Ski-Chat –
Comment From
Guest - With the Mets having one of the best farm systems in the league after
the Twins Cubs and ‘stros, and the rest of the NL East teams having below
average at best farm systems, can you forsee any time in the near future where
the Mets run away with the division every year, or is that just every Met fans
fantasy?
Dan
Szymborski - I know
I’ve talked about this before, but I’m a big fan of the Mets future, simply
because they have so many of the necessary elements right there.
The issue is ownership and on-field
management.
I know I’ve
compared them to a guy with great furniture, but assembly’s required and the
instructions are in old norse.
The Astros a
few years ago, before they really started rebuilding, were like an episode of
Chopped where they have to make a dessert from fish sauce, belly button lint,
and styrofoam peanuts.
But the Mets are like one of those Top Chef
finales where they have access to amazing ingredients. But they’re kind of
stuck with having some bitter incompetent eliminated chef as assistants.
Mack
– You need to walk away from reading this and realize that, when you talk to
someone that is employed in baseball, and you tell them you are somehow
associated with the Mets (work for, write about, root for, etc.), the norm will
be that you are about to be hit with a flurry of bad one liners.
Organizationally,
the Mets are a bad joke to their own industry which makes it close to
impossible to build this team from outside the draft and international bonus
baby system.
Agents do not want their clients signing with this team. They don’t trust the management and hate the owner.
Agents do not want their clients signing with this team. They don’t trust the management and hate the owner.
There
still is some hope for the off-season. The excess of young starters should give
Sandy Alderson a chance to trade for either a
new shortstop of left fielder. He may have enough to fill both positions. The
other GMs will work with the Mets finally if and when they finally let go with some of their young pitching. The problem here is that the other teams will not want the ones that are 'damaged goods' (Gee, Niese). The least they they will demand is deGrom.
Mail Room –
Bob Gregory -
Mack
I have no
reason to doubt your assertions that Alderson controls the line-up and player
use on the Mets. Collins in game management however should be reason enough to
be dismissed as manager. Most likely though a better in -game manager would not
accept a general manager setting their line-up and controlling which player
plays when. Those fans that want Backman to manage this team need to realize
that as long as Alderson is the general manager, Backman would have a stroke
dealing with Alderson's interference and questionable nonsensical decisions.
So, Mack, if
you could have your way what would be some good available GM & manager
combinations that could guide the Mets into this critical stage of the Mets
organization's development?
Mack
– First, let me go back and explain this whole GM/Field Manager situation.
I’m
not saying that Sandy
Alderson decides
who pinch hits for who, or what relief pitcher gets up next in the pen. In game
decisions come 100% from Terry
Collins.
What
I am saying is that the nine names that are written in on that lineup card each
game comes after both TC and Alderson sign off on it.
Additionally, each
of those names have to be medically cleared by the training staff.
Now,
let’s say Sandy wants to play Flores at short and Collins wants Tejada. I’m
sure each of these guys talks the other out of their wish once in a while and
they ‘agree to agree’, but Collins can not fill out that card and post it on
the wall in the dugout until Alderson agrees that is the direction the team is
going to go that day.
In
my book, that means Alderson is pulling the shots.
Regarding
who would make good replacements for them, that’s a good question that I don’t
have an answer for. I would hope the General Manager could pick his own manager
and it would be someone he had worked with in the past.
Hopefully,
some of the readers will chime in here and give their two cents.
The
real question here might be who would be the General Manager and who would pick
him. My guess it would be the Commish whispering in Fred’s ear.
Conrad
Youngren -
Mack, I've
noticed that at Bingo over the week (at least) Nimmo is batting lead-off and TJ Rivera (a contact machine with a BA = SLG) has been
3, 4 or 5 in the lineup. Is Terry making
up these batting orders?
Mack
– LOL – No, trust me, Backman would have nothing to do with that.
All
minor league lineups are approved by the suits that head up the Mets minor
league teams. I don’t even think Sandy has a say there.
Minor Notes
-
The Mets
2014 3rd round pick, GCL infield Milton
Ramos, is beginning to get his pro-legs. Yes, he’s hitting only .235
through Monday’s game, but he’s .294 in his last 10 games (with 8-RBI)… (update... Ramos went 3-5 on Tuesday mornng, raising his BA to .252 (.333 last 10 games).
GCL LHP Kevin Canelon continued his conversion Monday to a starter (9-games, second start), going 4.2-IP, 1-ER, 5-H, 2-K. Canelon’s seasonal ERA is now 1.35…
GCL LHP Kevin Canelon continued his conversion Monday to a starter (9-games, second start), going 4.2-IP, 1-ER, 5-H, 2-K. Canelon’s seasonal ERA is now 1.35…
Mack,
ReplyDeleteSounds like Szymborski is no fan of TC. I am rather indifferent to him and realize as you state that the lineups are more or less coming from upstairs.
I have not yet given up on 2014, and with another two Ws in DC they can propel themselves back into the fringe of the race. 5 below .500 stinks, but no one is any good this year, it reminds me of 1973.
I'm very happy with Montero's huge game last night. I know that prospects don't mean a thing until they contribute at the big league level, but this pool of kids is simply exciting. Even a "non-prospect" like MDD is forcing the issue. This ownership and GM drive me nuts, and the last 5 years have been brutal, but things are different now.
Sorry to disagree, but until I see concrete proof I can't believe the man who needs to negotiate trades would go out of his way to take a guy who's hit .321/28/143 over his last 162 AAA games and marginalize his value.
ReplyDeleteReese
ReplyDeleteI offer the following as as at least possible proof.
E. Young
C. Young
2 left handed 1st basemen
6 outfielders
not at least trading J. Reyes
maybe not concrete. ......but strange personnel decisions
Mack, don't talk about trading DeGrom it makes me sad. Something happens to our most exciting player every year. See Reyes -> Dickey -> Harvey. We need to end this trend. Stick with Harvey, Wheeler, DeGrom, Thor + someone. I think you are right Niese and Gee do seem like damaged goods and have been pitching that way recently too. Maybe with a solid last two months they become much more valuable.
ReplyDeleteLagares is right up there with DeGrom this year for reasons I continue to watch. The incredible plays keep on coming. He balances out the anger I get every time I see CY name in the lineup or watching him strike or fly out. Of all the things Sandy has done, this has to be the most logic defying. Does he have some metric none of the rest of us see that tell us CY is helping us win games? I can see why he signed him but I cant see why we keep him. I guess this has been beaten to death already.
Dallas -
ReplyDeleteFine - we'll keep your rotation but it's going to be harder to deal off, as I said, 'damaged goods'.
There's no reason to move Lagares. As I've said many times, teams build winners by having both offense and defense talent 'down the middle of the field'... C, P, 2B, SS, CF.
ust tell all the other outfielders to stay out of his way :)
Dallas -
ReplyDeleteFine - we'll keep your rotation but it's going to be harder to deal off, as I said, 'damaged goods'.
There's no reason to move Lagares. As I've said many times, teams build winners by having both offense and defense talent 'down the middle of the field'... C, P, 2B, SS, CF.
ust tell all the other outfielders to stay out of his way :)
TP -
ReplyDeleteThe wild card is just about an impossibility at this point, but the division race isn't. Atlanta is playing some very bad baseball and a good start here would be to win the next two games against the Nats.
I agree with Dallas on the pitching Harvey, Wheeler, deGrom, and Syndergaard. deGrom and Wheeler are 11-5 over their last 20 combined starts. The Mets are 12-8 in those 20 starts. Quality pitching can carry a team a long way. None of those 4 are on the table unless it is for Stanton or Tulo. The Mets will need more than 5 starters. Harvey and Syndergaard will be on strict innings limits and I am hopeful of the Mets going to the playoffs. So how do they work the rotation to keep those two around for October?
ReplyDeleteAnother reason not to deal someone like Syndergaard is that the Mets feel Conforto and Nimmo are not to far away. Don't trade someone with that upside for someone who is going to fill a one year gap.
See what Gee and Niese do over the rest of the year. That has us with Colon, Gee, and Niese to trade. One of those 3 will be the fifth starter. The other 2 traded. Montero will be in the pen. If Parnell is looking good I think they could experiment with putting Meija back in the rotation. Make Familia the closer with Parnell and Montero the 7 and 8 inning men until Parnell wins back the job.
It's encouraging to see Ramos hitting anything. He was all glove no bat. If he could hit at all we may have another future short stop. To bad all of them are in the lower levels.
Mack
ReplyDeleteHow much of C. Young is another example of Alderson's ego?
ŖIchard,
ReplyDeleteMeija,although I think he is an excellent pitcher, proved to be a 5 inning pitcher as a starter. Just looķ at his BA against his third time through the order.With his success as a closer, we have either him or(more likely because of salary) Parnell as a trade chip. Maybe next year at the trade deadline we'll need to cash in for someone.
Meijia should be considered a trade chip as well, especially if you can find a team, like say, the Rockies, who might see him as a potential starter. Although he's closed this year predominately Meijia has been a starter. That versatility makes him an attractive piece for any potential blockbuster deal.
ReplyDeleteSteve,
ReplyDeleteI think saying Meija proved he is a 5 inning pitcher is an over statement. I would agree there should be some concern for that if the Mets or another team would consider him as a starter.
In 2013 he had a few strong starts where he went 6 or 7 innings. Both in 2013 and in 2014 he was coming back from surgeries. I can bring up a large list of starters who had a tough time going past 5 after coming back from surgery and became effective starters.
I think Meijia has the stuff to be an effective starter. He needs to stay healthy and learn to use his 4 quality pitches effectively.
I would not want to see the success of the 2015 season dependent on Meijia being an effective starter but I would not rule out him being able to do it at this point.
Mack,
ReplyDeleteI understand that the playoffs are a huge long shot. That said, I think it is extremely important, not only with the fan interest, but with the player development, that the Met games mean something as deep into the 162 day schedule as possible. These kids have never felt the big league playoff run pressure, and even a slight taste of it this year will be beneficial down the road. Something like the 1984 Mets experienced.
Richard,
ReplyDeleteWell said. I did not take the surgeries into account.
Happy Birthday Wilmer Flores
ReplyDeleteenjoy your cake while sitting on a front row bench and enjoying a Mets game
who says Collins doesn't care?