11/1/14

The Morning Report – November 1 – Yasiel Puig, Daniel Murphy, Jose Fernandez, Chihiro Kaneko




Reece Kaplan will be travelling to Australia for a three week vacation from Mack’s Mets. There is a chance we may hear from him while eating Thai food, but, either was, we wish him a good time and look forward to his return.



ambrownie03 - I am the newest member of the Oakland #Athletics. I would like to say thanks to the #Mets for the last 2yrs. It was fun.



We did get some information yesterday that a couple of Mets minor leaguers have probably gone bye-bye. Agents for both Anthony Seratelli and Ryan Reid said they will take their services elsewhere.

Right now, with anticipated changes in the works (Seratelli, Brown), I have the Mets/AAA/AA outfield as follows:

            Mets – Granderson, Lagares, den Dekker, Nieuwenhuis, Campbell

            AAA – Nimmo, Taijeron, Cecilliani, Johnson


            AA – King, Gomez, Pina, de la Cruz


I was both surprised and upset to see that catcher Juan Centeno was claimed off of waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. This happened after Centeno was removed from the 40-man roster.

I never expected him to become another Mike Piazza… or even a Travis d’Arnaud… but I’ve watched as a so called ‘defensive specialist’ bust his ass and become a pretty decent hitter in the minors.

We all know that both d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki aren’t going to wind up on the same team, so the Mets are going to have to find someone to be the future #2 catcher. I had hoped Centeno had a shot over Anthony Recker for that job, but so much for that.


It’s tough to find someone talented enough to catch. The last time I felt this way about the loss of a Mets catcher was Jesus Flores. I hope this time has the same result.




Cam-Chat –
Comment From Eric - Jacob DeGrom, Zack Wheeler, and Juan Lagares for Yasiel Puig — who says no?
Dave Cameron: The Mets, probably. They need quantity of talent more than they need to consolidate roster spots.
Mack – I agree. The Mets can’t afford to deal off three members of their 25-man squad for one player. Three minor leaguers maybe, but no deal can include more than one front line player.



Steve asked –

           Morning MACK: This is what I have learned this season/post season.

The Mets are very close to being a better team than San Fran has been the past 5 years!

The problem I see is the manager?

But watching the playoff teams, has me thinking they shouldn't have moved the OF walls in? Instead build a team around great pitching and Defense. The timely hitting will come, i hope?

But going forward seeing what I’ve seen the METS better start MDD in RF! I do like Flores potential with the bat, but at SS I want a shutdown player? I want a Crawford! How about that double play last night? Can MURPHY make that play at 2nd?

Anyhow I really hope Harvey's start to the season is delayed till May so he is the last one standing in 2015.

Take care Mack, look forward to your response


            Steve, it’s a lot easier to manager when you have the right ballplayers.

I wouldn’t worry about the walls coming in. Those adjustments were custom made for David Wright and Curtis Granderson, who are under contract and are going to be played every day in CitiField as long as they are healthy. No team is going to benefit more from these adjustments than they will.

I think Harvey will start the season on opening day and be limited to six innings per start. I also think that (at least) Noah Syndergaard will be part of the rotation for any playoff games that develop.
And lastly, a double play like that is instinctive. There is no time to think about what you are going to do in that situation. The more you play the position, the more something like that will happen, though there takes a certain amout of luck and praying that the ball is going to come out of the glove going in the right direction.
Yes, I believe Murphy can make that play at this point in his growth at second base.



Bobby wrote –

            People do not seem to realize that there is only one difference between the Giants and the Mets. The Giants hit more singles. THAT'S IT! All the Mets have to do is sign 27 year old Cuban 2B/3B Jose Fernandez  He is ALL the Mets need to get a wild card spot. NO OTHER MOVE IS NECESSARY! If he can play 2B, he can play LF. He does not strike out, and will HIT. Look at the MlB team stats.... The Mets do not need to hit a single home run more, not a single double or triple, or walk one more time. They just need to raise the team batting average. Flores will get them 20% of the way there. Hopefully D.Wright can raise his average 15 points, and then Jose Fernandez WILL do the rest!   Granderson... D'Arnaud.... and Duda can stay low batting average/ high strikeout Chokers in the clutch if we get this guy. You people seem to think Home runs win World Series. K.C. hit 35 less HR's than the Mets, but you know what K.C. did? They struck out less than any other team. Look back at the Teams who have gotten to the W.S. in the last 4 years. There are A LOT of low strikeout teams on that list. Matt Reynolds should back up at 2B, SS, and 3B next year. Plawecki should platoon with D'arnaud  ( You need TWO catchers! ). Then Cuddyer can back up at 1B, LF, and RF. Then sign LH RP Andrew Miller to an overpriced contract, but he's young, and throws hard. You could also just make Steve Matz the co-closer with Mejia/Parnell... which is what I would do. ALL throughout the HISTORY of baseball, young Pitchers have started out in the bullpen when their teams already had 5 starters. The Mets should not make a single trade, unless some team wants granderson, wright, Gee or Colon's contracts. Injuries happen all the time. The Mets strength is their DEPTH... don't just throw it all away!

Mack – First of all, thanks for your email Bobby, which I think will generate some comments here at Mack’s Mets.

I’m not sure what I agree or disagree with you here, but I will say that every second baseman or third baseman doesn’t make a good left fielder.

I do think you are right when you say a good percentage of the increased hits (batting average) must come from within the current team. In my case, I wouldn’t rule out Granderson, d’Arnaud, and Duda here, regardless of how many times they strike out.

Also, your ideas about Matz are interesting, but too early anyway. He needs to qualify Super 2 wise before you will see him in Queens.



Nicholas Stellini on Chihiro Kaneko -

Amidst all the hubbub, a different piece of news caught my eye, and it festered in my brain for a few days. A report surfaced last week that Japanese pitcher Chihiro Kaneko had come to America to view the World Series and get a feel for American baseball, and was eligible to be posted this winter. Kaneko’s numbers are shockingly good for someone whom I’ve never heard of. This season (184.0 IP, 25 starts) he pitched to a 1.91 ERA with a WHIP of 1.027, striking out 9.5 batters per nine, and only walking 2.0 in the same interval. If you’re looking for hard numbers, that’s 194 K’s to 41 free passes. What’s more, he only gave up 7 round-trippers. It’s no surprise, then, that Kaneko won Japan’s version of the Cy Young, the Sawamura Award. Upon being presented with the award, Kaneko dropped a bombshell: he wants to pitch in America in 2015. http://beisbols.org/2014/10/30/chihiro-kaneko-next-best-thing-maeda/



Marty wrote –

           Yours is my favorite Mets site. Hope you and your family are hanging in there. Agree that Baumgarner is one for the ages. Will you wife be baking anything special for thanksgiving and or Christmas

Mack – Hmm… good question. She’s up to her butt in baking cookies right now for the 9th annual Cookie Contest she does for the local newspaper here, so I don’t expect anything other than the standard shortbread or brownies being offered for around a $25 donation.

Last question what will the Wilpons be announcing at the fence presser?


I don’t think you will hear anything about the movement of the fences from either the Wilpons of Sandy Alderson. The work has begun and they will probably leave it at that.

16 comments:

eraff said...

The idea that there's "One Statistical difference between the Giants and Mets".... wow---where to start???

The game is not a box score.... if you watch the two teams play, there are vast differences... some notes:

The Giants are defensively strong/competent through the middle of the field---C/2b/ss/CF.... the Mets are below average at all of those positions except CF

The Giants have at least one starter capable of carrying big games to late innings. Beyond getting to playoffs, Winning the "tournament" is heavily weighted when you have "Hero Pitching Efforts"--- Hershheiser/Johnson/Schilling/Baumgardener... it's the "Hot Goalie Effect" for baseball

The Giants run the bases well....they play situational offensive baseball, both as strategy and within hitting approaches.

The Mets have a gap to close---and I believe it's a real opportunity. They need to do it NOW---the pitching could be in place---it doesn't last long!!!

Mack Ade said...

morning eraff -

I expect a considerable amount of opinion on that post....

Tom Brennan said...

You want a guy who gets on base, he's on the team? Den Dekker. I wish they'd given him another 20 Mets games to demonstrate that. Another is Matt Reynolds, who gets on an awful lot and has a little pop to go with it.

Mets should get Andrew Miller and lock down the bullpen. Why not have the best pen in the game?

Wouldn't a faster infield (grass) also produce more singles? But, then, our middle infield would suffer defensively.

I'm all for the fences coming in and wished they'd added the easy change of making CF 402 instead of 408. Mets have been pyched out offensively in this park and it has created a home field disadvantage. As Casey would say, you can look it up!

I just wonder with Centeno gone if d'Arnaud and Plawecki will split the catching duties. One of the best "tools of ignorance" tandems in the game, ought to be worth a few extra wins for Metsies. If we are "close" that would make us closer, right?

I still hope mystery man Puello figures it out. Having 3 lefties in OF would be one too many.

Reese, if you see my nephew in Australia, Mike Moran, say g'day. Huge Met fan, so he'll be easy to spot.

Mack, my brother Steve loved your wife's baking almost as much as he'd love to see Andrew Miller on the Mets. We will order again for the holidays.

Mack Ade said...

Thomas -

I can't see Plawecki and d'Arnaud splitting time. Simply too valuable of a trade chip

Reese Kaplan said...

For the penny pinching club in Queens, why would they want to keep sub-Mendoza hitting and arbitration eligible Anthony Recker over minimum wage Juan Centeño? You could have put Taylor Teagarden in Recker's place and no one would have noticed. The superior defense and solid singles hitting of Juan Centeño would have been an improvement but they erred yet again.

Christopher Soto said...

@Reese

Recker is not arbitration eligible this off season.....he missed the super 2 cut by only a few days.

The case for Recker is that he brings considerable power while providing pretty solid defensive skills.

Remember this is the guy who threw out billy Hamilton with ease. He's got a solid arm, solid blocking skills, and power.

In my opinion, he's John Buck.

Tom Brennan said...

What about Xorge Carillo? Maybe he gets a real look at back up catcher in the spring? Or is his defense sub-par?

eraff said...

Did I notice Puello missing from that Outfield Recap?

Hobie said...

I am sure you are saying that you hope Juan Centeno does not come back to haunt us in the Jesus Flores analogy (not a career ending injury). I was disappointed by both moves, but they’re not exactly isomorphic. Jesus was unprotected & drafted under Rule 5. They sin there was that Omar apparently didn’t know (and, heck, I knew) how much Manny Acta coveted him. By DFA’ing Juan, the claimant didn’t need to burn a 25-man slot, hence a riskier exposure of an asset. Maybe the analysis is that Xorge Carrillo is near Centeno-like defensively with more pop. We’ll see if he gets protected, which he should if there are any thoughts of dealing Pawlecki (I’m thinking Pittsburgh here).

As for the 2015 OF, I hope Puello stays on the roster as a RHB. Even in a meh, post-suspension year he hit very well vs LHP and was very successful with RISP. I’d keep Campbell too, but as nominally a UT INF.

TP said...

@ Chris Soto
I always appreciate your comments as spot on and adding to the conversation. Question- I think you stated yesterday that Puello was out of options, but how is this possible if he has yet to play in the bigs? Thanks.

Hobie said...

TP-

Option years are those in which any part is spent in the MINORS. Cesar is out of options and must be on the 25-man to remain under NYM control.

Christopher Soto said...

Each player before being added to the 40 man roster starts with 3 option years.

an option year is burned when a player is assigned to a non MLB team for more than 20 days I believe.

Cesar Puello was added to the 40 man before the 2012 season began, spent 2012, 2013, and 2014 in the minor leagues thus burning all 3 options

Hobie said...

You're right, Chris. Didn't mean to step on your toes.

I note that Kirk was added to the 40-man the same day as Cesar, but only spent 5 days in BUFF during 2012, so HE has an option year left.

TP said...

Gentlemen,
Thanks for the clarification.

So Captain Kirk can be retained and sent to Vegas next spring if he doesn't make the final cut to head north?

Hobie said...

Yes. If it comes down to Kirk vs Puello as the 5th OF, Kirk can be optioned, Cesar cannot.

Anonymous said...

@Hobie and TP

While Kirk only played 5 games with Buffalo....he did BURN an option year in 2012.

He was optioned to AAA on 7/29 played 4 games but on 8/4 sustained a foot injury that placed him on the AAA 7 day DL. He spent the remainder of the season on the AAA DL, thus 27 additional days equaling an option year burned.