Mets Stuff - Ruben Tejada, Jeurys Familia, Jon Niese, Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Mets Stuff  - Ruben Tejada, Jeurys Familia, Jon Niese, Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Ruben Tejada hit eighth Thursday and went 0-for-2 with a walk, flying out to center field and bunting into a force-out when second-base umpire Phil Cuzzi ruled generously on an “in the neighborhood” catch by Braves rookie shortstop Tyler Pastornicky. Tejada saw a total of 11 pitches in his three plate appearances. He gets the call at leadoff as Plan B, yet you could argue that he should have been Plan A all along. The 22-year-old put up a .360 on-base percentage in 376 plate appearances with the 2011 Mets, whereas Torres, 34, tallied a .312 on-base percentage in 348 plate appearances last year with the Giants  link 

Jeurys Familia RHP (Mets) - The Mets don’t have a lot to be excited about except for some of their Dominican prospects.  Cesar Puello, Jenrry Mejia and Jordany Valdespin are three other players to watch.  Jeurys is knocking on the major league door with his successful stint in AA where he went 4-4, 3.49 with 96 whiffs in just 88 innings.  He did miss a month of last year because of shoulder tendinitis, an occupational hazard for pitchers who sit in the mid 90s and touch the high 90s.  His secondary pitches (change and curve) need more consistency, otherwise it may be a move to the bullpen. link  

Hype didn’t overwhelm Jon Niese in the minors. He grew up in Defiance, a town of about 16,000 in northwestern Ohio located a little more than an hour south of Toledo. Scouts were familiar with the outpost: They trekked there in droves before the 2003 draft, ogling a burly right-hander named Chad Billingsley, an eventual first-round pick by the Dodgers. They also caught sight of Niese, a slinky lefty, a sophomore throwing fastballs in the mid-80s. By his senior season, Niese’s velocity touched 90 mph and he was on the rise. His nickname was “Jonchalant,” because his reaction to success was so casual. In 78 innings that year, he allowed a single earned run, drubbing hitters with his heater and curveball. A seventh-round pick, he signed for $175,000 and intended to dominate once more. Then, in his first Gulf Coast League start that summer, he noticed his jack-hammering heart and quivering legs. link  

7 of the 8 position players starting Saturday were homegrown. 

Dwight Gooden:

Time goes by so fast... 28 years ago today I made my major league debut... Feels like yesterday

Kirk Nieuwenhuis became the 32nd former Brooklyn Cyclone to make it to the big leagues 

New York Mets outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis was promoted to the majors today to replace injured teammate Andres Torres. Comments from Mets manager Terry Collins indicate that Nieuwenhuis will be used as the left-handed part of a platoon with Scott Hairston.

A  third-round pick from Azusa Pacific in 2008, K.N. was limited to 53 games for Triple-A Buffalo last year by a shoulder injury and was slowed this spring by a strained oblique, but is reportedly healthy now. He hit .298/.403/.505 in Triple-A last year before getting hurt, with 32 walks and 59 strikeouts in 188 at-bats. The strikeout rate is quite high and he's fanned about once per game throughout his career, plus he has issues against left-handed pitching. On the positive side, he will also draw some walks and should keep his OBP reasonable even if his batting average isn't impressive. Many scouts see him as a "tweener," not running quite well enough to play center field regularly, but lacking the big-time power ideal for a corner. I'm generally optimistic about him, not seeing him as a star, but thinking that he'll last a long time as a productive platoon outfielder who contributes in several ways. link 

Mets – Nats Probable Pitchers:

                        Monday:       Edwin Jackson-Mike Pelfrey

Tuesday:       Ross Detwiler vs. Dillon Gee

Wednesday: Stephen Strasburg-Johan Santana