8/11/15

Mack’s Morning Report – 8-11-15 – Dilson Herrera, Twitter, Bartolo Colon, Nats



Good Morning.


Facts that came in before Monday’s game:

          Lucas Duda is 2nd (42) all time in HBP in Mets history, Wright is 1st (45)

Daniel Murphy is 20 hits away from tying Keith Hernandez for 12th all- time in Mets history

Jon Niese has 72 quality starts since 2012, tied for the 6th most in the National League.

The Mets have not lost a game at home on a Monday yet this season. They are 4-0 and 9-3 overall on Mondays in 2015

Steven Matz tentatively scheduled to begin rehab assignment on Saturday



Ex-Mack’s Mets writer David Groveman wrote about Dilson Herrera

          2B – Despite spending parts of 2014 and 2015 in the majors, it’s easy to forget that Herrera is only 21 years old.  In AAA, Herrera has done it all, he’s displayed a fair amount of speed, considerable power and a quick bat that has generated a .342 batting average.  His one weakness is currently his eye.  He has only walked 17 times in 225 at bats.  The good news here is that he isn’t striking out so often as to be a problem.

Mack – I still have Herrera projected as one of my top prospects and the future second baseman of the Mets though I did wish he represented himself a little better when he spent some time in Queens this season.

Still, what happened if Wilmer Flores continues to improve on his game and the Mets go outside the organization for their shortstop needs?

Middle infielders and outfielders. Some things just don’t seem to change when it comes to the Mets needs.


It amazed me how cruel the Twitter faithful were last night during the Mets loss to Tampa. The team was still going to finish the night one and one half games in first place and just won seven out of nine games, but you would think that not a single thing positive had happened since the All-Star break. I follow, out of respect, everybody that follows me on Twiiter, but it’s sometimes hard to read what is said after certain players make out during a game. My assumption is most of these fans are young, but that’s only my assumption. What they do tend to have in common is their invisibility which allows them to say anything they want. It’s just sometimes hard to take.


Brian Devine wrote about Bartolo Colon:

The loss was Colon’s 11th of the season and New York’s second in a row following their dramatic seven game winning streak.

Despite Colon’s brilliant start to the season, he now owns a 4.76 ERA this year and has allowed 157 hits in 134 innings pitched. He has not been the reliable veteran the Mets have needed of late as he has struggled mightily during the past few months.
The Mets have to be concerned about Colon’s recent performances, especially given his age. The 42-year old veteran has a 1-7 record with a 5.30 ERA during his last nine starts. What’s even more troubling is that he has a 5.55 ERA dating all the way back to May 10th

Mack – I truly believe that we have seen the best of Colon this season and, when (if) Steven Matz comes back, consideration has the given to replacing Colon with him and keeping the five man rotation…  or going six man with the likes of Logan Verrett.

Lastly, you could stretch out Sean Gilmartin and put Colon in the bullpen for the remainder of the pennant race.

He’s simply not a consistent successful starter anymore.



The Mets will not respond to the Nats’ trash talking:

        Bryce Harper -  “give a crap about what the Mets are doing.”

        Jayson Werth - “it’s our division to lose, it’s a matter of time, really.”

        Terry Collins - “I love Bryce Harper.”

        David Wright -  “nonsense”

        Matt Harvey - “We’re just keeping our head down and staying focused here in our clubhouse. If we go out and put up runs and keep pitching the way we are, we’re going to be just fine.”

        I see this as the correct response by a team that could easily fall back behind the Nationals and never recover. Keep your mouths shut and play ball.


14 comments:

Ernest Dove said...

Good to see Clippard have an easy inning last night.....
And after the nice first pitch swing/contact by Cargo, Familia then went back to being pre all star game Famili with absolute filth in the 9th.
Was that a 97mph slider? Sheesh.

Bob Sugar said...

Good Morning. Dillon Herrera is our next second baseman for many years to come. He crushes all levels of the minors. It's only a matter of time before he is an all star for Mets. My opinion. I'll miss Murphy. He is one gamer for sure. With men on base in a key spot I like having Murph up. We need to pounce on the Rockies pitching. Nats won last night but the Dodgers will come back and take the next two. Let's gain some ground. And Ernest - familia did look nasty.

Cody Pomeray said...

Ernest,

Respectfully, there is no such thing as a 97 MPH slider; most likey was his sinker, on which he is averaging 97.1 MPH this season.

Great inning nonetheless.

Ernest Dove said...

Ha, we can name pitches all we want but Familia is simply one of those guys whose ball moves wicked naturally.
I was referring to what the SNY guys said when they commented that the ball had the look of a deadly slider thrown by a lefty on that pitch. Just nasty ;)

Anonymous said...

When it comes to Bartolo, I don't think that the club has reached the point of no return quite yet . . . but we're getting there. It feels inevitable.

When I imagine a playoff roster for a 7-game series, I don't have a spot for Bartolo Colon, since I don't think he'd be effective coming out of the pen, and there's no way I'd start him in a big game. So that's something to consider: we already KNOW (or at least I do) that I don't need him in the post-season. At the same time, for a few games, is Verrett clearly a better choice? I don't know. Gee? Same answer.

I do think this team needs some spot starts along the way, if not a full-blown 6 man rotation. Maybe Matz takes Colon's spot outright, but they are still going to need a number of starts from somebody. Big decision, and not at all easy, since this will probably come down to a 1-2 game difference between making the playoffs and watching them on TV.

Maybe they should put Bartolo through waivers, see if anybody bites. Like most things, it comes down to scouting and evaluation. Do they believe in Verrett? Do they like what they see in Gee? Have they lost faith in Bartolo? I really don't know; I can only guess.

James Preller

bgreg98180 said...

It's hard to automatically just cast Murphy and Flores aside for a rookie.
Dilson Herrera may become everything people hope he will be. He also may not.
Since he is only 21 yrs old, there is time. No need to force Murphy or Flores out of the picture.

New gutsy calls that focus on building the strongest team instead of penny - pinching seem to be all the rage for Alderson now.
Maybe it will continue into the off season.

Unknown said...

Here is my prediction on the 2016 Mets middle infield:

SS - Tejada (don't flip out - he is quietly having a good season) - and yes, small sample size, but since the AS Break, he has a .798 OPS - in July it was .677 -- the kid is still only 25 - if he can give us a .700+ OPS and above average defense until he is unseated, sign me up

2b - Herrera

UT with 350 ABs - Flores - can play all 4 infield positions and can play 5 games a week by spelling folks at each position. Wright will need A LOT of rest; he also gives the team a safety net if Herrera falters; and he is insurance if Wright's back just can't handle a full season

Reynolds will have a shot to push Tejada; spend another year at AAA or he will be traded

Cecchini will start 2016 in AAA as a further safety net for Tejada and can take the job if needed.

Cody Pomeray said...

If Flores' ceiling is Jeff Kent, I'll write Dilson's name in but I'll so in pencil.

Interesting spring training position battles in the coming years:

2B: Flores vs. Herrera.

SS: Rosario vs. Cecchini.

C: Plawecki vs TD.

And who said our farm system didn't have some offensive depth? A lot of people not named Cody Pomeray.

Unknown said...

Colon means too much to the young pitchers' psyche and his mentorship has been touted all season - they can't toss him aside.

That said, he doesn't need to pitch if he continues to stink

Come Sept 1 when rosters expand and Matz is back, Colon can be given fewer starts - but, on the flip side, we need someone to absorb innings - I would sign up for how he did on Sunday - not great, but not terrible - if he can repeat that and it keeps innings off the other arms through Oct, I am game

That said - he doesn't make the post season roster - he is likely the 6th or even 7th best starter on the team.

He can mentor from the bench

Reese Kaplan said...

I'm with Lew...if he can keep the ERA under 4.50 then it's acceptable for a spot starter with Matz taking over the regular duties. His control and his experience are things the younger pitchers need to see.

@James Preller -- I'd like to see them make a deal for Colon but who would take him how he's pitching now for the balance of $11 million? You'd have to kick in a lot of money to get anyone even to consider it.

Michael S. said...

Bartolo and Niese/Matz to the pen. Strong staff.

James Preller said...

When we talk about Bartolo "keeping an ERA under 4.50" it's worth noting that it's been around 5.20 since the middle of May. He's lost 11 games and I think the Mets are something like 1-9 in his last 10 starts (don't have that stat in front of me, so it's unreliable but, I think, close to correct).

I'm saying that you might be indulging in wishful thinking.

I also think the intangible stuff might be overstated. I remember how I used to joke about Lenny Harris as "the all-intangible player." If you could see it, taste it, feel it, or measure it, Lenny didn't have it. But all we heard about was his tremendous intangibles. His leadership, conviviality, et. And all I used to say was, "How about somebody with tangible talent -- you know, that us dopes can actually see with our own eyes."

It's a classic trope for the veterans to be praised for all the immeasurable things they do. And, yes, in fact, I think some of that is true. But also I need some stuff on the field. Hits, outs, something. In the end, statistics are a historical record of what events transpired on the field. I want a pitcher who can help us win games, period.

It's getting late, Bartolo. Time to turn in a few quality starts.

Stubby said...

I don't think its possible to overstate the value of people who have been through the post-season. Especially when it comes to pitchers. We've got a staff of young studs and, sure, they all act like nothing is going to intimidate them or upset their apple carts. With the young staff we have, Bartolo is the perfect guy to have on board. He's seen it all, done it all. If anyone could truly be said to be "unflappable", it's Colon. Now is not the time to even think about trading or waiving him. Whether its out of the pen or as a starter, Bartolo's greatest value to this team has yet to come. At the risk of drawing boos and hisses, here, I think of his value to this team now as was Billy Pierce's value to the '62 Giants. He was supposed to be washed up and done at the time but, without him, the Giants don't get to the Series. Yes, he had a better season than Colon has had. But it was as much his head and his presence as his arm that saw the team through the stretch. Of course, they did lose the Series, but that's another story.

You need some long-time vets to get it done down the stretch. There are only a couple of Mets pitchers over 30 and neither C. Torres nor Parnell has ever pitched in the post-season. One thing that will never be mentioned, down the road, but which I noticed, was that every guy Sandy added at the deadline has had at least some post-season experience. It matters.

Mack Ade said...

Well stated, Stubby.