The Mack Report - Monday, July 4th

About Sunday’s game… 

A much needed win. Special kudos go out to Cookie Carrasco for an excellent outing and Eduardo Escobar, who seems to be coming out of his long slump with a bang.

The cherry on top was a walk off my ex-Met Albert Almora against the surging Braves, which puts us back to 3 1/2 games up.

I'm sure Tom will have something to say about Jake.

Next up, in our look at expiring contracts on teams going nowhere this year, is the Colorado Rockies. 

 

RHP Scott Oberg 

Career stats - 4.6-WAR, 18-8, 3.85 

Oberg is currently being paid $7mil for the 2022 season, with an opt out in 2023. 

Mack - Oberg hasn’t played since the 2019 season and will most probably retire at the end of this season.  

 

RHRP Daniel Bard 

2022 stats -  1.5-WAR, 3-2, 2.12, 28-apps, 29.2-IP, 36-K, 13-BB 

Bard is being paid $4.4mil this year. 

Mack - Definitely worth pursuing. 

 

RHRP Alex Colome 

2022 stats - 0.6-WAR, 2-2, 2.45, 30-apps, 29.1-IP, 18-K 

Colome is being paid $4.1mil this year. 

Mack - Another right handed reliever on this team we should call about. 

 

RHRP Carlos Estevez 

2022 stats - -0.1-WAR, 1-4, 5.19 

Estevez is being paid $3.025mil this year. 

Mack - pass. 

 

RHSP Chad Kuhl 

2022 stats - 1.9-WAR, 5-5, 3.49, 14-starts, 77.1-IP, 57-K 

Kuhl is being paid $3mil this season. 

Mack - Kuhn should be checked on if either deGrom or Max don’t come back soon. 

 

The Mets were awarded the 75^th pick in the upcoming draft, as compensation for the loss of Noah Syndergaard. 

Frankly, it couldn’t have happened in a better draft. 

2022 is one of the deepest in the history of the draft and the 75^th this year is like getting an early 2^nd round pick in others. 

We will target on some of the players that will be drafted in that range.

 

Bryce Hubbart is a 6-1/180, LHSP, out of Florida State. 

MLB.com says this about Hubbart - 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50 

Florida State has a pair of left-handers sure to get attention in the spring. Friday night starter Parker Messick is a high-floor pitchability-lefty type and he’ll be followed in the weekend rotation for the second straight year by Hubbart, who might have a little more upside than his rotation mate but has more need to improve in terms of command and consistency. He did raise his profile by being one of the better pitchers in the Cape Cod League, where he finished tied for the league lead in strikeouts and was effective behind Messick again in the Seminoles rotation this spring. 

A solid athlete on the mound, Hubbart’s fastball typically sits in the low 90s, but has been up to as high as 97 and averaging 94-95 mph in shorter stints. Even at the lower velocities, his fastball plays up because of high spin rates and life to the pitch. He can miss bats with a sharp curveball and he worked on the Cape to add a distinct slider. He has a decent feel for his changeup as well. 

Hubbart has gotten better in the strike-throwing department since he started at Florida State, but still needs to work to refine his control. He made strides on that front on the Cape and continued to find the zone consistently over the course of the ACC season, giving him the chance to go in the top couple of rounds. 

2022 FSU stat line - 15-ST, 8-3, 3.32, 76-IP, 96-K, 21-BB 

Mack - I really like Hubbart and has followed him all year. In any other draft, he would be a low to mid-2nd round pick. 

 

Sunday tweets - 

Mathew Brownstein @MBrownstein89 

David Peterson's last three starts: 

18.1 IP, 15 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 25 SO, 2.45 ERA 

Mack - David went home after his last outing to be along side his wife at the birth of their new child. Best of health to her and continued success to Peterson. 

 

Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN 

Braves' last 29 games

23-6

57 homers

.331 OBP

.830 OPS

84 walks/254 strikeouts hitting

5.8 runs per game scored

3.5 runs per game allowed

3.35 ERA

74 walks/306 strikeouts pitching 

Mack - Yes, these 29 games came against a string of very soft teams, but a win is a win, and they are earning everyday their quest to pass us in the standings. 

 

Kiley McDaniel @kileymcd 

Former Vanderbilt star Kumar Rocker underwent right shoulder surgery deemed a “minor scope” in September, sources tell me and Jeff Passan. Teams were informed recently. Now healthy and looking good, Rocker is moving up draft boards. 

Mack - I will never understand why the Mets didn’t sign this guy. It’s not like they haven’t drafted someone that needed surgery in the off season before. He could be doing this right now for St. Lucie. 

I’m telling you this is going to come back to haunt us big time. 

 

Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN 

There is a perception in some corners of the industry that if Jacob deGrom follows through with what he said in the spring and opts out of his Mets' contract, the Braves will be the favorites to land him. 

Mack - And, if this happens, don’t ever argue with me that baseball is a business now, not a sport.

TOM'S SCATTERED THOUGHTS:

The Mets played vintage Mets baseball, winning the rubber match of the 3 gamer vs. the Rangers.  The scalding Marte homered again in the first, and he may just be the Mets’ best offensive player. You are entitled to disagree.

Escobar heard that a HR a day keeps the boobirds away, so he hit his 3rd in 3 games today, a real bomb to right.  Dude’s a firecracker.

After a swinging strike, Pete Alonso ended up at 2nd base (why bother to hit the ball if you can do that?), and McNeil doubled him in. 

4-1 win, not bad for a day where Nimmo, Lindor, and Alonso went 0 for 12.

Cookie Carrasco was sharp (one run, pitched into the 6th), and the pen was "lockdown" of the good kind.  Edwin save, with 2 more Ks.  Sorry, Pete and Francisco, Edwin is my first half MVP.  He has been a rock.

Braves lost, lead 3.5 games, so let's go on a WIN STREAK!

Next up for the Mets.  The Small-to-Medium-Size Red Machine.

MINORS MENTIONINGS:

Alvarez gets his long overdue call up to AAA.  Yippee. Not in the line up, though.

SYRACUSE: with Nate Fisher-on the mound (5 shutout innings), the S-Mets led 1-0 early on a Vientos double.  It got tied up 1-1 in the 7th against Jody Reed, but Johnny Fargo doubled in 3 bottom 7 for a 4-1 lead.  He scored to make it 5-1.  Otanez a scoreless 8th with 2 Ks.  

Eric Orze took over in the 9th.  Pop out, ground out, then a Will Toffey infield single to Syracuse SS Kramer Robertson (?), then a lined single.  4 batters, 2outs, 2 on, 23 pitches in, up stepped dangerous, .340 hitting Donny Sands.  

Donny promptly went deep, turning a 5-1 lead into a 5-4 nailbiter.  Orze was either just off the plate or right over the center of the plate.  On 2-2, he just missed on pitches 30 and 31 to walk the next batter.  Joe Zanghi came in for Orze, looking to get the final out.  Two pitches, ground out, Syracuse wins 5-4.

BINGHAMTON: Mauricio is saying, “hey, what about me??” 15th homer, a three run shot, and 53 RBIs. Wow.  Baty 2 hits and a walk, McIlwain 2 walks and a hit, and Justin Lasko pitched a solid 5, followed by 3 hitless Parsons innings and a hitless 9th for Mitchell for the 7-1 win.

BROOKLYN: Jose Petrozavodsk broke up a no hitter in the 5th inning for low-offense Brooklyn, blasting his 4th HR of the season.  Carson Seymour took the 6-2 loss, fanning 7 in 3.2 IP, but also allowing 7 hits (including 2 HRs).  Learn and move on.

ST LUCIE: St Lucie tried out a new kid in his opener…named deGrom, did all right, too. 5 batters, 5 Ks. Actually a 6th batter, named Lewis got hit by a pitch and he can tell his grandkids about it someday. No doubt the opposition was glad he was on a pitch count. 

William Lugo had 3 RBIs Saturday and enjoyed that so much, he drove in 4 in his first 2 ABs tonight. He had 2 hits, and HBP, and a sac fly.  Remember the name, Lugo the Hitter.

The HOT Omar De Los Santos started off the game 1-1-1…1 hit, 1 walk, 1 steal (# 44).  He later added one out and one HBP.  He's # 1.

Dom Hamels (5-2) took over masterfully for the new kid Jake, and Dom went 6 innings of 3 hit, 2 run, 1 walk, 6 K ball, picking up the W in this 8-2 win. And no doubt impressing the new kid named Jake.