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
Pulsipher… Jason 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:
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!
I meant not expendable.
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.
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
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.
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.
Ernest -
I will tell you one thing...
They are running out of potential SP1s on the farm
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?
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
I love the optimism Thomas. Don't change.
Hey, Looby, I'm optimistic that I'll do exactly that!
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