MACK - IN FOCUS - LAD OF Prospects, 3000 Pitch Pitchers, NYBBWAA, 98+ Fastballs, Ace Starter, Cooper Criswall, Top 10 Draft Prospects, Edwin Diaz

 

LAD TOP OUTFIELD PROSPECTS

Dave L Funnell                 @sportz_nutt51

There have been 22 pitchers who have thrown more than 3000 pitches over the last three seasons. Do you have any workload concerns for any of them?

 

The 101st New York Baseball Writers’ Gala will be held on

Saturday, January 24, 2026.

The Gala will feature many of the game’s biggest stars

PLUS

 The 40th anniversary of the World Champion 1986 Mets!

2025 NEW YORK CHAPTER AWARDS

Joe DiMaggio “Toast of the Town”: Pete Alonso with Darryl Strawberry as the Presenter

Willie, Mickey & The Duke: 1986 Mets rotation represented by Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, and Doc Gooden

Casey Stengel, “You Can Look It Up”: Jesse Orosco

William Slocum/Jack Lang “Long & Meritorious Service”: Ron Guidry and Willie Randolph

Ben Epstein/Dan Castellano “Good Guy”: Clay Holmes with Newsday's Laura Albanese as the Presenter

The 101st Annual New York Baseball Writers’ Gala

IF PAYMENT IS PROCESSED AFTER FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

TICKETS WILL BE AT THE WILL-CALL DESK OUTSIDE THE GRAND BALLROOM ON EVENT DAY

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Hilton in Midtown Manhattan

1335 6th Ave, New York, NY 10019

(212) 586-7000

Cocktail hour: 6 p.m.

Dinner: 7 p.m.

Individual Reserved Tickets: $395

Tables of 10, 11, or 12 are available; though 10 is preferred.

All Seating is reserved.

PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN EVERY ELECTRONIC PURCHASE

Admission includes a copy of SCOREBOOK, the annual program.

Edited by Rick Cerrone, this glossy full-color magazine is filled with original artwork and stories about our honorees.

*For special dietary requests and special needs seating requirements: bbwaanewyork@gmail.com

Codify       @CodifyBaseball

MLB Pitches Thrown At 98+ MPH:

2008: 11,301

2009: 13,785

2010: 14,807

2011: 13,826

2012: 15,615

2013: 17,169

2014: 19,922

2015: 28,093

2016: 28,949

2017: 25,499

2018: 25,621

2019: 27,561

2020: 10,747*

2021: 33,287

2022: 38,274

2023: 40,803

2024: 40,725

2025: 51,597

Mets Biggest Free Agent Need

CLICK HERE

New York Mets:                 Ace Starter

For as good as president of baseball operations David Stearns is at finding value on the margins, the Mets need a stopper.

Nolan McLean could develop into an ace, Sean Manaea might bounce back and David Peterson's disastrous second have may prove to be an aberration. Making all those bets would be a lot easier if the Mets have a sure thing going every five days.

Even if the Mets aren't willing to consider trading McLean, Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat and perhaps even Kodai Senga could be part of a trade to land an impact starter. Any of Skubal, Alcantara, Peralta or Ryan would look great taking the ball for the Mets on Opening Day.

 

Thomas Nestico      @TJStats

Cooper Criswell (claimed by NYM) is a soft tossing long reliever who posted a 4.48 ERA 4.46 FIP across 154.2 IP in his career

 

Cooper Criswall

6-6   200   RHRP    turns 30 in July    Free Agent: 2031

2018 3^rd Rd. pk LAA, Univ, of North Carolina

MLB

    2025 -     -0.1-WAR, 1-0, 3.57

    Career –    0.1-WAR, 8-7, 4.48

Minors

    2025 – AAA:  16-G, 14-ST, 4-2, 3.70, 1.34, 65-2-IP, 68-K, 28-BB

2025 Pitching Stats Overview

He's ranked among the fastest-tempo pitchers in MLB with the bases empty (11.6 seconds per pitch). His overall arsenal emphasizes groundball induction and deception rather than overpowering velocity.

Pitch Repertoire

Criswell relies on four pitches in 2025, blending sink and movement to generate weak contact. His fastball sits in the low-90s, complemented by off-speed offerings for deception.

Changeup

31.2% usage - 43.5 in. drop / 13.6 in. ARM-side

Cutter

29.7% usage - 28.4 in. drop / 0.0 in.

Sinker

27.9% usage - 36.0 in. drop / 15.1 in. ARM-side

Sweeper

11.2% usage -  42.7 in. drop / 19.9 in. glove-side

Changeup: His primary pitch for whiffs and grounders, thrown hardest off his sinker to create velocity separation. It features significant arm-side run and above-average drop, making it effective against right-handed hitters.

Cutter: A reliable secondary option with positive run value, used to jam same-handed batters. It has minimal horizontal movement but good depth, helping with contact management.

Sinker: Criswell's "fastball" for tunneling with the changeup, emphasizing sink over velocity. Low whiff rate but induces groundballs (his career GB% hovers around 50%).

Sweeper: A breaking ball for sweeping glove-side action, deployed situationally against lefties. It's his least-used pitch but adds horizontal diversity; the negative run value suggests room for refinement in larger samples.

Criswell's repertoire is contact-oriented, with a career 22% K-rate and strong command (elite walk rates in the minors).

 

NEW: Top 100 Draft prospects for '26

CLICK HERE

Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS, Texas

Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama

Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep, Fla.

Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

Derek Curiel, OF, Louisiana State

Carson Bolemon, LHP, Southside Christian School, S.C.

Gio Rojas, LHP, Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS, Fla.

Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina

Sawyer Strosnider, OF, Texas Christian

 

Edwin Díaz

CLICK HERE

What we know: The relief pitching market has moved quickly recently, specifically with closers. First, it was Raisel Iglesias, who re-signed with the Atlanta Braves on a one-year, $16 million deal. Then on Sunday, former Met Ryan Helsley and the Baltimore Orioles agreed to a two-year, $28 million deal. And Devin Williams is the most recent. Could Díaz be next?

Teams pursuing Díaz, according to multiple sources, include the Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox.

Right now, the Mets still lead the race to sign him, but the Blue Jays and Dodgers remain close behind. The Dodgers, however, aren’t willing to match the contract Díaz wants at the moment – a deal reportedly similar to the five-year, $102 million contract he signed with the Mets back in late 2022. Their hesitance comes from their decision last offseason to give lefty closer Tanner Scott a multi-year deal, a move that backfired when he struggled for most of the season.

The Blue Jays, unlike the Dodgers, have positioned themselves as a “serious threat” to land Díaz. They’ve already shown they’re willing to spend big after signing Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal and Cody Ponce to a three-year, $30 million contract. Whether they ultimately sign Díaz or not, they’re clearly involved in the closer market. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Jays aren’t believed to be opposed to moving reliever Jeff Hoffman into a setup role after he gave up 15 homers in the regular season. They’re also exploring Pete Fairbanks as an option – and signing him would almost certainly take them out of the running for Díaz.