Mack – Morning Report – 2-9 - Carl Erskine, Second Base, Matt Reynolds, Noah Syndergaard

In 1996, Lance Johnson had 227 H, 21 3B, & 50 SB. Ty Cobb is the only other player with 200+ H, 20+ 3B, & 50+ SB in a season ('11, '12,'17).

Carl Erskine will walk out in front of the crowd of more than 15,000 with his harmonica in hand. He will play a melodious rendition of the national anthem before the Indiana Pacers game Friday night. And as the fans look out on this 88-year-old man, many of them -- dare we say, most of them? -- will not know who Carl Erskine is.

They won't know the story behind this Indiana hometown hero. This baseball All-Star who suited up with the likes of Jackie Robinson and Gil Hodges, who pitched the first nationally-televised no-hitter and grew up at a time when playing catch in the yard was just what little boys did. But they should. His life story, his years pitching for the Brooklyn Dodgers, is a remarkable one of making it to the major leagues during the golden era of baseball. - 

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2015/02/05/baseball-legend-carl-erskine-pitching-a-different-tune-for-indiana-pacers/22803035/

Mack – Erskine is one of the few ‘Boys of Summer’ still left here on earth. My brother’s favorite pitcher (mine was Johnny Podres). Just too too much time has past.

Second base looks crowded, but this is Murphy’s position until he’s traded or David Wright hits the disabled list. I was introduced to an interesting comp earlier this offseason. At the plate, Murphy is Gordon Beckham plus 50 points of BABIP. This may explain why clubs are hesitant to pursue Murphy on the trade market. Murphy won’t light the world on fire, but he’s a five category contributor in fantasy leagues – depending on where he bats in the lineup. Expect him to hit second. We’ll get to Flores in a moment, and Tovar is simple utility depth. However, Herrera is an interesting name to track, especially for those in dynasty leagues. He’s lightly penciled in as the second baseman of the future. He offers a bit more power and less contact than Murphy, but the general skill set is comparable – some speed, some power. Herrera turns 21 in a month, and he’s already had a taste of major league action. - http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/mets-infield-controversy-afoot/

Comment From Sam - Do you expect Dilson Herrera to make your top 100 prospect list?

Kiley McDaniel: Is literally #100 right now so could go either way, still shuffling names.

Matt Reynolds | SS/2B | 6-foot-1, 198 pounds | No. 19 Mets Prospect - Reynolds showed a good contact, live-drive bat when he finished his 2014 season at Las Vegas, hitting .333 in 301 plate appearances. He has continued to impress with a solid offensive game that includes a bit of pop in his bat and patience at the plate. Reynolds has the speed to steal bases and put pressure on the pitcher. Having just turned 24, he could still need more seasoning. - http://m.mets.mlb.com/news/article/108175242/bernie-pleskoff-on-the-cusp-new-york-mets

Mack – I’ve been a little rough on Tom Brennan about his man-love for this guy so I thought I’d go out of my way and cut and paste what MLB.com is saying about him.

By the way, I caught out of the corner of my eye last week that MLB-TV said on a chart the most important person in the Mets system in 2015 is Reynolds. They didn’t say why, but it’s worth point out here.

17. Noah Syndergaard, RHP, Mets - Drafted by the Jays in 2010, Syndergaard was dealt to the Mets in the R.A. Dickey trade a few offseasons ago. He will most likely end up becoming the most valuable player in that trade, as he’s steadily advanced through the Minors the last few years. He profiles as a power right handed, front of the rotation starter.

His stock took a slight hit this past season, posting a 4.60 ERA with an opponents batting average of .293 at Triple-A Las Vegas. However, the 51’s home ballpark is a notorious hitter’s park, and the 22-year old still posted 145 strikeouts in 133 innings. The 6’6″ 240 pounder uses his high 90’s fastball to overpower batters, leading to the high strikeout numbers. His change-up is a solid secondary pitch, and his curveball has really developed since being drafted and is now an average offering. The righthander should be able to join Matt Harvey, Jacob DeGrom, and Zach Wheeler in New York in 2015. The Mets have a done a very nice job at developing arms, and Syndergaard seems like the next in line. He may have a shot at earning a rotation spot in Spring Training. If he has to return to the Minors, it won’t be long before we see him in the big leagues for good. - 

http://gradingonthecurve.com/2015/02/02/2015-mlb-top-prospects-11-20/8/

        

Mack – I know it seems like we keep writing about the same guys, but I follow what the guys do that get paid to do this and Noah Syndergaard is very popular lately to write about.

I saw online that Darin Gorski has already hopped in his car (truck) and is on the way to Pitchers/Catchers.

Thank goodness.