Mack’s Apples – Justin Dunn, Scott Copeland, Wilson Ramos, Free Tickets, Puerto Rican Baseball

Fangraphs   Top 18 Mets Prospects -

5.      Justin Dunn, RHP

         Drafted: 1st Round, 2016 from Boston College

         Age   21       Height           6’2      Weight          195     Bat/Throw   R/R

        Tool Grades (Present/Future)

       Fastball       Slider Curveball     Changeup    Command

       55/55            55/60    45/45             40/50           40/50

Dunn thrived after a move from the Boston College bullpen into the rotation, holding his stuff, working with four pitches, and throwing strikes. It moved him firmly into the first-round picture of the 2016 draft, and the Mets picked him 19th overall. In a disappointing 2017, Dunn walked 48 hitters in 95 innings and didn’t miss as many bats as expected. His stuff was similar to what it was in college, the fastball 90-95 and touching 96, the slider 80-84 flashing plus, with a chance for a viable curve and change.

Dunn threw 47 innings as a sophomore then 65 split between the bullpen and rotation as a junior followed by 30 more in pro ball — plus whatever he threw during his first instructional league. That’s a sizable jump. Some combination of fatigue and relative inexperience probably impacted Dunn’s 2017, though it’s strange his stuff appeared intact. Dunn is likely to bounce back this year, and we are projecting pretty heavily on the changeup as Dunn continues to use it more often than he did in college. He has mid-rotation upside if he can build full-season stamina.

Patriots Starter  Copeland Signs With New York Mets –

         

        Former Blue Jays pitcher Scott Copeland, who was expected to slot into the middle of the rotation this season, was signed by the New York Mets on Saturday morning and is expected to be assigned to Double-A Binghamton.

Mets Rumors: Rays ready to make a deal for Wilson Ramos -

       

    The Rays “would love to talk” with the Mets about a possible deal involving Wilson Ramos. Hoping to unload as much salary as possible, it’s no surprise to see the Rays eager to trade away whatever veterans they can.

Their offseason included trading Evan Longoria to the San Francisco Giants among other cost-cutting transactions. Ramos, who is set to earn $10.5 million this season, seems like an appropriate trade candidate for the Rays as well.

Could  free tickets be the wave of baseball's future? –

       

    Here’s an idea no one’s thought of before:

Instead of charging $30 for parking and anywhere from $30 to $120 for tickets, why not just open the doors and let in everyone free and watch them spend all their money on concessions?

Leave it to the Oakland A’s, one of the game’s least successful franchises, to do just that.

What Hurricane Maria Didn’t Wreck: Puerto Rican Baseball –

        

   At the Estadio Hermanos Marrero, a baseball stadium nestled in this small, mountainous municipality in the center of Puerto Rico, parts of the roof over the grandstand are gone or twisted back.

The Cayey Toritos played their 2018 home opener there in a Sunday doubleheader because their stadium is still too heavily damaged to use. Before the first pitch, a team prayer in the dugout led by Toritos right fielder Rafael Sánchez ended with a rallying cry, “This is for our community!”