Minor moves: Aardsma, Familia, Powell, McHugh

The Mets have purchased the contract of pitcher David Aardsma from Triple-A Las Vegas. To make room for Aardsma on the active roster, Collin McHugh has been optioned to Triple-A. To make room for Aardsma on the 40 man roster, Jeurys Familia has been transferred to the 60 day disabled list. 

In Triple-A appearances, Aardsma has a 1.13 ERA with 11 strikeouts in eight innings. He held left handed hitters to a minuscule .191 batting average. 

Also, the Las Vegas 51s have announced that they have released catcher Landon Powell. Powell hit .159 with 2 home runs in 82 plate appearances for Las Vegas this season. 

Who else did the Mets snag in the draft?

Andrew Chuch

After selecting 1B Dominic Smith in the first round of the draft, the Mets decided to draft several high school players with their next few picks. 

With the 48th Overall pick, the team drafted 18 year old pitcher Andrew Church, who is listed as 6' 3" 200 lbs. His fastball has been clocked in the low 90s, and he also throws a changeup and a curveball.

"We feel like he a chance to be a solid middle of the rotation starter," Paul DePodesta, Mets VP of Player Development and Amateur Scouting, said. "Three pitches, all for strikes, with a plus breaking ball. He could work a lot of innings. He fits into our overall pitching philosophy."

Baseball America recently listed Church as their 89th best prospect. Church will attend the University of San Diego if the Mets fail to sign him.

In the third round, the Mets selected high school outfielder Ivan Wilson. Wilson is listed as 6' 3" 220 lbs. Scouts have raved about his good bat speed, with a great arm.

Keith Law of ESPN recently said this about Wilson "Wilson is all kinds of raw right now, but for a team that likes to draft athletic kids and try to teach them how to play baseball, he's got enough ceiling to be appealing in the third round or so."

With the 84th overall selection, the Mets drafted Casey Meisner, a pitcher out of Cypress Woods High School. Meisner is listed as 6' 7" and 190 lbs. Despite his powerful arm, he is currently committed to Texas Tech, and it may be hard to pry him away from college.

In the fourth round, the Mets selected 2B L.J. Mazzilli. Mazzilli, who is the son of former Met Lee Mazzilli, is a senior signing out of college, so the Mets should be able to sign him relatively soon. 

In the fifth round, the team selected left fielder Jared King out of Kansas State University. King is a switch hitter, and is listed as 6' 1" 200 lbs at 21 years of age. As sophomore this season, he hit .377 with 47 RBI in 56 games. He was listed as the 68th best prospect by Baseball America.

"I thought he was at worst a third round pick." said Jonathon Mayo of MLB.com. 

Mets draft 1B Dominic Smith with No. 11 pick

The Mets have selected first-baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith with the 11th overall pick in the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Smith, 17, is a left handed hitter who has spent most of his time as a first baseman.

"This is a great honor and opportunity," Smith said. "I can't wait to get out there. It's an incredible team. David Wright is a Hall of Fame-potential player and Matt Harvey is a great young guy. I can't wait to put on my Mets uniform and get out there and play."

Smith is listed as 6' 1" and 205 lbs, and he will turn 18 next week, on June 15th.

"We're thrilled that we were able to select Dominic tonight," said Paul DePodesta, Mets VP of Player Development and Amateur Scouting. "He's a guy we have followed since last summer. Our area scout has known him since he was 12-years old. We think we have a very good all-around player, a plus hitter with plus power."

"We felt that, going back to last spring into summer, this is one of the most advanced high school hitters you can find." said Tommy Tanous, the team's Director of Amateur Scouting. "He's a special defender at first base. We think that's one of his pluses."

Last season, Smith hit .493 with 38 RBI in 27 games for his High School team. He was also named the 2013 Rawlings preseason All-American  after hitting .551 as a junior in high school in 2012.

Smith will be represented by MVP Sports. If the Mets fail to sign him, he is committed to attend the University of Southern California.

At first, I was very upset over this pick because I did not want yet another young, unproven, high school position player. However, after looking at some scouting reports Dominic Smith seems like an extremely nice pick. He appears to be, and will become, a great hitter for years to come. Scouts have compared him to the likes of Todd Helton and Adrian Gonzalez. 

I personally think that they will keep him at first base because the organization apparently loves his fielding ability there. I know Smith will be at least 3-4 years away if lucky, but I wonder what this means for Ike Davis, whose slow start has made fans doubt whether he is the long term solution at first base. This certainly can't be taken lightly for him, because there was plenty of pitching talent that the Mets passed up on in order to take Smith. 

Do the Mets have a plan for Juan Lagares?

24 year old outfielder Juan Lagares is currently up in the Major Leagues but is sitting on the bench. 

"We brought this guy up here to make sure we don't overexpose Juan, to bring him along slowly," Terry Collins said on Wednesday. "But certainly, in a perfect world, Juan Lagares would be in the lineup somewhere - if its not here, then certainly in Triple-A."

Lagares has hit .189 over 56 plate appearances for the Mets so far this season. He has only had 14 plate appearances over the last two weeks.

I've liked what I've seen from Lagares so far. Of-course, his bat is currently lacking but it is such a small sample size. I can't judge the guy after seeing him step up to the plate only 56 times. I want to see what he can do over the course of a full season, but I don't know if he is going to get that opportunity right now. He has Gold Glove potential out in center field, and has above average speed, so he SHOULD be getting more playing time. However, Collins has been, for some reason, more willing to play veterans like Marlon Byrd and Rick Ankiel. 

If he isn't going to get every-day playing time in the Majors, then the organization needs to put him in Triple-A. He needs to get a sense of every-day at-bats so he can get back into rhythm again. 

So, my idea is: put Lagares in Triple-A, play him every-day, call him up in July, August or whenever Collins gives up on Byrd and Ankiel, and let him play the rest of the season as the every-day center fielder. Lagares has the potential to be an explosive player in this game, and I hope the Mets handle his situation the right way. 

Familia likely out for the season

Terry Collins recently told reporters that pitcher Jeurys Familia will likely miss the remainder of the season. On June 4th, Familia underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow, and has been on the disabled list since May 12. Some believe that it may take 6 to 8 weeks to return from this injury, before he even starts rehabbing. 

Familia had a 3.48 ERA in 10 1/3 innings for the Mets this year. His last appearance came on May 8. 

I really thought that Familia was going to take a big step forward this season. He has all the tools to be a dominant setup man in the game, but his control was the only thing holding him back. I don't know if he will be out for the season for sure, but this surgery seems like it will take quite some time to come back from.

The only real positive I can take away from this is that it gives the Mets some slight roster flexibility. The 40 man roster now sits at 39, and that extra space will be helpful when the team decides to activate Frank Francisco and Tim Byrdak, or promote a few of their younger players like Jenrry Mejia or Matt den Dekker. 

Collins: Wheeler will not be a "savior"

Terry Collins recently spoke to reporters and cautioned fans and the media against putting too much pressure on Zack Wheeler. 

"I hope everybody understands if and when this guy comes, he's not going to be the savior, says Collins. "There's a lot of pieces that have to work. One guy is not going to turn this around for us. It takes 25."

Multiple reports have pointed towards Wheeler's promotion to be sometime this month, and many believe that he will be promoted on the road. He currently has a 3.86 ERA in 58 1/3 Triple-A inning so far this season. 

"There's been so much made of this poor kid," Collins said. "He hasn't pitched a game in the big leagues yet and it looks like he's going to be in the finals for the Cy Young."

When talking to several fans out there, many feel like Wheeler will come up and be lights out for the remainder of the season. I honestly don't expect Wheeler to come up and make an immediate impact. Last year Matt Harvey came up in September and had an adjustment period where he learned how to become more efficient while refining his pitches to become a big-league ace.

Wheeler is going to be here soon, and has the ability to be just as mind-blowing as Matt Harvey. However, he isn't going to be an ace overnight, and will need to adapt to the Major League level. I am excited to see how he will improve his game overtime and what he can do over the span of a full season in 2014.

Captain Kirk has been impressive in Triple-A

Terry Collins recently said that outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis is back on the team's radar for a possible promotion. 

"I talked to Wally today for quite a while," Collins said. "He said [Kirks at-bats] were legitimate. He didn't care where he was playing, they were homers."

In 34 games for Triple-A Las Vegas, Nieuwenhuis has hit .241 with 10 home runs and 22 walks. Over his last 12 games, he is batting .319 with 7 home runs and 12 RBI. Before being demoted to the minor leagues, Nieuwenhuis hit just .125 in 16 at-bats with the Mets. 

The outfield situation is really bleak right now, but I do not want Kirk up in the major leagues. I understand that he is on a tear right now, and there was a point where I thought he was going to be part of the future. However, he strikes out way to often to be considered for an every-day gig in the Major Leagues. 

Honestly, he would probably be a better option than Rick Ankiel. With that being said, he could come up to the major league team and become a possible platoon candidate. However, the team already has four left handed hitting outfielders on the roster (Duda, Baxter, Valdespin, and Ankiel) and I don't think they'll consider carrying a fifth. 

Collins wants to see more of Lagares

Terry Collins recently told reporters that he would like to see more of Juan Lagares, especially against right handed pitching.

"We've got to start taking a good look at Juan against right-handed pitching," Collins said. "We've got to put him out there. We've got to make sure he understands what he's got to do to play here, because he is part of that young bench that's going to be the future here."

Lagares, 24, has had only 51 plate appearances this season for the Mets, hitting .146 with 14 strikeouts. He is 0-for-14 against right-handed pitching this season. 

Lagares has been in the Mets organization for quite some time now, and he really deserves a shot at everyday playing time. I'm tired of seeing players like Rick Ankiel and Marlon Byrd play everyday, while others like Lagares and Jordany Valdespin are sitting on the bench. The Mets are clearly gearing towards the future, and Lagares needs to show that he is capable of hitting at the Major League level. We've seen his great defensive skills throughout his brief stint so far, but I'd like to see something up at the plate. I know he is capable of providing some energy to the club, but Collins just needs to give him a chance. 

Mets need to take a gamble with Sizemore

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, teams will begin to inquire on free agent outfielder Grady Sizemore. Sizemore has suffered no setbacks following micro-fracture surgery on his knee last year, and the Mets could, and should take a gamble with him. It is worth noting that the Mets were "very interested" in signing Sizemore over the winter, but he did not want to sign with a team until he was ready to play. 

Sizemore is a big injury risk, but I would imagine that he would be willing to accept a one year deal (with a possible club option). Quite some time ago, he was an elite player in the league, and his future looked incredibly bright. Of-course, we all know how the recurring knee injuries have held him back, thus explaining why he hasn't played in the Major Leagues since the 2011 season. Since I am an optimistic fan, say he comes to the Mets and has a successful season. Assuming he has that club option, the Mets could pick it up and maybe even trade him for a halfway decent prospect over the winter. Sandy Alderson is big on finding diamonds in the rough, and Sizemore could turn out to be quite a prize.

Now, you might be asking, why would Sizemore choose a place like New York to play? Of-course, players like to win, but players like getting playing time just as much. Sizemore would easily have every opportunity in the world to earn an every-day spot in the Mets' lineup. After all these knee surgeries, that is really all he can ask for at this point in his career. 

Syndergaard is having success in Single-A

Noah Syndergaard, one of the prospects that was included in the R.A. Dickey trade, has been great in Single-A, and scouts are beginning to rave about how good he will be. According to John Harper of the Daily News, a scout recently watched Syndergaard throw and described him as "Harvey-Wheeler good." Before the season began, Jonathan Mayo of MiLb.com listed Syndergaard as number 10 on his Top Right-Handed Pitching Prospects for 2013. 

"He could end up being the best player in the deal, though it may take more time for him to develop," Mayo told Metsblog's Matt Cerrone in December. 

Syndergaard has posted a 2.73 ERA for Single-A St. Lucie so far this season, and has 54 strikeouts in 52.2 innings pitched. Last month, Mets minor league pitching coordinator Ron Romanick compared Syndergaard to Aaron Harang, considering his delivery and size on the mound.

In all honestly, I'm ecstatic that Sandy Alderson was able to snag Syndergaard from the Jays. Of-course, the package was centered around prized catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud, but Syndergaard could make a huge impact on this franchise in a few years. 

I've have heard about the organization possibly trading him for a premier outfield bat, but I just see those reports as bogus rumors. Syndergaard would be an excellent number 3 pitching for this staff, behind Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler. Pitching can win championships, and bats can be brought in through free agency. Just ask the San Francisco Giants, whose elite pitching staff won them two World Series titles in three years.

The Mets are going to need to make a trade eventually to acquire an outfield bat, and while I don't want to see any pitching prospects go, I would be comfortable parting ways with someone like Rafael Montero. Montero has been fantastic this season, but doesn't have the upside that Syndergaard has. Syndergaard is a keeper, and I hope that the organization sticks with him. 

Terry Collins is ruining Scott Rice's arm

I rarely question Terry Collins' managerial decisions, but it is worth mentioning that he is using Scott Rice way too often. Rice already has 32 appearances, and is 3-4 with a 4.00 ERA. This is his first Major League season following 14 years of minor league ball. Rice is on pace to appear in 96 games this year, which would push him past the franchise's current record of 92 appearances that Pedro Feliciano set in 2010. Of-course we all know what happen to perpetual Pedro.

If history repeats itself, then Rice will end up getting severely overworked, leading to a serious injury. Collins has done this before to his relief pitchers, such as Feliciano and fellow lefty Tim Byrdak last season. In 2010, as mentioned before, Feliciano racked up 92 appearances, which lead the league that year. After that season, the Yankees picked him up and realized that he was dangerously hurt following the heavy workload. Of-course, Feliciano is now back with the Mets, but he is in the minor leagues rehabbing and hoping to re-join the Major Leagues for the first time in three years. 

As for Byrdak, he couldn't even finish the 2012 season. By July he had already appeared in 56 games, and had anterior capsule surgery on his left shoulder in August. Byrdak, like Feliciano, is rehabbing, but at 39 years old it is unlikely that he makes a big contribution to the team this season.

Unfortunately I truly feel like Rice is going down the same path. He wasn't a left-handed specialist in the minor leagues, and even though he got off to a nice start, it is obvious that he should not be used in that role. Rice is 31 years of age, and could be a nice fit for this bullpen as a long relief man. However, I would really like to see someone like Robert Carson for example, to get a shot as the left handed specialist. Granted, Carson has struggled in his brief MLB career, but getting a fresh arm out there is vital when it comes to preventing Rice from injuring himself. 

I know Collins is going to continue to run Rice out on the mound often, and there is really nothing the team can do until Feliciano and Byrdak return from their respective injuries. All I suggest is that he gives Carson more of a look in that role, because we'll never know what he can do until he is given the opportunity.