5/22/14

Morning Report – May 22nd – Juan Centeno, David Wright, Dilson Herrera



        Coming Later Today –

                10 am - d'Whit - Built For The Future-The Kids Are Alright Pt. 2

                 12 noon –  Top 13 1B in 2014 MLB Draft - revised 5-19-14

                3 pm -  Top 15 C in 2014 MLB Draft - Updated 5-19-14

6 pm -  Alex Destino, Derek Hill, Chase Vallot, Tyler Kolek, Aaron Nola, Greg Deichmann



Re:  Last night - Jacob deGrom threw three bad pitches, Jeurys Familia one, but the bats of Lagares, Murphy, Wright, Granderson,,Campbell, and Flores are giving the Mets a fighters chance to win.

I'm not changing anything. You can't lose every game for the rest of  May, can you?



ernest dove @ernestdove  - @JohnMackinAde so this Juan Centeno,  aka the latin josh thole, is growing on me a little

Centeno has been an interesting ‘organizational’ player who has always been tagged as a ‘great defensive backup’.

Most think he was an International free agent sing, but he actually was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2007th draft out of Antonio Lucchetti High School in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

Catchers drafted in the 30-50th rounds are done for bullpen catchers only throughout the minor league system. Every team has one, usually not on the active roster, catching the next pitcher due to come out of the bullpen.

The problem with Centeno was that wasn’t good enough for him. He hit .371 for Brooklyn in 2010 (20-yrs old), .318 for St. Lucie in 2011, .285 for Binghamton in 2012, and .305 last year for Las Vegas.

Centeno offers the Mets a third option until Kevin Plawecki (2014: Binghamton: .325) graduates to the Bigs. He also bats left, so he could be platooned with either of the righties, Travis d’Arnaud or Anthony Recker.

One problem… another bat with no pop.



It seems to me that one of the first people that will get a level bump this season is St. Lucie 2B-SS Dilson Herrera. He went 3-4 yesterday and now has 25 hits in his last 12 games. His HR helped add 112 points to his OPS. His batting average is now up to .328, and a move to Binghamton could be executed the same day the B-Mets move their second baseman over full time to SS (Matt Reynolds - .333).



Bob Sugar said...

I like the post Mack. I have a lot to say on it but I'll be brief. Can Sandy and Co. be trusted with the future of the Mets? Ownership and I say that lightly has to make that call. And is just me but is David Wright hitting the softest 285 you'll ever see? Not clutch in my opinion

                Hey Bob.

        Look, I hate to tell you, but, under the Wilpons, this may be the best you’re ever going to see. And based on that, we probably should be happy with a guy like Sandy Alderson running the limited funded show.

        Alderson knows a lot about baseball and his gentle touch makes it a lot friendlier for players being benched for what seems like no reason at all.

        The salary faucets are closed for the season, proven by the Drew signing in Boston.  I really like how he and his people have drafted but, other than that, I’m not that impressed. The Dickey trade still hasn’t produced any winner for this team and none of the free agents he has signed has made a difference for this team.

        And I’m even more concerned with ‘and the company’, now that Terry Collins seems to be challenging the press with wise ass statements that the starting lineups are filled out a week in advance. What kind of motivation is this?

        Alderson and  Collins have spent all this week talking about the SS and LF situation and both are back to talking about ‘the future’ again, rather than ‘the present’.

                Here we go again.

Regarding David Wright, I think you’re watching someone just play out the season right now. He’s a born leader and the last thing you’re going to see if him standing in front of a microphone and trashing the team that pays him, but I’m sure he feels let down.

The last straw, at least for this season, might be the final word on Drew. What a perfect shortstop he would have made next to David and what a perfect statement by the team (ownership) that they are going to do what it takes to turn this around this year.

I’ve watched Wright put the franchise on his shoulder before. 

He’s not doing that this season.

       

I want to spend a few more moments on Rafael Montero and his first couple of outings.

       I said from day one that the Mets would be better served with Montero pitching at the back end of the pen, along with Jeurys Familia and Jenrry Mejia.

        I welcome any of you to keep track of the stats these three put up this year in the first two innings they pitch each game.

       You can’t solve every problem this team has in one day with the current crew of players, but you can fill the cracks in the dyke you call the Mets bullpen.

       I would love to be able to go back and apply a 2.00 ERA to the last three innings to the Mets pitchers that pitched in the 6th-9th innings this year. It would probably astound both of us how this would alter the existing win-loss record.

       Who would start? That’s another subject, but I assure you, the leads the Mets had this season, and the times they fought back, would matter a lot more.



Eno Sarris asks if a six-man rotation would be the answer to all the Tommy John Surgeries going on in the sport these days.         http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/76156074/major-league-baseball-six-man-starting-pitcher-rotations-tommy-john-elbow-injuries#!PiEnR

        

17 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

A win would have been nice last nite. Drew would have been a good pick up too. But I was so happy to see Campbell, Flores, and Lagares, producing 5 singles, a triple and HR between them.

We need to still be a bit patient with Chris Young, but with other alternatives a flight from Las Vegas away, if Chris keeps hitting .200 with lots of strikeouts on a K- prone, hit-deprived team, I hope this team's for once say this guy is not working out as we'd hoped, and let him go, even if it means eating $4MM, so they can "evaluate the future" with other guys...I hope for a Chris Young renaissance, but his remaining contract should not prevent moves such as letting him go, or eating all but the ML minimum and trading him for a low level prospect, if called for by his ongoing non-performance.

And I do not care about the 8th inning confusion at 2B, I was thrilled to see a SS get multiple hits. Every day, Terry.

Mack Ade said...

Good morning, Thomas.

My Doc has me back on an old sleeping pill so I'm back to 'regular' hours (online at 7am).

I'm not worried long term about what is happening to deGrom, Montero, amd Familia. There are anywhere from one to three bad pitches a game.

The confusion at 2B was Familia's fault. He hesitated. I used to catch balls at third that HAD to be thrown to second and I never worried if the person that was supposed to be there was there when I was throwing it. I first had my job to do correctly even if no one showed up and I was charged with an error wild throw.

I haven't looked but I don't think Campbell's splits were that bad hitting against left/right. Don't be surprsed you don't see him in LF.

The Mets have to stay with the hot bats to turn this around.

Ernest Dove said...

Sooooo, Flores is basically in another world from Tejada as far as being able to hit...and, in my humble opinion, has a much stronger arm, making throws to first look EASY....should probably hit second, with Murph 5th.

Ernest Dove said...

Lagares
Flores
Wright
Duda
Murphy
Grandy
Campbell
Tda

Mack Ade said...

Morning Ernest -

You have to circle the wagons when your results are as bad as May has been,

Go with the hot bats... platoon every position if you have to... there seems to be a mental block about Mets pitchers getting through the 6th inning... how about Dice-K and one more "long man" for the 6th/7th until the team figures this out...

just do what it takes to win 2/3 then polish it up

Ernest Dove said...

Good morning my friend.....
I'm starting to feel like I simply don't have the heart to keep watching the games..... I give myself excuses, such as watching because montero degrom or wheeler are starting, or Lagares and Flores are playing, etc.
I don't think I have the heart to watch team get swept tonight...
But u never know...strange ass team has habit of beating top notch starters randomly.

Tom Brennan said...

I looked the other day, Mack. Campbell was a smoldering 15 for 32 in AAA with 7 extra base hits vs. lefties. But he was over .400 on base vs. righties, so he is not a strict lefty/righty guy. Low strikeout guy. Lot of doubles. Decent speed. I'd welcome more playing time for him in LF. And 1B, if Duda continues to be non-clutch and high K.

Also, as I noted, this started last year with Campbell in July...he limped and struggled thru July and August in AAA in 2013 with a paltry .490 on base %. Why he couldn't get to .500, I'll never know. Terry would have benched him to go with the cold hand.

TP said...

Some comments -
DW is hitting the softest .285 ever, and he is consistently getting beat with fastballs. Can't blame that on Grandy hitting behind him...it is concerning but not yet to the point of panic.
Lagares is their best player right now, needs to play daily and lead off vs. LHP.
Flores needs to play every day at SS, case closed.
C Young better wake up the bat real soon or I agree with releasing him and giving those ABs to someone else.
I'd keep Murphy in the 2-hole, at least vs. RHP...has more speed that Wilmer (never thought I use Murph and speed in same sentence.
Dilson Hererra and Reynolds are positives (along with Nimmo and Plawicki and Tovar). Hope to see the merry go round in motion soon.

Unknown said...

Hopefully they stay with Flores, Lagares and Campbell. Also I wouldn't move Flores or Lagares up in the batting order, they seem to be doing fine in the back end. I would move TDA up to second and push everyone back a notch, and bat Duda or Campbell 8th.
Mack I am not into rushing these kids into the pen this year, let them try and work it out in the SP roll first. This year I just hope we land another top ten pick in next years draft. Then after that I wanna draft last in the first round for years to come.

Reese Kaplan said...

There needs to be a symbolic gesture about winning now that they did their best Beltran-facing-Wainwright impression concerning Stephen Drew. If you don't take the bat off your shoulder, you'll never make contact.

My thought (which is less expensive than releasing C. Young) is to fire the manager and bring up Wally Backman on an interim basis. If he clashes too much with the front office, you let him walk in October. If he does a good job, you extend him.

Mack Ade said...

Ernest -

50% of the people I know when I started this blog no longer follow or no longer root for the Mets. One even, my brother, became a Yankee fan

Mack Ade said...

TP -

You need to wake up Cesar Puello who could step in and share time with Campbell in the OF when Duda is at 1B

Mack Ade said...

Zozo - I'll comment on the 'pen-kids' comment in tomorrow's report

Mack Ade said...

Reese -

If you truly believe this than you need to keep writing about it.

I'm going to cover this subject regarding John Zozo's comments above. The Mets World read everything the rest of us write, and if there are 20-30 of us all saying the same thing, the Mets front office can not turn a blind eye to it.

Tom Brennan said...

Puello is a puzzle, Mack. Showed so much promise last year in his injury and suspension shortened season, followed by a miserable winter ball season and a subpar AAA season so far. I don't get the drop off. In the latter 2 segments, very low power, low average, low walks, high Ks. (in fairness, his K's are WAY down in May, so that is a real positive.)

The "five tools" exploded last year, and have gone dormant since. I truly hope he figures it out soon.

Bill Metsiac said...

What makes Reese and others think Wally is the answer? We basically know that Alderson pulls the strings anyway, but I wonder why, with so many manager openings last Winter, Wally couldn't even get an INTERVIEW, much less a ML job.

Do all the Wally backers know something that every GM doesn't?

Mack Ade said...

Bill -

I for one am not a Wally backer, and, you are right, it really doesn't matter who the manager will be as long as Alderson remains the General Manager