappointed. Farmer Ted Nov 13 2008 09:03 AM Daniel Murphy, professional hitter. 2009 ROY. Me. Limb. On it. Edgy DC Nov 13 2008 09:12 AM It looks like he invalidated himself by two at-bats this year. duan Nov 13 2008 09:35 AM ="Edgy DC":1aelqa4m]It looks like he invalidated himself by two at-bats this year.[/quote:1aelqa4m] well considering they didn't notice the edinson volquez had pitched y'know 80 innings in two seasons before last I wouldn't think they'll hold that against Murphy. metirish Nov 20 2008 09:01 AM The Mets' Daniel Murphy was batting .397 (25-for-63) with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games in the Arizona Fall League. (Newsday / David L. Pokress) ] The Mets' second-base experiment with Daniel Murphy temporarily has been shelved now that he is scheduled to have an MRI on his right knee today at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Murphy, 23, left the Arizona Fall League after complaining of "discomfort" in the knee during batting practice before a game on Nov. 11. The Mets have refused to categorize the injury as either a sprain or strain until the results of the MRI and it is uncertain whether he will return to finish the AFL season. Murphy was batting .397 (25-for-63) with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games for the Peoria Saguaros. General manager Omar Minaya insists that Murphy was not being groomed as a potential second baseman for next season despite his duties with Peoria. But with the Mets in the market for an everyday leftfielder -- perhaps free agent Raul Iba�ez -- the more positions Murphy can play, the better chance he has of contributing at the major-league level. It is highly unlikely that the Mets would try to get by with another platoon of Murphy and Fernando Tatis in leftfield, despite its success last season. Murphy, a surprise call-up in early August, batted .313 (41-for-131) with nine doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs in 49 games for the Mets. He also hit .375 (12-for-32) with runners in scoring position and batted .462 as a pinch hitter with one homer, five RBIs and six walks. soupcan Nov 20 2008 10:14 AM New York Post is a bit more dramatic... ]MURPHY'S KNEE WORRIES METS By BART HUBBUCH November 20, 2008 -- This doesn't sound good. Mets left fielder and rising star Daniel Murphy was flown back to New York from the Arizona Fall League last night for an MRI exam this morning on his ailing right knee. Murphy felt discomfort in the knee during pregame batting practice Nov. 11 and hasn't played in the AFL since. Murphy, by far the biggest (and most pleasant) surprise for the Mets this past season, already has missed time in Arizona this fall due to a lacerated forearm suffered during the league's "Rising Stars" game last month. Murphy, who is slated to platoon in left with Fernando Tatis next season, has been tearing up the AFL when healthy. Murphy is hitting .397 with two homers and 18 RBIs in 15 games. The Mets, meanwhile, remain in a holding pattern in their pursuit of a new closer because they are awaiting the medical records of Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes. The Mets also might have to find a new No. 1 target for their rotation after 35-year-old righty Derek Lowe reportedly opened the free-agent bidding yesterday asking for a whopping $16 million per season. bhubbuch@nypost.com Frayed Knot Nov 20 2008 10:46 AM Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem themetfairy Nov 20 2008 10:57 AM ="Frayed Knot":2tmg2xab]Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem[/quote:2tmg2xab] Well, they are connected.... metirish Nov 20 2008 08:01 PM ="Frayed Knot"]Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem Update from Lennon ] Update on Murphy It appears that what the Mets intially believed was a knee issue for Murphy is actually a hamstring strain. Good thing they got him to an MRI machine. Here's the full update from the team below: The Mets Daniel Murphy underwent an MRI this morning at New York�s Hospital for Special Surgery and the test revealed that he has a Grade 2 Strain of the right hamstring. Murphy felt discomfort in the leg in pre-game batting practice of his November 11th Arizona Fall League game. He will skip winter league ball in Puerto Rico so that he can be ready for the opening of Spring Training this February in Port St. Lucie, Fla. smg58 Nov 21 2008 06:30 AM Murph doesn't need to prove anything in winter ball at this point anyway. If you're going to have an injury that sidelines you for a month, November is a good time to have it. soupcan Nov 21 2008 07:22 AM Paging Mackey Shilstone... Edgy DC Nov 25 2008 08:26 AM I never posted the final numbers. Eddie Kunz never did right his ship --- at all --- but there were a lot of positives to walk away with, even as Bowman and Thole regressed toward the mean. If Thole ever gets some sextra base power, he'll be a prospect. You couldn't have reasonably asked for more out of Bobby Parnell. In fact, considering his college profile and his draft slot, you've already gotten more out of Bobby Parnell than you ever deserved. Congratulations to the Mets on that inspired pick. League leaders: Moirphy was thoid in the league in OBP, fifth in average, twelfth in slugging, good for the tenth-best OPS before he checked out. Parnell was third in wins, sixth in ERA, ninth in WHIP. Vargas was fourth in ERA, fourth in WHIP. He also led the league in holds with five. Stoner was tenth in WHIP. Kunz was tied for first in games, and fifth in games finished, and probably tied for first in games fucked up. But he was also tied for fourth in saves with two. Let's just hope Dropkick is healthy in spring. Player� POS� G� AB� R� H� 2B� 3B� HR� RBI� TB� BB� SO� SB� CS� OBP� SLG� AVG� OPS� E� Daniel Murphy 2B 15 63 22 25 8 0 2 18 39 13 6 1 0 .487 .619 .397 1.106 4 Josh Thole C 19 69 15 22 1 0 2 17 29 10 6 1 0 .400 .420 .319 .820 2 Shawn Bowman 3B 9 37 6 11 3 0 2 7 20 2 5 0 0 .333 .541 .297 .874 0 Totals -- 43 169 43 58 12 0 6 42 88 25 17 2 0 .428 .521 .343 .949 6 Player� W� L� ERA� G� GS� CG� SHO� SV� IP� H� R� ER� HR� HB� BB� SO� WHIP� HLD� GF� Jason Vargas 1 0 2.10 9 1 0 0 0 25.7 20 7 6 1 0 5 13 0.97 5 0 Bobby Parnell 3 1 2.25 7 7 0 0 0 20.0 15 5 5 0 1 9 20 1.20 0 0 Tobi Stoner 2 0 3.66 11 0 0 0 0 19.7 17 8 8 0 0 7 15 1.22 0 2 Eddie Kunz 2 2 10.93 14 0 0 0 2 14.0 24 17 17 3 2 10 14 2.43 0 9 Totals 8 3 4.08 41 8 0 0 2 79.3 76 37 36 4 3 31 62 1.35 5 11 John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 25 2008 08:47 PM Nice article telling like it probably is here: ]Murphy and Co. get hacks in Arizona Plenty of players see autumnal time out west By Michael Salfino / SNY.tv Assessing a team's Arizona Fall League roster gives a good sense of the pizazz of their prospects. Last year, scouts couldn't be blamed for looking past the roster the Mets fielded and toward those soothing desert landscapes. But this year's group has improved along with the Mets Minor League fortunes, highlighted by second baseman in training Daniel Murphy. Here are some observations of Murphy and the rest of the best of the Mets 2008 AFL roster courtesy of a National League scout and our friends at Baseball America, editor John Manuel and AFL reporter Kary Booher. We already knew Murphy can hit. He finished at .397/.487/.619 in an AFL campaign cut short by a hamstring injury that should fully heal by Spring Training. That line is a fair translation of his big league numbers considering the level of competition in the AFL is about Double A-plus. I asked our experts what they thought about Keith Hernandez's anointing Murphy in September as the Mets future No. 3 hitter. "That's getting a little carried away," our National League scout says. "Murphy has good bat speed, is short to the ball and judges the strike zone, which should allow him to hit for average. But I'm not convinced he is much more than a 15-20 homer hitter. I don't think his bat is solid enough to play left field." Baseball America's Manuel agrees. "To me he's more Ryan Church, a corner outfielder who will hit but perhaps not for power and average as a three-hole hitter should. I see him as .300 with 15 homers one year, .270 with 20-25 homers the next." That's sweet for a second baseman, assuming the reviews of his AFL trial are good enough. "He is below average at second base with fringe-average range and stiff hands," says our NL scout. "Third base is his best position." Baseball America's Booher adds, "He showed some signs that he might be able to pull it off, but even his fall league manager said he was pretty raw over there. He just may not have enough range and agility." Scouts generally like Murphy and gave off the impression they were pulling for him to succeed at second. But the skills were lacking. Says Manuel, "The scouts and Minor League managers I've talked to A, believe he'll hit, B, love his grinder mentality and C, doubt his ability to play second effectively in the Majors." On to the rest of the Mets' AFL notables, led by left-handed hitting catcher Josh Thole, who turned 22 last month. Thole finished at .319/.400/.420 after hitting .300/.382/.427 at High A St. Lucie. Our NL scout thinks he has a relatively modest big-league future. "Thole is an extreme contact hitter whose bat plane isn't conducive to power. Defensively, he's average: solid receiving skills and average arm strength. I see him more as a platoon catcher given his left-handed bat." Manuel thinks that defensive assessment is a minority opinion, but agrees with the offensive assessment. "He's got a decent swing with a good approach but is just not a guy scouts think will drive the ball consistently for power. Defensively, he's a backup at best, fringe-average or below-average in most aspects." Jason Vargas was a surprising addition to the AFL roster, given his big-league experience. Says our scout, "In the outing I saw in the AFL, he was pretty solid in mixing his pitches and disrupting timing. I give him an excellent chance to resume his role as a backend starter." Bobby Parnell, who we saw in September as the Mets bullpen imploded, looked good, as well. But he not viewed as having a future in the rotation. He finished the AFL season allowing no homers in 20 innings with 20 Ks and 9 walks (2.25 ERA). "I like Parnell better as a reliever, where he could dominate with his fastball and slider; both of which have outstanding movement," says our scout. "He throws with a bit of effort and doesn't change speeds real well, so the move [to the pen] would probably boost his peripheral numbers." Adds Manuel, "Parnell reached 97 mph with his fastball in the past; one of his problems as a starter is the inconsistency of his velocity, from start to start and even within games, I've had scouts say he'd be 88-92 early and up to 95-96 late." Our scout clocked the 24-year-old righty's fastball this fall from 87 to 95 mph. Tobi Stoner is another righty who will turn 24 next week who had similar peripherals to Parnell: 0 homers in 19-plus innings with 7 walks and 15 Ks (3.66 ERA). "I would rate the fastball/cutter/curveball as average pitches, with the slider being slightly below," our scout says. "Stoner is athletic and has good arm action, but tends to rush through his delivery. He profiles as a long reliever for me." Manuel thinks Stoner has "back-of-the-rotation stuff at best, but has a chance." Eddie Kunz really struggled (three homers, 24 hits and 10 walks in 14-plus innings). "I've never been that high on Kunz," says our scout, who has specialized in rating amateur draft talent. "His velocity is solid and has a solid ground ball/fly ball ratio. But doesn't pitch aggressively and can be predictable late in the count." Manuel agrees, "He's always going to be a volatile guy in terms of his performance because he's not particularly athletic, loses his slot and gets hittable." Manuel spent a lot of time focusing on the Hawaii Winter League, so I asked him about Scott Shaw, a 22-year-old righty with size (6-foot-5, 230) and solid numbers last summer and in Hawaii (32-plus innings, 12 hits, 9 walks, 35 Ks). "Shaw pitches backward a lot -- 87-88 mph fastball, touching 90 with lots of changeups and curves. He had a huge year since signing, including throwing more than 100 innings pitched. I wouldn't read too much into the stats but he had a great debut and will more than likely be fast-tracked next year, probably to St. Lucie, maybe higher because he's shown a 160-inning workload is something he can now handle." Michael Salfino is a nationally syndicated columnist and a regular contributor to SNY.tv. Edgy DC Nov 25 2008 08:56 PM From experience, I assume "pitching backwards" means getting ahead with breaking pitches and then widening the target to get the batter to chase the fastball, rather than the more typical pattern of starting with the heat, but the first time on reading, without explanation, that Shaw "pitches backwards a lot," it can conjure some funny images. Frayed Knot Nov 25 2008 09:56 PM "But I'm not convinced he is much more than a 15-20 homer hitter. I don't think his bat is solid enough to play left field." This is the danger with going overboard with Murphy, that he's going to be a bit of a "tweener" -- not enough glove for 2nd base yet only a mediocre bat if he's in a corner spot. smg58 Nov 26 2008 04:45 AM If Murphy can post an OBP in the .400 area, he doesn't need to hit more than 15-20 homers to be a plus leftfielder. Frayed Knot Nov 26 2008 06:27 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 26 2008 06:42 AM Sure, but that's a level maybe 10 guys reach in a given year (8 MLers at .400+ in '08) Throwing him out there and expecting that is a pretty tall order - especially off <150 ML ABs and a ~.350 minor league OBA Edgy DC Nov 26 2008 06:28 AM Yeah, there's nothing mediocre about that. Tony Gwynn has carved a nice slot in the Hall of Fame for outfielders with less power than that. Tim Raines should be joining him. Benjamin Grimm Nov 26 2008 07:05 AM I suspect that Davey Johnson wouldn't hesitate to pencil Murphy in at second base. He always valued the bat over the glove, and was pretty successful with that approach. seawolf17 Nov 26 2008 07:15 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":11j7l0q0]I suspect that Davey Johnson wouldn't hesitate to pencil Murphy in at second base. He always valued the bat over the glove, and was pretty successful with that approach.[/quote:11j7l0q0] That would explain "Mitchell SS" appearing in the boxscore from time to time. Edgy DC Dec 05 2008 09:48 AM Mets land two guys on the Arizona Fall League�s 2008 Top Prospects Team Starting Pitchers Tommy Hanson (Braves --- maybe should have been the league MVP at 5-0, 0.63, 49 Ks and 7 BBs in 28.2 IP) Kevin Pucetas (Giants) Bobby Parnell (Mets) Relief Pitchers Bud Norris (Astros) Joh Bannister (Rangers) Catchers J.P Arencibia (Blue Jays) Matt Wieters (Orioles Firstbasemen Logan Morrison (Marlins) Rhyne Hughes (Rays) Secondbasemen Daniel Murphy (Mets) Kevin Frandsen (Giants) Thirdbasemen Wes Hodges (Indians) Brett Wallace (Cardinals) Shortstops Jason Donald (Phillies) Gordon Beckham (White Sox) Outfielders Eric Young, Jr. (Rockies) Sean Doolittle (Athletics) Chris Pettit (Angels) Austin Jackson (Yankees) Casper Wells (Tigers) Mike Baxter (Padres) Note the lack of Latin American-sounding names. I guess they tend put their offseason work in the Carribbean leagues.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think the "experts" see Parnell ultimately as a late-inning guy.

I suppose this means they think his stuff is good but not good enough to get thru a lineup twice or thrice a night? Or maybe his full complement isn't there but his fastball/sinker are OK? There some kind of backhanded complement to it.

[smg58]

I think the worst-case scenario right now with Murphy is that he can play 2B well enough to fill in there as a reserve, which would enable the Mets to carry an extra outfield bat (i.e., a better hitter than a typical reserve infielder) on their bench. That's encouraging.

The Mets have Santana tied up for a while, Maine under control for three more years, Pelfrey for at least four more years, Niese coming up in 09 or 10 and likely hanging around for a while, and presumably a free agent signing for multiple years. In that context, I would be neither surprised nor disappointed if they commit Parnell to the pen.

[Guest Edgy DC]

There's the possiblity that Murphy at second is trade bait also --- making his tenure there a chance for someone else to take.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Oh, I hope not.

I'm rooting for Murphy to be the Wigginton/Keppinger type guy that they actually keep.

[Guest Edgy DC]

No doubt. I'm just exploring their possible thinking. I think they should write him in at second, get a righthanded veteran backup ready and tell any grousing fans to suck it.

[metirish]

Sherman from the Post had the Mets talking to the Royals about their" headache contract " Jose Guillen and the Royals taking Castillo in return.


That was last week IIRC , Metsblog then had this from the Royals version of Marty Noble.

�The whole scenario doesn�t sound right because a) Castillo went on the disabled list last July 3, and who wants a player with a strained hip flexor? and Guillen has a no-trade clause in his contract that includes the Mets.


Guillen will earn $24 million for the next two seasons, while Castillo is due to make $18 million for the next three.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Would you consider Castillo as the veteran backup? Historically he's hit well against lefties, although not in 2008.

There's also Easley and Ramon Martinez.

[MFS62]

="Benjamin Grimm":3shu83wl]Would you consider Castillo as the veteran backup? [/quote:3shu83wl] I don't care what he is called in 2009, as long it isn't a Met. Later

Edgy DC Oct 29 2008 02:09 PM

="Benjamin Grimm":3pfmu0mf]Would you consider Castillo as the veteran backup? Historically he's hit well against lefties, although not in 2008. There's also Easley and Ramon Martinez.[/quote:3pfmu0mf] They're mostly fine for what they are, but I'd like to see some creativity. Castillo isn't really versatile, so he'd force Murphy to be. Vince Coleman Firecracker Oct 30 2008 06:47 AM ="metirish"]Sherman from the Post had the Mets talking to the Royals about their" headache contract " Jose Guillen and the Royals taking Castillo in return. Let's see, a second baseman with a .360 OBP for a corner outfielder with a .300 OBP. Sounds like a great fucking trade to me! Maybe we can throw in some prospects, too! What do you think, Jerry Manuel? ]"You don't see a lot of guys that have statistical numbers play well in these championship series" Absolutely! Let's get the worst "statistical numbers" players we can find! Our batters will make outs all the way to a championship! /getting worried about this offseason Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 07:23 AM I don't think that's particularly fair. Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 07:32 AM 1) Castillo's career OBP may be .367 but his OBP last season was .355. 2) Guillen's OBP last season was .300 but his career OBP is .327. 3) All that is apart from the tremendous differences in their slugging. 4) Castillo's OPS + last season was 77 and Guillen's 96. 5) The Mets could use a righthanded power hitter to give them some lineup balance. 6) Guillen's been healthy the lasst two years, and Castillo hasn't. That said, Guillen gives me pause. He's been a jerk and roid user. The Manuel quote is out of context. He received an unfair beatdown for it at FireJoeMorgan.com, of the kind usually reserved for Ozzie Guillen. metirish Oct 30 2008 02:24 PM From Ken Davidoff , ] Quick thoughts on Yankees and Mets prospects, from a scout who recently spent time in the Arizona Fall League: For the Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes: "He scuffled when I saw him." First baseman Juan Miranda: "He's got a little power. He's no Gold Glove, though, despite what the Yankees say about him." Second baseman Kevin Russo: "He played hard and saw the ball well." Centerfielder Austin Jackson: "He threw well. He's a pretty good athlete." Mets reliever Eddie Kunz: "He's got some ceiling." Daniel Murphy: "Not too pretty at second base." Benjamin Grimm Oct 30 2008 02:30 PM In the last few years, "scuffled" has become a euphemism for "struggled." It doesn't sound as bad, but it means the same thing. Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 02:49 PM Sign me up and I promise you I'll play hard and see the ball well. Nymr83 Oct 30 2008 03:33 PM I'd make the trade: 1. Guillen is a better overall hitter than Castillo 2. Guillen is healthier than Castillo 3. They both have bad contracts, but Guillen's is shorter in duration 4, Guillen plays a position at which the Mets are thinner right now Edgy DC Nov 11 2008 02:57 PM Our men are still hitting, though there's been some errors. Player POS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E Daniel Murphy 2B 15 63 22 25 8 0 2 18 39 13 6 1 0 .487 .619 .397 1.106 4 Josh Thole C 14 51 14 19 1 0 2 14 26 7 4 0 0 .429 .510 .373 .938 1 Shawn Bowman 3B 9 37 6 11 3 0 2 7 20 2 5 0 0 .333 .541 .297 .874 0 Gotta love them walk rates. Edgy DC Nov 13 2008 08:05 AM I think we may need to formulate a rescue plan for Edddie Kunz. The other pitchers are all holding their own in what appears to be a hitters' league. Player� W� L� ERA� G� GS� CG� SHO� SV� IP� H� R� ER� HR� HB� BB� SO� WHIP� HLD� GF� Jason Vargas 1 0 2.61 7 1 0 0 0 20.2 15 6 6 1 0 4 11 0.92 3 0 Bobby Parnell 3 1 2.81 6 6 0 0 0 16.0 14 5 5 0 1 8 17 1.38 0 0 Tobi Stoner 2 0 2.81 9 0 0 0 0 16.0 13 5 5 0 0 6 12 1.19 0 1 Eddie Kunz 1 2 10.95 12 0 0 0 2 12.1 21 15 15 2 2 9 11 2.43 0 8 Benjamin Grimm Nov 13 2008 08:11 AM Prediction: The Mets don't open the 2009 season with Eddie Kunz as their closer. (I'm really going out on a limb on that one.) Edgy DC Nov 13 2008 08:15 AM I think congress needs to bail his ass out. smg58 Nov 13 2008 08:27 AM Nobody pitches more than a few innings per game in Arizona, I've noticed. Vargas appears to be thriving in a mostly relief role. But is it enough to justify tendering him a major-league contract? Stoner appears to be handling an inning or two of relief work as well. That might get him to the bigs sooner. I don't like the walks for Parnell. He'll need to get his control in order if he wants to contribute in Flushing next year. Can we all agree that Eddie Kunz is not next year's closer? John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 13 2008 08:36 AM ="smg58"] Vargas appears to be thriving in a mostly relief role. But is it enough to justify tendering him a major-league contract? Yes. ]Stoner appears to be handling an inning or two of relief work as well. That might get him to the bigs sooner. Good. I looked up "Tobi Stoner" on Facebook and 3 chicks appeared. ]I don't like the walks for Parnell. He'll need to get his control in order if he wants to contribute in Flushing next year. Not a good rate, 1 every 2 innings. But he's not gonna get more than 2 inning stints if he winds up in the pen! Problem solved! OK, not really, but I like the lack of HRs. ]Can we all agree that Eddie Kunz is not next year's closer? His 600-some Facebook friends will be disappointed. Farmer Ted Nov 13 2008 09:03 AM Daniel Murphy, professional hitter. 2009 ROY. Me. Limb. On it. Edgy DC Nov 13 2008 09:12 AM It looks like he invalidated himself by two at-bats this year. duan Nov 13 2008 09:35 AM ="Edgy DC":1aelqa4m]It looks like he invalidated himself by two at-bats this year.[/quote:1aelqa4m] well considering they didn't notice the edinson volquez had pitched y'know 80 innings in two seasons before last I wouldn't think they'll hold that against Murphy. metirish Nov 20 2008 09:01 AM The Mets' Daniel Murphy was batting .397 (25-for-63) with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games in the Arizona Fall League. (Newsday / David L. Pokress) ] The Mets' second-base experiment with Daniel Murphy temporarily has been shelved now that he is scheduled to have an MRI on his right knee today at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Murphy, 23, left the Arizona Fall League after complaining of "discomfort" in the knee during batting practice before a game on Nov. 11. The Mets have refused to categorize the injury as either a sprain or strain until the results of the MRI and it is uncertain whether he will return to finish the AFL season. Murphy was batting .397 (25-for-63) with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games for the Peoria Saguaros. General manager Omar Minaya insists that Murphy was not being groomed as a potential second baseman for next season despite his duties with Peoria. But with the Mets in the market for an everyday leftfielder -- perhaps free agent Raul Iba�ez -- the more positions Murphy can play, the better chance he has of contributing at the major-league level. It is highly unlikely that the Mets would try to get by with another platoon of Murphy and Fernando Tatis in leftfield, despite its success last season. Murphy, a surprise call-up in early August, batted .313 (41-for-131) with nine doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs in 49 games for the Mets. He also hit .375 (12-for-32) with runners in scoring position and batted .462 as a pinch hitter with one homer, five RBIs and six walks. soupcan Nov 20 2008 10:14 AM New York Post is a bit more dramatic... ]MURPHY'S KNEE WORRIES METS By BART HUBBUCH November 20, 2008 -- This doesn't sound good. Mets left fielder and rising star Daniel Murphy was flown back to New York from the Arizona Fall League last night for an MRI exam this morning on his ailing right knee. Murphy felt discomfort in the knee during pregame batting practice Nov. 11 and hasn't played in the AFL since. Murphy, by far the biggest (and most pleasant) surprise for the Mets this past season, already has missed time in Arizona this fall due to a lacerated forearm suffered during the league's "Rising Stars" game last month. Murphy, who is slated to platoon in left with Fernando Tatis next season, has been tearing up the AFL when healthy. Murphy is hitting .397 with two homers and 18 RBIs in 15 games. The Mets, meanwhile, remain in a holding pattern in their pursuit of a new closer because they are awaiting the medical records of Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes. The Mets also might have to find a new No. 1 target for their rotation after 35-year-old righty Derek Lowe reportedly opened the free-agent bidding yesterday asking for a whopping $16 million per season. bhubbuch@nypost.com Frayed Knot Nov 20 2008 10:46 AM Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem themetfairy Nov 20 2008 10:57 AM ="Frayed Knot":2tmg2xab]Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem[/quote:2tmg2xab] Well, they are connected.... metirish Nov 20 2008 08:01 PM ="Frayed Knot"]Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem Update from Lennon ] Update on Murphy It appears that what the Mets intially believed was a knee issue for Murphy is actually a hamstring strain. Good thing they got him to an MRI machine. Here's the full update from the team below: The Mets Daniel Murphy underwent an MRI this morning at New York�s Hospital for Special Surgery and the test revealed that he has a Grade 2 Strain of the right hamstring. Murphy felt discomfort in the leg in pre-game batting practice of his November 11th Arizona Fall League game. He will skip winter league ball in Puerto Rico so that he can be ready for the opening of Spring Training this February in Port St. Lucie, Fla. smg58 Nov 21 2008 06:30 AM Murph doesn't need to prove anything in winter ball at this point anyway. If you're going to have an injury that sidelines you for a month, November is a good time to have it. soupcan Nov 21 2008 07:22 AM Paging Mackey Shilstone... Edgy DC Nov 25 2008 08:26 AM I never posted the final numbers. Eddie Kunz never did right his ship --- at all --- but there were a lot of positives to walk away with, even as Bowman and Thole regressed toward the mean. If Thole ever gets some sextra base power, he'll be a prospect. You couldn't have reasonably asked for more out of Bobby Parnell. In fact, considering his college profile and his draft slot, you've already gotten more out of Bobby Parnell than you ever deserved. Congratulations to the Mets on that inspired pick. League leaders: Moirphy was thoid in the league in OBP, fifth in average, twelfth in slugging, good for the tenth-best OPS before he checked out. Parnell was third in wins, sixth in ERA, ninth in WHIP. Vargas was fourth in ERA, fourth in WHIP. He also led the league in holds with five. Stoner was tenth in WHIP. Kunz was tied for first in games, and fifth in games finished, and probably tied for first in games fucked up. But he was also tied for fourth in saves with two. Let's just hope Dropkick is healthy in spring. Player� POS� G� AB� R� H� 2B� 3B� HR� RBI� TB� BB� SO� SB� CS� OBP� SLG� AVG� OPS� E� Daniel Murphy 2B 15 63 22 25 8 0 2 18 39 13 6 1 0 .487 .619 .397 1.106 4 Josh Thole C 19 69 15 22 1 0 2 17 29 10 6 1 0 .400 .420 .319 .820 2 Shawn Bowman 3B 9 37 6 11 3 0 2 7 20 2 5 0 0 .333 .541 .297 .874 0 Totals -- 43 169 43 58 12 0 6 42 88 25 17 2 0 .428 .521 .343 .949 6 Player� W� L� ERA� G� GS� CG� SHO� SV� IP� H� R� ER� HR� HB� BB� SO� WHIP� HLD� GF� Jason Vargas 1 0 2.10 9 1 0 0 0 25.7 20 7 6 1 0 5 13 0.97 5 0 Bobby Parnell 3 1 2.25 7 7 0 0 0 20.0 15 5 5 0 1 9 20 1.20 0 0 Tobi Stoner 2 0 3.66 11 0 0 0 0 19.7 17 8 8 0 0 7 15 1.22 0 2 Eddie Kunz 2 2 10.93 14 0 0 0 2 14.0 24 17 17 3 2 10 14 2.43 0 9 Totals 8 3 4.08 41 8 0 0 2 79.3 76 37 36 4 3 31 62 1.35 5 11 John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 25 2008 08:47 PM Nice article telling like it probably is here: ]Murphy and Co. get hacks in Arizona Plenty of players see autumnal time out west By Michael Salfino / SNY.tv Assessing a team's Arizona Fall League roster gives a good sense of the pizazz of their prospects. Last year, scouts couldn't be blamed for looking past the roster the Mets fielded and toward those soothing desert landscapes. But this year's group has improved along with the Mets Minor League fortunes, highlighted by second baseman in training Daniel Murphy. Here are some observations of Murphy and the rest of the best of the Mets 2008 AFL roster courtesy of a National League scout and our friends at Baseball America, editor John Manuel and AFL reporter Kary Booher. We already knew Murphy can hit. He finished at .397/.487/.619 in an AFL campaign cut short by a hamstring injury that should fully heal by Spring Training. That line is a fair translation of his big league numbers considering the level of competition in the AFL is about Double A-plus. I asked our experts what they thought about Keith Hernandez's anointing Murphy in September as the Mets future No. 3 hitter. "That's getting a little carried away," our National League scout says. "Murphy has good bat speed, is short to the ball and judges the strike zone, which should allow him to hit for average. But I'm not convinced he is much more than a 15-20 homer hitter. I don't think his bat is solid enough to play left field." Baseball America's Manuel agrees. "To me he's more Ryan Church, a corner outfielder who will hit but perhaps not for power and average as a three-hole hitter should. I see him as .300 with 15 homers one year, .270 with 20-25 homers the next." That's sweet for a second baseman, assuming the reviews of his AFL trial are good enough. "He is below average at second base with fringe-average range and stiff hands," says our NL scout. "Third base is his best position." Baseball America's Booher adds, "He showed some signs that he might be able to pull it off, but even his fall league manager said he was pretty raw over there. He just may not have enough range and agility." Scouts generally like Murphy and gave off the impression they were pulling for him to succeed at second. But the skills were lacking. Says Manuel, "The scouts and Minor League managers I've talked to A, believe he'll hit, B, love his grinder mentality and C, doubt his ability to play second effectively in the Majors." On to the rest of the Mets' AFL notables, led by left-handed hitting catcher Josh Thole, who turned 22 last month. Thole finished at .319/.400/.420 after hitting .300/.382/.427 at High A St. Lucie. Our NL scout thinks he has a relatively modest big-league future. "Thole is an extreme contact hitter whose bat plane isn't conducive to power. Defensively, he's average: solid receiving skills and average arm strength. I see him more as a platoon catcher given his left-handed bat." Manuel thinks that defensive assessment is a minority opinion, but agrees with the offensive assessment. "He's got a decent swing with a good approach but is just not a guy scouts think will drive the ball consistently for power. Defensively, he's a backup at best, fringe-average or below-average in most aspects." Jason Vargas was a surprising addition to the AFL roster, given his big-league experience. Says our scout, "In the outing I saw in the AFL, he was pretty solid in mixing his pitches and disrupting timing. I give him an excellent chance to resume his role as a backend starter." Bobby Parnell, who we saw in September as the Mets bullpen imploded, looked good, as well. But he not viewed as having a future in the rotation. He finished the AFL season allowing no homers in 20 innings with 20 Ks and 9 walks (2.25 ERA). "I like Parnell better as a reliever, where he could dominate with his fastball and slider; both of which have outstanding movement," says our scout. "He throws with a bit of effort and doesn't change speeds real well, so the move [to the pen] would probably boost his peripheral numbers." Adds Manuel, "Parnell reached 97 mph with his fastball in the past; one of his problems as a starter is the inconsistency of his velocity, from start to start and even within games, I've had scouts say he'd be 88-92 early and up to 95-96 late." Our scout clocked the 24-year-old righty's fastball this fall from 87 to 95 mph. Tobi Stoner is another righty who will turn 24 next week who had similar peripherals to Parnell: 0 homers in 19-plus innings with 7 walks and 15 Ks (3.66 ERA). "I would rate the fastball/cutter/curveball as average pitches, with the slider being slightly below," our scout says. "Stoner is athletic and has good arm action, but tends to rush through his delivery. He profiles as a long reliever for me." Manuel thinks Stoner has "back-of-the-rotation stuff at best, but has a chance." Eddie Kunz really struggled (three homers, 24 hits and 10 walks in 14-plus innings). "I've never been that high on Kunz," says our scout, who has specialized in rating amateur draft talent. "His velocity is solid and has a solid ground ball/fly ball ratio. But doesn't pitch aggressively and can be predictable late in the count." Manuel agrees, "He's always going to be a volatile guy in terms of his performance because he's not particularly athletic, loses his slot and gets hittable." Manuel spent a lot of time focusing on the Hawaii Winter League, so I asked him about Scott Shaw, a 22-year-old righty with size (6-foot-5, 230) and solid numbers last summer and in Hawaii (32-plus innings, 12 hits, 9 walks, 35 Ks). "Shaw pitches backward a lot -- 87-88 mph fastball, touching 90 with lots of changeups and curves. He had a huge year since signing, including throwing more than 100 innings pitched. I wouldn't read too much into the stats but he had a great debut and will more than likely be fast-tracked next year, probably to St. Lucie, maybe higher because he's shown a 160-inning workload is something he can now handle." Michael Salfino is a nationally syndicated columnist and a regular contributor to SNY.tv. Edgy DC Nov 25 2008 08:56 PM From experience, I assume "pitching backwards" means getting ahead with breaking pitches and then widening the target to get the batter to chase the fastball, rather than the more typical pattern of starting with the heat, but the first time on reading, without explanation, that Shaw "pitches backwards a lot," it can conjure some funny images. Frayed Knot Nov 25 2008 09:56 PM "But I'm not convinced he is much more than a 15-20 homer hitter. I don't think his bat is solid enough to play left field." This is the danger with going overboard with Murphy, that he's going to be a bit of a "tweener" -- not enough glove for 2nd base yet only a mediocre bat if he's in a corner spot. smg58 Nov 26 2008 04:45 AM If Murphy can post an OBP in the .400 area, he doesn't need to hit more than 15-20 homers to be a plus leftfielder. Frayed Knot Nov 26 2008 06:27 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 26 2008 06:42 AM Sure, but that's a level maybe 10 guys reach in a given year (8 MLers at .400+ in '08) Throwing him out there and expecting that is a pretty tall order - especially off <150 ML ABs and a ~.350 minor league OBA Edgy DC Nov 26 2008 06:28 AM Yeah, there's nothing mediocre about that. Tony Gwynn has carved a nice slot in the Hall of Fame for outfielders with less power than that. Tim Raines should be joining him. Benjamin Grimm Nov 26 2008 07:05 AM I suspect that Davey Johnson wouldn't hesitate to pencil Murphy in at second base. He always valued the bat over the glove, and was pretty successful with that approach. seawolf17 Nov 26 2008 07:15 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":11j7l0q0]I suspect that Davey Johnson wouldn't hesitate to pencil Murphy in at second base. He always valued the bat over the glove, and was pretty successful with that approach.[/quote:11j7l0q0] That would explain "Mitchell SS" appearing in the boxscore from time to time. Edgy DC Dec 05 2008 09:48 AM Mets land two guys on the Arizona Fall League�s 2008 Top Prospects Team Starting Pitchers Tommy Hanson (Braves --- maybe should have been the league MVP at 5-0, 0.63, 49 Ks and 7 BBs in 28.2 IP) Kevin Pucetas (Giants) Bobby Parnell (Mets) Relief Pitchers Bud Norris (Astros) Joh Bannister (Rangers) Catchers J.P Arencibia (Blue Jays) Matt Wieters (Orioles Firstbasemen Logan Morrison (Marlins) Rhyne Hughes (Rays) Secondbasemen Daniel Murphy (Mets) Kevin Frandsen (Giants) Thirdbasemen Wes Hodges (Indians) Brett Wallace (Cardinals) Shortstops Jason Donald (Phillies) Gordon Beckham (White Sox) Outfielders Eric Young, Jr. (Rockies) Sean Doolittle (Athletics) Chris Pettit (Angels) Austin Jackson (Yankees) Casper Wells (Tigers) Mike Baxter (Padres) Note the lack of Latin American-sounding names. I guess they tend put their offseason work in the Carribbean leagues.

[Guest Edgy DC]

="Benjamin Grimm":3pfmu0mf]Would you consider Castillo as the veteran backup? Historically he's hit well against lefties, although not in 2008. There's also Easley and Ramon Martinez.[/quote:3pfmu0mf] They're mostly fine for what they are, but I'd like to see some creativity. Castillo isn't really versatile, so he'd force Murphy to be.

Vince Coleman Firecracker Oct 30 2008 06:47 AM

="metirish"]Sherman from the Post had the Mets talking to the Royals about their" headache contract " Jose Guillen and the Royals taking Castillo in return. Let's see, a second baseman with a .360 OBP for a corner outfielder with a .300 OBP. Sounds like a great fucking trade to me! Maybe we can throw in some prospects, too! What do you think, Jerry Manuel? ]"You don't see a lot of guys that have statistical numbers play well in these championship series" Absolutely! Let's get the worst "statistical numbers" players we can find! Our batters will make outs all the way to a championship! /getting worried about this offseason

Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 07:23 AM

I don't think that's particularly fair.

Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 07:32 AM

1) Castillo's career OBP may be .367 but his OBP last season was .355. 2) Guillen's OBP last season was .300 but his career OBP is .327. 3) All that is apart from the tremendous differences in their slugging. 4) Castillo's OPS + last season was 77 and Guillen's 96. 5) The Mets could use a righthanded power hitter to give them some lineup balance. 6) Guillen's been healthy the lasst two years, and Castillo hasn't. That said, Guillen gives me pause. He's been a jerk and roid user. The Manuel quote is out of context. He received an unfair beatdown for it at FireJoeMorgan.com, of the kind usually reserved for Ozzie Guillen.

metirish Oct 30 2008 02:24 PM

From Ken Davidoff , ] Quick thoughts on Yankees and Mets prospects, from a scout who recently spent time in the Arizona Fall League: For the Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes: "He scuffled when I saw him." First baseman Juan Miranda: "He's got a little power. He's no Gold Glove, though, despite what the Yankees say about him." Second baseman Kevin Russo: "He played hard and saw the ball well." Centerfielder Austin Jackson: "He threw well. He's a pretty good athlete." Mets reliever Eddie Kunz: "He's got some ceiling." Daniel Murphy: "Not too pretty at second base."

Benjamin Grimm Oct 30 2008 02:30 PM

In the last few years, "scuffled" has become a euphemism for "struggled." It doesn't sound as bad, but it means the same thing.

Edgy DC Oct 30 2008 02:49 PM

Sign me up and I promise you I'll play hard and see the ball well.

Nymr83 Oct 30 2008 03:33 PM

I'd make the trade: 1. Guillen is a better overall hitter than Castillo 2. Guillen is healthier than Castillo 3. They both have bad contracts, but Guillen's is shorter in duration 4, Guillen plays a position at which the Mets are thinner right now

Edgy DC Nov 11 2008 02:57 PM

Our men are still hitting, though there's been some errors. Player POS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E Daniel Murphy 2B 15 63 22 25 8 0 2 18 39 13 6 1 0 .487 .619 .397 1.106 4 Josh Thole C 14 51 14 19 1 0 2 14 26 7 4 0 0 .429 .510 .373 .938 1 Shawn Bowman 3B 9 37 6 11 3 0 2 7 20 2 5 0 0 .333 .541 .297 .874 0 Gotta love them walk rates.

Edgy DC Nov 13 2008 08:05 AM

I think we may need to formulate a rescue plan for Edddie Kunz. The other pitchers are all holding their own in what appears to be a hitters' league. Player� W� L� ERA� G� GS� CG� SHO� SV� IP� H� R� ER� HR� HB� BB� SO� WHIP� HLD� GF� Jason Vargas 1 0 2.61 7 1 0 0 0 20.2 15 6 6 1 0 4 11 0.92 3 0 Bobby Parnell 3 1 2.81 6 6 0 0 0 16.0 14 5 5 0 1 8 17 1.38 0 0 Tobi Stoner 2 0 2.81 9 0 0 0 0 16.0 13 5 5 0 0 6 12 1.19 0 1 Eddie Kunz 1 2 10.95 12 0 0 0 2 12.1 21 15 15 2 2 9 11 2.43 0 8

Benjamin Grimm Nov 13 2008 08:11 AM

Prediction: The Mets don't open the 2009 season with Eddie Kunz as their closer. (I'm really going out on a limb on that one.)

Edgy DC Nov 13 2008 08:15 AM

I think congress needs to bail his ass out.

smg58 Nov 13 2008 08:27 AM

Nobody pitches more than a few innings per game in Arizona, I've noticed. Vargas appears to be thriving in a mostly relief role. But is it enough to justify tendering him a major-league contract? Stoner appears to be handling an inning or two of relief work as well. That might get him to the bigs sooner. I don't like the walks for Parnell. He'll need to get his control in order if he wants to contribute in Flushing next year. Can we all agree that Eddie Kunz is not next year's closer?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 13 2008 08:36 AM

="smg58"] Vargas appears to be thriving in a mostly relief role. But is it enough to justify tendering him a major-league contract? Yes. ]Stoner appears to be handling an inning or two of relief work as well. That might get him to the bigs sooner. Good. I looked up "Tobi Stoner" on Facebook and 3 chicks appeared. ]I don't like the walks for Parnell. He'll need to get his control in order if he wants to contribute in Flushing next year. Not a good rate, 1 every 2 innings. But he's not gonna get more than 2 inning stints if he winds up in the pen! Problem solved! OK, not really, but I like the lack of HRs. ]Can we all agree that Eddie Kunz is not next year's closer? His 600-some Facebook friends will be disappointed.

Farmer Ted Nov 13 2008 09:03 AM

Daniel Murphy, professional hitter. 2009 ROY. Me. Limb. On it.

Edgy DC Nov 13 2008 09:12 AM

It looks like he invalidated himself by two at-bats this year.

duan Nov 13 2008 09:35 AM

="Edgy DC":1aelqa4m]It looks like he invalidated himself by two at-bats this year.[/quote:1aelqa4m] well considering they didn't notice the edinson volquez had pitched y'know 80 innings in two seasons before last I wouldn't think they'll hold that against Murphy. metirish Nov 20 2008 09:01 AM The Mets' Daniel Murphy was batting .397 (25-for-63) with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games in the Arizona Fall League. (Newsday / David L. Pokress) ] The Mets' second-base experiment with Daniel Murphy temporarily has been shelved now that he is scheduled to have an MRI on his right knee today at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Murphy, 23, left the Arizona Fall League after complaining of "discomfort" in the knee during batting practice before a game on Nov. 11. The Mets have refused to categorize the injury as either a sprain or strain until the results of the MRI and it is uncertain whether he will return to finish the AFL season. Murphy was batting .397 (25-for-63) with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games for the Peoria Saguaros. General manager Omar Minaya insists that Murphy was not being groomed as a potential second baseman for next season despite his duties with Peoria. But with the Mets in the market for an everyday leftfielder -- perhaps free agent Raul Iba�ez -- the more positions Murphy can play, the better chance he has of contributing at the major-league level. It is highly unlikely that the Mets would try to get by with another platoon of Murphy and Fernando Tatis in leftfield, despite its success last season. Murphy, a surprise call-up in early August, batted .313 (41-for-131) with nine doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs in 49 games for the Mets. He also hit .375 (12-for-32) with runners in scoring position and batted .462 as a pinch hitter with one homer, five RBIs and six walks. soupcan Nov 20 2008 10:14 AM New York Post is a bit more dramatic... ]MURPHY'S KNEE WORRIES METS By BART HUBBUCH November 20, 2008 -- This doesn't sound good. Mets left fielder and rising star Daniel Murphy was flown back to New York from the Arizona Fall League last night for an MRI exam this morning on his ailing right knee. Murphy felt discomfort in the knee during pregame batting practice Nov. 11 and hasn't played in the AFL since. Murphy, by far the biggest (and most pleasant) surprise for the Mets this past season, already has missed time in Arizona this fall due to a lacerated forearm suffered during the league's "Rising Stars" game last month. Murphy, who is slated to platoon in left with Fernando Tatis next season, has been tearing up the AFL when healthy. Murphy is hitting .397 with two homers and 18 RBIs in 15 games. The Mets, meanwhile, remain in a holding pattern in their pursuit of a new closer because they are awaiting the medical records of Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes. The Mets also might have to find a new No. 1 target for their rotation after 35-year-old righty Derek Lowe reportedly opened the free-agent bidding yesterday asking for a whopping $16 million per season. bhubbuch@nypost.com Frayed Knot Nov 20 2008 10:46 AM Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem themetfairy Nov 20 2008 10:57 AM ="Frayed Knot":2tmg2xab]Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem[/quote:2tmg2xab] Well, they are connected.... metirish Nov 20 2008 08:01 PM ="Frayed Knot"]Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem Update from Lennon ] Update on Murphy It appears that what the Mets intially believed was a knee issue for Murphy is actually a hamstring strain. Good thing they got him to an MRI machine. Here's the full update from the team below: The Mets Daniel Murphy underwent an MRI this morning at New York�s Hospital for Special Surgery and the test revealed that he has a Grade 2 Strain of the right hamstring. Murphy felt discomfort in the leg in pre-game batting practice of his November 11th Arizona Fall League game. He will skip winter league ball in Puerto Rico so that he can be ready for the opening of Spring Training this February in Port St. Lucie, Fla. smg58 Nov 21 2008 06:30 AM Murph doesn't need to prove anything in winter ball at this point anyway. If you're going to have an injury that sidelines you for a month, November is a good time to have it. soupcan Nov 21 2008 07:22 AM Paging Mackey Shilstone... Edgy DC Nov 25 2008 08:26 AM I never posted the final numbers. Eddie Kunz never did right his ship --- at all --- but there were a lot of positives to walk away with, even as Bowman and Thole regressed toward the mean. If Thole ever gets some sextra base power, he'll be a prospect. You couldn't have reasonably asked for more out of Bobby Parnell. In fact, considering his college profile and his draft slot, you've already gotten more out of Bobby Parnell than you ever deserved. Congratulations to the Mets on that inspired pick. League leaders: Moirphy was thoid in the league in OBP, fifth in average, twelfth in slugging, good for the tenth-best OPS before he checked out. Parnell was third in wins, sixth in ERA, ninth in WHIP. Vargas was fourth in ERA, fourth in WHIP. He also led the league in holds with five. Stoner was tenth in WHIP. Kunz was tied for first in games, and fifth in games finished, and probably tied for first in games fucked up. But he was also tied for fourth in saves with two. Let's just hope Dropkick is healthy in spring. Player� POS� G� AB� R� H� 2B� 3B� HR� RBI� TB� BB� SO� SB� CS� OBP� SLG� AVG� OPS� E� Daniel Murphy 2B 15 63 22 25 8 0 2 18 39 13 6 1 0 .487 .619 .397 1.106 4 Josh Thole C 19 69 15 22 1 0 2 17 29 10 6 1 0 .400 .420 .319 .820 2 Shawn Bowman 3B 9 37 6 11 3 0 2 7 20 2 5 0 0 .333 .541 .297 .874 0 Totals -- 43 169 43 58 12 0 6 42 88 25 17 2 0 .428 .521 .343 .949 6 Player� W� L� ERA� G� GS� CG� SHO� SV� IP� H� R� ER� HR� HB� BB� SO� WHIP� HLD� GF� Jason Vargas 1 0 2.10 9 1 0 0 0 25.7 20 7 6 1 0 5 13 0.97 5 0 Bobby Parnell 3 1 2.25 7 7 0 0 0 20.0 15 5 5 0 1 9 20 1.20 0 0 Tobi Stoner 2 0 3.66 11 0 0 0 0 19.7 17 8 8 0 0 7 15 1.22 0 2 Eddie Kunz 2 2 10.93 14 0 0 0 2 14.0 24 17 17 3 2 10 14 2.43 0 9 Totals 8 3 4.08 41 8 0 0 2 79.3 76 37 36 4 3 31 62 1.35 5 11 John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 25 2008 08:47 PM Nice article telling like it probably is here: ]Murphy and Co. get hacks in Arizona Plenty of players see autumnal time out west By Michael Salfino / SNY.tv Assessing a team's Arizona Fall League roster gives a good sense of the pizazz of their prospects. Last year, scouts couldn't be blamed for looking past the roster the Mets fielded and toward those soothing desert landscapes. But this year's group has improved along with the Mets Minor League fortunes, highlighted by second baseman in training Daniel Murphy. Here are some observations of Murphy and the rest of the best of the Mets 2008 AFL roster courtesy of a National League scout and our friends at Baseball America, editor John Manuel and AFL reporter Kary Booher. We already knew Murphy can hit. He finished at .397/.487/.619 in an AFL campaign cut short by a hamstring injury that should fully heal by Spring Training. That line is a fair translation of his big league numbers considering the level of competition in the AFL is about Double A-plus. I asked our experts what they thought about Keith Hernandez's anointing Murphy in September as the Mets future No. 3 hitter. "That's getting a little carried away," our National League scout says. "Murphy has good bat speed, is short to the ball and judges the strike zone, which should allow him to hit for average. But I'm not convinced he is much more than a 15-20 homer hitter. I don't think his bat is solid enough to play left field." Baseball America's Manuel agrees. "To me he's more Ryan Church, a corner outfielder who will hit but perhaps not for power and average as a three-hole hitter should. I see him as .300 with 15 homers one year, .270 with 20-25 homers the next." That's sweet for a second baseman, assuming the reviews of his AFL trial are good enough. "He is below average at second base with fringe-average range and stiff hands," says our NL scout. "Third base is his best position." Baseball America's Booher adds, "He showed some signs that he might be able to pull it off, but even his fall league manager said he was pretty raw over there. He just may not have enough range and agility." Scouts generally like Murphy and gave off the impression they were pulling for him to succeed at second. But the skills were lacking. Says Manuel, "The scouts and Minor League managers I've talked to A, believe he'll hit, B, love his grinder mentality and C, doubt his ability to play second effectively in the Majors." On to the rest of the Mets' AFL notables, led by left-handed hitting catcher Josh Thole, who turned 22 last month. Thole finished at .319/.400/.420 after hitting .300/.382/.427 at High A St. Lucie. Our NL scout thinks he has a relatively modest big-league future. "Thole is an extreme contact hitter whose bat plane isn't conducive to power. Defensively, he's average: solid receiving skills and average arm strength. I see him more as a platoon catcher given his left-handed bat." Manuel thinks that defensive assessment is a minority opinion, but agrees with the offensive assessment. "He's got a decent swing with a good approach but is just not a guy scouts think will drive the ball consistently for power. Defensively, he's a backup at best, fringe-average or below-average in most aspects." Jason Vargas was a surprising addition to the AFL roster, given his big-league experience. Says our scout, "In the outing I saw in the AFL, he was pretty solid in mixing his pitches and disrupting timing. I give him an excellent chance to resume his role as a backend starter." Bobby Parnell, who we saw in September as the Mets bullpen imploded, looked good, as well. But he not viewed as having a future in the rotation. He finished the AFL season allowing no homers in 20 innings with 20 Ks and 9 walks (2.25 ERA). "I like Parnell better as a reliever, where he could dominate with his fastball and slider; both of which have outstanding movement," says our scout. "He throws with a bit of effort and doesn't change speeds real well, so the move [to the pen] would probably boost his peripheral numbers." Adds Manuel, "Parnell reached 97 mph with his fastball in the past; one of his problems as a starter is the inconsistency of his velocity, from start to start and even within games, I've had scouts say he'd be 88-92 early and up to 95-96 late." Our scout clocked the 24-year-old righty's fastball this fall from 87 to 95 mph. Tobi Stoner is another righty who will turn 24 next week who had similar peripherals to Parnell: 0 homers in 19-plus innings with 7 walks and 15 Ks (3.66 ERA). "I would rate the fastball/cutter/curveball as average pitches, with the slider being slightly below," our scout says. "Stoner is athletic and has good arm action, but tends to rush through his delivery. He profiles as a long reliever for me." Manuel thinks Stoner has "back-of-the-rotation stuff at best, but has a chance." Eddie Kunz really struggled (three homers, 24 hits and 10 walks in 14-plus innings). "I've never been that high on Kunz," says our scout, who has specialized in rating amateur draft talent. "His velocity is solid and has a solid ground ball/fly ball ratio. But doesn't pitch aggressively and can be predictable late in the count." Manuel agrees, "He's always going to be a volatile guy in terms of his performance because he's not particularly athletic, loses his slot and gets hittable." Manuel spent a lot of time focusing on the Hawaii Winter League, so I asked him about Scott Shaw, a 22-year-old righty with size (6-foot-5, 230) and solid numbers last summer and in Hawaii (32-plus innings, 12 hits, 9 walks, 35 Ks). "Shaw pitches backward a lot -- 87-88 mph fastball, touching 90 with lots of changeups and curves. He had a huge year since signing, including throwing more than 100 innings pitched. I wouldn't read too much into the stats but he had a great debut and will more than likely be fast-tracked next year, probably to St. Lucie, maybe higher because he's shown a 160-inning workload is something he can now handle." Michael Salfino is a nationally syndicated columnist and a regular contributor to SNY.tv. Edgy DC Nov 25 2008 08:56 PM From experience, I assume "pitching backwards" means getting ahead with breaking pitches and then widening the target to get the batter to chase the fastball, rather than the more typical pattern of starting with the heat, but the first time on reading, without explanation, that Shaw "pitches backwards a lot," it can conjure some funny images. Frayed Knot Nov 25 2008 09:56 PM "But I'm not convinced he is much more than a 15-20 homer hitter. I don't think his bat is solid enough to play left field." This is the danger with going overboard with Murphy, that he's going to be a bit of a "tweener" -- not enough glove for 2nd base yet only a mediocre bat if he's in a corner spot. smg58 Nov 26 2008 04:45 AM If Murphy can post an OBP in the .400 area, he doesn't need to hit more than 15-20 homers to be a plus leftfielder. Frayed Knot Nov 26 2008 06:27 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 26 2008 06:42 AM Sure, but that's a level maybe 10 guys reach in a given year (8 MLers at .400+ in '08) Throwing him out there and expecting that is a pretty tall order - especially off <150 ML ABs and a ~.350 minor league OBA Edgy DC Nov 26 2008 06:28 AM Yeah, there's nothing mediocre about that. Tony Gwynn has carved a nice slot in the Hall of Fame for outfielders with less power than that. Tim Raines should be joining him. Benjamin Grimm Nov 26 2008 07:05 AM I suspect that Davey Johnson wouldn't hesitate to pencil Murphy in at second base. He always valued the bat over the glove, and was pretty successful with that approach. seawolf17 Nov 26 2008 07:15 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":11j7l0q0]I suspect that Davey Johnson wouldn't hesitate to pencil Murphy in at second base. He always valued the bat over the glove, and was pretty successful with that approach.[/quote:11j7l0q0] That would explain "Mitchell SS" appearing in the boxscore from time to time. Edgy DC Dec 05 2008 09:48 AM Mets land two guys on the Arizona Fall League�s 2008 Top Prospects Team Starting Pitchers Tommy Hanson (Braves --- maybe should have been the league MVP at 5-0, 0.63, 49 Ks and 7 BBs in 28.2 IP) Kevin Pucetas (Giants) Bobby Parnell (Mets) Relief Pitchers Bud Norris (Astros) Joh Bannister (Rangers) Catchers J.P Arencibia (Blue Jays) Matt Wieters (Orioles Firstbasemen Logan Morrison (Marlins) Rhyne Hughes (Rays) Secondbasemen Daniel Murphy (Mets) Kevin Frandsen (Giants) Thirdbasemen Wes Hodges (Indians) Brett Wallace (Cardinals) Shortstops Jason Donald (Phillies) Gordon Beckham (White Sox) Outfielders Eric Young, Jr. (Rockies) Sean Doolittle (Athletics) Chris Pettit (Angels) Austin Jackson (Yankees) Casper Wells (Tigers) Mike Baxter (Padres) Note the lack of Latin American-sounding names. I guess they tend put their offseason work in the Carribbean leagues.

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

="metirish"]Sherman from the Post had the Mets talking to the Royals about their" headache contract " Jose Guillen and the Royals taking Castillo in return.

Let's see, a second baseman with a .360 OBP for a corner outfielder with a .300 OBP.

Sounds like a great fucking trade to me! Maybe we can throw in some prospects, too!

What do you think, Jerry Manuel?

]"You don't see a lot of guys that have statistical numbers play well in these championship series"

Absolutely! Let's get the worst "statistical numbers" players we can find! Our batters will make outs all the way to a championship!

/getting worried about this offseason

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't think that's particularly fair.

[Guest Edgy DC]

1) Castillo's career OBP may be .367 but his OBP last season was .355.
2) Guillen's OBP last season was .300 but his career OBP is .327.
3) All that is apart from the tremendous differences in their slugging.
4) Castillo's OPS + last season was 77 and Guillen's 96.
5) The Mets could use a righthanded power hitter to give them some lineup balance.
6) Guillen's been healthy the lasst two years, and Castillo hasn't.

That said, Guillen gives me pause. He's been a jerk and roid user.

The Manuel quote is out of context. He received an unfair beatdown for it at FireJoeMorgan.com, of the kind usually reserved for Ozzie Guillen.

[metirish]

From Ken Davidoff ,

] Quick thoughts on Yankees and Mets prospects, from a scout who recently spent time in the Arizona Fall League: For the Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes: "He scuffled when I saw him." First baseman Juan Miranda: "He's got a little power. He's no Gold Glove, though, despite what the Yankees say about him." Second baseman Kevin Russo: "He played hard and saw the ball well." Centerfielder Austin Jackson: "He threw well. He's a pretty good athlete." Mets reliever Eddie Kunz: "He's got some ceiling." Daniel Murphy: "Not too pretty at second base."

[Benjamin Grimm]

In the last few years, "scuffled" has become a euphemism for "struggled."

It doesn't sound as bad, but it means the same thing.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Sign me up and I promise you I'll play hard and see the ball well.

[nymr83]

I'd make the trade:

1. Guillen is a better overall hitter than Castillo
2. Guillen is healthier than Castillo
3. They both have bad contracts, but Guillen's is shorter in duration
4, Guillen plays a position at which the Mets are thinner right now

[Guest Edgy DC]

Our men are still hitting, though there's been some errors.

Player	POS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS	E
Daniel Murphy	2B	15	63	22	25	8	0	2	18	39	13	6	1	0	.487	.619	.397	1.106	4
Josh Thole	C	14	51	14	19	1	0	2	14	26	7	4	0	0	.429	.510	.373	.938	1	Shawn Bowman	3B	9	37	6	11	3	0	2	7	20	2	5	0	0	.333	.541	.297	.874	0

Gotta love them walk rates.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think we may need to formulate a rescue plan for Edddie Kunz.

The other pitchers are all holding their own in what appears to be a hitters' league.

Player�	W�	L�	ERA�	G�	GS�	CG�	SHO�	SV�	IP�	H�	R�	ER�	HR�	HB�	BB�	SO�	WHIP�	HLD�	GF�
Jason Vargas	1	0	2.61	7	1	0	0	0	20.2	15	6	6	1	0	4	11	0.92	3	0
Bobby Parnell	3	1	2.81	6	6	0	0	0	16.0	14	5	5	0	1	8	17	1.38	0	0
Tobi Stoner	2	0	2.81	9	0	0	0	0	16.0	13	5	5	0	0	6	12	1.19	0	1
Eddie Kunz	1	2	10.95	12	0	0	0	2	12.1	21	15	15	2	2	9	11	2.43	0	8

[Benjamin Grimm]

Prediction: The Mets don't open the 2009 season with Eddie Kunz as their closer.

(I'm really going out on a limb on that one.)

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think congress needs to bail his ass out.

[smg58]

Nobody pitches more than a few innings per game in Arizona, I've noticed.

Vargas appears to be thriving in a mostly relief role. But is it enough to justify tendering him a major-league contract?

Stoner appears to be handling an inning or two of relief work as well. That might get him to the bigs sooner.

I don't like the walks for Parnell. He'll need to get his control in order if he wants to contribute in Flushing next year.

Can we all agree that Eddie Kunz is not next year's closer?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

="smg58"] Vargas appears to be thriving in a mostly relief role. But is it enough to justify tendering him a major-league contract? Yes. ]Stoner appears to be handling an inning or two of relief work as well. That might get him to the bigs sooner. Good. I looked up "Tobi Stoner" on Facebook and 3 chicks appeared. ]I don't like the walks for Parnell. He'll need to get his control in order if he wants to contribute in Flushing next year. Not a good rate, 1 every 2 innings. But he's not gonna get more than 2 inning stints if he winds up in the pen! Problem solved! OK, not really, but I like the lack of HRs. ]Can we all agree that Eddie Kunz is not next year's closer?

His 600-some Facebook friends will be disappointed.

[Farmer Ted]

Daniel Murphy, professional hitter. 2009 ROY. Me. Limb. On it.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It looks like he invalidated himself by two at-bats this year.

[duan]

="Edgy DC":1aelqa4m]It looks like he invalidated himself by two at-bats this year.[/quote:1aelqa4m] well considering they didn't notice the edinson volquez had pitched y'know 80 innings in two seasons before last I wouldn't think they'll hold that against Murphy.

metirish Nov 20 2008 09:01 AM

The Mets' Daniel Murphy was batting .397 (25-for-63) with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games in the Arizona Fall League. (Newsday / David L. Pokress) ] The Mets' second-base experiment with Daniel Murphy temporarily has been shelved now that he is scheduled to have an MRI on his right knee today at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Murphy, 23, left the Arizona Fall League after complaining of "discomfort" in the knee during batting practice before a game on Nov. 11. The Mets have refused to categorize the injury as either a sprain or strain until the results of the MRI and it is uncertain whether he will return to finish the AFL season. Murphy was batting .397 (25-for-63) with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games for the Peoria Saguaros. General manager Omar Minaya insists that Murphy was not being groomed as a potential second baseman for next season despite his duties with Peoria. But with the Mets in the market for an everyday leftfielder -- perhaps free agent Raul Iba�ez -- the more positions Murphy can play, the better chance he has of contributing at the major-league level. It is highly unlikely that the Mets would try to get by with another platoon of Murphy and Fernando Tatis in leftfield, despite its success last season. Murphy, a surprise call-up in early August, batted .313 (41-for-131) with nine doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs in 49 games for the Mets. He also hit .375 (12-for-32) with runners in scoring position and batted .462 as a pinch hitter with one homer, five RBIs and six walks.

soupcan Nov 20 2008 10:14 AM

New York Post is a bit more dramatic... ]MURPHY'S KNEE WORRIES METS By BART HUBBUCH November 20, 2008 -- This doesn't sound good. Mets left fielder and rising star Daniel Murphy was flown back to New York from the Arizona Fall League last night for an MRI exam this morning on his ailing right knee. Murphy felt discomfort in the knee during pregame batting practice Nov. 11 and hasn't played in the AFL since. Murphy, by far the biggest (and most pleasant) surprise for the Mets this past season, already has missed time in Arizona this fall due to a lacerated forearm suffered during the league's "Rising Stars" game last month. Murphy, who is slated to platoon in left with Fernando Tatis next season, has been tearing up the AFL when healthy. Murphy is hitting .397 with two homers and 18 RBIs in 15 games. The Mets, meanwhile, remain in a holding pattern in their pursuit of a new closer because they are awaiting the medical records of Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes. The Mets also might have to find a new No. 1 target for their rotation after 35-year-old righty Derek Lowe reportedly opened the free-agent bidding yesterday asking for a whopping $16 million per season. bhubbuch@nypost.com

Frayed Knot Nov 20 2008 10:46 AM

Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem

themetfairy Nov 20 2008 10:57 AM

="Frayed Knot":2tmg2xab]Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem[/quote:2tmg2xab] Well, they are connected.... metirish Nov 20 2008 08:01 PM ="Frayed Knot"]Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem Update from Lennon ] Update on Murphy It appears that what the Mets intially believed was a knee issue for Murphy is actually a hamstring strain. Good thing they got him to an MRI machine. Here's the full update from the team below: The Mets Daniel Murphy underwent an MRI this morning at New York�s Hospital for Special Surgery and the test revealed that he has a Grade 2 Strain of the right hamstring. Murphy felt discomfort in the leg in pre-game batting practice of his November 11th Arizona Fall League game. He will skip winter league ball in Puerto Rico so that he can be ready for the opening of Spring Training this February in Port St. Lucie, Fla. smg58 Nov 21 2008 06:30 AM Murph doesn't need to prove anything in winter ball at this point anyway. If you're going to have an injury that sidelines you for a month, November is a good time to have it. soupcan Nov 21 2008 07:22 AM Paging Mackey Shilstone... Edgy DC Nov 25 2008 08:26 AM I never posted the final numbers. Eddie Kunz never did right his ship --- at all --- but there were a lot of positives to walk away with, even as Bowman and Thole regressed toward the mean. If Thole ever gets some sextra base power, he'll be a prospect. You couldn't have reasonably asked for more out of Bobby Parnell. In fact, considering his college profile and his draft slot, you've already gotten more out of Bobby Parnell than you ever deserved. Congratulations to the Mets on that inspired pick. League leaders: Moirphy was thoid in the league in OBP, fifth in average, twelfth in slugging, good for the tenth-best OPS before he checked out. Parnell was third in wins, sixth in ERA, ninth in WHIP. Vargas was fourth in ERA, fourth in WHIP. He also led the league in holds with five. Stoner was tenth in WHIP. Kunz was tied for first in games, and fifth in games finished, and probably tied for first in games fucked up. But he was also tied for fourth in saves with two. Let's just hope Dropkick is healthy in spring. Player� POS� G� AB� R� H� 2B� 3B� HR� RBI� TB� BB� SO� SB� CS� OBP� SLG� AVG� OPS� E� Daniel Murphy 2B 15 63 22 25 8 0 2 18 39 13 6 1 0 .487 .619 .397 1.106 4 Josh Thole C 19 69 15 22 1 0 2 17 29 10 6 1 0 .400 .420 .319 .820 2 Shawn Bowman 3B 9 37 6 11 3 0 2 7 20 2 5 0 0 .333 .541 .297 .874 0 Totals -- 43 169 43 58 12 0 6 42 88 25 17 2 0 .428 .521 .343 .949 6 Player� W� L� ERA� G� GS� CG� SHO� SV� IP� H� R� ER� HR� HB� BB� SO� WHIP� HLD� GF� Jason Vargas 1 0 2.10 9 1 0 0 0 25.7 20 7 6 1 0 5 13 0.97 5 0 Bobby Parnell 3 1 2.25 7 7 0 0 0 20.0 15 5 5 0 1 9 20 1.20 0 0 Tobi Stoner 2 0 3.66 11 0 0 0 0 19.7 17 8 8 0 0 7 15 1.22 0 2 Eddie Kunz 2 2 10.93 14 0 0 0 2 14.0 24 17 17 3 2 10 14 2.43 0 9 Totals 8 3 4.08 41 8 0 0 2 79.3 76 37 36 4 3 31 62 1.35 5 11 John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 25 2008 08:47 PM Nice article telling like it probably is here: ]Murphy and Co. get hacks in Arizona Plenty of players see autumnal time out west By Michael Salfino / SNY.tv Assessing a team's Arizona Fall League roster gives a good sense of the pizazz of their prospects. Last year, scouts couldn't be blamed for looking past the roster the Mets fielded and toward those soothing desert landscapes. But this year's group has improved along with the Mets Minor League fortunes, highlighted by second baseman in training Daniel Murphy. Here are some observations of Murphy and the rest of the best of the Mets 2008 AFL roster courtesy of a National League scout and our friends at Baseball America, editor John Manuel and AFL reporter Kary Booher. We already knew Murphy can hit. He finished at .397/.487/.619 in an AFL campaign cut short by a hamstring injury that should fully heal by Spring Training. That line is a fair translation of his big league numbers considering the level of competition in the AFL is about Double A-plus. I asked our experts what they thought about Keith Hernandez's anointing Murphy in September as the Mets future No. 3 hitter. "That's getting a little carried away," our National League scout says. "Murphy has good bat speed, is short to the ball and judges the strike zone, which should allow him to hit for average. But I'm not convinced he is much more than a 15-20 homer hitter. I don't think his bat is solid enough to play left field." Baseball America's Manuel agrees. "To me he's more Ryan Church, a corner outfielder who will hit but perhaps not for power and average as a three-hole hitter should. I see him as .300 with 15 homers one year, .270 with 20-25 homers the next." That's sweet for a second baseman, assuming the reviews of his AFL trial are good enough. "He is below average at second base with fringe-average range and stiff hands," says our NL scout. "Third base is his best position." Baseball America's Booher adds, "He showed some signs that he might be able to pull it off, but even his fall league manager said he was pretty raw over there. He just may not have enough range and agility." Scouts generally like Murphy and gave off the impression they were pulling for him to succeed at second. But the skills were lacking. Says Manuel, "The scouts and Minor League managers I've talked to A, believe he'll hit, B, love his grinder mentality and C, doubt his ability to play second effectively in the Majors." On to the rest of the Mets' AFL notables, led by left-handed hitting catcher Josh Thole, who turned 22 last month. Thole finished at .319/.400/.420 after hitting .300/.382/.427 at High A St. Lucie. Our NL scout thinks he has a relatively modest big-league future. "Thole is an extreme contact hitter whose bat plane isn't conducive to power. Defensively, he's average: solid receiving skills and average arm strength. I see him more as a platoon catcher given his left-handed bat." Manuel thinks that defensive assessment is a minority opinion, but agrees with the offensive assessment. "He's got a decent swing with a good approach but is just not a guy scouts think will drive the ball consistently for power. Defensively, he's a backup at best, fringe-average or below-average in most aspects." Jason Vargas was a surprising addition to the AFL roster, given his big-league experience. Says our scout, "In the outing I saw in the AFL, he was pretty solid in mixing his pitches and disrupting timing. I give him an excellent chance to resume his role as a backend starter." Bobby Parnell, who we saw in September as the Mets bullpen imploded, looked good, as well. But he not viewed as having a future in the rotation. He finished the AFL season allowing no homers in 20 innings with 20 Ks and 9 walks (2.25 ERA). "I like Parnell better as a reliever, where he could dominate with his fastball and slider; both of which have outstanding movement," says our scout. "He throws with a bit of effort and doesn't change speeds real well, so the move [to the pen] would probably boost his peripheral numbers." Adds Manuel, "Parnell reached 97 mph with his fastball in the past; one of his problems as a starter is the inconsistency of his velocity, from start to start and even within games, I've had scouts say he'd be 88-92 early and up to 95-96 late." Our scout clocked the 24-year-old righty's fastball this fall from 87 to 95 mph. Tobi Stoner is another righty who will turn 24 next week who had similar peripherals to Parnell: 0 homers in 19-plus innings with 7 walks and 15 Ks (3.66 ERA). "I would rate the fastball/cutter/curveball as average pitches, with the slider being slightly below," our scout says. "Stoner is athletic and has good arm action, but tends to rush through his delivery. He profiles as a long reliever for me." Manuel thinks Stoner has "back-of-the-rotation stuff at best, but has a chance." Eddie Kunz really struggled (three homers, 24 hits and 10 walks in 14-plus innings). "I've never been that high on Kunz," says our scout, who has specialized in rating amateur draft talent. "His velocity is solid and has a solid ground ball/fly ball ratio. But doesn't pitch aggressively and can be predictable late in the count." Manuel agrees, "He's always going to be a volatile guy in terms of his performance because he's not particularly athletic, loses his slot and gets hittable." Manuel spent a lot of time focusing on the Hawaii Winter League, so I asked him about Scott Shaw, a 22-year-old righty with size (6-foot-5, 230) and solid numbers last summer and in Hawaii (32-plus innings, 12 hits, 9 walks, 35 Ks). "Shaw pitches backward a lot -- 87-88 mph fastball, touching 90 with lots of changeups and curves. He had a huge year since signing, including throwing more than 100 innings pitched. I wouldn't read too much into the stats but he had a great debut and will more than likely be fast-tracked next year, probably to St. Lucie, maybe higher because he's shown a 160-inning workload is something he can now handle." Michael Salfino is a nationally syndicated columnist and a regular contributor to SNY.tv. Edgy DC Nov 25 2008 08:56 PM From experience, I assume "pitching backwards" means getting ahead with breaking pitches and then widening the target to get the batter to chase the fastball, rather than the more typical pattern of starting with the heat, but the first time on reading, without explanation, that Shaw "pitches backwards a lot," it can conjure some funny images. Frayed Knot Nov 25 2008 09:56 PM "But I'm not convinced he is much more than a 15-20 homer hitter. I don't think his bat is solid enough to play left field." This is the danger with going overboard with Murphy, that he's going to be a bit of a "tweener" -- not enough glove for 2nd base yet only a mediocre bat if he's in a corner spot. smg58 Nov 26 2008 04:45 AM If Murphy can post an OBP in the .400 area, he doesn't need to hit more than 15-20 homers to be a plus leftfielder. Frayed Knot Nov 26 2008 06:27 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 26 2008 06:42 AM Sure, but that's a level maybe 10 guys reach in a given year (8 MLers at .400+ in '08) Throwing him out there and expecting that is a pretty tall order - especially off <150 ML ABs and a ~.350 minor league OBA Edgy DC Nov 26 2008 06:28 AM Yeah, there's nothing mediocre about that. Tony Gwynn has carved a nice slot in the Hall of Fame for outfielders with less power than that. Tim Raines should be joining him. Benjamin Grimm Nov 26 2008 07:05 AM I suspect that Davey Johnson wouldn't hesitate to pencil Murphy in at second base. He always valued the bat over the glove, and was pretty successful with that approach. seawolf17 Nov 26 2008 07:15 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":11j7l0q0]I suspect that Davey Johnson wouldn't hesitate to pencil Murphy in at second base. He always valued the bat over the glove, and was pretty successful with that approach.[/quote:11j7l0q0] That would explain "Mitchell SS" appearing in the boxscore from time to time. Edgy DC Dec 05 2008 09:48 AM Mets land two guys on the Arizona Fall League�s 2008 Top Prospects Team Starting Pitchers Tommy Hanson (Braves --- maybe should have been the league MVP at 5-0, 0.63, 49 Ks and 7 BBs in 28.2 IP) Kevin Pucetas (Giants) Bobby Parnell (Mets) Relief Pitchers Bud Norris (Astros) Joh Bannister (Rangers) Catchers J.P Arencibia (Blue Jays) Matt Wieters (Orioles Firstbasemen Logan Morrison (Marlins) Rhyne Hughes (Rays) Secondbasemen Daniel Murphy (Mets) Kevin Frandsen (Giants) Thirdbasemen Wes Hodges (Indians) Brett Wallace (Cardinals) Shortstops Jason Donald (Phillies) Gordon Beckham (White Sox) Outfielders Eric Young, Jr. (Rockies) Sean Doolittle (Athletics) Chris Pettit (Angels) Austin Jackson (Yankees) Casper Wells (Tigers) Mike Baxter (Padres) Note the lack of Latin American-sounding names. I guess they tend put their offseason work in the Carribbean leagues.

[metirish]

The Mets' Daniel Murphy was batting .397 (25-for-63) with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games in the Arizona Fall League. (Newsday / David L. Pokress)

] The Mets' second-base experiment with Daniel Murphy temporarily has been shelved now that he is scheduled to have an MRI on his right knee today at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Murphy, 23, left the Arizona Fall League after complaining of "discomfort" in the knee during batting practice before a game on Nov. 11. The Mets have refused to categorize the injury as either a sprain or strain until the results of the MRI and it is uncertain whether he will return to finish the AFL season. Murphy was batting .397 (25-for-63) with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games for the Peoria Saguaros. General manager Omar Minaya insists that Murphy was not being groomed as a potential second baseman for next season despite his duties with Peoria. But with the Mets in the market for an everyday leftfielder -- perhaps free agent Raul Iba�ez -- the more positions Murphy can play, the better chance he has of contributing at the major-league level. It is highly unlikely that the Mets would try to get by with another platoon of Murphy and Fernando Tatis in leftfield, despite its success last season. Murphy, a surprise call-up in early August, batted .313 (41-for-131) with nine doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs in 49 games for the Mets. He also hit .375 (12-for-32) with runners in scoring position and batted .462 as a pinch hitter with one homer, five RBIs and six walks.

[soupcan]

New York Post is a bit more dramatic...

]MURPHY'S KNEE WORRIES METS By BART HUBBUCH November 20, 2008 -- This doesn't sound good. Mets left fielder and rising star Daniel Murphy was flown back to New York from the Arizona Fall League last night for an MRI exam this morning on his ailing right knee. Murphy felt discomfort in the knee during pregame batting practice Nov. 11 and hasn't played in the AFL since. Murphy, by far the biggest (and most pleasant) surprise for the Mets this past season, already has missed time in Arizona this fall due to a lacerated forearm suffered during the league's "Rising Stars" game last month. Murphy, who is slated to platoon in left with Fernando Tatis next season, has been tearing up the AFL when healthy. Murphy is hitting .397 with two homers and 18 RBIs in 15 games. The Mets, meanwhile, remain in a holding pattern in their pursuit of a new closer because they are awaiting the medical records of Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes. The Mets also might have to find a new No. 1 target for their rotation after 35-year-old righty Derek Lowe reportedly opened the free-agent bidding yesterday asking for a whopping $16 million per season. bhubbuch@nypost.com

[Frayed Knot]

Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem

[Guest themetfairy]

="Frayed Knot":2tmg2xab]Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem[/quote:2tmg2xab] Well, they are connected....

metirish Nov 20 2008 08:01 PM

="Frayed Knot"]Meanwhile, the Daily News was calling it a hamstring problem Update from Lennon ] Update on Murphy It appears that what the Mets intially believed was a knee issue for Murphy is actually a hamstring strain. Good thing they got him to an MRI machine. Here's the full update from the team below: The Mets Daniel Murphy underwent an MRI this morning at New York�s Hospital for Special Surgery and the test revealed that he has a Grade 2 Strain of the right hamstring. Murphy felt discomfort in the leg in pre-game batting practice of his November 11th Arizona Fall League game. He will skip winter league ball in Puerto Rico so that he can be ready for the opening of Spring Training this February in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

smg58 Nov 21 2008 06:30 AM

Murph doesn't need to prove anything in winter ball at this point anyway. If you're going to have an injury that sidelines you for a month, November is a good time to have it.

soupcan Nov 21 2008 07:22 AM

Paging Mackey Shilstone...

Edgy DC Nov 25 2008 08:26 AM

I never posted the final numbers. Eddie Kunz never did right his ship --- at all --- but there were a lot of positives to walk away with, even as Bowman and Thole regressed toward the mean. If Thole ever gets some sextra base power, he'll be a prospect. You couldn't have reasonably asked for more out of Bobby Parnell. In fact, considering his college profile and his draft slot, you've already gotten more out of Bobby Parnell than you ever deserved. Congratulations to the Mets on that inspired pick. League leaders: Moirphy was thoid in the league in OBP, fifth in average, twelfth in slugging, good for the tenth-best OPS before he checked out. Parnell was third in wins, sixth in ERA, ninth in WHIP. Vargas was fourth in ERA, fourth in WHIP. He also led the league in holds with five. Stoner was tenth in WHIP. Kunz was tied for first in games, and fifth in games finished, and probably tied for first in games fucked up. But he was also tied for fourth in saves with two. Let's just hope Dropkick is healthy in spring. Player� POS� G� AB� R� H� 2B� 3B� HR� RBI� TB� BB� SO� SB� CS� OBP� SLG� AVG� OPS� E� Daniel Murphy 2B 15 63 22 25 8 0 2 18 39 13 6 1 0 .487 .619 .397 1.106 4 Josh Thole C 19 69 15 22 1 0 2 17 29 10 6 1 0 .400 .420 .319 .820 2 Shawn Bowman 3B 9 37 6 11 3 0 2 7 20 2 5 0 0 .333 .541 .297 .874 0 Totals -- 43 169 43 58 12 0 6 42 88 25 17 2 0 .428 .521 .343 .949 6 Player� W� L� ERA� G� GS� CG� SHO� SV� IP� H� R� ER� HR� HB� BB� SO� WHIP� HLD� GF� Jason Vargas 1 0 2.10 9 1 0 0 0 25.7 20 7 6 1 0 5 13 0.97 5 0 Bobby Parnell 3 1 2.25 7 7 0 0 0 20.0 15 5 5 0 1 9 20 1.20 0 0 Tobi Stoner 2 0 3.66 11 0 0 0 0 19.7 17 8 8 0 0 7 15 1.22 0 2 Eddie Kunz 2 2 10.93 14 0 0 0 2 14.0 24 17 17 3 2 10 14 2.43 0 9 Totals 8 3 4.08 41 8 0 0 2 79.3 76 37 36 4 3 31 62 1.35 5 11

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 25 2008 08:47 PM

Nice article telling like it probably is here: ]Murphy and Co. get hacks in Arizona Plenty of players see autumnal time out west By Michael Salfino / SNY.tv Assessing a team's Arizona Fall League roster gives a good sense of the pizazz of their prospects. Last year, scouts couldn't be blamed for looking past the roster the Mets fielded and toward those soothing desert landscapes. But this year's group has improved along with the Mets Minor League fortunes, highlighted by second baseman in training Daniel Murphy. Here are some observations of Murphy and the rest of the best of the Mets 2008 AFL roster courtesy of a National League scout and our friends at Baseball America, editor John Manuel and AFL reporter Kary Booher. We already knew Murphy can hit. He finished at .397/.487/.619 in an AFL campaign cut short by a hamstring injury that should fully heal by Spring Training. That line is a fair translation of his big league numbers considering the level of competition in the AFL is about Double A-plus. I asked our experts what they thought about Keith Hernandez's anointing Murphy in September as the Mets future No. 3 hitter. "That's getting a little carried away," our National League scout says. "Murphy has good bat speed, is short to the ball and judges the strike zone, which should allow him to hit for average. But I'm not convinced he is much more than a 15-20 homer hitter. I don't think his bat is solid enough to play left field." Baseball America's Manuel agrees. "To me he's more Ryan Church, a corner outfielder who will hit but perhaps not for power and average as a three-hole hitter should. I see him as .300 with 15 homers one year, .270 with 20-25 homers the next." That's sweet for a second baseman, assuming the reviews of his AFL trial are good enough. "He is below average at second base with fringe-average range and stiff hands," says our NL scout. "Third base is his best position." Baseball America's Booher adds, "He showed some signs that he might be able to pull it off, but even his fall league manager said he was pretty raw over there. He just may not have enough range and agility." Scouts generally like Murphy and gave off the impression they were pulling for him to succeed at second. But the skills were lacking. Says Manuel, "The scouts and Minor League managers I've talked to A, believe he'll hit, B, love his grinder mentality and C, doubt his ability to play second effectively in the Majors." On to the rest of the Mets' AFL notables, led by left-handed hitting catcher Josh Thole, who turned 22 last month. Thole finished at .319/.400/.420 after hitting .300/.382/.427 at High A St. Lucie. Our NL scout thinks he has a relatively modest big-league future. "Thole is an extreme contact hitter whose bat plane isn't conducive to power. Defensively, he's average: solid receiving skills and average arm strength. I see him more as a platoon catcher given his left-handed bat." Manuel thinks that defensive assessment is a minority opinion, but agrees with the offensive assessment. "He's got a decent swing with a good approach but is just not a guy scouts think will drive the ball consistently for power. Defensively, he's a backup at best, fringe-average or below-average in most aspects." Jason Vargas was a surprising addition to the AFL roster, given his big-league experience. Says our scout, "In the outing I saw in the AFL, he was pretty solid in mixing his pitches and disrupting timing. I give him an excellent chance to resume his role as a backend starter." Bobby Parnell, who we saw in September as the Mets bullpen imploded, looked good, as well. But he not viewed as having a future in the rotation. He finished the AFL season allowing no homers in 20 innings with 20 Ks and 9 walks (2.25 ERA). "I like Parnell better as a reliever, where he could dominate with his fastball and slider; both of which have outstanding movement," says our scout. "He throws with a bit of effort and doesn't change speeds real well, so the move [to the pen] would probably boost his peripheral numbers." Adds Manuel, "Parnell reached 97 mph with his fastball in the past; one of his problems as a starter is the inconsistency of his velocity, from start to start and even within games, I've had scouts say he'd be 88-92 early and up to 95-96 late." Our scout clocked the 24-year-old righty's fastball this fall from 87 to 95 mph. Tobi Stoner is another righty who will turn 24 next week who had similar peripherals to Parnell: 0 homers in 19-plus innings with 7 walks and 15 Ks (3.66 ERA). "I would rate the fastball/cutter/curveball as average pitches, with the slider being slightly below," our scout says. "Stoner is athletic and has good arm action, but tends to rush through his delivery. He profiles as a long reliever for me." Manuel thinks Stoner has "back-of-the-rotation stuff at best, but has a chance." Eddie Kunz really struggled (three homers, 24 hits and 10 walks in 14-plus innings). "I've never been that high on Kunz," says our scout, who has specialized in rating amateur draft talent. "His velocity is solid and has a solid ground ball/fly ball ratio. But doesn't pitch aggressively and can be predictable late in the count." Manuel agrees, "He's always going to be a volatile guy in terms of his performance because he's not particularly athletic, loses his slot and gets hittable." Manuel spent a lot of time focusing on the Hawaii Winter League, so I asked him about Scott Shaw, a 22-year-old righty with size (6-foot-5, 230) and solid numbers last summer and in Hawaii (32-plus innings, 12 hits, 9 walks, 35 Ks). "Shaw pitches backward a lot -- 87-88 mph fastball, touching 90 with lots of changeups and curves. He had a huge year since signing, including throwing more than 100 innings pitched. I wouldn't read too much into the stats but he had a great debut and will more than likely be fast-tracked next year, probably to St. Lucie, maybe higher because he's shown a 160-inning workload is something he can now handle." Michael Salfino is a nationally syndicated columnist and a regular contributor to SNY.tv.

Edgy DC Nov 25 2008 08:56 PM

From experience, I assume "pitching backwards" means getting ahead with breaking pitches and then widening the target to get the batter to chase the fastball, rather than the more typical pattern of starting with the heat, but the first time on reading, without explanation, that Shaw "pitches backwards a lot," it can conjure some funny images.

Frayed Knot Nov 25 2008 09:56 PM

"But I'm not convinced he is much more than a 15-20 homer hitter. I don't think his bat is solid enough to play left field." This is the danger with going overboard with Murphy, that he's going to be a bit of a "tweener" -- not enough glove for 2nd base yet only a mediocre bat if he's in a corner spot.

smg58 Nov 26 2008 04:45 AM

If Murphy can post an OBP in the .400 area, he doesn't need to hit more than 15-20 homers to be a plus leftfielder.

Frayed Knot Nov 26 2008 06:27 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 26 2008 06:42 AM

Sure, but that's a level maybe 10 guys reach in a given year (8 MLers at .400+ in '08) Throwing him out there and expecting that is a pretty tall order - especially off <150 ML ABs and a ~.350 minor league OBA

Edgy DC Nov 26 2008 06:28 AM

Yeah, there's nothing mediocre about that. Tony Gwynn has carved a nice slot in the Hall of Fame for outfielders with less power than that. Tim Raines should be joining him.

Benjamin Grimm Nov 26 2008 07:05 AM

I suspect that Davey Johnson wouldn't hesitate to pencil Murphy in at second base. He always valued the bat over the glove, and was pretty successful with that approach.

seawolf17 Nov 26 2008 07:15 AM

="Benjamin Grimm":11j7l0q0]I suspect that Davey Johnson wouldn't hesitate to pencil Murphy in at second base. He always valued the bat over the glove, and was pretty successful with that approach.[/quote:11j7l0q0] That would explain "Mitchell SS" appearing in the boxscore from time to time. Edgy DC Dec 05 2008 09:48 AM Mets land two guys on the Arizona Fall League�s 2008 Top Prospects Team Starting Pitchers Tommy Hanson (Braves --- maybe should have been the league MVP at 5-0, 0.63, 49 Ks and 7 BBs in 28.2 IP) Kevin Pucetas (Giants) Bobby Parnell (Mets) Relief Pitchers Bud Norris (Astros) Joh Bannister (Rangers) Catchers J.P Arencibia (Blue Jays) Matt Wieters (Orioles Firstbasemen Logan Morrison (Marlins) Rhyne Hughes (Rays) Secondbasemen Daniel Murphy (Mets) Kevin Frandsen (Giants) Thirdbasemen Wes Hodges (Indians) Brett Wallace (Cardinals) Shortstops Jason Donald (Phillies) Gordon Beckham (White Sox) Outfielders Eric Young, Jr. (Rockies) Sean Doolittle (Athletics) Chris Pettit (Angels) Austin Jackson (Yankees) Casper Wells (Tigers) Mike Baxter (Padres) Note the lack of Latin American-sounding names. I guess they tend put their offseason work in the Carribbean leagues.