Remember 1969: Open Thread

 

 

Open Thread:   Too early to talk trade?

 

We are about two months shy of the non-waiver trade deadline where the good clubs go to get that last piece to get them over the hump  to the playoffs and beyond and the bad clubs put out their shingle indicating ‘garage sale here’.

The Mets have made great mid-season trades (think Cespedes in 2015 and Clendenon on 1969) which really helped them and thought they were buyers in other years which fell flat (think Baez and Williams in 2021).

With a 32-17 record as I write this, Schertzer, deGrom and Megill are all on the shelf as we speak, and Jankowski is out while Nimmo is nursing his wrist on a day-to-day.    In the pen, Drew Smith took a hot shot off the pitching hand pinky on Sunday which so far sounds minor with no IL trip.    Of course James McCann is out for quite a while as well, depleting the catching corps.   Even Jeff McNeil took a night off on Sunday for ‘leg maintenance’ and is a DH on Monday.   

So my fellow Mets fans, let’s play GM for a few minutes.   Do the Mets need to make any moves now to avoid any kind of a “June Swoon” and keep the pedal to the metal and not let the other teams (Braves?) close any ground, or do they just keep going and believing the roster is deep enough to keep the good fortunes going until the injury list is reduced and the team is back to full strength. 

Obviously that last scenario is best case – who knows what could happen in the next couple months with their currently heathy crew.

Where are the risks?    Is another starting pitcher in order sooner than later?    Are Mazieka and Nido enough to get the job done behind the dish?    Is another bat in order?     Anybody worried about an injury to Lindor or Alonso?    What is the insurance – in house or via trade?    

Any reasonable trades out there?   Let’s discuss.

Remember’s Rumination:   In Reese’s recent article, he laid out an extremely valid case of trading for a starter with a year and a half of team control rather than a half-year rental.     I would certainly explore a trade for Frankie Montas now.  It would probably cost a bit in prospect capital and probably one of Dom Smith or J.D. Davis., but I figure Oakland would probably want minor league talent more.   

A lefty having a great season for a poor team is Martin Perez of Texas.   He would be a half year rental as he is a free agent after the season.   Might he be an option?  The team is still pretty right-sided. 

The MLB catching market is pretty thin.  Willson Contreras would be a good get from the Cubs, but is a free agent after the 2022 season.   I do not know about his defensive game or game calling skills, but I’d make the call to see what it would take.  

My Mets system untouchables for 2022 trading:   Francisco Alvarez, Matt Allan, Alex Ramirez, and I’d really like to hold on to Calvin Ziegler to really see what he has for the full year.  

Lastly, I hear everyone’s frustration about Dom Smith, but he is the best insurance for an ill timed Alonso HBP.    They would be pretty hurting if Pete went down for 6 weeks. 

Tom Brennan and Mack Ade - Mets Recap

Another day in Metsville. Will they rebound from Thursday’s loss to a strong LAD club?

METS: trailing 4-0 after 4. Not good. Lindor back at SS. Pete smacked # 14, but fell 5 runs short, losing 6-1. Seems Lindor and Nimmo are < 100%, as they were struggling to get on base…0 for 7.

Games like this always make me thing weird things like...

Where is slugging Reese Havens when you really need him?

Anyway, easy one coming tonight…at 10:10 PM…ZZZZ….2-0 David Peterson vs. 6-1 Walker Beuhler.

Philadelphia and the Yanks, meanwhile, bested their opponents by a combined 23-0. 

Of greater importance the Braves won in 10, and are now just 8.5 games back.

MINORS:

SYRACUSE: A blow out win. 13-1, with Mangum resuming FUEGO with 4 hits and Khalil Lee and others in the lineup coming around.

BINGHAMTON: A 7-2 loss. They’ve had too many games like this one. Baty was back with 2 hits, Alvarez hit his 9th, and Yamamoto fanned 4 in 1.2 IP.

BROOKLYN: a seven inning twin affair, with Brooklyn winning one, losing one, by the score of 2 to 1.Had a mid-1970s Mets feel to it. Nice night for the hot Brandon McIlwain and Sammy Taveras and Junior Santos.

ST. LUCIE: Sprinkles cancel the Lucies.

Mack....will soon be back, Jack, and that's a fact.

Reese Kaplan -- When in Doubt Call a Plummer

Yesterday we looked at the future for Brandon Nimmo, a quality player who seems to have injuries and health problems interfering regularly with his ability to remain available to play the game for his team.  IL stints are nothing new to Mets fans as they currently are seeing seemingly half the pitching staff as well as outfielder Travis Jankowski on the shelf with a variety of issues.  It's challenges of this type that open the door for unforeseen opportunities for players who were never really thought to be essential parts of the current or future roster.

One recipient of time on the field is former St. Louis Cardinals number one draft pick Nick Plummer.  Like Nimmo, Plummer has been the unfortunate victim of health problems throughout his minor league career which caused his drafting organization to lose patience and concede defeat on their former first rounder.  He was not put on the 40-man roster and Plummer elected to test free agency.  Not only did the Mets come calling, but they offered the young man a major league roster spot which is what he'd wanted from the Cardinals all along.  Having been selected the 23rd player in the 2015 draft, it's been a frustrating seven years for the man, but his itch finally got scratched a week ago when the Mets brought him up from Syracuse.

It's not fresh news anymore but Plummer jumped into the fray with a pair of home runs in his first couple of games.  Overall he's off to a .444 start going 4 for 9 with 5 RBIs to go along with those two long balls.  It's the kind of start all teams had hoped to see from Plummer and for the man himself there's got to be a sizable dose of "Gotcha" when thinking about how his career ended with St. Louis.

To be fair to the Cardinals front office, Plummer didn't exactly explode out of the gate.  His 2015 output was at a .228 level without showing much power.  He then went on to miss the entire 2016 season due to surgery for hand. 2017 wasn't much better, ending with a sub-Mendoza batting average which suggested that either the injury wasn't completely healed or he just wasn't as good a player as scouts had hoped.  When 2018 and 2019 produced similar results, the 2020 COVID hiatus for minor leaguers couldn't have come at a better time for the man.  

Fully healed heading into 2021 he was up to showing folks what he was capable of doing.  Starting off in AA he had a three home run game and was the minor league Player of the Month when he turned in a 24 game period of .326 with 6 home runs and 21 RBIs.  He was eventually promoted to AAA where he finished the year a combined .280/15/54 in 386 ABs.  While it's not necessarily eye popping performance, it was certainly what they'd expected when they made him $2 million wealthier with his first round bonus money.  Yet the Cardinals must have felt it was too little too late and he was pushed out the door.  

In 2022 for Syracuse the batting average suffered but the power increased dramatically.  He was hitting a modest .250 but had clubbed 6 HRs and drove in 21 in 99 ABs.  Extrapolated over a full season and you were looking at a 30 HR/100 RBI guy.  When the injuries hit hard the Mets already had him on the 40-man roster so it was an easy transition to bring him to Citifield.  

Now you can't go too bonkers over a 9 AB trial facing major league pitching, but it sure looks as if there was some good scouting done by the Mets front office when they reached out to Plummer to become a part of the Mets organization.  No one knows what to expect of him in the future, but the modestly sized 5'10" Plummer is demonstrating he's got a lot of thump in his bat.  It's been a fun few days seeing him make his major league debut.  

Tom Brennan and Mack Ade - Mets Recap

A picture used in a post in October 2015 after the Mets had pummeled LAD in NLCS game 3. 

The MLB Heavyweight Title Bout Weekend has commenced.

In this corner, absent 2 Cy Young award winners, but who needs them anyway, it seems (of course, we need 'em)...

The 35-17 scorching NY Mets.

In the other corner, lethal until they lost 3 straight to PITTSBURGH(Pittsburgh??) are.... 

The 33-17 LA Dodgers.

It ought to be fun.  Four BIG games.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let's get ready to....RUMBLE.

LINDOR ALERT...the blazing hot fella hurt his right middle throwing finger in a door in L.A., of all things, and will sit this one out, his first missed game start of the year. Guillorme Gwynn will take over at SS.

Thursday night's series opening contest started at 10:10 PM EST.  Which stinks if you are not a night owl.  I fall asleep between pitches.  Sometimes during pitches.

Taijuan Walker starting against a guy named Tony Gonsolin, who comes in 5-0, 1.50.  It was a bit of a shocker, after all the recent Mets offense, but they lost a pitchers' duel 2-0, gathering just 3 hits (Guillorme, McNeil, Davis).  So the loss of the red-hot Lindor may have been decisive.  Three more games, and hopefully a lot more hitting, in this series.  RBIs by Betts and Turner.

MINORS:

SYRACUSE: A 6 run second gave the S-Mets an early 6-0 lead. Mark Vientos knocked in a run in that inning and has quickly climbed to .256, but later made his 10th error. Dominic Smith was, by the way, not in the line-up. Syracuse allowed 4 unearned runs in the 6th to close the gap. Final was an 8-4 Syracuse triumph, with Eric Orze fashioning a perfect 9th with 2 more Ks.  He has a Paul Sewald comparable, to me.

BINGHAMTON: In a doubleheader, the Rumblers snagged game one, with a late 3 run shot by Ronny Mauricio (7) rescuing an 11 K in 6 inning outing by Jose Butto. Yogi Alvarez had 2 hits, jumping to .277.  

 In game 2, tied 3-3 after 7, went to extras.  Antonio Santos coughed up 3 runs in the top of the 8th, aided by the automatic man on 2nd.  Down 6-3, the Bingos clawed back a run but lost 6-4, splitting the doubleheader.

BROOKLYN: When the rain comes...

ST LUCIE: Joel Diaz started for the Lucites. He went 3.2 innings, allowing 8 hits and 2 runs.  SLM hitters had their hitting trousers on early, scoring 8 runs in the first 3 innings, including 2 HRs by the Mets' 20th rounder in 2021, Justin Guerrera (5).  Jack Wold also knocked one out.  And...that dude Junior Tillen hit his 6th and added a single. 10-3 win.

Yankees? After beating up on Thor, the Bombers beat up on Ohtani and got another great start out of Nestor Cortes in game 1.  Game 2? Taillon perfect thru 7, but the Halos got a run on 2 hits in the 8th to go up 1-0.  None of their players games fingers in a door, I might add.  Yanks, of course, rallied and won game 2 for the sweep.

And Milwaukee trailed 4-1 heading into the 9th and pulled it out, with the game-winning hit by Andrew McCutcheon, who had been 0 for 32.

MACK?  

Took the day off.  He needed a blow.  He's punched the clock thousands of times on this cutting-edge blog site.

To his credit, I must say, he long touted Luis Guillorme, and has proven to have shown shrewd foresight.  My early comparable call was spotting Jeff McNeil and expecting big things from him when most folks were either unaware of McNeil down on the farm or were not expecting much.

Reese Kaplan -- He's Good When Available...Nimmo's Future

Every now and then a player gets unfairly crucified by the fans and media when he is drafted early based upon very little track record in high school or college.  Back in 2011 with Sandy Alderson at the helm the Mets used (some say squandered) their first round pick on a little known player by the name of Brandon Nimmo who didn't have an organized baseball progression in the mold of other prospects.  He did show some power and speed but it seemed to be a mighty odd use of such a high pick for someone who didn't even play high school baseball as his home state of Wyoming didn't offer it. 

 

As he worked his way up through the Mets minor league system he frankly hadn't done a whole lot to change people's minds.  In his opening minor league campaign of 2012 he hit .248 with 6 HRs and 42 RBIs -- not bad but certainly not what you'd expect from a number one draft pick.  His draft position pretty much guaranteed he'd be getting a lot of at-bats, so he continued his way up the ladder.

In 2013 it appeared for awhile that Nimmo was going to make Alderson look very good as he made the league All Star squad as well as the Futures game with his hot start having him swinging to the tune of a .447 batting average but he plummeted back to earth by year's end, finishing at .273 with more than a strikeout per game.  He only hit 2 HRs for the season (though to be fair the Savannah ballpark is death on power hitting), and drove in just 40.  It was also the first year where an injury plagued Nimmo with a wrist issue causing him to be held out of several games.

In 2014 it seemed as if Nimmo finally kicked things into gear.  He started off with Port St. Lucie hitting well and again earning All Star honors and was bumped up to Binghamton mid year.  He finished the 2014 with a combined .278, 10 HRs and 51 RBIs.  While not exactly sizzling, the numbers were indeed solid and Alderson probably breathed a bit easier after the negative press that resulted since making the Nimmo first round selection.

2015 was a bit of a crazy year for Nimmo, beginning in Port St. Lucie, moving again to Binghamton and ending it in Las Vegas.  Nimmo again was bitten by the injury bug, first with a knee injury and later with a ball to the face on a foul tip swing.  Still, the progress in his hitting was evident and the Mets looked like they might have a major leaguer on their hands.

In 2016 he got his first taste of the big league when he was brought in to support the outfield after Michael Conforto went into a long hitting tailspin.  In Las Vegas Nimmo was raking to a .328 AVG with 5 HRs and 37 RBIs in just 250 ABs, so he looked like he was ready to move up. 

Unfortunately, after a solid debut he was hitting just .235 after 51 ABs and was demoted until Juan Lagares' injury forced the Mets to promote him once again.  He finished the year on a bit of an upswing with an ending batting average of .274.

His 2017 and 2018 seasons were showing improvement, particularly after the hitting coaches changed his stride which enabled him to generate more power.  Injuries and illnesses again sidetracked the man including various leg and hamstring issues, but it was a collapsed lung that kept him out for awhile.  His 2018 season was by far his longest in the majors, hitting .263 with 17 HRs and 47 RBIs.  On a positive side, his OBP rose to an enviable .404 with very appealing numbers for slugging and OPS.  On the bad side, however, were his 140 Ks which seemed a bit excessive for a leadoff type of hitter. 

The problems with Nimmos frequent injuries continued in 2019, 2020, 2021 and again now in 2022.  You name the body part and Nimmo has probably been felled by problems with it.  Overall for this four year period he only put up about two years worth of ABs, hitting .273 with 27 HRs and 92 RBIs.  Those numbers would be fantastic if they happened in 500 ABs but it took over 1000 to reach that level and you have to factor in missing about two full seasons to his various IL stints.

All of this context is important to consider as Nimmo approaches free agency at year's end.  He want from a first round draft pariah to a fan favorite through hard work and an innate ability to work pitchers.  His sprints to first base after receiving a walk draw applause from the stands and he's improved significantly as an outfielder.

The question is should the Mets reward this part time decent but not fantastic player with an expensive free agent contract?  Do they allow him to get a QO in the $18 million range?  It wouldn't seem his output is commensurate with that pay grade.  Or do they simply let him walk away with nothing in compensation whatsoever and let another team enjoy him while he plays while suffering through the many stints when he is unable to do so?

Going into 2023 the Mets have two of the three outfield positions sewn up with Starling Marte and Mark Canha.  Depending on what they decide to do with Eduardo Escobar and Luis Guillorme, that third outfield position could go to Jeff McNeil.  That brings back the issue of just how much Nimmo is worth given his injury history and his OBP being his primary calling card?  My guess is they will attempt to keep him but at a rate in the lower end of the teens per year.  Any more salary demands at a higher level would seem to be a risky business decision.  If he goes on to flourish elsewhere, bully for him.  You do, however, have to consider the prudence of tying up a lot of long term dollars on someone who's essentially a part-time player.  

Tom Brennan and Mack Ade - Mets Recap

Might the Mets be on the verge of running away with this?

ENSCONSED:

Well, June 1 started with the Mets firmly ensconced in first place, despite 1) no Jake and 2) partial Max, May, and Megill. 

How did they get there?

By the same thing that malfunctioned last year being decidedly functional this year:

HITTING

First in hitting - .268 (.278 in May)

First in OBP - .339 (.338 in May)

Second in runs - 266 in 51 games (5.3) - 168 in May alone - this time last year, more like 3.5 RPG - what a joyous difference.  The two non-hitters - Cano and Smith - gone.

Anyway...

METS: Cookie Carrasco (6-1) needed 95 pitches to get through 5 innings of shutout ball, walking 5 and fanning 5 in a 5-0 win and back-to-back series sweeps. Lugo, Ottavino, and Diaz combined for 4 scoreless, fanning 5.  Oft-maligned by me, Tomas Nido attended Career Day and went 4 for 4 (.253) with 3 RBIs, 

JD Davis also shut up grumpy fans with 2 for 3 (.247) and a walk - nothing like going 8 for 16 in the last 4 games to raise an average 59 points.  He hit a lot of long shots earlier in the season, with just 1 HR to show for it and lots of long outs, so now he is smacking line drives for hits.

And 0 for 1 and 3 walks for Guillorme Gwynn (.360/.455/.453). His OPS is 16 points higher than the supposed team leader in that category, Pete Alonso. 

Unstoppable…but next stop is in Los Angeles for these Super Mets.

MINORS: the hitting for the following 4 teams was sputtering at best, but convulsed to life over the last several days of May.  

How did they start June?

SYRACUSE:

A loss. Tom Szapucki (0-4) had a far better outing, going 4 innings, allowing just 3 hits, 2 runs, and fanning 6.  Just 66 pitches.  Didn't qualify to win by again not going 5 innings, and he in fact took the loss in a 6-5 gaame where Adleman allowed 4 runs in relief.  

Michel Otanez and Bryce Montes de Oca both debuted in AAA with a scoreless inning apiece.  Khalil Lee heating up a bit with 10 for his last 28.  Mangum was not in the line up.

BINGHAMTON:

Jose Butto takes the mound. Except....T Storms, so the game was postponed.

BROOKLYN:

Garrison Bryant started tonight. Great thru 4, fanning 7, then got cuffed up for 4 in the 5th, and a hurler named Courtney coughed up 4 more in the 6th, turning a 4-0 lead into an 8-4 deficit. Final was an 8-5 loss. 

The Schwartz had a based filled triple (.243, 19 RBIs, including 7 in his last two games), and lead off man Rowdy Jordan parked his 2nd of the season.  He also walked twice, and has a .360 OBP.  

Brandon McIlwain remains ON FIRE with 2 hits and two walks (9 hits and 3 walks in his last 5 games), and Matt O'Neill had a hit and his usual 2 walks (only guy in the entire Mets system right now, I believe, with a .400+ OBP as a pro. At .411 this year, .407 for his full pro career).

The K Kontingent (Newton and Palmer) went 2 for 9 with 6 Ks.  Now 113 in 78 combined games for the two.  Your goal, if you choose to accept it, is to instead fan just 78 times in the next 113 combined games.

ST LUCIE:

Doug Hamel Night tonight.  And he was GOOOOD. 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 8 Ks.  Of greater near-term interest for the Mets, Dedniel Nunez threw 2 hitless innings, walked none, and fanned 4. Dedniel has now pitched 3.2 innings, 1 baserunner, and fanned 6.  Could he hurtle quickly towards Queens, now that he is healthy again? Clubbing Carlos Dominguez had 3 hits and 3 RBIs (28) in a 7-1 drubbing.  20 year old SS William Lugo walked 3 times and has a .345 OBP in 40 games.

 Mack  -  My thoughts

- First off, I have some matters to attend to and I will not be able to add to Tom's report until Monday morning.

I will catch ya later.

-  What if I told you that we have a starting pitcher in St. Lucie that is not one of those 2021 draft dudes, is currently 4-0, and in the month of May went 0.67, giving up two earned runs in 27 innings pitched.

23 year old RHP Luis Moreno is an IDFA signed in the 2019 off season out of the Dominican Republic.

He really came out of the pen this year and was promoted to the rotation after a couple of starters were shipped to Brooklyn. 

2022 so far:

    9-G  3-ST  2.68  40.1-IP  37-K

FLASH

At noon Monday, Moreno was promoted to Brooklyn.

- Pro scouts have flocked to Cal Poly this year to catch a glimpse of SS Brooks Lee.

Turned out the bonus is they got to see Friday Night Starter, RHP Drew Thorpe

The 6-4, 190 junior has torn up their conference this year, going 25 starts, 10-1, 2.32/0.86, 104.2/149, with only 25 walks.

He is touted as having the best change in his class. It's in the low 80s with a huge amount of sink.

FB  55  CH  60  SL  45 

Control  50  Overall  50

Pray this guy is still around when we get to pick in the 2nd round.

- If the Mets go .500 the rest of the season, they will finish with 90 wins.

- Here is the current pre-CWS top 5 leaders in OBP.

1. 1B Sonny DiChiara  Auburn     senior  .550

2. 1B Tyler Locklear  VCU      DE EL Soph.  .540

3. 1B Ivan Melendez  Texas      Jr. .522

4. SS Zach Neto  Campbell    DE EL Soph.  .506

5. 2B Mario Camilletti    Central Mich. Sr. .505

- RHP Jordan Yamamoto has been transferred from his rehab assignment in Brooklyn to AA-Binghamton.

-The Yamamoto move sends RHP Hunter Parsons back to Brooklyn.

Tom Brennan - Alonso’s RBI Lust: He LOVES RBIs, and He LOVES the Big Moment.

And the Glove is actually pretty good, too

Yep, Pete Alonso loves his home runs, and sure hits a lot of them.  Some so far they should count for 2 long balls.

But his real lust is driving in runs. Why?

Because that’s what wins ballgames.  Winners wanna win.

As I told everyone in these columns in the off-season after 2018, all games matter, and in 2018, Pete played 159 games in the minors and Arizona, and drove in 146 runs. That’s right, 146 runs.  As in 46 more than 100, a lower than 146 number that very few hitters reach.

I knew right there, watching him drive baseballs at Route 146, that our Petey was different than your average Mets prospect, like, say, a Conforto. No offense, Michael. Only one of you is hooked up to a nuclear power generator.

As much as Pete lusts for RBIs, he just loves to play. Why?  

He hates to not play, for one thing.  Why, for Pete's sake, sit when you can play?

When you play every game, as he and Lindor are proving, you put up big numbers. The 2 have a combined 90 RBIs in the first 52 games.  Wait, do Mets really do stuff like that?

With his perfect attendance record, it is no surprise to me in 2022 that Pete is driving in a prodigious amount of runs, because he is in love with RBIs, and he loves the big moment. 

For those of us who sometimes nitpick about Super Pete, which even I have done now and then, we need to remember that in the big picture, he could turn out to be an 1,800 RBI career guy. Hopefully all as a Met. The same Mets team that, in 60 seasons, has never had a guy to compile even 1,000 Mets RBIs.

That is our guy. (Of course, Linder is on an absolute RBI tear, too.  Almost neck and neck with the big fella in RBIs, and shutting everyone up who was griping or questioning.)

We have Pete on the Mets for one reason only…they broke with their tradition of drafting modestly tooled hitters and decided to actually expend a high draft pick on a guy with lethal power.  

"Sick, stupid power", as his compadre Jeff McNeil once described Alonso to me in 2018.

My advice? Draft many such guys. If just a few can be close to as successful as Pete, we will prosper for many years to come.

Message to Pete: 

We’d all like 150 RBIs from you in 2022. True “Big Boy” numbers. With this team, you can do it.

Of course, if you want to exceed 150 RBIs, I won’t complain. Go right ahead. You don’t need my permission, and somehow, I sense you know that, but if for some reason, you feel you do, you have it.  

Pound away.

Tom Brennan and Mack Ade - Mets Recap

I'm glad we have Canha and Marte instead of this fella. You agree?

PREAMBLE:

This is a club where back up players usually hit like your Grandma.  At least like your Grandma who couldn't hit.  Some grandmas hit plenty hard, I hear.

I often cited the law firm of Almora, Maybin and Lee from last year that went something like 9 for 90. Awful stuff.

I remember in 2015, pre-Cespedes, where thru mid-July, all of the Mets' scrubs combined had several hundred at bats and were hitting around .180.  Putrid stuff.

This year, though, we've got Luis Guillorme.  The back up who should be starting.

Through Monday, the highly rated LG Appliance is hitting .355.  Currently hotter than a firecracker.  Supernova about sums it up.

Career .280+, with a .375 OBP.  Excellent fielder.

Low key pro.  Jeff McNeil is John McEnroe on the field - his emotions show.

Luis is Cool Hand Luke.  But Clint Eastwood in the batters' box.

And some tough guys in movies flash a lot of cash.  Luis flashes a lot of leather.  A 2B/SS combo of Luis and Lindor is dazzling.

Central Casting has LG in the wrong role.  He needs to be a lead actor.

I hear his character will go by the name Guillorme Gwynn, and his new flick, Hit Man, is coming to a theater near you.

Don't miss it.

METS: Goodness....any team that can bat Guillorme Gwynn 9th is stocked!  The LG machine (.365) produced 2 more hits and 2 RBIs.  Quietly excellent Mark Canha 4 hits. Jeff McNeil follows an 0 for 5 with a 3 for 4.  Insiders say it's between the Squirrel and the Gwynn Clone for the NL batting title.

J Double D got two hits tonight, too.  If he played more, he'd hit .300, too.

Ten Mets runs on 17 hits, and Trevor WIlliams was great over 6, and dislocated Drew Smith relocated the mound quickly and recorded 4 of his five outs via the K.  Who needs Edwin Diaz when you can entrust Adonis Medina to hold a 10 run lead in the 9th? 34-17 Mets, on the 1986, 2 out of every 3, pace.

Joy in Metsville...and more butt splinters for Dom Smith (except he was sent to AAA to get some ABs), even with Nimmo the Numerator (he's Numero Uno) still sitting it out. Hard to crack into this hit machine line up, with 14 of the hits coming from guys NOT named Marte, Lindor, and Alonso.  Of course, Marte cracked a 2 run shot and Lindor RBI'd for his 9th straight game, and now he is up to 42.   All Star Shortstop, anyone?

Phillies are about to lose again. I pheel bad for them, don't you?

MINORS:

With the exception of Syracuse, Mets minor league teams have gone from comatose hitting to high scoring, just...like...that.

SYRACUSE:

Mark Vientos in May was .328/.408/.642 in 19 games.  I'd say he is just about ready.  Three singles tonight.  Syracuse lost but the contagious hitting onslaught continues, 8 runs on 13 hits. Connor Grey gave up 7 hits and 3 runs, so his hot recent pitching dried up.  Jake Mangum hit .360 in May.  Nice.

BINGHAMTON:

No game today.  Maybe rumbles of thunder scared the ponies.

BROOKLYN:

10-4 win, with both squads fanning 13 times. 

Catcher Matt O'Neill was 1 for 2, 3 walks, and 4 RBIs, and JT Schwartz added 4 RBIs, as Brooklyn scored 10 runs despite just 7 hits.  O'Neill has a .400 OBP this year and .405 for his career, despite a career .223 batting average.   To look at it another way, he has 68 career hits - and 86 walks...there's a ratio you never see, unless it's Barry Bonds.  Of course, he is not Bonds, but he's a good defensive catcher, so maybe he will make it to the Mets someday.

Zwack was good for 3 innings, and Oscar Rojas added 5 innings without an earned run, with 8 Ks.

ST LUCIE:

Moreno moves to 4-0 with a 5-2 win.  Omar de los Santos hit yet another HR and double and added 3 RBIs.  He's producing bigly, folks.  He may be a good one. And Carlos Dominguez hit # 11 and was HBP twice, too.  Can he become a Carlos Beltran or Delgado?  Sure hope so.

 Mack  -  My thoughts

-  First up today is probably the last pitcher currently left on the Syracuse roster that could get a 📞 during this brutal 31 game stretch.

25-year old, part time starter, Adonis Medina.

We have seen Medina already this season. In 4 appearances for the Mets, he has gone 7.2 innings, producing a high 5.87-ERA. Still. he has pitched well upstate in 4 games, 2 starts, 0-0, 2.00, 9.1-IP, 9-K.

Medina was a 2014 international free agent that was signed and pitched throughout the Phillies chain. We picked him up in the off season.

FB: 90-94, T96 with sink. 50 grade

Slider: 78-82, good depth. 55

Change: 85-88, + movement. 60

UPDATE

Adonis was called up, replacing Dom Smith on the 26.

- We are staying with the hunt for a good 2nd round pick.

The starting third baseman for LSU in 2021 was Cade Doughty. Then, projected early first rounder Jacob Berry transferred there and a new position was needed for Doughty.

No problem for a guy that has played all three infield positions and he became the starting second baseman. 

As it turns out, he profiles there best anyway 

Hit 56

Power 50

Run 50

Arm 55

Field 50

2022 stats so far:

.286/.385/.536/.921, 12-HR

Me? I see Doughty as a Jeff McNeil comp who could become a premier utility player in the infield

- Top 5 College Eligible ERA leaders

1. Jackson Kelly    Mercer

    60 IP  1.35

2. Jonathan Brand  Miami OH

    77.1 IP  1.40

3. Tommy Steier  Creighton 

    55.1 IP  1.62

4.  Gordon Ingbritson  UC Irvine

    66.2 IP  1.75

5. Kyle Crigger  Louisiana Tech

    65.1 IP  1.79

- Guardians Baseball posted their 2nd round mock and has Stanford OF Brock Jones as the Mets pick.

Strikes out too much, but what power hitter doesn't?

I had him early on as our pick at 1.14.

Would be dancing if he fell to us here.

- RP Trey Cobb promoted to AAA Syracuse.  AA ERA: 0.47

- St. Lucie sent 1B/OF Matt Winaker back to extended camp. In 26 games, just .132/.280/.222.

-Mickey Callahan was fired from the Mexican League team that he managed.

- As I'm sure you all know, Dominic Smith was sent back to Syracuse yesterday.

I know this hurts his trade value, but I totally agree this is the best move, both for Dom and the team.

I told people yesterday that he looked like a deer in headlights with a bat in his hand.

He needs to get his confidence back no matter where his future in baseball lies.

Go feast on the shitty AAA pitching, Dom.

- P Nate Fisher promoted from AA to Syracuse. Bing stat line:

    0-1, 3.56, 31-IP, 40-K

- P Bryce de Oca promoted from AA to Syracuse. Bing stat line:

    1-1, 3.00, 18-IP, 24-K, 3-SV

- P Michel Otoñez promoted.from AA to Syracuse. Bing stat line:

    0-1, 1.80. 15-IP, 24-K, 6-SV

 

Reese Kaplan -- Luis Guillorme Highlights Another Mets Problem

Not long ago I wrote a piece about Luis Guillorme who was hitting much more solidly than any of us gave him the credit to be capable of doing.  Since then he's been blistering hot and upped his average into the .370 range.  That's not too shabby for a little guy known primarily for his acrobatic fielding more so than what he could do with the stick.  While I don't see a starting assignment in his near future, it certainly doesn't bode well for Eduardo Escobar who has struggled in his first year wearing a Mets uniform.

How bad has it been for Escobar? Well, once you get past all of the good teammate stories you read about the man and value how he works pitchers, the fact is he's threatening lately to drop below the .220 level in batting average.  Now if he was making up for it with his run production you might give him what I call the Dave Kingman pass, but right now to go along with his current (as of Tuesday) .224 average he has clubbed just 2 HRs and driven in 14 as the second month of the season draws to a close.  For $10 million he's on track to produce 6 HRs and 42 RBIs for the season.  That's not what the Mets had expected when he once hit 35 HRs and drove in 118 while playing for the Diamondbacks in 2019.  

Has it been a sign of steady decline?  Absolutely not.  He did have a blip during the 2020 shortened season which was not worth sharing but bounced back in 2021 split between the Diamondbacks and the Brewers to hit 28 HRs and drive in 90.  If you got a repeat of that performance for $10 million then you'd be up for General Manager of the Year (if such an award existed).  

Now, not everyone who comes to New York flourishes under the bright lights of Citifield and the New York media.  You have to look no further than Escobar's left side to reflect upon the first year in orange and blue for the teal-haired shortstop, Francisco Lindor (who, incidentally, just got the NL Player of the Week award).  Carlos Beltran struggled in year one.  It happens.

The problem for the Mets is that Escobar is on tap for 2023 as well at a $9.5 million salary and there's an option for 2024 as well (or a $500K buyout).  So you have to figure Esocbar gets a much longer leash than others might have if they were slumping in a big way.  After all, you have the less-than-sure-handed J.D. Davis allegedly capable of playing third base, Jeff McNeil and Luis Guillorme (remember him?) capable of playing there.  With Robinson Cano a distant bad memory, McNeil's role might not be quite as flexible as it once was, but you've seen manager Buck Showalter find more and more ways to shoehorn Guillorme into the lineup (even if it means playing McNeil in the outfield).  

Now for people who saw the Mets swallow much more money on the Cano DFA, it's premature to think they're ready to do the same with Escobar.  The more likely role for moving the man off the active roster would be to engage in an off-season bad-contract-for-bad-contract deal with another team that would give both Escobar and his roster replacement the opportunity for a fresh start with a new ballclub.  

The question is what is the long term solution for third base? That's a question that has plagued the Mets almost since inception with the exception of the Howard Johnson, Robin Ventura and David Wright years.  No matter what Guillorme does with his batting average, the fact remains that Jacob deGrom has more home run power than Guillorme does.  At one point (many pounds ago) Guillorme had speed as part of his game but that capability isn't evident anymore.  He's a great level of substitute due to rest or injury for a regular but he's not likely a long term starter solution.  

J.D. Davis would have to kick it into high gear for the remainder of the season to influence his role going forward.  Right now Davis is hitting a modest .221 with a single home run and just 9 RBIs.  Of course, his aggregated stats are from just 77 ABs whereas Escobar had 174 to produce his own.  Davis gets occasional starts as a right handed DH but rarely is asked to put his questionable glove to work in the field.  Doing better between now and the end of the year is more likely to make him into a trade chip than a starter at 3B.  

Right now all we can do is wish Escobar well and hope he hits his way out of this very long slump.  He's driven outfielders to the track several times lately so I take that as a sign he's making good contact.  Some of those balls will fall in or fly out and then this whole debate is pointless. Until then, however, despite the winning they're doing the club should be thinking ahead about other configurations rather than settling for a steady out 4 out of 5 at-bats.