Soothsaying for Sixteen: Gabriel Ynoa

[Edgy MD]

The best way to guarantee a talented young pitcher makes it is to start out with four of them, right? Well in 2012, there were six of us absolutely knocking 'em dead in Brooklyn. There was Hansel Robles, Luis Cessa, Rainy Lara, Luis Mateo, Julian Hilario, and me. We set 'em up and we shut 'em down. We kicked ass. We took names. It was frankly ridiculous. The New York-Penn League had a 4.27 ERA, but we had a 3.16 figure. The whole staff. The next lowest ERA was 3.30. That's nearly two standard deviations off.

That was then, this is now. Hansel is a fixture in the New York bullpen. Good for him. Luis? He went to Detroit in the Cespedes trade, and the Tigers flipped him to the Yankees in the offseason where he's already thrown two innings as a Yankee. He's dead to me.

Rainy stopped getting strikeouts at the upper levels, and has subsequently been giving up too many hits. Vegas, you know? Luis? He had an unfortunate run-in with Tommy John, and is trying to re-invent himself as a reliever. Hilario hasn't been a good pitcher since 2013, and may have run out the string. What can I say, he was the least of us back in the day. Don't tell him I said so.

Then there's me. I've made the Mets 40-man roster. I've started three games so far with Las Vegas and I've only given up three runs. I'm right in the picture! And it's a very competitive picture!

I'm Gabriel Ynoa, and I'm the last man standing. By which, I mean that I'm the last 2012 Cyclone with a fighting chance to crack that vaunted Mets rotation. I think I'm right where I need to be. But you know how this goes... what do you think?

[fimg=402]https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Pz-i3kw9ZWt3U_R2shnGIF3d524=/0x149:3150x2249/1310x873/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46680928/IMG_5555.0.0.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=402]http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Gabriel+Ynoa+GNvo5BFHAWsm.jpg[/fimg]
[fimg=341]http://gradingonthecurve.com/files/2015/07/gabriel-ynoa-mlb-new-york-mets-workout.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=204]https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7587/16590809330_52ab0ce987_b.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=255]http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000m0.KCs94K64/fit=/fill=250x250/g=G0000W6MvIYpdeQo/I0000m0.KCs94K64.jpg[/fimg]

Oh, and I'm a big fan of Lincoln.

Thank you for playing Soothsaying for Sixteen, all you have played and continue to play.

[Guest cooby classic]

I predict Edgy will find five guys whose last name starts with Z

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I just don't know, ynoa?

[Edgy MD]

cooby wrote: I predict Edgy will find five guys whose last name starts with Z

Best I can give you is Enmanuel Zabala, devilishly handsome center fielder who hit .232 with no homers last year for the Brooklyn Cyclones. Not really in the picture for the 2016 Mets.

[Guest cooby classic]

Lookit the way that guy behind him is eyeing him up...

[MFS62]

Y-no-a starts with the major league club this year. Maybe a few innings in relief.
They'll leave him at Las Vegas to help them win the AAA World Series.
He will.
Then, they'll bring him up so he can do the same for the big club.
He will.

Later