Check out this photo from SkyCamUSA of Citi Field, shot from one of those remote controlled helicopters…
To follow SkyCamUSA on Twitter, click here.
2/13/10
Strawberry on The Celebrity Apprentice: Will you watch?
Darryl Strawberry will be on “The Celebrity Apprentice” this coming season. I’ve never been a fan of the show, but I might tune in just to see Strawberry “at work.”
But I’m wondering, will you watch this show purely for Strawberry?
2/12/10
Link: Who will be in camp
Head over to Adam Rubin’s blog to see all the players and coaches that will be descending upon Port St. Lucie for Spring Training.
Mets philosophy: Sign a lot, see what sticks
Perusing the always-updated MLBTradeRumors.com, the latest headline reads, “Mets Won't Add Barajas; Delgado Possible.”
Which leads me to my point: The Mets, even after signing Mike Jacobs to a minor-league deal, might still bring back Carlos Delgado? Why? Well, because they don’t trust any of the guys they currently have.
The Mets are employing the “Sign a lot and see what sticks” method. Not necessarily going out and signing the big names (Orlando Hudson), but rather pulling from the scrap heap and overseas to, most literally, patch together a baseball team.
Kevin Kernan quotes Omar Minaya as saying, “There's going to be a lot of competition in camp. That's something we've been trying to do.”
Well congrats. It’s working. Too bad the competition level won’t be very high.
I’m glad the team is stockpiling. After all the injuries last season, it’s a wise move. As of now, it seems the Mets have six candidates for the 5th starter, a few pitchers vying for the bullpen, four first baseman and a whole cast of catchers.
I’m fine with bringing in more arms than needed. Pitchers always seem to get hurt and Buffalo needs all the help they can get. But first base and catcher need to be positions that are focused and fine tuned in spring training, not constantly rotated.
As we all know, pitchers and catchers develop a rapport. Some catchers make some pitchers better, others vice versa. With so many catchers in camp and likely seeing time in games, will the Mets pitchers suffer? Will the get the chance to develop the same rapport? We’ll have to wait and see.
And as for first base, everyone gets on Daniel Murphy for his lack of experience and talent. Is bringing in (at least) three other men to compete with him going to help or hurt? Will it push him to be better or disrupt his rhythm.
I think Murphy should get a bulk of time during spring training, but only if that’s who the team wants to go with at first, and it seems that’s the truth. If the team want to see him improve, he needs reps at first. That is what spring training is for.
Spring training in Port St. Lucie will be interesting to say the least. Seeing the team that Minaya assembled this off-season will be exciting, no matter how they play. But it will also be interesting to see who will make the team come opening day. The jobs are their for the taking, it seems. Who will step up to claim them?
K-Rod surrenders 11 runs…in softball game
Francisco Rodriguez participated in a slow-pitch softball game in Venezuela on Thursday.
Leading the other team was Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
K-Rod “allowed” 11 runs over three innings. Chavez surrendered seven runs over two innings on the mound.
Chavez’s team won 14-12.
2/11/10
Oh look, another catcher!
I’m just going to hand it off to the press release…
[Shawn] Riggans, 29, has caught 64 games in the Majors over the last three years with the Tampa Bay Rays. He hit seven home runs along with eight doubles and 28 RBIs during his career with the Rays.
Last season, the 6-2, 200-pounder was limited to just 26 games in the Minors and seven contests with the Rays due to right shoulder tendinitis.
He appeared in 44 games and made 38 starts for Tampa Bay in 2008.
And that’s about all you need to know. Enjoy Binghamton.
Ex-Mets: Tom Glavine retires
Glavine retires, takes job with Braves
To which many Mets fans exclaim: “Seven years too late!”
But hey, he pitched 1,005 1-3 innings with the Mets, winning 61 games, notching a 3.97 ERA and 1.373 WHIP. He also helped foster the reemergence of the “new” Mets.
Beltran will report to spring training…they think [Quote]
“It will not be surprising if this changes, but the Mets believe Carlos Beltran will head to spring training when position players report, even though the star center fielder will not be physically ready and is under no obligation to report that early.”
Mets sign 22-year-old SS Rylan Sandoval
The Mets have signed SS Rylan Sandoval, 22, out of the Arizona Winter League.
The team had drafted Sandoval in the 30th round in 2007, but he elected to attend college instead.
From the press release…
Sandoval had been one of the leading hitters and a top defensive shortstop in the AWL which is 8 games into it's fourth winter season. He is the 11th AWL player to be signed by a major league organization in the last three years, two of those - Scott Richmond and Sergio Romo of the 2007 AWL are already in the big leagues.
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Sandoval, 22, was a two-year junior college All-American and was the California Junior College Player of the Year at Chabot College in his freshman year. Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 38th round in 2006 and by the New York Mets in the 30th round in 2007 he elected to accept a scholarship to Long Beach State where he played the last two seasons before graduating this past June. Overlooked due to sharing playing time at Long Beach State he went undrafted his senior year and decided on the Arizona Winter League to showcase his skills and pursue a professional contract. In the AWL he was hitting .368 and leading his team in runs scored.
Mets, Takahashi agree on minor-league deal
Update – 12:41 p.m.: David Lennon is reporting that the Mets and Hisanori Takahashi have agreed to a minor-league deal. He expects the deal to be announced later this week.
Update – 12:34 p.m.: David Waldstein, the Mets new beat writer for the New York Times, reports that it is likely a minor-league deal.
I’m all for depth, so I can’t hate this. But the wording of Heyman’s tweet just makes it seem awkward.
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