The Mack Report - Locastro, Verlander, Elieser, Tylor, Joey

 

 Locastro, Verlander, Elieser, Tylor, Joey

 

Auburn's Tim Locastro off to hot start in spring training with New York Mets -

Locastro is hoping to be the Mets' reserve outfielder when the regular season begins later this month. While he is solid defensively and has been hitting the ball well in spring training, his greatest asset is his speed. He is one of the fastest players in Major League Baseball and holds the major league record for most consecutive stolen bases to start a career without being caught. The Mets could use a stolen base threat. In 2022, the club ranked 23rd in the majors with 62 stolen bases. 

Mack - So far, I like everything I see in this guy. Fourth or fifth outfielders need that extra element to be effective… quality defense… excellent speed… Loco is going to be quite annoying to pitchers this season. 

 

Why Mets star Justin Verlander is emulating Nolan Ryan and dabbling with a changeup -

In the middle of the 2019 season, Verlander visited with Ryan for a conversation. They discussed several topics. At some point, the focus shifted to the changeup, a pitch Verlander maintains a fleeting relationship with. In the early part of Verlander’s career during the mid-to-late-2000s, he utilized the changeup at a considerable rate. Then he essentially abandoned the pitch after losing feel for it. Hitters basically told him to ditch it. Ever since, Verlander has attempted to rediscover it. Ryan could relate. 

“I just relayed to him the challenges that I had with it,” Ryan said in a phone interview with The Athletic, “and that once I got more consistent with it, then how effective it was for me.” 

Mack - I was looking at canes at this age, 

 

https://theathletic.com/4245052/2023/02/24/mets-bullpen-candidates/?source=user-shared-article - 

Elieser Hernández (28)

Acquired: Trade with Miami, November 2022

Status: On the 40-man roster with options.

Repertoire: Fastball, slider, changeup

2022: 6.35 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 62 1/3 major-league innings 

Hernández is more of a traditional starter than anyone else on this list, and the Mets will stretch him out as one for the majority of spring. They aren’t as closed off to the idea of carrying him in the bullpen, however, as they are with the likes of Peterson and Megill, giving Hernández a chance to be part of the pen early in the season in the role Trevor Williams played last year. The right-hander was a solid starter for the Marlins in 2020 and 2021 before cratering last season, in part he said because of an elbow issue stemming from late spring training. 

Mack - “Lilo” was originally signed out of Venezuela by the Astros in 2012. 

2022 stat line - -1.1-WAR, 3-6, 6.35 

He’s always been a starter and the 28 year old could be a superior find for the Mets.

  

Sarris: 10 deep sleeper pitchers who could deliver for fantasy and MLB teams alike -

Tylor Megill, Mets

Two enter, one shall remain. Maybe that’s not fair. Teams use seven starters heavily and 10 starters over the average season, so the Mets will need both David Peterson and Tylor Megill. Especially since their rotation is made up of 38-year-old Max Scherzer, 40-year-old Justin Verlander, 34-year-old Jose Quintana, and 35-year-old Carlos Carrasco. Kodai Senga, 30, is the baby, man. 

The Pitching+ model prefers Megill (3.49 ppERA, 115 ppStuff+, 100 Location+, 104 Pitching+) to Peterson (4.00 ppERA, 92S+/96L+/94P+), but there’s a bit of an asterisk to the numbers Megill put up last season. He threw a starter’s workload early in the season and then transitioned to the pen after an injury early in the season. Throwing 95-97 mph early and then closer to 95 as a reliever suggests there was some velocity loss covered up by the change in roles. So, if his fastball was a 111 Stuff+ as a reliever, you’d expect that to drop down to something like 105 as a starter, now. Unless he re-discovers that form from early last season. 

The fastball is Megill’s best pitch, so this is an important conversation. The slider and changeup are pretty good, but if you’re looking for something to track that may decide who gets the first shot behind that veteran starting staff in New York it’s simple: track the innings per appearance and get the fastball velocity. It’s a lot harder to form a strategy for Peterson, who may need to change some of the shapes of his pitches and doesn’t have above-average command of any of them right now. 

Mack - I have always been a big fan of this guy and, based on what I have seen so far from the projected Mets rotation, I expect to see this guy early and often this season. 

 

5 Mets players who need to bounce back in 2023 MLB season -

Joey Lucchesi says he's open to anything in regard to his role: 

Lucchesi has primarily been a starter in his big league career, but he could be a nice fit as the swingman in the Mets bullpen. The 29-year-old could fill the role Trevor Williams thrived in last season, serving as the long man and spot starter. Lucchesi could also be brought in to face left-handed hitters, though, his career splits against righties and lefties are similar. 

With his funky motion and unique “churve,” Lucchesi could be a quality addition if he can bounce back after surgery. 

Mack - Anything positive here would be a bonus, but  I still can’t get over trading a future star in this game, catcher Endy Rodriguez, for this guy.