Tom Brennan: Mets’ Acuna: Next Luis Castillo? Mauricio's PAs. OUCH!

Acuna Photo: Ann-Marie Caruso, NorthJersey.com 

BEFORE THE ARTICLE DU JOUR:

David Stearns signs oft-injured and now ex-Yank Luis Severino ($13 million) and 2021 All Star Joey Wendle ($2 million). Good to see the real off-season acquisitions starting to roll. 

What think ye of those moves?

NOW, MY ARTICLE DU JOUR:

Mets fans remember Luis Castillo largely for his drop of an Alex Rodriguez pop up that put the final nail in the coffin of the Mets' season that year, in July as I recall. Swept and buried by a far superior Yankee team.

But little Luis was a heck of a MLB player.  Called up at age 20, he was mediocre his first 3 seasons, in which he had 580 at bats and hit .236.  In his last season, be was 58 for 247 (.235). 

In the 11 seasons in between, though, he hit .315 in nearly 5,700 at bats.  And in his entire career, he stole 370 bases and scored 1,001 runs.  He managed, though, just 28 HRs.

Little Luisangel Acuna is 5'8" but a beefier, more powerful 180.  

In 374 minor league games, he has stolen 158 bases, so in that respect, he and Castillo seem to have much in common.

He hit .294 in AA this year, with 9 HRs, and he is expected, unlike Castillo, to perhaps be a guy who can reach 20 HRs.  

He likely will fall well short of Castillo in batting average, and the Mets prospect website projects Acuna as a future .270 hitter.

He had a fine 84 game stint in AA this year while in the Houston organization, hitting .315/.377/.453.  

But, for whatever reason, unlike his fellow traded player, Drew Gilbert, who excelled post-trade in the final quarter of the season with Binghamton, Acuna's 37 post-trade games with Binghamton were tepid: 

.243/.317/.304, with just 2 HRs (both in one game) and 3 doubles.  

That .304 slugging # is a bit concerning to me. That is the stuff of Ruben Tejada.  It probably, and hopefully, was an anomaly. 

And just 2 singles in 14 post-season at bats. 

Those Binghamton numbers suggest he needs a good chunk of further minor league fine-tuning at the dish.

In all, he ended the full regular season of 121 games with 52 walks and 106 Ks, decent enough numbers, but walking far less than his fellow star prospect Jett Williams, who I rank above Acuna.

Acuna did have an excellent 57 of 67 in steals.  He combines good speed with apparently acute base stealing skills. His brother Ronald swiped 73, but it took him a lot more games (159) to do it, so Luisangel’s better steals per game give him family bragging rights.

(The two Acunas combined stole 130 base this year. The remarkable Rickey Henderson stole 130 all by himself in 1982.)

The Mets prospect page ranks Luisangel with 55 speed, 55 hit, 55 arm - and 50 power.  

It had him at 50 power, but Drew Gilbert at just 45 power, which to me makes no sense, since Gilbert to me clearly should be the better power hitter of the two.  

But they described Acuna as having an “explosive” bat.  It just didn't explode during his 37 Binghamton games. It did, however, go “poof”!  We'll see if and how it explodes in 2024.

He had just 8 errors in 92 games at SS, and 2 errors at 2nd, so he is already a stellar infielder.  Perhaps a future MLB Gold Glove?

I surmise he will slot in at 2B for the Mets when his bat is ready.

And that the far more error-prone Mauricio will slot in elsewhere, perhaps at 3B and/or the outfield.

And, if Francisco Lindor missed time due to injury, Acuna could slot over while he is out and likely provide stellar SS defense.

In conclusion, the Acuna/Castillo comparison falters as Castillo will be a higher career batting average guy than Acuna, and Acuna will have far more power.

Whether the Mets keep Acuna may depend on whether they feel he gives them the best chance to compete with the Braves, who happen to have his superior brother Ronald.  

Which is not an insult...Ronald is the best player in baseball.

I expect Luisangel will need most of 2024 in AAA to become MLB ready.  He will only turn 22 during spring training, so he may still make his Mets debut in 2024 at age 22 if much goes right for him.

It would be nice if the better comp for Luisangel turned out to be... 

the great Francisco Lindor.

His power will likely be less than Lindor, but his average and glove may be similar, and his stolen bases may exceed those of Lindor.  I'd like that.

How about you?

MUCHO MUCHO MAURICIO

On November 8, “David Stearns said that (Ronny) Mauricio will play some third base in the Dominican Winter League” (per Mike Puma of the New York Post report).  Where else, maybe some second, maybe some outfield, your guess is as good as mine.

I don’t know how much Ronny Mauricio will actually play winter ball this year; he may be starting play this week, as I write this.  Last fall and winter, he played there a whole lot, and played well, but a question: 

How many plate appearances did he compile this year so far, and last year?

If you guessed 1,384 PAs, perhaps you ought to buy a lottery ticket. 

That’s a whole lot of PAs. 

And it appears there are more PAs to come.

Which is good. 

After all, Ronald Acuna recently said: 

“….with more time on the field, I think a ballplayer can develop his abilities and can get better results, improve his style of game.”

Mauricio demonstrates he buys into that play-a-ton philosophy.  It worked for Pete Alonso in 2018, as he played 159 games in the minors and Arizona that year, followed by his massive 2019 rookie season. Too bad more Mets prospects don’t adopt that workaholic approach.  

Boys, the baseball biological time clock is ticking. Tick, tock, tick, tock.

I wonder if Luisangel Acuna will play some winter league ball. 

If not, why not?

THIS JUST IN: 

METS SIGN FOUR HITTERS COMFORTABLE WITH NY

 They look talented - whaddya think?

LASTLY:

Mets signed reliever Austin Adams. 

Not a good year in 2023. 

In 2021, a wild year…53 innings, just 28 hits, 74 Ks and…

TWENTY FOUR HIT BATSMEN!  Ouch!