Tom Brennan and Mack Ade - Met Recap

 

6/4/22

Tom Brennan and Mack Ade - Mets Recap

Big Night for Joltin' Joe Suozzi

Updates!  We got updates! 

METS: An early 6-4 lead, with homers from Lindor (I guess "the Fingor" is OK) and from Alonso, and Escobar, too - Ferris Buehler should have taken the day off.  Earliest the dominant Beuhler has ever been knocked out of a game.

Nice quote: “Pete’s a strong man,” Buck Showalter said. “He collides with the ball, and it goes places you can’t defend it.”

David Peterson threw 90 pitches through 3 2/3 and was yanked, having surrendered 4 runs in the 2nd.  Had 4 walks and 6 Ks. In comes Colin Holderman to face Mookie Betts.  What a meteoric rise for Holderman, to be entrusted to come into such an important game at a key moment.  Naturally, he punches Betts out.  Amazing.  ERA 0.82 after that K.  

Mazeika has slipped to .167 early on in this game.  Six for 36. Just 4 of his 36 outs by K.  (Then added a hit late in game). Might Francisco be ready?  He's hot.  

Another 3 runs in the 7th, including another Pete shot (53 RBIs in 55 games) and it was 9-4 in the 7th. And a 9-4 victory, with the Mets using 7 pitchers in all - it was effusive, but effective. The 6 relievers tossed 5.1 innings of shutout ball.

Mookie Betts and Jeff McNeil both sit at .311, with Jeff uncharacteristically fanning 3 times.  Hit machine Luis Guillorme sits at .351 after his nightly hit.  It's a good thing, too, because if he was hitting under .350, I might demand we sign free agent Robinson Cano.  After all, how long can he hit just .149?  

Or, perhaps in a pinch, call up Wyatt Young...more on Wyatt below.

 

MINORS: 

2 late wins and a late loss.

SYRACUSE: Khalil Lee is proving that a demotion can do wonders.  He spent several games in Low A, then got sent back to Syracuse.  He went 0 for 4 in the first game back, and 15 for 38 from the next game to his 2 for 3 start to yesterday's game to climg rapidly from .141 to .222. 

Other Syracuse guys who were sub-Mendoza a few weeks ago are now all in the low .200s. In today's game, an early 6-1 deficit transformed into a 6-6 tie, but Montes de Oca gave up a single run in the 8th and 9th despite recording all three out on Ks. Thus an 8-7 loss.  

Dom Smith had an infield single and walk. Then added a game-tying HR in the 9th to temporarily tie the game up.  My gut feeling is if Nick Plummer stops hitting like a beast, and Dom starts hitting like one, they may trade places.  Or the Mets, they made trade Dom.   

I saw where Miguel Andujar, in a somewhat similar situation to Smith, threw a fit about the Yankees wanting to send him down again.  I don't blame him - there are some clubs he could start for right now, like Oakland (.210) or Detroit (.218). And Andujar must see highly paid Javier Baez hitting .190 in 163 at bats and just 13 ribbies, and thinking, "I can do a whole lot better than that."  Mets smartly didn't sign Baez.

BINGHAMTON: Josh Hejka threw 2 more scoreless (.3-0, 0.42), helping his team head into bottom 9 tied at 2. No winning rally in the 9th, so Yeizo Campos fanned the side in the 10th (nice), and bottom 10, man on 2nd, Wyatt Young laid down a bunt base hit, making it 1st and 3rd, none out. Baty fanned for the 3rd time (52 in 38 games - draw your own conclusions), to bring up Francisco. He connected on a game-winning sac fly.  A 3-2 win.

I wrote much early on about 2B Wyatt Young. After his remarkable early season start in AAA, he went hitless in 5 straight AA games recently, but since then, has stabilized with a 5 game hit streak and sits at .290 in AA and AAA this season. And .315 career in just 70 career games, most of them in AA and AAA.

Amazing for a guy who only played in the Florida Complex League in 2021. That .285 average is, BTW, higher than Baty, Alvarez, Mauricio, and Cortes. 12 Bingo Ks tonight, and that ranked foursome was just 1 for 16 (an Alvarez double) with 7 Ks, while the unranked Wyatt fanned not once. We should all be so Young.

I wonder if Lindor had been hurt worse, if they might have tried Young to back up Guillorme at SS.  You don't want to mess with Mauricio (.247) right now, nor .250 Baty.  They are on a slow grind upwards.  Recent MLB failure Jarred Kelenic is hitting .310 in AAA, far better than Baty and Mauricio, but has fanned about once every 3 ABs down there.  Absent the Power of Pete, hitters need the Discipline of Contact. 

BROOKLYN: Mike Vasil pitching for the Cyclones. Rough first inning…4 runs allowed. Then he locked in for 4 more innings of the superb kind. Fanned 7, and that followed by 3 hitless innings in the 6th through 8th from Nate Lavender and Grant Hartwig.

A whacky 9th followed. Down 4-2 entering the 9th, they rallied on a ground out RBI and then an error to tie it at 4. Then another error, then catcher’s interference, and then Joe Suozzi triples in 3 runs!  3 hits and a walk for Suozzi tonight, who has hit very well after his 3 for 30 season start, and prbably hits better than Javy Baez and Robby Cano right now. 

Then a passed ball and Suozzi scores and it’s 8-4! So, Hartwig comes back out for a second inning in the 9th. He fanned 3 straight, but the game is not over as one got on base on a strike 3 wild pitch;he maintained composure and nailed down the win with a groundout. 

8-4 Brooklyn win.  Lots more runs of late for the Cyclones.

Hartwig and Lavender are a combined 8-1, with 65 Ks in 42 IP. VERY IMPRESSIVE. Even the impressive Josh Hejka would have to agree.

ST. LUCIE: a deluge is hitting Florida, resulting in an obvious rainout. Cyclones of the rain variety cause consecutive cancellations.

 

                                            Mack's Thoughts

Sunday, May 5^th 

Today’s featured Mets minor league player is someone we could see real soon in Queens. 

Jose Butto is a 6.1/200 RHP that was an IDFA in 2016, out of Venezuela. 

His Mets career was sort of meh, even though he has one of the best change-ups in the chain (low 80s, great tunnel, depth, and movement). 

The problem was his 90-92 fastball didn’t have enough velo and had no movement. Batters could wait on it and hit it all around the park… which they did. 

But. 

He comes to camp this year throwing in the 95-96 range. 

Big difference. 

In 2022, he has produced 58 strikeouts in 42-IP.

Combined 2-year Bing stat line: 

18-ST,  3.50  1.16 11.8 K/9 2.8 BB/9 

                17.0% SwStr rate 30.6% CSW 

He may be promoted to Syracuse even before you read this. 

 

Today’s featured 2021 draft eligible prospect is Oregon State LHP, Cooper Hjerpe. 

Hjerpe (guess what his nickname is?) is a consistent top 20 pick who, when “on”, is simply almost impossible to hit. First, he has a very deceiving delivery that seems to start from behind his back. His 60 grade fastball sits 96-97, releases around four feet off the ground, and has a 14 inch lift. And that’s not even his best pitch. 

The creme is the 60+ grade breaker that has a 40 inch drop. 

Go from a 14” lift in the high 90s to a 40” drop on the low to mid 70’s and you understand why, in one game this year, he struck out 17 batters in eight innings. 

Seasonal stats so far: 15-starts, 10-2, 89-IP, 140-K, 2.33 

 

Since I have been gone: 

            The Mets sent catcher Hayden Senger from AA-Binghamton to AAA- Syracuse. 

The 6-1/200 RHH 25/yrs. old Senger came to the Mets in 2019 as the 24^th round pick from The University of Miami (OH). 

MLB.com currently lists him as the Mets 20^th prospect was drafted for his defensive prowess behind the plate. 

Hit: 40  Run: 30  Field: 55  Power: 40  Arm: 55  Overall: 40 

Some on this site consider Senger a prospect. Mack don’t. 

 

Baseball America updated their top 100 prospect list and there are three Mets on that list: 

#11 - C Francisco Alvarez

#40 - 3B Brett Baty  

#86 - SS Ronny Mauricio 

For those of you that think there should be more Mets on this list, remember that Jeff McNeil NEVER made their top 100 lists. 

 

Prospect Journal came out with a mock draft on Friday. 

Their Mets picks in the first round were: 

1.11 RHP Brock Porter

1.14 OF Chase DeLauter 

I would be dancing in the in the streets with these two. 

 

Baseball America updated their mock draft: 

1.11 OF Gavin Cross

1.14 RHP Brock Porter 

Seems everyone is falling in love with Porter with one of these picks. 

#AllOutClemson. 

 

As of end of game Friday, Syracuse CF Jake Magnum is hitting .366 in nine games. He seems to be reaching his potential at the right level and has worked himself into the minds of the Mets executives that plan the future of this team. 

Remember… blazing speed here, cannon arm, and the best defensive centerfield in the chain. Add that to a .300+ batting average and you have to consider giving this guy a shot in 2023.

 

IF Luke Ritter was transferred from AA-Bing to AAA-Syracuse

 

3B Mark Vientos was placed on the 7-day IL, retroactive to June 3^rd.

 

The DSL leagues started their season yesterday.