Tom Brennan - DELAYED GRATIFICATION
DELAYED GRATIFICATION is an interesting term.
It can be frustrating dealing with delays. I hate delays myself. I've never met a traffic delay I did not grouse about.
Delays can indeed be quite annoying. Delays coupled with uncertain outcome can cause a lot of second-guessing.
But when gratification comes, after a delay, after a struggle, after doubt, it can be especially...well...gratifying.
Are we entering into a perfect gratification storm with some of our high draft picks of years gone by? Look no further than Dominic Smith, Brandon Nimmo, Gavin Cecchini, and Kevin Plawecki.
The first three were high first-round picks, and Kevin P was a compensation round pick. Their major league production to date has been mostly limited and unimpressive.
Nimmo actually has done pretty well, with a .264/.367/.392 slash line over the equivalent of about a half of a major league season.
Plawecki has 465 major league at bats and has hit just .222/.304/.310, with no one confusing him with Gary Sanchez.
Smith was overweight and underperforming In his debut, nicely smacking 9 homers in 167 at bats, but hitting just .198. Hey, Mike Schmidt hit .196 in 132 big league games in his first full season at age 23 - he did all right after that, in my humble estimation.
Cecchini has managed just 83 major league at bats to date, with Muno-like unimpressive results. "Past performance is not indicative of future results", replied my stock broker.
In Cecchini's case as well, his overall minor league production has not been what one might expect of a high first rounder, with stuggles at times in the field and with the bat. But he hit quite well in 2 of those seasons.
Now, here they are about 10 games into spring training hitting a combined 16 for 37 with 3 doubles, a triple, 3 homers and 13 RBIs through Sunday's games. And an on base % of roughly .500. Satisfying and gratifying.
And then Nimmo adds to "satisfying and gratifying", going all "Tommie Agee" on us with a game lead off homer Monday. Brandon is becoming the Wyoming Wonder.
Hey, Brandon, you're humble about it, and the humble SHALL be exalted, right?
And then Nimmo adds to "satisfying and gratifying", going all "Tommie Agee" on us with a game lead off homer Monday. Brandon is becoming the Wyoming Wonder.
Hey, Brandon, you're humble about it, and the humble SHALL be exalted, right?
Yeah, yeah, Dom needs to get his quad healed up, but I think his svelte new physique, and combo bat and glove package, will be making us flash a gratified smile when thinking about big league Smitty some time in 2018.
If that does not happen until after he turns 23 in mid-June, so be it...he'll still just be 23 then.
Nimmo could be ready to cause us to smile a lot, and quickly, in 2018, with improved splits as compared to the decent aforementioned.264/.367/.392, we should be gratified by season's end. Maybe the day is soon coming when we can all say, "I was wrong criticizing that Nimmo pick, this kid is awesome."
Cecchini faces an infield logjam, but I think it will come together for Cheech with the bat and glove this year. I can see the beefed up Cecchini tearing up AAA if he does not make the Mets club out of camp, and flashing solid leather. I like the whiskers, too...looks tougher.
If he does make the Mets squad early on, the Mets might be inclined to trade the more expensive Wilmer Flores some time in 2018 or in the off season to save a few shekels and drachmas in upcoming seasons.
At the end of 2015, I was getting pretty doubtful on the futures of both Nimmo and Cecchini; Nimmo I now think will have a long, successful career as a 3rd or 4th outfielder, and Cheech may just follow suit by 2019.
He will be 24 all season this year, and some guys take longer to mature and break through. His ability to make consistent good contact should be a real tailwind for his career going forward. Gratifying things are coming for Gavin C.
He will be 24 all season this year, and some guys take longer to mature and break through. His ability to make consistent good contact should be a real tailwind for his career going forward. Gratifying things are coming for Gavin C.
Plawecki had his vertigo issues early on in his MLB days, and has mostly disappointed to date with the stick, but I have sneaking suspicion that those days of disappointment are in the rear view mirror, and that he and Travis d'Arnaud will combine in 2018 to provide above average hitting at the catcher position. How about .260/20/85 for the duo in 2018? That would be both doable and gratifying.
So, unlike the instant gratification provided elsewhere by the likes of an Aaron Judge, our foursome of Nimmo, Cecchini, Plawecki, and Smith have been fairly disappointing so far.
But I think the Delay Period is over.
And the Gratification Period is upon us with them.
Wouldn't THAT be gratifying?
13 comments:
Tom -
Good morning.
I have been hard on these guys in the past because I did not believe they have produced the kind of stat line that has warranted their high pick.
Still, especially in the case of Nimmo and Cecchini, I seem to be being proved wrong in my initial observations.
Good for them.
Morning, Mack.
I think they struggled in mediocrity AND injuries their first few years. It seems Nimmo especially, but I am also guessing Cecchini, are hitting their strides.
Harking back to an old article, if the Mets felt they were a 65-75 win team this year and not a playoff contender, they probably skip Todd Frazier and let Gavin start and hope for the best and save $$.
That applies to a lot of the bullpen arms in the system too - many will have to work harder while awaiting their turn.
There's a possible new scenario here.
If Smith is not ready to play at a 100MLB level, and A-Gon does not come around, we could see Flores moved to the starting 1B and Cecchini replace him as the UT1-IF position
What? Players being put in a position to succeed instead of riding the bench behind the James Loneys if this world? Pinch me. I must be dreaming.
I was not happy about the reach involved by taking Nimmo in the first round, but gave him rope especially with his improvement against lefties. While Nimmo hasn’t officially proven anything, unofficially, Bruce should be at first base in a few weeks and Nimmo in the outfield permanently as he always was the only candidate to lead off. Signing AGone after his actions during the World Series and his decreasing production keeps Alderson’s streak of one dumb signing every year.
Reese, it’s only the first week of March. Give the Mets a chance to be themselves.
AGone's hitting seems Gone With the Wind.
Nimmo hurt his season last year in the WBC when he pulled his hamster and then hurt his hand before he returned. With Lagares and Cespedes out a lot, that really hurt him. That said, he has hit well in sporadic play in the bigs, something veterans with lessened playing time often kvetch about ("I can't get my timing down.")
So, given a chance to play a lot, perhaps, Nimmo could really take off in 2018. It may truly be his time.
great great great article...
and I do fall in the same line... My theory is do they look like a star... and to me a star is born not made... So stat line aside they just never looked the part...
But the Mike Schmidt line is a great one... Murphy falls in line with this too... Some do come into their own later... but that to me is the exception not the rule... I deal in percentages... give me the the 75% rule not the exception (heck i would shoot higher)...
But from your lips to God's ear... I don't always like to be right...sometimes like this article i want to eat crow....
tom I think that not true... if the Mets believe they were a 65/70 win team they would still sign a Frazier because they would try to sell it as we are trying to win ...now come fill our stadium... its not about development or winning with this ownership its about how profit the most with low cost...
Eddie, thanks.
I agree on the "if they look like a star" thought process - but I am hoping that although the Mets drafted a "kid like David" when they picked Nimmo, I am hoping he can outplay "the Goliaths" in the coming years.
Smith I think will be fine, and not the next Lastings Milledge over-hped, under-deliver type of pick. Cecchini has a mighty big year ahead of him in terms of proving he has the chops.
Plawecki, I think we finally see the real Plawecki this year. And will like what we see.
You might be right on Frazier, Eddie - they do really like to save salary costs, though. if they signed Frazier under that scenario anyway, it would be an indicator they still had real doubts about Cecchini.
But we are going to win the World Series, so that sort of "what-if" is irrelevant LOL!
As much as my friend Reese hates to miss an opportunity to kick the dead horse, the ways of MLB (including the Mets) haven't changed--rookies have to EARN starting spots.
When 4to had a hot month or two after his original call up, he was given the job on OD the next season and kept it through a 2-month slump. Before him, Captain Kirk and denDekker won jobs and kept them until they lost them when they showed they couldn't hit. More recently, Lag won the job and a 4-year contract.
This happens on most teams, and has for many years, regardless of the name of the manager. The start of a MLB season is not the time for auditions.
Gratifying walk off grand slam for Phillip Evans today...sweet
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