12/21/19

John From Albany – Mets Breakfast Links 12/21/2019


Happy Birthday David Kingman and Roger McDowell – this day in Mets history plus Tomas Nido and Carlos Cortes in action in the winter leagues last night, we will have the details below. 

Speaking about Winter ball and Mets Prospects, at MetsMinors.net, Ernest Dove has a very extensive report of the winter doings for a number of Mets minor leaguers including Hansel Moreno, Conner O’Neil, Cody Bohanek, Kevin Smith, Luis Guillorme, Steve Villines, and more.


Amazing Avenue reported that Stephen Nogosek cleared waivers and has been assigned to Triple A Syracuse.

As we have been linking here, Faith and Fear in Flushing has been listing the top 100 Mets of the 2010’s. Yesterday, SNY.TV and Mets.com weighed in with their lists.



Rising Apple also says that Mets minor league catcher Andres Regnault became a prospect to watch.” In 2019, Regnault took his talents to the Kingsport Mets in the Appalachian League. His 192 plate appearances including 8 home runs, 49 RBI, and a slash line of .292/.328/.489.”

Reflections on Baseball had .300 reasons not to trade Dominic Smith. “What is not understandable, though, is the Mets would part with the only batter in their lineup who can hit .300 for the team – other than Jeff McNeil.”

Mets360 says the recent roster moves well position the Mets for 4th place. “This holiday season, when one of your relatives boasts of the Yankees getting an ace or the Phillies stealing our starting pitcher or the Braves gobbling up all the good relievers, remind them – we got fourth place locked up, and nobody can take that away from us – not you and not the Marlins.”

MLB.com has statistical oddities for every MLB Team.  For the Mets: Jacob deGrom had two games in 2019 in which he struck out at least 13 batters while homering in the same contest -- he did it on April 3 against the Marlins in Miami (14 strikeouts), and on Aug. 23 against the Braves at Citi Field (13 strikeouts).



Metsmerized looked back at when the Mets acquired John Olerud as one of the most underrated trades in Mets history.



Yahoo Sports had how the average Major League salary has dropped in 2019 for the second straight year. “The 988 players on Aug. 31 rosters and injured lists averaged $4,051,490, the union said Friday, down 1.1% from $4,095,686 last year. The average peaked at $4,097,122 in 2017.”  After the recent run of free agent signings I think it may go back up next year.

MLB Trade Rumors looked at their Free agent predictions for this winter and how they have played out so far: For example, Zack Wheeler, SP – Predicted: Five years, $100MM. Signed: Five years, $118MM. Rick Porcello, SP – Predicted: One year, $11MM. Signed: One year, $10MM.

MLB Trade Rumors reports that the Twins have signed former Mets infielder Wilfredo Tovar to a minor league deal.

MLB Trade Rumors reported that The Angels have inked righty Neil Ramirez to a minor-league deal.


Mack’s Mets blast from the past comes from December 2011: John Sickles had the Top 21 Mets Prospects – Matt Harvey headed the list.

In the Puerto Rican Winter League last night,

Tomas Nido DH’d for Criollos de Caguas going 1 for 4 with two strikeouts for Criollos in their 1-0 10 inning win (box).  Tomas is now 3 for 15 for a .200 Avg, 1 RBI, 5 Ks. 

Carlos Cortes was 0 for 1 in last night’s 4-0 win (box) for the Indios de Mayaguez. The 2019 St. Lucie Met is now 1 for 9 in three games with a strikeout for a .111 average.

No games last night in the Dominican League.

UltimateMets has this date in Mets History:

Born on this date:
Transactions:


Colorado Rockies signed Daryl Boston of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 21, 1992.


New York Mets signed free agent Pat Mahomes on December 21, 1998.

Matt Franco granted free agency on December 21, 2000.

Houston Astros signed C. J. Nitkowski of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 21, 2001.

Minnesota Twins signed Pat Strange of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 21, 2004.

New York Mets signed free agent Chad Bradford of the Boston Red Sox on December 21, 2005.

New York Mets signed free agent R. A. Dickey of the Minnesota Twins on December 21, 2009.

New York Mets signed free agent Rob Johnson of the San Diego Padres on December 21, 2011.


Want something else tracked here each day?  Please leave a comment below.

8 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

To celebrate his birthday, Kingman caught one of his moon shots after it fell to earth 4 decades after he scorched it.

Nice insights on Mets minor leaguers. Let’s s e which of them find out that hard work really does pay off.

Arenado is great, but it would be nice to keep prospects too.

Mack Ade said...

Wow...

A Danny Muno on my Blast From The Past link

John From Albany said...

Muno was rated over Juan Lagares.

Tom Brennan said...

Muno did a swoon-o, for sure

bill metsiac said...

Agreed on Arenado. Squirrel is plenty good enough.

Anonymous said...

Everything sounding good with Yo'. Imagine the bombs if he and Alonso can play together all season. OMG!

Mets still need a really good closer type more added in with the current pen.

NYK

Think OKC Adams, Miami Heat's Leonard, Indy's D. Sabonis. The Euro-league appears to be the place to begin to look. The league is going though a major metamorphosis at the NBA center position right now. It's huge centers with great upperbody development and strength, plus leg speed. Centers who can run, rebound, and muscle with anyone underneath. Centers who can jam the net and shoot the mid-range or more. Centers who play hard sound basketball every game out.

TAnyway, tis is precisely what the Knicks need to have a shot at a playoff berth this season. And it could be waiting somewhere in the Euro League.

Anonymous said...

An Idea, Not a Given.

I sort of feel that the NY mets heading into 2020 have now five really good right-handed starters, plus one lefty in Steven Matz. Six. I sometimes wonder if it might make some sense, to trade one of their righty starters for something like a later inning sure-thing reliever and then set-up a ST tryout for three left-handed younger starters as the fifth or sixth starter. Theoretically speaking of course, the 2020 NY Mets could employ a six-man rotation during the season (perhaps) and cut it down to four or five for the playoff run. This would allow longer breaks between outings for each of the six starters than the more prototypical MLB rotation of five starters. Makes sense.

I was thinking here of these three lefty starters: Kevin Smith, Tom Szapucki, and via a trade with the Red Sox Daniel McGrath.

What package deal would I use for acquiring Daniel McGrath?

Gimenez for McGrath.

The Red Sox need an up and comer kid second baseman. Pedroia may find it hard sticking in 2020 after his knee injury awhile back. And the Mets could conceivably use McGrath in this three lefty starter competition mentioned above.

If expanded out some.

McGrath + Chavis (Mets need more bench depth and Michael Chavis can play multiple positions) for Andres Gimenez + Robert Gsellman.

It's just an idea and nothing more, but it does make some sense to me.



Anonymous said...

NFL is closing out the season soon, meaning that MLB is just seven weeks away for the pitchers and catchers reporting to camp.

Can you smell the mowed grass and hot dogs in the air yet?

I want to. Man, I want to!

LGM!