Mack’s Morning Report – 3-26-16 – Mets Cuts, Ruben Tejada, Left Field, Mike Jacobs, Center Field

Good morning.

Roster moves: Danny Muno, T.J. Rivera, Ty Kelly and Roger Bernadina were re-assigned to minor league camp. Buddy Carlyle was released.

Mack – No surprises in the demotions here though the Carlyle release does come with a little shock. He did have a very poor spring (7-G, 6.2-IP, 12-H, 8-R, 6-ER, 6-K, 2-BB, 8.10). Carlyle is 38-years old so this could easily be the end of a major league career that began in 1999 with San Diego and included a stellar season (2014) with the Mets (27-G, 1.45-ERA).

We at Mack’s Mets wish him well.

I still have 16 pitchers that could start the season in either the Las Vegas or Binghamton pen.

The Mets have 32 players left in camp that include Zack Wheeler and Josh Edgin who will start the season on the DL. That’s 30 players left (good).

Marc Carig ‏- For Tejada, it's just business. Says he's turned the page. Tejada still staying in hotel in PSL. So, he beat the Cardinals here from Jupiter. Already dressed before bus arrived. Wright and Flores were facetiming Tejada this week. Says he may still be in a different uni, but still friends.

 Fangraphs continued their positional ranking series with left field –

        #4 – Mets –

        Both Cespedes and Conforto were more than 30% better than average at the plate in 2015 and project to be between 10% and 20% better than average this year. While it’s unclear how well Cespedes will be in center for a full season, Mets fans are probably happy to see a strong projection for Conforto is forcing the issue. The one player who probably isn’t thrilled with these developments is Alejandro De Aza, who signed with the Mets before Cespedes, and thought he had a clearer path to playing time. He and Juan Lagares, while somewhat displaced, can likely lay claim to being one of the better fourth/fifth outfielder combinations in the game.

Mack – It’s absolutely amazing how quick this team went from having no outfield depth over the years to maybe the best 4^th/5^th combo in the league.

One does have to wonder, after the Tejada removal, if De Aza survives the spring.

The Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League have signed former Mets 1B Mike Jacobs.

                   Mack – I always liked Mike. Got to know him a little in spring training. I remember a conversation we had outside of Duffy’s restaurant about Chris Carter (a.k.a. ‘The Animal’). Jacobs told me that Carter seemed a little loose at the lug nuts… said Carter actually would let no one touch his bats. Literally no one… I wish Mike well, though I wonder why guys like him don’t just move on to something that will pay them more.

Fangraphs on center field -

                   #8 – Mets –

                   Well, now we get to maybe the weirdest fit at center field so far. Is it unfair to say that the only thing about Yo that belongs in center is his arm? Maybe it is. But the numbers have not been kind, nor have the high-profile optics, or the choices that his teams have made in the past.

But he’s athletic and has been really good in the corner, so maybe he can fake a center field for a year or two. When you get a player to agree to a one-year contract, basically, you make it work, as the Mets have. With Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson locking up a lot of the time in corners, the best place for Cespedes is center.

This will be a fluid outfield, though. Late leads will be protected by defensive wizard Juan Lagares, and Cespedes will either sit, or move to a corner depending on handedness matchups. Having Lagares in their back pocket makes this work, and it’s fitting that this is the Juan backup on this entire positional depth chart that’s projected to be worth more than a win.

Mack – I stress the same thing I said about De Aza earlier. I just don’t see a position for him on this team this year.

Noah Syndergaard’s stat line yesterday -  98-100-FB, 91-slider, 82-curve, 6.0-IP, 9-K, 0-BB, 5-H, 2-R, 2.04… it’s hard to find a pitcher that strikes out nine batters in six innings in a pre-season game against nine regulars on a playoff bound team. Syndergaard is obviously ready for the season to start. This could be both the ace of the team and an early Cy Young favorite.

ESPN interviewed Sandy Alderson during the game yesterday and specifically asked him to comment on the bullpen. Alderson was very hesitant to name names past Jeurys Familia, spening only a few seconds on Addison Reed and Jerry Blevens. It was obvious that he shares my concern about the Mets pen with only nine days away from the season opener.

 Makes one think that Jim Henderson has a future in Queens.