Minor Troubles

If you want some good news on the Met farm you should look at one of these players: Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Chris Schwinden, Joshua Satin, Jordany Valdespin, Pedro Zapata, Matt Den Dekker, Juan Lagares, Darin Gorski, Cory Vaughn, Robbie Shields, Gregory Peavey, Erik Goeddel or Chase Huchingson. Today's report is not about all the good or even the pretty good or okay. I'm feeling negative vibes and want to focus on some of the negative story lines.

AAA:

Nobody is really left in AAA and the two that are, are playing well (Schwinden and Nieuwenhuis). The real negative is the injuries. One to Zach Lutz and one to Lucas Duda. Both talented hitters with a future on a big league bench, this season has not been kind.

AA:

Binghamton has hit a bump in the road for pretty much ALL of their pitchers. Cohoon has been hittable, Moore has been crush-able, Familia has been human and Carson too. The biggest blip was for Brad Holt who had re-discovered his control this season. The glitch is that he lost it BIG TIME. His most recent outing was a return to good but I no longer see his promotion to AAA being a sure thing for 2011. Hitting-wise, the best hitters are not in AA but Eric Campbell is much better than he's shown this season. Some good news, Havens should be back soon... though with his arrival Satin SHOULD be moving to AAA.

A+:

Caesar Puello and Wilmer Flores have both looked like stars this season. Then there are times when they don't. Both are K-ing too much and walking to little. Puello not running enough and Flores' poor power start both don't set my heart a-twitter. Even Jefry Marte has cooled substantially. Note, he's never been close to this good, so anything more would be gravy. A big blip are the once GAUDY stats for Matt Harvey. Since April 28th he's been VERY human and no longer looks like a fast-track player. That's the way things go.

A:

I look at this team's players and see a team who should be killing the opponents. Darrell Cecilliani, Cory Vaugn, Aderlin Rodriguez, Robbie Shields, Wilfredo Tovar and Javier Rodriguez, this team should hit. Sadly only Cory and Robbie got that memo. Ceciliani was hurt but has not bee sharp since coming back, Aderlin has power but lacks contact, Tovar and Rodriguez just seem lost.

Glass Half Awesome

Being a Met fan and an optimist is a bit difficult. The Mets aren't exactly awesome at doling out the feel good games and consistent wins. It's actually quite easy to be a Met fan and a pessimist. The Mets are in last place, they have really only looked good against Arizona, Reyes is likely leaving, Wright only knows how to strike out and the stands are as empty as a campus library on free taco day. So... here are a few reasons to buck up.

New York Mets

The Mets are 9 and 13 after winning four straight. That means that we were recently 5 and 13 with almost no reason to field a team. They are in last place and, as you might expect, the 4 Ace Phillies are in first. Why should you be happy?

• Have you heard? Jason Bay is back.
• David Wright is lining up to have excellent production.
• Jose Reyes looks like an All-Star again.
• Carlos Beltran is healthy.
• Chris Young is back.
• Dillon Gee looks like a real-deal MLB starter.
• Mike Pelfrey and Jonathan Niese might not be heading for the glue factory.
• Pedro Beato looks like an A+ Rule V pick.
• K-Rod has trade buzz.
• Luis Castillo and Ollie Perez are gone and never coming back.

Buffalo Bisons

Haven't we already been through the ringer with most of these guys? This team was supposed to have a lot of talent on it and they are only 8 and 11. Fernando Martinez is the biggest name on the roster and he's already been hurt this year. Why should you be happy?

• Kirk Nieuwenhuis is hitting a lot (15-game hitting streak)
• Kirk Nieuwenhuis is hitting for power (8 Doubles 3 HRs)
• Fernando Martinez is back (also hit a PH HR)
• Ruben Tejada has become a hitter.
• Jenrry Mejia look like he'll be ready for the MLB rotation later this year.
• Chris Schwinden and Jorge De La Torre look like they could be solid MLB bullpen guys.

Binghamton Mets

Another sub .500 team? Am I supposed to buy that the team will produce stars when they can't beat other AA teams? The top player is some kid I've never even heard of. Why should I be happy?

• Joshua Satin named EL player of the week.
• He's hitting .327 and powering the offense largely alone.
• He and I have similarly massive eyebrows.
• Alright... the real reason. PITCHING!
• Brad Holt (Remember Him?) 0.50 ERA, 18 IP, 14 Ks, 0.78 WHIP.
• Mark Cohoon 0.47 ERA, 19 IP, 20 Ks, 1.00 WHIP.
• Robert Carson 1.69 ERA, 16 IP, 16 Ks, 1.19 WHIP.
• Jordany Valdespin is walking more? (And hitting less)

Port St. Lucie Mets

Wait... this team doesn't fit. They're 17 and 2. The team has 9 players hitting over .280. The team has 4 starters with ERA's under 4.00. Clearly this team will have a few things to be happy about.

• Pedro Zapata is a base stealing CF. He's hitting .400 and has stolen 8 bags in 8 attempts.
• Francisco Pena has the body for power and is at least hitting for average.
• Matt Den Dekker has good gap power and excellent tools.
• Jefry Marte is exceeding every one's expectations and basically re-establishing his value.
• Wilmer Flores started slow, but has heated up. The power will return this is how he typically finds his groove. (He's hitting .297)
• Caesar Puello is also finding his groove and looks to be turning the corner in A+.
• Matt Harvey... He's 4 and 0 in 4 starts. He's got a 0.00 ERA with 27 K's in 22 innings. This is his first year in the minors and he's already demanding to move up in the system. (Not verbally)
• Jeurys Familia... He's had less luck in his starts. He's only 1 and 0 but his 0.35 ERA and 25 Ks are pretty sweet. Sweeter still is his 0.62 WHIP.
• Nicholas Carr is establishing himself as a potential late inning relief man.

So... always remember that if you look hard enough, there are plenty of things to find to make you happy.