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11/30/21

PRESS RELEASE - METS SIGN ALL-STAR OUTFIELDER STARLING MARTE



FLUSHING, N.Y., November 30, 2021 – The New York Mets today announced they have signed All-Star outfielder Starling Marte to a four-year contract.

 

Marte, 33, led the major leagues with a career-high-tying 47 stolen bases, succeeding at a 90.4 percent rate, and paced MLB in Fangraphs' baserunning runs above average metric (12.3) last season. He is one of just 10 players since 1980 to steal as many as 47 bases in one season with a success rate of 90 percent or higher.

 

"Starling is a premier talent at a premier position," Mets General Manager Billy Eppler said. "His play in the outfield makes the team stronger at run prevention up the middle and his elite base-running skills are a perfect blend. He has a winning attitude and will be a huge asset as well in our clubhouse."

 

A native of the Dominican Republic, Marte began the 2021 season with Miami before being traded to Oakland on July 28. This past season, he posted career-best marks in on-base percentage (.383) and walks (43). He ranked sixth in the majors in batting average (.310) and seventh in on-base percentage. Despite spending half of the year in each league, he still ranked in the top-10 in both the AL and NL in steals, making him the first player in major league history to accomplish that feat, according to Elias.

 

The 10-year major league veteran was named an All-Star in 2016 and won Gold Glove Awards for his play in left field in 2015 and 2016. He is the only player in the majors with at least 20 stolen bases in every full season since 2013 and ranks second in MLB with 284 steals over the last nine years. Only Billy Hamilton (314) has more steals in that span.

 

According to Fangraphs, he ranks fourth among major league center fielders since 2018 in WAR (13.4), behind only Mike Trout (22.8), Ronald Acuña (15.8) and George Springer (13.6).

 

Marte owns a career slashline of .289/.346/.451 with 126 home runs, 502 RBI, 233 doubles, 46 triples, 680 runs scored, 296 stolen bases in 1,134 games with Pittsburgh (2012-2019), Arizona (2020), Miami (2020-2021) and Oakland (2021). 

 

PRESS RELEASE - METS SIGN OUTFIELDER MARK CANHA

 


FLUSHING, N.Y., November 30, 2021 – The New York Mets today announced the team has signed outfielder Mark Canha to a two-year contract with a club option for 2024.

 

Canha, 32, has a .377 OBP over the last three seasons (2019-2021), the second-highest mark in the AL (min. 1,000 plate appearances). He also has 50 doubles, 48 homers, 205 runs scored, 181 walks with a 127 OPS+ during that span.

 

According to FanGraphs, Canha's 8.3 WAR since 2019 ranks fourth among AL outfielders behind Mike Trout, Aaron Judge and George Springer.

 

"Mark is an extremely versatile player, who has an elite ability to get on base," Mets General Manager Billy Eppler said. "He has gap-to-gap power and can hit in any spot in the lineup."

 

He was fourth in the AL with .396 OBP (min. 450 plate appearances) in 2019 and was fifth in 2020 with a .387 OBP. In addition, he was hit by a pitch 27 times in 2021, tied for the fourth-most in American League history and was 11th in the AL in walks with 77.

 

The 6-2, 210-pounder is among five major league outfielders with a OBP better than .360 and more than 20 stolen bases since 2018, joining Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts and Christian Yelich (min. 400 games).

 

Canha slashed .231/.358/.387 with 22 doubles, four triples, 17 homers, 61 RBI, 12 stolen and 93 runs scored in 141 games for Oakland in 2021. He cracked a career-high 26 homers with a career-best .396 OBP in 2019.

 

Canha has slashed .244/.344/.431 with 107 doubles, 13 triples, 89 homers, 294 RBI, 255 walks and 346 runs scored in 645 major league games with Oakland (2015-2021). He was originally selected by the Marlins in the seventh round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

PRESS RELEASE - METS ROSTER MOVES

 


FLUSHING, N.Y., November 30, 2021 – The New York Mets today announced they have tendered contracts to the following players: INF Pete Alonso, INF Travis Blankenhorn, RHP José Butto, RHP Miguel Castro, INF/OF J.D. Davis, RHP Edwin Díaz, RHP Yennsy Díaz, INF Luis Guillorme, OF Khalil Lee, LHP Joey Lucchesi, RHP Seth Lugo, INF Ronny Mauricio, C Patrick Mazeika, INF/OF Jeff McNeil, RHP Tylor Megill, C Tomás Nido, OF Brandon Nimmo, RHP Adam Oller, LHP David Peterson, RHP Jake Reed, RHP Sean Reid-Foley, INF Dominic Smith, RHP Drew Smith, LHP Thomas Szapucki, INF Mark Vientos, RHP Trevor Williams and RHP Jordan Yamamoto.

The Mets did not tender contracts to the following players: RHP Robert Gsellman, RHP Stephen Nogosek and OF Mark Payton.

 

Tom Brennan - Retrospective on Mets Drafts of Years Past: 2012


Wikipedia states:

retrospective (from Latin retrospectare, "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past.

I thought it might be fun to look back and see who got drafted by the Mets in rounds 1 thru 5, how they panned out, and which of them (and those from rounds beyond round 5) made it to the dance. 

Not to get too historical, I thought I’d start at 2005 and work forward towards 2021 from there, a year at a time.

Today?  

The Mets' 2012 Draft:

A weak draft it was, in 2012, especially after the strong 2010 and 2011 draws.  But there were a few major surprises in 2021 from a few of those drafted players who are now ex-Mets.

Round 1 - Gavin Cecchini - an ultimately unsuccessful 12th overall pick - he just has not hit enough nor fielded enough.  These sorts of picks that don’t provide real future MLB impact hurt you down the road when you find yourself signing big bucks free agents because your first rounder didn't succeed. 

He did hit .317 in AA in 2015 and .325 in AAA in 2016, and certainly seemed to be on his way offense-wise, but his major league totals have been limited to .217/.270/.301 in 83 ABs with the Mets.  

Cheech hit .259/.290/.358 in 91 minor league games in 2021 with another franchise, and he will be 28 next season.  Maybe 2022 is the charm.  28 is prime age in a baseball career for many.

Comp Round Pick - Kevin Plawecki - never hit as a Met, and as a back up Red Sox catcher, he has hit better, more as I thought he might, but his stolen base rate in 2021 was ghastly (3 caught out of 40).

Round 2 - Matt Reynolds - similar player to Gavin Cecchini.  Got a few MLB ABs - 226, to be precise, in which he hit .212.  Not a sufficiently impactful pick for round 2.

Round 2 - Teddy Stankiewicz - never quite made the majors - as such, a bad pick.

Round 3 - Matt Koch - has pitched some in the majors, not with the Mets, and not very effectively.  6-6, 4.88, 125 innings.

Round 4 - Branden Kaupe - 4 doubles, 6 triples and no homers in 600 plate minor league appearances.  Short guy.  Wasted pick.  4 doubles in 600 plate appearances?  Really?  Seems impossible. 

Round 5 - Brandon Welch - pitcher didn't make it.  He went 4-2, 4.13 in 65 total minor league innings.

Seven picks in the first 5 rounds and not nearly enough to show for it.  

Two later-round guys who had been miserable Mets failures that turned into MLB sensations with Seattle in 2021: 

10th rounder Paul Sewald and 14th rounder Chris Flexen.

The duo stunningly combined to go 23-9 this year.  With the Mets, they couldn't come close to 9-23.  Everybody tells me "it happens."  But why does post-Queens success happen after Queens mediocrity?

7th rounder Corey Oswalt has had limited major league action and limited major league success.  Too hittable.  4-5, 5.89, 95 innings.  He is now a free agent and could, of course, go to pitch for Seattle and win a Cy Young award, as I expect he will.

8th rounder Tomas Nido catches a good game, but has a .244 career OBP.  "Walk" to him is a 4 letter word, as he has just 18 walks in his career.  I'm tough on Nido, I know - I just like offense. His Fangraphs projection for 2022?  .223 average, .267 OBP.

12th rounder Rob Whalen managed to compile 36 major league innings, going 1-3, 5.75.  He was terrific in 2013-16 in the minors, and to all accounts, appeared to be on his way.  It did not go well at all thereafter, though.  He was part of the trade in which the Mets got Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe in 2015's exciting pennant run.

13th rounder Matt Bowman compiled 7-13, 4.02 in 183 MLB relief outings with the Cardinals and Cincy.

20th rounder Tim Peterson was 2-2, 5.91 in 35 MLB innings.

So, 11 guys drafted by the Mets in 2012 have spent at least some time in the majors, but the Mets got almost nothing to show for it all.   As such, for the Mets, it was in my opinion largely a failed draft.  

Seattle, though, thought it was a terrific draft.

Next up? 2013's draft.


OPEN THREAD - Mets Catchers


 

This comes from Tom Brennan:


The Mets' catchers in 2021 ranked 29th in OPS (.568, just 3 points above the bottom) and last in RBIs, with 50.


The median MLB team's catchers had 73 RBIs and .710 OPS.

The top teams had 97 RBIs and .829 OPS from their catcher spot.

Considering the Mets want to be a 2022 championship contender, and under the theory that in order to finish first, it helps to not be ranked last, what, if anything, would you do to improve that?

Tom Brennan - Maxwell Smart Spotted in Flushing



"What????"  

"We spent HOW MUCH for 3 years of a guy who's 37?"  

"Are you NUTS?"

No, frankly, I am not nuts.  NEITHER ARE YOU.  Happy? Oh, yeah!

It is time to be delirious.  

Steve Cohen, you see, heard about supply chain delay issues and so he's doing his big shopping early.  Stocking up.

What did we get for our dough (well, Uncle Steve's dough, but who's quibbling?)

1) Relevance - the Braves are no longer better than the Mets, assuming equal health.

2) Swagger - Jacob and Max give you that.  One of the best tandems in baseball history, if both are healthy.

3) Turnstiles spinning like mad. Packed houses = stadium-rocking excitement.

4) The second half "wilt factor" is much less of a potential occurrence.  Long losing streaks have been banished.

5) He'll inspire deGrom to be even better.

With the 4 moves in the last 4 days, it feels like they've added 15 Ws.

No doubt, Uncle Steve is not done.  After all...let's do some math:

77 + 15 = 92 wins.  Let's add 5 to 8 more, get it to 100.

Reconsider Scherzer's 2021:

A WHIP in the mid 80s.  WOW.

A hellacious strikeouts per inning rate.  WOW.

15-4.  WOW.

No reason to slip.  Fellow HOF power elites Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, and Nolan Ryan did not slip in that age span.  

I don't think Max will either.  Why?  Because Max is Max, OK?

Max is actually Maxwell, as in Maxwell M. Scherzer.  

Signing him?  

That's MAXWELL SMART! 

Max is just 10-9 career vs. the Braves, but was 44-14 against the Mets, Phils, Marlins and Nats.  Hey, Seaver was just 12-20 vs. the Reds - you can't be 14-4 against every team.

But Scherzer is 54-23 lifetime against the NL East.

Scherzer.  A Beast of the East.

And not just one, but TWO of the most dominant pitchers of all time, together?  

Ought to help the other Mets' pitchers too.  Great brains to pick.

Maxwell Smart is loyal, too.



He just predicted 99 wins, because of Agent 99.

99 wins works for me.  Winning returns to Citifield.

Forevermore to be more aptly called...


Well, this is an 8:00 AM article, so it's time for my 8 o'clock coffee.   Ciao.

11/29/21

Breaking News: Mets agree to deal with Max Scherzer

 

Reports are that 37 year old RHP Max Scherzer has agreed to a deal with the Mets.






Pitching Stats -


Tom Brennan - Retrospective on Mets Drafts of Years Past: 2011


Wikipedia states:

retrospective (from Latin retrospectare, "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past.

I thought it might be fun to look back and see who got drafted by the Mets in rounds 1 thru 5, how they panned out, and which of them (and those from rounds beyond round 5) made it to the dance. 

Not to get too historical, I thought I’d start at 2005 and work forward towards 2021 from there, a year at a time.

Today?  

The Mets' 2011 Draft

One of the Mets' most prolific drafts ever.

Which says a lot after the excellent 2010 pitchers' solid gold draft.

Round 1 brought us the biggest smile in sports, Brandon Nimmo.  Many (including me) doubted him for years after he got drafted.  Some still do.  Despite his career .393 OBP.    Willie Mays?  Career .384 OBP.  Of course, the two are otherwise not comparable, but lighten up on Nimmo a bit, will ya?  Or I'll stick Cameron Maybin in your Christmas stocking.

Comp Pick Michael Fulmer was a great pick, but similar to Matt Harvey, not sufficiently durable.  Traded to Detroit for some boaring guy named Yoenis Cespedes.

2nd rounder Cory Mazzoni barely pitched in the majors, 3rd rounder Logan Verrett pitched more in the bigs but was done in by being HR-and-injury-prone. 

4th rounder Tyler Pill got a brief cup of major league java but was really (as it turned out) a better hitter than the reasonably successful finesse pitcher that he was.  Seriously.  In 245 minor league plate appearances, he went .301/.358/.408, with just 35 Ks. How many Mets' hitting prospects can do that?

Jack Leathersich was a 5th round lefty who fanned tons of guys in the minors, walked a lot of them too, and got to the majors finally and, yes, got hurt.  He had a 2.70 ERA in the bigs, with 21 Ks in 17 innings.  He was a minor league version of Josh Hader, fanning 496 hitters in 310 minor league innings.

Danny Muno was a great pick in the 8th round.  Why great?  

Because I said so, Mack.  

His claim to fame was hitting .355 in Brooklyn in his debut season, a place where most hitters wilt.  I expected greater things from him after hitting so high in such a tough hitters' park.  Turned out I was mostly wrong, as he could only muster a few weak MLB ABs.

Robert Gsellman was an excellent value considering he was nabbed in the 13th round.   Maybe it's the 13 inches of hair.

Phillip Evans - signed in the 15th round as an over-slot, he picked up his minor league hitting enough (after his first few quiet hitting minors seasons, he won a batting title in 2016) to eventually get to the bigs, and in 307 at bats, has hit .231, including 13 for 54 as a Met.

John Gant was an excellent 21st round pick, as he has gone 24-26, 3.89 in his MLB career, all of it, however, NOT with the Mets.  He and Rob Whalen were traded in 2015 for Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson.  As that season turned out, that was a great trade.

Back-to-back in the 34th and 35th rounds were Seth Lugo and Chasen Bradford.  

Lugo was (in hindsight) an incredible 34th round selection - in 6 Mets' seasons, he's had 213 outings with the Mets, going 29-22, 3.46, with slightly more than a K per inning.  Spotrac has him earning $3.75 million in 2022 as an ARB-3, and perhaps a big payday lies ahead in 2023.  Not bad for a guy who went 3-7 in college, allowing 57 runs in 73 innings.  Oh, and his real first name?  Jacob.

Bradford meanwhile pitched in 2017, 2018, and 2019 in the majors, going 7-0, 3.89 in 104 innings!  He pitched in AAA in 2021 for Atlanta and went 5-0.  Never loses!!

NINE drafted pitchers and 3 drafted position players got to play in the big leagues.  Incredible.  Of course, the 12 above, other than Nimmo, Lugo, and to a lesser extent Gsellman, had virtually no cumulative playing impact for the Mets, so quantity does not necessarily equate to quality.

Next up?  2012

Reese Kaplan -- Saving the Best for Last on Friday


Have you ever been in a really bad situation when it seemed like everything possible that could go wrong continually gets trumped by something new?  A lot of Mets fans feel this way despite the team securing a new and experienced general manager, though everyone is hoping that somehow Billy Eppler has a magic wand at his disposal to address the many things that need to be done.  

First there was the whole recruitment process for the front office, then the departures of Noah Syndergaard and Aaron Loup, then the unsuccessful flirtation with former Met Steve Matz.  It sure seemed like you wanted something to happen before the next shoe fell and caught you by surprise.  


Earlier in the week word filtered out from Billy Eppler that according to his new boss, Steve Cohen, he would have the resources available to do what needed to be accomplished to get the team moving in the right direction.  To most media and fans that meant looking at the top shelf players available in free agency to see who could be bought and paid to play for the Mets to help them return to a competitive level of play.  

Whether it was Javy Baez, Kris Bryant, any number of prospective stating pitchers, Starling Marte or whomever the flavor of the week was, it seemed an unbridled way for the Mets to spend like the Steinbrenner Yankees.

Imagine the surprise, therefore, to find Friday's two acquisitions being the first roster stones turned under Billy Eppler.  First came the announcement that infielder Eduardo Escobar was coming to the Mets on a two-year deal for a total of $20 million.  He was a first time All Star for the Diamondbacks in 2021 before getting traded mid-season to the Brewers.  His overall total of 28 HRs and 90 RBIs was entirely respectable, but the real value he brings to the club is his ability to be inserted anywhere into the infield.  

While many are already trying to play the game of which regular he will supplant on a daily basis, this move was a matter of preparing for a very high quality backup player in the event other options do not transpire as hoped. 

Right now the Mets have the whole Javy Baez situation in front of them with other teams (recently the Tigers) looking to allow him to return to his preferred position of shortstop.  On the Mets he would be a second baseman alongside his buddy Francisco Lindor.  While usually money or winning help determine which team a player chooses, sometimes it is a matter of doing whatever it is they truly want to do.  If he feels that strongly about shortstop, wish him well and move onto other options.

Without looking outside the current roster, the Mets do still have both Jeff McNeil and Robinson Cano in need of at bats.  Both have proven to perform at a very high level though McNeil's 2021 was subpar and Cano's capabilities are tinged by his twice-suspended sentences for abusing PEDs.  In addition, they still have J.D. Davis and now they have newcomer Eduardo Escobar as well.  

Many other premier infielders are available in the open market, though most of them would require sacrificing a draft pick as compensation which is not the team's preferred way of doing things.  The fact that the new deal is for just two years and Escobar has recently shown increased power over the past several seasons suggests that this move was not a bad one.  Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio are not yet ready for the major leagues, so this type of short term deal is a bridge to the future.

Similarly, the Mets announced the acquisition of versatile outfielder Mark Canha.  For most folks who follow the National League, this signing was likely greeted with a big, "Who???" reaction.  Canha has played exclusively for Oakland at first base and all three outfield positions since his rookie season at age 26.  Now 32 he is not what you'd categorize as a difference maker, but with Kevin Pillar's departure the Mets were mighty thin in the outfield.  Gaining Canha who has hit as many as 26 HRs in a season allows them to breathe somewhat easier as they move forward with other prospective roster enhancements.

Like the deal with Escobar, Canha is signing a two-year deal but for more money -- about $26.5 over the duration of that contract.  He is hopefully an expensive backup plan to whatever they do with the other outfield roles which right now belong to Brandon Nimmo and perhaps Dom Smith.  He's not going to replace Michael Conforto even up, but he's going to make about 33% less per season and will provide them with a professional and capable guy who they can slot in anywhere needed out there.  


What came as a huge surprise was the late announcement after midnight when it was revealed that Starling Marte agreed to a four-year $78 million deal with the Mets pending a physical. That's about a 60% increase over what he had been earning.  Some might quibble about the amount and term, given he will turn age 33 during the 2022 season.  However, Marte is a stellar fielder, blazing baserunner and has modest power.  

He would slot into centerfield with Brandon Nimmo sliding to one of the corners.  In this past season split between the Marlins and Oakland resulted in 47 stolen bases and a .310 batting average.  During his career he's won two Gold Gloves and made the All Star team once.  The right handed hitter helps balance out a lefty-heavy lineup the Mets fielded in 2021.  

None of these deals is going to ensure the Mets have returned to the top 1-3 teams of the division, nor are they the kind of superstar names that fans and media hoped to hear with a new sheriff in town.  Marte was most definitely brought here to be a starter whereas the short term deals for guys who likely are backup players, slightly overpaid for that role, suggests they are preparing for all variables since there's no guarantee the top ten players want anything to do with the new Mets organization.  

When they spoke about spending Cohen's money on payroll, reinforcing the bench wasn't what people initially had in mind, but it's necessary to do, and an interesting, aggressive approach for an off season that could find itself ending at midnight on December 1st if there is no new CBA in place.  

Yesterday (11/28/21) in Winter Ball: Mauricio off




Yesterday in the Dominican League:


Tigres del Licey 6 Aguilas Cibaenas 1 (Box Score)

Ronny Mauricio, had the day off, .253 batting average with .657 OPS.

David Thompson, also had the day off - .158 with .358 OPS.
Orlando Calixte, 3B, 2 for 4, double, 1 run scored 1 K - now hitting .290 with .759 OPS.

Juan Lagares, RF, 1 for 4, 1 K - .343 with .818 OPS.

Estrellas de Oriente 6 Toros del Este 4 (Box Score)

Martin Cervenka, C, 0 for 1 - .200 with .545 OPS.

Josh Reddick, PH, 0 for 1 - .500 with 1.000 OPS.

In Venezuela:

Leones del Caracas 8 Cardenales de Lara 7 (Box Score)

Wilfredo Tovar, SS, 1 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 run scored - hitting .386 with .941 OPS.

In Mexico:

Juan Uriarte C (Box Score), 1 for 3 - hitting .282 with .718 OPS.

In Puerto Rico:

Criollos de Caguas 4 Santruce 3 (Box Score)

Johneshwy Fargas 4 for 5, triple, 1 run scored, 1 K - hitting .302 with .764 OPS.


11/28/21

Tom Brennan - 40 Man Mets Roster Inclusions and Exclusions


I find that I develop Mets Myopia during the season.  

I love to follow our prospects and think the best of our best.

That said, there are objective measuring sticks for those players that come along as the calendar year proceeds, like 40 man roster decisions.  It is interesting to see who is included (protected) and who is excluded and ponder why.

Three categories: 

1) Mets prospects added; 

2) Mets prospects excluded; 

3) Outside prospects added.

1) IF/OF Mark Vientos, SS/OF(?) Ronny Mauricio, and RHPs Adam Oller and Jose Butto.  All seemingly are no-brainers.  

Vientos and Mauricio ought to become everyday major leaguers (and perhaps even future All Stars) in the not-too-distant future, and the Mets know it, and other teams know it also.  If they were left exposed, they'd be gone in a flash.

And you've gotta protect pitchers you think will be useful assets, and Oller and Butto certainly fit that bill - both almost undoubtedly will hurl in 2022 for the New York Mets.  Why?  If for no other reason than they used 30+ pitchers in 2021.  But I think both will be more-than-marginal Mets in 2022.

Also on the 40 mensch roster is OF Mark Payton. Turning 30 soon, and with just a handful of major league ABs, it seemed at first a curious add to the 40 man, but he has demonstrable talent.

He dazzled in AAA in 2019 (OK, in the PCL), with 30 doubles, 30 HRs and a .334 average in just 118 games.  In 2021 with Syracuse, primarily, he hit a quality .293/.360/.462 in 75 games, and he does not fan a lot.  A 5'8" lefty hitter with pop and some quickness who does not fan a whole lot.  Hmmm... Whether he can translate that to the major league level remains to be seen.

2) Excluded were 4 AFL players - IF/OF Carlos Cortes, RHPs Colin Holderman and Brian Metoyer, and C Hayden Senger.  

Cortes to me was the most surprising, as he started out scalding hot in AA in 2021, but then had a weaker, injury-impacted second half and mediocre AFL stint.  My guess?  Mets hope most teams see him as a season away from a 4th or 5th OF role on the major league level.  I originally thought he'd be MLB ready in 2023, but 2024 is more likely a realistic timeframe, since Carlos has yet to play AAA ball.

Holderman has missed tons of time, and his AFL stint was not dominant, and Metoyer was alternately very good or terrible in his AFL outings.  Both seem to need another sold, healthy season before 40 man protection is needed.  Given how many pitchers the Mets use in a season, though, it is not beyond speculation that either or both could make his big league debut in 2022.

Senger is solid defensively and OK offensively, but it also seems his selection, even at an in-demand role like catcher, would be a year premature.  Patrick Mazeika is ahead of him right now and was protected also.  Mazeika, when not with the Mets in 2021, had a better AAA season than Senger had in AA.

Also excluded was Carlos Rincon, a slugger who hit in the .270s, with a pretty high K rate, in AA.  My guess is the Mets feel he won't be MLB-ready until 2023, and then in a back up role, so no need to protect him now.

3) Recent arrivals and additions to the 40 man include Nick Plummer and Antonio Santos.  

Plummer, yet another lefty OF bat, was a former 23rd overall pick in 2015 who, pre-pandemic, was frankly a complete failure, hitting under .200 with lots of Ks over 2015-19, getting no higher than A ball.  He also missed 2016 altogether - not sure why.  

In 2021, though, in AA and AAA, he was much improved, hitting .280/.415/.479.  Strikeouts remained high but substantially improved, and like lefty-hitting Khalil Lee, Nick walked and got HBP a lot - 90 total times in 117 games.  That production clearly puts the 25 year old Plummer ahead of (lefty, too) Carlos Cortes as of right now.  He also brings more OF versatility than Cortes, as he has manned LF, CF, and RF.  

Plummer's production should inspire Jaylen Palmer and Sherveyn Newton, two similarly athletic Mets' prospects with truly high K rates, that perhaps that flaw in their games, especially it seems with Palmer, could be fixed and make a future major league career a reality.

Antonio Santos has had a weak minor league career statistics, but the pitcher has had a few stints pitching for Colorado. The first time around, in 2020, he got hammered in limited innings.  This past season, in less than 10 MLB innings, his BAA and OBP against both lefties and righties were solid, although he put up a weak season in the minors.  So, it appears with some further enhancement, we are likely to see Santos in the Mets' pen, at least occasionally, in 2022.

That's my take.  What's yours?  

I'm expecting at least 40 men from our roster of readers to leave comments.

Best of MLB Draft Database - 2022 - Q and A - 2B/OF - Joe Lampe


 
Mack - First of all, thank you Joe for visiting with me for a few questions. The first is in regards to your experience so far with your choice of attending Arizona State. Tell us a little about that. 

Joe - Choosing to attend Arizona State was the best decision of my life. I originally attended UC Davis out of high school, realized it wasn’t a good fit for me, so I transferred to Santa Rosa Junior College. During this process, my goal was to get to a school where the team mindset is national championship or bust, and each player's personal goals were to play professional baseball. 

With Arizona State, I am grateful enough to get the best of both worlds, and I am confident in saying I have the best coaching staff in the country. Day in and day out, I am being pushed, and every little detail on defense and offense is being watched. I have never experienced something like it before, but I know it is preparing me for pro ball and life after ASU.  

 

Mack -  I originally had you projected as an outfielder, but Joe Doyle of Prospect Live convinced me that you were one of the top second basemen in this draft. What position do you see yourself finally ending up on in the game? 

Joe - I take pride in being able to play every position on the field. Whether it be infield or outfield, I have worked to get the tools and coordination to play both. After playing my freshman year at shortstop at SRJC, and the collegiate summer ball season at second base, I came into my sophomore year at Arizona State just wanting a crack in the lineup. I was willing to do whatever it took for me to help the team win games and for me to get consistent at bats, and that meant being plugged into centerfield. 

I took the task on as a challenge. Everyday I pushed myself to learn as much as possible about outfield footwork, angles, reads, etc, and I focused on my speed training more than ever before. In the end, I can see myself playing SS/2B or CF at the pro level. 

 

Mack -    I love your .461 slugging percentage last season, but Perfect Game had you as the top outfield defender at the Cape this summer. Do you consider yourself a defense first player, a bat first, or both? 

Joe -  I consider myself a prototypical 1 hole or 2 hole hitter, with the potential to plug into any position at a high level. I feel like I made the most out of opportunities in the 9 hole last year for ASU, and hope to change the narrative of glove first to above average hitting and defense with more looks in the lead off spot this spring. 

 

Mack -  You came out of Casa Grande High School (CA.) and followed that with a stint at Santa Rosa Junior College (CA.) and the Headsburg Prune Pakcers (CA.) before becoming a Sun Devil. I guess this makes what you are currently doing quite rewarding? 

Joe -  My whole life I have been overlooked and undersized. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school when I started hitting with Joey Gomes where my life started to change. Joey trained my mentality and fueled my work ethic to be the most physical, toolsy player I could be in a short amount of time. 

Before my freshman year of college, I wouldn't have categorized myself as a draft guy, but as a player who plays the game hard and the right way. Not exactly a showcase kind of player, but a guy who is going to consistently challenge defenders, find a way to crack the lineup, and not afraid to back down to competition. With the addition of plus tools I have added to my arsenal, it has helped add to my game, and get some recognition on a national level. That being said, I am grateful for the experiences, opportunities, and believers that have been in my corner since day one. We aren’t done!!!

  

Mack -  Joe, what have you been working at this summer to even improve your game more heading into the draft? 

Joe - With the new coaching staff at Arizona State, I am learning more and more about ways to cut down distance to balls in the outfield with my footwork. So I would say I am upgrading my defense to an even higher level than it was at last year. Then, I am doing speed work with our strength trainer to keep my speed at an elite level, and I am really learning how to steal bases. The coaching staff is showing me things I have never been taught before, and how to take advantage of little things in the game. As far as offense goes, I’ll let my actions speak for themselves this spring. 

 

Mack -  And lastly… the question I ask everyone I interview… what is the first thing you are going to buy with your signing bonus money? 

Joe -  I will buy a nice steak dinner with the people who had the biggest impact on my career and development, and then invest the rest.


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Right Now! The Top Five LHPs in the 2022 Draft




This is a continuation of a series started last weekend with right handed pitchers.

 We now move on to the southpaws. 

Here’s what what I see are the top tier lefties in this draft:

 


#1 Hunter Barco 

6-4      208     Florida 

2021 stat line - 16-starts, 10-3, 4.01, 83-IP, 94-K 

Low-90s, T95 FB, 80-86 slider, splitter and change-up 

3/4 arm slot and deceptive delivery 

Right now, I seem to be the only draft guru that has Barco in the number one position. That’s fine. Barco is my man and I’m sticking with him.

 


#2 Nate Savino 

6-3     195     Virginia 

2021 stat line - 16-G, 10-starts, 3-3, 3.79, 54.2-IP, 34-K, 16-BB 

Mid-90s FB (heavy sink), hi-70s sweeping curve, 80s curve 

Not far from the top slot. Many have him there now. Moving forward, his slider looks like will be his bread and butter pitch. He will have to step up a little before the draft to keep this highly ranked.

 


#3 Noah Shultz 

6-9     220     Oswego      Vandy commit 

            18 2/3 innings pitched, 24 strikeouts, 1.39 WHIP 

89-91, T93 FB (with life), mid-70s slider, low- 80s change, slurvy massive spin breaker 

Max Scherzer type release. Very intimidating on the mound. Fastball spins up to 2500 rpm. Super high ceiling.

 


#4 Brandon Barriera 

6-1     170    American Heritage Plantation HS (FL) 

                82 innings pitched, 125 strikeouts, 1.02 WHIP 

92-94, T97, FB, low-80s wipeout slider, mid-80s change-up, 76-78 curve 

Comes right at hitters with a bulldog mentality, Like many other speed ballers, his slider seems to be setting up as his go-to pitch. Lots of projection left here. Vandy commit.

 


#5 Jackson Ferris 

6-5      190     IMG Academy 

                66 1/3 innings pitched, 90 strikeouts, 1.12 WHIP 

90-94, T97 FB, mid-70s curve, low-80s change 

The fastball is definitely his signature pitch. Downhill angle late riding life. Has superior control of all three pitches. I could easily have him too low here and he has the potential to go into the 2022 draft as the top left handed starter. Ole Miss commit. 


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