Mets manager Willie Randolph stated that the team has yet to pick a pitcher to make the start against Washington on Wednesday and that they’ll probably call up a minor leaguer.

Among the options include Brian Stokes, Adam Bostick, Tony Armas Jr. and Claudio Vargas.

Stokes pitched on Friday, which would put him in line to make a Wednesday start. He has been very up and down in his last few starts. In his May 4th start, he couldn’t make it through two batters, giving up six earned runs. His start this past Friday was much better, with Stokes going 8.1 innings, giving up just four hits and one earned run for the 3-1 win.

Bostick is 2-1 with a 3.89 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched (8 starts).

Armas Jr. is 1-3 in seven starts with a 3.02 ERA in 28 strikeouts. Armas last pitched last Tuesday, going six innings and giving up three earned runs.

Finally, Claudio Vargas, who signed on with the team just over one month ago, is 1-1 in two starts with a 4.91 ERA for the Zephyrs. Vargas last pitched Thursday, May 8th.

Recently, I was able to get a quick interview with New Orleans Zephyrs’ (Mets Triple-A Team) general manager Mike Schline.

Gary Grund, Hot Foot: Being the general manager of a minor-league team, what exactly does your job entail?

Mike Schline: I oversee the business operation of the team as well as serving as the point person for the players and coaches and being the liaison between the Mets and Zephyrs.

Grund: What is the toughest part about your job?

Schline: Definitely keeping the crowds coming in with new and fun promotions. Also, competing for advertising sponsorship with other local major sports teams like the Saints and Hornets.

Grund: What have the Mets done to help the city of New Orleans rebuild after Hurricane Katrina in 2005?

Schline: Last year, they donated several thousands of dollars to provide equipment for youth baseball in our city. They have also been great in encouraging their players to do all community work we ask them to do.

Grund: How often do you interact with the Mets major league club officials such as general manager Omar Minaya when the Mets are making a transaction?

Schline: I interact with Mets officials several times a week, more so involving the current players and what we need to provide them with. I do not have anything to do with players call ups or movement within the organization. Those decisions are strictly the Mets.

Grund: There were numerous rumors this offseason of the Mets possibly moving their Triple-A team to Syracuse in 2008. Obviously, the Mets will return to New Orleans for at least one more season this year. What is the latest on the Mets and Zephyrs? How long does the current agreement run?

Schline: The agreement runs through the end of 2008. All we can do is provide a great atmosphere which we do. I know for a fact that the players and coaches like it here. They have given nothing but great reports to the Mets on what it is like to be here. We are a warm weather city, which is good when teams in other places are being snowed out in April. We also just put in a brand new state of the art playing surface. We want the Mets back and hope that they return. They are very loved in New Orleans. Ultimately, it is up to them but we provide a great city, great field, and climate and will make it tough for them to find a better place to play. If the guys that are here, the manager, coaches, if they love it here then that is all we can hope for.

Grund: Which of the players on the Zephyrs’ roster right now should be a name that Mets fans should keep a close eye on?

Schline: P Adam Bostick, OF Caleb Stewart, P Willie Collazo, and 2B Argenis Reyes. We have a lot of guys that can help the Mets. I like this team a lot.

Ed Ryan at Mets Fever relays some winter league information to us about a couple of notable Mets relievers.

Ed gives us an update on how Willie Collazo, Adam Bostick, Jorge Sosa and newly acquired Brian Stokes are performing.

Adam Rubin on his New York Daily News blog relays the final numbers for the Mets representatives.

Reliever Eddie Kunz, the Mets’ top pick in the 2007 draft, went 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA in nine appearances.

Fellow reliever Carlos Muniz had a 3.27 ERA in eight appearances.

First base prospect Mike Carp hit .243 with no homers and 16 RBI in 107 at-bats.

Caleb Stewart batted .318 with 6 home runs, and 11 rbis in 12 games.

Mike Nickeas batted .196 with 1 home run, and 6 rbis in 13 games.

Adam Bostick was 2-0 in 6 starts with an era of 2.74 and 23 strikeouts.

Eddie “Macho” Camacho was 0-2 in 10 games with an era of 2.31 and 9 strikeouts.

Mets.com recently wrote about Mike Carp and Eddie Kunz. Carp is coming back from a hand injury and Kunz was picked up by the Mets in last year’s amateur draft.

SNY.tv provides some insight from scouts and people who closely monitor minor league prospects, such as Jim Callis of Baseball America, primary editor of the soon-to-be released “Prospect Handbook” (available in mid-January through Baseball America), on some of the Mets prospects playing in the Arizona Fall League.

The Mets have four pitchers on the Scottsdale Scorpions: lefties Adam Bostick and Eddie Camacho and righties Eddie Kunz (the Mets top pick in 2007) and Carlos Muniz.

Deric McKamey, advisor to the St. Louis Cardinals and author of the soon-to-be-released, third annual “Minor League Baseball Analyst” believes Adam Bostick can be a swing-man or two-inning reliever. He sees Camacho as a LOOGY (lefty one-out guy) and Muniz as a ROOGY.

McKamey is not high on Kunz. He sees his command as an issue and places him a notch below Aaron Heilman, and projects him to be a seventh-inning guy. An American League East scout agreed with McKamey as well.

“I can’t believe Kunz was a first-round pick. I think his ceiling right now is Aaron Heilman and not many players reach their ceiling.”

Jim Callis is higher on Kunz and sees him as a potential closer.

For more analysis on Mets prospects playing in the AFL, head over to SNY.tv 

Mike at Mike's Mets continues his bullpen preview with Adam Bostick and Ambiorix Burgos

According to Mets.com, The Mets have made a trade with the Florida Marlins.

27 year old RHP Henry Owens and 26 year old RHP Matt Lindstrom are headed to Florida for 23 year old LHP Jason Vargas and 23 year old LHP Adam Bostick.

“We think Vargas and Bostick are two promising lefthanded pitchers and we're happy to have them in the organization,” said Mets General Manager Omar Minaya.

The Marlins drafted Vargas out of Long Beach State with their second-round pick in the 2004 draft. Vargas went 1-2 with a 7.33 ERA for the Marlins and 3-6 with a 7.43 ERA for the Isotopes in 2006.

Bostick went 1-2, 4.67 in five starts after his promotion to Triple-A Albuquerque, with a 30/13 K/BB in 27 innings. On the year, he went 9-9, 3.74 with a 139/80 K/BB in 142 innings between the Isotopes and Double-A Carolina.

Owen after four years in the class A leagues was promoted to the AA Binghamton Mets, where he compiled 51 and only allowed 8 hits in 25 innings pitched while closing.

He made his major league debut on July 7th 2006. He pitched a perfect ninth inning in a 7-3 Mets loss to the Florida Marlins. The first batter he faced, Alfredo Almezaga, struck out looking at a 96 mph fastball.

Lindstrom began the 2005 season at AA Binghamton, which was determined to be a make-or-break year for his career. He went 2-5 with an ERA of 5.40 with and had troubling walk and home-run rates of 6.75 BB/9 and 1.35 HR/9 in thirty-five games. He had ten starts, and was switched to bullpen duty midway through the season.