MMs Top 25: #23 LHP Adrian Almeida

#23 LHP Adrian Jose Almeida (LR: not ranked)

Bats: L Throws: L
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 150 lb

Age: 20
Acquired: 2011 International Signing, $170,000 bonus, Puerto Cabello, Venezuela

2014: (Rk)    3-2, 2.13 ERA, 38.0 IP, 9.5 K/9, 5.4 BB/9, 1.289 WHIP
2013: (DsL1) 3-3, 3.89 ERA, 41.2 IP, 9.3 K/9, 5.8 BB/9, 1.392 WHIP 
2012: (DsL1) 0-3, 2.50 ERA, 39.2 IP, 7.5 K/9, 5.4 BB/9, 1.487 WHIP

     Who is Adrian Almeida? Well......quite frankly, not many people know. So much so, that there's not even any pictures of him on Google! Almeida was part of the same 2011 international free agent class that brought the Mets Marcos Molina and Amed Rosario. Besides the obvious throwing hand comparison, the primary difference between Molina and Almeida is their physicality. Molina grew into his body almost immediately after his signing going 170 lbs to 190 lbs and growing an additional inch. Almeida has not seen that growth spurt yet. At 6 feet, 150 pounds, his arm speed and skinny build could add more velocity to his already 91 mph fastball.

     In the Dominican Summer Leagues, Almeida actually had more pure movement on his pitches than Molina did K'ing 7.5 per 9 innings in his 1st season. After an off-season of professional training, Almeida jumped that up to 9.3 K/9 and then again up to 9.5 K/9 after coming stateside in 2014. That same movement though is also currently his downfall as he struggles with control due to an inefficient motion and trouble repeating his delivery. 

     Despite the control problems though, the stuff is REALLY good. As we said earlier, he already brings a 89-91 mph fastball with good movement on it. However, his best pitch is actually his curveball which is extremely advanced for a foreign born player. Scouts believe it has the potential to be an MLB "60 grade" plus pitch if he can tighten up the spin a bit more and improve his control of it. He also has a fairly decent change-up in his arsenal too. Like his curveball, the spin on it is more advanced than most foreign born players as he is able to stay through it and keep in low in the zone instead of letting it run away from his arm and leaving it up. 

     Bonus Babies are extremely hard to project, especially, when they have not been seen much. However, when a left handed pitching prospect comes around and has two secondary pitches that are more advanced then his peers AND his fastball already has league average velocity...with room to grow....you have to put him on your prospect radar. Unfortunately, right now, I see more Oliver Perez in him than I do David Price, but, that can change very quickly. Outside of Steven Matz, Almeida could be the highest upside left handed arm in the Mets system right now. He'll spend some time in extended spring training with coaches to try to improve his control before heading out to fill the large shoes that Marcos Molina left for him in Brooklyn. We'll be very anxious to see him in person during the 2015 season.

Ceiling: Unknown. Has tools to at least be a LOOGY. (Oliver Perez)
Floor: Struggles to adjust to Full Season A ball
Anticipated Assignment: (SS-A) Brooklyn Cyclones starting rotation.

The Morning Report 02.26.2015 | Rehab Coins, 2nd Lefty Competition, 2015 Cuddyer Projections, Thor's Frustration, Familia's Development

Tim Rohan | New York Times - "For the last few years, the Mets’ rehabilitation team has given metal coins  to more than 40 players for getting through a program designed to get them healthy. Not every player receives one. The injury must be a significant one — such as Harvey’s Tommy John surgery — that keeps the player out for a while, and the player must put forth a genuine effort. The coins, then, are their reward. Pearson views them as a motivational tool, something the players can strive for, a keepsake they can cherish later in life. Some players are ecstatic to receive their coins; others are indifferent. But in general, they understand the coin’s purpose."

(Chris Soto: My military vet friends will understand the significance of the "challenge coin." A momento for all the hard work that you put in for X amount of years, a reminder of the botherhood that you established with the other guys you were with during your time. While not exact, these coins serve a similar purpose. A reminder of all the hard work they had to do to get back into the game. A reminder to love the game as much as you can, because, in one moment it can be taken away from you for a significant amount of time.)

Mike Puma | New York Post - "Manager Terry Collins said he expects to give Gilmartin every chance to succeed this exhibition season in a lefty competition that also includes Scott Rice, Jack Leathersich and Diego Alvarez. As it stands, Josh Edgin is the only lefty assured a spot in the bullpen. “You have to give him an opportunity to pitch,” Collins said Wednesday. “He’s got to show us what he can do. In that situation you don’t want to send him out there once or twice. As we get into spring training we’re going to find out, ‘Can he get that left-handed hitter out?’ "

(Chris Soto: Strap in folks....cause this is going to be one heck of a battle. This is the 1st time in a while where none of the starting positions are up for grabs, so the primary battles in camp are going to be for bench spots and the 2nd LOOGY role. Gilmartin is going to in for one heck of a fight as Rice and Alvarez have both shown the ability to get lefties out, while Leathersich is just a K machine against both sides.)

Brian Joura | Mets 360 - "The Mets didn’t sign Cuddyer because of his defense. Instead it was the promise of a big right handed bat that made him so attractive to the club. Two years ago, Cuddyer won the batting title and he arrives at Citi Field with a lifetime .352 wOBA. He’s clubbed 112 HR the past six years and brings the promise of a big stick to the lineup. Cuddyer offers the possibility of being an ideal fifth-place hitter.....So, how do we see him doing in 2015?"

(Chris Soto: Joura and his team are projecting a .800 OPS in 2015 from Cuddyer. If he attains that, then i will do cartwheel in the 3 feet of snow that is sitting outside right now. Only 13 OF'ers posted an OPS of .800 or better last year, so that kind of production will put Cuddyer amongst the top offensive OF in baseball again.)

  Mike Vornukov |  nj.com/mets “Noah Syndergaard's frustration finally came to a boil midway through last July. Beat up by the Pacific Coast League, his ERA hovered above five. Frank Viola, his pitching coach at Las Vegas, would not relent with his pupil. In Syndergaard, he saw a talented pitcher in need of guidance. By late August, Viola noticed a modification. Syndergaard produced better workouts and side sessions between starts. He accepted there was improvement to be made. His attitude had adjusted to the rigorous demands, and his performance lifted too. Syndergaard arrived to spring training this month flying under the radar. Matt Harvey's return has garnered the spotlight. Steven Matz is the hot-shot prospect who has stolen the attention. Yet, Viola says, Syndergaard is better than ever before. A season of deep-set struggles has changed him and bettered him. Syndergaard will testify to the results. The crucible of hitter-friendly Las Vegas has turned him from robotic hard-thrower to pitcher. A curveball and changeup now provide steady compliments to that fastball. And a person who had difficulty handling the demands of his stature received what Viola deemed a "wake-up call." Viola says the Syndergaard that has arrived here is "not the same Noah I had last year. It's that drastic difference." His bullpen sessions are more precise. He is more confident and understanding. When he will be able to pitch in a rotation with Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Jacob deGrom is unknown. "Being in the big leagues has been my dream ever since I was a little kid," Syndergaard said.”

 (Herb G. Thor certainly seems to have matured in 2014, and both he and his spring workout buddy Steven Matz, will be hard to leave out of the Mets rotation in 2015. Both appear to be ready. However, if the Mets’ brass is serious about making a run at the post season, they certainly might opt for experience and leave Niese and Colon in it until the end. On the other hand, if the Mets have fallen out of the race, they could go with the youth program and bring up the dynamic duo from Las Vegas.)


  Mike Puma | nypost.com “Jeurys Familia might have raised the bar too high for himself last season. The right-hander was so good for the Mets — pitching coach Dan Warthen said he was maybe as good as any reliever in baseball for the season’s final five months — it might be best to lower expectations on Familia for 2015. That’s asking an awful lot,” Warthen said Tuesday referring to Familia’s 1.86 ERA from May 1 through the end of the season. “But I have great confidence that he will be a big factor.” The 25-year-old Familia took a long-awaited leap last season. In a bullpen that includes power arms Jenrry Mejia, Vic Black and Bobby Parnell, it’s Familia who might have the best overall stuff. He is expected to begin the season in a setup role, but the Mets still view Familia as capable of handling the ninth inning.”

 (Herb G. The emergence of Familia is an exciting development. He has always had great potential, but seemed to fall short on delivering it each year. Now we are left to wonder if the way he finished last year is the real Familia. If so, he has to be added to the mix of possible closers on the team. It is a good problem to have, but does not make T.C.’s job any easier. Although he may be the best of the lot, he is probably #3 in line behind Mejia and Parnell. And without closer experience, his value as a trade chip would not be quite as high.) 

Reese Kaplan -- 93 Years of Free Reign

Back in 1914 a third major league started called the Federal League of Base Ball Clubs to provide an alternative to the National League and the American League.  They started off successfully, and managed to lure both big name players and managers away from the baseball establishment to add credibility to this upstart Federal League.  Still, there were roadblocks put in the way of personnel movement which resulted in league founder John T. Powers to file an anti-trust lawsuit against the AL and NL.  The suit was heard by Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis who stalled long enough for the Federal League to run out of money and thus no longer pose a threat to the baseball establishment.  Not coincidentally, Landis later became the Commissioner of Baseball in recognition for what he’d done to preserve the game (if not free trade). 

The dissolution of the Federal League was not a neat and clean act.  Some teams were bought out by major league teams.  Some Federal League teams were offered the chance to buy major league teams.  The Baltimore Terrapins, however, were excluded from both and decided to bring its own lawsuit claiming that baseball had violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.  Surprisingly they won the verdict and the award of $80,000 was tripled to $240,000.  However, upon appeal the verdict was overturned and it was heard a third time by US Supreme Court.  In 1922 Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes sided with the Appeal Court and said that baseball did not institute interstate commerce and was a state’s issue, thus not falling within the definition of anti-trust outlined in the Sherman legislation. 

In 1953 the first major challenge to the exemption was brought by a minor leaguer in the Yankees organization named George Toolson who was successfully pitching for the powerhouse organization with no room in the Bronx for him to play.  When the Newark Bears folded in 1950 the Yankees reassigned him to the single A Binghamton Triplets.   He refused to report, saying that it was restraint of trade that kept him from signing on with another organization at the AAA or major league level and that his contract had expired with the dissolution of the Bears ballclub.  It was felt that with the improvements to the interstate highway system, radio and television broadcasts that commonly crossed state lines, baseball was indeed an interstate operation and that the exemption basis from 1922 no longer applied.  The Supreme Court upheld the earlier Federal League ruling.

To this day, baseball enjoys that same interpretation.  The most profound impact concerns the movement of franchises.  Unlike Al Davis’ successful challenge that enabled him to move the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles in the NFL, baseball itself must approve all franchise relocations.  There’s currently a challenge being filed by the City of San Jose who wants to move the Oakland A’s there.  It is similar to other actions attempted and failed in the past, as the courts have routinely upheld the total exemption from Anti-Trust legislation for the sport of baseball.

The biggest challenge ever made was the Curt Flood vs. Bowie Kuhn case filed when Flood was traded without his authorization from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philiadelphia Phillies.  He felt that a veteran player should have some say in who was his employer.  Flood lost his challenge and his options were to play for the Phillies or to retire.  He chose to sit out the 1970 season and was eventually traded to the Washington Senators for whom he played 13 games in 1971 before retiring for good.  Six years later Marvin Miller took a different approach and challenged the reserve clause through other channels with pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally.  Arbitrator Peter Seitz (hired by the owners) ruled that players who would complete one year of service without signing a contract with their current club would void the reserve clause, thus ushering in the concept of free agency.  (Seitz, incidentally, was immediately fired by the owners who subsequently lost the appeal of his decision).  

It will be interesting to see how things may change under the new commissioner Rob Manfred.  

MMs Top 25: #24 RF Wuilmer Becerra

#24 RF Wuilmer Becerra (LR: #28)
Bats: R Throws:R
Height: 6' 4" Weight: 190 lb

Age: 20
Acquired: Via Trade from TOR (w/ N. Syndergaard, T. d'Arnaud, J. Buck for RA Dickey, J. Thole, M. Nickeas)

2014: (Rk) .300/.351/.469, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 7 SB (70%), 14 BB, 55 K
2013: (Rk) .243/.351/.295, 1 HR, 25 RBI, 5 SB (45%), 20 BB, 60 K

     Viewed as the throw-in piece to complete the R.A. Dickey trade, Wuilmer Becerra is a legitimate prospect on his own. The tall lanky Venezuelan was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays via the IFA market in 2011 and was immediately brought stateside for the 2012 season. Unfortunately, after only 11 games with the GCL team, Becerra was hit in the face by a fastball which broke his jaw and his missed the rest of that year.


     Once the Mets got their hands on him, he was re-assigned to the Gulf Coast League so that the front office could get an idea of what they hand. Despite a somewhat lackluster 2013 season, Scouts saw what made him one of the best right-handed hitters from that international class. Becerra brings a good combination of physical size, strength and raw power, and some scouts outside the organization felt he had good plate coverage with his swing and an excellent feel for hitting.

     In 2014, Becerra was assigned to the more advanced Rookie Appalachian League and became one of the top hitters that season. His led the Kingsport Mets in SB and was 2nd on the team in OPS, HR,  AVG, RBI, and doubles. Amazin Avenue's Jeff Paternostro, got a first hand look at him last season was was quite impressed;

"Becerra consistently kept everything level and his hands in. The most impressive game swing I saw, he stayed in on a fastball boring in on his hands, and was able to drive it into the LCF gap for a double. He also has more advanced bat control and hand-eye coordination than you would expect given his K/BB ratio."

     Paternostro references his K/BB ratio...this was one of Becerra's main areas of concern so far during his time as a Met. While he has improved his K rate from 29% to 24% year over year, his BB rate also dipped from 9.7% to 6.1%. As Paternostro references in his write up, Becerra has a number of significant, albeit fixable, flaws in his swing. Flipping back and forth between a leg kick and a toe tap, a lengthy hand load, and a tendency to lunge at pitches low in the zone.

     Defensively, the organization seems keen on taking advantage of his plus, potentially 70 grade, arm strength by playing him exclusively in RF. Despite his larger frame, Becerra is a pretty graceful runner and could potentially have enough speed to sneak in 10-15 SB a year. If he can fix his mechanical issues, without sacrificing his power, and continue to improve on his zone recognition skills, Becerra could develop into a potential 15 HR/15 SB MLB player and shoot up this list extremely fast. For now though, I'll hold off on upping his ceiling until I see have he performs in a full season league.

Ceiling: Strong Armed, High K Taxi Squad OF (Robbie Grossman)
Floor: Hits the AA prospect wall and gets stuck in Binghamton
Anticipated Assignment: (A) Savannah starting RF 

The Morning Report 2.25.2015 | Duda Injury, Parnell Facing Live Batters, Jury Duty, Granderson's Streaks.

Tim Rohan | New York Times - "He played a few games in Japan with a contingent of fellow major leaguers. He worked out with Mike Barwis, the Mets’ strength and conditioning consultant. He kept swinging and swinging and swinging. If he took any time off, it was measured in days, not months. Gradually, after all those swings, his left intercostal muscle — a muscle in the chest wall — started to feel sore. It became sore enough that for the last few weeks, Duda has stopped swinging altogether. He will not swing a bat for at least a few more days."

(Chris Soto: There comes a point where the human body actually needs rest....not more work. It sounds like Duda ignored the initial signs of pain and blew through this fine line and ended up injuring himself. Intercostal strains are not pretty injuries and generally linger for a while, luckily for the Mets this happened a while ago and Duda is already on his 3rd or 4th week of rest.)

Adam Rubin | ESPN New York - "So much attention has been paid to Matt Harvey facing batters as soon as Thursday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery. Well, Bobby Parnell will only be a few days behind. Parnell expects to throw one more bullpen session on Thursday, then face batters this weekend for the first time since his procedure. "

(Chris Soto: From the sounds of it Parnell is right on schedule in his rehab. The only reason he is so close to Harvey's time schedule is because the front office is being so cautious with Harvey. I would not be surprised if Parnell gets held back in St. Lucie past May 1st, especially if the team is doing well with Mejia in the closer's role.)

Jared Diamond | Wall Street Journal - "People who work in baseball might be rich and famous, but that doesn’t stop them from having to fulfill their civic duties. Players, coaches and executives are frequently summoned for jury service, just like every other American citizen. Unlike the average citizen, however, they can usually get out of it without much effort. Rarely is one of them actually selected to sit on a jury."

Question: What do you do for a living?
Alderson: I’m the general manager of the New York Mets.
Question: What does your spouse do?
Alderson: Actually, my wife’s sitting right behind me.
Question: What do you do in your free time?

Alderson: Well, now I’m looking for a shortstop.

The courtroom burst into laughter. (Alderson emphasized that he meant his remark as a joke.)

(Chris Soto: No one is above the government! I know Alderson's humor pisses off a lot of Mets fans....but I for one enjoy his little jokes every once in a while. This was weeks ago during the off-season when fans were clamoring for Alderson to sign a SS so the joke is justified. I commend Alderson for sticking to his guns and giving Flores a try. He's going to surprise fans this year.)

Kevin Davidoff | New York Post - "“He went through those streaks. I know he’s done it in the past,” Terry Collins said of Granderson. “I talked to guys with the Yankees. They said, ‘Look, there’s going to be times when you’re going to say, ‘Gosh, how can this happen?’ And yet there’s going to be times he’s going to carry you. And that’s what he did.” Granderson did establish his reputation as a streaky player with both the Tigers and the Yankees. In his first year as a Met, however, the soon-to-be 34-year-old wasn’t just streaky. He put up a 2014 that could be labeled bipolar.”

(Chris Soto: Grandy does in fact have a long history of streakiness so it shouldn't surprise anyone if he display that again this season. The only difference now is that this year's club has so much more balance in the line-up that if a guy like Grandy or Wright or Duda does get cold, there are others guys who can pick up the slack. Every batter from 1-8 is capable of hitting 15 HRs this year. )

Tom Brennan - PROJECTIONS: METS STARTING PITCHING 2015 VS. 2014

Tom Brennan- PROJECTIONS: METS STARTING PITCHING 2015 VS. 2014

The Mets ranked 9^th overall in ERA in 2014 at 3.49, behind the Nats (3.03 – 1st) and Braves (3.38 – 5th) in their Division.

I will analyze their overall performance in 2014, and then give my view on 2015.

The starters went just 57-55, with a 3.67 ERA, leaving 50 decisions to the bullpen arms.  Pretty generous of them.  The bullpen guys thank them.

51 of those 57 wins were from the basic starting 5 (deGrom, Wheeler, Colon, Niese and Gee), with 6 other wins spread between Montero, Matsuzaka, and Mejia.  Other than the basic starting 5, 25 games were started by those other 3 gents and a spot start from Torres.

I think we’ll see some starter improvement in 2015 – forces aiding and hindering that in 2015 are itemized below:

POSITIVES

1)   Harvey’s Back – let’s say Harvey bumps Gee, who had a 4.00 ERA in 2014 in 137 innings.  Likely a big improvement there.

2)  A Full Season of deGrom – 2.69 ERA overall, and 2.16 in his last 100 innings, over 22 starts.  What will he do with 32 starts?  Some hint at some regression.  I’m thinking possible Cy Young.

3)  Wheeler Ready to Blossom – first 3 months of 2014, he had a weak 4.26 ERA.  Last 3 months, he went 2.52 in 100 innings.  My guess?  His full 2015 is much closer to his 2^nd half excellence.

4)  Better Starting Production from the Fill Ins: Torres, Mejia, Matsuzaka, and Montero were not bad (6-6, 4.23 in 137 innings over 25 starts), but I think this year’s fill in pitchers (likely to be less fill-in and more transitional – e.g., Thor, maybe Matz, or a seasoned Montero instead of last year’s more transient bunch) will toss to a better ERA.

5)  Better Starting Production from the Promoted:  2 or 3 of Niese, Colon, and Gee are likely to head out this year, leaving a rotation of Harvey, deGrom, Wheeler, Thor, and Montero or Matz.  Niese, Colon, and Gee combined to pitch to an ERA of 3.83.  I already bumped Gee for Harvey above, so Niese and Colon were a combined 3.76.  I think the young call ups can do as well or perhaps a bit better.

HEADWINDS

1)   Shorter fences will lift ERAs a bit, but the 3 pitchers most often spoken about as being likely to depart (Niese, Colon, and Gee) gave up 57 of their 141 homers surrendered (40%) in their 527 innings (36% of the Mets’ innings).  57 in 527 innings (or 1 every 9.24 innings) is a tad high.  Syndergaard and Matz have only given up 34 homers (26 and 8 respectively) over 702 innings (427 and 275, respectively) in the minors.  That’s 1 every 20.64 innings.   So I think those 2, while neophytes in terms of not yet being in the bigs, will surrender fewer homers per inning than the veterans they may replace.

Harvey, who will replace Gee, allowed just 12 homers in 237 career innings, or 1 every 19.75 innings.  Long story short, the fences coming in will help the Mets’ hitters more than it will hurt their pitchers.

2)  Harvey coming back from Tommy John.  All reports sound promising, but will he be 100% Dark Knight when he returns?  Time will tell.

3)  Transitional uncertainty – Gee, Colon, and Niese have many combined years of big league experience, which counts for a lot.  It is also unclear if only Thor will join the rotation in 2015, or Matz or Montero will.

Overall:

I see the starters going 72-48 with an ERA of 3.20 in 2015, a substantial jump over the 57-55, 3.67 of 2014, for all of the reasons above...plus I believe the offense will score 120 more runs in 2015.  More offense, more wins.

 
Next article:

An analysis of the bullpen of 2014 vs. 2015, and an overall recap of 2014 actual vs. 2015 projected pitching results.

MMs Top 25: #25 C Ali Sanchez

#25 C Ali Sanchez (LR: #30)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 175 lb

Age: 18
Acquired: 2013 International Signing, $690,000 bonus, Carora, Venezuela

2014: (DsL1) .303/.406/.394, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 6 SB (50%), 27 BB, 31 K

     Good catching prospects are hard to find. Especially ones that can both field their position well AND hit the ball well. Its a rare combination that generally always gives a prospect the ceiling of at least a back-up MLB Catcher. In Ali Sanchez's case, his 1st professional season went about as well as it could and he may well be on his way to both that ceiling, and up this list.

     Sanchez was considered Baseball America's 25th best international prospect in 2013 as well as the 2nd best catching prospect of the group that year. According to BA's Ben Badler:

"Sanchez is more athletic than (#1 catcher) Jose Herrera and has more experience catching, which is evident in his catch-and-throw skills. He’s an intelligent, high-energy player who has good hands and is a good receiver. He has a solid arm that plays up due to his quick transfer and accuracy."

     In his 1st professional season with the more advanced of the two Dominican Summer League teams, Sanchez displayed excellent contact abilities getting at least 1 hit in 36 out of his 50 games played. Playing against competition that was generally a year older than him, Sanchez also displayed excellent strike zone recognition skills, K'ing in only 14.8% of his Plate Appearances and BB'ing in 12.9% of them.

     As an extremely young player though, Sanchez is not without his faults. There are scouts who are unsure if his bat will develop into anything more than a BABIP dependent slap hitter. He doesn't show much home run or gap power in games and his approach in batting practices does not suggest he could develop power either. At 175 lbs though, Sanchez still has room to fill out his catching frame so the hope that he can develop 10 HR power or at least 25+ doubles is still there.

     The club will bring Sanchez stateside in 2015 but with the GCL Mets catchers both hitting below .220 last season, the club could be inclined to send him and his advanced approach to Kingsport to play in tougher of the two Rookie leagues. We'll hold onto moving his ceiling up until we see how his does in the US.

Ceiling: Defense minded, light hitting Career AAA C (Kai Gronauer)
Floor: Hits the AA prospect wall and gets stuck in Binghamton
Anticipated Assignment: (Rk) Kingsport starting C 

The Morning Report 2.24.2015 | Harvey’s workload, Zack fine tuning, Wright’s health, Matz in 2015?

 
Adam Rubin | ESPN.com “New York Mets ace Matt Harvey's first season back from Tommy John surgery will not include an ultrarestrictive innings cap, general manager Sandy Alderson said Friday. Alderson said Harvey will have no "extra special precautions" during spring training and should face batters within a few days of any other Mets starting pitcher in camp. "I don't expect this is going to appear to be a highly constrained workload for him over the course of a season," Alderson said. Alderson said the Mets have an idea of a prudent innings cap for Harvey based on conversations with medical personnel, Harvey's agent Scott Boras and Harvey himself. Still, team officials do not want to publicly disclose a number and then have it become a headline for the next 10 months. The GM added that there is some flexibility based on how Harvey performs. Alderson nonetheless reiterated a past pledge that Harvey would pitch in the postseason if the Mets are involved. The GM does not expect Harvey will be allowed to pitch 215 to 225 innings, but 200 innings including the postseason is plausible, Alderson added. "Including playoffs?" Alderson said. "Yeah."


(Herb G.  On the one hand, Alderson says Harvey will not have a “highly constrained workload” or an “ultrarestrictive innings cap”, but on the other he says they “have an idea of a prudent innings cap” and “200 innings including the postseason is plausible”. I hope they really do have an idea of what is prudent for Harvey. The last thing we need is for Harvey to go down again because they overwork him. Since the front office was so conservative with his rehab, I have to believe they will be similarly conservative with his return. I am beginning to subscribe to the idea that one of our readers put forth, to combine Harvey with Montero in each of his early starts, removing Harvey after 5 innings and giving Montero the rest of the game. That approach would not only reduce Harvey’s workload, it would give us a better idea of Montero’s abilities as a major league starter, and worst case, showcase Montero for a possible trade.)



Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com Zack Wheeler returned to camp Sunday after missing the first official workout dealing with strep throat. Now he can get down to business building on his second-half performance in 2014. In his first 16 starts last season, Wheeler went 3-8 with a 4.45 ERA. In the subsequent 16 starts to close the season, he was 8-3 with a 2.71 ERA. Wheeler’s winter workout partner, former Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward, told Wheeler that the right-hander pitched better in the second half because he was more tired and not overthrowing. Wheeler seemed to subscribe to that theory too. “I was just getting more tired, so I wasn’t overthrowing,” Wheeler said Sunday. Pitching coach Dan Warthen preferred to assign the improved second-half pitching to maturity -- that Wheeler simply settled in at the major league level in his second season as a Met. “I don’t know that it’s fatigue as much as growing up, maturing.” Warthen said. Regardless, the 24-year-old Wheeler still has more maturing to do. Among the 88 qualified major league pitchers a year ago, Wheeler’s 4.17 pitches per plate appearance ranked second-highest. Warthen said it is incumbent on the coaching staff to drill into Wheeler’s head that he is unhittable when he gets into two-strike counts. Overall, batters hit only .146 against Wheeler once getting to any count with two strikes last season. “I don’t think I hit my stride yet,” Zack Wheeler said. “Some guys, like Harvey and [Jacob] deGrom, they just come up and dominate. That’s awesome for them and awesome for the team. I mean, I wasn’t terrible. But I wasn’t great. That’s fine with me. I can only get better.”


(Herb G. If you look at Wheeler’s last 16 starts, you are looking at an ace. But let’s not be deceived into thinking that he finally figured it out and we will surely have an ace in Wheeler this year. His last 5 starts of the year were not special. So we still must sit on pins and needles wondering which Wheeler will show up this season. I am betting on a new and improved version, but not necessarily the ace with the 2.71 ERA. If we get 16 wins with a sub 3.50 ERA, I will be extremely happy.)


 
TIM ROHAN |nytimes.com David Wright has learned a few tricks over the years to help him stay healthy for an entire season. . . . Essentially, he has tried to eliminate taking unnecessary risks. In June, Wright slid head first into second base and jammed his right shoulder. He was not the same player the rest of the year. By the time the Mets shut him down in September, he had career lows in home runs (eight), on-base percentage (.324) and slugging percentage (.374). On Sunday morning, Wright, 32, met with the news media at the Mets’ complex for the first time this spring training. He said his shoulder was fine. He seemed to be more aware of his physical limitations, having played at least 135 games just once in the last four seasons as a result of back, shoulder and hamstring injuries. Manager Terry Collins, who said he would limit Wright to about 150 games in an effort to keep him healthy, believes that a healthy Wright will benefit the rest of the lineup by taking pressure off other hitters. (Wright) has high hopes for this season and said this was the best pitching staff he had played behind. He could not say the same about the Mets’ lineup. No matter who is pitching, the team very likely will be a contender only if Wright is healthy.

(Herb G. When a player is as competitive as David Wright, trying to avoid unnecessary risks is contrary to his game. In the heat of the moment, baseball instinct takes over. Hence, David slid head first, and he might do it again. Maybe the conditioning program will help and maybe he will be able to think twice, but the bottom line is that the Mets are a much better team with a healthy Wright. That said, I don’t like saying that “the team very likely will be a contender only if Wright is healthy.” We have a number of question marks going into the season - Harvey, deGrom, Wheeler, Flores, d’Arnaud, Granderson, Duda, the pen, to name a few. Will they match or exceed their previous performance. If those question marks are answered positively, I believe this team can make the playoffs even if Wright is out for a time during the season or if he doesn’t have the banner year the pundits say he must.)


　
Interview Report |  metsblog.com/sny.tv Robert Brender of SNY.tv spoke to New York Mets pitching prospect Steven Matz about his development and future with the team. Matz talked about his 2014 season, including his postseason starts, helping the Double-A Binghamton Mets win the Eastern League championship. “The more innings I threw, the more comfortable I felt out on the mound,” Matz said. According to one high-ranking Mets executive, Matz could very easily make his big-league debut in 2015, reports Kevin Kernan (NY Post, Feb. 13). Matz said he will work to “fine tune everything” in camp, as “there’s room in every area to get better.” Matz is reminiscent of Madison Bumgarner, Triple-A pitching coach Frank Viola recently told reporter John Harper (Daily News, Feb. 4). Similarly, last summer, Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen compared Matz to Clayton Kershaw (MetsBlog, Aug. 2014). Wally Backman has said Matz – not Noah Syndergaard – is the organization’s best pitching prospect, he told fans at the Queens Baseball Convention at McFadden’s Citi Field.

 (Herb G.  Matz has progressed rapidly after coming back from TJS and pitching only 29 innings in 2012. He has looked outstanding every step of the way. The praise that he is receiving from people like Sweet Music and Wally B is all well and good, but I hope it does not put added pressure on Matz to try to replicate Matt Harvey’s MLB debut. He will start this season in that pitcher’s hell known as Las Vegas, and, based upon last year’s 140.0 innings pitched at two levels, he should be limited to no more than 170 innings this year. So, despite what that “high-ranking Mets executive” says, I will be very surprised if we see him as a fixture in the Mets’ rotation this summer.)

　

　




　

Tom Brennan - WHIPLASH

Tom Brennan - WHIPLASH

There have been many articles written on this wonderful website, and many points of view articulated, re: one Terry Collins. 

His foibles.  His predilections. His faux pas.  His infatuations.

I just read that he is excited to see Ruben Tejada in great shape and ready to compete for the starting SS job vs. Wilmer Flores. Actually, the article I read did not mention Wilmer Flores.  So is this another case of Terry the Infuriator?  Or…

Is he channeling J. K. Simmons?

If you don't know him, J. K. Simmons just won an Oscar for best supporting actor in Whiplash, a story centered on an elite music school where the band he is instructing/orchestrating is ruled by his whiplash.  

The main actor, an incoming drumming student, has great aspirations, and Simmons sees a spark and so the kid is immediately put under Simmon's full array of psychological warfare.  Simmons' style is to drive students beyond their limits.  No tiptoes thru the tulips. And Simmons has the mouth, and sheer intimidation, to make or break those under his tutelage.

After an early "do I have your complete f---ing attention" series of moments with his new drumming student (and not to tell too many details in case you make the right decision to see the flick), the kid feels he's locked down a lead part in the main ensemble...only to walk in one day and be told by Simmons that he's trying out Connelly for the part. 

Which got the right reaction from our lad: pissed, bewildered, driven and not backing down.

A conversation later in the movie shows Simmons telling our drummer that Connelly was just added to the mix to drive our drummer in competition. Simmons says he is trying to create the next great musicians, and so few have the potential, and those that do settle for less than what they’re truly capable of.

Could Collins be doing that to Flores?  Pushing our lad?  I hope so.  I hope he really is not seriously entertaining having Ruben really compete with Wilmer for the spot, but just choosing to do it to spur Flores to greater heights.

So let's see how this thing goes.  Along with any other Sandy/Terry head games this spring.

And please go to see Whiplash in the movies or rent it.  You might agree that if the J.K. Simmons character managed the Mets, they just might win 100 games.  Or implode and win 60.  Likely nothing in between.

Simmons deserved his Oscar with one of the greatest acting performances I've ever seen. (But I root for Matt Reynolds, so much for relying on my judgment in that regard :)

Simmons is far better than Sandy and Terry in the acting department, although Sandy is quite the one for mysteries. 

But…maybe this team needs a Whiplash to bring out its greatness.

If you see the movie, picture Simmons with Duda...or Ike...or Kirk...or others.  Most of us would not want to work for a J. K. Simmons. Too tough.  His motto: Greatness or bust. No half stepping in my classroom. 

Let’s hope some of that seeps onto our ball field in 2015.