Mack’s Apples – Tomas Nido, Jose Reyes, Billy Phillips, Matt Harvey, Facebook

Good morning.

John Sickels on –

          

10) Tomas Nido, C, Grade C+: Age 23, born in Puerto Rico but went to high school in Florida, drafted in eighth round in 2012; hit .232/.287/.354 with eight homers, 30 walks, 63 strikeouts in 367 at-bats in Double-A, then went 3-for-10 in the majors; excellent defender who approaches 50% of runners caught with very low passed ball and error rates; has some pop and controls zone well, had some issues adapting to Double-A pitching but has hit better in the past and the Mets will be patient considering his defense; ETA 2018; QUESTION MARK: will he hit enough to play regularly? minor league baseball

Mack – This is a continuation of sharing with you John’s thoughts on what he says are the current Mets top 20 prospects. He’s got Nido at #10, I have hi in my top 20 also, but not this high. 2018 is a critical year for Nido to bounce back with his bat. A good 400+ at-bats in the rarified air of Las Vegas should do wonders for his stat line.

When Bad Teams  Sign Good Free Agents – 
     

Jose Reyes | 2012 Marlins

Terms: 6 years, $106 million.

Losses Year Prior: 90. | Three-Year Average: 82.

AAV: $17.7MM ($14.6MM above average).

The Marlins feigned an attempt at fielding a winning team when they moved into taxpayer-funded Marlins Park in 2012. In addition to signing Reyes for the third-largest payout of that offseason, they also invited free agents Mark Buehrle (four years, $58 million) and Heath Bell to the party. The Marlins certainly didn't let their guests overstay their welcome. They traded all three after the 2012 season, and Miami fans are still waiting for the first winning Marlins team at the new ballpark. That timetable got pushed back indefinitely with the trades of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and Dee Gordon after the 2017 season.

Mack – Hated losing him… loved getting him back… like it again to have him in the clubhouse. He and David Wright are the two last pegs in my clubhouse days and I will miss both when they fade away.

Phillips Returns Strong From Cancer -

          

On Feb. 18, after inducing a Tennessee hitter into an inning-ending double play, it took Maryland freshman lefthander Billy Phillips quite a while to get from the mound to the dugout – and it’s not because he’s slow. Phillips kept running into teammates wanting to hug him. Every player got a turn and some doubled up. After all, this was Phillips’ first inning on the mound since 2015, when he was diagnosed with leukemia.

Mack – Nice move Mets, especially since Billy is a lifelong Yankees fan and this was done during a Subway Series minor league game.

Matt Harvey Searches for New Route to Success –

             

         Matt Harvey is just one question mark in a rotation full of them. Noah Syndergaard is coming back from a season in which a strained latissimus dorsi and unwillingness to climb into an MRI tube limited him to 30.1 innings. DeGrom, the rock of the rotation, has been slowed by lower-back stiffness and is behind schedule as far as Opening Day goes. Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler are even further in the weeds than Harvey, not just coming off dreadful, injury-shortened seasons but getting knocked around in the Grapefruit League. Given that litany, it’s asking a lot for the Mets (who are currently projected to finish 81-81) to contend. Still, the team will be far more watchable if Harvey can return to being a productive pitcher, if not a star. Hope springs eternal.

The New York Mets will host the first ever  Facebook streamed MLB game on April 4th. –

                  

     Game broadcasts will be produced by MLB Network and will feature a number of digital tools to enhance the viewing experience. Fans will be able to watch games on their mobile and desktop devices that have been designed for more immersive viewing, sharing and interacting consistent with the social media platform.