Morning Report – May 24rd – Matt Harvey, The New Rotation, Wilmer Flores

        Coming Later Today –

             10 am - Reese Kaplan - Terry Collins:  You Are The Weakest Link

           12 noon -  Ernest Dove - We May Have Ourselves A Closer 

          12 noon -  Nine Baseball - 5-21 Mock  

     

  2 pm  –  Top 12 3B in 2014 MLB Draft - - Updated 5-19-14

           4 pm -  Top 11 SS in 2014 MLB Draft - Updated 5-19-14

6 pm -  Sean Reid-Foley, Chase Vallot, Michael Kopech, Nic Wilson, Michael Conforto

I’d like to welcome two new writers to Mac’s Mets.

     -Matt Gad returns to Mack’s Mets after a ‘short hiatus’. Matt is sports writer for the Milford-Orange Bulletin and will add his unique perspective to the site.

     -in addition, one of our most loyal commenters, Thomas Brennan, is joining the Mack’s Mets staff and will handle the Sunday Morning Report, giving me a break.

Please welcome them both.

Mark Mokris to me -

Mack, I hope this letter finds you well. 

On Matt Harvey.  I think everyone is missing an important part of Harvey's procedure.  Harvey had adult stem cells injected into his elbow to speed the healing process.  When Dr. Jobe was on MLB Radio he was saying that there have not been any studies to determine how it would impact the healing process but the stem cell injection is significantly better than the prp injections because they only put body in position to potentially make the stem cells to promote healing whereas stem cell injections have everything in place to assist the healing process without having to hope that stem cells will be generated like in PRP therapy.  The bottom line in all of this is that Harvey may be just fine coming back in 10 months and to compare him with the 12 month standard protocol is a bit misleading.  Just look at Bartolo Colon who was just about out of baseball and had stem cells injected into his shoulder and elbow and basically has new shoulder and elbow as a result.  Hopefully the stem cell procedure will eventually completely replace TJS but until it does I don't think anyone should underestimate the benefits of the procedure.  Harvey should be just fine coming back in 10 months and to use the normal timeline for recovery from Tommy John Surgery is just not appropriate.  What the Mets should be doing is taking an MRI may be every three months to see how the elbow is recovering so they can help determine if the combination of Tommy John Surgery and Stem Cell Therapy does indeed shorten the recovery process.  Don't need to post this or anything but I thought someone ought to take a more reasoned approach to Harvey and Hefner's rehab timeline.  Thanks.

Thank you, Mark. Mokris is a regular here who is an attorney who prides himself on his knowledge of sports representation and medicine. You may remember his ad here on Mack’s Mets a year ago. Frankly, I had forgot all about the stem cell addition, but I still think the Mets will keep the horse collar on him this season. It may piss him off in September, but, in the long run, he’ll thank the Mets for forcing him not to pitch.

John Zozo said -

Mack I am not into rushing these kids into the pen this year, let them try and work it out in the SP roll first. This year I just hope we land another top ten pick in next year’s draft. Then after that I wanna draft last in the first round for years to come.

      Thanks for your comments, John.

      Here’s how I see this.

I really believe I am right about this and my job, as a Mets writer, is to express what I truly feel.

Reese Kaplan truly believes that Terry Collins should be fired. I truly feel that Rafael Montero should be in the pen. I believe that it is Reese’s responsibility to write about why he feels that way so others can be influenced… as I am going to point out every time Montero gives up zero runs in the first two innings he pitches. I’m already seeing other writers jumping about the train here because it makes sense.

John, all the bloggers read each other as well as the beat guys… and most of the beat guys read each other and a select group of bloggers.

I want you to keep coming back here and telling me I’m nuts, but I’m going to prove to you that I’m right here J

Fangraphs on Flores –

         

  On Tuesday, in Flores’ second start since returning from his illness, his lack of range was on display. In one instance, a ground ball hit several steps to his left forced an awkward dive and flip to Daniel Murphy. The Mets moved him off the position several years ago because he lacked range and foot speed. That hasn’t changed and it is clear Flores’ future is not at shortstop. A strong performance won’t likely change that but, as a bat-only player, it could convince his suitors that he can be productive at another position. His contact ability remains his best asset and his approach has improved, but unless Flores can prove that last season’s power was not a mirage he will not overcome his defensive shortcomings. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/prospect-watch-cecchini-and-flores-and-their-new-futures/

No one likes Wilmer Flores. I’m sure Jeurys Familia delayed that throw to second last night only because Flores was in the area. Everybody has written off any chance of this guy to work out defensively in the long run.

Flores also made a lot of fans last night when he got three hits, but three singles by a bad defensive shortstop is not going to get you a long term job in baseball.

There’s been a lot of comment chatter on Mack’s Mets regarding who should play short, either Flores or Ruben Tejada. The answer, in the long run, is neither.

The lack of offering a decent contract to first, Jose Reyes and then, Stephen Drew, tells me that Sandy Alderson has placed a value on this position far below what the rest of baseball does.

We could have been so done with this position so long ago.