A few chosen minor leaguers will begin (or have begun in the past day) their trek of finishing off the 2009 season on a high note at a higher level. The 3 main players to note are catcher, Josh Thole, centerfielder, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and third baseman, Zach Lutz.

-Josh Thole was added to the New York Mets active roster today on the final leg of the road trip in Colorado. Thole is not in the starting line-up tonight (due to Rockies' southpaw, De La Rosa) but will get playing time against opposing right handed pitchers. The Mets have been very high on Thole especially since Thole flew under the wings of Brian Schneider this Spring Training. Jerry Manuel is very pleased, yet not surprised by Thole's offensive success at the plate saying, "I always thought he'd hit because of his approach." When the Mets return home to Citi Field this weekend to take on the Cubs, it will not be Thole's first time playing in the new stadium, however, I'm sure being in the starting line-up at home during the regular season will taste a whole lot sweeter than a 3 inning appearance in the Mets, Red Sox pre-season game earlier this April.
-Kirk Nieuwenhuis was added to the Binghamton Met roster August 31. The B-Mets are hoping that Nieuwenhuis can give them enough offense to keep from suffering their worst record in Binghamton history. This task is right down Kirk's alley seeing that he crushed 16 homeruns and drove in 71 RBIs with the St. Lucie Mets over the course of this season as well as went 3-5 in his B-Met debut last night.
-Zack Lutz will get a shot at the AA level this September being added to the Binghamton roster along with Nieuwenhuis. Lutz had a nice year with the St. Lucie Mets hitting .284 with 11 homeruns and 62 RBIs. Zack Lutz did go 0-5 last night in his B-Met debut but will look to bounce back tonight against Bowie.

A couple players in the Mets minor league system will not be called up to the big leagues just yet, but will instead represent their countries in the 2009 IBAF World Cup. Ike Davis will join the USA team while Davis's B-Met teammates, Shawn Bowman and Jonathan Malo, join the Canadian national team. The first round of the World Cup begins September 9th.


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Paul Lo Duca was set to play his first rehab game for Single-A Brooklyn last night but it was canceled because of fog. He's set to catch the first game of a doubleheader for Brooklyn today, then serve as the DH in the nightcap.

Lo Duca also is scheduled to play tomorrow for Double-A Binghamton. He's been out with an ailing right hamstring and expects to come off the disabled list Monday.

Good news on the injury front. Though Mike DiFelice and Sandy Alomar Jr. have done a pretty decent job with Paulie out, you have to kind of wonder how long that was going to last. Lets hope Paulie is as strong as he 'claims' he is and stays injury free for the rest of the season and the playoffs. Read More...

Fernando Martinez's season with the Binghamton Mets is over.

Martinez, the B-Mets' 18-year-old center fielder who is considered one of the New York Mets top prospects, will miss the rest of the regular season because of the hand injury that has sidelined him since June.

"He's done for the season," B-Mets manager Mako Oliveras said before Tuesday's game against the Trenton Thunder at NYSEG Stadium.

Martinez, whom Baseball America ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Mets organization, has been on the disabled list since June 27 with what the team has called a right-hand contusion.

In 60 games with the B-Mets this season, Martinez hit .271 with four home runs and 21 RBI. He recorded hits in his last five games with the B-Mets before being placed on the disabled list.

(Submitted by Marc Nash)

Another one bites the dust. It's always tough to see one of the young prospects go down like this, because you never know how they are going to respond to the injury. A simple injury could hinder a player's growth and advancement. Here's hoping Mr. Martinez comes back as stong as ever next year, and remains the "5 tool" stud that he was projected to be. Read More...