Tony Plate - New NY Mets GM Makes Changes to Coaching Staff

The new New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen made a couple of changes to the New York Mets coaching staff. Pat Roessler will not be back as the Mets hitting coach. The Mets offense struggled under Roessler. They only scored 676 runs in 2018.  The team really did not start to hit the ball until late into the season. So, management felt that a change had to be made. Roessler had been with the team since 2015. More changes are expected during the Winter as Van Wagenen’s goal is to see that the Mets return to the playoffs. Bullpen coach Ricky Bones will be reassigned within the organization.

Van Wagenen will try to improve a bullpen that was among the worst in the major leagues last season and he will also try to upgrade the catching position. These changes will be done via free agency or through trades. It would also help if Van Wagenen had the approval of the Wilpons to spend more money in order to pursue the elite free agents so he would be able to make a big splash just like the New York Yankees usually do. Craig Kimbrel is the top free agent relief pitcher on the market. He regressed and struggled with his command of his fast ball. He walked more batters and struck out less, however he still managed to collect forty saves with a 1.5 WAR in 2018. Yasmani Grandal is the top free agent catcher that is available. He is a very good hitter. The off season can be an exciting time for fans as they discuss trade scenarios between other teams during break time at their place of work. I would like to see the Mets do business with the Yankees at the Winter meetings. Both teams can really help each other. Back in June there were rumors that the Yankees were interested in Noah S. and perhaps they can begin those talks again with the Mets during the Winter meetings.

As for the New York sports award winners Jacob deGrom was chosen as New York player of the year. David Wright won the Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town award. Former general manager Sandy Alderson won the Arthur and Milton Richman You Gotta Have Heart award. Brandon Nimmo was chosen for the Ben Epstein/Dan Castellano Good Guy award. The Willie, Mickey and The Duke award will be given to the 1969 Miracle Mets on the 50^th anniversary of their championship season. New York Yankee general manager Brian Cashman won the Joan Payson/Shannon Forde award for community service. Congratulations to all above.

Mack - Position By Position Analysis: 3B

Good morning.

Once again, there are my projections as to where players will start the 2019 season.

AAA Syracuse

          David Thompson -

                    AAA  (66 at bats)            .258/.329/.379/708    1-HR    3-E

          Cody Asche –

                   AAA  (269 at bats)          .230/.315/.435/750/    10-HR   6-E

                   

AA Binghamton

          Will Toffey –

                   AA  (134 at bats)             .254/.394/.433/827    4-HR   3-E

           

A+ St. Lucie

          Michael Paez –

                   A+  (406 at bats)             .270/.340/.404/744    11-HR  22-E 

    

A Columbia 

          Jose Brizuela

                   A  (116 at bats)               .224/.272/.328/600    3-HR   8-E

          Brian Sharp

                   Rookie/Brooklyn (168 at bats)   .250/.347/.387/734    5-HR   6-E

Low-A Brooklyn

          Mark Vientos

                   Rookie/K-Port  (223 at bats)      .287/.389/.489/878     11-HR   13-E

          Chandler Avant

                   Rookie/Brooklyn  (134 at bats) .246/.318/.299/616     1-HR   3-E

Rookie Kingsport

          Chrisopher Pujols  
            
                  Rookie/GCL  (146 at bats)             .219/.292/.308/600    1-HR   17-E   

GCL

         Jaylen Palmer

                   GCL  (87 at bats)             .310/.394/.414/808    1-HR   4-E

          Fidel Almario

                   DSL  (169 at bats)           .268//346/.284/630     0-HR   5-E

Conclusion

1.    We have one more year of Todd Frazier at third in Queens.

2.    No matter how well Thompson comes back from his 2018 injury (broken hand?), he does not have the defensive talent to fight off the troika of McNeil-Gimenez-Rosario in 2019. He also only plays third (sometimes poorly) and, though there is no minor league player that can knock a run in better than him, there doesn’t seem to be a future on this team.

3.    The troika will command this position for at least three years.

4.    The first kink in that armor (can I use that expression?) probably will be McNeil (age), but that should happen when either Santana, Newton, or Vientos could be ready.

5.    Toffey is the wild card here. He will be ready by 2020. Like Thompson, he too only plays third but could emerge as the 2020 third baseman or a serious trade chip down the line.

6.    And then there’s Vientos, who may have the most upside with a bat in his hand. Problem is he can’t play third at a major league level. Another trade chip, probably to an AL team.

Rating: 

          A lot of depth here. 

          Vientos is your red prospect. Toffey your blue.

          B

         

OPEN THREAD: Mets Moves

P Jamie Callahan has become a free agent

OF Wuilmer Becerra has become a free agent

Reese Kaplan -- Sandy Alderson Era -- 2017 in Review

After two straight playoff appearances (despite not progressing as far as they would have liked), expectations were high for the 2017 season.  Considering they had been one and done in the 2016 post-season, a reasonable person would have concluded that there was certainly room to improve. 

In an almost unprecedented move the Mets entered the 2017 season without adding a single major league caliber player to the roster.  If you’d won the World Series in 4 straight games, MAYBE you could justify this stagnation and lethargy.  To stand pat and go to battle with the same lackluster squad was lazy if not irresponsible. 

Now I can’t put this inertia on Sandy Alderson who was forced to leave the club prior to the Winter Meetings to deal with his cancer diagnosis.  This one is squarely on the heads of the Wilpons who didn’t give anyone the authority to proceed with necessary changes in his absence.

Consequently, when the season unraveled due to a spate of injuries and poor performances which showed the lack of depth, no one should have been surprised.  Given the poor leadership in the dugout, it also came as no surprise that it was time for Terry Collins finally to go. 

Of course, the love for the familiar continued with new deals for Jerry Blevins, Yoenis Cespedes and Bartolo Colon.  The “additions” to the roster included minor league deals to guys who got promoted to the majors, including Adam Wilk, Tommy Milone and Neil Ramirez.  Ugh. 

By the trading deadline even the clueless Mets front office knew they were going nowhere and they gave Sandy Alderson permission to sell off several of the departing free agents.  In a tunnel vision myopia, every deal executed during this purge brought back relief pitchers.  Departing were Curtis Granderson, Lucas Duda, Jay Bruce, Neil Walker and Addison Reed.  None of the players received in return have yet made much of an impact, though Drew Smith formerly of the Tampa organization did show some flashes late in 2018. 

During the latter part of the year the Mets went scrap heap picking again and obtained Nori Aoki who inexplicably started nearly every game in September when instead the team could have looked at others who might have been a part of the future.  Similarly Gavin Cecchini was rendered into an afterthought.   

Late in the year former Mets beat writer Marc Carig then of Newsday published a scathing condemnation of Terry Collins, including the tidbits that both Jeff Wilpon and Sandy Alderson were wholly in favor of his termination but that the elder Wilpon saved his friend from that indignity.  The issues at hand cited included poor bullpen management, lack of communication skills, a disdain for younger ballplayers and continual tactical blunders.  At one point Jerry Blevins led all of baseball with 9 consecutive days of use and was joined in that burnout pace by Addison Reed, Hansel Robles, Fernando Salas and Jeurys Familia all of whom were used at times more than five consecutive days. 

Carig cited an anonymous Met who said, “He has always been difficult to communicate with.  It would be a surprise if he said ‘hey’ to you when you passed each other in the hallway if your name wasn’t [Matt] Harvey or [Yoenis] Cespedes. It’s always been those couple things along with some of the in-game decisions he makes.”

2017 brought about the revival of the LOLmets hashtag as various embarrassing developments took place during the season.  Matt Harvey famously partied too hard and was unable to come to the ballpark as a result.  Kevin Plawecki's locker was photographed with a sex toy in it.  Noah Syndergaard refused a club requested MRI and went down shortly thereafter with a lat injury.  Even Mr. Met was caught in a less than family friendly gesture.  

Unlike the David Wright (and to a lesser extent, Jose Reyes) sendoff celebrations, Terry Collins' departure was a tearful press conference but there was no video tribute nor standing ovation for a job, um, done.  The year ended with a 70-92 record.  

From The Desk… Yoenes Cespedes, Brittany Apgar, Peter Alonso, Franklyn Kilome, BVW

Good morning.

Anthony DiComo - @AnthonyDiComo

Yoenis Cespedes' second (left) heel surgery has been delayed a few days due to a scheduling conflict. It should still be done by the end of this month, keeping him on track to begin baseball activities around late 

            Mack – A ‘scheduling conflict”?

            Is there ever a sense of urgency from this organization?

Doug - @FTLO_Baseball\ - 

            From just released, Baseball America Mets 2018 Draft Report Card:

Zach Rheams (27th Rd) posted elite exit velos in pro debut, on par with Alonso!

Manny Rodriguez (10th Rd) has 80 grade wheels.

Jaylen Palmer (22nd Rd) out of Queens HS: strong                                    athlete/sleeper.

A TOURNAMENT OF THEIR OWN -

          

  Brittany Apgar loves baseball. Not softball. Baseball.

"I love the competition and the challenge," she says. "Baseball is not just a physical game. It's a mental game too. You have to have a good memory, but if you make a mistake, you have to be able to forget about it and move on to the next inning."

Apgar, 15, was one of the nearly 300 girls, ages 9-18, who converged on Rockford, Illinois, last summer for four days of spirited competition. They came from across the United States and from as far away as Australia and France for the Baseball for All Nationals, the largest girls-only baseball tournament in the world. The event brought together the past, present and future of women and the national pastime. Games were played at Beyer Stadium, home of the iconic Rockford Peaches, the team immortalized in the movie "A League of Their Own," and players wore patches commemorating the 75th anniversary of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.


The Washington Nationals signed the first free agent of the young off-season. Ex-St. louis Cardinals' closer Trevor Rosenthal signed... details not announced yet. The 28-year old Rosenthal went 3.40/1.20 in 50 appearances last season, which included 76-Ks in 47.2-IP.

2080 Baseball  on Peter Alonso –

      

     Large, bulky body with elite strength in both halves. Solid athlete for his size; body will require maintenance in future.

Swing Mechanics - Even, shoulder-width extended set-up, bent knees, hands low, bat across shoulder. Leg raise, average stride, quiet load up behind ear, legs engaged, natural loft in bat path, excellent extension. Bat speed, hands, timing to impact baseball.

        Tool  Present         Future

         Hit       45                  50

Looks to damage and does; comes with swing-and-miss. Plus barrel-feel on anything hard; vulnerable to spin away. Solid approach; doesn't expand early-count, can take a walk. Two-strike approach needs work, doesn't shorten up. Will strikeout and walk.

Game Power          60       70

Murders fastballs middle-in and up out over plate; waits on and punishes hangers up in zone. Pull-heavy at present; some vulnerability soft away, but has feel for barrel. Half-grade projection with adjustments to tap opposite field power.

Raw Power             70       70

Elite strength, plus bat speed, elevated bat path, and leg engagement all work together for top-scale pull power and ability to go out to all fields.

Run               40       30

Not a clogger; down the line at 4.45; will lose a step with age. Station-to-station on bases.

Field             50       45

Compensates for below-average lateral mobility and stiff fielding actions with plus hands. Will cost outs on dirt, save outs with scooping ability at bag. With age, good enough to stick at fringe-average.

Throw          50       50

Accuracy and strength to make solid DP throw to 2nd; makes throw across diamond on line.

Mack – Personally, I found the current 50 fielding rate a little high, but I still though you should see this in writing.

The Disappointing Loss of Franklyn Kilome  -

                  

     Franklyn Kilome has an electric fastball and is developing a nasty curveball. MLB.com rates his fastball at 70/80 and his curveball at  55/80. If his other pitches don’t develop or the Mets’ “big four” block him from joining the starting rotation, a hard fastball and a good curveball immediately become a good base for a solid relief pitcher. Many pitchers have accomplished more with less.

Mack – I always question why some of these guys get sent to winter ball after throwing so many pitches during the regular season. Yes, he never pitched one pitch there, but he was assigned and the word is that he ‘heard something’ as he was preparing for a winter worth of baseball.

Mets could be adding new problems to old ones by picking agent Van Wagenen as GM -

                         

          Based on his experience, however, he is as qualified to be the Mets' first baseman as he is to run the organization's baseball operations -- which is to say, he's not really qualified at all. And beyond the inherent questions of practical application, the Mets' move to hire Van Wagenen is so overloaded with conflict-of-interest quandaries that folks on all sides of the industry, from Major League Baseball to the union to club management, find the choice to be bizarre and inevitably problematic.

And lastly… one of our loyal readers, Stewart Wolpin, came to me with a problem he has that could benefit you. He is a 30-year season ticket holder at Citifield with GREAT seats… just in front of the SNY booth (section 319, row 6, seats 5-6… but he needs to sell off around 15 games or he may have to give them up. 

If you are interested to pursue further, contact Stephen at stewartwolpin@yahoo.com

OPEN THREAD - Mets Moves

P Rafael Montero outrighted and became a free agent.

IF Jack Reinheimer claimed off waiver by the Chicago Cubs

P Jamie Callahan outrighted and became a free agent.

P PJ Conlon outrighted to AAA-Syracuse

IF Phillip Evans outrighted and became a free agent.

Reese Kaplan -- Sandy Alderson Era -- 2016 in Review

As the 2015/2016 off-season began, Sandy Alderson was back to his scrap heap picking ways, inking oft-injured Jim Henderson to become part of his bullpen.  Henderson had put together two solid season in Milwaukee in 2012 and 2013 before the injuries took their toll.  He was a late bloomer, not hitting the majors until age 29.  Like Scott Rice before him, age and injuries would spell a prompt demise.

Several notable players from the 2015 World Series losing team filed for free agency, including Yoenis Cespedes, Daniel Murphy, Jerry Blevins, Tyler Clippard, Bartolo Colon, Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe. 

A net positive for Alderson was his trade of equivalent contracts when he sent Jon Niese to Pittsburgh for 2^nd baseman Neil Walker.  Walker, when healthy, contributed positively to the Mets record while Niese never amounted to much after leaving Queens. 

Some raised eyebrows when the Mets signed Asdrubal Cabrera to play shortstop.  He had had one stellar season in Cleveland but never came close and his defensive reputation was fairly mediocre.  However this one also was a net positive with Cabrera turning in a .280/23/80 season which made Alderson finally look like the smartest guy in the room. 

The newest rendition of Chris Young/John Mayberry, Jr. emerged when the Mets signed Alejandro de Aza to a $5.75 million contract to deliver .205/6/25 before he was mercifully cut loose.  He caught on for 62 ABs with the Washington Nationals but is also out of baseball.  How is it that Alderson choices so often find themselves at the end of their careers when they bottom out with the Mets?

They again allowed a decent player to walk away when Carlos Torres was allowed to depart despite making very modest money and pitching quite credibly. 

He was in effect replaced with the free agent Antonio Bastardo who cost quite a bit more -- $12 million over two years, but he lasted about half of one, turning in a 4.74 ERA before he was swapped for reunions on both sides with Jon Niese returning to the Mets and Bastardo returning to the Pirates.  That was another lose-lose. 

One long overdue transaction took place during 2016 when the Mets finally released Terry Collins’ favorite player, Ruben Tejada who, understandably, has not been able to stick anywhere.  He had a total of about 200 ABs between three new teams and couldn’t even crack the majors at all in 2018.

Sandy Alderson once again showed an affinity for familiarity, signing would-be former Mets Yoenis Cespedes and Jerry Blevins to new deals.  Rather than re-signing Kelly Johnson, he again traded for him, sending Akeel Morris to the Braves.  He did allow Tyler Clippard to go (which hurt) but Addison Reed proved to be a surprisingly strong replacement. 

In May the garbage picking began with the Mets signing James Loney from the Padres for the sum of literally $1.  That was followed by the minimum wage pickup of Jose Reyes and then the signing of soon-injured Justin Ruggiano. 

For the late season post-season push they sent Dilson Herrera and minor leaguer Max Wotell to the Cincinnati Reds for slugger Jay Bruce who started off ice cold and didn’t crank it up until the last few weeks of September. 

On the last day for post season eligibility the Mets added another relief arm in Fernando Salas, but he was not the boost that Tyler Clippard was the year prior. 

The Mets made it to the one game wildcard playoff game against the San Francisco Giants and were eliminated from the post-season.  Considering they only had an 87-85 record for the year, having gotten as far as they did was a pleasant surprise.  

Reese Kaplan -- Sandy Alderson Era -- 2015 in Review

Much to everyone’s surprise Terry Collins was brought back yet again despite having posted four consecutive losing seasons.  Many historical revisionists will try to weave a narrative that it was all growth that led to this NL championship season and thus justifying the long patience shown with the troubled Skipper.  Some say to-MAY-to, some day to-MAH-to...

Regardless of the managerial situation, Sandy Alderson’s off-season got off to inevitably a rocky start when he bid against himself and gave up the compensatory pick to snag the services of Michael Cuddyer who had become a free agent after several years playing the last three seasons for the Rockies following the earlier stages of his career in Minnesota.  The then 36 year old was a solid if unspectacular player whose numbers got the expected Coors Field boost, but to Alderson’s credit he paid a fair price of $8.5 million for him.  Age caught up to him, unfortunately, and once again showed Alderson’s black eye for talent. 

However, as bad as Cuddyer was, he paled in comparison to this year’s answer to Chris Young, John Mayberry, Jr.  The younger Mayberry never quite inherited Daddy’s hitting genes, never topping 14 HRs in a single season.  After the Phillies let him walk away, Sandy Alderson once again thought he could find an undervalued asset.  Once again he was wrong, and Mayberry was sent packing halfway through the year with a sub-Mendoza batting average.  He never returned to the majors, done at age 31 after Alderson thought he’d found lightning in a bottle.  Fortunately this mistake only cost $1.45 million.

In an almost unprecedented move in the Alderson regime (post Brad Emaus) the Mets actually selected a player in the Rule V draft, lefty reliever Sean Gilmartin, who rewarded their faith with 50 games of 3-2 pitching and a 2.67 ERA.  (For that he was not even brought north the following season, but that's another rant for another day).  

For the bullpen the Mets went their usual route, inviting independent league refugee Scott Rice into the fold and he was quickly burned out by Terry Collins, earning the nickname “Everyday Rice”.  He was joined by FAs Duane Below, Josh Rodriguez and Buddy Carlyle.  Late in spring training the Mets obtained Alex Torres (and his hat) for Brad Wieck and also got a quality player in Jerry Blevins from the Washington Nationals for Matt den Dekker.   Unfortunately for Blevins, his 2015 season ended almost as soon as it began when he went down with season-ending injury in April.  (Well, he was healing when he slipped off a curb and broke it again). 

During the 2015 season the offense was so bad that a 1-0 lead by the opposition seemed wholly insurmountable.  Midway through the season while hovering within striking distance of the division lead Sandy Alderson actually made trades to attempt to improve the club instead of merely selling off expiring contracts. 

In July the first of a flurry of deals occurred in which the Mets sent pitcher John Gant and Robert Whalen to the Atlanta Braves for bench pieces Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe.  Although they quickly took on starting roles with the Mets due to injuries and incompetence, what they brought to the team was professionalism, something missing from the many AAAA types they’d been trotting out on a nightly basis.

Three days later the Mets sent minor league pitcher Casey Meisner to the Oakland A’s to obtain star reliever Tyler Clippard to help buttress the porous pen. 

The biggest one was yet to come, four days later, after the ill-fated Carlos Gomez for Wilmer Flores deal.  The Mets sent minor leaguers Luis Cessa and Michael Fulmer to the Detroit Tigers for controversial slugger Yoenis Cespedes who quickly put the team on his back as they surged towards the post season for the first time in many years.  He finished with a combined line of .291/35/105 between Detroit and New York.

There was one clunker of a deal after that when they obtained Eric O’Flaherty to Oakland for a PTBNL who turned out to be minor leaguer Darwin Frias.  That’s another lose-lose deal. 

On the second to the last day of August Alderson made another winner in which he sent minor leaguers Miller Diaz and Matt Koch to the Diamondbacks to obtain reliever Addison Reed.  All of the sudden the perennial weak link since Alderson arrived was transformed into a shutdown pen which, along with Cespedes’ exploits, propelled the team into the World Series for the first time in 15 years. 

Unfortunately the less than erudite manager of the Kansas City Royals, Ned Yost, danced circles around Terry Collins and the Mets.  It was clear almost immediately that the team was not going to win.  Still, it is a memorable season, five years in the making.  Too bad they chose to rest on their laurels and thus not build upon that solid foundation moving forward. 

Mike Freire - Fleeting Thoughts

Also at Mack's Mets:

Good Morning, once again!

Despite my enthusiastic opening, I am a bit subdued today since I am back in Florida after our North Carolina vacation, which also means I am back at work (for a little longer, anyway).   Things can always be worse, right?

Some interesting things have happened in the "baseball world" since my last article, which I will discuss a bit further, later in this article.

1.  The most relevant topic to Mets' fans is the recent decision to hire former "super agent" Brodie Van Wagenen as our next General Manager (or whatever they end up titling his position).  Maybe it is just me, but when I see his name in print, my mind immediately goes to Patrick Swayze's character from Point Break (Bodie) and I envision him saying "If you want the ultimate, you have to be willing to pay the ultimate price" at his press conference with a scruffy beard and one of those hooded "surfer shirts" on.

OK, so maybe I spent too much time in the mountains after all.

Joking aside, I am quite skeptical about the listed hire, mainly because the guy HAS NEVER BEEN A GM and he has ZERO experience working in as a baseball executive!

Let that sink in for a second.  That is similar to hiring a recently retired baseball player to be the manager of a Major League team despite the fact that they have never actually managed before.  Yes, they have experience in the game, but it is in a different area and it is unrelated to the demands on the bench.  You have to ask yourself "what is the most likely thing to happen"?

Granted, BVW has a lot of experience as an agent and a supervisor of his agency, so a lot of that will likely transfer to his job with the Mets.  However, there are many aspects to the GM's position that he has not had to deal with, so that is an area of concern that will be heavily scrutinized.  I applaud the "outside the box" thinking here, but I am also expecting some serious bumps in the road ahead.

At least the selection was made before the "hot stove" season is up and running and a plan can be devised and implemented (hopefully).

2.  As I suspected, the Red Sox simply rolled over the Dodgers this past week, winning their fourth title since 2004 in five games.  Wait, what?  OK, so I did predict a Red Sox victory, but I thought that the series would go the distance and I figured the Dodgers would put up much more of a fight.  I was sort of right, I guess.

Watching the tail end of Game Four, you could see the Dodgers' collective spirit slowly break apart once the Red Sox rallied from the 4-0 deficit.  Prior to the rally, the Dodgers won an emotional Game Three (in eighteen innings) and were cruising in Game Four.  After the rally and subsequent 9-6 Red Sox victory, the writing was on the proverbial wall.

What was interesting was HOW the Red Sox won the series (along with the other 115 or so games this year).  Good staring pitching, timely hitting (especially with two outs and runners on base) and a lock down bullpen.  Dare I say they are more of an "old school" type of team?  Imitation is the ultimate form of flattery and I think the Mets should try to emulate that model moving forward.  They already have some of the pieces in place, short of the "lock down" portion of the bullpen, that is.

3.  I know this is a point of contention with some folks, but I think the Mets' off season needs are as follows;  BULLPEN, BULLPEN and BULLPEN.  OK, so you get my first point, but I would also add CATCHER and CENTER FIELD to this list. 

The bullpen is a mess, so that is obvious and we are sorely lacking a catcher who can play 120+games, while helping the pitching staff, playing good defense and posing a threat in the batter's box.  I think those two items are high on BVW's list of "to do's" heading into November and beyond.  What is less obvious is the void in center field, since Juan Lagares simply cannot stay healthy and none of the other candidates on the roster are TRUE center fielders (yeah, you can survive for a bit with Nimmo and/or Conforto out there, but neither are a long term answer, IMO).

No, you need a stud out there who can to and get anything that is hit between your corner outfielders.  But, that player also needs to be able to hit (preferably in the lead off position where speed is an asset).  Lagares can give you the defensive half of that equation, but he is not a threat with the bat and he gets hurt, A LOT.  If I were in charge, I would make center field a priority at least until young Jared Kelenic is ready to take the position over in 2022, or so.

Feel free to add your thoughts in the "comments section" if you agree or disagree.

Stay safe, Mets' fans.