Mack Ade – Morning Report – 5-15-13

I don’t get to recap games/individual performances because of my work schedule, and the fact there are few weekday day games; however, today I can talk about RHSP Matt Bowman. Matt (I know him, I can use his first name) threw a 1-hitter over 7.0 for Lucy, with 9-K and a lowered seasonal A+ ERA of 2.08. This is his second Florida State league outing after going 2.64 in five starts for the Sand Gnats. We’ve writtin a lot about this guy recently, who came out of Princeton as a 13^th round pick. He’s not a prospect, but he is an interesting read and we should keep an eye on him, even if it’s only to place him on our “available to trade” shopping list.

Continuing their clutching at straws program, the Mets have signed RHSP Matt Fox from the independent league York Revolution and assigned him to the Las Vegas rotation. Fox  was a big-time prospect and was drafted as the 35^th overall pick by Minny in the 2004 draft. He did make his way to the majors (5.5 years in Minny system) with the Twins and Boston (4-G, 4.50), but was cut, wound up in the Seattle chain in 2012, and eventually out of baseball. He will attempt to work his way back and be ready for immediate Queens work while the team sells off beginning real soon


.The Mets promoted RHSP Collin McHugh to Queens.

                Yeah, why not. I wrote yesterday that if would happen a little later, but he deserves another chance. I assume he has his glove with him. Colin writes a wonderful blog and has been a veru successful minor league pitcher for the Mets (31-23, 3.32, 1.26, 526-IP, 523-K, 167-BB). Things didn’t go as well in Queens (8-G, 4-starts, 7.71), though he did have two decent outings. The most important thnkg about him is the fact that he went to the most beautiful college campus in the world, Berry College, in Rome, Georgia. Trust me. Pack a picnic and head on over there on a Sunday morning. There is no more beautiful place in the world to take that walk and work out your internal problems.

Zack Wheeler to miss start, have MRI because of sore clavicle.

                Jesus, when does this shit stop?

LHSP Jonathan Niese has a sore neck.

            Pour it on, baby.


LHRP Josh Edgin headed to Triple-A Las Vegas

                Edgin is only effective if he keeps the ball down. He didn’t this year in Queens and sort of in Binghamton, which was really more of a rehab session. 

Rafael Montero (4-3, 3.47) leads the Eastern League in strikeouts with 54. He's allowed just 6 BB's in 46.2 IP (8 games).

Montero will obviously move up to AAA as late as June 15^th when Zack Wheeler goes to Queens. Pickups like the one I told you about above this (Mike Fox) might be slowing down the movement, which may not be a bad thing. Half the Mets prospect pitchers are on the DL and pitchers get hurt. My guess is there will be little movement come June 15^{th (or before)}:

                AAA – Zack Wheeler to Queens                         

                AA – Montero to AAA

                A+    Noah Syndergaard to AA  

                A – Rainy Lara to A+

                Extended Camp – John Gant to A

Frank Francisco diagnosed with mild elbow strain

                They shut him down again, this time for 72-hours… 72-hours in Mets-talk is like,, three weeks. We’re never going to get a return for this dude. File him under Marcum v2.0. 

It’s obvious that, after six weeks, the Mets bullpen is burned out. This has to be a record of futility even for the Mets. By now, we were supposed to have Tim Byrdak, Frank Francisco, and Pedro Feliciano. Tha hasn’t happened and there doesn’t seem to be anyone at the AAA level that can be sent east to help things out. They could prematurely send guys like Jack Leathersich, Chase Huchingson, Adam Kolarek, John Church, and Jeff Walters, but do you risk once again rushing the future in a useless year?  TC obviously pulled Dillon Gee too early last night which made no sense, Sure, he gave up six runs, but he did what he’s paid to do… get hitters to hit ground balls. The first inning was caused by Ike Davis. You know your pen is short and it looked like Gee was settling down (after 90 pitches) so why not let him throw one more? Instead, you bring in Robert Carson, who now has given up almost as many home runs and he’s pitched innings. You could always promote Shawn Teufel, which the beat reporters would have a field day with. No, sadly, you’re going to have to send these kids to Vegas where their ERA’s will soar. What a fucked up situation this all is.

Jordany Valdespin was plunked the other night by the opposing pitcher. The Mets chose not to plunk anyone back on the team that did this horrible act. Valdy was pissed in two languages and refused to talk to beat reporters at the end of the game. That was just fine with the beat guys, who just moved on to the next story (you see, in the ‘beat business’, you go where you are directed per Jay or go back to your room and write your own spin on things). Valdespin used to follow me on Facebook but I blocked him. I got so sick of his nightly pictures of himself with his shirt off and bullshit self praise. Nights like this are ones I wished I didn’t block him. I’d love to hear his… spin… on this one.

From the NY Daily News –

Also, before Valdespin left the ballpark on Saturday, teammate Juan Lagares asked him for a ride home, according to a clubhouse source. Ever since Lagares arrived from the minor leagues on April 23, Valdespin has tried to force the outfielder to fetch him coffee and run other minor errands that rookies are often asked to perform for veterans, according to that same source (last year, Valdespin made enemies by demanding, unsuccessfully, that veterans buy him clothing). -  http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/collins-don-care-fans-article-1.1344086#ixzz2TJMOI9DD

                How long have I been telling you about this turd? I saw it first hand in Savannah and watched him earn his first Mets suspension. We still don’t talk about the details on that one. This is a team going nowhere with a player the other players don’t want around and a league full of teams that don’t care about trading for him. He’s technically toast. Just send the guy to Las Vegas, let him rot for a couple of years, and he’ll go away. Or, he’ll earn a couple of more suspensions and work his way out of the organization. Players like this never take the right medication. He’s a cancer for a positive clubhouse, but for the 2013 Queens team, he’s an absolute nightmare. No. I have a better idea. Shut him down and send him to extended camp. Let him pinch hit with the DSL players and he can find hundreds of guys that will get him coffee.

                I’m not writing about this guy anymore. This team is showing the signs of easily getting one of the top five picks in the 2014 draft and there are much more important things to write about than this self-centered, egotistical, un-loyal piece of work. If the Mets want to keep him on their team, so be it, but I’m not wasting any more paper on him. In my world, he can go to hell.

Hi Mack, Wow after the way we played the last few weeks if a move was to be made I thought maybe ZW would come up..... but Rick Ankiel?????? Damn, only the Mets could actually find an OFer worse than what we have and on top of it he's left handed. You just can't make this up. What in the world is the front office thinking about? After y/day's lost I started thinking and wondered if this is the plan. Provide the big league club with as little as possible (did they really think two oft-injured veteran pitchers would anchor this staff and they couldn't have guessed Harvey would be this good) knowing we'll be destined to finish ahead of only the Astros and Marlins and maybe the Cubs giving us a top 5 pick next June. So who is available in the draft next year that's that valuable to tank the whole season for? Look I know that last comment is a bit of a stretch but really if you stop and think about it we have only 3 players on our current 25 man roster who would be front line players for the Braves, Nats or Phillies and we all know who they are. Also we would be competing with the Stro's for the worst record if not for Buck's amazing April. The only reason we're not 10 games out already is the Braves have come back to the pack but I certainly don't expect that to last. Anyway your thoughts are always appreciated. Thanks, Gary Seagren

                #1  - LHSP – Carlos Rodon – North Carolina State – the Stephen Strasburg of the draft. 7-2, 3.84, 82.0-IP, 122-K so far this season. Yes… 122-K/82IP

                #2 – RHSP – Tyler Beede – Vanderbilt –  13-0, 1.73, 83.1-IP, 86-K for the number one team in the nation. Do I need to say more?

                #3 – SS Trae Turner – North Carolina State – you seldom see two of the top three players on the same school: .400/.483/.624.

                #4 – OF – Derek Fisher – Virginia – power hitter - .312/.429/.548, 7-HR, 50-RBI

                #5 – RHSP – Grant Hockin - Damien H.S. (CA) – FA sits at 92… 63, 195….

                #6 – OF-RHP – Justin Smith – Bartam Trail H.S. (FL) – 5-tools, easily one of the top outfielders chosen in the draft

                #7 – OF -  Gareth Morgan – North York HS (Ont.) – absolute raw power… big potential power projection

                #8 – SS – Nicholas Gordan – Olympis HS (FL) – projects both as a shortstop and a RHP

                #9 – C – Alex Jackson – Rancho Bernardo HS (CA) – excellent defense, but huge, Mike Piazza-like power potential

                #10 – C – Taylor Gushue – Calvary Christian H.S. (FL) – does all the right things