Good morning.
The Mets have had some
excellent success lately in finding talent that was wasting away in the
Independent Leagues of baseball.
Pitcher Kyle Regnault was never drafted when he came out of
the University of Rhode Island in 2011. He signed on with Worcester in the
CamAm League in 2012 (31-G, 3.80), followed by two years with Quebec in the
same league (2013: 3.82 – 2014: 4.47).
The Mets then signed him and he opened up in 2015 with St. Lucie, going 1.99 in
39-appearances.
Last season, he went
1.17 for Binghamton, followed with 34 appearances in Las Vegas (3.28).
Pitcher Mickey Jannis had more of the typical road to Indy
ball. He first started out as a draft pick (44th round, 2010, Tampa
Bay), played two seasons in the Rays system, and was then cut. He signed on
with the first of four independent teams (Lake Erie, Bridgeport, Southern
Maryland, and the Long Island Ducks. He shined for the Ducks in 2015 (16-G,
10-ST, 6-2, 1.18, 0.94). Jannis was plucked from the Ducks in the middle of
that season and began his Mets career that has so far ended with a 8-7, 3.60
stint for Binghamton last season.
And lastly, like
Regnault, Matt Pobereyko was not drafted. He
came out Kentucky Wesleyan in 2015 (12-G, 11-ST, 9-2, 1.84, 1.12, 12.76/K-9)
and played for Florence of the Frontier League and three Arizona minor league
teams in 2016. The Mets scooped him up 3.15 in 23 appearances for Columbia in
2017.
More importantly, he struck out 53 batters in only 34.1 innings pitched.
More importantly, he struck out 53 batters in only 34.1 innings pitched.
I then asked these
three guys the same question and received three different roads to the Mets.
Pobereyko tweeted back
pure honesty:
“Honestly, I’m not sure who it was that scouted and
signed me.”
Jannis was extremely
candid:
“Hi Mack. For all I know, (Director, Player Development) Ian Levin was the only one that contacted the Long
Island Ducks about me and the only one I talked to. I don’t know if they ever
had any scouts watching me throw.”
But Regnault’s return
tweet was hilarious.
“Hey Mack. (Ex-St. Lucie Pitching Coach) Phil Regan found me. Met at a golf course I work at in
Florida.”
There's no defined process of having a scout find you. The big time prospects are well known by all and the teams assign scouts to go check these players out. Many scouts I know have got the best information about top players in the field by talking to the coach of a particular player they originally went to scout.. Many a junior college or D-3 player came to a team's attention this way.
No one I knew before writing this was recruited on a golf course.
I don’t know what the
future will be for these three over achievers, but what I do know that most kids coming out of college without prospect credentials would not have hung in there
this long and hard. If you think the conditions and pay is bad in the lower affiliate
levels, try Indy ball in towns that that’s concession stands ‘feature’ brown
hot dogs and warm soda.
A tip of the Mack’s hat
to all three.
11 comments:
"A tip of the Mack’s hat to all three." I totally agree. May all 3 see big league time in 2018.
One guy I would wholeheartedly add to the Indy list is IF/OF Kevin Taylor, who has put up .290/.380/.385 #'s in 226 games in A and AA ball in 2016 and 2017. Indy Tim Tebow wishes he had #'s like that. So do almost all other Mets' minor league hitters.
Off topic, but with the Mets considering Mike Minor, I like to look at more than just his recent stats. One very interesting one: he has pitched in 176 games, including 110 starts and 730 total innings. Errors? Nope. Nada. Zilch. None.
Tom -
I couldn't get Taylor to communicate with me.
Regarding Minor, I wouldn't be surprised if some team signs him and stretches him out. He was one of the many guys I hoped was still around when the Mets first round came up in 2009. Yes, he did have some disappointing numbers coming out of Vanderbilt (17-G, 16-ST, 6-6, 3.90) but put together a great season for the parent Braves in 2013 (32-starts, 13-9, 3.21, 109). The conversion to a relief pitcher started with shoulder problems in 2014 and, eventually, being shut down for shoulder surgery. Last year may just have been a turnaround year for him and there is no one that wants to stick it to the team that gave up on him, the Braves, than Minor.
I believe he has potential SP3 value for the Mets.
Interesting guys to follow. As an underdog supporter, I hope they succeed at the ML level at some point.
But that pic of Regnault is AWFUL! He looks like Adam Sandler doing a promo for his latest goofy movie. 🤣
How does he pronounce his name?
Sorry, I goofed. It's Jannis with the goofy looking pic.
Bill-
LOL, an expression that has knuckle-ball written all over it. I hope he's still around after Rule 5.
Be nice Bill... he's a reader here
Jannis reads here? Cool!
I wrote an article here (last year? I think the year prior) on why I am shocked more guys don't try the pitch rather than pitching reasonably well in the minors, but not quite well enough to make it. Dickey has made what, $40 million, as a pitcher due to his success with the knuckler?
Hi Thomas. My son, Tim Peterson who pitched with Binghampton this year played with Kevin Taylor at Western Nevada Jr. College in 2010 and Tim pitched against Bruce Harper that year or in 2011. Harper played at Southern Nevada Jr. College.
I like Jannis, but not the picture. I'm sure he can post a better one. He's a good looking guy, but the Sandler look doesn't do him justice.
Speaking of the Rule 5, I forget how it operates. If we lose a player, isn't there a chance to pull back someone else? Is there some limit as to how many can be taken from one team?
I'll have all that info when the Rule 5 primer comes out in 2 weeks.
(.....digs through old files to find the story....)
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