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Post by saxon on May 3, 2023 0:52:30 GMT
In answer to your question, I think that Mauricio is the better overall package... however I think that Vientos is next.
We are getting very little offense from Pham, Escobar, Canha, Marte and Luis G.
With Luis G, it's a little understandable since he's just a defensive utility guy that is getting too much playing time....and Marte is playing banged up...
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Post by thomasam on May 3, 2023 16:12:33 GMT
My suspicion is that they don't want to have a lineup with three rookies so quickly. They all need to acclimate and having so many at once is a huge risk. Vientos is also still striking out about once per game so the added risk is having a 2022 Joey Gallo free swinging all the time. He really is forcing the front office's hand lately though.
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Post by nyf on May 3, 2023 19:40:59 GMT
I think the answer to that will be dependent on injury. The problem for both is where do you put them? Buck has already shown he won't just lock 1 person into the DH role (drives me nuts) and there's no point to bring either up if they are going to sit the bench. In the DH spot, Voggy has been doing better as of recent. So if he is going to continue getting the lion's share of the DH (when buck isn't resting a regular), then whats the point of Vientos or Mauricio riding pine? Especially as neither have OF flexibility.
Not to mention Pham plays a decent defense, he's going to keep forcing Escobar in there, and Guillorme is taking some 2B reps, so where are they getting regular ABs?
No, let them stay down until regular MLB ABs presents itself...
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Post by thomasam on May 4, 2023 15:05:06 GMT
Yeah I agree that there just aren't opportunities yet. Mauricio and Vientos have performed over the wildest expectations and they're making it difficult but I also don't like the idea of a roster with four rookies playing key roles. It's asking a lot. I know we supposedly want to mimic the Braves but it's a lot to get so many young bats acclimated at once.
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Post by nyf on May 5, 2023 22:41:00 GMT
From Eppler
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Post by thomasam on May 6, 2023 15:01:22 GMT
I think it's a fair assessment. Vientos has cut down on his strikeouts this year and might be more ready than ever, but I'm just not sure if we want three rookie starters (or four if Mauricio also comes up) in the lineup. It still really feels like Mauricio would slot in well for Canha who just is uninspiring right now. Getting so little from your LF is a killer.
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Post by nyf on May 11, 2023 16:01:13 GMT
I've advocated restraint, but now over 1 month in, approaching the first quarter stick, the numbers start to just be what the numbers are.
Mauricio: .338/.372/.590/.962 (could walk more for sure, but has cut down the Ks, showing better pitch selection) Vientos: .353/.444/.714/1.158 (cut down Ks as well, but Ks are part of being a power guy)
Canha: .216/.287/.360/.657. Buck also pinch hit Guillorme for him, which is a pretty bad sign of no confidence. Guillorme: .255/.349/.291/.640. Defensive specialist only. No more starts other than a spot start (currently started 4 games in May). Voggelbach: .270/.407/.405/.812. average and OBP are respectable. But when you're as fat and slow as Voggy, those stats hold less weight (ba-da-dum). Pham: .220/.309/.407/.716.
At this point, you're getting nothing out of these 4 guys, not to mention Marte, and I'm seeing less and less reason why the vets are a better play than the kids. Let Mauricio play 2B. Let Vientos DH. Send Guillorme down (has an option) and either make up another injury or cut Voggelbach. If you REALLY need the lefty bat outside of Escobar, then you're cutting Pham.
C: Alverez 1B: Alonso 2B: Mauricio SS: Lindor 3B: Baty LF: McNeil CF: Nimmo RF: Marte
Canha can spell all three OF positions and 1B. Escobar can spell the IF other than SS (Lindor plays 160 games every year). Mauricio can be Lindor's emergency backup at SS.
Its nearly time. The numbers are what the numbers are and the numbers don't lie.
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Post by thomasam on May 12, 2023 13:56:25 GMT
My biggest issue isn't Vogelbach but Canha who just doesn't bring much. He's a 4th OF and just kind of does everything at a discount rate. If it was up to me I'd instead be giving him time in the OF and either move Marte to LF or put Mauricio in LF. Maybe Mauricio doesn't have an OF-quality arm?
All reports I've seen say Mauricio is a bad fielder, and to have Mauricio and Baty in the same infield sounds worrisome. Moving two players out of position with Mauricio at 2B and McNeil in LF is also another defensive complication.
Mauricio is much more exciting to me than Vientos. Maybe I'm wrong but Vientos just feels like Joey Gallo, but Mauricio has serious athleticism and could be a Wander Franco type.
I do agree that this point though something has to be done. They've had way too many chances to show life offensively and it's just not working.
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Post by Admin on May 12, 2023 21:00:28 GMT
I've watched quite a bit of Syracuse Mets baseball this season (Mlb.tv has included the minor leagues this season); IMO Mauricio and Vientos are better defensively than their supposed "scouting report":
Vientos looks solid at first, scoops the ball out of the dirt like a first baseman should and has decent range at first. Vientos has made some good plays at 3rd, ranges well towards the shortstop and has a strong throwing arm. Is he Craig Nettles? No, but he is probably no worse than David Wright with a stronger arm (although Wright was pretty good at scrambling for balls hit in front of him).
Mauricio has held his own at shortstop. And has transitioned to 2nd pretty decently. He's now played 14 games at 2nd with only 1 error. He's been part of 13 double plays (8 at short, 5 at 2nd with a 2nd baseman playing short so that he could learn 2nd); 30 Put Outs, 24 Assists at 2nd (125 innings); 26 Put Outs, 43 Assists at SS (151 innings); His defense is not much different than what we saw from Amed Rosario. He's got decent range with a cannon of an arm. He's just a little tall for the middle infield (he kind of looks like Darryl Strawberry at shortstop, he's supposedly 6'4" but looks taller)
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Post by Admin on May 12, 2023 21:07:31 GMT
As far as offense. Both Mauricio and Vientos are relatively "late bloomers" that seemed to benefit from the season where COVID wiped out minor league baseball with the Mets system having some sort of mysterious minor league instruction during that non-season.
Vientos since the pandemic non-season: AAA 146 games, 97 runs scored, 28 doubles, 1 triple, 38 Homeruns, 108 RBI, 69 walks, 167 K's. AA 72 games, 43 runs scored, 16 doubles, 22 Homeurns, 59 RBI, 26 walks, 87 K's. AAA .294 average; .378 OBP, .561 SLugging Percentage; .939 OPS; AA .281 average; .346 OBP, .580 SLugging Percentage; .923 OPS;
Vientos's AA/AAA numbers aren't that much off from Pete Alonso's AA/AAA, with the exception of Pete's ability to not strike out too frequently. The other main differences are that Alonso was already 21 when he started in the Mets farm system after playing NCAA for 3 seasons, whereas Vientos started in the Mets farm system at age 17. Pete was 24 when he made his MLB debut, Vientos was 22 when he got his short cup of coffee after getting sent home when the AAA season ended (only got the promo because Baty got hurt). Also, the Mets were in more desperate times when Alonso impressed a rookie GM in Spring Training...kind of like when Strawberry got his chance, the Mets sucked at the time...now there aren't as many "chances" on a rookie because the team has higher expectations...
Alonso: AAA: .260 average; .356 OBP; .585 Slugging Percentage; .941 OPS; AA: .313 average; .425 OBP; .574 Slugging Percentage; .999 OPS;
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Post by Admin on May 12, 2023 21:30:14 GMT
As far as Mauricio, something just really seemed to click for him in the Winter League last year...he's always had power and speed, but he's also cut down on his swing and launch angle...he's smoking 111 mph line drive doubles over outfielders heads that they don't even look like they have a chance to move on... besides his 6 Home Runs this season, he also had 14 doubles and 2 triples...22 RBI and 25 runs scored in only 36 games, mostly batting towards the end of the lineup initially...he's recently moved to batting 2nd once he got moved to 2nd base (batted mostly 6th at shortstop, mostly 2nd at 2nd)... His Groundout to Flyout ratio has been roughly 1.10 (in other words, for a fast guy, not a lot of ground outs). This season, it is 1.4 (so he's hitting more balls on the ground)... www.milb.com/player/ronny-mauricio-677595?stats=career-r-hitting-minors&year=2023
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Post by thomasam on May 13, 2023 1:53:23 GMT
Hey if they bring them both up I won't complain, though I'm still going to be wary of four rookies starting. It's just a lot of reliance on players with limited major league experience. Could it work? Sure, and it'll be exciting if it does.
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Post by Admin on May 13, 2023 13:14:59 GMT
IMO, the biggest concern with the prospects is the lack of pitching prospects...Do we have any legit pitching prospects at any level?
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Post by thomasam on May 14, 2023 17:00:28 GMT
IMO, the biggest concern with the prospects is the lack of pitching prospects...Do we have any legit pitching prospects at any level? I think it's pretty obvious we're thin with pitching prospects. Tidwell and Ziegler are promising but still at least two seasons away. I did read an SNY article on Vasil who is looking pretty good and could be coming up later this year.
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Post by nyf on May 15, 2023 18:42:22 GMT
I'm not as concerned about the 2 players playing out of position. McNeil has PLENTY of innings logged in the corner OF, and I don't see much of a loss in defense between him out there vs Canha. 2B also while technically MI isn't exactly a defensive superstar position. I can rattle off more than a few heads that were hidden there, and it sounds like Mauricio isn't so much hiding there, but it may actually be a good fit for him if he's too long for SS. I'd love to get him some reps at CF, but that's clearly not happening until AT LEAST next year, so 2B is our only option.
Let's just say you decided to bring them both up tomorrow. Who are you cutting to make room?
To me Guillorme and Vogey, but I could make the argument for keeping Voggy over Pham based on his ability to keep the bottom of the lineup moving late in the game if you need a productive AB. I think Escobar and Canha are safe from cuts.
Side note - what ever happened to Locastro? Seemed like they gave him a phantom injury to make room for pitching... but that was a month ago...
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