3/2/16

Mack’s Morning Report – 3-2-16 – Intra-Game, Chasing Cars, Yoenis Cespedes, Dilson Herrera, Ed Coleman



Good morning.


The Mets played their annual ‘Blue vs. Orange’ intra-game on Tuesday…

Singles by Matt Reynolds, Alejando de Aza, and Michael Conforto produced a run in the top of the first. Reynolds also had a double in the sixth against Stefan Sabol.

Juan Lagares hit a first inning home run against Robert Gsellman. He also singled and stole second base in the third.

T.J. Rivera started the second inning with a single. He also hit a 2-run home run in the seventh off of Chason Bradford.

it was good to see SS Gavin Cecchini back healthy. Started a spectacular double play on a Danny Muno grounder in the second inning. He also singled in the second.

(Wilmer Flores was in the original lineup at 3B but his name was pulled and replaced by Luis Guillorme – turned out he was just under the weather)

Logan Verrett threw a perfect 1-2-3 third inning and issued only a walk in the fourth.

Dilson Herrera homers against Duane Below. Below followed this with a perfect 1-2-3 inning.

Dominic Smith drew a walk in the fourth.

Travis Taijeron made excellent catch in right field. Guess he made camp.

Zack Thornton throws a perfect 1-2-3 inning against Danny Muno, Raywilly Gomez, and Victor Cruzado (lineup’s getting a little thin) and follows with a second scoreless inning.

Seth Lugo threw a perfect frame in the fifth. Johnny Monell had an RBI double against Lugo in the seventh after a Muno error. This was followed by a Nevin Ashley RBI single.

Josh Smoker pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth.

Mack – Yes, this was just an intra-game… and yes, no one was hitting against anyone that will be in any team’s rotation… but it still was nice to see Rivera, Reynolds, and Lagares hit the ball well. Pitcher of the day goes to Thornton (2-IP, 5-K).


Injury check – pitcher Erik Goeddel continues to be sidelined with a ‘side muscle issue’.


It seems that Terry Collins has had enough of the fast cars and riding the horses… he told the team it’s time to get back to the serious game of baseball. I guess I agree with him. There probably will never be a more important reason to get off to a fast start this year.



 Fangraphs has a great breakout on left fielders and they had this to say about Yoenis Cespedes

Yoenis Cespedes‘ full-season numbers, including his time with the Mets, are reflected in the table above. He is the clear standout of the group, hitting the ball harder than everyone with a respectable K rate for a power bat, hard enough to make his low walk and slightly excessive pull tendency tolerable. He did make progress in a key area, with his pop-up rate dropping into the average range after three seasons in the 95th, 95th and 97th percentiles, respectively. He’ll need to make some adjustments to excel in his mid- to upper-30s, but he’ll be plenty good enough with the bat in the near term.

Mack – Yes, we will see Cespedes most of the time in center, but the breakout is dominated with hitting percentages and rankings. Let’s face it… we can’t get enough of baseball writers saying good things about this guy.


Fangraphs on Dilson Herrera

              Herrera’s first taste of the big leagues was a little rough, but his offensive showing wasn’t half bad for a second baseman. It’s also worth noting that his time in the show was interrupted by a broken finger, which may have negatively affected his performance. Big league performance aside, everything about Hererra’s minor league track record suggests he’ll make for a very good second baseman. And his Triple-A numbers suggest he could be that as soon as this year. Whether he gets that opportunity remains to be seen.



Ed Coleman chimed in on the upcoming season –

              Coleman believes outfielder Michael Conforto will be a big part of the Mets success this season, and sees the young prospect playing on a daily basis.
“I think Conforto will play well enough down here to prove that he’s ready to go every day,” Coleman told Francesa. “I think what you will see sometimes is you’ll see [Curtis] Granderson sit, see Conforto in right, and [Juan] Lagares in center, and [Yoenis] Cespedes in left.”
           


14 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Mack, you put the right person in the picture for the day: Matt the Magnificent Reynolds, out to prove 2015 was an off year.

The only reason Cecchini's DP was spectacular was that Danny Muno hit the grounder LOL.

Good to see some guys succeed like TJ (I Can Hit) Rivera.

Lagares' encouraging game. Hopefully, the first of many.

Tom Brennan said...

Let me add:

I also saw where Collins liked how Mr. Smoker was pounding the catcher's mitt. High heat increases one's chances for sure and his fastball matches his name.

Nice to see Lugo toss a scoreless inning. He has been a draft surprise.

Ernest Dove said...

Josh smoker is getting more interesting by the day. You can't teach heat, especially from the left side..........
Oh, and I distinctly remember a certain macks mets writer writing a post about Lagares power last week showing. ...hmmm I wonder who that was...........

Mack Ade said...

Ernest -

It's an intra game,,, :)

Regarding Smoker, all he needs is some control

Robb said...

great roundup mack.

Jeff said...


Mack:

Heading to Spring Training in about 2 weeks for a short stay and seeing one game. I'll be a little disappointed if Thor and Yo are not shagging flyballs on horseback.

If Cuddyer had waited a couple months to let the Mets know he was retiring do you think Desmond ends up on the team rather than Cabrerra? $8 Million is a bargain. And would it have been an upgrade?

Also, if TC wants the boys to focus on the prize, what better way than opening day and watching KC get their rings. I have to imagine that sitting in the dugout watching all the hoopla from the WS Champs will be very motivating to the Mets. If the Mets weren't going to win it all last year, I can't think of a better way to get the season started.

Tom Brennan said...

Jeff, how about KC gets its rings and Harvey no hits them? That would start 2016 off right.

eraff said...

Matt Reynolds had a Double in the 6th....off of Stefan Sabol...????? Isn't Sabol a Positional Player?

Mack Ade said...

Jeff -

I would have loved having Desmond on the Mets this year. I always thought he was a good fit, especially at a reduced cost.

Mack Ade said...

eraff -

yes he is... that must have been a typo...

eraff said...

yes Mack, but it doesn't diminish the Reynolds Buzz!!!!!!!!!!!

Tom Brennan said...

Matt Mania has resumed

TP said...

Smoker has a great name for a back end bullpen arm.

I like the Conforto in RF play to keep Grandy fresh and let Lagares lead off vs LHP. But, Conforto will need to prove he can handle the tough lefties and RF as well.

Jeff said...

Thomas:

A Harvey no hitter would be great. Of course then we would have to listen to Boras talk about "his guy" being overworked. Maybe Harvey for 5 and Thor for 4 in the opener.