Good
morning.
It’s
getting harder every week to write this column in advance. So much changes
every day with this organization and I have to keep going back and rewriting
things I thought I had all figured out.
The
Dillon Gee exile didn’t catch me off-guard
though I am still trying to figure out what the next Mets move will be. I know…
let’s promote a reliever from St. Lucie to Flushing! Oops, sorry… done that.
I
saw an interesting fact online this week. The Mets have only used 35
ballplayers this season, which is one below the league average. Tampa
Bay leads all teams with 43. See, we Mets fans have tunnel vision sometimes and
we think we’re the only team suffering from players going on the disabled list.
Here’s
two names you might never have wanted to read in the same sentence… Monday’s
victory tied Terry Collins with the amount of
wins Gil Hodges had as a Met.
I
do have to say that I’m getting more comfortable with Darrell
Ceciliani spelling Michael Cuddyer for a
game or two per week. He seems to have no problem with a part time role on this
team… hell, he’s hitting better than most full time players. No team makes it
to the playoffs without a solid bench and no General Manager wants to develop a
solid bench with players from outside the organization. ‘DC’ is a team
controlled shot in the arm right now and hopefully some of it can rub off on John Mayberry.
According
to Cover Those Bases
17 Venezuelan top prospects have committed to sign with various major league
teams on July 2nd, the international signing day.
Not one of them have committed to the Mets.
Some
tidbits on the upcoming Cyclones roster –
Only 4 of the 16 pitchers
are left handed. This may be the reason Valdez is back for his 3rd year in
Brooklyn.
There are no left-handed
batters or fielders. Last year, only John Mora threw
left handed, while Mora, Joe Tuschak and Michael Conforto hit lefty.
Only 2 switch hitters (C Jose Garica and IND Brandon
Kaupe)
Only 4 men have not
played in the Mets Organization (INF Vinny Siena,
RHP Corey Taylor, RHP Michael
Gibbons, and LHP PJ Conlon)
The following guys are
wearing the same jersey number from last season: Gaither
Bumgardner (#36); Jeff Diehl (#24); Will Fulmer (#23); Michael
Bernal (#27); Tucker Tharp (#5); Tom Gamboa (#20)
The following guys are
switching numbers: Carlos Valdez (#16 #28); Michael Katz (#18 #25); Pedro
Perez (#33 #21); Alfredo Reyes (#8 #2); Dave LaRoche (#30 #17); Edgardo
Alfonzo (#4 #13)
Christian
Montgomery goes against baseball tradition by
being a pitcher to wear a single digit number (#3)
Right now, the Mets are
playing at a projected pace of 87 wins. This is respectable, but it is not
going to either win the division or beat two of the following teams (Cubs,
Giants, Pirates).
The only team that seems
to be cooperating with the Mets are the Nats. Can you imagine how many games
the team would be ahead of them if they just won the ‘close ones’?
Hats off to my buddy, Akeel Morris, for giving it the ole college try. The
Mets simply asked too much of him, but it did earn him a promotion to Binghamton,
right? We’ll hear from this guy again down the road.
Going into Friday, Jacob deGrom ranks over last calendar year: ERA: 2nd, SO, 13th, K/9: 7th, K/BB: 13th, HR/9: 4th, BAA: 5th, WHIP: 3rd, FIP: 4th, fWAR: 5th
And my next projected promotion would be OF Wuilmer Beccera... going into tonight's game, Beccera was hiting .289/.340/.491 for the Sand Gnats and ranked, league wise, 9th in doubles, 5th in home runs, and 10th in runs batted in... all accomplished at 20 years old.
Going into Friday, Jacob deGrom ranks over last calendar year: ERA: 2nd, SO, 13th, K/9: 7th, K/BB: 13th, HR/9: 4th, BAA: 5th, WHIP: 3rd, FIP: 4th, fWAR: 5th
And my next projected promotion would be OF Wuilmer Beccera... going into tonight's game, Beccera was hiting .289/.340/.491 for the Sand Gnats and ranked, league wise, 9th in doubles, 5th in home runs, and 10th in runs batted in... all accomplished at 20 years old.
If I'm not mistaken....the Mets have pulled all scouting operations out of Venezuela due to the rapidly deteriorating safety issues present.
ReplyDeleteI reflected on the Akeel Morris situation. Not only did he skip 2 levels, he went up against a red hot squad, probably the best offense in baseball, on their home field, and got some bad breaks (bunt hit, grounder thru IF, no DP turned). Unfair situation. Had he pitched against, say, the Mets, why not a 1-2-3 inning? Even Colon couldn't handle them. Jays scored over 8 runs per game in their 11 game streak. Unfair.
ReplyDeleteAbout 13-14 additional teams have also ceased operations in Venezuela. The Rockies, Rangers, and Cardinals are the 3 teams with the biggest presence still there.
ReplyDeleteAnd that was even after a Cardinals scout was robbed at gunpoint.
Mets are thought to have a deal with Andres Gimenez, SS, Venezuela. BA recently said he may be the best player in Venezuela, and has a similar skill set to Glybar Torres of the Cubs.
ReplyDeleteChris -
ReplyDeleteI believe you are right.
I remember when Josh Satin went down there to play winter ball and almost lost his life.
Still, it doesn't mean they can't sign someone and house them in the Dominican.
And anonymous... PLEASE don't tell me another shortstop.
I feel like I might have something in common with the Mets front office. We both prefer to bury our head in the sand and pretend that juan lagares doesn't need surgery on his elbow.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I can start a new conspiracy theory this morning. Maybe the front office is trotting Lagares out there just long enough for Conforto to be deemed ready for the bigs. Then they will announce his surgery. Grandy in CF and the mr. Conforto promotion.
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteYes Gimenez is FROM venezuela but he moved to the Dominican Republic to showcase himself.
Thanks Christopher, hadn't realized that.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mack, the Mets other supposed big 7/2 signing if Gregory Guerrero, another SS.
Ernest, Let's hope Ceciliani can repeat Lagares' success. It might give them an option to do the surgery sooner, but my guess is surgery, if any, will be off season.
ReplyDeleteA side note: in last night's game early, Mets down 1-0 and some favorable ball/strike calls loaded bases for Grandy, He fouled off a hanging knuckler over the dead center of the plate, and then swung thru another very hittable knuckler with little movement in a similar location. That was so disappointing, as it was a moment for the $60 million guy to do something big and he flat out failed. Again.
As soon as you mentioned Gil Hodges in the same sentence as the current skipper I knew there had to be an explanation. After all, Gil managed for four years and had winning records in 3 of them.
ReplyDeleteMr. Collins has a losing record in his first four seasons and is barely keeping his head above water this year.
Apple, meet orange.
All -
ReplyDeleteRegarding Lagares, I am sure he is surgery bound in the off season and easily could miss a fair share of 2016 also. Sadly, his kind of injury does not mean he can't hit now, but you're basically playing with a centerfielder that can't throw.
This is about the most difficult first place team there ever has been to root root for.
Ernest,
ReplyDeleteIt would definitely be Ceciliani in CF, not Grandy. Grandy can't even make the throws from RF, let alone CF.
S.F.N. -
ReplyDeleteIMO, there seems to be one of two roads to follow here.
1. go out and get someone like Carlos Gomez who had $9mil left on a 2016 contract. He represents the 3rd most expensive contract on a team that is going to start clearing salary and having him under contract through 2016 gives Lagares the proper time to heal without any internal pressure to rush back
Or -
Do the best we can this year with him in center, spot start him with Ceciliani until September 1, and then bring up Michael Cuddyer to help. Then, take the money you are saving next year... Gee, Colon, Murphy, Mayberry, Carlyle, insurance savings from Wright this year... and go get a real free agent outfielder. There's plenty of money to do this. Don't take the escalator to the bargain basement. Get someone that the future Mets outfielders like Cuddyer can stand next to.
Any "real free agent right fielder" better be relatively young and showing no signs of decline. The worst thing is to be stuck with another older guy with 2 more years left while exhibiting real decline, that you could only move if you ate 90% of his remaining contract.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, Let's hope Conforto and Nimmo rampage for the rest of 2015 and are ready for all of 2016. That would be preferable to signing a high risk high cost high years older guy.
I'm looking forward to both Conforto (almost a given) and Nimmo (more questionable but still very possible) making the jump with Cecchini next year. I'm just fine integrating 3 rookies into the lineup to add to d'Arnaud and Duda. Let the kids play if they're ready.
DeleteMack,
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I suggested Ceciliani is that I don't expect the Wilpons to spend ond nickel on making any improvements to this team unless Wright shows he can't come back for a long time (over a year). Lagares - they may let him get TJS, but they'll muddle through with what what they've got, all the while wasting this once-in-a-lifetime rotation we've built. When 2022 comes along and we haven't won anything, they'll just shrug their shoulders and say "It jusn't in the cards." That's why this ownership makes me sick! They can build a billion-dollar mall, but can't cough up for a $20 million a year player.
Steve -
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure we are ever going to see this team spend the kind of money it needs to build a winner in one year.