The Morning Report 5.28.2015 | No Place Like Home for Cuddyer, Vic Black Ready for Action, Minor League Promotions, 2015-2016 IFA Signings

David Wright Injury Tracker | Diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis. In California to see specialist. 

Mike Puma | New York Post- Michael Cuddyer is a giant homebody. The Mets outfielder continued his recent surge with a home run Wednesday in a 7-0 victory over the Phillies, raising his average to .381 over his last 12 games at Citi Field. “I like hitting at home, no matter where home is,” Cuddyer said. “You’re used to the background, you’re used to the surroundings, the confines, you’re used to everything. The more you play somewhere, the better off you are and if you look at my track record I have always hit better at home — no matter what my home was.” Overall, Cuddyer is hitting .322 with three homers and 15 RBIs at Citi Field this season. On the road, he is hitting .195 with two homers and seven RBIs.

(Chris Soto: When the Mets initially signed Cuddyer, the biggest concern was how his Coors induced home/away splits would translate moving to Citi Field. Oddly enough, that split has actually widened by coming to New York as shown by his road stats above. That said, he needs to start picking it up as those road stats aren't going to be acceptable going forward. While he does have an unfavorable BABIP of .240 on the road, it's not horribly bad. His 27.5% K rate on the road IS a bigger concern and is putting a ton of pressure on his average.)


David Hong | Metsmerized Online- Mets reliever Vic Black, who has been trying to come back from shoulder and neck issues, passed a significant hurdle last night. The right-hander has now pitched in back to back scoreless relief appearances with Double-A Binghamton and according to Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen, Black is now ready to come off the DL. “I think I’m ready,” Black told Lynn Worthy of the Press and Sun Bulletin. “I believe I am. It’s up to them. That’s just how this whole process goes.“I can get outs right now. I don’t care where you put me, I can get outs. I think that’s the biggest key outside of the back-to-back.”

(Chris Soto: Black will likely be activated in time for the Marlins series starting tomorrow with LHRP Jack Leathersich likely to be the guy who gets demoted for him. While it may not seem like much, having Black back in the fold is a big boost to the bullpen. While they won't immediately used him in high leverage spots, once he gets eased back in, he can provide better quality in the 8th inning than Carlos Torres. This has a trickle down effect...Black over C. Torres improves the 8th, C. Torres over A. Torres improves the 7th, which in turn reduces A. Torres' usage since Goeddel/Robles are pitching better than him anyway.)


Chris McShane | Amazin Avenue- The Mets have promoted right-handed pitching prospect Robert Gsellman from High-A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton and sent fellow right-handed pitching prospect John Gant down from Binghamton to St. Lucie. Gsellman is as solid a mid-tier pitching prospect as you're going to find. The 21-year-old prep product has filled out his sturdy, 6'4", 200 lbs frame nicely, adding a few ticks to a fastball that still works in the low-90s but now reaches 94 MPH without maxing out. His advanced command of that pitch, along with a surprisingly polished change-up allowed him to breeze through his first taste of full-season baseball.

(Chris Soto: Promotions have begun in Mets prospect land. Expect to see a number of player movements up and down at each level of the organization as clubs around the MLB begin prepping their short season minor league teams to start play over the next 3 weeks. With Kyle Johnson now manning CF for the 51's, they are short a corner OF so look for Jayce Boyd to be promoted soon with Conforto moving to Binghamton to join Nimmo and Cecchini.)


2015-2016 International Free Agent Signing Period (MLBPipeline.com)

• One important date that is sneaking up on us is June 1st. This is the official date that clubs may no longer sign international free agents against their '14-'15 budgets, After a 30 day rest period, clubs can begin signing this year's crop of 16 yr old talent from other countries. In the Mets case, generally they sign 1 high impact youngster and spread out the rest of the funds so lesser known "wild cards." However this year, it looks like they are having a bit of a strategy change. The Mets are rumored to have $1.0M+ agreements already in place for both the #12 and #14 overall international free agents. With a '15-'16 budget of only $2,531,300, the club may have blown through their entire allowance on just these two guys. So who are they?

• #12 SS Andres Gimenez- Scouts love what they see in Gimenez, who is 5-foot-11 and nearly 160 pounds. They also love that he makes the game look easy because of his natural abilities. He's smooth. Overall, Gimenez is lean, athletic and full of energy. The middle infielder has also shown the type of speed that could land him at the top of the order one day. He has a good hitting approach and is considered a line-drive hitter. He has some power and has displayed the ability to hit the ball into the gaps on a consistent basis. On defense, Gimenez profiles as an everyday shortstop if he continues to develop as expected. He has smooth defensive actions and an arm strong enough to keep him at the position.

• #14 SS Gregory Guerrero- The nephew of former Major League star Vladimir Guerrero and the cousin of fellow top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Gregory Guerrero has a famous last name, but he's also making a name for himself. Known for his strong arm and quick feet, Guerrero has opened eyes with his easy actions on defense. He's a fluid defender and has a knack for making plays look easy. His tools and athletic ability will likely keep him at the position as he grows into his body and develops as a player. On offense, the teen is not as strong as his cousin Vlad Jr., but Gregory has shown some raw power and the ability to hit home runs. He's a decent runner and has been working on stealing bases.