Player to be Named Taylor

[G-Fafif]

Additional Ike bounty finally revealed: LHP Blake Taylor, Buccos' No. 2 pick in 2013 draft.

Somebody go creep around his girlfriend's Instagram or whatever.

[Frayed Knot]

Hasn't pitched at all this season ... what's up with that?
Extended ST I assume?

LHP 6' 3" / 220
8 games, 7 starts, 21 innings in 2013. Only 7 hits, 13 Ks but 9 BBs. Small sample stuff all around

51st overall draft pick in 2013 out of a California HS. Doesn't turn 19 until August
He may be promising but he's a long way away.

[bmfc1]

Another prospect that is 4 or more years away. I don't care. I want help for '15 because despite what the GM tells us, the Mets are not close.

[Edgy MD]

Well, Zack Thornton should be here in 2015, if he doesn't pitch himself out of baseball first.

[Guest d'Kong76]

G-Fafif wrote: Additional Ike bounty finally revealed: LHP Blake Taylor, Buccos' No. 2 pick in 2013 draft.

Pretty decent PTNL, and a lefty.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

WHY DIDN'T THEY TRADE US A NEAR-READY ALL-STAR-CEILING HITTING PROSPECT FOR OUR BROKEN, LOUSY-WITH-'WE DON'T WANT HIM'-STINK FIRST BASEMAN?


Getting high-ceiling prospects of any kind in our dump deals is nice; if you disagree more than mildly, well... perhaps you need to revisit your expectations. Taylor's interesting. Along with Thornton, it's a hell of a return.

[bmfc1]

Perhaps and I understand your point (the Mets traded a .200 hitter) but I'd have preferred someone closer to the majors even without an alleged "high ceiling." We're lousy with high ceiling... but we're also lousy.

[Edgy MD]

d'Kong76 wrote: Additional Ike bounty finally revealed: LHP Blake Taylor, Buccos' No. 2 pick in 2013 draft. Pretty decent PTNL, and a lefty. ___________ Toys! Toys! Toys! In the attic! Toys! Toys! Toys! In the attic!

I'm suddenly attracted to the notion of thinking of a surfeit of not-ready-or-particularly-close, high-ceiling prospects as... likenable perhaps to a collection of toys in the attic.

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: Additional Ike bounty finally revealed: LHP Blake Taylor, Buccos' No. 2 pick in 2013 draft. Pretty decent PTNL, and a lefty. ___________ Toys! Toys! Toys! In the attic! Toys! Toys! Toys! In the attic! I'm suddenly attracted to the notion of thinking of a surfeit of not-ready-or-particularly-close, high-ceiling prospects as... likenable perhaps to a collection of toys in the attic.

but but mouses keep getting into my attic and I don't really trust anything I store in there that's not in air-tight plastic bins.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

What they really did was replace the 2nd round draftee they didn't get this year without having to pay him the big signing bonus.

I'd have liked the guy to be an outfielder with a MLB-ready bat too but I guess at any rate it's not a bad haul for a 40-year-old slumping redundant alcoholic in a 28-year-old's body.

[Frayed Knot]

Reading stuff on Taylor (BA, BP, K. Law) I'm finding the predictable stuff for that age pitcher: talented ... projectable ... work in progress, etc.
Mostly what they say is:
- fastball in the 89-92 MPH range with good movement. He has touched mid-90s with the pitch in the past, and could eventually get to the point where he is sitting low-to-mid 90s as a starter.
- lacks consistent command
- strong curve, one that could be his out pitch as he advances
- sub par change up, work in progress
- small sample size but dominated the GCL
- was "good pick" at #51 overall, had talent enough to go higher
- years away from majors but highly projectable

IOW, he's an 18 year old pitcher


The one thing I didn't find in any of these reviews was the phrase - "not a bad haul for a 40-year-old slumping redundant alcoholic in a 28-year-old's body" -- but I bet that's just because they didn't think of it.

[Centerfield]

I'm cool with this. Better Taylor than Davis and his low 700's OPS.

[Benjamin Grimm]

And Better Davis than Bette Davis.

[seawolf17]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: And Better Davis than Bette Davis.

piZW3eXVXPk

[Frayed Knot]

Lengthy analysis on the Ike Davis haul (I think I saw the Ike Davis Haul open for Government Mule while on a trip down south a couple years ago) from BA's weekly Q&A

Excerpts:
Even though we are years from seeing the final results of this trade�Taylor will spend this season in short-season ball�this does look like a solid haul for the Mets. Trades like this are all about probabilities. There was a small chance that Davis would figure out a way to regain the power he showed in 2012 (32 home runs) combined with the on-base skills he showed in flashes. If that happened, this would be a bad trade for the Mets, but the likelihood of that happening was small. ...
Thornton is a potential seventh-inning option whose value will largely be tied to inexpensive contracts and roster flexibility. ...
Taylor was the Pirates� No. 18 prospect coming into the season ... He�ll likely join the Mets� New York-Penn League club in Brooklyn, although as of Monday morning he�s yet to be added to either Brooklyn or Kingsport�s roster. Taylor was an extremely young draftee last year and will pitch most of this season as an 18-year-old. His success will depend on adding velocity to the 89-91 mph fastball he�s shown, sharpening his curveball and improving his control. He�s so far away that there�s a pretty good shot that he will never even make the majors, but there is also a chance he could develop into a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter as he has a good frame, athleticism and the makings of three pitches. The further away from the big leagues you go when acquiring a player in a trade, the bigger upside you can get for less cost. In this case, the Mets decided they�d rather take a chance at making this deal a major win for them rather than getting lesser return with more certainty.

[Edgy MD]

He�s so far away that there�s a pretty good shot that he will never even make the majors, but there is also a chance he could develop into a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter as he has a good frame, athleticism and the makings of three pitches.

My people are saying that he's so far away that there's a good chance he's not even real.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

"I'm actual, dammit."

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: What they really did was replace the 2nd round draftee they didn't get this year without having to pay him the big signing bonus.

THIS.

If they had a MLB-ready outfield bat to spare, hell... why wouldn't they just keep him and try him at 1B/OF?

[Ceetar]

Question re: subject. Was he previously named Taylor or was that part of the trade?