2/27/24

Tom Brennan: Jacob Reimer Revisited; Monday Game Mini-Recap

 

HE’S NO FOOL, YOU KNOW.

INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU HAS HIS KEEN EYE ON “JAKEB RIMMAIR”

Why would I get excited by a Mets prospect hitter who fails to have a .400 on base percentage?

Well, that depends.

What if he was just a 19 year old who split his time between Brooklyn and St Lucie and his OBP wasn't .400, but it was .399?  

Is .399 close enough to .400 for you? It is for me.

That's Jacob Reimer (actually pronounced "Rhymer").

As opposed to the way bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau might pronounce it: 

"Rimm-air".  

Sorry, Jacques, it is RHYMER, YOU IDIOT FOOL.

Kidding aside, in October I did my Top 35 Productive Prospects list and had Reimer 11th overall. 

Which is darned good and I would have had him 9th overall if the Mets had not traded for the law firm of Gilbert and Acuna last summer.

Here's what I said in October:

11. Jacob Reimer - 3B - he was raking in St Lucie at age 19, and then struggled in a brief stint in Brooklyn. To me, I'll take a flyer on him as a close to top 10 guy.  In 2023, 336 at bats, 8 HR, 49 RBI, .265 overall.  I think we see him improve in leaps and bounds in 2024.  And he'll have us saying, "another quality infielder?  Where will he fit?"

He was drafted in the 4th round (119th overall) by the Mets in 2022 and signed about 50% above slot, at $775,000.

He has a strong arm, but made 17 errors in 78 games at 3rd base, which no doubt will improve in 2024.

As I see it, maybe he debuts in the big leagues by late 2025 or in 2026, when he will be competing to wrest away the 3B starting job from Brett Baty or Mark Vientos.  

Who knows?  2024 ought to tell us a lot about Reimer..

Home and Away:

NOT due to Brooklyn hitting struggles (he hit well enough there), while playing mostly for St Lucie in 2023, with the last 6 weeks in Brooklyn, he hit about 50 points higher on the road in 2023 overall.  

That hints to me he was having little trouble adjusting to road travel at age 19.  I expect that gap to evaporate in 2024 (which he will play entirely as a 20 year old, with his birthday just passing on traditional Washington's Birthday), and his home results to rise, a positive speculation on my part.

He had just 84 Ks in 100 games, averaging 1 K for every 5 PAs, which is certainly solid for a 19 year old, but outstandingly walked 62 times and was hit by pitches 16 times. 

His 78 HBPs and walks in 100 games for a 19 year old is almost Jett-like.  He only stole 3 of 5 bases last year, so Jett-like speed he clearly does not possess.

Jacob had many balls hit with exit velocities above 100 MPH, so what will that be when he perhaps is a bit stronger in 2024 at age 20?

Man, let's start the season already and get this kid moving on up.  

I see this Rhymer as a quick Climber.  

How about David Wright without the same speed?  One can dream.

P.S. Apparently the Mets Top 30 will play the Nats’ Top 30 in a televised game in mid-March, so we’ll get to see Reimer there. Nice. He did not get in any of the first 3 spring training games.

NO NEED TO PANIC - WE’VE GOT MAX KRANICK

I wonder if Max Kranick is auditioning for Mighty Mad Max II. Two perfect innings yesterday.Tyler Stuart threw 2 scoreless, too. Joander Suarez closed it out with 2 scoreless.

Trayce Thompson hit a grand slam and drove in a 5th run in a 6-3 win over the Nats.  Big Pete was 2 for 2. 


18 comments:

Mack Ade said...

Jacob turned 20 this past week. I've never considered this guy as prospect material because I thought he was older plus didn't do my homework.

You are right Tom. This guy looks special.

So let's say duplicates that .399 at AAA this year?

Third base in Flushing next season?

Mack Ade said...

Oh

No more anonymous comments going forward

Tom Brennan said...

I think Reimer needs a year and a half, Mack, unless he shows us a really special 2024. If he needs a bit more time, 2026.

He stumbled a bit in his short Bklyn debut in 2023. Nonetheless, I expect him to have a big 2024 in the minors.

Baty so far feels like Dom Smith II, hitting-wise. If that’s all he ultimately contributes, there could be starting 3B help wanted sign hung out. It is time to show he successfully closed the hole in his swing and be at least an average MLB 3B this year.

Tom Brennan said...

Read this about Senga…. A best-case scenario would be a late-April return for Senga, who was diagnosed last week with a moderate strain of the posterior capsule in his right shoulder.

Mack Ade said...

Good

Give him all the time he needs to both heal and Amp up

Mack Ade said...

Baty spoke this week on the hole that was determined and supposedly corrected

Guess we'll see

Mack Ade said...

On Reimer...

Kidding about Flushing in 2025

He's young. Give him 2 more miminor season to sharpen his skills

Tom Brennan said...

Reimer will have trouble getting more than a few ABs this spring. The Mets will want to give Baty and Vientos as many as possible, while giving Acuna and Jett a good number of ABs, too.

Had the Mets not gotten Williams and Acuna, Reimer would have gotten a good number of at bats.

TexasGusCC said...

Test

TexasGusCC said...

Ok, sorry, I couldn’t post earlier.

Thank you for the details on Reimer. He needs to shore up his defense also.

By the way, not much is written about Thompsaon’s grand slam, but I can see him beating out Stewart for the final outfield spot.

Rds 900. said...

Hopefully Reimer continues to develop. Let's not too far ahead of ourselves.

Tom Brennan said...

Gus, Trayce Thompson intends to fight for that spot, for sure. That one is in play. Stewart does not have it locked down.

bill metsiac said...

I had the same problem. I kept getting a message of "only members of this group can post", and I was worried that I might've been DFA'd, traded or outrighted.
😁

Tom Brennan said...

Bill, you are heading to the Hall of Fame, only not as Anonymous.

Gary Seagren said...

They just beat the Fish and that Lavender guy is getting me excited. Also great AB for Gilbert against a tough lefthander who had him in an 0-2 hole to drive in 2.

Gary Seagren said...

Lavender AND Raley two lefthanders in the BP at the same time wow isn't it a law that we can't do that?

Rds 900. said...

Don't forget Lucchesi

Tom Brennan said...

Ray, I have an upcoming article on said person in a few days.