Thus Far In The Winter Leagues

Even though its Hot Stove season and we are in the midst of the Winter Meetings, most baseball fans are still missing the game itself. Luckily, there are the Winter Leagues to bridge the gap between the World Series and Spring Training. Considering that there are so many different leagues and so many different players, it may get overwhelming trying to find your favorite Mets in their Winter League games, but we at the NYHC have your back. Leave it up to us to do all your research on the players you love and keep you up to date on their stats and injuries.

First off we’ll get OF Fernando Martinez out of the way. He played in one game in the Winter Leagues and had 1 hit, then left with an injury. It’d be nice to see him have the off-season he had last year when he led his team to a Championship, but if the injuries continue to hamper him the Mets may never see what his talent can bring to the table.

RHP Francisco Rodriguez

Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
LAG	VWL	0	0	0.00	1	0	0	0	1	1.2	1	0	0	0	0	2	0.50	.167

Frankie made his Winter League debut this past Thursday after what most people would call and eventful couple months. It’s good to see that he was able to put all the distractions aside and get the 5-out save while not allowing any earned runs. There’s a lot of debate around the blogosphere about whether or not the Mets should bring in another closer to stop K-Rod’s option from vesting, but if he continues to pitch at this level, the Mets may not have a choice but to use him in close games.

LHP Oliver Perez

Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
CUL	LMP	2	1	4.41	8	3	0	0	0	16.1	16	8	8	1	12	14	0.70	.258

There’s not much to say about Ollie. He’s either great or awful. All Mets fans know him and know what he’s capable of, but then they know that it’s more likely that he won’t live up to what he can do. One glimmer of hope though in his winter league stats are that of the 16.1 IP, he hasn’t allowed a run in 10 of those. Maybe Ollie can harness that potential, or maybe not.

UTIL Daniel Murphy

Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
AGU	DWL	.320	28	103	9	33	6	1	4	22	53	13	11	5	1	.395	.515	.910

Murphy has been playing extremely well in the Winter Leagues. At one point Murphy had an 11 game hit streak, but it’s not his bat the Mets are concerned with. From what scouts are saying, Daniel Murphy will be able to hold his own at 2B this year and most Mets fans know he is an extremely hard worker, whether or not it shows on the field.

RHP Jenrry Mejia

Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
LIC	DWL	0	1	7.71	1	1	0	0	0	2.1	3	2	2	0	3	2	5.00	.300

Mejia’s first start in the Winter Leagues was less perfect, in fact, it was awful. Mejia couldn’t get out of the 3rd inning, while allowing 3 ER and giving up 3 hits and walking 3. People will point to this and say he’s not ready to start yet, and they’re probably right, but we all know Mejia is better than this and he will almost certainly turn it around before Spring Training.

 CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
MSS	AFL	.256	26	90	14	23	6	1	1	12	34	12	25	2	3	.356	.378	.734

 Captain Kirk has put up pretty decent numbers in the AFL this winter. About a third of his hits have been for extra bases, but his strike outs have been high. He’s got 25 Ks in 90 ABs and only 12 BB. If he wants to succeed at the Major League level, he is going to have to get his plate discipline under control, but he’s got time to worry about that in AAA this year.

SS Wilmer Flores

Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
MAR	VWL	.404	16	47	3	19	5	0	2	14	30	2	7	0	0	.404	.638	1.042

Most Mets fans know who Wilmer Flores. I’m not going to spend a lot of time telling you about him. He could be with the club as early as next year,  he could be traded, or he could just continue to develop in the minors. My money is on the minors, but looking at his numbers, he could be the main reason Sandy Alderson is inclined to trade Jose Reyes.

IF Justin Turner

Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
ESC	DWL	.306	12	49	9	15	4	0	1	6	22	3	6	0	0	.358	.449	.807

Justing Turner was picked up off waivers last year from the Orioles and has garnered a lot of hype since then. He tore up AAA last season and lots of fans are calling for him to play 2B in 2011. If Turner get an invite to Spring Training, and he probably will, he could end up at least getting a job on the bench as a back up infielder.

2B Jordany Valdespin

Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
MSS	AFL	.355	19	76	19	27	3	1	1	11	35	4	12	7	0	.388	.461	.848

Jordany is another player that has gotten a lot of hype over the past year since he played extremely well in Spring Training last year. He’s only 22 years old and had a sub-par season in the minors last year so it’s pretty safe to say he’s not in the running for the Major League team, but he is putting up great numbers in the Winter Leagues so who knows what will happen with him.

RHP Jeurys Familia is a pitcher that the Mets have high hopes for. He’s made one start for his Dominican Winter League team and gave up 2 ER in 1 IP while striking out 2. He’s still young, so he has a long way to go, but the Mets plan on having him as a part of their rotation in the future.

RHP Brad Holt

Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
MSS	AFL	2	1	2.92	5	4	0	0	0	12.1	10	7	4	0	9	13	0.64	.222

Brad Holt is a player that most Mets fans know of and hope that he will be helpful in the near future, but he has struggled to put up good numbers in the minors. He finished last year in AA with an ERA over 10, but this winter is different for him. He has been pitching very well in his time there and hopefully those good numbers will continue throughout 2011.

LHP Eric Niesen is a lefty in the Mets minor leagues who has shown a lot of promise. He’s got an electric fastball and a great slider, but he has been struggling to control those in the winter leagues this year having a 5.04 ERA in 11.2 IP. He was a candidate for the bullpen last year, so perhaps if he turns his winter around, we could get a look at him in Spring Training.

Spring Training Invitees: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Today we’ll take a closer look at Captain Kirk

Kirk Nieuwenhuis

2009 Minor League Stats (A+): 123 G, .274 AVG, 16 HR, 71 RBI, 91 R, 53 BB, 118 K’s, 16 SB

Fun Fact: In 2009, he led the entire Florida State League in  doubles and OPS, and was third in HR.

What he needs to do to make the Team: Kirk Nieuwenhuis won’t make the team this year, but he is one of the Mets hottest prospects. He’s been said to be a 5-tool player and I’ve heard he plays a really good Center Field. He played 8 games in AA at the end of 2009 and had 13 hits in 36 ABs, good enough for a .406 AVG. His biggest problem is his high amounts of strikeouts, that’s been the only thing holding him back . He’s definitely got the potential to be a Major Leaguer and in a few years, I think everyone will know how to pronounce his last name correctly.

Where he’ll most likely end up: The Minors

Spring Training Invitees

The Mets announced yesterday that they have invited 11 players to spring training. The non-prospects invited are infielders Jolbert Cabrera and Luis Hernandez and pitchers Bobby Livingston and Travis Blackley, all of whom were signed to minor league contracts. Along with the 4 signings, the Mets also invited prospects Carlos Muiz, Eric Niesen, Francisco Pena, Ruben Tejada, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Ike Davis, and Jenrry Mejia.

So who are these guys? Well if you don’t know who Ike Davis or Jenrry Mejia are by now, then you should definitely get to spring training this year. Davis is a 22-year-old who is said to be the Mets first baseman of the future. Though he hasn’t played a large amount of games in the minors, he has caught the attention of everyone in the organization, especially Omar Minaya. He’s also a gamer, he won the AFL home run derby using a wooden bat while his opponent used an aluminum bat. Jenrry Mejia is a 20-year-old pitcher who can throw in the upper 90s. Almost every scout who watches him says he will be a top of the line starter, or an extremely effective closer. For those who don’t know about Jolbert Cabrera, look here. He could the 2010 version of Julio Franco. Ruben Tejada is also another player some people know about. Tejada, 20, is a Double-A  SS, but he could be moved to 2B because of Jose Reyes. For his age, he has been playing surprising well in the Double-A level and has gone through the Mets farm system faster than a Gary Sheffield foul ball. Kirk Nieuwenhuis is probably a name you’ve heard, but just forgot because his name is impossible to remember. Kirk, 22, is a quick footed outfielder who can hit for power and drive in runs as well as steal bases. His average isn’t anything to brag about, but he’s been working on his swing in Double A, so he shows a lot of promise. 

The rest of the players you may have not heard of, like Luis Hernandez. Hernandez is a 25-year-old infielder who came up with the Braves, but more recently has made appearances with O’s and Royals. He isn’t the best hitter in the world, but his defense is what keeps him in the Majors. He’s most likely insurance for the Mets infield after what happened last year. What about Bobby Livingston? Bobby is a 27-year-old LHP who has played a total of 13 games in the Majors. He has bounced around between 6 teams and now he is with his 7th, the Mets. An interesting fact about him is that he holds the record for most hits in a game for a pitcher with 4 and has a career .280 avg, so maybe he could be coming off the bench, not really. Travis Blackley is also a 27 year old LHP who strikes out a lot of guys. He stats are mediocre at best, but could be brought in from the bullpen to get lefties out. Carlos Muniz is a 28-year-old RHP. We’ve seen Muniz a couple times before in the Majors, going 1-1 with a 5.61 ERA. Muniz could be something, and it doesn’t hurt to invite him to spring training to see what he’s got. Eric Niesen is a 24-year-old left-handed pitching prospect who has a great fastball and a good slider. I watched him pitch once and I’m surprised he hasn’t been getting more hype, he just needs to work on his control and mixing his pitches better, hopefully that will come with experience.  Last, but definitely not least we have Francisco Pena.  Pena, 20, is a catcher with huge potential. For a guy his size, he’s great behind the plate and has an even better arm. He’s a big powerful guy, but that hasn’t translated at the plate. He is said to be a future All-Star backstop, but his progress at the plate is what is holding him back. He’s a young guy though, so the hitting will come. I look forward to watching these guys at spring training and into the future.