Josh Satin has been tearing it up for the Las Vegas 51′s (the Mets triple-A club) all year long. Satin is batting .316 with eight homeruns and 31 RBI’s. Not only is he hitting the ball well, he is drawing a lot of walks too. Satin has 32 base on balls, which is one of the reasons why his on base percentage (OBP) is a very high .417.

On the other hand the Mets current starting first baseman, Ike Davis, has been completely lost all season long. Yes, that is an understatement, but Terry Collins and the Mets can only stand around and watch Davis bat .160 for so long. THEY MUST DO SOMETHING NOW. The Mets have been hinting to it, and it seems that the time has come, but for some reason Ike is still on this major league ball club. Ike not only is batting an ugly .160, but has only four homeruns on the season, and only ONE  since April 14th. Ike looks completely lost at the plate, and something has to be done because Ike is ‘unwatchable’. He is overmatched at bat after at bat and you start to feel bad for him. He goes up there with an attitude that is so self-demoralizing, as a fan it is hard to watch.

I am not trying to compare Ike Davis’ talent to Josh Satin’s, but demoting Davis and promoting Satin would not only benefit Satin, but also Davis. Davis needs to regain his confidence at the plate, and that will not happen at the major league level. I do think Davis will be demoted by the end of the weekend series against the Miami Marlins, but that is not soon enough. We will be stuck watching him strikeout another five times this weekend, and have to watch his slow self-deprecating walk back to the dugout over and over again. So what are you waiting for Terry? DO IT NOW.

Also, If it helps the justification at all Josh Satin went 4-5 last night, and 3-5 on Tuesday night. Sorry Ike, but it is time to step aside and give Josh Satin an opportunity to help this club win games (Or at the very least hit above .200).

Updated Post (April 23 @ 3:00 PM):

Roster move: Outfielder Juan Lagares, who was hitting .346, was recalled from Las Vegas (AAA). Kirk Nieuwenhuis was optioned to the 51s.

— New York Mets (@Mets) April 23, 2013

Original Post (April 22 @ 11:56 PM):

Mets to call up OF prospect Juan Lagares tomorrow?

According to a report by Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, the Mets might call up outfield prospect Juan Lagares as early as tomorrow (Tuesday).

Lagares has posted a line of .346 / .378 / .551 so far this season with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Lagares has above plus speed and the potential to play all three outfield positions. He needs to cut down on his strikeouts and needs to walk more. He has 14 strikeouts this season and four walks, which is something he will need to improve upon to stick at the Major League level.

Here’s Wally Backman (via Rubin):

He’s a … kid who can play all three outfield positions … He’s got speed. He’s a good outfielder. He throws to the right bases. And he can swing the bat a little bit.”

Mets righty outfielders (Marlon Byrd and Collin Cowgill) are hitting a combined .234. They’re hitting a combined .250 against lefties, and they’re supposed to be platoon guys. They were both supposed to be regulars at the beginning of the season, but Cowgill has clearly lost his starting job.

At the same time, Kirk Nieuwenhuis is hitting only .125 and is kind of only on the team because he is their best defensive outfielder.

This comes as a surprise to me because of Lagares’ low walk rate and decently high strikeout rate. It will be interesting to see this story play out. Adam Rubin is usually pretty reliable, so I’ll take his word on this one; however, this promotion seems to be a little out of the blue.

“It’s about playing nine innings and keeping yourself in the game and giving yourself a chance. We hung in there (and) we didn’t let the game get away, which I thought was the biggest thing.”

—Manager Terry Collins, on the Mets rallying with two runs in the ninth to defeat Miami Sunday.

I love the way Collins gets his teams to approach the game. Last year up until the all-star break Collins had his team fighting night in and night out. However, Collins became a different manager, and most importantly a different mentor during the second half of the season. Collins can’t let that happen again this year, or the Mets will just get the same result (74-88). I believe that deep down Collins thinks that this team can make a playoff run, and he puts a product out on the field that believes it too.

Notes: This is only the second time the Mets have won the first two series of the season in the last ten years. The last time the Mets won the first two series of the season was in 2006. 

The Mets minor league affiliates begin their seasons today. Notably, the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s begin their season tonight right now at 10 PM. Why is this notable? Zack Wheeler is throwing to Travis d’Arnaud. Both prospects are expected to be with the Mets this summer. Wilmer Flores is starting at second base as he makes his Triple-A debut.

Here’s the lineup:

1. Juan Lagares CF
2. Josh Satin DH
3. Travis d’Arnaud C
4. Wilmer Flores 2B
5. Andrew Brown RF
6. Zach Lutz 3B
7. Jamie Hoffmann LF
8. Eric Campbell 1B
9. Omar Quintanilla SS

RHP Zack Wheeler will take the mound for the 51s, obviously.

To follow the game on MiLB Gameday, click here.

Well, not exactly what you would expect. But, Mike Piazza will be making ballet debut in Miami on May 3 (via Newsday):

Former Major League Baseball catcher Mike Piazza will be taking center stage with the Miami City Ballet.

The Miami Beach-based dance company has tapped Piazza to play the role of a gangster in the May 3 production of “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.”

Piazza won’t be dancing in tights. He’ll wear a 1920s-era gangster costume, say a few lines and then watch the rest of the performance from a seat onstage.

Piazza says his turn with the troupe is his gift to his 6-year-old daughter, a student at Miami City Ballet School.

The ballet features gangsters, strippers and an attempted murder plot. It originally appeared as part of the 1930s musical “On Your Toes.”

Piazza had 427 career home runs and made 12 All-Star Game appearances.

Here’s a picture of Piazza as a ballerina. Keep in mind that I need to improve my photoshopping ability: