2/25/21

John From Albany – Mets News and Breakfast Links 2/25/2021

 



Good Morning.  Happy Birthday Ed Lynch and David Rodriguez. Dellin Betances has something to prove, J.D. Davis is  excited that Chili Davis is back and Pete Alonso took grounders at 3rd Base.   

Section Links: Mets Links, MLB Links, and This Day in Mets History.

Mets Links: 


Joel Sherman NY Post: Mets’ Michael Conforto contract conundrum will come down to this. Joel says either the Mets treat him like an elite player and give him $200M+ or Michael Conforto wants to stay a Met and “compels his representative, Scott Boras, to push for the best deal possible, but get it done in the short term”.

SNY.TV: Michael Conforto keeps focus on improvement amid lack of Mets extension talks.


NY Post: Mets’ Dellin Betances has ‘something to prove’.



NY Post: Mets’ J.D. Davis hopes tweak will lead to offensive rebirth. Chili Davis…said his pupil got into bad habits after a stretch in which he was getting beat with the fastball. To compensate, J.D. Davis was rotating his hips early and his hands weren’t involved in the swing. ‘I had a goal this offseason knowing what I needed to work on and I think that’s huge for any player,’ J.D. Davis said.”

SNY.TV: J.D. Davis talks trade rumors, is ready to play third base: 'I have full confidence in my capability'.



Tim Healey Newsday: Mets hitting coach Chili Davis returned to the Mets on Wednesday partially vaccinated from COVID-19 and ready to get back to work.

SNY.TV: Hitting coach Chili Davis back in person with Mets, talks Pete Alonso and more.

SNY.TV You Tube: Hitting coach Chili Davis back in person with Mets, puts emphasis on situational hitting. 









Joe DeMayo SNY.TV: 5 Mets prospects who could make major league impact in 2021, including Khalil Lee. His other 4: Thomas Szapucki; Ryley Gilliam; Tylor Megill; and Marcel Renteria.

MiLB.com: Winter ball roundup: Australian League. “Mets' Cortes stars for Blue Sox in pandemic-altered season. The ABL welcomed in a larger amount of team Top-30 prospects than leagues in Latin America this year. In Sydney, 18th-ranked Mets prospect Carlos Cortes stood out. The former South Carolina Gamecocks standout saw time at first base, second base and both corner outfield spots, batting .394/.429/.706 with three homers and 16 RBIs in 14 games.”

Elite Sports NY: New York Mets 2021 Season Preview: Top 10 prospects. 1. Francisco Alvarez; 2. Ronny Mauricio; 3. Matthew Allan; 4. Brett Baty; 5. Pete Crow Armstrong; 6. J.T. Ginn; 7. Khalil Lee;  8. 8. Robert Dominguez; 9. Mark Vientos; 10. Thomas Szapucki;



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Today in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com: 

Born on this date:

Transactions:
New York Mets purchased Luis Alvarado from the Detroit Tigers on February 25, 1977.

From National Pastime.com:

2012

On their Twitter account, the Mets send out an image of the patch the team will wear this season in memory of Gary Carter, who died earlier in the month of brain cancer at the age of 57. The black oval will feature the nickname of the former New York catcher, Kid, and his number 8.

2016

The players' union and MLB agree to a slide rule in the aftermath of Ruben Tejada's broken leg during the NLDS. The new policy, the direct result of Chase Utley attempt to break up a double play that injured the Mets infielder, will be reviewable and will continue to allow contact to be permissible with the fielder, but the runner cannot change his path to disrupt the play deliberately.

Mack’s Blast From the Past comes from 2-25-14: Mack looked at proposed Nick Franklin for Rafael Montero trade.  

Centerfield Maz:


Click here for the full list of Mack's MLB Draft Scouting Reports.     

Want more?  Check out https://sportspyder.com/mlb/new-york-mets/news. 

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5 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Lots of good vibes in camp.

Mauricio to me looks like a young Darryl. Filling out. Perhaps by next year, he will be "Young Straw II"

Ryley Gilliam impressing Rojas in camp - good.

I want to see some vintage Megill out of the pen at some point during 2021. If need be, that can be on Sept 1 as a call up when the Mets have a 10 game lead.

February 25, 2021 at 7:24 AM
Anonymous said...

I am ALREADY tired of the "Leadership Narrative" that's been shoved down our throat.

To me, that's Gelbs' worst feature, the way the takes a theme and then pushes it constantly in one leading question after another after another.

Did anyone see the interview with Lindor?

I thought Lindor was all-too accommodating, eager to come off as deep and insightful. I mean, great. But the guy has been here for three days. Let's pump the gas on this storyline.

From the Department of Good News: Glad to see that Pete has been quiet, laying low. With Lindor sucking up so much attention, this is a great opportunity for still-young Pete to quietly go about his business. A little less attention (and pressure) could be good.

I feel bad for JD Davis, who some people seem to treat as Public Enemy #1. Honestly, I don't know if he can hack it at 3B or not. He'll never be great over there. If he hits, hopefully he can be acceptable. Last year, he started in LF; didn't have a full Spring Training; then was shifted to the position on the fly. That's tough on any player. So much pressure on him to come out of the gate strong: needs to hit in a big way and prove himself defensively. If the team wins, that will help a lot.

As a talent, I think he's worth the investment. What he did with the bat in 2019, where he ranked among all hitter in MLB, was nothing to sneeze at. We'll see if the bat plays.

That said: How strange that Sandy did not bring in a backup 3B. Villar last played 3B in 2016; he's a middle infielder, period, with a not-very-good glove. Guillorme, I guess. Or is the idea to shift McNeil to 3B and Villar to 2B? That doesn't make sense to me, disrupting Jeff -- who, we know, doesn't have the arm to handle 3B. Sandy knows that, too. I guess Plan C is to go out and get someone in July if that's the determination.

Anyway, I feel for JD. He's in a tough position. "Just go out there, kid, and be perfect!"

Jimmy

February 25, 2021 at 7:43 AM
John From Albany said...

Jimmy,

I like JD a lot as well. And he showed some defensive skills at 3B at times last year with some pretty good plays. He even made my Top 6 Defensive Plays form the 60 2020 Games.

https://macksmets.blogspot.com/2020/10/john-from-albany-top-mets-6-defensive.html

February 25, 2021 at 8:04 AM
Anonymous said...

He's an extremely analytical, hardworking hitter. A great example for everyone in the clubhouse.

I don't think he'll ever be "good" defensively. So he's going to have to be a plus-plus offensive player.

Anyway, as I've contended all along: This team had so many areas to address that it couldn't all be magically solved in one off-season. I am glad that Sandy has left 3B alone for now, giving JD a shot; the upside is tremendous. And, yes, with big contracts needed to retain Conforto, Lindor, Thor, Stroman, it is vitally important to have players who work cheap.

The haters quote all the stats from his 88 (total) games at 3B. I'd like to see JD get a full spring training there, continued agility work and coaching support, and see if he can raise his glovework a notch. It's a work in progress.

Jimmy

February 25, 2021 at 9:37 AM
Remember1969 said...

A few rambling thoughts from Remember this morning...

I'm actually worried more about McNeil's defense at second than Davis's at third.

Weird commment by Sherman re: Conforto. I don't think there is any way the Mets give him $200M before the season starts. I suppose IF he puts up good numbers in 2021, he might get that, but Springer for $150M, Conforto is not a third again as much as that.

Love to see the video of Lindor working with McNeil.

Still optimistic. Have seen some good work, good words, and no injuries!

February 25, 2021 at 9:56 AM

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