We’ve had four
questions come in this week regarding the Mets minor leaguers and I thought I
would not only answer them, but ask some of the writers here to give their two
cents. So, here goes:
Hazel asked: Do you think that CF Matt den Dekker has any
chance of playing in Citifield this year?
Soto: Den Dekker will be with the Mets in September unless there are significant injuries to the OF this year. He is not on the 40 man roster and he is not ready offensively.
Rey P - Not a chance... unless we've ALL given up hope the Mets will land a regular everyday OF before the Mets break camp, and there's an injury to what they have now.
Reese Kaplan - If den Dekker can adjust to AAA pitching as he has shown in previous years taking his time but eventually handling the next higher level then I suspect a September call-up. I would concur that anything earlier than that would indicate a slew of injuries (or PED relapses).
Mack - Yes, but I hope it's not until September. He needs a good season under his belt in thin-air Las Vegas and then we'll see what we have.
Soto: Den Dekker will be with the Mets in September unless there are significant injuries to the OF this year. He is not on the 40 man roster and he is not ready offensively.
Rey P - Not a chance... unless we've ALL given up hope the Mets will land a regular everyday OF before the Mets break camp, and there's an injury to what they have now.
Reese Kaplan - If den Dekker can adjust to AAA pitching as he has shown in previous years taking his time but eventually handling the next higher level then I suspect a September call-up. I would concur that anything earlier than that would indicate a slew of injuries (or PED relapses).
Mack - Yes, but I hope it's not until September. He needs a good season under his belt in thin-air Las Vegas and then we'll see what we have.
Herb G - If dD gets his mojo back in Vegas, I think there is a very good chance that we see him in Citifield this September, or possibly earlier if the youth movement we currently have designated as starters fail to deliver. Even if there is a July trade for an established outfielder, den Dekker could push his way into the picture with his stellar glove.
Rollie asked: Mack, you are really high on P Domingo Tapia.
At what point should we start taking some of these prospects serious?
Soto: For me...I start taking prospects seriously after they making it past High Single A.
Reese - 2016. He still has to conquer AA in 2013 and AAA in 2014. 2015 would be the earliest assuming he flourishes at these other levels. I expect some setbacks, so I'd go with 2016.
Mack - no pitcher can be taken serious until he masters AA.
Herb G - Although I am not quite as high on Tapia as some others, he has to be taken seriously. He'll need more than a triple digit FB to excel in the bigs, but at 21 he has some time to develop. This year at St. Lucie is important for him, and we'll know a lot more about where he fits into the Mets' future by late summer.
Soto: For me...I start taking prospects seriously after they making it past High Single A.
Reese - 2016. He still has to conquer AA in 2013 and AAA in 2014. 2015 would be the earliest assuming he flourishes at these other levels. I expect some setbacks, so I'd go with 2016.
Mack - no pitcher can be taken serious until he masters AA.
Herb G - Although I am not quite as high on Tapia as some others, he has to be taken seriously. He'll need more than a triple digit FB to excel in the bigs, but at 21 he has some time to develop. This year at St. Lucie is important for him, and we'll know a lot more about where he fits into the Mets' future by late summer.
James F. asks Long time reader… It’s obvious that the Mets
are showcasing Darin Gorski, Cory Mazzoni, Hansel Robles, and Rafael Montero.
We all have Zack Wheeler replacing Johan Santana. Who’s next up to replace
Shaun Marcum in 2014?
Soto - Jenrry Mejia
Soto - Jenrry Mejia
Reese Kaplan - The forgotten man in camp is latecomer Jenrry Mejia. He still sports a lifetime 2.95 ERA against all levels as a starting pitcher. If the team hadn't jerked him around so much between the rotation and the pen he might have been there this year. Assuming he's going to be in AAA in Las Vegas this season he would likely be the next call up for a long term gig (as opposed to the spot starters like Hefner and McHugh).
Mack - I have no idea right now. It should be Mejia but it could be someone from outside the organization in a package deal for prospects like Montero, Mazzoni, and Gorski. 2013 will have to play out first.
Herb G - The Mets are showcasing a slew of youngsters this spring, but Montero is destined to stay, imo. If he continues his climb up the ladder with strong performances in Binghamton in the first half and Las Vegas in the second, he projects himself squarely in the mix for the rotation, come next spring.
Soll asks: Draft wise, should we go for ‘best player
available’, even if it’s another shortstop,
or should we target into an outfielder that would still be at least 3-4 years
away?
Soto - Best Available Talent.....if need be we can trade the depth to fill additional needs
Reese Kaplan - I fully advocate the "best available player" concept since draftees are likely not going to see the light of day for 4 years or more. An awful lot of things can happen during that interval, including trades or injuries to currently entrenched players.
Soto - Best Available Talent.....if need be we can trade the depth to fill additional needs
Reese Kaplan - I fully advocate the "best available player" concept since draftees are likely not going to see the light of day for 4 years or more. An awful lot of things can happen during that interval, including trades or injuries to currently entrenched players.
Mack - I piss and moan about not drafting a certain player, but the fact is the 'BPA' approach is the correct one, even if it's another shortstop. You can't have enough top prospects at any position. What the Mets have to do is take the same draft approach as Boston and the Nats. Pick the best due out there and step up and pay theman.
Herb G - Absolutely gotta be best player available. By the time a 2013 draft pick is major league ready, the Mets should already be contenders, and that pick will have been traded to fill a need or available to upgrade whatever position he plays.
9 comments:
James F brings up a great subject...
Why would the Mets invite Hansel Robles and Rafael Montero to big league camp when one of then never pitched above Rookie ball and the other only made about 6 starts in St. Lucy? I think they are show casing these guys to the league, along with Mazzoni and perhaps Gorski.
It's no secrete that they would love a ML outfielder or at least a prospect outfielder on the cusp of being ML ready. What better way to show some teams that these guys aren't just good scouting reports then to put them in there against ML players in spring training?
Perhaps Sandy had a few teams on the hook, but they weren't sold on some of these guys. Maybe by showcasing them against the league, it'll be easier to get team's whistle's wet when trying to pry away a decent outfielder.
Montero and Mazzoni have been pretty good so far, but I wasn't that impressed watching Robles. I expected a lot more. These guys all seem to have their change ups and fastballs working, but their breaking pitches need some refinement. Who knows, perhaps it's not too late to get something done.
Remember that Feliciano, Santana, Marcum, and Hawkins were also supposed to be pitching from the get-go.
Remember that Feliciano, Santana, Marcum, and Hawkins were also supposed to be pitching from the get-go.
Robles is in camp because he is on the 40 man roster. They could possibly be showcasing him, but I wouldn't infer that just because he is getting some ST exposure. Germen and Gorski are also on the 40 man, although as 25 year olds, they may indeed be trade bait.
Montero and Mazzoni are there as legitimate candidates. Other than Wheeler, both are the closest we have to major league ready. I can see both of them competing for opening day roster spots in 2014 if they are not part of a package for an outfielder before that. Even though both would be highly desirable and sought after by other teams, I wouldn't necessarily say they are deliberately being showcased.
On the other hand, as spring training progresses, keep an eye on those youngsters the Mets pull from minor league camp to take to away games. Those are guys who could be showcased.
If they were so close to ML ready, and this goes for Montero mostly, who I thought look pretty good against the Nats, why keep them so low in the minors?
Why not move Montero and Robles to AA last year at some point?
Mazzoni and Gorski did not have Wheeler or Harvey type years in AA...they both saw significant drop off in their stats and it was surprising to everyone to hear they were looking to them as possible ML bullpen guys.
Why do you need Gorski in your ML pen, when you have Engin, Carson, and Feliciano already?
Mazzoni? I'd point to Familia, Holt, Elvin Ramierez, and Mejia as better options considering how they've all performed recently at AA or AAA.
It makes a lot more sense to me that they are looking to showcase some arms here. Possibly show some teams that these guys have potential. I mean, does any of these four guys actually have any chance to make the team?
Parnell, Feliciano, Edgin, Carson, Rice, Heffner, Laffey, Hawkings, Atchison, Familia, Ramirez, Francisco, and Burke
Honestly, how many of these guys are locks?
I count 8 and that includes and injured FF.
The Gorski thing was just some stupid thing either TC or Warthen came up with... I don't believe it.
I think it was just done to motivate the other lefties in camp + a possible showcase.
This was decided before the Mets knew they had heart problems with Pedro
Locks right now... Parnell, Edgin, Burke, Atchison
Mack, IMO the current locks are Parnell, Edgin, Lyon and Atchison. Everyone else, including Burke, needs to earn a spot in the coming weeks.
I don't think the Gorski thing was a stupid thing or a mistake. He's 25 years old, he's not going to crack the rotation, but he's a good solid lefty. Feliciano's current health is an issue, as is his recovery, so you can't count on him. Rice is a long shot even though he has gotten some favorable press lately. I personally don't think Carson is nearly good enough. And Laffey runs hot and cold. All things considered, unless Feliciano shows us he is close to the Feliciano of old, or one of the others steps up big time, I'd like to see Gorski get his shot.
Charles, you raise some interesting points. First off, you realize that this regime, unlike the past, is not going to rush players along prematurely. Montero's 12 starts at A and 8 starts at A+ were both age and developmentally appropriate. This year I believe he will spend his time similarly, at AA and AAA. I think your mention of Robles at AA was a mistake. Did you mean someone else?
You're right that neither Mazzoni nor Gorski had Wheeler/Harvey stats last year, and both showed dropoffs. I think it is premature to relegate a 23 year old Mazzoni to the pen, despite the falloff in his numbers, but Gorski, as I said previously, is another story.
If, however, I were considering Mazzoni as a legit candidate for the pen this year, Elvin is the only alternative you mentioned who I'd give the nod to. Mejia is going to get his shot to make it as a starter. And the others all had inferior stats to Mazzoni's last year.
Getting back to the question of locks, and the likely makeup of the opening day pen, as I said before, the current locks are Parnell, Edgin, Lyon (you forgot to mention him) and Atchison. My favorites for the other 3 spots are Burke, Feliciano and Ramirez, although the situation is still very fluid. Laffey, Hefner, Familia, Carson, and even Hawkins, Rice and Carson cannot be counted out.
I forgot Lyon. Yeah, a couple decent pitchers are not making this team.
I don't get why MdD has already been relegated to starting the season in Vegas. What does Captain Kirk do better than MdD (minus all the strikeouts but Kirk is not immune to that either)....
I think MdD could cover Duda's defensive shortcomings and whoever in LF.
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