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8/22/15

Mack’s Morning Report – 8-22-15 – Michael Conforto, Six-Man Rotation, Starlin Castro, Anthony Recker



Good morning.


Twitter Tidbits

Mets 2015 2nd round pick Desmond Lindsay is hitting .321/.406/.500 in his first 17 pro games for the GCL Mets.

Yoenes Cespedes is the first player since Reb Russell with 5 hits, 5-R, 7-RBI, and 1-SB. Russell did it on 8-8-1922

Mets SS prospect Luis Guillorme leads the South Atlantic League with 130 hits and 5th in OBP at .386

18-year old outfielder Anthony Dirocie and 19-year old infielder Miguel Patino have been added to the GCL Mets from the DSL. Dirocie is coming off a .791 OPS over 63 games in his second summer in the DSL, and he’s mostly played CF

Seven of Wilmer Flores's 12 home runs have come in the 6th inning or later.
GCL Mets put Keaton Aldridge on the 60-day DL

Mets 20-year old RHP prospect Nabil Crismatt is 2nd in APPL with his 0.92 WHIP, 4th in K's with 49, and 5th with 2.29 ERA

Mets 1B prospect Dash Winningham is leading the APPL with 12 HR's and 45 RBI

The first game for the Columbia Fireflies at Spirit Communications Park will be on 4/14/2016 against the Greenville Drive

Right now, Steven Matz first start back projects to be September 5th in Miami.



Michael Conforto on being optioned for the return of David Wright come Monday:

“I understand the situation and I know that is a big possibility when David comes back. But I’m here now and I can learn as much as I can and try to improve as much as I can and then hopefully I come back for September if they do send me down.”

Mack – The good news here is that he will be back in a week when the rosters expand and, like Michael Baron pointed out in the article, this will probably be the last time Conforto will ever play a game in the minors.

So, my guess is the 2016 outfield will line up as Conforto, Juan Lagares, and Curtis Granderson, with Michael Cuddyer playing the role of 4th outfielder.

 Is this enough?



 Fangraphs had their own spin on the upcoming Mets 6-man rotation plans. What I found particularly interesting was his thoughts on the Mets pen:

And lastly, while the bullpen hasn’t been great so far, it’s been decent, and it’s been used less than any other National League bullpen so far. It’s tied for the youngest bullpen in the league, too. With Jeurys Familia breaking out, newcomer Tyler Clippard playing the part of the veteran, a decent lefty in Sean Gilmartin, an everyday man in Carlos Torres, and a find in Logan Verrett, this bullpen has at least the depth if not the star power to deal with the extra load.

Mack – Is this guy watching the same Mets pen I’ve been watching the past two weeks?



Comment From Noah - Who’s the Mets opening day shortstop next year?

Eno Sarris: God it sort of seems like they’re just waiting around for Rosario, who is  not 20 yet or in Double-A. Doubt they sign Desmond. Maybe Reyes if he doesn’t cost a ton.

        Mack – I can’t believe we’re back to square one here.

Right now, the 2016 Mets infield looks to be a third baseman with a bad back, an untested rookie second baseman who didn’t fare well the first two times he was brought to the majors, and two marginal middle infielders, one of which claim to fame this year is tears and standing ovations.

I still feel the Mets need an upgrade here and my choice would be Starlin Castro. Yes, he has had a poor 2015, both offensively and defensively (early), but he’s still only 25 and his contract through 2019 is relatively cheap. The Cubs are going to move him and I have no idea what kind of package they would demand along with taking over 100% of his contract. 

Maybe Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith… just kidding Ernest.



 Anthony Recker on being a back-up catcher

“I just try to work hard all time. On the field, off the field, studying hitters, always being in the bullpen, being available to catch the starters and relievers when I can so I can work on my craft. Being in the cage and working on receiving, blocking, throwing, everything. And then obviously offensively working on my swing and just trying to stay as sharp as I can.”

“For me it was just the time of my life when I was trying to keep grinding and working hard. Like you said I made some All-Star teams and had some success, so I knew everything was paying off, if was just a matter of time before I got a break. And I finally got an opportunity to play at the big league level and I was able to prove that I belong.”

“For years I never got to play in front of my family. They work a lot so they didn’t have many chances to come out and see me play out on the West Coast. So being able to be on the East Coast and actually have an opportunity to play in front of them occasionally and see them a little bit more often has been really nice.”

I think I’m a pretty smart player, so mentally I feel like I have what it takes and physically I know I have what it takes. So it’s just a matter of staying within yourself when you get the opportunity to play.”

Mack – This guy seems to know and be happy with the limitations of his career. He’s an ex-D-III player, a rare find at the major league level.



And, you got to like the $400K salary, right?

20 comments:

  1. Our current SS has outplayed Castro in every way, is paid much lezs, and is also 25. But "Rodney" Tejada still gets no respect. What we don't have there is a backup who can play tge position at a ML level.

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  2. Whoever that clown was who bashed Cespedes in the comments section on this site yesterday should keep going.......it seemed to motivate YC last night! If he played a full season in Coors Field, he'd hit .833 with 486 HR, 1,134 RBI and 162 SB which would likely get him a nice extension.

    Seriously though, the Mets need to keep him around after this year.

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  3. WOW...guess we need to offer say $300 for 10 eh??? LOL....well hopefully after last nite Jeffy is counting his coins to hit up daddy to make YC an "offer he cant refuse". Also after Wilmers new business venture I found a few boxes of photos of me crying during Met games and wondered if Mack could line me up with a marketing guru to sell my pics......I'll even sign em for free! Lets go Mets.

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  4. Metsiac -

    I expected to take a lot of grief this morning on my Castro comments.

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    1. Sorry Mack, but I think the grief over Castro will be well deserved. He has been a good young player for the past few years, but it always came with flaws and he has just been simply awful this year on every level and I don't think a risky reclamation project is what a team wants at SS when just on the cusp of contention. It looks like he has now lost his SS job to Russell and I have zero confidence that he will bounce back. Those two off season incidents last year give me pause, even if there wasn't more of a direct tie. Reckless and stupid is no way to capitalize on a professional sports career. I would much rather stick with Tejada and wouldn't be surprised if Ruben outperformed him over the next few years. Castro is turning into a dog and sounds like the Cubbies are moving on. The Mets shouldn't help them with salary relief and talent of any kind.

      Anon Joe F

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  5. what about cecchini?

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  6. Gary -

    Last night's game was too gut wrenching to watch. Without YC, it would have been a bad Colon loss and nothing more.

    I truly hope the Mets Big Guys have a conference call today after this one and start putting together some numbers to approach his agent with. Every winning team neads a guy like this in the lineup.

    I'll write more about him in the morning.

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  7. Gavin's errors have really diminished over the past 20+ games, and he is hitting .317. He'd definitely get AAA before majors, just for more experience and more continued improvement in D.

    Sign Cespedes. It won't be a mistake

    To save money, Mets signed Fidel Castro rather than Starlin, for a player to be named later. Castro dictated the terms of the deal.

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    1. I think next year will be a better barometer for GC defense. Give him a whole off season and he is likely to work his butt off to correct. Please stop writing "sign Cespedes" as if it is simply a matter of taking the cap off a pen. The player and agent have to go along as well you know and with his pending FA, it is unlikely that he would pass on the opportunity of a lifetime and risk passing up a team that is going to go crazy with an offer. Looking at what Choo got a couple of years ago, it makes most sense for Yoenis to test the open market, he would be a fool to, so it is less about the Mets willingness and more about YC doing what is best for him. What the Mets want has very little to do with YC unless they offer him $200M to pass on FA and not sure even that is enough for him to give up once in a lifetime leverage
      Anon Joe F

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  8. Castro's not the answer. If you re-sign Cespedes, what's wrong with the status quo? Wilmer can play SS, 2B, and 3B (when Wright needs rest), Tejada has been fine as the SS this year. Dilson's AAA #'s can't all be a mirage. Other idea, if you don't resign Cespedes, is to swing a blockbuster deal with the pitching and 1B needy Bosox. Trade one of the big five, Harvey, and Duda to Beantown in a blockbuster deal involving some combination of Bogaerts, Castillo, Moncada, Betts (remote but no harm in asking), Marrero or Hanram (if they eat a chunk of his contract). You then move Wright to the less physically demanding 1B and insert either Bogaerts or Hanram at 3B and/or Marrero at SS (light stick but flashes the leather)or Moncada. A radical idea but the Red Sox are loaded with bats and Dombrowski is not afraid to deal younger players or prospects.

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    1. I wonder how the stretching would affect the back at 1st base.

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  9. Mack
    Don't jump over Flores at 2b in favor of Herrera quite so soon.

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  10. The Mets leverage with Cespedes is NYC itself. Sure he could make more $$$ elsewhere but elsewhere isn't the stage that NYC is. The money and exposure of endorsement and marketing deals he could if he stayed in NYC get would make him a star on a level that few other markets could match. It would be the Mets version of a "hometown" deal.

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    1. None of that made any difference to Reyes, who was already the toast of the town when he made it clear he was going to bolt for money. Sounds nice, but i doubt the "market dynamics" will be that big of a deal in deciding on his contract. Remember also that those sort of considerations are made when comparing one market to another, but that is not what is at stake here. It is a matter of forgoing all leverage in his one time entry to FA. Can't think of any agent that would advise signing with the Mets and never learning what his true market value is at a time when it will never be higher. I think an opening bid of $200M would be the minimum to even have a conversation and not sure that it would be enough to sway him. Thinking that he will pass on the one opportunity that all baseball players wait for because he feels at home in NY is naive. Who was the last player to make that decision? Pujols was a god in STL and went elsewhere for more money. I would like to see YC stay, but the circumstances suggest that it will not happen.

      Anon Joe F

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    2. Well,
      Hopefully Cespedes is a different kind of person than most others.

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  11. I would think a strong incentive for Cespedes to stay, besides $$$, is to make feel special, cared for and at home.
    Remember he is a man that has been on the move since he came to America.
    Then traded 3 times.
    Fans, team mates, organization, make him feel like the Mets are Home and he and his family are a big part of the Met Family.
    It will go a long way.

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  12. If the Mets offer me an outstanding contract, and I know with these pitchers, I have a chance to be in the playoffs year after year, and a hero ballplayer in the NYC market, if I am Cespedes, I'd very strongly consider foregoing free agency.

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  13. D Whit -

    I agree that IF you sign YC than the status quo is the way to go, but I thought I'd throw out the name Castro to see a reaction

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  14. Mack-The problem with Castro isn't talent it's his lack of consistency. Trading for him, depending on what you'd give up, isn't an overall bad idea, but it's too much of a dice roll. The 2015 team needs to grab off the waiver wire or waiver trade a) another bullpen arm or two and b) another starter. Colon is losing it and the bridge to Clippard and Familia is a shaky one right now.

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