Many players when drafted as a Rule 5 pick aren't very pleased in having to change teams. Brad Emaus, the Mets Rule 5 draft pick who was chosen from Toronto back in December, is the exception.
Emaus was excited to be joining the Mets. After putting up solid numbers in split seasons between AA New Hampshire and AAA Las Vegas, Emaus is looking to have this be the year the 24 year old makes his debut in The Show.
During the winter, Emaus and his fiance Simran, would clear the living room of their Clearwater, Florida home, and work out to increase Emaus' speed, strength, and agility. The couple would work-out six days every week, doing such exercises as: agility drills, polymetrics, yoga, stretching, squat jumps, and push-ups.
Emaus is hoping his diligent winter work-outs will give him the edge in the competition for second base for the Mets.
JP Ricciardi, who drafted Emaus while he was GM of the Blue Jays, said this about Emaus:
| "At this point in his career, he's probably ready to play in the big leagues. He's played in A-ball, he's played in Double-A, he's played in Triple-A. He's taken all the steps." |
Continuing, Ricciardi said:
"He's a baseball player. I'm partial to those kinds of guys -- the guys that can actually play the game. He's a guy that would fly under the radar in a lot of cases, because he's not flashy in the things that he does. He's just very fundamentally sound as far as staying within himself and just being a baseball player." |
Emaus will have plenty of competition for second base, since there is no clear cut favorite to start the season. His competition will mainly be against the incumbent Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy, and possibly Justin Turner and Ruben Tejada.
Two things in Emaus' favor are that he has a good bat, which Collins appears to be in favor of, and that he is a Rule 5 pick, and must be on the Major League roster for the entire year. If he is demoted to AAA Buffalo, he must be offered back to Toronto for a fee. This is what happened to Darren O'Day two years ago.
In speaking of Castillo and Murphy and their impending competition, Emaus respectfully says:
| "I wouldn't say it's intimidating. Obviously I respect Luis -- he has had a great career and is still having a great career. Murph and I have been down here for about three weeks now, so I've gotten to know him, he's a great guy. It's a friendly competition. We're still teammates regardless. You want others to succeed as well as yourself." |
Emaus expects his hard work this off-season to benefit him:
"I've worked hard on my overall game. I think my defense is improving. I feel pretty strong with my glove, and I've always enjoyed my approach to the plate. It's all starting to come together now." |
As Mets fans, we do hope it does "come together now." The Mets haven't had a standout second baseman since Edgardo Alfonzo, and it would be nice to see the team with a young player that can grow with the team.
As Mets manager Terry Collins said:
| "I think he's got good enough footwork to play second base. He's here because the people that have scouted him have said he can hit, and he can hit the ball out of the ballpark." |
Lets hope so.
Photo Courtesy Of NYFS.
Sources: Anthony DiComo, Baseball Reference.
No comments:
Post a Comment