New York Mets Winter Report 2012-13

[syam24]

WIsh you luck getting a ticket. May not be too hard early in the season. Mets and Cards tied as I type, 2 up. Duda has a 2 run homer, and Harvey is pitching for the Mets. Well, the Mets "strong suit" was supposed to be the infield, and still should be, but geez, we need to get Murphy, and DWright back in the lineup. I'm not sweating it yet, but it is getting close to bell ringing time. At least David has gotten a good amount of at bats, but Murph has missed just about all of spring training. On another note, Mr Tejada hasn't show much at the plate since his first at bat HR, so need to see him come around, too. Too early for agita???

 

[Sausy]

Good effort by Harvey today in the Mets 2-1 win over the Cards...five and two thirds inings, two runs on six hits with six
strikeouts. Reading about it wasn't always sharp but his breaking stuff was good, and he worked very well with catcher Travis d'Arnaud
(who had two hits as well). Also liked what he said afterwards about striving for more efficiency...nothing wrong with strikeouts but if he can get through seven or eight innings only striking out three, he would take it as he feels he should be able to go deeper in games, and using his defense to get quicker outs is a lot more efficient than striking out a bunch but tending to go deep in counts to do it. Nonetheless, his stuff is electric enough he'll just have times where he just will fluster batters but he is wise enough to remember pitching is not merely throwing but using a wider arsenal and also using your brain.

Lucas Duda slammed a two run homer and is starting to find a groove which he can hopefully take into the new season.

 

[sonny10305]

Hey Thad it’s nice to have a Phillies fan here with us in Mets land. For a while we had Scrubs here to talk Phillies with us dono what happened to her but hopefully she will be back. I’m guessin you’re happy for Cole Hamels who has been named the Opening Day starter he is not just a great pitcher but a one of the really nice guys in the game. Has to be excited even thou it’s just one game the opening day gig is very special, sorta of a holiday event for us baseball fans, best of luck to Cole except of course when he faces my Mets You also have to wonder what Roy Halladay will bring this year as a Met fan I have concerns for Santana and whether he has anything left in his tank same may be true for Halladay with his fastball velocity down and struggling with his command as well. I always considered Doc to be arguably the best pitcher of his generation I would love to see Roy and Johan show us they still have a lot to give.

I am feeling good about Travis d’Arnaud and Anthony Recker both of whom are doing well learning the and getting to know our pitching staff. When we lost Thole and basically our whole catching staff I was concerned about how quickly the new guys would work into the mix and so far I am happy with what I see. Of course Buck will be our catcher and Recker will backup. A pretty sure bet is that Travis will be going to AAA Vegas to start the season. I am actually surprised to see Traivs still in camp the Mets took on some risk by keeping him here beyond last Friday, Thing is if d’Arnaud were to get injured in camp within 15 days of Opening Day, he would land on the major league DL to open the season and get MLB pay and service time. But the Mets, and wisely I think, took that risk in order to get him more playing time in the major league environment and pitching staff and that has turned out to have been a risk worth taking.
I got a chance to spend some time with our other catcher Anthony Recker when his buddy Zack Lutz introduced us. Anthony who should have no problem breaking camp on the major league roster, when he first got to camp he really did not know what the Mets plans for him were he only knew that people in the organization told him they thought he could be an asset to the team. So here he is ready to show that he is capable of handling anything they expect of him. I look forward to watching Anthony this season I have always considered the catcher to be a very important position and love trying to second guess what fingers they are gonna put down for every pitch which is a very fun part of watching baseball for me. I told Anthony that and also said he had another thing going for him….He’s Italian



Syam and Saucy I did not see the game yesterday I am hanging back with the minor leaguers but hearing Matt Harvey continued to pitch well is no surprise he is destined to be our ace someday. In speaking with other pitchers I was told that Matt did some nice work against the Cardinals showing great movement on his fastball and breaking pitches, But in typical Harvey form he was frustrated when he left the game, never ever seems satisfied with his performance although he limited St. Louis to six hits and a walk and struck out six, he tossed 80 pitches which included 54 strikes. He did say he was happy about how his curveball is coming along last year that pitch gave him fits but this year he seems to have it going and he considers that to be a very important pitch for him to master. But he also felt that he gave up too many hits but what is important is that he feels he is healthy and feeling good. Harvey now has a 2.95 Grapefruit League ERA. He has struck out 24 in 18 innings.

I am also so very happy for Lucas Duda hitting that opposite field, two-run home run, he is adjusting well, for a while there things got a little off center for him just too many changes being made to his approach and swing basically too much too quick. But the pitching coaches found a happy medium between the old and the new and Lucas is finding himself feeling much more comfortable at the plate and with himself. We all recognize that it been a very uneven spring for Duda, but he is now showing some positive signs over the course of camp. In particular his ability to take the ball the other way just like another guy we all know and love by the name of Ike Davis and very importantly he and Ike both are doing it with authority. One of the other things Lucas recognizes he needs to do is for him to not rollover the outside pitches.

Gonna be a very quiet day here today everybody has the day off including the Minor leaguers there is a team golf game and relaxation and of course for some a chance to asleep in late. Tomorrow the team heads off to play the Astros in Kissimmee; Dillon Gee will pitch in that game. The posting in the clubhouse tells that story

 

[Sausy]

Love how diplomatic you can be towards Phillies pitchers, sonny... for me, of course I respect them but damn I just want to beat em!
(no offense, Scrub and thad) I do seriously hope Roy Halladay and Johann Santana can prove to have productive, solid seasons...great pitchers and competitors in their era like sonny says and though there'a a big rivalry so much fun to see em giving their best, it's artistry watching masters pitch.


Travis D'Arnaud is doing well when he's in thelineup, not much power yet but he's taking a smart approach and not trying to do too much. Even more impressive from what I've heard is his defense and game calling abilities as well as his great rapport with his pitchers.... Matt Harvey was raving about their working together rthe other day. This is a guy who takes pride in being a very good two way catcher, not just someone with a quick bat and good power but defense and handling the game from behind the plate.

Anthony Recker has been around but is a good kid from all I've read, East Coast guy(Pennsylvania raised) and yep, part Italian(with a middle name of Vito... c'mon the boy's got some paisano in him)Has decent power and is solid defensively and until Travis gets the call from Las Vegas sometime no later than June or the all -star break at the latest he's a solid backup to John Buck. Reading great things about Buck's demeanor, how helpful he's been to Travis even knowing just how much the Mets are expecting from him with a little more AAA seasoning and the likelihood Buck will be delegated to his backup as the season goes on. He's team first, and will do a lot of things to help Travis get acclimated to how things are in te major leagues...everyone seems to really like him as a great clubhouse guy.

Yep Harvey has that demeanor to just want to do what he can to go deep in the ballgames and keep his team in the game...not stress the bullpen so much. Gotta ove him, Zack Wheeler when he comes up hopefully with Travis in June or so and Jon Niese who's really another top level pitching talent. Today's game was a Mets 7-5 victory against Houston with Dillon Gee having a rough spring, allowing five runs but Terry Collins seems to feel Gee will have his command ready by the time the season starts. Gotta hope so as Shaun Marcum is having some tightness in his shoulder and though he says he experiences it every spring it's gotta be a bit of a worry for a team that has been snakebit in recent years with injuries that have been more serious than originally believed.

Great to see Matt den Dekker drive in a couple of runs on a triple and he was aided by Zack Lutz RBI single and a Collin Cowgill two run homer. Den Dekker is another guy who needs to refine his discipline but has good speed and power.. just getting him to cut down some on his strikeouts with his potential gold glove type defense in center would really help.

 

[sonny10305]

The Mets injuries are getting ridicules and rather depressing.
I said yesterday to a couple of the guys that it looks like we will need to have an ambulance nurse and doctor outside Citifield this year.
The latest is Marcum but from all accounts it does not look like any big deal as Saucy wrote he has had that injury a couple of times in the past. He will probably miss only the one rotation turn. David Wright’s Strained intercostal may keep him out on opening day although he is optimistic that he will be ok to play that decision won’t be made till the wire cause David just wants to be absolutely sure before he takes to the field so as not to risk further injury that would take him out for a longer time. Murphy on the other hand looks destined for the DL he has some time when he feels better but more times than not, he is still hurtin. His opening day possibility does not look good I am at this point pretty sure he will start the season on the DL. Santana as well, it is highly unlikely he will be there on opening day and will also start the season on the DL. If David does come back that would put Turner at second to fill in for Murphy but if David is not ready than Justin will play third and Valdespin would probably play second. Turner is just about healed and feelin good he was going to travel with the team on Monday but stayed back to give it a couple more days rest, as of now although he won’t play today he will in all likelihood play on Friday and could pinch hit today.

Today’s game will be televised on SNY at 1pm Kevin and Ron have the call; Kevin said he will have more injury updates as well as a minor league report too. Lineup vs. St. Louis: Byrd-RF, Tejada-SS, Davis-1B, Lutz-3B, Duda-LF, Buck-C, den Dekker-CF, Quintanilla-2B, Hefner takes the mound

Counting down to the last days here in Florida, dad and I leave after the Mets bowling games on Sunday and head back to NY.

 

[sonny10305]

With all the crap coming outta Metsville, yesterday was a big breath of fresh air with the naming finally of David Wright fourth captain of our NY Mets. It has to make you proud to be a Mets fan and who knows maybe today starts a new era in Mets history. Those of us who love the Mets understand that 2013 probably won’t be a championship year or the kind of season we are longing for; we also know however we are heading in the right direction. So thanks David for giving us hope and we are all of us proud to call you our captain. In a move which was no surprise to anyone who knows David he won't wear the captain's 'C' on his New York Mets jersey. As David explained yesterday he does not necessarily like to stick out too much, he believes the uniform is uniform for a reason and that everybody is kind of in agreement that we're going to do without the ‘C’
Now doesn’t that sound just like David ever humble and always about the team.

Another happy moment for me was to see Justin Turner in that pinch-hit yesterday and then run like the wind from first to third with no problem with his ankle. I had watched him earlier in the day on the back field playing with the minors where he took three at bats comfortably. Then later in the Cards game Collins allowed him an at bat and Justin came thru, lemme tell ya when he started running first to third I jumped to my feet banging my hands together yelling “Justin, Justin", I dono what came over me it was something I just had to do and could not resist you’da think he hit a walk off grand slam, but I was so happy to see him healthy again the kid is just something special and did not deserve that injury especially at a time when he was poised to take over for Wright for a few games to give us some quality playing time. When that was taken away from him I was just so sad and disappointed for him. But no worries he is fine now and ready to go.

Justin, always happy and always smiling



Also on the minor league side Kirk Nieuwenhuis who is coming back from his knee injury went 1-for-2 with a double and three walks in that game. Murphy also took to the field yesterday for a bit running the bases and taking grounders but he still a ways to playing in a minor league game, soon we hope.

The announcement of Jon Niese as opening day starter was also no surprise I have been predicting that for a while now. There are very little signs of Johan around here still not throwing just resting and last time he tossed a ball his fastball was non existed and his shoulder still bothered him. I am going to go back to something else I wrote a while back and that is do not be surprised if you never see Johan pitch at all in 2013…..there I said it again, hope I am wrong.

Mets game today will not be televised the next broadcast will be tomorrow Saturday at 1pm on PIX Keith Hernandez will be ion the booth with Kevin and I am sure as a former Caption will talk about Wright.

Happy Birthday today to my boy Ike Davis

 

[Sausy]

Always with great pics, sonny! I saw the press conference after the game with Terry Collins naming Jon Niese as the opening day starter and officially naming David Wright team captain. Great for both guys...Niese has proven in the last year he is a near elite pitcher himself, like the other guys never full of himself or arrogant but has done a great job and will continue to work to be a reliable arm at the top end of the rotation and seemed very much ready and excited for the challenge. David Wright really deserves the honor...I'm sure if it were up to him, they wouldn't even need to officially designate him captain, he knows what he means to his organization and teammates and what they mean to him....doesn't need an official designation. Nonetheless he must be really proud to wear the honor, and knows everyone wanted to make it official..but like you said he's not going to need any special treatment like having a "c" added to his uniform. Like David was saying he isn't the rah, rah, in your face emotional kind of leader but one who sets a great example...he communicates and deals with his teammates as individuals and his actions as a player on the field and as a teammmate speaks to the kind of respected, beloved team leader he is.

I am hoping you're wrong about Johann Santana, sonny but it definitely looks like it will be awhile at least before we see Johann pitching a regular season game...shoulder isn't ready and you gotta get some regular work in before you can get into a major league regular season game. It's a shame to see because the competitor Johann is it must be extremelydifficult to be in such an uncertain situation.

Aww, that was a cute Justin Turner story, sonny....yep great to see Justin bouncing back so quickly from the anke sprain last week. Got into the game, got a hit and looked frisky as usual hustling to third. Thae reaction you had was so sweet...like a kid again and seeing your friends playing baseball for real is such an incredible feeling so glad you and your dad get the chance to do this every spring training now. But the beard on JT still has to go!

Glad to hear Kirk is healthy and getting back into game shape...getting the double and especially the three walks for Kirk is very heartening, boy's got talent and if he improves his plate discipline he can help especially being like den Dekker with his good defense and hard nosed, all out play. Speaking of den Dekker, had a two run triple to score the Mets runs yesterday but did strike out with runners on in the eighth..working to progress his own plate discipline but like they were saying yesterday the Mets didn't want him to lose his aggressiveness totally and be too patient and affect his approach but the kid's a treat to watch on defense and if he like Kirk can just improve his plate discipline intriguing combination of 20/20 type power and speed.

Jeremy Hefner did a solid job allowing two runs in five innings as he will be in the rotation while Santana is out...he's one of those guys who throw about high 80's-90 max but know how to pitch and use an arsenal of pitches. Hopefully Murphand DWright will be able to play soon, must be frustrating for both especially Murph who hasn't really gotten in any spring training since the muscle pull.

Happy birthday to Ike....#26 for the Ikeman and hopefully the beginning of a great year of baseball in health and productivity!

 

[Thad1527]

Thanks for the info! Especially regarding my favorite Mets, Wright and Davis. (How could anyone not love David Wright? It's beyond me.)

I didn't find my price range yet on StubHub but it's likely I will...April in Philadelphia is still a little cold for baseball, in my mind. (But then the spring days can warm up unexpectedly!)

And I really would like to see the Cyclones in Brooklyn sometime this year. (They are at home on my birthday, Aug, 20...maybe??)
The minors are fun...my brothers and I are Wilmington Blue Rocks fans (Carolina League) and we have a great time at Frawley Stadium whenever we go.

Thanks especially for the introduction to Anthony Recker. I like knowing who's up-and-coming!

 

[syam24]

The injury news is a bit depressing, but the guys who have been playing have been okay. Hefner pitched pretty well in Thursday's start, and bullpen was fine. Duda had a couple of hits including a nice oppo field double, and den Dekker another two run triple. It was nice to see Turner get a hit and run well. Hopefully healthier (and warmer) days are ahead.

 

[sonny10305]

Ya know Saucy no one would like me to be wrong about Santana than me I would love to see him have one more solid year which would be his last as a Met anyways, but it just does not seem possible for him to be there not only for opening day but for a while after that. As I told you his fastball is just not there anymore and now we are told that he will not be ready to break camp with the Mets and won’t be coming north with the team. He is never around anymore working out the only time I see him is at the bowling alley with the guys, after he tried on March 6 he stopped cause of a lack of shoulder strength. It’s not even a case where he could start the season on the DL he will simply be based at the team's Port St. Lucie complex until he is ready, Jeremy Hefner will fill the rotation spot. The situation is so bad that the Mets feel they don’t have the conditions need for him in NY especially with, as Syam eluded, to the lingering cold and not much in the way of spring like temps Johan can get nothing done in NY.

As to Turner yeah I was pretty excited tom see him play we hoped he was gonna get a chance to pitch hit and when Terry said go ahead it was a really big deal cause at least with all the guys down I got to see at least one of em heal quickly and get back out there so I was over the moon to see that. As to that beard you may remember I told you he only trimmed it for a dinner with the Mets brass after that he said he was going to let it grow out again which is what he is doing. The plan is to leave it long till after the Mets finish up the first road trip which takes them to cold places like Philly then as the weather warms he will cut back on the beard.

Still not sure about Murphy he is still hoping to make opening day but as each day passes it looks less and less likely. But he still insists he wants to be there opening day, a decision will be made by Thurs possibly Weds as to if he comes North with the team or stays in Florida. If he goes on the DL the rules say he will have to wait 5 days before he can play. The hope is he can get some minor league work in last this week and still be ok to play on April 1st. But time is a tickin so we will just have to see how he feels middle of the week. If Murph has to start on the DL it looks pretty sure that Turner will fill in at second, Justin by the way has my seal of approval for that job temporarily 

Yup Thad The Cyclones are always fun to watch, I will be working with them again this season and will be writing about them all summer.I like what Recker brings behind the dish and his offense is impressive as well. RBI double yesterday. Is that Harry Potter he’s readin on the bus ride yesterday?



Today the Mets game will be televised on PIX at 1pm the lineup: Cowgill, Turner, Byrd, Davis, Buck, Duda, Lutz, Tejada, and Montero on the mound.

 

[sonny10305]

So here I am my last day at camp; tonight we head on home and back to the real world. But first there is one more game today and then three more games before the boys head home. Burkhardt will be leaving today as well after the broadcast. Today will be Kevin’s last game for the spring and hasn’t he done a magnificent job filling in the Gary Cohen. Gary returns to the booth next week for the final games. I won’t be watching the game today cause this morning Murphy was given the ok to play in a minor league game. He asked Collins last night if he could start playing again and the trainers said this morning that he could. So of course I will be on the backfield watching Murphy. If he does well today and does not have any problems this could be the start of him playing every day and possibly make opening day after all. But we wanna play with caution cause the last time he played in a minor league game he rushed it and he had a relapse. He needs to be sure he does not overdue it today. Collins will decide how much playing time Daniel gets today he is going to be monitoring the situation as he put it “very carefully”. So legs arms fingers and eyes all crossed for Murph cause how great would it be if he gets to come north and be there opening day after all.
David Wright is also moving in a direction to take him to opening day as well, he hit off a tee and hit flips Saturday and should start getting at-bats midweek.
David and Daniel in the lineup opening day, come on now how sweet would that be.

Two split squad games today, one here and another in Jupiter Kevin and Keith have the call today at home the lineup will be Kirk Nieuwenhuis, dh Justin Turner, 2b Ike Davis, 1b Marlon Byrd rf John Buck, c Andrew Brown, lf Omar Quintanilla, ss Brandon Hicks, 3b Matt den Dekker, cf and Harvey (oh boy) on the mound.

The days are getting down to the wire as shown here, a couple of Hugh vans are parked outside and as
I write this they are being packed with gear and the some of the boys bags, It just makes sense for the guys to be able to ship most of their stuff ahead so not to have to put it all in a plane.

 

[Sausy]

Thanks sonny for so many terrific updates from Florida, hope when you get bak you still have some more pics and perspectives to share with us.
Rafael Montero btw pitched very well yesterday, good fastball(not in the Wheeler class, but above average) but the key is he has several other pitches that are working well now. Michael Fulmer is expected to be back within six weeks after knee surgery on a torn meniscus but hopefully he too can keep making the great strides he has shown so far nd you got Hansel Robles and a couple of other big arms ...so many possibilities for the Mets future! Zach Wheeler was impressing scouts fro other clubs with his throwing the other day in the minor league camp, breaking a coupl of bats and hitting 95-98 effortlessly on the radar gun. One joked" We'll never be able to get him from the Mets" but was incredibly impressed by Wheeler's ability to throw so hard yet mix in other pitches(all plus level) so effectively. Zach will be back soon enough!

Rough outing by Matt Harvey by his standards for certain given up four runs in five innings, though again with him it's more about working on his secondary pitches. Still the competitor he is no doubt he'll keep working to limit the mistake pitches and gain more consistency. So good that Justin Turner is back and healthy, had a hit today and looked fine moving seeming no ill effects from the sprained ankle early in the week. Travis D'Arnaud continues to impress at the plate... Brandon Lyons really looked off today giving up 4 runs in the 9-4 loss to the Tigers today. Matt den Dekker hopefully is okay after almost making a tremendous catch by the wall in center but losing his footing and falling on his throwing wrist, losing the ball in the process. Walked off shaking the wrist a bit and was taken for x rays after the game. Hopefully when sonny gets back from the minor league game with Murph back he'll have some info. Murph did well playing today with a hit but key thing is if his soreness problem returns. Whilre it's still unlikely he makes the club for Opening Day it's still important for him to be able to play a few games and getting into a rthythm after essentially missing the heart of spring training with that pulled side muscle.

Tonight is bowling night and I hope before sonny leaves he gets some great pics of the guys bonding and having fun. Can't wait just another week and baseball is really back!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sausy]

Dang bad Mets luck as usual but it does appear Matt den Dekker DID suffer at least a mild wrist fracture trying to make one of his patented gold glove catches and he may be out for awhile, the Mets hope to have some news after x rays today.

At least Kirk Nieuwenhuis was able to return to game action after recovering from his badly bruised knee. When den Dekker returns to action hopefully soon he and Kirk will be roaming two thirds of the outfield in AAA Las Vegas... both are intense, all out grinders with speed, power and defensive ability( though den Dekker may have an edge especially on defense) but both need to improve selectivity and plate discipline and cut down on strikeouts. Hopefully at least one will prove ready to step in and play a strong supporting role as part of the Mets outfield solution before the end of the season.

Travis D'Arnaud is being sent down to Las Vegas as well but if he keeps on going as expected should be up before long... defensively he has proven teachable and very solid, very impressive working with the young Mets pitchers.

Forgot to mention Lucas Duda Saturday hit his 4th home run of spring training and really seems to be getting in the groove that eluded him during the 2012 season trying to live up to incredibly high expectations. He keeps his focus he'll hit a goodly share of home runs just because of his natural great strength. He hit so well in his rookie season he certainly has the hitting ability to build on it if he stays positive and confident and doesn't try to change his style into a slugger who swings at everything and can be pitched to.

 

[sonny10305]

Thanks Saucy for the outstanding updates
I am not going to write much today got in late after a delayed and rough flight last night and I've got a ton of stuff to do here to get caught up. I will try and post tomorrow with a wrap up of my trip and the latest on Murph who had a good day yesterday, felt great this morning with no stiffness and will play again today. Also Dec who is in NY today to get that wrist checked out which is worse than we thought last night and will probably be out for quite a while.
See you guys tomorrow.

 

[syam24]

Sorry to read of Den Dekker's broken wrist, that will be quite a setback for him. Just read at MLB site that Pedro Feliciano has been told he will not make the team out of spring training, and the Mets would like him to go to the minors to continue to build up arm strength. He thinks he is ready now, and is thinking of possibly going free agency. His velocity is around 83, normally around 87. He says velocity is not a major factor for him, so we'll have to see how this developes. He has had a decent spring.

 

[Sausy]

Oh, no problem sonny Understand it's been wild for you but look forward to your perspectives!

Looks like den Dekker will not have surgery but will be in a cast for about a month, hopefully playing by early May.

Dillon Gee looked in great form today after a very disappointing spring training so far with an ERA hovering over 8.00. Allowed two hits in six innings, no runs and had seven strikeouts. Collin Cowgill continued his strong spring training with a homer , one of three homers hit in support of Gee as Mets win 7-4.

 

[Thad1527]

I followed a link from SI.com to somewhere called Bleacher Report, which chose the most useless players on each of the 30 MLB teams. Their Mets choice made sense to me: Andres Torres. Although if he does do well, it's a bonus.

For the Phils: Jose Contreras. Yup, I agree.

 

[syam24]

Another day, another injury. Hefner takes a ground ball off his pitching elbow. First reports (not always accurate) say it's just a bruise and Jeremy says he'll be throwing by week's end. Let's hope so in light of Marcum's injury. At least DWright and Murph are showing some progress in their attempts to be ready for opening day. I see Pedro Feliciano has decided to take the Mets' offer to go to the minors and continue to build up arm strength. I think this is a good thing for both parties.

Note to Thad; Torres is back with the Giants, I suspect the article you read is old news, as is Torres, thank you.

 

[sonny10305]

So here I am back in the real world after an amazin trip to Mets camp. It’s always a joy to be with those guys, I mad e bunch of new friends filled up my phone with digits and now it’s almost baseball time again life is good. I miss everyday hanging with the guys seeing all the new faces looking to make an impression and of course the Sunday night bowling

There is Johan with Buck and Cowgill who said he is hiding?



Dude where is your bowling shirt and what is this growing
out of your neck



KB you are gonna be late for the game play with your new phone later.



Thad, Last year it would have been Jason Bay for us don’t miss him or Torres. Funny yet predictable thing is that Bay has been playing really well since he left the Mets….well….of course he is

So let’s start with the injuries which Syam has written about, it looks as thou Matt den Dekker’s fractured will near to wear a cast for six weeks. We won’t see him in AA until sometime in early June. To add insult to his injury he will not receive major league service time and pay while opening the season inactive. That’s cause Dek was injured in major league camp while on a minor league contract and not as a 40-man roster member. The pesky rules say that if he had been on the 40-man roster and injured within 15 days of Opening Day, he would have qualified for MLB pay during his injury. He will be placed on a minor league DL to open the season. At least he is still staying true to the orange and blue as shown here on his cast.



Jeremy Hefner had a scare yesterday getting hit with that ball but X-rays were negative, and he is listed as day-to-day with what is basically just a bruise. The ball did not hit bone but mostly muscle which helped a lot, in fact in just an hour or so he already felt much better. Jenrry Mejia will be Idle for two weeks with tendinitis
Dwright is making real progress on his quest to make opening day he was "all good" the day after playing ion two minor league games and racking up about 10 at bats. Daniel Murphy also played in two games with about then same number at bats feels great and also continues on his goal to opening day. If his health holds up, Murphy believes he can make up for his lack of at-bats by bouncing around in minor-league games in which he can rack up as many as six or seven plate appearances a day. I watched Murph and was encouraged by what I saw the important thing to see was that in his at bat when he checked his swing and seemed not to have any issues later he aid it went well and that he felt no pain in his side. Neither of the boys are feeling any pain or discomfort at all the only thing keeping them from opining day are enough at bats which both vow to accomplish over the next few days. Of course the final decision will be made by Terry Collins who very much wants both boys in the lineup but will make a final decision probably Thursday or Friday at the latest. Terry wants to ensure to make the right move for both the guys and the team. Worst case scenario is that one or both of them will stay behind an additional few days to get more playing time before joining the but as of now both guys are seriously targeting April 1st stay tuned.

One of the funniest times for me was to see so many of my Cyclones and other minor leaguers play with the team the last few days. So great seeing Darrell Ceciliani bring in two runs with a double and how well the Cyclones were all over the field in big league spring training games. Hamilton, Bennett, Fontanez, Muno, Davis, Lucas, Lutz, Duda, Vaughn, and Nieuwenhuis all former Cyclones, so how bout that!

So in spite of all the scares and mishaps in our rotation nothing has changed a far as Zack Wheeler goes he is still off to Triple-A Las Vegas. I have been opposed to the idea of him pitching in that crappy environment in Vegas but I am not opposed to seeing him improving his game before joining the rotation Sure I would love to have him pitch now but maybe giving him a little time to fine tune things would not be such a bad idea. Of course the Mets have another reason for not starting Zack now cause if he opens the season with the team he would be eligible for free agency after the 2018 season instead of after the 2019 season. Soooooooooo there is that little money issue

I keep in close touch with a lot of former Mets and I thought I would mention just two things that happened. Nick Evans and Ramon Castro have been released by the Dodgers, both of em signed on with the Dodgers on minor-league deals over the winter but neither one has appeared in the Majors since 2011, they were not even in big-league camp. Evans just can’t get a break I sure hope he lands on his feet somewhere soon.
Josh Thole has been sent down to the minors which totally surprised me cause I though the whole point of the Mets including Thole in the deal that sent R.A. Dickey to Toronto was so that he could be Dickey’s personal catcher. But Josh has been struggling at the plate and so Henry Blanco will get the backup job. Best of luck to both those guys.

Couple of birthdays, Matt Harvey and Brandon Nimmo. In the feel good department Josh Edgin has a new baby son, Turner Dewitt

Final SNY broadcast of spring training tonight at 6 there is one more televised game on Thursday on ESPN.

 

[Sausy]

Always love your pics sonny, glad you and dad had a fantastic Florida spring training trip and you get to live out a fan's dream getting to know these guys( many of them from as you mentioned being Brookyn Cyclones, who've you've passionately followed since they started up a decade ago).

Glad Jeremy Hefner is okay, heard too it wasn't too serious but wow every time we Mets fans hear of an injury we've almost always learned to expect the worst. Even Justin Turner had a bit of a hamstring pull today I read after quickly bouncing back from an ankle sprain...seems to think it day to day and won't imperil the start of the season.

Really feel bummed for Matt Den Dekker who as you say won't be back on the field til June after breaking his wrist, and like you say he won't even be eligible for service time or pay as a major leaguer. Hope he heals quicker than expected...even Terry Collins while wanting Matt to use good judgement doesn't want him to lose the aggressiveness when he gets back that makes him such a great center fielder. Hopefully Matt will be brought up to the majors before September callups but they do want him to get at bats and improve his plate discipline in AAA this year.

Happy to seethat Daniel Murphy and DWright are doing well and hopeful they can start the season...getting the at bats they need to get prepared is necessary for them to start the season so hopefully they can make it to Opening Day.

Like I said it must have felt like a Brooklyn Cyclones reunion all the players in camp you followed as Cyclones, sonny... feel bad though hearing about Josh Thole sent down to the Toronto minor league affiliate because of his disappointing offense and especially for Nick Evans,who just really needs a team to believe in him and give him a break. He's a team first guy who's solid on defense and can hit pretty well....even coming off the bench he should be valuable to some team who'll just believe in him.

Yep it would be really nice to have Zack Wheeler to pitch now but like you said giving him more time to improve and refine his game isn't bad.... it's that he has to do it in the worst possible environment for a power pitcher, Las Vegas and that desert air.It is of course also to keep him under the Mets service time longer but hopefully we'll see him no later than after the All Star break.

Jonathon Niese pitched very well in today's main Mets spring training game in a 6-2 win over the Houston Astros he went four and two thirds innings allowing no runs on two hits and seven strikeouts. Bobby Parnell pitched the ninth in spectacular fashion striking out the side to end it. One more televised game tomorrow, two more Friday and Saturday(non-televised though, boo!!!!!!) ...and hallelujah, come Monday the regular season begins!!!