The Daily News‘ John Harper isn’t happy with Mets skipper Jerry Manuel, who he think is over-hyping the talents of young fireballing righty Jenrry Mejia, the super-heralded prospect. Manuel is “drooling,” carps Harper, who hints the manager wants Mejia to help save his precarious job. Besides, notes Harper, Mejia is hardly ready for prime time in Flushing:
The problem is that Mejia is as raw as he is electric, and indeed his lack of command is the reason he struggled at Double-A Binghamton last summer after overpowering hitters in the Class A Florida State League, and then flopped in the Arizona Fall League, pitching to a 12.56 ERA in six starts.
Mejia throws in the 95-98 mph range and his fastball moves – but let’s hold the comparisons to Doc Gooden. For one, he’s older than Gooden was – at a ripe old 20. And for another, he doesn’t have the early control Gooden did. But listen to what veteran Frank Catalanotto said after facing Mejia in live BP yesterday:
“If my bat is that slow, I must have aged 15 years since the last time I saw live pitching.”
