Quick Hits

☛ Two current members of the Mets organization and one ex-Met are mentioned in Baseball America's  latest Prospect Hot Sheet. In the six-slot is Cory Vaughn, who continues to pound the ball for the Cyclones. In the NOT-SO HOT SHEET section is Jeurys Familia, who's not having a stellar season for St. Lucie though his fastball can reach the upper 90s. Joining Familia is ex-Met Deolis Guerra. Though only 21 years old, his career seems to be on the decline. One of the players the Mets traded to get Santana, Guerra's recent performances have made observers question whether he has the skill set to succeed as a starter.

☛ Though the Mets won last night, their performance this season, once again, is disappointing. This is just a flawed team. It's too bad they can't swing the bat as well as the Cyclones. The new Brooklyn bums are leading the NY-Penn League in hitting. Their team OPS of .844 is 89 points higher than the number-two-hitting team. They lead the league in hits, runs, home runs, RBIs, and total bases. Outfielder Cory Vaughn leads the league in homers, RBIs, and OPS: He's the only player in the league with an OPS above 1.000. I don't know how much of the credit can be given to Cyclones hitting coach hitting coach Benny Distefano; however, I don't think the Mets scouts are that much better than are other teams in picking hitting talent.

☛ Yesterday, the Cyclones pounded out 16 hits. Leading the hit parade was Jeff Flagg, who drove in three runs. Six Mets got two hits in the game.

☛ Hopefully, we're a day closer to Wally Backman managing the Mets.

Cory Vaughn May Solve Mets' Power Shortage

The Brooklyn Cyclones may have the next "Queens bomber."

Wally Backman, who one of these days might become the next Mets manager, seems to think quite highly of Cory Vaughn, now making his pro baseball debut with the Brooklyn Cyclones.

A Brooklyn Eagle article quotes Backman as saying this about Vaughn: "The kid’s got all the tools. He’s got some speed, great arm strength and power."

In another Eagle article, Backman is quoted as saying: "This kid is going to play in the big leagues fast," and "I’m not going to say he’s an Ike Davis or anything like that, but he has the same potential Ike had coming here just a few years ago."

Backman's not the only coach to think highly of Vaughn. So does Tony Gwynn at San Diego State.

Here's a comment Gwynn made to a reporter from the North County Times, a San Diego area newspaper:

"When we recruited him, he was probably 6-1, he came here at 6-3, and now he's about 6-5, and it's all muscle," Gwynn said. "He puts on his uniform, and that's how you wish big-leaguers looked. And his skill set is getting better and better. I think next year at this time, he can be a monster."

Since his freshman year at San Diego State, Vaughn's improved every year. In 2008 his OPS was .758; in 2009, it rose to .959; and in 2010, it increased to 1.060. This season with the Cyclones, he's played  in 12 games and has an OPS of 1.036.

The Mets desperately need a power hitter. Vaughn might be able to fill that void.

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