6/16/15

The Morning Report 6.16.2015 | Dillon Gee Soap Opera Is Over, Matz is Next Man Up, Syndergaard Innings Limit, deGrom is No Fluke.



Bryan Zarpentine | Rant Sports- Since the end of last season, it’s been nothing but soap opera drama between the New York Mets and pitcher Dillon Gee. There’s been incessant trade talk, back and forth moves between the starting rotation and the bullpen, a few less-than-professional words from Gee and several poor performances. But it’s all over now, as the Mets have designated Gee for assignment, which is the right move to make. Parting ways with Gee will allow the Mets to simplify a complicated and distracting situation. They can move forward with five starters on their roster instead of six, and they can now focus their efforts on trying to find a way to insert Matz into the rotation, even if it’s only for a spot start. Moreover, the Mets no longer have to worry about a disgruntled Gee in the bullpen and wonder how he’ll perform in that unfamiliar role. Even if the Mets can’t find a trade partner for Gee, it’s best to bring clarity to the situation.

(Chris Soto: I 100% agree....forget about whether the Mets were in the wrong for bouncing him back and forth, or, if Gee was wrong for not doing the job that was asked of him. At the end of the day, the whole "rolling" six man rotation was not working. It turned one of the Mets biggest strengths into an inconsistent mess outside of Jacob deGrom. Thankfully the fiasco is over now, next on the list.....trying to figure out how to squeeze Steven Matz into the equation.)


John Harper | NY Daily News- As good as their pitching is, then, the Mets have some issues to sort out, and they took a step toward doing that by cutting ties with Dillon Gee on Monday. In and of itself that’s hardly a game-changer, but as a move that brings Steven Matz a step closer to the big leagues, it was as timely as it was necessary. As a finesse pitcher who relies on precision, Gee was ill-suited to pitching irregularly, but at least GM Sandy Alderson had the good sense to pull the plug quickly on the experiment. The Mets still need a plan to make sure they don’t run out of their allotted innings for Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, and Syndergaard, but forcing the issue with Gee as the occasional sixth starter made no sense. Meanwhile, in Matz they have a top prospect dominating the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Two weeks ago a scout who had seen three of Matz’s starts told me simply, “He’s ready for a higher league."

(Chris Soto: Without a shadow of a doubt....Matz is ready for the MLB. Not only that, but there are eyes around baseball who think that of all the young arms the Mets have.....Matz could be the best. During his last start in Las Vegas there were reportedly 25-30 scouts on hand to see him pitch. A handful of people think that he could be the next Clayton Kershaw. Surely, these are unreasonably lofty expectations, but, the fact that it's being talked about shows just how badly the Mets need to find a way to squeeze him into the big leagues.


Mike Puma | New York Post- Noah Syndergaard remains in play for a bullpen stint this season.
In confirming a Post report that Syndergaard has been discussed for a bullpen role, general manager Sandy Alderson on Monday indicated a move could come at any point. “I wouldn’t rule out the possibility at any time during the year,” Alderson said before the Mets beat the Blue Jays 4-3 in 11 innings. “It actually goes back to this question about managing innings. It’s another way to manage innings.”

(Chris Soto: I had quite the knee jerk reaction to this yesterday without really looking into the data. Syndergaard is actually one of the most handcuffing guys Sandy has ever had to deal with. Due to his rapid rise up the Mets system, Syndergaard has not reached the innings cap needed to get through a full MLB season. After throwing only 133 IP last season, Syndergaard should only be in line to throw 165 - 170 IP in 2015. At his current efficiency rate, Syndergaard is scheduled to run out of innings during the 1st week or so of September. Perhaps the Mets can do what they did to Jacob deGrom last season and have him take a 3 week spell on the 15 day DL for a "phantom" injury in order to stretch those final innings into late September.)


Joe Vasile | Beyond the Box Score- After a metoric rise through the New York Mets farm system which took him from the Florida State League at the start of 2013 to winning the National League Rookie of the Year award at the end of 2014, Jacob deGrom seemed to be a potential candidate for regression. In his sophomore campaign, he’s been able to evade the dreaded sophomore slump and has been even better. His FIP has held steady despite regression in his HR/FB ratio [and] he has also cut down on the walks further, lowering his walk percent from 7.6 to 5.1. FanGraphs  shows deGrom allowing 14.2 percent fewer hard-hit balls this season [and] batters are pulling fewer balls. One reason for this is that deGrom’s four-seam fastball has taken a leap forward this year. According to data compiled at Brooks Baseball, deGrom is throwing his fastball nearly a mile-per-hour faster this year (95.45 compared to 94.49 in 2014), and the pitch is getting an additional inch of armside run.

(Chris Soto: If you haven't followed BTBS yet...you really should, these guys are great. I knew deGrom's stuff looked better, but, this is the kind of data that supports that kind of thinking. He has gone from an interesting back end rotation arm, to a solid mid rotation piece, to be the #2 guy on the Mets staff, to now jumping Harvey and being THE GUY that you expect to win on a nightly basis. Even in the fantasy world, deGrom is listed as the 6th best SP overall, only behind the likes of Scherzer, Keuchel, Sale, Archer, and Cole and that's WITH his rough start in 2015. Over the past 30 days, deGrom has been the best guy SP in fantasy baseball.)

24 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

I only sAW the highlights of Thor, but on...my...goodness, loved his fastball, changeup, and hook. I'd trade him for Mike Trout. That's about it.

Clayton Matz might be the best of them all? Oh...my...goodness.

DeGrom is the best,not 6th best. He is not just laser speed, he is laser precision, and superb movement... oh...my...goodness.

Harvey might be 4th best? oh...my...goodness.

Anonymous said...

Might be premature to declare the Gee soap opera over, but the club did what it needed to do.

James Preller

Ernest Dove said...

Boy the mets could sure use a new SS, huh? LOL.
How many more big game hits can big game Wilmer hit?

Tom Brennan said...

Wilmer is more clutch than the rickety clutch I had in my first car a 1964 VW bug....4 on the floor and a lawnmower-like 40 HP.

bgreg98180 said...

Can the constant search for a new SS please take a rest?
SS is not the position to improve the team at.
Most of the positions seem like they are not able to be improved much.

1st base = check
2nd base = check
SS = check
3rd base = check (Murphy/Wright?)
CF = check
C = check

RF & LF however?
Performance wise, going forward, these are the two positions that improvement can be made from outside of the organization.
It would take biting the bullet however and moving Granderson and/or Cuddyer.
Yes, there are many strong reasons not to move these two.
That doesn't change the fact that these are the only two real positions to improve the offense.

Unknown said...

To keep things balanced
If we had a better defensive SS we win Saturday's game.
If we had a better defensive SS we win yesterday's game in 9 innings instead of 11 and Syndergaard gets the win.
I like Flores' bat and I want him in the Mets lineup. I just wish it was at 3rd base and we had a solid defensive SS. Flores is the best we have right now. He works extremely hard. You can't ask him to do any more than that. I think with his work ethic he will become a decent fielding SS. He is not there yet. I can live with him at SS but I also wouldn't mind seeing him moved to 3rd base if we find out Wright wont be able to handle it with his back.

Unknown said...

Made an error about Yesterday's game. That was Tejeda's blown double play not Flores'. Saturday it was Flores.

Reese Kaplan said...

Flores is on pace for 30 HRs and 90 RBIs at minimum wage.

Dallas said...

Flores is very young (23!). I would expect him to improve both defensively and with the bat. Considering he doesnt have a full season yet under his belt I think he is doing well and seems to be consistently improving. Flores is tied for first in HR and is 5th in RBI (among SS) despite being at the back of the lineup most of the year.

I have to agree with the assessment of positions. LF/RF is probably where they can improve the most. Starting pitching has Matz as reinforcements and the bullpen has Mejia, Black, Blevins all slated to improve over the next month or so. I can live with Murphy at 3rd if he hits like he was before he got hurt.

All-Star game question. Who makes the team? DeGrom/Familia? Anyone else?

Michael S. said...

11 Ks for Thor with only 2 BBs and 2 hits.

Harvey, deGrom, Thor...Matz is possibly the best? Wheeler might return as the best SP5 in the last 30 years.

With the hitting talent we have on its way, the players already here, and maybe an acquisition or two and we should be at the start of a new (if not the first) golden age of Mets baseball.

Christopher Soto said...

It really has been quite funny...

Wheeler was originally thought of as the Mets best pitching prospect.

Then Harvey mania exploded and he was given the title.

Then Syndergaard demolishes AA hitters and we were told he could be better than Harvey and Wheeler.

Then deGrom bursted onto the scene while Harvey was hurt and Thor was struggling in AAA.....he held the title in 2014.

Now scouts are salivating over the proposed "Next Clayton Kershaw" and saying he could be the best of the group.

I'm honestly sitting here like.....I don't care who the best is...I'll take sub 3.00 ERA's from all of them!

Mack Ade said...

Morning everyone -

Let's go back and remember that no one was a bigger doubter than I was with Wilmer Flores playing shortstop, in particular, and anyone, in general. It's all about the legs and feet when it comes to that position and God simply didn't give him a decent pair of them.

At the same time, we all correctly projected his ability to hit the ball, especially out of the ballpark. We're now seeing that projectable ability at a 30HR/90RBI rate, something I am sure all of us are happy with from a 23 years old that has had nothing but a rash of shit from the press and fan base.

I've decided to live with the pimples and warts here. I think his bat will outplay the mistakes he makes on the field. And I think, in the future, he will win more games than lose them for the team.

Let's remember... the Atlanta series had a devastating loss... for Atlanta. Both teams suffered a bad loss here so 'we're even'. Shit happens.

Mets fans truly drive me crazy. I follow many on Twitter. Everybody was begging for TC NOT to pitch Robles in the 8th for that last out... then, when Familia gave away the 2nd HR to Bautista, they started blasting TC for not having Robles in the 9th.

I think the Flores situation will always be a debatable subject, particularly on this site.

Michael S. said...

That's my feeling, let whoever wants to debate the point is welcome to it. I'll be happy to have a monster pitching rotation that is the envy of MLB.
This group reminds me of the over-the-top rotation that late 90's NYY group had...except ours is younger, deeper, and isn't store bought

Tom Brennan said...

Mack, as you know, I have been a Wilmer advocate because when too many guys on a team can't hit, everyone feels the pressure to hit, and They don't hit, which is a big part of why Harvey had so many ND's last year.

When enough guys hit, all thehitters can relax more and hit more. So I was always feel I g I'd take more hitting and Less D, rather that less hitting and more D.

Wilmer is only going to get better. He could be a top tier hitter.

Look at the dugout when guys hit....smiles,joyful. Hitting well is a great thing for these guys. They just play better. They don't press.

Mack Ade said...

Tom -

I consider last night's win a particularly lucky one because the team just didn't create enough hits in the first 8 innings. You can't win games wit 4-7 hits all the time.

I will not feel comfortable with this lineup until d'Arnaud can play 6 days a week and Murpy is back in the lineup.

Until then, it's game to game with, hopefully, excellent pitching.

Tom Brennan said...

Michael S, you are right. The golden age of Mets baseball has begun.

Tom Brennan said...

You're right Mack. Murphy getting back should increase the offense to at least average. With this pitching, that will be enough to really compete.

Tom Brennan said...

A last Wilmer Flores thought:

In the last 365 days, he has started (at the very young age of 22/23) 109 games. Project that out to 150 games, and his #s are 26 doubles, 21 HRs, and 73 RBIs and.252.

Assuming normal improvement, what will he do as a 25 year old in 2017?

35 doubles, 30-35 homers, 100 RBIs, and .280 or more? Why not.

bgreg98180 said...

Thomas

Depends on where he bats in the order.

If the Wright and Murphy return pushes him down to 7th in the batting order, some of those numbers are limited.

Anonymous said...

On Wilmer, I'm not big on "projected" numbers.

Mostly, I am impressed with how extraordinarily well he has handled being under the microscope in NYC. The guy has remained steady, unflappable.

That is, I love his character., his demeanor.

James Preller

bgreg98180 said...

I have always been impressed with how he hits with runners on base and in big situations.

Dallas said...

Just for fun I was figuring out DeGroms ERA without his one terrible game vs the Yankees. Its 1.80! He could easily be considered for Cy Young this year with a little regression of the leaders (Cole/Scherzer) and him playing like he has without that one game. Cole's ERA minus his worst game is 1.48 and Scherzer 1.65.

James I totally agree about Wilmers character. The amount of intense scrutiny by the media and fans over the last 6 months has been intense. People all over screaming he cant play SS and who can we trade for him. Despite even early highly critized mistakes/errors he was able to stay positive and not lose himself to the negative hype.

Michael S. said...

Hmmm....


1B - Duda
2B - Herrera
SS - Cecchini
3B - Flores

?????

Tom Brennan said...

Hey James,while Gee might get a misdemeanor for his demeanor, Flores has had a great demeanor while playing in the NYC frying pan. Part of it, I think, was knocking in 140 games in a 145 game stretch in AAA spanning 2013 and 2014. He knows he can hit, even if it will take time to improve to his full potential against the much better major league pitching he now faces.