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11/21/19

Mack – FWIW




     1.    I think 2020 is going to be a critical year for outfielder Brandon Nimmo. I have been critical of him since the day the Mets drafted him from a high school that didn’t even have a baseball team. Still, he rose to respectable levels before his injuries last season. Nothing against Brandon, but his future in the Mets outfield seems to be strengthened by the weakness of all the outfielders collectively. I look over the roster sheets and I don’t see a red star outfield prospect until Freddy Valdez comes along (here comes the Kelenic comments). He’s playing Kingsport next spring, if they are still around. Now you know why Brodie publicly is saying we need help out there. I’m saying is if Brandon can step up his game like Pete Alonso did, maybe we wouldn’t be writing this paragraph.


    2.    Speaking of Pete Alonso, no one… I repeat, no one thought this guy would up his game defensively to match his quality bat. Continuing on this theme, no one… I repeat, no one thought Dominic Smith would wind up in the outfield and become a credible alternative out there. We forget that these players are premier athletes first. Some of own players on the 40-man need to take a lesson from these two examples. We can always do better.


    3.    Very slow free agent action out there. No one wants to be the first to offer someone a huge amount to sign, because that player’s agency will only dance that figure around the league, looking for a higher bid for the services of his client. Our (current) General Manager would be applauded at all levels of fandom if the out of the box Cano/Diaz deal went his way. Now, he’s being called as the second coming of Steve Phillips and the Kevin Appier for Mo Vaughn deal. One would think that BVW would have an edge up on other players that are repped by his old organization, but none of us know how respected he was over there by his peers.


    4.    Endy Chavez put up on Twitter a video of Yoenes Cespedes taking batting practice on Tuesday. I don’t know how serious we should take this, but it is good to see him with a bat in his hands four months before spring training starts. What is harder to convince me is if that same player can run around in the outfield like he did before he shattered both his feet in a dumb ass incident.


    5.    And lastly, it is not a coincidence that most of the snarky comments written on this blog have the word ‘anonymous’ listed as their name. I hate anonymous comment makers and the only reason I don’t block them out is one of our long-term loyal readers who does use his name, is blocked for some reason when I change the settings. So, day one of reinstating the anonymous posting opens up and someone takes a shot at John From Albany. Wednesday came another at Tom. One last reach out before I permanently block you all out there and rob a good friend access to the site… be respectable of the writer and the time being spent here. Argue away with the content, but don’t be a hater.


 (but, what do I know…)

9 comments:

  1. I blame social media like Facebook and Twitter for the mask of anonymity they provide to allow people to show their true selves in terms of their personalities.

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  2. Reese, Facebook does not provide anonymity but Twitter sure does.

    I watched the video of Cespedes....hard to get excited when you see him basically limping/shuffling out of the batters box at the end. You wonder how those feet are going to patrol the OF and run the bases....I mean he has 5+ months until opening day to continue to recover but Spring Training isnt that far away...

    Nimmo was our best hitter in 2018. Once he healed from the injury he sustained in the OF he looked just like the Nimmo of 2018. I personally think he is vastly undervalued.

    ESPN posted their all first, 2nd and 3rd teams. Interesting to see they left McNeil off the list everywhere. I don't know a guy with a 5 WAR that played 4 positions well didn't make the utility cut.

    I wonder how much different last year would have gone with a healthy Lowrie, Nimmo and Frazier. The series of injuries while unfortunate is why Alonso started the year on the club and we got to get a measure of Smith and JD that we might not have otherwise. It also forced their hand into playing McNeil (which is should have been how they planned it all along).

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  3. Looking forward to Nimmo (definitely) and Cespedes (maybe) returning healthy next year, to give the Mets a lethal offense. As always, though, there's a catch - or lack thereof.

    Hopefully, Dom Smith is staying slim and trim and working on his basket catch. Say Hey!

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  4. Good Morning, Mack.

    I think the issue with Nimmo is that he was drafted to be our CF'er of the future and his defense doesn't justify playing in center. I like him a lot more in LF, but we currently have a log jam with corner outfielders. A healthy/effective Nimmo would be an asset in LF and at the top of the order.

    I am not counting on Yo, at all. Best case scenario is that he comes to Spring Training and mashes the baseball. That MIGHT entice an AL team into dealing for him so he can DH, which is clearly the only spot he can occupy at this stage. Otherwise, the Mets should cut bait with him like the Yankees recently did with Jacoby Ellsbury.

    Oh and as far as comments are concerned, there are lots of folks out there who are "internet tough guys" with their "edgy takes" straight out of the Jim Rome playbook. It is easier to crap all over someone else's work then to provide constructive criticism or even produce an article on their own. It is easier to ignore them since they will never change, but that's just my two cents after working in a profession where I heard that type of feedback dozens of times a day.

    You do a great job on this blog and I am sure that most folks appreciate this outlet for Mets' news.

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  5. @Dallas -- Facebook allows for the creation of multiple accounts with multiple email addresses. It's not hard to create an alter identity there.

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  6. Mike -

    I only leave the 'anon' button open because of Bill Metsiac. He is a member but, for some reason, he says he can't post a comment when that light is shut off.

    NO ONE else has ever had this problem on this site so my guess is that the problem is Bill's doing on his side but he can't seem to correct it.

    Still, one more snarky attack on one of my writers from one of these creeps will lose a long, loyal reader.

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  7. Beware of Great White Snarks.

    Grandal to White Sox?

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  8. FWIW, I've never been able to post a comment from my mobile device. Posting from my desktop has never been a problem. Also I don't think the anon people care about your threats or your loyal reader, if anything it may encourage them as thats how trolls roll. Have others been able to comment via mobile device?

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  9. Dallas-

    I don't have that problem.

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