@BigHaloFan72 asks…
Who do you think is more likely to be let go first, Mickey Callaway or Brodie Van Wagenen.
Rob Piersall answers…
Hey, thank you for the question!
I think that Mickey Callaway will be gone before Brodie Van Wagenen.
At this point, it seems as though Callaway will at least finish out the year at the helm for the Mets, but once the season is over they will let him go.
Callaway reportedly has a big backer in the organization in owner Jeff Wilpon, and has one more year left on his contract after this. With that being said, however, after two losing seasons (despite it being unfair to pin it all on him), I think Callaway gets the axe.
As for Van Wagenen, this offseason surely exploded in his face, and if Jarred Kelenic lives up to what he is expected to be, it will hurt even more.
However, I think that Van Wagenen is liked by the front office a great deal, and will get every opportunity to right the ship in the next year or two. I think he will also get to appoint the next manager, someone who is his choice and not left over from the previous regime.
@JoeyPavone2 asks…
Is there a dark horse minor league player that might get called up and produce? It seems like there’s two many Quad-A players in Syracuse now
Rob Piersall answers…
Hey Joey, thanks for the question.
Now that Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil are up in the majors, the list of potential prospects in the upper levels that could debut and make a difference has certainly thinned out a bit.
Had Justin Dunn not been traded to the Seattle Mariners this offseason, I think he would have been next in line to come up here and debut either this year or next.
Not a dark horse, but the next guy who is likely to come up and produce seems to be Anthony Kay. The Long Island native got off to a bit of a rocky start in Triple-A, but his most recent effort was solid.
Other than that, it seemed as though Andres Gimenez could come up sooner rather than later, but his stock has slipped due to a rough year as well as injuries.
Left-hander David Peterson is quietly having a good year for Double-A Binghamton, but I would be shocked if he got an opportunity this year. If we see the former first round pick in Queens, I don’t think it’ll be until next year at the earliest.
Reliever Ryley Gilliam seemed to be on a fast track to the majors after being drafted last year, but has hit a bit of a wall in Syracuse, so he will need to bounce back before he gets a shot. Though, I believe he will and we see him in Queens in 2020. Steve Villines is another guy who falls under this category.
Other than that, that’s about it in the upper levels right now. A lot of the Mets talent right now lies in the lower levels, which is exciting, but also won’t be of use to the big league squad for at least a couple years.
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