Tom Brennan and Mack Ade - Mets Recap

 

Questions of the Day:

Who is the fastest throwing Mets' minor league reliever?  

Is it one of these 2 AA relievers?

Bryce Montes de Oca?  1-1, 2.93, 15.1 IP, 23 Ks, 26 year old righty.

Michel Otanez? 0-1, 1.38, 13 IP, 17 Ks, 24 year old righty. W

Or someone else?

Second question: 

The new Noah Syndergaard threw an 8 inning gem the other day for the Angelos - 4 hits, one run, just 5 Ks. Now 38 innings in 2022, just 27 Ks, but 4-2 record.  Clearly, he has altered his game.  Can Jake deGrom follow suit, throttle down, and stay on the diamond?  First, of course, he has to get on the diamond.

Observation: 45 games played thru Tuesday, Francisco Lindor now has 32 RBIs, 30 Runs.  So he is on pace for 108 runs scored and 115 RBIs.

- Should we get off his back now?

METS GAME:

Baseball can at times present the most unusual scenarios.  The Mets have a guy who has been in their system since 2015, started 49 games and relieved in 7 others, and has 6 career wins.  Remarkably, that same guy got to start for the Mets against the Giants Wednesday. THOMAS SZAPUCKI.

A big reason for just 6 wins in that many starts is he rarely gets to 5 innings.  This season, after his 2021 nerve shift surgery in his previously repaired pitching elbow, he had 7 starts in AAA, totaling 22 innings, in which he fanned 30 and had a solid 2.86 ERA.  But he was 0-3 because he only had one game where he went 5 innings, in his May 15 start, so it is the only start he could have even gotten a win in.  He gave up 1 unearned run, but lost.  His team, Syracuse, hasn't scored very much.

AAA hitters were hitting .247 and he allowed 9 walks.  This year, in AAA, that qualifies him as being at the head of the starter class when David Peterson hasn't been temporarily sequestered there involuntarily.

So Big Tom gets his first major league start against a team that just scored 13 runs last night against three studs named Bassitt, Smith, and Diaz, and which won 107 games last year.  Piece of cake? 

Well, he did fan the first batter…before surrendering 5 runs faster than you could say Szapucki. Bad luck to have the wind blowing out. Shaky control. Nice pick off.

Second inning, 1 more out, 4 more runs, 2 more HRs, 60.75 ERA.  OUCH.

All I can ask Szapucki is, what did you learn that can make you better?

GREAT relief after his 1.1 innings was done, and a double and HR for Lindor.  Francisco is HOT!  Shutting mouths everywhere.

McNeil runs into a brick wall and left injured? In a 9-0 game.  DUMB! We need you, Jeff!  Only Pete can run through brick walls.

 

MINORS:

SYRACUSE - Righty Connor Grey threw 6 scoreless. Three straight starts of 6 innings and no runs.  Next one called up?  

Mark Vientos homer (6) and double, but no place in Queens  for him right now, and smoking hot Jake Mangum garners 3 more hits.  If shirt man Jankowski does not hit for the Mets, Mangum could get a shot later this year if he keeps on doing everything well.

BINGHAMTON - another dreary night of not hitting.  Downed 5-1, on a mere 3 hits.  Even Wyatt Young went hitless, somehow.  Carlos Cortes (.165) is hitting as if he is completely lost this year.  This time last year, he was tearing up AA.

BROOKLYN - Jaylen Palmer (2 for 5) seems to have figured something out. In game one, DH Jose Mena (.315) had 4 hits in an unusually high offense, 11-9 win.  

Sixteen hits - used them all up.  In the nightcap, though, shut out on 1 hit by Sherveyn Newton.  Nick Zwack gave up one earned run in 3 innings, enough to earn an "L"..  Ouch!

ST. LUCIE - Hitting pants back on our boys tonight.  12 hits - but 16 Ks, too.  Them thar Lucies sure can hit, hey Pa?  Consuegra HR (3).  Wold, Beracierta, Villalobos and Guerrera also went deep.  5 HRs in all.  Shaky 8-6 win, but they held on in the 9th.  Fending off a potential calamity is part of the learning experience.

Mack  -  My Thoughts

St. Lucie LHRP, Javier Atencio, was added to the team's roster on Monday.

He pitched his first stateside start on Tuesday, giving up only one run in four innings, striking out four, and producing a 1.00-WHIP.

He was signed in 2018 as an UDFA, out of Ocumare del Tuv, Venezuela.

He pitched 2019 and 2021 for the DSL Mets, going, last year, 1-3, 2.44, in 15 games (14 starts). He also posted 76-K in 48-IP, for a remarkable 14.25 K/9 ratio,

The Bleacher Report tagged Atencio as a the Mets breakout player to watch, saying:  

        "On the older side (20) of the prospect scale, Atencio has a good fastball, but the jump to a full season will determine his future."              

He's off to a great start.

-By my count, the Mets are starting to create a very worthy group of quality starter pieces in the lower levels.

Right now, I have:

        Brooklyn - Matt Allen, Mike Vasil

        St. Lucie - Calvin Ziegler, Dominic Hamel, Joel Diaz, Javier Atencio

        GCL Mets - Richard Britto

This should only increase after the July draft.

We currently have an eight man rotation, with three (Jake, Max, Megill) of our top starters on the shelf.

Both Megill and deGrom are now long tossing on grass and Trevor should be ready to go in early June, and Jake by the end of that same month.

My guess is, with good health going forward, and Steve's wallet, we should be okay at this critical position until the talented guppies swim up stream.

- Going into this game, Francisco Lindor was ranked 7th in the NL for RBIs.

-3B Kris Bryant (.270), was placed on the IL with a back strain. Probably dodged a bullet here.

- Syracuse OF Daniel Palka is now ranked 5th in the league with 10 home runs

- Since May 1, 3B Mark Vientos leads the Syracuse team with a .294 batting average.

- I guess it is time to realize that, going forward, Thomas Szapucki is not a viable option for the Mets rotation.

For now, Bassitt, Walker, Cookie, Peterson, and Williams.

- One has to wonder at this point why the Mets didn't just start Trevor Williams, even though he only had 3 games of rest. The Mets shut the Giants out, 3-0, past Szapucki.

-Jeff McNeil doesn't know how to quit, does he? He said his bruised knee will not prevent him from playing on Friday.

-Geez. We left a lot more than our heart in San Francisco.