Profile on Jenrry Mejia in Baseball America
Baseball America has a great evaluation of Jenrry Mejia, written by Ben Badler who watched him pitch in Arizona.
Hat tip to FireJerryManuel.
According to Badler, Mejia’s fastball ranged from 90-95 MPH and touched 96.
His fastball is a swing-and-miss offering, not just because of its velocity but because of its outstanding movement. Mejia generates tremendous cutting action on his fastball, and he’ll also put some sink on his heater as well. Between the velocity and movement, Mejia has a pitch he can use as an out pitch or to induce grounders—71 percent of his outs on balls in play were groundouts during the minor league season.
It’s not all roses for Mejia in the Fall League, however. Badler also notes that the top Mets prospect has had major issues with control, walking 11 in 11 1/3 IP. Scouts the league agree that Mejia needs to find more consistent command of his fastball, and develop his offspeed pitches.
Mejia’s current coach in Arizona, Tom Phelps, had this to say about his repertoire:
“He has a fastball that will cut, and he also has a fastball that will sink. As long as he keeps it down in the zone, he gets a lot of ground balls and a lot of early outs and quick innings. The big thing for him is controlling it in the zone and not getting behind hitters and walking hitters.”
“When he just throws it and doesn’t try to overthrow it, he’s got a good curveball,” Phelps said. “It looks like his heater, he’s got good deception and it’s got some quick break to it. Also his better secondary pitch is his changeup. His changeup has a lot of depth, has real good arm speed and looks like his fastball. He’s got the pitches to complement (his fastball), it’s just a matter of him being able to control it in the zone and keeping it down in the zone.”
It sounds like Mejia is a legit prospect, but is also at least a year or two away. In fact all the comments about his command and offspeed stuff remind me of Mike Pelfrey when he was 22 and rushed into MLB. Mejia just turned 20, and I see no reason to push him up the ladder. Let the kid develop — and let HIM force the issue, much like Doc Gooden did back in 1984.
Can Craig Hansen Get the Monkey Off His Back?
Craig Hansen was chosen with the 26th overall pick of the June 2005 draft by Boston Red Sox, and made his MLB debut less than three months later, smack in the middle of a heated pennant race. Hansen was not the best prospect in the draft, but was considered by many to be among the most polished — so it was not a surprise that he was in the Fenway Park bullpen so quickly. The 6′6″ St. John’s closer touched 98 MPH on the radar gun, had the best slider coming out of the draft, and was judged as having the appropriate temperament for short relief work. He zipped through 12 innings split between the Gulf Coast League and AA before laying an egg in Boston. Though he was a disappointment in his first four games as a big leaguer, most predicted future success as an MLB closer. Read more
Who Is Aroldis Chapman?
You may have been reading or hearing the buzz surrounding Aroldis Chapman, a Cuban defector who is currently meeting with several MLB teams in regard to his services. Here is what we know about him: Read more
FOUND: Nick Evans
A year ago Daniel Murphy had a partner in crime — a righthanded-hitting version of an infielder-turned-outfielder with a simlarly promising bat, questionable glove, hustling approach, and fresh off a hitting streak in AA. The two rookies gave the team a mild spark at the tail end of the season, with Murphy’s Wade Boggs imitation overshadowing the lesser but still promising performance of his B-Mets teammate. There was much excitement surrounding the two young men, as they exemplified the best of the fruits sown from the farm known as the Mets minor league system — a system that was gravely underestimated by the pundits (according to Farmer Minaya).
It’s OK if you don’t remember the name of Murphy’s sidekick, as it’s a simple, common, unassuming name — one that sounds like it came out of a Hardy Boys mystery or a Hemingway novel. If you forget his name, don’t fret — it appears his own manager forgot it as well, since he hasn’t written it onto a lineup card for the last three weeks.
It turns out that the young man was forgotten, but not gone. Despite rumors to the contrary, Nick Evans has been with the Mets this entire time. But he hasn’t been seen in ballgames because in addition to his manager forgetting his name, Read more
Thole and Misch a Good Match
The highly anticipated debut of prospect Josh Thole could have been more difficult, but the Mets made the right move by matching him with lefthander Pat Misch.
Sure, I could be completely wrong — Thole could suffer seven passed balls and six stolen bases, while striking out five times. But I believe the Mets have given him a strong opportunity to succeed by choosing this game, this opponent, and this starting pitcher.
For one, it’s a day game, played outdoors and under natural light. Right there, Thole should be comfortable, as it is always much easier to see the flight of a ball in broad daylight than it is at night under artificial lighting. This is an advantage both in terms of batting and in receiving pitches behind the plate.
Secondly, the Mets have matched Thole with one of their easiest pitchers to catch. Pat Misch relies on pinpoint control, using a small repertoire of pitches that generally range from 70-85 MPH. If anything, he throws too many strikes and is always around the plate. He’s thrown only one wild pitch in his MLB career, and less than a dozen in close to 800 minor league innings. In short, he is a catcher’s dream in terms of receiving the ball. Additionally, Misch is a poised, unflappable, easygoing veteran — no worries about having to calm him down in times of adversity.
Contrast Misch with, say, Oliver Perez, and it’s easy to understand my point.
Loyal MetsToday reader “Murph” (of MurphGuide) posed the question:
“Do you think it is harder for a rookie to hit major league pitching, or to catch major league pitching?”
Neither is easy, but from my own experience, catching a pitcher whom you’ve never caught before can be much harder than hitting one you’ve never faced before — and it all depends on the pitcher’s command, velocity, and repertoire. Someone like Ollie Perez, John Maine, or Bobby Parnell — who throw at high velocity and tend to be all over the place — are extremely difficult to receive because the catcher may have no idea where the ball is going, nor what route it’s going to take, and he has little time to react. Remember the struggles of Brian Schneider early last season? Those were due specifically to the unfamiliarity with the pitching staff, and secondarily to a new glove.
As we’ve been told, Josh Thole has been catching many of the Mets pitchers in the bullpen since his promotion. And that’s good, but not necessarily enough — it depends on the pitcher. Some are around the plate and have pitches that run and break consistently, and you can get a “feel” for the distance they’ll move when they’re not on target. Also, it’s easier when the top velocity is lower, and there are less pitches to “learn” — for example Pedro Feliciano throws only an 87-MPH fastball and a sweeping slider, so he might be easier to catch than, say, Brian Stokes, who can hit 97 MPH with the fastball, and also has varying degrees of success with a curve, slider, changeup, and split. Francisco Rodriguez, I imagine, would also be difficult to catch, mainly because his pitches break so sharply and so late — and often into the ground and wide of the strike zone.
The pitcher’s personality is another can of worms which we won’t get into in depth. But consider this: what if Thole’s MLB debut came last night, and he had to deal with Mike Pelfrey’s case of the yips? Or if he had to get Oliver Perez back on track during one of those “Ollie Innings” ?
Another consideration is calling the game. I would bet that the pitches will be called from the dugout today. After all, Thole doesn’t know much about the strengths and weaknesses of MLB hitters, and isn’t yet familiar with Pat Misch’s game-time abilities.
We’ll see soon enough how well Josh Thole handles himself behind the dish. We’re told his best tool is his bat, and that he needs work on his catching skills. That said, the Mets have made his MLB debut as easy as could possibly be managed. For once, a logical decision based on thought and preparation.
Watch Carlos Beltran on Twitter
Just a quick note… According to MetsBlog, Carlos Beltran will be playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones on Thursday night (9/3). The Cyclones are taking on the Hudson Valley Renegades at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY.
For those of you interested in seeing Beltran play, you can watch it live on Twitter. Just follow @hvrenegades and there will be a link when the broadcast starts. You will be able to see the game starting at 7pm.
While you’re at it, follow @metstoday and @smallballusa too. Thanks.
The Dan Murphy Myth
Last year, a determined and serious young man leapfrogged over AAA into the big leagues and became a fan favorite for his hustle, energy, and line-drive bat. Perhaps most importantly, Danny Murphy was “home-grown” — a ballplayer drafted by the Mets and developed in their farm system. There is something particularly endearing about a player who starts at the bottom, works his way up, and earns himself a spot with the hometown team.
And it doesn’t hurt to arrive in the midst of a hitting streak.
Think back to this time last summer, when Danny was giving it his all to learn left field “on the job”. He had his troubles, for sure — who wouldn’t? — but his tenacity was up to the task. He came to the park early to learn the nuances of fly ball catching, hitting cutoff men, and reacting to balls bouncing off the wall. We all watched young Danny transform himself from a minor league third baseman into a Major League outfielder over the course of 7 weeks. Some of his improvements were subtle, but they were expertly observed by Read more
Bobby Parnell’s Pitch Count
Excuse me for the late notice … I haven’t been paying attention the way I should.
So it just registered with me that Bobby Parnell “will be limited to 60-70 pitches during his outing” — at least, that’s what’s being reported on MetsBlog (and I’m sure it is correct information).
Great. Except, one thing: Bobby Parnell has NOT THROWN MORE THAN 33 PITCHES in any one outing all season.
Is anyone else seeing the problem I’m seeing? Am I nuts, or is it a little crazy to suddenly double his highest pitch count of the season? To come up with a “limit” that is FIVE TIMES HIS AVERAGE PITCH COUNT per outing this year?
Yes, folks, five times. Parnell has tossed a total of 817 pitches in 54 games. We know my math stinks so I used a calculator — but you can double-check in case my fat fingers affected the result.
As for “stretching him out”, go to the stats and check the game logs. Parnell threw 30 pitches on August 5th; 33 on August 3rd; 21 on August 1st; and 34 on July 30th (he pitched in both ends of a doubleheader). So, roughly 30 pitches every other day, then all of a sudden — WHAM! — his limit is 70.
May I add that Parnell seemed slightly surprised that he was getting a start when originally speaking to reporters the other day — so I’m guessing he wasn’t augmenting his in-game counts with extra side sessions. Though, he could be a really good actor.
Again, I must bring up the painstaking care and attention the Yankees paid to their young fireballer Joba Chamberlain, during his transition to the starting rotation. Either the Yankees were being unbelievably cautious, or the Mets are being incredibly irresponsible. No one can say for sure, but one look at the way the Mets have handled the physical condition of their players over the last few seasons is enough to make me skeptical.
Mets Get Jason Dubois
They passed on Manny Ramirez, ignored Raul Ibanez, decided against Adam Dunn, and never considered Casey Blake, before settling on Gary Sheffield as a stopgap.
But finally, the Mets have acquired the big-bodied, power-hitting left fielder they’ve needed since admitting Moises Alou to a nursing home: Jason Dubois.
What do you mean, “who the heck is Jason Dubois?” Doesn’t anyone read Baseball America?
For the uninformed and the ignorant, Jason Dubois is a 6′5″, 225-pound outfielder who once slugged 31 homeruns in a minor league season (2004). He’s been hidden in the Chicago Cubs’ system for 8 of his 9 years in the minors, unable to leapfrog over the Calvin Murrays and Matt Murtons of the world. This year he’s hitting .302 with 11 HRs and 50 RBI in only 275 at-bats — but again, his path blocked to the majors by a stunning array of outfielders in the Cubs’ system. Luckily for the Mets, the Cubs were willing to part with the strapping righthanded hitter, who at 30 years old is in the prime of his athletic life.
Immediately, Dubois arrives as the man with the best raw power in the organization among those who do not require a walker to enter the batter’s box. Following in the footsteps of the departed Wily Mo Pena and Valentino Pascucci, Dubois has prodigious power and a prodigious penchant for striking out — 77 times so far this season. But hey, he’s played in Buffalo before (in 2006) and should be warmly welcomed by the Bisons’ fan base.
And who knows, he might be auditioned in Flushing for a 2010 job in the outfield.
Is Angel Pagan for Real?
Can the Mets' Angel Pagan continue his current pace? Photo from www.legendofcecilioguante.com
Through 151 plate appearances, Angel Pagan is hitting .305 with 2 HR, 7 doubles, 7 triples, 18 RBI, 8 SB, and a .344 OBP. His defense in centerfield has for the most part been very good, and his aggressive, all-out approach to the game has been inspiring. No doubt, he’s been a catalyst at the top of the lineup, jump-starting rallies and providing excitement for the fans.
Now, the million-dollar question: can he keep it up?
Already, some fans and pundits are wondering out loud if the Mets may be best served by moving Carlos Beltran this winter to Read more
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