Morning Report – June 23rd – Zack Wheeler, Akeel Morris, Brandon Nimmo, David Wright, Jacob deGrom

                                                                                             

Coming Later Today –   

                                                          

        9 00 am – Herb G – Minor League Report

        10 00 am - Craig Brown - I May Be Wrong But

        11 00 am - d'Whit - Some Thoughts on the 2014 Mets

        12 00 pm - Craig Mitchell - A Met fan with Writer's Block....

         3 00 pm – 2015 Draft Profile  -  OF  -  Kyle Tucker  -  Plant (FL) HS

         

Morning.

I will be once again on Stephen Keane’s Mets podcast this Wednesday. I’ll add a link to it on Thursday and post it up on the site.

The complete game shutout by Zack Wheeler reminds me to keep bringing up one subject while we all debate whether the current members of this team (and their top affiliates) are going to produce the kind of results needed to be a playoff team.

As I’ve said before, and simply put, most of the current Mets are simply happy enough just to be at the major league level.

I’m not trying to be cruel. I would have been honored to be a AAA baseball player. They are living the dream you and I never had, but they are not major league starting material. I’m sorry, but they just aren’t.

The firing of San Diego GM Josh Byrnes (runner-up to Sandy Alderson for Mets GM) leads to over-speculation on the possible liquidation of majors members of their 25-man squad.

To review, there is only $34.725mil committed to 2015. They include Carlos Quenton ($8mil-2015), Joaquin Benoit ($8mil-2105 +$1.5mil opt-2016), Cameron Maybin ($7.1mil-2015, $8.1mil-2016, $1mil opt-2017), Will Venable ($4.25mil-2015), Cory Luebke ($5.375mil-2015, $1.75mil-2016), and Jedd Gyorko ($35.5109mil over 6-yes – 2020).

2015 free agents include Chase Headley, Seth Smith, Chris Denorfia, and Tim Stauffer.

Omar Minaya will be one of three suits that will determine the future of these players as Padres.

Derek McKnight to me -

Any reason why RP Akeel Morris didn’t make the jump with the other 6 at this time?

Mack - no, I don't think so... I found it strange also especially after the amount of years he has been in the organization. Morris has given up only six earned runs in the past 77.2 innings he has pitched. He also has 110 strikeouts during that span.

I’m sure he’s on a short list to be sent to Florida soon.

Pick	Player	Position	School	Value
01.10	Michael Conforto	OF	Oregon State	Average
03.84	Milton Ramos	SS	American Heritage HS (FL)	Average
04.115	Eudor Garcia-Pacheco	3B	El Paso CC	Reach
05.145	Josh Prevost	RHP	Oregon	Slight-Reach
06.175	Tyler Moore	C	LSU	Reach
07.205	Brad Wieck	LHP	Oklahoma City	Reach
08.235	Dash Winningham	1B	Trinity Catholic HS (FL)	Reach
09.265	Micheal Katz	OF	William & Mary	Average
10.295	Kelly Seacrest	LHP	UNC-Wilmington	Reach

http://www.drafttotheshow.com/2014-mlb-draft-review-new-york-mets/

Bill Bernstein to me -

       Do you really think ANY mgr can "turn around" a season and make chicken soup out of chicken shit?

               Mack – Not without the chicken.

Brandon Nimmo –

“You try and not make it too big of a situation. There’s a reason that you got promoted. They feel like you’re ready for it. That’s not to say there isn’t going to be failures along the way, but you definitely approach this with confidence and just the play the way you know how. There’s always more to learn and I’m eager to learn what Double-A has to teach me, but I’m just going to play the game the way I know how and that’s hard and aggressive all the time.”

Mack – Nimmo is saying all the right things and I truly believe he is ready to handle this level for the remainder of this season.

Richard Jones asked –

       What do you think about David Wright's arm (and he wrote this before Wright's throwing error on Saturday)? He seems to be having a difficult time getting the ball to first. Every ball seems to be in the dirt before getting to the 1st basemen. Is it me or are you seeing the same thing? If the Mets have to move Wright like the Nationals are going to have to move Zimmerman how does that change 2015 or 2016. Can Plawecki play 3rd?

       Mack – The Mets could play Daniel Murphy back at his natural position and Wilmer Flores at second base, but this is not going to solve anything in 2016. The closest thing the Mets have to a major league starting third baseman would be Dustin Lawley. My guess is they would have to go outside the organization to replace Wright at third.

       My opinion is Wright is a long way away from being unable to play third. The velocity is still there on his throws. He just needs to work on the release point.

       What’s he have this year, ten errors so far and not all on throws? He’s fine.

       I played third. It’s not like short where you have to roam all over the place. You basically have the same throw from the same one foot radius.

       And the throw is more wrist produced. It literally becomes something you just naturally do without thinking.

       Trust me, if Wright thought he was hurting the team by manning the hot spot, he’s walk into the manager’s office and tell them that. He’s that kind of player.

Saturday… four Mets runs, seven scoreless innings by a primo Mets starter, and then followed by Familiar and Mejia. How many times have I broke this out in my morning report? THIS is the team you’ve been building and, if you score four runs a game with this kind of pitching staff, you will win enough games to make the playoff.

This year? No, you’ve probably lost too many already, but this is how you need to play this game… a starter who gives up three or less runs in the first seven innings, your bats scoring four runs, and your back end bullpen brings it home.