The Mets retroactively added their starting shortstop, Asdrubal Cabrera, to the 15-day DL as of August 1st and the Mets have opted to go with the combination of Matt Reynolds and Wilmer Flores to carry the load but it seems that the Mets may be ignoring their best option.
Gavin Cecchini was the Met’s top pick (12th overall) in the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft but he hasn’t lived up to the extreme talent pool of that draft. While he was never expected to live up to the #1 overall pick Carlos Correa many Met fans see names like Lucas Giolito, Michael Wacha and Corey Seager (all drafted later than Cecchini) and they covet the picks that might have been.
While Cecchini might not ever be the superstar that some of these other players seem to already be, he has made a significant jump in his production and appears to be a viable option to help the Mets as early as 2016.
His hitting strengths are his contact and patience. With Las Vegas he’s managed .322/.393/.444 batting line which goes along with a 40:42 BB:K ratio. Unfortunately, this has also come with a dip in his fielding success. His Fielding percentage is at an all-time low and it’s rightful cause people to question his future at shortstop.
Getting a player like Cecchini into the Met lineup could significantly improve a number of deficiencies in the Met lineup. His ability to get onto base and battle with pitchers would give the Mets a solid leadoff option or even a dynamic #2 hitter who could be counted on for the hit-and-run.
Should Cabrera be out much longer, the Mets should consider bringing up Cecchini to begin the process of him adjusting to the majors.
AAA: Las Vegas 51’s
T.J. Rivera is another infield option – Over his last 10 games he’s hitting .432 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI.
Kevin Plawecki belongs in the majors – He’s hitting consistently in AAA and with Renee Rivera taking up roster space it’s clear the Mets might as well promote him back to the majors.
AA: Binghamton Mets
Amed Rosario is back! – He’s healthy again and making his case for 2017.
Dominic Smith’s batting average is back on the rise – Hitting .400 will do that.
Matt Oberste plays a little third base – Apparently…
A+: Port St. Lucie Mets
Kevin Kaczmarski back from brief injury – He was out between 7/31 and last night.
Tomas Nido’s season has been good enough to notice – He’s likely not going to emerge as a prospect to watch again but a future as an MLB backup is possible.
P.J. Conlon also back – He went onto the 7-day DL but came back to pitch Friday.
A: Columbia Fireflies
I continue to get more and more excited about Andrew Church – He’s emerged as the new Ace of the Fireflies staff.
Nabil Crismatt promoted – Met scouts have finally started reading my posts and have rightfully promoted Crismatt to Columbia. He started on Saturday and was sharp in his debut.
A-: Brooklyn Cyclones
Thomas Szapucki is a strikeout machine – He has notched 76 strikeouts in 2016 in 46.2 innings.
Justin Dunn continues to stretch – The Mets are being cautious and slowly stretching Dunn out.
R1: Kingsport Mets
Anthony Dimino keeps hitting – He’s playing a mix of 1B and C for the Kingsport squad.
Jeremy Wolf is also hitting – But he’s too old for this level of competition.
R2: Gulf Coast Mets
Carlos Sanchez is the best player for the GCL Mets – This catching prospect seems to have successfully transitioned from the DSL to the GCL.
They adore Rene Rivera — the Hispanic version of Anthony Recker. He did have a brain cramp that cost them a game recently when he directed the pitcher to throw to the wrong bag, but his pitch calling, throwing and occasional power have ensured he’s not only there to stay but also threatening playing time for Travis d’Arnaud.
I don’t think they “adore” Rivera — his limitations are obvious — but apparently his strengths are not. A nice pickup after Plawecki failed utterly. Rivera has been an asset behind the plate as a backup in a time of need.
I am disappointed that Travis has struggled so much offensively. I believe that hitter is in there, but the lost time has hurt him.
And being Noah Syndergaard’s personal catcher certainly helps.
d’Arnaud will not hit until he loses that stupid loop. How a so called ML player comes up with that is beyond me or he is just not listening to the batting coach. If so, he is part of the problem, not the solution.
Plawecki’s stats just aren’t impressive once you take the PCL/LVG air out of them. He’s a September callup and nothing more at this point.
It’s an interesting choice they have with Cecchini. My thoughts are that he’s a better hitter than Reynolds and it’s not particularly close. But I’m thinking they’re not interested in making a 40-man roster move for a guy who they don’t like defensively.
Since when do the Alderson/Collins Mets give a darn about defense? This is the team that pretended for a while that Wilmer Flores was a shortstop and that the best place to play Curtis Granderson was RF (even before Cespedes was obtained).
Brian, it’s all about the 40. Winning is a byproduct of managing the bottom line.
It’s a little crazy, I know, but Rosario is the guy who’d help the 2016 Mets the most. But that kind of short-term thinking is likely not in his best interest, and nobody wants to start his clock. So I get it.
It’s a real problem that Cecchini can’t field. That’s what’s keeping him back. Seems (from afar) that he does not have the arm for SS. The scouts might have missed that when taking him 12th overall. The bat suggests he might be a future 2B.
Reyes is close, so Reynolds remains filler. That’s his destiny: a poor choice until someone/anyone better comes along.
It’s intriguing to think about Cecchini at 2nd and Rosario at Short for the Mets. Rosario has an ideal bat for #2 or #3 in the order. The Mets could finally have a solid top of the order combination.
I’m starting to shake out what the Mets Top 10 Prospects will look like by season end. #1 is a lock but # 2-10 are still very much up for debate.
Regarding Cecchini, my thought is that his arm is overtaxed in playing the shortstop position, and in trying to compensate he overthrows, loses whatever control of his throwing that he had.
Don’t get me wrong, b’rer Groveman, I love your updates. But allow me to edit one bit:
T. J. Rivera is another infield option – Over his last 10 games he’s hitting .432 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI. In his previous 606 games he hit .323.
Matt Reynolds is getting too much playing time. When they brought him up over Checchini I thought it was because it was as a backup, not a regular, sort of like in the World Series. Until Reyes comes back it should be Flores at SS and Johnson at 3rd most games. I’d also prefer to bring back Uribe than keep Reynolds on the roster for anything more than an emergency fill in role. Flores should not miss a single game as we have so few right-handed bats right now but Collins seems to have other ideas. When Reyes comes back I see him as the regular SS for the remainder of the season or until Cabrera comes back, with Flores at 3rd and Johnson as the primary infield sub.
I don’t think TC believes in Flores at SS.
I think if Wilmer was there consistently all season, he could be merely “bad” at the position. But right now, I don’t think he’s ready.
Reynolds is a poor SS. Terry thinks that Wilmer is worse.
Terry might be right.
Flores is incapable of SS. I also believe he is incapable at 3B. He is so bad on the left side, its amazing to think its even imaginable to put him there. He spent forever there last year. Hes shown he is terrible. If he doesnt have a home at 1st or 2nd he should be traded.
Cecchini’s time for promotion was when the Mets promoted Reynolds instead. Cecchini’s glove appears to be the obvious concern. Reynold’s has played a credible defense and also has a few offensive moments. Reynolds should not be higher on the depth charts than Cecchini, but he is. Reports indicate Reyes should be available this Thursday and will take over SS until Cabrera heals. Cecchini’s time has thus been delayed.
Thomas Nido and Matt Oberste are two blue collar minor leaguers that I have seen play. They give you results and effort. It would be nice to see them get to the show for a cup of coffee to fulfill their dreams. They are bucking the odds though.
I think both will get their cup of coffee.
Play Flores. Collins is an idiot.
^+1
🙂
Due to the lack of impact players that are on the roster or on the verge of coming up, I think it’s safe to say that so far, Sandy’s drafts have been disappointing. We just have not seen that emerging star that we’ve seen come up with other teams. I thought Conforto would be that guy but obviously he’s struggled mightily lately. I think this is at the heart of their offensive problems, no new options to go to.
Clearly, I’m not a fan of the job Sandy has done in the minors. It’s not a disgrace — there’s a degree of professional competence throughout — but it’s not been a success either. Mostly I’ve commented on this in response to the overwhelming narrative in the blogosphere that Sandy “fixed” the system. The sycophants wrote this six minutes after he arrived. My thought has always been, “Not so fast.”
There are some players coming along, and things might develop well if fringey guys like Smith and Cecchini and Nimmo have solid professional careers.
I am more disappointed that in 2016, where the Mets have had needs all over the field, there’s been basically nothing in the minors. They’ve had to go outside the organization for reinforcements. Today the club could use a SS who can field. A RH outfield bat. A guy who can run down fly balls. An arm in the pen. A guy who can play 3B. And it’s nothing, nothing, nothing.
Normally I want upside in the minors. Difference-makers. I want guys who will step in and help the Mets win. Simple depth seems like a basic requirement. Six years into his regime, this is Sandy’s system, and it’s fallen short. Easily a second-tier system overall, ranked in the 20s, and far behind Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Washington.
He can’t bring up Omar’s stud pitchers anymore. He can’t trade away Omar’s players. This is Sandy’s team now. And it is . . . meh. Not a disaster, but.
Very valid points Jimmy. That’s alot of areas that are lacking. Too, Alderson’s promotions are sometimes too slow. Why is Chruch at Columbia still?
One thing that frequently happens to players as they make the move from AAA to the majors is that their walk percentages decrease, often by a lot. The argument for bringing up Brandon Nimmo was that he was great at getting on base via the walk in the minors. At Las Vegas this year his walk % was 10.5. In the majors it is quite a bit lower. Cecchini’s walk % in Vegas is also 10.5. This suggests that he will be quite a bit less potent offensively once he faces major league pitching. And if his defense is as bad as everyone says then maybe it’s best to stick with Reynolds until Reyes is back on the field.
It’s too easy to blame this season on injuries or Alderson. The real culprit is the lack of performance from the young hitters who are here. Conforto, d’Arnaud and Lagares are supposed to be core building blocks. If those three were all healthy and hitting .275 or better all year, this would be a different season.
Was kind of my point too!
Two biggest disappointments for me this year:
1) I thought Harvey was going to be a Cy Young winner
2) I thought Conforto was going to emerge as a star
I can’t fault Lagares because before he was injured he had been doing his expected job. Conforto and TdA (and fill in Plawecki) sure can take some blame. Bruce is here because Conforto did not do his job. Lucroy was a trade target because TdA and Palwecki had not been playing to expectations. I have been a big supporter of the three players but the bottom line is that they need to turn their seasons around. DeAza has cooled off the past 7 games (710 OPS) while Conforto has batted to a 758 OPS in his last 7 games. Conforto may have an opportunity until Cespedes is back. TDA is going to get more opportunity because his backup is not out hitting him. All three players by not doing their jobs have caused imperfect roster moves.
I loved The Dilson Concept, but I can’t argue with The Bruce…… but I question whether the team will continue to add so many 1 to 2 tool guys. If Bruce is one of the exceptions, that’s fine…but a roster of Bruce, Grandy, Duda, Cabrera, Flores—it’s just not gonna be good enough.
Agreed Eraff. Nothing was more indicative of how slow and lacking in athleticism they are than the end of Saturdays game, 3 hits, no runs to end the game.
Unacceptable!
And pray tell, just what is exactly Lagares’ expected job, all field, no hit?
Pretty much. His value is in his exceptional center field defense which he was producing this year. His offense has been slightly better that his career. Based on his career, he was playing as expected. Sure it would be great if he hit more but he is who he is.
There were times before Lagares was DLed that it was painful (no pun) to watch him swing the bat. I do believe that a Lagares with a healthy set of hands could be a productive hitter. There is too much latent talent to be relegated to a late-inning defensive role.
I would agree about his talent, problem is he’s hasn’t seemed to learn the art of pitch selction, often swinging at balls out of the strike zone. He has power but seems to neutralize it by bad plate discipline.
Lagares can’t hit RHP.. The hope, I think, was that he could hit RHP enough to keep him on the field. The organization gave up that hope last season. To date, there’s scant evidence that they were wrong in that assessment. He still has value. Sort of like Wilmer. A complementary piece, but not a core one.
Even batting eighth, Lagares is an asset. He has the tools to be better, let him just stay there. Last night I watched an “all glove when he came up” Brandon Crawford, go 7-8 hitting #5 in the lineup drive in the winning run. In the same lineup, Brandon Belt, who took three or four years to develop but still played regularly, bat third. Even if you bat your youngsters at the bottom, they need to play. Talent will show itself. Just Lagares’ glove wins you games, and if he bats .270, so what?
Lagares against righties has gone from .264 to .253 to .224, but his at bats have decreased as well. Don’t think that pressure has weighed on him? His glove was worth a contract extension, but not the at bats? Shameful Mets.
You can’t point to the exception and then count that as proof. You say Brandon Crawford and I can say Dustin Ackley or Gordon Beckham or Darwin Barney or Emilio Bonifacio or Cesar Izturis or Willy Taveras.
Lagares has 1,045 PA in the majors against RHP and has a .634 OPS. Expecting him to be able to turn that around with additional time at this point seems overly optimistic Could he do it? Sure, anything is possible. But any reasonable GM would be planning on an upgrade.
Edit: clarity
You can’t Beg guys into a prime slot…. if you’re a player, you’ll bash down the door. You feed some ab’s to young players based on evidence and hope…they need to carry the rest.
The early season Lagares looked a bit better…. but he’s not a “gotta play ’em” guy…not yet!!
Sometimes it’s just not your ‘year’, period. With all the injuries it would be a feat to reach the WC and still Mets fans complain on and on. Really now…?
What team loses it’s starting 3b,1b, a starting P, for the season, and other key starters – ss, lf,cf,c for long stretches and can still defend a title ? Not many.
This team with Cespedes, Reyes and Lagares and Wheeler back could stand a chance to beat the Dodgers again, probably the Nats too in a division series if Murphy goes back to the human race, but not likely the Cubs or the strong teams of the AL. To all the TC haters, chill out. Injuries are a part of the game and the part that probably short circuited the team this year.