The ultimate Mets killer — Willie Stargell

Hopefully Jerry Manuel was right. Believe it or not, in April 2010 he compared his rookie first baseman Ike Davis to Willie Stargell, the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer whose 21-year playing career ended in 1982. Manuel said, “(Davis) reminds me of (Stargell) in that they have the same hitch (in their swings). There have [...]

Mets Minors: End of season wrap-up

The regular season for Mets minor leaguers ended on Labor Day and the Class A St. Lucie Mets were eliminated in the championship series of the Florida State League playoffs and Savannah is one win away from a low Class A title in the South Atlantic League. With the offseason quickly approaching, now is a [...]

Mets Minors: Wilmer Flores the next David Wright or Fernando Martinez

Although I’m sure the New York Mets’ brain trust won’t admit it, there must be a little concern over Class A shortstop Wilmer Flores, who entered 2010 as the Mets’ finest young hitting prospect and one of the best youngsters in the lower levels. Flores hit .269/.309/.380, not bad for a kid who just turned [...]

Mets Minors: Is Reese Havens back?

Don’t look yet, but Reese Havens may finally be back. The 22nd overall pick in the 2008 draft is in the midst of his best stretch in nearly two seasons, highlighted by a pinch-hit, 12th-inning walkoff homer Saturday for the Binghamton Mets against Altoona. Coincidentally, Havens was playing next to rehabbing shortstop Jose Reyes, perhaps [...]

Mets Minors: Brandon Nimmo the next Josh Hamilton?

Although it went down to the Monday, Aug. 15 midnight deadline the New York Mets signed first-round pick Brandon Nimmo, a high school outfielder from East High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The first-ever first-round pick from that particular state agreed to a reported $2.1 million signing bonus. The 13th overall pick played American Legion ball [...]

Mets Minors: Lost year for Gibson-like Nieuwenhuis

Injuries continue to pile up for the New York Mets with Daniel Murphy lost for the season yesterday with a knee injury and Jose Reyes suffering his second hamstring injury. Unfortunately 2011 will go do down as a lost season of development for Class AAA center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, the player New York manager Terry [...]

Mets Minors: Gorski’s record-setting start comes to an end

Matt Harvey left Class A St. Lucie with an 8-2 record and a 2.37 ERA before heading to Class AA Binghamton. Darin Gorski has been even better than the 2010 first-rounder as the “ace” of the St. Lucie rotation. Gorski set a club record with his 10th straight win July 18 against Clearwater, surpassing the [...]

Mets Minors: Josh Edgin’s unlikely climb to prospectdom

K-Rod is gone, but there’s another closer shining in the New York Mets’ system. Lefthander Josh Edgin has been outstanding at two Class A stops, combining for 20 saves and a 0.93 ERA. Edgin didn’t enter the season as a top prospect, and seldom do 24-year-old closers at Class A become major league contributors down [...]

Mets Minors: Matt Harvey and mid-year promotions

Righthander Matt Harvey is likely on the move. After helping Class A St. Lucie (36-22) clinch the Florida State League South Division first-half crown Monday with six solid innings, the 2010 first-round pick will probably be headed to Class AA Binghamton later this week. Harvey yielded two runs or fewer in each of his last [...]