Ruf, Rodriguez, Nimmo, Lucchesi, Greene
Mets’ 5 best DH options to platoon with Daniel Vogelbach for 2023 MLB season -
5. Darin Ruf remains part of New York’s DH platoon this season. This is the least popular move with Mets fans but is a strong possibility. Ruf has a strong track record of hitting left-handed pitching over eight MLB seasons. His career OPS against lefties is .891 and his slash line in that span is a solid .272/.367/.523. On paper, he should be the perfect complement to Vogelbach, who torches right-handed pitching but can’t touch lefties.
But alas, there was last season, when Ruf slashed .222/.322/.430 for the Giants and Mets against lefties. Was that an aberration? The Mets seem bent on giving the 36-year-old the benefit of the doubt, even as he opens spring training with a wrist issue.
Mack - The kids’ bats are really alive so far this spring.
I’m not sure Ruf is going to get a fair shot this spring at DH.
Notes about players that missed the Top 20 list:
Right-hander Luis Rodriguez worked in long relief in the Florida Complex League, mostly to manage his innings, but he throws fairly hard and actually throws strikes. …
Mack - Rodriguez is a 20-year old, 6-2, 220 pound RHP out of the DR.
He pitched as an 18 year old in 2021 for for both the FCL and St. Lucie Mets and combined for a stat line of: 7-G, 4-ST, 0-2, 5.11.
He underwent TJS on 6-22-22 and I don’t expect him back when the minor league teams start playing.
Brandon Nimmo’s Mets contract was hashed out over group text -
After the Winter Meetings in San Diego concluded, Eppler was hopping on a plane back to New York. Nimmo was still unsigned, and Sammon mentioned how the Amazins didn’t want to watch him sign elsewhere. Since Eppler couldn’t chat while in the air, the three of them resorted to working through details via text message:
Still, by the time Eppler boarded a return flight to New York, work remained. The Mets needed to re-sign Nimmo. In 2011, the Mets plucked Nimmo out of Wyoming with the 13th pick of the draft. For years, Nimmo battled to shed labels such as “injury-prone” and “fourth outfielder.” Now, fresh off a healthy and productive walk season, he appeared at the Winter Meetings as a gem, a two-way standout center fielder in a market devoid of them.
The Mets talked publicly about alternative plans in the event they couldn’t re-sign Nimmo. Truthfully, they feared the possibility of losing him.
That Eppler couldn’t talk in the air did not prove to be a deterrent. On a three-way text thread with Cohen and Nimmo’s agent, Scott Boras, the parties hashed out an eight-year, $162 million contract to keep Nimmo in a Mets uniform. Eppler said 90 percent of the work on the deal took place over text before his cross-country flight touched down in New York.
See? If your boss says they need to talk on the phone to hash something out or have a meeting about a particular issue, they’re wrong. Point to this as proof of that. If three people can mostly come to terms on a $162 million contract without talking on the phone, then just about anything in the office can get done without actually having to speak. It’s science.
Mack - what I like about texting is it basically takes emotion off the table. I fully embrace all businesses use texting to work out their future deals.
Joey Lucchesi In Good Spot After First Outing -
Friday represented the first opportunity for the 29-year-old to throw in an in-game situation since coming back, aside from a couple of Minor League rehab games. While it wasn’t an official spring training game, Lucchesi still looked good and it marked an important step in his comeback.
Lucchesi did give up a bloop single to Brett Baty to leadoff the game, but that would be the only hit the lefty would surrender all outing. He settled in after that and was near spotless, giving up just one walk while facing seven batters in total over two innings of work.
Mack - good start for Joey in this early portion of spring training. I expect to see him a lot before the season starts. The Mets want this guy to make the decision of sending him to Queens, for the start of the season, and easy one.
https://theathletic.com/4245052/2023/02/24/mets-bullpen-candidates/?source=user-shared-article -
Zach Greene (26)
Acquired: Rule 5 selection from the Yankees, December 2022
Status: On the 40-man roster with options, but as a Rule 5 selection Greene can only remain in the Mets organization in 2023 if he is part of the major-league roster or the injured list.
Repertoire: Fastball, slider, changeup
2022: 3.42 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 68 1/3 Triple-A innings
Like Nogosek, Greene’s chances of making the big-league club out of camp are aided by his status as a Rule 5 pick. Greene piles up swings-and-misses and strikeouts, especially for a guy who seldom cracks 92 on a radar gun. “There’s something going on with Zach that’s very interesting,” Hefner said. Greene’s fastball has subtle cutting action along with above-average ride, meaning it looks like it rises as it reaches the plate.
Like many other pitchers with the Yankees over the past few seasons, he’s tinkered with a slider that the club dubbed a “whirly” — a big sweeping breaking ball that benefits from seam-shifted wake to enhance its break. Greene has a split-changeup to polish off his arsenal.
“I’m excited to show everybody what I’m capable of,” he said of the opportunity in spring. “Yeah, it’s a lot of pressure being a Rule 5 (pick), it’s kind of like win or go home. At the same time, I had a great position with the Yankees, and I feel like it’s win-win. If I perform to the best of my abilities, I know I’ll be fine.”
Mack - The 26-year old RHP Greene was originally drafted by the Yankees in the 8th round of the 2019 draft, out of the University of South Alabama.
My guess is he will start the season in the Syracuse bullpen.
We seem to have a real abundance of pitching.
ReplyDeleteSomeone’s career may soon be described as Ruf and Tumble
Watching the pre-season games, I have to argue that we do not have an abundance of pitching - we have a deficit. Yes, it is still early, but whether it is Quintana, Carrasco, or a minor league prospect there are not many zeroes on the board.
ReplyDeleteThe way the young guys are hitting, I think that both Vogelbach and Ruf should be worried about what uniform they will be wearing by mid-season.
Mack, Greene can't start the season in 'Cuse. He's a Rule 5.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a rules guru, but I think there's a way we could send someone else to the Yankees and remove Greene's restriction.
Anyone here know if it's true?