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1/23/16

Mack’s Morning Report – 1-23-16 – PEDs, Eudor Garcia, and Stupid Baseball Players




Good morning.

As I’m sure most of you have noticed, both contest and comments are down on the site. There really isn’t that much to talk about at this point in the off-season, beyond Yoenes Cespedes, and I wasn’t really sure what I was going to come up this weekend.
Then I read the news on Eudor Garcia.

It seems that our prospect third baseman tested positive for bumetanice and furosemide, two performance enhancing drugs on the no-fly list. This earned him an ochenta game suspension and change the roster projections for opening day 2016 (look for either Phillip Evans, Jhoan Urena, or Jeff McNeill to be held up at St. Lucie or JC Rodriquez to set up as a starter in Florida).

I’ve written about this subject a number of times in the past and the fact that it mostly is a ‘Latin thing’ due to the desire to turn one’s body into something that nature didn’t give them to start. Every kid from Columbia to the Dominican wants to grow up someday and look like Alex Rodriguez… the problem is he didn’t get to look that way naturally either.

The rules of the games regarding banned substances, testing, and suspensions started in January 2004. 49 major league players have been suspended, starting with Tampa Bay OF Alex Sanchez, 32 of which are Latin.

60 more players had major league experience but were busted while playing in the minors.  40 of them were Latin.

More importantly, the rules are getting harsher every year. Sanchez’ suspension was for 10 games. Garcia is for 80. 80 minor league games is like a full season lost and the complete loss of the team’s confidence in your future. Look at Garcia. He is a college kid out of El Paso. He hit .296 for Savannah last season and was ranked as one of the top ten Mets prospects. Was all that all smoke, mirrors, and PEDs?

This testing isn’t going to go away and I can’t understand why, especially minor league Latins, don’t understand this.

And another thing… you want to beat this system and not have anyone ask you to piss in a cup? Easy, go hit .198 in A-ball.

I’m really upset at losing Garcia for just about the entire 2016 season. He turns 22 in May and now pushes him back a year in a system that will need a third baseman in… wait a minute… this means Garcia won’t be ready for Queens until either 2019 or 2020, the last year of David Wright’s contract.


Hmm…

26 comments:

  1. Good morning and happy Cespedes Day everyone. ....

    If my man jeff McNeil stays in lucie I'll lose my shit! !!!!
    I vote Urena to stay. He needs to stay healthy anyway and prove himself. And he's still young so no big deal.

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  2. How about some mack q and a.......
    Hey mack, speaking of future at 3B, can u think of options in mets farm system that can switch positions over to third? Cecchini? Or wwhich one of the 20 SS prospects in low minors could maybe do it in your opinion?

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  3. Mets just turned a mediocre offseason into something to remember. What just happened is almost unprecedented. Did he really just spurn 25+ million dollars to stay a Met? One hopes this attitude spreads to our starting pitchers!

    If he opts out we don't get a draft pick do we? If he does opt out it will mean he had a great year and earned his money and if we get another draft pick on top of that would just be stellar.

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  4. Ernest -

    a conversion to third is not like short to second...

    regarding the kids that were signed the past couple of years as 16-year old Latin bonus kids, I don't know. We just aren't given enough information on these players

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  5. Guys -

    I have to head out for a violin concert this morning by my granddaughter, so I won't be back online until later today

    My hopes is one of the other writers will put a post up for later today on the Cespedes signing.

    If not, I'll have something to say about it tomorrow morning.

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  6. Congratulations to the Wilpons, and the entire Mets organization.

    The "Wilpons won't spend money" attacks can finally be put to rest.

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  7. That's more like it, bob!

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  8. @ Earnest........maybe Cecchini ends up the future SS and Ahmed Rosario slides over to third? He is a big kid to start with and as he fills out, he could follow the A-Rod route (minus the PED's).

    He doesn't have traditional third base power, but it is a possibility that keeps both young players on the squad. A future infield of Rosario, Cecchini, Herrera and Smith would be something.

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  9. The Cespedes signing makes us huge favorites to win the division. I love that he'll be here with something to prove and money to play for. I hope he has a huge season, and earns the rest of that huge long-term payday he's looking for. It would be great for us in '16, obviously, but would also set a great precedent. Clearly too, this says a lot about just how undesirable the Nats' situation is.

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  10. Time to plan for the tickertape parade. Congrats to the Wilpons and Sandy for doing the right thing and doing it well.

    Cespedes will work on his bad habits (such as taking too many first strike meatballs) to ensure a big pay day next year. We will benefit.

    Fans will show up in droves this year, paying for the higher salary level of the team and then some.

    A great day in Mets Land, as I am sure Bob Gregory heartily agrees.

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  11. YES YES YES to CESP!!! I can finally retire my "sell the team" shirt!!!! Hopefully it never comes out of retirement?
    We can all sleep better at night now!!!

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  12. This is a great deal for everyone. congrats Bob. even if it ends up being 1 year.

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  13. WOW! I'm tempted to say I never doubted it for a minute, but although I always held out some hope, I realized that it looked to be a long shot from the start. Alderson deserves all the credit in the world for pulling off this unprecedented coup. This signing proves decisively that The New York Mets are finally a highly desired destination for major league ballplayers. With the addition of Yoenis, the Mets have to be regarded as co-favorites, with the Cubs, to represent the NL in the 2016 World Series.

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  14. Ken Rosenthal
    Cespedes eligible for qualifying offer if he opts out after one year. #Mets will get compensation pick if they make him QO and he departs.

    So if he opts out we still win.

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  15. YO has plenty of incentive to not only have a monster year but also continue to show what David was reportedly talking about which is that he's a great teammate on and off the field. This is all good for the 2016 Metsies.

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  16. Gents,
    This is a great deal on many levels, and certainly pumps me up even more for the 2016 season.

    That said, I don't want to pull a Bryce Harper and count eggs (or rings) before they are hatched. As we saw with the 2015 Nats, many things can happen along the way. And, even if you make the postseason, short series are a roll of the dice. All in all, though, a great day to be a Met fan, and I have to tip my hat to Mr. Alderson in that he has done a tremendous job (with some gifts from Omar) in laying a foundation for sustained winning, which is all I have ever asked for.

    Kudos to the Met fans for hanging in there, Cespedes for wanting to return, Alderson for sticking to his guns, the Wilpons for putting up the dough, and Collins and the players for sustaining a clubhouse that players want to be a part of.

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  17. If I am Cespedes, 3 years 75MM is better than 5/$100. After 3 years, unless he really regresses, he'd get more than 2 years, $25K. Cespedes made the right choice. I am thrilled. I will go to more games this year as a result. Right decisions are profitable decisions

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  18. Sandy is either really really smart or really really lucky. This could not have played out better for the Mets

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  19. Sandy is either really really smart or really really lucky. This could not have played out better for the Mets

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  20. Well...

    Bastardo and Cespedes in one week...

    I'm done and I'm also done pissing and moaning about the ownership and management of this team.

    Kudos for stepping up and giving Mets fans exactly what they wanted.

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  21. Don't worry Mack, mets fans have all season to argue about terry Collins in game bullpen decisions ;)

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  22. At least the year Terry has real players to work with

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