With Second Pick, Mets Take Oklahoma High School RHP

The Mets clearly do not want high school baseball players to attend the University of Arkansas.

With the 44th pick in the draft, the Mets chose right-handed pitcher Michael Fulmer from Deer Creek High School in Oklahoma. Fulmer, just as the Mets first pick Brandon Nimmo did, has committed to Arkansas.

The Mets were able to get this second pick as compensation for the Yankees signing Pedro Feliciano in the off-season.

Here is a video of Fulmer's "big game" for Deer Creek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaSHQ_UoIFg

While we're at it, here's a video of Mr. Nimmo at the plate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcRT1gtVdTw&feature=related

Mets Draft: Finding Nimmo, Brandon Nimmo That Is

With the 13th pick in the first-year player draft, the Mets take Brandon Nimmo out of Cheyenne East High School in Wyoming.

That's pretty impressive for a kid whose high school doesn't even have a baseball team. Instead, he's been playing American Legion ball.

His scouting report is below:

A high school player whose Wyoming high school has no baseball team, Nimmo put himself on the map over the summer, winning MVP honors at the Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field. He's got a smooth, left-handed swing that allows him to consistently make hard contact. There should be plenty of power in his bat in the future as well.

A good athlete who has played football and run track in the past, he's got decent speed when healthy, he dealt with some knee tendinitis early this spring that was not a long-term concern. Nimmo has a solid throwing arm and has shown the ability to play all three outfield positions, though a corner is the most likely in the future.

The most difficult thing for Nimmo has been getting seen this spring, but scouts likely have gotten enough of a feel for this outfielder, who has drawn comparisons to Paul O’Neill, to be drafted and signed away from his commitment to the University of Arkansas.

Hmm...an outfielder who has battled tendinitis? Sounds vaguely familiar.

According to Toby Hyde, Nimmo is asking for $2.5 to $3 million. Good luck with that.

Mets Morning News: Draft Picks, Trading Wright, Beltran's Shin

The amateur draft begins tonight at 7 p.m. The Mets have the 13th overall pick, and it is their only pick in the first round. According to Keith Law of ESPN, the Mets could take pitcher Taylor Guerrieri in the first round.



Bill Madden of the Daily News suggests the Mets owe it to David Wright to trade him.

"It seems to me the Mets owe it to Wright to trade him, even if he would not look at that as a favor. They owe it to him, just like the San Diego Padres owed it to Adrian Gonzalez, the Houston Astros owed it to Lance Berkman and, long ago, the Minnesota Twins owed it to Chuck Knoblauch. It's a variation of that old Branch Rickey line to Ralph Kiner: "We finished last with you, we can just as well finish last without you" - only in these cases it's a matter of teams going nowhere anytime soon sending their perennial "franchise" players to contending teams to extract the best "rebuilding" prospects in return."

In case you missed it, Carlos Beltran left last night's game after fouling a ball off his shin in the second inning. He is listed as day-to-day.

"Fortunately for the Mets and their beleaguered fan base, X-rays revealed that Beltran had suffered a right leg contusion, and not a more debilitating injury. He may return to the lineup as early as the Mets' next game on Tuesday night in Milwaukee."

For The Mets, No Wins Are Easy

The Mets got to Braves starter Tim Hudson early, and were able to hold on to beat Atlanta 6-4.

• R.A. Dickey went eight innings and threw a season-high 114 pitches. He allowed just one run on four hits, while striking out three and walking one.

• Carlos Beltran had an RBI double in the first inning, and then left in the second inning after fouling a ball off his right leg. X-rays were negative and it is just a bruise. He is listed as day-to-day. We shall see. I feel like I've heard that line before.

• Jose Reyes was 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. I give the Mets permission to do whatever it takes to resign Reyes.

• Daniel Murphy is just a hits machine as of late. He was 2-3 tonight, and is now hitting .309.

• Heaven forbid Francisco Rodriguez come in to the ninth inning and just get two outs, which was all he was asked to do tonight. K-Rod took over for Manny Acosta on the mound with one out, and promptly gave up a three-run homer to Diory Hernandez (I don't know who he is either).

Next up: The Mets have Monday off as they head to Milwaukee to begin a ten-game roadtrip. Chris Capuano will take the mound Tuesday night against Brewers starter Shaun Marcum.

A Bay-less Lineup, It's For The Best

June 5, 2011

8:05 PM ET

Citi Field

TV: ESPN

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: R.A. Dickey (2-6, 4.39 ERA)

Dickey was outstanding in his last outing, striking out ten batters while dealing with a partially torn plantar fascia in his right foot, but it wasn't enough to get the win. Against the Braves, he is 0-2 with a 5.56 ERA.

ATLANTA BRAVES

Starting Pitcher: Tim Hudson (4-4, 3.75 ERA)

In six innings of work his last time out, Hudson gave up two runs and struck out seven, but got a no-decision. He has not faced the Mets this season. He is 13-6 with a 3.41 ERA against the Mets.

METS LINEUP:

Reyes SS, Turner 3B, Beltran RF, Murphy 1B, Pagan CF, Paulino C, Pridie LF, Tejada 2B, Dickey RHP

NOTES:

Terry Collins finally had the good sense to move Jason Bay out of the cleanup spot Saturday, and after going 0-4 against the Braves, Bay will ride the pine for tonight's game. Bay is now 0-for-his-last-17.

New Catcher Rules Won't Change Much

There has been much debate over the past week or so as to whether Major League Baseball should change the rule in regard to runners mowing down a catcher at the plate.

It all stems from last week's game between the San Francisco Giants and the Florida Marlins, where the Marlins' Scott Cousins ran over the Giants' star catcher Buster Posey.

In last week's Mets game on Fox, broadcaster Tim McCarver claimed he would never allow his son or grandson to become a catcher because of the risks associated with the position, collisions in particular.

Note to the world: Collisions happen anywhere on the field. Ask Ike Davis and David Wright. While you're at it, ask Carlos Beltran about his collision with Mike Cameron a few years ago in the outfield. Heck, go ahead and ask Jason Bay about colliding with the left field wall.

Mets Morning News: Bay Demoted, Attendance Down, Retiring 8

Terry Collins moved Jason Bay to the sixth spot in the lineup in last night's game against the Braves. It didn't help though, as he went 0-4, and is now hitless in his last 17 at-bats.

"A lot is made of the lineup and I understand the theory behind it, but whether I hit first or fourth or eighth, I still have certain expectations of myself and what I can do and now because I'm hitting sixth doesn't mean my approach changes or I do anything different. I'm still trying to do the exact same things I was over the last month in the four-hole . . . but I'm not helping us right there."

Attendance is down again this season. Hmm...I wonder why?

"Seven games out of first place, the Mets' attendance is off by 13 percent from a year ago and 28 percent from 2009. The trend-line continues downward.

Many casual fans figure it's no longer worth the time, the money, the hassle of driving to Flushing. Not when it's easier to watch a game on a high-def TV, or get caught up on an iPad or mobile device. 

Baseball still is best when it's consumed live, but try telling that to Mets fans who've just seen the bullpen blow another late-inning lead. Or see the Phillies swoop in and take two of three. Or hear Wilpon trash his own team. Or keep waiting for Gary Carter's number to be retired."

The fact that Gary Carter is battling brain cancer should not be the reason his number is now retired.

"Carter was integral to Mets' 1986 title team, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The list of retired numbers seems incomplete without a representative from that team, and Carter is its only Hall of Famer."