Mack’s Morning Report – 12-31 – Jeurys Familia, Marlon Byrd, Danny Muno, Rusney Castillo, Rigo Terrazas

 

RT @gberg9 Syndergaard or Stephenson?

            Ben Badler ‏@BenBadler  - Stephenson. But both front-end starters.

 

BP –

•Jeurys Familia, RHP, Mets (Gigantes del Cibao, DWL): 2 IP, H, 4 K. Familia hasn’t thrown a lot this winter, but when he has, he’s been lights out, missing a ton of bats and flashing the mid-to-upper -90s velocity that has scouts raving. You can’t put a lot of stock in winter league performances, but you can put a ton of stock in young pitchers returning from injury and regaining velocity and missing bats. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=22483

 

David Schoenfield –

Finally, let’s talk about outfielder Marlon Byrd. A 30-something slugger who owes a big chunk of his power production to Texas’ home park leaves after 2009, has two disappointing seasons with the Cubs, then falls over a cliff in his age-34 season. And that’s it for him, right? Not at all: Byrd’s big bounce-back in 2013 after earning a job with the Mets in spring training made him a key stretch pickup for the Pirates. His combined .511 slugging percentage made him this winter’s quick addition to the fast-acting Phillies for two years (or three if a 2016 option vests) at $8 million per annum.

There are all sorts of “that won’t be easy” warning signs about Byrd’s 2013. Can he repeat a career-high .220 Isolated Power clip as a 36-year-old? Or a .353 batting average on balls in play, his best mark since his breakthrough 2007 season with the Rangers? Or a career-best 11.1 percent clip of homers on fly balls? It’s notable that Byrd has become a significantly different, more aggressive batsman with age, striking out a career-high 24.9 percent of the time last season while his unintentional walk rate plummeted to 5 percent, while also becoming a more pronounced fly-ball hitter. http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/43190/who-cant-top-what-they-did-in-2013

Mack – This is part of an article called ‘Who can't top what they did in 2013? ‘. There’s no way in hell Byrd is going to make the Phillies investment of $8mil a year a wise one. The Mets got the ‘best last year’ out of this guy and I love the fact that his new paycheck is coming out of the pocket of David Montgomery.

 

A Question from ‘Anonymous’ -

Hey Mack - my question comes from out of left field - about a 2nd baseman - what do you think of Danny Muno? Statistically (OBP, runs, RBIs) he had a great season in AA from June on. I know there is a 2B logjam, but what do you see as his major league potential? Possible starting 2B somewhere? Good utility guy? His name never comes up, and it is incredible to me how much you seem to know about so many current prospects and future draftees.

Mack – Thanks for the question (please join the site under some form of name so we can identify you with your thoughts on the Mets).

Muno was a four-year college player out of Fresno State, which put him behind the eight ball the day he became a Met. The unofficial age limit for a ‘prospect’ is 24 and Muno arrived in Brooklyn already being 22.

(This is what I hate about the way the Mets handle some of their college picks. Why are you starting a 22-year old in rookie ball? Most teams would have had a player like Muno at the A+ level, or they would have passed on a second baseman at the college level and went high school to fill the Cyclones slot)

Anyway, Muno turned heads at Brooklyn... playing shortstop…  (220-AB, .355, 23-doubles) and the Mets bumped him two levels in 2012 to St. Lucie.

Lucy went well (289-AB, .280/.38/.412/.799, 50-BB. He eventually became the full time second baseman in Florida (8-E, 55-G, .961).

And then there was Binghamton in 2013. We talk about this all the time… higher level, better pitching, changing strike zones, pain in the ass umpires. Muno had a miserable start of a season that included hitting .179 in May. He turned hot in July (.329) and finished off the season at .249 in 449-at bats. He’s projected to be the starting second baseman in Las Vegas come this spring.

Sadly, except for emergency backup, his professional shortstop days are past him. Can he make it at the major league level?

I always liked his bat and compared it to Josh Satin. Like Satin, you need a couple of lucky breaks to get a shot. Muno has an outside chance to become a utility player in 2015 for the Mets, but, past that might be a stretch. He really offers no help at third and my guess is Wilfredo Tovar will step up and become the Justin Turner of 2014.

 

John Sickles –

                                    SS Gregorio Petit:

In 2010 he was traded to Texas and hit .251/.316/.342 with their AAA affiliate before becoming a free agent. He then lost all of 2011 to a knee injury and hooked on with Cleveland for the 2012 season. He hit .260/.320/.403 over 111 games, knocking a career high 10 homers as a 27 year old. He spent the year back in AAA for this past season and hit .292/.344/.380 with San Diego's affiliate in Tucson. Add it all up and you get a plus defender with the resume to back it and a bottom of the order hitter. As a back up middle infielder or even a defense-first starter, I believe Petit could hold his own offensively and excel defensively if given a chance at the big league level. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2013/12/30/5252780/prospecting-for-minor-league-fa-middle-infielders

Mack – I just thought you would find it interesting what free agent utility infielders are still out there. 

BA –

Another one of Cuba’s best players has left the island, the latest in a wave of defections that isn’t expected to slow down. Rusney Castillo, a 26-year-old center fielder who had been one of the top players in Cuba, has left the country to pursue a contract with a major league team, Baseball America has learned. Castillo is short but has a strong, athletic frame at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds. His best tool is his speed, as he’s an above-average runner and one of the better base stealers in Cuba. More of a doubles hitter than a big home run threat, Castillo puts a charge into the ball with a line-drive righthanded swing, though he can get long to the ball at times and some scouts think he’s prone to chasing pitches off the plate. Primarily a center fielder in Cuba, Castillo has also played some second and third base, so his versatility could be a draw for some teams. He’s an aggressive, high-energy player, though some teams see him as a fourth outfielder. http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/defection-of-top-cuban-outfielder-rusney-castillo-could-shake-up-market/  

LJ Mazzilli -

To all my Friends and Family on Facebook. I am deleting my Facebook and my other social medias for a little while to focus on more physical things in my life.

 

Rigo Terrazas -

San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora. - The Young sanluisino Rigoberto Terrazas Paramo, 17, will be making his lifelong dream of traveling to Dominican Republic, where he will be for 1 month and a half in the team training MLB, Mets New York. This talented sanluisino player, who was signed as a pitcher for the Red Devils but in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, was seen by the great Mexican player, one of the best short stop Jose Luis "El Borrego" Sandoval, who commanded Terrazas to unfold at shortstop, leaving "El Borrego" Sandoval struck by the elegance which carried this important prospect on the king of sports position. Quickly José Luis Sandoval spoke to the team leaders Diablos Rojos del Mexico, a team that played more than 20 years and explained that Terrazas had Rigoberto further from shortstop to pitcher and would be as productive as infield, as his excellent glove when catching the ball was remarkable. http://www.oem.com.mx/tribunadesanluis/notas/n3109380.htm

BP –

                                               •Dee Gordon, UTIL, Dodgers (Indios de Mayaguez, PRWL): 3-4, R, K. The most notable thing about this performance by Gordon isn’t the three hits but that he was playing second base and has seen some time there this winter. We also know that he’s been working out in center field in addition to his natural shortstop position. He may never hit enough to play regularly, but a player with plus-plus base-running ability that can fill in at shortstop and center field has some value, and if he can also back-up at second base, well that’s a plus. Think of a faster Desi Relaford. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=22483