Coming
Later Today –
9 30 am – Herb G
– Minor League Report
11 00 am - Mack - And So It Begins
11 00 am - Mack - And So It Begins
3 00 pm –
2015 Draft Profile - SS/3B
- John
Aiello - Germantown Academy (PA)
- updated 6-17 - Video
6 00 pm -2015 Draft Profile - RHP - Carson Fulmer - Vanderbilt - updated 6-16
Morning.
The Kingsport Mets open their season today. They haven’t sent a
roster to me yet, but, as soon as I have it, I will post it up on the site.
Mark Davis will be posting up a recap of every K-Port home game he attends,
which I understand is just about every one. It’s an honor to have him and
Savannah’s Wally Murphy on the site. Fan dedication at its finest.
You can follow Mark (@kmetsfan) and Wally (@wmurphy257) also on
Twitter.
I mentioned right after the draft that it will interesting to
see who exactly plays first base on the lower level affiliates once their
seasons start. There seemed to be a fair amount of draftees that either play
first base primarily or are projected to wind up there someday.
Well, the first became reality on Tuesday night. 9th
round pick Michael Katz played first base for Brooklyn. He comes there from William
& Mary College where he already hit 14 home runs this season. Let’s hope
this continues in Coney Island.
A Major
League source – “San Diego is going to start selling soon.”
Mack – The Mets also look like sellers, but future teams can be
built by members of teams that are sheading contracts mid-season. Let’s look at
some players that should become available:
Carlos Quentin – Quentin is being paid
$10.525mil this season, will be a free agent next year, and plays third base.
He is not desired by the New York Mets.
Chase Headley – I can’t think of anymore that
fits the Mets future at this position better. He’s at his prime (31-yrs old),
plays left field, and is in the Chris Young range through 2015 ($9.5mil-2014, $8mil-2015). He’s basically a
20-HR, .240 hitter and has had his injury problems (bone bruise, groin) this
season, but he still is a middle of the lineup hitter that would slot in nicely
until Michael Conforto
could take this job
away in 2016.
There are others… P Joaquin Benoit, CF Cameron Maybin, RF Will Venable… that could be available, but
(IMO) they don’t fit ‘the plan’.
I simply would love a deal for
Headley that would send them a secondary prospect.
Dallas asked –
Any
good free agent SS this off season? We should get a protected first round pick
again with the way things are trending. Where does DeGrom fit into all of this?
RP? Trade? (if so, then for what?) Backup for injury?
Mack – MLBTR lists the following shortstops available via
free agency in 2015:
Mike Aviles (34) – $3.5MM club option with a $250k buyout…
Clint Barmes (36)… Asdrubal Cabrera (29)…
Stephen Drew (32)… Rafael Furcal (37)…
Tyler Greene (31)… J.J. Hardy (32)
Jed Lowrie (31)… John McDonald (40)
Hiroyuki Nakajima (32) – $5.5MM club option with a $500K buyout
Nick Punto (37) – club/vesting option
Hanley Ramirez (31)
Jimmy Rollins (36) – vesting/club/player option
Let’s throw out the old guys, team options, and Ramirez who
the Mets would never spend the kind of bucks needed to secure his services.
That leaves:
Asdrubal Cabrera – Clev - .255 - $10mil/2014
Stephen Drew – which, is hilarious
Tyler Greene – SD - .297/AAA – minimum
J.J. Hardy – Balt - .289 - $7.91667mil/2014
Jed Lowrie – Oak - .224 - $5,25mil/2014
(Greene’s an interesting story…
big time first round pick, 30th overall, in 2005 by St. Louis that
lost his way after seven years in their organization. Since then, he’s bounced
around five teams, including being cut earlier this season by Atlanta. He seems
to have found new air… he he… in the PCL and is cheap as hell)
As for deGrom, there are many
on this site that don’t agree with me but I firmly believe that deGrom is the
Mets strongest trade chip during July. He’s young, cheap, healthy, swings a
good bat (sic) and has had a not of national exposure. There’s no room for this
kid no matter how you plan out the 2015 rotation. Dillon Gee will be coming back soon and
this would be a perfect time to get your future shortstop or an outfielder of Joc Peterson-quality, even if Peterson
himself wasn’t available.
It’s going to be hard to find a more impressive first outing
than the one Corey Oswalt came up with for Brooklyn on Tuesday night… six scoreless
innings, eight strikeouts, and no walks.
Oswalt was a 7th round 2012 high ceiling pitcher out
of Madison High School, in San Diego ($400K over-slot bonus) who simply
couldn’t put a decent season together for the past two years. 2013 was
particularly difficult (K-Port, 9-G, 6-ST, 4-3, 8.15) followed by an injury
ridden 2014 (K-Port, 3-G, 2-ST, 0-1, 3.46). He’s still only 20-years old so
there’s plenty of time to get back on the rails and Tuesday night sure looks
like a great first step.
Robin asked –
Hey
Mack. Is this going to get any better?
Mack – Hey Robin.
The simple answer is no.
Most of the players currently on the 25-man Mets squad are
simply happy just to call themselves major league players. I’m sorry, but there
is not enough collective talent on this team to be relevant.
More importantly, all the great, young pitching in the world
isn’t going to make up for the lack of hitting talent, both on the team, and in
the upper levels of the system.
Then there’s the fact that the word is out on this
organization and baseball players would rather play in the fast pitch Central
Park Softball League than for this team, this owner, and this field.
Too many factors. Too many ‘ifs’. Too many 10-HR hitters have
to miraculously become 20-HR hitters.
I’m sorry Robin. Things aren’t going to change either under
the current ownership or the current operating plan of action.
13 comments:
Maybe Corey Oswalt can become the next Roy Oswalt. 163 career wins. Why not?
Kershaw tosses 2nd LAD no-no in a month. Mets have one in 53 years. A study in contrasts.
Another "despite of" win day yesterday for Mets, where Mets won in spite of yet another 0-4 from Chris Young. Chris Young is getting old around here. Throw Campbell into the soup mix some more, Terry.
Headley hasn't played LF since 2009 and even then he was an atrocious LF at that.
2008: -15.5 UZR
2009: -10.2 UZR
Plus his bat has been missing for 2 years now. He's hitting .204 this year and hit .250 last year....Thanks but no thanks I'd rather have Eric Young Jr. out there.
Hey Mack
Kudos for continuing to be able to churn out material for an irrelevant team. Matt Harvey and Tom Seaver could miraculously appear and I don't think this bunch can score enough runs to approach .500. Looking at the lineup makes me wonder who is at least major league average. Wright and Murphy are above average hitters although the Captain will need to rebound. Granderson has to be average and he seems to be getting to his historical numbers. If Lagares can stay on the field then he fits as a regular MLB player. That leaves SS, C, 1B, and LF as below average. Of course that is stating the obvious about those positions but there never seems to be a plan. We can all come up with plans that wouldn't break the bank of a mid-level MLB team in the 110-120 payroll range.
The problem is it's Mid-June and we are talking about how to fix next year already and that is the biggest problem. I want to turn on the TV (I'm in the Boston area so I can't go to games) and watch games that have some meaning. As much fun as it is to dissect what is going on, the real joy is watching your team have a chance to win every night and have the chance to make the playoffs. It's June and we have lost that. Mr. Alderson is going to have to decide if he likes the sound of apathy better than the "negativity" that comes with being in the NY market. He needs to go to the owners and say, I can't put a winning team on the field at this payroll level. I need to be able to make a mistake like Chris Young and be able to fix it. If you want the fans back, you have to make an investment in the now as much as the future. Apathy is right around the corner.
Mack
Following up on Terry Collins statement yesterday about performance & winning determines playing time......
Flores was 1 for 4 yesterday and scored a run.
Plus the team won......
Does Collins start Flores the next game?
I'm going to guess.....no..., since the actions of this team's decision makers NEVER match up with what they say.
Mets Dreams,
I would disagree with you about our catching position being below average. Right now, yes, we have 2 backups starting. But d'Arnaud will be back very soon, and he is such a good defensive catcher that , even with a .200 BA, he could start for a lot of teams. We also have the luxury of having another excellent catcher less than a year away from Queens. He also has the plus of knocking the cover off of the ball. Don't take what we have behind the plate tonight as any indication of how our catching is on a long-term basis. We're in good shape there.
You know, when the Mets stuck with players like Ike, tejada and tda during their slumps, it made sense, because they respected their talent and possible long term future contributions to this organization...
Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but whats with the ongoing faith in Chris young? ?? He's not Marlon Byrd !!!! He's not Scot Hairston !!!!!
Travis d'Arnaud set to return on June 24th
Mack,
Headley's playing 3B. Quentin plays LF.
Mack transposed Headley and Quentin. He gets a mulligan,and he's earned it for his noble efforts to provide Met content. Word is that if TDA is back in the bigs before June 28, it preserves and option, so given that he is raking and they can preserve an option, he needs to return. I'd have him back in Florida but he may need to stay down until 6/24 by rule.
Despite my critical posts and percieved pessimism (being a realist in Met world sound like being a pessimist), I do think it will get better. How much better and when it improves are the questions. 2014 is close to being down the drain, if it is not already down the drain, but the hope is that at some point they see the light and combine some spending with all this system building. That is the formula required in NYC. The stripdowns that occur in Houston and Florida would cost the owners $100 million a year in losses and brand damage at NYC rent rates. Unfortunately, consecutive losings seasons over the better part of a decade can be just as costly brand-wise.
hey TP and Met Dreams
Problem here is almost always hitting. Move fences in another 6-8 feet (I'd opt for 8 feet), hitters will love it - including other team's players considering whether to join a team with Harvey etc. next year. Wright would love it. Grandy would love it. Duda might not say it, but he'd love it. Met pitchers would adjust.
Fix the hitting - fix the team.
Jed Lowrie in his career year hit 15 HRs and drove in 75 while making upwards of $6 million next year. Asdrubal Cabrera makes over $10 million and averages 15 HRs and 76 RBIs.
Now if only the Mets had a minimum wage guy who was a lot younger getting splinters in his ass sitting on the bench who could deliver those kinds of numbers if only he'd get the chance to play? Oh yeah, they do!
Afternoon folks.
I'm going to have to leave the comments to you guys today.
The Internet is down throughout my county for some reason. I had to drive to a McDonalds out on the highway to get this posted.
Tomorrow morning's report is up and, hopefully, I'll be able to get online tonight.
Have fun
TP,
Mack always gets a mulligan in my book. I've learned a lot from him, as well as all of you Blame it on my just getting up and being in a fog.
Thomas,
Again, my suggestion - move the fences in 20 feet from the LF foul pole to the CF back fence, and from the far RF side of the Mo Zone to the CF fence, and you are within 5 feet of Shea's dimensions. If I remember, Shea was considered a pitcher's park.
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