Tom Brennan: DSL Extremes; Wright No Cooperstown; Girton Screwed; Other Tidbits, Too

FIRST: 

METS WIN  5TH STRAIGHT, 8-1 IN SF….THEY’RE ROLLING AGAIN

And…

In one of Drew Gilbert’s last 3 games, he went 0-4.

In the other two games, he scorched: 

7 for 9, 2 doubles, 2 HRs.

Great AAA July #’s…is he READY?

NOW:

The Two Mets DSL Teams have had some HOT offensive players 

Hitters in the DSL: because this is an entry level league before any player shake outs occur, you see performance extremes…

(Here are some thru late last week):

The DSL Marlins in 32 games had 32 HRs, while Orioles and Rays teams had hit just 3.

The DSL Rangers had scored 273 runs, while the Orioles had scored 123 runs.

Walks? The highest team had drawn 213, while the lowest had 105.

Steals? Miami had 136, while the Padres DSL slowpokes garnered just 20.

But, closer to home, the Mets’ two DSL teams (Orange and Blue) - how have they done at the plate?

Well enough. 182 and 148 runs for the two teams. About league average.

HRs? 20 and 13, which is quite good, relatively speaking.

Keep in mind that most of their DSL games are 7 inning games - so runs scored per inning are quite high.

Best DSL hitter so far?

A guy named Cristian Argulles, who is hitting .479 with 43 RBIs in 31 games, but not forthe Mets, but for (darn!) the Rockies.

And a guy from the Reds has walked 35 times, while fanning just 3 times. 

EXTREME!

Mets hitters? 8 notables.

Yorber Semprun .378. (6th).

Yunior Amparo .362 (7th).

Yovanny Rodriguez .361 in 61 at bats with 16 RBIs.

Adolfo Miranda .351, with 5 homers.

Josmir Reyes .306, with just 6 Ks in 28 games.

Elian Peña, after his 0-28 start, is 22 for 65, with 4 HRs and 17 RBIs.

Speedy Heriberto Rincon .306, 20 steals.

RoyBert Herrera had 2 HRs, a double and single Tuesday, jumping to .369.

Pitching? The 2 teams are 6th (3.95) and 21st (4.96) in ERA out of 52 teams. The 52nd and worst team has a 7.40 ERA.

Osiris Calvo (3-0, 1.88 ERA, 34 Ks in 28 IP) has been the DSL Mets’ best performing pitcher. Just 5 walks, unusually low in the DSL

ALMOST A NO HITTER

Last Thursday, the DSL Mets Orange had a no hitter going with 2 outs in the 9th, but a DSL Mets reliever surrendered the only hit allowed in a 4-3 loss. The new Italian kid Morelli was Wild. (How you say Wild in Italian?)

On another note, 17 year old Elian Peña has 12 errors in his first 34 games in the field. Not abnormal, just noting it, and he certainly should reduce his error rate next year.

FCL FOLLIES

I looked at the low-scoring .213 hitting FCL Mets box score in game # 52. 

EIGHT hitters had averages under .180. Time to dust off those resumes?

WHAT WILL REALLY KEEP DAVID WRIGHT OUT OF COOPERSTOWN?

I saw this article in the NY Post on Saturday, lamenting David Wright’s injuries as keeping him out of the Hall of Fame.

David Wright “No Cooperstown “ Lament

“David is one of the greatest players,” Billy Wagner said (recently).  “If he’s not hurt, he’s probably gonna have a chance to be in the Hall of Fame,” said the former Mets closer. “A great leader, a great person, a great teammate. I’m so excited because he deserves this. I think he is the face and captain of the Mets.”

“We’ve had a lot of people go through the Mets like [Tom] Seaver [and others], and he’s just right there with the greats.” 

Not, however, a mention by Billy of the onerous fact that Wright played his home games in:

1) hitter-unfriendly Shea Stadium, 

2) ridiculous cavernous dimensions of Citi Field version 1, 

3) the almost as ridiculously cavernous dimensions of Citi Field version 2, and

4) the still hitter-unfriendly dimensions of Citi Field version 3.

I am guessing that if he played his career entirely in pitcher-neutral home parks, instead of in collectively very unfriendly to hitters parks, he’d have had 40-50 more career HRs at home, and probably a final career average above .300 rather than his .296. Maybe 1000+ RBIs and runs scored, rather than his actual 949 and 970.

Maybe just enough of a boost to have gotten him into the Hall of Fame.

Even with his shortened career.  Koufax had a short career, and he got in.

Likewise, Citi Field has cost Lindor and Alonso many, many HRs. 

And will cost them many, many more. 

Will either of the latter make the HOF? 

If not, will Citi Field dimensions have been a (the) primary cause?

BRENDAN GIRTON: SCREWED OUT OF WINS BY OUTDATED RULES

Brendan Girton is having a terrific year pitching for the Cyclones, but is only 3-2, despite a 2.47 ERA. Why? 

Because he does not control when he gets pulled from games. That is the manager and the braintrust. He has had 8 no-decision starts of at least 4 but less than  innings, ostensibly to 1) limit his innings this year, and 2) get relievers rotated into games.  

He’s led in most of those 4 inning starts when pulled.

He’s only gone 5 innings twice, and in those two starts, both wins for which he got the credit for one W, with one ND, despite allowing just 1 hit in his 10 innings, while walking 2 and fanning 15.

He’s won 2 of his 4 relief outings, but just one of his 14 starts.

Brooklyn starters are just 19-16, and their starters average an inning per game less than one of the other SAL teams, by the way.  Their relievers have 67 decisions.  One other SAL team’s starters are averaging more than an inning more per game, with many more starter wins as a result. 

Seems to me there is (rightly) more Stearns desire to avoid more ACL injuries due to higher innings.  I think that is wisdom. NO ISSUE THERE.

But guys pitching great like Girton should get more than 1 W in 14 starts. 

HOW? Change the W rule in the minors to 4 IP.

MY AGAIN-SUGGESTED RULE CHANGE: 

In the minors, a 4 inning start should be eligible for a W.

5 innings is a pipe dream for many minors starters.

Why, after all, should the relievers get 2/3 of the W-L decisions?

Four Brooklyn relievers have 5 to 7 W-L decisions, and Ben Simon is 4-0. Too many relief decisions.

Likewise, David Peterson started 49 games prior to his MLB debut. He got the W in just 10 of those 49 outings.  Because his minor league outings were often under 5 innings.

JUST NOTICED…

Dominic Smith is back in the majors since June, with SFG.

The price is right: Major league minimum.

He’s been up 101 times and is hitting .250.

Last season with the Mets a few years back, he hit .194.  

Puzzling, huh? 

Juan Soto on Thursday AM was hitting .256. Six points higher than Smith, albeit much more productive. Not trying to compare the two.  

Still, a tad puzzling.

We will presumably see Smitty in San Fran this weekend.

We will see Weeping Wilmer.

FINAL P.S.

Tong and McLean kicked arses and took names yet again late this week.

Both are ready. David Stearns can pretend otherwise.  READY!

Full disclosure: I am not the agent for either player. (Wish I was.)