Charleston 6, Savannah 3

It was a battle for Steven Matz in this game, who never really found his groove. He was saddled with the loss after he allowed five runs, four of them earned, and was lifted before he could finish the fifth inning. Julian Hilario allowed an inherited runner to score, which closed the book on Matz, and left Savannah in a 5-1 hole. Gregory Pron had doubled home Cole Frenzel in the fourth to put Savannah on the board.

Matz gave up seven hits and three walks, including a three-run home run in the bottom of the first that really set him back. It was a so-so performance overall as he looks to navigate his way through the SAL. Paul Sewald tossed a scoreless inning in relief, while Tyler Vanderheiden allowed a run in the eighth.

The Sand Gnats made a last ditch effort to come back in the ninth, where Eudy Pina drove in two runs with a double, but that threat was neutralized.

Key Stats

Eudy Pina: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Jayce Boyd: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 1 BB

Gregory Pron: 2-for-4, 1 2B

Steven Matz: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 K

Julian Hilario: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 1-1 Inherited Runners Scored

Paul Sewald: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Tyler Vanderheiden: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 ER, 1 K

Savannah 3, Rome 1

Game one of the four game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Rome Braves was played in front of 2,999 fans Thursday evening at Grayson Stadium.

Savannah outhit Rome 10-6 and won the game 3-1. Savannah has now won 9 out of their last 10 home games.

Rome scored first in the 2nd inning when first baseman Casey Kalenkosky led off the inning with a home run over the right field fence.

Savannah scored three runs in the sixth inning when catcher Kevin Plawecki led off with a walk. Third baseman Cole Frenzel was hit by a pitch. Right fielder Maiki De La Cruz singled to load the bases, and then Plawecki scored on a wild pitch.

Left fielder Greg Pron followed with a walk to load the bases. A sac fly scored the second run and the third run came in on a throwing error by the third baseman.

Playing his first game for the Sand Gnats, Maiki De La Cruz was 2-for-4 and scored a run. Frenzel was 2-for-3 and scored a run. DH Jeff Glenn was 2-for-3 and had an RBI and CF Eudy Piña was 2-for-5.

Savannah’s only left-handed pitcher, Steven Matz, (2-0) pitched 6.0 solid innings allowing only one run on six hits, one walk while striking out four.

Reliever, Hunter Carnevale, pitched 2.0 shutout innings. Bret Mitchell struck out two batters in the 9th to earn his 5th save of the season.

Game two of the series will be played Friday evening at 7:05 PM at Historic Grayson Stadium. The Gnats will send RHP Rainy Lara (4-1, 1.45) to the mound against RHP Mauricio Cabrera (1-2, 3.16).

Key Stats

Eudy Pina: 2-for-5

Kevin Plawecki: 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB

Cole Frenzel: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 R

Jeffrey Glenn: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Steven Matz: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 ER, 4 K

Hunter Carnevale: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Bret Mitchell: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Savannah 4, West Virginia 2

The Savannah Sand Gnats won their fourth straight game, defeating the West Virginia Power 4-2 Friday night at Historic Grayson Stadium in front of 3,002 fans.

The Gnats (13-8) took a lead they never relinquished with a three-run bottom of the first.Clay Holmes walked RF Gregory Pron with the bases loaded to force home the first run of the night. Starter Clay Holmes then plunked DH Jeffrey Glenn for the second run. SS Phillip Evans singled deep in the hole at shortstop to drive in the final run of the inning.

The Power (9-13) picked up two runs in the top of the second inning against Savannah starter Steven Matz, helped by a pair of walks. CF Raul Fortunato and 2B Ashley Ponceeach contributed RBI singles. Matz picked up some help from his defense to end the inning when LF Stefan Sabol made a running, over-the-shoulder grab on the warning track.

Matz went 4.1 innings, but the Savannah bullpen finished the game with 4.2 scoreless frames with one hit and five strikeouts. Julian Hilario earned his second win of the year for his two scoreless innings in which he allowed a walk and fanned two.

The Gnats added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning on an RBI single by 3B Yucary De La Cruz.

Beck Wheeler worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of 2013.

1B Jayce Boyd was 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 11 straight games – the longest by a Gnat in 2013 and the longest active streak in the SAL.

The Gnats send RHP Rainy Lara (2-1, 2.70) to the hill Saturday against LHP Orlando Castro (2-1, 1.77). First pitch is scheduled for 6:05.

Key Stats

Chad Zurcher: 2-for-4, 1 BB

Jayce Boyd: 1-for-4, 1 R

Gregory Pron: 0-for-2, 1 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB

Phillip Evans: 1-for-4, 1 RBI

Jeffrey Glenn: 1-for-2, 1 RBI

Steven Matz: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 3 K

Tim Petersen: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Julian Hilario: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Beck Wheeler: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

(Team Report)

Zack Wheeler (Photographed by Michael G. Baron)

Kevin Kernan of the New York Post spoke to a Mets official during last night’s 7-2 loss to the Dodgers and the subject of Mets prospect Zack Wheeler came up after an injured Jon Niese came out of the game and potential options were discussed.

“If Zack Wheeler wants to be here, start throwing strikes,” a Mets official told The Post. “I don’t want to hear about anything else. Throw strikes.’’

This is still a production oriented game, added Kernan, and Wheeler simply does not deserve to be promoted at this point. “Yes, he has a golden right arm, but it’s time to transform that talent into forcing the Mets’ hand.”

Wheeler, who is still winless, has a 4.91 ERA in four starts for Triple-A Las Vegas and has allowed 12 walks and 20 hits in 18.1 innings pitched.

As I’ve been saying all season long, Wheeler needs to command his pitches like fellow prospects Collin McHugh and Rafael Montero have. Yesterday morning, I argued that both of them were more MLB-ready than Wheeler.

No need to tell you how I was pleasantly surprised to learn that both Howie Rose and Gary Cohen mentioned Montero as a possible replacement if Niese were to land on DL during last night’s game. “It’s hard to ignore what Montero is doing in Binghamton,” Howie said. At least three people on Twitter must have said, “Damn, that Joe D.” You know that GKR and Howie didn’t read that anywhere else, but MMO.

As I predicted back in February, you will see Montero make his MLB debut in 2013. That seemed like a stretch before Spring Training and having never pitched above A-Ball, but you should’ve heard Paul DePodesta rave about him. Now, it’s not a matter of if, but “when” Montero will make his debut and like I argued on Twitter, I’m betting we’ll see him before Wheeler.

Wheeler, who turns 23 next month, needs to grab the bull by the horns. Blaming the hitter-friendly PCL is not a good enough excuse, especially when 36 other pitchers in the same league have a better ERA than you. That said, I agree with what MMO Minor League analyst Mitch had to say on the matter and I’ll leave you with this his quote as a parting thought:

Had Wheeler shown this dominance at any level, then we would be having the same discussion about him. However, Wheeler is a “thrower” at this point, using his overpowering stuff to get hitters out, but he hasn’t mastered the art of pitching yet. When he does master it, watch out.

I salivate at the thought of a rotation of Harvey, Niese, Montero, Wheeler and possibly Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard. Then you have Jake deGrom who I think we’ll see on the Mets at some point this season too.

However I would not be shocked if at least one or two of those last few names are swapped for a stud outfield prospect.

Lagares To Make MLB Debut? (Photo by Gordon Donovan)

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• The Las Vegas/Colorado Springs game was postponed due to cold.
• Binghamton dropped a game to Portland, 8-2.
• St. Lucie defeated Charlotte, 2-1.
• Savannah had an off day.

Prospect Pipeline (Morsels From The Minor League Staff)

• BREAKING: RHP Christian Montgomery of the Advanced-A St. Lucie Mets, was suspended 50 games for a second positive test of a banned substance. ”My job is not done and my goals aren’t reached yet, but I’m striving and dedicated to be where I wanna be,” he said to fans via Twitter.
• NEW: RHP Tyler Pill makes his fourth start of the year with the B-Mets. He got his first win of 2013 in his last start, a 4-3 victory over New Hampshire. He threw 6.0 innings, gave up three runs on seven hits, and struck out six batters. On the season, he has struck out 14, and walked four. Opponents are hitting .338 overall against the righthander, and are hitting .438 (7-for-16) against him with runners in scoring position. Pill was ranked the #25 prospect in the Mets organization by Baseball America  prior to the 2013 season. He was drafted by the Mets in the fourth round of the 2011 draft out of Cal State Fullerton.
• So resident psychic Joe D. gave Juan Lagares a well-deserved shout-out yesterday – and lo and behold, the story broke that he might be making his MLB debut with the Mets ASAP. As for my opinion on the matter, Joe and I are sharing a brain. I know that some people argue that Lagares may be experiencing a little statistical inflation, but I think Lagares has always had the potential to become a successful MLB player. More importantly, he has the tools to do it in CF, where the Mets are desperate for any kind of talent. You never know when a rookie can come up and light a fire under a team with some hard-nosed play, so I wish Lagares the best.
• Wally Backman gave his Lagares a sweet send-off. ”He’s a kid who can play all three outfield positions and he’s got speed. He’s a good outfielder. He throws to the right bases. He has a knack for getting the barrel on the ball. He looks like he’s a real good hitter. I mean, if you just watch him, you say, ‘This kid is going to be able to hit.” It’s almost as if it was taken straight out of my Prospect Spotlight on Lagares. (Joe D.)
• Speaking of sharing a brain, Mitch and I both have high hopes for T.J. Rivera – and he is definitely a feel good story. Rivera added two more hits and RBIs to his stat sheet for the 2013 season last night and is continuing to turn heads. Rivera can flat out hit and it may not be long before he is raking in a Binghamton uniform soon.
• Jacob deGrom was a hard luck loser in his first AA start a couple days back, and he ran into some more bad luck on Monday night as the B-Mets had a ton of defensive issues behind him. His final line was tough, as he somehow lasted five innings, but allowed seven hits and four walks. He was on the hook for six runs, but only one of them was earned. The Jake deGrom that you should expect to see going forward is a lot more like the young man we saw in his first AA start – where he lasted eight innings and allowed only three hits and one earned run.
• Jim Callis recently wrote about a piece about a 25-man prospect roster taking at most one player from each team. He chose Zack Wheeler from NY, but he mentioned that he could have easily gone with D’Arnaud. He also answered a direct question about Rainy Lara, where he stated “He’s also old for low Class A at 22, and unless he adds velocity or develops a quality second pitch, he’s looking at a ceiling as a middle reliever.” Lara, as Callis also mentioned, has gained some respect because of the effectiveness of his sinker, which sits at 89-92 MPH. Lara may not be the sexy prospect right now, but I would advise that you keep an eye on him until he gives you a reason not to. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 16.2 innings pitched so far this season, with a 3:15 BB:K ratio.
• Aderlin Rodriguez may have three home runs and three doubles in 68 at-bats, but he is struggling mightily to keep his batting average anywhere near respectable – it fell to .162 last night.
• Shout-out to T.J. Chism, who picked up his second save of the season for St. Lucie and has a 1.59 ERA so far this season.
• Adam Rubin tweeted on Monday that his next farm report would feature Steven Matz…a fun fact? The Mets, as an organization, have only five left handed starting pitchers listed in contrast to 22 right handed starting pitchers according to their organizational depth chart. Jon Niese and Aaron Laffey make up two of them. Angel Cuan, Darin Gorski, and Steven Matz are the other three. Matz’s 1.29 ERA through 14 innings is tops in the Mets Minors right now.
• It’s no fun when Savannah has an off-day and you’re all ready to gush about Kevin Plawecki and Brandon Nimmo. For all the talk about Las Vegas inflating offensive numbers, the top three batting averages in the Mets Minors belong to three Savannah players: Nimmo’s .424, Boyd’s .388 and Plawecki’s .381 who all play at one of the toughest places to hit – Historic Grayson Stadium..
• T.J. Rivera is a well-oiled, finely tuned hitting machine at the plate. After another two-hit game, he’s now swinging a .310/.383/.394 slash and at 24, you’ll soon be seeing him at a Bingo hall near you and I’d be shocked if he doesn’t make it to Sin City and even to that other Citi for a September cup of coffee. (Joe D.)
• You know how I’m always harping on Zack Wheeler‘s command? If only he could put up strikeout to walk ratios like Jake deGrom 21:3, Rafael Montero 27:1, Steven Matz 18:4. Then you’ll know you really have a can’t miss prospect. Wheeler’s K/BB ratio is 21:12 if you want to know how that would translate in the Majors, take a look at Oliver Perez‘s career. I still maintain that Montero is more MLB-ready than Wheeler is (not so crazy now, huh?), but it won’t stop the frenzied fanbase from forcing Wheeler up based solely on his heightened legendary-status that’s being driven by SNY –  who happens to be owned by Fred. Once attends shrivels up some more, you’ll see Wheeler in Flushing – ready or not. Hopefully it won’t lead to his unravelling. (Joe D.)
• The executive producer of SNY told me last week that 99% of Mets fans only care about Wheeler, Nimmo and D’Arnaud, and that nobody cares about Montero, Flores or Lagares. I was asking him why they only cover the same 4-5 prospects day after day and ignore 3-4 dozen other great names and rattled off the three I mentioned. Toby Hyde jumped into our conversation and said, “Bingo!” Whose Minor League coverage would you rather read after seeing a mindset like that? (Joe D.)

Stat Line of the Day

T.J. Rivera: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Tweet Of The Day

Pretty sure I just saw a commercial for a farmers-only dating website. The farmer’s daughter cliche must really be struggling these days.

— Collin McHugh (@Collin_McHugh) April 23, 2013

I thought we had the market cornered here at MetsMerized with pictures of hot farm hands… We may now have some competition. This tweet had some competition from @JohnStrubel, who noted that Jason Bay flew out to Fernando Martinez to end an inning – right before Oliver Perez entered the game…

Transactions/Injuries

• Pedro Feliciano was placed on the temporary inactive list down in St. Lucie. Feliciano left the team to deal with a personal issue in Puerto Rico.
• Darwin Frias was called up to St. Lucie from Brooklyn.
• Shaun Marcum threw 52 pitches over 5.0 innings in an extended spring training game for St. Lucie yesterday. He is scheduled to be promoted to the Mets and start Saturday against the Phillies.
• Mets announced they have signed RHP D.J. Mitchell, who was released by the Seattle Mariners. He’s only made one start for Tacoma (AAA) this year and allowed three runs in four innings. He was assigned to Mets extended spring training camp.

Comment Of The Day

Buddy3 asked… “Do you see Matt Reynolds and TJ Rivera jumping over Tovar and Muno at some point this year or next at the double play combo? Seems like Reynolds is going to push Tejada, not Tovar.”

I love this question. First off, remember not to count Phillip Evans out – the Mets have invested a lot in him financially and he is pretty talented. Now, although Matthew Reynolds always profiled defensively as a third baseman, it was unlikely that his offensive capabilities would progress to match the expectations for that position – so the move to short should benefit him in the long run.

Reynolds may have a good glove, but Wilfredo Tovar has an elite glove…so although Reynolds will likely work out to be a better offensive contributor than Tovar, he is fighting an uphill battle. Rivera can flat-out hit and that statement will be said so many times this year that it will be drilled into most readers’ minds. I actually do believe T.J. Rivera will eventually overtake Daniel Muno when projecting the future, but Tovar’s defensive wizardry will likely keep him in the conversation over Reynolds for now.

Photo Of The Day

Don’t mind me, I’m just watching some Mets Minors baseball…

Savannah 7, Lakewood 2

A four-hit night from Brandon Nimmo and a four-RBI night from Kevin Plawecki propelled Savannah to a 7-2 victory over Lakewood on Friday night.

Steven Matz was on his game on Friday as he got the start for the Sand Gnats and provided them with five shutout innings. He scattered six hits and a walk while striking out five and was in control throughout the evening. He is sporting a 1.29 ERA so far this season. Tyler Vanderheiden allowed an earned run in an inning of work – and so did Hunter Carnevale, but Beck Wheeler and Bret Mitchell provided a scoreless inning of work each. By the way, Beck Wheeler has yet to allow a baserunner in 6.2 IP so far in Savannah with nine strikeouts.

The real stories of the night were Brandon Nimmo and Kevin Plawecki however, as they continued their torrid hitting in Savannah with yet another great offensive game. I said on many occasions that the NY Penn League was a pitching dominated league and it was important not to worry too much about the offensive stats till they broke out of that area. Lo and behold, their short time in Savannah has resulted in some of the hottest hitting in A-ball right now.

Nimmo ripped four hits, including a triple, while walking once which raised his average to .450. He bounced back after an 0-for-4 ended a streak of sizzling hot offensive performances. Not to be outdone, Kevin Plawecki went 3-for-4, including a home run and a double, (he’s slugging .709) and drove home four runs… I feel a little sense of pride every time that I see Plawecki have a good game because I had such high hopes for him. Savannah had 11 hits as a team and Plawecki and Nimmo combined for seven of them. Nice!

On the heels of a dominant victory for Matt Harvey tonight, time to steal a line… “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades!”

Key Stats

Chad Zurcher: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB

Brandon Nimmo: 4-for-4, 1 3B, 2 R, 1 BB

Kevin Plawecki: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Jeff Reynolds: 1-for-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Steven Matz: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 5 K

Tyler Vanderheiden: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 ER

Hunter Carnevale: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Beck Wheeler: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Bret Mitchell: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER

Savannah 8, Rome 6

The Savannah Sand Gnats (5-4) got back in the win column with an 8-6 victory over the Rome Braves, even after relinquishing a four run lead in the seventh.

Rome jumped out on top in the first, set up on a fielding error by Gnats shortstop Phillip Evans. Savannah got even on through a Brandon Nimmo sacrifice fly, however, which scored Eudy Pina. The Gnats took a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning, where Yucary De La Cruz doubled home Cole Frenzel, who singled earlier. Red hot Jayce Boyd would go on to hit a three run bomb to straight away left field, scoring De La Cruz and Nimmo.

Rome and Savannah traded runs in the sixth, as reliever Tim Peterson‘s first pitch was sent out of the ballpark by Rome’s Edison Sanchez. Peterson was brought in to reliever starter Steven Matz, who hurled five strong innings and only yielded an unearned run off four hits and a walk. The Gnats got the run back in their half of the sixth after Cole Frenzel doubled home Jeffrey Glenn, giving Savannah a 6-2 lead at the time.

Rome would unfortunately come back to tie with four runs in the seventh, off the strength of six straight singles. Tim Peterson was removed after the first three, and although Julian Hilario came on to allow three more in a row, he rebounded with three straight strikeouts to finish up the frame. Of the six hits Savannah allowed in the seventh, four of them were infield hits.

The ever-resilient Gnats stormed back to take the lead in the bottom of the inning, though. A walk and a hit-by-pitch put Yucary De La Cruz and Brandon Nimmo on base, respectively, and they both advanced a base due to an error. Jayce Boyd produced an RBI groundout and Kevin Plawecki doubled in Brandon Nimmo. Plawecki now has seven doubles in 35 at-bats, and a .743 slugging percentage to begin the season.

Key Stats

Cole Frenzel: 2-for-4, 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI

Jayce Boyd: 1-for-4, HR, 1 R, 4 RBI

Steven Matz: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 R, 0 ER, 7 K

No doubt that you’ve all seen or heard of the defensive woes of Ruben Tejada to start the season. This is frontpage news. The shortstop committed his fourth error yesterday. One person on twitter actually told me it was time to bring up Wilfredo Tovar. I thought he was pulling my leg, but he was serious. That’s not happening and there’s a good chance that Tovar might be worse offensively AND defensively. It was only two years ago when the masses were putting Tejada’s defense above any Mets infielder including Jose Reyes. Everybody calm down. Players can slump in the field as easily as they do at the plate… Ask the captain, David Wright. Nobody knows that better than him.

Apparently, all that Ike Davis needed to get his season going was a good clean shave. After taking a razor to his grizzled face, Davis put his his 1-for-16 slump in his rearview shaving mirror and responded responded with two hits and a walk. Why do bloggers always think they know the cause for a player’s slump? Lately, I’ve been reading some of the most ridiculous assumptions and presumptions I’ve ever seen before throughout the Mets blogosphere. I think we’ve hit the saturation point. Luckily there’s still 5-6 good sites posting original and thoughtful content, but otherwise it’s mostly all regurgitated and reworded stuff. My Top 6 for originality not counting us? That’s easy, Studious Metsimus, Faith and Fear, Kranepool Society, Real Dirty, 2 Guys Talking Mets, and my partner in crime New York Mets Report.

So how long did that everyday outfield of Lucas Duda, Collin Cowgill and Marlon Byrd last? I had the over/under at April 15th and took the under, but geez not even two games and Plan A was blown to smithereens. When’s the last time you saw anyone use the word “smithereens” in a Mets post?

Jack Leathersich picked up his first save of the season, Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom got off to roaring starts and my three prospects I projected for breakthrough seasons are all on track to do just that. It was good to see Steven Matz back on the mound and four innings he looked dominating until he tired and was pulled from the game. As promised we have ramped up our minor league coverage with a 12 man team that will give it to you straight and often. A big shout out to friend of MMO Josh Satin, who is off to a quick 4-for-8 start in Vegas. He doesn’t get enough credit for for his bat despite a career .858 OPS in the minors. The thing of it is that he’s a corner infielder and is blocked at the major league level.

There was a great article on Mets outfield prospect Cory Vaughn a few days ago by Lynn Worthy of PressConnects.com. Vaughn’s a good sleeper candidate for Double-A after finishing second in the Florida State League in home runs and third in extra-base hits (51), while leading St. Lucie in homers, RBIs and total bases in just his second pro season.

Travis d’Arnaud may have switched organizations, but he’ll still be wearing a Las Vegas 51s uniform this season and is off to a killer start. He considers being a top prospect an “honor,” he told reporters before the game, but it means nothing to him until he gets to the big leagues. “I haven’t done anything in the majors. I have to keep working hard and one day I’ll get there and become a great player,” said d’Arnaud. A great player? I like the sound of that. Keep swinging, Travis and you’ll be here soon enough. But for now, John Buck‘s got things covered quite well. Buck is putting Uniform No. 44 back in fashion again.

Don’t touch that dial….

Historic Grayson Stadium : Home of the Savannah Sand Gnats

Savannah, which starts playing on Thursday, has been speculated over and over to continuously have some top talent this season, and the people who speculated these were mostly right. There are a lot of prospects to be watching on this roster, both on the hitters and pitches side. I will list them as a convenience, as well as two potential sleepers for both hitting and pitching.

Starting Pitchers
Matthew Bowman
Gabriel Ynoa
Steven Matz
Rainy Lara
Logan Taylor
Matt Koch
Luis Cessa

Relievers
Hunter Carnevale
Julian Hilario
Jake Kuebler
Bret Mitchell
Timothy Peterson
Paul Sewald

Catchers
Kevin Plawecki
Jeffrey Glenn
Nelfi Zapata

Infielders
Jayce Boyd
Chad Zurcher
Phillip Evans
Cole Frenzel
Yucarybert De La Cruz
Jeff Reynolds

Outfielders
Brandon Nimmo
Stefan Sabol
Eudy Pina
Gregory Pron

Pitchers To Watch

Matthew Bowman:  A righthanded pitcher drafted in the 13th Round out of Princeton. He throws from 88-92, and has touched 95 according to Paul DePodesta. He throws both a curveball in the low-70’s, which is an average offering, a slider, with more promise, but less consistency, and a changeup in the high 70’s, but is the most consistent off-speed pitch in his arsenal. What really separates him from the rest is the delivery he uses, which is incredibly similar to Tim Lincecum. He is the Savannah’s opening day starter.

Steven Matz:  A 2009 Second round pick, out of Melville HS, East Setauket, N.Y. Matz went under the knife in spring training in 2010 with Tommy John surgery, and didn’t pitch for 2 years. He burst back onto the scene, throwing harder than ever, getting up to 98 and dominating the competition in Kingsport, before succumbing another injury. He will be an interesting arm to watch if he can stay healthy.

Gabriel Ynoa
Rainy Lara
Luis Cessa

According to Aaron Fitt of Baseball America, Luis Cessa has the most promise of the three, running his fastball up to 95, but showing an average Changeup and fringy curve. He also lists that Lara and Ynoa both throw 88-92. Ynoa has an average changeup, and below average Slider, while Lara had below average secondary pitches. They all have impeccable control, but will look to develop their secondary pitches this year.

Hitters to Watch

Brandon Nimmo:  You know the story, Wyoming kid, potential 5 tool player, I wrote an extensive analysis on March 6th about him. Baseball America ranked him 11th on their top 20 prospects list for the league. It would have been preferable to see him in the top 10, but he has enough time to prove himself to the scouts. He has proved to me from what I’ve seen and reports I’ve had the opportunity to analyze that Nimmo is a legitimate first round draft pick. You can read the rest of my projection and analysis on Nimmo here.

Phillip Evans:  A high school shortstop from California, Phillip Evans hit .252 with 5 home runs and an interesting eye at the plate (31 – 48 BB/K) with the Brooklyn Cyclones. He proved doubters wrong as someone who is able to stick at shortstop for the time being. He is an above average hitter with average power.

Kevin Plawecki:  The supplemental first-round pick from the 2012 draft. He is an average hitter with average power, but an amazing eye at the plate (25 BB to 24 K). Mitch Petanick has a excellent write-up on Plawecki on his Prospect Pulse segment.

* * * * * * * *

Here are two more previously unmentioned sleepers:

RHP Julian Hilario:  Apparently throws 90-92, touches 94, with a low-80’s slider and stiff changeup.

OF Stefan Sabol:  Mets 17th Round Pick, who was a former catcher, a highly touted one at that. He is going to be starting left fielder, and has a lot of power in his right-handed bat.

* * * * * * * *

In Savannah this year, the Mets are showing a very promising team, featuring two young top picks in Brandon Nimmo and Steven Matz. They also feature a very interesting middle infielder prospect in Phillip Evans. The only thing that is evident, is the lack of hitting prospects on the team besides Nimmo, Evans, Plawecki, and Sabol.

The rotation, which is seven pitchers deep, has a large influx of interesting arms, with Steven Matz headlining the bunch. Pitchers though will be experiencing some piggy-backing. Matt Koch and Logan Taylor will probably piggy-back together, since they both were college relievers, and then relieved in Brooklyn before being converted to starters.

Most of the relievers aren’t high up on the prospect radar, and are mostly of the soft tossing variety except Julian Hilario, who is my sleeper for this year.

Either way, this team has many arms to keep an eye on, and a few high-upside bats as well. It will be interesting to see how this team progresses through this season which begins Thursday evening at 6:30 PM at Historic Grayson Stadium. They should be a fun bunch to watch.

Noah Syndergaard will lead a talented Advanced-A rotation in St. Lucie.

Two months ago I rolled out my first pass at pre-season projections for our Mets minor league rotations. We now have more mush clarity and some official assignments that have been announced. Many of the pitchers I reached out to at the lower levels have replied back to me with their assignments.

I’ve asked Teddy, one of our two MInor League Analysts, to look over my projections and share some of his commentary and analysis. He’s seen many of these pitchers up close and knows a good many of them personally. Now that he’s returned from Minor League camp, I thought it would be great to have him add his feedback to my post.

Here you go…

Las Vegas 51′s (Triple-A)

1. Zack Wheeler
2. Collin McHugh
3. Aaron Laffey
4. Chris Schwinden
5. Carlos Torres

I’m pretty sure that Dylan Owen and Mark Cohoon will be on hand when duty calls although I’m disappointed that Cory Mazzoni and Darin Gorski got squeezed out of AAA. Jenrry Mejia, as you all know, is shut down for 1-2 months with more arm woes. I don’t get the Torres fascination, I really don’t.

Teddy’s Take: Well, of course Wheeler and McHugh are givens, considering their ability to have thrived at the lower levels, and I didn’t even realize Chris Schwinden was still with the Mets. I believe that Laffey might be the first pitcher up when an injury goes down, and Cohoon would be the one to take over. I don’t believe however, that Dylan Owen will be considered another starting pitcher after two poor years statistically, and a fastball that barely scrapes 90. I do believe that Gorski deserves a spot over Carlos Torres, who pitched himself out of spring training early enough. Gorski is a more advanced arm, and that has been evident. The question is: who takes over for Wheeler, Laffey, and McHugh after they leave? I also believe Armando Rodriguez’s time as a starter is over, he will be a reliever this year. But, if it were me, I’d have Torres in the pen, and Cohoon starting. Gorski deserves the spot.

Binghamton Mets (Double-A)

1. Cory Mazzoni
2. Darin Gorski
3. Jacob deGrom
4. Rafael Montero
5. Tyler Pill  
6. Erik Goeddel

The Mets have a real numbers problem at starting pitching. Having Gorski and Mazzoni in Bingo means we had to hold back a couple of starting pitchers who were ready for the jump like Logan Verrett and Chase Huchingson. At this point I’m thinking they’ll go with a six-man rotation and somehow squeeze Goeddel into the mix. As for Gonzalez Germen and Greg Peavey, I’m stumped. Looks like bullpen duty and spots starts. Speaking of the bullpen, was glad to see Jack Leathersich get assigned to Bingo. I told him he would be, but he seemed skeptical.

Teddy’s Take: We have many interesting arms at Binghamton. Mazzoni is definitely going to headline opening day, no doubt about it, with the question going forward being, who will start Game 2? Will it be Gorski or Montero? All of these pitchers are definitely locks to stay in the rotation for Binghamton, including Goeddel, but he should definitely be relegated to reliever soon. He has a history of arm injury, and more success as a reliever rather than a starter. I believe that Peavey will have another chance in the B-Mets rotation, for now. With promotions though, who is going to get called up to Triple-A first? The first bet is Mazzoni, Gorski, then Rafael Montero, with Degrom right behind him. It’s a very interesting logjam the Mets will have next year, with plenty of options to choose from for the AAA squad rotation.

St. Lucie Mets (High-A)

1. Noah Syndergaard
2. Logan Verrett 
3. Luis Mateo
4. Alex Panteliodis
5. Domingo Tapia
6. Chase Huchingson

It totally sucks that Michael Fulmer will miss a huge chunk of the season on the DL. Mateo is 23 so he’s a lock, and I can’t see Tapia and Pants not being here. Verrett really has nothing left to prove in Advanced-A, but the Mets held on to all their pitching this offseason and now we have a huge logjam. Bringing in guys like Carlos Torres in the offseason certainly didn’t help matters either and it’s having a trickle down effect. Poor Hansel Robles ends up in Savannah now even though I initially had him skipping a level. Angel Cuan to the bullpen? Weird…

Teddy’s Take: Poor Fulmer, he would definitely be a Number 2 had he not injured his knee, but he will be back in a very, very impressive starting rotation. The thing to remember is the factor of starter piggybacking. It will help the logjam of talented starting pitchers that is “troubling” the Mets. That way, one starter will go around 4-5 innings, and another destined for starting will follow, so we will see more starters on this roster, this time around, as well as relievers, and interesting ones as that. Angel Cuan will end up as a reliever, which will give us more options at relief. He was destined to be there, being undersized, and barely cracking 90. It’s about time. Robles deserves a roster spot, but there’s no hurry for him with the amount of players we have.

Savannah Sand Gnats (Single-A)

1. Hansel Robles
2. Gabriel Ynoa 
3. Rainy Lara
4. Luis Cessa
5. Miller Diaz
6. Julian Hilario

I would have had Steven Matz and Matthew Bowman here too as both youngsters are very deserving. But maybe both will benefit with another year in a short-season league. It looks like looks like Matthew Koch and Marcos Camarena may get some spot starts out of the bullpen.

Teddy’s Take: I would disagree, but Joe’s right, with the logjam of pitchers in general. There’s just so many to choose from to start these staffs. I believe, yeah Joe, you’re right with the 1-5, but I saw Hilario at PSL pitching with the extendeds, so he’s staying there. It might be Camarena, or the Mets might make it really interesting and bring in Steven Matz, (which is my hope), but I’m sure it’s going to be Bowman. There is however, the outside chance that Robert Gsellman might be the 6th starter, and there’s also the possibility of more piggybacking such as the St. Lucie Crew.

Brooklyn Cyclones (Low-A SS)

1. Steven Matz
2. Robert Gsellman
3. John Gant
4. Matthew Bowman
5. Bret Mitchell (if healthy)
6. Logan Taylor

This group was the most difficult to assess and has the most likelihood of being totally wrong, but if Matz is healthy I’m certain he’ll get the bump from Kingsport. Gsellman and Gant are no-brainers to make the squad, but I’m afraid Chris Flexen and Corey Oswalt will most likely start at Kingsport. They’re both still young and really should have been in the GCL anyway in 2012 if only we had a GCL team.

Teddy’s Take: If the headlining starter is Matz, it will help for many Long Islanders to visit MCU park. The only questions are actually Flexen and Oswalt, they should be in Brooklyn, and Logan Taylor is destined for St. Lucie or Savannah as a fast-rising reliever. As I said above, it could be either Gsellman or Bowman up at Savannah, but my money is definitely on Bowman, as a college starter, and one from Princeton, no less. The issue is seeing whether the logjam becomes much clearer at the upper levels. Making a promotion movement sooner rather than later will aid in developing some of these pitchers stuck either in Savannah or Kingsport. The other issue is the influx of the 2013 draft. Will they hopefully go for a ton of high-upside hitters and make it easier for us next year to speculate rotations? Or will they take some starters for Brooklyn, Kingsport, and Gulf Coast? Another factor to consider is the Dominican IFA’s: I don’t know which ones really, but it’s just important to note.

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A Message From Joe D.

I hope you enjoyed this. At Metsmerized Online our goal is to provide you with the best Mets Minor League coverage that is second to none. We give you real insights and true comprehensive coverage like no other. We’ve bolstered our Minor League team with five new veteran additions and now boast a 15 person minor league staff. Five of our writers come packed with their own credentials and have covered the minors from 4-18 years and really know and have worked the Mets system. Whether you prefer a pure scouting point of view or an analytic one based on the latest advanced metrics, we give it to you all. In the last three months alone we’ve averaged over a dozen minor league posts per week. Nobody else can say that, and that was in the offseason.

Last year we provided our readers with over three dozen player interviews and this season you can expect that number to increase significantly. Our definition of interviews is in-person/post game interviews or phone interviews, not asking players 3-4 questions on Twitter. Our goal is to blow you away with minor league content that is intuitive, timely and insightful. You won’t get any watered down analysis that isn’t really analysis at all. This year one of our new features will be Coaches Corner where we will pick the brain of a different minor league manager, or pitching and hitting coach. We’re leading off with Wally Backman.

MMO has always been ahead of the curve. We were the first site to post complete minor league recaps in 2005 and the others didn’t join the party until 2009 or later. Now we have a beat writer covering each affiliate and recaps that include quotes, injuries, insights and more. We’ve come a long way.

Stick with us, and we promise to keep you glued to our coverage. The future of the Mets looks bright and we intend to spread that message day by day and hour by hour. I’ll leave you with this… One player told me last December, that MMO is required reading in the clubhouse. Who am I to argue with that?

LI natives stay loyal to roots preparing for Spring Training

Baseball players have always been considered the “Boys of Summer.” But what happens when the final out of the World Series is recorded and the offseason begins?

For two Mets prospects and Long Island natives, Camden Maron and Steven Matz, the offseason means coming back to Long Island and making the most out of their offseason training program with some of the best trainers in the North East.

“I do my offseason strength and conditioning training at Professional Athletic Performance Center (PAPC) in Garden City under the instruction of head strength coach Dean Maddalone,” Maron said. “All of my baseball specific training is done at Performance Factory in Farmingdale under the instruction of head hitting instructor Joe Francisco.”

Maron, who is coming off a 2012 season that saw him win the Mets’ Sterling Award as the top performer with Kingsport, is looking to improve on a solid campaign.

Maron is looking to break camp with High-A St. Lucie this year, after spending last season with Class-A Savannah. He was promoted for the playoffs to St. Lucie and has his sights on returning to the Florida State League.

“I also trained at PAPC,” Matz added. “I’d workout three times a week, also throwing indoors one day during the weekend. I felt it was a great offseason and feel a lot stronger and ready to go for this up coming season.”

Matz is coming off a 2012 season that saw him shut down due to shoulder soreness. He spent time unofficially with the Instructional League and was rehabbing in St. Lucie back in September.

Injuries have derailed this Ward Melville HS grad, but he’s looking to light up the radar gun once again. During his time in the Appalachian League, he consistently hid mid-90s with his fastball, reaching as high as 98. He finished with a 1.55 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 29 innings.

Offseason training in NY is no easy task

One of the challenges with training in the North East during the offseason is the lack of warm weather, which makes it very hard for baseball players to train outdoors. Other regions of the country allow players to train outdoors throughout out the offseason, possibly giving them an edge heading into Spring Training.

“Spending part of the year in the northeast, especially the offseason, requires a lot self-motivation and a good work ethic,” Maron said. “There are a lot of obstacles that are present in the North East that are not present in other parts of the country. Do not let anyone tell you that you can’t make it because of where you come from. Just find the right situation and work your tail off and everything else will take care of itself.”

Maron and Matz were part of a group of players who trained at PAPC in the offseason.

“We have a pretty good group of guys over at PAPC and we really push each other. It’s really a great workout environment to be in,” Maron said. “I would never want to train anywhere else. Our group included Major Leaguers Jose Reyes (Toronto Blue Jays), Ruben Tejada, Pedro Beato (Boston Red Sox), and Adam Ottavino (Colorado Rockies). Minor Leaguers in our group included Steve Matz (Mets), Zach Dotson (Mets), Keith Couch (Red Sox), and Willie Carmona (Philadelphia Phillies). The baseball specific training at Performance Factory is all one-on-one with Joe Francisco, which really allows me to focus on certain smaller points of my swing.”

Words of wisdom from Maron and Matz

Both players emphasized getting involved with a camp that pushes the players to work hard.

“The best advice I can give to any player looking to make it to the next level is always work hard,” Maron said. “If you work hard and put yourself in the right environment, with the right trainers and specialists, and the right teammates, you can make it anywhere. Spending part of the year in the North East, especially the offseason, requires a lot self-motivation and a good work ethic. There are a lot of obstacles that are present in the northeast that are not present in other parts of the country. Do not let anyone tell you that you can’t make it because of where you come from. Just find the right situation and work your tail off and everything else will take care of itself.”

Matz added: “To all my fellow North East baseball players trying to make it to the next level, find a good place to workout during the offseason where you can lift, run and throw so you don’t miss a beat by the time you’re ready to get outside and play.”

This Fan Shot was contributed by Mike Stainkamp. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 15 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

Mack from Mack’s Mets spoke to Steven Matz who will be shutdown for the rest of the 2011 season.

Matz:  -  Hey Mack, yeah, my season is definitely going to be over. I was back in simulated games in May, and I seemed to be fine. My velocity on all my pitches was back and even a little higher, but it started to hurt again.  I got a second opinion from Dr Andrews and he said its just not 100% healed yet.  I got a prp injection and have to rest six weeks.  It’s beyond frustrating, but there’s really nothing else I can do.

Unfortunate, to say the least. We hope he returns strong next season and that the pain goes away soon. Here is an interview we did with him last month.

Interview With Mets 2009 Top Draft Pick, RHP Steven Matz

Back in 2009, the name “Steven Matz” was a popular topic amongst Mets fans. The second-round pick was dominant at Ward-Melville High School on Long Island and appeared to be a candidate to shoot through the minor leagues and contribute for the big club.

However, an elbow injury delayed the start of his career, so much so that he underwent Tommy John Surgery in May 2010.

I caught up with Matz, who is a terrific young man, to see how his rehab was going and to gauge his thoughts on what it was like being a Mets fans growing up who was then drafted by the Mets.

In his senior year of high school, more and more scouts began showing up at his starts after good showings at summer showcases. Matz only gave up two earned runs that entire season, which propelled his draft status. He was notified before the draft that the Mets were prepared to select him with the 72nd overall pick.

“It was pretty exciting because a lot of my family members are big fans too,” Matz said. “It’s pretty much every kid’s dream, especially getting picked by your own team.”

Growing up, Matz was a huge fan of lefty starting pitchers but mainly Johan Santana. Santana was playing with the Twins, but Matz emulated the crafty lefty, especially in developing a nasty changeup.

When the Mets acquired Santana via trade in 2008, Matz was super excited. Little did he know that he would be learning from Santana just one year later. Matz has absorbed Santana’s knowledge and will continue learning from the veteran hurler.

Matz fondly remembers that 2000 Subway Series World Series. However, we both agreed that we wish it could’ve ended differently.

As for his rehab, Matz has experienced a few setbacks that may prolong his minor league debut. He was facing hitters several weeks ago, but a scar tissue breakup has forced him to refrain from throwing.

“It’s been a little bit of a rocky road,” said Matz. “It [his arm] was finally feeling really good, and I guess I had a little bit more scar tissue, so hopefully I can get past that again.”

Still, Matz is only 20 years old, and the Mets brass has preached patience to him. He’s itching to see live game action, but he realizes that his patience will pay off.

“That’s the key really because I started when I was 18 and now I’m 20 and I still haven’t even thrown a professional pitch,” Matz said.

During his rehab, Matz has confided in former Met pitcher and current minor league pitching coordinator Randy Niemann. Niemann has been very supportive of Matz and has encouraged him to stay the course and good things will happen.

“He’s [Niemann] been real helpful to me along the way in reiterating that that you have to be very patient, and it will come,” said Matz.

Niemann has assisted Matz in developing a curveball. In high school, Matz was a fastball-changeup pitcher since he merely overpowered opposing hitters. However, He has realized that at this level, he needs a more diverse. When the pitch is properly developed, Matz will use his curveball as his strikeout pitch.

Though his 2011 debut remains uncertain, the next step for Matz is to get healthy. The little bumps in the road have been a nuisance, but Matz is willing to remain patient if it means returning at full-strength.

“I’ve done everything I possibly could, and if it’s not going to work out then that’s what it’s meant to be,” Matz said. “At the end of the day, you know you tried as hard as you possibly could to get back, and hopefully it will pay off.”

It’s this attitude that will allow Matz to recover from injury and embark on his professional career. His goal for the end of this season is to be fully healthy, whether or not that includes some live game action at one of the Mets short season Single-A affiliates.

“I’d like to end the season off on a good note, hopefully 100 percent,” said Matz.

If he continues along the path to recovery, Matz will be ready to compete in spring training next year to show he is ready. Just like he has been these last two years, we Met fans need to be patient with Matz.

After speaking with him, I can tell he’ll do whatever it takes to have a successful career. Good luck to Steven as he continues his rehab and prepares for his first professional start, which will hopefully be sometime this summer.

Follow me on Twitter @JMMancari.

The young 18 year old left-hander injured his elbow while working last week in extended spring training, according to Mets minor league field coordinator Terry Collins.

The Mets have had a run of bad luck in the past with drafting high school pitchers, and hopefully Matz comes back healthy and pitches for the Mets unlike past high school first rounders; Nathan Vineyard, Bobby Keppell, Geoff Goetz, Kirk Presley, Jon Ward and others.

Before the surgery, Matz was throwing in the 95-96 mph range and given his youth there’s a good chance that he can regain his form and resume his career. That said, I wish the Mets would focus more on college players in this draft, who can help the Mets in a year or two.

Speaking of the Amateur Draft, last week Baseball America posted a mock draft for the upcoming 2010 MLB Draft and Jim Callis projected that the Mets will select Yasmani Grandal, a switch-hitting catcher from the University of Miami.

Grandal is hitting .425/.547/.754 with 20 doubles, 11 homers, 43 walks, and just 27 strikeouts in 47 games, and is considered to be the top catcher in the draft and the tenth best player overall. He is considered to be very close to Major League ready and is expected to develop into a pure power hitter.

The 2010 MLB Draft will air live on MLB Network and be simulcast on MLB.com on June 7th at 7:00 PM EST.

The Mets have signed top pick, left-handed starting pitcher Steven Matz.

Matz, out of Ward Melville High School in East Setauket and the 72nd overall pick in June’s First-Year Player Draft, signed for $895,000.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Matz went 6-1 with a 0.47 ERA in seven starts this season for Ward Melville. He struck out 81 batters while allowing just 11 hits in 44 innings.

“We’re very excited to have someone like that in our own [backyard],” Rudy Terrasas, the Mets’ director of amateur scouting, said after selecting Matz in June. “We think he’s got a chance to be a solid pitcher for us.”

Matz’s fastball can reach 94 mph, and he is working on a curveball and changeup as his secondary pitches.

As the night wore on and the deadline came and went, there was no official announcement. In fact at 11:47, Jon Heyman tweeted that the Mets are down to final 13 minutes with no deal still. But at about 12:15 AM the news started filtering out that the Mets did indeed reach an agreement with Matz.

I was surprised yet happy that the Mets made the decision to pay him well over slot for players that were drafted at that spot. The Mets have always stayed withing Selig’s slotting system guidelines, so seeing them finally act like a big market team and get the deal done was a positive sign. Kudos to Omar Minaya and the Wilpon’s who have gotten a lot of flack lately. 

I’m glad they were able to get something done as the alternative could have been another story that would have been spun in a hundred negative ways.

It doesn’t sound like we’ll see Matz as quickly as we did Pelfrey given his age and lack of major league ready secondary pitches, but he could develop in 2-3 years. I’m not sure where he’ll be assigned, but I’m thinking Brooklyn or Kingsport. Welcome to the Mets!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Just a note for those who may be interested… The Washington Nationals did come to an agreement with pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg. He reportedly signed for 4 years with a record setting bonus of $15.5 million dollars. He is expected to rocket through the system and we may even see him next season.

The record-setting deal that the Washington Nationals have offered to No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg will have to grow if Strasburg is to sign, said a source who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations. The specific amount of the Nats’ current offer to Strasburg remains unknown, but it exceeds the $10.5 million awarded to Chicago’s Mark Prior in 2001, still the record for an amateur pitcher.

Another report suggests that sources close to the negotiations say the Nats have a $17 million deal on the table for pitcher Stephen Strasburg, with easily attainable incentives that could push it beyond $20 million. Wow, that’s a ton of money for someone who has never thrown a pitch in the Majors. Negotiations are expected to last all the way to tonight’s midnight deadline. Oh and one more thing, the Nationals have said that if they fail to sign Strasburg, they would draft him again next year.

Meanwhile, back at Mets camp…

The Mets have still not come to an agreement with their top draft pick Steven Matz, a lefthanded pitcher from Ward Melville High School. According to Adam Rubin of the Daily News, Mets officials are optimistic that Matz, will sign by Monday’s deadline. Matz, taken 72nd overall, may get a seven-figure bonus, double the roughly $500,000 bonuses received by players drafted around him.

What makes this case interesting is that given his age, he may not be ready to contribute for 3-5 years. Unlike some college pitchers who advanced quickly like Mike Pelfrey and Joe Smith, high school pitchers tend to take much more time to develop, hone their skills and learn their craft.

The Mets have always stuck to the slot system that was established by Bud Selig to cap salaries for amateur players selected in the draft. The Yankees, Tigers and Red Sox have never complied with the slot system and have been able to sign players like Phil Hughes, Justin Verlander, Joba Chamberlain, Jon Lester, and other top amateur talent. The Mets played by Selig’s rules and drafted players that they knew in advance would sign for the slot bonus caps.

It will be interesting to see how the Mets play this one. Will they ditch the slotting system and give Matz more than double the amount allotted for similarly drafted players?

Depending on how tonight develops, it could give us a glimpse of what to expect in the off season in terms of payroll. If they let Matz walk over $500 K, you could pretty much bet the Mets payroll will slide from the current $149 million to somewhere around $125 million. Not a good situation given all the glaring needs this team will have; catcher, leftfield, setup man, #2 starter.

If they do come to an agreement with Matz and pay him the one million plus that he wants, there may be hope that the Mets financial situation isn’t as bad as everyone has reported.

Tick, tock, tick, tock…