Good
morning.
Injury
update - Erik Goeddel was cleared by doctor and
will begin throwing in a few days.
I didn’t
know this –
Ken Rosenthal - FYI:
Major-league players do not get suspended for marijuana use. Minor leaguers get
treatment for first offense, 50 games for second.
From the NY
Post –
According to an industry source, Michael Cuddyer received a buyout valued in the $2
million to $3 million range to terminate his contract with the Mets in
December. The veteran outfielder was due $12.5 million in the final season of a
backloaded two-year deal ...
Mack
– Could anyone really have a problem with this?
I originally thought the Cuddyer
signing was a good one, but it quickly turned sour. Still, he remained a
positive factor in the clubhouse and, frankly, he didn’t have to step aside
financially.
I consider Cuddyer a baseball gentle
man for participating in this move.
David
Wright on Noah
Syndergaard –
“Noah has
been fantastic. The maturity that he transitioned from — that prospect status
to working his way up to that kind of elite status — for that transition to
happen on the field is incredible, but the transition in the clubhouse from a
young, somewhat immature kid to what he brings to the table now is amazing. There
are some people who just can’t handle it. I’ve seen plenty who can’t handle it.
There are a lot of young players who feel they have it all figured out, but he
takes constructive criticism very well.’’
Mack – Wright was
obviously referring to the infamous ‘stop eating and get the hell back out in
the dugout’ incident last year.
I accredit a large
part of Syndergaard’s maturity to the other starters that seem to all have
banded together as Knights of Shining Armor.
Thursday the Mets will start
Flores at third base in their Grapefruit League opener against the Nationals in
Viera. He will get starts at both spots and if he needs more work will also
play those positions in minor-league games.
Flores did drills at third base
one day last week learning from Wright and the next he was at first getting
reps and tips with Duda. Working at third, Flores’ only issue was remembering
to face the shortstop to relay signs. At first, where he only played a handful
of games in the minor leagues, Flores said it’s a little bit more of an adjustment.
The Mets need Flores to find his
comfort zone at first — and third — quickly.
Mack – Playing defense
has never come naturally for Flores and this sometimes, third, sometimes first,
and once in a while short think could turn out to be a real defensive cluster
fuck.
Playing each
position is a complete different animal without even taking in consideration
the throwing angles and speeds to first base.
I hope for Flores’
sake his bat can carry him here.
Anthony DiComo on T.J. Rivera –
Few have
done it better than Rivera, whose .318 average over five Minor League seasons
includes little power -- fewer than five home runs per campaign -- and
below-average plate discipline, but plenty of hits. An undrafted free agent,
Rivera hooked on with the Mets in 2011 and batted .301 that season. Three years
later, he made it to Double-A Binghamton, announcing his arrival with a .358
mark at the plate. That success spilled into last season, which saw Rivera hit
.341 at Binghamton, earn a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas, then celebrate with
a .306 average in 54 games.
Mack – It’s funny
how the Mets press are now using the word ‘prospect’ when they talk about the
undrafted Rivera.
My guess is his
high end would still be as a AAAA player, mainly due to his limited pop and
even more limited defense at all positions played. Nothing against his .300+
minor league hitting, but we’ve seen this before.
There are only 30
teams in major league baseball That’s room for 30 starters at each position
from everybody that plays this game in the entire world.
10 comments:
Maybe Cuddyer, who has clearly got a head on his shoulders, has opportunities opening up outside of baseball that help him not grub for the last dollar. Good for him, no matter what. Class guy.
"Major-league players do not get suspended for marijuana use. Minor leaguers get treatment for first offense, 50 games for second." Maybe that is because the game is played on grass? Just wonderin'...and too bad Mejia wasn't just a pot head.
Flores will be fine IMO - no one works harder. He's not being asked to play the OF.
I just saw the very good,inspiring, and highly recommended underdog movie Eddie the Eagle last night...maybe someday, we'll be watching the TJ Rivera Underdog Story.
Tom -
But every gain (Rivera) will come at someone else's expense (???)
Very True, Mack, and Rivera, Muno, Cecchini, and Reynolds will be duking it out like Cruz and Rubio to see who might squeeze out a 25th spot on this roster - but absent any injuries, it will be hot and crowded Vegas for the foursome.
Excellent point about the potential disaster about asking Flores to fill numerous positions. I've never understood the desire to turn Flores into a Super Sub. He's not a good defensive player and whatever value he has will be because his bat can play at this level.
I laughed about the first commenter's line about Mejia.
I feel like our beloved Mets and their front office continues to take for granted the stud rotation and it is bleeding into these types of decisions like our new SS, 2B, Yo staying at CF and wilmer as the super sub.
Im going to support all of these decisions but since im a mets fan/newyorker/italian I will be ranting at a later date if things go wrong......
Either way GO METS !!!!
Brian - the first requirement of a utility infielder is excellent defense in late innings... go figure
Mack,
I would have thought the first requirement for a UT INF is "utility" To me that's adequate (albeit, the better the better) defense at multiple positions and and enough of a bat to to ocassionally start.
Wilmer is ideal for that. (I still think be summer he will be the starting SS though)
I agree on Wilmer as an excellent super sub candidate. Versatility is the key here. It's not to be confused with the role of "defensive specialist." I don't like him at 1B this year, since I'd prefer not to overload him with new defensive challenges.
I like Rivera as a potential 24/25th man. Not my money, but $3 million for Tejada seems a little nutty to me.
Sandy has a lot of fat on this year's payroll. A lot invested in insurance policies. We will see.
I can see a movie in the future about TJ Rivera. True underdog who will hopefully make it to the top! nobody more deserving for a shot than him.
Right on cue, TJ got a hit today
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