The Morning Report 6.17.2015 | Ceciliani Continues to Rake, Mets Becoming Dark Horses, R.A. Dickey Trade Revisited.

Joe D. | Metsmerized Online- Playing left field in place of Michael Cuddyer who got the game off, outfielder Darrell Ceciliani went 2-for-3 on Tuesday night as the Mets edged the Blue Jays 3-2. Ceciliani, who played a pivotal role in the win, continues to earn playing time and is hitting .538 over his last six games dating back to June 11 while playing solid defense.“We use the term loosely a lot, but to me he typifies it: He’s a baseball player,” Terry Collins said. “No batting gloves, hits the ball to all fields, runs the bases hard, runs them intelligently.” The 24-year old rookie continues to make the most of his opportunity and he’s quickly become an integral part of the Mets bench.

(Chris Soto: I'm loving what Ceciliani is doing. Yea the K rate is high, but he's finding holes in the defense when he does hit the ball. Even if/WHEN that luck runs out, he still provides value off the bench as a late inning pinch runner and defensive replacement for Cuddyer in LF. Plus....hey... Grandy and Cuddy are no spring chickens, The Mets will need to give them sporadic days off during the summer months.)


Matt Turner | Rant Sports- The New York Mets are far from the team that won 11 straight games in April, but that doesn’t mean they’re ready to lay down just yet. Even though they’re only 7-7 in June, they’re 4-1 in their last five games including a series victory over rivals Atlanta Braves and an extra-inning win over the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays. As they continue to play without their captain, David Wright, the Mets keep finding ways to win games — pretty or not — and manage to hold their lead atop the NL East. Their recent stretch of play is what makes you think the Mets can be dark horse contenders. Sometimes they just get hot, and even though they might not have the most formidable lineup in baseball, they still find ways to win.

(Chris Soto: It is widely known that when it comes to playoff time...the team with the best rotation and the best bullpen generally is going to win the series. The Mets can match up and beat anyone in baseball with their starting pitching. The bullpen currently is on the weaker side, but, once everyone gets healthy, the combo of Mejia in the 7th, Parnell in the 8th, Familia closing, and Blevins keeping lefties at bay, is one of the more formidable combos in baseball as well.


Darrell Samuels | Call to the Pen- This week, the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Mets play in a home-and-home four game series. After New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard pitched 6 incredible innings against his former team on Monday night, many people were probably playing the ‘what if’ game. On paper Toronto now appears to have gotten the short end of the stick. Dickey is now 40 years old and probably not much left in the tank. Syndergaard is 22 years old and has a long career ahead of him. The Mets are fantastic during the middle of June this season. The Blue Jays are above .500 but still not at the top of the hill yet.

(Chris Soto: LOL.... the short end of the stick is an understatement here. Darrell only talks about a comparison between Thor and Dickey. d'Arnaud was also part of the deal and is developing into one of the Top 5 offensive catchers in baseball. Then you throw in John Buck who was packaged with Marlon Byrd to bring back a nice high leverage reliever in Vic Black as well as the club's new career 2B Dilson Herrera. Lets not forget the Wild Card in the trade Wuilmer Becerra, who is destroying Southern League pitching and is on the cusp of a promotion to the Florida State League. No....the Mets didn't just win this trade.....they ROBBED the Blue Jays.)