The Mack Report (Butto, AAA/AA Coaches, Joel Diaz, Super Bowl Ad, Minor League System Rank, David Robertson)

Butto, AAA/AA Coaches, Joel Diaz, Super Bowl Ad, Minor League System Rank, David Robertson

 

 2-6-23 - Keith Law's Top 20 Mets Prospects -

19. José Butto, RHP

Age: 25 | 6-1 | 202 pounds

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

International signing in 2017

Butto made one disastrous start for the Mets last year, but he might be someone’s fifth starter this year if they end up trading him. He’ll sit 94-95 mph with a curveball and average changeup, showing more control than command, likely to be a bit too homer-prone to be more than a fifth starter but with value as a swingman. 

                        New York Mets Top 50 Prospects (2023)

https://www.prospects1500.com/nl-east/mets/new-york-mets-top-50-prospects-2023/?s=03 

13. Jose Butto*, RHP, 24, MLB

Butto got his first taste of the MLB out of necessity and unfortunately struggled. However, he pitched excellent in his 7 starts in Syracuse before getting the call. His 2.45 ERA with 30 strikeouts was probably one of the better statistical pitching lines in Syracuse this year. His excellent changeup keeps batter in check and some more fine tuning on that fastball and curveball could send him back to Queens as a bullpen piece to show he is ready.

Mack - Right now, Butto lines up as the SP8, behind David Peterson and Tylor Megill. He turns 25 before the season starts and, if the two guys mentioned above can’t crack the rotation, I don’t see how he will in the future. The talented pitching prospects will begin to surface in two years and the Mets’ tendency to stuff their rotation with vets that have past success… well, I just don’t see a future for Butto going forward.

 

 Coaching staffs - 

AAA-Syracuse::

Manager: Dick Scott

Bench coach: J.P. Arencibia

Pitching coach: Kyle Driscoll

Hitting coach: Collin Hetzler

AA-Binghamton:

                            Manager: Reid Brignac

Bench coach: Mariano Duncan

Pitching coach: A.J. Sager

Hitting coach: Darin Everson

 

Mack - 

Scott: had two ABs for Oakland in 1989

Arencibia - 1.9-career WAR

Driscoll - never made it out of Rutgers (4-seasons: 5.65)

Hetzler - 2 yrs with Houston Baptist

Birgnac - career -1.2-WAR

Duncan - 5.7-WAR over 12 seasons

Sager - 5.36-ERA over 5 seasons

Everson - never made it out of A+ 

Am I missing something here? 

 New York Mets Top 50 Prospects (2023)

https://www.prospects1500.com/nl-east/mets/new-york-mets-top-50-prospects-2023/?s=03 

14. Joel Diaz, RHP, 18, Single-A

Surprise! Another Mets right handed pitcher! After an amazing 2021 season, Diaz shot up rankings and was moved straight up to St. Lucie. His 2022 was inconsistent and nothing close to his breakout the year before. He is only 18 years old so it’s not concerning because the development will hopefully come. Before moving up, Diaz will have to show his ability to command the zone and consistently throw strikes. Another one to watch for sure. 

2-6-23 - Keith Law's Top 20 Mets Prospects -

11. Joel Díaz, RHP

Age: 19 | 6-2 | 208 pounds

Bats: Right | Throws: Right

International signing in 2021

It wasn’t a great year on paper, but Díaz pitched in Low A at 18, another guy victimized by the elimination of short-season leagues, so take the 5.86 ERA with a grain of salt. He’s got average velocity that plays up a little because he commands it well, with a plus curveball and a work-in-progress changeup. The Mets rave about his baseball IQ and feel for pitching. He’s young enough to repeat Low A as the Mets try to build up his innings. 

Mack - I agree with Law. Send him back to St. Lucie, which is also the Mets’ home for additional pitching instructors to help with young kids like this. 

His 2021 DSL stint was incredible… 15-starts, 0.54-WHIP. They should have sent him to the other side of the Florida complex last season (FCL-Mets).

 

The Athletic - Why the Mets took out a Super Bowl commercial

Although most of the six branding experts who spoke to The Athletic this week believed the Mets were making a good bet, one thought the ad wouldn’t move the needle. 

“I don’t think you’re gonna sell a single extra ticket from a Super Bowl ad,” Szymanski said. “This is Steve Cohen just trying to make sure that everybody knows that the Mets are the biggest game in town, and they want to try to take the spotlight away from the Yankees, or any other sports team. … I think this is a total ego play. 

Mack - A cute “psych” move to show impending free agents that this is the team they need to play for some day. 

 

Keith Law - Minor League Systems Ranking -

15. New York Mets

The Mets have drafted exceptionally well, and have had some huge successes on the international front, at least in terms of getting guys who would become top-100 prospects. This year’s list has five current Mets prospects, plus two former Mets prospects in Pete Crow-Armstrong and Endy Rodriguez, to say nothing of other prospects they’ve traded away who have since graduated (like Andrés Giménez, Jarred Kelenic, Amed Rosario and more). 

The current system is pretty top-heavy, but the upper tier, which has the five guys on the top 100 plus two more I’d say were in the next 30-40, is good enough to make this a mid-level farm system overall. There’s some intriguing pitching much lower down, but nobody has popped yet to be a likely big-league starter. 

Mack - We’re gonna miss Endy some day.

 

 The Athletic - Every MLB team’s best under-the-radar offseason move ahead of the 2023 campaign -

New York Mets - The Mets flexed their financial muscles when they signed veteran right-handed reliever David Robertson. New York gave him $10 million for one year. If you can afford it, why not do it? As prolific as right-handers Edwin Díaz and Adam Ottavino were, the Mets’ bullpen lacked high-leverage options last year, particularly against left-handed batters. 

Robertson profiles as platoon-neutral with a long history of faring well against lefties. Robertson will turn 38 in April, but all the data still points upward. Along with lefty Brooks Raley, Robertson should be just the kind of reliever the Mets need to supplement Díaz and Ottavino. — Will Sammon 

Mack - I sure wish this guy was under contract for a second year team option.