Archive for Jenrry Mejia
Jenrry Mejia Has MCL Tear
Posted by: | CommentsThe Buffalo Bisons have announced that New York Mets top prospect Jenrry Mejia has an MCL tear in his right elbow.
According to the release Mets Medical Director Dr. David Altchek found a complete tear in the right elbow and has suggested that Mejia have surgery to repair it. The Mets are sending Mejia for a second opinion.
In five starts in 2011 Mejia was 1-2 with a 2.86 ERA in 28.1 innings. He only gave up 16 hits, but walked 14 while striking out 21.
Patients with a grade 1 tear of the MCL are likely to need 2-8 weeks of recovery while grade 3 patients (what Mejia is) will require surgery and “significantly” longer recovery time.
This is a major blow to an already pitching thin Mets. If there are any setbacks Mejia could wind up missing the whole season because surgery is all, but a guarantee at this point. Not only does this set back a top prospects development for a year, but it handcuffs the Mets for options of pitchers to call up. The Mets never seem to be able to catch a break.
If Mejia does have Tommy John surgery, he likely wouldn’t return to the mound for a year, costing him the rest of the 2011 season and part of the 2012 season. The surgery would probably push back his timetable to be able to pitch competitively in the big leagues until 2013.
- BA
A Look at Possible Rotation Trade Candidates
Posted by: | Comments
1. Cliff Lee – Lee is by far the best pitcher in the group and having a fantastic season. He had a late start to his season because of an injury, but he is already 5-3 on a really bad team with a 2.55 ERA. The most staggering thing about Lee’s season so far is his K/BB statistic. Right now it sits 16.75. The next person on the list is Roy Halladay with a 6.13. Lee is on base to shatter the MLB record because frankly he just isn’t walking anyone. He has walked just 4 batters all season, which is good for a .46 BB/9. Lee is just doing everything you can ask of an ace pitcher. Winning games, giving up no runs, no hits, walking no one, striking guys out, and pitching deep into games. Right now he is averaging nearly 8 innings per start and already has 3 complete games in 10 starts.
The problem with Lee pitching so well is that it is going to cost a lot to get him. The Mariners don’t have to Lee because they will get 2 draft picks when he leaves via free agency. The one thing going for the Mets is that the Mariners were asking for bats in return so the Mets can still keep Jenrry Mejia. With Fernando Martinez just coming back from his injury two weeks ago it was perfect timing for the M’s to get a good look at him. The other main prospect being thrown around in talks is Wilson Ramos of the Twins. The Mariners are in need of a catcher, but F-Mart is certain;y the better prospect and the Mariners outfield isn’t too great either so he could surely help them up.
I understand the Mets have been reluctant to trade F-Mart in the past, but if there was ever the perfect opportunity to trade him this would be it. Martinez is highly unlikely to match Lee’s success in the majors and Lee is going to put the Mets over the top. Going into a playoff race with a rotation of Cliff Lee-Mike Pelfrey-Johan Santana is just devastating and will dramatically increase the Mets’s chances of getting to the ship.
2. Fausto Carmona – I really like Carmona and actually traded for him last season in my dynasty league (I am the Mets in the league). He reminds me a lot of Big Pelf. Both of them rely heavily on their sinkers that have similar velocity and get similar horizontal and vertical movement, each of them complements their fastball with a nice slider, and change up. The only difference is Pelf’s change up is now a split-fingered fastball while Carmona uses a more traditional change. It is interesting to note when Carmona had his best season in 2007 was the last time he threw a splitter regularly so it would be interesting if the Mets acquire him if they have him go back to throwing the split.
The problem with Carmona is that he is signed cheaply for a couple years so he is going to cost a pretty penny. I am not sure what the Indians would be looking for in return, but if it Jenrry Mejia I would balk at their asking price. This is a case where I would consider trading Fernando Martinez, but I would never be able to sell myself 100% on the idea.
3. Jeremy Guthrie - Guthrie is a very sticky situation. He is a solid middle rotation who will be under control until 2012, but the O’s are going to be looking for a return on a #2 type of pitcher. I like Guthrie and like Carmona traded for him in my dynasty league. His stuff is likely to play better in the National League and Citi Field where his fly balls aren’t going to carry out as much as they do at Camden. If he can be had for a reasonable price without having to give up any top notch prospects I am all for, but something tells me the O’s are going to want someone like Wilmer Flores for him and I just don’t think it would be smart for the Mets to do something like that.
4. Ben Sheets – I have always been a huge Ben Sheets fan and when the A’s signed him in the off season you know the only thing Billy Beane had in mind was to have Sheets show he was healthy so he could trade him for a couple of prospects. Sheets is having an okay season. He is 2-7 with a 4.95 ERA, but almost all his other numbers are on par with his career numbers. He is actually getting more ground balls than usual, the problem has been his control. He is walking way more batters than usual all the way up to a 3.81 BB/9 compared to his career average of 2.08. Part of the reason for the high ERA is the amount of home runs he has given up. His HR/FB percentage is all the way up to 12% since moving to the AL in Oakland compared to 7.7% over his last 3 years. I think a moved back to the NL could certainly help his numbers and like with Guthrie playing in Citi Field would definitely help his home run rate. I would really like if the Mets got Sheets because when he is on he is one of the best pitchers in the game and would certainly cost less than someone like Lee.
Mets Finally Demote Mejia to Binghamton
Posted by: | CommentsAfter setting back Jenrry Mejia‘s development curve for almost no reason the Mets have finally decided to demote the 20-year-old to Double-A Binghamton in order to stretch him out as a starter and plan to call up Bobby Parnell from Triple-A Buffalo. Parnell was 1-1 with 4 saves and a 4.24 ERA in 41.1 innings. He had 41 strikeouts to go along with 17 walks.
I really do not know why the Mets kept Mejia up so long. He wasn’t bad, but it was not like he was absolutely dominant. If he was the primary set up man and pitching to a 1 ERA I can see them wanting to keep him up, but he was pitching mediocre, which is understandable considering he is 20 and raw, and he was being used in mop up duty. At least they finally got it right.
Parnell was pitching much better then ERA. He had a 3.52 FIP and had a 62% ground ball rate while lowering his walks from last season. He should be able to fill Mejia’s role fine. If he continues to strike guys out and get that many ground balls, with the Mets defense he could put up some pretty strong numbers and move into the set up role by the end of the season.
Mets Get Smart? Mejia to the Minors?
Posted by: | CommentsIn his post game interview Jerry Manuel hinted that Jenrry Mejia could be sent down to the minor leagues in order to be stretched out as a starter.
“We’ll have to see obviously what direction we go, and then that will determine also how we feel the bullpen fits…We’ll do everything we can to keep it in a place where we feel very good about it, like we did coming out of spring training.”
So far this season Mejia is 0-2 with a 2.60 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 17.1 innings. He has appeared in just 18 of the Mets 37 games.
Mejia has shown an electric fastball that averages 94.4 mph with wicked movement. According to Fangraphs his fastball and curveball have been positive pitches for him, while his changeup has been slightly below average.
I have had no problem with what Mejia has done on the mound, but the simple fact of the matter is that he is not being given the chance to develop his pitches. He is throwing 81% fastballs and hasn’t had to use his off-speed pitches at all. At 20-years old he needs to be in the minors developing those pitches and not using one pitch to get outs in the bigs.
Ryota Igarashi could return soon from his injury within a week the Mets could wait until his return to send Mejia down and stretch him out. If the injury Jon Niese just sustained is serious at all there could be not better time than right now to make the move with Mejia.
This is Why the Mets’ Front Office Sucks
Posted by: | CommentsSome of the moves the Mets in recent history have made have been just flat out confusing (who signs a 32-year-old 2nd baseman, whose been on the decline, with TERRIBLE knees to a 4 year deal?) But that is not even what I am talking about. Their treatment of young players is just horrendous. Just look at the Health Bell situation. Couldn’t make up their mind on what to do with a young kid with talent which caused his results to suffer. He finally gets a STEADY role with the Padres and becomes and All-Star closer.
In present times they are just making themselves look silly. Just about a week ago we got the humorous story about how great New York Mets’ front office communication is. This story just hit home for me. As a Met fan I try to stay positive, support the team, and ignore the public perception of them but they make it near impossible. How can a GM and manager be so far apart on the outlook of the team and make comments like this just hours apart? It really makes you question if anybody knows what they are doing.
The main issue that is pissing me off somewhat goes along with that story. The why they are treating fellow top prospect, Jenrry Mejia, is just atrocious. There really is no nicer way to put it. I understand what Jerry Manuel is doing he, but it is just wrong. He is aware just as everybody else that his job is on the line and he wants the best talent on the roster to help him keep his position. Sometimes though you can’t be so selfish and look at the players needs above yours. You can not wage the bright looking career of a young player on whether or not you get to keep your job.
Just two seasons ago Mejia was busy carving up pitchers in the GCL, which is pretty much equivalent to an ultra competitive high school league. Now the Mets want a kid who is not legally old enough to drink in this country to make a jump to the big leagues? This isn’t just a normal jump it is one the requires him to switch positions while doing so. Even if it may not seem like it there is a big difference between starting and relieving there is a huge difference both mentally and physically. Sure it was nice to see him pitch successfully on back to back days early in spring training, but how do you think someone who has appeared in 33 games in his career, all starts, would handle that in the dog days of September. I would feel pretty confident in saying his arm wouldn’t have the same “magic” to it after being used early and often in the season similar to Bobby Parnell last year.
Am I also the only one who looks at the bullpen as a last resort for pitchers. If you have a guy with plus stuff you try him in the rotation and if that doesn’t work you let him dominate out of the pen with his fastball and whatever else he has just like the Yankees did with Mariano Rivera. I have a bad feeling that converting him to the pen so early in his career is going to have lasting repercussions no one wants to see.
Mets Top 50 Prospects: Prospects 1-10
Posted by: | CommentsFor an overview of the process I use to grade players, the factors I use in determining where a player ranks, and other frequently asked questions, please click here. All grades are subject to change.You can find a full listing of the Top 50 Prospects of 2010 Archive Page. I will be releasing the rest of the list soon.
1. Fernando Martinez | CF | AA | Age – 21 | Drafted – IFA 2005 (B+)
Still the Mets number 1 for me. He is just 21 and put up a great line of .290/.337/.540 in AAA before being called up. If a college draft pick went to AAA and put up that line he would probably be a top 10 prospect and Martinez gets over looked. He was rushed to the bigs, but watch for him in 2010 if he can have a healthy season.
Best Case Outcome – Middle of the order bat with good defense
More Likely Outcome – Solid everyday player with 1-2 all-star appearances
| TEAM | AB | R | 2B | HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | BABIP | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bisons | 176 | 24 | 16 | 8 | 28 | .290 | .337 | .540 | .319 | .250 |
| New York Mets | 91 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 8 | .176 | .242 | .275 | .197 | .099 |
| TOTAL | 267 | 35 | 22 | 9 | 36 | .251 | .304 | .449 | .274 | .199 |
2. Jenrry Mejia | SP | AA | Age – 20 | Drafted – IFA 2006 (B+)
The prize arm in the Mets system Mejia has a great fastball to go along with an average an average change-up and developing curve. Nice all around numbers on the season.
Best Case Outcome – Ace starter/All-Star Closer
More Likely Outcome – Good #3/Set-up man
| TEAM | W-L | ERA | G/GS | IP | SO | BB | GB% | FIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lucie Mets | 4-1 | 1.97 | 9/9 | 50.1 | 44 | 16 | 68% | 2.52 |
| Binghamton Mets | 0-5 | 4.47 | 10/10 | 44.1 | 48 | 23 | 59% | 3.49 |
| TOTAL | 4-6 | 3.14 | 19/19 | 94.2 | 91 | 39 | 64% | 2.95 |
3. Ike Davis | 1B | AA | Age – 22 | Drafted – 1st Round 2008 (B+)
Ike has all the physical tools and showed them off in 2009 with a .298 average and 20 home runs in A+ and AA. The best part of his season was that he didn’t slow down after the promotion he improved. An aggressive ranking, but I believe in his bat.
Best Case Outcome – Slugging first baseman with great defense
More Likely Outcome – League Average first baseman with great defense.
| TEAM | AB | R | 2B | HR | RBI | .AVG | .OBP | .SLG | .BABIP | .ISO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lucie Mets | 222 | 28 | 17 | 7 | 28 | .288 | .376 | .486 | .348 | .198 |
| Binghamton Mets | 207 | 30 | 14 | 13 | 43 | .309 | .386 | .565 | .381 | .256 |
| TOTAL | 429 | 58 | 31 | 20 | 71 | .298 | .381 | .524 | .365 | .226 |
4. Jon Niese | SP | MLB | Age – 23 | Drafted – 7th Round 2005 (B)
Gets over looked a lot because of lack of elite velocity (89.4 avg velo), but his outstanding curve and cutter that is already becoming a plus pitch will set him up for great success.
Best Case Outcome – #2 starter in the mold of Andy Pettitte.
More Likely Outcome – Good #4 starter.
| TEAM | AB | R | 2B | HR | RBI | .AVG | .OBP | .SLG | .BABIP | .ISO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lucie Mets | 222 | 28 | 17 | 7 | 28 | .288 | .376 | .486 | .348 | .198 |
| Binghamton Mets | 207 | 30 | 14 | 13 | 43 | .309 | .386 | .565 | .381 | .256 |
| TOTAL | 429 | 58 | 31 | 20 | 71 | .298 | .381 | .524 | .365 | .226 |
5. Wilmer Flores | SS | LoA | Age – 18 | Drafted – IFA 2007 (B)
This season was a little bit of a disappointment from Flores, especially in the power department, but being such a young age in LoA he gets some slack.
Best Case Outcome – Top-3 offensive left fielder
More Likely Outcome – Top-15 offensive left fielder
| TEAM | W-L | ERA | G/GS | IP | SO | BB | GB% | FIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bisons | 5-6 | 3.82 | 16/16 | 94.1 | 82 | 26 | 56% | 3.38 |
| New York Mets | 1-1 | 4.21 | 5/5 | 25.2 | 18 | 9 | 46% | 3.21 |
| TOTAL | 6-7 | 3.90 | 21/21 | 120.0 | 100 | 35 | 51% | 3.28 |
6. Brad Holt | SP | AA | Age – 23 | Drafted – 1st Round 2008 (B-)
Most people are worried about the showing Holt put up in AA. He was dealing with some injuries, dominated A+, and his K rate was still pretty solid, but it was his control that hurt him. The control would also correlate with him being injured.
Best Case Outcome – #2 starter
More Likely Outcome – #4 starter/set-up man
| TEAM | W-L | ERA | G/GS | IP | SO | BB | GB% | FIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lucie Mets | 4-1 | 3.12 | 9/9 | 43.1 | 54 | 13 | 37% | 3.15 |
| Binghamton Mets | 3-6 | 6.21 | 11/11 | 58.0 | 45 | 23 | 37% | 4.96 |
| TOTAL | 7-7 | 4.90 | 19/19 | 101.1 | 99 | 39 | 37% | 4.20 |
7. Reese Havens | 2B | HiA | Age – 23 | Drafted – 1st Round 2008 (B-)
He was pretty unlucky last year with a .272 BABIP I fully expect his average to go up. Doesn’t strike out too much, gets a good amount of walks, has enough speed to up the steals, and provides good power. He also provides those intangibles you look for in all good ballplayers. Will be interesting to see how he adjusts to 2nd base.
Best Case Outcome – Above-average second baseman who gets 1 or 2 all-star appearances on career years.
More Likely Outcome – Solid MLB starter.
| TEAM | AB | R | 2B | HR | RBI | .AVG | .OBP | .SLG | BABIP | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lucie Mets | 360 | 53 | 19 | 14 | 52 | .247 | .361 | .422 | .272 | .175 |
| TOTAL | 360 | 53 | 19 | 14 | 52 | .247 | .361 | .422 | .272 | .175 |
8. Kyle Allen | SP | LoA | Age – 20 | Drafted – 24th Round 2008 (B-)
After a great rookie performance I had him pegged as a personal favorite/sleeper and boy he didn’t disappoint. He has a great Fastball/Change-up combination and if he can develop a 3rd plus pitch he can become great.
Best Case Outcome – #3 starter
More Likely Outcome – #4 starter
| TEAM | W-L | ERA | G/GS | IP | SO | BB | GB% | FIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savannah Sand Gnats | 9-6 | 3.45 | 25/19 | 125.1 | 111 | 51 | 59% | 3.74 |
| TOTAL | 9-6 | 3.45 | 25/19 | 125.1 | 111 | 51 | 59% | 3.74 |
9. Josh Thole | C | MLB | Age – 23 | Drafted – 13th Round 2005 (C+)
He has to be cut some slack for his defense. He has turned into a decent fielder for the amount of time he has been behind the plate and seems to make improvements each year. He will never hit for power, but as a catcher with his average and walks he should be fine.
Best Case Outcome – slight above-average MLB catcher
More Likely Outcome – average MLB catcher
| TEAM | AB | R | 2B | HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | BABIP | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binghamton Mets | 384 | 48 | 29 | 1 | 46 | .328 | .395 | .422 | .349 | .094 |
| New York Mets | 53 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | .321 | .356 | .396 | .340 | .075 |
| TOTAL | 437 | 50 | 31 | 1 | 55 | .327 | .394 | .419 | .348 | .092 |
10. Kirk Nieuwenhuis | CF | AA | Age – 22 | Drafted – 3rd Round 2008 (C+)
Simply had a great 2009. He is a big kid and the power he has been showing is for real. Has enough speed to stick at center, but his arm is a little weak and that is the only thing I could see moving him to a corner spot. So far the jump to AA went amazing and it will be nice to see if he can continue it. Needs to cut down on K’s.
Best Case Outcome – Above-average center fielder in the mold of Aaron Rowand.
More Likely Outcome – Solid MLB center fielder.
| TEAM | AB | R | 2B | HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | BABIP | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lucie Mets | 482 | 91 | 35 | 16 | 71 | .276 | .358 | .469 | .336 | .193 |
| Binghamton Mets | 32 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .406 | .472 | .656 | .545 | .250 |
| TOTAL | 514 | 99 | 38 | 1 | 73 | .284 | .366 | .481 | .348 | .196 |
Jenrry Mejia Is a Fast Riser
Posted by: | CommentsBaseball America recently wrote an article about fast risers and fallers in the minor leagues for the half way point of the season listing Jenrry Mejia in the heated up portion of the article writing:
Jenrry Mejia, rhp, Mets: He’s just 19 but already has pushed his way to Double-A, using a 98 mph fastball and drawing Edwin Jackson comparisons. He may need more feel to stay in the rotation, or may take a while to figure things out, like 2009 all-star Jackson did.
Not sure where the Edwin Jackson comparison’s come from. Because they are young Latino’s with plus fastballs? I am going to continue to push the Roy Oswalt comparisons, but that is besides the point. It is still nice to see that a Met prospect is being so highly regarded, so dominant, and has the stuff to back up the numbers and hype. Let’s just hope he doesn’t wind up like the last pitcher who had the hype *cough*Deolis Guerra*cough*. His mechanics aren’t as bad as Guerra’s though and I’d expect him to be more successful and he already has been more successful.
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