Mack Ade – Morning Report – 10-14-13 – Cesar Puello, Michael Wacha, Mets Pitching, Mets Bullpen

 

First, some ‘dirty laundry’:

                For some reason, the site has lost all the links that were across the top of the front page. You know, the ones that you can click on and go to the Mets affiliates, other blogs, newspapers, etc. They’re  just not there anymore and I have no idea how to fix it. I didn’t design the site so all I can do at this point is apologize for the loss of that feature.

                Secondly, the activity on the site is great and the comments have never been greater, but I could use some suggestions to the question of the week in ‘The War Room’ every Sunday morning. In a perfect world, I would love someone to take over this feature and post up the question each week and, if you are interested in doing that, please reach me at: macksmets@gmail.com. But, the least I could use is some good suggestions regarding what the weekly question should be. Write down my email address and when something comes to you that you’d like us to hash around, email me, okay?

                Lastly, writers. Can always use more, especially during the off-season.  Again, the pay is bad (none) and you get the same amount of press passes to Mets games that I get, but you do become part of what many feel is the smartest Mets web site out there. Right now, it looks like I have the Mon-Fri 10am posting filled with five great writers (once a week) and I now want to move on to 12noon. You would have to write at least 400 words in one post a week, put it into the system, and either leave it in draft form or schedule it yourself on the day I assign to you. Please consider joining The Mack’s Mets Report… macksmets@gmail.com.

 

LCS player payrolls:

Dodgers ($216,753,286), Red Sox ($154,555,500), Tigers ($148,693,600), Cardinals ($116,790,787). You can’t reach the final four without a nine-figure team talary.

 

MLB and union have come to an agreement that allows 40-man roster players to participate in winter ball.

 

How many times have I written and complained that the Mets passed on OF Courtney Hawkins, who was picked with the next pick after the Mets chose SS Gavin Cecchini? Well, forget that one… seven picks after the Cecchini pick St. Louis chose P Michael Wacha (the 8^th pitcher picked in the draft… Kevin Gausman (4^th - Baltimore), Kyle Zimmer 5^th – KC), Max Fried (7^th – Padres), Mark Appel (8^th – Pirates), Andrew Heaney (9^th – Miami), Nick Travieso (14^th – Reds), Lucas Giolito (16^th – Nats), Wacha (19^th).

 

Greb B. asked –

                Mack love reading your site. I look at it a few times every day, thanks. My question is about Cesar Puello. How does the front office think about him? And what do you think of him?

                                Mack – Greg, thank you for your kind comments.

                                I liked Puello from the day I met him in Savannah and I have never heard a bad word spoken about him by anyone in the Mets organization. He was considered a 5-tool prospect the day he was signed and his career was just sailing through the GCL Mets (2008 - .305), Kingsport (2009 - .296), and Savannah (2010 - .292). And then came two meh years in St. Lucie (2011 - .259, 2012 - .260) that included injuries, mental errors and just a general feeling that he had lost that confidence level a player needs to be successful in this game.

                                2013 brought two things… an all-star season and a big time drug bust and frankly it’s going to have to take another season for everyone to once again believe in this guy, but I’m telling you that the natural talent is there. I’ve been told he never took any drugs and just made the appointment book, but I can’t prove that,  Ask any Mets official or any scout that has covered this guy and they will all tell you that he has the talent to be an every day starter in this game. It’s just up to him. 

                                My guess he will impress in spring training, eat up Las Vegas in April and May and will be handed the right filed job in Flushing around the same time you see Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard come up. This is going to be a second part of the season kind of team and you just want to be happy with as close to a .500 record as they can reach before the all-star break. My hopes are for a new left fielder, shortstop and first baseman, but we’ll have to see.  

 

Mets source –

                “You just look at the way the game is going with all these young, power arms having such an impact at this time of the year, and it makes you feel good about where we’re going. We feel like our young pitching is going to be capable of doing some big things for us, and we have to be careful about not trading any of it away. Because it’s not only about having the starters – look at the Cardinals, with all those young guns in the bullpen, too. Every guy comes out of the bullpen throwing 97-98, and that’s a big part of why they’re there, too.”

                                Mack – It’s not just Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Noah Syndergaard.

                                It’s also Rafael Montero, Jenrry Mejia, Gonzalez Germen, Vic Black, Jacob deGrom, Cory Mazzoni, Jeurys Familia, Jeff Walters, Jack Leathersich, Hansel Robles, and Adam Kolarek.

                                These are the names of the pitchers that will make up the lion share of the 2014 and 2015 roster and all you have to do is add names like Jon Niese, Josh Edgin, Dillon Gee, and Bobby Parnell to make up one of the better young pitching staffs in the league.

                                The real good news is the list has 18 names on it, far more than is needed. There will  be room to improve your everyday squad by dealing off a few of these guys at various times during the next 18 months.

                                Take your money and buy bats. The pitching is already here.

 

 

Spencer Manners -

The signing of Hawkins also seemed to work out pretty well for the Mets. This season, Hawkins proved that age is just a number as he compiled a 3.16 FIP along with 20 shutdowns — all at the age of 40. However, for every successful reliever the Mets had — Hawkins, Parnell, and Carlos Torres — there was Scott Atchison, Greg Burke, and Brandon Lyon, each of whom had ERAs above 4.00. The point is that the bad far outweighed the good. http://mets360.com/?p=19331

Mack – I have no idea what to do with Hawkins and I’ll leave that to Sandy Alderson to decide. As for the rest of the bullpen, I don’t think Parnell will be ready and you’re probably going to see a lot of the names I listed above. The first converted starters may be Jacob DeGrom and Cory Mazzoni.