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3/17/24

Mack - Sunday Morning Observations

 


 

Who has MLB's top Pipeline? We rank 'em all, from 1 to 30 -

 

13. New York Mets 

2023 midseason rank: 11

2023 preseason rank: 11

2022 midseason rank: 14

2022 preseason rank: 20

 

Top 100 prospects: Jett Williams, SS/OF (No. 45); Drew Gilbert, OF (No. 53); Luisangel Acuña, SS/2B (No. 66); Ryan Clifford, OF/1B (No. 97)

 

Seven of the Mets’ Top 13 prospects – including three Top 100 talents in Gilbert, Acuña and Clifford – were Trade Deadline additions last year, giving the system a new coat of paint. On the more immediate front, upper-level pitchers Christian Scott, Blade Tidwell and Mike Vasil could contribute to the Major League club’s starting depth this summer. The Mets may lack a Top 40 prospect, but the overall and improved depth gives them a spot in the upper half of our rankings. 

Mack - this was compiled by three of the top draft experts in the game (Sam Dykstra @SamDykstraMiLB, Jim Callis @JimCallisMLB., Jonathan Mayo @Jonathan Mayo), so look to this to be the most accurate ranking of both players and teams. 

The only reason the Mets are ranked lower here than 2023 is because the Baby Mets have graduated. 

 

I had an interesting exchange with an ex-Mets coach this week which was focused on who he thought would be brought north as utility players and relief pitchers. 


He bluntly said those things will not be decided until a week or less than they pack the truck out of Lucy.


I began to go down a road I seldom travel... quoting exceptional spring stats... when he abruptly stopped me and said that spring stats do not determine the answers needed here (told ya).


He said some of the area that  come into play here are:

   - is the team trying to improve its roster offensively or defensively? 

   - is there a specific RHH or LHH need to be filled here?

   - is the ultimate goal to bring more pop or is it OBP?


Regarding the remaining two relief slots... and there are only two... still open, going 0-0, 0.00 and producing 90 strikeouts in ST in 30 innings pitched is not the first factor here.

He said 60+% of the IP are against batters with little or no major league success.

Factors include what hole remains in the pen (velo, which arm used), how he looks and handles the work, and the general intimidating way he approaches his outings.

He closed with "every batter, no matter how talented or not, gets their bat on a lucky ball and winds up planting runs, but it's what the pitcher does with the rest of who he faces turns out to be the tie breaker. 

 

SNY @SNYtv Mar 12, 2024:

Joey Lucchesi evaluates his first spring outing:

"When I was done with my outing, I sat and thought 'oh man, I let that happen. I'm way better than that.' I understand what I did wrong and somewhat right in that outing. I'll be alright, I'll be good"

Mack - You better be Joey.

There won’t be many more opportunities for you to be added to a major league rotation, so it is imperative that you right the wrong here and get on with it…

(He didn't...)

 

What the hell is the Mets going to do with Jose Butto

He basically has been close to perfect this spring, producing a 0.90-ERA. The problem is that The rotation has four slots filled and Tyler Megill will probably fill the slot left open by the Kodai Senga injury.

The projected Syracuse rotation looks sick with some combination of Butto, Joey Lucchese, Mike Vasil, Dom Hamel, Christian Scott, and Tylor Stuart.

Like I said… sick.

 

I’m on record this year that I believe that the Mets will suck the big one.

I violated my first rule with this “opinion”. I’ve always been a subjective “reporter” of the Mets, not an opinionated super-fan. I’ve never referred to this team as “us”. They are “they”. And my sports writing began as a newspaper reporter so I was trained to always write in third party.

This column contains the word “observation” so I observe here and give you my opinion.

My opinion on the outcome of the 2024 Mets isn’t shared by most on this site. Some, like Gus the reader, and Ray the writer, have confronted me on this projected outcome.

That’s fine. Like Elon Musk spoke of Don Lemon, it’d a free country and a free country has free speech.

You probably am not going to enjoy what I say about the 2024 Mets this season. I am what I am. Once, very positive about this team, now the opposite. Oh, I wear shades when I speak past this season, but frankly, that’s the best you’re going to get out of me through October.

My only advice to you is the same I used to tell the liberal listeners of the Rush Limbaugh Show that I aired on my stations.

You may hate it but you can quote every word Rush said. And that alone will make for some healthy banter.

 

Mets latest roster moves:

OPTIONED -

RHP Reed Garrett

LHP Joey Lucchesi

REASSIGNED

C Austin Allen

IF Rylan Bannon

They're down to 48 players in camp.

24 comments:

  1. Joey did not set himself up to succeed this spring, for whatever reason. He could’ve been in the rotation for probably 10 teams in baseball. With the way, the Mets have been pitching, he had to be better to be in theirs. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. You’re still tied for first place.

    Somehow, they will cut it down to 26. They somehow always do. I don’t know if Nido has any options left. It’s hard to picture Omar not being on the team considering they owe him 8million.

    Of course, the next week of spring training, well dictate that. If Nido hits 500 and Omar goes hitless, maybe the Mets look to swing a deal to get rid of Omar and eat most of his contract. But that seems unlikely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I still feel Omar will be traded before the season starts

      Delete
  2. Not only do I disagree with you about the current Met team this year. I believe we will be pleasantly surprised by this year's team but what makes you think I would ever listen to your Rush Limbaugh show? Or bother to quote anything he has to say? I rely on the truth and I'm particular about the words coming out of my mouth so whatever he has to say wouldn't be on my lips.

    Stay in your lane but thanks for your Met coverage!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don

      I hope you are right about the Mets this year.

      "Staying in my lane" was my 32 year successful broadcast career.

      Adding TRLS to my stations ALWAYS doubled or tripled the previous ratings of the show I eliminated

      Oh

      I didn't listen to him either.

      Knew him under his old family given name

      Delete
  3. First an answer, then some questions:

    Nido isn't on the 40, so he can open the season upstate without need for options. Of course, if he's added to the 26 at some point, he can't be sent down without clearing waivers.

    When the system rankings are evaluated, where does "mid-season". Start? If it's after the trade deadline, how does our ranking go down after adding all that talent? I don't know exactly when Baty and Vientos were promoted, but Alvy was here all season.

    Do you (Mack) or anyone else here have the list of current Mets with options remaining? I still believe that this will be a factor in naming the final 2 pen slots.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Maybe. I’m sure they’d love to unload as much of Omar’s salary as possible, since it is ‘lux tax boosted”.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bill, good point on Nido not being on the 40 Mensch Roster. You have earned a boatload of shamrocks.

    I am a little leery to trade a catcher anyway. Who replaces Alvarez or Nido, if Omar isn’t around? Senger hit badly in AA last year. No one else is ready in 2024.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bill

    There are sites that give you info like options

    Go to Google

    Ask it what you want

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bill

    Re: Nido

    Don't care about who is on/off the 40. Just care about the best team going forward.

    IMO that is

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bill

    Re: mid-season

    IMO

    and in my mind

    Mid-season starts after the trade deadline and ends when the September call-ups are named

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mack

    My error about "your lane". You clearly have the experience and results to know what works. Thanks for responding back.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I still can't believe the ink Nido gets as a lifetime .213 hitter so I guess he's a nice guy but for 7 seasons wow what a great gig to have this MLB thing and pocket over 3 million to date. The mistake of passing on Realmuto still hangs heavy with the releasing of TDA and the signings of McCann and Navarez it's really important Alvy makes it big. He seems really grounded but the hype machine is out of control. Mack I wonder if the baby Mets were added our position would be worse. Tom I was expecting a comment from you after seeing the ball Taylor hit to the 406 sign in CF y/day that was caught but I'll wait as you may have missed it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Backup catchers are primarily there for their defense, and Nido has been highly regarded in that aspect for his whole career.

      Backup catchers who can hit are scarce.

      Delete
  11. Don S, I agree with your positive view of the Mets in 2024. Politics is in the eye of the beholder.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mack also great stuff as usual it makes my day....not sure if thats a good thing or not LOL. Hey if I can still dress and feed myself it's a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mack is the word on Kelenic as bad as I've read?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes

      Actually had private talk with big time baseball insider about this guy

      Said EVERY clubhouse he was in wanted him out

      Called him a petulant egotistical child who daily wines, pouts, or rants

      Delete
  14. Gary

    I guess Nido is more special to me since I know him

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mack,
    As Dragnet's Joe Friday said," Just the facts". I think most Mets fans just want the facts about the team. If there are weak areas, we need to know what they are. Like wise, what areas are we strong. We trust your judgement and your experience.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good morning! Looks like the party started early today!

    Luccessi made a comment before his outing that he didn’t come to camp ready to pitch and needed time to get ready. I guess that’s why he was delayed? And, probably why was reassigned already?

    Looking at Butto and Houser, hard to tell who deserves the spot as both have showed good luck and bad, but Butto last year did not have good peripherals and Houser has never been “impressive”.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The question about Lucchesi is why he came to camp not ready to pitch. If a veteran with a guaranteed spot did that, it would be disappointing, but forgivable.

    When a guy struggling to get a spot on the staff does it, it's neither forgivable nor easy to comprehend. If there's a reasonable explanation, then he should say more than "I should've prepared better".

    ReplyDelete
  18. Narvaez on base 7 of 18 times this spring. Nice.

    ReplyDelete