4/12/16

Mack’s Morning Report – 4-12-16 – Top 100 Prospects, Productivity, Tomas Nido



Good morning.


 Talking Chop blog is using the same kind of consensus averaging that I do with draft prospects. In their case, they concentrate on MLB prospects, averaging together prospect lists like Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, Keith Law, MLB Pipeline, and Minor League Ball/John Sickels

The results were interesting for both Mets fans and prospects –

          #15             SP              Steven Matz
          #64             1B               Dominic Smith
          #72             SS              Amed Rosario

That’s all we get now folks… three prospects out of 100… but let’s remember that 2B Dilson Herrera is just a recent graduate from this list and many consider he should still qualify.    

Lastly, SP Noah Syndergaard, and LF Michael Conforto are playing their first full season in the majors.

In my book, that’s six names that should have been on that list, not three.



I’m a couple of days late on this, and I know it’s early in the season, but I want a discussion again about the lack of offense during these first few games in the season.

This is being written before Monday’s night game and, of course, I hope a big victory against the Marlins tonight will defuse this issue, (update… yeah, right…) but the facts going into this game and quite revealing… the Mets have produced the second lowest ERA in the league (2.05), which is also the lowest in the National League. At the same time, they are 24th in fielding (.989) and dead last (30th) in hitting (.180). That’s dead last in the league, not the National League.

I know there are people that both read and comment on this site that feel we’re spending too much talking about the lack of offense so far. The problem with this is there really isn’t that much else to discuss right now.
Every team has had the same amount of time in spring training to work out the kinks. The Mets seem to have done this on the mound, but, they’ve left their bats back in Florida.

And it appears to be a team effort. Only one member of the team has a batting average over .267, and that’s Juan Lagares who has only five at-bats (2-hts, .400).

Look, I don’t have a quick fix on this and I bring this up only as a topic for discussion.

          Mr. Met: What will it take for our offense to click?

Dan Szymborski: April


Last word on the parent Mets... things didn't go any better in their 10-3 Monday night loss to the Marlins, but I really didn't think that Steven Matz deserved this kind of game called behind the plate. I counted six, maybe seven pitches on both the inside and outside corners of the zone that easily could have been called a strike and prevented the second innings from even getting as far as the Stanton home rum.


In the minors…

          Columbia’s game verses Rome was rained out…

          Binghamton’s game with Harrisburg was also weathers out…


Catcher Tomas Nido continued his torrid pace for St. Lucie, going 2-3 in their loss to Dunedin last night. Nido is now hitting .533.

Brandon Nimmo went 3-4 and four pitchers (Bradford, Thornton, Smoker, Sewald) pitched four scoreless innings in relief and Las Vegas beat Sacramento 5-2. 

16 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Matz - you can learn from your failures. He will.

Just kidding yesterday, but seriously, maybe we SHOULD sit Grandy for April. In 190 official at bats in March and April since 2014, .163 with 8 doubles, 2 homers, 13 RBIs.

Bob Sugar said...

I said it this winter and spring that Travis DA' was way overrated. Small sample this year I know but I don't see this guy as a good hitter plains and simple.

Dallas said...

Bob, pretty small sample sizes here. Travis has played in what 5 games? Do people think Murphy is going to hit over .500 all year for the Nats? You have to give it at least a month before you start to bury people. The Mets are too talented to play like this long term, but it has been pretty miserable so far.

Zozo said...

Give darnaud a break he is hitting in the 8 spot. I think batting order should be redone. Conforto is our hottest hitter and I also believe Walker should be our number 2. Wright should get moved down to 5 and Flores should start more so than Cabrera.

Charles said...

I think Terry shouldn't bury him in the 8th slot. He's a legit power threat and shouldn't have the pitcher batting behind him. He'll get it going, but I'd certainly put Pawlecki in and give Travis a day off.

Mack Ade said...

Guys -

My problem is I have to come up with topics to discuss every morning and try not to throw anyone under the bus too early.

Regardless of any thoughts I have on any individual players right now, the season is so young.

Let's give it April and just have fun speculating here.

Charles said...

I hate the batting order. I think Terry needs to stop giving the Vets priority for once in his life.

Grandy
Wright
Cespedes
Duda
Conforto
Darno
Walker
Cabrera
Pitcher

Conforto is the best bat and should be a slot higher. Darno shouldn't ever bat 8th and when he is Terry should get smacked around for five minutes by Jeff Wilpon.

I think Terry will start juggling the lineup tonight and we'll likely see Pawlecki sooner than later to give Travis a mental break.

They should snap out of this soon. Their schedule didn't help either with all the days off. Now that they are playing every day, things should turn around. Probably after tonight though because Jose Fernandez is pitching.

With the Mets though, usually they do the opposite of what you think so it's definitely possible they score 8 runs by the fifth...

Mack Ade said...

Charles -

Going into tonight's game -

Syndergaard: 1-0, 0.00

Other starters: 1-4, 5.33

Ernest Dove said...

I guess it simply became a numbers game in regards to somebody (TDA) having to bat 8th. But seems weird. Forget NL is there a team in AL batting a potential 20 homer guy 8th?
I guess regardless the guy just needs to stay on the field and get at least 400 ABs to determine his true worth going forward.

Tom Brennan said...

When Grandy, d'Arnaud, Flores and the pitchers are about 2 for 60, tough to win anything.

Reese Kaplan said...

@Charles -- you mean you expect the old dog to master new tricks? I can hear him now..."I've got a losing record for over five years in New York...who are you to tell me to try something different!" :) :) :)

Metsiac said...

Wilmer batted 8th for much of his first season, and to his credit he hit his way out of it. Others have done it also, but he is the most recent.

Yes, he has 20 HR potential, but so does everyone else in the lineup. When he starts hitting, as I'm sure he will, he'll bump someone else down to #8.

Stubby said...

I definitely agree on the balls and strikes (last night's being a national TV game, I got to watch it). The games I've watched this season (Mets and non-Mets games), the umpiring has been horrendous--especially the balls and strikes. All you ever ask is that the umpire has a consistent strike zone for both sides. This year, you can't get a consistent strike zone from one pitch to the next. It's been really, really awful. Maybe we should go to a machine calling the balls and strikes; couldn't be worse than its been this year. There was one game I watched (I forget who was playing, but not the Mets) where the pitcher threw three pitches straight down the middle. All three were called balls. The fourth pitch wasn't even close...low and significantly outside. That one was called a strike. The batter walked, after a few fouls, on a pitch that was legitimately a ball. But jeez. How is a pitcher supposed to adjust to such piss poor officiating?

Bob Sugar said...

Hi Charles. TDA being a legit power threat is a stretch.

Hobie said...

Stubby--

I agree and for all the replay hoopla, Balls & strikes:
(A) comprise BY FAR the most judgmental errors (probably dozens per game), and
(B) are easily determined electronically without any delay.

If a replay can call Chase Utley safe (substituting remote judgement for local), some radar apparatus can call a belt high fastball across the middle of the plate a strike.

Unknown said...

Look I know I'm gonna sound like Donnie Downer here but we've been playing like crap since the start of ST and I know everyone will be all over me about "its only spring training" and "it's still early" but red flags abound here. We've won what 3 games since ST. Patty's day and worse than that looked bad doing it and when you compare the Nats last month and a half their on a mission so far and we knew coming into this season they'd be our toughest competitor. After last night's game when we got smoked by the fish I thought about the difference between their starting 8 regulars and ours and the only 2 Met's I'd take over their's would be YC and Travis behind the plate. They have 3 legitimate stars in Gordon, Stanton and Yelich with Hechavarria not far behind and we're supposed to roll over them. Now our pitching "should" be the great equalizer but is there anyone here who doesn't think Degrom will miss at least a month or more and that's on top of Harvey's poor start and I haven't even gotten to what the effect of so many more innings pitched last year is going to do to this staff...fingers crossed and stay tuned.