Mack’s Mets – the premier site for information on the New York Mets talent pipeline and dialogue on Mets prospects, Mets news, and Mets opinions.
Veteran Macks Mets reader and deep thinker Gary Seagren asks:
WHO DO YOU WANT AT THE TRADING DEADLINE?
So, don’t just sit there - SPILL! The Mets need HELP! NOW!
Secondly, Gary notes the Mets DH spot is scuffling, and asks:
Do you want Dom or JD there? If not either of them, whom?
Regarding last night...
Two hits.
I don't care how much you yearn for either Jake or Max to be back, you are never going to see a better start than the one Taijuan Walker put up last night.
Two hits.
I have been telling you all season how proud I am regarding the gritty job done by the rotation that has seemed to be put together by gum and spit.
Two hits.
Don't look back and look and see how quickly a car or truck is heading up your ass. No, just hit the gas pedal or get the hell out of the way.
Two hits.
And please don't question either Adam Ottavino or Drew Smith showing you their human side. Remember, neither would have been in their game if the Mets had a 5-6 run lead at that point.
Two hits.
2022 Draft Update
A little something different this morning.
It’s time for me to give you my final top 5 for each position list.
Totally subjective.
Here goes…
RHP -
Brock Porter
Dylan Lesko
Blade Tidwell
Peyton Pallette
Kumar Rocker
LHP
Brandon Berriera
Connor Preilipp
Jackson Ferris
Tristan Smith
Noah Schultz
C
Kevin Parada
Daniel Susac
Malcolm Moore
Jared Jones
Logan Tanner
1B
Jacob Berry
Ivan Melendez
Spencer Jones
Tyler Locklear
Dominic Keegan
2B
Jace Jung
Michael Daly
Joe Lampe
D'Andre Smith
Jarad Poland
SS
Brooks Lee
Termarr Johnson
Jackson Holliday
Zach Neto
Jett Williams
3B
Cam Collier
Max Wagner
Cade Doughty
Peyton Graham
Jack Brannigan
OF
Druw Jones
Elijah Green
Gavin Cross
Chase DeLauter
Jordan Beck
Back in his skinnier days.
Two years ago, one assumed that Andres Gimenez or Amed Rosario would be the Mets' shortstop for years, or a combination of both, and wondered where Ronny Mauricio might fit in when he was ready.
Since then, they traded those two shortstops for Francisco Lindor, an Iron Man SS who quickly inked a contract extension of 10 year, after which I wondered where Ronny Mauricio might fit in when he was ready.
After all, if Lindor played thru the end of his contract, he'll be around through 2031.
Mauricio (21 years and 2 months old) had more RBIs than Francisco Alvarez until FA caught up to him, OK? With an excellent 41 Mauricio RBIs in 57 games through June 19, along with 15 doubles, 11 HRs, and a triple, those are potent numbers.
Not as potent are his mere 12 walks in 57 games, particularly concerning since AA pitchers likely have worse control than big league pitchers. His "only" 56 Ks in 57 games are actually promising, considering how much other sluggers fan.
(Still hard to remember the stick figure he was when he first started playing as a teenager and think of him as a filled out 6'3", 225 Darryl-looking slugger, but that he now is).
His .252 average coupled with his low walk rate screams out two things: 1) Not ready for the Mets, and 2) Amed Rosario clone.
Except for two things: 1) there is no room for him on the Mets, and if they need an infielder soon, it will be Mark Vientos or Travis Blankenhorn, and 2) he has far more power than Rosario.
The switch hitting Mauricio, to me, needs to do 3 things before reaching the big leagues:
1) Get to AAA and hit .252/.293/.474 like he's hitting in AA.
2) Then start hitting better in AAA, say .290/.350/.540.
3) And meanwhile, switch positions, for 2 reasons. One is, Lindor is the Gold Glove caliber, strong hitting Iron Man SS, and short of injury, that is not changing over the next 5 years at least. And secondly, Mauricio makes too many errors at SS. Eleven in 52 games this year, 11 in 21 games in winter ball last offseason, and 22 in 95 games in 2021. Add that all up and it's 44 errors in his last 158 games. Gadzooks!
Thise 3 things tell me he ought to not be ready for the big leagues until opening day 2024, despite his currently evident power numbers. Another 225 games to get from his current level to the level of a bona fide big leaguer.
He must have some speed, with 11 steals already this year, so I personally would change him into an outfielder. Second base, perhaps, but it is so odd that the number of career games for Ronny include zero games in the outfield and zero games at 2B. He's had 328 games at SS and 5 as a DH.
I think, if he works diligently on his hitting and improving his walk rate, he could and should be a future slugging outfielder, capable of 35 doubles and 25-30 HRs a year.
But his continuing shaky D and current hitting flaws may well make him a trade chip for a team that wants to keep payroll low, loves prospects under years of team control, and has a higher priced guy who is productive now but whom, for financial reasons, they want to move.
Keep or trade - what is your call?
Pre-season, he was ranked in the 50s, 60s and 90s by 2 baseball ranking groups, so he would certainly garner interest at the trade deadline.
Not if he has more games like Tuesday's though...0-5, including 3 Ks and a DP, and his 12th error. And Wednesday's....0-4, 4Ks. Jeesh! But then he had homers in back to back games Friday and Saturday and has 13 long balls and 46 RBIs. He added 3 hits last nght.
People may see him in a few years and not know whether to yell, “Ronny, Ronny!” or “Darryl, Darryl.” Mauricio is starting to seem to have max 40 HRs in a season potential - and THAT is valuable.
BLANKENHORN:
No, not a peak in the Alps - but a peaking hitter.
In June in AAA, 24 games, thru Wednesday: .416/.490/.697.
Sizzling.
Eddie Escobar? Not hitting for the Mets. Not going anywhere.
JD Davis? Has just 14 RBIs in 148 at bats. His bat is his ticket, but his ticket has been off-peak, he has not been productive. One stat that strikes me: he has been to the plate 1,245 times in the majors and has just 124 RBIs. That is mediocre.
* He has minor league options.
Dominic Smith? He has fallen down and can’t get up. He has hit .195 this season as a Met and astonishingly not had a MLB homer in over 11 months. He had just 2 HRs in 64 at bats in AAA earlier this year, where he hit a mediocre .260+.
* He has minor league options.
He also may need a change of scenery badly, like Albert Almora, Jr. who in 135 Cincy Reds at bats, is hitting .267(!), with 5 HRs and 24 RBIs! But couldn't hit a lick for the Mets in 2021.
Mets, meanwhile, need offense.
Blankenhorn up, Davis down? Not sure.
Blankenhorn up, Smith down?
Or sit pat, and watch a dwindling lead dwindle?
Wednesday, Mets lose in 9th, 2-0.
What do Dom Smith and Mets’ catchers have in common? Dom hitting .195, catchers hitting .195. Only fools stand pat.
MINORS MEASUREMENTS
SYRACUSE: Vientos hit a 2 run shot (12 in 220 PAs). 10-6 Syracuse win.
Blankenhorn stayed hot, with 2 hits, 3 RBIs.
BINGHAMTON: Alvarez hit his 15th homer in the last 5 weeks, unlike Dom Smith, who has no MLB HRs in 11 months. Unlike Smith, Alvarez is not hitting .195.
Max fanned 8 in 4.2 IP, fanning 8. Is Max ready? “Sure Sir.”
7-3 win, 17 Rumble pitcher Ks. The two hurlers after Max recorded all 7 of their outs by Ks. Inspired? Mauricio 3 hits (yay), 2 Wyatt Young hits (yay) - Young is 7 for 12 in his last 3 games.
BROOKLYN: Hitting malaise continues. 7 of the 9 hitters in the lineup were below .213, on the cusp of July. Nic Gaddis 3 run shot. Mike Vasil shaky over 3.2 IP, but he fanned 7. Lost 8-5.
ST LUCIE: lost 3-2, but Ramirez had 2 hits, Tilien had a hit and no Ks, and Dominguez smacked his 15th. making Mack a happy man indeed.
Final Tilien note: just 4 errors in 35 games in the field at 2B and SS. Very impressive, if you ask me.
A thought about developing prospects.
Sometimes, this game seems easy. Draft one of the top players on the board or sign a top International free agent to a $2mil bonus and let them shine.
There are always duds like Steve Chilcott (wow, two days in a row I used that name), but it’s the Jake deGrom’s you draft in the 9th round, or Jeff McNeil in the 12th, that show you never know what’s going to happen some day.
Well, we just may be developing two more that both Tom and I have written about this year.
Brandon McIlwain was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 26th round. So far through Monday, he has hit .307/.396/.484/.880 for combined Brooklyn and Binghamton. He’s an outfielder, which is sorely needed in our chain.
Junior Tilien was a cheap International free agent. He is 19 years old.
Also through Monday, he is hitting .260/.317/.466/.783 for St. Lucie, He also has hit 7-HRs in 131-AB. Tilien plays all three infield positions, but his best play going forward would be as a second baseman.
In my opinion…. and I think I can speak for Tom here also… these are two developing chips that we can add to a developing solid talent pool below the surface.
Also, we should add at least four more in the draft this year.
Now, let’s continue out talks about expiring contracts.
Today, we look at the Cincinnati Reds.
IF Donovan Solano has been out most of this season with a nagging hamstring issue, and was recently activated. So far this season, he has hit 0.2-WAR, .375 in 16-ABs. Last year, he hit .280 for the Giants, wit 7-HR. Solano is being paid $4.5mil this seasonand is a free agent in 2023.
RF Tyler Naquin has hit 0.5-WAR, .255 in 137-ABs this season, with five home runs. He was placed on the IL earlier this moth with a quad strain and isn’t expected back for awhile.
Naquin makes $4.025 this season and will be a free agent in 2023.
LHRP Ross Detwiller has produced a 0.3-WAR, 0-2, 2.89-ERA in 12 appearances this season. He is currently active and is being paid
If we are talking about prospects that the Mets should draft at 1.1, we really need to spend a few paragraphs on Brock Porter.
@BrockPorter10
Brock Porter is a 19-year old, 6-4/210 RHP, out of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s HS in Michigan.
He was a strong commitment to Clemson, but the recent firing of the man who recruited him (head coach Monte Lee) changes all that.
He also is probably gone when the Mets pick at 1.11, and definitely picked before they pick again at 1.14. So, if the Mets are lucky enough for him to still be on the board when they are on the clock, they need to move fast on this guy.
MLB.com says about Porter:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55
Porter helped pitch St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake) to Michigan Division 2 state titles in each of his first two high school seasons and won Gatorade's 2021 state player of the year award after going 12-0 with a 0.56 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings as a junior. He's the best prospect on one of the most talented high school rosters in the country and has perhaps the highest ceiling among arms in the 2022 prep class.
Porter has the best fastball in the high school crop, sitting at 94-97 mph for innings at a time, topping out at 100 and generating that velocity and plenty of armside run and carry with relative ease. He also owns one of the better changeups in the Draft, as he throws his with deceptive arm speed, good velocity separation in the low 80s and outstanding horizontal action. He has made encouraging progress with his slider this spring, flashing some plus slide pieces as hard as 87 mph, and he'll mix in a downer curveball in the upper 70s.
Other than continuing to refine his feel for spin, Porter doesn't need much beyond experience and continued good health. He has a strong 6-foot-4 frame with some projection remaining, repeats a delivery that features little effort and provides plenty of strikes. He's committed to Clemson and would be Draft-eligible in 2024 as a sophomore if he doesn't turn pro this summer.
Brian Sakowski @B_Sakowski_PG
Confirmed that UCONN LHP Reggie Crawford has entered the transfer portal. Huge left arm, triple digits on Cape last summer, missed ‘22 with TJ and still a big time draft target next month. Still, very notable name.
Zack Silverman @ZackSilverman18
Ready for a mind blowing stat? In 2021, Reggie Crawford only faced 53 batters combined between UConn, the CNT, and the Cape. He struck out 29 (54.7%!) and walked just four.
Mack - Crawford hasn’t pitched much over the past three seasons, but, when he did, he was lights out. He also plays a credible first base. I would scoop him up if he was still on the board when we picked in the second round.
Prospects1500 featured a Mets minor league this week in their weekly tribute to those that do well:
Triple-A
HITTER: Travis Blankenhorn, 2B/OF (Mets #18)
Syracuse Mets (6 G, .600/.680/1.050/1.730, 12 H, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, 5 BB, 3 SB)
International League Player of the Week!
Blankenhorn profiles as a guy that fits the bill as a “quad A” type player. He might be too good for Triple-A but is not quite a regular, productive major leaguer. The positives are that he hits from the left side, can play 3-4 positions adequately, and has hit pretty well in the highest level of the minors. The negative is that he hasn’t done any of those things at a good enough level to distinguish himself from his peers. Plus he is blocked from getting consistent AB on the current Mets MLB roster. Let’s just celebrate his strong week and hope he can eventually find a chance to get semi-regular AB as a bat-first utility-type guy.
TOM CHIMES IN:
Mets were behind 9-0 in the 5th. Not looking good. Still 9-0 in the 8th. Carrasco bad, Shreve badder, and Williams better. No doubt, Mets fans are bewildered, bothered, and bored.
MINORS MISMATCHES AND MISCUES:
St Lucie trailed by 4 after 1, but had their opponent right where they wanted them, exploding late for an 8-5 win. Tilien 2 hits, 2 RBIs; Justin Guerrera hit his 6th; and Carlos Do..MIN..guez had 2 hits and 2 Ks. De Los Santos was 1 for 5 with 4 Ks. Ramirez had a hit and 2 walks. 16th rounder Trey McLoughlin won in relief (3-2).
Binghamton down 6-1 after 7 innings. The heating-back-up Wyatt Young had 2 hits and an RBI. Chacin (6.91 ERA) took the loss. Baty hit his 8th to make it 6-2, and walked twice, while Alvarez fanned 3 times. 1-2-3 9th and a 6-2 mismatch.
Brooklyn had 2 runs, 2 hits, and 2 errors through the first 7 innings. One more hit, and it was 9 innings, 3 hits for the Recyclones. Junior Santos got off to a bad start and took the loss (3-7, 4.58). A 5-2 mismatch.
Syracuse was up mid-game after scoring 4 catcher runs: Mazeika HR, 2 singles, and 2 RBIs, and Meyer pinch hit 2 run base hit.
But Lehigh Valley pulled even in the 9th with 15 hits through 9.
But recent signee and former MLB player Deven Marrero led off the 9th and scored the winning run on a hit by - you guessed it - Nick Meyer, his 3rd RBI of the night. He is having a decent year in Syracuse - maybe if Nido falters, he will get the nod. Blazing Blankenhorn 2 more hits (.276).
Or does it?
Now no one is expecting Guillorme to morph into a modern day version offensively of Robin Ventura, but he hasn't exactly been chopped liver when it comes to swinging the bat despite a recent slide in his output. You don't have to think back that far to see he finished hitting .333 during the strike shortened 2020 season.
He followed that up with a longer stretch in 2021 when in the course of obtaining 132 at-bats he hit a respectable .265. Now in 2022 under the tutelage of a new manager and new hitting coach he is hitting north of .300 over 150 at-bats.
No one is suggesting Luis Guillorme is going to replace Jeff McNeil at second base nor Francisco Lindor at shortstop. They are veteran solid major league hitters who can provide power and run production at a greater level while fielding their positions competently. No, if that result is what Luis Guillorme is after, then he's a bit delusional.
Now under the old Mets way of doing things you wouldn't even enter this line of thinking because paycheck always dictated playing time. That philosophical approach is not just about what happens in baseball but in corporate offices all over the world. It is rare when a lower level line worker is respected enough to replace one of the movers and shakers of the organization even when he falters.
So perhaps the better approach for the Mets to take is to examine what's working and what's not working with these two individuals. It seems that the switch hitting Escobar is struggling mightily when right handed pitchers face him and his OPS is worthy of hiding.
Similarly despite the .307 batting average produced this year by Guillorme, he's facing the same kind of struggle against southpaws. In fact, he's even worse on the OPS front.
Now is this solution ideal? No, of course not. When Guillorme is in the game he will balance out his low run production with a higher level of defense (though Escobar has been surprisingly good with the glove this year).
Let us also not forget what this platoon would do to the man without a position named J.D. Davis. He would have to fight through not just one but two player roadblocks to make it onto the field. With Dom Smith back on the roster his limited opportunities to play first base are also gone.
Is it worth a try?
We're looking at some tough decisions the Mets front office will need to make after this season. Today we discuss the bullpen arms.
The New York Mets are in the midst of a special season after years of frustration. I'm very much looking forward to watching my team finally take part in the playoffs come October. But I'm also intrigued by the impending free agency of many important players and what that might mean to the Mets going forward. In part one of this series, we looked at the starting pitchers. Now we'll turn our focus to the bullpen, where the Mets must decide how much they're willing to pay to retain some key contributors.
Bunting’s not Pete Alonso’s forte, thankfully.
We all saw it with our own two eyes (in my case, four).
In April, Pete Alonso and other Mets hitters like JD Davis were hitting long fly balls to the deepest part of Citi Field. Quite a few were not clearing the fences. That’s because of the cold air and lousy carry of airborne baseballs in April in Queens.
Pete had just four home runs in April, and he certainly lost some to the frigid, unforgiving force field in the outfield against fence clearing long balls in Chile April. I saw a few stopped, perhaps you saw more.
Let’s look ahead to May and June.
Pete in 50 games from May 1 through June 26 hit 18 home runs. Balls are hit, and fences are now cleared.
April Pete stats of course count.
But post-April Pete is a homer-hitting behemoth.
Of note, through the Mets’ first 71 games, only 48 homers were hit by Mets players other than Pete. Yet they led MLB in scoring, 2 ahead of the Yankees, who hit 48 more HRs, and who are + 14 in homers in their bandbox where the ball does carry.
Put Pete in that little bitty bandbox away from the Queens swamp, and he’d likely have 28 by now.
I hope you liked this little bitty short article. It was really DEEP.
Except to note this…
In 2019, the Mets set a team record with 242 homers (1.5 per game), yet missed the playoffs at 86-75, in part because they scored fewer runs per game than this relatively low homer (1 per game) 2022 team has.
MY METS MINORS MUSINGS
Boy can baseball be a game of extremes.
To walk or not to walk, SS Billy Shakespeare once said, THAT is the question.
Just consider St Lucie:
Infielder Greg Guerrero is 7 for 34 with zero walks.
SS Kevin Villavicencio is a decent 20 for 85 - but with one single little bitty walk, giving him a .244 OBP.
So, those two IFs have been up 120 times and share one walk.
C Fernando Villalobos is a hurting 3 for 21, but he's walked 11 times in 9 contests for a .438 OBP. He's from the Walking Villa, not the Swinging Villa. Meanwhile...
C Jose Rivera is a so-so 19 for 84, but a not at all bitty 29 walks in 30 games for a .435 OBP.
So those two catchers are 22 for 105 ABs, normally not a good thing, but have walked 40 times in 39 games for a .436 OBP. Even with 49 Ks in 39 games, a .436 OBP. Oh my.
Coincidentally, Wilmer Reyes has a .244 Brooklyn OBP, equal to Villavicencia's .244 in St Lucie. Wilmer has just 6 walks in 34 games. A key difference between the two players is KV is 18 years old and WR is now 24, 6 years of age difference. Where will each be, baseball-wise, in 6 years, I wonder?
Meanwhile, Cyclone C Matt O'Neill loves to walk, always has, and has just a .191 average, but a .342 OBP (3rd highest on the team) because of his 28 walks in 44 games, and he has 366 official ABs as a pro and a gaudy 96 walks.
OK, time for me to take a walk away from the PC.
But walks do matter. Just ask Brandon Nimmo.
Guillorme has been with the Mets for five years now, having played in his 230th game on Sunday. Except for the shortened 2020 season, he has hit in the mid-.200’s and has shown positional versatility. He was certainly a good roster piece, but more of a utility player than a must-have starter. That’s the role he has played this year as well, but suddenly he seems to have gained a great deal of confidence both in the field and at the plate. I don’t know if it is the influence of some of this year’s new players, or the Buck Showalter “everyone contributes” mantra, but Luis is playing like an all-star out there! He looks more like a stout lumberjack than a baseball player as he strides out of the dugout, but once on the field he is the smoothest fielding infielder since Rey Ordonez. When he and Francisco Lindor man the middle infield, the double plays are a thing of beauty.
Earlier in June, Buck Showalter was quoted in an interview saying, “There should be a category in the all-star game for a utility player. You can’t win without one…they should get recognized.” He was talking about Guillorme and for good reason. Luis has not only played the typical utility role by spelling starters and filling in for injuries, but he has hit better than most of the guys that he replaced. When you talk about all-star selections, most typical utility guys aren’t hitting over .300 or displaying the kind of slick fielding that Guillorme provides. I would not advocate for Buck’s utility category, but I think that OUR utility guy is worthy.
So now let’s talk about value. Luis Guillorme is making $875k this year, which is about $100k above league minimum. There are 48 players in MLB making $5M or more per season right now; 13 second basemen; 17 third basemen; and another 18 shortstops. Of that group of 48 players, five are hitting better than Guillorme’s .307 batting average: Tim Anderson (CWS), Xander Boegarts (BOS), Rafael Devers (BOS), Manny Machado (SD), and Trea Turner (LAD). Did we say something about all-stars? By the way, the only Mets infielder hitting better than .307 is Jeff McNeil at .327 with his $3M salary. He should be an all-star too.
Maybe you’re a defensive guy – let’s see how Luis stacks up amongst the MLB leaders in fielding percentage. As a second baseman, Guillorme has a .993 fielding percentage which would rank him second to Kolten Wong (.995) with enough qualifying innings. As a third basemen, Luis is fielding 1.000 so he would clearly be #1. As a shortstop, his .923 is low, but it only reflects one error over 13 chances so it is not statistically significant.
This has been a tremendous fifth season so far for our Bearded Magician. He is becoming one of my favorite players to watch. Let’s hope this Magician doesn’t pull a disappearing act in the second half!
Thoughts on last night -
A lot of fans are going to write this off as one bad pitch by a very effective reliever. Bad pitches happen all the time. But no one rants or writes about them when you have a six or seven run lead.
No, the problem developing with this team is the lack of consistent hitting. Sure, there has been some standout bats, like Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonzo, Mark Cahna, and Jeff McNeil, but, past that, there hasn’t been that much to write about.
Luis Guillorme was one of these solid bats, but that seems to have begun cooling off. McNeil has been lost for almost a week and it has exposed this problem even more. Sterlin Marte is inconsistent, Dom Smith still hasn’t come out of the gate, neither has Eduardo Escobar, and no one that plays behind the plate has contributed at all.
And teams have now figured out that this team especially reeks when you throw a left handed starter at them.
Everybody thought that the injuries to three of our top starters was going to kill us, but, frankly, the piecemeal rotation the Mets have put together have definitely carried the torch for us in June. A special kudo goes out to David Peterson for his outing yesterday.
Max Schrezer and Collin Holderman will be back next week, quickly followed by Jake deGrom and Joey Lucchesi. Pitching will no longer be the area we are concerned about.
I have consistently wrote about the need of an addition reliever, especially one being a lefty. The return of Max and Jake will move two members of our current rotation to the pen and Lucchesi will be the much needed lefty needed to come out of the pen.
No Steve, we need another productive bat. Maybe at third. Maybe in the outfield. Maybe behind the plate. Or maybe playing DH.
A bat Steve.
Next up, let’s continue out talks about expiring contracts.
Today, we look at the Seattle Seahawks.
Chris Flexen is a 27-year old ex-Met RHSP who signed with Seattle after one year in Japan.
He had a wonderful return home last season, going 14-6, in 31-starts, but fell back this year to a 0.4-WAR, 14-starts, 3-8, 4.31, 77.1-IP, 55-K result.
Flexen is paid $3.05mil this season, with an option for 2023.
The rest of the free agents on this team… Justin Upton, Mitch Haniger, Adam Frazier, Ken Giles… simply are not worth pursuing.
In my ongoing quest to give you info on prospects that the Mets could pick at either the 1.11 or 1.14 pick, I have another starter for you to consider.
18-year old Jackson Ferris is a 6-4/195 LHSP, out of the elite IMG Academy in Florida.
My notes -
0.55 ERA, 50.2 OP, 86-K, 13-BB
Age At Draft: 18.5
90-94, T97 FB, low-80s change
High spin breaking ball at 75-77.
The fastball is definitely his signature pitch.
70s curveball has solid depth with big, tight spin.
Downhill angle late riding life.
Has superior control of all three pitches.
Clean arm action and has plenty of projection on his frame.
@B_Sakowski_PG - “Ferris is the top lefty on our ‘22 PG Draft Board.”
Ole Miss commit
MLB.com says this about Ferris -
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55
Scouts have poured in to watch IMG Academy outfielder Elijah Green on a regular basis all spring, but they also tried to time it for whenever Ferris takes the mound. One of the best prep left-handers in this class, Ferris certainly made a name for himself last spring, when he outdueled eventual Phillies first-round pick Andrew Painter, then threw at a number of summer showcase events -- including MLB’s High School All-American Game in Denver. He came out of the gate red-hot this spring and while he’s shown off his considerable upside, he’s been a touch more inconsistent as the season wore on.
When everything is in sync and online, the 6-foot-4 Ferris can show off three pitches that have the chance to all be plus pitches. His fastball typically sits in the 92-95 mph range with good riding life and he has shown the ability to command the pitch well. He throws close to a true 12-to-6 curve in the mid-70s and has excellent feel for his mid-80s changeup with good fade.
Tall and projectable, the Mississippi commit could have more in the tank as he matures, and he can already hold his stuff deep into outings. He does have a bit of an unorthodox delivery that can get out of whack occasionally, leading to some command issues, but he has No. 2-3 starter potential if it all comes together.
Please note the following Syracuse Mets roster moves:
-IF Deven Marrero signed by New York from the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League and added to the Syracuse roster
Sunday tweets -
Michael Baron @michaelgbaron
Pete Alonso, 21 games in June:
.267/.345/.653
2 doubles, 9 HR, 21 RBI, 15 runs scored.
New York Mets @Mets
Keith Hernandez was on the cover of the Mets yearbook in 1988. Though he missed part of the season to injury, he returned in August as New York went on to win a division title and face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a thrilling seven-game NLCS
Michael Baron @michaelgbaron
Edwin Díaz has allowed one run in his last 11 appearances. Overall, Díaz has struck out 48.3% of the batters he’s faced so far in 2022.
Mathew Brownstein @MBrownstein89
The Mets are 28-2 in games Edwin Díaz has appeared in this season.
Joe Doyle @JoeDoyleMiLB
Oklahoma will be fine. They've got Cade Horton on the bump tomorrow, quite possibly the hottest MLB Draft prospect in the country right now. Stock WAY up.
Last 4 starts? 23.2 IP, 36 K, 6 BB, 7 ER... 0.972 WHIP
He will *skyrocket* in our Top 600 update.
Willie Hood @WillHoo99
Great to see Cade Horton clicking on all cylinders. He will be draft-eligible in July. With his short track record of success but high-level prospect pedigree, he will slide into my top 150. I think the Sooner's righty comes off the board in rounds 3-4 next month.
Jim Callis @jimcallisMLB
Indiana HS RHP Andrew Dutkanych, a potential 1st-rder, has informed teams that he intends to attend Vanderbilt. No word yet on whether he has officially withdrawn from the MLB Draft.
Zack Silverman @ZackSilverman18
Huge get for Vanderbilt. Andrew Dutkanych has been inconsistent but when he's at his best, he has Friday night upside even at a place like Vandy. I love the way he competes and attacks the strike zone with very loud stuff. I think he'll put it all together in Nashville.
JJ Cooper @jjcoop36
We have confirmed that Dutkanych has officially withdrawn.
Michael Mayer @mikemayer22
The Mets are 24-8 against the National League East this season.
Michael Mayer @mikemayer22
20-year-old Francisco Álvarez in 61 Double-A games this year:
.285/.370/.583, 16 2B, 17 HR, 45 RBI
The Mets top prospect is second in the league with 33 extra base hits.
Tom Chimes In…
Mets Forgot the Broom:
Peterson was excellent, Ottavino was not, in a 3-2, ninth inning walk off loss. Nimmo (HR) and Pete had the Mets’ 2 RBIs. Bottom third of the order - Escobar, Guillorme, and McCann - were 0 for 12 with 4 Ks….which won’t win a lot of games fer ya.
MINORS MESHUGENA:
SYRACUSE: Szapucki threw 4 solid (2 runs, 8 Ks) and the relievers finished up allowing 1 hit and 6 more Ks, but it was a 2-1 loss, with Tom Terrific slipping to 1-5, but pitching much better in AAA than his record would infer.
BINGHAMTON: Boy, it was woeful for 6 innings, down 6-0, but in the 7th, Wyatt Young (3hits) tripled in a couple of runs and the next inning, Carlos Cortes (2 hits, 4 RBIs) smacked a 3 run blast, and Bingo won 7-6. BOOYAH!
Hejka win, Yamamoto save.
BROOKLYN: 3-2 game, won in the bottom of the 9th. Unlike the Mets, Brooklyn won, as Nic Gaddis doubled in the game-winner.
The 16th round catcher (Gaddis) is hitting just .206, but his 21 RBIs in 126 at bats is impressive. Career, .340 on base %, and does not fan a lot, and 22 doubles, 11 HRs, 65 RBIs in 392 ABs. Not Alvarez, but not bad.
St. Lucie’s hitting woes continued (1 run, 6 hits in a 4-1 loss) but the Mighty Omar stole 2 more bags, giving him 43. Wow.
They got swept in this series….A Six Game Series! Ouch!
Dom Hamel was great but went just 2 innings (no runs, 5 Ks), as an opener.