1/9/15

The Morning Report – 1-8 – Pedro Martinez, Tyler Pastornicky, Mets Pen, Braves Pen, Wilmer Flores



Good morning.

Before we get on to today’s news, I do want to spend a few more moments on the comments Pedro Martinez made about the Mets, and their fans, while he was speaking at one of the Hall of Fame press conferences.

I found it utterly offensive that Martinez would single out a team that always paid him the respect he deserved and paid him top dollar for his service.

Martinez pitched four years for the Mets (2005-2008), going only 32-23. He also signed a 4-year, $53mil contract with the Mets in 2005, one of the largest at its time.

Did the Mets treat Martinez badly? And did Martinez give any of the money back after only producing decent numbers during the first two years of this contract?

I’ve written a number of time being critical of the operation of the New York Mets, but, at the same time, I have tried to be fair and explain the business side of their misfortune and why they have to do what they are currently doing.

It was simply rotten for Martinez to take a shot at the Mets when it’s obvious he’s trying to make reputation for himself as a future hot shit sports broadcaster.


The Atlanta Braves designated for assignment 2B-SS Tyler Pastornicky.
He’s had trouble hitting major league pitching (2012: 169-AB, .243, 2013: 30-AB, .300, 2014: 40-AB, .200), but the sample size is quite low.

At the same time, he seems to have no problem hitting AAA pitching (2013: 288-AB, .292, 2014: 176-AB, .290).


He’s 24 years old.



Dan Szymborski ‏@DSzymborski  -  ZiPS actually projects 7 Mets starting pitchers to be around league-average (ERA+ 96) or better.


Derek McKnight to me

In todays report you claimed our bullpen wasn’t the best but a pretty good one. Since you are having trouble finding different things to write about, and tis the season for lists, how about a rankings of the teams. For example, you could just do NL or the entire MLB. But on Monday you could give us your rankings on everyone’s bullpen. Then the starting 5 (tough with Shields and Max still unsigned), then infield, and outfield.

Gives us something to comment on, read and think about over a Tulu trade or SS signing

Mack – Okay, we’ll give it a shot, first in the NL East.

The first thing we have to do is go back and put together what we think the Mets pen will be for the majority of the season.

My guess, and the 2014 highlight stats are:

Bobby Parnell – 9.00, 3.00, 1.0-IP, 1-K
Jenrry Mejia – 2.72 (as relief pitcher)  56.1-IP
Jeurys Familia –  2.21, 1.18, 77.1-IP, 73-K
Josh Edgin – 1.32, 0.91, 27.1-IP, 28-K
Buddy Carlyle -  1.45, 0.90, 31-IP, 28-K
Vic Black – 2.60, 1.30, 34.2-IP, 32-K
Carlos Torres – 3.06, 1.31, 97-IP, 96-K

This is a strong pen and don’t get caught up on the 9.00 ERA listed for Parnell. That’s one inning. The numbers here are actually a little stronger but I can’t find a way of extracting Torres’ numbers only as a reliever. Also, the Mets may be adding Sean Gilmartin as a lefty reliever and there are currently no relief stats on him.

Baring injuries, I’m ready to stack this staff up against the rest of the division.

So, let’s take a look at the 2015 Atlanta Braves –

Craig Kimbrell – 1.61, 0.91, 61.2-IP, 95
Jim Johnson – 7.09, 1.95, 53.1-IP, 42-K
Shae Simmons – 2.91, 1.20, 21.2-IP, 23-K
James Russell – 2.97, 1.13, 57.2-IP, 42-K
Michael Kohn – 3.04, 1.31, 23.2-IP, 26-K
Luis Avian –  4.57, 1.57, 43.1-IP, 25-K
Arodys Vizcaino –  5.40, 1.60, 5.0-IP, 4-K
Jason Grilli –  4.00, 1.33, 54-IP, 57-K
Josh Outman – 2.86, 1.41, 28.1-IP, 26-K   

I’ll be breaking out one team per day and we can all discuss this in the comments section, but, for starts, I don’t see a stronger pen here for the Braves, do you?



Comment From Bat - Eno, as a fellow Mets fan, what do you think of the Mets’ decision – at this juncture – to not acquire any SS to compete with Flores? Absent them making a move for Arreubarrena, or Miller or Taylor from the M’s, or Evereth Cab, it seems like the plan is (1) play Flores and (2) if Flores stinks and Tulo proves healthy, go after Tulo. And (3) if Tulo’s not available and Flores stinks, play Reynolds or Tejada? Is this basically the plan?

Eno Sarris: I think the plan is play Flores and hope that he hits a little and that he can become more of a centerpiece for Tulo trade than he is now. I hope that’s the plan. Because personally I don’t believe his glove works at short, and I’m a little skeptical of his bat as well

Mack – We just can’t get away from this guy, can we?



26 comments:

Ernest Dove said...

You can never have enough SS talk I guess.................
I hope Wilmer talks with Lagares, gets advice on how to ignore everyone's two cent opinions on what he can or can't do at the major league level

Tom Brennan said...

Wilmer Flores is becoming the Mets' A Rod - a media magnet. Imagine if he out-performs.

I like the Mets pen over the not-so-Braves (hey, is Jim Johnson and his 7.09 ERA available?) - who would have thought in early 2013 that anyone might be saying the 2015 Mets pen would be better? Things do change. Slip Parnell's full prior year results in there - 2.16, 1.00 WHIP in 50 innings with 22 saves - and it really reflects a tough pen.

With Leathersich, Morris, and Alvarez closing in, to boot. Those three guys - whatever their flaws - struck out 296 in 184 minor league innings last year.

Pedro is trying - maybe a rich guy who is not that smart?

Anonymous said...

Carlos Torres only had 1 game as a starter:

5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA

The other 72 appearances were in relief:

92.0 IP, 3.23 ERA, 8.8 K/9

Tom Brennan said...

Lagares would be a good one to tell Flores to tune folks out, Ernest.

I imagine Juan had to tune folks out after making a resounding 69 errors at SS in 192 minor league games there at an early age. Flores is Rey Ordonez at SS by comparison.

James Preller said...

Maybe Flores needs to be moved down the defensive spectrum, not up?

IBfromWhitePlains said...

IDK. I don't think Pedro intended to insult the Mets or their fans at all. I read the quote and what I take from it is that Met fans have fun, watch the game, love the game, whereas Yankee fans need to win to get anything from baseball. Maybe there's some truth to that.

bgreg98180 said...

Mack

From what I read in Martinez's statement, there is merit to what he said.

I understand his meaning to be that:
Yankee fans ALWAYS want the best. Best batter available, best pitcher, best closer, best manager, etc..,, Yankee fans go absolutely nuts if an all-star player on their team has one bad month, series, game. When the Yankees lose a world series, playoff series, playoff game, even a regular season game, they want to get rid of everyone because they do not tolerate losing.

Imagine the newspaper articles, sportscasters,radio hosts/callers, bloggers, blog com enters, if the Yankees had two under .500 seasons in a row, or three, now four, and five.

Now, look at our own commenters here at Macksmets ( wonderful place & people by the way).
Instead, Met fans have desperately tried against all rationale thinking to be positive over the past 5 years. If, maybe, there's a chance......all common when discussing the Mets chances each year.

Met fans still follow the team with an eye towards next year, even though the same hope has been the carrot for the third year now. Remember: 2014 will be THE year when all the contracts come off the payroll. Ooops, make that 2015, Harvey is hurt. Now, well we really mean 2016, will be THE year for the Mets.

Face facts: Met fans have settled for hoping "miracles" happen to become Champions. If everything turns out just right. If no one is hurt significantly. If prospects prosper. If so-and-so bounces back. The "other team" in our division is too good so next year, so maybe we will make the wild card.

Yankee fans want the deck stacked for them. They demand an All-Star team to fill their roster. If one of their "All-stars" falter,...... replace him with another All-Star.....,NOW.

Good? Bad? One way over the other?
I don't know.
But that is the way things are.

Christopher Soto said...

Agreed....I think Martinez's quotes were taken WAY out of context. Listening to the interview it was more of a shot at the Yankee fans for being so Damn uptight whereas as Pedro compared met fans to red Sox fans in the sense that they are more knowledgeable than average fans and enjoy the game rather than absolutely needing to be the best in the league.

Michi L. said...

Imagine the Mets added Shields, K-Rod, Cuddyer and Mayberry to last years team this offseason. No single reporter or fan would complain about the offseason. They all would rave about it. But if you thin about it, its exactly what the Mets did this winter.
They didnt sign Shields but we get Harvey
They didnt sign K-Rod but get Parnell
Add Cuddyer and Mayberry.

I think we should be a pretty competitive team.

Charles said...

If you add a healthy Wright, and a Grandy that hits a little more, the team is much improved.

Having Harvey from the get go, along with deGrom as well, the teams should add 5 or 6 wins right there. When you replace Gee with Harvey, that's a huge upgrade.

When you replace Chris Young with Cuddyer, that's a huge upgrade.

To me, the Mets go from a good team to a great one based on the performances of the catcher and SS. I think they'll easily be a .500 team. But if they get good production from those two previously mentioned positions, they may make the playoffs.

I just think that they have enough starting pitching depth to carry them through this season, to the point where offense is the only real issue.

(Other than some real shaky up the middle defense in the infield.)

eraff said...

I'd like to Imagine they brought in a Major League SS. You might see Tejada ALOT!!!

Flores is a total Projection with the bat. He needs to be an amazing offensive player to outhit his Glove.

I'd rather see a "plan" to get him 300-400 ab's as a "swing guy" mid infielder.... that may still happen. I'd rather it happen with a full time SS upgrade in place...that would be "planning" for success rather than "pretending".

Tom Brennan said...

Hey eraff

Sometimes you have to take a chance on a guy. They did on Lagares - everyone plotzed over that one.

As an extremely young 21 and 22 year old for AAA in 2013/14, Flores went 207 for 644 (.322) with 47 doubles, 6 triples, 28 HRs, and 145 RBIs, while scoring 112. And that includes a slow start in his AAA debut in April 2013 which made the stats a little less impressive.

Guys at that age that are talented usually are better when they get a little older. he will turn 24 in August, and is working like the dickens to improve. One sign is his extremely low K rate coming down the stretch in 2014.

I say, let Wilmer sink or swim at SS. I think we have Lagares II this year.

James Preller said...

I was not in the slightest way offended by Pedro's comments, which I felt were largely accurate. Maybe I need to go to sensitivity training.

What might get the Mets to 85 wins -- and I'm not there, yet -- is the relative weakness of the NL East, against whom they play 76 games.

The optimistic folks imagine positive seasons from Granderson, Wright, Harvey, Mejia, Cuddyer, etc.

The more negative folks think about injuries, aging outfielders, poor up-the-middle defense, Matt Harvey on weird pitch counts, a fragile pen . . . . But worst of all, since things always go wrong, the Mets are saddled with an ownership and a semi-retired GM that will refuse to act when the season hangs in the balance. When the patient is flatlining, they won't reach for the paddles.

Anonymous said...

PLEASE READ THE QUOTE!!!

“Queens, they’re wild, they’re happy,” Martinez joked. “They settle for what they’ve got. Yankees fans cannot. Win or nothing. Win or nothing. And they’re going to boo you and they’re going to call you ‘Who’s your daddy?’ They’re going to chant until you just go away. But I built a great relationship while being with the Mets.”

Zozo said...

mack
I took pedros comments the same way.
We are wild and crazy!
Most of us are settling. Settling for what? mediocre owners that don't know their ass from their elbows.
I believe we should take all our pent up wild and craziness that we haven't used for years and continue to stop settling for these BS owners!!! We have to keep hitting them in the midsection and not let up, because they will eventually go down or at least listen to what we want. There should a happy middle ground that we can agree with.
I am very happy that the guys that are running the "free mets fans" billboards made it to the amount they needed to put both billboards up. Kudos to them.

Mets Dreams said...

I agree on the Pedro comments that he enjoyed the Mets fans. I would hate to be compared to Yankee fans that think winning championships is their birthright rather than a product of outspending everyone else.
On the SS front, I think Alderson is exploring either the Seattle option or one of the young Cubs SS. He has set his parameters and will not go past them. I'm more worried about Murph's defense than Flores. Murph is an adventure waiting to happen whereas Flores catches what he gets to.

Tom Brennan said...

Take the R out of Murph and, phonetically, you have "Muff". Pretty apropos.

My guess is by mid-year, Muff... err, I mean Murph... will be packing his bags to make room for a high-flying Dilson Herrera.

How about Matt Reynolds up, Tejada bye-bye.

I'd like to see how Dilson and Wuilmer, backed hopefully Mr. Reynolds, will do in that middle infield. I think they'll make us very happy.

Unknown said...

This: http://www.amazinavenue.com/2015/1/8/7493509/new-york-mets-wilmer-flores-shortstop

is the best article I have read all off season on Flores.

Sandy and his front office are stats heavy to the point of obsessive crazy - here is what they know about Flores that everyone else is missing:

He makes nearly ALL of the routine plays - 95% (maybe more) of plays at SS are routine - the comparison of Flores to Perralta is telling

I think Flores will grade out close to average as a SS.

I think he will be an above average hitter - for any position. So, when you have an above average hitter playing SS, he has even more value.

I think Flores is going to give his detractors a nice warm cup of "Shut the Heck Up"

Unknown said...

You all need to take a step back on Reynolds until he proves last year wasn't a fluke.

His BABIP was unsustainable - he is poised for at least a 75 point drop to his batting average - which will make his numbers ok, not great.

Also, before anointing Reynolds the next thing - go look at his stats as a 23 year old in AA compared to 20 year old Tejada - that is an eye-opener.

eraff said...

Tom---frankly, I was SCREAMING when Lagares was collecting Splinters!!----on a team that had no chance of winning more than 75 games.

I also ached out loud last year--- when Flores picked splinters---that was the Year to See What You've Got.

You have a ready to compete staff--- with a return to health of Wright, and some production from Cudd and Grandy, this is a team that should PLAN to compete.

Flores should be in that plan---as a 300-400 ab bench guy ( a younger and maybe better Justin Turner). There is not indication that he's a Major League SS...and absolutely nothinhg but desperate hope that he'll hit well enough to merely exceed his defensive deficiencies. He's not a WHEN SS prospect--he's an I Don't Think So SS Prospect...admittedly, he's a reasonably nice bet to hit.

This is not a the way to plan on winning.

Tom Brennan said...

eraff

Nice thing is they have to play them one at a time...starting in spring...so if Flores completely flops, always plan B.

Lew, I hear you on Reynolds, but let's remember, no matter how lucky he was, he hit .224 in 2013 in A ball, and .333 in AAA after .350 + in AA. I don't look at a guy at that stage as done improving after so rapid an improvement from 2013 to 2014...so if his luck regresses a lot, if that's what a large part was, he still should be improved as a player in 2015 over 2014, based on his track record. He's an Improver. So I think he will do just fine in '15. Better than Ruben. I'd bet my Reese on it.

Anonymous said...

I am a die-hard Mets fan who reads and comments on Mack's Mets, MetsBlog, MetsToday, and AmazinAvenue each day.

I am also the person using the handle "Bat" who sent that question to Eno Sarris that Mack re-printed in the morning report.

I found nothing offensive at all about Pedro's statements.

He is basically saying (in my opinion) that Mets fans tolerate stuff that Yankees fans would never tolerate; Joe Janish of MetsToday has been saying this for years.

Meaning: If the Yankees entire offseason consisted of adding D.J. Carrasco as the Mets big offseason acquisition, Yankees fans would go ape shit, but Mets fans seem to take it in stride.

I too wish Mets fans would cause more of an uproar and make life more difficult for the Wilpons, who should sell this team to someone who is willing to make the investment in players necessary to cause the Mets to return to glory.

TP said...

It is a bit concerning to me that many fans are starting out their justification for optimism by saying "we get back a healthy Harvey, Parnell, and Wright". That sounds great and I'm all for it. The problem is, all of these guys have had serious injuries, and none has proven themselves health no less able to handle the rigors of a full baseball season and perform to previous high standards. While TJ return rates are high, they are no guarantee (ask Ryan Madson) and the risk of re-injury is high (ask Beachy and Medlen). Additionally, for those successful recoveries, return to top performance usually takes two seasons. Lastly, regarding DW, I have had a loose shoulder myself, and despite rehab it required surgery. While the muscles in the shoulder area can be strengthed through exercise, the tendons cannot. It is very iffy whether rehab and exercise will return his shoulder to 100%. I will try to be optimistic and not a Debbie Downer, but simply writing these recoveries down as a done deal is not being objective and understating the risk. DW is the least expendable and Parnell the most, but if any cannot contribute it will spell trouble when you have a do nothing GM and cheap owners.

Tom Brennan said...

Good points, TP. I hope Wright is a pragmatist....if healthy, fine. If not close to 100%, J Werth has (right idea. Hopefully Harvey has had ample rehab time and is 100%. Mr. Parnell, take your time. Don't return too soon.

eraff said...

Parnell is Back? I'm not a Fan...SELL HIGH at the first indication of interest. I like Jenry, Jeurys and Black better....much better!

Tom Brennan said...

Eraff, your sentiment on Parnell is one that my brother Steve has echoed many times.

Other than when Steve is wrong, he is alwys right, I might add.