Mack’s Apples - Riley Greene, Jenrry Mejia, Complete Game, Andres Gimenez, Luke Heimlich

MLB Draft 2019  -

       

     Riley Greene, OF, Hagerty (Fla.) HS

Another top prospect from the state of Florida, the 2017 and 2018 Underclassman First Team All American is considered one of the top prep bats in the class of 2019. Standing an athletic 6-3 and 190 pounds, Greene has been on scouts’ radars since he was a freshman. He features an upright stance at the plate, but activates his lower half well and uses his hips to create above-average bat speed. His swing has natural lift, allowing him to drive the ball to the gaps, leading scouts to believe that with some filling out he could feature above-average power at the professional level. He’s an above-average runner with good instincts in center field, giving him a shot to remain there as a pro. Though he’s committed to the University of Florida, look for Greene to be highly rated on draft boards next spring and a likely first-round pick.

The Not-So-Triumphant Return of Jenrry Mejia  -

Mejia won’t be eligible to pitch in the majors again until 2019. Given the Mets’ 2018 season is all about playing out the string, that is both a positive and negative; positive, because the last thing the Mets need right now is even more attention on a lost season, and negative, because now, rather than next year, is a far better opportunity to see what Mejia still can bring to the table. Still, Mejia will be allowed to work out at Mets’ facilities after the upcoming All-Star break — and even start a minor-league rehab assignment in August.

We also have no real idea of how Mejia will look in professional competition, even against minor leaguers. He pitched a grand total of 52 innings over the last three offseasons combined in winter ball, including just 13 lackluster innings over the last two winters. But at the same time, Mejia is a former top-100 prospect, is still just 28, and now has less mileage on his arm than most pitchers his age. Tim Britton also passes along that Mejia won’t be a free agent until 2020, meaning the Mets get a full two years of control over a potential impact pitcher. In the Mets’ 2018 season, that may be the biggest win they get.

Pitching A Complete Game  Is A Vanishing Act In Baseball –

        

   It is rare, today, for starting pitchers to toss a complete game, unless a shutout or no-hitter is being dealt. But even that won’t guarantee a pitcher a shot at finishing a game. Just ask Kyle Gibson, Trevor Williams, Jarlin Garcia, Domingo German or Walker Buehler. All five hurlers had hitless shutouts going through five or more innings earlier this season before they were pulled.

Baseball Prospectus  on Andres Gimenez –

      

photo by Ed Delany

     #47 - Andres Gimenez, SS, New York Mets - Why he’ll succeed: Gimenez offers polish, a broad base of skills on both sides of the ball, and a good shot to stick at the six. He’s held his own as one of the youngest player in both his stateside stops so far. He’s never going to be a heady stat line scout, but he’s added a bit of pop this year, leaving no real holes in his game. He has a very advanced hit tool and approach for a 19-year-old, and if he adds strength in his early-20s, he could end up doing some real damage with the bat in the upper minors and this will look low.

THE LUKE HEIMLICH CONUNDRUM -

        

   Or possibly yes, they would. Kansas City Royals GM Dayton Moore has spoken out saying he could be open to signing Heimlich as an undrafted free agent, which is OUTRAGEOUS considering that Moore has made sure his players were warned about the dangers of pornography in a spring meeting this year. It is also kind of confusing how Moore commented on Heimlich’s family being close and how they had settled the matter internally, but his brother since divorced from the mother of the victim along with him scarcely talking to Luke makes Moore’s remarks seem like a backwards assessment of the real situation. I hope nothing comes of this, and the Royals end up passing on Heimlich for the sake of the fans. Imagine taking your family to a game being started Heimlich, and your kids are cheering him on and possibly wanting a jersey? At what point does it all become too much? All the other MLB GMs are holding a proper standard by not taking a chance on him, for good reason. I see this situation as more of an easy solution and not a conundrum, however I guess throwing a 97mph heater can get you on a roster no matter what you’ve done.