P Zack Dotson has been activated and sent to Kingsport.
The demotion of P Jeremy Hefner comes at a time that this team is beginning to become much more relevant. Everything positive around this team lately starts with how the first six innings are being played. It's time to play who is going to matter in 2014 and beyond and, frankly, Hefner isn't. Toss this up to the return of Jenrry Mejia.
Noah Syndergaard continued to dominate at the AA level in a way that neither Matt Harvey or Zack Wheeler ever did. The Mets have begun to cut back his innings and Saturday night he was limited to only 56 over five innings. 41 of them were strikes. Only two produced hits and no one crossed the plate. His AA-ERA is a minuscule 1.76 and it’s become quite obvious that the Mets now have three untradeable rotation pitchers (ironically, Wheeler was sitting at 96, including his last pitch, the same night Thor thought he tossed his sixth B-Mets win). Things are going to get an awful lot easier rooting for this team very soon and it gets even more exciting if Jenrry Mejia keeps throwing the way he has so far since recovering.
The Mets might want to consider shutting down 2013 2nd round draft pick, SP Andrew Church. He continues to struggle with the GCL Mets (this time giving up 7-R in 5.1-IP on Saturday. Church’s seasonal ERA is 6.04 and rising, after seven games, four starts. We’re also talking only 13 strikeouts in 22.1 innings pitched. He’s 18-years old and has a long way to go and, right now, it just isn’t working.
One of our 19-year olds, SS Gavin Cecchini, is beginning to show some of the reasons he was picked by the Mets as the number one pick in the 2012 draft. He actually got off to a good start this season, hitting .292 in June for Brooklyn; however, an ankle injury cost him most of July. When he did play then, he was highly ineffective (2-26, .077), but he returned to the starting lineup on July 26th. He’s been on fire in August (.395) and had two more hits on Saturday night. A lot of us have been very critical of this pick (especially me), but after watching the rebirth of Juan Lagares and Wilmer Flores having eight RBIs in his first five major league games, maybe we need to give some of these kids a longer string.
Steve Randel on PEDs -
The fact that many of the accused are Dominicans makes perfect sense. In the D.R., only two things are important: baseball and the Catholic Church. Kids dream of playing “pelota” in America when they’re still wearing diapers. Before their teen years, serious youngsters and their families are already looking for a “buscon,” the fastest-rising profession on the island. These guys act as an adviser, personal trainer and a salesman of sorts, assuring everyone that he is well-connected. The ultimate goal for these prospects is to play in the Dominican Summer League by their 16th birthday, where they’ll get exposure and be eligible to sign a big-league contract. The competition is fierce, and also includes the best talent from Venezuela, Colombia and Central America. For scouts, it’s one-stop shopping. Looking for an edge, this is when many of these kids often start experimenting with creams and lozenges that produce muscle growth and testosterone, which are often supplied by the “buscon” for an extra charge. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/latinos-and-ped-scandal/34149#5p9DG5K8lL4siuX0.99
MARK EX,MLB on DANNY MUNO -
WHAT THIS KID IS DOING IS INSANE, HE'A LEAD OFF MAN WITH 68 RBI HE'S SECOND IN THE LEAGUE IN WALKS AND SINCE HE BECAME THE LEAD OFF MAN THIS TEAM IS 56 AND 28 AND SINCE JUNE 1ST HE'S HITTING 360.........PUT HIM ON THE 40 MAN NOW WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE THIS GUY....THIS KID IS OLD SCHOOL HE GETS DIRTY AND IS A TOTAL BASEBALL RAT. BEEN THERE
Mack – Danny Muno fans have been rare here lately. The biggest problem is his increasingly decrease in batting average over each level (2011 – Brooklyn - .355… 2012 – St. Lucie - .280… 2013 – B-Mets - .259. Yes, he has 78-BB, but the OBP is only eight points above the year prior (.395 vs. 3.87). Most importantly, there really is nowhere for him to go until the Mets figure out the Daniel Murphy, Wilmer Flores, and Ike Davis mess. As long as Davis hits, the only future for Flores is second, which will completely block Muno. My guess is Brandon Hicks will be released in the off-season and Muno will move up to Vegas.
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Derek Showerman asked -
Does Matt Den Dekker have anything else to prove in the minors?
Mack – Well, I believe so.
First, this is a game of attrition. The Mets have nine minor league teams with at least four outfielders each, all trying to become one of the three starters in Queens.
Den Dekker had centerfield in his back pocket after shining during spring training last March, and was sent back to have one more year in the minors to work on his K/AB ratio (that continues to be a problem). Injuries (broken wrist) then landed him on the disabled list and opened up an opportunity for Juan Lagares to play centerfield this year for the Mets. We’ve all enjoyed Lagares’ respectful hitting, but it’s his defense in the outfield that has been the difference.
A lot of outfielders had had their chance recently (Lucas Duda, Kirk Nieuwenhuis), but, for now, Eric Young Jr., Lagares, and Marlon Byrd will play every day for the remainder of this season, until it become irrelevant. After that, I see Cesar Puello being added to the mix around July 2014 and probably at least one outsider bought or traded for in the off-season.
Wrist injuries take a while to come back from and den Dekker’s 2013 season (168-AB, 3-HR, 27-RBI, .274) are not the kind of numbers that get you to Queens, especially after hitting 17 home runs in both the 2011 and 2012 season. Lagares earned his trip east with a .346 Las Vegas batting average this year.
IMO, at best, den Dekker now has a 2015 ETA.
Texas traded Leury Garcia to CWS for OF Alex Rios. Garcia was not listed as one of the top 20 prospects for Texas. He had an excellent season in 2012 for AA-Frisco (377-AB, .292-BA, 31-SB) and did have 52 at-bats for the parent club this season (.192). This would be like trading either Ruben Tejada or Justin Turner for Rios, which tells me only one thing… Sandy Alderson is not looking for these kind of shot term solutions for a team that’s obviously going nowhere this season. This looks like a great deal for Texas and seems to seal the fate of Nelson Cruz going to another team next year. He will play 2014 as a 33-year old and his 27/76 output would make quite the addition to any team’s roster.
