Mack Ade – Morning Report – 6-23-13

Random Recap - 

      -seven runs should have been enough runs for a team with this kind of pitching...

       -SS Omar Quintanilla (3-Hts, .282) continues to impress me as a short term replacement at short.

       -sad ending of the game for RP Carlos Torres... it will be interesting to see how he comes back from this

        -OF Matt den Dekker's St. Lucie's batting average is now up to .250.

        -nice early GCL BAs: RF Wuillmer Becerra (.429), 2B Leon Canelon (.429) and 1B Dominic Smith (.500)

        -always love (GCL) pitcher Marcos Molina's 9-Ks in 4.2-IP
  
         -four starts for the DSL Mets for Darwin Ramos - 0.96-ERA, 19-K, 18.2-IP


From MetsBlog:

RHP Noah Syndergaard, a key piece of the Mets’ trade with the Blue Jays for R.A. Dickey has been promoted from advanced-A St. Lucie to AA Binghamton. Thor as we like to call him around here leaves the Florida State League 3-3 with a 3.11 ERA

                Hey Michael… I wonder who started the ‘Thor’ reference…

The GCL Rosters were finalized and I was surprised to still see some names missing, like pitchers Zack Dotson, Erward Roman, Ernest Yanez, Adrian Rosario, Matt Budgell, Estarlin Morel, Yohan Almonte, Shawn Teufel, and Juan Ubina… also, Infielder Josh Dunn and Adam O’Niell ) are they still with us?), German Rosario, Alfredo Reyes, recent draft signee , Luis Guillorme, and OF Carlos Tores. Let me know if you have updates on their status please.

Watch for LHSO Darin Goski to quickly be returned to the Vegas rotation.

Honcho asked –

Mack, you played ball and been around a lot of coaches that teach pitching. I have a young boy who’s the top pitcher on his summer team. Do you have any advice how he can build up arm strength and speed?

                                Honcho, isn’t every father’s son the top pitcher on the team?

Actually, my advice to you would be to cut back his activity. The absolute worst thing coaches and fathers do is over work the young talent around them. This is a perfect time in their career to work on mechanics, pounding the zone, and control. Also, limit the pitch counts on these children. Yes, that’s what they are; children. Additionally, forget about letting them pitch for more than one team at the same time. Coaches don’t care what another coach has done and they would never compare notes. Your kid could wind up pitching back to back consistently.

You need to also make sure your son is being open to you and his coach about any discomfort he’s feeling. I had a local prospect a few years ago share with me that his arm was ‘killing him”, but he didn’t want his coach to know because it might cost his school’s chance for a championship that year, and additionally jeopardize his upcoming scholarship to college. I kept my mouth shot, he went on to win the State Championship and he blew out his arm the second week in college (and lost his free ride).

Remember… bones, muscles, and tissues aren’t fully developed until after 16-years old. Start off every pitching day with old fashioned stretching and running. Then, move on to easy tosses, followed by increased distance and intensity. Work your way up to ‘long tossing’ for the last five minutes.

Lastly, keep the curve, slider, slurve, and screwball on the shelf until his future high school coach gets the chance to work that pitch into his arsenal. Youth pitching is fastballs and change-ups. Period. The best 14-year old with the best curveball is also the future first kid on the block for TJS.

Gary Seagren -

Hi Mack, I'm just waiting for you to start posting the wildcard race standings again because after the last week we can't be that far back can we? O.K. kidding aside it has really been a fun week in Met land and with the flurry of moves and the more recent inspired play it seems more like a rebirth of sorts. Who knew Sandy had it in him but it's sure good to see. As far as the recent posts about Eithier and some of the Cub players I wouldn't touch any of em with a 10 ft. poll......no way Jose! Only Castro might have appealed to me before this year but boy he looked like a dead man walking when we played them and I wonder if that 7yr deal he signed had anything to do with it. Some guys will play motivated with or without the big contract ( like D. Wright) but he just seemed like he could care less and played like it. We just have to find out this year who our 1st baseman is and give as much playing time as possible to the likes of Lagares, Young, Capt. Kirk and Den Decker when he's ready and decide once and for all if Spin is staying or not and act accordingly. My questions to you are who is this Carlos Torres dude and why haven't we seen him before? His stuff moves more than anyone else in the bullpen so did he just discover a few new pitches or did I just miss him? Also how do you see future movement in the system now that Plawecki , Boyd and Syndergaard have been promoted. That's all for now and have a great weekend, Thanks, Gary Seagren

                Hey Gary… I think we’re five back in the wild card race 

Torres is an organizational starter that the White Sox drafted in 2004 (15^th round). He had a couple of small stints in both the White Sox pen and rotation (2009: 6.04, 2010: 8.56), but said sayanawa in 2011 and pitched in Japan (2-0, 6.26, 6-G).  He signed with Colorado last year and went 5.26 in 31 relief appearances for the Rockies, but was an off-season cut once again. The Mets signed him this season and put him in the Vegas rotation (12-starts, 3.89), but Torres forced their hands when a clause came up a few weeks ago in his contract that said the Met had to promote him or set him free. As pissed as they probably was (no one likes a baseball gun to their head), it looks like it has turned out okay…so far. Remember, let the guy go around the league a few times. We call it the Edgin syndrome  (update - gave up the losing run last night on a walk off HR)

Regarding Thor, I wasn’t expecting the Mets to do the right thing here. They chronically do these promotions too slow, but times are changing internally and the word is that the powers to be want a good grasp on what they have internally before they head into the off season. Promoting Syndergaard sets up that perfect prospect line again… Montero in AAA,, Thor in AA, Tapia in A+, Matz in A. I like it. Montero can open 2014 in Queens and Syndergaard can join him around June 2014. Love it.

One problem. What if Niese doesn’t come back this year? It could happen. What if the next lefty projects to be Matz three years away? This team needs a rotational lefty and may have to dip into the free agent market to find one. 

William James  to me -

Hey Mack,with the injury to Niese, do you think it has anything to do with Syndergaard's promotion to AA? He'll be ready this time next year perhaps :)

                Hey Bill.

I’m sure the Niese injury came into play here, but the real reason is the Mets internal philosophy is chaning after watching guys like Lagares and Wheeler play better after being given a shot. It’s time for the kids to take over and the quicker this rotation becomes ‘Harvey, Wheeler, Niese, Montero, and Syndergaard’ the more games are going to be won by this team.

You also are seeing a new emphasis on defensive players. As I mentioned before, the hitting talent level between the best and worst players on this team isn’t that far off from itself, so you might as well play the guys that won’t boot the ball around.

San Francisco ball… score 3-4 runs… let your starters go 7 with a below 3.50 ERA… don’t make errors… win 90-95 games.