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2/24/18

Mack’s Apples - Nick Madrigal, Peter Alonso, Rob Manfred, Jason Vargas, Bobby Bonds



Good morning.


Players To Watch in  College Baseball  -

        
   INF Nick Madrigal, Oregon State - At 5-8 and 165 pounds, the junior is out of the mold of 2017 American League MVP Jose Altuve. Madrigal was player of the year and defensive player of the year in the Pac-12 last season. He batted .380 with 20 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 40 RBIs. He also stole 16 bases in 18 attempts. He split time between second base and shortstop last season and committed just fiv
e errors in 233 chances.


John Sickels on –

      
     Peter Alonso, 1B, Grade B-/B: Age 23, second round pick in 2016 from University of Florida; hit .289/.359/.524 with 18 homers, 27 walks, 71 strikeouts in 353 at-bats between High-A and Double-A; showed very good power despite feeling the effects of a hand injury much of the season; doesn’t strike out much for a home run bat but can be somewhat aggressive and a few more walks would be nice; or not, right now there’s not much reason to change his approach since it works; bigger concern is defense, with a career .980 fielding percentage at first base, an unacceptable ratio at that position; past defensive rep was positive so glove will hopefully improve; ETA 2019.
           Minor League Ball


Is It Too Much To Ask For Good  Baseball Commissioner ? –

        
   Bowie Kuhn: Uninspired? Yes, absolutely.

Peter Ueberroth: Collusion.

Bud Selig: Steroids.

Rob Manfred: Pitch clock. Pitch clock!

Second verse, not the same as the first. Kuhn again. Kind of a doofus. Selig again. Canceled the World Series. Rob Manfred again. Pace of play, which isn't a term that applies to baseball. And his title is baseball commissioner.



 Fangraphs on Jason Vargas

         
  Vargas, I guess, was an All-Star in the classic sense, in that he was literally on the All-Star roster. But Vargas isn’t an All-Star in any other sense. He doesn’t have a track record of being an All-Star performer, and very few people would recognize him were he just walking down the street. The Mets aren’t signing Vargas because they think they can put him between Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom. They know what he is. Everyone knows what he is. Vargas himself would understand he belongs at the back of a big-league rotation. That’s his talent level, and it always has been.


 Chipper Jones undecided whether he wants Barry Bonds in Baseball Hall of Fame –


        



   "He got a little bump this year. We're just going to have to wait and see," Jones said when asked whether Bonds was going to get in. "So many of the voters are torn down the middle. Whether he did or whether he didn't [use banned substances] I don't know, but what I'm saying is he's the best ballplayer I've ever seen get on a baseball field."

14 comments:

  1. Madrigal was injured last night and could miss 4-6 weeeks

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    Replies
    1. This could be a tough break for the kid .. Do you think he still could go first round .. or drop to the second ?

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    2. Then he will definitely be a Met...

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    3. I still prefer not to take a risk on a guys that small in the 2nd round but if he fell to us in the 2nd round I wouldn’t be upset this time if we took him there

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  2. It would be nice to see the Mets commit to a high-contact hitter for once.

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  3. Ed -

    It's not being repoted as a major injury and one report says that the manager said he's just going to keep him out for this weekend series... we'll see... I do not see this knocking him out of the first round, but it probably cost him being one of the top 5 picks

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  4. Reese -

    A guy that is catching the side of eye right now is South Alabama OF Travis Swaggerty -

    6 games... .316/.581/.842... 3-HR...6-RBI

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  5. That’s a picture of Bobby Bonds, Barry’s dad.

    Could that injury be a blessing in disguise? Could Madrigal now fall to #6?

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  6. Texas -

    I know.

    Regarding Madrigal, as I said earlier, my guess he will now NOT be picked in the top 5

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    Replies
    1. Mack, the thing about Madrigal is that there isn’t really any other player in college right now that has as many plus tools, so my expectation is he’d be in the top 5. However, maybe this helps the Mets?

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  7. Texas -

    Madrigal's injury reminds me when someone, who was drafted 1.14 in 2009 and chose not to sign, and then was the odds on favorite 1.1 pick in the 2011 Draft, and came down with an arm issue. He wound up being drafted in the 3rd round by the Nats, who still gave him a $4mil bonus. He was projected to be that special.

    Now he's a Met.

    Matt Purke

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  8. Is Madrigal anywhere near Portugal? I am planning a trip.

    Kidding aside, he could be the next Altuve, some say, but drafting a little guy still makes me nervous. If injuries do become a future issue, smallness could more easily erase what is special than for a big guy who gets injured. If the Mets do draft him, though, may he become Altuve II.

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