you just get more excited about some players than others
On Friday, I noted that there is a different between a straight prospect list and a list of those in the Mets minors you might be most excited about.
Baseball is about excitement, and you get more excited about your favorites (like Alonso) than about the others (like Duda); it is just human nature, and what makes us FANS.
Baseball is about excitement, and you get more excited about your favorites (like Alonso) than about the others (like Duda); it is just human nature, and what makes us FANS.
My Top 5 (outlined in a previous article) were:
Matt Allan, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Josh Wolf.
Matt Allan, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Josh Wolf.
My second 5 grouping of most exciting Mets minors players do not excite me quite as much as the Top 5, for one or more reasons. The 6 thru 10 consist of the following:
6) Tom Szapucki - the lefty's return from Tommy John last year was very solid, but only consisted of 62 innings, only 4 of which were in AA, the rest in A ball. So it is hard to be super excited about him until he shows us a more durable, dominant version of himself in 2020. But his 188 career Ks in 145 IP are enticing. Will he be better than a Steve Matz - or be a bust? 2020 will hold a lot of answers.
(P.S. I did not include Tom's fellow lefty David Peterson in my top 10 exciting dudes, since winning 3 games all season in AA was not my idea of exciting.)
(P.S. I did not include Tom's fellow lefty David Peterson in my top 10 exciting dudes, since winning 3 games all season in AA was not my idea of exciting.)
7) Andres Gimenez - the IF had a weak season in 2020, but ramped it up quite a bit in the second half of his AA season and in the AFL. Very modest power and somewhat above average speed, along with superior defense, makes him a guy I'd rank higher on a purely prospect list than on an excitement list.
8) Ryley Gilliam - was rip roaring as a reliever but seemed to get dead arm and bad results as he went higher during his first full season. The hard throwing righty's ghastly 3.00 WHIP in 9.1 AAA innings was scary, but his career 87 Ks in 56 career innings? Exciting. Will he break out or stumble in 2020? Mack, I know, favors a break out. Me? I'll wait and see.
9) Alexander Ramirez - know little about him other than he got a big bonus, is super young, and is very highly touted. We'll see what very young Alex can do in 2020.
10) Tylor Megill - almost no one shows him much prospect love, but after his 2018 short season Brooklyn debut, in his first full season in 2019, the big, hard throwing righty fanned an exciting 92 in 72 IP and got all the way up to a brief cup of coffee in AA.
I somehow think he will be the dark horse minor league Mets pitcher of 2020. He needs to refine his control and pick up career steam, as he turns 25 at the end of July next season.
Reader Note: If you are wondering where guys like Freddy Valdez are, I steered clear of listing guys who have not yet, or barely, made it out of the DSL in 2019. I'll get more excited when I actually see them do some crazy good things stateside.
Saying that, let me ask you:
Saying that, let me ask you:
Which Mets prospects players not in my list would be in your very own "Excited Top 10"?
Which of my top 10 exciting dudes would you bump to place your guy into your top 10?
Kevin Smith and leave out Alex Ramirez. Kevin did great last year and other articles had him as a breakout candidate for 2020. Ramirez has not even played yet. But you said you excluded Freddy Valdez because he has not played much state side yet.
ReplyDeleteRaw, I see your point, fair enough:
ReplyDeletePut Kevin Smith in there instead of Ramirez. Smith had a pretty exciting upward surge in 2019 - now, in 2020, we get to see if he can press on higher.
Lets see how many of these prospects will be sacrificed if the Mets do trade for Starlin Marte. The Agent just doesn't know when to quit.
ReplyDeleteJunior Santos... and my 2 sleepers in the upper levels who could get called up to the Mets in the 2nd half are Wagner Lagrange and Carlos Cortes
ReplyDeleteJon B, I hear you.
ReplyDeleteJunior was real exciting in 2018, not as exciting in 2019, but could move to the top of the EXCITING LIST in 2020.
Wagner, I would be more excited about if he hit for power - I still have him coming in at around the level of Kevin Kaczmarski, who flamed out.
Cortes? Solid bat in 2019, and it would be great to see him break out as an exciting hitter in 2020. At his height, he would look great in pictures with Marcus Stroman.
Viper, I would hate for them to trade prospects for Marte - unless they got others just as good from someone else while selling off the ensuing outfield logjam of dudes. Last I checked, there are only 3 outfield starters and no DH in the NL.
ReplyDeletePlease no more trading of prospects but given Brodie's mentality and future job situation, I think more will be dealt. Brodie will want to impress the new boss with some winning seasons before he takes control. I was very surprised he traded Blake Taylor for Marisnick. I could see prospects like Jake Mangum, Carlos Cortes and others going for Marte.
ReplyDeleteI don't see Mangum or Cortes as players this dope GM will trade for Marte. I see him caving to the Pirates request and I wouldn't be surprised he trades a Mauricio or Alvarez or Allan for Marte
DeleteI don't see Mangum or Cortes as players this dope GM will trade for Marte. I see him caving to the Pirates request and I wouldn't be surprised he trades a Mauricio or Alvarez or Allan for Marte
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ReplyDeleteI hope not Unknown but think you may be correct. Even worse we may both be right with a top prospect or two going with lesser ranked prospects.
ReplyDeleteMegill???
ReplyDeleteHer name was Megill but she called herself Lil.
ReplyDeleteI was listening to Earnest Dove on the Talking Mets podcast talk about Tom Szapucki and it had me pretty excited. If he is healthy he could be quite the asset.
ReplyDeleteDallas
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that Pucky has ever done wrong is get hurt.
I am excited to see what Jordan Humphreys can do with how impressive he was in the AFL. I guess the Mets felt that way also otherwise they would not put him on the 40 man roster.
ReplyDeleteI think Syracuse is going to have an interesting team this year. Especially the pitching staff: Oswalt, Gonzalez, Peterson, Humphreys, Kevin Smith, Nogosek, Blackham, Gilliam.
ReplyDeleteMack, I am detecting perhaps a lower level of excitement for Tylor Megill that I have going into 2020. I like to take flyers on guys like Stikeout Megill.
ReplyDeleteA year + before Jake showed up in the majors, not too many folks were doing handstands over him either :)
Baby, look at him now.
John, now you have Oswalt, Gonzalez, Peterson, Humphreys, Kevin Smith, Nogosek, Blackham, and Gilliam all mad at you. They all expect to be on the Mets' Opening Day roster.
ReplyDeleteRaw:
ReplyDeleteHumphreys was one of my faves before his seemingly endless hiatus on the DL. But that happened to a guy named Wheeler, and he's done pretty well - why not Humphreys too? As you point out, his brief foray in the AFL a few months ago went very well indeed.
No big prospects traded for Marte, please. If we HAVE to trade any, make it for a greater need, perhaps in July.
ReplyDeleteMy preference? Don't trade 'em.
You can't take credit for McNeil.
ReplyDeleteAnd the rest of your flyers using fly out of the window.
Muno and Leathersich just got VERY unhappy to hear you say that, Mack!
ReplyDeleteTom, I guess that picking up a Kevin Pillar for just money didn't make any sense. We need to instead exchange prospects with up to 6 years of control for Marte. Agent of Doom.
ReplyDeleteI would prefer Pillar and keeping prospects, too.
ReplyDelete