MMs Top 25: #16 RHSP Cory Mazzoni

#16 RHP Cory Mazzoni (LR: #10)

Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 200 lb

Age: 25
Acquired: 2011 Rule IV draft, 2nd round, North Carolina State University

2014: (R/A+/AA/AAA) 7-2, 4.68 ERA, 77.0 IP, 8.8 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 1.299 WHIP
2013: (AA)                 5-3, 4.36 ERA, 66.0 IP, 10.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.348 WHIP
2012: (A+/AA)          10-6, 3.93 ERA, 144.1 IP, 6.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.316 WHIP
2011: (SS-A/A+)        2-1, 1.38 ERA, 13.0 IP, 12.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 1.154 WHIP

     Boy oh boy.....I don't know what to think about Mazzoni anymore. I have personally seen Mazzoni in person in Binghamton and let me tell you.....when Mazzoni is healthy, he flashes excellent stuff. At times he can dominate and I believe he is advanced enough that he could contribute at the MLB level right now. Other times though, it just unravels for him on the mound. When things are not going right, even when he makes good pitches, they fly off the bat left and right. Across a full seaon, the results are just not there and I'm not sure why. 

     Well....actually I kind do know...The Mets front office loves Mazzoni's secondary pitches. His slider, while inconsistent at times, has a sharp hard 2 plane break that gets right handed hitters fishing pretty consistently. The pitch comes in pretty hot too between 84-86 mph. He also has a very unique change-up/split finger fastball blend pitch that can be considered a rarely seen "Fosh Ball." The most recent pitchers I can think who have used the pitch are Trevor Hoffman, Tom Gordon, and Jeff Suppan. It has some heavy downward break like a change-up but comes in pretty hot like a splitter at around 81-83 mph. Despite being a righty, Mazzoni has eaten left handed hitters alive with this pitch, but again, just like his slider, it can be inconsistent at times and on bad nights it'll slip and just float in. 

     Because of the two strong secondary pitches, The Mets are convinced that Mazzoni can combine them with his mid 90's fastball and be a full-time starter with a pretty high ceiling. I too, have been holding out hope but that's just not the case. Mazzoni suffers from what I like to call "Bobby Parnell syndrome." Mazzoni can bring his fastball anywhere from 92 to a 97 mph max, but, when he does crank that velocity up the pitch becomes straight as an arrow. When Mazzoni keeps it in the 92-93 range, it has enough movement to get by 1 or 2 times through the order. That 3rd time through though, when your starting to get tired and need to reach back for a little extra, it begins to flatten out again at the lower velocities too.

     I truly believe that the Mets need to make him switch full time to a reliever in order to utilize that premium end of his velocity later in games. He's got the stuff to be successful he just needs the opportunity. In case of injury, Mazzoni will probably be the 1st guy called up to fill a spot in the bullpen. With weapons that can get both lefties and righties out, he still has the ceiling to be a 8th inning RP, but, without that fastball movement I can't see him sticking as a SP anymore. A Flex RP (like Carlos Torres) could be a good fit for him too.

Ceiling: MLB High Leverage RP (Bobby Parnell)

Floor: MLB Flex RP

Anticipated Assignment: (AAA) Las Vegas Bullpen.

MMs Top 25: #10 RHSP Cory Mazzoni

#10 RHSP Cory Mazzoni (LR: NR)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 200 lb
Age: 24
Acquired: 2011 Rule 4 Draft, 2nd Round, North Carolina State University

2014: (AAA) 7-2, 4.69 ERA, 71.0 IP, 8.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.338 WHIP
2013: (AA) 5-3, 4.36 ERA, 66.0 IP, 10.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.348 WHIP
2012: (A+/AA) 10-6, 3.93 ERA, 144.1 IP, 6.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.316 WHIP
2011: (SS-A/A+) 2-1, 1.38 ERA, 13.0 IP, 12.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 1.154 WHIP
  
    Look....I'm not perfect. I have a tendency of jumping on some band wagons too late and others too early. That's what happens when you get into the business of ranking prospects. In Cory Mazzoni's case though, his lack of placement on our previous list was a massive error in my part. I literally just completely forgot about him.

     Unfortunately, many people did as well. The former 2nd round draft pick came out of college with a plus fastball that could reach 97 mph and an already MLB average slider with 2 plane break. While his fastball did not have much downward movement, its horizontal movement was considered one of the best in the draft and still generated groundball rates of near 60%. The major knock on him was that when he did crank up his fastball to the 96-97 range, it straightened out an became hittable. He also had a hybrid change-up/splitter that scouts did not like.

     Mazzoni was chugging right along after being drafted and reached AA within his 1st 12 months of professional baseball. However injuries struck in 2013 and it was feared that some pain originating from his knee area would cause him to go under the knife. Luckily, it was only some nerve pinching and and the team cautiously shut him down for the remainder of the 2013 season. 2014 also provided us a bit of a scare as Mazzoni went down after the final spring game of the year with discomfort in his tricep. The fear was that he would become another Tommy John candidate but Mazzoni was only diagnosed with elbow tendinitis.

     Mazzoni took the spring off but is now back and pitching for the Las Vegas 51's. He has reduced the velocity on his fastball to the 92-93 mph range but has improved his control and vertical movement of the pitch. He has also tighten up the spin of his 3rd pitch to make it a true Split-Finger and is racking up more K's and groundballs. The Mets front office still thinks that Maz has the ability to be a solid #3 SP in an MLB rotation with his 3 plus to average pitches despite the massive depth of high level young pitchers in the organization. At the bare minimum, Mazzoni has the stuff and the arm slot to at least be a middle leverage relief pitcher. At the same time he could very well end up being a secondary piece in a trade to acquire a bat.

Ceiling: #3, high ground-ball rate, MLB SP. (Homer Bailey)
Floor: Medium Leverage ground-ball specialist (J.P. Howell)

Position Battles Worth Watching: 13 Pitchers, 3 Bullpen Spots

One of the largest fights this Spring Training, as it is every season, will be for the final spots within the bullpen. This year only 4 guys are really guaranteed spots going into the season; RH Bobby Parnell, RH Victor Black, RH Carlos Torres, and LH Scott Rice. That leaves 3 spots left in a normal 7 man bullpen. Let's break this battle into two separate sections and assume that the team will carry 2 lefties this year.

Battle to be the 2nd Lefty

Favorites- Josh Edgin

Guys w/ a Chance- (none)

Longshots- Adam Kolarek

This is more of a minor ST battle that probably won't be a fight at all. While Josh Edgin is the incumbent and most likely winner, he was heavily criticized last season for his atrocious start. In 11 April appearances, Edgin held a 9.64 ERA and allowed a .325/.386/.525 batting line in mostly low leverage situations. Even worse, after being sent down to both AA and AAA, Edgin did not improve posting ERA's of 7.88 and 5.91 respectively. Edgin also suffered a season ending injury in August 

Adam Kolarek, meanwhile, had a career best year for the Binghamton Mets making appearances in 44 games and posting a 1.71 ERA and holding lefties to a .214 AVG and only 3 extra base hits all season. His low 90's fastball has a two plane break away from lefties which induces plenty of weak contact. He combines it  with an advanced change-up and a newly added slider which makes him just as effective against righties as well.

While Kolarek has looked good, Edgin has looked good in bursts at the MLB level and is on the 40 man roster. The team is almost certain to give Edgin at least one more chance while Kolarek gets some work in at AAA but he'll give Edgin a run for his money this ST. Don't be surprised if you start to hear his name more often if Edgin gets off to another rough start.

Royal Rumble over Last Two Spots

Favorites- Jeurys Familia, Gonzalez Germen

Guys w/ a Chance- Ryan Reid, Joel Carreno, Miguel Socolovich, Kyle Farnsworth

Longshots- Jeff Walters, Chasen Bradford, John Church, Cory Mazzoni, Logan Verrett, Jack Leathersich

Both Familia and Germen are expected to be major players in the bullpen this season but they may receive some stiff competition from recent minor league contracts signings in Reid, Farnsworth, Carreno, and Socolovich. 

The 29 yr old Reid had a career year in AAA last year and earned an 11 inning cup of coffee at the MLB level where he performed well in all but 1 of his appearances. 

The former Blue Jay, Joel Carreno, brings eye popping K rates into the competition thanks to a plus slider that's extremely tough on righties. In 2013 he held righties to a .101 AVG while striking out 41% of them. 

Lastly, there's the journeyman, Miguel Socolovich. The 27 yr old Venezuelan spent time in Boston, Chicago, Baltimore, and most recently in Japan for 2013. He didn't rack up many innings there (11.1) but he only allow 1 ER in his short time there.

The rest of the guys are longshots to make the team but, with chance to showcase their abilities, good performances could lead to potential promotions to the MLB level in case of injuries or ineffective by the other guys. Walters should be the 1st in line though since he is on the 40 man roster already. 

MM's Top 25- The Not Quite Top 25

#30 OF Wuilmer Becerra (LR: #27)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 4" Weight: 190 lb
Acquired: Trade from Toronto w/Noah Syndergaard and Travis d'Arnaud for R.A. Dickey, Josh Thole, and Mike Nickeas

2013: (R) .243/.351/.295, 1 HR, 25 RBI, 5 SB (45%), 20 BB, 60 K
2012: (R) .250/.359/.375, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB (0%), 4 BB, 7 K 

Last year was our first true look at the wild card pick up in the R.A. Dickey trade. While the stat line isn't sexy, its not bad for 18 yr old with only 11 games of previous experience. As with most 18 yr old international prospects his K rate was very high 29.1%, but on the plus side, his BB rate was a decent 9.7%. Despite not showing much power last year, Becerra's height, quick wrists, and upright stance suggests that he could develop into a nice speed/power combo OF in the future.

Defensively, Becerra used to be a SS but was immediately moved to the OF because his arm strength was considered below average, however, he racked up 8 OF assists last season in 52 games played which is nice plus. There is hope that he could develop at least a league average RF arm but if not his bat will have to carry him if he makes the transition to LF.

Anticipated Assignment: (SS-A) Brooklyn Cyclones starting RF
Ceiling: Solidly above average LF.
Floor: Complete bust.

#29 1B/3B Aderlin Rodriguez (LR: #18)
Bats: R Throws: R

Height: 6' 3" Weight: 210 lb
Acquired: 2008 international signing, Dominican Republic

2013: (A+) .260/.295/.427, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 1 SB (50%), 11 BB, 43 K
2012: (A/A+) .263/.321/.476, 24 HR, 83 RBI, 2 SB (100%), 37 BB, 101 K
2011: (A) .221/.265/.372, 17 HR, 78 RBI, 2 SB (66%), 29 BB, 109 K
2010: (R/A) .300/.350/.532, 14 HR, 59 RBI, 3 SB (75%), 21 BB, 53 K
2009: (R) .290/.389/.387, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 1 SB (50%), 9 BB, 15 K

Another year, another inconsistent year for Ad-Rod. The Mets brass finally moved him off 3B, where he was downright terrible committing 117 in 360 games, in favor of learning how to play 1B full time. However that plan came crashing down when Rodriguez suffered a myraid of injuries this season including a sprain and deep bone bruise in his wrist, eye irritations, and an elbow injury. Couple that with practically zero improvement year over year in his pitch recognition and the loss of one of his plus tool (arm strength) due to the move to 1B and you have yourself plenty of reasons to fall off the Top 25 list.

Despite the poor season the same premium tool remains. Elite power abilities that could potentially produce 30+ HR seasons in the MLB. If he can figure out how to play 1B effectively and somehow some way maintain his OBP near .330 he'll get to the major leagues. However time is beginning to run for Ad-Rod, especially with Jayce Boyd and Dominic Smith quickly coming up on his heels

Anticipated Assignment: (AA) Binghamton starting 1B.
Ceiling: Low Avg, High power hitting 1B/DH (Adam Dunn)
Floor: Career Minor Leaguer

#28 RHSP Matthew Bowman ('13 Rank: #28)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 165 lb
Acquired: 2012 draft, 13th round, Princeton University

2013: (A/A+) 10-4, 3.05 ERA, 8.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.150 WHIP

2012: (SS-A) 2-2, 2.45 ERA, 9.2 K/9, 0.6 BB/9, 0.955 WHIP

The team's newest Ivy League member built upon his successful 2012 with a solid performance last year at the significantly harder Florida State League. His unique delivery, which is very comparable to Tim Lincecum's, allows him to mix in some deception with his generally average stuff. His low 90's fastball can be cranked up to as high as 95 which mixes well with his hard slider, a curveball, and change-up. Thanks to the teachings of Frank Viola and Ron Romanick, he's also added a split finger fastball to his arsenal this season making him one of the few prospects in the system with a 5 pitch repertoire.

What makes Bowman such an intriguing prospect is the fact that while he does have a deep arsenal, unlike normal pitching prospect, he actually uses all of his pitches. In fact when Bowman was in Brooklyn he recalled the Cyclones coaches "nearly bit my head off every time I threw a first pitch curveball." Because of the fact that he got a significant amount of innings in Port St. Lucie, I would not be surprised to see the team give him the tougher assignment to AA this season.

Anticipated Assignment: (AA) Binghamton starting rotation.
Ceiling: Back End Rotation Starter
Floor: Career Minor Leaguer

#27 2B Daniel Muno ('13 Rank: #29)

Bats: S Throws: R
Height: 5' 11" Weight: 175 lb
Acquired: 2011 draft, 8th round, California State University- Fresno

2013: (AA) .249/.384/.379, 9 HR, 67 RBI, 15 SB (58%), 92 BB, 97 K

2012: (A+) .280/.387/.412, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 19 SB (86%), 50 BB, 53 K
2011: (SS-A) .355/.466/.514, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 9 SB (29%), 43 BB, 39 K 

Muno continues to hang around just outside the Top 25 for the 3rd consecutive year. The 24 year old continues to showcase the advanced tool of patience and pitch recognition. Even at the significantly tougher AA level he was able to maintain his premium 1:1 K to BB ratio. In addition he showed that he is more than comfortable at 2B after being moved off SS last year. In 2014 he committed only 10 errors in 115 games as compared to his 8 last year in only 55 games.


While his batting average does not look very its worth noting that it was dragged down by an awful May when he hit only .179 for the month. He followed that month up with .291 and .329 averages in June and July. In addition, despite being a switch his L/R splits are significant as well. When facing lefties he slugged only .261 which is paltry especially when comparing it to his .417 SLG against righties. However his OBP is identical against both (.377 vs .386). For his career he is a significantly better left handed batter which could possible net him at least a platoon job in the future.

Anticipated Assignment: (AAA) Las Vegas starting 2B.
Ceiling: 2B Platoon Starter
Floor: Solid Bench Player, valuable late inning pinch hitter

#26 RHSP Cory Mazzoni ('13 Rank: #23)

Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 190 lb
Acquired: 2011 draft, 2nd round, North Carolina State University

2013: (AA) 5-3, 4.36 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.348 WHIP

2012: (A+/AA) 10-6, 3.93 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.316 WHIP
2011: (SS-A/A+) 2-1, 1.38 ERA, 12.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 1.154 WHIP

Mazzoni falls out of the Top 25 for the first time this pre-season due to two primary reasons. A) He couldn't stay healthy this season. The "Maz" only made 13 starts this season for Binghamton due to an elbow injury in the beginning of the year and then a hamstring injury in mid July. B) There have been significant talk this off-season to move him to the bullpen full time. If such a move is made this reduces his ceiling from a #4 starter to a late inning reliever and his floor from middle reliever to AAAA pitcher.

That said, Mazzoni does have the makings of an solid late inning reliever. His mid 90's fastball has good movement and he controls it well and his slider should grade out to be at least league average quality. Although his ERA was high last year it was primarily driven by a high BABIP against him of .361. His K rate returning back to above 10 while keeping his BB rate near 2.5 bodes well for future success at the next level. He'll get a legitimate to be a part of the Mets bullpen in 2014 but my bet is that he'll start in the minors and be one of the first call-ups in case of injuries.

Anticipated Assignment: (AAA) Las Vegas late inning reliever.
Ceiling: Late inning reliever
Floor: Taxi squad AAAA pitcher

Are the 2014 Mets a Better Team on Paper? (Bullpen)

    We have clearly improved at the C, SS, and CF positions even though the players are the same. We expect the same lackluster production at 1B, and the same solid production at 2B and 3B. As we stated before, LF looks like its a real wild card since we still have no idea who's going to be starting and RF should be at least equal to last year's production but has a chance to be a bit better. The rotation is obviously not the same without Harvey, but the current group of guys may surprise you. Last but not least lets take a look at the bullpen.

(***Note this takes into account the team as it is today. Steamer Projections are extrapolated out to 162 games for the starter only.)

2013

Players: Scott Rice, LaTroy Hawkins, Scott Atchison, Bobby Parnell, David Aardsma, Brandon Lyon, Josh Edgin, Greg Burke, Gonzalez German, Pedro Feliciano, Carlos Torres, Vic Black, Rob Carson
Stats: 26-31, 3.98 ERA, 40 SV, 10 SO, 178 BB, 392 K, .256 BAA
(22nd in MLB ERA)

     Let's not beat around the bush for this part. The bullpen flat out stunk in 2013. Yea they finished 22nd thanks to a strong end to the season but only 3 teams gave up more runs than the Mets bullpen (Colorado, Houston, and Seattle). The same 3 teams were also the only ones who had higher BAA then the Mets. The bullpen even finished dead last in K's by a wide margin of 26.

     Parnell was the only household name in the pen last season and was excellent saving 22 games with a 2.16 ERA and even winning 5 games in the process. However a neck injury cut his season short leaving the bullpen to a bunch of minor league call-ups and spring training invite guys.

     Rice was a pleasant surprise in 2013 but heavy usage in April and May, due to Edgin's poor performance and demotion to AAA, led to him imploding in June to the tune of a .423 BAA and a 10.50 ERA. Once Edgin, was re-promoted to take some of the burden off him, both pitchers performed admirably posting sub 1.50 ERA's in July and August.

     Hawkins was also a pleasant surprise posting a 2.93 ERA and converting 13 Saves in Parnell absence. In fact, the 40 year old was the most consistent pitcher all year long and finished strong with 7 saves in September while giving up 0 runs and only 7 hits.

     Unfortunately after those 3 guys the rest of the pen was dismal. Aardsma had one good month before sporting a 5.00+ ERAs the rest of the way. Lyon and his 4.98 ERA was released halfway through the season after showing that he couldn't a be a set up man to Parnell (6.12 ERA in non save situation appearances). Atchison's old UCL-less arm couldn't stay healthy and couldn't strike anyone out (5.2 K/9) while Burke and his 5.68 ERA racked up some serious frequent flyer miles between NY and Vegas.

2014

Closer: Bobby Parnell: 28 SV, 3.15 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9

Set-Up: Victor Black: 3.50 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 4.6 BB/9
LOOGY: Scott Rice: 3.77 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 4.1 BB/9
ROOGY: Jeurys Familia: 3.66 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 4.2 BB/9
RH MR: Gonzalez German: 3.41 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9
LH MR: Josh Edgin: 3.84 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 4.0 BB/9
Long Man: Carlos Torres: 3.92 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 2.9 BB/9

     Much like the projections for the rotation, we need to take the bullpen projections with a grain of salt. That said, these numbers do not look that bad at all. One obvious thing that stands out is that this pen is going to be built on young power arms and will not repeat as the league's worst K machines. At the same time this group is also projecting to be one of the most inexperienced with only 9 years of MLB service time between them (Of which 5 years belongs to Parnell). The oldest guy in the bunch (Rice) will only be in his 2nd MLB season.

     This pen has some potential and is either going to be very energetic and strong armed or is going to implode in our faces. It will all depend on how Terry Collins uses them. Our saving grace here is that Jeff Walters, Jack Leathersich, Chase Huchingson, Cory Mazzoni, and Jacob DeGrom are all ready to hold a spot in the pen if any of these guys falter.

    Also from a statistical standpoint you can't be much worse then last year's group

Verdict: Massive volatility due to inexperience but at a bare minimum will be a push. Could possibly finish at moderate improvement if group can keep the BB rates in check.


You can't analyze the Mets pen without throwing in how they are managed.

It's like going to The Palm Restaurant, ordering the Filet, and asking for a bottle of ketchup.

First thing first... the starters have to average at least six innings per game. That happens, they may have enough here.

I still think there is one more outsider that will be signed for the pen. Until then, I'll reserve judgement. 

2-24-13 – Zack Wheeler, Cory Mazzoni, Collin Cowgill, Darin Gorski

-How can you not be excited about Zack Wheeler after watching that? Yes, the fastball was all over the place, but the velocity sat 93-96 ( I did record him once at 97). The good news was the fact that his fastball did have sink and it seems to just jump out of his hand, mainly due to the fact that he hides the ball so well at the time of release. His slider actually was more accurate and effective. It seemed to me that someone forgot to tell him that he’s not going to make the roster this year, but, trust me, the beat guys will be all over this with Terry in the post-game presser.

-You have to be happy with the 4^th inning at bat of 2B Jordany Valdespin. He worked that pitcher and hung in there for the pitch that scored Marlon Byrd and tied the game. Last year, Valdespin would have easily made the third out, but he fought off pitch after pitch.

-Speaking of a good debut, Marlon Byrd sure looked like the old version that once was an all-star.

-I find it interesting that Cory Mazzoni was ‘showcased’ in the first exhibition game of the season. No one knows exactly how to project this kid. He’s another of those control pitchers that doesn’t rely on his fastball to blow you away. Case in point were the two strikeouts he produced in the 5^th inning using his off-speed stuff. I have Mazzoni going back to Binghamton where he had 14 starts last season (5-5, 4.46). There just doesn’t seem to be any room for him in Las Vegas and he needs to master AA first, like he did the first half of the year for St. Lucie (12-starts, 5-1, 3.25).

There was nothing wrong with OF Collin Cowgill’s first Mets at-bat.  First, he doubles in the leading run and then scores from second on a groundball error to first base. This is the kind of hustle 

Terry Collins talked about earlier this week

.

Jed Weisberger‏ - @jedleyq -

Considering Cowgill came to the #Mets for disappointing prospect Jefry Marte, any contribution he makes is a huge plus.

Anthony DiComo‏ - @AnthonyDiComo

Overheard in #Mets clubhouse: "We need more Cowgill!" I smell a t-shirt...

Darin Gorski was next on the mound. Gorski threw only in the 88-90 range and they keep saying he’s being considered as a lefthander out of the Mets bullpen this year. Gorski’s go-to pitch is his curve and he lives on the corners. He wasn’t as sharp in the second inning and almost hit 40 pitchers, but he got out of the outing with no runs scores which gave Wheeler-Mazzoni-Gorski a 6.0-IP, 0-R stat line.

OMG, Reese Havens got an at-bat. Ground out. Gone.

The knuckle-curve of Bobby Parnell was impressive.

1-31-13 – Cory Mazzoni, Bullpen Candidates, Brian Schnieder, Carlos Gomez

Jonathan Mayo - ‏@JonathanMayoB3

Every-day 2B RT @JGuarino24: @JonathanMayoB3 what future do you see for Gavin Cecchini?

Rob Castellano

RHP Cory Mazzoni - Mazzoni is an interesting name for 2013 after a rather underwhelming 2012 debut for the '11 second rounder. A strikeout per nine mark around 6.5 between High-A and Double-A is a big red flag. Additionally, he seemed to have problems putting away Double-A hitters (.281 opponent average, 1.00 home run per nine), an unexpected turn for a guy known for a nice mix of polish as well as mid-90s heat. For that reason, scouts think his stuff would play up in shorter bursts. And should the Mets make that transition, expect Mazzoni's mix of command, velocity, and decent secondary stuff to move very quickly

I really don’t know where to project Mazzoni in 2013. The Binghamton rotation is kind of wide open right now. Rafael Montero should go back to St. Lucie, but probably will be rushed to Binghamton. Other candidates other than Mazzoni are Angel Cuan, Chase Huchington, Eric Goeddel, Tyler Pill, John Church, and Brandon Moore.There’s no rush here. I would slot him in as SP2 behind Montero and let him pitch the entire season in Binghamton. Long term, I see his future as a member of the pen.

The current candidates for the Mets bullpen:

Bobby Parnell             R, 29, 5-yrs, 13-19, 3.83, 1.46, 256.0-IP, 235-K103-BB         

Josh Edgin                  L, 26, 1-yr, 1-2, 4.50, 1.12, 26.0-IP, 30-K, 10-BB       

Frank Francisco          R, 33, 8-yrs, 19-22, 3.94, 1.33, 375.0-IP, 415-K, 166-BB

Pedro Feliciano          L, 36, 8-yrs, 22-19, 3.32, 1.38, 371.0-IP, 341-K, 154-BB       

Scott Atchison            R, 37, 6-yrs, 7-7, 3.47, 1.23, 210.0-IP, 164-K, 59-BB

Robert Carson            L, 24, 1-yr, 0-0, 4.85, 1.31, 13.1-IP, 5-K, 4-BB

Jeurys Familia             R, 23, 1-yr, 0-0, 6.00, 1.58, 12.0-IP, 10-K, 9-BB

Jeremy Hefner            R, 27, 1-yr, 4-7, 5.07, 1.36, 94.0-IP, 62-K, 18-BB      

Elvin Ramirez             R, 26, 1-yr, 0-1, 5.57, 2.10, 21.0-IP, 22-K, 20-BB

Greg Burke                 R, 30, 1-yr, 3-3, 4.11, 1.54, 46.0-IP, 33-K, 23-BB

Jenrry Mejia               R, 24, 2-yrs, 1-6, 4.91, 1.73, 55.0-IP, 30-K, 29-BB

Darin Gorski               L, 26, 0-yrs (minors: 4-yrs, 29-23, 3.68, 1.23, 455.0-IP, 417-K
LaTroy Hawkins          R, 40, 18-yrs, 65-88, 4.46, 1.43, 1301-IP, 862-K, 426-BB

Adam Rubin's projected pen: Francisco, Parnell, Edgin, Feliciano, Atchison, Hawkins, then long man like Hefner/Laffey

Brian Schneider:

“It hasn’t been an easy decision, but there are a lot of factors,” said the 36-year-old free agent. “You don’t want to retire, but you think of your family and I think more than anything it’s physically how you feel. I’d kind of like to leave on my own terms and not have my last impression of baseball be someone telling me I can’t play. But there is a lot going on in my life and I’m very fortunate to have a great family and start being a dad and being around more often and being a good husband.”

I really liked the trade of Schneider and OF Ryan Church to the Mets for bad—boy Lastings Milledge. I thought the Mets got rid of a trouble that would only get worse and received two legitimate front line every day players. I expected both to become long time Mets players and his first season with the Mets (.257, 9-HR, 38-RBI) showed promise, but then everything went south in 2009. As for Church, a couple of concussions caused his career to come to an end in 2010.

Danny Abriano

Carlos Gomez- In the event that Ellsbury has injury woes again in 2013, or commands a contract that’s outlandish, Gomez (28 years old heading into 2014 and another Boras client) would be a solid fallback option.  One of the players the Mets dealt to Minnesota in the Johan Santana trade, Gomez has established himself as an elite defensive center fielder.  It’s taken a while for Gomez’ offense to catch up to his defense, but he made huge strides in 2012.  For his career, he’s still only a .247 hitter with a .294 OBP, but he flashed above average power last year (cracking 19 home runs) while upping his average to .260.  Another Boras client, the Mets should be open to bringing Gomez back and sticking him in center field if Ellsbury isn’t brought in.

I don’t care what any of the minor league weenies will tell you now. We were all upset when this trade (Gomez, pitchers Deolis Guerra, Phillip Humber and Kevin Mulvey were sent to the Twins for the two time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana) went down. We are in the weenie business and these were the four best in the organization at the time.  But, like the Brian Schneider – Ryan Church story above, no one is certain in this business. Still, I would love to see Gomez back in centerfield for the Mets. I see him as a 20-25HR, .280 tops guy with impeccable defense (please don’t forget how many games this team has lost the past three years because of poor defense)

Closer Elbows, Matt Harvey, Juan Urbina, Cory Mazzoni, Brandon Webb

There does now seem to be some trepidation about signing Brian Wilson. I’m sure Sandy Alderson’s first concern is whether or not his surgically repaired elbow (2^nd TJS) is 100% and will stand up over the length of his contract. Let’s face it, Alderson’s record on this issue is 0-1 what with Frank Francisco still mending after a piss-pour season. Francisco won’t be back until earliest May and wouldn’t it just be wonderful if the Mets signed the Beard and he was sitting in the stands next to him for at least a month? No, I’d hold off here and make sure I felt he was fully healed, but I would also deal with the whole image thing before a pen hit the paper. I’m pretty big on team unity and clubhouse acceptance and, from the looks of it, Wilson needs at least a barber to make my team.

I got a glimpse of RHSP Matt Harvey on SNY and read about him on a story written by Peter Botte . At first, it was hard to read the first paragraph:  “Matt Harvey stands at the forefront of the Mets’ future alongside fellow starting pitcher Zack Wheeler and catcher Travis d’Arnaud, the key prospect acquired in the R.A. Dickey trade earlier this winter.” When was the last time you read a paragraph about the Mets future that didn’t have either David Wright or Jose Reyes in it? He’s reporting to camp around a week early which is great. What isn’t was the undefined fact that he may also be shut down early in 2013 due to innings pitched. For whatever reasons I can’t seem to understand, baby arms aren’t like the ones I grew up with and last year’s benching of Stephen Strasburg has proven this game is being played different these days. The future of this team is the ‘on paper’ 2015 rotation of Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Jon Niese, and Dillon Gee. That’s where this team’s heading and it will take that long to get there.

Today’s twit with P Juan Urbina:

Mack Ade ‏@JohnMackinAde - @JuanUrbina51 - Juan, good morning... it's Mack in Savannah... how's the arm and welcome home to your Dad

Juan Urbina‏ @JuanUrbina51 - @JohnMackinAde everthing good Mack . My arm is healthy thanks god and I keep working in get my arm stronger and my body too .

Mack Ade‏ @JohnMackinAde - @JuanUrbina51 - just hang in there... family is first, then comes baseball.... hopefully we can have lunch in Savannah this year

          Good stuff from Toby Hyde yesterday, especially what he said about P Cory Mazzoni:

Mazzoni, pitching the way he did in 2012, does not miss enough bats to be a Major League starting pitcher. He’s not real big – listed at 6’1″ and 190lbs, and has not shown an ability to hold his stuff in a starting role. Generally speaking, in 2012, he would work 91-92 with his fastball most of his start. He might show better velocity earlier, or in a big spot, crank it up to 94 or 95. (I heard he reached 96 against a rehabbing big leaguer.) In short outings out of the bullpen, he should be able to find that plus velocity more consistently. His secondary pitches – a slider and a changeup that mimics a split-finger – are fine if unexceptional. Mazzoni could well be in the Mets’ bullpen as soon as mid-late 2013

                

            All of these great, young arms are not going to have a starting slot in Queens and some need to look to the pen as their road to the majors. It’s either that or become part of a package for a right hand hitting outfielder.

          Latest Mets target:

                P Brandon Webb:

          Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 3", Weight: 230 lb.

         Born: May 9, 1979 in Ashland, KY (Age 33)
High School: Ashland HS (Ashland, KY)
School: University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY)
Drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 8th round of the 2000 amateur draft.
Signed June 6, 2000. (All Transactions)
Debut: April 22, 2003
Team: Diamondbacks 2003-2009
Agents: Jonathan Maurer [*]
Final Game: April 6, 2009

Stuff – Maikis De La Cruz, Cory Mazzoni, Gabriel Ynoa, Adrelin Rodriguez, Empire State Shooting

Maikis De La Cruz

I always wonder where some of these ‘kids’ come from. Take the case of Kingsport CF Maikis De La Cruz (.279). This is the second year De La Crus has been in the Mets system, hitting an impressive .321 last year for the DSL system, but here’s the rub. He’s playing K-Port this year at the age of 21-years old, meaning he was 20 last year. You can’t tell me someone just walks off the street and hits .321 in organized ball. Where did he play for the four years prior to this? Is he for real? Well, if he is, he better get moving because, at his rate, he’ll play AAA and pull a Medicare check the same year. Spring Projection: I’m placing him in Savannah for now. 

Cory Mazzoni

This might not be a bad time to shut Cory down. He gave up seve earned runs (3.0-IP) on Thursday, which now totals to 20 runs in his last five starts (28 innings). All this bad news still results in a seasonal AA ERA of 3.49 and a combined AA/A+ (23 starts) of 3.37. You know I loved this pick out of North Carolina State. Mazzoni is going to have to repeat this level next spring to hopefully earn himself an all-star break promotion to  the AAA affiliate in the PCL. Spring Projection:  Binghamton

Gabriel Ynoa

Is Gabriel Ynoa a ‘prospect’? Frankly, I’m not sure yet and he needs to turn in another year like he’s putting together for Brooklyn this year. Through Thursday, Ynoa has had 10 starts with a stat line of: 60.0-IP, 50-K, only 7-BB, 5-1, 2.40, 0.90. I love the average of 6.0 innings per start. This is very encouraging at this point in a young man’s career. He just turned 19 and we got our first peak at him in 2010 when he went 5-3, 1.99 for the DSL Mets as a 17-year old. Definitely on the ‘blue’ list. Spring Projection: Lots of rotation congestion, especially at the lower levels… Savannah. 

Aderlin Rodriguez

We keep revisiting A-Rod, hoping his defense improves and his power continues to develop. We have good news in both areas. Defensively, Aderlin currently has 28 errors in 2012 combined for Savannah and St. Lucie. That’s a vast improvement over the 44 errors he had in 2011 for Savannah. Rodriguez is never going to win the Golden Glove trophy, but who cares if he keeps hitting like he’s done so far this season: 443-AB, 24-HR, 81-AB, 95-K, 36-BB. Spring Projection: A-Rod spend parts of three seasons in Savannah and seems ready to move past St. Lucie. He’s still only 20-years old. I have him playing 3B in Binghamton, right behind Wilmer Flores (just turned 21) in Buffalo.

Empire State Shooting

Did anyone think that this might be the new way nuts jobs have come up with committing ‘suicide by cop’? I mean, running around Manhattan randomly shooting people should earn you one in the head, no?

The Keepers - #21 - P - Cory Mazzoni

21.            Cory Mazzoni        RHP 

6-22-11: - Draft Update: - 2nd round (71st overall) pick, SP Cory Mazzoni, signed for $437,500. Slot figure was $514,800. That’s called under-slotting. 

8-22-11: - #20 – RP Cory Mazzoni – Mazzoni was thrown right into the fire and has produced wonderful results for St. Lucie. Yes, it’s only five outings, but it’s obvious that he will play at this level again come spring. There still is a lot of question whether the Mets will use him as a starter, but I’d leave him in the pen. He throws around 92 but has sick late movement. Great draft pick.

8-21-11: - Stock Up – RP – Cory Mazzoni – Since signing with the Mets, Mazzoni is quietly pitching out of the St. Lucie pen and had another great outing on Sunday: 2.0-IP, 0-R, 0-H, 0-BB, 2-K. That’s a combined 10 outings for Brooklyn/St. Lucie and a 0.82 ERA.