I've been hard at work on the Amazin' Avenue Annual this past week, mostly writing player comments for the player profile section of the book. Just to give you guys a taste to whet your appetites, here's something that may not make it to the book:
Jack EgbertIf you missed the Mets acquire Egbert, a local kid, late last season, nobody would blame you. They grabbed him off waivers from the White Sox after he had been cut to clear some space on their 40-man roster. The White Sox had only found two innings and change of work for Egbert in the majors, and his performance in Triple-A was disappointing. Finding room for him on the Mets' roster was a smart maneuver by Omar Minaya; just two years ago, Egbert had been Chicago's number three prospect according to Baseball America. And while he's a little long in the tooth, he does have the chance to contribute to the team in some capacity. He repeatedly demonstrated excellent control and above average groundball rates in the minors. Stuff-wise, Egbert doesn't have a lot--he throws a heavy, high-80's fastball with a good changeup and an adequate curve. He'll never be the kind of guy who'll miss bats with any consistency, but he won't need to, provided his command holds up at the big-league level. This was your basic low-upside, low-risk move.
The Mets don't really have a place for him in the bullpen; his function would be too similar to those of Sean Green and Bobby Parnell. He would, however, provide starting pitching depth for the team should another spate of injuries strike. Expect him to begin the year in Buffalo.
Egbert was cut from the 40-man roster this week when the team acquired outfielder Jason Pridie off waivers. I was none too pleased, because I had just written Egbert's profile, and there's no guarantee he'll be back. He may still get in the book if he clears waivers.
Anyway, just wanted to give y'all a sample of what our player profiles for afterthoughts like Egbert will look like.