Mack’s Morning Report – 7-31 – Dansby Swanson, Chris Flexen, Drew Smith, Brady Singer, CBA Draft Fines

Good morning.

Dansby Swanson –

            One might ask what the heck is this guy doing in my morning report.

            Guys like me, David Rubin,  and Tom Brennan keep trying to predict which               minor league players will become stars in this game. Call us blog scouts.

            SS Dansby Swanson was one of the top five prospects in all of baseball when           he was promoted to Atlanta. Everybody hung a ‘can’t miss’ tag on him.

Well he has struggled on and off all this season and was sent to AAA this past week to, hopefully, get his game together (like Michael Conforto was sent last season).

Will it work? Probably. But this is just another reminder that this game is not predictable because someone plays well in school or the minors.

Prove it sometimes work? Remember when we all begged the Mets to pass on signing IF Didi Gregorius?

Chris Flexen –

            It’s nice to see that Fangraphs gave Flexen some national coverage before his start last week. They ended the piece with -

“It’s tough to know what to make of Flexen. While his small-sample 2017 numbers have been exceptional, he’s never pitched anywhere near this well before, nor was he ever seen as much of a prospect. But then again, this might simply be an instance of Flexen finally being healthy for the first time in at least three years. I look forward to watching tonight to see how he fares against big-league hitters.”

Mack – Flexen’s debut on Thursday was, at best, disappointing. His lack of control reminded me a lot of the many outings he had in Savannah. Nerves? Probably. Three earned runs in three innings can easily be turned around with two ++ outings. Let’s give the kid a chance to breathe and get himself some on the job training.

Drew Smith –

         I like this deal for D. Smith v.2.0.

         First, we get a legitimate top 30 prospect for someone leaving town anyway at the end of the year.

         Secondly, he immediately becomes the top relief prospect in the chain. He comes to Mets after pitching for four minor league teams this year with mad skill stats: 31-appearances, 1-2, 1.60, 0.91. His fastball hits 95 and he’ll be major league ready by the end of the year. He enters my top prospect list at #17.

         Lastly, $7mil immediately comes off the payroll and Smith is team controlled past the 2022 season.

         Yeah, I like this deal. 

          A lot.

Brady Singer –

        BA had a wonderful article on who might be the first pick in the 2018 Draft, Florida RHP Brady Singer (for subscribers only) –

Singer played a critical role in the national championship run. Voted a Preseason All-American by major league scouting directors, he had a strong regular season as a part of Florida’s dynamic rotation of junior righthander Alex Faedo and fellow sophomore righty Jackson Kowar. Singer found yet another level in super regionals and finished the season by going 2-0, 1.80 with 32 strikeouts in 20 innings in his final four appearances. He won both of his starts in Omaha, including the first game of the championship series, which pushed Florida to the precipice of the national title.

Collective Bargaining Agreement Draft Fines –

             BA writes about how baseball is trying to come up with a way to cut down draft and payroll spending like what the Dodgers do -

Any payroll beyond $237 million would be taxed at 95 percent of that amount beyond $237 million; so a $300 million payroll would carry a $92.25 million luxury tax and the draft pick penalties. The Dodgers payroll peaked at $298.3 million in 2015 and has dropped since as some large contracts have been cleared from the books. Last year, the Dodgers payroll was $252 million.