8/14/14

Morning Report – August 14th – Logan Verrett, 2015 Pen, Where Are They Now – 2011 Draft, Jean Rodriguez


  
St.Louis released RP Pedro Feliciano from a minor league contract.


I’ve spent the last three years alerting all my readers that the future of this team will arrive in 2014 (remember the above avatar?) and it will ride in on a horse called starting pitchers.

And, though some of the names have changed, the basic premise has been the same… you throw up five quality starters at the rest of the league and you can get this job we call baseball done with a minimum amount of both runs and errors.
I knew from the get-go that I was right about this. The Matt Harvey draft was outstanding. Jon Niese was improving every start. Zack Wheeler was the first of two tremendous Sandy-trades (Noah Syndergaard) that were going to set up a Super SP1-3 situation. And two pitchers never thought of to have any future in this process, Dillon Gee and Jacob deGrom, have showed us all that we sometimes know bupkas about this process.

You bookend one more year of Bartolo Colon in 2015 and Steven Matz on the backend in 2017, and you sit back, smile, and just know things are going to get better around here real fast in 2014.

Did I say 2014? Yes I did. That was the year I told you all of this would come to fruition along with another starter, Jerry Mejia.

We also started telling you all the trading options this team was going to have in finding a replacement at both shortstop and left field. Hell, that wouldn’t be a problem. We could never get all these guys on the mound in 2014.

And then it began…

In no particular order, Harvey elbow went flooey, requiring Tommy John Surgery.

Wheeler went through a strain of the right oblique.

Niese opened the 2014 season on the DL…

Gee had a strained lat muscle in 2014 and artery damage surgery in 2012…

Syndergaard was shut down this year for spraining a joint in his non-throwing shoulder. He also had just come back from another injury where he went on the DL with a forearm issue.

And lastly, deGrom is now sitting it out on the DL with a shoulder injury.

It’s almost funny that the only ‘super prospect’ pitcher out of the bunch that remained healthy all year (Matz) has already lost two years in the organization due to TJS and slow healing.




Randy asked –

Hey Mack. Who do you think the next addition to the Mets bullpen will be in 2015?

            Mack – Oh, that’s easy… Bobby Parnell.

Seriously, we first have to project who will still be around from this staff.

My guess at this point is Parnell, Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia, Vic Black, and Josh Edgin are shoe-ins to be back next season.

Others on the 40-man that I don’t expect back (for various reasons) are Buddy Carlyle, Dana Eveland, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Scott Rice.
Carlos Torres will probably get another shot and Gonzalez Germen, who is pitching excellently in Las Vegas since being demoted there will also join the hunt.

Organizationally, Logan Verrett, Joel Carreno, Zack Thornton, Miquel Socolovich, Chase Bradford, and John Church have really no place to go other than to the MLB level.

The wild card here would be Jack Leathersich, who just arrived in Vegas.
Do I have a prediction here? No, but, having 10 victories in the PCL (Verrett) should at least earn a guy a shot at the ‘long man’.




We also probably need to spend a little more time on Logan Verrett as a possible replacement SP sometime this season with the Mets.

For the record, Verrett was a 3rd round draft pick in 2011 out of Baylor, who signed ($425K) but chose to sit out the remainder of the 2011 season.

Got off to a great start in 2012, splitting time with Savannah (11-ST, 3.06) and St. Lucie (6-ST, 2.09). Then, the hump we call AA ball set in (24-ST, 4.25) and, this year in Vegas, 24 more starts at 4.47.

Verrett is a control pitcher who’s highest BB/9 ratio is this season at 2.01. The fastball is 88-90,93, has a low-80 slider, and + changeup.

I still project Verrett as a future reliever (in the Mets system), but he’s a possibility to throw a couple pf starts this season before everybody goes home to await their fate.


Where Are They Now – 2011 Draft

            AAA Las Vegas

                        #2 SP Cory Mazzoni – (4 teams) – 9-ST, 5-2, 4.21, 47.0-IP, 44-K
                        #3 SP Logan Verrett – 24-ST, 10-4, 4.47, 139.0-IP, 96-K
                        #4 SP Tyler Pill – (2 teams) – 20-G, 7-5, 3.94, 114.1-IP, 104-K
                        #5 RP Jack Leathersich – (2 teams) – 40-G, 3.00, 48.0-IP, 82-K
                        #8 2B Danny Muno – 309-AB, .256/.370/.411/.781, 11-HR, 50-RBI
                        #14 C Xorge Carillo – (2 teams) – 184-AB, .293/.359/.370/.729
                        #35 – RP Chase Bradford – (2 teams) – 49-G, 2.71, 63.0-IP, 54-K

            AA Binghamton

                        #1 CF Brandon Nimmo -  (2 teams) – 384-AB, .286/.413/.440/.853
                        #9 SP Alex Panteliodis – (3 teams) – 13-G, 4.27, 71.2-IP, 41-K
                                                (currently playing in Savannah)
                        #18 OF Travis Taijeron –  278-AB, .248/.362/.486/.847, 13-HR, 52-RBI
                        #19 OF Dustin Lawley –  390-AB, .233/.286/.451/.737, 20-HR, 60-RBI
                        #27 RP Randy Fontanez – (2 teams) – 38-G, 3.17, 54.0-IP, 55-K


MiLB.com –

            Appalachian League - Jean Rodriguez, Kingsport

(.556/.556/1.000, 4 G, 10-for-18, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R, 0 BB, 1 K)

Rodriguez began the week mired in a 2-for-19 slump stretching back over his previous six games. A day off Monday seemed to help the 21-year-old third baseman flip a switch; on Tuesday he began smacking hit after hit, with 10 coming in four games. He closed out the week with his second and third homers of the season, one each vs. Bristol on Saturday and at Johnson City on Sunday. A switch-hitter, Rodriguez has not fared well against lefties (.158) but has been teeing off against right-handed pitching with a .340 average and .509 slugging percentage. http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140811&content_id=89049390&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_opotw&sid=milb



And lastly so you can click it off now if you chose to…

It’s time for the 2nd annual donation drive here at Mack’s Mets. It’s when we try and raise some money to help defray some home and uncovered medical costs Mrs. Mack and I have to pay because we both are prevented from working anymore.
The process is simple and includes one of three return gifts to you for your generosity (as you may remember, my wife is an award winner baker and hosts her own baking/cooking web site online).

All you have to do is donate $24.95 to our Paypal account (name: macksmets@gmail.com) and you will receive your choice of a box of Pure Butter Almond Shortcake, or Chocolate Brownies (with or without nuts and with no icing... doesn’t ship well with icing). It takes around a 4-5 day turnaround to get this in your mouth and get a taste before the holiday season is upon us and you might want to order more for your friends and relatives.

Naturally, we take donations for more than $24.95 also, but that’s up to you. Mack’s Mets will always be a free site, other than these two semi-annually drives.
Anyway, no one that has ordered the shortbread in the past was disappointed and we hope the addition of the two chocolate products might also generate some interest.

And I promise to stay out of the batter.

Paypal account:  macksmets@gmail.com

God Bless you for your consideration.
                       

                       

25 comments:

Ernest Dove said...

Hey Mack, ya still want Tulo ? LOL

Tom Brennan said...

Many potholes (injuries, etc.) in the pitcher contingent, but the state of the pitchers' union remains strong.

That 2011 was quite an interesting draft. After seeing the transformation of Dekker (who still has to prove himself with the Mets, but no strikeouts in 4 games is a huge plus sign to base optimism on), I would like to get that coach (Greer?) to work with Travis Taijeron, an absolute extra base hit machine who, like Dekker, was striking out too much until Greer fixed him in AAA. If he can fix Dekker, maybe he can fix Travis too. We'd then have a home-grown slugger.

Michael S. said...

Should be cheaper now.

Anonymous said...

Tulowitzski's trade value continues to take hits.

Mack Ade said...

Sure - would take Tulo in a heartbeat

Unknown said...

@AdamRubinESPN: 16-year-old Kenny Hernandez from Venezuela signed with #Mets for $1 million, per @BenBadler

Unknown said...

I thought it was someone new, but they were just waiting on the kid to turn 16. Got excited for a second thinking they spent some money!!! What was I thinking?

Ernest Dove said...

Its barely 10:15am and a buddy of mine already has quote of the day on this..........."Great. He can be Wilmer Flores in 7 years".............

Mack Ade said...

Ya know, I would still go go a Tulo deal...

I would get a brand new version right out of the mash unit, at probably a huge discount... maybe we pay 1/3 of the contract and give them Recker and Quintanilla...

seriously, there would be a cheaper deal in here somewhere and you do have to ask yourself... would you deal for Matt Harvey the day after it was announced he was out for the year?

Of course you would roll those dice...

oops... thre I go again thinking the Mets are going to operate like a normal team

Ernest Dove said...

Well, at this point, I sure as hell wouldn't trade thor, wheeler or degrom in ANY kind of Tulo package. .......maybe montero, maybe Plawecki. Maybe others ranked 15-20 on mets prospect list.

Michael S. said...

As long as Mets medical staff checks him out, sure.

I wonder if this does anything to the price.

Michael S. said...

I agree. This should give the Mets more leverage. Now Tulo's contract is as much of a risk for COL as it is for an acquiring team and they might be jittery about keeping him.

Mack Ade said...

we're just dreaming again...

Anonymous said...

Honestly....I don't think this budges the asking price for Tulo at all.

Amongst MLB SS, Tulowitski in only 91 games has been worth +5.1 WAR.

THe next closest player is Jhonny Peralta who is at +3.9 in 25 additional games.

The Rockies know that even a half a season of Tulowitski is better than every other SS in the majors right now.

bgreg98180 said...

Hey
I see Lowrie is going on the 15 day DL.
Maybe they would want R. Tejada.
Quick. ....Sandy get on the phone. ...
oh wait. ...... that's right.
Sandy doesn't do anything quickly

The Closer said...

Thomas, I mentioned this in the minor league updates, but doesn't den Dekker's new batting stance look like Ike's when he came back from Vegas last year? That must be what Wally & crew are teaching in Vegas to lower their hands to be quicker through the zone. Whatever works and it appears to be working for MDD, clearly Ike's a lost cause.

Anonymous said...

You must be crazy to still want Tulo, this is an injury that ended Delgado career and cost ARod a year at least. I had this exact injury from football, but did not require surgery. it is often considered a recruitment injury from some other lower body deficiency and though surgery can correct the impact, it does not remedy underlying causes, like changes made adapting to a torn quad. he will be lucky to start next year and could possibly miss the whole thing if not totally solved, so I cannot believe any team with trade for him until he is back on the field without a setback for several months. The Mets would be insane to try to acquire him until he gets back on the field.

Mack Ade said...

for Recker and Quintanilla ?

In a heartbeat

Ernest Dove said...

Maybe if u also give them EY Jr back too, that should seal the deal ;)

Bill Metsiac said...

Why 2017 for Matz? He's DOMINANT in AA right now and should start '15 at AAA. I'd expect him by OD of '16 at the LATEST if he stays healthy.

Mack Ade said...

Bill -

I just have Matz 'backend' in 2017 as a full time SP, but that doesn't mean he won't break through in 2016 - just being conservative here

Reese Kaplan said...

Two thoughts for today...

If Wally & company are fixing players -- developing them and turning them into productive major leaguers -- perhaps they could get more out of the ML crew than the current regime is able to do.

2nd thought -- Wilmer Flores isn't hitting for much power but he is on a .290 roll for the month of August. Let's say he does do well in the month of September -- say, 4 HRs, 20 RBIs and a similar batting average...what does that do to his trade value? What does it do to the likelihood Daniel Murphy (and his soon-to-be $9 million salary) gets traded?

Tom Brennan said...

If Flores does well, there may be a
Meta-Murphphosis at 2B this offesason!

Tom Brennan said...

Closer
It sure did not work for Ike like it. Ike should try the Marlon Byrd approach of 2 offseasons ago. Play Mexican winter ball and hope he straightens himself out...that is, of course, if a team would start him!

Reese Kaplan said...

Collins did. Ad nauseum. Way past when it was obvious he was lost. That's part of why Collins needs to be fired. He resists change as if his life depends on it.