My Transformation – From Pinstripes to the Blue and Orange

Growing up in the Marlboro projects in Brooklyn, I was surrounded by the kids of ex-Giant/Dodger fans who loved the Mets. Not me, I was the son of a Bronx boy who I’m told spent as much time in the Yankee Stadium bleachers as he did class.  If there was anything Pellegrino DiDonato loved more than Babe Ruth it was his paisanos like Lazzeri, Crosetti, DiMaggio, Berra, Rizzuto and Pepitone, who actually live about five blocks from our building. I learned to read from digesting, over and over, his Yankee yearbooks that ranged from the ‘30s through the ‘50s.

My first memory of baseball was the 1958 White Sox Dodger series. Soon after I reveled in the 1960 through ’64 teams and remember each like they happened yesterday. Then our world came crashing down.

In 1964, the Yankees were looking to hire Johnny Keane away from the Cardinals but wound up with the fan’s favorite, Yogi Berra. Although they made the World Series, they lost to the Cardinals who were managed by, you guessed it, Johnny Keane.  In one of the more bizarre musical chair episodes in baseball, the Yankees promptly fired Berra and hired Keane.

Obviously, this did not sit well with the Yankee fans and especially Pellegrino. My father just stopped watching baseball. He said he would never watch another game again and stuck to his guns for a good many years.  But with the urging of my mother, he eventually came back and became a rabid Yankee fan again in the ‘70s.

But what was I to do? No way I could ever be a Yankee fan again.  All my buddies were raving about this new fun team that had guys named Gondor, Throneberry and Choo Choo. Loyalty wasn’t an issue. Hadn’t they betrayed Me? It wasn’t like I had $500 worth of team jerseys. No one did.  Also, $500 was about a month’s worth of family income.

So I joined the fun and became a Mets fan. In a few years, it looked like a sweet deal. We had Seaver, Koosman and Ryan and an amazing run in ’69.  You all know the rest of the story.

All I can say now is that I still love my Mets and I am glad my father never gave up on the Giants.  

10-21-12 – Post Schedule, First Big Trade, Wright-Dickey Options, Dustin Lawley, Jordany Valdespin

The comments portion of the site is fixed. 

For now, I will have a daily morning post regarding my thoughts on the Mets. I will add additional posts of any questions are emailed to me (macksmets@gmail.com). Lastly, I will add my draft posts and like them to my work at www.bigleaguefutures.com.  

Wally Murphy and Reese Kaplan returns as a Mack’s Mets writers. Wally will begin his 9^th year of attending all Savannah Sand Gnats home games and he will post the results of these the following morning. Reese will write whenever he has the time from a busy international schedule. Welcome back, Wally and Reese. 

Natalie DiDonato joins us as a new Mack’s Mets writer. As she said in here email to me: “As a follower of your Blog for two years, I am happy to hear you're better and welcome the return of the site. I am a 61 year old Mets fan since 1965. Prior to then, I was a Yankee fan. If you ever decide to hear from others about why thy made that switch, that would make for an interesting topic. I would love to give you a few paragraphs about the switch. Hang in there and keep on truckin!” 

The first big trade is done. The Miami Marlins, who seem to try and turn over their team every season has shipped off ex-Met RP Heath Bell (3-yr/$27mil… Marlins will pay $8mil future) to Arizona. The Diamondbacks also received IF Chris Pennington in this three-team deal, and then traded OF Chris Young to Oakland, who sent (still with me?) sort-of prospect IF Yordy Cabrera to Florida. I guess Florida is trying to clear payroll, the exact opposite they did last off-season. Bell was a big bust and needs to get out of new-Havana. Florida winds up paying $19-mil for one bad season, but does save money in the long run. Cabrera will play 2013 as a 22-year old and hasn’t risen above A+. Lifetime .230 hitter. Hoo-rah. What does this mean for the Mets? Well, Oakland now has three centerfielders and you have to think that Coco Crisp just became expendable (starting outfield looks to be Yoenis Cespedes, Young and Reddick). 

I’ve done a lot of thinking about the whole Wright-Dickey resigning and, no matter how I spin this, it comes out only one way in my head. Forget the option year. If the Mets aren’t successful in getting either of these guys signed to a new long term deal before the season starts, it’s time to cut fish. I love these guys and I want to build the 2014 team around them, but, it’s a business first, and if either player approaches this negotiation as an opportunity to pad their pockets elsewhere, Sandy Alderson needs to turn this into as much of a positive as he can. Wilmer Flores in no John Kennedy, but he will hold his own at third base in 2014 and just may hit more home runs that Wright would have. Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey, Jon Niese, and Dillon Gee is not a bad rotation going into the season before we even know the players the Mets would get in these deals. My guess there would be a minimum of four excellent players and I’d bet money at least one players is an outfielder (probably two), another was a top prospect starter, and probably a catcher. I can’t believe I just wrote this.   

 

3B Dustin Lawley continued to impress in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) He singled in two more runs in the first inning of Saturday’s game, raising his batting average to .304. It seems to me that Lawley is cementing a starting role in St. Lucie come spring 2013 and we can’t forget that has still played more games in the outfield than on third. He showed great power (14-HR, 66-HR), though most came outside the confines of the dead trap known as Grayson Stadium. Me? I’d put him back in left field post haste.  

 

 

“2B” Jordany Valdespin continues to play in the outfield in the Dominican Fall League and went into Saturday night’s game at a .417/.563/.667/1.229 clip. The sample is small (12-AB), but the start is impressive. I’ve never been sure how much the Mets control what position a player plays in fall and winter leagues. My guess is they have some say in Arizona but start to lose it as soon as a player flies to another country. Either way, Valdespin’s future with the Mets looks to be a 2013 utility player, spelling Daniel Murphy and Ruben Tejada in the infield and being the 5^th guy in the outfield.

Draft 13 – Logan Koch, Clemson, Clate Schmidt, Aaron Judge, Weekend Showcases

South Carolina commit Logan Koch (2013 Catcher, Charlotte NC) played all 9 positions in a recent Dirtbags showcase game in North Carolina. He started out at his familiar spot behind the plate and wound up at the end of the game on the mound getting the final out in an 11-2 win. Koch said, “it was fun to do but it reminded me how much I love to catch. Playing out in the field can get boring.” Logan is the first player in the 13 year history of the Dirtbags to play all 9 positions in one game.

Clemson is scheduled to have 19 new players on the squad and, according to Collegiate Baseball, they come in ranked fifth (behind Vanderbilt, UCLA, Arizona State, Louisiana State) in the nation in recruiting. The c lass includes three players that have been drafted before: Infielder Tyler Krieger (Johns Creek, GA) was a 35th-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners, infielder/catcher Kevin Bradley (Pennington, NJ) was a 36th-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies, and righthander/infielder Clate Schmidt (Acworth, GA) was a 36th-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers. Schmidt is an interesting study. He throws a 92-94 fastball (considered a plus pitch with good motion) that occasionally hits 96. He also has an excellent second pitch, a sharp breaking low 80s curveball. He was expected to go earlier in the draft, but, like he said on draft day: “(My family and I) talked to some of the area scouts and teams before the draft and let them know ahead of time of my decision. We thought it was best for me to go to college and develop as a player and as a person. It really wasn’t a surprise that I wasn’t picked because teams knew where I was heading.”

Commitments...

For the rest... www.bigleaguefutures.com

Mack's Mets Re-Opens

I have re-opened Mack's Mets.

My health problems are in check and I should be able to post here, first on a limited basis.

I have been posting a weekly post over at www.mets360.com and I thank Brian Joura for allowing me to do that. I also have been engaging in the comment section there and, frankly, I miss the intelligent side of comments from adult fans.

We're not going to have any of the inane "what if" and "let's trade for" posts that other sites try and entertain the kids out there. This is a site for adult Mets fans that want to discuss what the Mets have already done or a reasonable approach to the future.

I'll open the comments section until the haters come back. Please join the site so we can avoid all that dribble.  IMPORTANT - I can't seem to get the comments back on. I've checked on the applicable buttons on Blogspot, but it isn't working. I've contacted them in hopes of some support but, if anyone can help me here, please email me at the address below.

For now, I will post up a "I Might Be Wrong, But..." post tomorrow. Monday, I'll have an analysis of the 2007 draft.

Attention ex-MMs writers - please contact me at::  macksmets@gmail.com if you'd like back in.

Love questions for a "Q and A" post:  macksmets@gmail.com

Mack

Future Mack Postings

In the future, you can find Mack on Sunday at::

    Mets stuff -  www.mets.360.com

    Draft stuff -   www.bigleaguefutures.org

Draft 13 - Q and A - RHP - Joey Donino – Columbia

Mack – Top of the morning, everybody. We’re here with one of the smart kids today, right hand pitcher Joey Donino from Columbia University. Hey Joey. How are you today?

Joey - I am doing well. It is the second week of classes and we are just about to kick off our fall season and I couldn't be more excited. I look forward to getting back on the mound, and being 100% healthy following a good summer, which was my first season where I felt 100% since getting Tommy John after my senior year of high school.

Mack – Since you brought it up, tell us about both the physical and mental strain something like TJS can put on your future plans, especially baseball?

the rest of the interview...   http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/wp-admin/post.php?post=1369&action=edit&message=6 

Pre-Surgery Stuff – ‘War Room’, Jon Dickey, Ike Davis, Elvin Ramirez

-I may not be around for Sunday’s ‘War Room’, though I am bringing my laptop to the hospital on Thursday. They have wifi, so we’ll see how I feel. If I’m not, I’m sure ‘Charles’ can come up with a question that morning and lead things off… though, I would need to come up with a question on a post I have pre-planned. Right now, I am out of subjects and have ‘other things on my mind (like my balls)…”. Any thought?

-I saw another another site posted the combined record of Jonathan Niese and RA Dickey vs. the rest of the team. Unbelievable in a bad year, and these were the games both pitchers had decisions in. They didn’t even include the ones they had a lead in when they departed the mound. The Mets will surely extend this ‘kid’s’ contract.

 

 

-even Sandy Alderson said to forget rumors that 1B Ike Davis would be traded in the off-season. 30 home runs in a bad season. Seriously?

 

 

-do not spend much time worrying about what Jeurys Famila, Jenrry Mejia, or Elvin Ramirez are producing this September. This is quality time with the parent club, getting used to the clubhouse, travel, “real” coaches, etc. Yes, young players throw every pitch with the intension of getting a batter out. They simply have to learn you have to mix these up so even your balls are effective (I’m back to my balls again…).

Look For A Coaching Change in Lucy - Viola

The Mets usually don't announce their new coaching staffs to close to the new season, but it's my educated guess that they are already looking around for a new batting coach in St. Lucie.

Benny Distefano coached at St. Lucie in 2012 after holding down the same spot in 2011 for the Savannah Sand Gnats. It only took one welcome luncheon in Savannah to see that he was already developing a special relationship with two of the future hitting starts of the organization, Cory Vaughn and Darrell Ceciliani. The two of them ate their lunch at the bar with Benny hovering behind them almost as friendly protector (don't get me wrong, Distefano is one of the nicest men you will ever meet in minor league baseball).

The problem is the attachment seems to develop into almost an obsession, where other players were coached and handled at a far less level that Vaughn and DC, but let's go back to Savannah for a minute.

Ceciliani developed a hamstring problem during spring training in 2011 that prevented him from playing in the home opener. Hamstrings, like groin problems, take a short time to almost heal 100% and a very long time to complete the process. And, the only person that can eventually diagnose whether or not it is fully healed would be the player himself. You'll know when you plant yourself in the batters box and take that first swing at a fast ball. You'll know.

Well, it took 1.5 seasons for the hammy to finally go away, mainly because Ceciliani kept managing to get Distefano to allow him back in the game. First, in Savannah and then, the following year, in St. Lucie. Was this the same injury left unattended to in the off-season? Did DC white lie his coach or did the coach rush back a favorite player?

In Vaughn's case, it's his swing, or lack of it. No one in baseball that has ever watched this kid carefully walks away in love with this incomplete way of trying to hit a baseball. Do 20+ baseballs go over the fence in fair territory every year? Yes, but does that same swing produce enough other hits to warrant a 3-4 slot in the lineup? 

Reports are that Vaughn steadfastly defends his swing and will have no part of developing a new one, but is that his choice if you are being paid to play the game by a professional baseball team? No, it was DiStefano's job to get this done and he hasn't.

There's been increased rumblings throughout the season that this special bond has created a division between them and the other field players on the team. Let's face it, a lot of guys went in the wrong direction, hitting wise, in 2011, and they could have used the kind of one-on-two attention Vaughn and Ceciliani got every day pre-game from DiStefano. 

Look for DiStefano to exit the Mets system, Ceciliani to be held back in St. Lucie, and Vaughn to move on to Binghamton. There will be no more troika in the batting case.

One also has to wonder about the fate of Savannah's pitching coach Frank Viola. The team could not compete hitting wise in 2012 and fell short of the playoffs, but they also led in just about every pitching category in the Sally League. 

Yes, Viola had the talent there (some say he couldn't put his best pitchers in the rotation sometime because there were too many), but he obviously was a huge step ahead of anyone this organization has seen in years at this level and one has to make a case of him moving up with his "kids" which look to be the core of the rotation come 2015-2018.

(Yes, before we get too excited... we did feel these vibes many times before... remember the class that produced Mark Cohoon and Eric Beaulac?)

AA remains the test of all minor league pitchers and I would hope the Mets recognize that this is where Viola deserves to be someday.

Draft 13 – Q and A – LHP/IF – Marco Gonzales – Gonzaga

Mack – I’m really excited to talk to one of my favorites here, LHP Marco Gonzales out of Gonzaga. Good morning Marco. First of all, I’d like to ask you a question that I ask many of the players. Take us back to that first time someone put either a bat, glove, or ball in your hands and take us through the that got us to here today?

Marco - Good morning Mack. Well, I think it all started with my Dad, really. He played professionally for eleven years, and he truly got me hooked on the game. I basically grew up in spring training and in the clubhouses of countless minor league teams as he played with Detroit, Boston, and the Yankees. So I guess I don't have a memory of the first time I held a baseball or swung a bat, but it had to have been very special because it has been my life for as long as I can remember, and I love it.

Mack – Look, I don’t usually talk about the draft in these interviews, but you are a college junior and not a high school senior that I’m trying to pry something out of. This has got to be an exciting time for you. What kind of preparations have you made this summer to insure you get through this critical season “in one piece”?

For the rest...  www.bigleaguefutures.com