Over the weekend in addition to the humiliating come-from-behind San Diego Padres victory after a surprisingly effective start from Jose Quintana there came news that lukewarm prospect Brett Baty is likely done for the season with his recent hit-by-pitch which resulted in not just pain in the finger that absorbed the errant throw but a fracture which normally takes 4 to 6 weeks for it to heal. Given that September 1st arrives this coming Sunday it would suggest that the forgettable Baty 2024 season has just ended.
What’s interesting for the Mets right now is figuring out who deserves promotions when eligible when the calendar closes on August. Some people are advocating Drew Gilbert get the call given his speed and power, but the 20 year old has missed much of the season due to injury and really hasn’t shown he’s capable of mastering AAA with a .212 batting average despite a seemingly hot week. I say seemingly because other than the home runs he did nothing else and his batting average did not rise.
Granted, the Mets could use a prospective late inning pinch runner and a guy on the bench who does have occasional home run power but between finding ABs for Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte, Jose Iglesias, Harrison Bader, slumping Brandon Nimmo and Tyrone Taylor the Mets are already fairly crowded. It is unlikely Gilbert would get any starts unless the Mets fell out of October contention entirely.
Another prospective pinch runner is Luisangel Acuna. He’s hitting .257 which doesn’t make anyone do cartwheels. However, he is a solid fielder and has swiped 32 bases successfully. He’s also going to find starting assignments hard to find given the Mets’ crowded infield. Again, they may rest some regulars if the club falls out of contention for the playoffs.
Pitching is certainly something the Mets could use expecially with Paul Blackburn down and out with his hand injury. Right now it appears that Tylor Megill will again get the call as he’s already on the 40-man roster and out of options when the 2024 season ends. None of the other starters in Syracuse are doing anything to warrant a promotion.
If you look at the roster in Syracuse it would appear that the highest level performers are like the recently DFA’d Ben Gamel — veteran players who couldn’t land a major league job and wound up tooling around the minors hoping for an injury or a major slump in the majors to create a spot to join the majors once again. Guys like Jackie Bradley, Jr., Mike Brosseau and Luke Ritter are doing alright but aren’t even on the 40-man roster. Then again, if the need arose the Mets could can someone not destined to be a part of the future like D.J. Stewart.
Then there are older players whose prospect window has closed who could be fringe additions like the trio of 27 year olds Ty Adcock, Max Kranick and Eric Orze. There are other players like Joey Lucchesi who played themselves off the roster.
A name familiar to the fans who saw him collapse in Florida is reliever Shintaro Fujinami. Everyone knows he throws hard and a guy who can fan batters in a crucial late game situation are key cogs to a team’s pennant drive. Unfortunately over his 20 games this season he owns an ugly 6.95 ERA so it is unlikely he would contribute much in September.
Right now it doesn’t appear there is much immediate help in Syracuse.
7 comments:
I clearly would have recalled Brittle Baty.
I would now bring up two pitchers. Megill is already coming back, so what other 2? Orze being one, for mop up duty. Reid Garrett has been horrible, and it would be good to use him only in mop up situations, too. Or bring up a pitcher and Acuna, as a pinch runner and late inning defensive replacement. NO on Gilbert - not nearly ready, due to his largely self-inflicted injury that cost him 4 months. Austin Allen possibly, except as a 3rd catcher, he has a noodle for an arm. Wyatt Young? Luke Ritter? Not a pretty picture. Blackburn may be back in a week or 10 days, but that shelling he took in his last start was Houser at his worst.
Menwhile, Atlanta has the afterburners on. They NEED to sweep Arizona.
Acuna 4 for 5, HR, 2 steals (33, 34), 3 RBIs last night. He is just about ready to be a Mets utility player.
The callups have to be one hitter and one pitcher. The pitcher would be Eric Orze, but the hitter? After sifting through all the embers of what’s available, I would bring up DJ Stewart. He still sucks, but he is already on the 40 man and still can walk or hit a homerun. If not him, then a catcher so Alvarez and Torens are able to pinch hit. Nothing else is interesting. I don’t want a pinch runner that starts Acuna’s MLB clock unless it’s later in September so he can keep getting consistent at bats.
Gus, you assume that starting Acuna's clock will make a difference in the long run. Hopefully, he will be good enough to have that make a difference.
I think Acuna is the right choice. Get his speed into play. Defensively he will do well. And who knows if his heating up bat will translate to the big leagues.
Acuna does fit the”little” part of “Little or No”, and my slim hopes that he’d be another Altuve do not seem to be panning out. He seems more “Ruben Tejada, but with more speed.”
Like Baty, Drew Gilbert is having trouble adjusting to MLB pitching, batting just .191. No wait, I’m sorry, the .191 is a minor league number. No, he is not ready to be promoted. Carson Benge hit a HR and added another hit last night. Maybe he’s ready.
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