Brooklyn Cyclones Game Notes — Sunday, April 30 — at Jersey Shore [12:05 PM — DH]

 

The Brooklyn Cyclones (6-11) go for back-to-back victories against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws (8-9) — the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies — in a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at 12:05 p.m. from ShoreTown Ballpark.

RHP Tyler Stuart (0-0, 1.98) is expected to make the start Brooklyn against Jersey Shore’s RHP Gunner Mayer (0-0, 2.79) in the lid-lifter.

The Cyclones are scheduled to hand the ball to RHP Jeffrey Colón (0-0, 10.38) in the finale. LHP Gabriel Cotto (0-1, 8.10) is projected to counter him for the BlueClaws.

LAST TIME OUT: The Cyclones snapped a brief two-game slide on Thursday night with a 4-3 win over the BlueClaws...Brooklyn scored all 4 of their runs in the top of the 5th...LF Omar De Los Santos provided an RBI double and scored on an error to tie it at 2...1B Joe Suozzi collected a go-ahead run-scoring single and DH Kevin Parada added an RBI two-base hit...LF Jared Carr garnered a 2-run homer to right for Jersey Shore in the 4th...RHP Wilkin Ramos posted 3-shutout innings of relief to earn his 2nd win...RHP Manny Rodríguez recorded the final 3 outs to pick up his first career save.

WASHED OUT: The Cyclones endured their 3rd postponement of the 2023 season and their 2nd consecutive day washed away on Saturday afternoon due to rain...It was the first time Brooklyn had back-to-back days postponed since May 12 and 13 of last year vs. Wilmington...It is the first time it has happened on the road since May 6 and 7, 2022, at Aberdeen.

 

IF THERE’S A WIL-KIN, THERE’S A WAY: RHP Wilkin Ramos has been a force for Brooklyn out of the bullpen in 2023...The 22-year-old enters Saturday’s matchup with a 10-inning scoreless streak dating back to April 13 at Winston-Salem...During the 4-game stretch, Ramos has permitted only 2 hits and walked 3 batters...The right-hander has whiffed 15 batters in that span (13.50 K/9)...Over his last 2 appearances, Ramos has punched out 11 batters in 6.0 innings (16.50 K/9)...The Dominican native is 5th in the South Atlantic League (min. 10.0 IP) in strikeout rate (39.0%).

ALEX ALWAYS ON: OF Alex Ramírez extended his team season-long hitting streak to 12 on Thursday...The stretch is tied with Greenville’s Blaze Jordan for the longest active streak in the SAL...The 20-year-old is 17-for-his-last-49 (.347) with 6 runs scored, 2 doubles, a home run, 10 RBI, 5 walks, and 4 stolen bases...Ramírez enters Sunday’s matches tied for 5th in the SAL in hits (20)...Since the start of last season, Ramírez leads all Mets’ minor leaguers in batting average (.283) and is tied with teammate OF Stanley Consuegra for the lead in triples (7).

THUNDERBOLT: The Cyclones stole a season-high 6 bases on Wednesday afternoon at Jersey Shore...That was the most for Brooklyn since they stole 6 bags at Hudson Valley on April 20, 2022...3B Jaylen Palmer and DH/RF Joe Suozzi swiped bases in both contests...Coming into Sunday, OF Omar De Los Santos is tied for 2nd in the South Atlantic League with 10 and Palmer is tied for 5th with 9...More importantly, both are a combined 19-for-20 on attempts...The ‘Clones are 4th in the league with 34 team stolen bases but are 2nd in success rate (.895)...Only Hudson Valley (.912) has been more successful. 

  

SUPER STANLEY: OF Stanley Consuegra blasted his 4th home run of the year on Tuesday night...Consuegra enters Sunday’s games on a 12-game on-base streak dated back to April 12...Since then, the right-handed swinger is slashing .326/.404/.696 with a stellar 1.100 OPS...Consuegra has 8 extra-base hits, 4 home runs, 13 RBI, and 5 walks in that span...He is tied for 5th in the league in extra-base hits (9), tied for 8th in homers (4), 9th in slugging percentage (.565), tied for 9th in total bases (35), and tied for 10th in RBI (13).

WELCOME BACK, WILLIAM: INF William Lugo made his season debut on Tuesday night at Jersey Shore...The 21-year-old is 2-for-6 with a double, walk, 2 runs scored, and a stolen base in 2 games...Lugo joined the Cyclones from Single-A St. Lucie on April 8 last year and slashed .267/.347/.484 with a .795 OPS in 28 regular season games...He added 4 home runs and 18 RBI...The Baní, D.R. native added another solo home run in the postseason...Lugo is ranked as the Mets’ No. 27 prospect by Baseball America and No. 26 by MLB Pipeline...He joined the squad from extended spring training on Monday.

GO DJ: LHP Daniel Juárez has been as dominant as can be out of the bullpen for the Cyclones in 2023...In his first 6 outings of the campaign, the southpaw holds a 1-0 record with 1 save...He has not permitted a run on 3 hits and a walk, striking out 11...In 11 regular season appearances with the ‘Clones dating back to last season, Juárez has yielded only 1 unearned run in 10.1 innings...The 22-year-old has not surrendered an earned run in 19 straight appearances dating back to last year...Juárez last allowed earned runs on June 22, 2022, with Single-A St. Lucie at Palm Beach...Since then, he is 3-0 with 8 hits allowed, 10 walks, and 26 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.

Tom Brennan - A Brief Proportional Perspective on a Weighty Subject

Weighty, slow, effective…and cheap… 

Yeah, yeah, Daniel Vogelbach is weighty.  OK, proportionally, he does not look like your average chiseled major leaguer.

Yeah, yeah, Daniel Vogelbach is slow.

Yeah, yeah, Daniel Vogelbach swings funny.

Funny that going into the Braves series, he was hitting .271, with a .417 OBP. That latter figure is 7th best in the majors. 

Huh…perspective.

Here is more perspective:

The Mets’ payroll for luxury tax is around $350 million.

Daniel Vogelbach makes $1.5 million, which is 0.4% of the team payroll.

For $350 million, you could have 9 or 10 entire teams of Daniel Vogelbachs, 250 players in all.

Many (and I mean MANY) kvetch about Vogie while failing to realize Max Scherzer, for one, makes 25 times as much as Vogie.

How many injured or active players make much more and so far have contributed less in 2023?

I’ll list some:

Verlander, Diaz, Carrasco, Quintana, Escobar, Pham, Nido, Marte, Senga, Narvaez, and Canha.  

Bleat about those 11 guys for a while instead, why dontcha?

CALL HIM UP

After Friday, Pham down to .196. Vientos is hitting .358, on base % is .449, slug % .704. Ks are down, too. Absolutely on fire the past two weeks. What on earth are they waiting for?

TO REV THE OFFENSE...

While Escobar and Nido plumb the depths of the sea of baseball's worst hitters, on Thursday and Friday, Baty and Alvarez got up 12 times and got on base 8 times.  When writing out the lineup, Buck, whose names should you be inserting?  Me?  The ones that start with A and B.

ACHY BREAKY JAKEY

You know who (OK, hint: his last name starts with the letters DEGRO) left his start the other night in the 4th with that familiar forearm tightness.  Glad Billy realized damaged goods doesn't turn into Man of Steel come contract time.  He managed to stay enough intact in the early season to have thrown the 35th most innings of any pitcher.  The question may turn out to be how many more than 30 innings he may climb.  

LITTLE, PERHAPS UNLIKED, PITCHES GOOD THOUGH

Former Met pitcher Marcus Stroman has thrown 35 innings with a sterling 2.29 ERA.  I guess all that glitters is not tall.  His team's AA minor league CF, 21 year old Pete Crow Armstrong, the dude they ditched in the Javy deal, is hitting .302 with 7 extra base hits and 8 steals in 13 games.  

RUDICK ROCKS, WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT

Of course, we have a CF "crow of our own" in AA,  

Through Friday, Matt Rudick, a 13th rounder in 2021, who finished his 2022 season in Brooklyn getting on base a stunning 56 times in his last 28 regular season games, is leading Binghamton with a .320/.460/.540 slash line in the season's first 15 chilly games.  Wait til it warms up so he can get hot?  Keep an eye on Matt, who still has not made an error in 112 pro games in the outfield. 

Lastly, Quinn-turned-Harris Brodey has a 3.86 ERA in his first 7 pro pitching innings (5 hits allowed) in Brooklyn, while future star Blade Tidwell has a 5.56 ERA there.  Just to point out how Harris Brodey's remarkable effort to transform from faltering hitter to lefty relief pitching is showing some early signs of promise.  Just as another comparison, 8 pitchers with lower level St Lucie who have 7 or more innings have the same or a higher ERA so far.  Go, Harris, go.  

The other converted hitter-to-pitcher down in Brooklyn, RHRP Manny Rodriguez, is doing even better so far, with a 1.69 ERA in 10.2 IP (4 hits allowed).  Former SS M Rod may soon need his own walk-in music if he keeps that up.

Ciao, and have a great day, may your ERA remain low and your forearm loose.

Future Mets Prospect - 2B Junior Tilien

 

Future Mets Prospect - 2B Junior Tillen

 

Junior Tilien is another of the talented middle infielders in the Mets chain. 

Tilien is 20 years old and can play short, third, and second. This year, he is repeating Lucy and playing mostly second, because he is blocked by D’Andre Smith, Cesar Berbesi, and Kevin Kendall as middle infielder in Brooklyn. Add it this the fact that Jett Williams and Kevin Villavicecio are playing short along side of him this season, and second base it is. 

Tilien was an International prospect signed out of the Dominican Republic during the 2019-2020 signing period.($185K bonus). He came stateside in 2021 for the FCL-Mets (103-AB, .165). 

2022 was his first season for St. Lucie (323-AB, 12-HR, 44-RBI, 81-K, .248). 

So far this season, through 14 games, his stat line is a solid .264/.355/.396. 

Tilien has excellent wrist strength  and hand to eye coordination. Tall and lanky like Ronny Mauricio, he is projected to build more power and could wind up in the outfield.

My guess is the players mentioned here that are currently playing in Brooklyn’s middle infield, will replace the duds in Binghamton. This will allow Tilien to finally be in a town that isn’t in Florida.

Observations from Mack - Rotation vs. Schedule, Cesar Berbesi, IMG Academy

Rotation vs. Schedule, Cesar Berbesi, IMG Academy

 

Morning. 

We are into “guess the next starter” home schedule and it should continue for a little while. One ray of sunshine will be the projected return of Justin Verlander during the Tigers series on May 2-4. Until then, I guess, some combination of Jose Butto and Joey Lucchesi will keep their pitching hand thumb in the dike until Max comes back. 

The good news here is the schedule. The Mets will play Washington, Detroit, Colorado, and Cincinnati. You can’t ask for a better schedule during the time of a damaged rotation. I say this after the Mets shit the bed verses the Nats. 

It’s hard for me to write about this team right now. With the exception of  Lucchese, the rotation has, frankly, sucked. 

But… 

As of close of business 4-28, this is a team who’s SP1 hasn’t pitched all season, their SP2 is on suspension, their SP3 is far from projected, their SP4 is lost for the season, their SP5 is buried on the IL list, their SP6 is a failure, their SP7 is not far behind their SP3, their pen is overworked and under producing, their middle lineup is hitting what most bottom lineups produce, have had a disaster of a week, and play in the same division as one of the top teams in the league (and leader of the division)… and yet they find themselves three games out of first tied with the 5^th highest W-L% in the NL. 

There’s only one reason the Nationals aren’t the worse team in baseball and that is the fact that the Oakland  Athletics exists. That being said, they  produced 17 runs in this week’s series again the Mets. 

My hopes is that it rains until Monday and the Mets can revisit the lost Braves series later in the season. Verlander and Max will be back next week and my hope is they will both find their old form and get this team back on a winning streak. 

 

Some of the Mets shortstops in the chain  are off to a great start this season, but none have impressed me more than Cesar Berbesi. 

The 23-year old, 5-9/200 Berbesi also plays second and third. He was in International kiddo, out of Venezuela, and debuted with the DSL Mets in 2019 (.309). His career so far has been on again, off again (2021: FCL-Mets: ,382, Lucy: .170, 2022 Lucy: .111), but is definitely on so far this season (thru 4-28: .294). 

The Mets are showing real depth at short, something that isn’t going to do them much good long time.  Junior Tillen is pushing Jett Williams to center. And we all know about Ronny Mauricio and what he’s doing in Syracuse. 

Francisco Lindor has what seems like a lifetime contract with the Mets, which wlll probably push Mauricio to second. My guess right now is Berbesi could be part of an all-star deal for a loner. 

 

If you never thought that big business hasn’t hit the high school level yet, the nation’s most prestigious athletics-focused boarding school IMG Academy sold for $1.25 billion  this week. Think about that figure. My Richmond Hill High School probably couldn’t sell for a grand.

 

IMG will join a global network of boarding schools as part of the deal, giving the school access to athletes from across the world. 

Anybody that has ever had a child that showed baseball promise knows, not only the reputation of IMG, but also the coast or attending. Expect that to soar.

Future Mets Prospect - Eduardo Salazar

                                     Future Mets Prospect - Eduardo Salazar

 

                                    PC - Ed Delany

Eduardo Salazar is a 22-year old who currently plays for the St. Lucie Mets. 

Salazar came to the Mets as an International prospect, on July 2^nd 2017, out of Venezuela ($125K bonus). He plays left field, center, and first base. He has played mostly in center but projects going forward in left. 

In 2018, he hit .288 for both DSL Mets teams. He was brought stateside in 2019, hitting .241 in 92 at-bats when not injured. 

2020 brought COVID, followed by a return to the rookie league, now named FCL. He upped his game in 2021, hitting .308 in 78 at-bats. 

2022 brought a split season between (once again) the FCL-Mets (.270 in 37-AB) and St. Lucie (.228 in 92 at-bats). 

So far this season he has played (and played well) for St. Lucie. Through games played on April 28th, he is 2md in team hitting (.280-BA) and 6th in OPS (.708).

Four concerns would be his lack of power, high strikeout ratio, growing age,  and minimal stealing. His strengths are his hit tools, excellent defense, and projected power. 

I project him going forward as either a future backup outfielder or a trade chip.

SAVAGE VIEWS – REALITY BITES

 

April 27, 2023

Here we are a month into the season and things are not looking good.  Pre-season, I suggested that the Mets are not a play-off caliber team.   Little has happened to change my mind.  We had a relatively easy schedule in April and yet are only 14-11.   The one really good team we faced, the Brewers, whipped our butts.  As I write this, we are currently on a four-game losing streak having been beat convincingly by two non-contending teams with AAAA rosters.

No one could have predicted that our starting rotation would be in shambles.  Unfortunately, neither Peterson nor MeGill have shown the ability to step up.  In their recent outings they look more like BP pitchers than legitimate major leaguers.  Lucchesi looked sharp in his debut but it’s too early to tell if he’s going to work out long term.  Senga has been mostly a disappointment.  He seems to have an aversion to the strike zone.    Even when we get Verlander and Scherzer back our rotation does not seem to be strong enough to overcome the deficiencies of this team.

We continue to perform poorly against left-handed pitching.  This is a continuing problem that has not been adequately addressed over the past several years.  It’s common knowledge that any lefty is going to give us a hard time.  Our roster is riddled with underperformers such as Pham, Nido, Escobar and Canha.  

There seems to be this love affair with Volgelbach that I don’t understand.  Ok, he has an OBP over .400 but generally is not a feared bat in the lineup. He’s a liability in the five or seven holes. We will be a better team when we move on from this group of five.

I really am surprised by Nido’s lack of production.  I thought he was a better player than he has shown thus far.  It’s time to accept the fact that we are a team in transition and younger players such as Baty, Alvarez and eventually Vientos and Mauricio need to be slotted into the lineup, sooner rather than later.   Let’s stop the platoon and make Baty and Alvarez our regulars.  

Look what the Yankees are doing with the 21-year-old Volpe.  We need to recognize that true talent will eventually manifest itself.  We are a team on the path to mediocrity.  Unless things are turned around quickly not only will we not make the playoffs but will have trouble winning more than 81 games.

Buck Showalter is well regarded as a manager, but it’s hard to envision him being retained if we do miss the playoffs.  In his defense, he can only play the cards he is dealt and this roster has major flaws.  The bullpen is a mess and losing Diaz certainly complicated matters.  Even with a healthy Diaz, the bullpen would not have been a strength.  While Robertson and Ottavino are solid, there is little else in the pen.  In this era of starters having trouble lasting six innings, a strong pen is a necessity.  I admire the Yankees who always seem to find diamonds in the rough.

I wonder whether Billy Eppler is the right choice as GM.  Seems a lot of money has been spent on a team of underachievers.  This may go down as the worst team money can buy.

Ray

Reese Kaplan -- It's Not All Good and It's Not All Bad

Right now people are growing frustrated with a on-again/off-again offense the Mets are providing.  Considering the difficulty they've had keeping pitchers healthy and the erratic performances being delivered by various people asked to start games the importance of offense becomes doubly important.

Now it's very easy to sit back and say, "Score more runs" or "Take walks and stop swinging at bad pitches" or "Remember to take the extra base" or "Steal bases!"  Saying something is not, of course, nearly as easy as doing it.  

From the positive folks who are Mets fans (there are a few out there...), you will hear the common refrain that it's still only April and you can't make rash decisions about wholesale lineup changes based on just about four weeks of lackluster run production.  They will say that you need to be patient, proven hitters will come around and the team knows what it's doing (sorry, I couldn't keep a straight face writing the end of that sentence!)

Then the wholly negative group of fans, perhaps a small majority of them, feel that the front office is asleep at wheel, nothing is being done to address the ongoing "Noffense" problem, and the team is destined to return to the second division.  Never mind pointing out that pitchers like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are returning soon, that Omar Narvaez is due back before the All Star break and that the temporary reinforcements are just that -- short term necessary substitutes but not written in ink for the remainder of the season.  

Finally there's the reasonable group of fans (yes, there are some of them, too) who understand the Rome wasn't built in a day and that a slump in pitching, offense and base running is also a temporary thing.  When the unavailable players are fully healthy there will be a roster much closer to what they had in mind when the 2023 season began.  For now you roll with the punches and to some extent tread water until the real pitching rotation and real starting lineup are what Buck Showalter puts on his lineup card.

Many of the positive group steadfastly believe that whomever is doing well in the minors will replicate that success in the majors.  The negative group moans about how the club trades away anyone with talent for mediocre and over-the-hill veterans.  The reasonable group knows that a .346 hitter in the minors isn't necessarily a .346 hitter in the majors, but perhaps would prove to be a better option than one who is struggling at the Mendoza line.  The same holds true for pitching. 

That number wasn't just a random one put up there to illustrate a point.  What if I told you that the Syracuse Mets have a player with 7 HRs, hitting .346 and leading the team in RBIs but hasn't yet sniffed the majors in 2023.  You know of him based upon a September call-up last year -- Mark Vientos.  Even though third base has two occupants already and first base has one Polar Bear sized one, there is still the matter of production from the DH.

Then there's another Syracuse Met who this week was notified he was going to start playing the new position of second base, Ronny Mauricio.  This 22 year old is following closely behind Vientos with a .330 average, 6 HRs and 16 RBIs.  The thinking here is that preparing him to play a new position makes sense both for his future in Queens and as a prospective trade prospect.  It's conceivable that the former shortstop could come up to man second base while Jeff McNeil takes over for Mark Canha in left field.  

The prospective pitching solutions in Syracuse don't look all that promising, but hopefully in addition to Verlander and Scherzer the team will receive a rehabilitated Carlos Carrasco before too long.  It then means that the group that includes David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi and Jose Butto can fight it out to see who is taking over more-or-less permanently for Jose Quintana.  Whomever returns to Syracuse will be staying ready in the event of more starting pitching mishaps.  

Right now between the historically productive hitters, the pressed-into-action rookies, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th string starting pitchers and the few solid hitters wreaking havoc in the International League it would seem that the Mets are in better shape than the nay sayers would have you believe but are not yet ready to dominate the Eastern Division until health and promotions take place.  

Future Mets Prospect - RHSP Tyler Stuart

 

Future Mets Prospect - RHSP Tyler Stuart

 

BREAKING NEWS! The Mets may have developed a starter here. 

The 6-9 (not a misprint) right handed relief pitcher was the 6^th round draft pick on 2022, out of Southern Miss. He lost 2020 to TJS. The Mets immediately turned him into a starter, though results were slim early (2022 -FCL Mets: 1-start, 1-IP and St. Lucie: 2-G, 1-ST, 13.50). 

Then came this year in Coney. 

He throw a 93-98 fastball, a mid-90s slider, a mid-80s changeup, and an additional slider in the low 80s range. The sinker is the bread and butter pitch. Think about standing in with a 6-9 pitcher throwing this kind of velo. 

Concerns would be his mechanics which have given him trouble in the past. 

Me? 

Small sample. So far so good. We will keep an eye on Tyler and re-evaluate him after 10 starts.

Reese Kaplan -- Appreciate Who Is In Charge When It Matters

One of the comments made in my last article stated that Buck Showalter was a good manager but a reader took exception to that praise and evaluated the current NL Manager of the Year as substandard.  

Don't get me wrong.  I have no issue with someone having an opinion that differs from my own.  My days of blowing up at a moment's notice with no patience for other points of view I think left me when I left the workforce.  I'm a much more relaxed person now that I used to be.  Still, it got me to thinking what kind of a job has Showalter done and who in Mets history has done better?

The biggest issue the Mets are facing in the Showalter era is the health of its players and some of the questionable transactions made by the front office.  You cannot hold Showalter accountable for a batter going 0-5 or a pitcher throwing batting practice quality tosses or a fielder not giving 100% effort on batted balls by the opposition.  It is not Showalter's fault that Omar Narvaez, Justin Verlander, Edwin Diaz, Stephen Nogosek, Tommy Hunter, Carlos Carrasco, Jose Quintana, Tim Locastro and others have had to miss time due to injuries and/or illnesses.

Now you could make a case that in the realm of baseball hierarchy that a superstar player outranks managers and sometimes even front office personnel, but you can insist that the manager instill upon his players the need to adhere to the rules of the game.  On that note if you want to give Showalter blame for Max Scherzer getting penalized for how he handled the questionable sticky substance issue and railing against the umpires after being tossed out to let everyone know how him being perceived as being right was more important than winning the game.  

During his tenure heading up the Mets he has the track record of wins and losses to suggest that compared to his predecessors he certainly does do some things that you would judge as right.  In his rookie managerial season he won 101 games, got a batting title out of Jeff McNeil, dual 100 RBI seasons out of Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, got otherworldly pitching from Edwin Diaz and weathered nearly as many hurler hardshps last year as he's already faced this year.  No, the Mets didn't make it any further into the playoffs than quick elimination, but his record is head and shoulders over what Luis Rojas, Mickey Callaway and Terry Collins did during their stints in charge.

This year people are hopping mad that the club is merely a few games over .500 despite the litany of unavailable talent.  No one envisioned Francisco Alvarez being forced into duty this early any more than they expected an April platoon-type situation with rookie Brett Baty and veteran Eduardo Escobar.  Tommy Pham has had a few good games and Daniel Vogelbach is performing like, well, Daniel Vogelbach.  Given the facts that Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Starling Marte and others have not performed at their optimum level could partially be blamed on Showalter and his coaches.  Then again both Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo are doing quite well.  I guess if you blame Showalter for the others then you need to credit him for the ones doing well, too.  

The 2022 season was frustrating as the Mets collapsed in the month of September yet still made the playoffs.  With Marte's injury wreaking more damage than anyone would have thought, even Escobar's scorching September couldn't make up for it.  This season it's been more of tap dancing around regulars pitching and hitting while awaiting returns from the IL.  

Going forward you'd have to wonder what person would be equipped to take over the reins from Buck Showalter when either he or his employer feel it's time for a change at the top.  Some feel Eric Chavez was brought in not only to coach but to learn at the feet of one of the game's masters when it becomes his chance to assume managerial duties.  The fans will then jump all over him for every decision as the result of having had no experience as a manager.  The same holds true for Carlos Beltran.  

For now if you took a poll of Mets fans they would overwhelmingly favor Buck Showalter over other baseball managers and feel that his presence is what pushed the Mets from also ran into postseason contender.  Is he perfect?  No, of course not.  No one is.  However, he's on a Cooperstown path for what he did as a manager and that rarely happens in this game.  I certainly appreciate having the man around.  

The Mack Report - Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Yovanny Rodriguez, Joey Lucchese. Current IL List

Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Yovanny Rodriguez, Joey Lucchese. Current IL List 

Jim Bowden -Which early MLB results have staying power? -

Pete Alonso’s prodigious home run pace - Pete Alonso is on pace to hit more than 50 home runs this season, and I believe he’ll accomplish that feat for the second time in his career. He first did it in 2019, when the ball was the liveliest it had been in decades. This year, the ball seems to be flying off bats, but certainly not at the 2019 pace. However, the Polar Bear power is real, regardless of which ball MLB is using. Alonso is second in the NL in home runs, RBIs and total bases, and I think he’ll end up leading the league in homers with more than 50 once again. 

Mack - I too think Pete will, not only hit 50. but easily pass it around mid-September. I’m guessing 56.

 

                                    (PC - Ed Delaney)

ROB PIERSALL: Brandon Nimmo - 

In 21 games, Nimmo has two home runs, 12 RBIs, three stolen bases, a .368/.479/.526 triple slash, a 183 wRC+, .442 wOBA and has already put up 1.6 fWAR. 

Despite his success at the plate, Nimmo has become a human highlight reel in center field. In 168 innings so far defensively, Nimmo has one defensive run saved, a 0.7 UZR and his outs above average is in the 96th percentile according to Baseball Savant. 

Mack - I’m so proud of Brandon. He had so many critics (including me) when he was drafted by the Mets. Who drafts a baseball player straight out a high school that has no baseball team? Well, the Mets did and I am now very glad they did. 

I especially love his defensive play which tells everyone in the offices that have glass windows that center might be solved for many years.

  

The Mets expect to sign 16-year-old Venezuela catcher Yovanny Rodriguez in the 2024 International Free Agent period. 

Ben Badler of Baseball America said this about Y-Rod: 

Rodriguez is another elite talent eligible to sign in 2024 and for some scouts the No. 1 catcher in the class, on par with many of the other elite Venezuelan amateur catchers from recent years. Rodriguez earns glowing reviews for his defense, where he has the attributes in place to develop into a plus defender. He has soft hands and stellar quickness with a plus arm and an efficient release. That allows him to register pop times under 1.9 seconds in games on his best this with sharp accuracy. It’s a well-rounded skill set for a catcher, too, as his hitting ability stands out with a high contact rate from the right side of the plate and he flashes good power for 16.

 Mack - The Mets will sign a top catching prospect that can throw out runners trying to steal second base? 

Will Sammon - On Joey Lucchese - 

In the beginning, Lucchesi, who grew up 40 minutes from Oracle Park, battled nerves. He was called for a pitch-clock violation before his first pitch of the game. His parents were in attendance. It was the first time they saw him pitch in-person since 2019. Lucchesi never invites them. Their presence makes him nervous, he said. But heading into this start, he figured why not. They deserve to see him, he thought; who knows how long his career will last? Well, now they have an open invite. 

That’s because Lucchesi settled down by the end of the second inning. He found his rhythm. He consistently hit locations. He racked up timely groundballs. He was on his way to authoring a gem. 

At that point, Lucchesi told himself, “Oh, I got this. Let’s go. Just ride that wave.” 

Said Lucchesi, “And I did.” 

Mack - I predicted in the pre-season that Lucchese would be a big addition this year for the Mets and I’m sticking to that story. 

 

The Athletic - Current IL List - 

Tim Locastro Back spasms May

Stephen Ridings Right lat strain June

Stephen Nogosek Right elbow bone bruise April

Sam Coonrod High-grade right lat strain June

Omar Narváez Medium grade calf strain June

Justin Verlander Low grade strain of teres

major in right shoulder May

José Quintana Stress fracture in left ribcage July

Elieser Hernandez Right shoulder strain May

Edwin Díaz Torn patellar tendon in

right knee 2024

Carlos Carrasco Right elbow inflammation May

Bryce Montes de Oca  Tommy John surgery 2024 

Mack - I went on the IL, coming down with eye strain, while reading this list.

Mike's Mets - The Mets Offense is a Bit Healthier

 

By Mike Steffanos

The New York Mets have picked things up on offense as of late, but more improvement is needed if they are to become a championship-caliber club.

The Mets' offense got a little healthier on their western road trip, despite their blip on Tuesday night returning home against the Nats. Pete Alonso is so hot, I honestly wonder why teams are throwing strikes to the Mets one truly dangerous slugger. Brandon Nimmo has an OBP of .456 and a fabulous OPS+ of 167. At least right now, Nimmo is playing like the star he is being paid to be. Jeff McNeil is back to being the pest to opposing pitchers we all know and love. Francisco Lindor has been a bit up and down, but he's driving in runs and is the only real home run threat in the lineup besides Alonso. Daniel Vogelbach is getting on base as expected, slashing .256/.407/.372. We'd all love to see some more power from the big guy but, frankly, the biggest problem is the huge black hole in the lineup behind him. Not much point in getting on base so often if nobody can drive you in.

And therein lies the ongoing problem. The bottom 3 spots in the Mets' batting order are still remarkably unproductive. Mark Canha is at least showing some signs of coming around. His slash line of .240/.337/.400 isn't what you would like from a corner outfielder on a contending team, but it does add up to an OPS+ of 106, a bit above league average. Everyone else populating the bottom of the order is below average, some almost comically so.

The veteran holdovers, Tomás Nido and Eduardo Escobar, have failed to produce much of anything. Nido's OPS+ sits at -20, while Escobar is at least in positive digits with his puny 31 OPS+. Their performance through the Mets' first 24 games has taken a lot of the pressure off youngsters Brett Baty and Francisco Álvarez. Both have gotten off to predictably slow starts after their respective promotions. However, they're both still getting their share of playing time because their numbers are better than their veteran competition.

Brett Baty is slashing .250/.280/.292 through 25 plate appearances. His AVG and OBP are both about 100 points higher than Escobar's. Baty has shown a fairly mature approach at the plate, striking out only 8 times while walking once. It took Baty until Tuesday night to contribute his first extra-base hit, a double, but he's hit some balls hard. Escobar, meanwhile, has looked lost at the plate, although he did go 4-16 on the recent road trip with a homer against the Giants. Baty still looks like a much better bet to contribute going forward, but it would be great if Eduardo could bounce back enough to justify a bench role.

Francisco Álvarez has struggled more than Baty with the Mets. He's only hitting .167/.167/.267 through his first 30 PA, with 0 BBs and 11 Ks. Francisco has looked like he's trying too hard at the plate, with an overaggressive approach that MLB pitchers are exploiting. Things have gotten a bit better, however. In his last 4 games, Álvarez has gone 4-15 with his first HR of the season. He'll likely get the bulk of the playing time unless Nido starts hitting. Tomás's offensive production has been downright offensive in the early going. Nido has 5 singles and 2 walks to show for 44 plate appearances, striking out 13 times. Buck Showalter isn't going to be tempted to give Nido the bulk of the starts while he's hitting like that.

Of course, as I write this post on Wednesday afternoon, the announced lineup has Baty and Álvarez sitting in favor of Escobar and Nido. Nido is likely in because Kodai Sanga is starting, while Baty is sitting against the leftie starter MacKenzie Gore. I'm genuinely curious about how much of a platoon Buck Showalter sticks with at 3B if Eduardo doesn't start hitting. Escobar is slashing .161/.188/.290 against southpaws over 32 PA, while Baty has gone 1-6 against lefties so far. Batting as a right-hander against lefties is traditionally Escobar's strong side, but not as of yet in 2023. Nothing has really clicked for Eduardo so far in this young season.

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