We’re no longer called “Mack’s Mets”. It’s now “Mack’s Baseball”.
Yes, we will still have the same coverage of the Mets, with the emphasis on the minor league players. This is their home. Not the teams they play for, nor the home office. The Mets’ minor league players know they will get a fair shake here with no spin.
The site will be making some heavy changes in the next few months, with the plan that the new format will be in place by the first of the year.
We will be announcing some of the changes in this, the first of some new daily features… “The Mack Report”. I used this title around three blogs ago when we we’re called “Mack’s Mets Notes” under the direction of NY Sports Day founder and publisher, Joe McDonald.
The “M.R.” will be Mets and baseball related opinions, facts, stats, and everything else baseball out my head and my head alone. We’ll stay away from “source” material. We know my win-loss record on that one.
I made a big mistake last week, but what remains is the fact that I understand and report on the Mets minor league system better than anyone else online, paid or unpaid. Our readers here are veteran Mets fans that have convinced me that they like what comes out of my head. A couple think it comes out of another orifice once in awhile, but, in the long run, this web site is Mets friendly.
My hope is that other professional sports writers join the site… and I’ll have some announcements on that soon. I worked the Mets beat for three years in Savannah, covering the Savannah Sand Gnats for Morris Communications, owner of the local newspapers in the area, and it is my desire to gather up a team of professionals that live in each of the cities the Mets have a minor league affiliate.
Naturally, I will cover the Savannah Sand Gnats and will return to attending the games daily.
Oh… I’m also futzing around with the fonts and their sizes this week, so if you see something you like, or dislike, please let me know, either as a comment here, or an email to macksmets@gmail.com .
One of the newest features, “Q&A Weekend” has been very popular and made me realize that this site should have more “stuff” written by me, and less cut and pasting.
Oh yeah... I need a logo!
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Boy, ya know… you sit and watch Cliff Lee do what he did against the Yankees Monday night and you just can’t understand why teams like the Mets didn’t do what it took to get him.
We’ve written about this for years… it’s all about pitching in the playoffs, and isn’t it strange that three of the four teams left making a run for it, all got their aces by either trading for or free agent signing the one guy that is making the difference.
And then there’s the Phillies and Roy Oswalt. We’ve seen SP2’s like this before and guys like Don Drysdale and Jerry Koosman were the real heroes of their respective World Series, not aces named Sandy Koufax and Tom Seaver.
Pitching, pitching, and more pitching. And, in all cases, one or two players. You got em’, you get there, You don’t, you watch television.
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The Mets’ #2 prospect, SS Wilmer Flores, has been shut down by the Mets after nine at bats in the Arizona Winter League. The initial diagnosis is a strained left calf, but the Mets are taking no chances and sending him to NYC for further assessment.
All of us were hoping to see Wilmer’s first attempt at a new position, be it in the outfield or first base. Now, I’m sure, it won’t happen and there’s a good chance the Mets send him home rather than push it any more this year.
Remember, he not only is one the Mets two “can’t miss” prospects (the other being P Jenrry Mejia), but he’s also major trade bait, especially to an American League team.
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Speaking of Flores, Steve Smith asked:
“Mack, when will the Mets finally decide to move Flores to a new position? We all know he isn't going to stay at SS. Also, what do you think is the most likely position for him to be moved to? An OF corner? We would be blocked at third and probably first, and where do you think he will start 2011? Binghamton, or back to St. Lucie?
I’m glad he just asked me this question early Tuesday morning.
First, the injury. I’m hearing he will be shut down anywhere from two weeks to the entire off-season. Strain calfs could easily make him DH for the remainder of the winter, but let’s assume he does come back and can play the field.
The main reason Flores needs to moved off of short is not because he is blocked by Jose Reyes. He simply is too slow to play the position. Do you notice in the past ten years how many grounders up the middle are still cut off by either the second baseman or shortstop? Playing this position has changed greatly during my lifetime and not only does a shortstop need a great arm, he needs to have excellent side to side speed, Flores simply doesn’t.
That means, the normal place to send him would be right field, past home of National League bats that should be in the American League DHing. Well, that doesn’t work either in Citi Field, which needs a great defensive player to quickly roam. It also needs a Jeff Francoeur type arm.
This leaves first base, land of Ike Davis for the next projected 6-7 years.
Okay, so let’s go back and say the Mets are still going to play him in right field. Well, I guess because he only played half a season at A+ ball, would be playing a new position, and is still quite young, the obvious move would be to hold him back in 2011 and start him off at Lucy.
So, who do you sit? Cory Vaughn? Cesar Puello? Matt den Dekker? Or, even possibly Darrell Ceciliani?
So Steve, all I can tell you right now that, baring some trade that packages one or more of these names, Flores is blocked out of every field position because of him limited field abilty, while, at the same time, he just may possess the best Mets prospect bat in the system.
Oy vey.
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