Josh Thole (C-NYM) – The Mets haven’t done a lot right or had a lot go right in the last couple years, but jettisoning Rod Barajas in favor of more playing time for Josh Thole was one of those “right” things. Thole was 0-for-3 on Sunday, breaking a five-game hitting streak and leaving him at .297/.377/.385. the OBP is nice while obviously the .088 ISO is not so nice. Thole’s OBP leads the Mets’ regulars, but the soon-to-be-fired Jerry Manuel in his infinite wisdom is slotting Thole in the seven hole and incidentally David Wright fourth behind Carlos Beltran (Wright had one fewer at-bat than Beltran on Sunday due to this). Thole is all set to be the Mets’ everyday catcher next year.
Garrett Jones (OF-PIT) – Jones was a nice story last year, coming seemingly out of nowhere at the age of 28 to post a .939 OPS in 82 games for the up-and-coming Padres. This year has been a different story, as pitchers seemingly have studied Jones’ at-bats and are not giving him the same pitches to it. Jones’ BB% as dropped from 11.2% to 8.1%, his EYE from 0.53 to 0.42, and his ISO from .274 to .168. Jones isn’t getting as lucky on balls in play (.271 BABIP vs. last year’s .323), but at the same time, he’s hitting more ground balls and fewer line drives, so it’s not all luck-driven. Looking ahead to 2011, Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata are set in the outfield and Pedro Alvarez doesn’t appear to be having too many issues at third base, so moving across the diamond likely won’t happen in the near term. That leaves first base pretty open for Jones, with a corner OF slot a possibility as well, but the Pirates seem likely to bring in some competition, as Jones hasn’t earned the right to a guaranteed starting job next year given his .716 OPS.
Alex Presley (OF-PIT) – Instead of writing more about Joey Votto and how good he is, let’s take a look at an unfamiliar name that’s popped up in the Pirates’ boxscores lately – Alex(ander) Presley. Presley batted second and played right field Sunday, going 1-for-4 with a walk against the Reds. The 25 year-old Presley profiles as a bit of a tweener – not enough power for a corner outfielder, and not enough speed to handle center field. He’s also just 5’9” and is making his big league debut at the relatively ancient 25 years of age. Presley batted a combined .320/.373/.429 wit 53 XB (12 HR) and 13 SB between Double-A and Triple-A this year, so with the disappointment that is Lastings Milledge, Presley could find himself in the mix for a starting OF job next spring. He’ll never be a superstar, but a younger Andres Torres? Sure, why not? – there’s a lot of value in that.
Brian Burres (SP-PIT) – Burres notched the hard-luck no-decision Sunday after allowing just one run on four hits with a 6:1 K:BB over seven solid innings against the Reds. Lay some of the blame at Manager John Russell’s feet for starting the Triple-A type John Bowker at first base, and even worse, in the fifth hole in the lineup. Burres has now allowed just two runs over his last two starts (13 innings) with a 9:1 K:BB, so perhaps the Pirates have their fifth starter here. Problem is, the Pirates have a lot of fifth starters and will probably continue as such until the likes of Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie are ready sometime in 2012/2013. That Burres has had these two starts against the Reds and Braves instead of the Padres and Dodgers is encouraging, but don’t get too carried away.
Jonathan Jay (OF-STL) – It’s time to think about 2011, and when I envision the St. Louis outfield, I see the names Matt Holliday, Colby Rasmus, and Jonathan Jay. Jay is obviously the lesser name of the three, but after going 1-for-5 on Sunday, he’s batting a robust .313/.366/.453 in 243 at-bats. Of course the warts are there, including the HR total (four) and a so-so 0.42 EYE. He’s also stolen just two bases, so a lot of Jay’s fantasy value lies in his average, and if you’re skeptical of his being able to maintain a .366 BABIP, there’s some BA downside as well. Exercise caution here, but considering the Cards have financial needs elsewhere, going cheap with Jay in 2011 makes a lot of sense.
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