Tom Brennan and Mack Ade - Mets Recap

Joe Suozzi in his college days 

PREAMBLE:

Remarkable that after Friday night's 20 run explosion and an 11 run prelude in a game earlier in the week, Brooklyn after 40 games is still last in scoring in runs in their league (3.5 RPG), still trailing leader Greenville by 108 runs.  I wonder if the two recent explosions are a sign of things to come, though?  One can hope so.  

Also, despite a barrage of 5 HRs on Friday, they still trail Greenville in that department by a whopping 71-18.  Matt Gorski, Pirates outfield slugger prospect, has 18 all by himself (1 every 8 at bats, for what it is worth).

Oddly, the 5 HRs gave them just 7 on the road this season.  They are also still hitting 40 points HIGHER in Brooklyn, even after Friday's 19 hit road barrage.

Jaylen Palmer and Sherveyn Newton went 3 for 9 in that game, with 3 walks - and 5 Ks in the 6 outs they made. Even in the good games, the Ks are ever-present for these two.

But hitting is still very scarce in Metsville Minors overall.

Binghamton is 2nd to last in hitting (.219) and in runs scored. 3rd to last in HRs.  

Syracuse is last in hitting (.212) and 3rd to last in runs. 

St Lucie is first in average (.249) and close to 2nd in scoring, but is fanning 11 times per contest.  But, to put it in perspective, the least-fanning team in that league is still fanning 8.5 times per game.

I see that overall Mets minors offensive futility and I sure do grow in appreciation for Pete; Lindor; Nimmo; Marte; McNeil; and Canha, to name 6.  

And it is why I want McNeil not to collide with walls when the Mets are 8 runs down - we need him on the field and off the IL.  Many Facebook folks love Jeff (so do I), love the hustle (so do I), and thought I was making too much of the Jeff vs. wall thing.  

They forget acrobatic Juan Lagares spending so many stints on the IL that they named a hospital wing after him.  I want Jeff on the field, simple.  You hit a wall, the wall usually claims victims.

Some Facebook fellas feel I'm too negative.  Maybe I am.  I tend to think I am objective.

So let me offset that negative aura with positive news about a local kid doing a nice and sharp turnaround:

Joe Suozzi was 3 for 30 in Brooklyn in April.  I wondered if that was it for undrafted Joe.  In over his head?  No. 

Why?

Because May came:  he missed a few weeks this month, but in his 9 May games through Friday, he is raking at .385/.467/.731.  Super turn-around, raising his average 132 points in 9 games.

Most of those Facebook fans, let me note, would say: "Joe WHO?" Sometimes I feel it should be renamed Dunce Book.

Enough of that, though - on to the Mets.

The league is allowing the teams to carry 14 pitchers for another few weeks, particularly good timing, what with Megill, May, Max and deGrom still in the infirmary.  If you have major league aspirations, it is a fine time to be a pitcher.  The Mets have already used 21 pitchers through Friday.

I named above the 6 hitters the Mets can't do without.  

Six vital pitchers (Max, Peterson, Bassitt, Carrasco, Megill, and Walker) through Friday are 22-6. Need them a lot - two are hurt and can't help until they're back.  The rest are 8-11.  And we badly need the guy with 11 saves, too - Diaz.

Shreve's pitch on that 2 run homer the other night in different times may have landed him in Shreveport.  Failure to Prevent Launch.

By the way, Cano hitting .169 in 65 ABs this year.  Time for the bugle to play Taps on his career?

But let's forget the past and move on from Friday to Saturday's action, as the Mets seek to bury the Phillies and fend off the Braves.

The Mets were without sore wrist animosity, who does not expect to miss much time. Jeff McNeil 3 run jack. Jeff? He’s good, man. Upper decker. 

Guillorme (.352/.439/.451) on base 4 times, morphing into Tony Gwynn right before our very eyes. Lindor 2 run triple and a run-scoring single (.260)…who needs .400 OBP Nimmo anyway? Alonso roped a sac fly. Taijuan Walker battled, Colin Holderman continued his no earned run streak.  Ottavino did well.  Nick Plummer got called up and pinch ran for Jeff McNeil and replaced him in LF.  Mazeika (.207)  and Smith (.190) went 0 for 7, but the Domiciled One picked up a sac fly and has 14 RBIs.

No need for Edwin the Great, with a 6 run lead in the 9th, so in comes Seth Lugo.  Three up, 3 down for the former 34th rounder in his 234th Mets outing.  8-2 win.  

T-Bone Walker gets the win (3-0) and all that jazz.

Kyle Schwarber (4 years, $79 million), by the way, is really Chris Davis. Down to .186, a ghastly 61 Ks.  Egads!

And...Atlanta lost.  Sweet.

Minors:

Two guys named Montgomery with first initial M starting today, one for us, one against us. 

The Mets’ Syracuse Montgomery is slip-sliding, at 0-5, 6.51.  The other, facing Brooklyn for Bowling Green tonight, has a 2.18 ERA and a staggering 58 Ks in 33 innings coming in  Can we do a straight-up Montgomery trade here?

SYRACUSE: no offense, no pitching. 2 hit shutout. 8-0 loss. Groan. No Mark Vientos tonight. Montgomery ERA flew up to 7.07. Put him on a 707 with a one-way ticket.

BINGHAMTON: no offense, no pitching. No Baty, Alvarez and Mauricio were 0-8 with 5 Ks, and once-scalding Wyatt Young went hit less for his 5th straight game.  11-2 deficit mid 8th. I’ve lost interest in this game. Fill me in. Nah, I peeked…11-2 final. 4 hits.

BROOKLYN: No offense. That guy Mason Montgomery was fanning Cyclones with abandon. Five shutout innings, 10 Ks. 68 Ks in 38 innings.  Trade Baty for him?  Just a thought.  

Cyclone Clenney blew thru and surrendered a grand salami. He gave up 2 other HRs, too.  Ouch!  Brooklyn down 7-0 after 6. Let me know how it turns out.  No, I'm back, and a darned good thing. Brooklyn is rallying HARD. 

A 2 run Jose Peroza jack, a Gaddis long ball, 4 hits from Brandon McIlwain (.279), back to 8-4 in the 8th. In the 9th, bags get packed with none out.  Sherveyn Newton (0 for 4, 4 Ks) stepped up and...HE WALKS IN A RUN!   Up steps 3rd rounder JT Schwartz.  Error, two more runs, Newton out at 2nd, Suozzi hit by pitch, and one out, 2 on for Jose Mena.  On a 3-0 count, Mena grounds into a force play, Schwartz scores, 8-8.  Gaddis grounds out, and it's 8-8 going into bottom 9.  

Justin Courtney comes in, though, and promptly allows a game-winning HR.  Quite the exciting game, even if a loss.

ST LUCIE: good pitching, but the offense has disappeared. A 3-0 loss….BUT GOOD NEWS! Righty Dedniel Nunez is back from his very long injury recovery with 1.2 innings of no run,2 K ball.

 Mack - My thoughts

- Today's featured minor leaguer is a Mets prospect we have talked about frequently.

OF Nick Plummer

The 25 year old Plummer was the 1st round (23rd pick overall) pick by St. Louis in 2015, out of Brother Rice HS in Michigan

A highly touted prospect, Plummer plays all three outfield positions well and comes with some pop in his bat.

He played through the Cardinal chain but they refused to add him to the 40 in 2021. The Mets offered him a one year MLB contract going forward

He currently has only one major league at bat but expect to see more now that Travis Jankowski is on the shelf.

- A late Friday transaction was the announcement that RHRP Tommy Hunter returned to the active Syracuse roster.

He immediately played last night, giving up 2-ER in 2.1IP and raising his seasonal ERA to 9.00.

- There have been a lot of mock drafts lately predicting that catcher Daniel Susac at 1.11. It's time to take a deep dive into what goes here.

Susac is one of two draft eligible 2022 catchers in this draft that will go early in this draft. The other is Kevin Parada.

Susac is a 6-4, 205 pound draft-eligible sophomore, out of Arizona University. 

His two year stat line for Arizona has been staggering:

2021: 242-AB, .335/.392/.591. 12-HR, 65-RBI, 47-K

2022: 251-AB, .367/.433/.602.12-HR, 60-RBI

Defensively, he has a very strong arm and flashes many skills behind the plate. Regardless of his height, he is expected to stick in front of the ump.

Great blood line. Brother of Andrew Susac.

Me?

I see both of these top catchers long gone before we pick at 1.11.

- Carlos Carrasco jammed the thumb in his glove hand Friday night, but it should not affect him going forward.

- Mangum, not Magnum. 

-.Wanna see a streak?

Virginia 1B/3B Tyler Locklear 

Last 10 games

25-36 8-HR 30-RBI 21-R 0-K

.694/.780/1.472/2.252

(over 2 seasons 111 G 

11.7% strikeout ratio)

- The Braves are about to pull another one out of their hat.

AA CF Michael Harris has been promoted to the parent team and will be in uniform yesterday.

Harris was a 3rd round pick in 2019, out of Stockbridge HS (GA).

He's a 70 runner with 70 defense in center, and has good power on fastballs. If you want to win here, pitch him off-speed. 

2022 AA - 174-AB, .305, 5-HR

- The upper deck HR hit by Jeff McNeil proved you don't have to swing hard to hit a long ball.

Take the same kind of full swing that you would do in golf and barrel up the ball.

Did you ever wonder why most hitters are good at golf?

Same swing.

- Some have argued with me when I said that defense wins game.

Well, you witnessed last night how defense can LOSE games.