When the televised games begin from Spring Training, who is
it that you’re most anxious to see? Let’s
put aside the known quantities in a Mets uniform like reigning Cy Young Award winner
Jacob deGrom. There are others whose
first appearance in the orange and blue have to have you chomping at the bit to
see in action.
Edwin Diaz
Number one on my list has to be the young, former Mariner
who manhandled the American league over the past couple of years. As good as Jeurys Familia was as a closer,
you’re looking at a quantum leap ahead in terms of domination.
J.D. Davis
BVW gave up a lot of capital to land the man and it appears
he’s fighting uphill even to have a position on the 25-man squad (particularly
since he has options left). Granted it
was the PCL, but a league-leading .342 AVG with 17 HRs AND the ability to pitch
makes him someone I most definitely look forward to seeing.
Peter Alonso
The man with the gaudy power numbers from last year is going
to be heavily scrutinized as much for his glove as for his bat. No one expects him to be in New York until
probably May 1st, but it’s the first long look most folks will have
and they will want to see if the power and RBI production are for real.
Keon Broxton
Speaking of human capital, the flashy Broxton can out-highlight-reel
Juan Lagares but strikes out at a prodigious rate (which is a common malady for
power hitters). He is also potentially
the fastest guy on the squad, so I’d like to see how his speed compares to,
say, Amed Rosario, on the basepaths.
Jeff McNeil
Not only do we want to see one of the few feel-good stories
from 2018 repeat and grow, but most of us want to see if he can look more like
an average outfielder rather than the failed experiments of the past like
Dominic Smith, Todd Hundley, Lucas Duda and Juan Samuel.
T. J. Rivera
A lot of people forgot all about him having missed almost 18
months with TJS recovery and setbacks, but all the guy does is hit at every
level. He’s a .304 career hitter in the
majors after tallying .323 in the minors.
If he’s healthy, he’s going to make it a lot more difficult for some
others vying for roster spots.
Travis d’Arnaud
Before the acquisition of Devin Mesoraco last week it seemed
that TdA was the default backup catcher to newcomer Wilson Ramos. After all, they peddled Kevin Plawecki to
Cleveland. However, no one knows if the
surgically repaired arm which was never that good to begin with is actually
ready for major league basestealers.
Juan Lagares
Everyone holds their collective breath whenever Lagares
flies with reckless abandon tracking a hard drive as he prepares to dive or
collide with the wall and then we must see the aftermath of his selfless and
reckless style of play. He was off to a
surprisingly good start with the bat in 2018 before hitting the shelf. Can he repeat that enough to push himself into
the lineup against lefties?
Kyle Dowdy
I read a piece recently in which Mickey Callaway was singing
the praises of Dowdy and offering up eerily similar “fix him in 10 minutes”
proclamation infamously made by former Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson about Victor
Zambrano. We all saw how well that
worked out. The man is coming off a
season with a combined 9-12 with a 5.15 ERA across one AA and two AAA
teams. No wonder Cleveland left him
unprotected!
Luis Avilan
Someone elsewhere suggested that Avilan could turn out to be
the THE value pick of the entire hot stove season considering BVW locked him up
on a minor league deal. The thinking in
Avilan’s camp at the time was that it was a fait accompli that he’d come north
with the squad considering Jerry Blevins’ departure and the fact that Daniel
Zamora had not yet logged significant time in AAA. That, of course, was long before the
acquisition of Justin Wilson.
Justin Wilson
He had a bit of a down period lately, so many are anxious to
see whether or not he can rediscover what formerly gave him some success. More importantly, can he find the plate
without a GPS?
Then there are the veterans – Robinson Cano, Jed Lowrie and Wilson
Ramos. History suggests we know what we
can expect here, but since they are new to the Mets there will be a little bit
more attention than usual focused on them.
16 comments:
Comments on a few of those:
I hope Diaz is every bit as good in 2019 as he was unreal in 2018.
Broxton was half way decent offensively against lefties. Speed and great defense makes him a reasonable keep.
McNeil - considering he missed most of 2016 and 2017, his unrelentingly spectacular next season throughout 2018 makes me very confident that he will hit close to .300 in 2019 - and be fine in the OF too. He outperforms everyone's expectations. A quiet, humble guy who lets his play do the talking.
T.J. Rivera - career .304 - that is hard to ignore.
J.D. Davis - 42 extra baggers in 85 AAA games makes him a real contender. He successfully reduced his K rate - and he can pitch in a blow out.
Dowdy said he made two adjustments in 2018 that allowed him to go from low 90s to high 90s. If so, he is a whole new pitcher. We've seen unsuccessful hard throwers (Josh Smoker, Vic Black) but Dowdy at least has to be taken very seriously. I read he is working extremely hard - hard work pays off.
Avilan
This guy was two different pitchers... oné, a speedballer with pinpoint accuracy and two,a puncing bag after his shoulder wore out from overuse.
I am told his velo droppeed around 8 mph.
He may be a difference maker this year.
Mack, I once drove a Toyota Avilan. Smooth ride.
Tom
Don't try to drive this guy.
Might hit you with one of his balls... err... baseballs
Mack, nah, Avilan would never do that to a fellow lefty!
Dom Smith the guy I most wat to see perform in ST.
I have the feeling he will make the decision of what to do with Alonso easy for the first 2 months (mark time in AAA) and most difficult later on.
Interested in TJ too, of course...have been since his Lehman HS days.
JD Davis FWIW hits absolute monster shots in batting practice. The ball explodes off his bat
Alonso is in the best shape I've ever seen him
Broxton his a tall and huge individual
TJ Rivera is also jacked this year physically
d'Arnaud is definitely healthy and his natural power is still absolutely there
Regarding prospects dont be surprised if Gimenez exceeds expectations
I'm told Desmond Lindsay is in fact not dead. 2019 might finally be his year
Mission accomplished. A bad team rebuilt. Some new faces. Giving us reasonable hope for a successful, entertaining season. They've got a shot.
Pretty unwatchable last year.
Jimmy P
Ernest, good to hear about these players - could TJ throw normally, or did you not get to see that?
Jimmy, if Lowrie is hurt seriously, and not just some knee soreness, we will be happy for the added depth.
I've read comments about Tebow hitting BP monster shots, too. How do his compare with Alonso’s and Davis'?
How is Davis ranked ahead of Alonso on your list Reese
Tebow is a super athlete. He can muscle out homers. I continue to wish him well and continue to believe 2019 will not go well for him in AAA.
TJ was doing the normal fielding drills like everyone else. No issues.
The list was not necessarily a ranking but just who came to mind first. Besides, I've seen Alonso play for 4 games. I've never seen Davis.
Guys I want to see?
Jason Vargas: I’m looking to be impressed.
Steven Matz: Want to see consistency.
J D Davis: Hoping the player fits the hype.
Amed Rosario: Have to see a continuation of the last two months.
Robert Gsellman: Gsellman said he had a bad spring and never got a good groove going. Let’s see his groove this year.
Robert Duvall playing left field for the Braves? How old is he?
I concur Thomas with your assessment on Howdy Dowdy. It would be great if Howdy brings the 98 mph heater.
Brodie's Bunch off to a good start already today. No new injuries.
I think the Mets outfield has one too many myself.
Old black eyes behind the plate today. For the love of God, don't look into those eyes I tell ya'! (Marble you.) Seriously here, Devon just needs to hit singles and doubles, hit for average again like in the past. He can do that.
This is very exciting just seeing baseball begin again. I am looking forward to a great and fun new season. I think all the bases are aptly covered and Brodie has done a terrific job adding depth as well as quality new faces.
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