1/2/16

Mack’s Morning Report - 1-2-16 – 1st Round OF Draft Picks, Neil Walker, A.J. Reed, Jeff Wilpon, Mark Healey



Good morning.


We discuss a lot of topics on Mack’s Mets and one that continues to rear its ugly head is the ‘fact’ that the Mets just doesn’t seem to draft top outfielders. Really?

Here is a list of first round outfielders that the Mets have drafted since 1990 and what they accomplished -

Jeremy Burnitz – 1st round pick (17th overall) by Mets in 1990… last year in NYC (1994) – hit .238, 3-HR

Al Shirley – 1st round pick (18th overall) by Mets in 1991… never played for Mets and never made it to the major leagues. Retired after 1998 season.

Preston Wilson – 1st round pick (9th overall) by Mets in 1992… had eight at bats with the Mets in 1998 before being traded to the Marlins/Rockies/Nats/Astros and Cardinals. Finished career with Long Island in the Atlantic League in 2009.

Jay Payton – 1st round pick (29th overall) by Mets in 1994… hit .255 in 361-AB in 2001

Rob Stratton – 1st round pick (13th overall) by Mets in 1996… never made it out of the minors… retired after the 2006 season.

Jayson Tyner – 1st round pick (21st overall) by Mets in 1998… had 41 at-bats (.195) for Mets in 2000…  played for major and minor teams for Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Atlanta, Minnesota, Cleveland (2nd time), Milwaukee, and Detroit… retired after 2009 season.

Lastings Milledge – 1st round draft pick (12th overall) by the Mets in 2003… lasts two years in a Met uniform, hitting .272 in 184-AB in 2007. Has played diminished ball in Japan over the past four seasons.

Brandon Nimmo  - 1st round pick (13th overall) by the Mets in 2011 … still in the minors after five seasons

Michael Conforto – 1st round pick (10th overall) by the Mets in 2014… in the starting lineup (LF) for the Mets by the end of the season (174-AB, 9-HR, .270/.335/.506/841
I’ll let this portion of my post this morning speak for itself.



David Laurita had this to say about the changes of second baseman going around in the NL East –

How did the respective teams fare in the second-base circus involving Daniel Murphy, Brandon Phillips and Neil Walker? Based on my armchair analysis, the Mets fared best. Acquiring Walker for Jonathon Niese was no steal, but committing to one year of the former Pirate seems more prudent than paying what it would have taken to retain Murphy. Walker is the better player, plus the Mets gain a compensatory draft pick while the Nationals forfeit a first-round selection.

As for the Nationals’ decision to give the former Met $37.5 million over three years, Murphy is Mr. Versatile, but is he any better than Brock Holt, who makes a tiny fraction of that salary in Boston? Probably not. Washington reportedly wanted Brandon Phillips, which would coast them prospects and $27.5 over two years, but the longtime Red was reticent to move east. For my money, the Nats would have been better off had Phillips been willing to waive his no-trade.


 Brian Joura wrote a piece on the 2011 draft, including this little tidbit –

At the time, much was made of the fact that the Mets signed 35 of their 51 picks, including their first 12 selections. In addition to Evans, they also went over the recommended slot bonuses for Nimmo, Fulmer and Verrett. But perhaps the biggest story that’s hardly mentioned from this draft is one that got away. In the 25th-round, the Mets selected two-way player A.J. Reed, who the Mets viewed as a LHP. Reed ended up going to the University of Kentucky, where he split time between the mound and 1B. In 2014, he went 12-2 for the Wildcats with a 2.09 ERA and ended up a second-round pick of the Astros. Houston made him a first baseman and last year he had a .976 OPS in Double-A and is now considered one of the top 1B prospects in the game.

    Mack - I guess we can call the Jacob deGrom drafting (9th round SS in 2010) our own A.J. Reed story...



 Mark Healey wrote a fascinating piece on Jeff Wilpon

About a year later, the same guy traded Kazmir for a bucket of used baseballs named Victor Zambrano, let his friend and GM Jim Duquette take the heat (and demotion) for it, and stood by while his father yelled at WFAN’s Mike and The Mad Dog for even suggesting the younger Wilpon had any influence in the front office.

I was KeySpan Park that night after the deals were made, and the mood was dark. Wilpon was nowhere to be found, Duquette was on the radio defending the deals, and Jay Horwitz tried to get me fired.  The latter is a story for another chapter.  But that night in 2004, Jeff Wilpon became the passive aggressive puppet master we all know and many loathe today.

Some would say it’s because Jeff is held back on a tight leash by his father and Uncle Saul, and despite his COO title, has little power to effect much change.  “If Jeff were in charge for real, Terry Collins would have been fired mid-season last year,” one Mets insider told me after the season. “Jeff had called Wally to tell him to get ready to come to New York.”
                   
                    Mack – Read this in its entirety, especially if you are a Wilpon hater.

More from  Healey -

Apparently, the 40-60 million the Mets reportedly made during their postseason run has been used to do the same, as popular sluggers Yoenis Cespedes and homegrown Daniel Murphy will, likely be playing elsewhere in 2016.

But a con can only succeed if there are marks willing to go along with the bamboozle in the first place.

The family is in great shape,” Wilpon said in 2013. “We had to stay very tight on everything that was happening. So who would know? Real estate has gone zimbo, OK? We have many, many, many apartment buildings around the country. There is no building, so they are all rented. SNY has done spectacularly. The stock market is up. So we benefitted from all those things.”

So, as the Mets fail to build an offense to support their wonderful pitching staff, where do you stand?


13 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

They should spend...but they're cheap.

Who would use a 1st round pick to select a powerless OF like Tyner? Dumb.

Let's hope for a championship in 2016m..and I don't mean in Binghamton.

The Zambrano trade has to make any Mets fan always wonder when the wrong shoe will drop.

Ernest Dove said...

Not a pretty list of OF draft picks. ......and there's nobody down on the farm except maybe Beccera to play the position one day in an MLB uniform.

I won't continue to argue the wilpon money thing but its still strange to see any team go to a world series and not really increase payroll the next year.

Unknown said...

I still have hopes for Nimmo - if he could stay healthy all year I c think we see improvement

Any Conforto looks like a real win

As for deGrom - he switched to pitching at Stetson - was never viewed as a SS

Unknown said...

I still have hopes for Nimmo - if he could stay healthy all year I c think we see improvement

Any Conforto looks like a real win

As for deGrom - he switched to pitching at Stetson - was never viewed as a SS

Unknown said...

pretty much confirms what we all thought was happening and of course there's nothing us fans can do about it except voice our objections here. I'm generally happy with the FO group but wonder if they weren't limited financially how this team would look today. Sad thing is Jeffy will be around a lot longer than I will so here's hoping he lets his FO make the personnel moves.

Mack Ade said...

Gary -

You have to chose to root for this team regardless of who owns it. I can't see a Wilpon sale in my lifetime, no less yours.

I will say that the opening day 25-man is far superior to last year's opening day team regardless of a 'big bat' OF sign

Ernest Dove said...

Random new question.........

What are everyones thoughts on status of Matt Reynolds with this organization?

Cecchini and Herrera should be the everyday SS and 2B in Vegas.

I assume Herrera and cecchini have a ton more trade value right now than Reynolds based off last season stats so can't flip reynolds for any useful 25man addition.
Do mets keep Reynolds until they know for sure that tejada can make full recovery and then make a decision in spring?

TP said...

Healey is likely right about Jeff, Gary is right about Jeff, and Mack is right about the Wilpons. They are here to stay, so we need to enjoy this team regardless. Sports, and for us the Mets, is an escape from the harsh realities of life. I will be frustrated if they don't add a big arm for the 8th inning, and if Cespedes wins up on the Nats or Marlins, but I will still enjoy the team, the games, the roster construction, and minor league player development regardless. And I am grateful for a forum like this, and the efforts of those involved, which makes it that much more enjoyable.

Thanks to all and a happy and healthy 2016.

bgreg98180 said...

Possible that Jeff Wilpon could learn and grow from his past mistakes?

Being neutered sure does seem to calm down most dogs.

Ernest Dove said...

And I agree with TP ;)

The bottom line is that our Mets are a form of entertainment and they are built to be an ABOVE .500 winning ballclub throughout rest of this decade, which is a good thing because it means they can WIN more often than LOSE throughout 2016 which is cool.
The Cubs have won ZERO world series titles during any of our lifetimes and they still have fans.
Letz enjoy another winning season. ..........but also 'shoot the shit' on Macks Mets and get happy, sad and angry because its something to do and a good distraction from life.

Tom Brennan said...

Just waiting for the first Syndergaard fastball over someone's head. Let the season begin.

Mack Ade said...

Ernest -

I always though that the great year that Reynolds had was an aberration and even the Mets brain trust didn't even seem to rally around the kid.

eraff said...

Reynolds should play several positions at AAA (Iincluding OF) to be ready for a Bench Slot...IF he shows that he can provide something with his bat.