Tom Brennan - SUNDRY METS Q&A

Boy this season has been a stinker.  The Mets announced an hour ago that they will charge the name of the team to:

NY Injuries R Us

I know, a painful pun in a painful season.   So, skip the pain and let's do some Q and A:

Q: Former Met Ike Davis - how is he doing?

A: 6 outings in rookie ball, 5 2/3 innings, 3 hits, 4 walks, 6 Ks, no runs. We will find out next spring if he is serious about this. To be a reliever and also a late inning substitute or pinch hitter is intriguing. Wonder how he'd have done as a hitter if he had not had that ankle injury bumping into Wright that time? Just Ike's luck it was one of the few games Wright has played in recent years.

Q: Starter Chris Flexen was rushed up to the bigs after a relatively short stint (7 starts) in AA. After 8 starts and 37 innings, he is 3-4, 7.85 with a 2.07 WHIP and a 26 walk to 24 K ratio. Has any Met rookie ever started out worse?

A: Probably not, but I don't know. Anyone have a real answer out there? Don't expect me to look up everything for you - I already do that for my wife.

Q: Michael Conforto needs surgery on his bum shoulder - how long will he be out?

A: With the Mets medical team, estimates range widely. Could be days, could be years. As I pondered this, Robert Redford in the movie The Natural came to mind - I am not sure why.

Q; What is former Brennan fave Cesar Puello up to?

A: Acquired by the Rays organization in mid-2017, in 44 AAA games, he hit .397/.440/.620 with 13 steals for the Salt Lake Bees - good enough to have him go 1 for 8 so far with the Rays once promoted in August.

Q: After the Mets did not sign Yoan Moncada due to cheapness, the Red Sox did and used him to acquire Chris Sale - how are they doing?

A: Sale has fanned 270 in 190 innings this year and is 15-4 against teams not named the Yankees - against them in 5 starts he is 0-3 - not what Boston expected. Moncada is out shopping with Travis Taijeron for wood putty so they can both plug holes in their bats - Moncada is hitting .188 for the White Sox with 44 Ks in 30 games since being promoted. He hit much better in the minors than a fellow super-speedster with strikeout problems in the Mets organization, Champ Stuart, so while Champ has made some progress this season in AA, Champ by comparison to Moncada (and Puello (who has stolen 184 of 230 in his minor league career, for that matter) is still far from ready.

Q: Have the Mets had the most player trips to the DL this year?

A: No, of all teams, the Dodgers have with 38, then Toronto has 31- the Mets have had a mere 28. But DL stints can be as short as 10 days or as long as the Syndergaard 5 month types. RosterResource, where I found this data, also calculates "Roster Effect Ratings" for each team, with the Mets worst at 9.82, while the Dodgers have a slightly lower rating of 8.97. Seems the Dodgers have weathered their injuries slightly better than the Mets, don't ya think? Who has had the least DL-inducing injuries? The Cubs, with 12, and the Pirates have the lowest Roster Effect Rating of 2.06, which is 5 times lower than the Mets' roster effect.

Q: Which baseball player's favorite bedtime story involved a cat with 9 lives?

A: Rafael Montero.

Q: Did you know Amed Rosario has been playing with a sore finger?

A: I do now - I just thought he needed rest.

Q: After Harvey slammed Houston, and a week later Houston slammed Matt Harvey, what salary should Matt sign at in 2018?

A: The going pay rate in AA baseball seems fair and equitable.

Q: Will Zach Wheeler's latest injury cause him to miss the next 2 seasons?

A: Your guess is as good as mine, but he sure is out a lot.

Q: Which organization has had the most ulnar nerve relocation surgeries in the last 12 months.

A: The answer is obvious, but I will give you a hint - the team's last 3 letters are ETS, which also stands for Extensive Trauma Syndrome. There were 3: Jake deGrom, Steven Matz, and 2nd round pick Desmond Lindsay.

Q: Are other teams' players now starting to wonder what injury jinx will befall them if they choose to sign with the Mets as free agents?

A: Come on - what do you think?

Q: Which team has had the most very highly regarded or highly selected minor league starting pitching prospects need Tommy John Surgery over the past year?

A: I am not sure, but I will venture to say the Mets: Tom Szapucki went from lethal to under the knife...Jordan Humphreys was the organization's best starter this year until TJS...supplemental first rounder Anthony Kay had the surgery about a year ago and is pitching off a mound, I understand...and former 2nd rounder Blake Taylor bit the TJS dust too after starting the season 1-9. I can't include Marcos Molina, since his TJS was over a year ago. And one of my favorite 2017 relievers, Matt Blackham, who has not allowed an earned run since mid June and has fanned 4 or more 7 times this year, and 3 batter 5 times, is only back from TJS this season. Hey, if it was good enough for Harvey, deGrom, Matz, and Wheeler, why should they be exempt? And the fact that last year's # 1 pick Justin Dunn hasn't pitched in a month has me wondering...I'm sure it is just a hang nail or something.

Q: Should we draft heavy on pitchers or position players in 2018, now that we are tied for the 4th slot (and with a bunch of games left, this tattered Mets squad could move even higher)?

A: I prefer the best hitters, since pitchers seem to mis a season here or there more often than not, and hitters never get hurt - just ask Michael Conforto. But seriously, let's see what draft slot we end up with and we will think more about it then?

Q: After surviving a foul ball to the nose off a 95 MPH pitch, is Wilmer Flores thinking he can really take a punch and considering an MMA career?

A: Anything is possible in the Mets Kingdom.

That's all for today - BE WELL.