UPDATED RESEARCH - 2023 Draft Prospect - OF - Elijah Nunez

 

Elijah Nunez

OF             TCU

 

2-19-23 - D1 - Week 1 - Saturday -

OF Elijah Nunez is one of college baseball’s most exciting players … He already had one of the best eyes in college baseball at the plate. Now, he’s off to a red-hot start to begin the 2023 campaign, and that’s a big development for the Frogs. Nunez was the emotional leader for the Frogs in the rout over Arkansas. In addition to having a couple of hits for the Frogs, he pressed the issue with his speed, and also finished the night with a pair of walks. Nunez is a do-it-all player, and he’s a strong defender to go with his offensive attributes.

 

1-19-23 - Top 25 Breakdown: No. 15 TCU

https://d1baseball.com/season-preview/top-25-breakdown-no-15-tcu/

Glue Guy: OF Elijah Nunez. Good things typically happen when Nunez finds his way on base. The talented junior slugger is a pure lefthanded hitter who has an excellent eye at the plate. Proof? He finished last season with a whopping 58 walks. He also showed versatility on the bases with 31 stolen bases in 33 attempts. Nunez doesn’t hit for a ton of power, but he’s a guy who, outside of the first few weeks last season, showed a consistent, good approach at the plate. TCU is tough to slow down offensively when he’s on a roll.

 

All the 2023 Draft Prospects in the Mack’s Mets database can be viewed by going to www.macksmets.blogspot.com and clicking on 2023 DRAFT PROSPECT DATABASE found on the top, left of the front page of the site. 

Tom Brennan - New Minor Leagues CBA, and a Jake Peek

There Ya Go!

Apparently both new AND initial. 

This first-ever MILB CBA (as reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN).

It calls for:

These pay increases in the minor leagues: Complex league: From $4,800 per year to $19,800 Low-A: $11,000 to $26,200 High-A: $11,000 to $27,300 AA: $13,800 to $30,250 AAA: $17,500 to $35,800 Players will be paid almost year-round, aside from a six-week break in the winter.

Not sure of other details, and the pay is still relatively minimal, but significant boosts nonetheless.

GOOD FOR THEM.

JAKE PEEK:

I thought it might be interesting to consider that in recent games that count, Jake deGrom, in September and October 2022 and in yesterday's opener, has thrown 32 innings, given up 19 earned runs, and 7 HRs among 29 hits

Even with 54 Ks over that stretch, has he become mortal? That's a lot of runs and HRs, bro'.

In contrast, in 92 innings in 2021, he gave up 11 earned runs.

Is he coming down off Mt. Olympus and becoming a mere mortal? Thor already has long since descended.

Glad we've got the Cy Young winner with the Teres pull instead, aren't you?

Reese Kaplan -- Razor Thin Quality Team Unlikely to Win Pennant

The season has begun and as usual it is time for predictions about how individual players and the team overall will do. Going into the season there are some surprises -- the injuries (Edwin Diaz, Jose Quintana, Bryce Montes de Oca, Elieser Hernandez and Sam Coonrod). Then there are the demotions -- Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos. Then there is the release of Darin Ruf.

Going into the 2023 full season the Mets should line up accordingly:

• 1B Pete Alonso
• 2B Jeff McNeil
• SS Francisco Lindor
• 3B Eduardo Escobar
• C Omar Narvaez
• LF Mark Canha
• CF Brandon Nimmo
• RF Starling Marte
• DH Daniel Vogelbach
• IF Luis Guillorme
• OF Tommy Pham
• OF Tim Locastro
• C Tomas Nido
• SP Max Scherzer
• SP Justin Verlander
• SP Kodai Senga
• SP Carlos Carrasco
• SP David Peterson
• RP David Robertson
• RP Adam Ottavino
• RP Brooks Raley
• RP Drew Smith
• RP Tommy Hunter
• RP John Curtiss
• RP Stephen Nogosek
• RP Dennis Santana

At first glance the team looks pretty solid with a couple of big ifs. If the current bullpen crew which contains one returning stud in Ottavino, one returning young veteran in Smith and another in Nogosek can complement the newcomers like Robertson, Raley and Santana. Then you have a few non-roster types who vaulted themselves into Queens in veterans Hunter and Curtiss. Without the best closer in the game, the bullpen looks pretty solid but not nearly as shutdown-ready as they would have been had there not been an overzealous WBC celebration in Puerto Rico.

The starting rotation is first rate. Peterson subbing for Quintana isn't all that different in capability. Everyone knows what the two multiple Cy Young Award winners can do. Carrasco has been far more good than bad. The only question mark is how Senga's health and adjustment to the ball will play as his rookie American season progresses.

The bench is weak. There is no other way to say it. Guillorme is a better backup infielder than most clubs have. The same can be said for Nido at catcher. However the track record overall for Tim Locastro is not that good and it's been quite awhile since Tommy Pham was considered a stronger offensive player. As the season progresses it's reasonable to expect the number of pitchers to drop to 12 and the bench to swell to 5. Who that 5th player will be may be someone from Syracuse or a DFA'd player picked up from another team.

The outfield functionally is strong. Mark Canha performed better last year in terms of working the count and batting average than he had in his past, though his power was down a bit. Nimmo just got a long term contract extension and if he stays healthy he's a solid player who is very good but likely not quite All Star level. Marte is likely the best acquisition made during the Cohen era and if not for injury last year he would have set some pretty high water metrics in power, speed and batting average. As it is he finished an abbreviated season with a 3.9 WAR.

The infield is pretty amazing. Everyone knows what Pete Alonso can do. His big payday is coming shortly for sure. Jeff McNeil already got his (and a batting title to boot). Francisco Lindor showed in 2022 what he was capable of doing and appears to be improving to the point where he might cross 30 HRs and 30 SBs this upcoming season. The two unknowns are which Eduardo Escobar will be on display in 2023 -- the slumper or the flaming hot September version. Narvaez is coming off a horrible season but his career numbers show a batting average of .258 which is very nearly All Star level at this particular position. He was brought here both to form a natural lefty/righty platoon with steadily improving Nido and to help mentor Francisco Alvarez when he ascends again from AAA.

So the overall impression of the team is quite good but the depth is highly questionable. No one is doing cartwheels that Pham is likely replacing Ruf as the right handed half of the DH position. Most everyone outside of Billy Eppler's office is still scratching their heads about the Baty and Vientos demotions. Still, they provide some backup bats if needed due to injury or poor performances by the current regulars.

It would seem that last year's squad won 101 games while going into a major funk at the end of the year, with only part time contributions from Jacob deGrom (and not at his normally stellar level), the slump of Esocbar, long IL stints from many players and virtually nothing out of the DH position. This club theoretically could perform as well given health of the players on the roster if Escobar stays hotter than colder and if the RH side of the DH position can contribute anything at all. However, one injury to a key player could torpedo postseason dreams and a club without sufficient reinforcements is climbing a balsa wood ladder to the top.

Prediction -- 98-64, second place behind the Braves.

The Mack Report - Humberto Mejia, David Peterson, Spring Report on Infielders, Pete Alonso, Simon Juan

Humberto Mejia, David Peterson, Spring Report on Infielders, Pete Alonso, Simon Juan

 

The Syraucse Mets announced their opening day rotation, which included Humberto Mejia. 

Mejia is a 26-year old 6-4 RHSP that was an International prospect, signed by Miami,  out of Panama. 

He has played for both the Marlins and Diamondbacks 

Career MLB stat line - -0.5-WAR, 0-5, 6.68 

Mack - There isn’t much to write about here, other than he finished thos off-season 4-3, 2.15, in 10 starts for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League. 

 

Tim Britton - Which MLB players impressed most in spring training? One pick from every team - 

New York Mets 

Player: David Peterson, SP 

There’s an alternate universe in which Peterson, fresh off a very solid 2022, watches the Mets nevertheless add three starting pitchers in the offseason and comes into camp jaded. That couldn’t be further from what actually happened, with the lefty entering the spring with his head down, focused on excelling in whatever role the Mets found for him. He’s been lights out all spring, looking dominant outside of one brief bout with his command. He allowed just one hit in 12 innings. With José Quintana out for at least the first half of the season, an enormous opportunity has opened up for Peterson to entrench himself in the rotation, and he’s positioned himself to capitalize on it. 

Mack - I’m so happy for David. I have been a big fan of his since his days in school and lobbied for the Mets to pick him when hos name was still on the board in 2017 when the Mets came up at 1.20. 

I believe that the Quintana recovery will be slow and he may never get a chance to bump Peterson. 

 

Tim Britton and Will Sammon - 40 Mets, 40 observations: What camp taught us about every guy on the roster - 

Infielders 

Pete Alonso: Alonso entered camp noticeably slimmer, having lost 10 pounds after including more running in his offseason program. He’s put a big emphasis on the little things such as being better in certain counts and curtailing his aggressiveness when it makes sense. 

Brett Baty: An improved glove made the decision to option Baty to Triple A somewhat more difficult — even if he always faced long odds of making the club. The front office wants him to continue gaining experience in different scenarios at third base. During the spring, he got better at making routine plays defensively while showcasing power to the opposite field at the plate. One specific improvement on defense included more range going to his left. 

Eduardo Escobar: Manager Buck Showalter dubbed Escobar the early spring training standout for a fictional award based on most smiles. With a personal issue behind him, Escobar seemed to be in better spirits compared to the first half of last season. Club officials believe he deserves a shot to prove he can remain a regular after an impressive September. Despite the prospect Baty looming, Escobar always seemed like he would be the Mets’ starting third baseman after the Carlos Correa saga unfolded. 

Luis Guillorme: In addition to his usual duties at second base, third base and shortstop, Showalter wanted Guillorme to get some reps at first base. He could stand to benefit from more of a DH rotation against lefties; if Escobar slides into that rotation occasionally, then Guillorme could conceivably play more third base despite being a left-handed batter. 

Francisco Lindor: Early in the spring, Lindor encouraged Baty during a conversation inside the clubhouse about the prospect’s improved footwork. Later, while standing on first base, Lindor encouraged 24-year-old pitcher Dominic Hamel to calm down during an intrasquad game. With Lindor, the leadership signs remained present. One thing to track during the season will be how he feels; he said the last time he played in the WBC, he was exhausted. He spent the spring threading the needle between preparing himself and not overdoing it. 

Ronny Mauricio: The power impressed; Mauricio hit at least two home runs that traveled more than  450 feet. The Mets optioned Mauricio before they sent down their other top position player prospects. After playing mostly shortstop during the spring, Mauricio said he is willing to play more third base. 

Jeff McNeil: McNeil received only nine at-bats during the WBC, so upon his return to the Mets he spent time in the back fields to catch up on reps. In the Mets’ final intrasquad game, McNeil played shortstop, and Showalter mentioned him as an emergency option in center field. 

Danny Mendick: Facing a slower ramp-up because of a torn ACL last year, Mendick didn’t play in games right away. But over the course of spring, he said he was fully healthy and racked up 28 plate appearances while playing a few positions such as second base and third base. Mendick said his natural position was shortstop and he can also play left field. 

Mark Vientos: A highlight for Vientos occurred in mid-March when he showcased improved footwork while making nifty picks on low throws at first base. Defense will remain a key in Vientos’ development. He also saw time at third base. Vientos will start the season in Triple A. 

Daniel Vogelbach: Vogelbach arrived at Port St. Lucie approximately 20 pounds lighter. Despite hitting several balls hard, Vogelbach hit just .205 in the spring. Regardless, he seems locked into the strong side of the Mets’ DH platoon with team officials pointing to his success against right-handers over the last couple of years. 

Mack - I have no problem letting the old guys start this team both on the 26 and in the starting lineup, but, if they stumble, the Mets must bring the kids back, especially the ones that are MLB ready. 

 

Steve Zavala/ClutchPoints - Steve Cohen keeps it real on Pete Alonso’s Mets future-

“Listen, Pete’s a great guy and a great Met and really important to the team,” Cohen said. “Generally we don’t comment on these type of conversations. If there’s a deal to be made, it’ll be made at the right time. 

“I’ll rely on my baseball people to make those recommendations. … It comes down to, at the right time, we’ll probably sit down and have those conversations.” 

Mack - Trust me. Cohen will get involved here. The Mets have one the best young first basemen in the game and they have no one in the chain that could take over here. He has to be extended. 

 

Joe DeMayo - Mets' updated Top 20 prospects for 2023 MLB season -

19. OF Simon Juan

The Mets' top signing in the 2022 international free agent class, who signed for $1.9 million, is someone the Mets think of in the same light that they did Alex Ramirez at 16 years old. Juan has a projectable build and potential to show some of all the five tools. He struggled in his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League with a .633 OPS, but there is still sky-high upside here, and he should move stateside this year. 

MLB ETA: 2027 

Mack - Juan will play 2023 as a 17 year old, so there is a good chance he could start this season for the DSL-1 team, Me? I get him over here and play him at the FCL level.

UPDATED RESEARCH - 2023 Draft Prospect - RHP - Grayson Moore

 

Grayson Moore

RHP Vanderbilt 

 

2-22-23 - Opening Weekend -

Grayson Moore, RHP, Vanderbilt– The promising 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-hander scuffled at the Showdown in one inning of relief against TCU. H- is low-70s curveball was well below average as the Horned Frogs sat on and struck his 92-96 mph fastball for four runs on three hits. However, Moore did strike out two against no walks.

 

11-28-22 - 2023 MLB Draft: College Top 100 Prospects - https://d1baseball.com/prospects/2023-mlb-draft-college-top-100-prospects/ -

98 Grayson Moore RHP Vanderbilt SEC 

 

All the 2023 Draft Prospects in the Mack’s Mets database can be viewed by going to www.macksmets.blogspot.com and clicking on 2023 DRAFT PROSPECT DATABASE found on the top, left of the front page of the site.

 

Mike's Mets - Some Final Thoughts Before Opening Day

 

Hello, Syracuse? Please hold
for Mr. Eppler...

By Mike Steffanos

Spring training is almost over, and the 26-man roster is set. We share some observations on the choices the Mets made.

Although I had Brett Baty on my potential Opening Day roster, I did note that I wouldn't be surprised if Billy Eppler's front office made the decision to start Baty off in Syracuse. So, when the news came that Baty was being sent down, I wasn't surprised, but I was a bit disappointed. Sending Baty down was definitely the "safe" choice for Eppler and company. However, I was hoping for a bit of boldness on their part. For all of the reasons set down in my post on Baty from earlier in the month, I thought that he gave the Mets a great opportunity to upgrade their offense a bit.

As The Athletic's Tim Britton noted in his terrific "This Week in Mets" column:

Amid the disappointingly unspecific explanations general manager Billy Eppler provided on Saturday night for sending both Brett Baty and Mark Vientos down, one comment stood out:

"They're a phone call away," Eppler said. "They don't need something to happen at the major-league level. They have the type of talent where they can push their way up here.

Eppler and his lieutenants certainly can defend sending Baty down. Eduardo Escobar is a competent third baseman, albeit below-average defensively. After suffering through a disturbingly sub-par offensive output for most of the year, Escobar came back in September scorching hot after returning from a brief stretch on the Injured List. Reportedly, Escobar had worked through some personal issues and also made some mechanical changes that led to the resurgence.

So now Eduardo gets the start of the season to prove that the Escobar we saw in September was no fluke. If he does that, he likely holds onto the job for the season. If he slips back into his performance from earlier in 2022 — he was slashing .220/.273/.390 when he went on the IL in August — then Eppler needs to get on the phone with Syracuse. And no, I'm not talking about replacing Escobar if he has a bad first week, but if he doesn't produce in April then the Mets should be considering Baty.

Although I absolutely believe Eppler's decision is defensible, his remarks about the number of games played in the minors were a bit silly. Eppler mentioned that Nolan Arenado, like Baty drafted after High School, played in over 400 minor league contests. Baty has played in 273, but that doesn't count that Brett likely would have had around 100 more games on his resume if the 2020 minor league season wasn't canceled by COVID-19. Baty was one of the prospects getting some work in the alternate site that year — valuable experience even if not actual gameplay.

Another point I see made is that projection systems do not foresee Baty significantly outperforming Eduardo Escobar in 2023. I was looking at FanGraphs ZIp projections for the 2023 Mets. Zips was quite bearish on Escobar, projecting a .232/.292/.417 slash line and a 96 OPS+. They had Brett Baty at .253/.331/.424 with a 110 OPS+. Even this dark outlook for Escobar only valued Baty at just over a single win higher for the season. I'm going to guess the Mets' internal projections are more generous to Escobar. Even so, if they are projected at roughly equal production, isn't there a benefit to working the rookie into the major league lineup? Tim Britton subtitled the column quoted above "The Mets can only be patient with their prospects for so long." At some point, you have to live with the growing pains if you hope to achieve the goal of integrating young players onto this aging roster.

To finish reading this article on Mike's Mets, please click here.

PRESS RELEASE: Rumble Ponies Announce Preliminary 2023 Opening Day Roster

 

Hamel, Vasil, Santos, and Schwartz 

headline Ponies team heading into 2023 season

BINGHAMTON, NY – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Double-A Affiliate of the New York Mets, announced their preliminary 2023 Opening Day roster Wednesday. This year’s roster features three of the Mets top 30 prospects as listed by mlb.com, and two that are listed in the top 15:  RHP Dominic Hamel (9), RHP Mike Vasil (11), and RHP Junior Santos (19). 1B JT Schwartz also makes his Double-A debut after being drafted by the Mets in the 4^th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft out of UCLA.

The Rumble Ponies previously announced coaching staff led by returning manager Reid Brignac will open the season on Thursday, April 6^th on the road against the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox Double-A Affiliate). The Ponies will have their home opener on Tuesday, April 11^th against the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees Double-A Affiliate) at 6:35 PM.

Please see the full roster below and attached.

Pitchers (16)

Daison Acosta, Manny Alvarez, Jose Chacin, Nolan Clenney, Justin Courtney, Dylan Hall, Dominic Hamel, Troy Miller, Luis Moreno, Dedniel Núñez, Hunter Parsons, Marcel Renteria, Alex Valverde, Junior Santos, Sammy Tavarez, Mike Vasil.  

Catchers (3)

Jose Mena, Matt O’Neill, Hayden Senger.

Infielders (6)

Branden Fryman, Mateo Gil, Dariel Gomez, Luke Ritter, JT Schwartz, Wyatt Young.

Outfielders (5)

Rowdey Jordan, Brandon McIlwain, Tanner Murphy, Matt Rudick, Agustin Ruiz.

Coaching Staff

Reid Brignac (Manager), AJ Sager (Pitching Coach), Darin Everson (Hitting Coach), Mariano Duncan (Bench Coach), Jeremy Cologna (Development Coach), Austin Dayton (Athletic Trainer), Ryan Orr (Performance Coach), Stephen Schuster (Analytics Associate), Ryan Stamski (Baseball Systems Associate), Stephanie Xavier (Dietitian).

PRESS RELEASE - Cyclones Announce Preliminary Roster

  

 

BROOKLYN CYCLONES ANNOUNCE INITIAL 2023 ROSTER

Kevin Parada, Alex Ramírez, Blade Tidwell Highlight Roster Full of Top 30 Talent

 

BROOKLYN, NY (March 29, 2023) - The Brooklyn Cyclones, in conjunction with the New York Mets, have announced its preliminary roster for the upcoming 2023 South Atlantic League campaign. The roster features five Top 30 Mets’ prospects according to MLB.com, including 2022 first-round selection C Kevin Parada (No. 3), second-round selection RHP Blade Tidwell (No. 7), and OF Alex Ramírez (No. 4). In total, 31 players are featured, including 17 pitchers, three catchers, six infielders, and five outfielders.   The 2023 season will open up on Friday, April 7 at Maimonides Park with a 1:00 PM start time.   

 

Twelve players on the Cyclones’ initial roster have Coney Island experience, including several from last season’s second-half North Division championship squad. 20-year-old Ramírez, OF Stanley Consuegra (No. 21), and IF William Lugo (No. 26) rejoin Brooklyn’s offensive attack alongside Brooklyn native OF Jaylen Palmer and
Nassau County’s OF Joe Suozzi. RHP Jeffrey Colón will grace the bump once more for the Cyclones with RHP Trey McLoughlin, LHP Daniel Juárez, and LHP Nathan Lavender.

 

Bahamas native IF Warren Saunders arrives back in Brooklyn from last season’s roster along with C Oscar
Campos, who appeared in eight games with the club in 2021. LHP Quinn Brodey — who led the 2017 squad in RBI (54) as an outfielder — returns to Coney Island after converting to the mound this offseason.

 

Championship pedigree also arrives on Surf Ave. through 17 members of last summer’s 2022 Florida State League champion St. Lucie Mets roster. Parada — Minor League Baseball’s No. 36 farmhand per MLB.com — and OF Omar De Los Santos — the minors third-leading base stealer (70) in 2022 — join a potent Cyclones offense. IF César Berbesi, IF Chase Estep, IF Kevin Kendall, IF D’Andre Smith, and C Drake Osborn round out the fresh faces to Brooklyn’s lineup. 

 

After earning the start and win in the clinching game of the championship series, Tidwell headlines newcomers to a Cyclone pitching staff that will also feature fellow St. Lucie stalwarts RHPs Jace Beck, Joshua Cornielly, Paul Gervase, Jordan Geber, Kolby Kubichek, Joander Suárez, Tyler Stuart, and Dylan Tebrake. 

 

RHP Cameron Foster did not pitch for an affiliate being selected by New York in the 14th round and will make his professional debut for Brooklyn. RHP Wilkin Ramos will make his Mets’ organizational debut with the Cyclones after being chosen by the franchise from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the minor league phase of this past winter’s Rule 5 draft.

 

Chris Newell returns to Brooklyn for a second-straight year and his first as manager. Bronx native Richie Benes comes back to the Cyclones in his second season as hitting coach. Victor Ramos serves as pitching coach after guiding St. Lucie’s staff a season ago, while Juan Loyo — who appeared in eight games for the team as a catcher last year — joins the staff as a development coach. John Vaughn takes over as bench coach. The support staff includes athletic trainer Paul Gonzales and performance coach Drew Skrocki.

Ray Savage - Little Lies

 

                                  SAVAGE VIEWS – LITTLE LIES

March 30, 2023

Ah, Spring is in the air and ST has come to a close.   As we begin a new season, the typical Mets fan is wondering who will be our World Series opponent.  Hate to bust your bubble, but, I am not convinced that we are a play-off caliber team yet.

Coming into Spring Training, we were excited about the possibility that our three top prospects had a better than even choice of making the opening day roster.  The facts are none of them had a realistic chance.  Once the Mets signed Nido to a two-year contract and also signed Narvaez to another two-year contract, the fate of Alvarez was sealed.   We saw that Alvarez was not allowed to prove himself this spring as he was given limited playing time.  The decision to send him to AAA was pre-determined prior to his first spring appearance.  Most of us agree that Alvarez will benefit by spending time refining his defensive skills.  However, don’t be surprised if he does appear in a major league uniform before September, unless there is an injury.  In fact, since both Nido and Narvaez are signed through 2024, it won’t be surprising if Alvarez does not get the full-time catching gig until 2025.

Brett Baty and Mark Vientos showed their considerable skills this spring and both appear to be major league ready.  There is little for either to gain through additional seasoning in the minors.  And yet they were demoted based on some outdated theory that they should have at least 400 at-bats in AAA.   Neither had a legitimate chance to make the opening day roster as long as Escobar, Vogelbach, Canha and Pham are all heading north.  Again the decision to farm out Baty and Vientos was made prior to the first pitch thrown this spring.

It will be a waste of talent and detrimental to the overall performance of the team to keep Baty and Vientos down any longer than absolutely necessary.  Roster space must be made available by finding new homes for Escobar and Vogelbach.  Baty then becomes the everyday third baseman whose presence will improve the stats for those hitting around him.  Vientos then takes over the DH role on a full-time basis.  While he may not be a potential gold glover he can do an adequate job of spelling Baty and Alonso.

In order for the Mets to have a successful season, they need to field a strong offensive team.  Their best offensive team would include Baty and Vientos.  If Baty and Vientos wind up spending the season in the minors it would hinder the transition of Mauricio and Alvarez.  Baty and Vientos both need to establish themselves before consideration can be given to incorporating Alvarez and Mauricio.

No one can predict how well our starting rotation will fare.  With two 40 year olds heading the rotation, an unproven Senga and Carrasco and Peterson filling out the rotation, expect the bull-pen to be taxed to the limit.  Right now, I don’t see us as play-off bound.  I’m terrified that we will trade top prospects in order to acquire a closer.  I can see another PCA in our future.

 

Ray

Paul Articulates – The outfield shines

With the regular season starting today for the New York Mets, the fan base is looking forward to a strong season.  While we lament the unfortunate injuries to closer Edwin Diaz and upcoming relief pitcher Bryce Montez de Oca, there are many healthy players on the roster that are ready to contribute to a successful season.  You have seen several predictions in recent articles on who will be in the lineup and who will stand out on the mound.  Today’s post will take a look at the Mets’ outfield.

The Mets are blessed with a very solid core of starting outfielders.  Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo, and Mark Canha would be the envy of many MLB clubs, but here in New York they are almost taken for granted as people focus on who the fourth outfielder will be or who is going to be assigned DH duties.  I want to take a look at the strengths, because I predict that this outfield trio will provide a very pleasant upside for the Mets.

Brandon Nimmo has recently signed an eight year, $162M contract extension.   The Mets were excited to bring him back, and for good reason.  Nimmo has improved every year as he continues to drive for excellence.  His hitting, his power, his defense have all steadily improved.  Last year he also proved very durable with 151 games played.  His health was always a big question mark based on several injuries sustained in previous years.  None of those injuries represented recurring weakness in a body part, they were just various setbacks suffered by a guy who was going all out on every play.  He will continue to give it 100% out there, but with age comes wisdom, so my projection is that he avoids long term injuries and will play through most of the normal wear and tear.  Although he slashed .274/.367/.433, his power numbers have dipped over the last two years, and a resurgence is due.  For a guy that has had an .800+ OPS in four of the last five years, a resurgence in power is going to push him over the top as one of the elite outfielders in the NL.

Mark Canha is another guy that will increase his power numbers.  He admittedly was tinkering with his power swing late last year and came up with some very big home runs in pivotal games.  Canha’s value to this team is often understated.  He is a versatile outfielder that can play all three positions.  He has turned in admirable on-base percentage numbers every year and should continue to do so.  Expect to see Canha and Nimmo on base a lot this year.

Starling Marte has been an outstanding player for most of his career.  We unfortunately found out just how valuable he was to this team when his late-season injury coincided with a Mets losing streak that backed them out of first place.  Marte may be 34 years old, but he can still hit, throw, and run with the best in the league.  He slashed .292/.347/.468 last year in 118 games.  The key will be keeping him healthy this year, and with the versatility of Canha and McNeil plus the addition of Tim Locastro and Tommy Pham to the team, there should be no problem with giving him enough rest to remain charged for a late season run.  

Those top three outfielders combined for 11.2 WAR last year and I am expecting even greater performance this year.  When they need a breather, there is adequate health.  As mentioned, the Mets have added Tim Locastro to the roster this year which brings speed and hopefully a productive bat if spring training was any indicator.  Tommy Pham has a great deal of MLB experience and though his defensive stats are mediocre, he provides a little more depth.  Add the ability of McNeil to play both corner positions as needed and the Mets should be able to sustain a high level of outfield production throughout the season.

Get ready to watch the New York Mets outfield this year.  It is going to be a great ride.

 

Tom Brennan - Opening Day 2023, and a Dip in the Excitement Factor

 

EDWIN WILL ATTEND, WALKER OR NO WALKER. 

Tommy Trumpet, however, will not.

In 1962, the Mets’ first-ever game was in mid-April, on April 11, and their first win arrived an eternity later, on April 23, a 9-1 nail biter. 

The 9-1 win made it a 1-9 start, with 39 more wins to follow. 

Jack Chesbro won 41 games in 1904, the whole Mets team just 40 in 1962. 

Every time Chesbro won that year, in fact, I can only imagine Mack loudly exclaimed, “YES, BRO’!”

The Mets, on a more serious note, open this afternoon at 4:10 PM, 13 days earlier than in 1962.

I’ll take a 9-1 win today, too.

Scherzer v. Alcantara. Put your wagers on Mighty Mad Max.

The Mets will pose a tough challenge to the Marlins, but I think the challenge to Mad Max from the Marlenes will be not so tough. 12 strikeouts by Max are expected. And a W.

A line up of Nimmo, McNeil, Lindor, Alonso, Marte, Vogelbach, Narvaez, Escobar, and Canha ought to be fun to watch, and Ruf for Alcantara. 

They tell me Edwin Diaz will sit this one out.  

No miracles in that regard today.

LGM. 

Please. Win one for the…multi-billionaire, who is (to be clear) not a Gipper. 

Probably a big tipper though. 

Me? I’m just a big quipper.

102 wins, with or without Edwin. No excuses.

BUT…BEFORE I GO...THE EXCITEMENT FACTOR:

When it comes to baseball, I have always been a kid at heart. Ryan, Gooden, McNeil, Alonso, I love guys with freaky skills and those who come up and provide stunning production.  In basketball, it was Dr. J.

So…to lose freaky, invaluable Diaz performance and production, and lose the potential very-high-end freakiness of Bryce Montes de Oca has put a blow hole in my excitement factor. To a lesser degree, the “you never really had a chance  to go north with us” mentality of Eppler with Baty, Vientos, and Alvarez dampened my excitement too. 

I am looking forward to 2023, but not nearly as excited about it. Period.

You fans may feel differently, and I am sure Syracuse fans are pulsating with excitement.  What a AAA squad they are opening with.  So deep, in fact, that even the very-deserving Wyatt Young is repeating AA for now.  No room in  'Cuse for that young talent - yet.  

The same Wyatt Young who in 19 Syracuse games last year hit a not-so-shabby .352/.446/.437.  

MURPH NEWS!!!

The independent Long Island Ducks just announced that they've signed Daniel Murphy, 37, who last played in the Majors in 2020 for the Rockies. 

"This game is part of my soul," Murphy said in a statement posted to the Ducks' web site.

Love ya, Murph! Only just turning 38, maybe he can recapture his form and help the Mets this year. One can only dream.

PLAY BALL!