For Mets lefty, Darin Gorski, it’s 2011 all over again. That… is very much a good thing. In 2011 Gorski emerged from seemingly nowhere as a possible diamond in the rough. He posted a 2.08 ERA and had the K/9 of pitchers who were well above his prospect stock.
Gorski is 25 going on 26 and showing signs that he might be able to help the Mets in the not-so-distant future. The reason for this is that those 2011 numbers… are back. Gorski currently sports a 2.08 ERA in Binghamton and a K/9 over 9.0 He’s also maintained the low number of walks that has sustained and supported his minor league career.
I have not always been a Gorski supporter and will not claim to be one of the faithful few who watched him struggle in 2012 without losing hope. AA is one of the toughest steps that a minor league player must go through to prove his ability to pitch in the majors. Gorski struggled in 2012, but seemed to turn things around late in the year. I, the callous blogger, wrote this off as just some coincidental success.
I can no longer write off his 2013 success the same way.
Does this mean that Gorski is going to crack a rotation with Harvey, Wheeler, Syndergaard, Niese and Montero? Maybe not. It does mean that he could be used successfully in the major league level and that is worth something on its own.
AAA:
Wilmer Flores could get his chance with Wright injured – It has not happened yet, but you could conceivably move Murphy to 3rd (his natural position) and have Flores come up to play second. It might not be a bad idea for management to keep the Met faithful invested in the late season.
Maybe Ruben Tejada isn’t the answer – He had been hitting and it seemed like Omar Quintanilla’s days in New York might have been done. HOWEVER: in his last 10 games Tejada’s OPS is a pathetic .366.
Are the Mets ready for Matt Den Dekker? – We all love Lagares but Den Dekker is doing what he needed to do to prove to the Mets he’s capable of playing in the majors. (Not strike out more than once per game)
Rafael Montero could break Spring Training in Flushing – He’s done just about all he can to prove his ability. It’ll be a legitimate look he’ll be getting this Spring.
AA:
Travis d’Arnaud looks ready – He’s waiting for the call and I hope for the Met’s sake his bat continues at this level.
Noah Syndergaard adds another solid start to his resume – 5.0 IP, 2 Hits, 0 ER, 1 BB and 3 K. Those are mighty nice numbers.
A+:
Lucas Duda still scuffling in Port St. Lucie – Rehab is hard, ask Lindsey Lohan, but Duda has not shown much in his rehab thus far.
What a nice surprise Kevin Plawecki has been – His .494 SLG in Port St. Lucie should make up for Alderson’s choice of Cecchini to some degree.
Full Season A:
Gabriel Ynoa has mastered the SALLY – He’s logging innings and padding stats. He’s got nothing left to prove at this level.
Steven Matz back in the Top 10? – He might not be back into the Met’s Top 10 prospects but he’s certainly back in the Top 20.
Paul Sewald and Beck Wheeler have been brilliant – The combination of these two pitchers in the Savannah pen has been great for the team.
Short Season A:
Would Gavin Cecchini please show me something? – He’s not hitting for power, he’s not getting on base and he’s not stealing. What did Alderson see beyond the ability to field?
John Gant will be on the fringes of the radar for 2014 – He’s the best starter in the Brooklyn rotation and while he’s old for the league he’s got potential to make a splash in the 2014 Savannah rotation.
Is Akeel Morris a starter or reliever? – He’s not starting games but he’s thrown multiple innings in each of his relief outings. I still see a potential future closer here.
Rookie, APP:
Victor Cruzado is hitting? – The lower levels of the Met minors haven’t had a ton to talk about but Cruzado has gotten on base AND shown some power.
Robert Whalen a draft steal? – He’s been the best Met draft pick pitcher so far.
Rookie, GCL:
Dominic Smith has an advanced eye – His bat hasn’t fully come alive yet, but he’s certainly walking.
The AA guy nobody mentions is Jeff Walters: 25 y/o, 32 SV, 1.03 WHIP, 50/12 BB/K in 47 IP. With Parnell possibly joining Edgin on the DL … ???
He’s a September call up at best. I’ve seen him pitch in Trenton a couple of times this year, and he seems like a future set up guy, possibly closer if he can get a good secondary offering going.
Look for him to audition this spring.
Damning in their omissions: our first round draft picks.
Talk about Teflon Terry. How many top 15 picks is this guy gonna blow before somebody points out he can’t draft for shit?
I think it’s way too early to make any kind of determination on the top draft picks of the past few years. None of them have exactly flamed out yet.
I don’t think TC has very much say in who the club drafts.
No … not damning Terry for this. I am suggesting that nobody makes a claim that sticks to Terry. And likewise, nobody (outside of a few fans here) comments on the fact that our first round picks have generally sucked.
Nimmo hasn’t looked like a bad bad choice and Smith is still to far to tell. The only pick that I have lost faith in is Cecchini.
I think we’ve got practically back-to-back Reggie Jackson type situations here. Compare Jose Fernandez, Courtney Hawkins, DJ Peterson and Hunter Renfroe to Nimmo/Cecchini/Smith.
Too early to tell if Smith is a washout? I agree with you 100%. Too early to compare him to the players drafted around him? Not in my mind, even if we weight them for age appropriateness.
This is the third straight #1 pick that was a reach. His drafting strategy is starting to smack of hubris.
Flores and d’arnaud should be called up now.Flores for 3B and TDA to get as many days to be picking Buck’s brains.
MDD is not on the 40 man roster.
Is Syndergaard passing Montero in the depth charts? Could we see him in April?
Dustin Lawley is leading the league in homeruns with 23. I guess we will see if he is for real at AA Binghampton in 2014.
Walters 32 saves and numbers, albeit at AA, still intrigues me and I hope he gets a September call up.
The reason I have Flores play second is because he hasn’t gotten that much time at 3rd this year.
MDD will be competing with Lagares in the spring but I’d bet they both make the roster.
Syndergaard has his first shot at the rotation in June of 2014.
Lawley is for real in terms of being a future UTIL star.
Walters may but he will only get a real look in 2014. I doubt he’d be tested in serious situations.
We talk a lot about how Vegas inflates hitters’ stats, but we seem to do so mostly with the higher ceiling prospects. How about the fringe guys? Let’s not forget that Quintanilla had a robust.903 OPS in LV before his call up. I wouldn’t have trusted Tejada’s stats anyway, but yikes. What the hell happened to him?
I read that Nimmo was struggling. What about Leathersich?