BEFORE THE REGULAR ARTICLE:
Mets were bafflingly bad at the plate last night, then, down 2-1 bottom 9, Lindor walked and JD Martinez hit a long HR to right center, his first-ever walk off, to win 3-2. Edwin Diaz returns and snatches the win. Break up, or full speed ahead?
Syracuse scored 0 runs in the first 4 innings against good pitching, then 14 runs in the next 4 innings. Acuna? 4 hits.
Baty? 3 hits, a HR, 3 RBIs, .458. (Played 2B)
Lastly, Brooklyn’s Nick Morabito had 2 hits and 2 walks tonight, leaving him with 30 steals in 53 games and a .460 OBP. In 110 games in 2023 and 2024, 75 runs scored, 51 steals, .320, .440 OBP.
Meanwhile, the prospect most Mets fans think is their Mets Minors’ top OF, Drew Gilbert, might return from what will be a 12 week injury hiatus in late June. Morabito has closed a lot of ground on Gilbert, because (among other things) he is actually playing.
Brooklyn’s 2 best hitters are named Nick. The other is 30 RBI Nick Lorusso.
On to my regular article:
On Wednesday night, Dedniel Nunez was brilliant in the 10-4 Mets win, retiring all 7 batters faced, 5 by strikeout. A long journey it has been, for the man who after Wednesday had an Edwin Diaz-like 2.30 ERA in 15.2 IP, with 24 Ks, while also being 3-0, 1.38 with 20 Ks in 13 innings in AAA.
He started out in the rookie Gulf Coast League WAY BACK…in 2017. 1-3, 5.24 in 45 innings. Not auspicious. In 2018, a bump up to rookie Kingsport, where he went 4-1, 3.79 with 36 Ks in just 40 innings. So far, not overly impressive.
2019, he was 5-4, 4.39, in 80 innings, with 94 Ks. Three seasons, just 165 innings. Surely, he’d ramp up the innings in 2020. Then cam COVID….no 2020.
Then came Tommy John. No 2021 either.
In 2022, he threw 33 innings and fanned 49. Mostly in AA. BOOM, he’s gotta be on the fast track now.
But in 2023, he was again good in AA, but AAA was much rougher, as he posted a AAA ERA of 6.75 with 50 hits in 40 AAA innings, going 3-4, 5.53 for all of 2023 with 3 of 4 saves and 70 Ks in 57 innings in AA and AAA. Perhaps the squeezy electronic strike zone had something to go with it.But he was awful in August and September, not screaming “there’s hope!” for the righty who was to turn 28 in 2024.
But he has been dominant with a 97 MLH heater and nasty slider.
A long, long 7 year road for Dedniel, through 2023, but he is riding high right now, so let’s hope his current amazing 2024 continues and is the start of 7 seasons of overwhelming success.
And…how many guys can be instantly identified by their first name? DEDNIEL.
I wrote the following article on Dedniel Nunez way back in 2019:
OK - BUT I’M NOT DONE…YOU SEE…
YOU JUST NEVER CAN TELL WITH THE DSL:
Last fall, you see, I included Anthony Baptist as my #29, Heriberto Rincon as my # 30 and Jostyn Almonte around # 40.
Why? They had strong 2023 seasons, but of course, at a level as low as the DSL, one never knows how guys will progress. These 3, in 2024? Not good.
Baptist, it was reported in March, was untruthful about his age and eligibility, and is on the Restricted List.
Rincon is still in the DSL, and just 3 for 22 going into Thursday’s action.
Almonte, who hit .311/.443/.507 with 14 steals last year? Released!!
So, who knows with these DSL dandies, really, and I will stop making predictions of any sort on DSL guys unless they hit .400.
Julio Zayas, though, drove in 42 runs last year, almost an RBI per game, as a DSL catcher, with 7 HRs. He is in the Complex League in 2024, and doing well so far in the early going. I had him at # 26 last October. He could turn out to be a good one.
Here is a prime example of extreme DSL baseball game weirdness:
One of the two Mets DSL teams lost 13-11 Thursday. There were just 15 hits for those 24 runs, but also 26 walks, 25 Ks, 4 hit batsmen, 8 errors, 9 wild pitches, and 10 steals without a caught stealing.
The Mets team used 6 pitchers, and 13 of the walks were allowed in just 5.2 innings just by the first 4 pitchers.
Oh, and after his HBP, bonus baby Daiverson Gutierrez came out of the game, and I have no idea if he was hurt badly or not. Just that he came out.
Oh, and Vlady Guerrero?
He is 1 for 16 with 10 Ks so far. A chip off the old block? Apparently not.
You readers? Have a DSL: a Delightfully Special Latte.
You want to scout Morabito yourself? Here is a video clip of last night. Once it finished, it kept rolling thru prior video clips of Nick.
ReplyDeleteI was quite impressed. You might be, too.
https://www.milb.com/video/nick-morabito-singles-twice-steals-three?t=playerid-703492
Is Gilbert coming back?
ReplyDeleteTom,
ReplyDeleteI share your interest in the DSL and get discouraged when out best signed prospects each year often fail to make progress, I have to remind myself we are talking about high school age players who are now playing in the MLB minor leagues. So I have to be patient and look forward to better achievements in the future.
Nelson Cruz played three years for the Mets DSL team before going to Oakland in a trade. After being traded again and even released at one point, he went on to be an all star. You hope to see other Met DSL players make that type of improvement and become the future stars we signed them to be.
You are signing uneducated 16 year olds who grew m up hitting rocks and using a cutout half gallon plastic milk carton as a glove
DeleteYou get what you get here
For an org.that has always been pitch-first team, our FOs failed
ReplyDeleteto hang on to:
Tom Seaver
Nolan Ryan
Doc Gooden
Mike Hampton
David Cone
Zach Wheeler
Jacob deGrom
Chris Bassitt
will Luis Severino be next?
Mack, last I read on Gilbert is end of April. Of course, I once read end of May. Jacob Reimer a few months back was slated for mid-Jne as I recall. Well, it is mid-Jne and he is MIA.
ReplyDeleteMack, other organizations' Latin teenagers must be hitting better rocks.
ReplyDeleteDodger ACL team hitting .291 after their DSL teams in 2023 went 78-28. Cubs ACL team hitting .323. Mets FCL team? .241
ReplyDeleteThat's why we have a different POBO this year.
DeleteNickel, glad Jake was left to go elsewhere, but it is a bad history. Severino would be the ace, but as a Met, if he signs long term, he could pull a Senga.
ReplyDeleteHurston Waldrep got smoked in his MLB Atlanta debut the other day.
ReplyDeleteI have a vision of 2026, Jett and Morabito hitting 9th and 1st, both with .380 OBP, and wreaking havoc on the base paths with 30+ SB each.
ReplyDeleteThat seems to fit the direction the league is going, and sounds like we’d have the makings of a dangerous offense.
Also, with “Little Nicky” Morabito and “Big Nicky” Lorusso, I can’t believe the Cyclones aren’t holding “Italian Night” with half price sausage and peppers for every home game. I can just hear all the paisanos in the stands yelling “Yo Nicky” and bragging about how these two Italian kids are gonna lead the Mets to a WS one day “You mark my F’n word!” How are rhe Cyclones not marketing the hell out of this?
I don’t live in NY anymore, but coming in August and planning to see a Cyclones game. But it’ll probably be too late though to see them both (either of them?) there. As an honorary Italian (Jewish kid who grew up in an Italian neighborhood being fed by my friends’ mothers and grandmothers, who all insisted that I looked, and ought to be Italian) I’m rooting for these kids to make it happen, and ready for Italian night every night at Citi. 😊
If you get SNY, you can watch some minor league games on TV. They're on days when the Mets are off or play in the afternoon.
DeleteAdam, Nicky, Nicky Sono Buoni.
ReplyDeleteMorabito better not be there in August. I want him in Binghamton some time in July.
I think Lorusso could get a Sept bump to Binghamton if he keeps it up.
Jett and Nick M would be two cheap pieces, and that could still happen sometime in the 2nd half of next year. Maybe Vientos at 3rd and Baty at 2nd, Mauricio in the outfield. Low salary, I wonder if those 5 will be collectively average?
Bill, true.
ReplyDeleteThe DSL Orange team Friday had a nice tidy 3-2 win. The Blue team won 14-11 in 7 innings. Mets Blue hitters had 14 runs on 9 hits, 4 walks, 2 hit batsmen, 9 steals and a few errors helped too. Very efficient, only 2 left on base.