The Mack Report - Who To Watch in Binghamton, Tylor Megill, Higher ERA, Jesus Baez, Calvin Ziegler

Who To Watch in Binghamton, Tylor Megill, Higher ERA, Jesus Baez, Calvin Ziegler 

Tim Britton - Who to watch in the Mets minor-league system -

Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Pitching Staff

Mike Vasil (No. 10 in organization)

Dominic Hamel (No. 12 in organization) 

The most important players at Binghamton to start the year might be Dominic Hamel and Mike Vasil — next in the Mets’ pipeline of potential starting pitchers. Hamel was on Puerto Rico’s roster at the World Baseball Classic but didn’t get into a game. While not invited to major-league camp, Vasil made a spot start late in the spring against Atlanta and what was more or less its everyday big-league lineup. Aside from one misplaced changeup that Matt Olson launched out to right, Vasil more than held his own. 

In Peterson and Megill, the Mets have some internal answers over the next couple of seasons for their starting rotation. But as you look to 2025 and beyond, they’ll need others to emerge to fill in when their frontline starters depart. Hamel and Vasil loom large.

 

Drew Koch - https://fansided.com/2023/04/03/ny-mets-rumors-3-players-may/ - 

2. NY Mets roster: Tylor Megill will not be part of the roster by May 

The New York Mets roster has been hit hard by the injury bug. But more specifically, the Mets starting rotation is missing two of their five starters. Both Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana opened the year on the IL. 

Currently, the Mets are rolling with a starting rotation of Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, Tylor Megill, David Peterson, and Kodai Senga. Peterson and Megill are on the roster because Verlander and Quintana are not. While the latter is expected to miss half the season, Verlander could be back in a couple weeks. 

No one on the Mets roster, short of maybe Scherzer, is taking starts away from Verlander. That means that Megill may be headed to Triple-A. The right-hander could be moved to the bullpen instead, but if the Mets want to keep Megill stretched out, it may behoove them to move him back to the minors and be their first option should an injury arise. 

While both Tylor Megill and David Peterson have minor league options remaining, Peterson being a left-hander who can offer manager Buck Showalter a different look certainly works in the 27-year-old’s favor. 

Mack - Old news, but still worth reading.

Right now, Megill and Senga are the aces of this team.

 

Tim Britton and Will Sammon - Mets predictions - 

Which Mets pitcher will post a higher ERA than in 2022? 

Britton: Max Scherzer (2.29). Again, this is a little like cheating: Scherzer’s 2.29 ERA last season was the best of his career, and he can still rank as one of the game’s very best pitchers even if he doesn’t set a career-best for a second straight year. Scherzer has been outstanding in the spring, polishing off a 1.53 ERA with an 11-strikeout performance in his final spring start last week. 

Sammon: Adam Ottavino (2.06). I don’t think Ottavino will have a bad season. There’s not much to suggest that he will. Perhaps, there is his age (37), but Ottavino operates like an extra pitching coach with how much of a savant he is. In fact, I’d wager on him having another strong season. Still, he’s the pick here just because it’s quite difficult to post an ERA like that from the bullpen in consecutive years. However, this does allude to the point of the Mets’ pitching staff being older and somewhat subject to regression. 

Edwin Díaz would have been a pick here, too, just because it would’ve been hard to see him do any better than last year. Ditto for Justin Verlander. 

Mack - Tim Britton has the early lead here.

I still think Max will find his points and become dominate again this season.

 

Joe DeMayo - Mets' updated Top 20 prospects for 2023 MLB season -

12. SS Jesus Baez

The Mets signed Baez for $275,000 in the 2022 international signing period and have been very impressed with his advanced feel to hit -- and hit for power, as he had 16 extra-base hits, including seven home runs, over 54 games in the Dominican Summer League. His likely long-term home defensively is at third base. In the early going he is looking like a possible gem from the Mets' 2022 international signing class. MLB ETA: 2027

 Mack - Awhile off. 

 

Joe DeMayo - Mets' updated Top 20 prospects for 2023 MLB season -

11. RHP Calvin Ziegler

Ziegler has looked as advertised since he was drafted in the second round in 2021. He has big-time stuff with command development needed. His fastball has plus spin rates and vertical break, and tops out at 97 mph. With those metrics, that 97 can look more like 100. His hammer curve has induced a lot of swings and misses, and he scrapped a changeup for a splitter that showed promise. 

Ziegler's walk rate was high last year (6.8 walks per nine), but he didn’t allow hard contact or really many hits at all (26 allowed in 46.2 innings). He dealt with some bicep tendinitis and arm soreness that limited his innings in 2022. He is expected to miss some time to start 2023 as he underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in his pitching elbow. There is a wide variance of potential long-term outcomes and a lot of that depends on his health, as well as the improvement of his command and control.  MLB ETA: 2026 

Mack - eigler had surgery before the season started to remove bone chips. We may not see this prospect for quite awhile.