Mack’s Mets – the premier site for information on the New York Mets talent pipeline and dialogue on Mets prospects, Mets news, and Mets opinions.
1/31/13
Baseball America - Top San Diego Padres Prospects
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Mack Ade - The Quiet and Beauty of “Pitchers and Catchers” Reporting
This is such a private and special
moment for so few. You still have to check into the main offices of the St.
Lucie complex, though the main clubhouse remains closed throughout the week. All
players, be them on the parent team or from one of the affiliates are housed in
the minor league complex at the other end of the field.
You get back in your car and drive
over to the back road that leads to the minor league complex where the same guy
has been working the gate is since probably the stadium was build. There are
very few fans gathered because there simply is nothing that is going on for the
general public.
Reporters and players begin to arrive
around 8am. Adam Rubin is always the first
one there, other than Jay Horwitz who is sitting
outside the front door answering the countless emails that come in on his hand
hold.
It’s never a large crowd but it’s
always a special one and the players seem to treat the press as being part of
this inner circle family that very few get the opportunity to be invited into.
And then it’s time. Everyone heads
out for morning stretches, followed by toss along one of the back fields. Every
day players that have arrived to camp eventually talk one of the coached (Tuff)
into throwing batting practice on another field and eventually all the pitchers
are sent over to the stealth series of mounds located between two of the back
fields on the back end of the complex, opposite the field maintenance work
area. It is here on these 8-10 mounds where Mets coaches and reporters will get
their first look at this year’s crop of invitees to P/C.
It eventually ends and everyone
returns to the minor league clubhouse and selective interviews are orchestrated
by Horwitz. One year, it was Oliver Perez.
Another, it was Johan Santana after being
rehabbed. Kevin Burkhardt, if he’s in town, always gets the first question, Rubin tried to
be next, the rest of the major periodical beat reporters follow him, and the
rest say nothing, frozen in the moment and afraid to wear out our welcome.
It’s all over by 1pm. Some players
hang around in the clubhouse to play cards, but that’s their private moment.
The complex closes down and the only thing left to do is go hang out at Duffy’s
for the next seven hours.
Is it baseball? No.
Is it Spring Training? Almost.
Is it the single most important special
club you can be part of in your entire life. You betcha.
More Stuff – Gabriel Ynoa, Noah Syndergaard, Juan Lagares, Tom Tango
Regarding losing draft picks due to
free agent signings, when the Mets signed P Francisco Rodriguez,
they gave up their first round draft pick to the Los Angeles Angels, who used
it to pick Mike Trout.
I decided to pick one prospect in each team’s farm system who
I believe is poised to have a breakout season in the minors this year. New York
Mets – Gabriel Ynoa (RHP). Great low-effort
delivery, impressive control, finesse type of pitcher, with a #3-4 SP
projection.
We don’t write very often about players whose
only professional stats are in rookie leagues. Some are just getting some at
bats or innings during the same year they just finished playing their last year
in school. Anothor factor is just the free swinging wildness of the level.
Pitchers tend to look better, but most of them disappear by the time they hit
AA. In the case of Ynoa, who turns 20 in May, the IFA pitched one year in the DR (5-3, 1.99), 2011 for GCL/K-Port
(2-3, 3.21), and last season for the Cyclones (5-2, 2.23). He’ll move on to
Savannah with his Brooklyn buddies, but we won’t know what we have here until
2015 when he is projected to pitch in Binghamton. By then, he might become
major trade bait if Mr. Schwartz’s prediction for greatness is correct.
Jonathan Mayo –
His (Noah Syndergaard) power
curve has improved as he’s added velocity to it and it could be an
above-average breaking ball in the future. He has a power changeup as well,
which is still a work in progress, but could give him a third above-average
offering. Despite his size, he has an easy delivery and he throws strikes. His
combination of stuff, pitchability and aggressiveness on the mound point to a
possible future as a frontline starter.
You do realize that there now is a distinct possibility
that the 2015 Mets will have three SP1s? And all this hype is coming from the
guys that know what they are talking about. How would you like a rotation with
Jon Niese and Rafael Montero on the ‘back end’?
OF Juan Lagares - After a 2011
campaign where the one-time highly-regarded, yet oft-injured IFA broke out to
the tune of a .350 average, he regressed in 2012 by posting a .283 average in a
repeat appearance at Double-A. Regardless, the athletic 23-year-old still
possesses a number of skills/tools that could help the big club in 2013. Most notably,
he can hit lefties. In 2012 he batted .333/.382/.477 against southpaws, and
that was no aberration (.346/.377/.516 since 2011). Additionally, though not a
natural center fielder, he has taken relatively well to the position and even
offers good speed, something the Mets lack. Once again, with the current state
of the outfield it's fair to expect we'll see Lagares at some point in 2013.
Here’s the problem with this whole Lagares play
centerfield thing. He’s not going to do that in Las Vegas. Centerfield is Matt den Dekker’s job, both now in Nevada
and the future, in Queens. I think Lagares has done a remarkable job of
re-inventing himself, and, yes, he can hit lefties… in AA. Let’s give him a
full season in Las Vegas and see what he can do there. He’s welcomed to right
field.
Jon Greenberg had a fantastic interview with Tom Tango, the inventor of FIP. Here’s what Tango
said about it:
FIP is great because it is such a simple construction, but it
tells us so much about the pitcher. We don't have a problem with assigning
different weights to each hit to come up with a slugging average for example.
And that's what FIP is. FIP limits itself to looking at strikeouts, walks, and
home runs, gives each a specific weight, and scales to ERA. I don't know that
I'd tout other stats like that one, but the one thing that is most important is
to make sure you understand the context of the stat. Don't just look at RBIs,
look also at how many runners are on base. And not just how many runners, but
where are they on the bases. And not just where, but how many outs, especially
for runner on third. Once you realize there's so much bias in a player's RBI
totals you learn to move away from it, and focus on the skills that lead to
RBIs.
1-31-13 – Cory Mazzoni, Bullpen Candidates, Brian Schnieder, Carlos Gomez
Jonathan Mayo - @JonathanMayoB3
Every-day 2B RT
@JGuarino24: @JonathanMayoB3 what future do you see for Gavin Cecchini?
RHP Cory Mazzoni - Mazzoni is
an interesting name for 2013 after a rather underwhelming 2012 debut for the
'11 second rounder. A strikeout per nine mark around 6.5 between High-A and
Double-A is a big red flag. Additionally, he seemed to have problems putting
away Double-A hitters (.281 opponent average, 1.00 home run per nine), an unexpected
turn for a guy known for a nice mix of polish as well as mid-90s heat. For that
reason, scouts think his stuff would play up in shorter bursts. And should the
Mets make that transition, expect Mazzoni's mix of command, velocity, and
decent secondary stuff to move very quickly
I really don’t know where to project Mazzoni in
2013. The Binghamton rotation is kind of wide open right now. Rafael Montero
should go back to St. Lucie, but probably will be rushed to Binghamton. Other
candidates other than Mazzoni are Angel Cuan, Chase Huchington, Eric Goeddel,
Tyler Pill, John Church, and Brandon Moore.There’s no rush here. I would slot
him in as SP2 behind Montero and let him pitch the entire season in Binghamton.
Long term, I see his future as a member of the pen.
The current candidates for the Mets
bullpen:
Bobby Parnell R, 29, 5-yrs, 13-19, 3.83, 1.46, 256.0-IP, 235-K103-BB
Josh Edgin L, 26, 1-yr, 1-2,
4.50, 1.12, 26.0-IP, 30-K, 10-BB
Frank
Francisco R,
33, 8-yrs, 19-22, 3.94, 1.33, 375.0-IP, 415-K, 166-BB
Pedro
Feliciano L,
36, 8-yrs, 22-19, 3.32, 1.38, 371.0-IP, 341-K, 154-BB
Scott
Atchison R, 37, 6-yrs, 7-7, 3.47, 1.23, 210.0-IP,
164-K, 59-BB
Robert Carson L, 24, 1-yr, 0-0, 4.85, 1.31, 13.1-IP, 5-K, 4-BB
Jeurys
Familia R, 23, 1-yr, 0-0, 6.00, 1.58,
12.0-IP, 10-K, 9-BB
Jeremy Hefner R, 27, 1-yr, 4-7, 5.07,
1.36, 94.0-IP, 62-K, 18-BB
Elvin Ramirez R,
26, 1-yr, 0-1, 5.57, 2.10, 21.0-IP, 22-K, 20-BB
Greg Burke R, 30, 1-yr, 3-3, 4.11, 1.54, 46.0-IP, 33-K, 23-BB
Jenrry Mejia R,
24, 2-yrs, 1-6, 4.91, 1.73, 55.0-IP, 30-K, 29-BB
Darin Gorski L,
26, 0-yrs (minors: 4-yrs, 29-23, 3.68, 1.23, 455.0-IP, 417-K
LaTroy Hawkins R, 40, 18-yrs, 65-88, 4.46, 1.43, 1301-IP, 862-K, 426-BB
Adam Rubin's projected pen: Francisco, Parnell, Edgin, Feliciano, Atchison, Hawkins, then long man like Hefner/Laffey
LaTroy Hawkins R, 40, 18-yrs, 65-88, 4.46, 1.43, 1301-IP, 862-K, 426-BB
Adam Rubin's projected pen: Francisco, Parnell, Edgin, Feliciano, Atchison, Hawkins, then long man like Hefner/Laffey
Brian Schneider:
“It hasn’t been an easy decision, but there are a lot of
factors,” said the 36-year-old free agent. “You don’t want to retire, but you
think of your family and I think more than anything it’s physically how you
feel. I’d kind of like to leave on my own terms and not have my last impression
of baseball be someone telling me I can’t play. But there is a lot going on in
my life and I’m very fortunate to have a great family and start being a dad and
being around more often and being a good husband.”
I really liked the trade of Schneider
and OF Ryan Church to the Mets for bad—boy Lastings Milledge. I thought the Mets
got rid of a trouble that would only get worse and received two legitimate
front line every day players. I expected both to become long time Mets players
and his first season with the Mets (.257, 9-HR, 38-RBI) showed promise, but
then everything went south in 2009. As for Church, a couple of concussions
caused his career to come to an end in 2010.
Carlos Gomez- In the event that Ellsbury has injury woes
again in 2013, or commands a contract that’s outlandish, Gomez (28 years old
heading into 2014 and another Boras client) would be a solid fallback
option. One of the players the Mets
dealt to Minnesota in the Johan Santana trade, Gomez has established himself as
an elite defensive center fielder. It’s
taken a while for Gomez’ offense to catch up to his defense, but he made huge
strides in 2012. For his career, he’s
still only a .247 hitter with a .294 OBP, but he flashed above average power
last year (cracking 19 home runs) while upping his average to .260. Another Boras client, the Mets should be open
to bringing Gomez back and sticking him in center field if Ellsbury isn’t
brought in.
I don’t care what any of the minor league
weenies will tell you now. We were all upset when this trade (Gomez,
pitchers Deolis Guerra, Phillip Humber and Kevin Mulvey were sent to the Twins
for the two time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana) went down. We are in the
weenie business and these were the four best in the organization at the
time. But, like the Brian Schneider –
Ryan Church story above, no one is certain in this business. Still, I would
love to see Gomez back in centerfield for the Mets. I see him as a 20-25HR,
.280 tops guy with impeccable defense (please don’t forget how many games this
team has lost the past three years because of poor defense)
Mets Sign RP LaTroy Hawkins
Hawkins has pitched 18 years in the majors, the last being 2012 for the LA Angels: 48-G, 2-3, 3.64, 1.38, 42.0-IP, 23-K, 13-BB.
His less than one inning per appearance screams of ROOGY.
Lifetime, Hawkins is 65-88, 4.46, 1.43.
1/30/13
More Stuff - Shaun Marcum, Zack Wheeler, Zach Lutz, Carlos Beltran, Michael Bourn
“My main reason in my
interest in the Mets was an opportunity to go out & make 30 starts and my
ties with JP Ricciardi. I talked to David Wright and John Buck.
Buck was my catcher in 2010 when I had my best year. I have a comfort level
with Buck. This is a place I like. They gave me a chance. The way I feel right
now, I'm looking forward to getting the ball rolling."
Zack Wheeler –
“Naturally, I hope I
could make the team. But, I’m prepared to pitch wherever they send me… I just
hope to put up some good numbers this spring and show them what I can do.”
3B Zach Lutz - The 26-year-old
showed, once again, that he can hit in 2012. In fact, it was the third straight
season he posted an OPS at or near .900 at Triple-A Buffalo, showcasing what's
become a familiar mix of power, patience, and raw hitting ability. Yet, the
problem, as always, is that no matter how much he hits he's blocked by David Wright. What's more, his bulky frame doesn't
profile anywhere else but first -- where he's also blocked. However, the Mets
severe dearth of right-handed pop means Lutz will apparently get reps in the
outfield this spring. He should hit if given the opportunity, the only question
is whether the shoddy defense is worth the bat -- and if/when the Mets get
desperate we'll likely find out. Additionally, a lot of the same can be said
for the similarly road blocked Josh Satin,
though with less pop in his bat.
Like Josh Satin, Lutz has spent his entire Mets
career blocked and yet neither of the two were picked in the Rule 5 Draft. In
the case of Lutz, he’s had every unlucky injury imaginable. It’s simply too
late for him to be converted to an outfielder and the shame is that another
great minor league bat was wasted.
Carlos Beltran- Yes, Carlos Beltran.
The player who many fans blame for the Mets not making the World Series
in 2006. The guy who won Game 1 of the
NLCS by himself, but had the gall to be unable to hit an un-hittable curveball
in the 9th inning of Game 7. The best
all around outfielder the Mets ever had.
Beltran will be 37 heading into 2014, but is still very productive. He’s no longer elite defensively, but his
offensive game is still there. He hit
.269 with 32 home runs and 97 RBI’s for St Louis last year, and should be
available for a reasonable one or two year deal after this season. If his 2013 resembles his 2012, the Mets
should ponder bringing him back as a second piece that complements the addition
of either Ellsbury, Gomez, or Choo.
This is what we call “reaching” during a period
when you’ve run out of things to write about. I love Beltran, but his days in
New York are over. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say that. He would fit in, age wise,
perfectly with the Yankees.
Overall, those numbers don’t bode well for Michael Bourn. If there is a silver lining, however,
it’s that the players who were able to maintain or improve on their stolen base
rates over the next three seasons were the ones that received a lot of playing
time. That does give some hope that Bourn might lucky enough to maintain his
skills over the next three years. Giving Bourn a five-year deal would be a
tough pill to swallow. The decline rate for these players is high enough in
their early thirties, but it really jumps once they hit 33 or 34. Bourn had the
most stolen bases of any player included in this study, which is another reason
for optimism, at least in the short run. But the risk with speedy players is
very real as they get into their 30s. The Mets are wise to be cautious in this
scenario.
I think even Scott Boras is beginning to
realize that his client isn’t going to get a 5-year deal. It’s simply too late
in both the off-season process and the age of his client. Look for an opt-out
one-year deal to develop that could result in a team getting back a 2nd
round draft pick in 2014 after losing a first round pick in 2013. Now, all you
have to do is find someone that wants this dude for only one year.
Ryan Nodes - A Trade of Reckoning...
It turns out the price tag for a once dominant left handed closer, (who at the time was rated as a type A free agent), would end up being a journeymen bench player with no real position in the field (Chris Carter) and a low level, non-impact prospect that retired just a few months after this trade, (Eddie Lora). I had to look up Lora's name since made such a little impact with us. Lora actually had 34 rookie ball AB's, hit a whopping .088 and then quickly retired soon after. Carter came up with a few big pinch hits, but was quickly non-tendered after the 2010 season and he's now out of MLB, playing somewhere in Japan, not exactly lighting it up there either.
Not only did we not get much in the trade, the real story is about what we gave up in that unfortunate deal. No, not Billy Wagner, he was expendable given where we were at the time, as well as K-Rod was entrenched as our closer. Wagner didnt end up helping the Red Sox win a championship in 2009 and actually didn't even pitch that well in the playoffs vs the Angels, but what he did do for the Red Sox was getting them the #20th & #39th overall draft picks in the 2010 draft. After the 2009 season, they offered him salary arbitration since he was a Type A free agent, which he declined, resulting in those compensatory draft picks. (To add even more insult to injury, they also got the #36th pick from us as a result of us signing Jason Bay from them, which turned into Bryce Brentz. In fairness, I wasn't against the Jason Bay signing at the time, but your welcome Red Sox fans).
With those picks, the Red Sox drafted Kolbrin Vitek and Anthony Ranaudo, who some could argue haven't exactly lived up to their reputations to this point, but are still both young prospects and have plenty of time to turn things around. Both of those players would be nice additions to have in our farm system, but lets take a look at some of the other players that were drafted around these spots that we gave away to the Red Sox instead of just holding onto Wagner and the $3.5 m left on the last year of his contract. This is the part that will sting!
Here are just few that we could have had a shot at:
(#23) Christian Yelich
(#24) Gary Brown
(#27) Jessie Biddle
(#28) Zach Lee
(#34) Aaron Sanchez
(#36) Bryce Brentz
(#38) Noah Syndergaard
(#43) Tajiuan Walker
(#44) Nick Castellanos
(#49) Mike Olt
(#59) Jedd Gyorko
(#70) Andrelton Simmons
It's not to say we would have drafted any of these guys, but its possible we could have picked up at least one of these guys at the very least would have a little bit deeper farm system with either of those picks. The problem was, the Wilpons needed money BADLY, so they DUMPED Billy Wagner and the approx $3.5 M left on his deal, as well as DUMPED the price tags it would have costed to sign these high drafts picks, which would have been another approximately $3-$3.5 M based on estimated slot prices for those picks.
This is the very definition of a salary dump, which has had a significant impact on the current/future state of the major league team. I agree that there's no way we would have drafted two of these big name guys I listed above, but what if we got lucky with either pick and did grab at least one of these guys? Just imagine how much deeper our farm system would be right now if we kept these picks and grab at least one of these guys. Right now, John Sickels has us rated as the #12th best farm system, add one or two of these guys would have us in the top 5, maybe #1!
For example, if we had drafted say, Tajiuan Walker who's arguably a top 3 best starting RH prospect in all of baseball to team with Harvey, Wheeler, Niese, Syndergaard, etc. for our 2014-15 rotation projection. We did pick up Syndergaard in the Dickey trade, but it wouldn't hurt if we drafted him and picked up Aaron Sanchez or Anthony Gose from Toronto instead in the Dickey deal. How about having Bryce Brentz or Mike Olt right now to groom as our starting RF of the future that could hit for power in the middle of our lineup for years to come. Or say, Gary Brown or Christian Yelich roaming CF for us for the next 6-8 years would be nice additions right about now and wouldn't put our OF in such a dark hole that it is right now. Gyorko, Simmons, Castellanos, Lee, Biddle, ETC, ETC, ETC!! Not to mention the trade value these prospects would have for say a RH/OF with 30+ HR, 100 RBI power potential!! (and you thought I was done talking about Justin Upton, lol)
I know people are going to respond to this and say hindsight is 20-20 and obviously if we know now, what we knew then, they would do things different, but this is a different situation all together. To me, this was an obvious dump and horrendously awful moves made by Fred and Jeff Wilpon. I'm aware Omar Minaya was the GM at the time, but lets be honest, i think we all know why this move was made. This specific move is a perfect example where the Wilpons/Madoff Ponzi scheme had a specific, direct impact on the major league roster, which they came out and said it never would. No matter how many times we've heard that it wouldn't have an impact, I find it very hard to justify this move as being best for the "baseball" team, instead of being best for Wilpons. Im sure guys are going to say we probably wouldn't have drafted any of these guys and likely would have drafted some guys that would be considered busts and maybe your right, but it sure would have potentially put us in a better position to put us closer to contending and back on the winning path.
Lets go Mets!!
1-30-13 – Armondo Rodriguez, Scott Hairston, Michael Bourn, TPA Top Mets Prospects
Gio Gonzalez - @GioGonzalez47
I've never used
performance enhancing drugs of any kind and I never will. I've never met or
spoken with Tony Bosch or used any substance
RHP Armando Rodriguez - In his
first season of relief, the 24-year-old had good success posting career-highs
in strikeouts per nine (9.54) as well as walks per nine (2.60) as a member of
the Double-A B-Mets bullpen. Remember a couple years ago when Omar Minaya
compared his arm to that of Jenrry Mejia? Well
obviously that wasn't entirely accurate, made clear by the fact that he went
unclaimed in the most recent Rule 5 Draft. However, at the very least Rodriguez
offers good command of a very strong fastball -- and not much else -- which,
thanks to a spotty relief crew, should be enough to give him a real shot as
middle relief fodder at some point in 2013.
I’ve always liked Rodriguez. He came on the
scene in 2009 as a 21-year old International free agent from a country (DR) you
usually read about teams signing 16-year olds. Where was he for five years?
Then again, who was he for five years? That being jokingly said, Rodriguez has
basically done nothing wrong during his four year accent to AAA. His career
stats are: 19-18, 3.22, 1.13, 361-IP, 365-K… and last year’s stats at
Binghamton (2-3, 3.22, 1.09, 72.2-IP, 77-K) got him past that hump. He finished
the season pitching in one AAA game which is where he will start off this
season. The 6-2 righty does sit in the low 90s where his velo seems to have
peaked. We all know that the Mets pen is one of the areas that need
improvement. Rodriguez will get his chance sometime in 2013 a la Elvin Ramirez did last season.
Hopefully, the results will be different.
Jon Heyman @JonHeymanCBS
Scott Hairston deal with Cubs is for $5M over 2 yrs. incentives, if hit, can
add $1M extra.
Wow. I expected this to be a much bigger dollar
figure. I know Hairston and his agent wanted many more year than this, but this
is chump change based on what some of the other free agent outfielders got this
off-season. I thought Hairston was going to bring back any deal to the Mets
and, based on last year’s stats and the state of the current Mets outfield, why
wouldn’t Sandy Alderson match this? No, there was more here, something
we’ll probably never read about.
But, if the idea behind the compensation system was actually
to promote competitive balance, then perhaps MLB should immunize the Mets from
having to sacrifice their first round pick to sign Michael
Bourn. Changing the rules in the middle of an off-season doesn’t seem
fair, but the change would be narrow enough that no other team would be
affected by the change, as the Mets were the only franchise pushed out of the
top 10 by the Pirates failure to sign Appel. No other franchise could claim that
the agreed upon rules had a material affect on whether or not their first round
pick should be considered their “highest available selection”. My guess is that MLB will rule against the
Mets and declare that their pick is still eligible for forfeit, but it might be
a more interesting decision that it seems on its face. If Major League Baseball
is serious about continuing the charade that draft pick compensation is for the
benefit of losing teams, making an exception for the Mets would be a good way
to support that claim.
Everybody just needs to move on here…
TopProspectAlert - 2013 Top 150 Major League Baseball
Prospect
#10 Zack
Wheeler – RHP – New York Mets (47) - Born 5/30/1990 - Highest Level Reached Triple-A Buffalo Bisons
- 2012 Combined Stats: MILB: 12-8, 3.26ERA, 149IP, 59BB, 148K,
.221BAA
#25 Travis
d’Arnaud – C – New York Mets (21) - Born 2/10/1989 - Highest Level Reached Triple-A Las Vegas 51′s
- 2012 Combined Stats: MILB: .333, 21(2B), 2(3B), 16HR, 52RBI
#44 Noah
Syndergaard – RHP – New York Mets (107) - Born 8/29/1992 - Highest Level Reached Low-A Lansing Lugnuts - 2012 Combined Stats: MILB: 8-5, 2.60ERA, 103.2IP, 31BB, 122K,
.212BAA
#92 Gavin
Cecchini – SS – New York Mets (NR) - Born 12/22/1993 - Highest Level Reached Short-A Brooklyn Cyclones
- 2012 Combined Stats: MILB: .240, 9(2B), 2(3B), 1HR, 22RBI
#114 Brandon
Nimmo – OF – New York Mets (99) - Born 3/27/1993 - Highest Level Reached Short-A Brooklyn
Cyclones - 2012 Combined Stats: MILB: .248, 20(2B), 2(3B), 6HR, 40RBI
this seemed like a tribute to Alderson's trading, rather than his drafting, ability. I also was surprised that Wilmer Flores didn't make the list.
1-30-13 – Darin Gorski, Bobby V, Michael Bourn, The Latin Elephant
IF Ronny
Cedeno signs a 1-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Noah Syndergaard @Noahsyndergaard - Today I attempted a knuckle ball... It was not
pretty
LHP Darin Gorski - After a
breakout 2011 in the High-A St. Lucie rotation (2.08 ERA), the 25-year-old
struggled against more age-appropriate competition at Double-A in 2012 (4.00
ERA). He doesn't feature an overpowering fastball or much of a jaw-dropping
repertoire, but his change-up is more often than not a plus offering. He'll
have to take a big step forward to reach his ceiling as a back-end starter;
however all signs point to a Spring Training audition for the second LOOGY
role. And with a markedly better resume against lefties since 2011 (.193
opponent average) he's got a fair shot against the crop of journeymen the club
will be looking at this March
I don’t remember who said that Gorski was going
to be used as a LOOGY in ST next month. I think it was TC and I remember
thinking how cute that was. I think his chance of this happening has now
diminished with Pedro Feliciano coming to camp and I know Robert Carson has a different plan
here. Gorski had a magical season in 2011, so may do at the A/A+ level, but I
just don’t see the ‘stuff’ here for, first, a LOOGY role in the majors, or, a starting
role in the majors. There will be nine pitchers battling it out for the five
starting slots in Las Vegas. Gorski deserves one and I hope he gets it.
The possibility exists. MLB sources say SportsNet New York
brass has reached out to Bobby Valentine to
discuss a possible studio role on Mets telecasts. Valentine, who managed the
Mets (1996-2002), would be featured on about 20 games, mostly marquee matchups
like the Subway Series. He would be seen on SNY’s new pre-pregame show.
Valentine would also fill in for Bobby Ojeda,
SNY’s No. 1 studio analyst, on his off days. Sources said the fact SNY execs
have already contacted Valentine means the Mets organization has approved the
idea of giving their controversial former manager a TV platform
I was in broadcasting for 32-years. Bobby
Valentine was made for the microphone and television camera. A move like this
would make so much sense and I bet even Valentine has learned he needs to play
the game a little more conservative. Anything he did along with Ojeda would be
Mets magic and could turn SNY into the most watched local New York sports
channel.
Keep in mind Boras is the King of The Opt Out (think Alex Rodriguez, J.D. Drew and Rafael
Soriano). So it is possible, for example, Bourn could trade length of
contract — perhaps accepting three years — in exchange for being able to opt
out and re-enter the free-agent market a year from now if he desires. The Mets
could be amenable to that, determining Bourn could help them in 2013, give them
another season to incubate a center fielder such as Matt
Den Dekker and — should Bourn opt out — provide the Mets the chance to
tender him a contract and recoup a June 2014 second-round draft choice if he
were to sign elsewhere.
Regarding
the new reports on illegal use of drugs out of a Miami clinic… is anyone going
to mention the Latin elephant in the room? It is obvious that the vast majority
of ballplayers caught cheating are Latin. And, let’ remember this… you’re not
suspended the first time you test positive, so, you have to be stupid to take
the drug, get caught, and then be more stupid and take it again. Anyway, the
one thing on this particular story is most of the players named seem to live in
South Florida during the off-season, but once again, Latin surname after
Latin surname. Carlos Gomez (the scout) told me
once that there is a lot of pressure in countries like the Domincan Republic to
follow in the footsteps of players like Alex Rodriquez and Pedro Martinez. Jose Reyes’ brother told me that the primary reason many
Latin players can’t wait for free agency is this is when they will receive the
kind of money needed to take care of all the members of their immediate family.
The natural body size just isn’t there and a specimen like A-Rod is the
exception to the rule. ‘Buscons’ have been the sports worst enemy, telling
these kids that they never will make it to the States without doing whatever it
takes to build up strength and muscle. Sadly, this may start as bad people
around innocent kids.
1/29/13
BNS - Tampa Bay Rays: Top 10 Prospects For 2013
1) Ranked No. 3 on the Baseball News Source Top 10 Prospects List for 2013, 22-year-old right fielder Wil Myers is widely regarded as the top hitting prospect in the minors. Though the Rays desperately need offense, they could assign him to Triple-A Durham to open the 2013 season to delay his free agent eligibility clock. When he finally makes his Major League debut, Myers is a right-handed bat who can hit for average and power as his .314/.387/.600/.987 slash line with 37 home runs and 109 RBI between Double-A and Triple A last season show.
click here for the rest of the list... http://baseballnewssource.com/prospects/tampa-bay-rays-top-10-prospects-for-2013/15685/
Reese Kaplan - Reshaping the Roster Between Now and Opening Day
Target Chicago Cubs
Make a push for Tony Campaña. The speed demon simply has nowhere to play and CF is his natural position. It should not take much to pry him loose. Whether he can hit or get on base enough to start we won't know until given the chance, but he's stuck on the depth chart behind David DeJesus, Nate Schierholtz, Scott Hairston, Alfonso Soriano and Brett Jackson.
Target Colorado Rockies
They have some OF depth in Tyler Colvin, Dexter Fowler and Eric Young, any of whom could help the Mets. Where they could possibly use some help is at 2B or 3B and the Mets could offer up a choice of Daniel Murphy or Jordany Valdespin or Wilmer Flores as a starting point. They could always use pitching and whomever the Mets feel deserves a lifelong beating at Coors Field could be bundled as well.
Target Los Angeles Angels
If they use Mark Trumbo at DH, then go with an outfield of Mike Trout, Peter Bourjos and Josh Hamilton, then the only surplus is the albatross of a contract of Vernon Wells. The interesting name here is Hank Conger, a .297 career hitter in the minors who, at 25, could give the Mets good backup should D'Arnaud have injury problems and the luxury of parting ways with John Buck. Alberto Callaspo seems to be the weak link on the team, so your same options of Murphy, Valdespin and Flores could come into play, though only Valdespin might be a good value even-up.
Target Los Angeles Dodgers
Despite their enormous payroll and them embracing the old Yankee philosophy of buying a pennant, they are a little weak at both 2B and 3B. The same triumvirate could be pitched here in return for some relief help from one of the more talented bullpens in the game. With Brandon League now dubbed the closer, I'd at least ASK what it would take to get Kenley Jansen to come east knowing it might be a few months before he's 100% after surgery. It's unlikely you could get Jansen but there are others there with good numbers, too.
Target Milwaukee Brewers
It's been reported that the Brewers are seeking a first baseman and the Mets have a few possibilities in Duda and Murphy to offer up to an opposing team. Murphy is not a classic first baseman in that he has limited power, but Duda seemed to flourish when given the opportunity to play there. The target from the Brew Crew would be former Met farmhand Carlos Gomez who last year put together a 19 HR/37 SB season while playing his usual stellar D in centerfield. He's also the right side of 30. Offering up Duda, a centerfielder and a 2nd tier pitching prospect -- Familia, Gorski, etc. -- might be a place to start the conversation. I'd also inquire about Norichika Aoki who showed in his American rookie season that he wsa not intimidated by major league pitching. They could also use a shortstop. On paper Jordany Valdespin can play that position. I'd pity poor Rickie Weeks and Aramis Ramirez if he did, however.
While trades between the crosstown rivals are relatively rare, they usually can take place when they don't involve marquee names. Towards that end I would see what it would take to pry speedster Eduardo Nuñez free from the Bronx Bombers. The Mets most definitely have a lack of speed on the team and Nuñez has played all around the diamond Valdespin style in search of a position. He's played mostly SS in his minor league career, but with Captain Fistpump firmly entrenched there until his retirement, you might find they would talk. I don't know what type of player they'd seek in return.
Target Oakland A's
Coco Crisp is the odd man out in Oakland with the acquisition of slugger Chris Young. Therefore it would be worth talking. It seems the A's are weak and 2B and 3B, so the same suspects -- Murphy, Valdespin and Flores -- could begin the conversation here, too.
Target San Diego Padres
The Friars have long been rumored to lust after Daniel Murphy and it's been reported that the Mets turned down a swap of he and uber setup man Luke Gregerson. Given the state of the Mets' bullpen, it might be worth reconsidering that transaction. They could insert your choice of Justin Turner, Jordany Valdespin, Josh Satin or even Reese Havens at 2B as a one-year stopgap while grooming Flores to take over in 2014.
Target Texas Rangers
After losing Josh Hamilton and handing the CF reigns over to untested Leonys Martin, the Rangers might be less inclined to move super backup Craig Gentry, but as 4th on the depth chart it shouldn't take a whole lot to get him. He's a speed merchant with the glove for centerfield, so he would be a good fit for the Mets.
Target Toronto Blue Jays
Despite having already pulled off the biggest deal of the off-season, it would still appear that Toronto has three players that could help the Mets who are NOT slated to be in their starting lineup -- Emilio Bonifacio, Rajai Davis and Anthony Gose, all base stealing threats and all capable of playing centerfield. How do they match up? The only immediate weak link I see is at 2B where Maicer Izturis is about a replacement level player. In fact, why he's listed ahead of Bonifacio on the depth chart, I'm not sure.
Target Free Agency
There's not a lot left out there, but there are still some bullpen arms worth exploring. It's well known the Mets are kicking the tires of Brian Wilson, but what about Matt Capps, Francisco Cordero, Kevin Gregg, LaTroy Hawkins, Bobby Jenks, Brandon Lyon and the trio of former Mets Frankie Rodriguez, Ramon Ramirez and Jon Rauch?
There's not much left that can swing a bat now that the Phillies nabbed Delmon Young for a $750K base salary while Sandy Alderson was out working on his outfielder standup routine. Unless you think Jim Thome, Grady Sizemore or Carlos Lee can play the outfield, about the only credible and healthy name with some pedigree is Scott Podsednik, but another lefty isn't exactly what the franchise needs right now (despite the apparent flirtation with Michael Bourn).
There are options out there which won't jeopardize the future core of young talent bubbling beneath the surface in the minors. What it takes is some vision and some guts to make the necessary changes. A friend asked me if the Mets are actually better at any position starting 2013 than they were ending 2012. Despite a minor debate on the merits of Buck vs. Thole, the answer was no. That conclusion doesn't sound as if the overhaul promised in October has taken place.
Herb G. - Mets Interested in Roy Oswalt
The first question to ask is do the Mets need to acquire another starter now? With the 2013 rotation set with Santana, Marcum, Niese, Gee and Harvey, with Wheeler waiting in the wings for a mid-season call-up, and with Mejia, Hefner, McHugh and possibly Schwinden available either in Citifield's bull pen or Las Vegas' rotation, how much depth do we need? It is said, of course, that you can never have enough pitching, but is another starter where the Mets should deploy their rather meager resources? Well, perhaps if the starter in question were an apparent upgrade over the aforementioned Mejia, Hefner, McHugh and Schwinden, it wouldn't be such a bad idea. So, let's go to the next question.
Would signing Oswalt be a good idea? After a workhorse career, where he could always be counted upon for 200+ innings, he has battled injuries over the last few years. And at age 35 he just might be losing his touch. Posting a career worst WHIP of 1.525 and ERA of 5.80 last year, he was eminently hittable, despite showing his usual impeccable command. Moreover, his interest in returning to the mound this year seems to be tepid, at best. Off hand I'd have to say signing Oswalt looks like a bad idea. But wait! Looking a bit deeper, Oswalt's starter/reliever splits last year show a significant disparity. In 9 starts, averaging barely over 5 innings per start, his stat line was ERA = 6.36, WHIP = 1.693, with 7.9 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. As a reliever, however, in 8 games, (12.1 innings) ERA = 3.65, WHIP 0.892, with 14.6 K/9 and 0.73 BB/9. Admittedly a small sample, but perhaps meaningful to our front office. We do need a better bull pen this year. If Oswalt would sign a reasonable contract and accept a role in the bull pen to start the season, he could be a valuable addition.
There are those who might worry that if Oswalt cracks the rotation and pitched well, he might delay Wheeler's debut. I wouldn't be too concerned about that. If Wheeler meets expectations in Las Vegas, we will see him in Citifield some time this summer. And his arrival could just coincide with Oswalt's departure, going to a contender in need of pitching to bolster their post season push. Who knows, a successful Oswalt might bring back another Wheeler. Shades of Carlos Beltran.
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