About Monday’s game…
Let's talk Taijuan Walker.
First, the numbers...
Last night: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 97 pitches.
One bad pitch = Brandon Drury three-run homer.
2.53 ERA over his last 11 starts.
Walker’s ERA while Max has been out: 2.59.
Through 7-4:
2021: 7-3, 2.61 ERA, 89 2/3 IP, 6 HR
2022: 6-2, 2.86 ERA, 78 2/3 IP, 4 HR
Walker's consitently over the past two seasons has pretty much carried this team in the last two seasons. Sure, Jake was a lot sharper, but only when he was not on the IL. Tai has basically stepped up every five days and dished a proper result.
Yes, Pete and Marte deserve to be on the All-Star team this year, but so does this guy.
Next up, only a few more teams to look for expiring contracts. Today’s is the Arizona Diamondbacks.
LHP Dallas Keuchel
2022 stats - -1.6-WAR, 2-6, 8.27
Arizona has a $18mil club option in 2023.
Mack - how mighty they have fallen. Pass.
OF David Peralta
Peralta is being paid $8mil this season.
2022 stats - 1.0-WAR, 227-AB, .251, 11-HR
Mack - Interesting. Not the best bat out there but could be an option if everything else fails in the market.
RHRP Ian Kennedy
2022 stats - 0.1-WAR, 3-4, 3.58, 32-apps, 27.2-IP, 25-K
Arizona has a 250K club option in 2023.
Mack - Like Peralta, not the worst out there.
RHRP Keynan Middleton
2022 major league stats -
0.0-WAR, 1-1, 3.86, 6-apps, 4.2-IP, 5-K, 1-BB
Minor league stats -
14-apps, 2-0, 2.57, 14-IP, 17-K
Mack - 28-years old. Maybe the Mets could pull a fasty here.
Danny Abriano @DannyAbriano
In 124 total games this season, James McCann (1 home run), J.D. Davis (2), and Dominic Smith (0) have combined for three home runs
Mack - McCann, Davis, and Smith, oh my!
This is a dreadful stat from a total of three of the 26 men you allow in the dugout. On a division leading team no less.
Not only does the production reek, but it exposes the lack of value these three would have in the trading market. You would have to pay teams to take them away.
Mark Vientos would be an obvious upgrade here. Not yet Francisco Alvarez, who is just beginning his stint with Syracuse. Expiring contracts like Willson Contreras could also help here.
Eventually, Steve Cohen is going to have to find some of that courage he had when he off’d Robinson Cano. McCann has to go, if not now, then by the beginning of next season.
We will continue looking for an option with the 75th pick in this draft (thanks to Noah Syndergaard).
Next up is 21/year old, 6-4/210, LHSP Hunter Barco, out of the University of Florida.
MLB.com said this about Barco in July:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
Barco was the highest-ranked high school lefty in the 2019 Draft class, but wasn’t taken until Round 24 because of his very strong commitment to play at the University of Florida. The southpaw pitched very well during the shortened 2020 season, and while he wasn’t as dominant as a sophomore in 2021, he was a solid member of the Gators' weekend rotation. He was making a large step forward performance-wise in 2022 when he was shut down with elbow discomfort. That led to an early May announcement that he had Tommy John surgery, ending his season.
When healthy, Barco has been very similar to the prospect he was back in high school, albeit now with a track record of SEC success. The 6-foot-4 southpaw relies mostly on his fastball-slider combination. His fastball typically sits around 92 mph and touches 95. When he commands it well, that's plenty, given the life it has and the lower-slot, cross-body delivery that causes some deception. His 80-mph sweeping slider misses a ton of bats and he can manipulate the shape of it to give it more of a curveball look at times. He sells his changeup well with excellent arm speed.
Barco has done an excellent job of consistently finding the strike zone in college, though there’s improvement that can be made in terms of command within the zone with that funky delivery tough to repeat at times. He has a ceiling of being a No. 3 or 4 starter.
2022 stats - 9-starts, 5-2, 2.50, 0.89, 50.1-IP, 69-K, 11-BB
Mack - Barco has been a particular favorite of mine since his high school days. He was off to a tremendous start early on but his elbow problems distorted his stats before being shut down.
Another tough choice for a team to draft someone that probably won’t be ready for the start of the 2023 season.
I don’t understand how MLB.com can say that a former umber one lefty out of high school only has a ceiling of 3-4.
Farm To Fame @FarmToFame_
Marcus Stroman pitched in his first rehab appearance in Cubs Triple-A tonight..
2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 53 P
GENY Mets Report @genymets
Mets No. 9 prospect RHP Dominic Hamel has been promoted from St’ Lucie to Brooklyn
2022 A+ stats: 14-G, 13-ST, 5-2, 3.84, 63.1-IP, 71-K
16 comments:
A great and enlightening article by Kiley McDaniel on the risks of taking high school prep pitchers.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34084142/how-one-pitching-prospect-change-mlb-draft-forever-not-pitching?platform=amp
I have made up my mind about what I believe would be best for the Mets. Firstly, thank you Mack for all the information all year getting us ready to have informed opinions on this draft. Secondly, I have come to realize that the best teams - Dodgers, Astros, Yankees - have excellent two way players. There are teams like the Rays that platoon and others that mix and match players, but the ones that are there at the end every year have two very good two way players.
Yesterday we said that MLB projects Susac and Jung to the Mets. Well, I would live Susac but not Jung. However, I’m not expecting Susac to be available. Two way catchers don’t grow on trees, and seeing how Davis went first last year and Ford fifth, I expect Susac to be gone. In fact, he should be the first catcher off the board as Parada is “fringy” defensively. That lessens his value considerably.
So, if Susac is there, great! If not Lesko being the best prospect since Josh Beckett is the next call. While prep pitchers are a risk, Dwight Gooden was also a prep pitcher.
Third, Prielipp was to possibly be the top pick if he was healthy. He is expected to fall therefore he would be my next choice of high upside top five talent that may be available at 14. Problem is, Prospects Live today came out with their latest mock draft and have announced that the Royals have scouted Prielipp heavily in his latest workouts. Grrrrrr, damn Royals have stockpiled a ton of high upside arms and are ranked #1 in pitching talent! Hey, enough, let us have some!
Finally, Prospects Live mock Kumar Rocker going #13 to the Angels. A very Angels move, I would mock them too!
Thanks
Draft catching
I too expect both top catchers gone before 1.11
Kevin Parada
The draft experts are in love with Parada and most have him as a top 6 pick
Prielipp
He dominated the mock drafts 2 years ago
It should be an exciting draft. Imagine if you could bundle the two picks and trade up, would you?
Very glad we moved on from Stroman. I listened to Duquette last night on Walker and says he uses 6 pitches, so hitters never know what is coming. I like Walker - a cerebral guy for sure.
That stat on the trio of Mets "sluggers" with 3 combined HRs in 124 games screams "change something." Remember, Smith did not HR in the last 10 weeks of 2021 season, either. JD Davis is quite strong...start to swing for the fences.
Vientos would hit a lot more than 3 HRs in 124 games.
No
Talent too deep in this draft
2 are better than 1
You mention about the three home runs out of those three players being 3 of 26. Actually, they are 3 of with 12 or 13 because the pitchers cannot hit. So, 25% or so of your roster has 3 home runs total. Now, since Smith went down and Plummer and Lee came up, let’s say it’s 6 altogether.
Gus, it is the same story I write every year...this team gets undone by a bunch of marginal hitters who don't, and marginal pitchers who don't. The best teams each year minimize that.
Good news with Hamel.
I expect Hamel to.pass both Plummer and Khalil the next time they rank the top Mets prospects
Ziegler too.
LOL A lot of guys are going to zoom past Leeand Plummer on the prospect list or the system is really hurting.
Woodrow, add to that current # 14 Jaylen Palmer ad former top 30 Sherveyn Newton, who between them in Brooklyn have 164 Ks in just 359 official at bats. Ks Galore down under.
Looks like Alexander Ramirez got promoted to Brooklyn, and Tony Dibrel is pitching in St. Lucie; nice sign.
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