Manuel’s Musing

“I told him not to worry about trying to go all over the place and impress people. With that type of stuff, the way that ball cuts at the end, that one pitch has been pretty good for the guy across town.”

-Jerry Manuel on Jenrry Mejia (and Mariano Rivera)

I don’t know what to make of this tweet

Is Jerry Manuel serious?  He’s probably seen Mejia throw only a handful of times and – boom – he’s in the running for the setup job?

I’m all for Jenrry Mejia doing well and progressing and helping the Mets, but I’m not so sure about this.  Please, don’t rush this guy.  There’s no need.

Sounds too crazy and too like Manuel – which means it could be 100 percent true.

Davis, Mejia, others heading to ST

Yeah, I’m still pretty sick.  But this might hold you over until I’m better.

From the Mets…

The New York Mets today announced that they signed infielder/outfielder Jolbert Cabrera, infielder Luis Hernandez and lefthanded pitchers Bobby Livingston and Travis Blackley to minor league contracts and invited all four to major league Spring Training camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla. later this month.  Additionally, the team extended major league Spring Training invites to righthanded pitchers Jenrry Mejia and Carlos Muniz, lefthanded pitcher Eric Niesen, catcher Francisco Peña, infielders Ike Davis and Ruben Tejada and outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis. 

Cabrera, 37, spent last season in Baltimore's system, appearing in 78 games for Norfolk (AAA) of the International League.  A .257 career hitter, Cabrera spent time with Cleveland, Los Angeles (NL), Seattle and Cincinnati over parts of eight major league seasons.  He played with Fukuoka of the Japanese League for two seasons (2005, 2006).

Hernandez, 25, split last season between Kansas City and Omaha (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League, hitting .205 (15-73) in 37 games with the Royals.  Hernandez's other major league action came with Baltimore in 2007 and 2008.

Livingston, 27, pitched in three different organizations' minor league system last season-Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh-and combined to go 10-2 with a 4.02 ERA (80 earned runs/179.0 innings) in 31 games, 29 starts.  Livingston is 3-3 lifetime with a 6.31 ERA after pitching with Seattle and Cincinnati.

Blackley, 27, pitched last season with Reno (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League, finishing the year 4-7 with a 4.85 ERA for the Aces.  For his career, the lefthander is 1-3 with a 9.35 ERA in eight games combined for Seattle and San Francisco.

Mejia, 20, combined to go 4-5 in 19 starts for St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League and Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League last season.  He has struck out 205 in 210.0 career minor league innings.

Muniz, 28, pitched with the Mets in 2007 and 2008, going 1-1 in 20 games out of the bullpen.  The righthander spent 2009 with Buffalo (AAA) of the International League.

Niesen, 24, made 27 starts between St. Lucie and Binghamton last season, going a combined 7-11 with a 4.09 ERA.

Peña, 20, caught 100 games for St. Lucie in his third season in the Mets' farm system.  He is the son of former Kansas City Royals manager and current Yankees bench coach Tony Peña.

Davis, 22, won the 2009 Sterling Player of the Year Award, given annually to the top player in the Mets' minor league system.  The first baseman hit .298 (128-429) with 20 home runs and 71 RBI in 114 games between St. Lucie and Binghamton last season.

Tejada, 20, hit .289 for Binghamton while Nieuwenhuis, 22, won St. Lucie's Sterling Award, emblematic of the team MVP.  Nieuwehnhuis ranked 10th in all of the minor leagues with 99 runs scored last season.  He added 16 home runs and 71 RBI with St. Lucie.

Top 10 Mets prospects

Here’s the top 10 list from Baseball America…

1. Jenrry Mejia, RHP
2. Wilmer Flores, SS
3. Fernando Martinez, OF
4. Ike Davis, 1B
5. Brad Holt, RHP
6. Jon Niese, LHP
7. Reese Havens, 2B/SS
8. Josh Thole, C
9. Ruben Tejada, 2B/SS
10. Juan Urbina, LHP

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t care?

Mejia pitched some high praise

Here’s what ESPN’s Keith Law had to say about Jenrry Mejia in AFL action…

The most impressive arm so far has been Jenrry Mejia of the New York Mets, who was on a short pitch count but showed two above-average pitches and a chance for a third. Mejia's fastball sat from 93-96 mph and touched 98, he also threw a plus changeup that looked more like a two-seamer at 85-87.
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The velocity comes easily, and if his command is better than what he showed on Wednesday and he can snap off that good curveball more frequently, he's a potential No. 1 or No. 2 starter.

I like the sound of that.  Don’t you?

For more from Law, click here.

Mejia roughed up; Davis, Tejada keep hitting [AFL]

Jenrry Mejia took the mound for his first Arizona Fall League game, but only lasted one inning.

Mejia gave up only one hit, but walked three batters and allowed three runs to score.  He did strike out one while on the mound.

On more positive notes, Ike Davis picked up another hit and two more RBI.  Davis has driven in eight runs in only two games.

And Ruben Tejada added two more hits and scored two more runs, giving him four hits and four runs in the first two games of the AFL season.

Jenrry Mejia to make AFL debut

Yesterday, the Arizona Fall League kicked off with a nice start for Mets fans. Ike Davis, the veritable first baseman of the future, drove in six runs, going 4-6 with a grand slam and two doubles.

Today, Mets fans can track the first start of Jenrry Mejia, one of the top pitching prospects in the Mets organization.

Mejia will take the mound for the Surprise Rafters today, facing off against the Peoria Javelinas, which you can track here.

Mejia got a nice write up in the Daily News today by Adam Rubin.

Rubin writes…

Manager Jerry Manuel traveled Tuesday from his home in Sacramento, Calif., to gauge whether Mejia may be able to help the Mets in the bullpen in early 2010, as well as to evaluate first-base prospect Ike Davis. GM Omar Minaya is also in attendance. Mejia projects as a No.1 or No.2 starter in the majors eventually.

"Somebody told me if you play in the big leagues at 20 years old, that's good," Mejia said. "I said, 'I know, but I wanted to play in the big leagues last year.'"

I like him already.

Players heading to Arizona Fall League

The Mets will be sending six players to the Arizona Fall League to play for the Surprise Rafters.

The Mets announced the following minor league players will participate in the Arizona Fall League…Infielders Ike Davis and Ruben Tejada, righthanded pitchers Jenrry Mejia, Scott Moviel and Josh Stinson and lefthanded pitcher Eric Niesen will play for the Surprise Rafters…The AFL begins on October 13th.

These are some of the top players in the Mets minor league system.  The fact that they’re sending them to play more baseball is a good thing for the future of the franchise.

Let’s just hope the 2009 injury bug ends when the season does.

Two Mets crack Baseball America’s Top 50

Both Brad Holt and Jenrry Mejia appear in Baseball America’s Midseason Top 50 prospects.

Mejia will play in the Futures Game in St. Louis on July 12.

Here’s to hopeful futures in Mets uniforms in their futures.  Whew, that’s a lot of futures.

Two Mets minor leaguers in Futures Game

The 2009 Futures Game rosters have been released and two members of the Mets organization have been named to the World team.

17-year-old Wilmer Flores and 19-year-old Jenrry Mejia will play in the Futures Game in St. Louis on July 12.

Flores is playing his first full professional season this year. Mejia was recently promoted to Double-A Binghamton and was rumored to hit 102 mph on the gun in his last start.