The Mack Report - Wednesday, August 10th

 

                            The Mack Report - Wednesday, August 10^th 

 

My favorite draftee this year, RHP Blade Tidwell, pitched his first inning this year. 

He three one inning for the FCL Mets, striking out two while hitting 97 with his heater. 

I started tracking Tidwell when he pitched for Tennessee in 2020, Back then, mock drafts had him going off the board as the third starter, behind RHP Dylan Lesko, and LHP Connor Prellipp, 

Then the shite hit the fan, with Prellipp first going down with Tommy John Surgery, followed the next year with Lesko being put on the shelf for the same procedure. 

Then Tidwell missed the start of 2022 with shoulder issues. His problem had a quicker recovery period than TJS victims and he was able to return last this season for the Vols. 

(Remember... the healing of a bone is a lot different than the healing of either muscles or tendons)

In 13 games (9-ST), he posted a 3-2, 3.00/1.08 stat line with 51 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched. More important, his 97mph fastball returned without a loss of velocity. 

Hitting 97 this week means everything here. 

I expect we will see him pitch around 3-4 more times this season, but don’t look for any extended innings here. 

What will be interest to see is what they will do with him in the off season.

 

2023 MLB DRAFT - TOP 100 COLLEGE PROSPECTS here - 

#14 SS Tommy Troy Stanford 

A very well regarded prep bat, Troy built off a strong freshman campaign at Stanford with an arguably stronger summer at Wareham. With notable power for his size, Troy has shown himself capable of going out to all fields, and finds a ton of barrels. Strong eyes and quick twitch gives him the ability to make good swing decisions consistently, and it is rare to see him post poor at-bats. Troy typically takes the field at second base, and has a strong arm for the position with soft hands, smooth actions and good transitions around the bag. He'll likely be tested at shortstop for the Cardinal moving forward, but this is a definitive middle infield profile. 

 

2023 MLB DRAFT - TOP 100 HIGH SCHOOL PROSPECTS  - 

#23 Tommy Troy Shortstop, Stanford 

A very well regarded prep bat, Troy built off a strong freshman campaign at Stanford with an arguably stronger summer at Wareham. With notable power for his size, Troy has shown himself capable of going out to all fields, and finds a ton of barrels. Strong eyes and quick twitch gives him the ability to make good swing decisions consistently, and it is rare to see him post poor at-bats. Troy typically takes the field at second base, and has a strong arm for the position with soft hands, smooth actions and good transitions around the bag. He'll likely be tested at shortstop for the Cardinal moving forward, but this is a definitive middle infield profile. 

 

Yesterday’s Tweets -

 

Joe Pantorno @JoePantorno 

While Spencer Strider called the Mets "lucky" for some soft-contact hits on Sunday, Chris Bassitt — who was the victim of a few last night vs. CIN — said "It's part of the game. It means I'm doing something right."

 

Codify @CodifyBaseball 

Fastest sliders thrown by starters this year for a called

or a swinging strike:

   95.7  deGrom on 8/7

  95.3  deGrom on 8/7

  94.8  deGrom on 8/7

  94.7  deGrom on 8/7

  94.5  deGrom on 8/7

  94.5  deGrom on 8/2

  94.3  deGrom on 8/7

  94.1  deGrom on 8/7

  93.9  deGrom on 8/7

 

Michael Baron @michaelgbaron 

Chris Bassitt has thrown at least six innings in 9 straight starts. The Mets are 6-3 in those games and he has a 2.19 ERA during that span.

 

Michael Baron @michaelgbaron 

Jeff McNeil has an 11 game hitting streak. He's hitting .404/.429/.660 with 6 doubles, 2 home runs and 6 RBI during that span. 

 

Lastly, this will be my last morning report for “awhile”. I am having major surgery on Thursday and the plan right now is for my next report to be on Monday morning. Complications could push that back further. Tom is going to fill in tomorrow and the next day and, hopefully, other writers will take it from there. You hang in now. I will too.