The Mets announced that Mike Nickeas was outrighted off the 40-man roster and assigned to AAA Las Vegas.
I'm having trouble coming up with words for this. For most people that sentence would be the news and that'd be that. I can't just stop there, though. I know 2012 was a disappointing season for Nickeas but I'm never going to believe that was his last chance.
He went down to AAA in the middle of the season and hit .364 over 22 games. When he came back up in September he wasn't really given a chance to show if that hard work would carry over. But nobody hits over .360 by accident. He was driving the ball down the lines and in the gaps, hitting to all fields. Maybe I was the only one paying enough attention to him to notice. Hit hit 6 doubles in 66 at bats and hit .414 in his last ten games with the Bisons. I refuse to believe that was just a hot streak.
I probably sound like an idiot for pointing out offensive statistics of a seemingly perpetually slumping hitter. But if this September was his last shot at the big leagues then the Mets did it wrong. His September call-up may have been a "pity" call-up but if anyone else put up those numbers they call-up would've been well earned.
The Mets fan in me is thrilled that Mike is still in the organization. The Mike Nickeas fan in me is a bit gutted, though. He deserves another chance and now that he's off the 40-man roster if it happens it probably won't be here. Maybe this will be a good thing, as Las Vegas is a notorious hitters-park. He may never become a consistent hitter, but he has shown he does have some ability. That warrants some respect.
Mike Nickeas has been a Major League caliber defender since his first day in AA, and maybe he did find some offense over the summer. I just hope I get a chance to see if he did.
I'm having trouble coming up with words for this. For most people that sentence would be the news and that'd be that. I can't just stop there, though. I know 2012 was a disappointing season for Nickeas but I'm never going to believe that was his last chance.
He went down to AAA in the middle of the season and hit .364 over 22 games. When he came back up in September he wasn't really given a chance to show if that hard work would carry over. But nobody hits over .360 by accident. He was driving the ball down the lines and in the gaps, hitting to all fields. Maybe I was the only one paying enough attention to him to notice. Hit hit 6 doubles in 66 at bats and hit .414 in his last ten games with the Bisons. I refuse to believe that was just a hot streak.
I probably sound like an idiot for pointing out offensive statistics of a seemingly perpetually slumping hitter. But if this September was his last shot at the big leagues then the Mets did it wrong. His September call-up may have been a "pity" call-up but if anyone else put up those numbers they call-up would've been well earned.
The Mets fan in me is thrilled that Mike is still in the organization. The Mike Nickeas fan in me is a bit gutted, though. He deserves another chance and now that he's off the 40-man roster if it happens it probably won't be here. Maybe this will be a good thing, as Las Vegas is a notorious hitters-park. He may never become a consistent hitter, but he has shown he does have some ability. That warrants some respect.
Mike Nickeas has been a Major League caliber defender since his first day in AA, and maybe he did find some offense over the summer. I just hope I get a chance to see if he did.
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