Braving the rain and terrible drivers in and around Brooklyn, I decided to catch a game in Coney Island to get to see my favorite rising star within the Met organization, Thomas Szapucki. The game time was 4:00 PM and the rain held off, for the most part, and I was ready to see Szapucki in action.
First, however, I was going to watch some quidditch.
It was Harry Potter Night at MCU park and prior to the game we got to see two teams of “Wizards” tossing quaffles. While I’m a pretty cranky and cantankerous person when it comes to promotional activities and games at minor league ballparks but this was quite entertaining, and a little violent.
The game began with Szapucki taking the mound and it was apparent after the first inning that the scouting report was no longer correct. The Aberdeen batters couldn’t catch up to his fastball, his release point was fantastic and the slider produced seven of his 10 strikeouts.
What’s changed about Szapucki?
His velocity is up. When he was drafted his velocity sat at around 88-90 MPH. In 2015 he displayed the ability to reach around 90-92 and in 2016 he’s hitting the gun at 92-97 MPH which is very special velocity for a lefty. How does that happen? Well, he was drafted shortly before his 19th birthday and he’s grown a bit into his frame. I wouldn’t expect the velocity to get any higher than this but, as he’s struck out 65 batters in 41.1 innings, that’s fine.
What flaws does he have?
When pitching from the stretch his strikeout ability seemed to fall away. That said, he managed to get out of a jam with two men on and no out in the sixth and that was very impressive. He took the loss in the game despite not giving up an earned run, but more on that later.
Michael Paez – This tiny infielder hit the ball squarely 3 out of 4 times but he doesn’t have home run power and so those three swings turned into three fly-outs.
Jacob Zanon – The center fielder for the Cyclones has a lot of speed and great instincts. He was able to steal second and third with relative ease following his walk but the Cyclones weren’t able to bring him home.
Colby Woodmansee – The surprise breakout of the 2016 draft class. He’s a very tall shortstop but his defense and arm were impressive. He’s also the best looking hitter in the awful Brooklyn lineup.
Peter Alonso – He goes by “Pete” for what that’s worth. He’s a big fella and looked a little awkward at first base. To make the majors that bat is going to have to be huge.
Blake Tiberi – Had one of the only two hits for the Cyclones but it was immediately followed by a botched hit-and-run. He also wasn’t given an error in one of the more confusing choices I’ve ever seen out of a home team scoring booth.
Arnaldo Berrios – Berrios made an outstanding catch in the 5th diving hard into the rightfield wall. He clearly hurt himself badly on the play and the runner on first (who had reached thanks to a past ball) was able to score as Berrios was unable to get the ball back in. I also want to say that I heard some terrible things from a Cyclone fan to my right. If you are watching a game and a player badly hurts themselves have the class not to jeer at him and complain that he’s delaying your game. Mets360 wishes Arnaldo a speedy recovery and awards him the play of the day.
AAA: Las Vegas 51s
Gavin Cecchini should go to AFL – He’s done enough with the bat to make the majors but his glove has looked bad. The AFL should be his next stop before he goes into Spring Training with his eye on playing in Queens.
Kevin Plawecki too good for AAA – LAs Vegas isn’t a challenge for him but until the Mets trade him, he’s got no where elese to play.
AA: Binghamton Mets
Amed Rosario injured – He’s off the field and that seems to be the only way to keep him from contributing in 2016.
A+: Port St. Lucie Mets
Kevin Kaczmarski still chugging along – He’s off the ridiculous pace he was on last week but he’s still hitting .300 over his last 10 games.
P.J. Conlon hurt – He left his last start after 4.0 solid innings and hopefully he’ll be back soon.
A: Columbia Fireflies
Patrick Mazeika healthy again – This has been an injury plagued season for the hard-hitting catcher. Since returning on 7/26 he’s off to a strong start.
Andrew Church continues to shine – He’s reestablished his prospect status and hasn’t shown any new signs of weakness.
A-: Booklyn Cyclones
Desmond Lindsay ready for Columbia – One of the only players I didn’t see on Sunday, I was hoping to see that his absence was due to a promotion, but no word on that just yet.
Harol Gonzalez belongs on the radar – He’s pitching to a high level for Brooklyn so far and he’s one of the pitchers to watch in 2017.
Nabil Crismatt firmly established – He is doing all the things you look for in a starting pitching prospect of note.
Justin Dunn getting his feet under him – He’s not fully stretched out which has led to Crismatt losing a few innings but Dunn looks like the real deal so far.
R1: Kingsport Mets
Anthony Dimino is too old and it isn’t his fault – Dimino is the best hitter in Kingsport but at 22 he’s also one of the oldest players in the league. Trapped behind Ali Sanchez and Patrick Mazeika there is no where else for him to play.
Max Wotell is learning – He’s not looking like a budding star just yet but there is plenty of reason to hope he’ll get there.
Appreciate these eye-witness scouting reports. Cyclones coming up this way this coming weekend, hoping to catch two games.
Thanks, Dave, I really appreciate your eye.
Question: Domino trapped behind, Sanchez & Mezelka, and Plawecki with nowhere to go. What chance is there for Tomas Nido who is having a very nice year? Has 2 become a wealthy position on the NYM farm?
Dimino, Nido and Sanchez aren’t high on my personal list. Kevin Plawecki is a major league catcher with a significantly lower ceiling than Travis d’Arnaud and Patrick Mazeicka is an All-Bat Catcher who has enough bat to make me excited.
Why not move Cecchini to the Outfield with Rosiaro being the SS of the future.
If Cabrera is truly hurt then Cecchini should be promoted. He is a good leadoff candidate as well.