New lefties Jerry Blevins and Alex Torres have been issued jerseys No. 13 and 53, respectively, the Mets said Tuesday.
Blevins’ assignment was no surprise as he’s worn that number in previous stos in Oakland and Washington, while Torres takes a vacant number that follows his righthanded namesake’s 52. Bobby Abreu was the last guy to wear 53 for the Mets; before that it was Jeremy Hefner. Josh Satin was the last guy to wear 13 for the Mets.
Reports out there this morning say newly imported lefty reliever Dario Alvarez will wear No. 68, becoming the first man in team history to wear that uni.
As noted in the below post, Erik Goeddel retains his 40-man assignment in No. 62, while Josh Satin (13) and Juan Centeno (36) retain the digits they had in previous appearances this year.
The Mets headed to Miami Sunday night and expect to meet four teammates there Monday, the first day active rosters expand. Rejoining the team for the first time since his awful start to the 2014 season earned him a summer in Las Vegas, Josh Satin is finally resurfacing, as is catcher Juan Centeno, whom we also saw earlier this season. Satin, we expect, will retake the No. 13 he left behind while Centeno wore 36 earlier this season. Both numbers are still available.
In the meantime, AAA pitcher Erik Goeddel and obscure lefty relief prospect Dario Alvarez are also expected to join the club. Goeddel was already on the 40 and is said to possess good if wild stuff, as his whiff and walk figures in Vegas would respectively indicate. His 40-man assignment is 62, last worn by relief prospect Elvin Ramirez in 2012.
Alvarez, whose contract is newly purchased from Class AA Binghamton, would appear to have earned this opportunity on the basis of his lefthandedness, particularly in light of Josh Edgin’s recent elbow woes. 34, 43 and 46 are available.
The Mets after Friday’s awful game said they would summon Eric Campbell from AAA Las Vegas, presumably so Josh Satin can pop up with men on base out there.
Campbell was one of the spring’s more pleasant surprises, hanging in there in part because of time off for David Wright and Daniel Murphy, but also demonstrating an ability to play all over the place and hit a little too. In Las Vegas, he’s well over the magical 300/400/500 slashline (355/424/525 in fact), walking, hitting doubles and a few home runs, and playing first, second, third, short, left, right and even pitching an inning (not a particularly good one, but what more can the guy do). Hit better than Satin so far, hopefully. Geez.
Campbell wore No. 68 during Spring Training and was wearing 24 in Vegas. Available now are 2, 23, 29, 34, 43 and 46. Put us down for 23.
UPDATE: Sure enough they gave him 29. Heartless!
The Mets on Wednesday announced Jose Valverde as the second candidate to become this year’s Special Guest Veteran Closer, a role played a year ago by Brandon Lyon and LaTroy Hawkins and the year before by Jason Isringhausen.
Valverde at one time was a heck of a closer for Detroit, but became something of a gasbag by 2012. One of his competitors in Mets camp is the mookish Kyle Farnsworth, himself a former 100-mph freak but more recently the kind of guy teams reach for when they’re unsure of the health of their closer. I guess the Mets sort of qualify.
Farnsworth has been issued No. 44, which is the number I recall him wearing back when he was a phenom with the Cubs. No word yet on Valverde’s digits though he’s most often worn 47. That number currently belongs to Andrew Brown, whose own path to a job this year appears difficult, especially if Josh Satin really learns how to play the outfield.
Purely as a matter of taste I’d prefer the demonstrative Valverde over the combustible Farnsworth but history suggests we stand a pretty good chance of seeing both, or neither. Let’s see how it goes.
Making small headlines over the weekend was the Mets’ annual signing of reserve infielder Omar Quintanilla to a minor league deal. This marks the third winter in a row they’ve done exactly that, and Quintanilla twice now has gone on to play a bigger role than that minor assignment might have indicated.
Now if that happens a third time (and given the Mets shortstop situation why wouldn’t it?) we’ll be in for an interesting dilemma. Quintanilla wore No. 6 his first time through town, but by the time he’d been dealt off to Baltimore and returned the jersey went to Kelly Shoppach, then to Marlon Byrd, then, most recently, to Matt den Dekker. Quintanilla instead was issued No. 3 for 2013; a move that incidentally forced Josh Satin to a new number (13). Now between his release in December and annual January return the Mets have assigned No. 3 to Curtis Granderson, assuring that Quintanilla, should he return to active duty in 2014, do so in his third different uniform number.
Adam Rubin of ESPN got a hold of the list, and it looks like this (new issues in bold):
1. Jordany Valdespin
2. Justin Turner
3. Omar Quintanilla
4. Collin Cowgill
5. David Wright
6. Marlon Byrd
9. Kirk Nieuwenhuis
11. Ruben Tejada
12. Brandon Hicks
15. Travis d’Arnaud
16. Brian Bixler
19. Zach Lutz
20. Anthony Recker
21. Lucas Duda
22. Landon Powell
23. Mike Baxter
27. Jeurys Familia
28. Daniel Murphy
29. Ike Davis
30. LaTroy Hawkins
32. Jenrry Mejia
33. Matt Harvey
34. Brandon Lyon
35. Dillon Gee
36. Collin McHugh
38. Shaun Marcum
39. Bobby Parnell
40. Tim Byrdak
44. John Buck
46. Greg Burke
47. Aaron Laffey
48. Frank Francisco
49. Jonathon Niese
50. Scott Atchison
52. Carlos Torres
53. Jeremy Hefner
55. Pedro Feliciano
56. Scott Rice
57. Johan Santana
58. Cesar Puello
60. Darin Gorski
61. Wilmer Flores
62. Elvin Ramirez
63. Juan Lagares
64. Reese Havens
65. Zack Wheeler
66. Josh Edgin
67. Hansel Robles
68. Matt den Dekker
70. Wilfredo Tovar
71. Gonzalez Germen
72. Juan Centeno
73. Robert Carson
74. Rafael Montero
75. Cory Mazzoni
76. Josh Satin
77. Andrew Brown
80. Jamie Hoffmann
Couple of interesting things to point out here:
* Josh Satin tumbling from 3 all the way to 64
* Pedro Feliciano coming full-circle to reacquire the 55 first issued to him when he was a throw-in in the Shawn Estes Trade.
* Frank Francisco staying in 48 while newcomer Scott Atchison gets 50: I will bet that changes.
* Omar Quintanilla getting No. 3 while 6 (his last number) goes instead to Marlon Byrd. I would guess that changes, with Byrd taking whichever of 20 or 22 are surrendered by the backup catchers Recker and/or Powell.
* On the other hand, LaTroy Hawkins has been 22 or 32 for nearly his entire career, so looks like he’d take Powell’s 22.
Hi again!
Only days until we’ll know what numbers the Mets will issue to their new personnel, and there’s a lot of it. That includes at least 12 guys on the 40-man roster yet to have been issued a number, and at least a dozen more with spring training invites. And that doesn’t include the couple of brand-name goods they may still buy this spring, Brandon Lyon (frequently but not always, 38) and Michael Bourne (most recently, 24 with Atlanta).
Let’s start with a few good guesses. Shawn Marcum wore 18 last year with Milwaukee. That gives me an uncomfortable 10-year flashback to Jeff D’Amico, like Marcum a veteran junkball pitcher via Milwaukee, recovering from an injury, wearing 18. But that would require Tim Teufel changes his shirt (could Ruben Tejada surrender 11 in a chain reaction?) Marcum also has some equity in 28, although that belongs to Daniel Murphy. 38 would work as long as they don’t issue it to Lyon should he come aboard.
Frank Francisco wore No. 50 throughout his career, but the Mets did not issue that last year and Francisco took 48. We could see him switch this year.
John Buck, acquired in the Dickey deal, wears 14 most frequently but with that retired here could wear 4 or if he dares, 44. Travis D’Arnaud appears to prefer 16. Zach Wheeler, as per his Twitter handle, appears to prefer 45, which is available. Omar Quintanila is back on a minor league deal and could reacquire No. 6, and Josh Satin could take back No. 3, but no guarantees for either. Finally there’s the complicated case of Pedro Feliciano, who’s worn 55, 39 and 25 in his Met stints. Who knows what they give him this time. His coming back to the Mets without having appeared at all for the Yankees and their arrogant general manager is about the greatest thing ever. I’m less certain he’s got anything left, but that’s what the invite is for.
The rest of the new guys are more or less unknown quanties and likely to take what’s given them.
The following numbers are currently un-issued: 3,4 ,6, 12, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 30, 40, 43-47, 50, 55, 56, 58, 60, 61, 63-65, 67-72, 74-99, not to mention 0 and 00.
The following players need assignment, as per the Mets official roster: Pitchers Greg Burke, Gonzalez German, Darrin Gorski, Marcum, Hansel Robles and Wheeler; Catchers Buck, D’Arnaud,and Anthony Recker, infielders Brandon Hicks and Wilfredo Tovar; and outfielder Collin Cowgill.
Nonroster invitees awaiting unis: Pitchers Scot Atchison, Feliciano, LaTroy Hawkins, Aaron Laffey, Cory Mazzoni, Rafael Montero, and Carlos Torres; Catchers Juan Centeno and Landon Powell; Infielders Brian Bixler and Satin; and outfielders Andrew Brown, Marlon Byrd and Matt den Dekker.
See you in St. Lucie!
(Headline influence by Lindsay Buckingham).
Hi guys, I’m back from a little R&R, moving aside the worthless sandbags at my door, and catching up to the new arrivals in Metland. We’ll begin late last month when Jon Niese pitched his way onto the disabled list and once again recalled Mike Nickeas, the catcher who wears 13. This struggle to reach the finish line is becoming an annual phenomenon for Niese, who until a few weeks ago, looked like the best starting pitcher the team had. Pinch-hitter Scott Hairston, who started poorly before coming on, went to the DL himself on Aug. 26. He was replaced on the roster by Miguel Batista, the 40-year-old journeyman whom I remember best from the Diamondbacks’ blessed 2001 Yankee-beating World Series team but has also played for a half-dozen other clubs including the Cardinals, who released him earlier this year. Batista made his Los Mets debut last night wearing No. 47.That jersey last belonged to flukey lefty Hisanori Takahashi, now of the Angels. Finally, Jose Reyes returned to the roster and Mike Baxter was demoted.
When rosters officially expended Thursday, the Mets recalled two new Joshes: Right-handed masher Josh Satin of AAA Buffalo and righty reliever Josh Stinson of AA Binghamton. Satin, like a glut of utility infielders before him, was assigned No. 3. Stinson is a big dude who might provide some relief: He was assigned Elmer Dessens’s old No. 64. Where have you gone, Elmer? Along with Josh Thole, this provides the Mets an unprecedented number of Joshes — who all went by “Jose” during the Hispanic Heritage game last night, I think.
Even though the ridiculous “Los” results in a jersey that makes no sense in two languages, count me enamored of the blue jerseys, particularly if and when it replaces the hideous black look. The black remains depressing, ugly and impossibly dated already. And I’m happy to discover that creepy Einhorn kid won’t be partnering with the Wilpons. Not because I think he wouldn’t do a better job as a minority owner (who wouldn’t?) but that the deal’s demise increases the chances the Wilpons lose it all in Chapter 11.
Finally, the Mets received the booty from the Francisco Rodriguez trade with Milwaukee. Coming our way is a 5-foot-6 lefty, Danny Herrera, expected to join the Mets today in Washington. Herrera struggled with Milwaukee this year (and in Cincinnati before that) but was doing the job in AAA. Has he been assigned a number? Let me know. The other guy we got was Class A pitcher, Adrian Rosario. Sounds like a deal to me.
Thanks as always to the readers who kept up the dialog in my absence. By the way I’m looking for a Drupal-profient partner to revamp the site, please let me know if you know someone!
