3/4/14

Morning Report – 3-4-14 – Daisuke Matsuzaka, 25-and-Under Talent Rankings, Kevin Burkhardt, Cesar Puello




Coming Up –

          11 am – Christopher Soto - MM's Top 25- #5 C Kevin Plawecki

          12:30 pm  – Mack – Ramping Up The Lineup

             2 pm  -  Mack - A Word Of Caution   

            4 pm - D1 College Bat Prospects - Through 3-2-14

            6 pm -   Brandon Finnegan, Michael Gettys, Nick Gordon, Bradley Zimmer

             8 pm - A Quick Look - LHP - Kodi Medeiros - Waiskea (HI) HS

           

Mack – I do have a growing problem that some of you might be able to help me with.

The site lists 16 writers on Mack’s Mets; however, most have higher priorities in their lives at this given time. Our goals here is to always post something ‘new’ every two hours and, at least, three ‘original posts’ a day, Monday-Friday (15 per week). We haven’t even reached 50% of the goal in the past.

Mack’s Mets needs active writers. I can only do so much (case in point… a recent suggestion to create a highlight post each week for the D1 college pitchers took me almost 8 hours to compile).

The Mets pre-season has started… poorly. Maybe that’s the reason no one is posting.

Also, the loss of Stephen Guilbert  cost this site the best draft writer we had. And, Luis Tirado Jr. resigned yesterday to write exclusively for another blog. 

We need to get this party re-started and I ask all of you to either consider writing for Mack’s Mets, or talk it up among your friends. Please email me at :

                                      macksmets@gmail.com

And, we’ll solve this hiccup.



Final spot in Mets’ rotation is veteran Dice-K’s to lose - http://nypost.com/2014/03/02/final-spot-in-mets-rotation-is-veteran-dice-ks-to-lose/

TC - “It’s obvious that when you’re Daisuke Matsuzaka, you come with a track record. If he has a rough outing in spring training, you’ve got to turn your head a little bit. Those guys, they throw a lot of pitches to get ready for the season. But certainly with what he’s done in the past, you might have to say he’s probably the guy. He and Lannan would probably be the two leading guys right now.”

MackSo, what does Mejia do? Roll up the carpet and join the circus? Are the Mets actually going to put him back in the pen again or can’t they find some home for this guy to pitch. I guess for now you could have him pitch Las Vegas with Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero until you can find a team that will trade a chip for him.
Sandy, don’t let this guy come back and haunt us. Make it an American League team.


David Lennon ‏@DPLennon - I've talked to Jose Reyes a number of times since he left the #Mets. And every time I get the sense he can't believe he's not playing there


Chris Cotillo ‏@ChrisCotillo  - Sources: Top draft prospect Forrest Wall suffered minor shoulder injury in game this weekend. Should be fine within the next week. Wall, ranked #50 in the draft by @mattgarrioch, suffered slight shoulder dislocation. Popped back in w/ minimal pain. X-rays all clean.


BP –
          25-and-Under Talent Rankings

12. New York Mets

1. Matt Harvey (24), 2. Zack Wheeler (23), 3. Noah Syndergaard (21), 4. Travis d’Arnaud (25), 5. Jenrry Mejia (24), 6. Wilmer Flores (22, 7. Rafael Montero (23), 8. Amed Rosario (18), 9. Dominic Smith (18), 10. Cesar Puello (22)
Made MLB Debut? 5
Farm System Ranking: 8
Top 10 Prospects: Link
Prospects on the BP 101: 3
Top Prospect: Noah Syndergaard
Summary: Matt Harvey will miss a good portion of the 2014 season, but the Mets and their fans should be very excited for the potential duo of Harvey and Zack Wheeler in the foreseeable future. Noah Syndergaard has a high ceiling and could give the Mets a terrific third option. The back end of the team's U25 list is highlighted by intriguing position prospects Wilmer Flores, Dominic Smith, Amed Rosario and Cesar Puello. All could provide the Mets with an infusion of youthful talent and the fans with a little hope. —Tucker Blair


Kevin Burkhardt

          Now comes more bounty for the 40-year-old Burkhardt: SI.com has learned that Burkhardt has been chosen as the main host for Fox and Fox Sports 1's MLB pregame show, an assignment that includes the regular-season, All-Star Game, playoffs and World Series. Burkhardt is expected to work with Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas (who signed last month with Fox Sports), Fox Sports 1's Gabe Kapler, and a rotation of other analysts. On Sunday, a Fox Sports spokesperson declined comment on Burkhardt and other baseball-related questions.

Of interest to Mets fans: Burkhardt will still work for SportsNet New York (SNY) this season as a roving Mets reporter, a role he has received critical praise for in the New York City television market. He has worked for SNY since 2007 and is under contract through this Mets season. Look for Burkhardt to debut in his new role on April 5 prior to the Fox Sports 1 broadcast of the Twins-Indians (1:00 PM ET). Fox Sports 1's Ryan Field will serve as Burkhardt's backup for the host role http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/20140302/kevin-burkhardt-fox-sports-sochi-olympics-espn/#ixzz2uuYTgYnf

Mack Not bad for an ex-used car salesman. Kudos to someone that has always paid me respect… err… oh yeah, he didn’t return my congrat tweet yesterday… J


Game 4 High/Low Lites - 

                 - The long awaited appearance by Noah Syndergaard started out with a 95mph fastball and ended with one at 98... 1-2-3-in the first inning.. inning 2 also started with a strikeout (three pitches... all 96mph FBs to Evan Gattis)... proves human with a single to Ryan Doumit... 2.0-IP, 1-H, 2-K, 0-BB, 0.00

         It was interesting to see that Jeurys Familia pitched two innings in his first stint this spring. He also was the first reliever to do that. Are they stretching him out? (Cut it out Mack...)

                                    Mack - Frankly folks, this will be the highlight of this game (written after the 2nd inning). We're going to have to hang on the fact that we have some great, young arms to watch this spring, while the regular seaso lineup takes their time to join in the fun. This is how spring training works in the first week... we'll move on tomorrow to the projected 2014 roation and we should see players like Daniel Murphy, and David Wright after the weekend.  Hang in there. 

         By the way, remember this day. You might have just seen a piece of future Mets history (Thor). 




The have officially agreed to terms with 26 players, making every player on the 40-man roster signed through 2014.



Andy Martino

        “The Mets are impressed so far with the post-Biogenesis Cesar Puello, an outfield prospect who appears to be the same hitter, after the suspension.”

Mack – I don’t understand why this is a shocker. I said around twenty times that last year’s numbers were not affected by PEDs. Jeez…



6 comments:

Dallas said...

So is Burkhardt done with the Mets after this season? Is he too big for roving reporter now? I have always enjoyed his work. He asks great questions, really knows his stuff and can articulate it well. I will miss him if he goes. Guys like Eamon McAnaney and Marc Malusis don't do it for me.

Tom Brennan said...

Puello will be great, an All Star...that is my fan guess, based on the fact that he had a Bonds-like June which shows he is capable of doing huge things (well over .400, 9 HRs before he hurt his leg stealing a base - which, by the way, considering his scorching hitting then, someone at Binghamton should have told him "no stealing until your bat cools down, so you don't risk the surge with an injury.")

I heard Collins talking about Familia - did not see it all, but heard him say that Jeurys needs to continue to work on his command...I think it is talk to steer a guy to Vegas. I think Jeurys is in the bullpen opening day unless Terry's Vets are given 1st preference. Let's get the facts straight (I wish I had all of them in front of me, so in saying that, let's hope I am accurate)....which is, if a guy in his last 8 1/3 innings of winter ball, intrasquad and spring training had given up 4 hits, 2 walks, and K'd 18, would you not instead be thinking OMG, this guy could be on the verge of being lethal? And praising him? Well, those I believe are Familia's #'s over the last 8 1/3. I like them. A whole lot.

Mack Ade said...

Dallas -

(sorry for the late start this morning... my 8am post kicked back into the 'draft' section and didn't post up on auto).

Kevin's contract with SNY is finished at the end of this year. He is on a very fast track, so I assume his SNY days are over.

Mack Ade said...

Thomas -

Puello: Like Flores, both of these guys need to find a team that will give them 300-400 at bats in their first season so they can show everyone what they have. Puello, who is a + outfielder and has a cannon for an arm will be able to find his way into the Mets lineup a lot easier. I expect to see him this year, but not start until 2015.

Familiar - Jeurys is at the same stage most pitchers get to right before they become major league pitchers. The last thing they have to master is pounding the lower portion of the zone, with at least two pitches. Do that, you're home.

Reese Kaplan said...

They're punting the season by not starting the year with Mejia, Thor and Montero as the ONLY considerations for the rotation with Dice-K and Lannan as the grizzled veteran backups in the event they fail. They're doing the same by not giving the SS innings to Flores since they seem hell bent on Davis or Duda at 1B and that's the only other likely landing spot for the AAA RBI leader.

Mack Ade said...

now Duda has sore legs... what do these guys do in the off season? This isn't rugby...