Mack's Morning Report - 10-5 - Pipeline Position Analysis - RP

Last in the series... relief pitchers.

I'm not going to break all of the ones in the system here. I'm simply going to give my prediction as to where the teams will start the season with, if there are no more injuries in camp.

We also will do this on merit. If you had a full and great season at, let's say, Kingsport, than you get a top slot in Columbia.

It will be interesting to see the degree of fodder here.

First comes Flushing

MLB - RHP Robert Gsellman - one of the two excess starters in camp that deserve more than a demotion to Vegas hell. Long man #1. 

RHP Seth Lugo - Long man #2 who could actually be the in hold SP6 over Gsellman. 

RHP Jeurys Familia - Familia did not have a good 2017 season, but I'm not going to give up on him yet. Also, I think he's going to make a great 1-2 punch with the guy listed below. 

RHP A.J. Ramos - has been a much welcomes addition to the pen this year... just wish he had more than one year left before he goes away 

LHP Jerry Blevens - Blevens had a wonderful 2017 and has earned a return to this team. I can't conceive of any reason that the Mets won't sign him up for the '18 season.

  RHP Jacob Rhame - The new addition Rhame will be asked to step up in 2018 and I expect he will. 

RHP James Callahan -  ditto Callahan. 

LHP Kyle Regnault - let me first say that Chasen Bradford earned this last slot in next year's pen, but you can't have a pen with only one lefty. Regnault was impressive in Vegas this past season (34-appearances, 5-0, 3.28), though he does have to continue to work on his control issues (22 walks in 49.1 innings pitched). 

DL - Josh Edgin (knee), David Roseboom (foot)
  

AAA - Las Vegas 

RHP Tim Peterson -  26/yrs. old - 20th Rd./2012 - you have to make room for this guy in Vegas come the spring of 2018. 41-games in Binghamton produced a 1.14/0.78 stat line. Forget the two game, 16.88 stint this past year. Peterson is Vegas bound. 

RHP Chasen Bradford -  28/yrs. old - Rd. 35/2011 - As I said earlier, he's earned a slot in Flushing, but one of the right hand pitchers has to go down to balance out the pen. Bradford is odd man out.

  RHP Drew Smith - 23/yrs old - 3rd Rd./2015 - Detroit - Smith has impressed since the day he arrived in Binghamton - 11-appearances, 3-2, 1.80, 0.87, 17-K, 15-IP. I expect to see him in Queens by the 2018 All-Star break.

 LHP Alberto Baldonado -  24/yrs. old - IFA - I have to give this guy a do-over for the 2017 season. He pitched lights out for Binghamton (11-appearances, 0.00-ERA!), but followed this up with a 39-appearance, 6.65-ERA in Vegas. Obviously moved too quickly. Every pen needs two leftys and Baldo will be one of mine come 2018

LHP Ben Griset - 25/yrs. old -  13th Rd./2013 - Griset had an admirable season in Binghamton last season (35-appearances, 4-1, 2.39, 1.12) and you just don't hold back lefties, do you?

RHP Paul Sewald - 27/yrs. old - 10th Rd/2012 - Frankly, the Mets had hoped for a lot more from Sewald this past season in the senior circuit (50-G, 4.58). He's not bad enough to cut loose, but others will pass him and he's going to have to return to Vegas and wait another turn. This is a perfect case of it just doesn't matter if you other can strike out batters at a ratio above nine. You still have to get them out.

Ben Rowan - 28/yrs. old - 22nd Rd./2010/Texas - not the greatest stats in Vegas last year... but not bad for a workhouse (54-games) in a bad league (3-3, 4.41). Worth a bring back.

RHP Kevin McGowan - 25/yrs. old - 13th Rd./2013 - Frankly, a nice season in the PCL... 47-G, 4.15. Three appearances in Queens, but he'll head back out west for the spring of 2018.

Injured Reserve:  Josh Prevost (TJS)

Cuts - Beck Wheeler, Sean Gilmartin, Logan Taylor, Kelly Secrest, Neil Wagner


AA - Binghamton - 

RHP Tyler Balshor - 24/yrs. old - 11th Rd./2013 - Balshor finished the 2017 season with 46 appearances, shared between St. Lucie and Binghamton (3.44), but here's the rub... he pitched in 12 games for the B-Mets. ERA: 0.00!. I'm not going to fast track him. I'm bringing him back here in the spring and the hopes is he will end the season in Queens.

LHP - Kevin Canelon - 23/yrs. old - IFA - Canelon jumped around from starter to reliever but finished with a decent season, all for St. Lucie: 32-G, 10-starts, 3-4, 2.97. Small control issues, but still has earned a bump to the B-Mets.

RHP Adonis Uceta - 23/yrs old - IFA - made his bones last year in Columbia (29-G, 1.26), then moved on to St. Lucie (8-games, 0.84) and ended with Binghamton (4-games, 4.50). Sure looks like the real deal but we'll give him the first half of the 2018 season before we change his name to blue ink

RHP Gerson Bautista - 22/yrs. old - IFA - looks like Sandy might have found a gem here. Stats since joining the Mets organization: 10-games, 5-saves, 14.1-IP, 0-1, 1.26, 0.91, 12.6 K/9 - What's not to like here. I'm not going to rush him. I'll play him in Binghamton and Vegas in 2018.

RHP Corey Taylor - 24/yrs. old -  7th Rd/2015 - The good news... Taylor had a good season for Binghamton in 2017 (42-G, 3.61). The bad news... there is no room for him in Vegas for the beginning of 2018. So, back to New York State to do it again.

RHP Cody Burns - 29/yrs. old -  8th Rd./2009/Cleveland - settling in as a good AAAA reliever... 2017/LV-BNG: 46-G, 4.70. Could lose his gig to a lefty.

RHP Briam Campusano - 21/yrs. old - I may be pushing this one. Pitched a little for four teams last year, finishing with St. Lucie (2-G, 2.00). Two year minor league career WHIP: 1.04. Push it.

RHP Joshua Torres - 23/yrs old. - IFA - Came back from being out for the entire 2016 season with impressive numbers for St. Lucie: 41-G, 1-4, 3.14, 63-IP, 77-K. Definitely has earned a promotion.

Weakness: Needs a second lefty.

Injured Reserved - Max Kuhns (TJS), Joel Huertas (TJS)

Cuts - Casey Delgado, Luis Mateo


A+ - St. Lucie

LHP Miguel Guiterrez - IFA - Another stretch, but I do love my lefties. Guiterrez had a meh season in 2017 for the GCL-Mets (15-G, 5.91), but was 'sent packing' down the complex to St. Lucie late in the season to save plane fair (go Jeff!). Results: 3-games, 5.1-IP, 1-0, 0.00, 0.75. I'm bringing him back for a second look.

RHP Adam Atkins - 24/yrs. old - 18th Rd./2016 - Atkins had sick stats in Columbia this past season: 23-G, 3-0, 0.86, 0.93, 31.1-IP, 29-K. He laso got a taste of St. Lucie (5-G, 7.71) which should show him that baseball isn't just some walk in the park. I expect him totally focused for the 2018 season... in St. Lucie.

RHP Matt Blackburn - 24/yrs. old - 29th Rd./2014 - lost 2016 toinjuries but pitched lights out for Columbia this past season... 40-G, 1.43, 0.99, a hefty 82-Ks in 56.2-IP. Frankly, you could see him jump a level and go straight to Binghamton.

RHP Austin McGeorge - 22/yrs. old - 7th Rd./2016 - pitched excellently this past season for both Columbia (6-games, 1.42) and St. Lucie (25-games, 1.89). Probably should be in Binghamton but I have him as the first call-up.

RHP Joseph Zanghi - 22/yrs. old - 24th Rd./2015 - Zanghi pitched the entire 2017 season for Columbia and produced a stat line of 2.19, 64-K in 61.2-IP (41-games). Needs to work on his walks(26); however, he will more on, with vigor, to St. Lucie.

RHP Stephen Nogosek - 22/yrs old - Rd. 6/2016-Boston - Well, not every reliever Sandy got his mitts on this past trading season pitched well as a Met... 9-G, 1-1, 5.06, 1.50, 16-IP, 8.4 K/9. Didn't pitch as well for Boston either. We'll have to give him a push and let him start anew here in 2018.

RHP Alex Palsha - 25 yrs/old - 27th Rd./2014 - Pitched 42 games for St. Lucie in 2017 (3.77) but relievers are starting to stack up like planes trying to land at LaGuardia, so it's back to Lucy for Alex. 

John Magliozzi - 26/yrs. old - 17th Rd./2013 - Mags came of age last season for St. Lucie (44-G, 3.19) after an even better season in 2016 for Columbia (40-G, 2.70). He should be pitching for Binghamton, but there just isn't enough room for him right now, so it's back to Florida.

Injured Reserve - Mike Gibbons  (TJS)

Cuts - Daniel Bard, Cam Griffin, Darwin Ramos, Craig Misigman, Justin Brantly


A - Columbia


RHP - Cannon Chadwick - 22/yrs. old - Rd. 9/2017 - How's that for a name! 'The Cannon' dropped toe book this year after signing for Brooklyn... 18-appearances, 1-1, 1.33, 1.37, 27-IP, 40-K. Needs to work on the control (14-BB) like most young fire-ballers have to. This is our blue ink prospect at this level right now.

RHP Stephen Villines - 22/yrs. old - 10th Rd./2017 - We may have something here. Villines, a pure reliever from the get go, was drafted out of Kansas last year and pitched for both Kingsport (8-G, 1.08, 1.20) and Brooklyn (11-G, 1.89, 0.74).  He also struck out 41 batters in 27.1 innings pitched. I'm not going to get in the way of this guy. This is a prospect in the making.

RHP Trey Cobb - 23/yrs. old - 8th Rd./2017 - Cobb is another reliever, but dabbled a little starting at Oklahoma State. He was assigned to Brooklyn after the draft and put up great numbers (20-G, 2.63, 1.13). Also 30-Ks in 27.1-IP. Understand. These guys pitched super numbers for a very bad Brooklyn team. Another one to keep an eye on.

RHP Connor O'Neil - 22/yrs. old - 7th Rd./2017 - another 2017 mid-round reliever... and 19 games pitched for Brooklyn: 1-2, 3.28, 28-K, 24.2-IP. Not as exciting as some of the other pitchers listed above, but definitely someone that has earned a slot in Columbia.

RHP Gregoriz Estevez - 23/yrs. old - IFA - Has pitched in the Mets system for five seasons (75-G, 5-starts, 11-9, 3.70). Pitched in 21 games for Brooklyn this past season (3-1 3.770. Problem: 31-IP, 26-K, 26-BB. We'll give him one more season to work on this. 

RHP Ryder Ryan 22/yrs. old - 30th Rd./2016 Cleve -Ryan came to the Mets from Cleveland in the Jay Bruce trade. He pitched extremely well once he put on a Columbia uniform: 8-G, 13-IP, 0-0, 2.08, 0.85, 9-K/9. I don't have him listed as a prospect yet but he's getting close.

RHP Matt Probereyko - 25/yr. old - undrafted (Ariz) - 'Probe' was picked up by the Mets after a 3-team choppy 2016 in the Diamondback's system (15-G, 4.33). He pitched much better this past season for Columbia (23-G, 3.15) and I can't see any reaon not toinvite him back again.

LHP Taylor Henry - 24/yrs. old - 21st Rd. 2015 - We always need leftites, even if they have a hard time finding the zone sometimes (2017 COL: 20-BB, 60.1-IP). Still, a respectable 4.33 in 39 appearances and we'll invite him back for a chance to improve on these numbers in 2018.

Injured Reserve - Seth Davis

Cut - Keaton Aldridge



Brooklyn - Kingsport - GCL - DSL - 


  This is when things get hazy. It is impossible to predict what pitchers are going to be in which pen this far out of the short season starting, and before the draft kids from the next draft are signed and assigned.

Still, the overall grade here is a good one. I liked what Sandy was doing even before all the trades and that was drafting mid-range draft picks that were successful college relievers. Look at this past year's 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th round pick, all who pitched for Brooklyn: Connor O'Neill, Trey Cobb, Cannon Chadwick, and Stepen Villines.

Right, now, especially in the lower to mid-level affiliates, there are many good potential major league pitchers to come.

But, we'll see.

Rating: B