Can’t wait to hear the negatives around the blogosphere on this one. In a shocking move the Mets have traded Michael Antonini a 25 year old struggling AAA pitcher who was not chosen in the Rule V draft for Chin-lung Hu a 26 year old middle IF who is also out of options. Hu is said to be solid defensively but has yet to take advantage offensively on the MLB level. He does have one thing that the Mets don’t have a lot of. The ability to play SS. At this point Luis Hernandez may have had an inside track on making the team as a backup SS. Hopefully this will at least give another option. Also to be considered is this would allow the Mets to leave Tejada in AAA where hopefully his bat will catch up with his defensive abilities.
When looking quickly at Lu’s MLB numbers
| Year | Age | Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 23 | LAD | 12 | 31 | 29 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .241 | .241 | .517 | .759 |
| 2008 | 24 | LAD | 65 | 129 | 116 | 16 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 23 | .181 | .252 | .233 | .485 |
| 2009 | 25 | LAD | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .400 | .333 | .600 | .933 |
| 2010 | 26 | LAD | 14 | 25 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | .130 | .160 | .174 | .334 |
| 4 Seasons | 96 | 191 | 173 | 25 | 33 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 3 | 11 | 38 | .191 | .241 | .283 | .524 | ||
| 162 Game Avg. | 162 | 322 | 292 | 42 | 56 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 5 | 19 | 64 | .191 | .241 | .283 | .524 | ||
Those are quite putrid. However, what is promising is his AAA stat line.
| .303 | .333 | .421 | .754 |
In over 1,000 PA. While certainly not great, solid. Last year produced a slightly healthier line.
| .317 | .339 | .438 | .777 |
Thus while I am obviously still in the Sandy honeymoon period, I see this as a good move to add depth in an area desperately needed. You bring him in to ST and if it works out great, if not you lost a guy that was most likely lost anyway due to numbers.
64 comments
njstuckintx
12/27/2010-10:14pm at 10:14 pm (UTC -4)
Defensively, makes sense and allows Tejada to stay in the minors. Another option for back up SS.
Only concern I can see on this is now 39 of the 40 man spots are taken. Other than than, this could be one of those diamonds in the rough type things. And then again it could be much a-Hu about nothing.
TRS86
12/27/2010-10:26pm at 10:26 pm (UTC -4)
LOL, I have not looked at the 40 man but how much of it is dead weight?
oleosmirf
12/28/2010-8:19am at 8:19 am (UTC -4)
well Luis Castillo is 99.9% gone once the season starts, Perez most likely is too. Luis Hernandez, Jason Pridie, Tobi Stoner and Mike Nickeas are the only guys I can see getting waived now. Remember Emaus and Beato are only on the 40 man if they are on the 25 man all season too
Ceetar
12/28/2010-9:01am at 9:01 am (UTC -4)
Well, Santana will likely go to the 60 day DL, clearing a spot.
Fringe bench guys, Hernandez/Hu both don’t make it, so those spots will open up for our eventual 4th/5th starters, and the rest of th bullpen likely.
don’t think 40man size ever really becomes an usse anyway. always moving guys.
kingman 26
12/28/2010-12:54am at 12:54 am (UTC -4)
Well, it is not a big sample, but for 200 PA in the majors, those are some of the worst numbers I have ever seen.
Ultimately, a meaningless minor league deal.
This guy is not a backup for Reyes; this guy is a backup for Tejada!
Seriously, it means less than nothing, but I can understand Met Moron Nation at other sites being whiny; this year there is no Pedro/Beltran/Wagner/Delgado/Johan/KRod/Bay signing to point to; just another 4th place finish and tiny moves like this.
I totally understand, but for once I can at least see the whining idiots’ point of view, which I am sure will be loudly expressed!
oleosmirf
12/28/2010-9:13am at 9:13 am (UTC -4)
while his numbers are pretty bad at the major league level, I dont think ive seen more consistent numbers for a minor leaguer. .300 hitter in the minors with some pop, plus defense and plus speed.
as long as he can hit .250+ in the majors that’s exactly what you are looking for in your backup SS and the 9th inning defensive replacement for Murphy/Emaus
kingman 26
12/28/2010-9:34am at 9:34 am (UTC -4)
Chris Carter? Val Pascucci?
Guys who can hit in the minors but not the majors are a dime a dozen.
A guy who is 26 and has hit .191 in 200 PA over several years is all of a sudden going to hit .250?
Very unlikely.
oleosmirf
12/28/2010-10:16am at 10:16 am (UTC -4)
1 year of 120 AB and 3 years of 25 AB is not enough of a sample size. I guess Duda and F-Mart are both AAAA players as well then…
kingman 26
12/28/2010-10:24am at 10:24 am (UTC -4)
Well, Duda certainly showed a lot more pop in many less PA.
Martinez is nothing. He has never stayed healthy for 90 games in a season at any level. He is absolutely nothing whatsoever at this point.
oleosmirf
12/28/2010-11:28am at 11:28 am (UTC -4)
Val Pascucci has some pop too
kingman 26
12/28/2010-11:51am at 11:51 am (UTC -4)
LOL!
He’s 32!
Not sure what argument you are trying to make here.
Hu is nothing; Carter is nothing; Pascucci is nothing; FMart is an injured nothing.
Duda is healthy, but remains a longshot to be anything more than an MLB bench player, if he is even that.
stickguy
12/28/2010-1:37pm at 1:37 pm (UTC -4)
you are underselling Dudas offensive potential by quite a bit IMO. And his defense did not look that bad, and he does have a good arm.
kingman 26
12/28/2010-4:20pm at 4:20 pm (UTC -4)
And while he is taking breaks from adding more shelves for MVP trophies and Gold Gloves, he also cures disease, rescues kittens from trees, shovels people out from snowstorms, and works 12 hours a day at food banks.
stickguy
12/28/2010-7:01pm at 7:01 pm (UTC -4)
no, that is Reyes that does all that.
kingman 26
12/28/2010-9:04pm at 9:04 pm (UTC -4)
No, Jose is far too busy dividing his time between polishing his Mensa awards and his Dancing With the Dugout Steps plaques.
And tallying his times getting thrown out on the bases.
And how many years it’s been since he was good.
And admiring his pretty dreadlocks in the mirror.
metsfan4decades
12/28/2010-7:14am at 7:14 am (UTC -4)
Honestly, I don’t understand the whining from Met fans on this one.
We don’t have much depth at all for backup SS. So the FO goes out and gets one who could be called up if Reyes goes on the DL or who makes the team outright as his backup. Why would anyone have a problem with that?
I don’t see Tejada making the team out of ST, not unless his bat shows some dramatic turn around. There’s still a possibility he could improve offensively given the chance to play every day so he should start out in triple A.
Besides, this move does not mean they won’t still get another major league backup MI who does play SS if the opportunity arises.
oleosmirf
12/28/2010-8:24am at 8:24 am (UTC -4)
I dont see the Mets trying to get anyone else. Hernandez, Hu and Turner will be competing for the backup MI role with other internal options and maybe an invitee getting a look.
stickguy
12/28/2010-10:53am at 10:53 am (UTC -4)
with hernandez floating around, and now this guy, seems that Turner is not in consideration. Hard to see him making the team unless Emaus is a total train wreck.
oleosmirf
12/28/2010-7:16pm at 7:16 pm (UTC -4)
Turner is def not the favorite but he can easily play himself onto the roster.
kistics
12/28/2010-9:09am at 9:09 am (UTC -4)
I wonder if Hu can pitch….
kistics
12/28/2010-9:12am at 9:12 am (UTC -4)
I honestly don’t have an opinion on this move. I just see it as a minor leaguer for minor leaguer move. If it works great… if not.. no biggie.
stickguy
12/28/2010-10:46am at 10:46 am (UTC -4)
I am curious now if the “sandy is in a coma, a do-nothing small market past his prime loser” crowd will celebrate a move being made, or roast him more for picking up a scrub? WAG but i am thinking the latter.
Not sure why they bothered, with Hernandez floating around. Although if you want to be a conspiracy theorist he seems to be the only guy (other than maybe tejada) that actually qualifies as a SS in the pool of back up options (as in, he could play there in the majors, without hitting of course). and that means the big move this year is trading Reyes!
surprised though that they traded any pitching. They can pick up guys like this all spring long off the waiver wire.
Ceetar
12/28/2010-10:52am at 10:52 am (UTC -4)
yeah, as much as its’ a nothing move, and the pitcher wasn’t very good, I’d rather have a pitcher work out than a backup SS. (the pitcher wasn’t wanted by anyone either, no team thinks he’s worth anything)
I don’t think bringing in crappy SS means anything about Reyes, who i’m still betting gets extended in Spring Training. hopefully.
I don’t know why they bothered either, unless they see something in the SS that the Dodgers gave up on. or they just want more warm SS bodies in the minors for depth purposes. Sorta like the Enaus guy.
stickguy
12/28/2010-10:56am at 10:56 am (UTC -4)
well, big difference with Emaus, since he is competing (and a viable candidate) for an open starting position.
the Reyes comment was tongue in cheek anyway (hence the conspiracy theory line), but I am sure quite a few people will buy into it.
I am not expecting an extension though. Once he plays and shows he is in peak condition, he is playing out the year and I still say if that happens he is gone.
kistics
12/28/2010-10:58am at 10:58 am (UTC -4)
I think Hu is in the mix for starting 2B as well as he can play both positions.
Ceetar
12/28/2010-11:12am at 11:12 am (UTC -4)
We’ll see, i think Emaus is a long shot to make the team anyway, and Hu is as fine as anyone else as backup MI, but I’m not really sure he’s got anything to offer besides some jokes about first base in spring training.
kistics
12/28/2010-10:57am at 10:57 am (UTC -4)
Perhaps there’s a business side to the trade. Hu is supposedly the most prominent position player from Taiwan. So, you may draw little bit more of foreign fans from Taiwan (and potentially China) IF Hu takes a bench spot for the Mets.
Otherwise, I agree that this is not much of a move….
kingman 26
12/28/2010-11:20am at 11:20 am (UTC -4)
Well, he will be in Buffalo, so I hope the demographic works there!!
kistics
12/28/2010-11:25am at 11:25 am (UTC -4)
LOL
Ceetar
12/28/2010-11:27am at 11:27 am (UTC -4)
I don’t recall seeing a lot of Korean’s in Buffalo, but I was necessarily paying attention tothat either.
kistics
12/28/2010-11:48am at 11:48 am (UTC -4)
Taiwanese!! Not Koreans!
Ceetar
12/28/2010-11:49am at 11:49 am (UTC -4)
bah. i missed that. I think it was the reference to the Korean reporter from the press conference.
Either way, I doubt I’d notice the difference and i don’t think there’s either in the Buffalo area.
kingman 26
12/28/2010-11:21am at 11:21 am (UTC -4)
Guys, this is a minor league depth move.
Why in the world would this awful career minor leaguer make the team over Tejada or Emaus?
This guy is a bad version of a middle infield Chris Carter.
stickguy
12/28/2010-11:31am at 11:31 am (UTC -4)
bad analogy. he is actually a pretty good minor leaguer. Just has not done much in his (admittedly brief) ML call ups. And that was just at the bat, from reading a bit on him this AM (not having any clue about him before) it sounds like the glove is real.
so the opposite of Carter. A glove guy that couldn’t hit.
for a slick fielding SS a .750ish OPS is not bad at all.
kingman 26
12/28/2010-11:52am at 11:52 am (UTC -4)
No, precisely the same as Carter.
A guy who might be good at AAA but sucks in the majors.
stickguy
12/28/2010-12:13pm at 12:13 pm (UTC -4)
OK then. I never realized that Val Pascucci and a slick fielding but offensively challenged SS were interchangable though!
kingman 26
12/28/2010-12:33pm at 12:33 pm (UTC -4)
“A guy who might be good at AAA but sucks in the majors.”
THIS was, of course, my point on their similarity.
kistics
12/28/2010-12:19pm at 12:19 pm (UTC -4)
To be fair, both of them never actually had opportunities to play everyday for a major league team. Maybe Hu was always a backup and never had a chance to get comfortable at the majors.
Looking at Hu’s numbers, majority of his PAs come from ’08 season. And even in ’08 season, he was with the team for 2 months where he started only 23 games and rest were defensive replacements. So, I just don’t think that’s a good enough sample size to judge a player whether he can hit or not.
But then I’m not putting too much faith on him either.
njstuckintx
12/28/2010-11:50am at 11:50 am (UTC -4)
This could be the beginning of the avalanche!
kistics
12/28/2010-11:52am at 11:52 am (UTC -4)
ha!
njstuckintx
12/28/2010-12:04pm at 12:04 pm (UTC -4)
Cue the Jane’s Addiction. Coming down the mountain!!!
Mr North Jersey
12/28/2010-12:29pm at 12:29 pm (UTC -4)
I trade to add some depth at SS and 2b. Keep it simple.
kingman 26
12/28/2010-12:34pm at 12:34 pm (UTC -4)
Absolutely!
Buffalo needs backups too…
Mr North Jersey
12/28/2010-12:57pm at 12:57 pm (UTC -4)
ok well u kno its about overall depth not AAA in case of injuries but I see you wish is to jest.
kingman 26
12/28/2010-1:04pm at 1:04 pm (UTC -4)
Well, I am partly joking, but if we see this guy on the ML roster, wow, this year will be worse than the last two.
Mr North Jersey
12/28/2010-1:12pm at 1:12 pm (UTC -4)
Like I said it’s simply depth just in case.
stickguy
12/28/2010-1:40pm at 1:40 pm (UTC -4)
pretty much every team has a guy like him on the roster for at least part of the year as a back up or DL fill in.
Hell, your favorite team from last year gave extended PT to a few different 2009 Met scurbeenie cast-offs, and it didn’t hurt them too much.
Mr North Jersey
12/28/2010-9:08pm at 9:08 pm (UTC -4)
Stick it finally happened. The MMO Shoutbox was closed down today.
The short story Bay told me to do a sexual act to my wife and well after that the room disappeared.
What caused him to say such a thing?
I said wish me a Happy Birthday on New years since it is my bday that day.
YUP….
kingman 26
12/28/2010-9:14pm at 9:14 pm (UTC -4)
It’s just temporary.
They are working on changing the graphics to call it the MMO SHITbox.
hazmet
12/28/2010-12:59pm at 12:59 pm (UTC -4)
Yawn. Essentially replaced Arias for milb depth after Arias got plucked by KC. My preference is to usually keep pitching, even if it’s crappy pitching but what the heck AAAA infielders need some love too. Maybe Sandy made this move just to see if the phones in the FO still work.
metsfan4decades
12/28/2010-1:26pm at 1:26 pm (UTC -4)
‘Maybe Sandy made this move just to see if the phones in the FO still work.’
Ouch. Certainly seems that way to many Met fans right about now.
The ‘Sandy is our savior’ crowd are moving towards the mindset of ‘yeah, we know we weren’t going all in this year but dang…thought we’d have some pitching arms by now’.
I’ll admit to even though I understand the plan for this year, I’m getting a little antsy on just who the rotation is going to be come opening day. And looking at those who will likely fill it out, I’m of the opinion that the BP is going to be very important this upcoming season. On that note, we don’t exactly have anywhere near a set BP either. It appears it’s going to be all hands on deck come ST and we’ll see from there.
Ceetar
12/28/2010-1:40pm at 1:40 pm (UTC -4)
The plan is irrelevant to not being antsy about who’s going to be in the rotation. I just want to know who I’m rooting for, I want it to be Spring Training, I want basball to be on.
stickguy
12/28/2010-1:53pm at 1:53 pm (UTC -4)
I agree that I would be happy to skip right to opening day.
I normally enjoy the off season hot stove stuff, but this year the “debate” and “commentary” on most sites makes me want to drop internet access.
Ceetar
12/28/2010-1:59pm at 1:59 pm (UTC -4)
I never enjoy it and always tell myself i’ll do something more productively then endlessly comment on the same things over and over again. but I don’t.
metsfan4decades
12/28/2010-3:05pm at 3:05 pm (UTC -4)
I hear you. Same here.
kingman 26
12/28/2010-4:22pm at 4:22 pm (UTC -4)
Actually, I must admit I have been having fun toying with some of the real dingbats at FWICG.com.
kistics
12/28/2010-4:43pm at 4:43 pm (UTC -4)
certainly some interesting people there…
stickguy
12/28/2010-7:00pm at 7:00 pm (UTC -4)
and it is really easy to get them going.
stickguy
12/28/2010-1:51pm at 1:51 pm (UTC -4)
it is still January.
for the 2010 roster, the Mets added Bay, Dickey, Catalanatto and GM jr. in January.
Barajas and Takahoochie did not sign until February.
so that is 4 starters/key players that were not part of the Mets at this point last year. About all they had added was Iggy and Escobar.
so all the “why isn’t Alderson doing anything” zealots that seem to be implying Omar was more active don’t really have a leg to stand on!
there are quite a few mid-level (value, cheap, whatever you want to call them) FAs still floating around, along with plenty of guys that will sign on ST invite type deals. And it still isn’t 2011.
But, I guess it is fine to evaluate the 2011 squad and predict the record before the team is finished, since they also have predicted the records for 2012 and 2013 too!
Ceetar
12/28/2010-1:52pm at 1:52 pm (UTC -4)
It ‘s January? I slept through New Years again? doh.
stickguy
12/28/2010-1:54pm at 1:54 pm (UTC -4)
sorry. forgot the ‘nt there.
just trying to keep you on your toes.
kistics
12/28/2010-2:19pm at 2:19 pm (UTC -4)
Happy New Year~!
rustyjr
12/28/2010-3:55pm at 3:55 pm (UTC -4)
Guys I’m still alive – just caught in this blizzard hell – mandated until tomorrow
njstuckintx
12/28/2010-11:27pm at 11:27 pm (UTC -4)
remember, alcohol only makes you feel warm.