Mack’s Morning Report – 9-26-15 – Innings Limitations, Billy Wagner, Yogi Berra, Gavin Cecchini

Good morning.

Allan said –

          Hey Mack.

Wasn’t it well known before this season started that certain Mets pitchers were going to have innings limitations?

Mack – Hey, Allan.

Yes there were.

Fans forget easily that 2015 was not supposed to be the year that this team would be playing meaningful October baseball. The young (Syndergaard, deGrom) and recovering (Matz, Harvey) starters all had innings issues and no one had a problem with this before the season started.

Frankly, it’s a cold day in hell that I will agree with Scott Boras, but, in this case, he was right to point out what no one else wanted to talk about. We all knew that Dr. James Andrews set the innings limitation in the 180 range and it seems like the Mets, in general, and Sandy Alderson, in particular, were just sort of operating in hopes of no one would bring this up again. Boras did and the world of Matt Harvey exploded.

Harvey seemed to be caught off-guard by his own agent’s comments and may have produced a half-assed press conference to explain it all, but at least he came off as being genuine.

The bottom line is, no matter what you feel about this issue, the young Mets pitchers will be limited for the remainder of this season regardless of whether if effects the outcome of the season.

Welcome to Mack’s Mets –

        Billy Wagner - @wagsk13wjs_e FOLLOWS YOU - Father of 4, believer of Christ. Former MLB pitcher of 16yrs. Played for the ASTROS,phillies, mets, red sox's, and braves! Now a Blessed high school coach.

 Jonah Keri on Yogi Berra –

                  Yogi Berra died last night at the age of 90. We’ll get to Berra the quote machine shortly. First, let’s start with Berra the baseball player. Because, man, could he play.

It’s enough of a grind being a catcher in today’s game. But the demands placed on players in Berra’s era were especially cruel. In a 19-year career that started right after World War II (Yogi served his country before joining the New York Yankees) and ended in the middle of the Vietnam War, Berra and his peers didn’t yet have the luxury of charter jets and other perks of contemporary travel. Scheduling was brutal. Sophisticated training and nutrition were decades away from reaching major league clubhouses. Add in the extra strain placed on players forced to don the tools of ignorance and you had the perfect recipe for catchers’ bodies to break down.

Q and A with Gavin Cecchini -

After struggling in his first three minor league seasons, Mets prospect Gavin Cecchini enjoyed a breakout year with Double-A Binghamton in 2015.

The 21-year-old shortstop, who was selected by the Mets in the first round of the 2012 draft, was named the Eastern League Rookie of the Year after hitting .317 with 26 doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 51 RBI. (He also committed 28 errors.)

On Monday, the Mets honored him with another accolade, presenting him with a 2015 Sterling Award, which are given annually to the most valuable players on each of the organization's minor league affiliates.