Pages

▼

7/22/17

Tom Brennan - 2017 Draft Picks: Performance Update

Tom Brennan - 2017 Draft Picks: Performance Update
Here is a status update through Wednesday’s games for the 2017 draft class, which still mostly has limited playing time to act as some reliable indicator of a player’s future direction.  Draft round to the left of each name, age indicated in parentheses. 
Ones I thought were playing well so far I highlighted in yellow,
indicative of being a good, growing Guppy. 
Finally, draft round numbers I skipped below constitute guys NOT signed, mostly long shot draft picks of young highly regarded talent which normally foregoes early draft entry – so while it is disappointing not to sign them, it is disappointing.   29 or 30 of the 40 were signed, including all of the top 11 and all but 4 of the top 20.
1.      LHP DAVID PETERSON (21) – throwing but not yet in games.
2.      IF MARK VIENTOS (17) – the teenager is hitting .231 in 14 games with the GCL Mets.  Four doubles and a HR. Considering his age, so far, so very good.
3.      OF QUINN BRODEY (21) – .244/.310/.308 for Brooklyn, with 26 Ks in 21 games.
4.      RHP TONY DIBRELL (21) – for Brooklyn 9 Ks and 2 walks in 6 IP (great), but 10 hits and 7 runs (not so great), including 4 HRs allowed, as many as the entire anemic Cyclones batters had hit thru 29 games.
5.      OF MATT WINAKER (21) – .268/.402/.282 in 21 Cyclones games.  Just one double.
6.      RHP MARCEL RENTERIA (22) – for Cyclones, 3 IP, 2 runs, 0 BB, 6 Ks
7.      RHP CONNER O’NEIL (22) – 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 Ks for Cyclones.
8.      RHP TREY COBB (22) – 8.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 Ks for Cyclones.  Nice!
9.      RHP CANNON CHADWICK (22) – 10.1 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 14 Ks for Cyclones.  Applause!
10.   RHP STEVE VILLINES (22) – 5.1 IP, a high 9 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K with Kingsport.
11.   RHP JACK SCHNEIDER (19) – has not pitched in a game yet for the GCL Mets.
13.   RHP NATE PEDEN (18) – 2 scoreless one inning outings with GCL Mets.
15.   SS DYLAN SNYPES (21) – 4 for 23, 6 BB in 8 games with 12 Ks for Brooklyn.
16.   OF RAPHAEL GLADU (21) – 5 for 19 in 5 games since signing, with Kingsport
18.   3B CARL STAJDUHAR (21) – Cyclones: out several days since being beaned, he started out 0-14, but then went 9 for 29 pre-beaning.  20 Ks in 13 games. Has 2 HRs.
20.   RHP YADIEL FLORES (17) – 1 brief tough GCL Mets outing: .2 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs.
21.   LHP AARON FORD (22) – Nice! 7.1 IP, 2 runs, 14 Ks for Kingsport.
22.   RHP JOSHUA PAYNE (22) – Great!  4 Kingsport games, 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10Ks
23.   LHP JOSE SIERRA (21) – 3 scoreless innings with GCL Mets; 5 walks.
24.   RHP JOE CAVALLARO (21) – 4 games, 5 innings, 5 runs, 4Ks.
25.   SS LAINE HUFFMAN (21) – not in games yet.  Not sure if he signed or not.
26.   1B GAVIN GARAY (20) – 9 for 44, a rather high 18 Ks with Kingsport so far.
27.   RHP BILLY OXFORD (21) – 5.2 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7Ks for Kingsport so far.
28.   1B JEREMY VASQUEZ (21) – Great!  .325/.426/.554 in 22 games with Kingsport.
29.   RHP LIAM MCCALL (18) – one scoreless IP with GCL Mets.
31.   RHP RYAN SELMER (23) – 7 IP, 8 H, 4R, 5 BB, 5K for Kingsport so far.
33.   RHP MAC LOZER (22) – doing well: 6.1 IP, 1 R, 7Ks with Kingsport.
36.   C ROBBY KIDWELL (19) – one of 3 catchers for the GCL Mets – 2 for 16 so far.
37.   LHP JOSH WALKER (22) – first outing great – 2 perfect innings, 2 Ks.  Next one, 7 runs in less than one inning. Not so great.
39.   RHP NOAH NUNEZ (18) – GCL Mets – 1 scoreless inning.
I think that’s everybody. 
What is unnerving a bit is how little power (homers or even doubles) the hitters have, at least so far.  Even if they are stressing contact and walking over power with these hitters, the lack of homers is “typically Met.”   Based on admittedly limited performance time to date, hitter drafting seems weak, pitching draft selections seem OK but not great.  Meh.
Jeremy Vasquez is the best hitter so far, Cannon Chadwick and Joshua Payne are the best pitchers to date amongst several off to good starts.
on

15 comments:

  1. Mack AdeJuly 22, 2017 at 10:13 AM

    Morning Tom -

    Thanks for this update.

    Two things...

    1. You are correct about not stressing home run hitting. I think all lower level teams in baseball stress spray hitting and contact.

    2. Jeremy Vasquez seems to be the latest (Dash Winningham, Peter Alonso) power first basemen drafted by this team. Good. It will keep the pressure on Dom.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 10:15 AM

    Glad had a really nice game after I wrote this, and Brodey hit a grand slam last night.

    That game Brooklyn, suddenly winning some games (5-2 in last 7 after a 6-18 start), hit only its 5th homer in 31 games. League leading NY Penn team has 27.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 10:20 AM

    Hi Mack - Vasquez' start is promising, for sure, but Alonso is the guy to watch. He could make Smith expendable in 2 years. Winningham has played a long time and can't seem to lift his batting average in Full A ball, this year and last in Columbia almost identical - right around .235/.295/.400, so to me, he is well down the 1B prospect list in terms of MLB likelihood until proven otherwise.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 10:22 AM

    When I wrote Glad had a nice game, I meant Rafael Gladu - auto correct misspelled it.

    Walter Rasquin had 5 hits for the Cyclones last night, to jump to .341.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 10:30 AM

    Mack, but to your point, it is better if these guys spray to ball until they really get traction hitting, I agree.

    Kingsport is hitting .295 with just 8 homers, but 58 doubles, in 27 games - perfect example. Wagner Lagrange hitting .367 there with just 8 strikeouts in about 120 plate appearances - he is starting to appear like a guy to watch,

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mack AdeJuly 22, 2017 at 10:47 AM

    Tom -

    I agree on Lagrange

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 10:57 AM

    Who is having the better year in AA, Mr. Futures Game, or his teammate? I go with # 2

    Tomas Nido C: 0 for 3, .250/.286/.383


    Kevin Taylor LF: 1 for 3, BB, .310/.401/.401

    ReplyDelete
  8. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 11:10 AM

    19 year old 11th round OF Jack Schneider appearing in his first game with GCL Mets this morning.

    HBP and scored. Welcome to the pros - thump!

    Jaison Vilera pitching great again today - seems to be the star pitcher of the GCL Mets staff so far.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 11:12 AM

    Whoops - Schneider was pulled from the game after his HBP!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That Adam SmithJuly 22, 2017 at 11:51 AM

    Hi kid, welcome to your Mets career. Aaaaaaaannnnnnnd, thank you for playing!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 12:16 PM

    Adam, is it not so typically Met? Next we'll hear Schneider is returning in 2019.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 12:39 PM

    We have Stepford Wives, but Mets have Stanford Twins.

    Not actually twins, but Quinn Brodey (3rd round) and Matt Winaker (11th round) are both lefty hitters out of Stanford, both 6'1", 200, and born almost on same day (one was born 11/29/95, the other 12/1/95). Both are hitting in the mid .200s. Both with limited power so far.

    Twins.

    ReplyDelete
  13. UnknownJuly 22, 2017 at 4:01 PM

    La Grange love the name and I can hear ZZ Top in the back round now all he has to do is have as long a career and as many hits.... insert smiley face.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 6:54 PM

    Gary, we need another Daddy Wags in this game.

    Leon Daddy Wags Wagner, as you may recall, in a 12-season major league career, hit .272 with 211 home runs and 669 RBI in 1352 games.

    So we need Wagner LaGrange to keep hitting and be the second coming of the Wags Man.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Tom BrennanJuly 22, 2017 at 7:09 PM

    Gary - right on cue, Daddy Wags hit a 2 run homer in his first at bat this evening, boosting him to .373

    ReplyDelete