Mack’s Apples – Desmond Lindsay, Quinn Brodey, Rusty Staub, Auburn Prospects, Pine Tar

Fangraphs  https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/top-18-prospects-new-york-mets/   Top 18 Mets Prospects -

8. Desmond Lindsay, OF Video

         Drafted: 2nd Round, 2015 from Out of Door (FL)

Age   20       Height           5’11   Weight          196     Bat/Throw   R/R

Tool Grades (Present/Future)

Hit           Raw Power  Game Power           Run    Fielding        Throw

30/45           60/60             30/50                 60/55      30/45         50/50

Lindsay forces scouts to reflect on how they define “athleticism.” Some see his NFL safety build, clock him as a plus runner, and watch him hit bombs during BP and think it’s clear he’s a good athlete. Others see a general stiffness plus a lack of elegance and are skeptical. Lindsay is still seeing defensive reps in center field exclusively and has rare raw power for a prospect who might stay in center. His ball/strike recognition is excellent, and he could be a three-true-outcome center fielder as long as his complete lack of bat control isn’t a fatal flaw in his offensive game. There’s also considerable injury risk here, as Lindsay has dealt with multiple hamstring issues in the past and, more recently, ulnar nerve surgery that cut short his 2017 season. A fully actualized Lindsay is an above-average left or center fielder, but it’s possible the bat control or health really derail things.

4 unheralded prospects with plus bat speed –

       

    CF-RF) Quinn Brodey- (Columbia – Mets)  Age 22, listed 6’1″ 200 lbs, bats and throws left.  He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2017 draft out of Stanford Univ.

I watched Columbia for 4 games April 7-10,  Brodey is a pretty well put together young man.  He has a short, fast swing and the ball really jumps off of his barrel.   He hit a majestic shot in the 1st game that I saw.  I thought was gone by 20 + feet.  But it was a windy/rainy night and the ball was knocked down and caught against the CF wall.  A patient hitter, he does expand.  Work to do with pitch recognition but the raw power is plus.

.179 ISO, 15% BB, 27% K (36% vs righties, 15% vs lefties)

Flyball 21%,  HR to FB 25%,  Pull rate 58%

Defensively he shows an excellent 1st step and plus range. Also has a very strong arm.  Above average runner.  May have a floor as a 4th OF.

Memorial for Rusty Staub , New York Mets Hall of Famer, set for April 25 –

          

A memorial mass for Mets Hall of Famer Rusty Staub is set for 2 p.m. April 25 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

In attendance will be the New York Police, Port Authority Police and the New York Fire Department's ceremonial units and pipe bands. Guests may begin arriving at 1:30 p.m., but no cameras or video equipment are permitted inside the cathedral for guests and media.

The memorial will be celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of New York, with Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, who is executive director of Catholic Charities.

Auburn Prospects –

         

  Obviously, the big name here is Casey Mize, who is favored to go first overall in the draft (although that seems to be in question). While some of the other top college arms have wavered at points, Mize has only increased his dominance, tossing complete games while running a wild 70/3 K/BB. He’ll be long gone by the time the Mariners choose. Other than that, Auburn doesn’t offer a ton in the way of draft-eligible players, which is good news for them. Junior Brett Wright is a solid defensive catcher with some offensive pop who—like Auburn itself—is currently slumping some after getting off to a hot start.

Has baseball's pine tar   problem gotten worse?

         

  The gob of foreign substance was so prominent that even before Pineda completed his warm-up pitches for the second inning, old friend and teammate John Kruk alerted the producers in our truck to the spot. Within a few minutes, Pineda was ejected and his peers around the globe wondered: How could he have been so brazen?

With the benefit of the perspective that comes with time, a different question would have been more appropriate: Why doesn't every pitcher use pine tar?

The potential value of pine tar was raised in a recent social media conversation about the early-season performance of Gerrit Cole. After it was suggested in a thread of tweets that the spin rate on Cole's four-seam fastball has jumped significantly, and there was speculation about the use of pine tar, the Indians' Trevor Bauer jumped into the conversation April 11: