Rumor Mill: Matt den Decker

The word on the street is that Matt den Decker has signed with the Mets and will report on Thursday to St. Lucie. However, I'm not that excited about his signing. I saw him in one at bat in the College World Series. He struck out and looked overwhelmed by the pitcher. He was better defensively: he made an amazing catch in that series. Overall in the College World Series, he went 1 for 5 against UCLA, striking out three times, and 0 for 2 against Florida State.

This past season with the Florida Gators, he hit .352. In 2009, he hit .296; in 2008, he hit .333; in 2007, he hit .235.

Here are more of his 2010 stats: His slugging average was .563. Of his 23 extra base hits, 13 were homers, so he has some power. In the field, in 62 games he made just two errors while he had 154 putouts. He also led the Gators in multiple hit games with 28 (including a 5 for 5 game), tied for second in multiple RBI games with 11, and had the longest hitting streak (16 games).

He finished his college career with 33 homers.

He even pitched in a game. In 2008 he started a game and pitched 2.2 innings.

On the negative side, his strikeouts noticeably exceeded his walks. He struck out 157 times in 844 at bats during his four Gator seasons, or about once in every five at bats; whereas, he walked 114 times, or about one in every seven at bats.

Quick Hits

 ☛ The Mets might want to stop playing games in Puerto Rico. They were lucky to win yesterday after their pitchers surrendered 17 hits. Pelfrey gave up 12 of them in just 4.2 innings during which he threw 108 pitches.
☛ Cory Vaughn had another big day for the Cyclones, getting two hits, including a triple. He upped his average to .298.

☛ The Mets signed their second 2010 draftee, Blake Forsythe, who played his college ball for Tennessee. It appears he'll play for the GCL Mets (who already have three catchers on the roster, all hitting at least .333);  however, the section of the Mets website that lists its 2010 draftees doesn't even include Forsythe on the list. But then, when it comes to updating their draft section, the team's not that detail-oriented. If you check the 2009 list you'll notice that the Mets still show their second selection in that draft, Robbie Shields, as unsigned. Shields is playing for the GCL Mets, hitting .259.
☛ Steve Winnick pitched in his second game for the GCL Mets yesterday. He still hasn't surrendered either a hit or a walk. The Mets drafted Winnick this past June in the 31st round.

MLB Baseball Card Collector's Box with Over 500 Cards - Great Mix of Rookies & Stars -Grab Box Lot - Warehouse Deal

Close-Up of J. B. Brown

The Mets seem to be stockpiling second basemen. Not a bad idea for a team that has Juan Castillo as its starter.

The latest addition to the mix is J. B. Brown, who played for the last three seasons at the University of the Pacific and will now be playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones. The Mets drafted him in the 14th round. (He was the 13th Big West Conference player drafted.)

On paper, Brown doesn't appear to be fleet of foot. During his last two seasons with the Pacific Tigers, he didn't stretch one of his 27 doubles into a triple though he did manage to steal 12 bases in 18 attempts.

Brown is large for a second baseman: he's 215 pounds. Unfortunately, his size hasn't converted into long-ball power. Over the past two seasons, he hit only 13 homers in 106 games.

He can get on base. The past two seasons his OPS's were .971 and .909.

Average-wise, he's been consistent, hitting .378 and .376. The latter figure ranked him third in the Big West Conference among hitters with at least 200 at bats. Nationally, however, his average didn't even qualify him for the NCAA's top 100 list of Division 1 batters. But there's no denying he can get on base, though he doesn't walk a lot. In 2009, he walked 15 times; in 2010, only eight — Brown doesn't appear destined to be a lead-off batter.

He does make contact. In both 2009 and 2010, he struck out only 31 times in each season, striking out about once in every seven at bats.

His Mets career could begin today with the Cyclones opener. It will be interesting to watch his performance.

John Sickels has written an interesting review of the Mets 2010 draft.

Cyclones win opener: View the boxscore.

Minor League Baseball Cap - Brooklyn Cyclones Road Cap by New Era (6 7/8)

Close-Up of Adam Kolarek

Adam Kolarek, the Mets 11th draft choice, spent the past three years playing for the University of Maryland. He's the first left-handed pitcher the team drafted in 2010.

The 2010 season was his first losing one. In it, though he pitched the fewest innings, he had the most strikeouts and opponents had the lowest batting average against him. (In 2010, Kolarek couldn't take the mound for a month after suffering an oblique strain.)

On the negative side, in 2010, in 15 fewer innings than in 2009, he gave up only two fewer runs. (Did his injury affect him on the mound?)

Kolarek, who signed for six figures, will report tomorrow to Port St. Lucie, Florida, for a week and then play for the Kingsport Mets, a Rookie League team.

View Kolarek pitching.

MLB Vintage World Series Films - New York Mets 1969 & 1986