Amazin' Avenue - All Posts

Mets prospect Luis Mateo undergoes Tommy John surgery

2013-06-19T19:54:13Z

Our worst fears have been confirmed after Luis Mateo pulled up lame with elbow pain back in mid-April. The 23-year-old flamethrower has indeed undergone Tommy John surgery — so says Baseball America's Matt Eddy:

#Mets RHP Luis Mateo, who made just 4 appearances this year because of elbow trouble, had Tommy John surgery this week.
— Matt Eddy (@MattEddyBA) June 19, 2013

Mateo's agent chimed in to clarify that the surgery took place last Tuesday and add that stitches were to come out earlier today.

This news comes after Mateo spent upwards of a month resting and rehabbing the arm in an attempt to avoid surgery. After a stellar season debut, the righty injured himself making a spot start for Double-A Binghamton in his second start of the season. He was able to get back on the field to make a pair of relief appearances for St. Lucie at the beginning of June. However, while reports on his stuff were not available, he was beat up pretty good in his last appearance.

As we've alluded to before, for whatever reason the Mets played this one pretty close to the vest — which is why we're hearing about this so far after the fact. Yet it's probably safe to assume, based on the results, that — as we heard directly before he was pulled the first time around — the stuff was likely pretty down compared to the dominant mid-90s heat he generally features.

It's unfortunate news for a kid that really put himself on the map with an outstanding 2012 campaign in Brooklyn, where he posted a 2.45 ERA in 12 starts for the Cyclones. Furthermore, scouts were extremely impressed with what they saw from him during spring training and the early 2013 season, portending what could have been a true breakout summer for the hard-throwing righty.

Yet, we can't be too surprised as Mateo has struggled with elbow issues in the past. His first professional contract — signed with the Giants back in 2008 — was voided when a physical revealed bone chips in his pitching elbow. For what it's worth, at the time Tommy John-specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum felt surgery was not required, instead prescribing aggressive rehab.

Oh well, TINSTAAPP.

Mets Trade Primer: Outfielder Eric Young Jr.

2013-06-19T19:05:33Z

While all the talk yesterday was, justifiably, about the Metropolitans' Harvey-and-Wheeler-fueled Braves beatdown, today we can move on to trade talk. And instead of mid-season speculation about ~~superstars~~ fringy guys moving to away from Citi Field, we actually have a real-life baseball trade to talk about!

After more than a year and a half of dancing around it, yesterday the Mets finally acquired outfielder Eric Young Jr. from the Colorado Rockies. Going back to Colorado in the deal is Collin McHugh. Young was designated for assignment by the Rockies about a week ago, so it's not a surprise he was moved.

So here's the goods on Young: he's a switch-hitting 28-year-old outfielder—who has more than a little experience at second base but has been a disaster there—whose main weapon is his speed.

His bat is, uh, let's see, how can I put this delicately? It's not his strong suit. In 855 major league plate appearances over the course of parts of five seasons he's posted a .261/.329/.342 triple-slash line. That should tell you a few things: no power, and not a very impressive batting average. Using Fangraphs' wRC+ metric, he scores a 74 for his career, which means that he's been roughly 25 percent worse than league average with the stick.

It would be one thing if Young was a phenomenal defensive outfielder, but despite his speed, he's not. Surfing around Purple Row, I get the impression that he's got, as one commenter put it "a minus bat, minus glove, and minus arm." He's not a real safe bet to play center field, but he can in a pinch. He doesn't have a great arm for right field. But he probably won't look like Lucas Duda out there, and that's an improvement.

But man, does this cat have wheels. In 2011 and 2012, Young was worth nearly a full win above replacement level just based on his baserunning alone, according to Fangraphs' metrics. Since 2011 he's stolen 49 bases despite very limited playing time, was caught only 10 times. That's a reasonable percentage. He adds, dare I say, elite value on the basepaths, whether it's going from first to third, going from second to home, or stealing bases.

Finally, I'll bring your attention to his 2012 season. While his 2013 has been, in short, not very good (.242/.290/.352 triple-slash), his 2012 was actually quite excellent. Despite only getting 196 plate appearances, Young posted a triple-slash line of .316/.377/.448. Instead of being a poor offensive player, he was actually an above-average offensive player, one with a very solid on-base percentage and slugging percentage that veered away from "embarassing" and was headed for "respectable". If capable of repeating what he did in 2012, Young is a starting-caliber outfielder ... it's just a shame he hasn't done that in nearly the same number of plate appearances this season.

And that brings us to his role with the Mets. If he's not going to play second base—and he shouldn't—he's going to have to compete with a zillion other guys for playing time in the Mets' outfield. He's not a pure center fielder, like Juan Lagares, but he may not be a worse option defensively in the middle. He doesn't offer a substantive platoon advantage, though he does hit righties slightly better than lefties, so maybe he could be an option on days when Marlon Byrd or Andrew Brown needs a break.

Do I expect Young to play everyday for the Mets? Heck no. I'd be shocked if he gets more than a few spot starts in center or left, while primarily operating as a defensive replacement / pinch-runner. If he impresses in those spots when he actually gets a chance to either run or hit, then maybe he could wiggle his way into a few days of playing time. Or perhaps if Marlon Byrd sees himself dealt at the deadline, Young might squeeze into a few more starts. But with the host of higher-upside and younger players in the Mets outfield, he'll likely be only counted on to use his singular skill.

And don't get me wrong, this is a skill that the Mets did not have before adding Young to the team. I'd say he's immediately the fastest player on the team, and something that can have a targeted use late in games. He's a fine bench option.

I suppose we should also consider what the Mets lost in the deal, which is several more years of Collin McHugh. McHugh, who turned 26 years old today, was almost certainly better than the numbers he posted in 28 and 1/3 innings with the Mets between this year and last. Collin had an 8.26 ERA, a 15% strikeout rate, and generally made the team much, much worse whenever he pitched.

In truth, Collin is probably a better pitcher than that. And starting pitching, even at the Triple-A level can be a valuable commodity. But McHugh, despite a pretty good minor-league pedigree, probably wasn't a serious contender for a big-league rotation spot for this team. He probably wasn't even a serious contender for a bullpen role. Even Collin's biggest fans might say that this wasn't a huge price to pay for Young, and finding a role for the birthday boy might be difficult with the emerging young talent in the Mets' system.

Basically, the Mets traded depth from their greatest position of strength—starting pitching—for depth in their greatest position of need: the outfield. I don't expect great things from Eric Young, given that he's a 28-year-old with only one remotely decent season in his career. But I expect average things from Young. And there's a chance he could do good things.

I can live with average and (maybe) good things, when other players on the roster are doing the great stuff.

This Date In Mets History: June 18 — Hurlers pitch in with some memorable victories over the years

2013-06-19T16:01:16Z

A variety of memorable pitching performances thrilled the Mets' home crowd on this date in...

2012: After surrendering 10 earned runs in 13 innings in his first two post-no-hitter starts, Johan Santana hurled six shutout innings against the Orioles, who had been one-hit by R.A. Dickey the night before. The Mets bullpen finished the job as the Mets won 5-0.

1989: Dwight Gooden was good enough in a seven-inning stint against the Expos, yielding three earned runs on five hits and striking out nine to notch his 100th career victory.

1988: David Cone lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the eighth inning when light-hitting Phillies shortstop Steve Jeltz lined a single into short center field. Cone settled for a two-hit shutout.

1968: Rookie phenom Jerry Koosman improved to 11-2, pitching a complete game five-hitter against the Astros. He gave up two runs, which actually raised his ERA to 1.51.

1962: It wasn't pretty, but Roger Craig gutted it out for a complete game victory over the Milwaukee Braves at the Polo Grounds that snapped the Amazins' seven-game losing streak. In the top of the ninth, with the tying run on second base, Craig induced his former Mets teammate Gus Bell to ground out to first baseman Gil Hodges to nail down the win.

Birthdays
Right-hander Collin McHugh, who last night was traded to the Colorado Rockies for outfield Eric Young Jr., is celebrating his 26th birthday today. He had a spectacular major league debut with the Mets last August, pitching seven innings of two-hit ball, striking out seven and walking only one. McHugh was awful in 10 subsequent appearances, the lone exception being a three-inning stint in a blowout.

In 2008, Claudio Vargas, turning 35 today, was arguably the best of the starters who filled in when Pedro Martinez and John Maine were sidelined, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA.

Happy 36th birthday to Kansas City Royals lefty Bruce Chen. The Mets won nine his 11 starts in 2001 despite his lackluster 4.68 ERA and -0.1 WAR.

When Omar Minaya couldn't persuade Carlos Delgado to sign with the Mets in 2005, his fall-back first-baseman was Doug Mientkiewicz, who turns 39 today. Always known more for his slick fielding than his off-and-on hitting, he had a hot first few weeks with the bat but finished the season with a below-career-average OPS of .728.

When right-hander Bob Gibson was born on this date in 1957, his Hall of Fame namesake was in his first season of professional baseball. The younger Gibson (no relation) pitched all of one inning as a Met in 1987, thus concluding his five-year major league career.

Righty-swinging Bob Aspromonte, celebrating his 75th birthday today, was imported in 1971 to platoon with Wayne Garrett, but was pressed in everyday service when Garrett, then a member of the Army Reserves, was called to active duty and was unavailable until late July. From a season-high .798 OPS on May 18, he tapered off and finished the year, his last in pro ball, at .586.

As a Met in 1965, lefty Larry Miller, 76 today, posted the worst ERA (5.02) on the worst pitching staff in the National League, although as a reliever his 4.15 was only slightly higher than the team average.

Amazin'-ly Tenuous Connection
On this date in 1954, the Tasmanian Devil made his debut in the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Devil May Hare." In the 1980s and 1990s, Taz and other Warner Bros. animated icons could be found everywhere posing in Mets uniforms on T-shirts and such that are still available on eBay.

Mets GIF Of The Game: Zack Wheeler debuts with seven strikeouts

2013-06-19T14:37:08Z

Zack Wheeler made his highly anticipated debut for the Mets last night against the Braves in Atlanta, and while his command was off a bit and he had an early case of the jitters, he nevertheless struck out seven and kept the Braves off the board.

Here are his seven strikeout victims, followed by a GIF montage of said whiffers.

#1: Jason Heyward (1st)
#2: Brian McCann (2nd)
#3: Chris Johnson (2nd)
#4: Paul Maholm (2nd)
#5: Justin Upton (3rd)
#6: Paul Maholm (4th)
#7: Dan Uggla (6th)

Send your GIF Of The Game tips and suggestions to gifs@grission.com.

2013 Mets Draft Scouting Reports: Rounds 26-30

2013-06-19T14:00:15Z

Continuing our draft reports:

26th round: C Owen Spiwak, Cawthra Park S.S. (Ontario). After selecting nine straight right-handed pitchers, Tommy Tanous finally broke the streak by taking Spiwak, a Canadian catcher. Spiwak has a lean build at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds with room to add strength as he matures, and his athleticism shows behind the plate. His feet are quick, and he displays solid mechanics behind the plate. His arm is above average and accurate. I think he’ll stick back there. The question is his bat. He has a smooth, left-handed stroke, but right now it’s a little too simple, without much of a hand load. He also needs to learn how to wait on pitches better. He has the batspeed to produce power but he needs to put his hands in a position to drive toward the ball when it approaches. I think he’s very interesting, but expect him to fulfil his commitment to Florida International.

27th round: RHP Austin Coley, Belmont. I’ll be honest here: Coley’s completely off my radar. I’ve never seen him pitch,, and I’m shooting in the relative dark here. He’s a strike-throwing righty without a whole lot of projection (6 feet, 3 inches and 200 pounds). He moved into Belmont’s rotation this season after spending his freshman year pitching admirably in the team’s bullpen. The results were very positive. He stayed around the strike zone and missed bats, fanning 65 hitters in 57 innings. His repertoire includes a fastball, curve, and change, and his velocity is below average. The change is the better of the two offspeed pitches. Health may also be a concern, as Coley broke his pitching hand late in the season. As a draft-eligible sophomore, signability might be an issue.

28th round: RHP Robby Coles, Florida State. Coles joined Florida State after a couple seasons at Chipola Junior College, and he projects as a possible bullpen piece. He stands 6 feet, 2 inches and weighs 180 pounds, so there may be a little left in the tank but not much. He throws sidearm, and he’ll get his fastball up to around 89. It’s not great velocity, but he’s always going to be a guy who relies more on deception anyway. He also throws a sweeping slider and a changeup. He pronates a little late, but considering his fringy velocity and the fact that he’ll never be more than a reliever, I’m okay with him stretching as much as he can out of his arm as possible. He’ll never be effective against lefties, but with some luck, he could still become a righty specialist.

29th round: LHP Anthony Kay, Ward Melville H.S. (NY). For their first(!) left-handed pitcher of the draft, the Mets turned to local prep product Anthony Kay. He’s small at just 5-foot-11, but that isn’t the kiss of death for southpaws that it is for righties. He commands his 87-89 fastball well, and it’s touched 92. He also shows an advanced feel for a changeup, which he’ll throw 77-80. The breaking ball needs bigger break and more velocity; it’ll take some work, especially with his low three-quarters armslot. Mechanically, there’s effort in the delivery as you’d expect, and the arm action is a little long. Otherwise, he’s pretty clean. With his size, stuff, and mechanics, he projects more as a reliever down the road, but the pitchability and changeup are encouraging. Personally, I expect him to fulfill his commitment to UConn, and not just because he’s a Yankee fan.

30th round: RHP David McKay, Viera H.S. (FL). McKay is a strong, physically mature kid at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. Unfortunately, that means there probably isn’t a whole lot of projection left for him, and he’s only throwing in the high-80s from his true three-quarters arm slot right now. He does show a pretty good curve that just needs a little more consistency, and scouts praise his pitchability. The changeup needs time. Mechanically, he’s not pretty; he needs to firm up his glove side, and his long arm action with late pronation causes his arm to lag behind his body, undermining the good done by a nice, long stride. He’s committed to Florida Atlantic, and if I were him, I’d go to college.

Mets Morning News: Matt Harvey Zack Wheeler Matt Harvey Zack Wheeler Matt Harvey Zack Wheeler

2013-06-19T13:00:07Z

Meet the Mets

Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler. Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey. The Mets got a glimpse at what could be a very exciting one-two punch yesterday, as they swept a doubleheader from the Braves behind the right arms of Mr. Harvey and Mr. Wheeler. Harvey had a no-hitter through 6 and struck out 13 over 7 innings in a 4-3 victory, while Wheeler tossed six shutout innings in his big league debut, 6-1 Mets win.

Choose Your Recap: Amazin' Avenue Game One, Game Two, MLB.com 1 2, ESPN NY 1 2, Daily News 1 2, New York Times, Star-Ledger 1 2, NY Post, Newsday 1 2

Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler do not pitch tonight. Instead, it'll be Shaun Marcum on the mound against Kris Medlen at 7:10 PM.

After the game, the Mets announced some roster moves. First they acquired outfielder Eric Young Jr from the Rockies in exchange for Collin McHugh. To make room for Young on the roster, the Mets designated Collin Cowgill for assignment. They also are set to promote Andrew Brown up from Las Vegas. The corresponding move there wasn't announced, though it may be Scott Atchison headed to the DL after he injured his groin last night.

David Wright hopes that Harvey and Wheeler develop into the Mets' 1A and 1B in the rotation.

There was plenty of Wheeler hype written before the righty took the mound yesterday. John Sickels named Wheeler his prospect of the day. At Fangraphs, Marc Hulet looked at Wheeler. Our own Jeffrey Paternostro had a primer on Wheeler. Grant Brisbee wrote about the Mets and relying on young pitching.

First round pick Dominic Smith is very close to being finalized, says an insider. Smith will head to the GCL once the deal is final.

Yesterday At AA

Chris McShane looks back at Matt Harvey's 12th, 13th, and 14th starts.

We've got two GIFs for you: Gary and Ron's time lapse adventures and Matt Harvey throwing to nobody.

Rob Castellano digs into the AA prospect mailbag and answers questions about minor league relievers and Francisco Pena.

Before their doubleheader began, the Mets activated Wheeler and Scott Atchison, while sending Justin Turner to the DL with an injury.

Greg Karam has our Daily Farm Report from Tuesday.

Around the NL East

Cliff Lee helped the Phillies defeat the Nationals by a score of 4-2. Should the Phillies fire Charlie Manuel?

Paul Goldschmidt walked off as the Diamondbacks defeated the Marlins 3-2. The Marlins have been awful but do they have a couple of Rookie of the Year candidates on the roster?

Evan Gattis is on the DL for the Braves with an oblique strain.

Around the Majors

San Jose has sued MLB, challenging its monopoly power, in their effort to get the Athletics to move to a new stadium. Craig Calcaterra calls the lawsuit out as BS.

Porter Fischer, the whistleblower in the Biogenesis case, says the people running Major League Baseball are "the biggest scumbags on Earth".

Bad news for the Yankees, who've lost both Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis again. Teixeira is back on the DL with his wrist injury, while Youkilis could miss 10-12 weeks after having surgery on a herniated disk.

Did you know that Vin Scully was almost a Yankee?

Drew Sheppard uses the magic of animated GIFs to track R.A. Dickey's knuckleball. GIFs + Dickey Knuckler = Awesome

Mets Daily Farm Report - 6/19/13: The Rain In Spain Falls Mainly On Ballgame

2013-06-19T12:00:06Z

*All results from games played on Tuesday, June 18^th, 2013*

Triple-A - Las Vegas 51s (36-34)__________________________________

LAS VEGAS 2, TUCSON 5 (Box)

Jake deGrom (see below) started for the 51s and his start went much more swimmingly than one might have expected, based on the numbers he put up in his ten starts Binghamton this season. He worked around eight hits and two free passes in five plus innings of work, allowing only one earned run. The Vegas offense scored in the top of the 2^nd, but deGrom gave up his only run in the bottom of the inning, tying the game. The 51s scored another run in the top of the 6^th, but Justin Hampson gave it right back in the bottom of the inning, tying the game. Finally, in the 7^th inning, one of the two teams scored some unanswered runs. Unfortunately, it was the Tucson Padres that did, putting up a three spot. The 51s had no answer, and dropped another one.

LF-RF Mike Baxter: 1-3, BB, K
1B Ike Davis: 1-3, BB, K, RBI
2B Wilmer Flores: 0-4, K
3B Zach Lutz: 1-3, R, 2B
C Juan Centeno: 2-4, K, RBI
RHP Jake deGrom: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

ROSTER ALERT

Zack Wheeler officially going back to Vegas until Tuesday start. #mets
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) June 19, 2013

Nothing to necessarily read into here, as this move is more roster maintenance than anything. Optioning Wheeler down to Triple-A Vegas allows the major league club to carry an extra player until his next scheduled start.

Jacob deGrom going from Binghamton to Las Vegas with Zack Wheeler, Collin McHugh and Carlos Torres all out of 51s' rotation. #mets
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) June 18, 2013

This marks deGrom's second promotion in only a few months. The 24-year-old began the season in High-A St. Lucie, building on the four successful starts he made there in 2012. After only two starts, the Alderson regime chose to promote the right-hander to fill the void left in the Binghamton pitching rotation after Luis Mateo hit the DL with elbow troubles. There, he would make 10 underwhelming starts in Binghamton, pitching 60 innings with a 4.80 ERA, 20 walks (3 BB/9), 44 strikeouts (6.6 K/9), and 69 hits allowed (10.4 H/9). deGrom's promotion seems more about filling the 51s pitching rotation with able bodies more than anything else.

Mets also confirm Andrew Brown promoted. Not officially saying Scott Atchison on DL.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) June 19, 2013

Traded Collin McHugh to #Rockies for Eric Young Jr. Collin Cowgill DFA'd #mets
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) June 19, 2013

The 28-year-old Brown is hitting a robust .349/.435/.664 in 40 games this season for Triple-A Vegas, so his call-up is not unexpected. The man he is replacing, Collin Cowgill, has struggled in limited time with the big league club, hitting a meager .173/.189/.327 in 52 at-bats -- so the move is not a complete surprise.

Double-A - Binghamton Mets (42-26)_____________________________________

POSTPONED (WET GROUNDS)

High-A - St. Lucie Mets (36-30)________________________________________

CHARLOTTE 6, ST. LUCIE 7 (Box)

The Stone Crabs jumped out to an early lead, scoring unanswered runs in the 1^st and the 3^rd. But with in the 4^th and 5^th, St. Lucie took a 3-2 lead. The lead wouldn't last long, as reliever Estarlin Morel had a rough go of it, giving up two unearned runs in the 6^th and two earned runs in the 7^th. Down by three runs, Dustin Lawley tied the game with one mighty swing, sending a Lenny Linsky offering over the centerfield wall. Randy Fontanez and Hamilton Bennett succeeded in shutting the Charlotte offense down long enough for the offense to get something going, as Lawley once again came through in late innings, swatting a double into left that scored T.J. Rivera.

2B T.J. Rivera: 3-5, 2 R, 2B,
SS Matt Reynolds: 3-4, 3 R, 2B, 3B, K, 3 RBI, HR (3), HBP
LF Dustin Lawley: 2-5, R, 2B, K, 3 RBI, HR (13)
C Cam Maron: 1-1, 3 BB, E (7)
DH Albert Cordero: 0-3, BB
RHP Alex Panteliodis: 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP
REHAB ALERT - CF Matt den Dekker: 1-4, R, BB

Low-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (43-26)__________________________________

NO GAME (ALL-STAR BREAK)

There were no scheduled games last night, due to the South Atlantic League All-Star Game, being held in Lakewood, New Jersey. A handful of Sand Gnats- Brandon Nimmo, Kevin Plawecki, Jayce Boyd, Beck Wheeler, and Bret Mitchell participated, as the Southern Division took on the Northern Division, and lost 2-1. Yours truly would have also been there, had some other stuff come up. Such is life.

C Kevin Plawecki: 0-2
1B Jayce Boyd: 1-3, K
CF Brandon Nimmo: 0-1
RHP Beck Wheeler: 0.1 IP, H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Bret Mitchell: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Short Season-A - Brooklyn Cyclones (0-1)_____________________________

POSTPONED (RAIN)

Star of the Night

While Dustin Lawley had the heroics down pat, Matt Reynolds is the Star of the Night. He just missed the cycle, and it wasn't one of those situations where he "just missed" the cycle by missing the triple, or the home run- all the shortstop needed was the single.

Goat of the Night

There were no particularly bad performances last night worthy of Goat of the Night dishonor.

Send an email to the AA Prospect Mailbag!

Mets trade Collin McHugh to Rockies for Eric Young Jr., designate Collin Cowgill for assignment, recall Andrew Brown

2013-06-19T03:42:17Z

Shortly after the conclusion of Zack Wheeler's major league debut, the Mets announced that they've traded 26-year-old right-handed pitcher Collin McHugh to the Colorado Rockies for 28-year-old outfielder Eric Young Jr. Both players were recently designated for assignment by their respective teams.

McHugh put up good numbers in the minor leagues since the Mets drafted him in 2008, but he struggled mightily in two brief stints in the big leagues. Young put together a .641 OPS for the Rockies in 180 plate appearances this year.

In addition to the trade, the Mets designated outfielder Collin Cowgill for assignment and recalled Andrew Brown from Las Vegas. They also optioned Zack Wheeler to Vegas, a temporary move to take advantage of a loophole in Major League Baseball's rules so the team can carry an extra player until Wheeler's next start.

Cowgill had just a .226 wOBA in 53 plate appearances with the Mets this year, though it's possible the organization will retain him if he goes unclaimed or isn't traded. Brown was briefly with the Mets this year, but he's been crushing the ball—even by Pacific Coast League standards—in Triple-A this year.