tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5926151303693560222024-03-19T06:00:31.262-04:00Mack's MetsMack’s Mets – the premier site for information on the New York Mets talent pipeline and dialogue on Mets prospects, Mets news, and Mets opinions.Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.comBlogger31070125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-59372281081941730822024-03-19T06:00:00.204-04:002024-03-19T06:00:00.132-04:00Tom Brennan: Signings and Trades, Both Smart and Stupid <div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/d3b873da7f92b4f89864c852bb239ddc27788fb6/c=0-0-668-502/local/-/media/2017/09/30/USATODAY/USATODAY/636423937425139027-XXX-D4-MONTY-HALL-27-TV.jpg?width=1920&height=1440&fit=crop" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/d3b873da7f92b4f89864c852bb239ddc27788fb6/c=0-0-668-502/local/-/media/2017/09/30/USATODAY/USATODAY/636423937425139027-XXX-D4-MONTY-HALL-27-TV.jpg?width=1920&height=1440&fit=crop" width="320" /></span></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It sure seems the Mets did well with their limited signings this off-season.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">They got P Adrian Houser and OF Tyrone Taylor from the Milwaukee Brewers, for not much in exchange. That’s looking like a total steal. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And starter Luis Severino‘s pitching very well, too. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The success of CF Harrison Bader? His offense showed up on Sunday, including his first jack, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">but even if he does not do really well offensively, he is a glove freak, and only signed for 1 year. No long term exposure. Nice.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Joey Wendle? Hitting well. Strong in many “game quality” respects. Should be a solid dude. And that’s a relief, compared to a litany of underperforming subs of seasons past.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">AND THEY DIDN’T TRADE AWAY…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Tylor Megill…AND HE’S LOOKING GOOD, Sunday’s less-than-stellar output notwithstanding. (Hey, opening day starter Quintana was worse on Sunday…it is clearly a Sunday thing. Let Severino pitch Sundays).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">No doubt, many teams would have wanted Megill. Thankfully, so did the Mets. Finders, keepers…and…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Nice collective pen output this spring, too, due to low cost shrewd pick ups by Stearns. What seems to be emerging is having a SURPLUS of solid, inexpensive pen arms. Good work. Baltimore signed Craig Kimbrel, who turns 36 in May, for $13 million for 2024. I guess we’ll find out if the older Kimbrel will outpitch the multiple and cheaper Mets arms.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, two other teams’ signings that I thought were highly risky at the time aren’t looking very good at all right now. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lucas Giolito?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He signs two years with $18 million this year, despite giving up 38 homers last year and putting up a 8-15 record in 2023 with a 4.84 ERA. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lance Lynn?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He was given $10 million, and he gave up a hellacious number (44) of home runs (roughly one every 4 innings) last year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Giolito is now out for the year with an arm injury and Lynn, as of Thursday morning, had two innings in the books with an 18.00 ERA, with very crappy looking stats.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yoko Ono saw those 2 signings and screamed “O NO!!” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But those two silly acquiring clubs weren’t run by David Stearns.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Some are unhappy with the job David Stearns is doing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I think he’s done a very good job at not panicking and buying garbage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sometimes, acquiring garbage creates more garbage. Nastiness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He is avoiding a garbage pile up even the Dept of Sanitation can’t rectify.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And…he did not trade Pete Alonso. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This team at least early on is proving to have very good pitching. Very good pitching is a foundation for a playoff run. But you can’t get there without hitting, and Pete is a cornerstone for producing Mets runs. Very smart to have kept him, I’d say. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If the wheels fall off, deal him in July. But only if the package is worth it.</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>MARK VIENTOS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I heard him being interviewed last week, and the one thing that came across, besides his confidence in himself, is that he appears to under a lot of pressure. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, may I suggest to you that we do everything we can to lighten up on Mark, make him feel welcome, expect the best, root like mad for him, and we may all be surprised at the fine results he produces.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I have a little doubt that he can hit 30 home runs or more in the major leagues, if given sufficient at bats during a season (like, say, 2024). I certainly think that he can hit a homer every 20 plate appearances, if not better.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Big power.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Through Wednesday, former Mets heart throbs Pete Crow and Jarred Kelenic were 7 for 63 this spring, and had 4 less HRs than Vientos’ 4 HRs that he’s compiled in half the at bats. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Edgardo Alfonso in his rookie year of 1995 was good, but nowhere near as good as the tremendous Alfonso 1999 version. He got much better.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Aaron Judge was scary bad when he got his MLB cup of coffee way back when. He was up 84 times, fanned 42 times, and hit .179. He got much better. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, I believe, will Vientos. I also think he is almost there. Right now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We got a hint on Sunday, when Mark doubled and added his 4th spring orbit shot. Off the light tower. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Please be our Kyle Schwarber this season, Mark. Schwarber over the last 2 seasons hit just .208…but averaged 47 HRs and 106 RBIs. Mark does that and i’ll smile.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Time to realize you are now a veteran and take no prisoners, Mark.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Besides, Ray Savage loves Mark Vientos. And when is Ray ever wrong? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>EAGERNESS MAY NOT BE ENOUGH</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eager and athletic, 33 year old Trayce Thompson got everyone’s attention with a brief hot start in February, going 4 for 7 with 2 homers.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">March has been another</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, and probably more projectable, story, given his background. As in 2 for 17 with 9 Ks. My 5th outfielder would be someone else. Like Jeff McNeil, when he’s shifted from 2nd base. That “Trayce in March” output is too reminiscent of that of hole-in-swing-but-athletic Keon Broxton for me.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">BICKFORD BRILLIANCE</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Forget spring ERAs. Bad first spring outing for Bickford, but…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Afterwards, 2.2 innings, one hit, no walks, 6 Ks. Phil Bickford is on my opening day roster, unless he has options left in a generally options-starved bullpen.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Tom Brennanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01032383157195393857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-31854912246166593982024-03-18T11:00:00.003-04:002024-03-18T11:00:00.246-04:00Mets Prospect Profile: C Ronald Hernandez <p><i style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: center;">This is the next post in a series intended to bring awareness to some of the lesser-known prospects in the Mets' organization This series will post a different prospect each weekday at 11:00am EST for the benefit of our fans.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pjWy4l48DOB8hbalPLvhh56bhcRmJ4q-98Q6td-wgwUn_JuYbindqpMgtJ0ARcbj2IO4POJr37q7Sr0FuBObbca3M2VVVPHsDNuccrB3SSQ6x2eRela5vyJcWoSow9MMoLOgNYRj9xO8VGrip2sZwVogqkvN0JnjGXYoLIkdcnI4nKbUl4d5XcyWNg8/s300/ronald%20hernandez.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pjWy4l48DOB8hbalPLvhh56bhcRmJ4q-98Q6td-wgwUn_JuYbindqpMgtJ0ARcbj2IO4POJr37q7Sr0FuBObbca3M2VVVPHsDNuccrB3SSQ6x2eRela5vyJcWoSow9MMoLOgNYRj9xO8VGrip2sZwVogqkvN0JnjGXYoLIkdcnI4nKbUl4d5XcyWNg8/s1600/ronald%20hernandez.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;">Ronald Hernandez</span> is a 20/yr old switch hitting catcher that also can play first and DH.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He was signed with an $800K international bonus, as a 16 year old, by the Marlins in 2020.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hernandez spent three years in the Marlins chain, including 2023, where he stated 104 AB, 3HR, 25RBI, 32BB, 27SB, and .298/.464/.452/.916.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ronald came to the Mets from the Marlins, along with IF <span style="color: red;">Marco Vargas,</span> for a week or two of <span style="color: red;">David Robertson</span> (another great guppy trade).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He then played with the FCL Mets, going .286/.509/.486/.995, before ending the season with St. Lucie. </span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">MACK'S SPIN</span> - </span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">First of all, hats off for making the Marlins to throw this kid in on this trade.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The offensive stats are already impressive, but one must stop and remember that his top skills come from his defense.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes. That's right. A 20 year old catcher that can throw (33% throw out % in 2022), catch, hit, and run. What do you do, what do you do?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I expect him to open up this season where he finished up last year... with Lucy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">His goals are to continue to work on both his defensive skills but also his hitting.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A steal.</span></div><div><br /></div></div>Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-49746452714206156672024-03-18T09:00:00.002-04:002024-03-18T09:00:00.131-04:00Paul Articulates – Get to know the prospects<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The second half of spring training is always a very important time for baseball prospects. They are in the home stretch of showing what they can do, and many are close to being assigned to the team that they will break camp with – whether that is an MLB team or a minors affiliate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bDOp_aNsh3QJ90UZvTKTe8da9ashejYRUrDtyCJLpeBW-mLuypaRYcZ9nRIZnOtLM2yoW6iEOoB6zeAYXcuODizcqIyblZF_y1-PaIobLBp8ghPc6hqOtmG-cplPhxHJb5xPHLZkG2gcqAUJZOtL_m39XXiI-8GoRkTan90_b_d1H5U5H1zP-31anO4/s2208/spring%20breakout.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1241" data-original-width="2208" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bDOp_aNsh3QJ90UZvTKTe8da9ashejYRUrDtyCJLpeBW-mLuypaRYcZ9nRIZnOtLM2yoW6iEOoB6zeAYXcuODizcqIyblZF_y1-PaIobLBp8ghPc6hqOtmG-cplPhxHJb5xPHLZkG2gcqAUJZOtL_m39XXiI-8GoRkTan90_b_d1H5U5H1zP-31anO4/s320/spring%20breakout.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />As you have seen from our weekday 11am posts, there are many prospects working their way up through the system. We recently had a great opportunity to see some of the most compelling prospects showcase their talents in the Spring Breakout Game, where the Mets and the Nationals participated in a contest between their brightest future stars.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The stars were indeed bright for the Mets, who prevailed in the game 4-2. The starting outfield included Drew Gilbert in right, Jett Williams in center, and Alex Ramirez in left. That’s right, Jett Williams was playing center, not a middle infield position for this showcase game. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Some folks, including writers on this site have speculated that he could move there because of his speed and versatility. Apparently great minds think alike! The infield was loaded with talent as well, with Ryan Clifford, Marco Vargas, LuisAngel Acuna, and Jesus Baez showing what they could do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To me, the stand-outs were Ryan Clifford who powered an opposite field double to drive in a run in the first and also scored one in the fourth; and the pitching. Dom Hamel, Tyler Stuart, Blade Tidwell, Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Calvin Ziegler all spent time on the hill and pitched well. To me, I was really impressed with the ease that Sproat and Ziegler threw with. They are both coming up from lower minors levels and Sproat was throwing consistently at 98/99MPH. Both fanned two in scoreless innings.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Before and after the Breakout game, the Media duo from the Binghamton Rumble Ponies Jacob Wilkins and Matt Levine had a chance to interview some of the prospects. Jacob was kind enough to share those interviews with the Mack’s Mets group so I include them below with a big thank you to the <b><a href="https://www.milb.com/binghamton" target="_blank">Binghamton Rumble Ponies</a></b>!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Here are a few of the interviews with the players. We will include a series of the interviews with a link on the home page so you can get a feel for some of our future Mets.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKp-BQE8yvOknFxqxqT7OiZ1xbaKFXwgn5NNwfA23BDIyCGVF8teq4rZ7DFfRy6AFSW2VqK4ARd7Lp7KiN_nBAAGGDGlqe0DZCft5g-I9pgAjekwhKMQHWMijZCSGCJ0VJR_sityUAVr9ipBc8z7lzuT6kp8-FKGJV7oadlSjc9GDB5vk5hO-eJ6_HLI/s270/stuart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="180" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKp-BQE8yvOknFxqxqT7OiZ1xbaKFXwgn5NNwfA23BDIyCGVF8teq4rZ7DFfRy6AFSW2VqK4ARd7Lp7KiN_nBAAGGDGlqe0DZCft5g-I9pgAjekwhKMQHWMijZCSGCJ0VJR_sityUAVr9ipBc8z7lzuT6kp8-FKGJV7oadlSjc9GDB5vk5hO-eJ6_HLI/s1600/stuart.jpg" width="180" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><a href="https://www.milb.com/player/tyler-stuart-701603" target="_blank">Tyler Stuart</a> played in both Brooklyn and Binghamton last year, recording a perfect 4-0 record with a 1.55 ERA before being moved up to AA. He is a 6’9” 250 pound right-hander that was selected by the Mets in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. </span><div><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/17YUns7W1iQpbtMpq_TvlKt5yI79Nxn1F/view?usp=drive_web" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #202124; padding: 0in; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/docs/doclist/images/icon_10_generic_list.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-style: none; border-top-style: none; height: 20px; padding-right: 10px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /> Tyler
Stuart Spring Training Interview.mp4</span></a></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-SgggHqpsFEzb49yF1788OeJclqVleDA9DWLSiQ7UgBMVHSSUgrCCaHripHB_r_GoVR0Vr_OAHMJJAuJ_S7AXWBk22nGmJPMcNwPEW4aKCoQ5vyrN7v3sLoBFN1_N3kSEaejRKB3D5rE-FMnKBVmXoFEZm93FfvMlNSWobQdTzjeua2eZolgtnHETwM/s270/Rhylan_Thomas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="180" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-SgggHqpsFEzb49yF1788OeJclqVleDA9DWLSiQ7UgBMVHSSUgrCCaHripHB_r_GoVR0Vr_OAHMJJAuJ_S7AXWBk22nGmJPMcNwPEW4aKCoQ5vyrN7v3sLoBFN1_N3kSEaejRKB3D5rE-FMnKBVmXoFEZm93FfvMlNSWobQdTzjeua2eZolgtnHETwM/s1600/Rhylan_Thomas.jpg" width="180" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><a href="https://www.milb.com/player/rhylan-thomas-689041" target="_blank">Rhylan Thomas</a> played at three levels last year as an outfielder and won the defensive player of the year award in the Mets’ minor league system. Rhylan was a defensive standout last year and has very good speed which he put to use in the Spring Breakout game with an impressive dash from first to third on a base hit to center. Thomas has put on 12 pounds of muscle in the off-season so look for more athleticism from him this year.</span><div><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/16r4EJXJ_0u4wF5EnpYj8DQ1o63TY_98J/view?usp=drive_web" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #202124; padding: 0in; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/docs/doclist/images/icon_10_generic_list.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-style: none; border-top-style: none; height: 20px; padding-right: 10px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /> Rhylan
Thomas Spring Training Interview.mp4</span></a></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ57FHsgwDQlVqLwQ-OGDAXVH8vOhbyJT49HBof7eJDWth7w9QJWpkpfukFTkMEdQ-7AAxo_p1ycDuEJsq0iV4VwEZZfTgneGoAURxDy7I_aNXOFLkGtcix-PtXDTNXq9PBSS1ELLdgXuP69h4aGhaxhqiljOCGhb33HYG8w6ItBWeqsdyUueyktK_kMI/s270/tidwell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="180" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ57FHsgwDQlVqLwQ-OGDAXVH8vOhbyJT49HBof7eJDWth7w9QJWpkpfukFTkMEdQ-7AAxo_p1ycDuEJsq0iV4VwEZZfTgneGoAURxDy7I_aNXOFLkGtcix-PtXDTNXq9PBSS1ELLdgXuP69h4aGhaxhqiljOCGhb33HYG8w6ItBWeqsdyUueyktK_kMI/s1600/tidwell.jpg" width="180" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><a href="https://www.milb.com/player/blade-tidwell-694918" target="_blank">Blade Tidwell</a> also played in Brooklyn and Binghamton last season. The 22-year old pitcher has always impressed me with his competitiveness on the mound. He is at his best when runners are in scoring position. Tidwell played his college ball at Tennessee where he was teammates with Drew Gilbert.</span><div><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q_1F3yCZyw50n741cAZAZ87MPEm8qSkB/view?usp=drive_web" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #202124; padding: 0in; text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/docs/doclist/images/icon_10_generic_list.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-style: none; border-top-style: none; height: 20px; padding-right: 10px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /> Blade
Tidwell Spring Training Interivew.mp4</span></a></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Paul Articulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690651810296213424noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-14896232730601390992024-03-18T06:00:00.000-04:002024-03-18T06:00:00.354-04:00Reese Kaplan -- David Stearns Walked Into a Financial Mess<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrg4Gz-85wz6_D6CHxsw1Xc4KQWtBDKoRXQyLbKCo3Gdc8iAfuzBrjb80Mzh0lCjSS0TiCJAEOJ26UYNnWNkPGyRPuBAJyyOGv-1KlyVeS0vzArjYyQ-qtbVgBBO0bXpVYkwj7_v_r7oekXkCTmTwKFDRU9pw6U7xDFkVxEAu2M2JT0eOmRZfsCJDPnpQ/s320/A%20Logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="320" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrg4Gz-85wz6_D6CHxsw1Xc4KQWtBDKoRXQyLbKCo3Gdc8iAfuzBrjb80Mzh0lCjSS0TiCJAEOJ26UYNnWNkPGyRPuBAJyyOGv-1KlyVeS0vzArjYyQ-qtbVgBBO0bXpVYkwj7_v_r7oekXkCTmTwKFDRU9pw6U7xDFkVxEAu2M2JT0eOmRZfsCJDPnpQ/s1600/A%20Logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />For Monday morning, let's take a deep breath and forget for a moment about the sometimes questionable roster assembly decisions made by POBO David Stearns and instead let's see the financial situation he inherited when he agreed with Steve Cohen to take the position and move on from a successful career in Milwaukee. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If you asked the average Mets fan what the payroll is for the 2024 season they would likely guess somewhere north of $300 million. Oddly, that answer would be wrong. It actually falls slightly under $300 million but that excess from long term contracts still associated with the Mets team pushes an $81 million tax which makes the starting point about $380 million. That's not pocket change even for the uber-wealthy Steve Cohen. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbqQvN8hVTzBx_fklxSGWsuLP5Qymn0mwBfLPdEEhTbQpbhlUk6csQKlhDjIU_assomlDIRilcdY68Hl8dBjdwJwuUBNpsqefRq5Z49wUDO0wDiio-W_lSHsgvKh8cIIolNVN99KBd089xjydgVRTRi9b2_DBt7wQoXdrN3TlgOdPkeDtml8PTy3hyoJ7/s1400/image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1400" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbqQvN8hVTzBx_fklxSGWsuLP5Qymn0mwBfLPdEEhTbQpbhlUk6csQKlhDjIU_assomlDIRilcdY68Hl8dBjdwJwuUBNpsqefRq5Z49wUDO0wDiio-W_lSHsgvKh8cIIolNVN99KBd089xjydgVRTRi9b2_DBt7wQoXdrN3TlgOdPkeDtml8PTy3hyoJ7/w400-h280/image.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />To begin, let's see what payroll obligations actually exist. For long term contracts which are guaranteed, the Mets are on the hook for $193 million. Back in the Wilpon days that amount would have been a fictitious fantasy, but under this regime it's merely a starting point.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Next comes the obligations to players with arbitration which adds another $36 million to the pot and then you have players who have not yet reached arbitration eligibility who tack on another $4 million. Add it all up and you're looking at $233 million. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But wait, isn't that well below the nearly $300 owed in pre-tax dollars. Why, yes, in fact it is. That is why the payroll picture contains more layers than you might have imagined.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Some might wonder how the $233 million total evolved. It is, of course, a combination of luring in free agents, drafting players and paying fees associated with ones they signed, making trades, dabbling in the international market and making waiver claims. David Stearns has indeed used each of these avenues to try to transition the team from its horrific 2023 into a competitive team in 2024 and then a pennant chasing one in 2025. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjZNvMAK_HSktUt5MS0EV1BAGC5-6qmITMo1B4rS-Y_5z7HCo8w2_5Qg1jbRd_NLvISuTG2kLiocB0Oa58pJkvWeyCjjpWoJieLBH_5_Jb_e1gDRkxfiQsHCZxw1xQ_whauWAf1KP-TP4zIXMfidQmh8js567IkVFO0aKTCjXEBytQ5AYD4008dkNR1Sj/s350/image%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="350" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjZNvMAK_HSktUt5MS0EV1BAGC5-6qmITMo1B4rS-Y_5z7HCo8w2_5Qg1jbRd_NLvISuTG2kLiocB0Oa58pJkvWeyCjjpWoJieLBH_5_Jb_e1gDRkxfiQsHCZxw1xQ_whauWAf1KP-TP4zIXMfidQmh8js567IkVFO0aKTCjXEBytQ5AYD4008dkNR1Sj/w400-h395/image%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Where else did the money go? Well, you need to count on dollars promised to folks who are now in different clubhouses than the one at Citifield. Both of the ace pitchers put on the trading block in July will result in over $47 million in Mets payroll obligations. Add in another $8 million for James McCann and you're up to over $55 million. Add that to the $233 owed to everyone else and you're up to $288 million. Then there were buyouts paid to others like Darin Ruf, Eduardo Escobar and additional buyouts. You can now easily see how the Mets payroll obligation does indeed approach $300 million. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now there is some good news at the end of this costly tunnel. Much of the payroll obligations disappears after the 2024 season ends. There's no more Max Scherzer nor Justin Verlander money (unless the currently injured future Hall of Famer logs 140 innings which will cause another payment to happen). Even James McCann's share disappears. In addition, consider how many short term or option-oriented contracts the Mets are now carrying which means much more flexibility in payroll is indeed on the near horizon for 2025. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">By some estimates, the total payroll obligation will drop to $172 million. Now obviously they need to make important and expensive decisions about some high-dollar players like Pete Alonso, prospective free agent Juan Soto and others, but there are also going to be a lot of roster vacancies, not all of which can be fulfilled by people in Binghamton or Syracuse. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Without delving too deeply into who is owed how much, the fact it that there are only seven players sucking up most of that $172 million total. In theory it would give the Mets nearly $70 million to spend on other players, but of course that could change if they opted to trade away any of their current long term obligations or retain any of their free agents to be. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Then you also have to consider the possibility of securing early someone like Francisco Alvarez with a deal mirroring what the Braves and other savvy organizations do to buy out arbitration and free agency. It gets better still in 2026 but then more of the long term obligations also disappear which means more lockers to fill with ballplayers. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZkYLwwbkmA6MVnqBEHjYWSTE0QUFDM8Cgk7b53glp-F-7ykWF1ZW4Xiz6tjjZzUNvhConhGt0ubm9CXc-1IGAOiHrHp5Q4DqB5WlcOIlMcTwXMysyCFq3IyQxX4JKhcWoXsZGDOI4RQaqeE9QZj4wKUeaqOIjDrJ4A5LyBe0UfWBO8yfmaPCoMxkcQN-/s824/screenshot-external-content.duckduckgo.com-2024.03.15-18_51_50.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZkYLwwbkmA6MVnqBEHjYWSTE0QUFDM8Cgk7b53glp-F-7ykWF1ZW4Xiz6tjjZzUNvhConhGt0ubm9CXc-1IGAOiHrHp5Q4DqB5WlcOIlMcTwXMysyCFq3IyQxX4JKhcWoXsZGDOI4RQaqeE9QZj4wKUeaqOIjDrJ4A5LyBe0UfWBO8yfmaPCoMxkcQN-/w306-h400/screenshot-external-content.duckduckgo.com-2024.03.15-18_51_50.jpg" width="306" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />The fact is that while some of us (me, in particular) have been highly critical of the seeming inertia and take-a-chance player acquisitions made by David Stearns, he did not have that never ending supply of money that other GMs (Billy Eppler in particular) had at their disposal. </span><p></p>Reese Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993445356545875409noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-37538687197279454242024-03-17T13:00:00.026-04:002024-03-17T13:00:00.124-04:00Tom Brennan - Numbers vs. Wishes and Hopes<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88UmzNbwCIA/X0JRWTei7GI/AAAAAAAAmjk/2awmEmzvV98nEKVSP1esOKs8qQSLBjXmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s240/REPORT%2BCARD.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88UmzNbwCIA/X0JRWTei7GI/AAAAAAAAmjk/2awmEmzvV98nEKVSP1esOKs8qQSLBjXmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/REPORT%2BCARD.JPG" /></span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mark Vientos was up 4 times Saturday night. He fanned 4 times.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That said, he had lots of K company, as there were 26 other Ks in the game.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But that sort of “4 for 4” is not good.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">All we can objectively do is objectively look at the data and ask what it tells us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In all spring training and regular season plate appearances, Vientos has done this:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Spring T: 117 PA, 106 AB, 12 R, 26 H, 8 D, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 10 BB, 38 K</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Regular: 274 PA, 254 AB, 22 R, 52 H, 6 D, 10 HR, 25 RBI, 15 BB, 83 K</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Total: 391 PA, 360 AB, 34 R, 78 H, 14 D, 15 HR, 40 RBI, 25 BB, 121 K</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not good.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He had 348 PA (spring and regular) before this spring, a sizable experience #. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Is he up trending this spring?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One might expect him to, after all that previous experience and preparation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Seems not, as he is just 7 for 41, with 2 walks and 14 K this spring.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So far, he seems like a righty Kirk Nieuwenhuis, without Kirk’s ability to draw BBs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He needs to produce more, as his speed and glove are not offsetting assets.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We Mets fans all root for him. We’re waiting for that up ramp. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We need it to show up in 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">P.S. When considering high strikeouts, I occasionally think about a guy who defined ultra-low strikeouts, Hall of Famer Joe Sewell.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Google Sans", arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(31, 31, 31); color: #1f1f1f;">“Between 1924 and his final season in 1933, </span><span face=""Google Sans", arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: #d3e3fd; color: #040c28;">Sewell</span><span face=""Google Sans", arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(31, 31, 31); color: #1f1f1f;"> recorded two seasons with just three strikeouts and three more with only four strikeouts.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Google Sans", arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(31, 31, 31); color: #1f1f1f;">I wonder how he’d do today?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Google Sans", arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(31, 31, 31); color: #1f1f1f;">Another HOF Joe, Joe Medwick, stole just 29 of 52 in a 9 year prime career stretch.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Google Sans", arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(31, 31, 31); color: #1f1f1f;">Oddly, he had 102 triples in those 9 years.</span></span></p><p><br /></p>Tom Brennanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01032383157195393857noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-27087228050769661242024-03-17T11:00:00.129-04:002024-03-17T11:00:00.134-04:002024 Draft - Mock - Future Sox - 2-13-2024<p><a href="file:///C:/Users/Mack/Documents/WPS%20Cloud%20Files/179709269/Future%20Sox"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><span> </span></span></u></b></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVrza7X-5CiUpvc58J9nsDMJMp4bCiTDOvcgXrliDXyvi-yzxJ1ChVA3su2GkBMWfaETBzLWaubKqcPQ_N8s97jaJ9Iv21LxcBn_kYQSw2nH437LUHdVjn_jar5S6Usv3Rh06-E65UeYItbqdTmuMz4HdNrc_k42xJwVcO_oNR2pWNT10jgFRunzcVcA/s318/2024%20-%20Mock%20Draft.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="318" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVrza7X-5CiUpvc58J9nsDMJMp4bCiTDOvcgXrliDXyvi-yzxJ1ChVA3su2GkBMWfaETBzLWaubKqcPQ_N8s97jaJ9Iv21LxcBn_kYQSw2nH437LUHdVjn_jar5S6Usv3Rh06-E65UeYItbqdTmuMz4HdNrc_k42xJwVcO_oNR2pWNT10jgFRunzcVcA/s1600/2024%20-%20Mock%20Draft.jpg" width="318" /></a></span></span></u></b></div><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><span><br /></span></span></u></b><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5I8j4BUEfAL-pU8VWU9DsLfMXqG7Q9onro7k7NeiVp7i2lytb4c9qryu83A5V2IQbFX2gs7rmm1Vawm7wuO88K0KGZSJKW-aSgcCUmzvFLzjLBll2lAE5lg29FpVmYurvwGR1gOjGJhDEycXmh5h_pU5cR2n3GbkEWY0lwiqXe8CnWmxEORnTEswcJg/s275/future%20sox.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5I8j4BUEfAL-pU8VWU9DsLfMXqG7Q9onro7k7NeiVp7i2lytb4c9qryu83A5V2IQbFX2gs7rmm1Vawm7wuO88K0KGZSJKW-aSgcCUmzvFLzjLBll2lAE5lg29FpVmYurvwGR1gOjGJhDEycXmh5h_pU5cR2n3GbkEWY0lwiqXe8CnWmxEORnTEswcJg/s1600/future%20sox.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><a href="file:///C:/Users/Mack/Documents/WPS%20Cloud%20Files/179709269/Future%20Sox"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Future Sox</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> 2-13-2024 </span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">James Fox</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">1. Cleveland Guardians: JJ Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Left-handed hitter with a 70 tool and lots of wood bat success. Wetherholt might be the best hitter in the class and could stay at shortstop.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2. Cincinnati Reds: Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Bazzana is an Australia native who hit .375 in the Cape Cod League last year. The infielder shows and advanced approach and raw power.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">3. Colorado Rockies: Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">The Rockies have been focused on pitching and Burns looks to be the best in the class with 100 mph velocity and a plus-plus slider.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">4. Oakland Athletics: Nick Kurtz, 1B/OF, Wake Forest</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Kurtz is a great defender at first base and has hit 39 homers in two college seasons. He hasn’t shown many weaknesses at the dish. BPA pick for A’s.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">5. Chicago White Sox: Konnor Griffin, CF, Jackson Prep (MS)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Griffin is a 6-4, 205 pound outfielder who reclassified from the 2025 draft. The White Sox grab a definite center fielder with 30 home run potential. Area scout Warren Hughes was busy last year and he could be on the board early again this July.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">6. Kansas City Royals: Seaver King, SS, Wake Forest</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">King is a member of the United States Collegiate Team and has Cape success as well. A transfer from Wingate; all fields approach and defensive versatility should get him drafted this high.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">7. St. Louis Cardinals: Charlie Condon, OF, Georgia</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Condon is a right-handed hitter with massive raw power. The 6-6 slugger could end up at first base but teams likely try him in the outfield initially.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">8. Los Angeles Angels: Jac Caglianone, LHP/OF, Florida</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Caglianone is a two-way star but he has more upside with the bat. He’s a physical freak with big left-handed raw power.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">9. Pittsburgh Pirates: Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Smith has front line starter upside if he can harness his inconsistent control. The southpaw possesses great stuff and will be just 20-years-old on draft day.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">10. Washington Nationals: PJ Morlando, OF, Summerville HS (SC)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Morlando displays significant offensive upside with plus hit and power tools but comes with significant risk on the defensive spectrum.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">11. Detroit Tigers: Caleb Bonemer, SS, Okemos HS (MI)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Bonemar probably profiles at third base but he might be the best prep prospect from Michigan since Derek Jeter.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">12. Boston Red Sox: Josh Hartle, LHP, Wake Forest</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Hartle is in contention for top college lefty in the class but he’s more stuff than polish with a four-pitch mix.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">13. San Francisco Giants: Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">The Tar Heel outfielder is really young for the college class and has shown significant rightly power but must cut down on the strikeouts.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">14. Chicago Cubs: Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Brecht has monster stuff with a plus-plus slider and fastball but he also possesses command issues and reliever risk.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">15. Seattle Mariners: Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Earning some Jack Flaherty comparisons, Rainer has shown projection and raw power at the plate while pitching.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">16. Miami Marlins: Mike Sirota, OF, Northeastern</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Sirota will be 20-years-old on draft day and has had Cape success with speed, bat speed and a center field profile.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">17. Milwaukee Brewers: Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Montgomery is a switch-hitting outfielder with a right field profile.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">18. Tampa Bay Rays: Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Kansas State</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Could be the highest drafted position player ever from Kansas State. He makes consistent contact and is playing shortstop this spring.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">19. </span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">New York Mets: </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Tommy White</span></b><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">, 3B, LSU</span></b><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">White has huge power and 51 homers in two college seasons but he’s a likely 1B or DH in pro ball.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">20. Toronto Blue Jays: Thatcher Hurd, RHP, LSU</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Hurd’s fastball gets into the high 90’s with an above-average slider and could be a mid-rotation starter</span></b></p>Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-68750115711862428692024-03-17T09:00:00.090-04:002024-03-17T09:00:00.239-04:00Mack's Weekly Draft Update <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbXkIjGCIyBu8dNYZl8xS3O8w8XLuBCByNF5aN7cw2YAsITNcRN3x4eEzbbl08_Ex97pfx3XyYjUxofe-x-jVq8H8hCVbCMW1QmOANXkHNA1AuRRY0xsHKO7cPFxY3QCIhXQfDBNCeSyOUGAtWPMAYcSIYNM_4QqC1IPPouDDaLtfI9niYr4klfAV770/s275/mlb%20draft.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbXkIjGCIyBu8dNYZl8xS3O8w8XLuBCByNF5aN7cw2YAsITNcRN3x4eEzbbl08_Ex97pfx3XyYjUxofe-x-jVq8H8hCVbCMW1QmOANXkHNA1AuRRY0xsHKO7cPFxY3QCIhXQfDBNCeSyOUGAtWPMAYcSIYNM_4QqC1IPPouDDaLtfI9niYr4klfAV770/s1600/mlb%20draft.png" width="275" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Joe Doyle</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> <span> </span><span> </span> @JoeDoyleMiLB <span> </span><span> </span> Mar 16, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Valley View (Jonesboro, AR) OF </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Slade Caldwell</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> isn’t getting much to hit this season, but he’s off to a hot start. Slashing .500/.593/.786 with two triples, a double and 13 stolen bases over 7 games.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Kid makes an offense go</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span style="color: red;">Joe Doyle</span> <span> </span><span> </span> @JoeDoyleMiLB</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0000pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36.0000pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Correction: Caldwell’s slash line is .500/.692/.857.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0000pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36.0000pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">…… math is hard.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Jared Perkins</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> <span> </span><span> </span> @JaredCP1 <span> </span><span> </span> Mar 16, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> <span> </span><span> </span></span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Chase Burns</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Final Line…</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> <span> </span><span> </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 13 K - 109 Pitches</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Kendall Rogers</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> <span> </span><span> </span> @KendallRogers<span> </span><span> </span> Mar 16, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">For as much as we’ve talked about how good of a hitter </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Jac Caglianone</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> is and how much better he has been on the mound, his defense has been excellent over at first base so far this weekend for</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Aaron Fitt <span> </span><span> </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> @aaronfitt <span> </span><span> </span> Mar 16, 2024:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Tommy White</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> has made some great plays on defense at third tonight, very impressive. </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Christian Little</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> comes in and gets Aaron Downs to hit a grounder down 3B line; White Fields behind bag, steps on bag and makes a great throw for a 5-3 DP. </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Kendall Rogers</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@KendallRogers</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Fri, Mar 15, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Texas A&M is knocked from the ranks of the unbeatens as Gator BB wins the series opener, 8-6. Cags with two homers, but story of the game was </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Brandon Neely</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">’s three strong frames out of the bullpen for Florida.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Teddy Cahill</span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@tedcahill</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">, Mar 15, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Duke, fwiw, has played less than. a third of its schedule (18 games). </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Charlie Beilenson</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> has eight saves. David Berg's single-season Division I record is 24.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Mack - Helium alert</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Teddy Cahill</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@tedcahill</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Fri, Mar 15, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Nick Kurtz</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> out of the game. He was looked at earlier by a trainer after landing awkwardly when he dove for a ball. Stayed in the game initially, but has since been replaced.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Teddy Cahill</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@tedcahill</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">The word from Tom Walter on Nick Kurtz after he left </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">injured tonight:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">"Don't know exactly what it is yet but I doubt we see him </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">the rest of the weekend."</span></b><b style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Les Johns </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@Les_Johns Mar 16, 2024:</span></b><b style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">The ACC Network broadcast says Wake Forest coach Tom Walter hopes first baseman Nick Kurtz can return in three- to-four weeks from a shoulder injury sustained last night against UVA</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Mark Etheridge</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@marketheridge</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Fri, Mar 15, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Chris Cortez</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> has settled things down in Gainesville. The RHP has retired 7 straight, all 7 by strikeout.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Kendall Rogers</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@KendallRogers</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Fri, Mar 15, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Chris Cortez looks by far the best I've ever seen him </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">tonight. He's sitting 97-98 mph with his fastball and the </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">slider is electric right now at 87-89 mph. 7-straight K's</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Tyler Jennings</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@TylerJennings24</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Mar 15, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Jonathan Santucci </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">is done after five solid innings against a challenging Clemson lineup.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Final line: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 11 K. 96 total pitches.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Much better outing than last week. Will have video ASAP.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Dan Valerio</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@DanValerio3</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Mar 13, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">UVA commit ‘24 RHP </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Bryce Meccage</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> (Pennington)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@BryceMeccage | @PBR_DraftHQ</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Ultra ATH looked in mid season form in his inning of work today. 3 K’s</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">FB: 95-96 (H 96.8)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">CB: 78-79</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">CB much improved from last spring.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Joe Doyle</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@JoeDoyleMiLB)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Mar 13, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Feels like this is going to be a college-pitching heavy 1st Round. Lot of quality up there. 12 </span></b><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">college arms</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> inside the Top 40 in next Monday's Top 300 update.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">College arms drafted in Rd 1:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2023: 5</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2022: 7</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2021: 10</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2020: 12</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2019: 9</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2018: 9</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2017: 12</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">The counterargument to this is, and it's been described to me as such, it's not so much "quality up there" as much as it is lack of tangible projectable impact at the top.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-draft-scouting-notes-on-nick-kurtz-jonathan-santucci-and-other-top-prospects/"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">BA</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> -</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Nick Kurtz</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">, 1B, Wake Forest (2)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Kurtz entered the year as the No. 2 player in the class thanks to his precocious hitting ability but he’s gotten off to a slow start this spring and has slashed .220/.466/.380 with two home runs. He went hitless during this series (0-for-8) but displayed the sort of hitting traits you would expect to see. He brings an advanced approach that helps him get on base even when balls in play aren’t falling for hits.</span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Joe Doyle</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@JoeDoyleMiLB</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Mar 13, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Some bloodlines for the 2024 Draft:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Cam Caminiti</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> (Ken's cousin)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Lucas Ramirez</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> (Manny's son)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Noah Sheffield</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> (Gary's son)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Adrian Beltre Jr.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> (Adrian's son)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Owen Washburn</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> (Jarrod's son)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> (Mark's son)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Kolt Myers</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> (Brett's son)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">TJ Stottlemyre</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> (Todd's son)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Perfect Game Scout </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@PG_Scouting</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Mar 12, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Gross stuff today from </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Joshua Whritenou</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">r (‘24 FL) on the bump, pumped 93-96 early in a 4 inning start for @A3_Trojans. Picked up 6 Ks w/ natural feel for spin. Gators BB commit</span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Joe Doyle </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@JoeDoyleMiLB</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Mar 11, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">The new @FSS_PLUS 2024 Draft Boards will drop a week from today. One guy you can expect to surge is prep SS </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Theo Gillen</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">. The raw/game power have made big strides this spring and the physical tools continue to shine. One of the more decorated pure hitters from last summer</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Prospect Dugout</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@prospectdugout</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Mar 12, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">(</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Mack - remember this name…</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">)</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Landon Green</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">94 at 15 years</span> old is wild</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><a href="https://t.co/enlJD7Vbln"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">https://t.co/enlJD7Vbln</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">PG College Baseball </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@PGCollegeBall</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Mar 09, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Brock Moore</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> (‘24 elig.) throwing absolutely gas out of the pen. Imposing 6-6/230 frame with massive intent down the mound. FB has consistently sat 96-99 mph. Pounding the zone with the pitch. Can create depth on breaking ball at 80-84 mph when spun well</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><a href="https://t.co/DROSHryzJS"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">https://t.co/DROSHryzJS</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Joe Doyle</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@JoeDoyleMiLB</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Mar 11, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Arguably the top HS RHP in the class, Catholic HS bluechip </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">William Schmidt</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> has disgusting stuff. Up to 98 w/the best curveball in the class, Schmidt figures to go high in July.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">But what gets him out of bed in the morning? Any chances he gets to LSU?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://t.co/OWFryOeWad"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">https://t.co/OWFryOeWad</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Stephen Schoch</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@bigdonkey47</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Mar 10, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Jac Caglianone</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> just turned in one of the more impressive outings you’ll see this weekend: 6 innings pitched, 9 strikeouts, 0 hits</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://t.co/tAmBz5Gzmn"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">https://t.co/tAmBz5Gzmn</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">MLB Pipeline</span> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@MLBPipeline</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Mar 10, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: red;">Jac Caglianone</span> would like your attention, please.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">9 K's over 6 no-hit frames for the two-way @GatorsBB </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Draft prospect today.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Story, and where Caglianone stands on our Draft prospect </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">rankings:</span></b><b style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36pt;"><a href="https://t.co/8R1QxqYQv4"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">https://t.co/8R1QxqYQv4</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><a href="https://t.co/rmCOiz2fBa"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">https://t.co/rmCOiz2fBa</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Joe Doyle</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@JoeDoyleMiLB</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Mar 10, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Malcolm Moore</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">'s metrics are pretty good this year despite not showing a gaudy slash line just yet. A whole lot of fly balls finding gloves. Not this one though. His fifth bomb of the season.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Catch & throw has certainly taken a step forward too.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://t.co/ZEdfyKSINU"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">https://t.co/ZEdfyKSINU</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Aaron Fitt</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@aaronfitt)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Mar 10, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Seaver King</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> is really heating up, and that's a great development for @WakeBaseball. He has looked like an All-American weekend; he stays hot by lacing a Kyle Johnson changeup on the outside corner the other way for a double, then scored on a Jake Reinisch oppo double</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Brian Recca</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@brian_recca</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> Mar 10, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Connor Lane</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> | '24</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">UConn commit</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Very interesting look here with Connor Lane. Primarily a catcher, Lane hopped on the mound and looked super comfortable. Plus arm strength w/ present stuff.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">FB: 91-92; x2 93; x2 t94 (scout in attendance had 95)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">SL: upper 70s</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://t.co/hoI4ae7Pi7"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">https://t.co/hoI4ae7Pi7</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p></div><br /><p></p>Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-62436067919908839812024-03-17T06:00:00.024-04:002024-03-17T06:00:00.345-04:00Mack - Sunday Morning Observations <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEAjIccB4brPnf9X2ZkL4mauQz8TUJvBZn3B2Lm6dL4g1wtRWjC1LBQfDg0i-pGy1OxkycxCsMewtzf58fmyNB0Ml22b4o3lW8oH1PVIZRyer6R-WQksKk7yPJeZYkh9r-nXeTcsMnM5rsSds_Z9G3QRTGLE4OU9aETVxE2jSbTKoA1XhOC3rBvxZAFM/s264/sunday%20morning.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="264" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEAjIccB4brPnf9X2ZkL4mauQz8TUJvBZn3B2Lm6dL4g1wtRWjC1LBQfDg0i-pGy1OxkycxCsMewtzf58fmyNB0Ml22b4o3lW8oH1PVIZRyer6R-WQksKk7yPJeZYkh9r-nXeTcsMnM5rsSds_Z9G3QRTGLE4OU9aETVxE2jSbTKoA1XhOC3rBvxZAFM/s1600/sunday%20morning.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Mack/Documents/WPS%20Cloud%20Files/179709269/Who%20has%20MLB's%20top%20Pipeline?%20We%20rank%20%27em%20all,%20from%201%20to%2030"><b><u><span class="15" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Who has MLB's top Pipeline? We rank 'em all, from 1 to 30</span></u></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> - </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">13. </span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">New York Mets</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2023 midseason rank: 11</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2023 preseason rank: 11</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2022 midseason rank: 14</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">2022 preseason rank: 20</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Top 100 prospects: </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Jett Williams</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">, SS/OF (No. 45); </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Drew Gilbert</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">, OF (No. 53); </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Luisangel Acuña</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">, SS/2B (No. 66); </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Ryan Clifford</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">, OF/1B (No. 97)</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Seven of the Mets’ Top 13 prospects – including three Top 100 talents in Gilbert, Acuña and Clifford – were Trade Deadline additions last year, giving the system a new coat of paint. On the more immediate front, upper-level pitchers </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Christian Scott, Blade Tidwell</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> and </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Mike Vasil</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> could contribute to the Major League club’s starting depth this summer. The Mets may lack a Top 40 prospect, but the overall and improved depth gives them a spot in the upper half of our rankings.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Mack - this was compiled by three of the top draft experts in the </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">game (Sam Dykstra @SamDykstraMiLB, Jim Callis </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">@JimCallisMLB., Jonathan Mayo @Jonathan Mayo), so look to </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">this to be the most accurate ranking of both players and teams.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">The only reason the Mets are ranked lower here than 2023 is </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">because the Baby Mets have graduated.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">I had an interesting exchange with an ex-Mets coach this week which was focused on who he thought would be brought north as utility players and relief pitchers. </span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">He bluntly said those things will not be decided until a week or less than they pack the truck out of Lucy.</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">I began to go down a road I seldom travel... quoting exceptional spring stats... when he abruptly stopped me and said that spring stats do not determine the answers needed here (told ya).</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">He said some of the area that come into play here are:</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> - is the team trying to improve its roster offensively or defensively? </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> - is there a specific RHH or LHH need to be filled here?</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> - is the ultimate goal to bring more pop or is it OBP?</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Regarding the remaining two relief slots... and there are only two... still open, going 0-0, 0.00 and producing 90 strikeouts in ST in 30 innings pitched is not the first factor here.</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">He said 60+% of the IP are against batters with little or no major league success.</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Factors include what hole remains in the pen (velo, which arm used), how he looks and handles the work, and the general intimidating way he approaches his outings.</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">He closed with "every batter, no matter how talented or not, gets their bat on a lucky ball and winds up planting runs, but it's what the pitcher does with the rest of who he faces turns out to be the tie breaker. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">SNY</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">@SNYtv</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Mar 12, 2024:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Joey Lucches</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">i evaluates his first spring outing:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">"When I was done with my outing, I sat and thought 'oh man, I let that happen. I'm way better than that.' I understand what I did wrong and somewhat right in that outing. I'll be alright, I'll be good"</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Mack - You better be Joey. </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">There won’t be many more opportunities for you to be added to </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">a major league rotation, so it is imperative that you right the </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">wrong here and get on with it…</span></i></b></span><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">(He didn't...)</span></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">What the hell is the Mets going to do with </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Jose Butto</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">He basically has been close to perfect this spring, producing a 0.90-ERA. The problem is that The rotation has four slots filled and </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Tyler Megill </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">will probably fill the slot left open by the </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Kodai Senga</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> injury.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The projected Syracuse rotation looks sick with some combination of Butto, </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Joey Lucchese, Mike Vasil, Dom Hamel, Christian Scott</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">, and </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Tylor Stuart</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Like I said… sick.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">I’m on record this year that I believe that the Mets will suck the big one.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">I violated my first rule with this </span></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">“opinion”.</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> I’ve always been a subjective “reporter” of the Mets, not an opinionated super-fan. I’ve never referred to this team as “us”. They are “they”. And my sports writing began as a newspaper reporter so I was trained to always write in third party.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">This column contains the word</span></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">“observation”</span></span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> so I observe here and give you my opinion.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">My opinion on the outcome of the 2024 Mets isn’t shared by most on this site. Some, like Gus the reader, and Ray the writer, have confronted me on this projected outcome.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">That’s fine. Like </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Elon Musk </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">spoke of </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Don Lemon</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">, it’d a free country and a free country has free speech.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">You probably am not going to enjoy what I say about the 2024 Mets this season. I am what I am. Once, very positive about this team, now the opposite. Oh, I wear shades when I speak past this season, but frankly, that’s the best you’re going to get out of me through October.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">My only advice to you is the same I used to tell the liberal listeners of the </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Rush Limbaugh</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> Show that I aired on my stations.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">You may hate it but you can quote every word Rush said. And that alone will make for some healthy banter.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Mets latest roster moves:</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt 5pt 72pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">OPTIONED</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt 5pt 108pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">RHP </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Reed Garrett</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt 5pt 108pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">LHP </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Joey Lucchesi</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt 5pt 72pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">REASSIGNED</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt 5pt 108pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">C </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Austin Allen</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt 5pt 108pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">IF </span></b><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Rylan Bannon</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">They're down to 48 players in camp.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-1555073134681701152024-03-16T11:00:00.000-04:002024-03-16T11:00:00.138-04:00Open Thread: Tell Us Your Worst Call Ever<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLP0Zbf0RSAfDN-EoxfFGNMgzucSP4cwAxoVDINn0ONZqeiq2t-o1gWeqbkwO3M7yQ3nXmYqGtftdZo5vq3RHMKnR02A-cSzLPzlQL1F1cPtiwXeVQSwEp8_Q1H8kLl_ZkXQy_DBCNq-IrUsYVHoDKPzNSlEGNqBdkf4OiNgJmVO2u-5i2MuL84aG0VS4/s320/open%20thread.png" style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="320" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLP0Zbf0RSAfDN-EoxfFGNMgzucSP4cwAxoVDINn0ONZqeiq2t-o1gWeqbkwO3M7yQ3nXmYqGtftdZo5vq3RHMKnR02A-cSzLPzlQL1F1cPtiwXeVQSwEp8_Q1H8kLl_ZkXQy_DBCNq-IrUsYVHoDKPzNSlEGNqBdkf4OiNgJmVO2u-5i2MuL84aG0VS4/s1600/open%20thread.png" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i>WORST…CALL…EVER!</i></b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">You’ve watched a lot of baseball, I reckon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">So…describe the WORST baseball call you ever saw.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Tom Brennanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01032383157195393857noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-60882515403228934162024-03-16T09:00:00.074-04:002024-03-16T09:00:00.136-04:00Tom Brennan: 1968 Deja Vu? And Projecting a Player’s Stats; Prospect Game Thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YSHrSXFlxjE/WyA_K6wfDDI/AAAAAAABMqg/nF-JX5bRHTYh6ul_Kzt-zMqW8cHfmIVJgCLcBGAs/s1600/ed%2Bkranepool.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="960" height="295" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YSHrSXFlxjE/WyA_K6wfDDI/AAAAAAABMqg/nF-JX5bRHTYh6ul_Kzt-zMqW8cHfmIVJgCLcBGAs/s400/ed%2Bkranepool.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-align: left;" /><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Eddie (here in 1962) drove in just 20 runs in the Year of the Pitcher in 1968</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Mets over the course of their franchise have been a pitching-first organization.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Never more than in 1968.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maybe it’s 1968 again this year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mets and Cardinals both managed 3 hits in a 0-0 tie on Thursday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Mets through that game have scored 59 runs in 18 games, 3.3 runs per game, and are hitting .222.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mets pitchers have allowed 51 runs in those 18 games, or 2.8 runs per game. BAA .220.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In 1968, 473 Mets runs scored: 2.9 runs per game, and they hit .228.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That year, 499 Mets runs allowed: 3.1 runs per game.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I know, spring training doesn’t count. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It’s meaningless. Everyone says so. Must be true. Right?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>PROJECTING A PLAYER’S OUTPUT:</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>What if a certain player (between September 2023 and this spring training) had 9 HRs in his last 118 at bats?</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>What if you multiplied those figures by 5?</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>It would give you 45 projected HRs in 590 projected at bats.</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>That player? </i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>MARK VIENTOS. </i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>You know, the guy most of you (not you, Ray) have doubts about.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Of course, “past performance is not an indicator of future results.”</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>And no one thought Pete Alonso would hit 53 HRs in 2019, either.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i> I thought he’d hit 40 perhaps as a rookie, but for that, others thought I was Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs. I was…I was too conservative by 13 homers that year.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>YOHAN RAMIREZ:</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>He was BRINGING IT on Thursday in relief, 96 MPH, and has thrown 6 shutout innings this spring, with 6 Ks. How do they sort out the bullpen brilliance into a squad to bring north?</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>LOOK WHAT THE TOP 43 HAVE DONE THROUGH THURSDAY:</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Thru Thursday, 5 Mets pitchers had allowed 22 earned runs in 10 innings. The other 43 pitchers used had allowed 22 earned runs also, but in 144 innings (1.38 ERA). Remarkable.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>PROSPECT GAME METS VICTORY, 4-2:</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Me? I was very impressed by the high heat that Brandon Sproat and Dom Hamel and Tidwell and Ziegler were throwing. Sproat, pitching his first pro innings, looked a lot like a veteran, like…oh, I dunno, early Matt Harvey. 99 MPH? Blew through his first pro inning like…a pro.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Ripped double by Ryan Clifford. Sweet. Many kids looked promising. </i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Me, personally? I’d trade a few of our prospect pitchers for hulking Nats righty reliever Jarlin Susana, who in his one inning hit 102 several times and also hit 103. He could be a beast.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i> Rhylan Thomas singled off of him. Rodriguez, Vargas, and Hernandez looked good in their at bats. Everyone looked good in the field. Baez hit a rope to center that was caught, looking athletic. C Vincent Perozo has a real major league body…he wants to do damage in 2024…he picked up a bloop hit off Susana, too. Colin Houck looked like a young, healthy Jason Bay at the plate. You sense he will be very good. Vargas, Gilbert, and Acuna nearly hit shots out.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>I think this single game will help jettison the younger guys forward. They ought to do several of these games each spring, in addition to regular spring training.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i> Happy Saturday, and may you all score bigly today.</i></b></span></p>Tom Brennanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01032383157195393857noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-18104975498461796292024-03-16T06:00:00.000-04:002024-03-16T06:00:00.129-04:00Reese Kaplan -- Many Former Mets are Struggling This Spring, Too<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yqZVnJO4xcRfyyMy1noj_1at44Ud9dDtJmFb4Cgh_UTRcOZ9ei3-dKV24NgKeddexFT266JK2qlMkI2i-KxJIsHw8ZENeCrH0wzF7Jirj-voJvphk9g3xRsyHWmGsX2JWJukt-01FKeeI6YSfoqZ9H9HCfzQGnOSG7WRRU4GnVHqaEbMiQu4btySRQWX/s320/A%20Logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="320" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yqZVnJO4xcRfyyMy1noj_1at44Ud9dDtJmFb4Cgh_UTRcOZ9ei3-dKV24NgKeddexFT266JK2qlMkI2i-KxJIsHw8ZENeCrH0wzF7Jirj-voJvphk9g3xRsyHWmGsX2JWJukt-01FKeeI6YSfoqZ9H9HCfzQGnOSG7WRRU4GnVHqaEbMiQu4btySRQWX/s1600/A%20Logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />While there is no shortage of wordplay regarding the absence of offense on the Mets roster and their ongoing struggles to score runs, the fact is that the crew they have in-house isn't markedly better than the ones who left for greener pastures (or a greener salary). In no particular order, let's have a look at some former Mets and see how they're doing in Spring Training while not calling Port St. Lucie their temporary home.</span><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">While Joey Wendle hasn't exactly set the world on fire with his play for his new employer, his predecessor Luis Guillorme has only been up five times and is hitting an even poor for him .200. While no one banks on Guillorme for his bat, you'd have to wonder if the man who is out of options might not be making the Peach Tree City his new home. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Recently the Mets saw former outfielder Mark Canha make a cameo appearance. While he conducted himself as a true professional with an excellent batting eye, the fact is that for his new prospective employer he's only hitting 111.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One time backup outfielder Jake Marisnick is not normally known for his hitting prowess, but thus far this Spring he's at an even .400. Infielder Brandon Drury appears to be on track for his usual output hitting .267.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">For the folks who were all hot and bothered to get Justin Turner into a Mets reunion, he's starting out hitting just .222. Now truth be told for veterans the Spring numbers aren't as important as they are for rookies and newcomers trying to make the team, but it's still a cold start.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Big Daniel Vogelbach is only on a minor league deal this Spring and hitting .211 doesn't suggest he's making much of a case for himself to crack the major league roster going north.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Perhaps the most disturbing one of all was ultimate nice guy but uneven performer Eduardo Escobar who, believe it or not, is hitting only .074 this Spring. Sometimes players fall apart sooner than later.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Oddly, one guy who the Mets pretty much admitted was a bad draft choice is making himself known in the attempt to crack the major league roster. Dom Smith is hitting a robust .455. Unfortunately his teammate, Pete Crow-Armstrong, who everyone cites as a horrific traded asset is hitting just .160.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The San Francisco Giants have a duo of former Mets doing quite well. Former right fieler Michael Conforto is hitting an unrealistic .400 while the better contact hitter in Wilmer Flores is struggling at "just" .368. Apparently you need to hit even higher than that as J.D. Davis was released while hitting .400 himself before taking a discount deal with Oakland on Friday.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another recent sighting was former shortstop Andres Gimenez who is giving the Guardians a decent .261 average to accompany his usual stellar defense.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another reserve Met, Travis Blankenhorn, is hitting .250 which is not bad but not good enough to change a GM's mind on roster construction.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Former reserve catcher Michael Perez at .235 is likely in the same boat as Blankenhorn.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now for a real shocker. Speedster outfielder Tim Locastro is thus far hitting .462. Obviously that can't keep up but for a AAAA fringe player that's the kind of Spring production you need to have to demonstrate you're worthy of the big club.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The same, unfortunately, can't be said of catcher Kevin Plawecki who needs to rally big time to hit the Mendoza line while sporting a .091 average.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Respectable spare outfielder Travis Jankowski is delivering a .250 average which might very well make him a 5th outfielder. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another prospect the Mets sent packing was Jake Mangum who is hitting an unbelievable .429.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Another spare outfielder no one missed very much is Kevin Pillar whose .214 batting average suggests he either needs a hot streak or a new profession. Would be teammate Danny Mendick is struggling even more at .182.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2t9Djk4b0umOqONYkVet9Ig75CgyT1jy_6I2f73W6zqdv0nvpzV6qUmGSb2mY2SOIcMvv5-kHsybSkQKf5MkPXvHlLHRIW4tsUIogG68sPywARv_I7Ci3TbN9BYEr8-1cGiek3Yn0KSUmoGuyiBm_n7adCOyZmQUVuWjhl1zE54viEslixlLVKCiAbro/s380/66ffdc611b16e054d68d6aabe1e69fdb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="380" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2t9Djk4b0umOqONYkVet9Ig75CgyT1jy_6I2f73W6zqdv0nvpzV6qUmGSb2mY2SOIcMvv5-kHsybSkQKf5MkPXvHlLHRIW4tsUIogG68sPywARv_I7Ci3TbN9BYEr8-1cGiek3Yn0KSUmoGuyiBm_n7adCOyZmQUVuWjhl1zE54viEslixlLVKCiAbro/w400-h400/66ffdc611b16e054d68d6aabe1e69fdb.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />So every time you see an anemic batting average in Florida for the Mets and wonder if injured players are fully recovered or if the Baby Mets aren't ready to abandon their training wheels, just remember...it could be even worse.</span><p></p>Reese Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993445356545875409noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-45477456169728313302024-03-15T13:00:00.005-04:002024-03-15T13:00:00.239-04:00Mike's Mets - Why We're Not Writing a Season Prediction Piece<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfWSVsT3csHM5T5K8zAsuYufw8IO6kHshqMmQWPTXd9wf92k-hAMma9cpcn2dLgGrWPjf7j_hu9HZZayg1sSxMG482f8VKQpjHAORbbZZnB18LsMSN1agRNlP9_lUOXEwWHWko0x8H9nclOyKz9s8Esu6GcoGEd1DlmCOD3AbxUCzS5Y3LwU7Sxl70dKs/s250/magic8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfWSVsT3csHM5T5K8zAsuYufw8IO6kHshqMmQWPTXd9wf92k-hAMma9cpcn2dLgGrWPjf7j_hu9HZZayg1sSxMG482f8VKQpjHAORbbZZnB18LsMSN1agRNlP9_lUOXEwWHWko0x8H9nclOyKz9s8Esu6GcoGEd1DlmCOD3AbxUCzS5Y3LwU7Sxl70dKs/w200-h200/magic8.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">By Mike Steffanos</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>We're not in the prediction game at Mike's Mets, but we are </b><b>looking forward to a fascinating — and likely pivotal — 2024 season.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I'm not into writing preview posts full of predictions for an upcoming season. I did them for a while on the previous version of this blog, which ran from 2005-2009. I didn't like making predictions even then, but I felt I had to. The local papers and many other blogs covering the Mets all did them. I guess I thought it was part of the "job" of covering a team. Eventually, it finally dawned on me that there was nothing that I <i>had</i> to do as long as I wasn't receiving a paycheck. These days, I only write about things that matter to me, and I find that I do a much better job sticking to that philosophy for myself and my readers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My feelings aside, it won't be long before bold predictions for the fate of the 2024 Mets start appearing. We're only two weeks away from baseball that counts. With all due respect to the efforts of the many excellent writers producing them for their respective publications, in addition to avoiding composing my own forecast piece, I won't be reading your predictions, either. They're all formulaic and usually completely erroneous. It's essentially the baseball equivalent of handing money to a fortune teller and expecting anything of value in return. If you were to save a bunch of these to read after the season, it would be shocking how wrong they all turn out. That's not the writer's fault. Nobody can foresee a fraction of the twists and turns a long MLB season will take.<span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Don't get me wrong. In some past seasons, it was easy to successfully prognosticate where the Mets would end up in the fall, at least as far as their win-loss totals. The teams were so bad that there was no way they would avoid losing around 90 games, skulking around the bottom of the NL East standings all season. It got more challenging when the team looked pretty good — a couple of injuries or underperformance could cost that club in the standings, particularly when the Mets broke camp with little depth to overcome those challenges.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Even some of the best Mets teams could be undermined by an avalanche of misfortune. The 1987 Mets were clearly still the class of MLB, but <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/goodedw01.shtml">Dwight Gooden</a> tested positive for cocaine before the season even started, and then injuries to key players piled up. The Mets watched the playoffs at home in those pre-Wild Card days. Then they made it back to the playoffs the following season, only to lose to an inferior Dodgers team in the NLDS. Such is baseball.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Although I avoid predictions, I can confidently state that the 2024 Mets are unlikely to end up either God-awful or the class of the NL. They could conceivably have a great year if a celestial being sprinkled the same stardust upon them that landed on the 2021 San Francisco Giants, who won 107 games after enduring four consecutive losing seasons. Quite unlikely, of course, and I wouldn't want the Mets to emulate those Giants, anyway. They fell back to earth in 2022 and 2023, with 81- and 79-win campaigns, respectively.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.mikesmets.com/2024/03/why-were-not-writing-season-prediction.html#continue">To finish reading this article on Mike's Mets, please click here</a>.</span></div></div>Mike Steffanoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08573922415294713184noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-29556774518899436572024-03-15T11:00:00.006-04:002024-03-15T11:00:00.132-04:00Mets Prospect Profile: 2B Marco Vargas<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">This is the next post in a series intended to bring awareness to some of the lesser-known prospects in the Mets' organization This series will post a different prospect each weekday at 11:00am EST for the benefit of our fans.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImXmAo7b5zUxllwgHasU7iB8HlA30uMqi62blMxuLoNkPU1XNjQc-aPvZJ0kCoN2lZ06oNXre7d_h_9D6EH7XtLfOhi-vweCO28clsuAE_yUFso891p2FR36HPALwDgA0QSFDVWVt5GF5kcdpn3mimL_5tHLx9-mwHTLlOuQyoVtdRR3eFEsQqfyzR_A/s270/marco%20vargas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="180" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImXmAo7b5zUxllwgHasU7iB8HlA30uMqi62blMxuLoNkPU1XNjQc-aPvZJ0kCoN2lZ06oNXre7d_h_9D6EH7XtLfOhi-vweCO28clsuAE_yUFso891p2FR36HPALwDgA0QSFDVWVt5GF5kcdpn3mimL_5tHLx9-mwHTLlOuQyoVtdRR3eFEsQqfyzR_A/s1600/marco%20vargas.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This one could be special. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;">Marco Vargas</span> is an 18 year old LHH SS/2B/3B, who signed as a 17 year old International guppy, out Mexico, for a paltry-ass $17.5K.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He played the majority of 2023 with the Marlins FCL team, going 120 AB 33 BB. 22 SB</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">.283/.457/.442//.889</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Came to the Mets in a trade deadline deal, along with C <span style="color: red;">Ronald Hernandez</span>, for RP <span style="color: red;">David Robertson</span>. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Vargas was the Marlins' #9 prospect.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He then played last season for the FCL Mets going 47-AB, 10-BB, 9-ST,... then moved on to Lucy... 26-AB, 5-BB, 7-SB, .308, <span style="color: red;">4.19-OBP</span>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">MACK SPIN</span> - </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There seems to be some really special potential here. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">FanGraphs said that Vargas is easily the one Mets teenager that seems destined to become a star.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He has an extreme hitting tool for his age, recognizing pitchers, has total control of the strike zone, and can effectively hit to the opposite field.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As an 18-year old playing A ball.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He is currently the Mets 6th top prospect and I can easily see him becoming a top 100 baseball prospect by the end of the 2024 season.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes, the middle infield future is getting crowded...which is a good thing... but this is going to be the starting Mets second baseman in 2027 latest.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Get used to it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-20157219482828646652024-03-15T09:00:00.027-04:002024-03-15T09:00:00.245-04:00SAVAGE VIEWS - Ten Reasons Why<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1own9RG2en3ozn_FIk5iU1GBHY6fQdUyfdZTMoiO0BAW7d1dNhCw-Smjsc0GZCDng5V-HgOfjqiAsj7cfEIuwg4Cws6kKOCAoCeuFLIB1Ra12KtKaDTBbpLPdN6EL1h4YhUOIxGFgrVwYxupgjJvJ3s0QW3TcRvD90TFhduLeMbiVvA0BHrZhGYV6/s225/savage.png" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1own9RG2en3ozn_FIk5iU1GBHY6fQdUyfdZTMoiO0BAW7d1dNhCw-Smjsc0GZCDng5V-HgOfjqiAsj7cfEIuwg4Cws6kKOCAoCeuFLIB1Ra12KtKaDTBbpLPdN6EL1h4YhUOIxGFgrVwYxupgjJvJ3s0QW3TcRvD90TFhduLeMbiVvA0BHrZhGYV6/s1600/savage.png" width="225" /></a> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>TEN REASONS WHY</i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here we are
two weeks away from opening day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
made it clear in past posts that I’m optimistic about the coming season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many belive that my feelings are unjustified after
a rather tepid off-season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me list
ten reasons why I believe the season will go according to plan.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stability in the front office – it feels
as though we have finally hired the right people to run this organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looks as though we have taken the next steps
to adapt to the latest technology. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David
Stearns and Carlos Mendoza appear to be the right people at the right time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The return of Diaz as closer should
account for at least six to eight more wins over 2023.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that, but his presence also makes
the entire BP that much better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The pen looks much improved over
last year with the possibility of three lefties, if Lucchesi makes the team. I’m
not convinced that Fujinami is ready for prime time, and I’m not sold on
Lopez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other years Lavender would
have been a shoo-in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With a year under his belt, expect Alvarez
to emerge as a leader. His potential is limitless. He is the heir apparent to
the number 5 position in the batting order.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Marte is back. Let’s disregard ST results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His ability to get on base will enhance the
top of the order.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Baty and Vientos both have had a
taste of the big leagues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Growing pains
are behind them. Third base and DH are no longer question marks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alonso will recover from a mediocre year
and his presence will solidify the middle order.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jeff McNeil is back. In what may
turn out to be his last year as Met, he will provide punch from the six hole.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Senga injury may turn out to be
a blessing in disguise as Tylor Megill turns out to be a good rotation piece.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1. </span></span><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Francisco Lindor will contend for the
MVP award. His talent will be on display for the entire season. And to think I
was not in favor of the trade to bring him on board.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of course, this
is all contingent on our main guys staying relatively healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A serious injury to any of Alonso, Lindor or
Alvarez could knock us off the rails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
seems to be a lot of depth, especially in the pen. A number of guys who fail to
make the opening roster will surely make their debut later in the season. It’s
a matter of time before Gilbert takes over from Bader.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Strike up the
band, and pop the Champagne to celebrate making the post-season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ray<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">March 15
2024</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>RDS900http://www.blogger.com/profile/09258377907517968364noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-35742405247789308692024-03-15T06:00:00.000-04:002024-03-15T06:00:00.133-04:00Reese Kaplan -- Late Blooming Success for Pitchers Can Happen<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCyInPVpZTAEK13spqusZ1D0L2NtH02YHKTm0Bds3EkDYTuQgXcz42Se83pVkYlHH9DVubwXTjWztr16yPjdwm9LVwCUSbGBMVrafw3qq932-P5IfNsoD_Hx0VLd4dAKie8q4DV1pU0NHLZz37-VRVZui_tMKSH0GHvjl9qmEc0H7imreNOtRDptDyRgb/s320/A%20Logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="320" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCyInPVpZTAEK13spqusZ1D0L2NtH02YHKTm0Bds3EkDYTuQgXcz42Se83pVkYlHH9DVubwXTjWztr16yPjdwm9LVwCUSbGBMVrafw3qq932-P5IfNsoD_Hx0VLd4dAKie8q4DV1pU0NHLZz37-VRVZui_tMKSH0GHvjl9qmEc0H7imreNOtRDptDyRgb/s1600/A%20Logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">If you want to start a charged debate among Mets fans, toss out the name Tylor Megill and watch the fireworks ignite. For the 2024 preseason there's no question that Megill has been dominant. Coming off his most recent 4 inning stint in which he gave up a run it "raised" his Mets ERA to a still eye popping 1.50. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">For a team in need of an emergency starter given the injuries to Kodai Senga, Max Kranick and the late start by Joey Lucchesi you couldn't really ask for much more than that. Jose Butto probably has a Megill voodoo doll that's apparently not doing what he was promised it was when he obtained it. Yes, unless something truly bizarre occurs, he's earned himself those Kodai Senga starts until the man from Japan demonstrates he's healthy and ready to resume his role at the top of the rotation.</span></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">While we've touched a little bit on late bloomers on the mound, the topic becomes more relevant when you try to extrapolate what the Mets have in Tylor Megill. Up until this spring he's not exactly been a man of iron, steel or even aluminum foil. His big league career up until now is certainly undistinguished. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Over parts of three seasons he's 17-16 with a 4.72 ERA and an ugly WHIP of 1.416. His numbers are not even as good as disabled teammate David Peterson who has a losing record but a superior 4.51 career ERA and a slightly better WHIP of 1.405 and nearly 10 Ks per 9 IP.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Mets fan boys (and girls) are quick to point out the new pitch Megill has added which has turned his career around. That may indeed be true or it could be that he's facing AA/AAA/AAAA hitters and having his way with them. Or it could be that the starting caliber hitters are struggling against this now 28 year old Megill who might be ready to turn the page on what's been done in the past and ready to embrace a new era of pitching superiority. After all, it's been done before by others.</span></p></span><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwmykj-GRC3K0F2t2OuCLL5S6FRwoSn2UeFySCZFvRDsMIJy89avvn-Yclz7PdyhmMlG-L4jr16kLifyXT5WWcz4I71vIpppHymCjln2Z2dnzC3es58xJMkHLE7Bi55od0qVGTQYwGRqAldFsvVOipwB-lnYAVpehlzRFs4gphqj_1ASTszXVljnfX_ce/s538/screenshot-s1.qwant.com-2024.03.12-11_57_11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="538" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwmykj-GRC3K0F2t2OuCLL5S6FRwoSn2UeFySCZFvRDsMIJy89avvn-Yclz7PdyhmMlG-L4jr16kLifyXT5WWcz4I71vIpppHymCjln2Z2dnzC3es58xJMkHLE7Bi55od0qVGTQYwGRqAldFsvVOipwB-lnYAVpehlzRFs4gphqj_1ASTszXVljnfX_ce/w400-h331/screenshot-s1.qwant.com-2024.03.12-11_57_11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />You don't have to look very deep into baseball history to find a guy who until he turned age 28 was not the star he became. Max Scherzer who is still getting compensated by the Mets was a somewhat ordinary pitcher up until this threshold. From 2008 to 2012 between the Diamondbacks and Tigers Sherzer had a winning record of 52-42 with a 3.88 ERA but not yet had he become the multiple Cy Young Award winning pitcher that pushed him into the upper most echelon of pitching success.</span><p></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_7SCXp-5gIxfMyGWsTDXs9FAio1VJavrChh9sUEWjUczgVVPk-CbtIRjuwuVRY6HCiQcKGRJlx-9ZqQ1de6SDN3RotqutKrnRu0Xc_G0wdR-_8YIYRCGaKLbaP-QjfFgQRtOK0fAmfD2ywEa06zYj69TAZ2FNrH3uvEyavnglRZxwiKGAFEzqbNwNqsj/s453/screenshot-s1.qwant.com-2024.03.12-11_59_10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="308" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_7SCXp-5gIxfMyGWsTDXs9FAio1VJavrChh9sUEWjUczgVVPk-CbtIRjuwuVRY6HCiQcKGRJlx-9ZqQ1de6SDN3RotqutKrnRu0Xc_G0wdR-_8YIYRCGaKLbaP-QjfFgQRtOK0fAmfD2ywEa06zYj69TAZ2FNrH3uvEyavnglRZxwiKGAFEzqbNwNqsj/w273-h400/screenshot-s1.qwant.com-2024.03.12-11_59_10.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><br />Another late bloomer who went on to become a solid winner was the Big Unit, Randy Johnson. What, he wasn't always the killer strikeout ace? Ummm...no. He began his career in 1988 and for the first several seasons he was just a single game over .500 with a 49-48 record compiled for the Expos and Mariners with a 3.95 ERA. His WHIP was over 1.400 as well. Then when he turned 29 he put it all together with a 19-8 record and 3.24 ERA with a league leading 308 strikeouts. </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIo2YUWwXDSlQRRZ9EmWuw0dQypFQUUb9gNd896Vs4aGkEL4cYrrVb37Pi_hdBL5VnLhYsY4Pfkdrb1LcRxZ1rizdhEONaXQVVERkElPIYIlCNxsqOqVX4I5x2sEDuatYmDCx4Q6cVvYSf-Ir1iYxh0rI4PzQmnzHyfp9bHOuwMYdsygKlfC0TquwcV2F6/s353/DavisCurt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="247" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIo2YUWwXDSlQRRZ9EmWuw0dQypFQUUb9gNd896Vs4aGkEL4cYrrVb37Pi_hdBL5VnLhYsY4Pfkdrb1LcRxZ1rizdhEONaXQVVERkElPIYIlCNxsqOqVX4I5x2sEDuatYmDCx4Q6cVvYSf-Ir1iYxh0rI4PzQmnzHyfp9bHOuwMYdsygKlfC0TquwcV2F6/w280-h400/DavisCurt.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br />A little known starting pitcher who spread his 13 years across four teams was named Curt Davis. He didn't begin in the majors until age 30 and somehow for the San Francisco Seals got that dominant combination of pitches at age 29. For his career Davis finished with a winning record of 158-131 with a 3.42 ERA and also racked up 33 saves as a reliever. Yes, he is the textbook definition of a late bloomer.</span><p></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVHKA-fsfEsc72gYCQl9I9fcdm2l7L62tGJTDrIyvt0vf6nN-dWtkAcPZNS2-79mRnSfoFe6751nWWOuacKYhOQUGoSiyE9rSLy_lGIbH8U5CUigclR8zabeumSzKC_tC9ibhvvokiQEwGMfQmFnqKEDBd2p7ziPtcbeKXBfFcG-JtGK4Wbr10G8e1VQp/s444/screenshot-s2.qwant.com-2024.03.12-12_02_50.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVHKA-fsfEsc72gYCQl9I9fcdm2l7L62tGJTDrIyvt0vf6nN-dWtkAcPZNS2-79mRnSfoFe6751nWWOuacKYhOQUGoSiyE9rSLy_lGIbH8U5CUigclR8zabeumSzKC_tC9ibhvvokiQEwGMfQmFnqKEDBd2p7ziPtcbeKXBfFcG-JtGK4Wbr10G8e1VQp/w289-h400/screenshot-s2.qwant.com-2024.03.12-12_02_50.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><br />Dominant closer Joe Nathan wasn't always the top tier fireman we think about now. He was a failed starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants with a record of 12-6. That's the good news. His 4.61 ERA was not spectacular and his WHIP of 1.511 was downright awful. He was walking as many as he was striking out. In 2003 he went 12-4 and the ERA dropped to just 2.96 but was not entrusted with closing duties. He moved to the Twins who did just that in his age 29 season and the rest is history.</span><p></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryCRHfGyHEmyelARHamCk4uXBIj6uUou32Whhs9GWgKDQFUHcnGnS5O7hoFwg4Db_HYsMbyd-ZPTnHR2-dNvdKSmqDce5HhjiTYWPzQFM1UoF8UqpxZSVbPQAyDVOIF936iFbneus3yDFKSZ9rzCEr59Fc1297Muc-B2LwBKzWf5SHYXiHFWg89q5f0SG/s729/b36b855d2797210287188787fe2745e5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryCRHfGyHEmyelARHamCk4uXBIj6uUou32Whhs9GWgKDQFUHcnGnS5O7hoFwg4Db_HYsMbyd-ZPTnHR2-dNvdKSmqDce5HhjiTYWPzQFM1UoF8UqpxZSVbPQAyDVOIF936iFbneus3yDFKSZ9rzCEr59Fc1297Muc-B2LwBKzWf5SHYXiHFWg89q5f0SG/w310-h400/b36b855d2797210287188787fe2745e5.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br />In the past we touched on R.A. Dickey who grasped the knuckleball out of necessity due to arm troubles. He's obviously not the only one who used this erratically moving pitch to achieve dominance. </span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>Reliever Hoyt Wilhelm was regarded by many as an always dominant arm but he didn't even crack the majors until age 29. He went on to have a phenomonal rookie campaign in 1952 with a 15-3 record and a 2.43 ERA over 71 games with 11 saves and a 1.155 WHIP. He finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting and 4th in the MVP voting. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>When he hung them up for good he had saved 228 games, was 21 games over .500 and even somehow managed to start 52 of the 1070 games in which he appeared. </span><p></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK13LNCWY-gCppljBGgIcS-NLQVbK2j9QzIw5qtklPEYkIe0l171pNpTiN0TE4TabgXLz80giqWgUNZeRWMmYJPT-kRLuS1s0IUfRuXRHFqfHtq5MEGDo3MfC8KLroXEc7q_LFFHl_8ivcE1cHVb6ZsJqSVLmRCwL1IHX4IxY_J9ID69Aq59c3K2-C2y-o/s380/1956-dazzy-vance-signed-page-4914.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="377" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK13LNCWY-gCppljBGgIcS-NLQVbK2j9QzIw5qtklPEYkIe0l171pNpTiN0TE4TabgXLz80giqWgUNZeRWMmYJPT-kRLuS1s0IUfRuXRHFqfHtq5MEGDo3MfC8KLroXEc7q_LFFHl_8ivcE1cHVb6ZsJqSVLmRCwL1IHX4IxY_J9ID69Aq59c3K2-C2y-o/w396-h400/1956-dazzy-vance-signed-page-4914.webp" width="396" /></a></div><br />Finally, there is Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance who won 197 games in his big league career but didn't even get that first one until age 31. No one could have envisioned a 3.24 career ERA and his other pitching metrics starting so late but it indeed happened.
</span><p></p></span><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Now no one is expecting Tylor Megill to have this type of late success to his career in his age 28 and later years but it has been demonstrated that he wouldn't be the first who ever did it. </span></span></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span></div>Reese Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993445356545875409noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-24402968156842897592024-03-14T13:00:00.007-04:002024-03-14T13:00:00.249-04:00OPEN THREAD - OD 26<p> Question</p><p><br /></p><p>What is your prediction for the opening day 26 man roster?</p>Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-49802742156475631662024-03-14T11:00:00.011-04:002024-03-14T11:00:00.131-04:00Mets Prospect Profile: RP Wilkin Ramos<p><i style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: center;">This is the next post in a series intended to bring awareness to some of the lesser-known prospects in the Mets' organization This series will post a different prospect each weekday at 11:00am EST for the benefit of our fans.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBpjsjx6f4RB_VI2e3d3YMulGzdOJRRMLMZCAK7C9FmP_4680Fz4UL-i8CpvhTuD7mGpoexBZY_K0iq82xCEv_MOSKTJ08n8EnqKq6SKCrBHA5Q3L61sUhK6kGKBbvgr0mBr0WrK0-AXOP3plaw-DZxTQhZfXtBuZbSjvwklNxd3JEpegPPa2ZbUVBX4/s290/Wilkin%20Ramos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="290" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBpjsjx6f4RB_VI2e3d3YMulGzdOJRRMLMZCAK7C9FmP_4680Fz4UL-i8CpvhTuD7mGpoexBZY_K0iq82xCEv_MOSKTJ08n8EnqKq6SKCrBHA5Q3L61sUhK6kGKBbvgr0mBr0WrK0-AXOP3plaw-DZxTQhZfXtBuZbSjvwklNxd3JEpegPPa2ZbUVBX4/s1600/Wilkin%20Ramos.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;">Wilkin Ramos</span> is a 23-year old 6-5/165 RHRP signed as a 16 year old International guppy in 2017 by Oakland.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He went on to pitch three years in the Pirates chain, which included a 2022 A ball stat line of 4-1, 3.68, 37-apps, 51-IP, 58-K, but 32-BB.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He came to the Mets before the 2023 season and, WOW, what a great sign:</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A+ 3-2. 2.97. 21G. 39IP. 67K</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">AA. 2-0. 1.47. 12-G 18.1-IP. 24-K</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Only downside was 51-BB in a combined 57.1-IP</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Full windup with overhead delivery. High leg lift. 3/4 arm action. Future increased velocity projected.</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">92-96 FB. 73-76 CURVE</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">26% K rate</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">15.7% BB rate</span></p></blockquote><p><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">MACK'S SPIN -</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">First if all... love the height but hate the weight. Needs daily trays of cheeseburgers, followed by work in weight room is needed now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He's 23. You don't get the weight and muscle on now, you never will.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A very high K rate but bottom of the barrel BB rate. Needs to work in lab ALL SPRING and then have another one built where he pitches 2024.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My guess he will, due to his age and success, open up in Syracuse. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I really love this guy and I'd he can get his control problem worked out while keeping his velocity, well, the Mets may have a real deal back-ender here.</span></p>Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-54361677841147400892024-03-14T09:00:00.009-04:002024-03-14T09:00:00.253-04:00Paul Articulates - Mets health necessity<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBo29cfRTDHfAYeAkq0XnKy38h3s-F3kPktbdkRTid-0NcfzZOTLRFHZTjKufeSOVAtsoE9QvVPkNChr4wDFjbclIaZXE0ew7MHlxQeLdkRWPzRHG17OL14IBW96ZhlDRDFrOxmFpdP9Idu5zV8DTJnJ8w9Wwd8ab_vaYZfApyffkF314ji5AXOhP21E/s474/ambulance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="474" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBo29cfRTDHfAYeAkq0XnKy38h3s-F3kPktbdkRTid-0NcfzZOTLRFHZTjKufeSOVAtsoE9QvVPkNChr4wDFjbclIaZXE0ew7MHlxQeLdkRWPzRHG17OL14IBW96ZhlDRDFrOxmFpdP9Idu5zV8DTJnJ8w9Wwd8ab_vaYZfApyffkF314ji5AXOhP21E/s320/ambulance.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Last night Brett Baty was a last minute scratch due to “lower back tightness”. We will not really know how he is until he either gets back or stays out. That is how injury reporting goes – intentionally vague, meant to inform but not advise. Even in the preseason no one tips their hand. The training staff also doesn’t want to cause over-reaction when they don’t fully understand the extent of an injury. However, the lack of information can still cause over-reaction as the media always chooses speculation over silence.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Baty will likely be alright. He’s 24 years old, and bodies at that age are pretty resilient when a muscle is strained. If it was in the oblique area or a shoulder or a bicep or a quad or a hamstring it may be more cause for concern. Now if it were me, you could count on no yard work for a week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This story isn’t about Brett Baty’s injury, but about the Mets health in general. For years they seem to be one of the most injured teams in baseball, often reaching mid-season with a shadow of their April roster. This year so far, things have been much better as only Kodai Senga and Jeff McNeil have spent time nursing injuries.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Steve Cohen knows risk management – that is why he has the money to spend on improving this team. He also knows the team’s injury history as well or better than we do so you can be certain that he has recruited the best in the business to ensure the physical health of the Mets rosters from rookie ball through the majors. He has a “Major League Performance Staff” of a dozen people that are dedicated to the health and fitness of the MLB team and that does not even include the eight staffers on the “Performance Technology” team with titles like “Biomechanics Engineer” that are analyzing every player movement to optimize mechanics and minimize injury.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It is still way too early to say this has paid off, as there are still a couple weeks of spring training remaining and then the grind of a 162 game season plus (hopefully) playoffs. But when news came down yesterday about the Yankees shutting down Garrett Cole, it was a stark reminder that health is so important in the chances of a team meeting its expectations. Last year’s 87 loss disaster can easily be traced back to the pre- and early season injuries that stressed the pitching staff, the bullpen, and eventually the entire roster. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The term “abundance of caution” is such an overused phrase that I will not use it in anything I write except to mention it as an overused phrase. However, the intent is laudable. Whenever you want to mitigate the risk of major injury, you cannot ignore minor injury. If a player feels discomfort it usually means something needs to heal so in the pre-season you shut that player down and let their young body regenerate. In the midst of the season it is a much different dilemma. Players for years have played through “bumps and bruises” because they want to keep their spot (right, Wally Pipp?) and because they believe in their recuperative power. But today’s game is different than prior eras. Physical performance is optimized to the point where every muscle, ligament, and tendon is pushed to the limit. When something hurts, it may be on the brink of failing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I applaud David Stearns for doing his best to build depth in the organization. It seems that there are many players ready to be “next up” if there is an injury issue. Depth is the only way to forge on during the season if a player needs to rest and heal. Otherwise the only two options are to roll the dice with a player’s health or to lose; both options have unfortunate outcomes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is also the depth brought about by having many talented prospects, but conventional wisdom says not to rush the prospects into the show too quickly because if they fail, their confidence suffers a blow that is difficult to recover from. There are as many opinions as there are writers on who may be ready now versus ready at mid-season or in the end-of-year call-up time when rosters expand. It is ultimately up to the Mets’ player development staff to determine who is ready for a shot. Once again, Stearns and Cohen have done their best to put the right people in these positions to make that call.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This will be an interesting season to watch, as there are so many variables in play: health; performance of the baby Mets; development of the younger prospects; and the leadership of our new manager Carlos Mendoza. We may not succeed on all fronts, but if it is a healthy season that is the best forward progress to hope for.</span></p><div><br /></div>Paul Articulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690651810296213424noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-74225327770212464572024-03-14T06:20:00.000-04:002024-03-14T06:20:00.126-04:00Tom Brennan: Did Released Player Keep Mets from 1984 Playoffs? & Putrid Drafting<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WVHEEOFCeLo/XjLgzJ74WpI/AAAAAAAAjGU/rl2iT-Anm0w3EyewgNzX-fn4SO6ACDv5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kong.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="93" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WVHEEOFCeLo/XjLgzJ74WpI/AAAAAAAAjGU/rl2iT-Anm0w3EyewgNzX-fn4SO6ACDv5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Kong.jpg" width="148" /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>King David with Sir George, the Duke of Foster</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My second Kong article fairly recently....why??? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why <u>not</u>, I say. Some of his home runs remain in low orbit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When it comes to Kingman, there's always room for one more missive. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Mets were a revamped and surging team in 1984. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Winners of just 68 games in 1983, they won 90 games behind the meteoric <b>Dwight Gooden, Darryl, and Keith</b>, but missed the playoffs as Cubs transplant <b><span style="color: red;">Rick Sutcliffe</span></b> went 16-1 over the last 60% of the season as a Cub to lead them to a 96 win season. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It wasn't "1969 redux" - the Mets could not reel a collapsing Cubs team in again, as Sutcliffe was the insurmountable obstacle, the hill too high, the one who prevented Cubs Collapse Syndrome.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The 1984 Mets had a very solid starting outfield:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mookie, Strawberry, and a still-productive George Foster.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But the 4th outfielder, Danny Heep, had just 1 HR and hit .231 while driving in a Nido-like 12 runs in 233 plate appearances.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Why was Heep, who was a decent overall player for 4 years with the Mets (but not in 1984), the fourth shagger? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Because the Mets had released an outfielder who hit .198 in 1983 named Dave Kingman at the end of 1983. I guess, on the surface, you couldn't blame the Mets.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The unshackled, powerful Kong<span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> signed as a free agent with Oakland. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">How did the Mighty Kong do on the Left Coast? </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">I'd take that secret to my grave, but OK, since you asked, I'll answer....</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">He experienced a renaissance, a rebirth. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">Once again, he was scaling skyscrapers and scaring women and children.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">For the 1984 season, you see, Kingman with the As hit .268 with 35 home runs and 118 RBI, and was named AL Comeback Player of the Year and #1 Kong.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I'm a guy who likes to think about roads not taken...if the Mets kept Kingman for 1984, what would the 1984 season have turned into?</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My guess is a Mets World Series trip. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Maybe a World Series crown.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Motto? </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Be careful what you discard. Someone's garbage may be another's treasure.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Before I go, a few Kingman tidbits:</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span>1) </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">Kong's contract was purchased </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">from the Giants for <b>$150,000</b> in February 1975.</span></i></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>2) After Kingman's big 1984 season, <b>he earned slightly under $1.1 million in 1985</b>.</i></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Since a dollar in 1985 is worth $2.80 today, that would make Kingman's 1985 contract, after his 118 RBIs in 1984, mind you, be worth just over $3 million in 2023 dollars.</span> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Where was Scott Boras when Dave needed him? These days, a season like Kong's 1984 would have gotten Dave a $20 million one year deal, or 2 years, $30 million.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>PUTRID DRAFTS</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I look at the following site, which list all high draft picks plus guys who made it in the majors for ALL of the Mets’ nearly 60 years (thru 2021) of drafts:</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.retroseasons.com/teams/new-york-mets/history/draft-picks/">https://www.retroseasons.com/teams/new-york-mets/history/draft-picks/</a></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Looking at it, I see some later round picks that the Mets hit paydirt on (Jacob deGrom R 9; Jeff McNeil R 12; Daniel Murphy R 13; Seth Lugo R 34.)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I will attribute that mostly to luck.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the lower rounds 1-6, I then mentally scanned the list for 1) draftees who have been great, like Pete; 2) draftees who have been decent to good, like Conforto; 3) the marginal major leaguers; and 4) the altogether misses.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The results, at a quick glance and subjectively, are collectively brutal.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>HITTING STINKS THIS SPRING - WHAT ELSE IS NEW, FRANKLY?</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Through March 12, the team is hitting .229. In those 16 games, a scant 53 runs. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Best team ERA, though. I guess it is 1968 all over again. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dodgers? </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That fun team in 18 games has scored 72 more runs than the Mets.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Joey Lucchesi was roughed up in his Tuesday spring debut. It had to happen to somebody, sooner or later, on the Mets staff. Get ‘em next time.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On Wednesday night, though, the Mets’ pitchers fanned 15 Astros, with only Nunez having a bad outing in the 9th. Vientos homered, Severino was sharp, and DJ Stewart had a hit and 2 walks. 6-5 win, with a one game pickup in scoring spurred by 8 walks.</span></p>Tom Brennanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01032383157195393857noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-37169443089978783042024-03-13T11:00:00.005-04:002024-03-13T11:00:00.134-04:00Mets Prospect Profile: SP Calvin Zeigler <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><i style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: left;">This is the next post in a series intended to bring awareness to some of the lesser-known prospects in the Mets' organization This series will post a different prospect each weekday at 11:00am EST for the benefit of our fans.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Tt0Sq0rscJjdTWCLUvEdzHrsw8Tg2UBydAdKYVPdMgVOzqPJI6N8oHg3Dsany2YuSjRH0CkLAU_cOqqpqhx3kClo94cILhNi5AXGpQziJC4lQN9zH-cwmfVUz1ILSwMEfR8geXtBuysnDlY13cQeU2RY5-5mwS7HRZW2kkfu0gt-V1aA4OTlpCK7_Os/s275/calvin%20zeigler.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Tt0Sq0rscJjdTWCLUvEdzHrsw8Tg2UBydAdKYVPdMgVOzqPJI6N8oHg3Dsany2YuSjRH0CkLAU_cOqqpqhx3kClo94cILhNi5AXGpQziJC4lQN9zH-cwmfVUz1ILSwMEfR8geXtBuysnDlY13cQeU2RY5-5mwS7HRZW2kkfu0gt-V1aA4OTlpCK7_Os/s1600/calvin%20zeigler.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Next up is probably going to be an all-or-nothing Mets prospect.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;">Calvin Zeigler</span> is a 20-year 6-0/205 RHSP, drafted by the Mets in the 2nd round of the 2021 draft, directly out of top prospect team TNXL Academy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">His pro career has so far been a series of missteps. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He was never used in 2021 after the draft and went on the shelf until 2022.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He started 16 games for St. Lucie with very little success (0-6, 4.44). The only highlight was 70-K in 46.2-IP (but 35 walks came along with that).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He was then shut down for the remainder of the season with a torn quad.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2023 brought one friggin start, with three strikeouts in one friggin inning, followed with being shut down for the remainder of this friggin season with bone friggin spurs on his elbow.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And now the once high school phenom with the incredible 93-95 fastball with sink is a three year vet with basically no accomplishments to speak of.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Talent wise, it was all here for this guy. Sure, there was wildness, but you can't teach two + pitches like the big spin fastball and slider Zeigler has.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Not much else to say here. Bringing up his phenomenal high school stats mean nothing at this point.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>I've been trying to find someone at camp to tell me, one, is Z healthy, and, two, if so, what team will he suit up with this season, but nobody will discuss this guy. </span><span>I don't know. Maybe Musk put him on the Space-X this past weekend.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My guess he will return to St. Lucie and be slow placed along side fellow walking wounded ex-phenom, <span style="color: red;">Matt Allan</span>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My prediction is he will move into the pitching lab (if he hasn't already), and then come out a back-end reliever, if not a pure closer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">News at 11....</span></p><p><br /></p>Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-40926958510458583202024-03-13T09:00:00.019-04:002024-03-13T09:00:00.149-04:00OPEN THREAD - The Mets & The JD's<p> Which JD should the Mets sign for the 2024 season?</p><p>Davis</p><p>Martinez</p><p>Souther</p><p>None</p>Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-91166642648910111172024-03-13T06:00:00.000-04:002024-03-13T06:00:00.134-04:00Reese Kaplan -- What Surprises Could Happen Before Opening Day?<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKM6_w8ECqpdxXO4FkflLSAQ07w0bTsvHbxeL0Rgqor_weBpQUkHznYtH_yzdEGi_A4r4FhPy9aTUxYdo-B3R77Mxs_uH8nSh85j6DiCFDRclwEC-_IOGwMwMw720i6M1i5qdt4zconjEJsyWT2scyZg1YQwYsTJb2R7g8xi73KAp0SXCBoy-cNhYKWts/s320/A%20Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="320" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKM6_w8ECqpdxXO4FkflLSAQ07w0bTsvHbxeL0Rgqor_weBpQUkHznYtH_yzdEGi_A4r4FhPy9aTUxYdo-B3R77Mxs_uH8nSh85j6DiCFDRclwEC-_IOGwMwMw720i6M1i5qdt4zconjEJsyWT2scyZg1YQwYsTJb2R7g8xi73KAp0SXCBoy-cNhYKWts/s1600/A%20Logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />So as Spring Training cruises to the halfway mark, what transactions might take place that would stun you? </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimuiyWMprEbj55Hd9qicXE4j5OPkt4MtJPc3WQS84OvMCn43IghnnLT41xsQm3jHit3HECg5U5UXT2Rf7RHL1Ga9oOgojl_-CpoUI3Qhpks-TXZolV1cQh67lrjCdPR976klyyCR-dtSyVzdd0NMMt5c7qTlUY4ya_C_OFlEHgV-Cby0jeG5cUsrCKmrlt/s364/449789f5f134a7935821446fb9382ee1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="364" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimuiyWMprEbj55Hd9qicXE4j5OPkt4MtJPc3WQS84OvMCn43IghnnLT41xsQm3jHit3HECg5U5UXT2Rf7RHL1Ga9oOgojl_-CpoUI3Qhpks-TXZolV1cQh67lrjCdPR976klyyCR-dtSyVzdd0NMMt5c7qTlUY4ya_C_OFlEHgV-Cby0jeG5cUsrCKmrlt/w400-h340/449789f5f134a7935821446fb9382ee1.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>New Player Acquisitions</b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">For a team that was relatively active in the offseason taking on free agents who were in the 2nd and 3rd tier of ranking as well as a trade with Milwaukee they have been rather sedate ever since that traditional active period concluded. Part of that approach is patience to allow the new manager and POBO learn exactly what it is that they have in house, where they need improvement and who needs more seasoning before being granted the big promotion from the minors to the majors. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What is interesting, however, as injuries occur or slumps persist that there are a significant number of veteran ballplayers still looking for employment but the Mets have not made any known gestures towards them. There is a self-imposed spending limit for this transition year and the big exit from payroll that follows in November of 2024. However, it is still possible the Mets could decide it would be worth taking a flyer on current free agents, DFA'd players or ones who are simply cut from their current teams. Trades could also be made but thus far the rumor mills are not spinning in that direction.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVbVgNDk-EmAgkXVFuLxqJm8BW5ATA_B9RrEKYk152sCP930RLb5Mpre8_kDXnJQOO24Uo0y2nw-XPZjNE8E3MBXC5wsWxh2Nwf9ZJHgmQ8-N90qn04FoizjhY0aqBiCcgywjUo6yChlZq2JgIq01le-YWjCmZw5Uo-UIUTrtCh_XaHaO-jguHRqsE-pd/s571/cit_cj3_flt04_hires-1920x1278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="571" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVbVgNDk-EmAgkXVFuLxqJm8BW5ATA_B9RrEKYk152sCP930RLb5Mpre8_kDXnJQOO24Uo0y2nw-XPZjNE8E3MBXC5wsWxh2Nwf9ZJHgmQ8-N90qn04FoizjhY0aqBiCcgywjUo6yChlZq2JgIq01le-YWjCmZw5Uo-UIUTrtCh_XaHaO-jguHRqsE-pd/w400-h266/cit_cj3_flt04_hires-1920x1278.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Demotion of David Stearns Acquisitions</b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One thing every new boss needs to do is prove himself to his employer. David Stearns wasted no time paring down the roster and refilling it with lightning-in-a-bottle types and lesser regarded players for whom he sees a good value when you factor in contract longevity and annual pay rate. Of course, no matter how good Stearns was in his long tenure in Milwaukee, nobody bats 1.000 and it's entirely possible that some of his lesser acquisitions may not play to the level he anticipated.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The question then becomes how important are player options compared to POBO ego? Take Shintaro Fujinami for example. His arm is quite live but his control is not there and his USA rookie performance suggested he's not quite put it together on this side of the Pacific. His first appearance after a late start to Spring Training was a good one. His second was not. He's not earning a huge amount with a contract under $3.5 million and he does have options. Might Stearns see it is more prudent to use one of those options in order to start the season with someone who lacks minor league options and he'd risk losing? Time will tell.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTh6AXE7Ylvt6mJpgpXlw_QPesU1DWuqieRLgOzYdRGoPETQ2JMEXMY9NWj6nLNXb0FB4H9a_rfcWCy2NjzmgJ3MCf3tdZpudrf81lFOqUatQPO2uabDvsrEfiW3XvPbAr1OSThDN8MiZ9dt_Cw2wrED2CHY805tQAw5uro2VcCQJqPK8yeDBOH_YIOvm/s798/screenshot-s2.qwant.com-2024.03.11-18_06_59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="798" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTh6AXE7Ylvt6mJpgpXlw_QPesU1DWuqieRLgOzYdRGoPETQ2JMEXMY9NWj6nLNXb0FB4H9a_rfcWCy2NjzmgJ3MCf3tdZpudrf81lFOqUatQPO2uabDvsrEfiW3XvPbAr1OSThDN8MiZ9dt_Cw2wrED2CHY805tQAw5uro2VcCQJqPK8yeDBOH_YIOvm/w400-h213/screenshot-s2.qwant.com-2024.03.11-18_06_59.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Injuries Forcing Roster Decisions</b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The front and center obvious injuries to David Peterson over the winter and Kodai Senga in Florida suggest that the Mets may be relying on those spare starters sooner than they had anticipated. Thus far Tylor Megill is pitching like he means business, and with Joey Lucchesi's late start and Max Kranick's injury it would appear that Jose Butto is about the only competition (and backup starter) available if Megill falters or if another starting pitcher injury happens. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">For now it would appear they are not interested in the upper tier of the free agent landscape that includes Blake Snell, Trevor Bauer and Jordan Montgomery. It also appears that the big step downward for the likes of Johnny Cueto and that ilk are not significantly better than the thin depth the Mets have in house already. Still, health is paramount and many times roster changes happen as a result of someone else's injury or illness rending him unavailable. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLC3eN7ezY4o2JIJ_XCc4K8_SDFt3afRhFAIa2i44PaQGaGajlcSvUytw1dVzVxafATLip6hncE_GZW_ueU7Wk0pp-fSurrdRf1ctbVo_Lc4Z5HxcbGwAcjeR1Log3HCYQGedENq0bSCmBcBqo2SH3JYG-z612LHG1c3gyjEfZ5jH2ezIYo0bzOROsqsIC/s593/screenshot-s1.qwant.com-2024.03.11-18_09_36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="593" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLC3eN7ezY4o2JIJ_XCc4K8_SDFt3afRhFAIa2i44PaQGaGajlcSvUytw1dVzVxafATLip6hncE_GZW_ueU7Wk0pp-fSurrdRf1ctbVo_Lc4Z5HxcbGwAcjeR1Log3HCYQGedENq0bSCmBcBqo2SH3JYG-z612LHG1c3gyjEfZ5jH2ezIYo0bzOROsqsIC/w400-h311/screenshot-s1.qwant.com-2024.03.11-18_09_36.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Ongoing Struggles With Rule Enforcement</b></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The club has already seen an umpire cite Joey Wendle for a more active enforcement of defensive player interference that's apparently going to become a much more prominent part of the 2024 ballgame. As a result, there are going to need to be a corresponding shift in the amount of defense field reps to the players most under the microscope for this type of reprimand from the guys in blue. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbUgtG-Ppj-YZeZl9464abIiYffH-14ruxQBJw7LSv3Ri6-gPXlKJsat1krpFkY0_YYZ063j5wV8P75nbA-oUpSfrVv21a15yjJB0AliMgzYRKOOiw4dzzbm0x0XZx3n8cpK1jJcUKRTfw4UYrA-gwXFKw9xztaCER6CUXmNGlnwR1-q2ZRcfFMX7Nax0/s474/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="474" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbUgtG-Ppj-YZeZl9464abIiYffH-14ruxQBJw7LSv3Ri6-gPXlKJsat1krpFkY0_YYZ063j5wV8P75nbA-oUpSfrVv21a15yjJB0AliMgzYRKOOiw4dzzbm0x0XZx3n8cpK1jJcUKRTfw4UYrA-gwXFKw9xztaCER6CUXmNGlnwR1-q2ZRcfFMX7Nax0/w400-h276/th.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Veteran Players Sent Packing</b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The final totally shocking variable that could happen would be well known veteran ballplayers being traded, DFA'd or simply cut prior to the season beginning. As an example, the club might feel that there is a market for moderately paid Omar Narvaez who took his option to stay with the Mets despite him not banking on much playing time with the emergence of Francisco Alvarez. The Mets could look to take on another club's spare part in a trade of salaried players who no longer fit their current team's needs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Other players who could end up not being in New York could include D.J. Stewart who is a bit one dimensional (and inconsistent with his bat alone) for the more defensively minded David Stearns. He has an option remaining. Some of the relief pitchers would fit in here as well. It's even possible you'd think the desire to create room for a hot spring player like Trayce Thompson might exacerbate these heretofore unpredicted changes for seasoned players.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Of course, it's entirely possible things will progress as expected since creativity and proactivity have not been hallmarks of the 2024 transition year's roster development. We'll all know within a few weeks.</span></p>Reese Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993445356545875409noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-15262399290876352162024-03-12T11:00:00.005-04:002024-03-12T11:00:00.131-04:00Mets Prospect Profile: IF Jeremiah Jackson <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">This is the next post in a series intended to bring awareness to some of the lesser-known prospects in the Mets' organization This series will post a different prospect each weekday at 11:00am EST for the benefit of our fans.</i></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqjof3r1IWzezpJNxPXpBYDavDxINbheTzdlspOOVeQfC6C-cI0S2O7stAd3d8QM2qUe8OQsc04Y14j7JwN-Xh1xWnzeHRDREKiHi3Y5PMKpCU-hNRs3r7y1FzD-d98cueW0LL6zF-am7b6k5VrLjw7UUIm9nJoodznv-Rg1lbtiaPvXJJ4E6hVSFPJs/s225/jeremiah%20jackson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqjof3r1IWzezpJNxPXpBYDavDxINbheTzdlspOOVeQfC6C-cI0S2O7stAd3d8QM2qUe8OQsc04Y14j7JwN-Xh1xWnzeHRDREKiHi3Y5PMKpCU-hNRs3r7y1FzD-d98cueW0LL6zF-am7b6k5VrLjw7UUIm9nJoodznv-Rg1lbtiaPvXJJ4E6hVSFPJs/s1600/jeremiah%20jackson.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;">Jeremiah Jackson</span> is a 23-year old RHH 6-0/195 infielder that can play shortstop, second, and third base.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He was drafted in 2018, in the 2nd round, by <span style="color: red;">Billy Eppler</span> when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. Jackson came directly out of St. Luke Episcopal HS, in Mobile, Alabama.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span>He came to the Mets on August 1. 2023 when they traded RP <span style="color: red;">Dominic Leone</span> to the Angels in return for the services of Jackson. </span><span>(Leone went on to pitch the remaining of 2023 for the Angels - 11-apps, 5.54... and then 9apps 4.35 for Seattle)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He missed 2020 due to COVID and only played 45 games in 2021 due to a strained quad.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jackson's combined 2023 stats for AA teams Rocket City and Binghamton were:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">22-HR. 80-RBI. 48-BB. 27-SB</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">.252/.328/.450/.778</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jackson is a pure power hitter but his strength is only pull side. He holds his hands high, resting his bat on his shoulder. Swing had a slight toe tap. He struggles with curves and basically anything outside the zone.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Defensively, he has a quick reaction on the field and does project to be able to be converted t9 any of the three outfield positions.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">MACK's SPIN</span> -</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Yes, Jackson is a power hitter but his success is limited to fastballs straight down the zone. That isn't going to hack it against major league pitchers with + curves, cutters, and sliders.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This is the perfect candidate for the batter lab.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jackson will get a full season to prove his value. He is turning 24, had three prospect outfielders around him, and long term deals already in place for <span style="color: red;">Brandon Nimmo</span> and <span style="color: red;">Jeff McNeal</span>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There is no more time to waste here.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To me, his only future in the majors could be a designated hitter against left handed pitchers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></p>Mack Adehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09730548449011685243noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-82748448123875298252024-03-12T06:00:00.000-04:002024-03-12T06:00:30.554-04:00Tom Brennan - even immortals are sometimes mortal<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YOmepgR72LQ/X1DW9QPGy1I/AAAAAAABSXY/f4jEMatLYkoVQj4b9a7OOMCTWqpeJXpmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/tom%2Bseaver%2Brip.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YOmepgR72LQ/X1DW9QPGy1I/AAAAAAABSXY/f4jEMatLYkoVQj4b9a7OOMCTWqpeJXpmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/tom%2Bseaver%2Brip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">THE FRANCHISE</span></i></b></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> <b>“The <u>great</u> Tom Seaver.”</b> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So often described as such. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“THE FRANCHISE”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He certainly was that. But some guys nonetheless owned him, as hard as it is to believe, even if briefly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Guess which 4 hitters combined to go 25 for 49 against Tom Seaver? (source for all stats…Baseball Reference)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ray Sadecki, Steve Ontiveros, Daryl Sconiers, and Chico Ruiz, the 4 of whom also walked 13 times vs. 8 Ks vs. the Franchise. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Domination from very unlikely hitter sources.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And there were 7 other mostly nondescript hitters (so nondescript I won’t name them here) who combined to go 21 for 35 against him. They owned Seaver, even if just for a few at bats each. Also…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Terry Puhl was 20 for 45 vs. Seaver.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Damaso Garcia, Jesse Barfield, Clay Dalrymple, and Tim Teufel combined for a rip-roaring 26 for 56 with just 2 Ks. Owned Seaver, one might say.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Speedy Willie Davis? .389 in 108 at bats.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rick Monday? .349 with 11 HRs and 17 walks in 104 PAs. Who exactly is your daddy?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, you can’t be great against everybody, no matter how great you are.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Record of 12-20 against the super tank known as the Big Red Machine, too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Moving on…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Jerry Koosman?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dave Winfield in 61 at bats hit .410, with 7 HRs and 20 RBIs off the Kooz. To Jerry’s credit though, he only surrendered as many as 7 HRs to two hitters…Winfield and Willie Stargell.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">5 guys (Willie McGee, Gary Roenike, Bob Bailor, Brian Downing, and Dwight Evans) went 57 for 107 (.500+) with 11 HRs vs. Koosman. Ouch. Full ownership.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Jake deGrom</b> was pretty stingy, but Christian Yelich got to him for 15 for 37 (.405).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Sandy Koufax? </b> The GOAT?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hank Aaron hit .362 with 7 HRs in 116 at bats off him, and had just 12 Ks in 130 PAs. And Bill Virdon hit .404 against Sandy in 52 at bats. Against those 2, Sandy wasn’t especially dandy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Dwight Gooden? </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Chili Davis hit .444, and Hubie Brooks hit .392, against Doc.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Nolan Ryan?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dick Allen <u>completely owned Ryan</u>:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">16 for 44 with TWENTY TWO walks, 7 extra base hits, and 16 RBIs, and just 11 Ks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">(Anyone remember the screaming high line drive that hit 1/3 of the way up the Shea light tower? STRONG dude. I once remember Allen in the old Phillies stadium in a sequence of 3 at bats.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">1) Flew out to the 447 sign in dead center. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2) Flew out to the 447 sign in dead center. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">3) 500 foot bomb to 447 dead center, easily clearing the 20 foot high fence.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Carl Yazstremski ditto. 17 for 50, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 12 BB, just 7 Ks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jack Clark? His 11 for 44 included 9 extra base hits; he walked 12 times.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Joe Morgan? Just 5 for 28, BUT 14 walks vs. just 6 Ks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mike Schmidt? Just 9 for 50, but 5 HR, 15 RBI, and a whopping 21 walks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">On the other hand, I saw a guy who posted on Facebook a list of truly impressive hitters who couldn’t hit a lick against Ryan. Roughly, the 25 top hitters went something </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">20 for 357. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I copied his full list at the end of my article below, unverified as to statistical accuracy by me.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img alt="Photo of Ping Bodie" src="https://www.baseball-reference.com/req/202311300/images/headshots/7/712236b9_sabr.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; text-align: start; width: 92px;" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Babe Ruth?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He was a fine pitcher, but household name <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ping Bodie</span></b> was 11 for 24 with 3 walks and no Ks vs. the Bambino. Ping, as I am sure you all know, was an outfielder who hit .275 in over 4,000 plate appearances, while missing a few years for World War 1 service. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Every time the Babe pitched to Ping, the ball went PONG.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ty Cobb, though?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He was just 4 for 17 vs. the Babe, and Cobb was in his prime at the time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Amazing, huh?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Some guys, both great and marginal, can somehow hit the greats like they were facing Anthony Young. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">One of the wonders of baseball. The unexpected, when immortals are mortal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Don’t forget to look at that list below. But as far as last night goes:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>“HAIL! HAIL! ALL IS WELL!” </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>“SIR EDWIN, LORD OF METSVILLE, HAS RETURNED!”</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Edwin Diaz was relying primarily on killer sliders last night, mixed with the occasional fastball in the high 90s. Of course, if you hadn’t looked, you could guess of course that Edwin faced </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">3 batters and struck out three batters. Nasty. It was good to hear Tommy trumpet music again, too. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Tylor Megill was excellent for four innings, allowing just a homer. Rest of the pictures put up zeros. Sadly, all the Mets put up offensively was zeros. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Baty had a 75 foot infield dinker hit. Joe Suozzi had a lined single on a hanger that outfielder played into a double. Phil Bickford, who I’m pulling for, faced two hitters and fanned them both.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Mets lose 1-0. Keith said the park plays big…don’t ALL Mets parks?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I did not watch the entire game, but the wind was blowing in heavily from right field, so that was probably a factor. Lastly, Francisco Alvarez now lifts up his knee when he sees a runner going, so that he’s quicker to throw to second with the cannon he has. He probably now can be considered a superior defensive catcher. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">OK, on the list: </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><u>HITTERS WHO STRUGGLED MIGHTILY AGAINST RYAN, IN TERMS OF BA:</u></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">From a Facebook poster, unverified by me:</span></p><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><u>Player AB/Hit Average</u></b></span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Paul O’Neill 10-0 .000</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mark McGwire 9-0 .000</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mo Vaughn 9-0 .000</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jesse Barfield 12-0 .000</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Paul Blair 11-0 .000</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Frank Thomas 12-0 .000</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Sammy Sosa 16-0 .000</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eric Davis 21-1 .048</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Doug DeCinces 19-1 .053</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">B.J. Surhoff 19-1 .053</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Edgar Martinez 19-1 .053</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rico Petrocelli 35-2 .057</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Brady Anderson 17-1 .059</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dante Bichette 14-1 .071</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Willie Stargell 14-1 .071</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dave Henderson 13-1 .077</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Shawon Dunston 25-2 .080</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Tony Fernandez 12-1 .083</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Danny Tartabull 21-2 .095</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Don Baylor 21-2 .095</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Tino Martinez 10-1 .100</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Gary Mathews 20-2 .100</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">John Olerud 19-2 .105</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Norm Cash 27-3 .111</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Elrod Hendricks 18-2 .111</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Devon White 35-4 .114</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Willie Randolph 26-3 .115</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dave Winfield 26-3 .115</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Vince Coleman 17-2 .118</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rickey Henderson 17-2 .118</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Wally Joyner 25-3 .120</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Roberto Clemente 16-2 .125</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dwight Evans 40-5 .125</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Tony Oliva 40-5 .125</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Terry Pendleton 23-3 .130</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Gary Gaetti 15-2 .133</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Willy McCovey 15-2 .133</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Johnny Bench 29-4 .138</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Wally Bachman 36-5 .139</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jorge Orta 79-11 .139</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Tony Pena 35-5 .143</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Darryl Strawberry 35-5 .143</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thurman Munson 49-7 .143</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Claudell Washington 90-13 .144</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Kirby Puckett 20-3 .150</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jim Rice 40-6 .150</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Al Bumbry 46-7 .152</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lance Parrish 39-6 .154</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Steve Lyons 19-3 .158</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Robin Ventura 19-3 .158</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lou Piniella 38-6 .158</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dusty Baker 37-6 .162</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Chili Davis 80-13 .163</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rafael Palmiero 12-2 .167</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jesus Alou 12-2 .167</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Chuck Knoblauch 18-3 .167</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">John Kruk 18-3 .167</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Bobby Grich 35-6 .171</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lyman Bostock 29-5 .172</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Robby Thompson 23-4 .174</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Bobby Bonds 23-4 .174</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Alfredo Griffin 17-3 .176</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dave Kingman 17-3 .176</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Tony Phillips 17-3 .176</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Boog Powel 34-6 .176</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Joe Morgan 28-5 .179</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Cecil Cooper 39-7 .179</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mike Schmidt 50-9 .180</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mike Scioscia 55-10 .182</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Harmon Killebrew 27-5 .185</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Keith Hernandez 43-8 .186</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Richie Zisk 16-3 .188</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ron Hassey 16-3 .188</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Orlando Cepeda 32-6 .188</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Tim Wallach 48-9 .188</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Willie Horton 37-7 .189</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Billy Williams 37-7 .189</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Graig Nettles 79-15 .190</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mike Greenwell 21-4 .190</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Bob Boone 21-4 .190</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Rupert Jones 42-8 .190</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Darrell Porter 84-16 .190</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Carlton Fisk 57-11 .193</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">John Mayberry 88-17 .193</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dan Driessen 41-8 .195</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Bert Campaneris 61-12 .197</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Again, while the hits for those guys were amazingly low, Ryan walked and hit close to a record 3,000 hitters in his career, so assuredly the walk totals for this group were high, too, but not included.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ryan’s 2,795 walks, in fact, were 962 more than # 2 all time and fellow HOF Steve Carlton. That was Ryan’s one flaw…walks a-plenty. I still, though, loved him from when he was a 19 year old facing the thundering Braves in 1966.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Tom Brennanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01032383157195393857noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-592615130369356022.post-20953020993977673192024-03-11T11:00:00.065-04:002024-03-11T11:00:00.131-04:00Mets Prospect Profile: RHSP Joander Suarez<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the next post in a series intended to bring awareness to some of the lesser-known prospects in the Mets' organization This series will post a different prospect each weekday at 11:00am EST for the benefit of our fans.</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IMkXoLol27FSjTml68it9e-ZcHcX5PmDaS8nCc6hdgTCZSZKCWMAXC7Dcn6lo_AIXFMzb1nsc9Y1HzZp5fokOJXXOaBccQ6MMuSZ4CIswI02b03_7vromCLUv5nN_34WoGbRs7BhQK9qJ4NkMjXXgxhXtgrqoHeLOQTvY0vhQAFl0FZZB5eZl4zOkRUR/s760/D9059356-2B53-4708-8E5E-3021CF658291.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="760" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IMkXoLol27FSjTml68it9e-ZcHcX5PmDaS8nCc6hdgTCZSZKCWMAXC7Dcn6lo_AIXFMzb1nsc9Y1HzZp5fokOJXXOaBccQ6MMuSZ4CIswI02b03_7vromCLUv5nN_34WoGbRs7BhQK9qJ4NkMjXXgxhXtgrqoHeLOQTvY0vhQAFl0FZZB5eZl4zOkRUR/s320/D9059356-2B53-4708-8E5E-3021CF658291.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(43, 43, 43); font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i> RHP Joander Suarez. </i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Droid Serif", sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(43, 43, 43); color: #2b2b2b; text-size-adjust: auto;">Guess who crept into the recently released Mets top 30 on the Mets website at #28?</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Droid Serif", sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(43, 43, 43); color: #2b2b2b; text-size-adjust: auto;"><b>JOANDER SUAREZ.</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Droid Serif", sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(43, 43, 43); color: #2b2b2b; text-size-adjust: auto;">He was a guy who, at the beginning of 2023, was likely in no one's Mets Top 50. Maybe in the Top 100, maybe not. Why? Injuries.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He started pitching in 2018 as a teenager, ran into TJS, other maladies, and the lost 2020 year. In the 5 year stretch rom 2018 through 2022, he had 107 innings total. And those 107 innings were not particularly good.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">107 innings from 2018 through 2022? Was his middle name Szapucki?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Suarez was healthy in 2023, finally, shout halleluia everybody, but was horrible for a long time early on. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The 6'3" 250 pound righty bull slipped to 3-9, 5.69 on August 4. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That's bad, all the while remembering that his Brooklyn home park being a pitcher’s park.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>How do you spell: </i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>C..A..R..E..E..R O..V..E..R? </i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>H..O..P..E..L..E..S..S?</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Then the guy goes out, in early July, and screams in defiant reply!!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>NO!! NOT OVER, NOT HOPELESS!!</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He "screamed" that how? Thru his suddenly superior pitching results.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Talk is cheap, results are where it’s at.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fr</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">om July 8 to July 28, he threw 23 innings, allowing just 15 hits, 5 earned runs, and fanning an eye-opening 32. Hmmm...</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then, August 4, he had a so-so outing. Allowed 4 runs. He's human.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">August 11? He threw a 6 inning stunner, a 3 hit, no run, 11 K game. </span></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">"Jake" stats.</span></u></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Picked up the win in that one. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Then another shaky game, 4 innings, 4 runs. He's human.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Was the prior "Jake stats" game a fluke?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It seems not…not based on the following RESULTS:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In his subsequent (and last) 4 starts of 2023, 3 of which were after a late-season promotion to AA, he </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">1) throws a no hitter, and </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">2) in 24 total innings in those 4 outings, allows a paltry 4 hits, no runs, fans 25, and wins 3 of the 4.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">His 3-9, 5.69 turned into 7-9, 4.24, in a flash.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The ball also stays in the park when he pitches.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In 108 IP in 2023, he allowed just 6 HRs and just 12 HRs in 215 career IP. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">(By comparison, Dodgers’ Lance Lynn, while of course facing tougher MLB hitters, allowed a mind-blowing 48 HRs in 186 innings in 2023.)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, I ask you…how do you rank a Joander Suarez who, in 5 of his last 6 starts spanning 30 innings allowed no runs, just 7 hits and fanned 36?</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A guy who sits at 95 MPH and tightened up on his other pitches in late 2023 to be more effective.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Prior to that July 8 turnaround-beginning start, his ERA was a stratospheric 7.23, so it dropped an incredible 3 runs by year end. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">ERAs are just that - <u>averages</u>, and early in the season, in his first 9 outings (as I presume he was reacclimating himself from prior years' injuries), he had 4 absolute stinkers where he allowed 22 earned runs in 13 innings. That’s an ERA killer. The last of those four clunkers was in early June. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The tide then began to turn. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">His season's finish, factually speaking, was diametrically opposed to his 2023 season's beginning. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Brutal to Brilliant.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>So I ask you again:</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Where do you rank him? </i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As a break out prospect, or just a guy on an unsustainable hot streak? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I think the Mets putting him at # 28 is a real good indicator.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Mets' top 30 is a tough top 30 to get into this year, tougher than most. A year or two ago, he would have been # 18-20. In fact, in October, I ranked him as my # 18. Less talent in a particular year, I think the Mets' site ranks him higher.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He still, remarkably, has just turned 24. He will, FYI, be a minor league free agent this year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I will just guess that if he can repeat his 2023 health-wise, he goes 150 innings in AA and AAA this year, gives us a 3.00 ERA and a K per inning, and gets called up to the Mets pen in the second half to see if he can be effective and if they want to try to keep him on the 40 man next winter. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">He could be a tough bullpen arm....remember the low HRs-allowed rate is a bullpen blessing. The Mets pen in 2023 allowed the most homers of any pen (55) by 9 runs last year, despite the pen only throwing the 25th most innings (558) of MLB teams, per MLB stats. By comparison, the Giants' pen went 150 more innings and allowed 20 fewer HRs, and Atlanta allowed 24 HRs in 588 at bats.</span></p><p><br /></p>Tom Brennanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01032383157195393857noreply@blogger.com9