Frayed Knot

Edgy DC wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: In fact, I'm calling it ... a HR or at least a long 2B from him before the game's out!! A two-run single. I'll take it. Yeah, looks like we're going to have to settle for that. He went to first-pitch hacking in each of his last two ABs so maybe that patience thing was short-lived, plus Bud Black countered with the side-winding lefty.

metirish wrote: Seriously , Ike looks way out in front every freaking time he takes that big looping swing....can he choke up or something to stop that carry on? Maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see, but I was thinking that Ike looks a bit more lively tonight. Not that the results have shown a lot (pop up + walk) after just two ABs, but after watching so many lazy swings due to him starting his swing so early before decelerating his cut as he realizes he's fooled or guessed wrong or whatever, there seemed to be both some zip to his swing and some better pitch recognition. In fact, I'm calling it ... a HR or at least a long 2B from him before the game's out!!

May 1980, as noted above, was the month of five HRs by only two players. With April of that year also on this short list, it means that the team had totalled all of NINE for the year by the end of May and puts those two months at the current top of our Noodlerometer In fact, look at the top (bottom really) THREE months (so far anyway) in lowest HR rates!! HRPAABHR/PAHR/ABSluggers59888740.51%0.57%Jogensen x 3; Youngblood x 2 April 1980 HR/PA = 0.49% May 1980 HR/PA = 0.51% Sept 1980 HR/PA = 0.57% April 1964 HR/PA = 0.67% Aug 1978 HR/PA = 0.83% May 1973 HR/PA = 0.95% May 2012 HR/PA = 0.96% (8 HRs in 826 PAs) Aug 1994 HR/PA = 1.11% June 1981 HR/PA = 1.20% year month hrs [crossout]1964 04 3[/crossout] [crossout]1980 04 3[/crossout] [crossout]1994 08 4[/crossout] [crossout]1981 06 4[/crossout] [crossout]1980 05 5[/crossout] 2003 09 6 [crossout]1980 09 6[/crossout] 1977 09 7 2012 05 7 1976 08 7 1975 06 7 1995 04 7 1972 07 8 1981 04 8 [crossout]1978 08 8[/crossout] 1966 04 8 1964 09 8 1967 08 8 1972 04 8 1971 04 9 1979 04 9 [crossout]1973 05 9[/crossout] 1967 04 9 1973 04 9 1966 09 9

Pedro Beato - with four scoreless innings for PSL under his belt (2 hits, 1 walk, 4 Ks) - is headed to Buffalo to continue his rehab/comeback trail.

1) Mike Baxter LF 2) Kirk Nieuwenhuis CF 3) David Wright 3B 4) Lucas Duda RF 5) Daniel Murphy 2B 6) Ike Davis 1B 7) Ronny Cedeno SS 8) Rob Johnson C 9) Dillon Gee RHP 1) Will Venable RF 2) Cameron Maybin CF 3) Yonder Alonso 1B 4) Jesus Guzman LF 5) Chase Headley 3B 6) John Baker C 7) Andy Parrino SS 8) Everth Cabrera 2B 9) Anthony Bass RHP Let's see if we can hold Everth Cabrera under seven hits tonight.

Yeah, he's been getting a lot of attention, and of course stories about him rarely get more than a sentence deep without mentioning his (lack of) height. Everything I've read shows him going 1st round although I'm not sure about as high as #12 although, again, that may just be height-a-phobia. Almost certainly will not be there for our 33rd pick. The MLB.com piece linked above shows him going 16th to Washington Hadn't realized until your link that he was a Long Island boy originally.

Lame-o-Meter so far: April 1980 HR/PA = 0.49% Sept 1980 HR/PA = 0.57% April 1964 HR/PA = 0.67% Aug 1978 HR/PA = 0.83% May 1973 HR/PA = 0.95% Aug 1994 HR/PA = 1.11% In progress: May 2012 HR/PA = 0.96% (8 HRs in 826 PAs)

In August 1994 the Mets chalked up only 360 team ABs on account of the strike that hit mid-month - so their piddling and tied for second-worst HR total of just four isn't going to be quite as close to the bottom when figured on a rate basis. HRPAABHR/PAHR/ABSluggers 43913601.02%1.11%Bobby Bonilla, Rico Brogna, Jim Lindeman (2) OK, so I have no memory of Jim Lindeman ever being on this team yet it turns out that he hit half the HRs the Mets hit in the only ten games they played that month. Those were the final two of the seven HRs he�d hit as a NYM and those seven turned out to be the final ones of the twenty-one he�d hit as a major leaguer. Born a Cardinal with stops in Detroit, Philly, and Houston, James William Linderman died a New York Met. Lameness so far: April 1980 HR/PA = 0.49% April 1964 HR/PA = 0.67% Aug 1994 HR/PA = 1.11%

Ramirez - 1.0 Wright - 2.4 Davis - 1.0 Turner - 0.4 Duda - 0.8 Torres - 0.4

Niese - 4.4 Parnell - 0.3 Francisco - 0.8 Nieuwenhuis - 1.6 Wright - 1.4 Duda - 1.2 Johnson - 0.3

Not a good day when the opposing pitcher has (at least) 5 assists by the 5th inning.

Full-on profile of Wheeler from John Sickels: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/5/24/3039989/prospect-of-the-day-zack-wheeler-rhp-new-york-mets-scouting-report#storyjump [video attached for any mechanics freaks out there] One of the most dominant pitchers in the minors this year is right-hander Zack Wheeler of the New York Mets, currently pitching for Double-A Binghamton in the Eastern League. Acquired for Carlos Beltran last summer, he's been everything the Mets could have possibly hoped this spring, solidifying his status as one of the top right-handed pitching prospects in the game. Wheeler was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round in 2009, from high school in Dallas, Georgia. The sixth-overall pick in the draft, he accepted a $3,300,000 bonus, passing up college baseball at Kennesaw State. He signed late and didn't make his pro debut until 2010. Pitch counts and a cracked fingernail that wouldn't heal quickly limited him to just 59 innings for Low-A Augusta in '10. He had serious command issues and walked 38 men, but he was also overpowering, fanning 70 and allowing just 47 hits (.218 average against) for a 3.99 ERA. Moved up to San Jose in the High-A California League for 2011, Wheeler continued to have command issues and walked 47 in 88 innings, while maintaining excellent K/IP and H/IP rates (98 whiffs, 74 hits, .224 average against). Traded to the Mets in late July, he was assigned to High-A St. Lucie in the Florida State League and pitched brilliantly, posting a 2.00 ERA in six starts with a 31/5 K/BB ratio in 27 innings. Thus far in 2012, he's 4-2, 1.97 in eight starts in Double-A, with a 51/21 K/BB in 46 innings, 27 hits allowed, and a .175 average against. Wheeler is a 6-4, 185 pound right-handed hitter and thrower, born May 30, 1990. His key pitch is a 93-97 MPH fastball, a plus pitch with both velocity and impressive movement. He utilizes a slider/cutter, a power curve, and a changeup. The curveball is his best secondary pitch but all of them have strong potential. Statistically, his excellent dominance ratios provide objective confirmation of the quality of his stuff. His biggest issue has been simple command. He threw strikes much more efficiently after going back to his high school mechanics last summer, but his walk rate has spiked upward again this spring, granted the rest of his numbers remain excellent. Wheeler projects as a number two starter and we should see him in New York sometime next year. The Mets don't rush prospects like they used to, and I anticipate they will be patient with him while he polishes his command.

Pre-draft "buzz" seems to be linking the Mets mostly to HS position players which, if true, would make it two years in a row for such animals following a stretch featuring mostly college hurlers. Mock drafts are usually about as accurate as long-range weather forecasts, but MLB.com has their Top-20 guesstimate up - interesting mostly for the thumb-nail sketches of the likely pool of candidates we'll be hearing about in the next two weeks more than for the specific order/projections. In addition to the SS Gavin Cecchini out of Louisiana which MLB.com's Mayo lists here, BA linked them recently to a couple of HS outfielders from Texas; Courtney Hawkins, and Alabama; David Dahl

Now the thing to do (I'm so ambitious when I don't have to do the work) is to dig up team-wide ABs for those sub-10 HR months and get a list of the lowest HR pcts; something that would take care of the oddities GF notes and probably raise the lameness of this one up a couple notches if this drought continues for the final week.

The Padres' DL (making ours look tame by comparison - at least in terms of numbers): - SS Jason Bartlett (knee) - OF Kyle Blanks (shoulder - out for season) - 3B Darnell James (shoulder) - 2B Logan Forsythe (broken foot) - LF Jeremy Hermida (hip flexor) - OF Mark Kotsay (back) - P Cory Luebke (TJ surgery - out for season) - P Dustin Moseley (shoulder - out for season) - P Micah Owings (shoulder) - OF Carlos Quentin (knee) - P Tim Stauffer (elbow) - RP Huston Street (Lat muscle) - P Joseph Wieland (elbow)

* Chris Young by June 1st is "a stretch" - so says Dan Warthen via Star-Ledger's Andy McCullough �If he comes out of (tomorrow�s start) feeling good. I think he�s going to give us a call and say �Hey, look. I�d like to go to Buffalo.� And if he comes out still cranky, �Maybe I should stay in the warmth for a little while.�?� It�s tough for a timetable right now, but I would think June 1 would be a stretch.� * Zack Wheeler for Bingo on Wednesday: 8 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 2 walks, 6 Ks For the season now: 4-2; 1.97; 21 BBs; 51 Ks; 45-2/3 IP The biggest problem for him is obviously the walks, although I believe a chunk of them came early in the year and have been better lately. Right now I'd say he's 4th or 5th in line for a Queens promotion this year and probably won't get here at all. Ahead of him are (in no particular order) Harvey, Young, Familia, and Mejia - those last two being possible relief candidates.

The next bobble-head I see that actually resembles the person it's supposed to will be the first.

A case of Jungle Fever could turn you into this guy.. Ummm, is it supposed to be obvious who that guy is? ... all the while pontificating about how nobody knows anything about Valley Fever. Translation: I don't know anything about Valley Fever therefore nobody knows anything about Valley Fever

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Dickey - 4.1 Rauch - 0.2 Francisco - 0.9 Byrdak - 0.4 Cedeno - 1.0 Duda - 1.4 Baxter - 1.0 Nickeas - 1.0

Rauch - 0.5 Byrdak - 0.1 Parnell - 0.1 Rottino - 0.5 Cedeno - 2.0 Turner - 1.5 Wright - 1.5 Santana - 1.0

Clint, by his own admission, had some rough miles on those early years. I would have left Parnell in also, but now that's six straight outs for Frank-Frank w/5 of them Ks so that's not too bad either. If not switching out Duda is a confidence thing he probably would have skipped it altogether. It just made more sense to do it an inning earlier.

Niese walks Hernandez and now it'll be Parnell to face McCutcheon w/2-out and 2-on

Again no double-switch w/Duda even though he made the last out ... and again a fly-ball single falls in despite seeming to be in the air a long time. Mabye Torres in CF moving Nieuey to RF makes a difference but maybe not. Still ...

Tack on a 6-pitch 1-2-3 inning for Niese and it's on to the 8th.