12/27/14

The Morning Report – December 27 – Noah Syndergaard, Kevin Plawecki, Mets Zero Additions



A little more about what Fangraphs[i] said about Mets WAR prospects –

Noah Syndergaard, RHP (Profile)

IP      K/9    BB/9 HR/9 FIP    WAR

150   8.4    3.1    1.0    3.78  1.2

With the exception of a .378 BABIP, the right-handed Syndergaard was almost precisely the same pitcher at Triple-A Las Vegas last season as he’d been in his first four professional seasons. Syndergaard entered 2014 having produced strikeout and walk rates of 27.8% and 6.8%, respectively. Last year, he recorded a 24.9% strikeout and 7.4% walk rate.         Not as impressive, that, but also nearly as impressive and also the product of a 21-year-old pitching in the rather hostile Pacific Coast League. Per Steamer, it’s unlikely that Syndergaard is prepared to dominate major-league hitters immediately. The combination of age and present talent are impressive, however

Mack – We’ve got to talk about someone during this off-season other than shortstops and fifth outfielders. Let’s get back to one of my favorite subjects, the guy who has never thrown a major league pitch for this team, but has probably already killed a dozen good deals for established, well known, producing ballplayers… Noah Syndergaard.
Bill PulsipherJason Isringhausen, Paul Wilson (can’t remember the fourth guy… spanish name). All three of these guys were going to be saviors for this team in my generation so excuse me if I don’t jump off the walls until I see three sub-1.00 WHIPs from Harvey, Wheeler, and Thor. No folks, it was not ‘Generation K’… it was ‘Generation Mack’ and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker

We could have a middle infielder like Addison Russell or Mookie Betts RIGHT NOW and, by the time Syndergarrd was promoted to Fenway Park in mid-2015, we’d have our 4th and 5th slot filled with Rafael Montero and Stephen Matz.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.




Fangraphs also had nice things to say about Kevin Plawecki http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-the-prospects-new-york-mets/


He’s a very good receiver with solid hands; some took his stints at first base in 2013 to mean the Mets doubted his defensive ability, but it was purely due to the heat in the Florida State League. Plawecki projects as a solid average defender with an average arm that’s a little short compared to most catching prospects and he’s working to get his release and mechanics more consistent to allow his arm to play up. It’s worth noting that one scout I talked to has Plawecki over Syndergaard.

Summation: Pitchers like throwing to him and fellow Mets farmhands already see him as a leader that controls the field.  He hasn’t really hit that speed bump yet that most catchers hit in their minor league careers, due to all the rigors of catching and learning to handle a staff. He should spend most of 2015 in Triple-A and doesn’t have a clear path to the big leagues with d’Arnaud ahead of him, but Plawecki should be contributing in the big leagues by 2016.

Mack – We all are going to need another year to figure out the catcher situation for the Mets.

Sure, both Plawecki and Travis d’Arnaud have plenty of talent, but it still has to be determined if d’Arnaud can go through an entire season without a major injury and if Plawecki can develop enough pop to match d’Arnaud’s potential

There’s also defensive considerations here. D’Arnaud needs to improve greatly both with his move to other bases and the actual throw.

My guess is d’Arnaud wins this battle and then it will have to determine where Plawecki will serve the Mets better, as a backup in Queens (vast improvement with current backup) or trade bait in future multiple player swap for… well, you know who.



I don’t spend the kind of time I used to online anymore, but my routine hasn’t changed. One of the first thigs I do is go to Baseball Cube, click on the last 24 hours transactions, and I try and catch up on past events. If yo do this every day, you we see 98% of what happened in the baseball world.

So, what’s this been like for me:

12-26 – 2 transactions – 0 by Mets
12-25 – 4 transactions – 0 by Mets
12-24 – 23 tranactions – 0 by Mets
12-23 – 13 transactions – 0 by Mets
12-22 – 0 transactions – 0 by Mets
12-21 – 4 tranactions – 0 by Mets
12-20 – 35 tranactions – 0 by Mets
12-19 – 19 transaction – 0 by Mets

I’m going to stop here. The last 100 transactions in baseball included no one signed by the Mets to anything… major league, minor lague, nothing.

WTF.

18 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Someone bought Sandy a BIC pen for Christmas. Once he fills out his greeting cards, signings will certainly follow in droves.

I'd love to see Thor go for one of those 2 (Betts or Russell) if total package is fair. With so much pitching coming, Thor once would have been expendable but is now largely easily replaceable.

Just don't throw in Cesar Puello! Oh, all right, you can!

Tom Brennan said...

I meant not expendable.

Ernest Dove said...

Maybe Syndergaard and Matz are the next Paul Wilson and Bill Pulsipher.....maybe they are the next Roger Clemens and Clayton Kershaw.
Might as well spend 2015 finding out.
Cant state that Mets have plenty of pitching on the farm, while at the same time state that nobody with potential is a sure thing, and are thus expendable.

Anonymous said...

Getting Russell or Betts for Syndergaard is speculation.....yet, you write this as if it was a foregone conclusion and Sandy somehow failed to make the move.

Better still.....if Thor isn't a sure thing (and he isnt).....who says Russell or Betts will definitely reach their potential?

99% of the stories floating around right mow are media or blogger generated, but because they are repeated a few times, they turn into "facts" and fodder for attacking a GM who has done a great job rebuilding our farm team and future.

We are on the verge of a sustained run for of good baseball and everyone wants to deal our assets for an over paid, broken, 30 year old SS whose best days are behind him....or make a flurry of deals like the Padres just to keep the fan base from getting bored.

I love the enthusiasm but I am glad you aren't the GM

Anonymous said...

I don't see Thor as replaceable. We can survive the drop off we will have in the staff if a trade produces a solid bat.
Like Ernest stated he can be the next Paul Wilson or the next Roger Clemens. I feel he is going to be the best of the big 4. His size and easy delivery make him the most likely to avoid TJS. With Wheeler it seems to be a matter of when not if.
As much as I like Syndergaard I know you need to give something up to get something. The Mets just need to be very smart about it. I would do Russell for Thor straight up but if the Mets did I wouldn't be to upset. If they trade Thor for Tulo I would be very upset as a met fan.

Mack Ade said...

Anon -

I'm not trying to be the General Manager. I'm just trying to write about something every day that is interesting, generates a reaction, and and a comment.

Mack Ade said...

Ernest -

I will tell you one thing...

They are running out of potential SP1s on the farm

bgreg98180 said...

Anon...
clearly you do not believe Tulowitzki would make a positive contribution to the Mets.

Because of his being "over-payed, 30+yrs old, broken, and having already seen his better days"

Are Wright and Cuddyer supposed to contribute more when the same case could be made about them?

Now imagine the Mets this year if both Wright and Cuddyer performance matches what you fear Tulowitzki's will be. ... scary? It wouldn't look good for this year or next year would it?

Herb G said...

Mack -

WTF sums it up quite well. Lets face it, Sandy is waiting, waiting, waiting for his markeet to develop. Come 1/15 we will probably see a bunch of signings, and lets hope that the guys who are left at that time are worthwhile and that our baseball brains can skim off the cream.

Anonymous said...

A GM has to be a gambler. A gambler plays the odds.
It is possible that if the Mets trade Syndergaard for Tulo it will be a great trade for the Mets. That is possible. I just don't see it as probable. I don't see the future perfectly and I could be wrong. I have been many times before.
Tulowitzkis injury history and the success of Met free agents, since George Foster, sends up a big red flag.
I think the Probability of Russell being successful is a close match to Thor.

Mack Ade said...

Herb -

I know.

And, it's not just the big guys, most of which are already gone.

What about signing someone to play 2B in Binghamton?

Tom Brennan said...

I wish Mazzilli's fine had been "drop down and give me 50" instead. Pencil in McNeil for Bingo 2B.

Besides Thor, I see Matz and Molina as potential SP1's. To go with SP1's Harvey, DeGrom, and Wheeler. But I may just be your typical overvaluing Met fan at heart.

Anonymous said...

I had Matz as a potential SP1 until I saw him live last year. It was late July and I was in the front row, right behind the catcher. I wasn't impressed. It may have been just a bad night for him. It was cold for July. Low 60s. It just stopped raining and there was a light mist. He was sitting around 89-90. Hit 92 a few times. The opposing pitcher looked much better.
Even when I see great pitchers on an off night they still look great when I'm just looking at the pitch and not the result. Matz didn't on that night.
Since then I see him as a #3 or #4 starter. Again I hope I'm wrong. Maybe he was being careful on a poor weather day considering his injury history.

Mack Ade said...

Thomas -

Don't take this wrong... I'm not trying to be critical... but you are always 100% so bubbly about this team and its players, it's hard to evaluate what you are saying sometimes.

We all love you for what you are but a critic you don't seem to be

Ernest Dove said...

Allow me to compare Mets having Thor equal to an NBA or NFL franchise having the #1 overall pick in the coming draft. You usually only trade that asset for two reasons:1 your team is absolutely terrible and one player not enough. 2 another team is willing to trade a combo of one allstar AND more assets.Using that formula I first refuse to believe that Mets are that terrible anymore. Plus i would expect a team like the cubs to offer me Russel AND another major leaguer in return.....Im sure that sounds rediculous especially to cubs fans, but that's my two cent thought process.

Tom Brennan said...

I'm a glass half full guy, Mack, as Reese would say. But then I fill it the rest of the way up! It does make me a bad critic.

John Looby said...

I love the optimism Thomas. Don't change.

Tom Brennan said...

Hey, Looby, I'm optimistic that I'll do exactly that!