Tom Brennan and Mack Ade - Mets Recap

 

Sir Edwin the Great

RECAP STARTS FURTHER BELOW - KEEP READING!

BUT FIRST, QUESTIONS:

Quiz Question: Who has had just 4 HRs and 79 Ks in his last 254 plate appearances?  Think # 2.  No, not THAT # 2.  

# 2 as in # 2 Mets prospect Brett Baty.  Does it make you nervous that, at least in those respects, our # 2 is hitting like # 2?

Exactly why is Mark Vientos (# 4) thought to be the inferior prospect to Baty by all raters?   Vientos in AA and AAA since June 10, 2021, has 29 HRs in 334 at bats.  Pretty Ruthian, if you ask me.

Another quizzer? Who in 114 at bats in 2022 has one HR, and 46 Ks?  And .176 in AAA?  # 7 prospect Khalil Lee.  

He is also, by the way, remarkably just 1 for 40 with 25 Ks in spring training 2021 and 2022 and regular Mets season 2021.  I feel like when I was 23, I could have gone 1 for 40, but I am sure I am overrating my abilities in the fog of time.

Last quizzer...who has 48 Ks in 97 at bats in Brooklyn and a .186 average?  # 14 prospect Jaylen Palmer.  That's a K every two at bats, on a team 3 levels removed from the major leagues. A rate worse than his overall career rate of 328 Ks in 815 ABs.  Draw your own conclusions.

Needless to say, my rankings are different.  I penalize failure to make contact.

FACEBOOK FOLLIES:

Mets fan sites are a conundrum.  Maybe it has to do with ubiquitous 6th grade reading levels.  A few examples.  People were posting positive things about LOVING the hustle of Jeff McNeil in running into a wall while the Mets were trailing by 8 runs.  

Me, I'm remembering that Jeff had missed time (in 2020 or 2021) running into an outfield wall, and the many instances of reckless Juan Lagares going all Evil Knievel in the outfield and incurring several multi-month injuries as a result, including some where the team either led or trailed big.  The line between "hustle" and "dumb" can be a bit blurry.

Well, I suggested Jeff be a little more judicious in his hustle.  Suggested running into a wall while trailing by 8 runs was...dumb. Walls often win - just ask Mike Baxter and Johneshwy Fargas.   After all, the Mets' playoff chances are much better with .320 Jeff actually playing healthy as opposed to being on the IL. 

Quite a few fans thought I was too negative, not a real fan, or they just wanted to admire the reckless hustle.  "Love my team!  I'm not a hater like you!"  I didn't change anyone's mind.

On another one, someone posted something ragging on Edwin Diaz.  So I posted he was great.  One guy in particular started attacking me, while pointing out his 78% save rate was not 90% (you know, Mariano Rivera levels, 100% first vote Hall of Fame territory).  

I said I still thought Diaz was great - in 2020-22, 8-8, 48 saves, 2.80 ERA, boatloads of Ks.  Sent him a table showing he was top 6 out of 30 teams' closers.  I added that the Giants are a highly potent offense, and highly potent offenses can get to really good pitchers.  Such as Seaver being 12-20 lifetime against the Big Red Machine.  

When he sarcastically persisted, I added that Pete and Jake and Lindor are great - but they often fail - that Seaver, whom everyone views as great, lost over 200 games, and a few more such examples.  

More sarcasm came back from the dolt.  I had told him if I felt he was not great, and I do, there was nothing more to say and please not continue to post.  Another sarcastic response.  I wrote back a simple "Shut Up."  Turns out he was a site moderator and suspended me for 2 weeks for that - LOL.  Somehow, it didn't occur to him he should suspend himself - or 5 minutes in the penalty box at least.

Yet another guy got all over me for calling deGrom "Half Season Jake."  Called me a garbage fan.  To his credit, when I elaborated back to him and wished him a good day, saying stuff to him like I sure hope Jake finds a way to add more finesse so he is not surpassing his biomechanics limits and getting re-injured for multiple months, and that the reader and my ERA and innings were the same as Jake's since mid-July 2021, and repeated that I wanted to win a WS with him, he got it, and wished me a good day.

I did also defend Szapucki, saying he needed to take his whupping, go back down and get better.  Some prognosticators ("what did you just call me?") got it, some naturally lashed out at my stupidity a bit.  Wanted him banished - period.  Surely wanted Flexen gone, too.

I could go on - but as whacky and frankly ignorant as some Facebook readers are, they do post comments a lot - which can be fun, to a point.  

OH YEAH, ALMOST FORGOT - THE METS UPDATE!

Well, Jankowski will be out for 2 months with a bone break. Maybe we'll see Mangum?  Seems like a logical fit, but who knows?

After a couple of tough losses in Frisco, the Mets' offense was firing early on tonight.  Pete, four more RBIs, now has 45!  12th HR, 8th double.  Lindor on base his first 3 times up.  Marte getting on.  Only Nido (K his first 2 times up) is reminder of the disappointment of anemic Mets offenses of years past.  Cookie Carrasco is just real good.  In the 6th, 4 soft hits, then a close walk, then Buck made a mistake pulling him, then a Shreve heave that from the ball park had to leave and 7-0 was suddenly  7-6.

A Mets sac fly made it 8-6, and yes, Edwin was GREAT in picking up the save.  The man is worth his weight in gold, no matter what a few funky Facebook fools have to blather about.

SYRACUSE - right on cue, Mark Vientos launched # 7 tonight; six in his first 58 ABs in May - just like his torridd pace of 2021.  He is a HR-hitting machine.  I have a fondness for such machines.  He is, by the way, a 22 year old HR hitting machine. Poor relief work by Zanghi and Hunter and another loss for no-excuse Syracuse.

BINGHAMTON  - Alvarez smacks his 7th (Mack, he's ready) and Cortes knocked one finally (yay).  Baty has not played for the past few games - why, not sure.  Down 3-2 top 9, Zach Ashford rocked a 3 run triple - CLUTCH!  6-3 lead.  

Mountain Man Montes de Oca comes in to lock things down, but allows a single and a close 3-2 walk to start matters.  Soft ground out, then a sac fly.  Two out, one on, and then punches out the next guy swinging for the save, a 6-4 win.  17 pitches, 12 for strikes, very close pitches on the walk - a decent outing for big Bryce, and Mitch Ragan gets the W in set-up relief.

BROOKLYN -  Game started quietly, 1-0 after 2 innings.  Over the next 3 innings, 15 combined runs.  Early HRs by Rowdey Jordan and Suozzi tonight.  The Suoz has shaken off his frigid start and was up to .226 after his second hit tonite, a quick 100 point jump.  (A few innings later, he had 5 RBIs). 

First HR for Jordan, and his 15 RBIs as a lead off hitter is impressive.  Catcher O'Neill hit his first, too.  Jaylen Palmer?  THREE RUN SHOT!  

Ten runs in the first 5 innings after 11 runs a few games ago - the Cyclones have discovered the formula.  And how!   20 runs and 18 hits through 6 innings!

Wait!  TEN more runs in the 6th, including a HR by McIlwain, Jose Peroza has come back to life with 3 hits and 3 ribbies. Then the hits and scoring stopped. Grant Hartwig finished up with 3 scoreless with 4 Ks.

ST LUCIE - oddly, the Lucie sis NOT hit today - a run on 3 hits, including 3B Villavicencio's first HR.  21 year old righty, Franklin Sanchez, threw 2 innings of relief, a hit, no walks or runs, and fanned 4.  Ramirez had a day off, but the others fanned 15 more times.

      Mack - My thoughts

- Today's featured minor leaguer is one of the much spoken about pitchers that was drafted last year in the 2021 draft.

RHP Dominic Hamel was drafted by the Mets as the 81st pick (3rd round) in last year's draft.

A favorite of mine when I followed college ball, he first pitched two years for Yavapai College (Az) and then transferred to Dallas Baptist for his junior and senior season. In 2021, for DB, he pitched as the Friday Night Starter, leading his conference with 136-K (in 91.2-IP).

The Mets gave this senior a $755,300 signing bonus which is a hell of a higher amount than the typical 20K figure given out to seniors.

Two nights ago, Hamel went 5.1 innings for St. Lucie, striking out 9.

Fastball is 90-94, T96, 2400 spin rate.

Slider is 3000 spin. Curve and change.

Hamel has had difficulty keeping his ERA below 4.00 all his career, and, if he can't accomplish that, I see him as a viable candidate for an 8th inning reliever some day on the Mets.

- A report trickled in on Friday morning that Mets RHSP Tylor Megill is only suffering from mild tendinitis in his bicep and is scheduled to return in early June.

Considering this late date in May, I guess we see him begin rehabbing soon.

- Baseball Prospect Journal came out with their 4.0 mock and they have:

1.11 - C Daniel Susac - Arizona

1.14 - LHP Connor Prielipp (see?)

- MLB Pipeline also published a new mock.

1.11 - C Daniel Susac - Arizona

1.14 - LHP Dylan Lesko - Buford HS (GA)

- Last year's top Mets draft pick, RHP Kumar Rocker, will be pitching his first game for the Tri-Cities ValleyCats on June 4th, in Troy, NY.