Parnell lands on the DL, what should the Mets do?

The Mets have placed Bobby Parnell on the 15 day disabled list with a herniated disk in his neck. Parnell has not thrown since last Tuesday after complaining about the neck pain. His stint on the disabled list is retroactive to July 31, so he will be eligible to return on August 15.

 

Losing Parnell is a big blow to an already weak bullpen. He has really turned into a solid closer this season, posting a 2.16 ERA with 22 saves in 49 appearances. I've been a big fan of Parnell ever since day one, and seeing him develop into a solid relief pitcher before our very own eyes has been very pleasing. Hopefully this injury does not require surgery, because Terry Collins said surgery is "possible" but not definite.

 

Now Terry Collins loses a big weapon out of the bullpen. He has been using David Aardsma as the team's ninth inning guy for the last few games, but he has not pitched well at all. Aardsma, however, has a track record of success in the role, so at this point he may be the best option.

Normally I'd suggest having Josh Edgin as the team's interim closer, but he himself is also on the disabled list with an unexpected hairline fracture injury on his ribcage. Edgin was lights out for the Mets over the last month. In July, he had a combined 0.73 ERA in 14 appearances.

 

Now, the Mets have to make a big decision. Do you use Aardsma? A veteran who has had a track record of success but has not had that same success in 2013. Or perhaps someone like Jeff Walters? A 25 year old relief pitcher who is currently sporting a 1.89 ERA in 44 Double-A appearances this season. Walters' 32 saves are extremely impressive, and his 9.4 K/9 shows that he could be a solid member of the bullpen very soon.

 

Personally, I'd like to see Walters soon. This team needs a new look, and Walters could provide that spark of energy that the Mets have been seeking. At 25 years old, it is beginning to become that time where teams make final decisions on their pitchers, and Walters has done everything right in 2013 to help his case for a big league promotion.

 

 

 

Valdespin and Puello suspended for connection to Biogenesis

On Monday, Major League Baseball announced that suspensions of a handful of players around the game for their involvement in the Biogenesis clinic. Two of these players are from the Mets organization: Jordany Valdespin and Cesar Puello. Both players have accepted their 50 game suspensions, and will miss the rest of the season. Also, the two were on the 40 man roster, but while serving their suspensions, they will not count towards the 40 man roster.

 

Puello's name has been linked to the Biogenesis investigation for a couple of months now, so a suspension for him was expected. Puello, 22, was named to the Double-A All-Star team in 2013. The outfielder hit .328 with 16 home runs and 73 RBI this season for the Binghamton Mets.

 

Valdespin was never named as an involved player in the investigation, so this comes with much surprise. The team optioned him to Triple-A Las Vegas on July 13. Before his demotion, he was hitting .188 with 4 home runs and 16 RBI in 144 plate appearances. Oddly enough, he begin to hit extremely well in Triple-A. He had a line of .466/.533/.759 during his brief stint with the 51s.

 

I'll start off with the easy part here. It was expected that Cesar Puello would have a season-ending suspension. We all knew about his involvement with the Biogenesis scandal, so we weren't particularly surprised to see this happen.

 

Puello, had he not had been suspended, would've likely gotten a look with the major league team during the September call-ups. He had an unbelievable season in Double-A, and is still young enough to have a good future role with this club. Despite his involvement, I am still very excited to see what he can provide for the team somewhere down the line. At this point, he'll likely make his Major League debut sometime in 2014.

 

As for Valdespin, there really isn't anything much to say but Wow. At first, I had sympathy for the guy because he would rot on the bench while Terry Collins played veterans who were worthless. Now, I understand why the organization was so tough on Valdespin. His attitude is certainly one of a kind, and is what is holding him back in his career.

Valdespin has all the talent in the world, but he was given time to mature and it just never happened. This incident now seems like icing on the cake for the 25 year old outfielder.

 

I don't care if he comes back next year and hits .500 in Triple-A, I do not want him back on the Mets. He could either get his act together in the minor leagues, and get packaged off in a trade, or released. The Mets should not have to deal with this immature loser, and I truly believe that eventually he'll get the fate he deserves. 

Mets promote Wilmer Flores

The Mets have promoted top hitting prospect Wilmer Flores. He is en route to New York, which was announced by the team on Twitter last night. Flores, whose 22nd birthday is today, played primarily first base and third base for the Las Vegas 51s this season. He has hit .321 with 15 homers and 86 RBI on the season. It is assumed that Flores will be spending most of his time as the team's third baseman as David Wright is currently on the 15 day disabled list.

 

The team originally signed Flores out of Venezuela as a 16 year old back in 2007. He was a highly touted player in the organization for quite some time, and was rated in the Top 100 prospects list by Baseball America in the 2009-2011 seasons. As an 18 year old, Flores was elected to start at second base in the 2009 All-Star Futures Game.  In 2011, he was converted from a shortstop to a third baseman.

 

I've been preaching Flores for quite some time now, and I'm ecstatic that he will finally be promoted to the majors. It was getting ridiculous for quite some time, considering that Flores is versatile and capable of playing first base. With Ike Davis' struggles, Flores would be a good upgrade, even if his defense isn't as solid as Ike's.

 

For the time being, Flores will man the hot corner, and fill in for David Wright. I'm excited to see how he looks at the plate, because judging by his minor league numbers, he has the potential to be a very solid hitter. Also, at 22 years old, there is a good chance we may see him with the Mets for a long time.

 

When Wright returns from the disabled list, the team will have a decision to make. I highly doubt they'll convert Flores back to a shortstop. Perhaps they could finally pull the plug on Ike Davis and send him to the minors for good, and stick Flores at first base.

 

All in all, seeing new faces is always a welcoming sight. Flores should provide a much-needed boost to this current lineup. I'm very interested to see how these coming weeks play out, because sooner or later the Mets will need to promote some of their other top prospects, such as Travis d'Arnaud and Rafael Montero.