Kuzul

The New York Mets finally have their ideal lineup, and now it’s time to start producing.

Throughout the season, I’ve had a feeling Jerry Manual was going with the saying from last year that didn’t impress any fans. He wanted to basically stay within striking distance until players came off the disabled list.

We know Jose Reyes is at the top of the lineup and Carlos Beltran is hitting cleanup; the Mets should have no lack of offense from top to the eight-hole (I’ll give the pitcher a little slack).

With Angel Pagan holding more than his own while he replaced Beltran, players such as Jeff Francoeur and Jason Bay need to pick it up. Bay isn’t producing in the home-run department like he was expected to, and Franceour’s bat is so bad that his terrific arm in right field just isn’t a good enough replacement to get him starts every day.

Granted, the Mets paid Bay enough money to play him everyday, but his bat may become a liability toward the end of the season if he doesn’t start producing.

David Wright has surpassed his terrible season from last year, so anything he has put up so far is a bonus. When Reyes scores, the Mets win. I know it’s much easier said than done, but it’s a fact.

Mike Pelfrey isn’t doing what he did in the first two months of the season, so the bullpen is going to be in high demand; it may be time for the front office to make a move to bring in a solid reliever.

Oliver Perez is scheduled to come off the disabled list this week and he could rejoin the team in Arizona; he is headed to the bullpen. I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I guess we will find out soon enough.

With rookie Jon Niese and journeyman R.A. Dickey anchoring the staff, all they need to do is keep the Mets in games and hope their offense can come through in the late innings.

This should be a very interesting last few months of the season.

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The Yankees, Red Sox, and Marlins have proven that it can be done in baseball. The Miami Heat are about to prove it can be done in the NBA.

There are some things money can’t buy, and championships used to be one of them. It’s an unfortunate reality, but reality nonetheless.

As long as it’s done right.

The New York Mets have the fifth-highest payroll in baseball. And while they are clearly contenders in 2010 at 47-39, four games behind the Braves for the division lead and a game behind the Dodgers and Rockies in the Wild Card, general manager Omar Minaya likely had higher expectations.

But this year, it’s not Minaya’s big acquisitions carrying the team. It’s the homegrown kids. It’s the young talent that came up through the organization, the way they should.

Mike Pelfrey leads the team with 10 wins and a solid 3.39 ERA. Jon Niese leads all Mets pitchers not named Johan Santana in strikeouts with 73, and has as many wins as Santana with six.

Angel Pagan, who started his career in 2006 with the Cubs, did not come into his own until he came to New York. He’s hitting .304 with a .364 OBP and a .457 slugging percentage, giving him an .820 OPS, second on the team to David Wright among players with at least 100 at-bats.

And those guys aren’t even the franchise players.

Wright, also a homegrown product, leads the team in every major category (.317 AVG, .329 OBP, 539 SLG, .931 OPS). Jose Reyes, while plagued with injuries in recent years, seems healthy and able to contribute, hitting .277 with 19 stolen bases. He also has 15 doubles and six home runs.

Rookie Ike Davis is also having a solid year. Though hitting a pedestrian .257, he has 16 doubles and 10 home runs to go with a .994 fielding percentage at first base.

And then there’s 23-year-old Josh Thole, recently promoted to fill the Mets’ most inconsistent position since the Mike Piazza days at catcher.

Sure, it’s only been eight games. But his .500 batting average (8-for-16), .579 OBP, .563 slugging percentage, and 1.141 OPS would all be team-highs if he had enough at-bats to qualify. Of course, realistically, he cannot maintain that pace. However, there’s nothing more important to a young baseball career than a hot start, and Thole is having just that.

This core of young talent, at an average age of around 25, will be the nucleus going forward.

If Carlos Beltran returns from injury, he would provide a surefire boost, assuming he returns as the Beltran of old. Oliver Perez was just promoted to Triple-A Buffalo for another rehab start. If he and John Maine (currently on the disabled list) can return to form, the pitching staff would get the boost it desperately needs.

In the meantime, the Mets are in contention and look to be there to stay, and it’s not because of the big-name acquisitions with the big paychecks. It’s because of the homegrown talent coming into their own.

Just because championships can be won with a checkbook, doesn’t mean you can’t still do it the old-fashioned way.

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Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers has been officially placed on the disabled list retroactive to July 5 with a strained left oblique he suffered in the bottom of the third inning on Sunday. Fantasy baseball owners will greatly miss the 8-4 Gallardo with his 2.58 ERA and 9.83 strikeouts per nine innings.

Jordan Schelling of Brewers.com noted that despite being recently named to the National League All-Star team, Gallardo will not take part due to the injury. He will miss a minimum of two starts, and if all goes well, will be eligible to come off the disabled list July 20.  

In the meantime, if you need to fill the void left by Gallardo, or even Clay Buchholz, who was also recently sent to the disabled list, consider these ten options:

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The 2010 MLB season has been quite a season for rookies may it be Stephen Strasburg, Jason Heyward or Austin Jackson.

This season has brought us the debuts of some of baseball’s most touted prospects and has shown us waht the future of baseball may be.

The most touted prospect of all, Strasburg, debuted about a month ago against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Strasburg phenomenon has struck the country.

There were even talks that the rookie Strasburg could possibly be named an All-Star which would have been completely idiotic due to the fact that he has only pitched in six games though I do feel he is a potential All-Star in the near future.

The phenomenon has struck so much that other rookie pitchers are hardly being spoken about so here are the top ten rookie pitchers not named Stephen Strasburg.

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MLB: New York Mets, June record of 18-8, overall record of 44-34, second place in NL East, 1.5 games back

Position Player of the Month: Third baseman, David Wright

Wright’s role as the centerpiece of the Mets offense was perfectly exemplified by his June. He powered the Mets lineup with his team-leading six home runs and 29 RBI’s throughout the month. The 29 runs he drove in during June were the most by any NL hitter and have helped him up his RBI total to a league leading 63 on the year. Additionally, his .404 average during the month led the Mets and the National League. With four stolen bases and a slight cutback on his strikeouts, Wright has had one of the most complete months in baseball, and the most productive in June for the Mets organization.

Pitcher of the Month: Left-handed pitcher, Jon Niese

The young lefty starter turned in a handful of quality starts for the Mets in June. Niese was victorious in four of five starts without losing a game in June. On June 10, Niese shut down a surging young Padres lineup by tossing a complete game shutout, the first of his career. Through 33.2 June innings, Niese displayed some excellent command, striking out 24 and walking just nine. His WHIP in June has ended up at 1.04. With several excellent starts, Niese has extended his 2010 record to 5-2 in 13 starts, with a 3.84 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. If Niese continues to develop and excel, he’ll represent a youthful and reliable force in the middle of the Mets rotation.

AAA: Buffalo Bisons, June record of 12-17, overall record of 41-39, third place in INT North, 4 games back

Position Player of the Month: Outfielder, Lucas Duda

Plenty of credit is due to left-handed hitting outfielder Lucas Duda. Mets fans might not be very familiar with the 24 year-old outfielder, but his power potential is turning some heads. After batting .286 with six home runs into June with AA Binghamton, Duda earned a promotion to AAA and immediately took advantage. In 14 games in June, Duda slammed 4 home runs while batting .308. Duda is young, has strength, and put together a breakout June that will definitely start providing him with some recognition in the organization.

Pitcher of the Month: Left-handed pitcher, Pat Misch

His June numbers may not be his most glamorous of the year, but his control has been phenomenal and makes it surprising that the Mets have not called him to the Majors for a bullpen role. In six June starts, Misch is 3-2 with a 4.08 ERA. Those numbers are simply okay, but what stands out most is that he walked just six batters in 39.2 innings pitched. His excellent command has been present all season long, and if the Mets require left-handed help in the bullpen beside Pedro Feliciano, Misch could get the call.

AA: Binghamton Mets, June record of 17-11, overall record of 41-37, third place in EAS Eastern Division, 6 games back

Position Player of the Month: First baseman, Nick Evans

Evans has been thriving at AA, and it seems that the only reason he is still there is that he’ll be shipped off in a trade. During 28 games in June, Evans has batted .292 with a good looking OBP. He hit three home runs and only drove in eight, but he is showing that he has worked on his plate discipline and at times is looking much more patient at the plate. He’s one of the most important components of the AA lineup at the moment, but he may or may not be around much longer.

Pitcher of the Month: Left-handed pitcher, Michael Antonini

This lefty is interesting in that he has had a great deal of success against lefty batters in 2010. This success contributed to a good looking June. In six starts, Antonini went 2-2 with a 3.13 ERA. He showed off his durability by tossing a complete game on June 10. During June, he walked just nine and struck out 32 in 37.1 innings of work. A solid month for another southpaw arm the Mets are developing in their system.

A Adv.: St. Lucie Mets, June record of 12-12, overall record (second half) of 4-3 in FSL South, 1 game back

Position Player of the Month: Shortstop, Jordany Valdespin

Lost in the muck of Mets middle infield prospects, Valdespin is often overlooked, especially with the 2010 he is having. During the month of June, the left-handed hitting Valdespin hit .310 with a home run and 14 RBI’s. His ability to get on based allowed him to put his speed to good use on the basepaths. The agile Valdespin swiped seven bases during June. He’s an unheralded minor leaguer in the Mets system, but his month of June and ability to connect with the baseball is helping him put together a year that warrants a promotion.

Pitcher of the Month: Right-handed pitcher, Eric Beaulac

Beaulac has been very consistent. Over his last four starts (all June starts), he hasn’t allowed more than two runs in a game. This means that the 23 year-old has put together four consecutive quality starts. In his June starts, he is 1-1. During these starts, Beaulac has struck out 21 and walked just eight. His consistency has stood out down in Port St. Lucie amongst a staff of more highly touted underachieving prospects.

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There have been rumors that the New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners have been in discussions regarding Cliff Lee. Lee obviously will not bring back the package that he did the past two times he was traded.

Lee will be a half season rental, and has stated that he wants to go to free agency. This is a smart move by Lee as he is likely to get more money on the open market with this winter’s weak free agent class.

The Mariners would most likely be able to bring in one or two young players or major league ready prospects plus a mid-level prospect for Lee. There is one player in particular on the Mets that has caught the Mariners eye.

It has been reported that the Mariners have lots of interest in Jon Niese. Niese has been a solid starter in his appearances for the Mets this year. He has a bright future ahead of him and is one of the Mets’ top young players. It appears that the Mets have been reluctant to include Niese in a deal for Lee.

It appears that the Lee’s price will drop the longer the Mariners hold on to him. The Mets can attempt to play hardball and wait it out until the deadline and then put together a package for Lee that does not include Niese. This may work, but they will be bidding against more teams who want Lee’s services.

With all that being said, Lee would be… (to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

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Currently, the Mets sport a rotation of Johan Santana , Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese, RA Dickey, and Hisanori Takahashi. Dickey and Takahashi did not start the season in the rotation, but after John Maine and Oliver Perez hit the DL, Dickey and Takahashi took over.

As of right now Dickey and Takahashi are pitching very effectively, and are a big reason the Mets find themselves seven games over .500. With the likely return of Maine, the Mets should avoid tinkering with the success of the rotation and put Maine in the bullpen.

To start the season the Mets held out hope that John Maine and Oliver Perez would finally be able to put it together, and prove to be reliable pitchers in the rotation; however, neither impressed during their time with the team.

Oliver Perez, probably the player the Mets had the most staked on after awarding him a 3 year, 36 million dollar contract a season ago, played so poorly that the Mets tried hiding him in the bullpen. Unfortunately, he was just as ineffective there, and, after he refused a minor league assignment, the Mets banished him to the DL.

Maine’s story is a little more promising. He did not pitch very effectively to start, but after returning to being primarily a fastball pitcher Maine was able to pitch well enough to keep the Mets in games. The problem was he still had trouble pitching late into games and sustained an injury that forced him out of a game after throwing just five pitches.  This came just before he landed on the DL.

Maine has recently thrown in a rehab game and is working his way back to the majors. The question is: Should the Mets put him back in the rotation? Right now, the Mets are clicking, and a big part of that is the current starting rotation.

In addition the bullpen has been more effective as pitchers are pitching six, seven, or more innings. In fact Pelfrey and Niese started back to back games where they pitched for nine innings. While Dickey and Takahashi will never be top-line starters, they are getting the job done right now and that should not be tinkered with.  Especially in favor of a player that struggles to pitch five innings.

John Maine’s best career move looks like a transition to the bullpen. He has a lively fastball, but not a ton else, and like I keep mentioning, he has trouble going deep in to games. In the bullpen only one or two strong pitches are needed to be effective. It would be great to convert Maine into a set-up guy, or if we’re lucky, an eventual cheaper option to K-Rod at closer when Frankie’s contract is up after next season.

While Dickey and Takahashi’s effectiveness might wane as the season continues, John Maine is not a good replacement. He has had numerous times to prove his worth, and outside of 2007 has failed to do so.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

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A quick look at last week’s Fantasy Baseball top performing and least owned players on the waiver wire. Jonathan Niese and Ted Lilly throw a 1 hitter. Aubrey Huff and Gaby Sanchez hit two dingers each. Can they really keep it up for another week? Check out who’s a Must or a Bust.

BATTERS

Sean Rodriguez – 9% of Y! Leagues
5 R / 2 HRS / 5 RBI / .478 BA
I really like what we’re seeing from this kid. Riding a 14 game hitting streak, he’s boosted his average from a measly .245 to respectable .288. He even had a nine game tear of one run per game. We’ll see exactly how good Rodriguez is in the next few weeks, but if he’s gonna do it anywhere it will be on the hard hitting Rays.

Gaby Sanchez – 7% of Y! Leagues
5 R / 3 HRS / 7 RBI / .409 BA
A big guy who can hit for power that is owned in under 10 percent of leagues? Slightly larger than Cody Ross, we may have a winner on our hands.

Ryan Spilborghs – 1% of Y! Leagues
5 R / 3 HRS / 3 RBI / .625 BA
Well we all know that playing in Colorado always produces big numbers, but not for a part-time player. He’s got real competition in the OF with CarGo and Hawpe but if Smith doesn’t produce Spillborghs could see increased time. Good numbers for the week but let’s not get crazy here.

Brennan Boesch – 36% of Y! Leagues
5 R / 3 HRS / 5 RBI / 1 SB / .360 BA
A fantastic start for a fantastic rookie. The average, homers and RBIs are all there. Only category that is low is the runs, but they will come.

Aubrey Huff – 30% of Y! Leagues
5 R / 3 HRS / 7 RBI / .348 BA
Huff is starting to heat up and must I remind you that we are only one year removed from 32 homers? Six of his 10 dingers have come in the last month. The potential is absolutely there.

Erick Aybar – 46% of Y! Leagues
6 R / 3 RBI / 2 SB / .419 BA
Switching to the leadoff spot has turned things around for Aybar. Aybar won’t ever get you homers or RBIs but if you lack runs and stolen bases he’s your guy. Aybar already has 11 stolen bases—he had 14 in twice as many at bats in ’09. Twelve multi-hit games in the past month too.

Garrett Jones – 55% of Y! Leagues
4 R / 2 HRS / 4 RBI / 2 SB / .333 BA
Jones grabbed everyone’s attention last year with monster numbers in half a season. The beginning of this year hasn’t been all-star worthy but he’s started to heat up again. In the past 12 games, Jones has seven multi-hit games and five homers. He’s also raised his average 39 points in the last month.

PITCHERS

Ted Lilly – 51% of Y! Leagues
16 IP / 1 W / 11 K / 0.56 ERA / 0.38 WHIP
What a week for Lilly! First a four hitter, one run game against Milwaukee, and then a shutout, one hitter against the White Sox. The wins have been few and far between but can you really blame a pitcher with a sub-3.00 ERA? Eight quality starts out 10. He is a MUST in all leagues right now.

Jason Hammel – 9% of Y! Leagues
15.1 IP / 2 W / 9 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.98 WHIP
Hammel is on a lot of people’s watch lists as a break through for 2010. He has put the groin injury behind him and dominated the past two starts, giving up zero runs and only three runs in the past four. (for more detailed numbers see Tommy Landry’s take—The Fantasy Fix Roundtable: Post All-Star Break Targets).

Jonathon Niese – 9% of Y! Leagues
9 IP / 1 W / 6 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.11 WHIP
Santana seriously needed the backup after getting absolutely nothing from Perez and Maine, so Niese and Pelfrey have stepped it up. A one hitter against San Diego has him on everyone’s watch list…is another dominant game in order against the lowly Indians? Couldn’t pick a better team to follow up against!

Justin Masterson – 7% of Y! Leagues
9 IP / 1 W / 6 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.44 WHIP
The potential is certainly there and his last game against his former team sure was magical (CG, two hits). My only concern is that Masterson has only pitched over seven innings twice this year. Batters are hitting .287 against him and he has a crazy high WHIP (1.64). I won’t say his last game was a fluke but I will need a bunch more quality starts to get on this train.

Wade LeBlanc – 11% of Y! Leagues
13IP / 2 W / 6 K / 0.69 ERA / 1.15 WHIP
After four straight losses, Wad has turned it around the last two only giving up one run in 13 innings. The Padres pitching this year has been outstanding, and LeBlanc is right there in the mix. A high WHIP but a low ERA, keeps me with a watchful eye.

Joel Piñeiro – 25% of Y! Leagues
9 IP / 1 W / 7 K / 1.00 ERA / 0.67 WHIP
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—Pineiro is a ROLLERCOASTER! He pitches one good game he gives up six runs the next. He pitches two great games, he give up nine the next. I don’t have the stomach for him. As many weeks that he will win for you, he will single-handedly lose the rest. Someday, Joel, someday.

Gavin Floyd – 51% of Y! Leagues
14 IP / 1 W / 17 K / 1.29 ERA / 1.00 WHIP
2008 may be the best we will ever get from Floyd, but there is a reason why he was the Phillies first round pick. He has amazing control and can win a game without dominating the batters. Two solid starts in row hopefully has Floyd back on track. Higher owned, but still worth taking a peek to see if he’s out there.

Is Niese the real deal? Will Lilly keep it up?
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Tags: Waiver Wire, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Blog, The Fantasy Fix, Must or Bust, Fantasy Marx, MLB, NL, AL, Sean Rodriguez, Gaby Sanchez, Ryan Spilborghs, Brennan Boesch, Aubrey Huff, Erick Aybar, Garrett Jones, Ted Lilly, Jason Hammel, Jonathon Niese, Justin Masterson, Wade LeBlanc, Joel Piñeiro, Gavin Floyd, Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana, Brad Hawpe, Carlos Gonzalez, Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants, Los Angels Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Saint Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox.

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As many of you are now aware, Jonathon Niese pitched the 24th one-hitter in Mets history last night. Niese had six strikeouts during his outing and looked dominant.

Obviously, we cannot expect Niese to pitch this well every time he is on the mound. The real question is what can we expect from Niese the rest of the season? 

Neise had moderate success in the majors last season in five starts. He went 1-1 with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. This small sample size does not give us a lot to predict Niese’s future.

If we look at Niese’s 2008 and 2009 minor league numbers, we should have a better indicator of what to expect.

In ’08, Niese spent time in both AA and AAA. His combined stats were an 11-8 record with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Niese also was able to post a 2.48 K/BB ratio. Part of Niese’s success was tied to his ability to keep the ball in the park. He gave up 0.5 HR/9.

Jonathon spent time in AAA in ’09. He went 5-6 but posted a 3.82 ERA and a 1.283 WHIP. He once again was able to post a strong K/BB rate (3.15 K/BB), and a low home run rate (0.7 HR/9).

Niese has clearly shown that he can handle the minor leagues. At only 23 years old, he still has a lot of development ahead of him. There will definitely be some bumps along the road.

Before the season started, ZiPS projected that Niese… (click the link below to read the rest)

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Fresh off the heels of rookie Jon Niese’s near-perfect one-hit complete game shutout, the Mets head to Baltimore tonight to resume interleague play.

After all the troubles the Mets have had on the road, the schedule softens up for the next week as they face the Orioles and Indians, two of the worst teams in baseball. If there was ever a time to remedy the putrid 8-18 road record the Mets are currently sporting, these six games are the time to do it.

Especially since after Camden Yards and the Jake in Cleveland, they’re headed to the Bronx to face a Yankees team that will likely have revenge on the mind, not to mention the home field advantage.

The Mets finished a 5-1 homestand by taking two of three from the Padres, a surprising team that had the best record in the National League coming into the series. The Mets are now 24-10 at home, the best record in the majors.

The most refreshing thing about the Mets lately is the contributions they’ve gotten from their homegrown prospects. For the first time in my lifetime, the farm system has produced quality and quantity on the big league team unlike anything I can ever remember.

When Jon Niese and Mike Pelfrey are on the mound, they join David Wright, Jose Reyes, Ruben Tejada, Ike Davis and Angel Pagan in the Mets starting lineup, giving them six homegrown guys in their starting nine.

Think about that for a second. This is not the Tampa Bay Rays or the Minnesota Twins here. The New York Mets, a big market National League team known for their uneven free agent signings, actually has an entire homegrown infield at the moment, with Luis Castillo on the shelf.

David Wright and Jose Reyes are still only 27 years old, and it feels like they’ve been here forever. Both are multiple time All-Stars who are just now hitting their prime. Now they’re joined by wunderkind Ike Davis, he of the sweet lefty glovework and the timely moonshot homers. Davis, for the record, is second among all rookies in SLG only behind the superhuman Jason Heyward.

The youngster Ruben Tejada, a 20-year-old middle infielder from Panama, has taken over the everyday second base duties in the past few days filling in for the injured Luis Castillo, and he’s brought a defensive presence that Castillo has lacked since his Florida Marlins days.

Tejada, a defensive wizard who only played 37 minor league games at 2B, impressed the Mets brass with his surprising offense after hitting .289 as a 19-year-old in AA last year and .294 in AAA this year. If he hits .250 with the big league squad and continues to play fabulous defense, the Mets seem likely to hand him the job for the foreseeable future.

Amazingly enough, another 2B down in the minors, 2008 first rounder Reese Havens, is tearing up his first go-around in AA , and gives the Mets even more potential homegrown depth at the position, should Tejada start to fade.

Angel Pagan, yes, is technically another homegrown guy. Drafted by the Mets in the fourth round of the 1999 draft, Pagan was an original Brooklyn Cyclone in 2001 and toiled in the minors for six years before the Cubs acquired him and gave him his first taste of big league ball.

Before the 2008 season, Pagan was reacquired by the Mets and he has become invaluable in center field, both with the glove and the bat, a classic late bloomer who has become a under-the-radar star in New York.

According to FanGraphs, Pagan leads all National League center fielders with a 6.9 UZR this year, second in the majors behind Alex Rios, who himself is having a monster season as well. Looking at his value, it’s amazing how good he’s been without the accolades or hype of more highly touted players.

Pagan was worth 29.2 Runs Above Replacement in 2009, and another 19.9 RAR so far this year. Not bad for a guy who had to beat out Gary Matthews Jr for the starting center field job going into the season. As you can see in his WAR rating, he has been worth almost five full wins above replacement in the last two years replacing Carlos Beltran.

Then there’s Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese, two gems drafted by the Mets back in 2005, a draft class that’s shaping up to be one of the best in Mets history. Pelfrey was the ninth overall pick in round one, Niese was picked in round seven.

They also picked up flamethrowing reliever Bobby Parnell in round nine, and top catching prospect Josh Thole in round 13 that year. Kudos to the scouting department on that one. Parnell and Thole are being groomed down in Buffalo right now and likely will be a huge part of the future of the team as well.

Niese was born on the day of the Mets last World Series victory, the day of game seven of the 1986 World Series. I guess he was just destined to be a Met. Niese is 2–0 with a 0.56 ERA in his two starts since returning from the disabled list, and he’s struck out 12 batters and walked one in those 16 innings.

Not too shabby for a 23-year-old who tore his hamstring off the bone following a horrific injury last August that epitomized the 2009 Mets in a nutshell.

And what can you say about Mike Pelfrey right now? If it weren’t for the unconscious Ubaldo Jimenez out in Denver, Pelfrey would be a Cy Young contender. He is not a flash in the pan who’s gotten lucky. What we’re seeing with Big Pelf is a 26-year-old who’s finally learned how to pitch and get hitters out.

A far cry from the pitcher who used to throw fastballs three out of every four pitches in his early days, Pelfrey has mixed in a devastating splitter to become a true ace in the making, a man who throws with a purpose on every single pitch to every batter he faces.

Always a heavy ground ball pitcher, (career GB% of 50.2% ) Pelfrey’s strikeouts have shot up dramatically this season, a career high 6.47 K/9 that, paired with his minuscule BB/9 and HR/9 have translated into high marks in the more traditional stats as well. Pelfrey is 8-1 with a 2.23 ERA in 12 starts, including a 4-0 record and a 1.19 ERA in his last five starts.

Jenrry Mejia, still being held hostage by Jerry Manuel , is another 20-year-old with tremendous upside, that is, whenever the Mets smarten up and send him down to the minors to stretch him out so he can join the rotation.

Needless to say, with the home-cooking the Mets have gotten from their young stars, as well as the hospitality of their home ballpark, it’s looking like home is where the heart is for the Mets.

And that is a big credit to Omar Minaya and his scouting department. He deserves a ton of credit for turning around the farm system, and although it takes years to pay off at times, clearly it’s paid huge dividends to this 2010 team, and it might end up saving his job.

Hey. Winning cures all ailments, doesn’t it? Now, if they can play close to .500 baseball on the road, this will be a team that could be playing in October. Clearly the pressures of the big leagues haven’t deterred the young stars yet, and as long as they keep flying under the radar, this rollercoaster season could have a happy ending for Mets fans.

(This article was originally posted on my personal blog, MetsJetsNetsBlog and can be found here .)

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