From The Desk – Simeon Woods Richardson, Frank Robinson, Tim Tebow, Christian Montgomery, Luis Avilan

Good morning.

Fangraphs   Top 25 Mets Prospects –

7. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Video

         Drafted: 2nd Round, 2018 from Kempner HS (TX) (NYM)

          Age     18.3    Height 6′ 3″    Weight            210     Bat / Thr         R / R    FV       45

          Tool Grades (Present/Future)

         Fastball          Curveball       Changeup      Command      Sits/Tops

         55/60                   50/60                45/55             40/55           92-94 / 97

An athletic, outwardly competitive two-way high schooler, Woods Richardson would also have been a prospect as a power-hitting third baseman were he not so good on the mound. His vertically oriented release point makes it hard for him to work his fastball east and west, and several teams had him evaluated as a future reliever before the draft because they saw a lack of fastball command. But this vertical release also enables him to effectively change hitters’ eye level by pairing fastballs up with breaking balls down, and he has a plus breaking ball. Woods Richardson works so quickly that it often makes hitters uncomfortable, though scouts love it. He’s also shown some nascent changeup feel, but it will be hard to turn the cambio over consistently from his arm slot. 

           Though he was one of the 2018 draft’s youngest prospects, his frame is pretty mature, so we’re not rounding up on the fastball even though he’s still a teenager. His reasonable floor is that of a high-leverage or multi-inning reliever (a role that would seem to suit his fiery on-mound presence), but if a third impact pitch develops he could be a mid-rotation starter.

Anthony DiComo - @AnthonyDiComo

Mets prospect ranks:

@MLBPipeline: - No. 55: Andres Gimenez  No. 58: Peter Alonso

@BaseballAmerica: - No. 30: Gimenez  No. 48: Alonso  No. 98: Ronny Mauricio

@baseballpro: - No. 38: Gimenez  No. 40: Alonso

@keithlaw:  No. 60: Mark Vientos  No. 90: Alonso  No. 97: Gimenez  No. 99: Mauricio

Orioles legend Frank Robinson is in failing health –

         

   Frank Robinson, who led the Orioles to their first World Series title in 1966, is in the late stages of a long illness, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.

Robinson, 83, was the first African-American manager in both the American and National Leagues. He also managed the Orioles for parts of four seasons (1988-1991) and worked in the club’s front office during a long post-playing career that most recently has been spent as an executive in MLB’s central office.

Tim Tebow's https://www.jacksonville.com/article/20120107/NEWS/801259737   birth story –

         

PC - Ed Delany

  Tebow’s parents, Pam and Bob Tebow, met as University of Florida students in the late 1960s, according to a 2007 article in The Gainesville Sun. A year later, they went on their first date - to the Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville - and married in 1971, Pam skipping graduation to tie the knot.

In 1985, the Tebows moved to the Philippines with their four children to serve as missionaries. Pam Tebow became ill with amoebic dysentery, which is usually transmitted from contaminated drinking water. She fell into a temporary coma and received strong drugs to combat the infection, the Sun reported. 

Former Mets Minor Leaguer    On The Run After Beating His Girlfriend –

        

    This is my friend Maddy. Her boyfriend, Christian Montgomery did this to her out side of Brothers on Friday night. They have not been able to locate him. If you know this man or have seen him, please contact IMPD. Please RT

                        Mack – Go to this site and check what this thug did to his girlfriend.

                        He’s still on the run.

Fangraphs – Luis Avilan –

         

   Edwin Diaz is a significant addition, and it’s surprising how cheaply they were able to add Diaz and Cano to the roster, both in terms of money and prospects. Of all the ZiPS teams to go up on FanGraphs so far, Diaz has the highest projected WAR of any relief pitcher and the lowest ERA, by three-tenths of a run. And that’s not just because I’ve run bad teams; Craig Kimbrel, Kenley Jansen, Andrew Miller, and Brad Hand have already gone live. Signing Luis Avilan to just a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to spring training may go down as one of the best low-key deals of the winter, and the back end of the bullpen is better than many think.