Tom Brennan - MY METS PROSPECTS: #18 MATT BLACKHAM

Tom Brennan - MY METS PROSPECTS: #18 MATT BLACKHAM

I wondered who I'd make my number 18, Matt or  two other Tommy John victims.  Since Matt has very successfully pitched since his surgery, I gave him the nod here.

Matt was a fine pitcher for Kingsport coming out of the 2014 draft in the 29th round - 19 innings, 2-0, 1.42 ERA, 25 Ks.  In Brooklyn in 2015, converted to a starter, he was 2-2 in 6 starts, 3.82, with 42 Ks...then boom - Tommy John visited like to Ghost of Christmas Future.  There goes the rest of 2015, and all of 2016 too.  Good grief.

Back comes Matt in 2017 as a reliever for Columbia.  In April, May and June he was very good, but not great.  But it takes time to be in total high gear after such surgery's lengthy layoff and rehab.

In July-Sept?  Spectacular.  20 outings, 26.2 IP, 12 hits, no earned runs, 4 walks, 39 Ks. And 7 for 7 in saves.  Lethal.  Back to back reliever of the month awards in the So. Atlantic League, too.  149 Ks in 106 career innings, a nice feather in the cap of any reliever.

Full A ball is a far cry from AA and AAA, so I was quite disappointed that he was not promoted late in the season to challenge him while he was pitching in high gear.

I like to acknowledge and reward performance, though, and Matt's performance was total lock down in the season's second half, so I put him as my # 18 prospect.  Disagree with me as you like, but I like Matt.  And think he will move up FAST in 2018.  No surprise to me at all if he is in the Mets' bullpen in 2019.

And is it just me - or does he have a stare that looks a little bit like Malcolm McDowell from A Clockwork Orange?

YANKS GAME LAST NITE: felt like a quintessential Mets key loss game, where everything went so, so wrong after they had convincingly clubbed clueless Corey Kluber, which was shocking.  Reese, what if FOR ONE GAME, Joe Gerardi was unavailable and the Yankees borrowed Terry Collins, Special Assistant?  Most likely, the series would be 1-1. Had to be Joe's worst managing game ever.