Brooklyn Cyclones Announce Preliminary Roster

Posted on June 16, 2010 by John Fitzgerald

Logo: BallparkBiz.com

The Brooklyn Cyclones begin their season on Friday night against the Staten Island Yankees. The Cyclones have announced their preliminary roster. Presumably, Cyclones manager Wally Backman will make a few roster moves before the season begins.

BROOKLYN CYCLONES PRELIMINARY ROSTER

#  	Name  		POS  	Bats  	Throws
7	CENTENO, Juan 	C 	L 	R
13	FREEMAN, Taylor C 	L 	R 

Infielders »
# 	Name 			POS 	Bats 	Throws
3	SANDOVAL, Rylan 	SS 	R 	R
12	SCHROEDER, James 	3B 	R 	R
22	BROWN, J.B. 		2B 	L 	R
25	BONFE, Joe 		3B 	R 	R
29	BUTLER, Jet 		SS 	S 	R
32	FLAGG, Jeff 		1B 	R 	R 

Outfielders »
# 	Name 			POS 	Bats 	Throws
10	CECILIANI, Darrell 	OF 	L 	L
11	CHERRY, Will 		OF 	R 	R
17	HOLLIDAY, Cody 		OF 	L 	L
21	HARRIS, R.J. 		OF 	L 	L
27	VAUGHN, Cory 		OF 	R 	R
44	STEINHAUER, Kurt 	OF 	R 	R 

Pitchers »
# 	Name 			POS 	Bats 	Throws
2	WRENN, Wes 		P 	R 	R
5	HILLIARD, Chris 	P 	L 	L
18	CUAN, Angel 		P 	L 	L
20	PINERA, A.J. 		P 	R 	R
23	BENNETT, Hamilton 	P 	R 	L
28	LEDUC, Guillaume 	P 	R 	R
31	NEEDHAM, Brian 		P 	R 	R
33	KOUNTIS, Jonathan 	P 	R 	R
35	CARNEVALE, Hunter 	P 		R
39	SHEPPARD, Chad 		P 	R 	R
43	FRASER, Ryan 		P 	R 	R
45	MARTINEZ, Pedro 	P 	P 	R
46	ALMONTE, Yohan 		P 	R 	R
47	HOUCK, Mitch 		P 	L 	L
49	PEREIRA, Nelson 	P 	L 	L
Posted in Mets 2010 Games | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Akinori Iwamura? Why not?

Posted on June 16, 2010 by John Fitzgerald

CBS Sports is reporting the Pirates have designated struggling second baseman Akinori Iwamura for assignment. The move clears room for top prospect Pedro Alvarez at the big league level.

Iwamura, who is making $4.8 million, has been one of the majors’ worst offensive players, batting .182 with two homers and nine RBI while striking out 31 times in 165 at-bats. Coming off major knee surgery last season with Tampa Bay, Iwamura showed minimal range defensively at second base.

Yikes.

Sounds terrible…

But he’s not. And the Mets should take a flyer on the guy. Here’s why:

  1. From 2007-09, he recorded an OPS of .770, .729 and .745. In other words, there is talent in there, somewhere.
  2. He’s 31 years old and coming off knee surgery, so he probably wasn’t worth the risk of a big contract, but that was the Pirates’ mistake. The time is right to buy low. VERY low.
  3. He would provide a veteran left-handed bat off the bench
  4. Iwamura entered May 23 batting .151.  Since then, he has raised his average 30 points to .181, mostly in a backup role. During that same time period, he raised his OPS from .481 to .558.
  5. Although he has primarily played 2B/3B during his time in the majors, Iwamura played outfield in the minor leagues (in Japan) and there were reports that he would play shortstop when he reported to spring training for Tampa Bay in 2007. In other words, he could be a left-handed version of Tatis and Cora, combined… albeit without the leadership qualities.

I’m not a big fan of signing or trading for washed up veterans, but I’m not convinced this guy is washed up. If  Iwamura can be had on the cheap, he could be a versatile role player down the stretch.

Posted in Mets 2010 Games | 7 Comments

Wednesday Morning Mets Links

Posted on June 16, 2010 by John Fitzgerald

OnTheBlack – Kerel Cooper tackles the age-old question, “Should the Mets trade for Cliff Lee or sign Pedro?”

BeGoneWithWilpon – BGWW says the Mets are winning despite the Wilpons’ penny pinching. Well there’s that and also there’s the whole, “a bunch of players that Omar and Jerry tried to bury are currently major contributors,” thing. Po-TAY-toe, Po-TOT-toe, so to speak.

Hot Foot Blog – HFB has a slightly creepy photo of a very young David Wright. The creepy part? He looks almost exactly the same. Still, a very cool find.

ESPN New York – Adam Rubin has a complete minor league rundown from last night.

FanHouse – Nando Di Fino has a fascinating story of a barnstorming tour that was planned for 1995 by the MLBPA.

And via ESPN New York, here is video of Jon Niese talking about growing up as an Indians fan:

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Mets Game 64: Win Over Indians

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Joe Janish

Mets 7 Indians 6

The Mets continue their absolute dominance over American League opponents, and this time they did it in come-from-behind fashion.

After falling behind 4-1, the Mets stampeded back with five runs in the fifth to take a lead they never lost, en route to their 36th victory of the season.

Game Notes

Johan Santana didn’t have his best stuff … blah blah blah. You’ve heard that story before. This time, though, the Mets gave him run support, and in this case it was much-needed.

As usual, Santana struggled to break 90 MPH, didn’t have great command of the changeup, and was inconsistent with a sparingly-used slider. He allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks to a lineup that is made up mostly of AAA and AA players. But as Bobby Ojeda might say, “he did what winners do”. Yes, he did, but I’m still concerned.

Ike Davis once again was the difference maker, as his two-run homer broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Mets the lead they never relinquished.

David Wright was 3-for-5, driving in three runs on two infield singles (with a little help from the speedy Jose Reyes). Wright now has 50 RBI, leading the National League. Not bad for a guy who was having a “terrible” year until recently.

Jose Reyes had only one hit but scored twice and stole his 17th base. Angel Pagan also swiped a bag, his 13th of the season.

Jeff Francoeur and Alex Cora combined to go 4-for-8 with two runs scored in the bottom two spots of the lineup.

Pedro Feliciano pitched the entire 8th inning in his new role as setup man and in his NL-leading 39th appearance. Though he didn’t allow a run, he looked dull — meaning, the opposite of sharp. Could it be the result of overuse? Nah.

Francisco Rodriguez made things interesting in the 9th, allowing a pinch-hit two-run homer to the ugliest man in baseball, Shelly Duncan.

If nothing else, the two bookend pitchers from this game are consistent in that Johan Santana never has his best stuff, and K-Rod always makes things interesting.

Justin Masterson pitched through the end of the seventh inning, despite allowing 7 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks. How often do you see that these days?

Seven of the Mets’ twelve hits were infield hits. Another rare feat.

Next Mets Game

The Mets and Indians do it again at 7:05 PM on Wednesday night in Cleveland. Jon Niese faces Mitch Talbot.

Posted in Mets 2010 Games | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Tuesday Night Mets Links & Open Thread

Posted on June 15, 2010 by John Fitzgerald

Links are on the way… Links are here!

Cleveland Plain Dealer – Paul Hoynes has the lowdown on Johan Santana’s dominance of Jhonny Peralta and Travis Hafner.

MetsToday – Joe Janish has an in-depth preview of the upcoming currently underway series in Cleveland.

FanHouse – The Wilpons are apparently discussing the possibility of bringing the New York Islanders to play in a yet-to-be-built arena next to Citi Field.

MLB Trade Rumors – The Mets have officially released Gary Matthews Jr.

The Daily Stache – Video of Wally Backman’s epic ejection continues to make its way around the internet.

The Daily Stache – Frank Gray thinks Chicago might be close to trading away some veterans.

TONIGHT’S GAME

The Mets (35-28) take on the Cleveland Indians (25-37) in Cleveland. Johan Santana (4-3, 2.96) gets the ball for the Mets and will be taking on Justin Masterson (2-5, 4.74).

And for all these things and so much more, feel free to…

Discuss…

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Wally Backman Luncheon Postponed

Posted on June 15, 2010 by John Fitzgerald

Logo: SportsLogos.net

Just a quick note to anyone who was planning to attend the luncheon with Wally Backman at Morton’s Steakhouse tomorrow (June 16). From the Brooklyn Cyclones Facebook page:

Brooklyn Cyclones The luncheon with Wally Backman scheduled for tomorrow at Morton’s has been postponed. We will announce a new date in the near future. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Posted in Mets 2010 Games | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Fantasy Baseball, Pedro Feliciano and Jerry Being Jerry

Posted on June 15, 2010 by John Fitzgerald

Photo: NJ.com

It sounds like Pedro Feliciano might be the new setup man for the Mets, at least according to Rotoworld. The fantasy baseball site is basing their information on an article by Andy McCullough in the Newark Star-Ledger.

I can’t find anything in the Star-Ledger article to back this up. Here’s the best I can come up with:

But with Mets manager Jerry Manuel rummaging through the bullpen for an eighth-inning answer, Feliciano has faced more righties than lefties this year. Both Fernando Nieve and Ryota Igarashi flamed out. So Manuel says Feliciano leads the team’s set-up committee alongside 39-year-old journeyman Elmer Dessens.

So will Feliciano retain his niche as the team’s left-handed specialist? Or does the team need him to set the table for closer Francisco Rodriguez?

“I know he wants it,” Rodriguez said. “He wants that job. He’s working so hard to establish himself in the set-up role.”

Feliciano led all of baseball in appearances these past two seasons – 88 in 2009 and 86 in 2008. After a clean eighth inning on Saturday, he notched his 37th appearance and extended his lead for this year’s title.

“There’s a ton of value,” assistant general manager John Ricco said, “for a guy like that – especially the way he can get lefties out – in our division.”

When I read that article, it seems like the Mets haven’t yet found an 8th-inning guy. In other words, it is still bullpen-by-committee. That’s fine, the committee has been working and Feliciano is a big part of that. But let’s not assume the Mets have figured out their bullpen situation for the long term.

Don’t discount RotoWorld because it is a fantasy baseball site. It is usually a great place to find out what’s really going on with injuries, bullpen roles and playing time controversies – they have a way of cutting through the media reports and PR spin from MLB teams. But in this case, I think they’ve fallen victim to Jerry being Jerry. To think the Mets have a hard and fast plan that they can stick to in the 8th inning is a bit presumptuous, until it is demonstrated in game situations, over a period of time.

If we believe every idea floated by Jerry Manuel, then Carlos Beltran will be the DH this weekend…

Read the article yourself and share your conclusions in the comments section.

Posted in Mets 2010 Games | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Tuesday Morning Mets Links

Posted on June 15, 2010 by John Fitzgerald

The Mets are back in action tonight against the Indians… Here’s what’s going on in the Mets-o-sphere:

Amazin’ Avenue – Eric Simon has a Mets trivia question – name all the Mets players who hit three doubles in a game.

Studious Metsimus – Today is a high holy day in Mets history. His name is Keith Hernandez.

Long Live Shea Stadium – A scouting report on the pitcher the Mets will face tonight – Cleveland’s Justin Masterson.

FanHouse – Four of the top five teams in the latest MLB Power Rankings are from Los Angeles or New York. Weird.

OnTheBlack – Kerel Cooper thinks Jose Reyes is back to being the player Mets fans know and love.

BrooklynMetFan – Apparently, Heath Bell wants to come back to New York when his contract is up? Weird.

Read The Apple – The Mets have banned World Cup games from the clubhouse. Not really.

And here is video of Wally Backman’s old team killing time in the dugout during a rain delay, by dropping sunflower seed shells into a teammates’ hair. Some of the video is not safe for work (NSFW), but it is far tamer than the video of the Wally Backman ejection that has been making its way around the internet this week:

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