Home » 2011 Spring Training » Mets Cut Down Roster
4
March 19, 2011 2011 Spring Training Joe Janish

Mets Cut Down Roster

In addition to the release of Luis Castillo yesterday, the Mets also assigned Dillon Gee, Boof Bonser, Ryota Igarashi, Taylor Tankersley, Raul Chavez, Dusty Ryan, Russ Adams, and Jason Pridie to minor-league camp.

No surprise about Pridie, Ryan, and Chavez. Gee is someone I’m personally rooting for and believe he’ll get another shot soon enough. Bonser, to me, showed nothing to suggest he’d be valuable in the near term. He also continues to use the same terrible mechanics that caused his shoulder injuries in the first place, so I’m not expecting him to return to the performance levels that made him a prospect in his early 20s. Adams is another personal favorite and I’m sad to see him go, but he really never had a chance with Brad Emaus, Dan Murphy, Jerry Hairston, and Willie Harris around.

As for Igarashi and Tankersley, I’m mildly surprised to see them leave this soon. I know their spring ERAs are awful but both showed the ability to get swings and misses. Igarashi continues to struggle with his command, but his velocity is looking good and his offspeed pitches have bite. I’d like to see him focus on just one secondary pitch if the plan is to keep him in a relief role. Otherwise, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to turn him into a starter, since he throws so many pitches (though none of them to spots consistently). Tankersley, on the other hand, walked only one and struck out nine in 3 2/3 IP. I wouldn’t say he was spectacular but my eyes saw a pitcher more confident and capable than Oliver Perez, who remains in the LOOGY auditions. But, Perez is still around because he deserves to be … we know that Sandy Alderson is the new sheriff in town, and his moves will not be influenced by finances.

Tags: , ,

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
Related Articles
  1. mrtasan March 19, 2011 at 12:59 pm
    spring roster cuts aren’t too big of a deal. i’m more eager to see how players on the 25 man roster perform during the beginning of the year, posing opportunities call-ups and surprises
  2. Joe March 19, 2011 at 6:38 pm
    who’s the reliever who did a wicked play by play imiation?
  3. Jeff K March 19, 2011 at 8:38 pm
    That was Tim Byrdak….
  4. John March 20, 2011 at 7:45 am
    I’m rooting for Gee also. I saw him pitch a few years back when he was in Binghamton and the kid knows how to pitch. We were sitting right behind home. he really shows that you don’t need overpowering stuff if you have command and an idea of what you are doing. I think he can be a 15 game winner somewhere down the line.