IN FOCUS: Blackburn, ESPN Top 10, Power Ranking, Whiff Leaders, WAR Leaders By Position, Pena, fWAR

 

Isaac Groffman from The Modern Mound

 

1. The Four-Seam Fastball Is Gone

Blackburn did not throw a single four-seam fastball in this outing. That pitch was never particularly effective for him, and the Mets clearly recognized that when he arrived via trade in 2024. They encouraged him to lean more heavily on his cutter, which is a far better offering.

In this start, Blackburn committed fully to that adjustment. The four-seam is gone. The cutter is the new foundation.

 2. A Revamped Sinker

The new sinker is unrecognizable from the old one. Blackburn added nearly five inches of vertical depth and reached up to 16 inches of arm-side run.

That level of movement doesn't just happen, it's likely the result of seam-shifted wake (SSW) effects. In simple terms, SSW is unexpected movement caused by the way seams are oriented during flight. It’s a modern pitch design discovery that can drastically change the movement profile of a sinker.

Whether it was a new grip, improved seam orientation, or both, Blackburn has transformed this pitch into a real weapon. 

3. Breakers and Changeup

He also paired that sinker with a revamped changeup, which showed three more inches of depth than his pre-injury version. That could be the result of seam effects as well, or possibly a grip change, such as a “spiked” or Kick Change variation.

His breaking stuff? Also improved.

The slider gained three inches of sweep and two inches of depth, making it more of a Sweeper/Slurve.

The curveball and slider each produced multiple whiffs.

Velocity was down slightly on the Slider (about 0.5 MPH), but that tradeoff could be intentional, more movement in exchange for a touch of speed.

ESPN -

Top 10 prospects

Rank  Name Position        Previous rank

1.        Jett Williams           SS        1

2.        Jonah Tong             RHP    3

3.        Nolan McLean        RHP    4

4.        Ronny Mauricio     SS        5

5.        Jesus Baez               3B       7

6.        Brandon Sproat     RHP    2

7.        Drew Gilbert           CF       6

8.        Carson Benge         RF       9

9.        Ryan Clifford           1B       8

10.      A.J. Ewing    CF       10

What to know: Tong is a clear arrow-up this spring, along with Ewing and two position players showing more power this year who just missed the list: 3B Jacob Reimer and OF Eli Serrano.

Next to debut: Mauricio is at Triple-A, coming back from a torn ACL, and seems as if he could be a big league factor soon, though he got a 26-game stint in 2023. Gilbert is also performing well at Triple-A.

MLB Network                     @MLBNetwork

The first Power Rankings of June are here!

 

Thomas Nestico                 @TJStats

MLB Daily Whiff Leaders

2025-06-01

 

WAR Leaders by Division — First Base

 

WAR Leaders by Division — Catcher

 

WAR Leaders by Division — Third Base

 

WAR Leaders by Division — Second Base

 

WAR Leaders by Division — Shortstop

 

WAR Leaders by Division — Left Fielder

 

WAR Leaders by Division — Center Fielder

 

WAR Leaders by Division — Right Fielder

Daniel Wexler                    @WexlerRules

 

Mets Analytics                   @MetsAnalytics

Mets fWAR leaders:

2.6 Lindor

1.8

1.4 Senga

1.3 Megill

1.2 Peterson

1.0 Soto

0.9 Torrens  Holmes

0.7 Taylor   Baty

0.6 McNeil   Garrett

0.5 Nimmo  Canning   Kranick   Stanek    Díaz

0.4 Brazobán

0.3 Acuña