Q and A with Mack

Harry asks – Mack, are you still so down on the 2012 season?

Mack:  I don’t know if down would be the right word. Realistic works better for me.

2012 is not going to bring the Mets fans the same surprise ending that Giants fans had on Super Bowl Sunday. The parent team simply does not have the rotational pitchers needed to compete in what has quickly become one of the most talented divisions in baseball. I believe that fans need to look for individual victories here rather than the overall team result.

Ella asked – I really like the “Flushing 14” feature post this week. Are you going to continue that throughout the season?

Mack:  Yes, it will be a weekly post, probably on Sunday mornings. It’s my opinion that these 14 prospects are the key to success, beginning in 2014. We’ll keep the readers up to date on their progress and, hopefully, some of the other writers here will also add their thoughts and opinions as well.

Marco said – Are you still hoping that the Mets pick a catcher with the 12^th overall pick in the 2012 draft?

Mack:  Both the high school and college season are off and running this week. Pre-season mock drafts mean nothing now. We’ve already had two season-ending injuries last week (LHP Sam Stafford, LHP Christian Jones) and, I’m sure, there will be more. Some will flame-out a la Matt Purke while others will just have a shit year like Blake Forsythe did in 2010. And, there always will be someone like Michael Choice that will rocket up the mocks during the season.

I believe it is critical for the Mets to develop a catcher. I believe they made a terrible mistake not drafting Yazmani Grandal in 2010 and then, Blake Swihart, in 2011. This year offers up four quality catchers in Mike Zunino, Stryler Trahan, Peter O’Brien, and Austin Maddox.  They have to secure one of these with one of their first four picks. They have to.

 Howard asked – Are you and  having lunch in St. Lucie this spring?

Mack:  No. Sadly, this is the second year I will have to cancel my trip. I’m really bummed about not being there for pitchers and catchers. I really wanted to get my own thoughts on Santana, Wheeler, and Harvey.

Jake said – Mack, I know you are sold on Harvey and Wheeler as the future SP1/2. Are you equally confident on an SP3?

Mack – No I’m not. Yet.

Raw talent and ceiling wise, Jeurys Familia, Jenrry Mejia, Akeel Morris, Domingo Tapia, and Juan Urbina could. Each have their own set of goals in 2012 to someday get there. Familia has to continue to concentrate on the development of secondary pitches and control. Mejia simply has to heal. Morris, Tapia, and Urbina are far too young to project out fully and will continue their attempt to survive through the AA level.

The great news is the Mets are around 15 deep in SP4 and SP5 candidates. In fact, the Mets have too much pitching talent and are overstocked in the system.

Lastly, this team doesn’t need an SP3. It needs three SP1s.  There simply isn’t enough top positional talent in this organization right now to win a pennant with a bat. And, the team is broke. You can; however, win a lot of games if three of your starters give you 200+ innings with an ERA under 4.00. This is why I’m a proponent of trading David Wright for that critical top-line starter.

(which leads us to…)

Charles said – Come on, Mack. You’ve become quite the David Wright hater. Do you really think the team is better off without him?

Mack:  I never said that. In fact, I’ve always said I had hoped that David would retire as a Met, but, the reality of the situation is that the team is rebuilding. Jose Reyes, Francisco Rodriquez, and Carlos Beltran are gone. Carlos Delgado and Pedro Martinez are long gone. The only star player that remains from the 2006 run is David and the focus is on reduced salary and the 2014 team.

Sandy Alderson lost big time by not trading Jose Reyes. He could have at least one top prospect that will make a difference in 2014, and another player that could be in Queens come April. Yes, the team will get two draft picks in June, but names like Nathan Vineyard, Eddie Kunz, and Scott Moviel bring us back to reality in this area.

David Wright can get the Mets another Zack Wheeler. I keep using the example of Drew Pomeranz. Can you imagine a 2014 Mets with a rotation of Matt Harvey, Wheeler, Pomeranz, Familia, and either Jon Niese or R A Dickey?

You firm up your rotation like that and, all of a sudden, all the other 10-15 SP4-5 prospects you have in the system become immediate trade bait for whatever positional player you want to go after.

IMO, the trading of David Wright can solidify the Mets rotation through 2019.