Be a Debbie Downer if you'd like. I'm thinking Division title for the boys from Queens, people.
While the New York Mets are every Met fan's focus, I personally get an extra kick out of things when the minor league teams in the Mets' solar system win, too. The last few years in the organization? Lots of minor league losing.
But, with the veteran-heavy roster that the Syracuse Mets are opening with, Syracuse ought to win LOTS of games. Heck, a roster like this could win almost as many at the major league level as the Baltimore Orioles are likely to this year, in my humble opinion.
(Of course, my analogy weakens a tad, as the O's take 2 of 3 in Yankee Stadium in the season-opening series, but if the Orioles and Syracuse Mets played 19 games this year, I'm not sure which team wins more.)
(Of course, my analogy weakens a tad, as the O's take 2 of 3 in Yankee Stadium in the season-opening series, but if the Orioles and Syracuse Mets played 19 games this year, I'm not sure which team wins more.)
Quite a few of these Syracuse guys could have made the Mets opening day roster for some of the weaker Mets teams of the past 10 years. Heck, if veteran-loving Terry Collins were still manager, he might have gone north to Queens with this entire Syracuse team.
Just kidding....mostly.
Most of this team's guys have graced major league rosters, to varying degrees.
This roster construction clearly is a divergence from Sandy Alderson's approach, that often left the Mets with underwhelming and under-performing AAA teams.
This roster construction clearly is a divergence from Sandy Alderson's approach, that often left the Mets with underwhelming and under-performing AAA teams.
Anyway, here is the Syracuse Mets roster.
Thirteen pitchers:
Tyler Bashlor, Chris Flexen, Corey Oswalt, Jacob Rhame, Paul Sewald, Drew Gagnon, Eric Hanhold, Daniel Zamora - all pitched for the Mets last season.
Arquimedes Caminero, Casey Coleman, Ryan O’Rourke, Hector Santiago, and Corey Taylor will also delight Syracuse fans.
Most of those fellas pitched in the big leagues last year, and will at some time this year, too. That being the case, this should be one of the better International League pitching squads at the onset.
Tyler Bashlor, Chris Flexen, Corey Oswalt, Jacob Rhame, Paul Sewald, Drew Gagnon, Eric Hanhold, Daniel Zamora - all pitched for the Mets last season.
Arquimedes Caminero, Casey Coleman, Ryan O’Rourke, Hector Santiago, and Corey Taylor will also delight Syracuse fans.
Most of those fellas pitched in the big leagues last year, and will at some time this year, too. That being the case, this should be one of the better International League pitching squads at the onset.
Five infielders:
Former Mets Dilson Herrera and Travis Taijeron, 3B Mets draftee hopeful David Thompson, and vets Danny Espinosa and Adeiny Hechavarria,
Dilson, still young, can show us what he's got. Assuming injured Mets infielders Todd Frazier and Jed Lowrie will be back soon, Herrera will have to be scorching hot to get called up anytime soon. He is a career .203/.294/.394 hitter in 102 big league games - for the 2019 Mets, that won't get you a call up. Taijeron is one of our favorite AAAA hitters; now 30, with over 3,000 minor league plate appearances (with a .500+ slug %) and an unsuccessful Mets call up in September 2017, he will need to figure out how to cut the Ks if he wants to resurface in the big leagues.
Thompson was injury-plagued in 2018, and certainly has to hope he will get ample playing time in 2019 to show he is a contender for a big league call up.
Espinosa seems largely done, given his severe lack of recent hitting prowess. Hecchavarria is a good talent and ought to find his way back to the big leagues sooner than later.
And of course, former Mets starting shortstop Ruben Tejada is back, doing some extended spring training. His role, and the Mets' intentions for him, are TBD. After hitting over .285 as a 21 and 22 year old big leaguer, it has mostly been downhill for Ruben since - can he turn it around?
Two catchers:
Rene Rivera and Colton Plaia
Mesoraco squawked, is in limbo somewhere, and Rene is back! I guess the Mets want Pat Mazeika playing most every day in AA. Rene (now 35) is an old friend, having hit a very respectable .252 with a slug % of over .400 in significant at bats 2017, and .233/.275/.419 in a little under 100 plate appearances last year for the LA Angelinos. Colton Plaia, now 28, hit.255/.332/.474 in 66 games for Las Vegas last season and tossed out 32% of would-be base stealers last year.
Former Mets Dilson Herrera and Travis Taijeron, 3B Mets draftee hopeful David Thompson, and vets Danny Espinosa and Adeiny Hechavarria,
Dilson, still young, can show us what he's got. Assuming injured Mets infielders Todd Frazier and Jed Lowrie will be back soon, Herrera will have to be scorching hot to get called up anytime soon. He is a career .203/.294/.394 hitter in 102 big league games - for the 2019 Mets, that won't get you a call up. Taijeron is one of our favorite AAAA hitters; now 30, with over 3,000 minor league plate appearances (with a .500+ slug %) and an unsuccessful Mets call up in September 2017, he will need to figure out how to cut the Ks if he wants to resurface in the big leagues.
Thompson was injury-plagued in 2018, and certainly has to hope he will get ample playing time in 2019 to show he is a contender for a big league call up.
Espinosa seems largely done, given his severe lack of recent hitting prowess. Hecchavarria is a good talent and ought to find his way back to the big leagues sooner than later.
And of course, former Mets starting shortstop Ruben Tejada is back, doing some extended spring training. His role, and the Mets' intentions for him, are TBD. After hitting over .285 as a 21 and 22 year old big leaguer, it has mostly been downhill for Ruben since - can he turn it around?
Two catchers:
Rene Rivera and Colton Plaia
Mesoraco squawked, is in limbo somewhere, and Rene is back! I guess the Mets want Pat Mazeika playing most every day in AA. Rene (now 35) is an old friend, having hit a very respectable .252 with a slug % of over .400 in significant at bats 2017, and .233/.275/.419 in a little under 100 plate appearances last year for the LA Angelinos. Colton Plaia, now 28, hit.255/.332/.474 in 66 games for Las Vegas last season and tossed out 32% of would-be base stealers last year.
Five outfielders:
Yes, everyone's fan favorite, Tim Tebow, will grace the Syracuse Mets roster. How he'll do in 2019, only heaven knows. But I think he will play at supernatural levels in Syracuse and also play least a little in Queens this year before all is said and done.
Gregor Blanco, Rajai Davis, Carlos Gomez, Rymer Liriano:
Four veterans with a ton of collective MLB experience. Gomez and Davis, in particular, to me are MLB-capable right now. Let's see how long it will be before the recently signed Gomez gets back to the big leagues.
Yes, everyone's fan favorite, Tim Tebow, will grace the Syracuse Mets roster. How he'll do in 2019, only heaven knows. But I think he will play at supernatural levels in Syracuse and also play least a little in Queens this year before all is said and done.
Gregor Blanco, Rajai Davis, Carlos Gomez, Rymer Liriano:
Four veterans with a ton of collective MLB experience. Gomez and Davis, in particular, to me are MLB-capable right now. Let's see how long it will be before the recently signed Gomez gets back to the big leagues.
What better thing to do in Syracuse than watch these talent-laden Syracuse Mets? Sure beats watching upstate snow melting! As I finish this article on Monday morning, it is a balmy 26 degrees in that chilly town.
Anyway:
Strong AAA pitching, a talented infield, a very strong outfield - and Tim Terrific Tebow. Collectively the best AAA roster I can remember the Mets having - by far. But one that likely will see many changes during 2019.
OK, you Syracuse Mets, break out your steamrollers and flatten your AAA competition. The home opener is Thursday April 4.
Where are Katz & Cecch?
ReplyDeleteNice to see some major league depth at AAA......unlike past years, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if part of the reason the AAA is stocked with players like that is to give back to the Syracuse fans? First year, and all.
One other correction -- Taijeron is an outfielder, not an infielder.
ReplyDeleteHobie
ReplyDeleteFolks tell me that Kacz will be on the OD Bing roster.
As for Cecch he is M.I.A.
My guess - extended camp
The Mets have so many relievers stashed in Syracuse that are also on the 40-man roster, that there's almost no reason to carry eight relievers with the big club. Any time you need to swap out an RP7 for a fresh arm, one will almost undoubtedly be available in Triple-A. With no International League team further west than Indianapolis or further south than Atlanta, travel is no longer an issue as well.
ReplyDeleteThe outfield has three guys that would've been an OF5 or even an OF4 in past years.
Kaczmarski is in AA.
ReplyDeleteCheech? An APB is out for him.
Jack, great point on the pen.
ReplyDeleteWow, I have a completely different POV. This is a bad, boring team and the dying gasp of a lean system. Yes, there's genuine excitement down in Columbia with young talent -- real talent -- but here we're looking at a very poor team.
ReplyDeleteThe pitching staff has no one except Oswalt, who I think is interesting as a #5 guy.
The amazing thing is all these relievers that Sandy traded for . . . they are so bad across the board. Sure, many of these guys got a cup of coffee in the bigs. How'd they do?
On the positive side, it's good to have some old veterans on call in the event of injuries: Gomez, Davis, Blanco, Rivera, Espinosa.
There's no exciting talent on this squad. Yawn. And there's nobody I look at and think, can't wait to see this guy, he'll really help the NY team.
Last comment: the situation is so bad in AAA, that's Brodie felt compelled to bring in all these old guys (who nobody wants) to fill out the roster.
Side note: Once again, as we all cheer Pete Alonso, let's be thankful for that bold Seattle trade. We got someone to pay for Jay Bruce for two years! That guy was going to be our 1B -- that was the plan -- he can't move anymore -- can't play outfield anymore -- blocking Alonso & Smith, etc. A miracle that he's gone.
Now if only Brodie can do the same with Frazier.
Jimmy P