Mack - From The Desk - Nick Meyer. Zack Wheeler, XRA. Marty Noble, Carter Stewart

23. Nick Meyer, C Video

Drafted: 6th Round, 2018 from Cal Poly (NYM)

Age     21.9    Height 6′ 2″    Weight            200     Bat / Thr         R / R    FV       35+

Meyer is a pretty straightforward prospect, easier to project with fewer unknowns that the teenage prospects in this area of the list. Meyer is an accomplished defender, with a plus arm and at least above average defensive ability. He has some pop (45 raw power, game power below that) and is a solid athlete, but there isn’t much impact with the bat. He leans more contact-oriented in his approach, but often won’t make consistent hard contact, with some timing, pitch recognition, and plate coverage shortcomings at present. He seems likely to reach the upper minors and with some improvement, would get on a 40-man roster and get at least some big league time. If he can improve a little more offensively, then he could carve out a solid career as a backup.

These 9 spring stat lines  https://www.mlb.com/news/standout-performances-from-spring-training   shouldn't be ignored –

            Zack Wheeler, Mets

Spring line: 2.25 ERA, .186 BA against, 0.83 WHIP across four starts

The entire Mets rotation is humming this spring, with Jacob deGrom (15 strikeouts in 12 innings, 1.08 WHIP) and Noah Syndergaard (19 strikeouts on 14 1/3 innings, 1.88 ERA) doing what you would expect. But if Wheeler really can solidify the form that produced   second-half 1.86 ERA (third-best among MLB starters), the Amazins’ rotation could jump back to its level from 2015. Wheeler’s last 9 1/3 innings have featured zero runs, seven strikeouts and no walks.

Who Wheeler is now is a confident righty with better mechanics and an out pitch in his slider that he wasn’t even 100 percent happy with in 2018. He also impressed none other than Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez last week. Workload will be a concern after Wheeler set a career high in innings last year, but the form he’s showing this spring looks like perhaps the best No. 3 starter in baseball.

Introducing XRA http://sixmanrotation.com/introducing-xra-a-new-pitching-metric/  : A New Pitching Metric –

            Welcome to the unveiling of XRA, a new ERA estimator that includes various xStats for a better, more realistic idea of how a pitcher’s average, batted ball results impacted his overall stat line.

This all started with a little conversation from a Twitter account that I enjoy interacting with, @ThatsaBadTake. He’s a Yankees’ fan, unfortunately, but he’s a smart guy and knows his stuff, so the interactions are always enjoyable, if not thought-provoking. We were discussing James Paxton and, more specifically, his 2018 season.

Former Newsday baseball writer Marty Noble https://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/marty-noble-1.28935767   dies at 70 –

           Marty Noble, whose capacity to report on baseball and write artful prose about it was surpassed only by his love for the sport, died on Sunday evening in Florida at a ballgame, a family member said.

Noble was a mainstay on New York baseball coverage at Newsday for more than two decades and shaped the way the paper approached his favorite game. He was 70.

Noble grew up in the Bronx and was a college basketball player, but he was best known as a source of information and perspective on the baseball team in Queens. He chronicled the Mets’ rise in the 1980s and their ups and downs in the 1990s. He developed close relationships with players, front office executives and support people. Noble was on either a first-name or nickname basis with an A-list that included Tom Seaver, Whitey Ford, Keith Hernandez, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and David Wright.

2019 MLB Draft Targets https://www.fishstripes.com/2019/2/26/18240018/marlins-2019-mlb-draft-targets-florida-junior-college-prospects-carter-stewart-braves   -

              1. RHP Carter Stewart

Carter Stewart is easily the top MLB Draft prospect out of the JUCO ranks. Stewart was taken eighth overall out of high school by the Atlanta Braves in the 2018 MLB Draft.

The in-state pitcher decided not to sign with the Braves, instead going to Eastern Florida State College for his 2019 season. Stewart originally committed to Mississippi State, but would have had to wait three seasons to be eligible for the draft again; at Eastern Florida State College, he can jump into this draft class.