1. Nice Signing

2. AFL

3. HWB

4. Caribbean Leagues

 

1.  Nice Signing

 

            I was pleased to see that the Mets signed 22 year old catcher Luis Alen, who Baseball America rated as the #3 prospect in all of independent baseball in 2007.  BA praised his arm and defense, but pointed out that Alen hit better in 2007 than at any time in his career.

            The Marlins signed Alen as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela, starting him off in the VSL in 2002.  The Marlins released Alen after he hit just .181/.202/.216 as a 20-year old for Greensboro in the SAL in 2005.  He finished his Marlins tenure a .230 hitter. 

            Alen spent 2006 playing for Parma in Italy and Sincelejo in Columbia before catching on with the Winnepeg Goldeneyes in the Northern League in 2007.  Familiarity looks like it played a role in his move north as his coach with the Goldeneyes, Brent Bowers, also guided him in Columbia.  In Winnepeg, Alen was named a Player of the Week and was the Northern League’s All-Star catcher hitting .333/.396/.453 with 23 doubles and three HR in 82 games.  Impressively, in 285 AB he struck out twenty times and walked thirty times.

            Mets catchers have not hit much in their winter assignments.  I’d guess the Mets start Alen at double-A.  With a very impressive spring he could move all the way up to New Orleans. 

 

Arizona Fall League

Scottsdale Scorpions

 

Mike Carp - .219/.301/.297 in 64 AB.  Five doubles are his only extra base hits in 17 games.

Mike Nickeas - .190/.292/.286 in 21 AB over 7 games.

Caleb Stewart – Stewart hasn’t played since October 18, which Scout.com claims is due to a recurrence of the oblique problem that hampered Stewart in the second half of 2007.

 

 

Adam Bostick (1-0, 1.93) – Bostick earned the win in his last start, on Halloween, when he allowed just one run in five innings.  He walked two and fanned four.  He’s issued at least two walks in each of his four appearances and has issued 10 free passes in 14 innings, but has also struck out 15.   

Eddie Camacho (0-2, 4.76) – Camacho has allowed at least one run in four of his seven appearances.

Eddie Kunz  (0-1, 14.09) In 7.2 innings, he’s allowed 14 hits as the AFL is hitting .400 against him. 

Carlos Muniz (0-0-1, 2.70) Muniz earned his one save against Team USA on Monday night, fanning two in an inning of work.

 

Hawaii Winter Baseball

Waikiki Beach Boys

           

Dan Murphy (.313/.385/.552 in 67 AB) – Wednesday, in a wild 13-9 win, Murphy was 4-4 with a double and a home run.  Murphy has hit in five straight games going 10-21 (.476) with three doubles, two homers and 6 RBI.  His seven doubles tie him for third in the league and he’s ninth in batting and OPS. 

Lucas Duda (.357/.387/.607 in 28 AB) – Duda was 2-4 Wednesday with a double and two RBI.  He’s hit safely in seven of his eight HWB games.   

Sean McCraw (.143/.295/.257 in 35 AB)

Hector Pellot  (.288/.338/.342 in 73 AB)

Jose Coronado is 1-8 after getting his first hit Wednesday.

 

Nick Carr (0-0, 2.45) – Carr, who was touched for four runs in 1.1 innings Wednesday, has walked eight batters in 7.1 innings, fanning seven.

Brant Rustich  (3-0, 5.56) Rustich, like Carr is a power arm working on spotting his stuff. 

 

           

 

Venezuelan Winter League  

 

Ender Chavez is 2-6.

Jesus Feliciano  (.290/.343/.323 in 62 AB over 15 G).

Luis Matos is hitting .107 (3H/28 AB)

Ivan Maldonado (0-0, 0.00) Maldonado hasn’t allowed a run in 4.1 innings over five appearances, fanning four and walking one.

Jose Sanchez (1-0, 1.35) – Four relief appearances, four strikeouts, three walks.

 

Mexican Pacific League

 

Brett Harper is still hitting .167 (4H/24AB).  I wonder if they sent him home.  Harper hasn’t played in nearly two weeks. 

 

Dominican Winter League

 

Carlos Gomez (.192/.222/.231 in 26 AB over 6 G)

Victor Mendez (.320/.393/.800 in 25 AB over 7 G).  Mendez has 3 doubles and 3 HR.

Miguel Negron (.276/.432/.310 in 29 AB over 8 G)

Fernando Tatis (.310/.400/.517 in 29 AB over 8 G)

 

Toby Hyde has written Toby’s Mets Minor League Report since 2004.  Please pass this along to friends, family, co-workers, enemies and most importantly Mets fans.  To subscribe to the email newsletter, sign up here: http://groups.google.com/group/mets-minors?hl=en.  Archives are available at http://metsminors.metsblog.com.