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8/27/14

Morning Report – August 27th – Las Vegas, Juan Lagares, Lucas Duda, Kevin Canelon, Fred Lewis



Binghamton SP Steven Matz has only given up one earned run over the last 25 innings he has pitched.



It looks like it is set in stone that the Mets will be  returning to Las Vegas for ‘two more seasons’.

I have a question. We all know how difficult it has become to determine if the players that are assigned to that ungodly location have developed to the point of being ready to graduate to Queens. Batters are simply hitting the ball as if it is an all-star game home run derby ball (you didn’t know they were juiced, did you?) and pitchers, well pitchers have marginal hitters reaching out and touching their pitchers on the lower corners of the zone wand watching the ball go 400 feet over the wall.

I’m exaggerating, but you get the point.

My question is simple. Should the Mets operate as if the Binghamton roster is the last stop in this train? They can still fill a roster in Vegas with organizational players while, at the same time, make their prospects (examples: Dilson Herrera, Brandon Nimmo) repeat another year at a level that they must hone their skills on an equal plane.
Just a thought…




Examiner.com -

Juan Lagares has been spectacular this year in the outfield, plain and simple. At present, the Mets center fielder currently ranks 12th in the majors and 6th in the National League in wins above replacement (WAR).

Though Lagares has only 3 home runs and 38 RBIs in 334 AB this year, his fantastic defensive ability has garnered him a 4.9 WAR this season. In the NL, he trails only Giancarlo Stanton, Jason Heyward, Troy Tulowitzki, Jonathan Lucroy, and Johnny Peralta. Meanwhile, he has the same WAR as reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen. http://www.examiner.com/article/defense-matters-just-ask-juan-lagares-1

Mack – Lagares continues to receive the kind of positive press he deserves. He’s proving more every day that the Mets can not afford to take him out of the starting lineup. Thankfully, he is hitting above the .250 range that he was originally projected to hit, but he’s never going to be your typical power hitting centerfielder. That’s fine. Work around this small hitch in his game.

I’m so happy I was wrong about this guy.



Fangraphs –

              To go back to the original premise: Is Lucas Duda a star? Well, probably not, because there’s enough holes here that he’ll be limited to being a good player, not a great one. He still can’t hit lefty pitching, to start, with a mere 38 wRC+ this year and 73 for his career. His defensive value is limited, though much better at first than it was when he was a disaster in the outfield corners, and he’s in something of an awkward place between “has a 123 wRC+ in 1,750 plate appearances” and “needs to prove it over a full season,” because even now he’s 100 plate appearances behind Rizzo and Freeman, which limits him somewhat.           http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/is-lucas-duda-a-star-now/

I guess critical press is better than no press at all. I agree that Duda’s game isn’t complete, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t play him next year against all pitching. There is no one else on this team that has the potential to hit 40 home runs in one season and, frankly, he will probably fail by still hitting over 30.

Read the whole article. It’s very interesting.



Kevin Canelon

            I find myself keep coming back and writing about this kid.

He pitched again for the GCL Mets on Monday and gave up zero runs in 6.1 innings pitched. He also struck out two, walked none and lowered his seasonal ERA to 1.45 in 12 games, five started.

Canelon is a product of Venezuela and was signed as a 16 year old on 11-20-10 (along with Oswald Caraballo and Eris Peguero). He pitched three seasons for the DSL Mets, which included a 6-2, 2.86, 14-starts last season.

There’s little written about Canelon so I don’t have much information on what he throws (if any of you Clone fans out there know, please fill in the blanks here in the comment section).

He sure looks like a Brennan guppy to me.




In Case you Missed It -

            All 32 MLB teams announced their contributions to this year's Arizona Fall League. You can find the roster for the Mets affliate, the Scottsdale Scorpions here.

And lastly…

            Do you remember Mets OF Fred Lewis?

            He joined the organization in 2012 and had a pretty decent season for Buffalo that year… 419-AB, .294/.379/.482/.862, 13-HR, 45-RBI.

            The Mets actually gave him a cup of coffee (20-Abs), but both Lewis and the Mets agreed to part at the end of the season. He went on to play in 2013 for Hiroshima in the Jap Cen league and I and Baseball Cube lost track of him this season.

            Well, guess who showed up on my Twitter account under the hashtag of @FredLewisOF ?

            Twitter him up and welcome him aboard.     


Donation Drive (drive end 8-30) –
            Received so far – $ 625.00
            Goal - $1,400.00 - $ 775.00 to go
Paypal account:  macksmets@gmail.com

God Bless you for your consideration.

12 comments:

  1. Thomas has him listed at #15 at the moment on his Guppies list. 15. LHRP Kevin Canelon - GCL - 21/yrs – 11-G, 4-ST, 1-2, 1.74, 0.77, 31.0-IP, 28-K, 1-BB

    He's going to need to move up Meisner though with last nights start, he's starting to look like he deserves that early round selection. Keep an eye on him, I like his potential.

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  2. Last stop, Binghamton:

    Been thinking about that too, which why, in part, I wouldn't mind a Sept. call-up for Dilson (who has to be protected in Nov anyway) over Reynolds (who doesn't). That look-see might help determine the viability of moving Murphy as well.

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  3. And I still believe that Matz should simply avoid Vegas and go right on the
    25 man next year......I have no idea what to do with rotation to make room, but wasting his arm out there probably won't help much. Plus, he's older then Thor, so it wouldn't be a crazy move based on age either.
    If mets truly believe that Niese and Gee can help them win the division and compete for a world series, then keep them. But if that is not the case, then its time to roll the dice on the kids with a lot more projected talent and ceiling.

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  4. "Should the Mets operate as if the Binghamton roster is the last stop in this train?"

    For pitchers who the Mets believe have a future? Yes. Leave them in AA longer than usual and then bring them straight to the big club. Have your best minor-league pitching instructors concentrate their resources there and use Las Vegas as a stash for veterans and non-prospects.

    Hitters should always get to experience the desert. It's a confidence boost. The key is to have hitting instructors that drill down on laziness, constantly reminding hitters that poor habits can be hidden by hitting in the thin air, but they will be exposed at the big league level.

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  5. Jack -

    Spoken like an old hitter.

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  6. Ernest -

    You make a very interesting case for Matz over Syndergaard in the spring. I'd like to think everyone gets a chance to win a slot come spring training, but there only will be one available for the likes of Niese, Gee, Montero, or one of these two if Colon isn't moved. Harvey, Wheeler, and deGrom get the first three.

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  7. Hobie -

    My guess is Herrera will play Arizona

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  8. Meisner is riding the Guppy Express to the Top 10! He's coming on strong, as is "Vinnie the Loop" Lupo.

    I vote for Matz to be on the 25 Man Rasta. We need a Stony Brook kid starting for the Mets!

    Bring the fences in and Duda will hit 35 to 50 next year!

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  9. Thomas -

    I'm thrilled to be getting a good return from Meisner.

    He's only 19 and still 6-7...

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  10. Mack,
    Are any other teams with franchises in the Eastern League taking the approach you are advocating? My main reservation about the AA-to-MLB approach is that the quality of the opposition will not escalate to a Tripla-A level. The desert gives our almost-MLB prospects a boost, but so will playing against a lower level of competition. It will be just as hard to judge that factor as to judge the desert factor.

    Thomas,
    All I can say is - Let's turn Citi into Shea!

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  11. Steve -

    No, I don't believe any other team is.

    I have no quick solution here. It just really sucks for pitcher development/confidence

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  12. I actually have the opposite philosophy as most of these post concerning Binghamton to Flushing. I would do this with the position prospects but send the pitchers to Vegas.
    I feel pitchers benefit from the tougher conditions. Pitchers have to learn how to pitch and not just throw. I'm pretty confident that Vegas is a huge factor in the success that deGrom is having this year.
    As far has hitters go it has not helped. Flores is a good example. At Vegas he checks his swing and hits the ball on the end of the bat and it clears the bleachers. In Citi he gets it all, and it's a routine out. What confidence he had is erased with one fly out.

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