Today, several Mets players will start play in the Arizona Fall League. I mentioned some stats about these players before, who are Dan Murphy, Eddie Kunz, Bob Parnel, Tobi Stoner, Jason Vargas, S Bowman and Thole. The big story line with these players is Dan Murphy who will be playing in the infield (most likely at 2B or 1B) which could be a hint at things to come in Queens for the Mets next year. Murphy has been a big surprise for the Mets this year, who really just exploded on the scene. Smaller stories involve Parnell and Kunz. Kunz, who will be heading to the Mets pen one day, needs more tuning and Parnell could end up in the pen like his brief time this year, or could be a starter like how he was in the minors this year. So lets take a look into Murphy, Kunz and Parnell.
Dan Murphy
MILB 08: (3 Levels) 99 G, 375 AB, 59 R, 118 H, 26 2B, 13 HR, 69 RBI, .315 BA
MLB 08: 49 G, 131 AB, 24 R, 41 H, 9 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, .313 BA, .397 OBP
There are a couple of numbers that need to be highlighted here. The first is his BA, which stayed pretty constant from the Minors to the Majors. In both situations he started very hot, tailed off, and then evened out. (So the numbers you saw from him at the start of his majors career was very similar to what he did in his time in the minors). To feel better about the drop in BA, I would hope that he puts up a BA in the fall league around .300. That would be very nice. He also had a lot of power in the minors, that hasn't translated yet into the majors, but the 9 doubles is a start. We all know that doubles, turn into homers (look at players like Wright) and especially for Murphy because he is a bit slower than the average player his age. All in all, he is the main player to watch this fall because his performance will have a direct impact on what the lineup of the Mets looks like in 2009.
Eddi Kunz
MILB 08: (2 Levels) 1-5, 50 G, 54 IP, 3.33 ERA (2.79 ERA in AA), 27 BB, 43 K
MLB 08: 4 G, 2.2 IP, 4 ER, BB, K, 13.50 ERA
Kunz was flying in double AA this year, he was looking very good. He hit a snag though in AAA and in the majors. He still has very good stuff but it is becoming more and more clear that 09 might not be his time yet, it might be 2010. Now he of course can change this by having a great fall and a great spring. The way the Mets pen is, and the way Mets fans are about the pen, might propell Kunz through the system faster than he should go. So it will be interesting to see how all of this plays out over the offseason to the beginning of the 2009 season.
Bobby Parnel
MILB 08: (2 Levels): 12-8, 29 G, 28 GS, 148 IP, 4.62 ERA, 91 K, 57 BB
MLB 08: 6 G, 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 5.40 ERA
First 4 Games: 4.2 IP, ER, BB, 3K, 1.93
Fans were crying out for Parnell at the end of the season, and rightfully so because until the last week, he was actually getting people out. The question with Parnell is now what? Do we rush him through to the pen? Do we develop him into a starting pitcher? He has good stuff and probably could also be used as trade bait. His ability to be in the pen and the rotation gives the Mets a lot of options and could give other teams a lot of options. Either way it goes, this fall will be looked at to determine his future.
