Mack Ade – Morning Report – 5-16-13

 

 

 

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”―Leo Tolstoy

 

 

Some good stuff last night in the minors… St. Lucie’s Alex Panteliodes (2.81) put up six good innings even though he had little support (3-errors) from his teammates. He also had a remarkable three pickoffs in one game, Pants has been a pleasant addition to a staff that sorely needed another starter… timely hitting is both Cesar Puello (.288) and Cory Vaughn’s (.294) game. Puello’s two singles and double scored three runs while Vaughn grand slammed in the 5^th inning Look for both of them to be moving to Las Vegas after their FSL all-star game)… sometimes a bad outing is a good one… Savannah’s LHSP Steven Matz (2.83) had his first struggle of the season (4.1-IP, 93-P, 4-ER, 5-K, 4-BB) which a pitcher can build on the next couple of outings… Binghamton’s John Church (2.45) and Adam Kolarek (2.65) both tossed scoreless innings (we’ll talk more about these guys tomorrow)… it was good to see P Carlos Vasquez (0.00) back in the game. He tossed 0.2-innings of hitless ball, though I still think he should be a starter…P Paul Seward (0.00) returned from the Sand Gnats DL and did his scoreless thing again. He has yet to give up a run this year. 

The next ‘quick fix in the Mets outfield could be Las Vegas’ Jamie Hoffman. The 29-year old is currently tied for third on the team in at-bats and has an impressive .320 batting average. He doesn’t do anything that spectacular, but he’s a tough batter to get a third strike past him (only 17 strikeouts in 103 official at-bats). His background along makes him a viable candidate for the craziness going on in Flushing. He was never drafted in baseball, but was a 8^th round draft pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2003 NHL. Think that’s strange? Well, he hits righty but has only 26 at-bats against lefties (.500) while having 77 against righties (.260), meaning what you have here is an everyday outfielder. In Queens, he would make an excellent candidate for a platoon. Lastly, he’s made only one error the entire season. He age prevents any long term future consideration, but he could help us get through this season. 

There’s a bunch of good looking relief pitchers in Binghamton this year that we need to talk more about. One is a particular favorite of mine, 6-5 left-handed Chase Huchingson. Chase (I know him so I’m going first name) came out of Central Arkansas as a non-drafted free agent in 2010, where he went 1-4, 8.36 in 13-games (10-starts) in his last school year. Still, Mets scouts must have seen something here that they liked and, so far, it has translated into a 17-10, 3.11, 1.29 professional career. The Mets have knocked him around, splitting his as a starter for Savannah in 2011 (7-2, 1.82), making him a full time starter in St. Lucie last year (8-7, 4.10), but has now finally turned him into a full-time relief pitcher at the AA level. His stats this year are very impressive: 2-0, 2.14, 14-G, 21-K, 7-BB (he does need to work on the 3.00 BB/9 ratio). Still, the 9.0 K/9 ration is remarkable for a pitcher not known for blazing speed. He’s one of a handful of guys doing well at this level (Jack Leathersich – 2.04, 17.2-IP, 33-K, John Church – 2.60, 1.15, 17.1-IP, 21-K, Adam Kolarek – 2.81, Jeff Walters – 0.61, 10-SV) that we’ll be writing about over the next few days. 

Speaking of Jack Leathersich, he now has 168 professional strikeouts in 101 innings pitched, giving him a higher K/9 ratio (14.97) than any major league pitcher in the history of baseball. Yes, his BB/9 ration have consistently gone up in all four levels he has pitched, but this year’s 16.66 K/9 ratio at the AA level is the best of his young career. And remember… he’s a lefty. 

Time for Action:  The Baltimore Orioles announced today that they need a ‘top line starter’ They also said that pitchers Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy (see, they don’t rush their guys) aren’t available. That’s fine… call them up, sell them Jonathan Niese for OF prospect L. J. Hoes (ready in 2014) and 2B Jonathan Schoop (ready in 2014).Send Hoes to Las Vegas and release Collin Cowgill and send Schoop to Binghamton and release Robbeie Shields.  Get the ball rolling. Do it NOW.  

Mack Ade ‏@JohnMackinAde

Jonah Wesely JONAH!!!! you gettin' ready, son?

Jonah Wesely ‏@JonahWesely- @JohnMackinAde so excited!

Mack Ade‏@JohnMackinAde - @JonahWesely - this is YOUR time...  enjoy every second of it

Jonah Wesely‏@JonahWesely - @JohnMackinAde yup! And got a playoff start tomorrow night to keep the season alive!

Mack Ade‏@JohnMackinAde - @JonahWesely as we say, one pitch at a time (but keep it down :)