The Mack Report - Thursday, June 16th

Normally, I am the first one to brush off a loss like last night. Your pitching doesn’t always take lead over your bats and your opponent takes advantage of this situation by producing more runs than you did. 

The Mets starter was David Peterson, and it just looked like hie had no idea where his pitchers were going to wind up. Frankly, I’m surprised he wasn’t charged with more than five runs. 

Next up was Jake Reed, who was a complete dumpster fire. By the time he was off the mound, the game was out of reach. 

I have two areas of concern. 

One, at best, our pen is fragile. My belief is it will get better once our two top starters return, but even then you would be asking a starting pitcher to change his mindset into a reliever. Ask any starter what they confidentially think of relief pitchers. Go ahead. Just ask them. 

Secondly, you just can’t not notice that every time the Mets lose, both the Braves and Phils just get closer. Philadelphia looks like a new team under a new manager while Atlanta, well, Atlanta looks like they are never going to lose more than 10 more games this season. 

Am I starting to worry?  No. 

Am I getting concerned?  Yes.

Next, is a short review on two of our top prospects.Both put up huge numbers last night for their respective teams.

AAA Syracuse third baseman, Mark Vientos, had two home runs Tuesday and drive in five runs for a big time victory over a division rival. 

To review, Mark is a 22-year old 6-4/220 RHH third baseman, who has also played short, first, and both corner outfield positions, but the Mets have never seriously tried to develop him past his daily assignment at third. 

The Mets drafted him in the 2^nd round of the 2017 draft, out of American Heritage HS (Plantation, FL). 

He started off this season real slow, but has kicked it up this June. Currently, through Tuesday, he is hitting .255, with 10 home runs, putting him back on target to equal or surpass last year’s 22 home runs for Binghamton. 

This Mets future seems to be either at third or as a designated hitter and he is far ahead of Brett Baty. My guess is, if he continues to show huge power the remaining of this season, he will come to Flushing in September to strengthen the bench for the pennant drive. 

 

The other short feature today is on our top outfield prospect, St. Lucie’s Alex Ramirez, who had a stat line on Tuesday of: 2-3, 2-HR, 2-BB, 4-RBI. 

To review, the Mets paid Alex $2.05 million as a signing bonus in the 2019-20 international period. MLP Pipeline listed him as the 26^th top prospect in that international class. 

The 6-3/200 19/yr. old RHH Ramirez can play all three outfield positions effectively; however, he has been St. Lucie’s starting centerfielder for most of the season. 

He hails from the Dominican Republic. 

There’s not much more Alex can do at this level. He is in the top five in his league in most of the offensive categories and, my guess, he will be shipped to Brooklyn as soon as Lucy clinches the first half of this year’s season. 

It’s far to early to correctly determine an ETA for someone this young, at this level. Three more years in the minors maybe?  2026? 

 

Couple of roster moves from Binghamton - 

C Hayden Senger was sent from AAA back to AA. Probably designed to get him more playing time. 

Making room for Senger is C Jose Colina, who was transferred back to the developmental list. 

 

Draft wise, we’re getting close to the draft so look for new updates on these kids every day. 

Prospects Live , one of the premier draft expects out there, updated their top 500 picks in the upcoming draft. 

It’s worth the time reviewing who they picked for the first six Mets picks, especially a surprise at #90: 

11. Zach Neto Shortstop Campbell 

Neto really exudes confidence and athleticism at the plate. He's an aggressive hitter who extends really well and has a knack for catching the ball out in front, tapping into a lot of his raw power. He's a good hitter with a track record of success at school and on the cape as well. It’s a rhythmic swing that relies on timing, though Neto has shown real feel for putting his body in a position to damage the baseball. 

Some of the quirks in his setup and swing have been compared to Javier Baez. Really good feel for tempo on the dirt with soft hands and body control. Arm might only be average, but Neto can make throws from any angle. Whether he ends up at second base, shortstop or anywhere else on the diamond, Neto has a pretty complete profile that will appeal to teams. 

14. Blade Tidwell Right-Handed Pitcher, Tennessee 

When it comes to Tidwell, the conversation starts and ends with the fastball. Tidwell has consistently been up into the upper-90s and has touched 99. If the command ticks up in 2022 and he learns to shape and spot his fastball at the top of the zone, watch out. Tidwell is working to develop a heater with more hop, focusing on subtle changes with Team USA this past summer. By winter, he was getting 17-21 inches of IVB on the fastball consistently. 

Tidwell features a sweeping slider in the mid-to-upper 80s as well as a fringier mid-70s curveball that he's working to refine. It’s a super-athletic body and a quick arm. There’s definitive starter upside here. All that said, Tidwell suffered from a shoulder injury in 2022, and teams will have to keep that in mind when considering risk. He did, however, return and pitch for half the season in a more limited role. 

52  Roman Anthony OF Stoneman Douglass HS 

One of the smoothest LH swings in the class. Uses great hands and strong wrists to show impressive barrel control. Plus power and plus arm strength carry his corner OF profile. Anthony had one of the loudest springs of anyone in the country, vaulting his stock way up draft boards. Ian Smith of Prospects Live believes Anthony is a bit of a budget Zac Veen. He's got suitors in the first round, though our best bet is early day two. 

75  Sal Stewart 3B Westminster Christian HS 

Stewart is a big body third baseman whose been a constant big bat on the showcase circuit the last two years. Bat path is optimized for power, and will tap into it in games frequently. Stewart showcases solid balance at the plate and has shown a willingness to let the ball travel, using the entire field, but his juice is to the pullside. There's legitimate feel for hit here and the power will carry the whole profile. 

90  Ivan Melendez 1B Texas 

A 2021 16th round selection by the Miami Marlins, Melendez decided against signing to return to Texas. He's a hulking slugger with immense raw power. There's some swing-and-miss here but you'd be hard-pressed to find many other players in the 2022 draft class that hit the ball as hard as Melendez does. Some athleticism too, might be able to play some third base, though he's not too agile laterally. Arm is average. Ultimately, his best position will likely be first base at the next level. Melendez is a quintessential slugger who will have to make his money at the plate. 

119 Jake Madden RHP Northwest Florida State 

Madden has a long, wiry frame with tremendous arm speed and the accompanying arsenal that should excite big league clubs. The fastball ordinarily sits 93-95, up to 97 with significant run and sinking action. Command has been solid some nights and spotty during others. Commanding the fastball with consistency will be a key component in his development. 

He works in a sharp mid-80s slider with two-plane tilt and a changeup that, while inconsistent, can be solid when he sells it. Madden has some effort in his delivery so it's at least a possibility his future is in a bullpen, but the frame, coupled with the *now* stuff and athleticism on the mound should have teams plenty interested.

 

Mack - 

All good picks, but I would have liked to see someone more sexy at #52, like either RHPs Jacob Miller or Andrew Dutkanych.

 The "Hispanic Titanic" will not be around at #90, but wouldn’t it be a hoot if he was? 

 

Wednesday’s tweets - 

Michael Mayer @mikemayer22 

Pete Alonso's current ranks among National League hitters: 

1st - 59 RBI

1st - 18 HR

4th - 158 wRC+

4th - wOBA

7th - WPA 

 

Joe Doyle @JoeDoyleMiLB 

First Base: 

1) Ivan Melendez, Texas

2) Luke Gold, BC

3) Tyler Locklear, VCU

4) Peyton Williams, Iowa

5) Dom Keegan, Vanderbilt

6) Nathan Martorella, Cal

7) Sonny DiChiara, Auburn

8) Drew Compton, GT

9) Ethan Long, ASU

10) David McCabe, Charlotte

10a) Torin Montgomery, Mizzou 

 

Nathan @MarteMoonshot 

Mark Vientos has 35 home runs in his last 435 at Bats