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8/2/18

From The Desk...



Good morning.


Yesterday’s results – Briam Gonzalez (3.79) and Daniel Guzman (1.84) both threw up four scoreless innings in the DSL-2 game against the Cubs… RP Max Kuhns continued his GCL rehab stint with another scoreless inning against the Cards… DSL-1 RP Nixon Silva just keeps missing bats and winning games: 3-IP, 0-R, WIN (5-0), 0.54… St. Lucie SP David Peterson threw up another clunker 3-2-IP, 11-H, 7-ER, (we’re having a real bad run on Mets SP prospects these past few weeks) 7.03… finally an outstanding outing: Binghamton’s Scott Copeland, 7-IP, 6-H, 0-R, 7-K, 1-BB, WIN (6-4), 3.63… helping him was the continued strong hitting of catcher Tomas Nido (2-3, 2-R, HR, RBI, .302)… I’m not sure if Brooklyn’s RP Ryley Gilliam is capable of giving up a run. Another scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a continued 0.00-ERA… In Las Vegas, Dominic Smith down to .255… Jack Reinheimer played short (1-4), Matt den Dekker and Bryce Brentz are back in the lineup… Kevin Kaczmarkski (.357) is on the bench (???). A sub-par outing by Chris Flexen 5-IP, 7-H, 5-R, 4.40.


Injury News – The word is that SP Steven Matz is off to NYC to have an MRI on his arm/shoulder/whatever. In addition, IF Phil Evans was pulled in yesterday’s game with an injury (left knee discomfort) from a collision on a slide where he tried to turn a double play. If I was Evans, I would hop on the same plane with Matz and get the eff out of the Capital…


Roster Moves – RP Tim Peterson was optioned to AAA-Las Vegas, to make room for the activation of Noah Syndergaard… Binghamton’s Harol Gonzalez was placed on the disabled list…  his spot on the B-Met roster was filled by IF Levi Michael who was transferred back from AAA-Las Vegas…


K Hardi - Good news Mets fans. Because last night's 25-4 debacle took place in Washington DC in front of many members of Congress, the Mets might qualify for Federal disaster relief. Voice your support for #Metsdisasterrelief today. The Wilpons will thank you.


Jaymo McNeil - At this point we just gotta flat out respect 2018 Jose Reyes. Dude has had one of the worst batting averages in the league the entire season and still managed to stick around to produce one of the worst ERAs in the league.


Daniel Wexler - Michael Paez last 10 games .375 with 3 homers and 3 walks. In July Paez posted an .896 OPS and over his last 35 games has an OPS of .878. Experience at 2b/SS/3B, maybe get him some reps in the OF as well but I'd promote and develop him as a potential utility player –


New York Mets Stats -

Anthony Swarzak in July: 8 games, 2 saves, 0 blown saves, 6 innings pitched, 6 hits, 7 runs, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts, 0 home runs, 10.50 ERA, .250/.379/.292 BAA

Robert Gsellman in July: 10 games, 2 saves, 1 blown save, 10.2 innings pitched, 10 hits, 7 runs (5 earned), 5 walks, 7 strikeouts, 2 home runs, 4.22 ERA, .244/.340/.439 BAA

Seth Lugo in July: 9 G, 17 IP, 14 hits, 5 runs 10 walks, 13 strikeouts, 0 home runs, 2.65 ERA, .222/.329/.270 BAA

Corey Oswalt in July: 4 games, 1-1, 20 innings pitched, 11 hits, 8 runs, 6 walks, 14 strikeouts, 2 home runs, 3.60 ERA, .162/.240/.279 BAA

Steven Matz in July: 6 games, 2-4, 29.2 innings pitched, 36 hits, 21 runs (20 earned), 11 walks, 29 strikeouts, 4 home runs, 6.03 ERA

Zack Wheeler in July: 5 games, 3-0, 31.2 innings pitched, 27 hits, 11 runs, 10 walks, 30 strikeouts, 2 home runs, 3.07 ERA, run, 1.74 ERA, .195/.229/.310 BAA


Keith Law on Mark Vientos

        Small sample so far but I'm thrilled to see him showing some power too. Solid defender at third trending up. Very promising. I've said before but I think some of the results bear it out - their drafts are not the problem, and recently they've been quite good. Dunn has broken out. Peterson had a little dead arm deal but has been very good most of the season. Vientos looks great. I'm way in on Kelenic. Alonso is something. And from the international side Ronny Mauricio is getting a lot of buzz as a potential star. I know #lolmets is a thing because of the ownership situation but the outlook from their farm system is not bleak.

9 comments:

  1. Mack, I think part of what has the Mets minors ranked low is the win loss records of the teams, which are often pulled down when there are more than average sub-par players (for instance, and not to single anyone out, but to make the point, Champ Stuart hitting .136).

    From a major league standpoint, what we care about in terms of the minors is the number of true quality future major leaguers the system has down there. if we had the worst minors of all time - EXCEPT FOR 5 FUTURE MAJOR LEAGUE ALL STARS AND 5 MORE REAL QUALITY FUTURE MAJOR LEAGUERS - we'd be happy.

    So, Keith Law may be right.

    Still, a friend sent me a Baseball America team-by-team ranking of prospects. The Braves' 10 gave it a # 2 ranking; the Mets' 10 gave the Mets a # 22 ranking - so it ain't all roses either.

    If Peterson has a dead arm, sit him for 2 weeks (or longer, even the rest of the season if necessary) - in his last 8 starts, for St Lucie, hitters are .345 against him, and he has fanned just 26 while allowing 76 hits, walks, and HBP, a really terrible ratio. And High A teams would probably hit .125 if transported to the majors, so the competition he is floundering against is far below MLB caliber.

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  2. I would DL Peterson for rest of season and start him over for Lucy next spring

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  3. Only a Mets infielder could get injured trying to break up a double play while he was playing defense (Evans was actually trying to turn it, not break it up).

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  4. Dave, the Mets are very creative when it comes to injuries. VERY creative.

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  5. I'll never forget Bobby Ojeda's hedge clipper incident.

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  6. Reese, it all began with pickle brine

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  7. Reese:

    Finger hit neighbor's house side kitchen window, two houses down I heard.

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  8. WrapUp

    AA Binghamton out of action last night.

    AAA Las Vegas 51's get the win in a pitchers duel, 12-11. But get this, 16 hits for the victorious 51's.

    Peter Alonso, age 23, is back and my goodness he is alive again. Great to see. Peter was 3 for 6, a double and a homerun, his 10th, and three RBI's. Betts numbers. Our hope has been rekindled. I can see Oz again, I can!

    Patrick Kivlehan, age 28, was 2 for 5 with a double.

    Bryce Brentz, age 29, and the player Mack and I have always liked, was 3 for 5, HR, 3 RBI's.

    Zach "Attack" Borenstein, age 28, was 2 for 5, also with a double. he was an International league All Star in 2018. he can actually hit homeruns too.

    Strangely, these were pretty much the same guys that I mentioned in my post here yesterday. And these are the non-pitching AAA Vegas players that I am watching the most, along with infielder Christian Colon, age 29, who has been coming on strong as of late and went 1 for 3 in this victory. He is currently batting .296.

    Would I suggest bringing some or all them all up?

    The answer is probably, at sometime when the Mets management feels comfortable with such a move. Why? Why not really. The Mets have become too complacent losing; playing a few people (including some kids too) who have not really been consistent for sometime here. Some of these kid players have been figured out by opposing teams and now it is their turn to cure this. They will but just as to when, I simply do not know.

    There are also a couple of veteran players here who have not done much of anything all season long except pose for the dugout cameras. All told, it has developed into what I might call a losing team culture. The NY Mets simply need to be better starting right now.

    This is not the manager's fault. He inherited this team of players, he did not draft any or trade for any. This team's manager cannot be the closer or lead off man here. He cannot take the cutoff throws from the outfield, nor forget to get into position for those throws. He is simply the manager. It is up to the players.

    I guess that it is fine to just say, "Well, these younger players currently here on the Mets need the experience up here now with the Mets in order to gel into something really good for the Mets future." But are they doing this? Have they become more consistent lately do you think? And does their being here now and going 0 for 4 each game, really warrant other players down at Vegas from not getting their fair shot in here?

    Should the team look at guys like Patrick Kivlehan, Zach Borenstein, and Bryce Brentz here now, so that the team can begin to change their culture and also have more considerations to upgrade their 2019's utility player roles? I think maybe so.

    Why not?

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  9. NY Yankees and Boston Red Sox

    If you are so fortunate to be a young person who is currently studying (in college somewhere) how to become a really effective sports team General Manager, then these are the two young teams that you need to really pay some attention to now.

    Every sports franchise in every sport, goes about team building in a slightly different manner and way. But these two teams have made some outstanding accomplishments in an incredibly short period of time. There are reasons as to why.

    So where is the NY Yankees/Boston Red Sox head to head matchup currently at?

    The NY Yankees are now 18 and 18 over the past 36 games. This says a lot, I think. I do like the way that they have gone about building this 2018 team, but to me the Yankees are having a sort of "later on version" of the NY Mets earlier on "wakeup call" after the Mets began 2018 so outstandingly well. Cows do come home, they say.

    The NY Yankees are now seeing where they are really at right now, without the press and fan hype or rose colored glasses. They are seeing the realities, good and bad, the accomplishments, the flaws, and the input injuries can make to a baseball team. However, it is oh so necessary when a franchise is trying hard to build a truly great team, a dynasty one. This step has to happen.

    The Boston Red Sox (to me) are sort of a full season ahead of the NY Yankees' development program. They are further along down this trek. Even with two of their top three starters out hurt right now (Sale and ERod) the Red Sox just keep winning ball games. Every night, someone new steps up. That's the team that the Red Sox have built.

    And then there is Alex Cora.

    He guides the ship almost flawlessly, innately. But his bench coach, Ron Roenicke, is also simply amazing in gametime analysis. Ron sees things other bench coaches simply do not. Watching him in the Boston dugout next to Alex and you will see for yourself.

    Alex Cora seems to know how to get the most from all his players and at the right times too, yet keep the team relaxed and having a lot of fun playing together. Sure, it is always a lot more fun playing when a team is winning a lot. But even when something goes wrong or derailments happen, Manager Alex Cora seems to know how to accept it, make any needed corrections, and then move on.

    Well worth the study.

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