4/21/14

Morning Report – 4-21-14 – 8.0-IP/0-R, Cesar Puello, Shortstop

1964 Astrodome


Coming Up –

        12 noon - Craig Mitchell -- Shea Stadium, 50 years of Memories.....

         2 pm –   Baseball America - College Top 100 Pitchers

           5pm -  Michael Cederoth, Kyle Schwarber, Chris Ellis, Cobi Johnson, Matt Imhof

          8pm –  OF - Luke Bonfield - Immaculata (NJ) HS



The game was won yesterday out of the pen. Six pitchers combined for eight scoreless innings that also included eight strikeouts. You can't ask for more than that and the right guys pitched at the right time. Carlos Torres was first used as your two-inning long man and he was followed by the new closer, Kyle Farnsworth. The absolute bonus was three gem innings (5-K) from the Dice man. 

If there is a down side here it would be the continued lack of pizzazz by Zack Wheeler, who isn't showing anything close to what Matt Harvey gave this team last year. Is he another Mike Pelfrey? It's too early to tell, but he's way overdue for a gem




Oh, one more thing, this one about Las Vegas...


It's nice to see that Bobby Abreu is producing so well out west. He's actually playing right field now rather than only holding down the DH spot. And I know that Cesar Puello hasn't put up the best numbers so far this season, but isn't the job of a minor league team to play and work with the future of your team, the prospects, rather than an old war horse at the end of his career?


Put Puello back in the day-to-day lineup and let him work his way to where he belongs, Queens.









We move on to shortstop in our organizational analysis. Below are the ‘early returns’ from April throughout the organization:







Queens wise, it looked early like Ruben Tejada (.184) was going to prove all the critics wrong, but he has now fell down to the Mendoza level he seems to be comfortable playing at. His backup, Omar Quintanilla (.308), is no long term solution here. This is a problem that seems to only be able to be solved by someone new.

First of all, the only chance you have of finding someone right now that can take over the job in Queens would be Wilmer Flores (.250), who is not learning how to play the position in Vegas, but learning how to play it better. His bat is coming around, which will just put more pressure on management to make the decision whether or not Flores will replace Tejada. I can’t seem to come up with a reason not to try it until the all-star break. That would give the Mets ample time to try and find someone long term. The worst thing that could happen here would be that Flores wins that long term job my the usage of his bat.

Anyway, Anthony Seratelli (.231) serves as Flores’ backup, as he does on other infield positions.

In Binghamton, Matt Reynolds (.383) goes back and forth with second base, though Wilfredo Tovar (.317) is considered the ‘starting’ shortstop on the team.

One of the biggest positive surprises this season was the return of Phillip Evans (.280). He’s finally producing the kind of numbers the Mets thought he was capable of doing when they paid him a sizable over slot bonus on draft day. Robbie Shields (.333) who currently is starting third baseman, doubles as the backup shortstop for St. Lucie.
Lastly, in Savannah, the prospect is Gavin Cecchini (.236), but Jeff McNeil (.320) who backs up here and plays more third base, is putting up the better numbers.

Summary:  Frankly, I don’t see anyone pushing anyone here. There probably will be a day that Flores is sent to Queens and the Mets will have to decide if Reynolds should be promoted to the shortstop position in Las Vegas. Both these guys are now being targeted at short, but I don’t see anybody in this breakout piece being a future long term Mets shortstop.

Long term, the best fielding shortstop in the system is Luis Guillorme, and the highest ceiling is Amed Rosario. Both these guys were left back in extended camp and are years away.

It’s no big secret, but let me say it again… the Mets are going to have to find their long term shortstop outside this organization, but, if you don’t mind, I’m going to rant a little about this again here.

Ruben Tejada is not being paid the same amount of money as Curtis Granderson so there’s no reason to keep this failed experiment going any longer. I’m not sure how Wilmer Flores would handle being given the job of the Mets shortstop, but they have nothing to lose right now to try it. The Mets are playing around .500 ball and that was without Chris Young in the lineup. The team needs bats and relief pitchers and the only way to find them is to start inserting who you have in the system that could help you.

I love the Ike Davis move. It was decisive and bold and speaks to the future, but this team needs players now. Bring up Flores, make Tejada your utility middle infielder, and send Omar Quintanilla to Las Vegas. It’s a better team. Don’t you want to have a better team?





11 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Flores gave us 4 more reasons to call him up yesterday...getting on four times. He has been real hot the last, oh, 5 games. I agree, call him up... this week would be fine.

Ike had to go...Mack, since the player to be named later is in June most likely, do you think they have a handshake agreement that the better Ike does, the better that prospect?

I agree on Wheeler - all the buzz of last year for me has worn off..now is the time to show he is more Harvey than Pelf.

Speaking of Pelf, Thor has been pitching like Pelf...lots of runners and low Ks. Is he still throwing 97?. When camp started and he was at 97, I was thinking "why are they letting him air it out like that so early?"

TP said...

Mack,
Improve the team now? Huh? I'm not sure Alderson can process that statement in his ivy league mind.

I agree on Tejada/Flores. Now that Ike has been dealt and the payroll is $10 million less that last year's lame amount, I don't know if Alderson has any plans to upgrade SS or the bullpen externally. If not on SS, get Flores to Citifield now and leet's have a look for two months. By the way, Alderson has shown a tremendous knack to put together a bottom 5 bullpen, and right now, despite the scoreless innings yesterday, this is the worst of his pens. If he doesn't make some moves, meaning more that one, they have no shot at playing .500 ball. These starters aren't bad, but all are 6+ inning pitchers, meaning the pen is needed at least 3 innings every game.

Regarding Syndy, Montero, and the pitching prospects, the last starts have not been so hot, and we all need to settle down and realize that while minor league performance is great, it means nothing until a player either does it in the bigs, or is used as part of a trade to get someone who does it in the bigs.

Reese Kaplan said...

I have to disagree about minor league numbers. Yes, there are some AAA All-Stars who can't seem to take it to the next level, but flip it around -- who performed at a mediocre level in the minors and then went on to be solid in the big leagues? Gonzalez Germen is the closest the Mets have to that and I would hardly call him solid. Consequently I do believe that AAA success is a better predictor of major league success than anything else. It's not a guarantee, mind you, but the most positive sign we have.

Towards that end I'll reiterate that despite their lackluster recent starts that I believe Montero will have more immediate success in the bigs than will Syndergaard.

Tom Brennan said...

Syndergaard has been strong, not dominant, in 2 road starts....terrible in 2 starts in Vegas. My guess is it is a very tough place to hit between altitude (2200 feet) and feel for the ball.

That Adam Smith said...

A couple of points. First, if you're willing to live with your SS hitting .200 (or less) then let's bring up Tovar. At least it's an upgrade defensively. If you're looking for an additional bat, then get Flores up here (I have to think that unless they plan to sign The Boras Client Who Will Not Be Named, that they are going to do this once Wilmer gets another 15+ games under his belt at the position in Vegas.)

I'm also leaning heavily towards starting a campaign to make Dice-K the closer. We might still lose some games, but at least it'll take longer.

Herb G said...

Adam-

I'm more of a mind to make Mejia the closer and bring Montero up. Or even give the #5 job to Dice-K.

Mack Ade said...

ric restre (signed in using Hotmail)

Draft Results pirates 2013

Austin Meadows CF L / L 6' 3" 200 05/03/1995

Reese McGuire C L / R 6' 0"181 03/02/1995

Blake Taylor LHP L / L 6' 3"220 08/17/1995

JaCoby Jones SS/CF R / R 6' 3"200 05/10/1992

Cody Dickson LHP L / L 6' 3"180 04/27/1992

Trae Arbet SS R / R 6' 0"185 07/01/1994

Adam Frazier SS L / R 5' 11"170 12/14/1991

Buddy Borden RHP R / R 6' 3"210 04/29/1992

Neil Kozikowski RHP R / R 6' 4"180 05/26/1995

Chad Kuhl RHP R / R 6' 3" 215 09/10/1992

Shane Carle RHP R / R 6' 4" 185 08/30/1991

We need SS, LHP, POWER OF, you never have enough RHP.

My guest is Meadows, J Jones, Taylor or Frazier.

Mack Ade said...

Thomas -

I think they have a handshake agreement on a player... but that player could change if he became injured. I don't see Ike Davis having anything to do with who it is at this point.

Mack Ade said...

Adam -

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that Dice-K has problems in the first inning he pitches.

Mack Ade said...

I don't happen to think you can calculate how anyone who is paying/pitching in he PCL atmosphere is going to play in the East Coast majors.

Anonymous said...

I would love to have Meadows as he was a heavy Mets target in the 2013 draft before the Pirates nabbed him 2 picks before us. Both LHP guys would be an option too but I don't think anyone else fits. Got a story coming out on all these guys tomorrow.