Mets Minor League Blog Report 9-15-08
Toby Hyde
In this issue
- Sterling Awards
- I’m Beat
- KG: “Great Leap”
- Risk and Utilities Curves
1. Sterling Awards
The Mets named Dan Murphy and Nick Evans Sterling Minor League Organizational Co- Players of the year and LHP Jon Niese as the Sterling pitcher of the year. There was also a winner for each team:
AAA: Brian Stokes
AA: Mike Carp
A+: Dillon Gee
A: Greg Veloz
SSA: Brad Holt
R –App: Wilmer Flores
R – GCL: Jefry Marte
DSL: Gonzalez German
VSL: Jhonathan Torres
More, much more, later.
2. I’m Beat
Sunday night, the Stockton Ports beat the Lancaster JetHawks, for whom I was working as a fill-in broadcaster, 9-3 to claim the California League Championship three games to one. The Ports were the more talented team top to bottom, and proved it on the field. After a grueling travel schedule in the last few weeks, I’m beat.
The end of the season, this one in particular, provoked many familiar feelings and put me in an introspective mood. It is only once the final out of the season is recorded, do I realize how much fun I have when the season is still going on. That fun and excitement is impossible to replicate. Despite only working for the JetHawks for a little over three weeks and fifteen games, I was rooting hard for the team to force a winner-take-all game five. So I was disappointed the team lost. And the way they lost, with the Ports scoring six runs in the seventh to snap a 1-1 tie, was a big letdown. Weird, I thought, that I should feel so strongly when I’ve covered this team for less than a month. Also, the uncertainty of when and where would I call my next game weighed on me. Some guys talk about feeling a major relief when the season ends. Me, I’m just going to miss being at ballpark for the winter.
The JetHawks on-field staff -manager Chad Epperson, pitching coach Chuck Smith and hitting coach Carlos Febles - were great - as easy a group as I’ve ever worked with. I owe a thank you to the JetHawks Front Office staff including VP Brad Seymour, incoming GM Larry Thornhill and William Calvert. I also owe an even bigger thanks to my friend Jeff Lasky who asked me to fill in for him in the first place.
Working for the JetHawks has taken up my time and energy in the last few weeks, so I’ll be returning to more Mets-centric content in the coming days.
3. KG: “Great Leap”
At Baseball Prospectus, Kevin Goldstein took a look at the two players in each national league farm system who made a “great leap forward.”
Daniel Murphy hit .308/.374/.496 at Double-A Binghamton and has been one of many pleasant surprises filling in for an injured Moises Alou in left field, batting .357/.444/.536 in 34 big-league games while being used only against righties. He's in over his head, but he's done enough to prove his doubters wrong.
Runner-up: After struggling in Double-A last year, first baseman Mike Carp repeated the level and upped his OPS by nearly 150 points with a .299/.403/.471 campaign. He still struggles against good left-handers, and scouts are hoping for even more power, as it's a tough road to come up as a first-baseman without it.
Kevin is holding a live chat at BP at 2 PM Eastern Monday here. Stop by.
4. Utility Curves and Risk
At the Hardball Times, Victor Wang illustrates how teams with different utility curves (places in the standings) tolerate risk differently and how it could changes their valuation of the same player. The implications for prospects and development are just an easy step away once one understands how economic theory suggests that teams should handle risk.
Wang has done a nice series applying basic economic concepts to baseball.
Toby Hyde has written about the Mets organization since 2004. Please pass this along to friends, family, co-workers, and Mets fans of all stripes. To sign up for the email newsletter, click here. Even better, please visit my site at http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com.