Mack’s Apples – Tomas Nido, David Peterson, BA Roster Analysis, Baseball Unwritten Rules, Golden Spike Nominees

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

photo by Ed Delany

      3. Tomas Nido, C Video

      Drafted: 8th Round, 2012 from Orangewood Christian HS (FL)

      Age   23       Height           6’0      Weight          210     Bat/Throw   R/R

        Nido hit .320 in 2016 and then .232 in 2017 as he struggled with breaking-ball recognition against Double-A pitchers who exploited it. The offensive downturn looks worse on paper than it really is. Some of the disparity is BABIP driven, and some of it might have to due with a swing change Nido made between 2016 and 2017. Once striding similarly to Sammy Sosa, Nido now has a slow, dangling leg kick. He was taking entertaining, max-effort hacks in the Arizona Fall League and deserves time to harness this new swing, because he’ll hit for considerable power if he does.

Because Nido does just about everything defensively, he has a pretty good chance to be an everyday catcher if he produces more offense than he did last year. (As for the defense, he’s a fringe athlete but his mobility is fine. Multiple orgs with which I spoke have him graded as an elite pitch framer, and his arm is plus.) We are fairly optimistic about him getting there. His splits against righties are horrendous so some consider him a platoon catcher, but the glove could still get him into the lineup every day.

Mack – I still need to be convinced that Nido is our catcher of the future. Frankly, I think Patrick Mazeika will pass him buy, leaving Tomas as a future backup.

2018 Preseason Top Pitching Prospects List Fueled by  FaBIO Numbers 1 through 50 –

       

    26. LHP David Peterson, New York Mets - Prolific GBer Peterson made huge gains in the CTL/K department as a 2017 Oregon Duck that even translated over to a tiny sample of post-draft A- work. He, too, historically allows too many LD for his GB rate, and that exposes him to increased risk of the single. That his IFFB Rating is even lower than would already be expected per his high GB Rating signals that his primary fastball moves down and only down. Logically Peterson would gradually learn to impart more horizontal action on his sinker/two-seamer and/or alternatively incorporate a cutter as a secondary fastball. That Peterson projects to be at very low risk for the BB and XBH would otherwise stand to minimize the runs consequences of the LD batted ball blemish.

Mack – It sure would be nice to see Peterson return to the bump. The reason for his shut down remains a mystery.

 Baseball Opening Day  Roster Analysis –

        

   Most Talented Team: High Class A St. Lucie features 19-year-old SS Andres Gimenez (1), one of the youngest players in the Florida State League, in addition to RHP Justin Dunn (3) in the rotation and OF Desmond Lindsay (8) in center field.

Most Notable Assignment: A pair of 40-man rosters players, RHP Marcos Molina (7) and C Tomas Nido (12), are back at Double-A Binghamton after finishing there last year.

Who Is Missing: The Mets’ top two picks in the 2017 draft opened in extended spring training. First-round LHP David Peterson (2) didn’t throw enough this spring to be ready, while second-round SS Mark Vientos (6), one of the youngest players in his draft class, eyes an assignment with a short-season club in June.

Baseball Unwritten Rules -

        

   One day earlier this week, the Minnesota Twins were pounding the Baltimore Orioles 7-0 in the ninth inning when Chance Sisco, one of the Orioles’ rookies, bunted for a hit. Bunting when you’re that far behind (or ahead) and it’s that late in the game is a violation. Not an official violation, but it goes against one of baseball’s many unwritten rules.

To add to the offense, the Twins had shifted their defense and left a good portion of the third base side of the field open. (In addition, the inning before, the Orioles had elected not to hold one of the Twins’ runners on in an act of implied concession.)

Then came the bunt.

           College baseball: 2018  Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list released –

            

           Name, Class, Position, School, Conference

Luken Baker; Jr.; IF/DH; TCU; Big 12

Joey Bart; Jr.; C; Georgia Tech; ACC

Seth Beer; Jr.; IF/OF; Clemson; ACC

Alec Bohm; Jr.; IF; Wichita State; American Athletic

Kyle Brnovich; So.; RHP; Elon; Colonial Athletic…