The Biggest Loser
Are the Mets one of the biggest losers from the draft? Maybe not, but they are most likely pretty close to it. As harsh as Dayn Perry's words were, for the most part he was right.
Top pick Kevin Mulvey (RHP, Villanova) showed poor hit rates against relatively weak competition, and second-rounder Joe Smith is a relief prospect with a history of shoulder problems. Also, junior-college right-hander John Holdzkom was a stretch, even by fourth-round standards.
Well, here is where I'm conflicted. Baseball America did list him as the 30th best prospect for the draft and said he was the best pitching the Northeast, but Villanova did not exactly have a strong schedule.
Career Stats:
W L ERA IP H/9 BB/9 K/9 WHIPNow Mulvey might end up working out and that pick is more defendable than the next two, but his stats were pedestrian. A guy like Mark McCormick, who was drafted by the Cardinals last year, had mediocre numbers as a college player, but has much better pure stuff than Mulvey and throws in the high 90's. If Mulvey got hit pitching for Villanova, it is understandable why people question his ability to get pro hitters out. Joe Smith probably could have been picked in the next round and John Holdzkom was not going to break the top ten rounds unless a team really thought highly of him. From maybe not breaking the first ten to becoming a fourth round pick, it seems like the Mets did not make the most out of the picks that they had.
14 16 4.46 244 9.15 3.54 8.19 1.41
However, the picture has gotten a bit brighter in that Daniel Stegall has signed with the Mets.
"I told them that playing professional baseball has really been my dream since I was a little kid," said Stegall, a two-sport standout at Greenwood (Ark.) High School. "I never thought I would get the chance to do it."
While that is certainly encouraging news, Justin Woodall looks like he is going to be a tougher sign.
"Baseball, I stand around too much. I like moving," Woodall said. "Everybody tells me I need to play baseball. They're just looking at the money. If I was hurting (financially), I probably would. My family's fine."
The buzz was that the Mets promised Woodall $1 million dollars if he fell to the in the third round. Woodall, who was named the best high school athlete by Baseball America, declined that offer and the Mets took a shot on him anyway with a pick in day two. Of course it was a worthwhile gamble for the Mets as Woodall, who had been previously uninterested in baseball, showed some interest by doing a private workout for the Mets.
With Daniel Stegall in the mix and the Mets trying to bring Justin Woodall into the mix, things are better and could improve even more. If the Mets are able to bring both into the system, they will bring in two top tier athletes with tremendous athleticism. The last two drafts were brutal for the most part and the Mets are in dire need of making some things happen and Stegall helps that. Now Omar needs to try and get Woodall.
I was talking to my brother about HGH to see if he knew anything about it. My brother is a personal trainer and he is very knowledgeable when it comes to nutrition and biology as well. While he did not know much about HGH itself, he said anything that you put into your body that occurs naturally in your body has a negative effect in that your body begins to produce less of it or stops making it all together. Your body produces less and less of HGH as you get older so when you stop taking the HGH supplements when you are done with baseball, your body starts to break down and you will have a lot of problems down the line. While it may be a wonder substance, it is a wonder substance for people who really need it and do not make enough of it naturally.
Barry Bonds is eager for a sit-down with former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, his attorney said yesterday, but the embattled slugger will not talk until his lawyer can be assured the information won't be used by federal prosecutors.
"I personally am disappointed I couldn't produce and live up to the expectations," Matsui said through an interpreter.
Start speculating as to what this means for the Mets and Xavier Nady....now.
"No preference," Zito said when asked about a favorite New York team. "There are so many factors. I haven't even thought about it and I won't until I have to. I don't really know what will happen. And I can't really say all bets are off with the A's, either."
The Mets have the youth, the Rick Peterson factor, deep pockets, and more excitement surrounding the team. That looks like a check mate to me in any head to head showdown for Zito's services between the Mets and the Yankees.
"When you're healthy, you can do a lot of things," he said. "When you're hurt, you take the field and there's a lot of things you're not capable of doing."
Beltran is batting .294/.407/.631 with 17 homers, and 44 RBIs. He's on pace for 131 runs scored, 36 doubles, 52 homers, 134 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases. Is it too early to start talking about Beltran as an MVP candidate?
Xavier Nady (appendectomy) is flying to Florida this morning to begin his rehabilitation, but still has no date set for resuming baseball activities.
posted by michael o. at 1:14 PM
17 Comments:
I think that it is more of a point of wondering what happens to Floyd & Nady. The Mets are talking like The Ledge is around until after the next round of inter-league play. And of course Nady's recovery plays into things as well. In most cases, I suppose injuries play out in mysterious ways and things can solve themselves, but as you wrote yesterday, it's hard to believe the Mets would just dump Nady based on the year he was projecting. I've also had this feeling that seeing DWright's approach to hitting would ultimately have an enormous effect on the Big X. More than any other Met, Sugar Pants is the template on how to hit. Unbelievable.
Bummer about Woodall, and while I genuinely agree with your talking points today regarding the draft, we have to remember that no one in their right mind would have understood the Mets drafting Bobby Parnell in Rnd 9. That move of course looks pretty good. Moreover, as BA explained, each team's draft board is so different, representing organizational philosophy, emphasis, needs, etc. So the Mets' Top 200 is not necessarily the next team's (at least let's hope for the other teams sake!).
It's all a crap shoot. But I still can't get over the Mets not ponying up and overpaying (in their mind) a bit for Beato. And I don't buy the slotting crap one iota. More pressure then in an expanding market for top international talent means that Fernando Martinez's bonus is gonna look small sooner than you think.
3:16 PM
I still agree with Keith Hernandez and would love to see Nady move in an inch or two towards the plate to maximize his plate coverage.
Parnell was a ninth rounder though and Mulvey was a 2nd round. Big difference. Yeah, each draft board is different and the Mets obviously like those guys, but that does not mean they were the best picks.
The Beato thing was dissapointing, but they were far away from each other. Beato gambled by going back into the draft and won in terms of money and will make more, but he lost in terms of the organization.
3:56 PM
Actually would be nice if the Mets had Mex working with the players, or at least passing along his observations. Always good insights.
I know that Parnell was a 9th versus Mulvey the 2nd. Just really wanted to make a point you already knew. There are so many intangibles that can effect the numbers. BA had him ranked as the 30th best prospect, so I'll take their analysis over Met-hater Perry.
4:58 PM
We might not have had a good draft, but Omar is very active with international signings so, as much as we hurt ourselves by signing billy in terms of draft picks, we really tend to help ourselves by keeping an eye out internationally.
I dont really want to lose Nady to be honest... but then again i don't want to lose lastings to the minors either.
5:24 PM
every time i see d wright referred to as "sugar pants" i laugh my fuckin' ass off. hi-larious.
6:35 PM
While he did not know much about HGH itself, he said anything that you put into your body that occurs naturally in your body has a negative effect in that your body begins to produce less of it or stops making it all together. Your body produces less and less of HGH as you get older so when you stop taking the HGH supplements when you are done with baseball, your body starts to break down and you will have a lot of problems down the line. While it may be a wonder substance, it is a wonder substance for people who really need it and do not make enough of it naturally.
That's true, sort of. This isn't my area of expertise either, but these things tend to be a little more flexible. While the pituitary gland will produce less HGH when an outside source is present, it does not mean that it won't resume production when the outside source ceases.
For instance, if someone is on an anti-depressant that creates an excess of serotonin in the brain, you will see the same effect--neurons on site will produce less serotonin naturally. But this does not mean that you may never remove the drug without risking the brain never producing sertonin completely on its own again. The opposite process occurs and the cells start producing more serotonin. While serotonin is a neurotransmitter and not a hormone the general idea is the same.
The actual permanent effects vary on dosage size and length, site of of action, mechanism of action, age of the individual, and any specific genetic factors that may be present. This is where researchers just don't know what to expect with regard to HGH and the pituitary gland. While I think it's safer to assume the worst, I can certainly see a persuasive counter-argument, where HGH is administered under close medical supervision.
6:37 PM
Agreed on Mex...maybe he's wrong and I just don't know it, but he seems to be right on and quick on things.
Point taken, there are a lot of intangibles and Mulvey had a fantastic HR rate, but still a high hit rate on that team concerns me.
Brian, I total think Omar will be very agressive on the int'l front. I think he'll come up huge again with Pena's son at the very least.
I want Nady two, but there could be options in moving him that make sense.
Sugar Pants = Funny
Point taken. I am curious enough to find out though if the body will fully recover and begin to produce the same levels again.
7:06 PM
Alight..spoke to my brother again. He said the body will start production again, but not right away. It will take time and body has to work back up to that point but there will be negative repercussions regardless. It is also obviously dependent on how much you were taking in regards to the severity of your problems. Either way, it's bad I guess and you are still messing with your body and that's never good, but noboday was saying that was the case.
7:14 PM
I can certainly see a persuasive counter-argument, where HGH is administered under close medical supervision.
Exactly. We actually spoke about that when talking about the HGH. Under the right conditions and close supervisions, HGH and steroids could be extremely useful and beneficial. However, I have my doubts that even a fraction of the players are getting the right supervision.
7:16 PM
That's where this gets complicated. It's not that the drugs in question do not have positive attributes when used in a controlled manner with an attendant physician but that few doctors would put their neck on the line to administer banned drugs to professional athletes.
To go back to the documentary I referred to yesterday, which was dubbed into French, the woman who swore by HGH basically said she was committed to taking the drug for the rest of her life because of the way it made her feel. The potential for the hormone to become a sort of designer drug for the rich is clearly there.
And who would argue to those who can afford it and can find someone willing to oversee the administration of it, that they shouldn't take something that may vastly improve the quality of their life and longevity? In a hundred years time it could be a mundane treatment for aging - though there's always the question of our little over-population issue that comes with miracle drugs and cures for cancer. We're swelling out of our bounds as it is...
Anyway, a completely different tenor: Keppinger in LF for the second night in a row. Why does that say to me that he may actually be figuring into the Met's plans again? The one weakness in Marrero - and if you apply the argument in a comparitive manner, the very reason why Marrero trumps Matsui (besides the fact that he can hit, I mean!) - is that Marrero cannot play the middle infield, a spot which has the potential of being undermanned based on the roster's current compositon. If Kepp can play the corner outfield spots, his low strikeout/hit for average approach is potentially quite valuable on a contender.
7:56 PM
Why are people soo puzzled as to what the Mets will do with the "logjam" of Floyd, Beltran, Milledge, Nady, and Marrero.
It's simple.
Milledge will be sent down when Nady comes back.
NAdy starts in RF
Marrero becomes a backup.
TADA!
8:03 PM
Exactly. We actually spoke about that when talking about the HGH. Under the right conditions and close supervisions, HGH and steroids could be extremely useful and beneficial. However, I have my doubts that even a fraction of the players are getting the right supervision.
And I'd wager you're right about that. As things stand, I think there's little getting in the way of pro athletes getting that proper supervision. Right now there's no test for HGH administered by MLB, and therefore no chance of being caught. I can't imagine a player couldn't find some doctor to cooperate, given the alternatives. And the other roadblock is money, since close medical supervision is costly. Well, pro athletes have that.
If it were my body, it would certainly be worth it to me.
8:59 PM
sugar pants is funny but i dont like hearing it beacuse it reminds me that i have an unhealthy mancrush on david wright.
I dont think people are really PUZZLED about what to do when Nady comes back, i think its more of the fact that we don't really WANT to see milledge go back down.
11:04 PM
though there's always the question of our little over-population issue that comes with miracle drugs and cures for cancer. We're swelling out of our bounds as it is...
Yeah, I think about this all of the time and have serious moral conflicts about this. You want to save everyone we can, but nature taking it's course is not always a bad thing. Seriously, what happens when everyone can be saved? I would never want to see any die that can be saved, but there will be big problems down the line with an already booming global population.
People need to take it easy popping out too many kids....
I agree on Kepp...they tried to do this last year with the Tides and didn't adjust so great. If he can play multiple decisions, that's he golden ticket to the bigs.
Benny, I don't see it as being that simple. They like Milledge a lot and if keeps hitting, they may look to make a deal.
You would think athletes would do that, but as Grimsley said, the guys on the West Coast go to Mexico for it, so who knows what they do and if they use commone sense. I'd best some do, but not all.
I use Suger Pants because of his aw-shucks attitude more than the man-crush thing so take solace in that.
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