Morning Report – 4-2-14 – Dana Everland, Buddy Carlyle, Bobby Abreu, 2015 FA, Jose Reyes

1908 Buffalo Bisons 

Coming Up –

        10 am –  Reese Kaplan – The Fat Lady Hasn’t Sung Yet

         12 noon –   Guilbert/Mack - Opinion- Current Top 10 MLB Mock Draft

         2 pm –   Baseball Cube - Transactions

          4 pm –   MLB Draft Insider - New Revised 3-31 Mock

         6 pm -   Monte Harrison, Jeff Hoffman, Derek Fisher, Jack Flaherty, Lane Thomas

         8 pm  -  OF - Braxton Davidson - T.C. Roberson

Andy Martino ‏@MartinoNYDN  -  Yes, very sad, both old and breaking down  RT @sportswatch Better chance Jeter is with Yankees in 2015 than Burkhardt is with SNY.

There are a bunch of new players in the system that we need to familiarize ourselves with, especially the ones at the AAA level that could be called to Queens in a future emergency role.

Dana Everland was signed by the Mets in the off-season. The 30-year old lefty was a 16^th round pick in 2002 by the Milwaukee Brewers. He’s pithed at the major league level for eight different teams and his combined MLB stat line is: 19-25, 5.44, 1.66, 5.85-K9, 4.41-BB9.

One has to ask what the big deal is other than he’s a lefty and filling up a slot one of the young arms could be filling.

Amazin’ Avenue: - A career ERA+ of 77 is pretty dreadful, but Eveland's left-handedness as well as his ability to pitch out of both the rotation and the bullpen make him a mildly intriguing wild card.

Everland isn’t the only veteran that the Mets signed during the off-season to a minor league contract.

6-3 RHP Buddy Carlyle has ‘been around’. He’s pitched part of 15-years in the minors, compiling a respectful 3.67 ERA, but his visits with four major league teams (SD, LAD, ATL, NYY) didn’t fare as well (5.56).

Again, one must ask why the Mets first sign and now retain the services of this 36-year old.

-      -

I don’t even know where to begin talking about the signing of Bobby Abreu.It sounded like a good idea on paper until I read that he basically can’t run anymore. In my book, the minor leagues should be about the future and why would a team hold back the development of someone like, say Darrell Cecilliani or Corey Vaughn and make them play in Binghamton instead of Las Vegas? This was an absolutely panic move after Chris Young tweaked a quad. Stupid move.

-      -

Rammy -

Hey Mack - With 2014 season pretty much another one with no playoffs , who are some potential 2015 free agents you see the Mets targeting?  Also do you think with another losing season ownership will be forced by the media and fans to increase payroll?

        Mack – Hey Rammy…

First thing first… the Mets may have the worst relief staff in the league and that was before the Parnell diagnosis today. You can’t even begin to determine who you’re going to go after in free agency until you decide what direction this team is going this year.

I have been an optimist about 2014 for three years but I’m not any longer. The plan didn’t work.

There simply aren’t enough quality ballplayers on this team, the critical holes (shortstop, first base, bullpen) were not addressed, and signing people like Bobby Abreu and Kyle Farnsworth isn’t going to bring a pennant to Queens.

You have another problem, Rammy. Your General Manager doesn’t like keeping up with the trend and signing legitimate stars to long term contracts. I always thought this was a good thing to do plus, it seems like a lot of other teams think so too.

But not Sandy Alderson and the Mets.

So, addressing the 2015 free agent market… hmm…

Well, first of all, I have to go through another selloff… Chris Young… John Lannan… Jose Valverde…

I also would try to find a home for Bartolo Colon’s $11mi 2015 salary and I would trade off the ‘most tradable’ first baseman, either Lucas Duda or Ike Davis.

(aren’t you getting a little sick and tired of this?)

You should go into 2015 ‘okay’ at 1B, 2B, 3B, C, an outfield that has Cesar Puello filling the Young departure, and a rotation of Harvey, Wheeler, Syndergaard, Montero, Neise, Mejia, and Gee.

Now, everyone here keeps saying I’m nuts to move Montero to the pen, but seven starters simply doesn’t work, especially on a team basically without a bullpen.

So, my free agency targets?

For now… I send scouts out to check:

Andrew Bailey (31), Jim Johnson (32), Chris Perez (29), Sergio Romo (32), Hector Ambriz (31), Burke Badenhop (32), Ronald Belisario (32), Joba Chamberlain (29), Manny Corpas (32), Luke Gregerson (31), Carlos Marmol (32), David Robertson (30), Phil Coke (32), Tom Gorzelanny (32), Jose Mijares (29), Andrew Miller (30), Franklin Morales (29)

Maybe, just maybe, you can find yourself two good relievers.

Bob Gregory asked -

Mack - I heard a conversation on the "Michael Kay radio show"  (ny) today regarding Alderson not trading Reyes.  The hosts believed Alderson deserved a pass for not trading Reyes  because they believe the Wilpons did not allow him to.

I however don't agree with this.   I believe Alderson needed to fight ownership on this (if indeed the Wilpons refused to allow a trade).  Alderson knew Reyes would be too expensive to resign.   He knew he could net an impressive haul of prospects in a trade.   Alderson knew how bad the Mets minor league system was at that time.  From reports Alderson was backed by Selig and the Wilpons acknowledged Alderson as a knowledgeable Gm they needed to trust in order to navigate through the mess the organization was in. 

Given all of this I can't give him a pass on trading Reyes.   He could have and should have fought the Wilpons on that decision as steadfastly as humanly possible (if indeed it was Wilpons fault)

He didn't

They didn't

Now imagine how the Mets would have benefited from 2 strong position prospects now ready for the majors.  Maybe this winter's off season would have played out differently

A penny for your thoughts

        Mack – This really sounds like radio fodder to me.

I lost my press passes when Omar Minaya departed, so I have no firsthand knowledge about anything Sandy Alderson has ever done.

I will tell you that I talked to Reyes about him leaving the Mets someday. It was right outside the entrance to the press room in St. Lucie and I asked his sort of acting out ‘you’re not really considering leaving the Mets, are you?’.

Reyes said ‘you have no idea how little we come from and when we get the chance to take care of everyone in our family (he means cousins, aunts, grandmothers), we go with the money. If the Mets match the offer or make the best one, of course I would stay’. It said it like a businessman, not a disloyal teammate and I totally understood where he was coming from.

It wasn’t any kind of story. It was just two guys talking back in the days I still smoked and there was an ashtray outside the press room entrance. Reyes came off the field, we shot the shit for a few moments, and the moment was over.

Bob, all I can say is after everything happened, I talked to a couple of Mets and they said everybody… I mean everybody (you read between the lines) on the team was shocked that no offer came from the Mets. The amount of money he signed for was not over the top and the Mets could easily have matched it if they wanted to keep him.

In my book, they just didn’t want him anymore.

I have no knowledge of any trade talks and no one talks about this subject. Even the beat reports have stayed away from asking about the details of this.

I was taught early in my business career to get rid of the people as quick as you can once you determine they either don’t fit into your plans or will stand in the way of you achieving your goals. I still believe this was a 100% Alderson decision; however, I’ve been wrong before.

I will write about the Sand Gnats tomorrow.

Game 1 - The First TC Test

Dillon Gee pitched five wonderful innings, throwing 66 pitches, 46 o which were strikes.

One of these strikes was a none movement down the pipe ball that all-star 3B Ryan Zimmerman put in the stands. All-star hitters do this some time, however, Gee was basically in control through five innings and this would be the first test for the patience of Terry Collins.

Gee went on to have no problem in the sixth, going 1-2-3. After six, Gee’s pith count was 77, with 56 strikes.

What do you do?

It’s the first game of the year, Gee is in command, but this is no time wear out one of the few healthy starters you have in the clubhouse.

One of the factors could easily be how long it took the Mets to bat in the bottom of the sixth. It went quick, so Terry’s on his own here.

The Mets are four innings away from a win. That’s like from Hilton Head Island to the planet of Saturn.

TC kept him in… give up a single after retiring 15 in a row, then walked a second runner with two outs…

Here’s where great bullpens take over, but since the Mets don’t have that, they left Gee in with two on and two out…

Uh… another single brings the third Nats run in… that’s 100 pitches, with 68.

Collins turns it over to Carlos Torres, and then Scott Rice, but he gets my vote on how he pushed Gee into the 7^th inning.

I like that approach and I hope to see more. 

A Quick Look - OF - Derek Fisher

          

        Derek Fisher

5-28-13 - Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia - Like Conforto, the 6’-3”, 210-pound left-hander had a sensational freshman season, hitting .288 with 11 doubles, eight triples, seven home runs and 50 RBI. He has started hot out of the gate for the Cavaliers, going 13-for-38 (.342) over the first 11 games. He has added a double, triple, two home runs and has knocked in 16 runs for undefeated Virginia. A great athlete, he also has an advanced approach at the plate, drawing seven walks to six strikeouts this year and has a .457 OBP. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft/29840#fm24otWuYCEocLQZ.99

5-27-13 - Derek Fisher was a much higher profile prospect than Turner in the same 2011 prep draft class, turning down significant money in the 6th round from Texas. Fisher was a big name for a while in high school, but as a cold weather prospect from Pennsylvania that had an iffy spring and serious swing-and-miss questions, his seven figure price tag limited his options. His freshman year in Charlottesville followed this narrative, as he hit .288 with 22 walks and 61 strikeouts in 219 AB despite flashing upside with 11 doubles, 8 triples and 7 homers as a toolshed with a center field profile. Fisher has made some adjustments at the plate this spring, hitting .309/.423/.533 with 23 BB and 30 K. There's a lot to like here with a 6'3, 210 pound left-handed hitting center fielder that flashes above average speed and power with some aptitude for making adjustments. LINK

 6-9-13  -   15.Derek Fisher, OF (Virginia): Even though he underwhelmed a bit in 2013, he’s one of the best offensive prospects at the college level. http://www.minorleaguerundown.com/2013/06/09/2014-mlb-draft-top-30-prospects/

6-10-13 - Derek Fisher, OF Virginia - Fisher was one of my favorite players in the 2011 draft class.  He is a good athlete with a line drive swing with good bat speed.  There is good power projection in his bat.  His approach has improved over the last year at Virginia. http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/06/10/2014-mlb-draft-early-college-names-to-know/

6-13-13  -  17. San Francisco Giants — Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia - A great athlete, the 6’-3”, 210 pound left-hander greatly improved his approach this season cutting down his strikeouts from 61 to 38 over roughly the same number of plate appearances while upping his walks from 22 to 28. Over 53 games, he hit .306 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, stole eight bases and had a .420 OBP/.505 SLG. His size suggests more power will come and, if it does, he will be one of the better all-around college bats available in the 2014 MLB draft. http://beforeitsnews.com/sports/2013/06/2014-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-no-time-like-the-present-2513748.html?currentSplittedPage=2

6-30-13  -  Frankie Piliere ‏@FPilierePG  - Watching @HarwichMariners take BP - the ball acts very different off Derek Fisher's bat. Easy line drives and big CF carry @UVABaseball

8-14-13 – Through The Fence – Top 50 Prospects – 24. Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia - A great athlete, the 6’-3”, 210-pound left-hander greatly improved his approach this season cutting down his strikeouts from 61 to 38 over roughly the same number of plate appearances while upping his walks from 22 to 28. Over 53 games, he hit .306 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, stole eight bases and had a .420 OBP/.505 SLG. His size suggests more power will come and, if it does, he will be one of the better all-around college bats available in the 2014 MLB draft. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-top-50-prospects/36463#mwWwsFxSUZy7YC5V.99   

9-4-13 – Mack’s Mock Draft v1.0 – 8 – Phillies – OF  Derek Fisher – Virginia – Excellent gap hitter with above average bat speed. Had a horrible 2013 offensively in school but still projects out as a top draft pick. Projects as one of the top college bats in the draft.

9-29-13 – XMLBScout – 8.)OF, Derek Fisher, Virginia, 6'2 210, L/R, strong durable build with solid ML arm from the OF, has on the way, plus speed once he gets out of the box, could steal 20 bases in ML once he arrives, has straight away power, a lil glitch in his hitting approach but good strength and bat speed to make adjustments with hitting instruction at the pro level. Definite early round follow for 2014. http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/

9-30-13 – TTF Mock 2.0 - 17. Baltimore Orioles — Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia  A great athlete, the 6’-3”, 210-pound left-hander greatly improved his approach this season cutting down his strikeouts from 61 to 38 over roughly the same number of plate appearances while upping his walks from 22 to 28. Over 53 games, he hit .306 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, stole eight bases and had a .420 OBP/.505 SLG. His size suggests more power will come and, if it does, he will be one of the better all-around college bats available in the 2014 MLB draft. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-mock-draft-2-0-draft-order-set/38280#5E3F5j1jWOgE69bJ.99

10-6-13 – Kendall Rogers/PG – College Prospects -  6. Derek Fisher, of, Virginia (Drafted: 2011, Rangers -- 6th round) - Last year, Hunter Renfroe was the guy we tabbed as someone who would take a big step forward. Fisher fits that bill for the 2014 campaign. Fisher is very athletic with a good frame. He has a smooth swing from the left side and has the tools and power to be a feared, elite hitter in college and at the next level.

10-14-13 – Top ’14 College Hitters - 1. Derek Fisher / OF / Virginia — Fischer is going to have to hit — he doesn’t have the arm strength or instincts to be anything but a left fielder — to earn this ranking, but he certainly has the offensive tools to justify it. The left-handed hitting outfielder has above-average bat speed and a linear swing that should lead to above-average power numbers, though we haven’t seen that translate into games as much as one would hope. Consistency has been a problem for Fischer, but with a strong junior season you could see him go very early, as he’s one of the few middle of the order type bats in this class. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2013/10/top-14-for-14-college-hitters/     

10-15-13 – Baseball America - 16. Derek Fisher, of, Virginia: Powerful lefthanded swing makes him a potential first-rounder, though his defense and all-around tools are more in question. http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-draft-top-50-october-2013-carlos-rodon/

10-18-13 – Matt Garroich – Derek Fisher at Virginia was highly touted out of high school, I had him 20th overall in the draft, and he has done nothing to hurt his stock while a Cavalier. He still has some swing and miss issues, a balding head and big time power but his speed has maintained better than I expected. His toolset is that of a solid regular or better in the majors. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2013/10/18/4851030/2014-mlb-draft-atlantic-region-college-discussion

11-27-13 – Big League Futures Top 25 Poll –  11 Derek Fisher    OF Virginia http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/11/26/mlb-draft-top-25-prospects-poll/

12-9-13 – Pine Tar Press  -  17- OF Derek Fisher Virginia 8/21/93- He is one of two players who turned down the Rangers out of HS and look to be top 15 picks in this draft. (Max Pentecost the other) His hit tool is the best in the college class but the question mark is his defense. He will be a LF because his arm strength and speed only fit that position. I think he could be a 20-25 HR with 40 2B guy in his prime but bat first (and maybe only) prospect are always a concern. (Brewers @ 12) http://pinetarpress.com/early-look-2014-mlb-draft/

1-3-14 – TTF Baseball - 13. San Diego Padres — Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia - The Padres always seem to need some offense in their system, and Fisher is one of the best all-around college players available. He made great strides last year in his approach at the plate dropping his strikeouts from 61 to 38 over roughly the same number of games. The 6’-3” right-hander is a great athlete with good speed on the base paths. Over 53 games as a sophomore, he hit .306 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, stole eight bases and had a .420 OBP/.505 SLG. He hit .333 in the Cape Cod League and drew 25 walks to just 19 strikeouts, again showing his improvement in his approach. I think a big year is coming. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-2/40753#ppGUqI6CbWFvzsPf.99

1-20-14 – PG Preseason College All-Americans – Outfield - Derek Fisher, Virginia - 2013 Stats: .293 AVG, 12 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 48 RBI, 28 BB, 40 SO, 8 SB - Fisher has yet to live up to his full potential, but all the pieces are there to accomplish that goal as a junior this spring. Fisher is a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, who has an impressive skill set, most notably very solid raw power. Fisher should excel at the plate with plenty of help around him in this year’s Virginia lineup. For now, the talented junior is ranked the nation’s No. 6 college prospect. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=9294

2-5-14 - Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia - A very good athlete, and maybe the best overall college bat in the 2014 MLB draft, Fisher is a 6’-3”, 200 pound right-hander who should hit for more power this year. He made great strides last year in his approach at the plate dropping his strikeouts from 61 to 38 over roughly the same number of games. Over 53 games as a sophomore, he hit .306 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, eight stolen bases and a .420 OBP/.505 SLG. He hit .333 in the Cape Cod League and drew 25 walks to just 19 strikeouts, again showing his improvement in his approach. Along with his good speed, he also has a strong arm but there are questions about his throwing mechanics and he may be forced to left field. Many are expecting a big year, and if he does breakthrough with the power numbers, he could be in the mix at pick four. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-dark-horse-candidates-chicago-cubs-first-pick/41075#UeYBipV5rOuYd7xE.99

2-17-14 - Virginia outfielder Derek Fisher has been named the first Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Week of the 2014 season. Fisher hit .455 in three weekend games as Virginia posted two wins in the Hughes Brothers Challenge in Wilmington, N.C. Fisher had at least one hit in all three games to lead the top-ranked Cavaliers, who bounced back from an opening loss to Kentucky with wins over VMI and UNC Wilmington. The Rexmont, Pa., native had two hits in each of Virginia’s wins, including two that drove in runs in Sunday’s 7-2 victory over UNCW. Fisher scored five times in the three games to lead all ACC players in weekend play and had three RBIs. http://www.theacc.com/#!/news-detail/ACC-Baseball-Players-Of-The-Week-Announced_02-17-14_s5vjs3

Draft 14 – Sean Newcomb, Alex Jackson, Max Pentecost, Cole Tucker, Clay Casey

2-11-14 - Number 6 on the countdown is Hartford junior LHP Sean Newcomb. The Middleboro, Massachusetts native attended Middleboro High School where he went 9-0 with a 0.46 ERA and three saves as a senior in 58 innings pitched. As a freshman, he made nine starts while going 2-4 with a 4.17 ERA in 45.1 innings pitched before suffering a season ending injury. His sophomore season saw him go 5-4 with a 3.75 ERA in 13 appearances (12 starts) while striking out 92 batters in only 72 innings pitched. He walked 37 batters while holding opponents to a .213 average. http://ht.ly/2DLX8Y

3-25-14 – MLB Draft Insider Mock – 06   Alex Jackson      C/OF      Rancho Bernardo HS (Calif.)  - Hey! A hitter! I’d say that no position players in the top five is just a case of the pitching being amazing, but, that’d be a lie. Jackson hasn’t been outstanding to start the year, but I think he has the most talent of any hitter — college or prep — in this year’s class. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2014/03/the-board-2014-volume-ii/

2-5-14 - Max Pentecost, C, Kennesaw State - If scouts believe Pentecost can stick behind the plate, he has an outside chance to go this high with a strong junior season. His offensive potential alone makes him a first round pick. He picked up MVP honors at the Cape Cod League after hitting .346 over 35 games with six home runs, 29 RBI and five stolen bases. He also drew 16 walks to 22 strikeouts, showing off a solid approach at the plate. The 6’-2”, 195 pound right-hander is a very good athlete who has been clocked at 6.8 in the 60. Over 57 games as a sophomore, he hit .302/.374/.410 with 14 doubles, three home runs and drew 22 walks to 27 strikeouts. More of a line-drive hitter right now, many believe more power is going to come. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-dark-horse-candidates-chicago-cubs-first-pick/41075#UeYBipV5rOuYd7xE.99

1-3-14 – TTF Baseball - 67. Atlanta Braves — Cole Tucker, SS, Mountain Pointe HS (AZ) - A switch-hitting shortstop with crazy hair who does everything well on a baseball field, the 6′-3″, 175 pound Tucker is long and rangy with good actions to remain at a premium position. He was a leader for the gold-medal winning U18 USA Team. At the plate, he makes good contact with a loose swing and projects to a top-of-the-order hitter with decent speed (6.8/60). Committed to Arizona. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-2/40753#ppGUqI6CbWFvzsPf.99

11-21-13 – BA Top 100 High School Players - 40 Clay Casey OF R/R 6-1 196 Desoto Central, Southhaven, Miss. Mississippi http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-high-school-top-100-with-commitments/

The Mets Bullpen – Total Rectal Destruction

An old boss of mine told me once that there was big difference between a ‘pain in the ass’ and ‘total rectal destruction’.

Yesterday’s game had just about every relief pitcher nightmare, starting with the two walks by Carlos Torres and Scott Rice. They both gave up two runs charged to Dillon Gee who was probably one pitch away from a whole different outcome here.

This doesn’t have to be one of those long posts that go on and on. Frankly, there was very little participation here on the site, either by writers or readers. Blogger reports that the prime demographic of Mack’s Mets are Men 45-74. “We don’t spend time ranting on Met blogs about all this crap. We just watch it and discuss it in a timely and professional manner.

You’re not going to see anything worse than this.

The Mets need to find another power reliever to go along with what we saw today from Valverde and even Parnell. I’ll say it one more time and then drop it.

Make Rafael Montero a relief pitcher.

I’m done for today.

FLASH: Bobby Parnell diagnosed with MCL tear

Bobby Parnell was examined this morning at HSS after complaining of tightness in right forearm after yesterday’s game. (1)
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 1, 2014

After an MRI & clinical evaluation, he was diagnosed with an incomplete tear of the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) in his right elbow (2)
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 1, 2014

Matt Silva - A Not So Grand Start

I have been weighing the pros and cons of the Mets signing Curtis Granderson ever since he signed on the dotted line. My initial thought was that he was a great veteran who brought some much needed power to a largely anemic lineup. He is a good defensive outfielder who hasn’t committed an error since 2011. These are all positives, but on Opening Day, Mets fans saw the biggest flaw of Curtis Granderson. He strikes out. A lot.

Batting cleanup, Granderson struck out three times and in horrid fashion during his first RISP opportunity of the season in the first inning. He took a hack at all three pitches and looked out of sorts. On the next at-bat, Andrew Brown provided the power that was expected out of the new right fielder. He also ended the game with a strikeout, this time looking; right after David Wright homered. Granderson will certainly want to look past his Mets debut.

I knew the strikeouts would come. Even in his best years, 2011 and 2012, Granderson whiffed 169 and 195 times respectively. Numbers like that are certainly easier to swallow when he hits 40+ home runs, but those aren’t the totals Granderson will likely be posting in Citi Field. If he hits 25 or less home runs and bats .230, will he be considered a good sign for this ball club? Because if those are the numbers that he will post, we might as well have tried Lucas Duda. They would offer about the same amount of protection. You always have to worry about his power, but Granderson may not provide the support for Wright that we all imagined when he signed his $60 million dollar deal. 

It is only the first game, I get that. However, this team will only succeed if Curtis Granderson produces. The Mets amassed 1384 strikeouts last year, tied for third in the league with the Atlanta Braves and after striking out 18 times yesterday, they could be well on their way to shattering that number. Those strikeouts need to be accompanied by some home runs. That is, after all, how the Braves won the division last year. Granderson needs to find his power stroke if the Mets are even going to come close to 75-80 wins. 

K-urtis Granderson will either lead this team to some wins or the start of a different kind of Generation K, where the Mets hitters generate enough wind power to light the scoreboard. 

Morning Report – 4-1-14 – Catcher Hotels, Gnats Roster, Roster Limits

1907 Chicago Cubs

Coming Up –

        9 30 am –  Game 1  -  The First TC Test

         11 am -  Matt Silva - A Not So Grand Start

         12 30 –  The Mets Bullpen – Total Rectal Destruction

         2 pm –   Baseball Cube – Transactions

          4 pm –   MLB Draft Insider - New Revised 3-31 Mock

         6 pm -  Sean Newcomb, Alex Jackson, Max Pentecost, Cole Tucker, Clay Casey

         8 pm  -  A Quick Look - OF - Derek Fisher

“It’s time for us to get better. What you can measure you can improve. I can’t really measure competitiveness.” Sandy Alderson

Andy Martino ‏@MartinoNYDN  -  Mets fans on a roll.  Booed mayor, apparently forgetting he was on mound with 6 small children affected by East Harlem explosion. Nice.

Just one small correction on the comments made to the fans about Ralph Kiner. It was said that he began broadcasting Mets games ‘right here in Queens’. That’s not true. They began out of The Polo Grounds in The Bronx.

Our NY Yankee writer, ‘Mr. Controversial’, informed me that he will not be able to be an active writer on the site. He’s getting married soon and has other priorities which include (duh) being a Yankee fan. It was a cute idea that didn’t pan out.

Additional, three other writers (Dwight Hood, John Loopy, John Zozo) never posted a single post and have been removed from the writer’s list. As you all know, ‘Loopy’ and ‘Zozo’ are very active participants in the comments section, which we hope they remain active in.

This gets Mack’s Mets down to our version of the 25-man

.

Oh… Christopher Soto is still trying to figure a way for some of you to participate in the comments section of the blog. We really don’t want to reopen it to the ‘anonymous’ option that creates 300-400 pieces of spam emails a day. We’ll keep trying, Bill J

Howard Simmonds 

Catcher Hotels-

The Plaza - Buster Posey,Wilin Rosario, Carlos Santana, Brian McCann

Ritz-Carlton -Joe Mauer, Jonathan Lucroy,Yadier Molina, Salvador Perez, Jason Castro, Wilson Ramos, Matt Wieters

The Hilton- Evan Gattis, Miguel Montero,Yan Gomes,  AJ. Pierzynski

Comfort Inn-Devin Mesoraco,Travis d’Arnaud,Welington Castillo, Alex Avila, Russell Martin-Risers and fallers here in the middle as Mesoraco, d’Arnaud and Castillo all have great potential while Avila and Martin can both be decent options but have their fair share of shortcomings.

Holiday Inn Express-Jarrod Saltalamacchia,Yasmani Grandal, A.J. Ellis, Carlos Ruiz, Dioner Navarro

Red Roof Inn-Mike Zunino,Tyler Flowers, J.P. Arencibia, Ryan Hanigan

Super 8 Motel-Josmil Pinto, Kurt Suzuki, Chris Iannetta, Hank Conger, John Jaso, Derek Norris, Steve Vogt

Habitat Suites-John Buck, Adrian Nieto, Jordan Pacheco, Gerald Laird, Ryan Doumit, Robinson Chirinos, Jose Lobaton

Bates Motel-Hector Sanchez, David Ross, Martin Maldonado, Francisco Cervelli, Nick Hundle, Tuffy Gosewisch, Josh Thole, Jose Molina, George Kottaras, Geovany Soto http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/catcher-tiers-april-2014/

        Mack-d’Arnaud had three home runs in ST…give me 18 and a .250-BA and I’d be thrilled with his rookie year.

        PoorJosh…

Gnats Roster –

       Savannah was the first affiliate to send the opening day roster down the line and it sure looks like another championship team.

       I have no idea what the rotation will be. The roster includes the guys that earned a bump last year from Brooklyn (Gant, Msillman, Diaz), but it also reward two of the young prosects that pitched lights out last year for K-Port (Flexen, Whalen). I count eight starters (Whalen has some leg issues so I don’t expect him to start early). I’ll have a better idea after I talk to all of them at Media Day.

       Naturally, I’m excited that the Mets decide to pass on Brooklyn for Smith. It should be interesting to see how he handles the gaps (Brandon Nimmo and Jayce Boyd earned early last year to not go for the home run here. Just hit the gaps and you can lead the league in extra-base hits).

       I’m also quite curious to see how Gavin Cecchini plays short (there’s a day game on Sunday, 4-6, that I’ll be attending). We’ve read all the negative reports out of camp about his rigidity vs. the more outgoing Latin kids (Rosario, Guillorme), but the ‘bottom line’ is all we want him to do is make the play, right? We know he has the dominate SS bat in the system.

       Lastly, it will be great to put a handshake to Akeel Morris, who I have interviewed a couple of times. He sure seems like he’s back on the prospect road (still only 21-years old), this time as a reliever.

       Yes indeed… a lot of talent on this team.

Roster Limits By League –

Triple-A: International, Pacific Coast — 24 players may be active at one time; 38 players may be under team control.

Double-A: Eastern, Southern, Texas — 24 active; 37 under control.

Class A Advanced: California, Carolina, Florida State — 25 active; 35 under control; no more than two players and one player-coach on active list may have six or more years of prior Minor League service.

Class A: Midwest, South Atlantic — 25 active; 35 under control; no more than two players on active list may have five or more years of prior Minor League service.

Class A Short-Season: New York-Penn, Northwest — 30 active; 35 under control, but only 25 may be in uniform and eligible to play in any given game; no more than three players on the active list may have four or more years of prior Minor League service.

Rookie: Appalachian, Pioneer, Arizona, Gulf Coast leagues — 35 active, but only 30 may be in uniform and eligible to play in any given game; no player may have three or more years of prior Minor League Service.

Rookie: Venezuelan Summer, Dominican Summer — 35 active, but only 30 may be in uniform and eligible to play in any given game; no player may have four or more years of prior Minor League Service.- www.milb.com