Tom Brennan - The Fine Rhylan Thomas’ One Powerful Flaw

Rhylan Thomas, Back In College 

Rhylan Thomas, an outfielder drafted in the 11th round in 2022, has hit at 3 levels this year, most recently in AA, and frankly very rarely strikes out.

He reminds me of Jeff McNeil’s first 3 years in the minors, 2013-15, when he hit just 4 homers in 1,250 PAs, with low Ks, while hitting .305.  He added muscle and pop. He’s made millions.

And TJ Rivera, who in his first 5 seasons, hit just 24 HRs in 2,200 plate appearances, with low Ks, while hitting .320, and seemed to be going nowhere. In 2016, he raked with lots of doubles, 14 HRs in the minors and and nearly .350 hitting. Unfortunately for him, needing Tommy John surgery really adversely affected him and short-circuited a promising Mets utility player career, with a .304 average in 319 at bats.

Rhylan Thomas has the same high average, low K, but low power-so-far issue. In 975 plate appearances in college, Cape Cod, and the minors, he has had just 7 homers, to go along with 40 doubles and 6 triples, and just 73 strikeouts. 

And, despite hitting .328 as of September 19, he has just 21 XBHs in 346 PAs this year, a sub-par ratio. His .353 average in his first 16 AA games, in hs first full pro season, shows this young gent can flat-out HIT.

Again, first full pro year, starting out hitting .303 in 36 Lucie games. Then, in his 2 promotions, to High A and AA, 61 for 177 (.346), with 26 walks and JUST 15 Ks. But…

Without power, will the soon-to-be 24 year old Rhylan Thomas ever reach the majors? 

Even with the minor league Mets outfield Gold Glove Award going to Thomas this year.

Low-powered ex-Mets prospect Jake Mangum on September 19 had hit .303 in AAA over a full season for the Marlins. Good outfielder defensively, and quick. .291 career minors hitter.

He has, though, not gotten called up. 

He may very well turn out to be an inferior hitter to Thomas, and I believe that will be the case, but the lack of Thomas’ power is an apparent call-up deterrent, unless Thomas would hit .320 or more as a Met.

Teams these days want power bats and/or super-fast defensive whizzes in their outfields.

My advice?  

Hit the weight room, Rhylan, and hit it hard. 

ADD power, like Jeff and TJ did. 

You’re in a better place than many minor leaguers who have more power, but strike out 3 to 5 times as often as you do. They can’t fix that, but you can fix your issue easily…add strength, like McNeil and Rivera did.

The Dave Magadans of baseball are a lot more rare in these high-powered times.   Magadan back when he played was able to get up nearly 5,000 times from 1986 to 2001, despite just career 42 HRs and no speed at all. That wouldn’t happen in the 2020 baseball “power” decade.  Magadan might have gotten in 15 games, not 15 seasons, if he played these days.

So…

Increase your XBH rate substantially, or risk being “one of those guys who almost made it.”  Shed that low power reputation…your high average, and even close to average power, will provide you a long MLB career.

Heck, though, maybe he'll be the next Luis Arraez.  The supreme high average, low K guy in the game today.  Arraez is not a power machine. He just is a darned good, Gwynn-like, hitter.

I'd take that from Thomas, wouldn't you?

ANOTHER METS LOSS

7-5, bringing the team closer to a high draft pick.  Never like to lose, but it can have its advantages.

Baty is hitting again, an encouraging sign for 2024.

JARVIS CLOCKED AGAIN

3.1 IP, 9 hits, 2 walks, 5 runs.  Syracuse lost again. Jaylen Palmer on base 3 times, and on a roll.

AA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

An odd day off. Resumes Sunday. Best of 3.

Tom Brennan - From The “What If?” Department

WHAT IF THEY HADN'T TRADED THIS FELLA?

SUCCESS-STARVED METS FANS ALWAYS WONDER “WHAT IF?”

The Mets won 101 games last year, but did not RE-sign two key starters, Taijuan Walker and Chris Bassitt.

This year, the former is 15-5, the latter 14-8, going into Friday night.

That is 29-13.

“What If?” the Mets had kept them?

You gotta wonder.

LAST NITE:

Tylor Megill was very good until the 6th, where he allowed a 3 run shot to Realmuto for all his runs allowed. Got the pitch up…and so did J.T.

36 runs allowed in 47 IP from 4th thru 6th innings this year. Not good.

Brett Baty tied the game in the 9th with a 110 MPH 440 foot rocket to CF off Craig Kimbrel, his 9th, but Pete fanned with the bags jammed, and then Ottavino fell to 1-6 when he lost it in the 10th, with the automatic runner on 3nd scoring.

Cross town, Judge hit 3 HRs and 6 RBIs…all rise.

And Mark Canha had a 2 run double in Milwaukee’s 2nd inning against the Marlenes.

Mark is an All Star caliber .306/.389/.465 for the Brewers in 44 games, after his mediocre .245/.343/.381 in 89 games….naturally.

“WHAT IF” he wasn’t traded?

Finally:

Game 1 of Binghamton’ best of 3 championship series tonight, weather permitting. Tidwell scheduled to go. 

And the Syracuse Mets won 4-3 on a walk off walk to Brandon McIlwain, his 4th walk of the night. Wyatt Young had 3 hits as his season-long slump ended in Sept. 

Doing well also since late season promos to Syracuse are Jose Peroza (.346, with 9 RBIs in 7 games)) and Jaylen Palmer (.237).

Eric Orze Alert:

Eric won with 2 hitless innings, 3 Ks.

He may not be on yours yet, but he is on the Mets’ 2024 bullpen radar. 

Why? Starting with his last August relief outing, he has done THIS:

11 innings, 2 hits, no runs, TWENTY TWO STRIKEOUTS.

WOW WOW WOW.

SAVAGE VIEWS – 2024 Around the Corner

  

As we wrap up the 2023 season there’s a lot of speculation as to what direction the club will take in 2024.  There has been talk about signing Alonso to a long-term deal and perhaps signing a top free agent such as Bellinger.  While I agree that signing Pete should be a priority as long as the extension does not exceed 5-6 years.  

On the other hand, I would pass on Bellinger, although he’s a great player who would be an asset to any team.  It’s time we moved away from giving long-term deals to free agents that you wind up regretting after two or three years.

I’ve said before that I believe the Mets will field a competitive team in 2024.  The first move will be to add two quality starters, hopefully Yamamoto is one of them.  These two additions together with Senga and Quintana will form the nucleus of a strong starting rotation.  The fifth starter will be one of Peterson, MeGill, Butto or Lucchesi. If this group stays healthy, our rotation matches up well against any other team.  Not only that, but you have options for a sixth, seventh or eight starter , when needed.

While there has been talk about overhauling the bullpen, I’m inclined to stay the course.   With the return of Diaz, retaining Ottavino and Raley plus the three who missed out on being in the rotation gives us a potentially strong bullen.  The last two slots can be filled by bringing back Robertson and adding possibly Nate Lavender or Paul Gervace.  In addition, there’s Drew Smith and others who will emerge in spring training.

From my perch, the potential starting nine looks pretty solid.  Expect bounce years from McNeil, Marte, if healthy, Alonso and Lindor. This year’s rookies should have put their growing pains behind them.  There is no doubt that Alvarez is the starting catcher and should get at least 120 games.  Narvaez should be traded to a team in need of a starting catcher with Nido returning as the backup.    

Ronny Maurcio has shown himself to be an exciting player with a world of potential.  He might turn out to be the best of the four baby Mets.  Mark Vientos has shown the ability to be more than a right-hand DH.  With 5 homers thus far in September, he has the potential to be a 30 plus homer guy.  Brett Baty has always been a bat first player.  Next year he should emerge as a premier hitter.

This can be a pretty potent line-up:

1.    Nimmo - CF

2.    Maurcio – 2B

3.    Alonso – 1B

4.    Lindor – SS

5.    Alvarez – C

6.    McNeil – LF

7.    Vientos – DH

8.    Baty – 3B

9.    Marte – RF

I’d like to add either a Justin Turner or Brandon Drury to address our inability to hit lefties.  Of course, Stewart is the fourth OF with Nido as the back-up catcher.

There is no question the team will make the playoffs next year.  My concern is whether we have enough depth to replace those players who will get hurt during the year.  Both Nimmo and Marte are candidates to spend time on IR.

Any way you look at it, should be a fun year.  Looking forward to ST.

Ray

 

Reese Kaplan -- Not a Lot of Chips Available to Trade

Who is on the current roster that has some trade value going into next year?  Yesterday we dismissed the notion of dealing away Jose Quintana and Brooks Raley.  The reasons were fairly clear.

Today let’s immediately rule out moving Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz, Adam Ottavino and Francisco Lindor.  Yes, they are all quality players who could return a passel of prospects or fill open position needs, but there are not ready replacements in-house to offer up what they can and do provide to the team.

Ah, but what about the rest of the bunch?  Is everyone else on the block?  Well..

Jeff McNeil is a solid hitter and a versatile fielder who contributes on both sides of the game much like the way the Cubs formerly used Ben Zobrist all over the field to ensure he helped them win games.  During his long career he averaged .267, 16 HRs and 75 RBIs per season.  That’s solid and it earned him a closing salary level of $16.5 million per season.

Taking a look at McNeil’s numbers and you see a somewhat similar ballplayer.  His typical season would be .298 with 14 HRs and 65 RBIs.  The run production is a little down but when you consider he typically hits near the top of the order his job is more about getting on base and hitting the ball well than it is about producing runs himself as you would expect from the middle of the order batters.  A lifetime batting average of .298 is nothing to sneeze at.  

For his 2022 batting title he secured himself a new contract with a $10 million salary in 2023 and back-to-back years of $15.75 million for 2024 and 2025 with an option to pick him up at that same level for 2026 or pay him a $2 million buyout.  That average annual salary for the guaranteed three years with the buyout would be $14 million which is $2.5 million under Zobrist’s best two years.

Right now it’s well known that the Mets have a bit of a logjam when it comes to the infield.  In addition to McNeil you have to find a position for Ronny Mauricio.  His fielding is a bit unpolished but his natural athleticism more than makes up for the lapses in judgment or flubbing an occasional routine play.  He certainly looks like a player the Mets will want to have in their infield going forward.

Then it gets murkier with the defensively challenged and offensively inconsistent Brett Baty.  Despite his recent home run blast as the team closed out its series with the Marlins, the fact is many people are thinking he needs some more seasoning in AAA to determine whether or not he has the solid star potential many anointed him in their rankings as he ascended the minors. 

Even worse defensively is suddenly hot hitting Mark Vientos.  His pattern has always been a period of adjustment as he goes from one level up to the next.  With much more consistent playing time due to the July housecleaning and injuries Vientos is starting to show the club what he’s capable of doing.  He is a major step backwards with his glove but the exit velocity on balls off his bat are among the best in the league.  

The problem they see with Vientos more than defense, however, is his strikeout rate which should improve with experience, but then again it’s also fairly common for power hitters to generate a lot of breeze.  No one didn’t want Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson or Willie Stargell on their teams due to a wondrous number of whiffs.

Some say that Starling Marte should be on the block, but again it’s a matter of dealing from weakness instead of strength.  The return for him wouldn’t be equitable and until he proves he’s healthy.  He could be paid down and given away but that takes the already empty outfield that much more vacant.

In the question of dealing from strength, is DJ Stewart someone who might better serve the Mets as hot trade bait rather than gambling that his strong close to the 2023 season is the player he will be again in the future?  Given his tiny salary he would likely be in demand, though his sometimes surprisingly good defensive plays are the exception as his glove skills and running speed are not going to win any awards.  Perhaps the Mets are better keeping him around to see if he can earn a regular job in the outfield or as a DH given how little he costs, otherwise penciling him in for backup duty.

Sometimes you look to trade away younger talent who have not exactly lived up to the hype.  Pitchers David Peterson and Tylor Megill would be in this category as would nearly any relief pitcher not named Diaz, Ottavino nor Raley.  

The problem here is that everyone else can read the box scores, too, and the return you’d get for these guys is pretty minimal.  Jose Butto might bring back more as he’s unproven in the incompetence department and Joey Lucchesi being left handed would also generate some interest, but again the Mets are starting the 2024 rotation with just two named starters.

The rest of the players they could look to remove from the roster like Tim Locastro, Rafael Ortega, Daniel Vogelbach, Omar Narvaez and Luis Guillorme are not going to net you much in the way of return.  So while cutting them loose or trading them for deep B and C level prospects is possible, it wouldn’t solve immediate problems. 

Face it.  David Stearns, Billy Eppler and Steve Cohen need to have a long and hard talk about other prospects in the minors.  It may be time to see what they would fetch in return, though a wholesale housecleaning wouldn’t appeal to anyone.  There will be a lot of free agents needed otherwise. 

Tom Brennan - When You Downgrade, Be Equally Prepared to Upgrade

Dominic Hamel needs an immediate upgrade.

We in effect all mentally downgraded Hamel when he had an ERA of 6.30 in May and 6.17 in June. “Another faltering prospect?”, we thought

But we should be equally prepared to quickly upgrade a player when he reversed course and goes on fire.

Which Hamel has.

Against the hard-hitting Somerset Yanks, in the AA playoffs, he went 7.2 innings, allowed 3 hits, no runs, and recorded 8 Ks last night. Wow.

That was after his prior 3 starts, in which he threw 14 scoreless and fanned 24.

Brilliant 4 game stretch.

Prior to that were 6 starts: 

- His three “bad” recent starts in those prior 6 games, he allowed 9 runs in 15 innings. Not so bad at all, actually.

- In his 3 other “good” starts amongst those six, he allowed just 1 earned run in 18 innings, and fanned 23.

So, in those 10 starts, 10 earned runs in 55 innings, fanning 69.

Overpowering. Superb.

I’m upgrading him back into the top 10.

He may in point of fact be ready to start for the NY Mets early in 2024.

Meanwhile, Binghamton won 2-0, with superb giant beast righty Paul Gervase picking up the save, recording the Yanks’ final 4 batters, all outs, 2 Ks. 

- Paul WILL pitch for the NY Mets in 2024. Beasts rise fast.

Hayden Senger homered, singled, gunned down a base stealer, and caught a Hamel gem. Great game.

In AAA, meanwhile, Mike Vasil fanned 8 and gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 4 innings where he threw 85 pitches. 

Born again lefty Anthony Kay threw a 1-2-3, with 2 Ks, and added 3 more Ks in a scoreless 9th to get the win. A two run 9th inning rally, capped by a game winning Suozzi single, and the S Mets won 5-4.

In Philly, Vientos homered again fot the Mets. The HR Machine is crushing baseballs and is victimizing major league pitchers. 

Mets lost, 5-4, though, as the bullpen and David Peterson both basically failed again. The Phillies, to be fair, are tough. The Mets, meanwhile, seek that high draft pick. 

Jeff McNeil did have 3 hits. .314 over his last 30 games.  Squirrel stuff.

And he is 17 for 17 in steals from 2021-2023. Nice.

Reese Kaplan -- You Don't Deal From Weakness to Build Strength

It seems that many people feel the Mets are going to look to deal away Jose Quintana during the off season because, well, umm...I’m not sure.  He’s left handed...no, that can’t be the reason.  He’s pitched poorly and stolen Steve Cohen’s salary money...nah, that doesn’t jibe.  He’s earning way too much...uh, no...he’s cheaper than Kodai Senga.  He’s old and due for a rapid decline like Carlos Carrasco...hmmn, no, he’s two years younger and pitching well.  

Do the Mets have too many reliable pitchers for 2024 in the starting rotation...the last time I looked going into next season only he and Senga would qualify for the reliable starting pitcher designation.

Sometimes writers (both professional ones and us bloggers) have nothing else to say so they float a trial balloon in the attempt drive up controversy and readership.  Sometimes they might feel they are striking a blow for bravery instead of taking the more conservative route to improving the roster.  Sometimes maybe their adult beverage bought on clearance sale isn’t settling all that well in their head or their stomach.

The problem going into 2024 is not enough starting pitching of any kind and extremely unreliable bullpen arms to support the faltering quintet of guys who are expected to last 6 or more innings on each outing.  Dealing from a weakness is not typically the way to build strength, so makes roster construction doubly difficult.

Often along these same inscrutable lines are the hard swilling scribes who think the other roster member worth dealing away is Brooks Raley.  Raley?  Really?

The last time I looked he is also left handed.  His ERA is just 2.94.  He’s earning $6.5 million this year and can be brought back for the same salary.  I’ll grant he’s the ultimate late bloomer whose first solid season wasn’t until 2022 but he’s shown in 2023 that as he’s about to turn 37 it was not a mirage and he’s the best southpaw in the pen they’ve seen since the unfathomable (and irreplicable) season Aaron Loup provided during is one year as a Met. 

Now the Mets bullpen is hurting in the worst way.  Yes, they have Adam Ottavino who has been solid for this season and Edwin Diaz is due back next year.  Here’s the clincher, though...that is it.  There is no one who has shown the kind of talent, consistency nor healthy to indicate he’s got a fixed spot on the upcoming roster.

So here we go again...if the talent pool is that thin, the idea would be to supplement it to fatten it up rather than to encourage it to go anorexic. 

No one knows what David Stearns has in mind when he assumes the October reigns of the New York Mets, but it’s clear he’s been hired to develop and implement a long term vision of winning.  Expect that the upcoming offseason won’t be like the one that preceded it given the outcome that resulted.  There will be participation in free agency as that route is the easiest way to add people to the roster, but also consider the trade route which has been a fairly under utilized approach since Billy Eppler came on board.  

The word is out that the Mets are not going to be giving away every top prospect for has-been older players as was done in the past, but do expect some judicious swaps of people without clear roles on the team in the future to indeed take place.

Positive Takeaways from the Season- PIITB by JD

Positive Takeaways from the Season- PIITB By JD

 

 

As the season winds down, I’d like to take a moment to name some of my takeaways (mainly positive ones) from the season. Poor play has hampered this season and turned into a lost year. 

 

Let's start with Francisco Alvarez establishing himself as a franchise cornerstone. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but I will here. Think back to as recently as 2017 with Gary Sanchez. He burst onto the scene swatting 33 homers in 120 games and looked every bit like the Yankees catcher of the future. We all know how that turned out. There is no guarantee with these young guys. I have a lot of reason to believe in Alvarez. First off, his fielding has been miles better than we expected. His framing is in the 95^th percentile and fielding run value is 87^th percentile. His blocking has some work to be done, but he is 21. He’s walking in the 44^thpercentile which is way above what I expected. His xBA and sweet spot percentile are low, and I would like to see improvement in those areas. He strikes out a lot, but again he is 21. Nonetheless, 23 homers and a 730 OPS in his first full major league season is amazing. I fully expect Alvarez to be the catcher of the future for this organization.

 

The rise of Kodai Senga. I gushed over Senga last week, but I am going to do it again. This guy is an ace. He has a 2.96 era and has one more start remaining. He should finish 3^rd in CY Young voting as a rookie. His Ghost Fork has one of the league's highest whiff percentages of a single pitch. I can’t say enough good things about this guy. I hope his relationship with Yamamoto is enough to sway him over to the Mets as well. A rotation led by Senga and Yamamoto would look great next season. 

 

The re-building of the farm system. Billy and the Mets worked very hard this deadline to beef up a faltering farm. While it is not littered with star players, it has improved significancy even with the graduation of Alvarez, Baty, Vientos, and Mauricio. Bleacher report has the Mets system ranked 4^th. Guys like Drew Gilbert, Acuna Jr, Blade Tidwell, Jett Williams, and Mike Vasil could be banging on the door at some point next season. The Mets are in good hands, hopefully, it works out. 

 

David Stearns! I mentioned Stearns briefly last week and I will go into depth in the off-season on Stearns. His role in the organization is somewhat unclear now. We know Billy Eppler is still going to be around so we’ll see how the responsibilities will be split. My hope is that the Mets use Billy solely for his strengths. Agents and GMs like Billy and he has obvious connections in Japan that cannot be ignored. I am completely fine with keeping Billy around assuming he and Stearns work well together. At the end of the day, this must be David Stearns’ show. For better or worse the Mets are in his hands. 

Paul Articulates - Baby Mets becoming Vets

The Baby Mets is a term that was coined to describe that first group of Mets prospects to hit the major leagues.  The term originally applied to Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos.  It is reasonable to expand that list with Ronny Mauricio who came up later, but is still in the “first crop” of prospects.

Although the 2023 season has been a huge cloud of disappointment for Mets fans, there has been a silver lining.  That is the opportunity for the Baby Mets to play almost every day.  The amount of game experience they have seen would not have occurred if the Mets were in a playoff race, as Buck Showalter has shown a bias towards veteran players when the pressure is on.  

Given the time to play through the daily grind, the group has found it to be a significant challenge.

Francisco Alvarez got off to a hot start, hitting 20 home runs by the end of July and playing superb defense that had everyone talking about him as a Rookie Of the Year candidate.  Unfortunately he cooled off quickly after that and has only had 3 HRs since and has also had several errors on over-aggressive throws to the bases.  As the cooler nights approach, he is beginning to warm up again, but is only slashing .215/.290/.439 so his ROY candidacy is over.  Though not all Mets fans agree, Alvarez is being limited to every other game now to reduce the wear and tear on his body in this longest season of his career.

Brett Baty also started strong, but regressed when pitchers found his weakness for those breaking balls down and in.  His very long swing is not adjusting well, and although a few weeks back in AAA helped perk up his hitting, his return to the majors was met with more struggles.  He may have to retool that swing over the off-season to retain his value to the club.  His defense has also been below average this season, as measured by a -4 Outs Above Average (OAA) and a -7 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) to go with his .955 fielding percentage.  

Mark Vientos had a tough time finding playing time in his time with the big league club earlier this year.  However, as time progressed and other DH candidates failed to excel, Mark got his shot and has made the most of it.  Although his power has not quite made the jump, he has been solid in September, batting .275 in 14 games, including last night’s two home run performance, and a three hit performance back in the Reds series.

Ronny Mauricio finally stepped onto a MLB infield on September 1st.  He has not disappointed those who waited a long time for him to move up.  His first at-bat yielded a screaming 117mph line drive that was the hardest hit ball by a Met this year.  He has shown some power and some fielding promise at both 2B and 3B so far – probably enough to make Brett Baty worried.  Mauricio had a huge spring with the club and while some questioned the delay in moving him up, the extra work in the minors seems to have done wonders as he has transitioned very well.  In 16 games with the Mets, he has slashed .305/.359/.407 – best of the bunch.

There is tremendous value in the exposure this group has gotten so far.  Between the four of them, they have played in 284 games and logged 923 at-bats.  They have seen righties, lefties, and every shape of pitch imaginable.  Although they have not really torn it up, they have seen what they need to prepare themselves to perform at the major league level in 2024.  They are turning the corner from rookie to veteran and if they can deliver on their enormous talent it should be a windfall for the club.

Meanwhile, back on the farm there is another group of prospects coming up.  Call it the “second wave”, and it is looking like a Tsunami.  The Binghamton Rumble Ponies have assembled a “murderers row” of prospects and had them on full display Tuesday night in their first game of the Eastern League Playoffs.  They hammered out twelve hits, including a three-run blast by Jett Williams on the way to a 9-2 win against the Sommerset Yankees.  Yes, that is Jett Williams the 2022 first round draft pick that has already made his way up through the lower levels to star in a AA playoff game just 14 months after hearing his name called.  He joins a plethora of talent including LuisAngel Acuna, Drew Gilbert, Jeremiah Jackson, JT Schwartz, and some pitching that becomes more impressive each time out.  

There is a lot of young talent to watch in this Mets organization, and the debut of the Baby Mets is just the beginning!

Tom Brennan - Will the Mets EVER Catch the Braves?

Well, Cohen 2023 big bucks spending fell short…what’s next?? 

Arch rival Atlanta has an ultra-potent offense. 

As in 209 more runs than the Mets through their first 147 games.

They're set. So set.

Matt Olson...they lose Freddie Friggin' Freeman and get a guy slugging more ferociously than the Mets' all-time ferocity leader, Pete Alonso.

Plus the Bravos have Acuna Matata and his trouble-free philosophy...he will end up with 140+ runs, 70+ steals, and .340, plus tons of HRs at age 25.

And plenty of others Bravaderos. You know who they are.

So...I then look at their top 30 prospect list and see that # 1 thru # 7, and # 10, are all right hand pitchers!  

One is a 55 grade, 6 are 50 grades, and one is a 45.

They are super stocked with future pitching (which every team needs)  going forward, in other words.

Supreme current offense.  Endless supply of current/future pitching.

The Mets, on the other hand, much more badly need pitching.  

After all, they've given up 51 more runs than Braves pitchers this year.

They've also given up Verlander, Scherzer, and Robertson.

The Mets’ top 10 prospects at this time of urgent need, unlike the Braves, include just 2 pitchers - #9 Mike Vasil and # 10 Blade Tidwell.  Both are 50 graded arms.  

Top 8 Mets prospects are anll offensive players, unless they suddenly wake up one day and say, “I just realized…I’m a better pitcher than hitter.” Not very likely to happen.

All other higher Mets pitching prospects in their top 30 list, like Hamel, Scott, and others, are ranked only as 45's.

Numerically, then, both in quantity and relative ratings, the Braves' pitcher prospects are better.

There's that "better" word again. 

Braves = Better.  

Mets = Mutter.

Of course, we all know Matt Allan will return to the Mets in 2024 as Jake deGrom II - in our dreams.  Bryce MDO returns breathing fire from the pen again, but with pinpoint control.

We may not have Paris - but thankfully, we do have Joander Suarez.

Moving on...

Two of the Mets' current "hot" prospects in the majors - Baty and Vientos - have not hit well in 2023. Period.  Certainly not like Olson and Ronald McDonald Acuna.

Will they hit in 2024?  (Hint: Mark will. Will 2024 Baty outhit 2023 Vogelbach? We’ll see.)

We need them both, though, to hit like they are worthy of being on a 95 win team.  Not like they are auditioning for the Oakland 65’s.

The Braves simply have stunning talent.  The 1986 Mets would have been VERY hard-pressed to beat them.  A super-smart Georgia front office, too.

Will the Mets EVER catch the Braves?  I am pessimistic.

Mr. Stearns has the ultimate challenge, huh?

How does he close that chasm?  

Weigh in, please. 

Only you, our readers, know what to do. You need to tell us. Please spill.