Baseball Guru
03-01-2004, 10:37 PM
March 1, 2004
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) -- The New York Mets got a glimpse of what they hope will be a promising future Monday, when talented youngsters Jose Reyes and David Wright each hit a two-run homer in an intrasquad game.
Reyes, 20, will start at second base this season after shifting from shortstop to make room for Kaz Matsui. Wright, who played in Class-A last year, is considered a top prospect for the future at third base.
``I'm real pleased with the development of our players both on the mound and on the field,'' manager Art Howe said. ``Our organization is a lot deeper than it was a year ago at this time.''
Batting left-handed, Reyes hit a first-pitch fastball from reliever Jason Anderson over the right-field wall, just beyond Karim Garcia's outstretched glove.
``Reyes' home run got his club going, and David Wright had a big day with three solid hits,'' Howe said.
Wright, a non-roster invitee to spring training, lined a two-run shot to left field off right-hander Shawn Sedlacek. Wright sprinted down the first-base line and didn't slow up until he was halfway to second.
``I was thinking triple went I went out of the box,'' Wright said. ``I looked up and saw the umpire signal home run and then I just floated around the bases.''
Wright went 3-for-3 and played a flawless third base to help his team win 8-1. He said he felt honored when he walked in Monday morning and saw his name in the lineup, and admitted he approached it like Game 7 of the World Series.
``Even a lot of the veteran guys were pumped today,'' Howe said. ``You get the adrenaline flowing because for the first time you're facing live action and it's starting to count a little bit.''
Howe thinks the fleet-footed Reyes will hit for more power this season because he's stronger than he was as a rookie last year.
``Just as long as his approach stays the same and he tries to hit line drives,'' Howe said. ``Home runs are accidents that just happen when you're trying to hit the ball hard and get under it a little bit. That one was into the wind and he crushed that ball.''
Howe was also impressed by Cliff Floyd's aggressive baserunning. In the first inning, Floyd, who is coming off Achilles' tendon surgery, hit a line drive to left-center and stretched it into a double.
``He's a lot better than he was a year ago, that's for sure,'' Howe said. ``He's worked hard all winter rehabbing and getting himself into shape. He can run, when he gets it moving he can certainly fly.''
Victor Diaz had a tough day at third base, committing two errors. Diaz also failed to cover third on a throw from the outfield, allowing a second run toscore on Joe McEwing's sacrifice fly.
Notes
The Mets signed RHP Aaron Heilman to a one-year contract. Heilman was a first-round pick in the 2001 amateur draft out of Notre Dame. He made his major league debut last June and went 2-7 with a 6.75 ERA in 13 starts. At Triple-A Norfolk, he was 6-4 with a 3.24 ERA in 16 starts. ... The Mets will pitch Heilman, Jeremy Griffiths, Braden Looper and John Franco on Wednesday in their exhibition opener against the Dodgers. Los Angeles will pitch Hideo Nomo, Jose Lima, Rick White, Steve Colyer and Tom Martin. ... Matsui, wearing an orange bandage on his injured finger, watched as the Mets practiced cutoff plays on the back fields. ... Due to Matsui's injury, SS Chris Basak started the intrasquad game. Basak was picked in the sixth round of the 2000 draft out of Illinois. He split time between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Norfolk thelast two seasons.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) -- The New York Mets got a glimpse of what they hope will be a promising future Monday, when talented youngsters Jose Reyes and David Wright each hit a two-run homer in an intrasquad game.
Reyes, 20, will start at second base this season after shifting from shortstop to make room for Kaz Matsui. Wright, who played in Class-A last year, is considered a top prospect for the future at third base.
``I'm real pleased with the development of our players both on the mound and on the field,'' manager Art Howe said. ``Our organization is a lot deeper than it was a year ago at this time.''
Batting left-handed, Reyes hit a first-pitch fastball from reliever Jason Anderson over the right-field wall, just beyond Karim Garcia's outstretched glove.
``Reyes' home run got his club going, and David Wright had a big day with three solid hits,'' Howe said.
Wright, a non-roster invitee to spring training, lined a two-run shot to left field off right-hander Shawn Sedlacek. Wright sprinted down the first-base line and didn't slow up until he was halfway to second.
``I was thinking triple went I went out of the box,'' Wright said. ``I looked up and saw the umpire signal home run and then I just floated around the bases.''
Wright went 3-for-3 and played a flawless third base to help his team win 8-1. He said he felt honored when he walked in Monday morning and saw his name in the lineup, and admitted he approached it like Game 7 of the World Series.
``Even a lot of the veteran guys were pumped today,'' Howe said. ``You get the adrenaline flowing because for the first time you're facing live action and it's starting to count a little bit.''
Howe thinks the fleet-footed Reyes will hit for more power this season because he's stronger than he was as a rookie last year.
``Just as long as his approach stays the same and he tries to hit line drives,'' Howe said. ``Home runs are accidents that just happen when you're trying to hit the ball hard and get under it a little bit. That one was into the wind and he crushed that ball.''
Howe was also impressed by Cliff Floyd's aggressive baserunning. In the first inning, Floyd, who is coming off Achilles' tendon surgery, hit a line drive to left-center and stretched it into a double.
``He's a lot better than he was a year ago, that's for sure,'' Howe said. ``He's worked hard all winter rehabbing and getting himself into shape. He can run, when he gets it moving he can certainly fly.''
Victor Diaz had a tough day at third base, committing two errors. Diaz also failed to cover third on a throw from the outfield, allowing a second run toscore on Joe McEwing's sacrifice fly.
Notes
The Mets signed RHP Aaron Heilman to a one-year contract. Heilman was a first-round pick in the 2001 amateur draft out of Notre Dame. He made his major league debut last June and went 2-7 with a 6.75 ERA in 13 starts. At Triple-A Norfolk, he was 6-4 with a 3.24 ERA in 16 starts. ... The Mets will pitch Heilman, Jeremy Griffiths, Braden Looper and John Franco on Wednesday in their exhibition opener against the Dodgers. Los Angeles will pitch Hideo Nomo, Jose Lima, Rick White, Steve Colyer and Tom Martin. ... Matsui, wearing an orange bandage on his injured finger, watched as the Mets practiced cutoff plays on the back fields. ... Due to Matsui's injury, SS Chris Basak started the intrasquad game. Basak was picked in the sixth round of the 2000 draft out of Illinois. He split time between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Norfolk thelast two seasons.