Dom Smith strained right quad, MRI on Monday
Tim Tebow has a sprained left ankle. Jay Bruce (plantar fasciitis) and Juan Lagares
(hamstring) are day-to-day.
Mack’s Mets – the premier site for information on the New York Mets talent pipeline and dialogue on Mets prospects, Mets news, and Mets opinions.
2/25/18
METS INJURIES - Dom and Tebow
Dom Smith strained right quad, MRI on Monday
Tim Tebow has a sprained left ankle. Jay Bruce (plantar fasciitis) and Juan Lagares
(hamstring) are day-to-day.
2018 Draft - Top 10 Catchers Available in the Draft
2018 Draft – Top 10
Catchers Available in the 2018 Draft –
1. Will Banfield Brookwood
HS (GA)
PG Grade: 10 - Will Banfield is a 2018 C/RHP with a 6-0 200 lb.
frame from Lawrenceville, GA who attends Brookwood HS. Strong athletic build,
pretty mature physically. Highest level physical tools on defense, extremely
flexible and athletic in his lower half, strong hands that frame mid-90's like
a professional, high energy blocker, outstanding arm strength and release, 1.74
pop inn drills, regularly 1.8's in between innings. Right handed hitter, busy
hand load, strong swing with some lift, strong hands, best power at present is
to right centerfield, battles at the plate and will make adjustments and find
the barrel, lots of power potential. Plays the game hard. Good student, verbal
commitment to Vanderbilt. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American
Classic.
2. Mason Denaburg Merritt
Island HS (FL)
PG Grade: 10 - Mason Denaburg is a 2018 C/RHP with a 6-3 190
lb. frame from Merritt Island, FL who attends Merritt Island HS. Tall angular
build, lots of physical projection. Highest level two-way prospect, future is
likely on the mound. Very simple leg raise delivery, turn and throw mechanics,
essentially working from the stretch. Arm is fast and smooth, fastball topped
out at 97 mph with little effort, big nasty sinking and running life on his
fastball at times, will occasionally drift out in his delivery but mostly
together with his mechanics. Change up had similar sinking life to his
fastball. Did not throw a curveball in this short outing but has shown a solid
power curve in the past. Right handed hitter, high hand load with a balanced
and strong swing, big power to both alley's, swings as easy as he throws. 6.84
runner, plenty athletic enough behind the plate and could probably play most
other positions on the field. Good student, verbal commitment to Florida.
Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.
3. Joey Bart Georgia
Tech
CBD - This past spring as a freshman he hit .296 in 186
at-bats with 36 runs scored, 13 doubles, 43 RBI, 16 walks and 50 strikeouts.
Bart jumped on a lot of scouts radars because he blasted 13 home runs after
hitting just one as a freshman. That season led to him being named a 2017
Johnny Bench Award Semifinalist and to the 2017 All-ACC Second Team. This past
summer he played eight games in the Cape Cod League but was also named to the
2017 USA Baseball CNT Training Camp roster. The 6-foot-3, 220 pound
right-handed catcher has a really good arm and should be able to remain a
backstop at the next level. With the power he showed as a sophomore he has the
chance to be one of the best catchers in the country in 2018.
4. Noah Naylor St.
Joan Of Arc HS (ONT)
PG Grade: 10 - Noah Naylor is a 2018 C/MIF with a 6-0 195 lb.
frame from Mississauga, ON who attends St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary.
Strong athletic build, good present strength with room for more. Very high
level athleticism for a catcher, 6.62 in the sixty, low and flexible behind the
plate, very quick shifting and blocked, high level arm strength with a loose
and fast arm, 1.78 best pop time. Also played the middle infield with
surprisingly good actions and tools, can develop this part of his game further.
Left handed hitter, slightly open stance, clean shift into contact and swing,
has lots of strength at contact and can drive the ball hard, tends to stay open
but can go the other way effectively. Has always performed at high level events
against top pitching. Verbal commitment to Texas A&M. Brother of former PG
All-American Josh Naylor. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American
Classic.
5. Anthony Siegler Carterfield
HS (GA)
PG Grade: 10 - Anthony Seigler is a 2018 C/BHP with a 5-11 200
lb. frame from Cartersville, GA who attends Cartersville HS. Solid athletic
build with good present strength. Unique athlete,completely ambidextrous in all
his baseball actions. Switch hitter with equal bat speed from both sides, lots
of lift left handed, puts the ball in the air, more of a level swing from the
right side but can still get the ball in the air and drive it, moves into
contact well from both sides and uncoils well. Has good athleticism behind the
plate with lots of quickness, big arm strength on his throws, 1.87 best pop
time, receives the ball well in games. Throws with both hands on the mound,
more polished from the left side, topped out at 88 mph with feel for his
curveball and change up. All fastballs from the right side from a higher arm
slot, worked down in the zone with an 88-90 mph fastball. Good student, verbal
commitment to Auburn. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.
6. Grant Koch Arkansas
Razorback website - As a Sophomore (2017)- >>>
All-SEC First Team - Appeared in 63 games, all starts, and hit .264 with a
career-best 13 home runs and 42 RBIs His home run total was seventh-most in the
conference, most among catchers and most by a Razorback catcher in the Dave Van
Horn era … Also hit 14 doubles and one triple with a .498 slugging percentage …
Totaled a .358 on-base percentage coupled with 33 walks, two hit by pitches and
one stolen base … Caught 16 base stealers in 24 attempts (.600), good for third
in the SEC … Hit .270 in conference play with seven home runs and 15 RBIs … His
seven home runs were also a top-10 total in the league … Finished the season with
15 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games … His 11 multi-RBI games were good
for third on the team … Had a great 12-game stretch to begin the season as he
racked up a .358 average with 18 hits, 18 RBIs, and five home runs, which was
the best offensive start to a season by a Razorback catcher since Brady Toops
in 2004 … Had two four-RBI games during run (vs. Bryant – Feb. 24; vs. Nebraska
– March 4), both career-highs … Had a career-high four hits on Feb. 26 against
Bryant, his only four-hit game of the season … Against Nebraska, he went
2-for-3 with three runs scored and his first career grand slam … Hit a home run
in back-to-back games against Vanderbilt (May 13-14), one of five Razorbacks to
achieve the feat during the season … Had two hits in the NCAA Fayetteville
Regional, both coming in elimination games (vs. Oral Roberts – June 4; vs.
Missouri State – June 4) … Named to 2017 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll.
7. Cal Raleigh Florida
State
Seminoles website - SOPHOMORE (2017): Was the only Florida State player to start
all 69 games of the season…ended the year with 51 runs scored, 16 doubles, and
nine home runs…picked up his first of 14 multi-hit games on the season with a
2-for-3 performance against Samford on February 25, including an RBI double
that opened a five-run inning that brought FSU to a 8-0 win…smacked his first
home run of the season with a first-pitch shot to open the top of the fourth on
February 28 in Jacksonville, helping the Seminoles escape a 3-0 deficit and
pull off a comeback to win 6-5…went 3-for-4 in the first game of the doubleheader
against Boston College on March 11 while notching two doubles and scoring two
runs in Florida State’s 11-1 victory…had his second three-hit game of the
season on March 21 against Jacksonville, which included a solo home run to open
the ninth inning to bring the FSU deficit to 9-8 before the Seminoles
ultimately scored two more runs and earned the first walk-off win of the
season…hit his first triple of the season in the fourth inning against FGCU on
April 5 before scoring the winning run on Dylan Busby’s RBI single…drew three
walks on April 25 against Stetson, tying a career-high that was set in the 2016
Super Regional game at Florida…knocked in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning
of the ACC Championship game against North Carolina on May 28, helping Florida
State claim its seventh ACC Championship victory…singled in the tying run in
the seventh inning against Sam Houston State on June 10 in the first Super
Regional game before the Seminoles walked off in the ninth to win 7-6…partnered
with Quincy Nieporte to hit back-to-back home runs to open the bottom of the
ninth in the final College World Series game against LSU before Florida State
ultimately fell 7-4.
8. Christopher Willis Rustin
HS (LA)
PG Grade: 10 - Christopher Willis is a 2018 C/1B with a 6-4 185
lb. frame from Ruston, LA who attends Ruston HS. Large athletic frame, loose
and physically projectable, has the potential to outgrow the catching position
but has the athleticism to play multiple positions. Left handed hitter, hits
from a wide base, loose hands and an easy tension free swing, creates bat
speed, very good extension, lots of power there, big carry to the middle of the
field. Plus arm strength on defense, throws downhill and is very accurate, 1.84
best pop time, has the athleticism to stay behind the plate at present. Good
student. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.
9. Austin Wells Bishop
Gorman HS (NV)
PG Grade: 10 - Austin Wells is a 2018 C/1B with a 6-2 195 lb.
frame from Henderson, NV who attends Bishop Gorman HS. Strong athletic build,
pretty mature physically. Left handed hitter, nice load and shift into contact
from a spread start, loose extended swing, has bat speed, hits to all fields,
polished hitter who sees the ball well at the plate, has been a high
performance hitter in the past. 6.97 runner, good athlete behind the plate with
quickness in his actions, has a quick release and makes accurate throws, 1.91
best pop time. Good student, verbal commitment to Arizona. Selected for the
2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.
10. Kameron
Ojeda St. John
Bosco HS (CA)
PG Grade: 10 - Kameron Ojeda is a 2018 C/OF with a 6-1 185 lb.
frame from La Mirada, CA who attends St. John Bosco HS. Medium athletic build,
some present strength with room for more. Very solid defensive tools and
actions, very quick laterally and in getting rid of the ball, plenty of arm
strength with carry and accuracy, game actions in drills, 1.82 best pop, 1.97
in games, very polished mechanics and some explosive athleticism. Left handed
hitter, has spread out his stance over the last year, long swing with a pull
oriented approach, tends to pull off with his front side and leave the outer
half open. Good student, verbal commitment to Cal State Fullerton.
2/24/18
Mack’s Apples - Nick Madrigal, Peter Alonso, Rob Manfred, Jason Vargas, Bobby Bonds
Good morning.
John Sickels on –
Peter Ueberroth: Collusion.
Bud Selig: Steroids.
Rob Manfred: Pitch clock. Pitch clock!
Second verse, not the same as the first. Kuhn again. Kind of
a doofus. Selig again. Canceled the World Series. Rob Manfred again. Pace of
play, which isn't a term that applies to baseball. And his title is baseball
commissioner.
Reese Kaplan -- When Recycling Doesn't Make Sense
Political agendas aside, recycling is all the rage. Whether it’s plastic soda bottles made into
high tech fleece fabrics, aluminum cans reformed into new aluminum cans or
glass bottles into shiny glass bottles.
What’s old and useless can be given new life and repurposed instead of
merely discarded.
Would that the same could be done for athletes, specifically
baseball players. You relegate them to
the scrap heap when they are no longer viable or cost effective for winning
games, yet somehow as they age and become even less capable their value should
continue to decrease and their usefulness should also become suspect. While there’s something to be said for
experience, the fact is that the game is more physical than mental and
reflexes, muscles and energy levels all deteriorate over time.
Winning teams seem to try to strike a balance between youth
and veteran leadership. The Mets already
have the latter in the forms of folks like Yoenis Cespedes, Jacob deGrom, David
Wright and others. The previous regime
did what it could to suppress youth. Rather than try to acquire youth in the
forms of under-30 players, the Mets took a curious path and embraced recycling.
What do I mean by that?
Well, let’s take a look at who is back for a second or third tour of
duty with the club…Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jay Bruce, Jerry Blevins, Matt
den Dekker, Ty Kelly…even Jason Vargas qualifies. It is both lazy and unimaginative to bring
back the same players who did not help you win in the past rather than looking
to add people who might infuse new energy and YOUTH to the composition of the
roster.
Now you can’t go and make blanket statements. Jerry Blevins for one deserves whatever he
gets as he’s been a terrific acquisition for, ironically, Matt den Dekker. Some of the other reunions are puzzling. Neither den Dekker nor Kelly have done
anything to suggest they belong on a major league roster and hopefully are
merely just filler in AAA. Jose Reyes
was inexpensive and probably a worthy bench piece IF deployed that way, but
recent history suggests he may get extended looks as a starting player. Asdrubal Cabrera has shown his age
more and more, yet they chose to pick up his option rather than look for
alternatives. In fact, I couldn't decide if I was having a Terry Collins flashback or Cabrera was not 100% when I saw Jose Reyes starting at 2B yesterday. Adrian Gonzalez was literally picked off the scrap heap of released players while younger Dom Smith is likely ticketed for Las Vegas.
I hope for the best but I also would have been planning for
the deterioration of players as they age.
The whole selloff last year netted only relief pitchers, yet ironically
the first outside acquisition Sandy Alderson made was for -- you guessed it -- a
relief pitcher.
Recently Sandy Alderson dropped a big hint endorsing John Ricco as being ready to run the whole show. Some say he’s already pulling most of the strings. If so, things are not likely to change from what you’ve seen. If the season is successful, then this criticism is for naught. However, as a project planner it seems curious to me that the formula you implement in the hopes of success includes using the very same resources that didn’t work in the past. In project management you’re supposed to read “Lessons Learned” or “After Action Review” documents to understand how not to repeat mistakes. Food for thought…
2/23/18
Q and A - Extra Playoff Games
Mike Friere asks -
The current MLB playoff format is
undeniably unfair for the teams that make the "Wild Card"
matchup. Using a one game playoff to
eliminate a team after a full season of 162 games to decide the participants
seems a bit harsh. Not to mention the winning team has to move on without their
top starting pitcher being available for several games into the next
series. Should MLB expand the playoff
format to include extra teams and a legitimate first round series of at least
three or even five games?
Mack says –
I don’t like when one errant throw, from a first baseman to a
catcher, can end an entire season’s effort to get to the World Series.
And two more games for four teams to play isn’t going to
lengthen the season to the point that fans start running in the other
direction. Trust me… the fans of the teams that didn’t make the playoffs
already started that exodus.
As Ernie Banks said on the
firs take… ‘let’s play three’.
(I'm starting to sound like Tom...)
Reese Kaplan says –
To do so would likely stretch the post-season into November
which is something they would probably seek to avoid. The alternative would be to reduce the number
of in-season games to create room in the calendar to do so. That approach would unnecessarily penalize
the non-qualifying teams from gate receipts for the 3-5 games they would miss.
The very concept of a Wild Card means some teams whose
seasons were destined to be over are being given a new, temporary lease on
life. The one-game format is indeed
stressful but it's this very challenge that should be met in order to advance
to the next level with the Division winners.
Should they operate under something of a pitching handicap? To me, that's the price you pay for getting
in via the non-champion route.
I say leave it as it is.
Tom Brennan says –
My thoughts on a good question:
Lengthening the playoffs so that the
Wild Card round could even be 3 games would make the playoffs too long, in my
opinion, and the other teams would have to sit around and wait. The only way I would make it a best of 3 is
to have the Wild Card teams play a doubleheader on Tuesday and a final game (if
needed) on Wednesday. Wears out their
pitching with 3 games in 2 days? Sorry,
you are a Wild Card team. Deal with it.
Alternative? Shorten
the season by a few games to 160, and make every playoff team (wild card and
non-wild card) play an added 3 game round.
Wild Card with worst record plays the team with the best record in Round
1, etc. Similar to NBA. Most times, the lousier team falls out of
that first round.
Mike Friere says –
The biggest issue with this question is whether to expand the playoff
field, or not. With the current edition
of the MLB Playoffs, you have three division winners per league and an
additional pair of "wild card" teams.
Due to the odd number, one team has to sit out in some way, which is
awkward and leads to the problems listed in the question.
The easiest way to fix the issue is to return to an even
number of playoff teams. That could be
accomplished by adding another team or subtracting another team in each
league. Since subtracting a team would
not be popular, I won't dwell on the possibility. Instead, you could add a third "wild
card" team and event things out for each league. So, your top two division winners would get
a "bye" and the remaining four teams would comprise your first round,
with the best remaining team playing the worst and so forth.
Once the first two series were decided, the winners would
move on to face the best two teams in Divisional Series and the rest of the
playoff format would be the same.
To make things more "fair", I would make the first
round series at least a "best out of three" which reduces the
"fluke" factor a bit compared to the current one game playoff for the
wild card teams. The extra days to
decide the first round would also give teams a chance to reset their pitching
staffs and put them on a more level playing field with the teams that they
would face in the NLDS/ALDS. This
proposed setup also adds another team to the mix which is exciting on many
levels and it would not "water down" the importance of making the
playoffs like it would if you have more teams in the field every year (like
Basketball or Hockey).
Tom Brennan - A FORK IN THE ROAD IN 2017
Tom Brennan - A FORK IN THE ROAD IN 2017
The old pun is "When you reach a fork in the road....take it."
When I reach a fork in the road, I'm looking for a good meal to use the fork on. I am normally a lefty - but with a fork? Ambidextrous....and prolific.
In 2017, the Mets, ignoring our screams of warning to not drive there, headed down the fork called "Injury Road."
That road finished 27 games behind the Division winners.
They had a slew of injuries, but if they'd instead gone down "Healthy Lane", what would the season have looked like?
Let's focus on the impact of 5 of the walking wounded:
LOSING THOR, HARVEY, AND MATZ:
Think of the collective impact of losing Thor for 5 months.
His replacements were poor...replace a potential Cy Young candidate with pitching dregs? I think that cost them 10 wins.
Matz had his early forearm injury, and later his ulnar injury that ultimately derailed his season. Had he not had the ulnar injury and Thor were healthy, Metz would have been a solid SP 3, and Harvey could have been coddled more, used less, and not been as abysmal as he was.
LOSING FAMILIA:
A healthy Familia in 2015 and 2016 saved 94 games! But 2017 was virtually a total Familia wasteland. Add a healthy Familia to the 2017 pen and cut the use of other, marginal pen arms, and how much better would the pen have been? Lots better.
Conservatively, the above pitchers' collective poor 2017 health cost the team 15 wins.
LOSING CESPEDES:
He made foolish weight training decisions for a baseball player. The Mets then foolishly panicked and rushed him back with a strained hammy in April against the Nats, with disastrous consequences for his hammy and for his 2017 season.
The outfield did fairly well without him in 2017, but a healthy Cespedes clearly would have made a tough Mets lineup be a downright dangerous one. Clearly, his loss for much of 2017 cost them wins.
The impact of losing those 5, and others like Neil Walker for several weeks, was that the Mets fell out of the race, and impelled them to firesale Bruce, Duda, Walker, Grandy, and Addison Reed. With what result? The fire sale led them to lose LOTS of games in August and September.
I believe that if this team were above average healthy in 2017, rather than the worst-impacted team in baseball, and had instead chosen to drive down Healthy Lane, they might have been good enough to win the division.
But that is all history and "what if" speculation.
I am good at what-if's. Just ask Mack!
But ahoy, mates, 2018 looms ahead.
This early in spring training, it is too soon to tell, so all we can hope for is a lengthy 2018 road trip down Healthy Lane. Because if we can avoid Injury Road, and in 2018 have a restored and dangerous pitching staff and an offense that could produce better than the team's decent offensive output of 2017, this team could be really good. Really good.
Perfect? No. Really good? Yes.
Take the correct fork, boys...and we'll join you on Happy Lane. I'll volunteer to drive.
POST SCRIPT:
FIRST SPRING TRAINING GAME TODAY!
PLAY BALL!!
2/22/18
The Starting Pitching Staff - Spring Training Edition
On the heels of the Jason Vargas signing, I started thinking about the 2018 Mets’ “starting rotation” and I realized that they have quite a few options to pick from for the coming season. I know that is not exactly new information, but when you actually look at who Mickey Callaway has to pick from, it is more interesting then I originally thought upon first blush, if you will.
To the average fan, the rotation “should” consist of Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler, right? I mean they were officially named the “Super Rotation” a couple of seasons ago, like some weird offshoot group from a Marvel Comics movie. Unfortunately, “life happened” and things did not go according to plan. As most of you know, injuries knocked out four of the five pitchers for large stretches of time since then, with only Jacob deGrom remaining reasonably healthy. I could get into the rare statistical probabilities of that taking place, but it is the Mets we are talking about so logic sort of goes out the window.
On a side note, haven’t we learned anything as Mets fans? Remember our last “super rotation” with Generation K? That edition crashed and burned within minutes after being anointed as the next big thing. Perhaps it is time to go easy on the names and expectations, at least until you actually accomplish enough to warrant the attention, etc. I would settle for a reasonably healthy and dependable rotation, without fancy names or unreasonable expectations but that’s just me.
Turning back to the number of pitchers that are on the current 40 man roster, you could fill out two and one half rotations if you wanted to. Consider the following options, in addition to the aforementioned five starters (left or right handed, plus 2018 age in parenthesis);
Noah Syndergaard (RH - 26)
Jacob deGrom (RH - 30)
**Matt Harvey (RH - 29)
Steven Matz (LH - 27)
**Zack Wheeler (RH - 28)
Jason Vargas (LH - 35)
Seth Lugo (RH - 29)
Robert Gsellman (RH - 25)
Rafael Montero (RH - 28)
Corey Oswalt (RH - 25)
Marcos Molina (RH - 23)
Chris Flexen (RH - 24)
**Likely their last year with the Mets, due to free agency, etc.
Granted, not all of the listed pitchers will break camp on the 25 man roster for the start of the season. Plus, your are also seeing a bulk of the Las Vegas 51’s starting rotation represented here, as well. However, while not all of the names listed are “studs”, it is an impressive amount of depth that also has a good deal of experience on the mound in a major league setting (Vargas, Lugo, Gsellman and Montero).
One “wild card” in this analysis is our new coaching staff and their different approach to putting together and maintaining a pitching staff. Something tells me that this will be much different then past years when our previous manager made some questionable decisions with his team’s pitchers. MC is on the record as favoring quality over quantity, meaning that he isn’t afraid to spread the wealth of innings across is entire pitching staff instead of riding one or two pitchers into the ground. There was even talk about “piggy backing” some pitchers so that most of his starters would only see the opposing lineup a couple of times before a change was made (I am a bit skeptical of that approach, but I will keep an open mind and see how it unfolds). Cleveland had a pretty good pitching staff the past few years under MC, so he gets the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.
With that said, you need a wealth of arms that can give you multiple innings to make it all work. Some would call them “long relievers” that fill in the gaps between your starters and the back end of your bullpen. It will likely necessitate a thirteen man pitching staff so there isn’t excessive fatigue and/or burnout which leads to injuries and ineffectiveness. The extra arm should be a benefit, despite short changing the actual bench by a player (which should be mitigated with our utility players like Wilmer Flores and Jose Reyes).
So, what does the starting pitching staff look like as Spring Training gets up and running?
Does the Jason Vargas signing signal an unofficial six man rotation or will he be one of the "long relievers"?
Who else on the list above will be in New York on Opening Day?
In addition to the pitching staff being the key to a successful season, this story line should also be interesting to watch as Spring Training unfolds.
Mack - If...
I do this every year.
I write a post with my
prediction of the upcoming season and it always has the same central there…
‘if’.
Long time readers will
remember how this works… if David Wright comes
back healed and returns to all-star status’. I think I used that one four
times.
First, a look at the
changes on the 25-man:
There were major departures here. Jerry Blevens, Jay Bruce, Jose Reyes, and Astrubel
Cabrera were replaced by Jerry Blevens, Jay Bruce, Jose Reyes, and
Astrubel Cabrera. No… wait…
Lucas Duda was replaced with Adrian Gonzalez.
Jason Vargas was added to the rotation.
Neil Walker was replaced by Todd Frazier, who will play third and move Cabrera to
second.
Curtis
Granderson will be replaced by a combination of Juan Lagares
and Brandon Nimmo.
Addison Reed was replaced with Anthony Swarzak.
So, the net gain/loss
is:
Gains: Gonzalez,
Frazier, Swarzak, Vargas, new medical dues, new manager, new coaches
Loses: Duda, Walker,
Granderson, Reed, old medical dudes, new manager, new coaches
This is obviously going to come down to the same thing we’ve
talked about every spring in these posts… health.
We gain a guy that pitched 18 wins last season, a first
baseman that produced 18/90 in 2016, and a third baseman that hit 27/76 last
year and 40/98 in 2016.
Can they stay healthy and produce these kind of numbers in
2018?
But health concerns go beyond this.
What I don’t worry about is both the starting and relief
pitching. There is plenty of depth in the rotation right now and Sandy Alderson seems to have created the same levels
of depth in the top system levels of the pen.
For me, the whole health thing revolves around Michael Conforto. He was a budding superstar when he
went down as well as the closest thing this team has for a leadoff hitter. We’re
a good team with him, but we’re a tad short with him on the shelf.
But, beyond that, let me ask you a question.
If all the ex-Mets discussed here were still Mets, and they
still had at least one year left on their deal, would you trade Duda, Walker,
Granderson, and Reed for Gonzalez, Frazier, Swarzak, and Vargas?
Division Forecast
I’m not going to spend any time here trying make any of think
that the Washington Nationals won’t win the division this year. They will.
I’m also not going to spend any time telling you that the
Florida Marlins will finish anywhere but last in our division. They will.
What I will tell you is what we do against the other two
teams, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies will decide if we become a
wild card team.
The Phiilies really haven’t done much since the 2017 season
ended. They released P Make Appel, traded P Nick Burdi to Pittsburgh (for futures), and signed P Francisco Rodriguez, 2B Ryan
Flaherty, OF Collin Cowgill, P Josh Tois, P Drew Hutchinson,
and P Fernando Abad to minor league contracts.
Atlanta started the off-season by dumping their General
Manager and cleaning out their international scouting team.
In October, they exercised an option on C Tyler Flowers, but declined an option on former Cy Young pitcher R.A. Dickey.
Their one big deal came in December when they traded OF Matt Kemp to the Dodgers. In return, they received 1B Adrian ‘don’t unpack’ Gonzalez, pitchers Scott Kazmir and Brandon
McCarthy, and IF Charles Culberton.
Gonzalez was released three days later and signed with the
Mets.
The only deals done so far this year was the releasing of P Mauricio Cabrera, and agreeing to terms with P Peter Moylan.
As I said earlier, I’m not going to spend any time further
discussing the Nats (though they too have done meh in the off season).
I also have not danced in the halls regarding any of the Mets
additions; however, collectively, they have vastly improved their team verses
the other teams in their division.
Their workingman’s approach to improving their team will pay
off more as a lump sum move rather than an individual return.
Mack Predicitons
These are random and, as usual, pulled out of my arse.
1. Mets fans will be thrilled with the
full year production of both Noah Syndergaard and
Jacob deGrom. They will both be members of the All-Star
team and easily finish in the top 10 Cy Young finalists.
2. P Zack Wheeler
will once again disappoint, spend the first half of the season on and
off the DL and will be DFA’s shortly after the All-Star game.
3. 2018 will not be the year of OF Michael Conforto. His slow recovery starts with ‘cautious
optimism’ but ends with a mid-season shut down for the remainder of the season.
4. His replacement, Juan Lagares, will go
on to being one of league leaders in dWAR, and will justify every dollar the
Mets paid him in 2018.
5. ‘Pickup of the year’ will go to Todd Frazier, who will put together a year in the range of
20/80/.275.
6. ‘Dud of the dealing’ will go to Adrian Gonzalez, who will be A-Gone by June.
7. There will not be any ‘rookie of the
year’ on this team. There is no room for those youngsters here.
Overall, the Mets will
finish second in the division, but will once again fall short of being the top
two runner ups in the National League.
At one point this team
is going to have to try and match the Nationals in talent and I’m just not
confident that will ever happen under the current ownership.
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