Mack - 2019 Mets Transactions, Kudos, and Comments

Sunday, May 26^th –

-RHP Joseph Shaw promoted from Advanced-A St. Lucie to AAA-Syracuse

-IF Luis Guillorme optioned from the New York Mets and a    dded to the AAA-Syracuse roster today

-LHP Sean Burnett placed on the voluntarily retired list

-LHP P.J. Conlon placed on the AAA-Syracuse injured list (retroactive to May 25th)

The Mets activated OF Michael Conforto from the 7-day/IL.

      To make room for him, the Mets DFA OF Rajai Davis.

The cruelty of the 40-man rears it’s ugly once again. This leaves us with three players (Rajai, Sewald, and Peterson) that haven’t been claimed yet. My guess is Davis will pass through waivers and he can sign back up for a second ride in New York State (Syracuse).

      Kudos –

-A+ St. Lucie blue prospect, 2B Carlos Cortes: 3-6, 2-R, RBI (.269)

-A+ St. Lucie blue prospect, CF Quinn Brodey: 2-3, 2-R 1-RBI, .271

-AAA-Syracuse 1B, Travis Taijerson, hit his 11^th home run of the season.

-AAA-Syracuse red prospect, RP Stephen Nogosek: 2.2-IP, 0-R 2-K, 0.00

-AA-Binghamton CF, Sam Haggerty: 3-4, 2-R, .289

-AA-Binghamton red prospect, SP Anthony Kay gave up a rare two runs in the first inning, but settled down to produce a credible stat line: 5.2-IP, 2-ER, 4-K, (3-BB), WIN (6-2), 1.28.

      This could be his last AA outing.

-AA-Binghamton RP, Thomas McIlraith, returns to his ex-prospect ways; 2.1-IP, 0-R, 5-K, 0-BB, 0.00

Monday, May 27^th –

      AAA-P, Joseph Shaw, who was promoted yesterday from A+-St. Lucie to AAA-Syracuse… was reassigned to AA-Binghamton

                 Is Columbia next?

           Kudos –

AAA-Syracuse SS Ruben Tejada continued his torrid pace: 2-4, .467.

AAA-Syracuse C, Rene Rivera, making a case for replacing Tomas Nido in Queens: 3-5, 4^th HR, 3-RBI, .289

A real mess for Binghamton regarding prospect pitchers… Tommy Wilson: 4-IP, 4-ER, 9.00-ERA… Ryley Gilliam: 1.2-IP, 4-ER, 3.95

Tuesday, May 28^th –

            -P Darwin Ramos was transferred from A-Columbia to A+ St. Lucie.

The 23-year old from Venezuela has been pitching outstandingly for the Fireflies this season: 18-appearances, 2.81, 1.09, 25.2-IP, 30-K.

            P Allan Winans was promoted to A-Columbia from Low-A Brooklyn.

Winans has had two outings already this year at this level… 6-IP, 6.00, 1.00

Kudos –

A-Columbia red prospect, SS Ronny Mauricio: 3-5, .279

A-Columbia red prospect, 3B Mark Vientos: 2-5, R, .256

A-Columbia ex-blue prospect, 2B Shervyen Newton: 3-5, 2-R, HR, 2-BBI

-we started this season saying that Columbia was stacked with prospects. Though things haven’t worked out early there, maybe the second of their season will be something to write about.

Wednesday, May 29^th –

     AA-Binghamton has sent OF Alfredo Escalera to A+ St. Lucie.

     AAA-Syracuse has sent OF Braxton Lee to AA-Binghamton

There’s obviously another move to be made here and that is probably either the activation of OF Matt Kemp in Syracuse, or the reinstatement of OF Rajai Davis after clearing waivers. We’ll see.

Lee gets a bum rap here. He currently has the highest batting average for a Syracuse outfield.

An hour later, this comes down the wire:

OF Rajai Davis was set outright to AAA-Syracuse from the New York Mets

Thursday, May 30^th –

       AA-Binghamton placed IF Sam Haggerty back on the IL.

I hope this is just a paper move to facilitate the activation of another player.

                 

       AA-Binghamton activated catcher Dustin Houle from the IL.

            Kudos –

CF Rajai Davis returned to AAA-Syracuse in a big way: 3-6, R, RBI

29-yer. old SS, Ruben Tejada, continued to hit the snot off the AAA ball: 3-5, 3-R, .448

DH (C), Rene Rivera: 3-4, 3-R, 5^th HR, 2-RBI, 3.12   

Frankly, the only chance I see for any of these guys to play Queens this season is if injuries come to members of the current 25-man squad.

A+ St. Lucie CF, Quinn Brodey, continues to shine. Going 3-4 and raising his batting average to a season high .293. Brodie is one of our prospects that need to develop into the kind of prospects that come out of places like the Dodgers and Astros. It can happen. Look to McNeil and Alonso to prove this theory.

A+ SP, Tony Dibrell: 5.0-IP, 1-ER, 6-K, 2.26

AA-Binghamton 1B Patrick Mazeika: 3-3, R, double, RBI, .261

AA-Binghamton C Ali Sanchez: 3-5, 2-RBI, .264

AA-Binghamton RP Ryley Gilliam: 1.2-IP, 0-R, 3-K, WIN (3-0), 3.52

Ryley Has hit a few AA bumps along the way, but that is what pitching in this prospect league is all about.

A-Columbia SS Ronny Mauricio: 2-5, R, .282

Tom Brennan - Prospect Spotlight - SS Ronny Mauricio

SPOTLIGHT ON METS' UBER PROSPECT 

RONNY MAURICIO 

Ronny Mauricio is ranked as the Mets' # 2 prospect.

You could make a case that he should be # 1. Current # 1 prospect, 20 year old Andres Gimenez, has been a bit disappointing in AA so far this year.

Of course, if Jarred Kelenic were still here, he'd undoubtedly be # 1 right now - but he headed west, young man.

Mauricio is a very young, tall, and slender infielders and switch hitter from San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic.  

Having recently turned 18, he is listed at 6'3", 166.  Kind of like Darryl Strawberry was at that age.  I'd imagine he will eventually fill out to at least 195 pounds, like Darryl did.

Unlike Darryl, he has not yet shown much power, and he is not particularly fast - or, at least, is unsuccessful at stealing bases: Mauricio has stolen just 5 of 15 as a pro.

Mauricio has been a low power hitter this year, but is hitting a very consistent .282/.330/.359 over 48 games, hitting far better for average than most of his teammates.    

In fact, his teammates, while much improved hitting-wise over roughly the past 15-20 games, are only hitting about .210 on the season - he lifts them to a still weak .217.

Fielding-wise, RoMo has 11 errors in 47 games at SS, and 27 in 100 career games, understandable for having just turned 18 in April.  Happily, it seems that the error rate is decelerating.

I was thrilled to see that Mauricio jumped over Brooklyn's short season directly into full season ball, providing a greater challenge and a greater number of games to grow with - very good move, Mets.

There is a lot of 2019 full season baseball for Ronny to grow and progress in.  It will be interesting to watch, and equally interesting to see what he is ready to bring to the table when 2020 rolls around.  Hopefully, he will continue to play better and better throughout 2019 and get some games in later this season in High A ball with the St Lucie Mets.

The Mets have a logjam of solid infielders at levels above where they currently play (with the Fireflies), so it seems to me a promotion for at mid season might be justified but won't be an automatic.  

I think he will be close to major league ready by the end of 2020, assuming he remains healthy from now until then.

Here is a guy we can expect will play for the Mets for many years, very possibly not as a SS.  His talent will find him a position - and plenty of playing time.  Hopefully, he is a future star in the making.

Reese Kaplan -- A Modest Pitching Solution Proposal

An interesting though not new debate opened up recently regarding how to address the Mets’ pitching woes.  Everyone is well aware of the two big name pitchers still on the open market – lefty starter Dallas Keuchel and righty reliever Craig Kimbrel.  With the draft rapidly approaching on the week of June 3^rd you could expect finally to see movement on these two start players once the issue of minor league compensation is off the table if you sign them. 

On the surface, Kimbrel is the better of the two pitchers.  The 31 year old has been in the majors for 9 years and over the course of his career his ERA is an eye popping 1.91.  He led the league in saves for 4 consecutive years between 2011 and 2014.  His first year in Boston was his single blip on his radar when his ERA ballooned to 3.40 and he only saved 31 games, but he rebounded to save 35 and then 42 games last year (which might have led the league most seasons if not for some guy in Seattle named Diaz…)  He strikes out on average 14.5 per 9 IP and has a WHIP of 0.920 for his career!  (In case you were wondering, those number handily beat Mariano somebody or other and he’s on pace to overtake him in saves).  He’s on a Hall of Fame trajectory for sure.

Dallas Keuchel had that one stellar Cy Young Award-winning season when he won 20 games, sported a 2.48 ERA and made the first of two All Star Game appearances.  He has also won 5 Gold Gloves.  His pitching since then has been good but not great.  He had a 14-5 2.90 season for the Astros but that was sandwiched between a 9-12/4.55 ERA campaign and a 12-11/3.74 end to his Astros career last year.  For his career he’s a 3.66 ERA pitcher.  To give you a frame of reference, Steven Matz is pitching to a 3.63 ERA this year. 

Salary, of course, always is the sticking point in negotiations, though post-season probability, tax basis and location all factor in as well.  We know, for example, that the Mets were saved the embarrassment of not making a competitive offer for Shoei Ohtani when he indicated he wanted to be on the west coast exclusively.   Mike Hampton infamously chose the pitcher’s hell of Colorado allegedly for its superior school system for his children. 

Ending his last contract, the Red Sox were paying Kimbrel a salary of $13 million as part of a 3 year/$37.5 million deal he signed after leaving the Padres at the end of 2015.  Wade Davis and Aroldis Chapman have eclipsed the $17 million mark on multi-year deals already, and Kenly Jansen never having been a free agent is close behind at $16 million.  Figure Kimbrel will look to become the first $20 million reliever.  If he looks for say a 4-year deal, that could be about $80 million.  It would be pro-rated for 2019 since 1/3 of the season is gone already. 

Now the starting pitching market is even crazier than the one for relievers.  Keuchel ended his tenure with the Astros at a $13.5 million salary.  The comps in BaseballReference.com for similarity to other pitchers have him from Mat Latos to Jon Niese (in their top 10 pitchers performing at the same level).  That’s not exactly elite company.  He’s not in the Patrick Corbin strata but an argument could be made he’s superior to his former teammate Charlie Morton who, at age 35, signed a 2-year deal worth $30 million.  Figure he’s about $17 million in value. 

So how do these players factor into the Mets?  Many folks say to go get Kimbrel and create the killer pen they envisioned with they added All Star closer Jeurys Familia in a setup role to go with reigning saves leader Edwin Diaz.  I think that’s flat-out wrong on a number of levels.

First, you have a minimum wage closer who is doing all that you could ask of him right now.  Why would you run the risk of insulting him by asking him to move out of the closer’s role when he could become a free agent in a few years and thumb his nose at the team that spurned him?  Second, Kimbrel is going to cost major money over a long term.  Third, he’s not taking a setup role given his track record (last October notwithstanding). 

Signing Keuchel would cost less money, his rate wouldn’t be as high, and you stand to have potentially two vacancies in the rotation for 2020 if Zack Wheeler is true to his word and departs to test the open market, and you decide you don’t think Jason Vargas is worth the $8 million he would cost to pick up his option.  Keuchel would fill one of those voids and Anthony Kay may indeed fill the other (though before you write his name in ink, remind yourself of the stellar minor league seasons posted by Mssrs. Flexen and Oswalt which did not translate at the major league level). 

So signing Keuchel would give you six starters?  What to do, what to do…

Trade Zack Wheeler.  He has high upside value for the acquiring team who might need a rental for their post-season push.  Given his sub-$6 million contract, you’re not going to make him a $18 million+ Qualifying Offer, so you stand to lose him for nothing.  For once instead of a salary dump which thus far has not netted anyone of note, you would be in the driver’s seat with a quality arm to peddle to the highest bidder.  Whether you choose to address it with an established, controllable relief pitcher suited for the setup role or some blue chip prospects, it’s certainly better than watching him walk away for nothing since he’s stated he has no interest in a hometown discount. 

This move gets you down to 5 starters for the remainder of the year and 4 to start off in 2020 (5 if you do choose to keep Vargas or promote Kay).  Talent-wise it’s at worst a push.  However, anytime you can add a former Cy Young Award winner (and lefty to boot), you have to think about it.   

Tom Brennan - SPOTLIGHT ON FIREFLIES CATCHER JUAN URIARTE

SPOTLIGHT ON: 

METS MINORS CATCHER JUAN URIARTE

Juan Uriarte is a young catcher who was an international signee in 2015 as a 17 year old.

He did well that year in the DSL (.267/.374/.395) and moved up to the stateside GCL in 2016 and hit .234 in 37 games.

In 2017, in Kingsport, he stepped it up - .305/.372/.455, a great season, and the excitement started in earnest.

2018, THOUGH?  JUST ONE AT BAT!!

And out the rest of the season with an injury!  

Fouls the ball off his leg, badly enough to miss all the remaining games. 

He was now a true Met!

Jed Lowrie, David Wright, and Yo-Yo-Where'd-You-Go Cespedes agreed 100%.

Moving on to 2019, as a 21 year old, Uriarte got assigned up a couple of notches to Columbia in A ball - and the rust initially showed big time: he was just 6 for 60 (.100) with lots of Ks through late April!

From May 6 through May 28, though, the 6'0", 185 Uriarte's bat decisively came out of its coma: 

15 for 44 (.341), raising him 102 points very quickly from .100 to .202, with a couple of long balls and just 12 Ks, too.  

Much improved. Sighs of relief.

I'd prefer to expunge those first 60 rusty at bats and see how he hits from May 6 forward during 2019, myself.  

Where's my eraser?

Anyway, Uriarte is not a patient and discerning hitter yet, with just 3 walks vs. 34 Ks as of May 28.  I'd rather see a young guy be aggressive and avoid Ks, and refine the selection as he goes along, anyway.

Now, on to defense - can he catch? Heck, yeah!

In his last 2 seasons, he has thrown out 33% of all would be bag swipers, with just 3 errors in 68 games catching over that span.  Decent catching legerdemain - likely to get better. Considered a potentially above average defensive catcher.  

And Uriarte is on the slow side.  Like lots of Mets, right, Wilson Ramos?

His middle name happens to be Bernabe, like former Mets star Jose Reyes, so hopefully that Bernabe Reyes thing rubs off on him.

Will he be a major league catcher someday?  

Too early to tell, but let's hope as he finishes up 2019 on the rise and plays in High A and AA in 2020 as a 22 year old.

The last 16 games show that the potential is there for him to be a possible future major leaguer....as long as he avoids any future "one-at-bat" seasons. 

David Rubin - In Through the Out Door (Plus News & Notes)

I grew up in New York and lived there for the first 29 years of my life. I have resided in Southern California for the past 26 years, and of course have remained a rabid Mets fan. It’s not always easy, being over 3000 miles away from your favorite team, a situation made far more enjoyable and tolerable with the advent of MLB TV some 13 years ago. Being able to watch every game in the comfort of your own home once more is something that you can easily take for granted when you live in the same state as your team; being able to go see your team in person 81 times a year, plus Spring Training, is something else that it’s easy to take for granted. Therefore, once per year, when the Mets of Queens visit the Dodgers of Los Angeles, I gear up and head over to Elysian Fields to root in person for our beloved boys in blue and orange. It’s still a surreal experience, one I wanted to share in greater depth with our readers, the majority of whom still reside in the tristate area and have most likely not experienced a game in enemy territory.

Imagine walking into a battlefield, wearing the colors of your tribe, with no one to get your back, surrounded by thousands of enemies, ready to attack you at a moment’s notice. Then, to add insult to injury, while they keep their distance, for now, you have to eat food at the same place that they will, getting evil stares from the same people that you’re about to hand over your hard-won treasures to for a small meal that costs you WAY more than it should, praying that no one will spit in your cup. This is similar to the way a Mets’ fan feels when walking into Dodger Stadium, the way I am about to tonight. Thankfully, this time I’m going with a group of 25 people from work, including 2 other Mets fans, so I won’t be “wearing the colors” alone.

I usually go to the Dodgers-Mets game with some fellow ex-pats who also gear up in the orange and blue, but there have been times when I was the only fan in my party and had to deal with being on the receiving end of a barrage of ice cubes, peanuts, Cracker Jack, mustard packets and the most colorful language you can imagine. Yet, through all of these shenanigans, I consider myself fortunate that I live in a city that hosts a National League team and I’m able to afford to go to as many of the games that I’m able to get to, pending work and family obligations. From the time I park, in the far-away lands of the Dodger Stadium lots, I don my cap and prepare for the insults and dirty looks to follow. I’ve found that wearing a Mike Piazza jersey deflects some of the insults, and leaves many Dodger fans disarmed as they still mourn his trade, much as those of us old enough still mourn the loss of Tom Seaver.

Upon arriving at my seat I ensure that my drink is always covered, as is my food, because the one thing you do NOT want to happen is some lucky shot from someone in the upper deck lands in your $35 meal and you have to purchase part or all of it a second time (hey- I DO learn from my mistakes, DESPITE what my wife might say…) I keep a huge supply of napkins on hand, as well as a travel pack of wet-wipes and a Shout pen, ready to protect my colors at all times (and we will NOT revisit what happened to my deGrom jersey in 2016!) I usually get to the park as early as possible, so I have a better chance of scarfing my food down prior to the majority of fans arriving – after all, this IS Los Angeles, home of the third inning arrival.

Once the game starts, I brace myself for two things- when the Mets score, the barrage of popcorn and peanuts usually begins; and, when the Dodgers score, the barrage of popcorn and peanuts begins, accompanied by the chants of “you suck!” Again, Mets-fan here, folks- my skin is already so thick it’s going to take a HELL of a lot more than THAT to get my ire up (and the last thing you want to show a bully is that his actions are actually getting to you.) On the rare occasion that it’s a blow-out in our favor, I’ve been told that the shit-eating grin on my face gets to be overbearing – but, hey, that came from a Dodger fan and it’s not like that happens too often. Again- METS!!

I rarely, if ever, get up from my seat once the game has begun. I bring snacks with me and don't dare use the restrooms, less I become another casualty of a drunk fan's stupidity. I don't believe in poking the bear, so to speak, if you don't have to, and while I've won way more than my share of scuffles over the years, there's no reason to put yourself in the receiving position of some idiots' false bravado. If I need something to drink I wait for a vendor to come around, and have only once received a nasty word from one regarding my Met gear (admittedly, it was to be expected, coming in 2015 during the Division Series and with deGrom making the boys of summer look silly.) 

Finally, win or lose, the first thing I do once we are leaving for the parking lot is to take my hat off- I’ve seen fans (hate calling them that) grab hats of opposing teams right off the heads of their fans and either toss them into a nearby garbage can or keep them in the evilest game of adult monkey-in-the-middle you can imagine. Then, bracing for the inevitable insults, I prepare my come-backs  - which include things like “Hey-the Dodgers came from Brooklyn and so did I” to “Hey- let this fan of that small market team from New York have his fun- after all, I hate the Yankees, too!” If that doesn’t work, I’ve been known to share a scary growl or two…

Once I get to my car, it’s usually 30 minutes to an hour before you can completely exit Dodger Stadium’s massive traffic-jam, and I’ve already removed my jersey and hat because the last thing you want is for some beer-fueled idiot to throw something at your car- which, again, I’ve seen too many times in person to take for granted. I’ve already got WCBS playing on my phone, for the Happy – or not-so-Happy – recap, and while reliving the game on the way home, I’m once again reminded of how wonderful it is to be able to be so far from home, yet so close to the boys from Queens even if it’s only for one night. It was easy to take it for granted when you can attend anywhere from 15 to 35 games home games every season, but when you get one home-stand nearby (although, technically, you do get another one, but it’s 130 miles away in San Diego) you don’t take it for granted and you do everything in your power to attend at least one, if not all of those games.

This year, I’m incredibly blessed to be going to the games honoring the 50^th anniversary of the 1969 team at CitiField in late June, but that won’t make me take for granted the excitement and craziness of seeing your team in enemy territory. Now if only the 7Line Army were here…

News & Notes

~I’m hoping that the recently waived Rajai Davis isn’t claimed by anyone, because I’d love to see him return to Syracuse. I have a feeling the way this season is going that we’re going to need his services again before too long.

~I’ve spoken to a few people about the Rawlings baseball being utilized by Major League Baseball this season, and all are in agreement that not just the density of the ball but the laces themselves, as well as their height, are very different from even last year’s model. This would excuse the de-evolution of the game’s best pitchers, including Chris Sale, Max Scherzer and our own, Jacob deGrom. It’s an alarming development none-the-less, and with the accelerated strike-out and home run rates spiking like crazy, this pitching-loving fan is up and arms. I’m sure it’s helping drive up Fantasy League enrollment, but it’s maddening to purists like myself, and I long for the days of 2-1 and 3-2 pitching duels. Let’s hope they’re not gone forever…

~2 weeks and counting until Ron Swoboda’s book, “Here’s The Catch” is released. While I’m in the final pages of Wayne Coffey’s excellent “They Said it Couldn’t Be Done,” I’m excited for Swoboda’s first person account of this most historic series. I had the pleasure of meeting Swoboda twice, once when he was a sportscaster on the nightly news in New York, and a second time, in 2014 at the Father’s Day game in CitiField. I’ll discuss both of these meetings in depth when his book is released, but I find Swoboda to be a very engaging, funny and genuinely nice person and I’m sure that his memories will add much to this already well-written about topic.

~IF this team is going to contend in the (surprisingly weak) NL East, they need more contributions like they’ve received from Wilson Ramos last week and Michael Conforto on Tuesday. I know we have tons of injuries, but it’s almost June and the season is just about one-third gone, so letting the injury excuse take over just gives the ownership another out, which they don’t deserve. Great teams rise up in spite of their circumstances – if this team wants to be taken seriously, while Nimmo, Lowrie, Cano, Lugo, et al heal, they need to remain close to the Phils and Braves and then make a run for it once the majority of the team is healthy, IF that ever happens…

~Steven Matz has become the most consistent starter in the team’s rotation this season. Let those words roll around your brain for a moment…

~Glad to see Sandy Alderson doing well with the Oakland A’s. We only wish him well, and regardless of whether you appreciated his tenure with the Mets or not, he gave us all a huge thrill in 2015. Wishing Sandy continued good health for many years to come!

~Chaim Bloom might not have been as much of an outside-the-box choice for GM as Brodie ended up being, but you certainly cannot overlook the job he continues to do in Tampa Bay.  With little to no budget in the most competitive division in the game, Tampa is only 1.5 games behind the Yankees, and have spent about a quarter as much on their payroll as the bullies from the Bronx have. You have to think, had Bloom been in control, Kelenic would have been promoted to the Mets High A team and not the Mariners. Oh well…

©Major League Baseball

~Our most sincere condolences to the family of the late, great Bill Buckner. Billy Buck was so much more than the older guy who had a ball pass between his legs in the biggest stage in baseball – finishing his career with over 1,200 RBI’s, over 2700 hits (more than Ted Williams) and a lifetime batting average of .289. As a hitter Buckner’s stats were very close to those of legendary Met and borderline Hall of Famer, Keith Hernandez. He and Mookie Wilson, forever tied together due to that play, became good friends over the years and their commercial for MLB from a few years ago was priceless. Buckner’s appearance in the Larry David comedy, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was a priceless moment for baseball fans, and I hope Buckner will be remembered more for a fantastic career then just for a play that he shouldn’t even have been on the field for…

~The Mets are going through one of the hardest stretches of their schedule all season, and from now until the All-Star Break they play a majority of teams that are currently over .500. This is one season where, by the time early July comes, we should really know what this team is and how they should and will proceed for 2020. I’m hoping that we have a lot more to cheer about the rest of the season beyond reliving our success from 50 years ago…

~Have a great week! And as always, Let’s Go Mets!

Tom Brennan - SPOTLIGHT ON FIRELIES STARTER COLIN HOLDERMAN

SPOTLIGHT ON METS MINORS PITCHER COLIN HOLDERMAN

"Tommy John Holderman" will never be the name of a Colin Holderman kid.  

You see, Colin, the pride of Bourbannais, Il., needed the dreaded TJS surgery in April 2018 and lost an entire season due to it.

Good news, however - Colin is back quickly and pitching well for Columbia...though May 24, he has a record of 3-0 in 19.2 IP, with an 0.92 WHIP spanning 4 starts.  

(And on May 25, in start # 5, he fanned 6 straight at one point through 4 dominant scoreless innings, then tired a bit in the fifth allowing one run to score on him, with another let in by his relief pitcher).

Colin Holderman, a big dude listed as a 6'7", 240 righty, was a 9th rounder in 2016 who was not stellar in his brief pro debut in 2016, after being drafted as a 20 year old.

He, however, looked like a rising star in 2017 - for one game.  

In his first 2017 start, he threw six 1 hit shutout innings and fanned 11 in A ball.  

However, injuries beset Holderman in 2017, limiting him to a total of 10 games, 37 innings, and a 5.11 ERA.  Then, as noted above, he missed all of 2018 due to Tommy John.

Simply put, he is an imposing, hard thrower with a good slider.  

But who cares how a guy pitches?  

I wanna know....can he HIT, too???

Interestingly, Holderman hit the holy heck out of the ball at  noted baseball powerhouse Heartland CC, so he could be a real asset as a hitting pitcher if he continues to progress and can stay healthy.  

As a pitcher in 2016 in college, it was reported that Holderman posted an 8-1 record with a 1.57 ERA while pitching three complete games. 

AND he hit .489 with 13 HRs and 58 RBIs!  

Pete Alonso would no doubt be impressed.

I cannot comment on his minor league hitting prowess,  however, since he has yet to step to the plate as a pro, but hopefully, he will progress rapidly and healthily, and perhaps be putting up quality starts, and quality ABs, as a starting pitcher at Citifield some day.

Hopefully, we'll be writing a lot more about Holderman as he has begun in his 2019 return what might be a rapid climb.  

After all, he is a 9th rounder in 2016 who had early TJS.  

Did you know there was a 9th rounder, in 2010, who also had early TJS?  

His name?  Jake deGrom.

They tell me deGrom progressed very quickly after his return from that surgery.  Maybe you've heard of him - I think I have.

I liked what I saw of Colin Holderman.  

Remember the name.