Tony Plate - It's Time To Extend Jake

I think it would be a good idea for the Mets to open the vault and extend the contract of deGrom through the 2023 season.

I think he has earned an extension since he has been a front- line type of pitcher. He has had a fantastic ERA that averages out to 2.80 during the last five years along with a record of 50 wins & 34 losses.

DeGrom needless to say has been consistent and reliable. He is the leader of the Mets rotation. He currently is the best pitcher in the National League. I do not foresee Alderson trading him. The Mets are not ready for a complete rebuild, because they have a good young core of players that could keep them in contention for the next couple of years.

If they trade deGrom now, the team will regress and there is no quick rebuild here, because there are not too many players that are ready to come up from the farm system.

Pitching is ninety percent of the game and with deGrom on the staff along with Noah S. the Mets have a rare commodity that most other teams do not have which is two front- line type of pitchers that can be an ace of a staff.

The Astros had that rare commodity with Justin V. & Dallas K. last year and they won the World Series. Prior to that back in the 1990’s the Braves also had that commodity with the fantastic trio of Maddox, Glavine and Smoltz that won a World Series back in 1995 plus after that winning the National League Eastern division ten years in a row. 

Since deGrom was a shortstop when he first signed he has a strong arm which I think will enable him to pitch in the majors for a long time.

If the Mets become sellers and they keep deGrom they can possibly sneak in as a wild card next season and having two elite starters helps a team achieve that and when you make the playoffs as a wildcard anything can happen from that point.

If the Mets extend deGrom they would be in good shape. They are not far from being a good team. They just have to surround deGrom with a better supporting cast via trades hopefully for players with upside at catcher, at third base and at second base and then hopefully they will be contenders.

So, I think it will be feasible for the Mets to open their vault for their future Cy Young award winner and extend deGrom.

Kay Shines, Leads Columbia to Doubleheader Split

Press Release:

Box Score, Game 1

Box Score, Game 2

COLUMBIA, SC – Columbia split its doubleheader against the Asheville Tourists on Thursday after starter Anthony Kay led the Fireflies to a 4-2 victory in the night cap. Game one was a tight one that lasted into extras, but, alas, it was Asheville that came out on top, 5-3, in nine innings.

GAME TWO

Anthony Kay (W, 4-4) was flat out superb on Thursday night. The lefty nearly went the distance, but still struck out a career-high 11 batters in 6.2 IP. Kay did not walk anyone and scattered just four hits. After Kay hit his pitch limit, Trey Cobb (S, 9) recorded the final out of the game and picked up his team-best ninth save of the season.

Ali Sanchez delivered the home team an early lead with a two-run home run in the first inning off of Antonio Santos (L, 1-10). The blast was Sanchez’s fourth of the year.

Columbia (4-3, 38-36) pulled ahead 3-0 the following frame. After a one-out double fromRaphael Gladu, Giovanny Alfonzo slashed an RBI base hit down the left-field line.

Alfonzo later scored on a wild pitch in the fifth to help Columbia distance itself from the Tourists. Asheville (4-2, 31-44) did score twice in the seventh, but the feeble rally ended prematurely.

Alfonzo finished with a pair of hits in game two and Blake Tiberi tallied three hits over the course of both games.

GAME ONE

The Fireflies took a 2-0 lead in the third inning against Tourists starter Will Gaddis. Blake Tiberi drilled a two-run single with two outs in the frame that put the home team ahead.

Later in the fifth, the visitors evened the score with a pair of homers. Ramon Marcelino and Casey Golden both went yard to begin the inning. Those were the only two blemishes on Chris Viall’s stat line on Thursday – the righty starter lasted a season-long six innings and struck out six.

The game remained tied after seven innings and then again after each team scratched a run across in the eighth. After the Tourists took a 3-2 advantage with a score in the top half, it was Tiberi again who delivered a two-out run-scoring single that tied the score.

Columbia fell behind, though, 5-3 in the ninth and could not score in the home half of the frame.

STREAK ALERT: Edgardo Fermin singled in both games and extended his season-best hit streak to 11 straight games.

Tomas “Knead Dough” Shines in Sandwich Showdown

Press Release:  

BINGHAMTON, NY – Binghamton catcher Tomas Nido launched a tie-breaking solo homer in the eighth inning to send the Spiedies past the Thunder Pork Roll, 6-3, in round two of the Sandwich Showdown on Thursday night at NYSEG Stadium. 

Binghamton starter Justin Dunn matched a career-high with ten strikeouts over seven innings, while Tim Tebow drove in two runs in a multiple-hit game.

Homerless in his first 49 games of the season across three levels in the Mets’ system, Nido faced reliever Jordan Foley with the game tied in the eighth. He drove Foley’s 0-1 over the right-field wall, pushing Binghamton ahead 4-3. Four batters later, shortstop Joey Wong crushed a two-run homer to left, salting the game away.

Dunn did not claim a decision, but dazzled in his fourth career Double-A start. The righty struck out three in the second before getting touched for two unearned runs due to a pair of errors in the third. The righty set down ten of eleven Thunder hitters from the third through the fifth, fanning three along the way.

Tim Tebow had a hand in Binghamton’s first three runs. With Binghamton trailing by two in the fourth, he floated an RBI single to right. Tebow advanced to second on a groundout and dashed for third on the play, despite the base being occupied by Nido. Trapped in a rundown, Tebow stayed alive long enough for Nido to sprint home to tie the game. In the sixth, Tebow poked Ryan Bollinger’s 3-1 pitch down the left-field line for a single, pushing the Ponies ahead by a run.

Thunder third baseman Mandy Alvarez erased the one-run lead in a flash, blasting a game-tying homer to start the seventh. Dunn bounced back with three straight strikeouts to cap his night.

Reliever Joshua Torres (6-0) tossed a perfect eighth and sealed his sixth win with a scoreless ninth. Dunn allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits over seven innings.

POSTGAME NOTES: Binghamton split the four-game series with Trenton, snapping a stretch of five straight losing series…Justin Dunn last struck out 10 batters as a St. Lucie Met on June 4, 2018 against the Tampa Tarpons (NYY: High-A)…Tim Tebow raised his June batting average to .318 with his fourth multiple-hit game in nine games

Tom Brennan: METS MINORS - HOT BATS AND PENS

Tom Brennan: METS MINORS - HOT BATS AND PENS

Boy, oh boy, the minors are in full crank mode right now.  A welcome distraction from Queens baseball.

All 9 teams are playing, and that is a LOT of hitters and bullpen guys.

Since I don't have all day, folks, 'cause "I'm workin' for the man every night and day", I will only list guys with SCINTILLATING performances so far.

The creme de la creme.

As I truly am squeezed for time, I include stats of players  only through Tuesday's games. 

SCINTILLATING HITTERS:

AAA:

No Brennan list begins without Batman and Robin a/k/a Peter Alonso and Jeff McNeil.  Pete recently had a 3 homer game in his first week playing for Vegas, and Jeff has been doing a fine job in the lead off slot for the 51s.

Alonso: 18 HR, 63 RBI, .307.  Slumping a bit after the 3 HR sensation.

McNeil: .331/.402/.598. And .350 in his first 10 AAA games. (My only player update after Tuesday - on Wednesday, 3 for 5 with 2 doubles.  On Thursday, 2 for 4 with a homer - so, in 12 Vegas games, .388/.426/.571.  Call him UP).

AA:

No one, although Kevin Taylor and Tim Tebow have had fine Junes (.359 in last 10 games for Taylor and .310/.355/.466 in 20 June games for Tebow).

HIGH A:

Sorry, no one.  Andres Gimenez is doing well, but not doing SCINTILLATING.

FULL A:

Sorry, no one, although Rafael Gladu (.278) had a tremendous 23 game hit streak earlier this year, and the catching tandem of Scott Manea and Ali Sanchez have been close to .260, with 8 combined homers, and have cut down 36 of 73 runners (50%) - that is SCINTILLATING.

ROOKIE BALL BATS:

BROOKLYN:

Guys hitting over .300 so far include EF Jose Miguel Medina, 3B Jose Brizuela, SS Oliver Pasqual, 1B Chase Chambers, C Carlos Sanchez, and OF Wagner Lagrange.  And OF Ross Adolph is hitting .294 with 10 RBIs (and 14 Ks) in 7 games.

KINGSPORT:

A team-wide scintillating hitting start.

TWELVE GUYS hitting .300 or higher after 7 games! 

Whole team hitting .364!  Who stands out most? 

CF Anthony Dirocie (.476/.556/.905, with just 1 K in 24 PAs), 2B Luis Santana (.462/.516/.615, with just 1 K in 30 PAs), CF Guillermo Granadillo (.444/.545/.444 in 22 PAs), and SS Sherveyn Newton (.412/.474/.615 in 38 PAs, but with 13 Ks).  WOW! 

GULF COAST METS:

Jarred Kelenic, our 2018 first rounder, started out 8 for 13, and uber-international signee Ronnie Mauricio .333 (9 for 27, 3 doubles, a HR, and 8 RBIs) - the teenage Batman and Robin.

BULLPEN BEASTS:

Several guys have been promoted to Queens this season, as the Queens bullpen semi-disintegrated, like Gerson Bautista, Jacob Rhame, Drew Smith, Tim Peterson, and Tyler Bashlor.

Who SCINTILLATES amongst those not yet called up?

Las Vegas? None. No bullpen scintillators in Sin City. The goodies have been flown east already.

Binghamton?  Matt Blackham and Dave Roseboom are two of my faves.  Others who have strong AA ERAs and have fanned many include Dan Zamora, Joshua Torres, and Eric Hanhold.

St Lucie? Joe Zanghi and Ryder Ryan are the two finest.

Columbia? Trey Cobb and Conner O'Neil have rocked it.

Brooklyn?  Kingsport? GCL Mets?  Let's give the relievers another week or two to formulate a meaningful relief record.

Lastly, the two pre-rookie ball developmental league teams?  The very best so far?  maybe next time folks - I am out of time, and any DSL guys that make the majors will take years, so try to be patient, huh?

That's it for this current edition of bats and pens, folks.

Tom Brennan - MISSING METS FUNDAMENTALS

Tom Brennan - MISSING METS FUNDAMENTALS

A team may flounder for a myriad of reasons, but the absence of fundamentals should not be one on them.

I had questioned a while back my bewilderment as to how Amed Rosario in his minor league days could have walked so little, and how a guy with such speed does not steal much at all, a seemingly easily acquired skill with focus and training.

I had questioned how a team could have one of its top prospects, Dominic Smith, be 260 pounds when he made his major league debut.

Those things for those two players seem fundamental. 

Someone in the organization should have been making sure Smith was not semi-obese when called up, and knowing major league pitchers can truly find and exploit weaknesses, not forcing Rosario to learn to master the strike zone prior to his major league call up is truly puzzling.

Now I read that Smith was never taught to sacrifice bunt, and is now learning it. 

That Flores is being drilled at first base to improve his fielding skills there, rather than seeing he'd potentially play there a lot and have him fully ready for that far sooner. 

That the team is currently drilling base running skills to improve real deficiencies there; etc.

Smith is now playing the outfield at times - why not have played him out there for more than a few games during his time in the minors?  

On and on.

There is something fundamentally wrong with this organization.

To Mickey Callaway's credit, he is addressing it on the major league level. 

Mack’s Apples - Mike Moustakas, Rece Hinda, Mark Vientos, Manny Machado, Mets Empty Bench.

Royals Now Shopping   Mike Moustakas - 

Having traded Jon Jay and Kelvin Herrera, the Kansas City Royals are now shopping Mike Moustakas.

The issue for Kansas City may be that third base isn't a position many contenders need to fill.

Moustakas, 29, is hitting .263/.319/.480 with 14 home runs, 48 RBI and two stolen bases.

2019 Prospects –

Rece Hinds   SS/3B Niceville Senior

           PG Grade: 10 - Rece Hinds is a 2019 SS/3B/OF with a 6-3 195 lb. frame from Niceville, FL who attends Niceville Senior HS. Excellent physical frame with strength throughout and room to add more to the build; outstanding athlete. Primary shortstop with excellent arm strength across the diamond. Quick release and good lateral movements with a clean glove. Arm strength plays from the outfield as well; up to 94 mph. Gains momentum and gets weight well behind throws. Tools and arm strength are there to be an impact defender. Righthanded hitter with quick hands and easy, explosive bat speed. Huge power potential and whips the barrel through the zone with natural life. Stays on plane with good balance and the ball jumps off the bat. High end offensive talent with a strong set of tools. Named to the Junior National Showcase Top Prospect List. Excellent student. Verbal commitment to Louisiana State.

My 1st look at Mark Vientos , 3B, Kingsport Mets –

        

   A lot of oppo pop.  He hit a ball to right center that didn’t appear to come off the bat very square and it one hopped the wall about 380′.  Not too many 18 year olds can do that.  I would put the raw power at 55 with the chance to get to 60 soon and maybe 70 at peak.   The game power will be dictated by swing plane.  With current swing the HR’s will likely top off in the low 20’s.  With lift it’s a legit 30 HR bat but that could come with more swing and miss.

He had a fairly quiet day at 3B but he did handle a hot shot cleanly and made a strong throw.  Plenty of arm for the position.

Not a runner.

Manny Machado's  sweepstakes are underway - and Dodgers are favorites to acquire him –

The Los Angeles Dodgers are playing it coy, acting as if they can’t take on money, won’t give up prized prospects, and aren’t hellbent on returning to the World Series again.

Don’t be fooled.

They are poised to land Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado.

The Mets And Pirates Managed To Empty The Benches For No Reason At All –

              

         In the top of the eighth inning, Pirates infielder Josh Harrison slid into second to try and break up a double play. His slide went directly over the base and forced Mets second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera to make a late throw to first. The slide was clean. Cabrera wasn’t even a little bit mad about it. Pitcher Jeurys Familia, however, was mad about it, and yelled something at Harrison as he tried to leave the field:

Harrison yapped back, which got both teams out of the dugout and both bullpens emptied, and led to a ridiculous scene in which Cabrera, the guy Familia was ostensibly sticking up for, gently hugging Harrison in order to protect him from his rowdy Mets teammates.

Mike Freire - What To Do With Wilmer?

I think it is fair to state that Wilmer Flores is one of the more polarizing figures
on the Mets' roster.  Some fans think he is a Designated Hitter trapped in a league
that doesn't have the position available, while other feel that he is a source of untapped potential that simply needs to be given a legitimate opportunity to thrive.

Sadly, regardless of what he brings to the table, he is best known for the "crying episode" from a couple season ago, which is probably a bit unfair when you consider the circumstances.

I tend to fall somewhere in the middle, as I have been a fan of his offense but extremely leery of his defensive abilities.  Despite this feeling, he certainly has a flair for the dramatic as he has quite a few "walk off hits" during his career which is interesting.

To date, WF has a total of 1753 plate appearances which is just shy of three full seasons of plate appearances (if we use our customary figure of 600 plate appearances as a "full season").  If you compare that to the six seasons he has been on the Mets' major league roster, it would be accurate to say that he plays roughly "half of the time", enhancing the argument made by some fans that he hasn't had a real shot at a regular role.

His appearances in the field are pretty much evenly divided between all four infield positions, which adds additional fuel to the fire that he has been "jerked around" for his entire career, or perhaps it has been done in an effort to hide his poor defense?

During his 1753 plate appearances, he has produced the following statistical line;

.260/.301/.427  (.727 OPS)

62 HR/227 RBI/3 SB/186 RS

0.5 WAR (includes -4.0 dWAR)

***For the counting statistics, an average "full" season would include 20.67 HR/75.67 RBI/1.0 SB and 62 RS, which isn't too shabby, but his dWAR is bordering on atrocious.

For the 2018 season, he has compiled 171 plate appearances so far, which works out to roughly one quarter of a season (again, in line with his "part time" career usage rates).  During that time, he has produced the following statistical line;

.258/.322/.430  (.752 OPS)

5 HR/25 RBI/0 SB/15 RS

0.0 WAR (includes -0.5 dWAR)

***Again, solid contributions with the bat, but poor defense pretty much cancels out that benefit.

In short, his statistical line for the current season is pretty much in line with his career averages.  Yes, he still hasn't gotten a "full shot" at one position, but he isn't exactly lighting the world on fire, either. His career OPS is in the low .700's, which by scale is decidedly AVERAGE.  He also has a neutral WAR, which is due to the fact that
his offensive abilities are cancelled out by his lack of defense and base running.

Put all of that together and you get a valuable "bench piece", but not necessarily a full time player which is exactly what he has been for the Mets.  Since 2018 is pretty much a lost cause, our focus should move to the future, so the question becomes "what do you do with him moving forward"?

The Mets have one more year of control (2019), before he becomes a free agent in 2020, so a decision will need to be made relatively soon.  Do you trade him to an American League contender where he can thrive in a DH/Bench type role or do you
keep him around and extend his contract in 2020?

If you choose the latter, answers to the following questions will need to be answered.

1.  Will his increased cost justify what he currently brings to the team each day?

2.  Is he worth more as a trade chip or as member of the active roster?

3.  If he "gets paid" will it force the team to find a more regular spot in the lineup?

4.  If so, where would you put him so that his defensive liabilities are minimized?

Trenton 7 - Binghamton 5

Press Release:

BINGHAMTON, NY – Early offense helped aid Trenton past Binghamton for the second straight night, 7-5. Wednesday’s game at NYSEG Stadium was delayed 33 minutes due to inclement weather, before Nabil Crismatt dueled Brian Keller for the second time in six days. Trenton’s victory is their sixth in nine tries against Binghamton this season.

After going a team-best eight innings with a season-best nine strikeouts six days earlier at Trenton, Nabil Crismatt struggled with the Thunder bats in the early innings. After issuing a walk to Devyn Bolasky, the game’s first batter, Crismatt allowed a single to Abiatal Avelino. With two aboard, Ryan McBroom belted a three-run homer over the left field fence, sending Trenton to a quick 3-0 lead.

Binghamton responded just two innings later, pushing their first run across against the right-hander Keller. Kevin Taylor started the second inning with a single, followed by a double by Tomas Nido. Two batters later, Tim Tebow continued his hot hitting in June, stroking a single into right to plate Taylor. Despite three hits in the inning, the Ponies could only scratch across one run. 

McBroom picked up his 4^th RBI in the third inning, doubling home Avelino to make it 4-1. 

The Rumble Ponies response was quick, though, scoring two in the bottom of the third to slice the deficit to one. Levi Michael began the frame by launching his 8^thhome run of the season off of Keller, extending his hitting streak to six games. Josh Allen would work a one-out single and was pushed to second on a Keller balk. Tomas Nido earned a two-out RBI single to score Allen, making it 4-3.

Crismatt (8-5) pitched six innings and did not allow a run after the third inning. He gave up four runs and four walks, striking out four Thunder batters.

The Thunder picked up three insurance runs in the seventh inning, giving the bullpen cushion for the final nine outs. With Daniel Zamora on the bump, Trenton greeted the lefty with three straight singles. After picking up back-to-back strikeouts, Binghamton chose to intentionally walk Billy Fleming to load the bases for Jeff Hendrix. Trenton’s right-fielder took advantage, singling home Amburgey and Avelino to make it 7-3.

Keller (6-5) went five innings, but allowed only three runs on seven hits. All five of his strikeouts came in the first two innings. 

Josh Allen’s first home run at NYSEG Stadium kickstarted a two-run eighth inning rally to bring Binghamton within two. Allen’s longball was the first one allowed by Thunder reliever Caleb Frare this season. After a double by Nido, Frare was replaced by Stephen Tarpley. The right-hander struck out Jhoan Urena, but did so on a wild pitch, allowing Urena to first base. An Avelino error on a routine Matt Oberste groundball pushed Nido home, making it 7-5. 

POSTGAME NOTES: Levi Michael set a career single-season high with his 8^thHR…Allen’s Home Run ended Caleb Frare’s 11.0 inning scoreless streak…Crismatt’s first home start since June 3…Kevin Taylor’s sixth multi-hit game in the last nine…First time in eight games the final margin was fewer than four runs…Rumble Ponies pitching issued a season-high nine walks

Jupiter 2 - St. Lucie 1

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (June 27, 2018) – The Jupiter Hammerheads defeated the St. Lucie Mets 2-1 at First Data Field on Wednesday.

Jupiter scored both its runs before making an out in the third inning. Luis Pintor drew a leadoff walk from Mets starter Gabriel Llanes. Zach Sullivan followed with a RBI triple. A few pitches later Sullivan raced home from third on passed ball.

Llanes settled down and retired 13 straight batters after the Sullivan triple.

The Mets offense continued to sputter. The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the sixth inning but all they could manage was a RBI sac fly from Dash Winningham that plated Gene Cone to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Hammerheads starter Josh Roeder pitched 6.2 innings and scattered four hits and one run. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.

The game was halted by rain for nearly two hours in the bottom of the seventh. When play resumed, Jupiter reliever Scott Squier took over and pitched scoreless ball through the eighth.

Esmerling De La Rosa only needed six pitches to retire the side in the ninth for his first save.

Llanes took a tough loss. He only gave up two hits and two runs over seven innings. He threw just 79 pitches.

Desmond Lindsay went 1 for 3 with his 10^th double of the season. Mike Paez went 2 for 4 with a double. The Mets outhit Jupiter 6-3.

The Mets losing streak hit a season-long eight games. Jupiter improved to 7-1 vs. St. Lucie this season.