Top Canadian
prospect Cesar Valero discusses journey -
Cesar
Valero isn't
worried about his performance at his fourth Tournament 12 showcase. The only
thing that worries him these days is his grandmother's well-being.
The
17-year-old shortstop for Team Alberta is Canada's No. 1 prospect in the 2019
Draft class, according to the Canadian Baseball Network. He's the cover athlete
for the official T12 program, and he is on his way to Oregon State University
next year unless he's blown away by a Major League offer. He and his father,
Cesar, used to stress about performing at every showcase, but now they're just
grateful for what they have.
Valero was
born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, where his father worked in the booming oil
industry. It was a good life for the family, but everything began to change in
2007 when the United Socialist Party took over the country.
Jayson Stark:
Noah Syndergaard earned
a victory in his last start despite allowing a career-high 17 baserunners. He’s
the 1st pitcher to win a game in which he allowed at least 17 baserunners since
Mark Redman allowed 17 in a win over the Orioles
on July 25, 2006
Fangraphs
on Jerry Bleven’s curveball –
“Did anyone
ever try to change that? All the time. Every step of the way, coming through
the minor leagues. Even in high school and little league. They were always
telling me, ‘Look, you need something tighter.’ I always fought against that,
and I think it’s done me well.
“I do throw
different variations of it. Different shapes. It’s one of those things where
you read a hitter. You read a swing and slow a guy down, you read a swing and
speed him up. You do that with arm speed, hand speed, release. A little of
everything.
“The grip is
always the same. I don’t put the second finger down. Sometimes if I want to
speed it up a little, I’ll apply more pressure — I’ll bring my other finger
down a little bit onto the ball — but I mostly throw it with my middle finger
across. So I will tweak. The pitch has kept me in the game for a long time. I’m
35 now.”
Vince Ruggiero - @VINCE_RUGGIERO - Mets Emmys:
Least
Supported: Jacob deGrom.
Most
Improved: Zack Wheeler.
Best
Newcomer: Jeff McNeil.
Best
Nickname: Jeff (Squirrel) McNeil.
Best Since
All-Star Break: Michael Conforto.
Most
Animated: Brandon Nimmo.
Most
Versatile: Seth Lugo
Lifetime
Achievement: David Wright.
Mike Puma - @NYPost_Mets - Jay
Bruce on his home-run total for the season: "Eight already. On
September-f---ing-15th."
Mack
– You must appreciate Bruce’s accountability here. He’s one of the main reasons
this turned out to be a lost season.
1B Dominic Smith did not have a good day on Saturday. He
committed both a throwing and fielding error. Remember, this is supposed to be
the best of what he does. Smith was frustrated after the game: “It’s
frustrating being known for your glove and you get opportunities to make a
couple of plays and you can’t make them,” Smith said. “You can’t beat yourself
up about it.”
Smith is
fighting for his Mets life. He can’t afford to have many more games like this.
Andrew
Claudio - @Claudio_GSN
– As of end of game 9/17, Michael Conforto in
September:
7 HR (1st in NL)
22 RBI (1st in NL)
.691 SLG ( 2nd in NL)
21 Hits (4th in NL)
1.029 OPS (9th in NL)
His 45 RBI
since the All-star break ranks 2nd in the NL behind Yelich. He's
gone from
88th in RBI at the break to 24th.
Fangraphs on David Wright
–
All in all,
whether you think Wright had a decent Hall of Fame case or a borderline one
depends on how you feel about advanced defensive data, in which capacity Wright
fared poorly. At league-average defense for the course of his career, Wright
hits 70 wins instead of 60, a more solid case. But either in the Hall of Fame
or Very Good, David Wright’s injuries robbed
both him and baseball fandom several years of a fine player, with a career that
ought to be remembered.
Top 20 Third Basemen Through Age 29
| Name | WAR | BA | OBP | SLG | G | AB | H | 2B | HR | R | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Mathews | 68.3 | .283 | .387 | .547 | 1482 | 5466 | 1548 | 223 | 370 | 1032 | 992 | 55 |
| Ron Santo | 56.1 | .281 | .366 | .478 | 1536 | 5658 | 1592 | 247 | 253 | 816 | 937 | 27 |
| Frankie Frisch | 53.2 | .321 | .370 | .447 | 1294 | 5217 | 1675 | 240 | 74 | 920 | 688 | 301 |
| George Brett | 50.7 | .316 | .369 | .497 | 1235 | 4843 | 1532 | 303 | 125 | 762 | 704 | 131 |
| Mike Schmidt | 50.0 | .255 | .374 | .511 | 1084 | 3713 | 947 | 183 | 235 | 674 | 666 | 117 |
| John McGraw | 48.8 | .334 | .466 | .411 | 1075 | 3899 | 1302 | 121 | 13 | 1022 | 461 | 434 |
| George Davis | 48.1 | .314 | .378 | .444 | 1378 | 5490 | 1723 | 285 | 60 | 1075 | 994 | 427 |
| Scott Rolen | 47.8 | .286 | .378 | .520 | 1195 | 4389 | 1254 | 296 | 226 | 777 | 831 | 91 |
| Miguel Cabrera | 46.9 | .318 | .395 | .561 | 1512 | 5663 | 1802 | 386 | 321 | 961 | 1123 | 33 |
| Dick Allen | 43.9 | .297 | .381 | .543 | 1143 | 4229 | 1256 | 208 | 234 | 761 | 735 | 77 |
| David Wright | 43.3 | .301 | .381 | .506 | 1262 | 4742 | 1426 | 322 | 204 | 790 | 818 | 166 |
| Wade Boggs | 43.0 | .354 | .439 | .484 | 872 | 3329 | 1178 | 218 | 56 | 582 | 410 | 10 |
| Evan Longoria | 41.4 | .271 | .348 | .485 | 1119 | 4204 | 1138 | 261 | 205 | 628 | 708 | 45 |
| Frank Baker | 40.9 | .321 | .375 | .471 | 899 | 3436 | 1103 | 194 | 48 | 573 | 612 | 172 |
| Chipper Jones | 39.5 | .307 | .400 | .545 | 1094 | 4041 | 1240 | 237 | 227 | 773 | 737 | 106 |
| Buddy Bell | 39.4 | .283 | .335 | .405 | 1375 | 5232 | 1483 | 237 | 109 | 671 | 634 | 35 |
| Adrian Beltre | 39.1 | .271 | .327 | .459 | 1570 | 5836 | 1581 | 321 | 242 | 774 | 862 | 98 |
| Brooks Robinson | 38.4 | .281 | .330 | .423 | 1406 | 5236 | 1473 | 256 | 134 | 639 | 672 | 18 |
| Harlond Clift | 36.4 | .280 | .399 | .465 | 1338 | 4902 | 1375 | 283 | 167 | 970 | 744 | 62 |
13 comments:
Valero is one of millions of sad stories about the perils of autocratic socialism. Votes have consequences.
I like the Blevins stuck to his guns. Dominic Smith needs to do the same. Dom still has a bad walk to K ratio. He has a tough hill to climb.
Wright was done in by CitiCanyon in 2009...his back finished the job.
Best Newcomer Jeff McNeil given the day off yesterday...Mets get one hit. If he plays, maybe they hit...and win. He needs to play daily.
At this point, they should all be given the day off and let the Long Island Ducks' players put their uniforms on.
Morning Mack:
I also like Bruce blunt accountability.
Like Smith these players should be playing,for playing time!
Competitive playing time if you don't perform you don't play?
Next seasons team should have battles at most positions?
With Rivera coming back,alonso fighting for 1st base,Lagares and eventually Cespedes al battling for playing time.
Enjoy your day
Steve
Steve -
Morning
Well, in my opening day lineup, the outfield will be Conforto, Cespedes, and Nimmo
Bruce will play first base.
McNeil, Alonso, and Frazier are my infielders
Reyes will be released and Flores will not be tendered
Cather is currently undetermined
The battles will be for the utility players
Mack, I doubt Cespedes will be read until mid-season. Apparently, heel #1 got operated on, recovery of several months BEFORE the second one is done, and it is possible he will never be the same. So I see Bruce in OF and 1B and the durable Lagares back in the outfield against lefties at the start of the season. And Alonso by May 1. Hopefully Cespedes and Gimenez by the All Star Break.
Tom I agree I hope we get Gimenez mid season too but if you think about It it would mean someone has to fail from Frazier Rosario Or McNeill...
and if we want a good season none can (cause if he is going well we probably would not trade Frazier if the season is going well)
Eddie, if Frazier continues to hit .210 - .215, a case could be made to bench him mid season and turn him into the 2019 version of 2018's Jose R. And start the Gimenez era - speed, better fielding, god bat.
Rosario is a lock to remain in the line up. McNeil needs to keep hitting to keep his starting job, which I believe he will.
Making Frazier the odd man out.
Wright will get some votes. He might even creep up towards 60% by the time he's eligibility runs out.
Your starting outfield at the begining of the season will be conforto, Lagares, Nimmo with bruce getting so reps out there but starting at first base.
When you have pitching, it really is important that the defense up the middle is solid. I would expect McNeil and Gimmenez to both take reps at 3rd base in the off season.
I agree with Robb. You will likely see Conforto, Lagares and Nimmo with Bruce at 1st base for the first month of the season (assuming they don't trade Pete Alonso to reinforce other positions).
Tom Brennaman:
The Jekyll part was not just injuries in 2019, it was also that Manager Callaway had a hard time putting together a decent bullpen from what he was given. Sadly, this still persists some, despite the bullpen overall getting better. It is a work in progress.
Robb:
I like your post about the outfield player predictions for 2019. But do you really think that Juan Lagares can stay healthy for most of 2019? That's the uncertainty part.
First base should be Peter Alonso in 2019, providing he has a good Spring Training. I for one would not trade him for anyone because if he develops into a stud batter at the MLB level (year after year) we will all be sorry he was traded.
One More Nauseating Time, on the Current Mets Bullpen...(Sorry, I have to)
It's the sequence of relievers that still isn't quite right yet. The Mets have two later inning "possible closers" here right now. They are Seth Lugo and Tyler Bashlor. These two alone should be the only last two relievers in any one Mets game because they have the best probability to strike opposing batters out and that's what a team wants to have.
When the Mets try to stretch it out to four or five later innings relievers, this is where they lose the game.
The other relievers are strictly middle relievers really, right now. Like the 5 thru 7 inning guys. I think overall Robert Gsellman can set up. You can stretch set-up out to include the mesmerizing Daniel Zamora with that amazing curveball that he has. But he is sort of still a once around the lineup reliever right now, at least until he adds in a second equally good quality pitch.
Daniel really does have upside left in him, which is excellent. Sometimes I even wonder, if he had a strong two and three pitch would he make a really good starter as well. Plus, he is a lefty pitcher. I like Daniel Zamora going forward either way. Plus, he does kind of remind me a little bit of Father Guido Sarducci (SNL) from the profile side. "The Father" was one of my favs.
The Mets like to use Rhame later inning, ditto on Swarzak. Both "can be good" and we have certainly seen that. However, their later inning appearances can be somewhat nail biting at times too. I am down to the knuckle myself. But once established and consistent, they too could set-up I think.
Everyone else right now in the Mets bullpen (to me) is a middle reliever. But that can change as each one further develops.
Now 2019 Relief...
I am sort of hoping that both lefty Dave Roseboom and righty Jenrry Mejia can be in Spring Training 2019, so that we can all take a look at them both. We need a really hard throwing lefty reliever (Roseboom maybe) and a really hard throwing righty (Mejia maybe) added in here. I think that would be pretty darn close to what the Mets bullpen will need in 2019 to be more dominant and consistent.
TB:
What do you think of my suggestion a couple of days ago, to maybe consider trading Andres Gimenez and righty Justin Dunn to the Red Sox for 3B Michael Chavis and lefty starter Darwinzon Hernandez.
Might want to glance over their stats first to see.
But here's my logic...
Should the Mets really tinker with moving over to another position, either rookie Jeff McNeil or Amed Rosario in order to get Andres Gimenez into the infield? I think it is a bad idea myself because Amed and Jeff have shown some really solid defensive ability where they are now, and they are both only rookies themselves and will only keep getting better and better as they play more. You can see their improvement already.
The Mets could maybe play Gimenez on third base, but ideally you want a real homerun guy there at that corner.
So really here, the NY Mets need most of all a homerun capable third baseman...Michael Chavis the Red Sox top prospect and another lefty starter, Darwinzon Hernandez. Both Hernandez and Dunn are just now completing their developmental stage down in the minors. But the Mets kind of do need another lefty starter to balance out their predominantly right-handed trinity of starters here now. Whereas the Red Sox actually need another righty starter like Justin Dunn is, to balance out their predominantly left-handed three starters who are all coming back in 2019 (Sale Price, and the much improved Eduardo Rodriquez.
In addition, it doesn't look like Dustin Pedroia will be able to come back in 2019, due to his badly two-operation knee injury that he sustained in 2018. He is not young anymore, and even if he could come back next season, the question would be whether he could stay healthy all season long?
So Andres Gimenez, the NY Mets top prospect would be a better idea for Boston for second base there, rather than to go with either Brandon Phillips or Ian Kinsler who are both 37 years old and slipping some.
This trade idea may have some merit Tim! Just thought that I would throw it out there for you to see.
Tomorrow's Game...
To me, this is a big test for the NY Mets. The Braves are a pretty good team overall. They are to me, sort of like the Yankees in that they too are one year away from making the big noise.
But the Mets have beaten some really good teams this second half and have found their balance point, especially with players like Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto, Jay Bruce, Amed Rosario, and Brandon Nimmo all contributing on offense now at the same time.
But I do sort of wish that the NY Mets batting coach would suggest to a few Mets batters: A. Once the count gets to two strikes, move a little bit closer to the plate and maybe shorten the swing down a tad too. The batter has to protect the plate. It should more of a singles type swing and not the homerun one, unless that batter is Henry Aaron of course. Henry could hit a homerun asleep I think.
The reason is too many Mets batters are struck out on pitches low and outside. They have not adjusted their swing down and they are still envisioning homerun sugarplum fairies in their respective minds, or something. B. For most of these same batters, try not to wait until there is a two strike count established to hit. Be aggressive and ready go after it as soon as you step into the batters box.
Swinging earlier in the count should help to prevent that low and outside pitch from happening. It kind of also gives the advantage back to the Mets batter too, whereas on a two strike count the advantage is all the pitcher's and you know what pitch will be coming in next.
The trick with aggressive at the plate is this...
Be aggressive but not so aggressive that a batter is swinging at balls in the dirt. It's sort of a controlled aggressive, if that makes any sense and not a contradiction of terms. A smart aggressive. That's it!
Michael Conforto is back people. I think it was the shoulder thing and if you have been watching the games, you can see that Michael does not need to swing really hard in order to make good contact on the ball to hit it out. His swing now is smoother, more level, and more successful because he can hit a homerun with his arms and does not need to rely on overpowering the ball.
It's a really fun Mets team to watch now. Once the bullpen is established, and the Mets get one or two more homerun batters into their lineup, it will truly all be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
The NY Giants and Jets...
2-4!
All the hype and advertising noise leaving the big balloon.
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