GREAT GUPPIES IN THE METS MINORS AQUARIUM
- Tom Brennan
Guppies are (according to the Tom Brennan lexicon) very young players and rookie ball dudes. Let's draw the line at 21 years of age - sorry to you 22 and older dudes.
Who are the greatest guppies right now?
Quite a few, happily.
I'll highlight hitters this week, arms next week (stats thru Tues.)
Here are the "Sweet Sixteen" Guppy Lumberjacks:
1) Andres Gimenez - still 19, and playing for a weak offensive team in St Lucie, the Met's new AG is reliable (80 games already) and hitting .281/.349/.434, with 26 steals. Glove work remains strong, too. I could see him on the Mets by late 2019, perhaps sooner. He should be in Binghamton right now playing AA ball.
2) Jarred Kelenic - .420/.464/.660 with 13 RBIs in 13 games for the soon-to-be 19 year old? WOW. The pride of Waukesha, Wi.
3) Ronnie Mauricio - the 17 year old prodigy has 19 RBIs in 19 games and hitting .359 with a .551 OBP for the GCL Mets!
4) Anthony Dirocie - the 21 year old slugger in Kingport and now Brooklyn is hitting .393/.470/.732 in 16 games this season. Not to mention a stellar 42 extra base hits in 286 at bats this year and last.
5) Nick Meyer - 2018 6th round catcher, 21 yr old, is a reputed defensive whiz. Through Tuesday, he was also 13 for 39 with Brooklyn, and only 3 Ks. So far, so fine.
6) Raul Beracierta - 19 and LOVES being on base. For Kingsport, the 6'0", 211 outfielder is .367/.508/.612 in 15 games! 5 of 6 in steals, and just 6 Ks. And 21 runs scored and 3 homers!
5) Nick Meyer - 2018 6th round catcher, 21 yr old, is a reputed defensive whiz. Through Tuesday, he was also 13 for 39 with Brooklyn, and only 3 Ks. So far, so fine.
7) Luis Santana - an 18 year old Kingport 2B who is kicking posteriors and taking names. .357/.410/.514 in 16 games with 17 RBIs! Listed at 5'8", 175, Santana last year in the DSL, in 65 games as a 17 year old, ripped at .325/.430/.481 with 16 steals.
8) Mark Vientos - last year's 2nd rounder started the season 2 for 12 in his first 3 games, but is hitting .308 since. The 6'4" infielder is 18 and he likes it, according to Alice Cooper.
9) Jose Miguel Medina - the 21 year old OF (above) is back at Brooklyn and in 20 games, .313/.387/.494.
Rumors that he is related to the great Walt "No Neck" Williams are dispelled in these photographs too. Hopefully, Medina will be head, neck, and shoulders above the great "No Neck" of years gone by.
10) Guillermo Granadillo - The 21 year old man whose name leads the Mets in syllables is hitting a lot for Kingsport, at .368 with a .455 OBP in 14 games, and 50 steals in 143 career games.
11) Hayden Senger - in Kingsport the 21 year old, recently drafted catcher is hitting .400/.488/.600 after 10 games!
12) Oliver Pasqual, 21 year old IF, just promoted to Columbia after a solid start this season in Brooklyn.
13) Yoel Romero, off to a bit of a slow start at .222/.358/.352 but 13 RBIs in 14 games after a great 2017 in the DSL.
14) Sherveyn Newton - the 19 year old 6'4" Dutch-born switch hitting SS is hitting .289/.380/.474 for Kingsport, but has fanned 33 times in 90 PAs in 18 games.
15) LA Woodard, 21 year old IF drafted this year, is hitting .333 in 6 games for Kingsport, with 3 swipes.
16) Wilmer Reyes - every Guppy list needs a Wilmer - the 20 year old 2B is hitting .333/.360/.563 in 13 GCL games.
I am not the only one - My Cousin Vinnie likes what he sees so far from these "yout's". I hope you do, too.
I am not the only one - My Cousin Vinnie likes what he sees so far from these "yout's". I hope you do, too.
14 comments:
This is very encouraging.
Makes one want to only draft high school kids from now on.
The Kids Are All Right. Go young or go home.
Mack I just want to live long enough to see another WS title how about you?
Gary, I know some toddlers who have the same wish!
Gary -
I know how you feel.
I share your sentiments.
And i’ll Keep beating the drum. The strength of this system is in the low minors, and I would focus at the deadline on bringing back high ceiling, low minors guys - where you’ll get a better return than going after guys who are closer - to load up on this wave for ‘20-‘21-‘22.
Adam, thou art wise indeed
Las Vegas 12-0 over Albuquerque Isotopics
Mets get a nice win too. Break up the Mets!
Noah Syndergaard puts in a solid five on his first voyage back from finger sick bay. Vegas lefty Nabil Crismatt puts in six, surrenders 7 hits, walks just two, and takes home four strikeouts. He now has a wholesome 3.27 ERA at AAA. Not bad people.
Vegas hits the bombs. McNeil hits his fifth with Vegas, since his call up, Borenstein hits his 20th, Evans his 13th, and Alonso his 6th with Vegas since his call up from Binghamton. Peter also had five RBI's.
What's this say to me?
Maybe that there is life after death? (Or something)
Criticism
This is "Criticism Alley" so everyone has to have at least one daily, right? Mine is simply this..."Why is Jeff McNeil (the only true .400 BA hitter I have seen at Las Vegas playing left field?
Hi Anon
McNeil split his time between the infield and outfield in college, and told me he feels very qualified in the outfield. Versatility is a real plus.
Making Trades like Laser Surgery (I tell ya')
Go in, get what you need and then get out. Laser Surgery.
I still like my earlier idea to trade Boston a righty starter and a middle infielder (with Pedroia out maybe forever after his knee reconstruction off season) for lefty starter Jalen Beeks and third baseman Michael Chavis. It just makes sense to me. Both teams benefit.
Now the Laser Surgery part. Smaller style.
Mets should move in on lefty later inning relief man J. Alvarado, and maybe too catcher Wilson Ramos or Cleveland catcher Francsico Mejia if he isn't the guy the Mets just signed in the draft at age 13 and still in puberty according to his mother. Man.
According to report, the Houston Astros now sniffing catcher Wilson Ramos hard. This is laser surgery time Bubba! Sweep in, slip out.
Wilson Ramos (informants told me) the Mets wanted two years ago. I got this one very wrong, and said that I didn't want him a Met. He is 30 years old, but his current salary is just a mere $5.3 million a season, if I remember correctly. But I was so totally wrong on him, he's a solid player with batting power too.
All the stuff I have gotten right over the years (please humor my ego here for a moment)...Prior to the Wright signing here a few years back. "Love David, but his body is showing wear and tear now last two seasons. Might be best not to re-sign him, although it will probably kill me not to."
Was a huge booster for Daniel Murphy going back to AA ball. Saw what he could be and was. "Re-sign Murph was my advice then. Meet his asking price, or close."
Be careful with Yoenis Cespedes, "Yoenis has them Bo Jackson legs."
Big booster for Noah and Jake. "Them boys have something beyond the norm pitching. They throw hard and over the plate a lot."
I did miss on a couple of catchers, over estimations on my part though. My stubbornness probably. Cannot win them all I guess. But maybe still, they could fool me? (Stubborn, ain't I)
Watched Daniel Murphy play last night on Nationals second base. I feel for him, great human being that he is and All Star player. But his microsurgery on his leg off season still has him less than 100%. The heart and will are still very much there, I can see that. But his quickness at second base fielding hasn't returned quite yet fully. I am hoping for him it does and soon. Batting wise? Murph is Murph, just a professional batter, what can I say. Solution for him could be first base for him in 2019. But he is a free agent after 2018 and could be on another team then.
Hey Tom, thanks for the McNeil update.
The only realistic question I have with Vegas' Jeff McNeil is this one, "Why isn't he up here already playing for these NY Mets? It's not like the Mets couldn't use a .400 BA hitter more in their lineup, one with excellent homerun power too?"
Reality part two. Michael Conforto.
Does he need a trip to the eye doctors, I know that I do. I am not being smug here because our eyes are always changing, and at all ages too. Maybe he could use a check to make certain they are fine. I just do not recall him swinging and missing so much, especially outside.
Michael really is a stud player, he just may be battling that shoulder injury thing still. If you ever had a shoulder injury to that extent, it is brutal rehabbing it all the way back. A sort of road with slow down bumps on it is the best way to describe it. But say here Michael goes down for two weeks to AAA or AA during the All Star Break. Bring up like maybe Borenstein with the fancy 20 homeruns in his place. (Two birds, one stone) Then, when Michael feels 100% again, he comes right back up whole to start in the outfield.
Makes some sense.
Notes from Around MLB
Cleveland Corey Kluber out of All Star Game with a knee concern. Took an injection on it just recently. Outsanding soon to be NY Yankee lefty starter Blake Snell taking Kluber's place.
Red Sox recent 1B acquisition Steven Pearce really playing well there, but a free agent after the 2018 season. Making now $6.25 million. Nice addition to Boston after the Hanley Ramirez debacle and with Mitch Moreland contending with back stiffness right now I heard.
Every team wanting Manny Machado for two months. Yankees radio talk shows say that the Yankees may be willing to send Baltimore, Sheffield, Drury, Clint Frazier, and Pokémon to get Manny here. But it is just rumors currently. We'll see.
Yankee Free Agents after 2018 are Gardner, Robertson, Sabathia, and Walker. With Boston Free Agents: Kimbrel $13.0, Pomeranz, Pearce, and "Fighting Mad" reliever Joe Kelly.
While the Mets Free Agents after this season are Asdrubal Cabrera, AJ Ramos, Jeurys Familia, and Devin Mesoraco.
I too concur with Adam's post above.
Doing "the numbers thing" down at A Ball level is certainly a wise avenue to take for any organization.
However too, these NY Mets (as I pointed out yesterday) do have a possible five or six MiLB players that they could plug into the 2019 Mets roster that are of worth and merit. The Mets could have starters Crismatt, Dunn, and Oswalt all three to seriously look at in Spring Training 2019. Relievers Ryan, Roseboom, Bashlor, Callahan, and Hanhold.
In the field, Alonso, McNeil, Borenstein, Tebow, and maybe even Thompson, if David can recover from his latest injury in time.
That's not bad at all really!
What's the norm for MiLB call up wise each season? I'd guess maybe three or five players on average in camp. It depends on the quality of the franchise.
Anon, you are dishing a whole lot out there - I will say one thing - Pokemon will make any Bronx Bomber deal too good to pass up!
That, and before we know it, it will be McNeil and Tebow Time
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