MACK - MY Sunday Observations

 

Good morning…

I was thrilled when I woke up yesterday and there was Mets baseball. I walk away very happy with the three perfect innings produced by Clay Holmes. Maybe they found a starter here. The Soto homer was gravy but he’s Juan Soto so he’s supposed to do this. Holmes was an experiment that has come out of the box looking good.

 

On Thursday, MLB announced that they will not renew their relationship with ESPN. This will happen beginning next season. No more Mets games being shown while stupid announcers interview a play and ask them what they had for dinner that day.

This is good new to me, but I will hold off final approval until I read where these games are going. Please don’t cut a deal with some platform like Paramount+ or Hulu where people like me have to shell out more bucks every month in order the watch these games. I already spend enough on cable, wifi, and subs.

 

So Mets RHRP Bryce Montes de Oca went down for the count again at the end of last season and wound up having his SECOND Tommy John surgery, taking away any chance of him helping the Mets this season, and maybe forever. I read this and the first thing I thought was why am I now just hearing about this? Why not when it happened? Isn’t this shades of the Wilpon days. Regardless, Oca will be 29 soon and, my guess, this is the end of, at least, his Mets days. Me? Fix him then DFA him.

 

The Athletic ran an article this past week on starting pitcher Matt Allan. Seems the 87th operated on Allan now says he is 100% and ready to join one of the Mets affiliates affiliates this season. It will be interesting to see where he is assigned. It's been almost a decade since the 43-year old has pitched a game and...

Well. Seriously, it was the NYPL Championship that Matt last pitched... in 2019. Anything the Mets can get out of this arm is thoroughly welcomed by me.

One warning... don't look for any complete games this season. I expect some serious pitch control here.

  

The Mets signed RHSP/RHRP Connor Overton to a minor league contract.

The 31-year old was drafted in the 15th round of the 2014 draft, by the Marlins, out of Old Dominion University.

Overton's best year was 2021 for the Toronto AAA franchise, where he went 2-1, 2.03 in 21 games, seven starts.

He had TJS in 2023 and came back far too early last season

MLB career - 0.7-WAR, 1-2, 4.85

The Mets must believe the lab can help this LAD. 

 

Ronny Mauricio

"I do think that I'm going to come back better."

 

Matt Allan

“Definitely, the dream is there. It’s easy to get caught up in where I want to go, but the biggest thing I learned from rehab is I just have to be where my feet are. I have to be present and grounded and where I am today. … Stack as many of those days as possible, and then we’ll see that dream lived out.”

 

Juan Soto

 on being a Met for 15 years:

"After all these three years of changing teams, being here and there, it's a different vibe. It's unbelievable, I'm still learning. This is actually where I'm going to be for the next 15 years. I'm still learning to see but it's been fun'"

            on why he gifted Brett Baty a car for No. 22:

"He actually had no excuses or anything he just gave it away for me, I'm just thankful for that. I made sure he's going to really appreciate it."

 

Brett Baty

On not knowing he was getting a car from Juan Soto today:

"It's amazing, just for him to be able to think to do something like that, I couldn't be more grateful. I'm just really excited that he's on our team and I get to learn from him."

On driving the same car he drove in high school for his whole career before Soto's gift:

 "Every Spring Training I come in saying 'I'm gonna get a new car, I'm gonna get a new car'... I didn't expect that, that was amazing."

On driving a 2016 Toyota 4 Runner since high school:

"It's got like 150,000 miles on it. It's kinda near it's last leg but Toyota's run forever."

 

Francisco Lindor

              On giving up his No. 12 after learning that Juan Soto gifted Brett Baty a car for giving up No. 22:

"I told him, if he wants my number, he can take it, too. He can be 1222."

 

Mark Vientos

              On coming to the plate in big moments:

"I live for those moments. That's why I play this game." 

 

BA - Scouting Every NL East No. 1 Prospect For 2025

Jett Williams, SS, Mets

Scouting Report: Williams’ batted-ball quality improved late last season after recovering from a wrist injury and he got into a routine. He is receptive to coaching and has a well-rounded profile, but not necessarily a carrying tool—unless his plus speed shows up more consistently. With a few productive months in the minors in 2025, Williams could be poised for an MLB look as a 21-year-old. The Mets plan to keep him as versatile as possible, in case he needs to fill a specific position. 

 

Just Baseball - Top 20 Relief Pitchers for the 2025 MLB Season

14. Edwin Díaz (New York Mets)

2024 Stats: 54 G, 20 SV, 53.2 IP, 3.52 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, .187 BAA, 3.02 FIP, 14.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9

Now we really start to enter the closer’s realm with arms like Edwin Díaz, who made nothing short of an admirable return to the mound in 2024 after missing the entirety of the season prior.

Was the blaring of Timmy Trumpet ahead of the ninth as fear-inducing as it was at the peak of his powers in 2022? No.

However, a season with a 1.04 WHIP and .187 AVG against is nothing to dismiss by any means, as it’s a testament to how he continued to keep hitters on their toes.

While 2024 may not have rendered the same 50.2% strikeout rate that 2022 did, a 38.9% mark last season still placed him in the 100th percentile of league arms, only trailing the Athletics’ Mason Miller.

Díaz was also extremely successful in his pursuit of limiting hard contact, ranking in the 97th percentile in both hard-hit rate (30.3%) and AVG exit velocity (85.9%).

There were some concerns in 2024 that limited such a traditionally dominant arm like Díaz to a lower-half ranking on this year’s list.