MFS62

Sounds like fun. Plenty of opportunity for self-flagellation if he turns it around. But it seems that would be highly unlikely based on his AAA performance this year. Usually threads about players who are no longer Met property get archived. But if he gets off to a hot start, this might stick around for a while. Go for it. Later

Farmer Ted wrote: Can they smuggle Rey Ordonez BACK to Cuba? Why bother? That would be like closing the barn door after the horse is stolen. Later

I think Durham is a free agent. Later

="Frayed Knot"] I've heard that Gammons statement referred to a bunch of times and I'd like to know what his actual words were. I believe it was in response to questions about the 2nd day of the draft and trying to counter charges that is was a "useless" exercise due to the fact that there's a history of good players emerging from late rounds. I suspect his comment was along the lines of how the odds were similar to those selected anywhere BUT the 1st few rounds - which, when you see the low pcts past rounds 1 or 2 - isn't far off. Some seem to have interpretted his remarks as saying that all rounds are the same and an admition that the whole draft was a crapshoot -- something I can't believe Gammons would actually say. I think you're right in your interpretation of his comments. As for Gammons, he returned to ESPN at the end of the season and seems to be ok. Later

Thanks, FK. Good job. That looks like it took a lot of coding work. Where were sandwich picks (between the first and second rounds) included (like David Wright), or were they? Peter Gammons once wrote that a player drafted in rounds 10-20 has "just as much chance" of reaching the majors as a number 1-10. He didn't say whether that meant a cup-of-joe or as a regular. He may be correct based on those numbers, because after #1, the results seem within a very few percentage points of each other. Now I'm going to have to check out my books tonight to try to identify those #6 picks who became all stars. Later Later

Point of reference. Soon to be 44 (later this month) Jamie Moyer just signed a two year contract with the Phillies. They are similar types of pitcher. Neither relies on a fastball as their typical out pitch. Neither throws a slider (which puts stress on the elbow). Both feature changing speeds and control. Two years for Glavine doesn't upset me. It was a piece of business that Omar had to get out of the way so he could move on to improve the team in other areas. Later

Nymr83 wrote: given his alleged history i'd think he'd want to stay away from underaged cheerleaders, not shake hands with them. As we read in the articles when he signed, shaking hands wasn't the alleged problem. Later

patona314 wrote: my porn is on vhs tapes and i just ran out of viagra from the sample pack my doctor gave me. And a hearty welcome to you. LOL! Nice start. Later

How am I "hanging this over everybody's head"? Its my opinion. If you don't agree with it, I don't force anyone to respond to it. Someone asked for an evaluation of Mets prospects and I gave mine. I gave my opinion on several prospects others were interested in, too. He is my symbol of the ineffectiveness of the Mets organization just as much as some characterize the Vince Coleman M-80 incident as an example of a badly run team. Its my perrogative to do so. Later

He is my personal pet peeve. Everyone has one. And it is usually irrational. I plead guilty to that. Those numbers are interesting, but not unexpected. What bothers me is that the organization kept promoting him even after disasterous seasons, not letting him develop at one level before moving him up. I wonder if the same thing happened to many of the others (90%+ according to your post)who didn't make it. He admittedly had tools when drafted. I believe the organization may have done him an injustice by not giving him the coaching that would have allowed those tools to be turned into baseball skills. Later

]KENNEDY INTRIGUED BY METS By MARK HALE Adam KennedyOctober 31, 2006 -- Playing for the Mets appeals to Adam Kennedy. Kennedy, one of the elite options among free-agent second basemen this winter, has spent the last seven seasons with the Angels. He filed for free agency on Sunday, however, and yesterday his agent, Paul Cohen, said he has "definite interest" in the Mets. This past year Kennedy hit .273 with four homers, 55 RBIs, 16 steals and a .334 on-base percentage for the Angels. Kennedy, who turns 31 in January, has fared well in the playoffs (he was the ALCS MVP in 2002 and has hit .308 in 25 career postseason games) and although he committed nine errors this year (tied for seventh among AL second basemen), he had the fewest among regular AL second basemen in 2005 (five). Cohen, who said several teams have inquired about Kennedy so far, but the Mets have not. The agent added being on a "winning team" is Kennedy's top priority. According to Jose Valentin's agent, Dave Elston, "The Mets and Jose are talking about Jose coming back." Elston said the free agent second baseman has spoken with other teams, including one that has interest in using him at shortstop. The Mets also have had interest in free-agent second baseman Julio Lugo, who told The Post in September that playing at Shea "would be a dream come true." Another second base option could be Rich Aurilia, whose agent, Barry Axelrod, said, "He's a native of Staten Island and his prime criteria for where he wants to play is to be on a winner and I think the Mets fit that description." * Aaron Heilman's stance remains the same: He wants to be a starting pitcher, either for the Mets or another team in 2007, according to a person familiar with the right-handed reliever's thinking. Heilman has reiterated his desire to start to management already, the person said. According to Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez's agent, Greg Genske, the veteran righty has spoken to the Mets about coming back. "El Duque's preference is to remain with the Mets. He loves New York and has had a terrific experience with the Mets organization," Genske said in an e-mail yesterday. "While we are in discussions about a potential return to the Mets, several other clubs have called to express interest in El Duque." Later

Frayed Knot wrote: I'm not sure Melville had his ship captain pursue that overgrown fish as much as MFS chases after Ragsdale. You're not too far off in that estimation. LOL! BTW- IIRC his bonus was around $900K. That sounds high for a second rounder, but that the number that sticks in my head. EDIT: "Its not personal, Sonny. Its business." Michael Corleone I'm sure Corey is a nice guy, kind to his mom, buys girl scout cookies and loves animals. But my feelings toward him are out of the frustration that, as you said, he's not blocking anybody. And that's because the Mets haven't come up with any decent middle infielders (except for Reyes) for him to block since they drafted him. Incidentally, my opinion of Corey led to a 10+ page thread that has lasted all season on another board. Some of the replies in defense of Corey are quite funny, and were intended to be. Later

Some others: Emmanuel Garcia, SS .291-3-25 in 47G at Kingsport, then .216-0-0 at Brooklyn (10 G) Brett Harper, 1B, Played only 19 G at Binghamton,then got injured - out the remainder of the season. Robert Parnell, RHP His adoptive parent can fill you in. Ryan Coultas, SS .232-0-0 in 26G for Hagerstown Matthew Durkin, RHP 0-1 8.59 (14 IP) in GCL, 0-0 0.00 (4.2 IP) at Kingsport, 0-0, 0.00 (3 IP) at Hagerstown. Still a mystery. German Marte, RHP 2-0, 0.00, 4 S (9 IP) at Brooklyn, 3-0, 4 S, 2.58 at Hagerstown Shawn Bowman, 3B .252-3-19, 39K in 119 AB at St.Lucie, then injured. Yet to show the promise they anticipated. Nick Evans, 3B .254-15-67 in 137 G at Hagerstown. He will move up in the prospect lists. Has been projected to move to first base, so Mike Carp will be in his way up the ladder. Michel Abreu (1b) .332-17-70 at Binghamton. The Cuban refugee's age is anywhere from 27 (listed) to 31 (anecdotal), But ay carramba! He can hit. My overall analysis - there appear to be no near-term potential middle infield regulars anywhere in the pipeline other than Anderson Hernandez. Later

Waner Mateo, RHP 0-5, 3.94 at Hagerstown Sean Henry, 2B - being converted to a centerfielder. .275-4-27 at Kingsport,.254-3-14 at Hagerstown. Junior Contreras, 1B Big guy, 6'5" 230. .288-3-25 at Kingsport, .250 - - (7 games) at Brooklyn. Jacob Ruckle, RHP 5-2, 3.39 (13 starts) at Brooklyn, 4-4 1.60 (9 games, 6 starts) at St Lucie) a comer, but relatively low K totals. Parris Austin, OF .167 in 5 games at Kingsport, then ??? Hector Pellot, 2B .189 in 100 G at Hagerstown. 'nuff said. Corey Ragsdale, SS Where do I begin? He's the poster boy for the Peter Principle. He was elevated to AA this year, and responded with a .204-10-37 season with 182 strikeouts. I still feel that if the Mets hadn't drafted him at #2 and given him a big bonus, he'd have been long gone by now. He reportedly has a very strong arm (to go with his bad hands) and may be tried as a pitcher. Edgar Alfonzo, LHP 5-7, 6 saves, 3.95 for St. Lucie. his 73IP in 30 G means he's not just a LOOGY. He's still young, but will have to pick it up to stay as a prospect. Jose Coronado, SS the 18/19 year old was sent to St. Lucie, where he hit .226-4-0 in 138 games. Looks like he was rushed too much. Aaron Hathaway, C Left the organization early in the year. Joe Holden, OF The centerfielder hit .300-6-25 in 38 G for Hagerstown, then , for some strange reason, was sent back to Brooklyn, where he hit.230-6-24. It must have been a shock to be demoted. Courtney Billingslea, OF Hit .125-3-6 with 47K in 96 AB in the GCL. Bye Matt Spath, OF Hit .229-0-13 in 27 G in the GCL. Bye Jamar Hill, OF Hit .235-6-28 in 78 G at St. Lucie The halo is starting to tarnish. Andy Wilson, 1B see Edgy's post. Later

Miguel Pinango was a minor league free agent - released by the organization. Later

Mark, that's like saying "other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the show?"Later

All they have to do is pass him through waivers once. If he makes it, they could put him on the bench and activate him if needed in a hurry. It sure makes him more readily available than a player they'd have to recall from a city in which New Orleans would be playing. Later

According to a friend who was there recently, there are a lot of homeless people on the streets of Salt Lake City too, drawn there by the charitable reputation of the Mormons. Later

I think Martinez' hit was as a pinch hitter. And the fact that he hit it off a lefty makes me feel all tingly. Later

Its not just in sports. In business I've heard it described as the "halo effect". When someone new joins a company, they have a bright shiny halo. Over time, you learn if/ when/ how much that halo will tarnish. Later

Edgy DC wrote: Hi, Mark. That post, and his response, both earn high marks. Later

Here ya' go. From Gotham Baseball: http://www.gothambaseball.com/news/1156661106.php If I find another list, I'll post it here. Later

You're right. But with Pedro hurt, Orlando a free agent, and Glavine with his opt out, its the fear of the unknown. Later

Edgy DC wrote: Perez and Maine are our third and fourth starters right now. And that scares me more than anything that will be knocking on my door on Halloween. Not them so much. I like their upside. But who might be numbers 1 and 2. Later

Willets Point wrote: On the other hand, I find it deliciously ironic that in the year that all the hype was for the American League and that the World Series title would go to an AL team by default that a team the could only win 83 games in the lowly NL won the series in a dominating fashion. I mean, I still hate the Cardinals, and I don't buy that reflected glory crap, but ... go NL! I agree wholeheartedly. And I also get some satisfaction in knowing thatthe Mets gave the Cards a tougher struggle than the Tigers. But still, a Tiger victory would have given us something we've missed for a while. We haven't seen a good old fashioned car-burning type Detroit celebratory street riot in years. Later