August 31st 2015 -- Mets 3, Phillies 1

Monday night at Citi Field, Bartolo Colon was brilliant and the Met power returned. The Mets beat the Phillies 3-1. It was a scoreless pitcher’s duel between Colon and Jerad Eickhoff for 4 1/2 innings.  In the bottom of the 5th the Mets broke through. Michael Conforto hit his 4th home run, an opposite field shot to make it 1-0.  With 2 out Colon singled to center, his career high 7th hit on the year. Curtis Granderson followed with a long 2 run homer into the Mets bullpen, his 23rd on the season and a 3-0 Met lead.  Colon was amazing going 8 innings allowing just 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 9.  He now has a 16 inning scoreless streak and he gets the win improving to 12-11 on the year. Eickhoff takes the loss he’s 1-2.  Jeurys Familia pitched out of trouble again in the 9th, allowing a run on a double play but hung on for his 36th save. The Mets only managed 4 hits on the night. Conforto lead the way going 2 for 2 with the homer. With the win the Mets improve to 73-58 and 44-23 at Citi Field. The Mets are also 13-1 against the Phillies in 2015. The Amazins now lead the Nats by 6 1/2 games in the NL East with the Cardinals win over the Nats. Tuesday night it’s game two of the series.  Jonathon Niese (8-9 3.95) goes for the Mets, Aaron Harang (5-14 4.79)

The Morning Report 8.31.2015 | Familia Reveals a 4th Pitch, 1st Wave of September Call-ups, Parnell Fixing his Arm Slot, Cespedes...Is he Worth the Money?

Brian Lewis | New York Post- Closing isn’t just about talent, but temperament as well. History has shown that takes a special sort of pitcher to shoulder the burden of finishing a game, especially in a pennant race. On Sunday, the crowd of 38,938 saw Familia betrayed by a Ruben Tejada double-clutch on Rusney Castillo’s leadoff hit in the ninth, and then allow Blake Swihart’s single. Familia’s sinker was off so he unveiled a new splitter both he and Collins said will make him even better.
“It’s going to elevate him,’’ Collins said. “He’s one of the best in the game. This guy’s got 100 mph [heat], he’s got a great sinker, the split is starting to be more consistent for him, you see him starting to get hitters out with sliders.

(Chris Soto: Oh man...that splitter he threw last night was just unfair. Familia's sinking fastball is one of the best in all of the MLB, however, we have seen him get into some serious trouble on the rare occassion that pitch in "off." Without his sinker, hitters can sit dead red and spit on the slider. Adding the splitter to the arsenal gives him a 2nd breaking pitch that "looks" like a fastball but then falls off the table making him all the more dangerous late in the game.)

Adrian Knowler | Amazin Avenue- The Mets will promote Eric Campbell, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Kevin Plawecki, and Eric Young Jr. when rosters expand on Tuesday. Steven Matz will also join the club after making one more rehab start. Campbell, Nieuwenhuis, and Plawecki have all spent time on the Mets' active roster this year [but Young is] not on the 40-man roster, which means the Mets will have to remove someone from it to add him to it before he joins the team on Tuesday.

(Chris Soto: As was intially thought, the Mets are going to promote Eric Young Jr to the 40 man and active roster to give the bench a speed boost down the stretch. In the past we would see some of these guys left down in AAA to help the 51s with their playoff push...but these are different times now. The Mets can smell the playoffs so screw the AAA and AA teams. If you have value to the club, you better believe that you should be packing your bags for a flight to Queens.)

David Hong | Metsmerized Online- Mets reliever Bobby Parnell threw a live batting practice session on Sunday morning at Citi Field. He is expected to come off the DL on Tuesday, which is also the day rosters expand. The Mets reportedly gave Parnell the option of being designated for assignment, going to the minors or being placed on the DL three weeks ago and Parnell chose the DL. While inactive, Parnell has worked with pitching coach Dan Warthen to adjust his mechanics and get his arm higher so he can avoid “pushing” the ball toward the plate. “I feel like the ball’s coming out a lot better — a lot easier, too. I didn’t feel like I was ‘muscling’ it,” Parnell said. “The rest definitely helped.”

(Chris Soto: Dan Warthen may be on to something here. According to data compiled by Brooks Baseball Pitch F/X tracking systems, though it doesn't seem like a lot, Parnell's vertical release point was lower this season. In fact, his average release point in 2015 is similar to his 2011 release point when control problems flared up on him. Getting his arm higher will put him in a better position to drive through the ball which will induce more groundballs rather than line drives.)

Ernie Palladino | CBS New York- It doesn’t take a great mind to see how Yoenis Cespedes has helped change the Mets. What does is determining whether Cespedes should remain part of the franchise once the lease the Mets signed July 31 runs out. The notoriously flinty Wilpons will have to decide whether the money he’ll look for in free agency is equal to the financial pain the owners will have to endure to keep him around. Anyone who has followed the Mets knows that this ownership group regards outward cash flow as others do dental implants — painful periods endured simply to keep up appearances, such as they have been. But the recent success, much of it spurred by the 29-year-old former Oakland/Boston/Detroit star, might just get the moneymen to open up the pocketbook for him. 

(Chris Soto: Here's the thing...In the past, we would have never entertained the idea of signing another player for big money. However, did you know that todays "Full Year" payroll is $132M?. The right sizing and the balancing of contracts under Sandy Alderson actually going to rear it's "ugly" head on the bright side this season. As it stands right now, the Mets only have $60M committed to the 2016 team, $40M committed to the 2017 team, and $26M to the 2018 team. Of course, after you add in arbitration raises for Harvey, Duda, and Familia, that number rises by about $22M, but that is still about $70M less than today's current Full Year payroll. Lets assume that the Wilpons have enjoyed the packed Citi Field enough to give Alderson a starting budget of $120M next season. Higher than 2015's starting but lower than 2015's current. That gives him almost $40M to play with to fill...very few holes. Certainly $20M of that balance can go to Cespedes, right? )

DOWN UNDER: Mets Minor League Results - 8-30-15

DOWN UNDER: Mets Minor League Results - 8-30-15

STAR OF THE DAY: Zach Mathieu, Tom McIlraith


HONORABLE MENTION: Dilson Gee

 SCORES:

Las Vegas 5 - Round Rock 3

Binghamton 3- New Hampshire 5

St Lucie   - Charlotte RAIN!

Savannah  - Augusta RAIN!

Brooklyn 4- Tri-City 13

Kingsport 2 - Danville1
  

Now Here's the Scoop:

Las Vegas rolled out Dillon Gee, 7-3, 5.02, coming off a strong start. He struck out 10 in 6 innings, but a 3-3 tie became a 5-3 9th inning loss, as Zach Thornton allowed 2 inherited Dario Alvarez runs to score. Travis Taijeron hit his 24th.


Binghamton started Rob Gsellman, 13-6, 2.63 across A and AA this season, impressive for a guy who just turned 22. Only one earned in 6 IP, but 2 unearned as he left with a 3-3 tie.  Morris excelled in his 2 innings.  Just 28 hits in 57 innings for him this year, but 27 walks are high. Walters also fine in the 9th, but Adam Kolarek lost it by surrendering 2 in the 10th.

Gavin Cecchini is listed as active but has not played since August 19.  TJ Rivera is taking advantage, with 2 more hits today, raising his average in AA to .344.


St Lucie postponed - wea5her.

 
Savannah started 10-4, 3.34 Corey Oswalt as they vie for the league's best record. But...postponed - weather.


Brooklyn...Kevin Canelon went from brilliant (last start to brutal this start, giving  up 8 runs and 4 homers. Zach Mathieu tagged his fourth, a 3 run shot.


Kingsport's streaking squad plays Danville today. Result? Another mighty fine effort. Tom McIlraith wins again.This season rocks!

GOAT: Brooklyn piching

ROSTER MOVE - Savannah

Please be advised of the following Sand Gnats roster move:

8/30 - Corey Oswalt activated from DL

ROSTER MOVES - Binghamton

Please note the following transactions involving the Binghamton Mets.

August 30:

• RHP Matt Koch traded from New York (NL) to Arizona (NL)
• RHP Robert Gsellman activated from disabled list

August 30th 2015 -- Mets 5, Red Sox 4

Sunday at Citi Field, Michael Cuddyer’s RBI single in the bottom of the 7th inning snapped a 4-4 tie. The Mets go on to beat the Red Sox 5-4.  In the 2nd inning the Mets went out to a 1-0 lead in this game thanks to Noah Syndergaard.  Thor hit an opposite field single to left field scoring Michael Cuddyer for the lead. Syndergaard was unscored upon until the 6th when Big Papi launched a line drive two run homer into the right field stands, his 28th homer on the year for a 2-1 Boston lead. In the bottom of the inning the Mets came roaring back against Wade Miley. With runners on first and 2nd Juan Uribe hit a two run double over Mookie Betts head in center scoring Daniel Murphy and Cuddyer for a 3-2 lead. A batter later Anthony Recker made it 4-2 with an RBI single scoring Uribe. The Sox came back to tie It in the top of the 7th.  Jackie Bradley Jr’s RBI double made it 4-3.  Syndergaard was then relieved by Hansel Robles, and the rookie gave up a triple by Mookie Betts that tied the game at 4. In the bottom of the 7th Murphy reached first on a fielder’s choice and surprised everyone in the park with a 2 out steal of 2nd. The move paid off as Cuddyer’s 3rd hit of the day scored Murph with the eventual game winning run.  Syndergaard went 6 2/3 allowing 6 hits 4 runs (all earned) walking 1 and striking out 3. He gets the no decision. Tyler Clippard retired the side in the 7th and pitched a scoreless 8th. He picks up the win he’s now 2-0 with the Mets and 3-2 overall. Robbie Ross Jr. takes the loss; he’s now 0-2. Cuddyer is red hot, leading the offense on the day going 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.  Uribe went 2 for 4 with 2 Ribbies. Jeurys Familia pitched out of trouble in the 9th for his 35th save.  With the win the Mets take the final game of this 3 game set and snaps their mini-two game slide. They stand at 72-58 on the year and are now 43-23 at home.  The Nats are winning their game, so the Mets are currently 6 games up on the Nats, They are assured to keep their 5 ½ game lead. Monday night the Phillies come to Citi Field for a three game set.  Bartolo Colon (11-11 4.65) goes for the Mets, Jared Eickhoff (1-1 2.25)

WHO WAS HOT – DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE - Tom Brennan

MAJORING ON THE MINORS: WHO WAS HOT – DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE - Tom Brennan

The Dominican Summer League serves as a filter to determine which (mostly very young) players have the chops to make a Mets rookie league team stateside in 2016 or 2017.

There were 2 teams fielded by El Mets: DSL 1 (33-39) and DSL 2 (44-24).

MY MVP PICK:  WAGNER LAGRANGE

Wagner split time between the two teams, and in 58 games, the 19 year old hit .346, on base % over .400, 10 doubles, 2 triples and a HR.  He stole 5 of 10. We’ll see how he does stateside next year.

The two teams hit just 29 homers in 136 games, so the coaches must be emphasizing to these young kids that they are not Babe Ruth (at least yet) and to stress making contact.  17 year old Ranfi Adon, though, hit just .238, but had 5 homers, 4 triples, and 9 doubles in 244 at bats, so relatively speaking, he was the bopper for these two teams. No one else had more than 2 homers on either team.

No other hitting standouts, but some of these kids are 16, so who knows?

Other top players, besides Wagner Lagrange? All pitchers:

DSL METS 1: they weren’t 20 over .500 for nothing. Team ERA 3.02:

Misael Familia had a fine season in relief, winning 8 games, and compiling a 1.21 ERA and 37 Ks in as many innings over 24 games.  He recorded 6 of the team’s 25 saves.  He is 20.

Aneury Olivo, also 20, went 6-1, 2.73.  In 66 IP, 67 H, 18 BBs, 78 Ks.

Nick Debora, 21, went 5-2. Stellar 1.65 ERA, 0.94 WHIP. 70 Ks in 76 IP.

Luis Pena, 18, relieved in 15 games, and in 27 innings, allowed just 12 hits, but also allowed 15 walks, and recorded 22 Ks. 1.98 ERA.

DSL 2: No pitching standouts.  Sorry.

BIG BONUS GUY CATEGORY:

Jhoander Chourio: the 17 year old had a very brief and very rough go of it, walking 15 and striking out just 2 in 6.1 innings. 

Yoel Romero: the 17 year old 3B was a horrendous 1 for 36 with DSL 1, but with DSL 2, he hit .244/.311/.345 in 133 plate appearances.

Daniel Guzman – LHP: decent year. 15 games, 6 starts, 3-2, 3.33, 1.31 WHIP, 30 Ks in 49 innings.

Tulio Garcia: the 16 year old hit .196, .315 on base % in 49 games.  K’d 71 of 182 plate appearances, though - but he's 16.

Kenny Hernandez: just 16, Kenny was miserable starting out with DSL 1 too (.121 in 124 at bats), but spiked to .273 in 121 at bats in DSL 2.

That's all for today, folks.

Mack’s Morning Report – 8-30-15

Good morning.

I don’t get an opportunity to watch a 4pm game while, at the same time, write a blog post about that game… but I do have that opportunity today (Saturday) so here goes…

First thing I wanted to point out was something I found written pre-game, on Twitter, by Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo:

Robinson Cano: .275/.321/.425, 14 HR

Wilmer Flores: .266/.298/.416, 14 HR

          Cano makes 24 million dollars a year. Flores makes $513,543. 

          Hmm.

It’s no big secret that anyone involved with the Mets would like to see better relief pitching as we head into September. Adam Rubin is reporting that the Mets are currently trying to work a deal with a National League team for someone that can make a difference in September. Light a candle folks.

Marc Carig ‏@MarcCarig  - FWIW doesn’t sound like the reliever is K-Rod. Doesn’t seem to be much effort to move him at the moment.

Well, it turned out that the pitcher that was claimed was LHP Marc Rzepczynski from the San Diego Padres… 2015 record: Cleveland, 45-appearances, 4.43… San Diego, 15-appearances, 6.14. his is an upgrade?

And then, that went up in smoke and the Mets traded pitchers Matt Koch and Miller Diaz to the Arizona Diamondbacks for their ex-closer, Addison Reed. The 26-year old LHRP has been mending in AAA-Reno (PCL) going 1.74 in 11 appearances.

I watched Travis d’Arnaud walk in the first inning and I just have to say that it looks like he is becoming the premier player in the R.A. Dickey trade, something we just automatically gave to Noah Syndergaard. His previous seven day stat line going into this game was .429/.538/.905/1.443 and he’s still only 26 years old.

We talk all the time about acquiring free agents like Yoenis Cespedes, but timely trades like this one, and quality player development like Michael Conforto and Wilmer Flores, will make it much easier for this team to remain a winner for years to come.

One more thing about the first inning… the Mets may not have scored a run, but they did cause Boston’s starter Joe Kelly to pitch 30 pitches. We’ll see how much this comes into play as the game goes on.

(as we came to learn later in the game, it didn’t)

An observation early in the top of the fourth inning… Jacob deGrom is throwing a masterful game, similar to the six innings Matt Harvey threw on Friday. The Mets seem to be getting back into old habits of leaving runners (especially leadoff hits) on base and relying on home runs for runs. It’s got to be very frustrating for guys like Harvey that have pitched so many + games that resulted in either a loss or a no decision.

It’s a shame that the Mets couldn’t produce a better result for the second largest crowd of the season. This game just didn’t develop and giving up three runs shouldn’t constitute such an easy victory at this point of the season. Two really bad home loses to a team they shouldn’t be losing to.

Did the Bartolo Colon relief experiment work? Well, in my book, it sure did if Juan Lagares was playing CF. You would have had strikeout, fly out to deep center, and strikeout. We’re going to learn real soon if he makes the playoff roster.

DOWN UNDER: Mets Minor League Results - 8-29-15

DOWN UNDER: Mets Minor League Results - 8-29-15

STARS OF THE DAY: Martinez Arias, Zach Mathieu


HONORABLE MENTION: K Mets' Gonzalez boys

 SCORES:

Las Vegas (74-61) 1  - Round Rock 4

Binghamton (73-59) 6 - New Hampshire 3

St Lucie (66-65) 3 - Palm Beach 2

Savannah (79-49) 2  - Augusta 0

Brooklyn (31-35) 10  - Aberdeen 5

Kingsport (38-27) 5 - Elizabethton 2

GCL Mets (27-32) - Nationals - SEASON FINALE WAS....RAINED OUT!
 

Now Here's the Scoop:

Las Vegas went with 7-15, 5.40 Matt Bowman today. He falls to 7-16, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings without a strikeout. Nimmo had 2 hits.


Binghamton pitched Rainy Lara today. After allowing 2 in the first, he threw 6 more innings of shutout ball for the win. Rivera: 2 hits (.342).


St Lucie entrusted Logan Taylor with the mission of keeping the Lucies above .500.  Logan was coming off a brilliant start. 

Tonight, 2 runs in 5 Taylor innings, then great relief, including 2 dominant innings from winner Kyle Regnault (1.98). Cruzado's double and a Matt Oberste single (.303) made it a walk off win in the bottom of the 9th. Matt and Dom Smith each had 2 hits and a walk. Both are hitting a shade over .300.


Savannah hoped to go 30 games over .500 with Martires Arias on the hill.  Arias was 4-2, 1.54, 58 Ks in 58 innings his last 10 outings, pretty danged good if you ask me. He threw 5 shutout innings in a rain-shortened 2-0 win. I am anxious to see what he does next year.  Gnats are 30 over .500, & an astounding 39 games over .500 in their last 105 games.


Brooklyn headed back to Lumber Liquidators to see if they could finding some working bats. It worked, as they scored 10 runs in the game's middle 3 nnings. Brandon Brosher, Brandon Kaupe, and Pedro Perez each had 2 hits and each are now hitting in the .160's. Zach Mathieu, also having a tough season, has been hot of late and had 3 hits and RBIs (.202). Long Island's Ty Badamo got the win.


Kingsport's Merandy Gonzalez tried to push the hitting-heavy K Mets to 11 over .500. He and Harol Gonzalez combined for 12 Ks in the win. The 4 big K Mets bats were off tonight and this streaking squad won anyway. Ali Sanchez debuted for them and went 0-4.


GCL Mets - a tear or two is in order as the season comes to a close for the Gulf Guppies.  The rain prevented the game.


GOAT: GCL RAIN OUT. Matt Bowman 9 games under .500.

Mets Trade

The Mets traded pitchers Miller Diaz and Matt Koch to the San Diego Padres for ex-closer Addison Reed

August 29th 2015 -- Red Sox 3, Mets 1

Saturday at Citi Field, the Red Sox broke through with 2 runs off Jacob deGrom in the top of the 6th inning. They go on to beat the Mets 3-1.  The Mets have now dropped 2 straight and 5 in a row at Citi Field. deGrom had a perfect game going into the 5th when Brock Holt singled to break that up. In the 6th Mookie Betts singled and went to 2nd on a wild pitch. Pablo Sandoval then doubled over Yoenis Cespedes’ head in center to make it 1-0.  Later with 1st and 3rd Holt’s fielder’s choice brought home the Panda for a 2-0 lead.  In the 7th Hansel Robles came on and yielded a home run to Betts his 12th on the year to make it 3-0 Red Sox.  Joe Kelly was masterful. The Mets scored their only run off him in the 7th.  Kelly Johnson singled to left. Juan Uribe followed with a double over Betts head in center to scored Kelly and it was 3-1.  deGrom pitched great until he tired in the 6th. He tossed 109 pitches striking out 10 allowing 4 hits and the 2 earned runs. He walked 2.  He takes the loss falling to 12-7. Hansel Robles pitched the 7th; Eric O’Flaherty pitched a scoreless 8th. With the Met bullpen really short, Bartolo Colon made his first relief appearance since 2011 in the 9th. It was his 7th career relief outing. Kelly went 7 1/3 allowing 5 hits the 1 run (earned) walking 1 and striking out 2. He nabs the win improving to 8-6. Jean Machi picked up his 3rd save.The Met offense was quiet. Curtis Granderson and Juan Uribe led the way with 2 hits apiece. With the loss the Mets fall to 71-58 on the season and 42-23 at home. The Nats play tonight, as of Now the Mets are 6 games ahead in the NL East, that will swing a ½ game either way pending on the Nats/Marlins outcome. Sunday afternoon the Mets look to salvage the last game of the series.  Noah Syndergaard (8-6 3.19) goes for the Mets, Wade Miley (10-10 4.51) goes for Beantown.

Three B-Mets Named Postseason All-Stars

Shortstop Gavin Cecchini, utility fielder Josh Rodriguez and starting pitcher Michael Fulmer have been recognized by the Eastern League as 2015 Postseason All-Stars. Each season, the league acknowledges the top players at every position. Binghamton’s trio matches a franchise record for the most members of a single postseason All-Star team.

In his first full season at Double-A, Cecchini, 21, earned a clean sweep of All-Star Awards. After representing the B-Mets at the All-Star Classic in Portland, the Louisiana native closed out a spectacular stretch in July on his way to the Player of the Month award. Over 29 games in the month, Cecchini recorded a career-high 48 hits, batted .387 and compiled a .532 slugging percentage. Overall, Cecchini ranks second in the league with a .317 batting average.

Rodriguez, 30, was recognized as the top utility player in the league. Logging time at six positions, Rodriguez has posted a .281 batting average, launched a team-best 19 home runs and driven in 73 runs. Rodriguez, who was also a Mid-Season All-Star, leads the league with a .503 slugging percentage. The Houston, Texan belted his 100^th professional home run on Wednesday and sits 11 hits shy of 1,000 in his career. Rodriguez last made a Postseason All-Star Team in 2007 when he was a Kinston Indian (High-A).

Fulmer, 22, currently pitches for the Erie SeaWolves, but did most of the work to earn his Postseason All-Star nod with the B-Mets. Over 15 starts with Binghamton, the righty from Oklahoma went 6-2, compiled a 1.88 ERA and struck out 83 over 86.0 innings. Tabbed as the best right-handed starting pitcher in the league in 2015, he was traded from the Mets to the Detroit Tigers on July 31. In his final nine starts with Binghamton he put together a 0.68 ERA.

ROSTER MOVES - Brooklyn

Please be advised of the following Sand Gnats roster move:

8/28 - Oswald Caraballo was transferred to the Brooklyn Cyclones.

CLAIMED RELIEVER- RP - LHP Marc Rzepczynski

The Mets claimed LHRP Marc Rzepczynski from the San Diego Padres

Cecchini Named League Rookie of the Year

MiLB 

Binghamton Mets shortstop Gavin Cecchini has been recognized by the Eastern League as the 2015 Rookie of the Year. In 109 games, the Louisiana native has compiled a .317 batting average, collected 26 doubles and scored 64 runs, owning the team lead in each category.

In his first full season at Double-A, Cecchini, 21, also earned a clean sweep of All-Star nominations as he was named to the Mid-Season and Postseason teams. After representing the B-Mets at the All-Star Classic in Portland, the Louisiana native closed out a spectacular stretch in July on his way to the Player of the Month award. Over 29 games in the month, Cecchini recorded a career-high 48 hits, batted .387 and compiled a .532 slugging percentage.

Cecchini has recorded a team-best 38 multiple-hit games, including seven performances of four hits or more. He set a career-high by going 5-for-6 against the Richmond Flying Squirrels on July 30.

Selected by the New York Mets in the 1^st round as the 12^th overall pick in the 2012 draft, Cecchini got brief taste of Double-A last year. He made one regular season appearance with the B-Mets in September before making the postseason roster. He sprinted home from second base in Game 3 of the Eastern League Championship Series on Jayce Boyd’s walk-off double, plating the game-winning run to clinch Binghamton’s first title in 20 years.

Cecchini is the third Binghamton Met to earn Rookie of the Year honors. Bobby Jones earned the award in 1992, while Paul Wilson took home the trophy in 1995.

Reese Kaplan -- Early Mets Award Winners

With the Mets expanding their lead on the 2^nd place Washington Nationals, it got me to thinking about the traditional baseball awards and how they would apply to the current roster of Mets players.  Let's look at the contenders for each of the three major awards:

Cy Young

• Jacob de Grom – The reigning Rookie of the Year is coming out from behind Matt Harvey’s shadow to show dominance few in the majors can match.  He earned his All-Star selection this year with a 12-6 record, a 2.29 ERA (which ballooned recently from under 2.00 his last start when he was ill), striking out over a batter per inning pitched, featuring a better than 5:1 K to BB ratio and a miniscule WHIP of 0.94. 

• Matt Harvey – Though at times he struggled to achieve the same dominance he did prior to his surgery, if Jacob de Grom was not on this team, all anyone would be trumpeting was the job he’s done as a starter this year.  He’s got an 11-7 record (which would be better had the batters supported him a bit more in his starts), just under 1 K per IP, a 2.57 ERA and a WHIP of 1.01.  Wow.  If not for his teammate, he would be a shoo-in. 

MVP

• Yoenis Cespedes – His production upon arrival has been nothing short of spectacular.  In a Mets uniform he’s batting .311 with 7 HRs and 21 RBIs in just 23 games.  He’s even contributed with 4 SBs and some throwing gems from the outfield.  The question is can you grant an award on less than a month of production?

• Jeurys Familia – Where would this team be without his steadying presence in the 9^th inning?  He has provided 61 IP of stellar relief, with over a strikeout per inning pitched, a better than 4:1 K to BB ratio, a 1.75 ERA and thus far 34 saves.  Opposing batters are hitting under .200 against him.

• Curtis Granderson – The first big free agent acquisition did not look like a good one for Sandy Alderson, but after a year of adjustment he’s rebounded to provide a .254 AVG, 22 HRs, 55 RBIs and a nice .348 OBP while batting leadoff.  He still struggles mightily against LHP, but the presence of Michael Cuddyer and Juan Lagares on the roster give Terry Collins some flexibility when to sit Granderson. 

• Lucas Duda – He’s been awfully streaky when healthy, and despite having about 60 fewer ABs than Granderson, his numbers are very similar -- .247/21/58.  His issue this year has been the Ks – 124 and counting. 

Rookie of the Year

• Michael Conforto – Like Cespedes, he has not had enough time here to warrant serious consideration.  However, his audition this year helped inject some pop into a heretofore pathetic offense.  He’s acquitted himself well and seems to be on an upward trend after some early struggles.  He sports a .271 AVG with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs over a 24 game major league career – not quite Cespedes numbers, but certainly encouraging for a rookie who jumped from AA ball to the majors.  

• Noah Syndergaard – The man they call Thor has shown flashes of the ability that had scouts drooling all the since A ball.  His numbers are indeed impressive – 8-6 record, 3.19 ERA, a tidy 1.14 WHIP and 126 strikeouts in 116 IP. 

• Sean Gilmartin – Don’t laugh, but this Rule V choice has quietly had a very successful rookie campaign as one of the long men out of the pen.  He’s currently appeared in 39 games after transitioning from his career in the minors as a starter.  He’s got a 3-1 record, a 2.34 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.  Though not a power pitcher, he’s still striking out nearly a batter per inning and featuring a nearly 3:1 K to BB ratio. 

• Steve Matz – He certainly showed what kind of talent he has before the lat muscle took him out of contention. 

Who’s on your slate?  Here’s mine:

• Cy Young – Jacob de Grom in a landslide
• MVP – Jeurys Familia over Granderson and Cespedes
• Rookie of the Year –Noah Syndergaard by a hair over Sean Gilmartin

The first two shouldn’t generate much debate but mentioning Gilmartin in the same breath as Syndergaard surely will.  My reasoning is that he’s been here since day one, he’s been in nearly twice as many games as has Syndergaard, he’s producing greater consistency when he takes the mound.  Now if you ask me who I’d want if I was drafting a team for the future, then the nod goes to Thor but on the basis of this year alone Gilmartin deserves nearly equal consideration. 

Who are your picks?

Mack’s Morning Report – 8-29-15 – WAR, Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Bartolo Colon

Good morning.

John Larue http://www.hardballtimes.com/the-young-and-the-restless/ featured a great story on The Hardball Times about certain teams that had significant WAR –

While none will reach the Hall of Fame, beginning in 1985, the Mets found abundant WAR from Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Lenny Dykstra, Sid Fernandez, Ron Darling and David Cone, some of the best young talent ever collected by a single franchise.

Bryce Harper said –

 "I really don't care. If we don't win it doesn't matter. If something happens and we don't make it, it doesn't matter."

Mack – I really don’t care? AYFKM? Isn’t this the same guy that said earlier this year that he didn’t care what the Mets were doing? And, by the way… do you really want to play with someone on your team that ‘doesn’t matter’ whether your team makes the playoffs?

Look, I’m the first one to recognize Harper’s talent, but this guy so represents the Nationals arrogance we have all had to witness over this past off season. Let’s not forget the words of Jayson Werth while we’re at it.

I so hope the Nats are eliminated before the last series of the season at CitiField. Wouldn’t it be a hoot to play this team for something worth nuthin’.

I want to throw out the question as to whether or not the Mets should make a qualified offer to Daniel Murphy for the 2016 season. Yeah, I know he can be a real knucklehead sometimes on the field, regardless of what position he is playing, but I have to tell you, I’m going to miss his clutch bat. I really like what I’m seeing currently in the 2015 Mets and Murphy is one of those dugout/clubhouse leaders that have helped create this mental turnaround. Add that to the fact that he has always wielded a timely bat (and you just know there will be early injuries next year on this team), I’m just not sure if the Mets should let this guy go.

Thoughts?

Andy Martino http://m.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/martino-mets-steven-matz-pen-playoffs-article-1.2340130 wrote -

Bartolo Colon will spend the next few weeks basically auditioning for a spot on the postseason roster. The team has not ruled out using him in a late-inning relief role, but is leaving open the possibility of excluding him entirely.

          Mack – According to Martino, the Mets are starting to formulate in their mind who is going to be on their 25-man playoff roster. That makes sense at this point in the season.

There should be 11 pitches on the 2016 roster and any one of them could be Colon, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Jon Niese, Noah Sundergaard, Steven Matz, Dario Alvarez, Vic Black, Tyler Clippard, Jeurys Familia, Sean Gilmartin, Erik Goeddel, Eric O’Flaherty, Hansel Robles, Carlos Torres, and Logan Verrett.

That’s 16 pitchers and, in my book, only deGrom and Harvey have locked up a rotation spot at this point.

It seems to me that Syndergaard and Niese’s next outing may be the most important they throw this season and could also help determine the fate of Colon.