Mack Ade – Morning Report – 5-21-13

As a Met - Rick Ankiel - .300/.333/.700 

I've been at work overnight (next weekend is my last) and I just read that Rafael Montero was promoted to Las Vegas for a 'spot start'. I assume this is to fill the opening when Collin McHugh went to Flushing, though I thought Vegas had a full rotation anyway. I will spend most of Monday sleeping since I have to fill in for someone Monday night at the job, so I won't be able to check this out until late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Like I said earlier, next weekend is my last overnight shift and I go back to the "inactive extended camp" list :)  Let me tell you... if Montero goes around 7.0, giving up less than three and striking out like, oh, let's say eight... he ain't going anywhere.  This one will be interesting to follow. 

I saw that Cory Vaughn was amed hotter of the week in the Eastern League. This could easily have been Cesar Puello also and, in fact, I think Puello has been hotter. Things are going to have to start moving soon and both these guys will be sent to Las Vegas for the final test before becoming the next Juan Lagares. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Mets clear the roster in September of all the old timber and play these two guys with Lucas Duda and Lagares in the outfield? At least they’ll get the pressure part out of their game for the following spring. 

According to Ben Badler/Baseball America, here are the top 10 International players available to sign on July 2^nd:

Eloy Jimenez, of, Dominican Republic 

Gleyber Torres, ss, Venezuela

Rafael Devers, 3b, Dominican Republic 

Leonardo Molina, of, Dominican

Luis Encarnacion, 3b, Dominican Republic 

Micker Zapata, of, Dominican Republic   

Yeltsin Gudino, ss, Venezuela 

Marcos Diplan, rhp, Dominican Republic

Yeyson Yrizarri, ss, Dominican Republic  

Jose Herrera, c, Venezuela

Now… you want to learn something about signing 16-year olds that play on rocks? Take this list and throw it in your desk until the end of the 2020 season. Then, pull it out and see how many of these kids made it. It averages every year to yes than three. There is no way in hell knowing what you have at 16. Hitters just swing hard and pitchers throw fastballs with no movement. Period. The rest is all guesswork.  

Mets sign RHCL David Aardsma to a minor league deal...He'll report to Las Vegas (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League.He is coming off of TJS. I like this. 2010 really was his last full year and he really never pitched bad. So far this season, for New Orleans (AAA-PCL) he was 1-0, 2.57, 12-K, 14.0-IP. He’s a former big time draft pick out of Rice and, though he’s 31-years old, I’d rather have him on my AAA squad than guys like Sean Henn. 

Derek McKnight to me -

Is there any reasonable reason why Tovar, German, and Robles are on the 40 man? Robles is at least a prospect, but the other two SHOULD never see NY

                Mack – Probably not, but, at the time, the Mets probably thought it was best to protect them from the Rule V Draft that they were about to become eligible for. Sadly, the Mets don’t have 40 quality players to have on the 40 man, so these three aren’t an issue


.SP wise, here are the ‘big 10’ in the system. There could be others; however, it’s the job of the Mets pitching squad to develop three of these guys to join Matt Harvey and Jon Niese by 2016 (hopefully sooner). They are:

AAA – Zack Wheeler – 8-starts, 3.74, 43.1-IP, 47-K, 18-BB

AAA/AA – Rafael Montero – 8-starts – 3.47, 46.2-IP, 54-K, 6-BB

AAA – Jenry Mejia – (Rehab)- 1-start – 6.00, 3.0-IP, 6-K, 3-BB

AA – Logan Verrett – 8-starts – 3.15, 54.1-IP, 35-K, 14-BB

AA/A+ – Luis Mateo – (IR) – 2-starts, 3.72, 9.2-IP, 11-K, 5-BB

AA – Cory Mazzoni – 4-starts – 3.60, 20.0-IP, 18-K, 3-BB

A+ - Michael Fulmer – (IR) – hasn’t played in 2013

A+ - Noah Syndergaard – 8-starts, 2.62, 44.2-IP, 48-K, 13-BB

A+ - Domingo Tapia – (IR) – 7-starts – 2.33, 32.1-IP, 28-K, 13-BB

A – Steven Matz – 6-starts – 2.83, 28.2-IP, 30-K, 10-BB

A – Rainy Lara – 7-starts – 1.17, 46.0-IP, 47-K, 5-BB

As you notice, everyone has been on the same rotation and eight games is where everyone is at if they haven’t been injured. Mateo was rushed to Binghamton for a spot start and see what that got him.

Based on the Montero promotion earlier today for a spot star in Vegas, there’s a good chance that the Queens ‘magic rotation’ hits four in 2014, possibly on opening day (Harvey, Wheeler, Niese, Montero). You can’t count on Mejia and Mateo has been pushed back a year. That means that, at some point next season (probably at the all-star break) Verrett and or Mazzoni will give Dillon Gee a run for the SP5 slot.

And then, in 2016, it rains talent… Thor… Tapia… Matz…

I truly see Tapia being converted to either a closer or 8^th inning specialist with the future 7-8-9 being Jack Leathersich-Tapia-Bobby Parnell. This should pan out latest 2015.