Frayed Knot

deGrom - 4.5 Familia - 0.6 Mejia - 0.6 Wright - 0.5 den Dekker - 0.8 d'Arnaud - 1.0 Campbell - 0.5 Flores - 0.5 Lagares - 1.0

Mets won because Phils lacked DEFENSE!!!! John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: 5. Thought for sure inning was over on first throw of steal. Have to see replay but seemed like a dumb idea to throw home then. Lagares was most likely going to be out at 2nd if Rollins had let the throw come to him, a move which naturally would have negated the steal of home seeing how there were already two outs. But that's a tough call for Rollins to make on the fly and I think the throw being slightly to the SS side of the base is what triggered him to go for the out at home instead. And he might have gotten it if not for a nice slide by Soupy.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: And what kind of available outfielder, one year removed from the major league minimum salary, do you think the Mets might pluck from some other team's trash pile? We can hope that the Mets might finally get on the right side of some Amos Otis to the Royals type deal, but me, I wouldn't count on something like that happening. You don't think a team would give up a young, promising OF'r for a young, promising catcher?

Cody Asche Kobayashi [fimg=250]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9633/boyohboyok1.jpg[/fimg]

How 'bout we NOT bring the tying run up to bat?

Murphy's DL stint means that Bernard Gilkey's doubles record stands for at least one more season.

HOLLANDS - DOZIER - HOLLAND (Mario, D.J., Al) OK, clearly I need help.

Nice to see a three-run [u:29eog36j]no hit[/u:29eog36j] inning go in our favor instead of the other way -- 2 walks, a HBP, an error, and a double-steal

Geeez, with two outs all the Phils had to do was tag out Lagares there!!

Gary mentioned Herrera being the first Met from Columbia but forgot about Frank Seminara. I wouldn't think that Gary, a Columbia man himself, would miss that.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Pretty weak throw to home by denDekker. He rushed it and pretty much spiked it into the ground. But, yeah, considering how shallow he was when he let the thing go it wasn't impressive at all. Then again, very few of our OF throws are.

After that hitting outburst in the last game of the Dodger series, we're on a 6, 5, 4, and, so far tonight, 4 hit streak again.

G-Fafif wrote: Dilson Herrera will wear No. 2. They seem to be trying to stuff as many of their young players into single and other low digit numbers as possible: Herrera, Flores, MdD, Td'A Not sure how conscious a decision that's is but it does seem to be too common to be just coincidence.

Ceetar wrote: I'm not positive deGromination shouldn't hit 6th. I'd hit him lead off.

Not sure how long that scout's going to be employed though, at least by Seattle. The players in it are still young so it's too early to close the book on it entirely, but that Yanqui/Mariner Montero for Pineda swap (there were two throw-ins involved as well) now nearly three years ago (Jan 2012) was one of the great young player 'Challenge' trades of recent years and I don't think anyone could have imagined at the time how spectacularly it's bombed for each side. Montero at least got a full-(ish) season in for Seattle but that was back in 2012 and he's sucked, been injured, and/or been fat ever since. Pineda, who also showed up overweight in his first camp with the new club, has 7 starts in 3 seasons as a Yanqui (all this year) and even that involved a three month lay off between starts #s 3 & 4

Did you see where former NYM farmhand Yusmeiro Petit had his streak of [u:15j6jobn]consecutive hitters retired[/u:15j6jobn] stopped last night at [u:15j6jobn]an all time ML record[/u:15j6jobn] of 46 straight? Over 8 different outings, dating from 7/22 until the 3rd inning of last night's game w/Colorado, he retired 46 hitters in a row until a 3rd inning double by the opposing pitcher Jordan Lyles ended things (Petit wound up giving up 1 run over 6 innings and got the win). All of his appearances, except for last night's, were relief and he twice went over a week during the streak without even getting into a game. He nudged out, by one batter, the 2009 streak of 45 by Mark Buerhle. That one was built on the 27 outs from his perfect game plus the first 17 of the following start, all of which were tacked onto the final batter he retired from the game prior to his PG. Games & hitters faced/retired 7/22 - Final 4 batters he faced 7/26 - 6 batters 7/28 - 6 8/7 - 3 8/16 - 3 8/19 - 3 8/23 - 13 8/26 - first 8 hitters of the game

But if Plawecki does force the issue (a mighty big IF still) it's worth knowing, unlike the situation we ran into with Hundley & Piazza, and then again when Piazza hit his old age, if there are options available. Part of this is on d'Arnaud too; he hasn't exactly distinguished himself defensively so far and the concussions are at least a back of the mind issue. I agree that ideally you don't want to move a guy out from behind the plate, but he'd hardly be the first one.

BA chimes in with a piece on what to expect when you're expecting Dilson Herrera excerpts: When the Pirates signed Herrera out of Colombia in 2010, they used him at third base in the Venezuelan Summer League but shifted him to second when he reached the States in 2012. A high-energy player, Herrera is working through the kinks of a still-new-to-him position, as some managers who saw him in 2013 in the South Atlantic League felt his actions were stiff. ... where Herrera really makes his bones is at bat. A line drive, gap-to-gap hitter, the righthanded Herrera slashed .323/.379/.479 at high Class A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton before his call up. Evaluators tagged him for average power and he has 51 extra-base hits this season among his 169 knocks, including 33 doubles. Just 5-foot-10, 150 pounds, Herrera generates his extra-base pop with super-quick hands and above-average bat speed, combined with an aggressive swing. Herrera uses his core and strong lower half to gain leverage and make hard contact.

I have no idea how tight a correlation one could show for how well (or not) Price pitches in "BIG GAMES" - and neither do Joe & Evan btw not that that's not going to stop them from pretending they do. But I do know he's been shit against the Yanx this year no matter who's he's been pitching for [5 starts, 30 IP, 19 ER, 42 Hits] so while his Tigers have partially worked their way off my shit list by taking 2 of 3 from the Yanx this week, Price himself is still a resident. So if the Tigers want to beat up on the already out of it ChiSox this weekend then that's fine with me. The more teams ahead of you-know-who the better. - Yanx are at Toronto starting tonight and if the Jays want their September to be interesting then they better not think about laying an egg here. They're already on the fringes of contention as it is. - The Mariners smacking around the Nats would do us good on both sides of the standings - Angels drew first blood in a four-game head-to-head w/Oakland Thursday night in Anaheim (on a 10th inning GW Sac Fly) and now hold a 2-game lead in the West.

Niese - 2.6 Torres - 0.2 Eveland - 0.1 d'Arnaud - 1.2 Campbell - 1.0 Duda - 0.4

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2014/8/28/6054183/new-york-mets-top-20-2014-pre-season-prospects-in-review John Sickels takes his pre-season NYM prospect list (see first post of this thread) and updates the progress of each of the players now that most of the season is done. Note that this is not a new or reordered list. The order and the grades are what they were last winter, only the 2014 stats, the comments, and the overall review at the end are new. Best reports seem to be for Plawecki, Nimmo, Stephen Matz, and for soon-to-be-NYM Dilson Herrera (and of course deGrom) 1) Noah Syndergaard, RHP, Grade A-: Borderline A. 25 starts at Triple-A Las Vegas, 4.67 ERA, 3.69 FIP with 144/42 K/BB in 131 innings, 153 hits. He�s had some outstanding outings and a few rough ones, which happens in the PCL, but has pitched more effectively in recent weeks. Not expected to make his MLB debut this year but should be ready for a full trial in �15. 2) Travis D�Arnaud, C, Grade B+: Borderline A-. I expect he�ll be a solid major league starting catcher with power and good defense, although batting average/OBP may be erratic. Hitting .229/.292/.397 in 340 PA in the majors, wRC+93, fWAR 0.9. Has scuffled at times but the power is here and I think the other numbers will improve as long as he remains healthy. 3) Rafael Montero, RHP, Grade B+: Borderline A-. 15 starts at Vegas, 3.28 ERA, 3.71 FIP in 74 innings, 75/32 K/BB. 33 innings in the majors, 28/16 K/BB, 5.23 ERA, 6.07 FIP. Doesn�t have much left to prove in Triple-A, just needs more innings to adapt to the majors. 4) Dominic Smith, 1B, Grade B: Borderline B-. Hitting .272/.343/.338 in 506 PA in Low-A, wRC+94. Just one home run, which is not going to get it done as a first baseman. He makes contact, which helps, but has actually hit better in his hitting-difficult home park than he has on the road. 5) Kevin Plawecki, C, Grade B: Borderline B-. Hit .326/.378/.487 in 249 PA in Double-A, .304/.366/.457 in 155 PA in Triple-A. Solid performance at both levels, on course for a trial sometime next year, very helpful to have two quality young catchers in the system. 6) Wilmer Flores, INF, Grade B: Borderline B-. Hit .323/.367/.568, wRC+138 in 241 PA in Triple-A, but just .224/.258/.301 in 164 PA in the majors, wRC+56. Obviously unacceptable offensively, but there�s nothing more he can learn in the minors and I think they just need to let him play awhile and see what happens. 7) Brandon Nimmo, OF, Grade B-: Hit .322/.448/.458 in 279 PA in High-A, wRC+165, then .255/.362/.427 in 259 PA in Double-A, wRC+122. Maintaining his eye for the strike zone while boosting his power production. Should be viewed as one of the top outfield prospects in baseball and a Grade B+ at this point. 8) Amed Rosario, SS, Grade B-: .282/.331/.367 in 268 PA in the New York-Penn League, wRC+107. Just 18 years old, reports are positive at this point, still learning to tap his strength and control the strike zone, also needs defensive polish, all issues to be expected given youth. 9) Gavin Cecchini, SS, Grade B-: Hit .259/.333/.408, wRC+108 in 259 PA in Low-A, then .234/.325/.349 in 255 PA in High-A, 95 wRC+. Has hit better recently. Always had the defensive rep and has shown a little more with the bat this year. 10) Cesar Puello, OF, Grade B-: Hitting .237/.345/.362 in 356 PA in Triple-A, wRC+89. That�s terrible for Las Vegas and the PCL. Enigmatic prospect, tools are still here but performance record is all over the map and the fact that he hasn�t hit well since returning from PED suspension fuels understandable skepticism. 11) Dilson Herrera, 2B, Grade B-: Hit .307/.355/.410 in 309 PA in High-A, 120 wRC+, then .333/.401/.544 in 274 PA in Double-A, wRC+160. Looks like a legitimate breakout season to me at age 21 [actually 20 - youngest player in EL from what I heard]. Stock up, at least a Grade B and most likely a B+. 12) Jake DeGrom, RHP, Grade B-: 3.13 ERA in 17 major league starts, 3.10 FIP, 101/35 K/BB in 106 innings. Only glitch here is some shoulder trouble, but I think his performance is legitimate and not a fluke, assuming that he can avoid further injury problems. 13) Vic Black, RHP, Grade B-: 33 big league innings with a 2.20 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 31/18 K/BB. Should be a solid middle reliever going forward, with a chance to close eventually if he can lower the walks. 14) Steven Matz, LHP, Grade C+: Strong season, 2.21 ERA in 69 innings in High-A with 62/21 K/BB, then a 2.17 ERA in 66 innings in Double-A with a 59/14 K/BB. Has always had the stuff when healthy and now he�s healthy. Should be ready for a trial next year sometime, and a potential mid-rotation starter if all goes well. 15) Cory Mazzoni, RHP, Grade C+: Hampered by a lat strain, has pitched at four levels with a combined 4.69 ERA, 65/20 K/BB in 71 innings. This includes 4.70 ERA with 39/12 K/BB in 46 innings in Vegas, which isn�t that bad for the level. Another guy who could be trialed next year. 16) Gabriel Ynoa, RHP, Grade C+: 14 starts in High-A resulted in 3.95 ERA, 64/13 K/BB in 82 innings, 95 hits. Moved up to Double-A, for a 4.70 ERA, 36/11 K/BB in 59 innings, 71 hits. Throws strikes but hittable, reports indicate good fastball/change-up combination but questionable breaking stuff. 17) Luis Cessa, RHP, Grade C+: 19 starts in High-A, 4.25 ERA in 108 innings, 78/26 K/BB, 105 hits. Like Ynoa, reports indicate good fastball and change-up but questionable breaking stuff, which fits the numbers. Control best attribute at this point. 18) Robert Whalen, RHP, Grade C+: Has pitched well in Low-A, 2.18 ERA in 58 innings, 52/19 K/BB, 42 hits, 3.50 FIP. Next step is holding up to a larger workload. 19) Chris Flexen, RHP, Grade C+: I thought he was a breakthrough candidate but that was wrong, 4.83 ERA in 69 innings in Low-A, 46/37 K/BB, 75 hits, Tommy John surgery in late July. 20) Michael Fulmer, RHP, Grade C+: 19 starts in High-A, 3.97 ERA in 95 innings, 86/31 K/BB, 112 hits. Made one start in Double-A then went on the disabled list with a bone spur in his elbow. Status unclear. Not a great season for the major league team at 62-71, but there is good news where young talent is concerned. D�Arnaud hasn�t hit for average and is erratic defensively but the power is there. If he stumbles, Plawecki will be ready for a shot next year. DeGrom has been excellent, and Syndergaard and Montero provide more youth pitching options for 2015. Jeurys Familia has adapted well to relief, with Vic Black and Jenrry Mejia providing young, lively arms. There are several potential young closers and southpaw strikeout artist Jack Leathersich will also get a trial soon. Brandon Nimmo is developing quickly. Dominic Smith�s lack of power is disturbing, but the booming bat of 2014 first-rounder Michael Conforto from the 2014 draft has adapted quickly to pro ball. Herrera, Rosario, and Cecchini provide up-the-middle depth that any team would want. Infielder Matthew Reynolds, drafted in the second round in 2012, is hitting .346/.409/.459 between Double-A and Triple-A, which will push his name up the lists for 2015. Unavoidable injury attrition has struck some young arms, but more are on the way with New York-Penn League star Marcos Molina (1.56 ERA, 81/17 K/BB in 69 innings, 41 hits) notably throwing bullets for Brooklyn. Lefty Blake Taylor, acquired from the Pirates in the Ike David deal, has more potential in his arm than his 5.16 ERA and 20/22 K/BB in 30 innings in the Appy League indicate. I�m a big fan of Steven Matz at this point, who has fought his way back from missing two seasons to injury.

Ashie62 wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: When it's managers doing the voting--which is true both for the official GG awards and in this more informal poll--name recognition should have nothing to do with it. On this we disagree.....no worries.. The point is that managers have no excuse for voting on name recognition. They're not dependent on the press, or on how often each player gets mentioned on ESPN, or on the highlight reels to see how good these guys are. They see the games.

Niese has had a bunch of games this year which were almost good.

What's that, Wright 35th GiDP in August alone?

When it's managers doing the voting--which is true both for the official GG awards and in this more informal poll--name recognition should have nothing to do with it.