The Price is Right

So let's kick off the holiday weekend with a little blogging. The top story in the Minor Leagues Thursday night was David Price and his much-anticipated debut with Vero Beach. The big left-hander didn't disappoint, striking out four over five innings and scattering three hits against Clearwater. It was a nice way to kick off a career but before anyone pencils him into the top of the Tampa rotation, let's keep things in perspective.

It was one start in the Florida State League. His adrenaline was high and frankly in the long run, as impressive as Price was, it won't mean a thing if he gets rocked over his next three or four starts. I hate to be the glass half-empty guy but we have to take a wait and see approach. Price hadn't pitched in nearly a year and now it's time to see how his mind and body respond.

Listen, if he keeps pitching the way he pitched Thursday night, I'm all for sending him to Montgomery and Durham and giving him a quick ride through the system. My feeling always has been, if you can pitch, go and pitch. Don't let anyone baby you. That's the approach Washington takes with its players. Look at how they're pushing Jordan Zimmerman through the system. He'll be in Columbus by the end of the year and maybe even in D.C.

So, if it were me, I'd have no qualms about fast-tracking Price if he continues to pitch well. How nice would he look in the Tampa rotation sometime in August, especially if the Rays were still in contention in the East? But by thinking that way, I contradict myself. Let's just wait and see how he fares at St. Lucie on Tuesday.

Oh wait, that really doesn't count. St. Lucie is the worst team in the Minor Leagues, dragging up the rear with a 9-38 mark, a wonderful indication of simply how bad the Mets' farm system really is, but more on that in a minute. Let's go to June 1 and Price's expected start at Brevard County as his next real test. All in all, good work by him.

Let's get back to St. Lucie and the Metropolitans. They have one of the worst, if not the worst farm systems in baseball. Normally I would say throw records out because if you have talent, it doesn't matter if you're winning or losing. Minor League ball is about developing players. The Mets aren't doing that. Other than Fernando Martinez, Eddie Kunz and maybe Jon Niese, the franchise is void of any real, impact talent in the lower levels.

They have drafted poorly, have not planned well for the future and look to be in big trouble next season. Wait, they're already in big trouble but they'll be in more trouble next year when they have no pitchers to bring up, no one to come up and play first base etc. Boy would I love to see them swing a deal for Detroit's Jeff Larish and give him the first base spot but we all know that won't happen, mostly because the Mets have nothing to offer.

Where are Mike Rizzo and Jack Zduriencik when you need them? Either would make a great general manager in New York. Rizzo built Arizona's system into a powerhouse and is doing the same in Washington. Zduriencik has also put together a tremendous farm system in Milwaukee. The Mets, meanwhile, have affiliates that are 9-38.

As we move toward Memorial Day, the Minor Leagues have four members of the .400 club. Tucson's Jamie D'Antona continues to lead the way with a .422 average followed by Las Vegas' Terry Tiffee [.412], Springfield's Shane Robinson [.408] and Vegas' Luis Maza [.402]. Robinson has the biggest upside of that group and it will be interesting to see how long the Cardinals leave him in the Texas League. He's hitting .442 since April 25 and shows no signs of slowing down.

Have a nice weekend, folks, and look for the Memorial Day package we're running on MiLB.com. The National Association of Professional Leagues is honoring Minor Leaguers who severed in the armed forces during World War II on Monday and it's an honor long deserved. So if you see a vet this weekend, shake his hand and say thanks because I wouldn't be able to be sitting here writing blogs like this one without sacrifices from them.