The Mack Report - Curtiss, Opp, Alvarez, Hunter, Narváez

 

The Mack Report - Curtiss, Opp, Alvarez, Hunter, Narváez

 

John Curtiss Making Strong Bid For New York Mets Bullpen Spot -

Prior to tearing his UCL at the end of 2021, Curtiss was starting to come into his own as a reliever. 

During the shortened 2020 season, Curtiss played with the Tampa Bay Rays and had a 1.80 ERA and was worth 0.4 fWAR in 17 games (25 innings). 

Between the Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers in 2021, Curtiss was worth 0.3 fWAR and had a 3.45 ERA in 41 games (44 1/3 innings). 

Mack -  Curtiss could be one of the real steals this off- season. I expect him to make the 26 and travel with the team to Flushing.

 

 For Mets' Opp, life experiences led him to Team Great Britain -

Opp’s story has been fraught with difficulty, as he lost his father during high school, was cut from his college baseball team, transferred to West Point, walked onto the team there, went undrafted his junior and senior seasons, played in independent ball, briefly abandoned baseball to fulfill his military commitment and then finally, in 2020, received a Minor League contract offer from the Mets. 

Last year, Opp made it to Double-A Binghamton, performing well enough to catch the eye of Great Britain’s WBC organizers. He threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings in Great Britain’s qualifying round win over France, then watched his teammates upset the favored Spaniards to earn a spot in the main bracket. Now, Opp is back with that group again in Phoenix, where he will serve as a leverage reliever against some of the game’s brightest stars from the United States, Mexico, Canada and Colombia. 

Mack - Cam Opp stands 5-11 and will play 2023 as a 27-year old. 

He pitched for both Brooklyn and Binghamton last season and had a total stat line of  1-3, 5.73, 16- appearances, 37.2-IP, 29-K, 26-BB 

 

Flexing: Each team's top power-hitting prospect -

Mets: Francisco Álvarez, C (No. 1/ MLB No. 3)

Álvarez is the type of batter that makes you want to get a good seat during batting practice. His whiplike swing and immense strength often elicit wows from fans, coaches, fellow players and evaluators alike, and he carries that power into games too. His 51 homers over the last two seasons rank second among all Minor League catchers, and he achieved that total before his 21st birthday. In only a brief Major League callup, he posted a 108.9 mph exit velocity that led all Mets catchers in 2022, and all indications point to there being a lot more where that came from. 

Mack - Come on, buddy. Hit!

 

https://theathletic.com/4245052/2023/02/24/mets-bullpen-candidates/?source=user-shared-article -

Tommy Hunter (36)

Acquired: Signed as a minor-league free agent,

Status: Not on the 40-man roster and without options. To carry Hunter on the major-league roster, the Mets would have to make room on the 40-man roster by either designating a different player for assignment or moving someone to the 60-day injured list. Once in the majors, Hunter cannot be sent to the minors without being designated for assignment himself.

Repertoire: Sinker, cutter, curveball

2022: 2.42 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 22 1/3 major-league innings 

You can be excused for thinking Hunter can roll out of bed and post a 3.00 ERA over the course of the season. It’s essentially what he’s done since shifting to the bullpen for Showalter a decade ago in Baltimore. The self-deprecating right-hander attributed that consistency to good defense behind him and “blind f—— luck,” but it really derives from a simple but repeatable diet of sinkers and cutters. 

“I’ve got two pitches that are pretty much the same speed that go in two different directions,” Hunter said. “I do the same exact thing over and over and over again. And it’s kept working.” 

Even as his role has diminished in recent years, Hunter’s remained effective and versatile. He’s hit the IL a few times the past two years in Queens with back tightness, and that’s generally helped the Mets retain his services for the long haul. 

Mack - The 6-3 RHP 36-yr. old  Hunter was originally drafted in the 18^th round of the 2005 draft, by Tampa Bay. 

He chose to attend Alabama instead and was then drafted in the first round of the 2007 draft by the Rangers. 

2022 MLB stat line - 0.3-WAR, 0-1, 2.42, 18-apps, 22.1-IP, 22-K 

 

https://theathletic.com/4274736/2023/03/07/new-mlb-rules-2023/?source=user-shared-article -

New York Mets

Player: Omar Narváez, C

No player in Queens is affected by as many of the new rules as Narváez. Among expected everyday players for the Mets, only Eduardo Escobar saw the shift more often than Narváez last season — and Escobar gets to switch-hit. Narváez has as good a chance as any Met of rediscovering a few extra hits over the course of the season. And as a catcher, he’s got as important a role on the other side of the ball. It’s his responsibility to get on the same page swiftly with a whole new pitching staff to avoid hurried deliveries. He’ll also have to control an opposing running game that will be boosted by bigger bases and fewer pickoff attempts. — Tim Britton 

Mets spring training takeaways - I’m most surprised by

Sammon: … not too many people sounding overly worried about Omar Narváez missing time with his new team to play in the WBC. Aside from the obvious injury concerns with the star players, Narváez’s absence is notable because he’s the Mets’ new catcher and he’s tasked with learning a new staff. For Narváez, representing Venezuela completes a career goal. The way he sees it, he may not ever get the opportunity to do so again. In explaining away some worries, people around the Mets pointed to their veteran stars — Max Scherzer and Verlander — knowing themselves so well, Narváez arriving a couple of weeks before camp officially opened to get a headstart on relationships, and the familiarity he already had as an opponent against Quintana and Carlos Carrasco. Even Scherzer said the pitcher-catcher relationship requires time and things may not get really comfortable until June, after some in-game conversations — or arguments — are had between the two. If anything, the hardest part for Narváez would be getting back up to speed on relievers. 

Mack - I too find it very strange that he didn’t remain in Port St. Lucie.