Today was the first full day of minor league camp for the Mets in Port St. Lucie. The best Mets prospects were already there taking part in the STEP camp, but today they are joined by the rest of the players in the Mets farm system. Also taking part in minor league camp will be Fernando Martinez, Ruben Tejada, Zach Lutz, Jordanny Valdespin, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Kai Gronauer, Josh Stinson, Manny Alvarez, Armando Rodriguez, and Tobi Stoner. These guys may still make appearances in major league spring training games as they have done already, but they have been all but eliminated from making the opening day roster. There’s no real surprises on the list. The key is who is not on the list: Lucas Duda. Duda is hitting .303 and slugging around .600 in the spring, including two home runs. He is starting to get playing time in right field, which is an indication that he will stick around major league camp and be in the discussion for the opening day roster as long as the health and readiness of Carlos Beltran is in question.
As for the other guys: Martinez has hit .364 in 22 at bats, including a home run in the spring opener, but he needs to prove himself healthy before in the minors for an extended period before the Mets think of bringing him up. Tejada has played in ten games hitting .313, but has already been named the everyday shortstop in AAA, but could be an option at second base at some point if things get ugly at that position. Despite a nice looking home run, Nieuwenhuis hit just .115 over 26 at bats, and still needs to prove he can hit AAA pitching. Valdespin hit 5 for 15, including a double, triple, and home run, but just one walk; he did showcase a lot of talent and athleticism but is probably a year away from making a serious run at a major league job. Zach Lutz managed just two hits in 14 at bats and Gronauer, despite blasting a three-run homer is a year away from being in the top 3 or 4 catchers on the organizational depth chart. Stinson, Alvarez, and Rodriguez all pitched 3 innings, and not surprisingly, did not prove to be legitimate competitors for the few unspoken bullpen spots. Staying in major league camp for now is top prospect Jenrry Mejia who has surrendered one unearned run in four innings.
Minor Leaguers from the STEP camp who have gotten at bats in spring games include Cory Vaughn, who belted a two-run home run, as well as Matt Den Dekker and Darrell Ceciliani, who have two hits each in limited action.
One more thing of note: Joe Christensen who covers the Minnesota Twins tweeted that an MLB scout told him the Drew Butera is the best defensive catcher he’s seen this spring. Butera was catching the Binghamton Mets in 2007 until he was traded to the twins along with outfielder Dustin Martin for Luis Castillo. I wonder how both teams feel about that trade today?
29 comments
hazmet
3/11/2011-6:04pm at 6:04 pm (UTC -4)
Am I supposed to be getting emotionally enraged over the Mets giving up Drew Butera as part of a deal for Luis Castillo? Drew Butera who will be 28 in August and hit .197 last year with 2HR’s & 13RBI’s. I don’t know how the Mets are feeling about it now but I know I’m not feeling anything. Yawn.
njstuckintx
3/11/2011-9:02pm at 9:02 pm (UTC -4)
I think he’s saying we’d rather have said .197 hitting Defensive catcher vs. Luis and his 6 million dollar hole.
hazmet
3/11/2011-9:13pm at 9:13 pm (UTC -4)
True, but they signed him as a free agent after trading for him so the trading of Butera is really irrelevant in the grand scheme of things as they might have signed Castillo as a FA after that year anyway regardless of the trade.
Man, I’m tired and ramblee but that’s the general notion.
njstuckintx
3/11/2011-9:16pm at 9:16 pm (UTC -4)
I hear you, my man. Just figured life, floods, Madoff and such was bringing you down. Just trying to bring balance to ship.
hazmet
3/11/2011-9:23pm at 9:23 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah a really f’d up day and past few week around the globe. Really crazy. As the blessing and curse goes “may you live in interesting times”. But really now enough already. The images out of Japan have just been astonishing.
Personally, things are actually going really well. Just tired of the periphery TGIF
njstuckintx
3/11/2011-9:33pm at 9:33 pm (UTC -4)
Tell me about it. I’m in international shipping, so world events effect me more than most. What a crazy situation in japan. The videos of the tsunami swell make it all the more real. 5th largest eathquake on record! Just whacked. I’ll complain about wanting to see castillo and ollie kicked to the curb any day of the week over life events like japan. Anyway, so how about our distractions… I hear Stick has a restraining order against him from Duda…
hazmet
3/11/2011-9:42pm at 9:42 pm (UTC -4)
Internation Shipping, oy, that is not fun. Just the ITAR stuff is enough to drive me to the brink.
lol – restraining order… I was going to stir the Duda pot but heck the kid’s getting his shot can’t ask for anything more. I wonder what Evans has gotta be thinking given to ST he had a couple of years ago and they stuck with I believe Moises at that time instead of giving him the shot Duda’s getting. Well if Nick could’ve hit righties a little better that might have helped too.
hazmet
3/11/2011-9:43pm at 9:43 pm (UTC -4)
** giving him the shot like Duda’s getting today.
Alright, I’m incoherent. Night all.
stickguy
3/11/2011-9:15pm at 9:15 pm (UTC -4)
I would rather have absolutely nobody instead of Castillo. They can keep butera if the take slappy back.
hazmet
3/11/2011-9:20pm at 9:20 pm (UTC -4)
lol, now that is a plan I can get behind. My greatest fear with Castillo is taking shape as I posted last week that he’d have enuff left in the tank to have a good spring and just enuff to outshine the competition and we’d be stuck with the stiff at second instead of one of the youngsters. The only positive this week was Luis mopping around the clubhouse seemed to irk Terry this week. I figured if he wins the position it would at least take till Terry bats him 8th to get him mopping. Maybe Luis will mop his way out the door in spite of collecting some hits and scoring a couple of runs again today. He really must go.
kistics
3/11/2011-9:25pm at 9:25 pm (UTC -4)
With Murphy’s offense picking up, it won’t be long before Luis gets the boot. Hopefully, he takes the other idiot with him.
njstuckintx
3/11/2011-9:40pm at 9:40 pm (UTC -4)
Go Big Murph!
kistics
3/11/2011-9:30pm at 9:30 pm (UTC -4)
I’m really curious to see how Harvey will turn out. Most of the guys he was drafted with are now at the top of their team’s prospect list.
kistics
3/11/2011-9:32pm at 9:32 pm (UTC -4)
Hopefully Harvey is Omar’s parting gift.. in a good way..
njstuckintx
3/11/2011-9:37pm at 9:37 pm (UTC -4)
I get the feeling he’ll be a solid 4, possibly a 3.
kistics
3/12/2011-8:38am at 8:38 am (UTC -4)
That’s not very encouraging….
njstuckintx
3/12/2011-8:44am at 8:44 am (UTC -4)
I also got the feeling that Pearl Jam would be a better band than Nirvana… So take my feelings with a grain of salt.
stickguy
3/12/2011-9:49am at 9:49 am (UTC -4)
If you assume his last month or so (game 24+) was largely related to just hitting the wall (remember, he had surgery at the end of 2009, so probably did not get normal prep work in, plus it was his first full year), then he already is a solid #3.
I really like his stuff. And while the numbering system is of course subjective, and I don’t care for it much myself, using the common standards I would say he is easily a #3 ongoing, with potential to be a solid #2 (petite, lackey?, Garza?).
Long shot to be at the Lee or glavine in his prime level at some point, but not inconceivable.
kistics
3/12/2011-10:23am at 10:23 am (UTC -4)
Harvey? or Niese?
stickguy
3/12/2011-10:38am at 10:38 am (UTC -4)
Oops. Got my threads confused. I was talking about Neise. I see now you were talking about Harvey.
OK, Harvey? I refuse to formulate an opinion on the guy until he has made at least 1 professional appearance. And I don’t expect to see him until 2014 or so anyway.
ceiling? Somewhere between Tom Seaver and a talking rabbit. With Brad Holt a distinct possibility.
kistics
3/12/2011-10:44am at 10:44 am (UTC -4)
I hope to see him sooner than 2014.. he’s already polished with his playing time in college. He’s 21 now and hopefully we’ll see him in 2 years.
Bryan
3/12/2011-12:03pm at 12:03 pm (UTC -4)
For Harvey my guess is 2013, possibly September 2012 if things go really well for him. If it’s 2014 then there were either injuries or things did not go as well as planned.
gategem
3/13/2011-5:58am at 5:58 am (UTC -4)
I loved James Stewart in the 1950 movie. I recall a television remake with Art Carney in the James Stewart role. I also came across this:
“Steven Spielberg will direct a new version of the classic Jimmy Stewart film “Harvey” — about a man and his invisible six-foot rabbit — as his next project for DreamWorks and Fox.”
hazmet
3/11/2011-9:36pm at 9:36 pm (UTC -4)
Me too. Between Harvey, Gee, and Mejia they have a nice crop of pitchers to possibly slide in next year if we get through this year with Young and Capuano as a stop gap. Then groom Familia and that next group behind them and the depth starts looking respectable given enough time to mature. I’m also hoping Matz comes back later this year given he’s a local LI product who had advanced stuff for a HS kid in the area. He’d be years away but hopefully he can make a go at it post surgery.
oleosmirf
3/12/2011-12:10am at 12:10 am (UTC -4)
Im not worried about Perez making the team. In fact, I think they have already made up their mind of releasing him and are just waiting simply to prove to the Wilpons they made every attempt to let him win a job.
Castillo, on the other hand, scares me because there is a real chance that he wins the 2B job. Hopefully Murphy will turn a good double play and they can finally just hand him the job. I could care less if he plays the field like Dan Uggla b/c although Murphy is nowhere near as productive as him, he will easily make up the runs he costs us in the field with his bat, plus Hu will be double switched when its late and close and the guys on either side of Murphy have excellent range.
Reyes, Pagan, Wright, Beltran, Bay, Davis, Murphy, Thole is a damn good lineup that when on all cylinders is good enough to win a WS.
njstuckintx
3/12/2011-12:14am at 12:14 am (UTC -4)
Amen and a plus uno.
stickguy
3/12/2011-7:25am at 7:25 am (UTC -4)
I agree with this too. Vastly better line up (more depth) than most of the ones they have rolled out the last couple of years. And when a few of the big bats are hot together, will score a lot of runs.
metsfan4decades
3/12/2011-10:04am at 10:04 am (UTC -4)
A few of these prospects look very promising and a few more serviceable up at the ML level. Cory Vaughn will be one to keep an eye on. Young yet but many had some very positives things to say about him at this early stage of his career.
kistics
3/12/2011-10:39am at 10:39 am (UTC -4)
I really liked what I saw in Cory Vaughn.. I know it’s only 1 AB, but he looks like a complete 5 tool player..