Mack Ade – AM Report – 6-28-13 – Ricky Nolasco, Rehab Returnees, Travis Taijeron, Matt den Dekker

LAD have made progress in the talks for Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco

I just don’t understand how the Commissioner of Baseball can just continue to stand by and let one man single handed dismantle an entire baseball team.

According to ‘Cot Baseball’ the Marlins had a 2012 team salary of $101,628,000. It has been reduced to $50,526,900, of which $12,500,000 was still being paid on players long gone or trades long traded, and $11,500,000 is being paid to Nolasco.

The math is pretty simple here. $50,526,900 minus $24,000,000, totals to a current 2013 salary after this trade is eventually made of $26,526,900.

We’re talking a major league baseball team in the 44^th largest city in America. This doesn’t count Ft. Lauderdale either.

The team will be left with one, I repeat, one ballplayer with a contract past this season (Jeff Mathis) and that’s only a 2014 $1.5mil commitment.

And, the most important thing is the fact that the team is dead last with only 27 wins in 77 games, has the lowest home attendance in baseball, and averages the least amount of people attending a home game in baseball.

Any Board of Directors would remove this guy, but the problem is we aren’t talking about a publically traded company. No, we’re talking about one man who bullshitted the city into a new stadium and bullshitted his players into singing one year deals (which, by the way, will never happen again). We’ve already seen the first round draft pick this year, high school LHP Matt Krook, say no-way Jose. Agents throughout the league are steering their clients away from this team and you will never see a major free agent sign a contract here without a long term guarantee.

No, Miami is operating like a foreclosure and the Commissioner should be ashamed of himself.

The Mets are getting healthier.

                                As of 3:32pm on 6-27, there are ‘technically’ six New York Mets in various stages of rehab.

RP Pedro Feliciano – Feliciano is actually listed as part of the Binghamton roster. The lefty has given up only one earned run in nine outings for St. Lucie (1.93) and Binghamton (0.00). He seems pretty close to being ready -  eventual assignment: Queens

RP Tim Byrdak – Byrdak is just beginning his rehab assignments, with two on June 24^th and June 26^th. His combined stats at St. Lucie: 2.0-IP, 0-R, 3-K. I expect him to move on the Binghamton by the end of the week -   eventual assignment Queens

RP Shawn Teufel – Teufel came off the DL and pitched for Brooklyn on June 25^th (2.0-IP, 0-R, 0.00). He’ll probably work his way to St. Lucie and then the Mets will have to decide whether to send him to Binghamton or Las Vegas - eventual assignment: Binghamton or Las Vegas

SP Michael Fulmer – A nice rehab debut on June 2th for the GCL Mets: 6.0-IP, 0-R, 6-K. Watch for him to remain with the GCL squad until he is sent across the complex to the team he was scheduled to pitch for on opening day this year - eventual assignment: St. Lucie

SS Ruben Tejada – Tejada was supposed to start his rehab with the GCL Mets on June 26^th, but they have been rained out the past two days. The Mets aren’t known for shipping rehab players around their whole system. Look for Tejada to go from GCL to St. Lucie, then probably Las Vegas. At that point, he’s keep his bags packed - eventual assignment: Queens

CF Matt den Dekker -  Is currently listed as a ‘non-roster invitee’ on the St. Lucie roster. He will slowly work back wrist strength and may miss Binghamton and go to Las Vegas for some good thin air to get healthy on. – eventual assignment - Las Vegas

So…

What happens if Tejada, Byrdak, and Feliciano are all activated on the same day and put in the same taxi?

Who goes down/DFA’d/cut?

My guess… Valdespin, Edgin, Hawkins

                                               

Travis Taijeron – combined A+/AA – 241-AB, .290/.376/.573/.949, 14-HR, 39-RBI, 73-K, 27-BB

                                My job is to keep bringing you back to players that you need to keep an eye on.

Taijeron is developing into prospect material as I type J There’s a lot of time being spent with him in Binghamton, trying to get him to become more patient at the plate. Let’s face it, the quality of pitching at the AA level is going to be far better than it was at St. Lucie. Taijeron struck out 28% of the time in A+ ball, but is currently striking out 27% at AA. No change. His immediate problem is the fact that he’s not walking anymore, lowering his OBP from .379 to .298.

He’s not going anywhere else this year and the hope is he finished the season in the combined 20-HR/55-RBI, range.

Right now, Taijeron is #2 behind Cesar Puello on the internal boards. I’ll keep you up to speed on his progress this season.

Monaco Jr., Martin L  -

Mack, Looks like either MDD has either cut down on his swing, only 3KS in 41 at bats, or he has no power in this wrist yet. Either way only 10 singles so far. Do you think this is by design or the Mets are trying to turn him into a contact Punch and Judy hitter.? I was more thrilled when I thought he was the second coming of Jim Edmunds. Big swing and great defense.

                                Morning Martin.

                                                             The good news is den Dekker is off the disabled list.

The bad news is his current hitting has nothing to do with any learning process on not striking out. He’s just getting his feet wet (or is it wrist wet?) and ‘throwing the bat out there’ which generates only singles. I’m told his game currently isn’t very fluid so we’ll just have to give him some time.

One other thing about this league and the hitters on this team. There aren’t than many top pitchers going up against this team, meaning, if you are a big bat, you should be feasting on what’s being thrown your way. Yes, the addition of Jayce Boyd and Kevin Plawecki has paid huge dividends, but it doesn’t take a genius to look at the rest of the lineup, check their batting average, and project their chances of going all the way some day.

St. Lucie is a team with an excellent rotation, an average pen, two bats from Savannah, and that’s about it.

Sorry guys. Feel free to prove me wrong.