Don’t you think that MBL should stop playing those Bryce Harper “I play for October” commercials at this point in the 2014 season?
Well, so much for going out to Los Angeles and kicking some Dodger butt. Last night was especially a tough loss, but it's just another in a series of game that the Mets were in and couldn't sustain. Doesn't it seem like we always have the lead? Anyway, I hope we can split the next series, get hammered again by the Braves, and finally get on to the task of trying to put a deal together before the August 31st deadline. It' s time to move on (see later comments on TC about this).
Ashley Marshall –
While John Buck is on call for the arrival of his third child, Travis d'Arnaud got the call for his first taste of the big leagues. A spot behind the plate will open up for the Mets when Buck departs on paternity leave, and with the team in Los Angeles, it will be all too easy for its No. 2 prospect to move over from Las Vegas. When he does make the jump, it's expected to be a short one as Buck's leave will only be three days. But this might be the time to jump on d'Arnaud anyways. The 24-year-old backstop is back in the PCL after missing almost four months with a broken left foot, but if his results since his return are any indication, he hasn't missed a beat. The California native is 7-for-13 with a homer, three doubles, three RBIs and four walks in four games so far. http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130814&content_id=56890548&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb
The Reds have signed 20-year-old Cuban outfielder Raydel Medina for $400,000. Medina played for the Cuban youth national team at the 16U World Championship in Taiwan in 2009, a tournament that also included Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor and Red Sox shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin. Media performed well at the tournament, hitting .444/.516/.852 over seven games, going 12-for-27 with a homer, two triples, four doubles, four walks and three strikeouts. He ranked second on the Cuban team in slugging and OPS, behind only Guillermo Aviles. http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/reds-sign-cuban-outfielder-raydel-medina/
I was on the phone with Gary Seagren yesterday and he asked me what I’d been hearing about around Met-land. I told him that I hadn’t talked to anyone since the last time he and I talked on the phone, which was about two weeks. I guess I have to a certain degree mentally shut down at this point in the season. I think the Mets have made a wonderful .500 run in July and August, but there just isn’t enough front end talent on this team to survive the injury loses of David Wright, Bobby Parnell, and now, Wilmer Flores.
I’m not recommending you all go watch Netflix, but it is time to become realistic about this team and start setting it up for a spring return. This wouldn’t be a bad time to bring back Ruben Tejada (if Flores winds up on the DL). I would hope that the Mets did everything they could to keep Flores off the DL even to the point of operating for a week with a 24-man roster. There is going to be interest in him during the off-season and the last thing you want to do is tag him right now with an injury tag.
The Mets have done a very good job of depleting their minor league upper levels of talent (though, currently, only 10 of the 25 men on the squad came out of the system). There are people; however, that I would like a peek at in September if, for no other reason, to showcase them for a possible future trade.
A few are:
SP Jake deGrom – DeGrom has had some success at the AAA-PCL level, something that is very difficult to do. Much of that success has been accredited to the addition of his new curve (or ‘slurve’, depending on who you talk to) and his continued ability to pound the zone in the 93-95 range. It’s obvious that there is no room for him in a future Mets rotation, but I don’t see him as a reliever either. No, this is one of the Mets major trade bait in the off-season and, if you want a full time decent outfielder roaming the CitiField green every night next year, you want to keep rooting for this guy in Las Vegas.
RP John Church – Church has a very good season this year for Binghamton (32-appearances, 3.44), but he has now put up 15 more in Las Vegas with an incredible ERA of 1.00 (2-ERs in 18.0-IP). It seems like I’m the only person that ever writes about this guy and I’d really like to see a look at him this season in Queens. Again, I’m not sure about where his future will be, but it definitely should be on the mound somewhere throwing quality relief. His stats prove worthy (58-K, 18-BB 54.2-IP) for the shot.
OF Matt den Dekker – I’m really not that impressed recently with the throwing arm and general defense of Eric Young Jr. I know that ‘DD’ is only hitting .286 at Las Vegas (anything under .400 there seems to suck), but I’d like to see the Mets use September as an extension of spring training and make sure every potential outfielder at the top level of our system gets a shot to, first, compete, and, secondly, be showcased. It den Dekker’s turn.
Of course, all this might be a moot point after just being told that Terry Collins intends on using the veterans in September over playing the kids in the system. Is this an attempt at another contract for TC? I almost wish he was already under contract for at least another year so this team could spend the rest of this season setting up for 2014. Do we really want to see more of John Buck or don’t you think this would be a good time to play Travis d’Arnaud every day?
Since the AS break MDD is hitting .321 with a .879 OPS. Bring him up.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for d'Arnauds debut.
Hopefully, this LA series wakes everybody up to the fact that giving Recker a chance to play every day in Vegas is also a good idea.
ReplyDeleteWe need to see d'Arnaud in Queens.
Now.
Since they didn't move Buck at the deadline under the guise of "mentoring" yet they don't bring up the guy who would benefit from his long experience in the league. Recker is a nice player who could be a backup next year, but your point about d'Arnaud is well taken, Mack.
ReplyDeleteThat whole, "Play the veterans" BS from Collins underscores (along with his mismanagement of the bullpen, his disdain for younger players and his man-crushes on Ike Davis and Justin Turner, why he has to go as soon as possible.
People love Terry. They fight for him. They make excuses for him. And I don't get it. The Mets organization as a whole is completely screwed up.
ReplyDeleteI hate all this crap about winning as many games as possible. If true, DarNo would be up in the major leagues already. It's obvious at this point that Buck was a flash in the pan in April and there's no reason why Travis should have to wait for Baby Buck to be born in order for him to be promoted.
Honestly, if they hold Travis in the minor leagues at the beginning of next season in order to keep him from being a super two, ill officially start rooting for the Cardinals. You watch, it's going to happen....they'll pull some BS about him needing more development time because he missed the first half of the year. This is a guy who batted .333 with 16 bombs in half a season LAST YEAR in AAA.
Terry Collins so obviously hates young players not named Matt Harvey. He seems to think every player who gets promoted needs to be an instant all star or else they're being benched. It took way too long for Lagaras to be made an everyday player and Quintanina should be on the bench.
Where's Tejada? He's 23 with potential and shouldn't be second fiddle to any journeyman batting .220. Poor kid will never live down showing up on time instead of a month early.
Terry Collins is the destroyer of lefty bullpen arms. Edgin destroyed. Brydak destroyed. Rice is next in line. Poor Leathersich should decline any promotion until Collins is either fired, let go, or defers all pitching change decisions to Cowbell Man.
Also, telling Wheeler and then the media afterwards, that he should have just reached back and struck out a few batters after his defense couldn't make a few plays was borderline insane. Has Terry ever struck out a ML batter? Is it so simple, that any pitcher should be able to just do it, by simply trying harder? If that's the case, all Mets' pitchers should simply try harder all the time and start racking up some no hitters.
Wheeler is a rookie without control of all his pitches and his emotions. He, like most rookies, are still developing at the ML level. They're still learning. Matt Harvey wasn't this good until he spent nearly half a season learning the league and taking some lumps.
To rip a young player like he he did...he shows a glimpse of the man he supposedly used to be. It shows that he's still in there, but smart enough now not to go after the veterans who have the power to fight back. Collins has learned something from the revolts against him when he managed the Astros and Angels. He's learned that if he wants to keep his job, he's got to keep the veterans happy.
Unfortunately, for guys like Wheeler and Tejada, the old Collins is still there.
and Travis is still in Vegas because were waiting for Mrs. Buck to deliver....really? Only the Mets could make the promotion of THE major guy we wanted for our Cy Young award winning pitcher into a silly nightly sitcom. Add to that TC's "lets play the veterans" mantra and all of this is in the best interest of staying with the plan?
ReplyDeleteTerry has been embarrassing himself all year and not many people seem to see it.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I watch these pre and post conferences with TC and he's just starting to sound like an old man that is trying to always justify things that he's done wrong.
ReplyDeleteAge bring bad instincts and slow timing (trust me, I know) and there's a reason we have to step aside and yet a younger man do the job we once were sharp at.
I went through this in broadcasting. Collins needs to step aside and turn the team over to someone closer in age to the nucleus of this team.
Maybe we can get him to blog here?