New York actually got off to a nice start in this one, as Steven Matz breezed through the first two innings with little difficulty, and Jay Bruce deposited Nola’s first offering of the home second into the bullpen to give the Amazins the early lead.

Philadelphia responded quickly in the next inning, however, as  two batters after Matz issued a leadoff walk to Jorge Alfaro, Carlos Santana crushed a long homer to left center to flip the game and give the Phillies a 2-1 edge. New York got it right back in the bottom of the frame though, when Jeff McNeil plated Brandon Nimmo with a double.

The 2-2 score held through the middle innings, and a high pitch count forced Matz to depart after only five innings. Eric Hanhold entered for the Mets in the sixth and was greeted rudely by pinch-hitter Odubel Herrera who led off with a double. Two batters later, former Met Asdrubal Cabrera gave the road team the lead with a run-scoring single, but the Mets again responded an inning later when first baseman Dom Smith crushed a game-tying opposite field long ball.

The Mets summoned Tyler Bashlor in the seventh and the hard-thrower tossed a 1-2-3 inning prior to Smith’s tying home run, but the righty was not as fortunate in the eighth, when Rhys Hoskins crushed a lead-off bomb that would prove to be the difference in a 4-3 victory for Philadelphia.

Up next, New York will send Noah Syndergaard to the bump in search of his 11th win, opposing Phillies’ righty Zach Eflin.

Photo credit: Gregory Fisher – USA Today Sports

Monday night was a frustrating but still enjoyable experience, because we had the pleasure of watching Jacob deGrom. Watching the best of the Mets’ three-ish homegrown aces is a reminder of the sort of potential this team had and still has. Tuesday, we got Jason Vargas, a reminder of why that potential has been and will continue to be squandered. At least Brandon Nimmo was in the lineup – batting eighth.

Game Recap

This episode of the Jason Vargas experience got off to a pretty good start, as the left-hander was perfect through the first two innings. Because his name isn’t Jacob deGrom, the Mets offense scored for him too, with Jay Bruce hitting a two-run home run in the second, and Michael Conforto adding a two-run bomb of his own in the third. Entering the bottom of the third, the Mets had a 4-0 lead.

Then, the cracks started to appear. Vargas walked Chris Taylor leading off the inning, then allowed a two-run home run to Austin Barnes. He worked around another two singles from Rich Hill (the pitcher) and Manny Machado, but the Met lead was cut to two. A home run from David Freese leading off the bottom of the fourth cut that lead to one, and the Dodgers followed that with a single and a double to put the go-ahead run in scoring position.

At this point, the New York defense wanted to prove to deGrom that they’re not just terrible behind him, they’re terrible behind every pitcher. Todd Frazier botched a ground ball off the bat of Austin Barnes, allowing Enrique Hernandez to score and tie the game. Two batters later, Tyler Bashlor replaced Jason Vargas, and he allowed the Dodgers to take the lead with a steal of third and an RBI groundout from Brian Dozier. L.A. led 5-4.

Eric Hanhold worked around some serious traffic in the fifth in his first major league appearance, and he and Daniel Zamora combined for a perfect sixth. Corey Oswalt took over for the seventh, and the Dodgers proceeded to blow the doors off. Three doubles, a wild pitch that allowed Manny Machado to score from second and a handful of walks and singles put the Mets in an 11-4 hole. They managed to load the bases in the top of the ninth with no outs, but amphibious ambidextrous reliever Pat Venditte shut down the rally, and the Mets failed to score.

The loss drops the Mets to 62-76, snaps their three-game win streak and ends a recent string of successful starts from Jason Vargas (real shocker on that last one). Zack Wheeler takes on Hyun-Jin Ryu this evening in the series finale.

Thoughts from the Game

Austin Jackson is really, really bad. Everyone except Met management knew this when he was signed, but at this point he’s batting second everyday while Jeff McNeil and/or Brandon Nimmo bat eighth or ride the bench. It’s patently absurd, and an insult to the younger players who are clearly superior and are a core part of the team’s future. Even a barely above-average OPS+ isn’t worth forfeiting the development of players who actually need it, and there’s no justification whatsoever for his place on the team at this point, let alone his prominence on it.

Jason Vargas is also bad, but that’s less revelatory. Hopefully the Mets get creative with him next year (hoping for a cut is wishing for a miracle), perhaps as a bullpen arm or in some sort of pseudo-Rays arrangement at the back of the rotation. He’ll probably just get shoehorned into a starting spot, however, simply because he’s a veteran making real money.

Other Mets News

No major happenings for the Mets today. Still maybe committing pseudo-insurance fraud with David Wright. Still not planning to end their service time farce with Peter Alonso. So it goes.

Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea – USA Today Sports

Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A)

Pitcher: Andrew Church

I went down to Binghamton two weeks ago in hopes of getting another look at Nabil Crismatt. However, because it’s minor league baseball and probable pitchers are always subject to change, I instead caught Church by accident for what would be my third look in two months. I wasn’t thrilled, as I had seen enough in my first two looks that I was contemplating writing up a full report for the site, but I figured a third look couldn’t hurt. Little did I know it would be one of the last times Church would ever step out on a mound.

Church was lit up by Erie for six runs on nine hits in just four innings, raising his ERA to 6.44 for the season. It seemed likely that Church would spend the rest of the season in Double-A and probably repeat the level next season. I had Church down as a 3, an organizational pitcher unlikely to ever reach the big leagues. All that being said, you can imagine the look on my face when I heard the news only two days later that Church had been promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas. I immediately shared the news with our own Jeffrey Paternostro, who theorized that Church was on turn and Vegas needed an arm in the rotation.

What we didn’t know was that Church informed the Mets organization of his intent to retire from professional baseball. Church was born in Las Vegas and asked the organization if he could make one last start in front of his family and friends before he decided to hang his cleats up. After making one relief appearance with Vegas, he started this past Sunday and allowed five earned on seven hits in four innings. The following day, Church announced his retirement from professional baseball. Arm injuries plagued the former second-round pick, who saw his 95 mph fastball from his days as an amateur drop down to the high 80s this season. Church obviously didn’t pan out, but it’s hard to blame a player who consistently battled injuries for his failures. I wasn’t high on Church’s potential as a major league pitcher, but that doesn’t make it any less sad to see someone’s dreams crushed. Baseball players are capable of some amazing things but don’t forget that they’re human. Celebrate and enjoy their greatness while you can because as we’ve seen with Matt Harvey and others, you never know when it’s all going to come crashing down.

Hitter: Kevin Kaczmarski

A ninth-round pick in the 2015 draft, Kaczmarski will turn 27 in December and is running out of time to prove why he deserves a shot in the majors. With Vegas in need of outfield depth, Kaczmarski was promoted from Port St. Lucie and is taking full advantage of the opportunity, slashing .529/.545/.706 in his first 17 at-bats. The organization doesn’t have great minor league depth in the outfield, hence the Jose Bautista signing, so Kaczmarski could possibly receive a chance in the majors if the opportunity presents itself (which, sorry Kevin, hopefully doesn’t happen).

That being said, there is a valid argument to be made that Kaczmarski is among the top minor league options in the organization though. He slashed .274/.370/.369 last year for Binghamton but lacks the traditional power required to profile in a corner outfield spot. He’s shown an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio throughout his minor league career, but it’s not good enough to make up for the complete lack of home run power.

Although he played center in college, Kaczmarski is a left fielder with a fringe arm. He doesn’t excel at any one particular skill and it’s hard to see where his value comes from. I don’t think there’s enough here for Kaczmarski to be a major league contributor, but the way things are going injury-wise, he may be called upon to help the big league ball club.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A)

Pitcher: Eric Hanhold

Hanhold came over from the Brewers in last season’s Neil Walker trade but was overshadowed by fellow relievers Gerson Bautista, Jamie Callahan and Ryder Ryan, who were also acquired at the deadline. The Brewers had been using Hanhold as a starter but the Mets chose to convert him full time to the bullpen once he joined the organization, a wise decision that’s seemingly fast-tracked him for a potential big league role this season. I was incredibly impressed when I saw Hanhold during the second game of the season and aggressively threw a 7 out on his fastball.  Hanhold sits 97-99 mph with it and generates fantastic movement that helps him induce a ton of ground balls.

My favorite large adult son had a 2.84 ERA and 32 strikeouts against nine walks in his 25.1 innings with the Rumble Ponies. Notice I used “had,” because Hanhold was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday. With the Mets calling up Tim Peterson, the 51s needed a relief arm and Hanhold is as good as any in the system. I’m quite high on Hanhold, as one might have guessed, and think he’s got high leverage reliever written all over him. There isn’t much for Hanhold to learn out in Vegas and the stats won’t tell us much, so the hope is he can stay sharp and prepare for a big league call-up that now seems likely to come before September.

Hitter: Tomas Nido

What a roller coaster ride it’s been for Nido this season. After beginning the year with the Rumble Ponies, Nido was called up to the majors to back up Jose Lobaton after Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki went down with injuries. Then the Mets traded for Devin Mesoraco and got Plawecki back, sending Nido to Triple-A for 17 at-bats. Now, Nido finds himself right back where he started, in Binghamton.

Nido looked extremely overmatched at the plate during his big league stay, struggling to a .159/.208/.182 line in 44 at-bats. Many of his at-bats were simply non-competitive and it became clear quickly that Nido needed more reps down on the farm. I saw Nido with Binghamton before his call-up and thought he was showing signs of improvement with the bat. His pitch recognition looked to be well improved and his bat control was impressive. I noted that I hoped Nido would try to sell out for his 60 raw instead of hitting an empty .265 and I still hold that same position. While he looked good at the plate in my look, it was against some middling Eastern League pitching, quite a step down from the majors.

Although his work with the bat left a lot to be desired, Nido was terrific behind the plate. He impressed with his framing and ability to actually throw runners out, something d’Arnaud in particular struggled with. His oft-raved about defense looked every bit as good as it was advertised and will carry him to the majors one way or another. If the bat develops, Nido’s going to be a starting catcher and if it doesn’t, he’s still likely going to be a major league backup. There’s risk here, but Nido has a high floor because of his ability behind the plate.

Columbia Fireflies (A)

Pitcher: Joe Cavallaro

I decided to switch things up this week and go with two pitchers, so let’s take a look at two starters who are off to great starts in Columbia. Cavallaro was a 24th-round pick in last year’s draft out of the University of South Florida. The 6’4” right-hander has some deception in his wind-up and hitters struggle to pick the ball up. He sits in the high 80s and low 90s with his fastball, but his best pitch is a low 80s slider. He’s comfortable using the slider in all counts and is currently holding opponents to a .195 average in the Sally League.

In 46.2 innings for Columbia, Cavallaro has a 2.12 ERA to go along with 51 strikeouts against 17 walks. While there’s reason for optimism here, Cavallaro is still a 22-year-old college pitcher in Single-A. The Columbia roster is full of interesting collegiate players who probably need to be promoted at this point, such as David Peterson, Jeremy Vasquez and Tony Dibrell. We’re currently in wait-and-see mode with Cavallaro but there might be something here, so we’ll be keeping an eye on him.

Pitcher: Tony Dibrell

The aforementioned Dibrell was a fourth-round pick of the organization in last year’s draft. The 22-year-old pitched collegiately at Kennesaw State and is off to a nice start with the Fireflies, holding a 3.88 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 51 innings. The right-hander broke out in 2016 on the Cape and planted himself firmly on the radar of major league teams for the 2017 draft with a 1.66 ERA in 38 innings pitched.

Dibrell sits in the low-to-mid-90s with his fastball but doesn’t generate much movement with it. He complements the fastball with a slider, a changeup and a curveball, of which the slider is presently the best of the off-speed offerings. I’d rank them slider, change, curveball, with the curve far behind the others. The Mets have an affinity for fastball-slider pitchers and Dibrell is one of many the organization hopes can blossom into a major league arm.

The biggest problem hindering Dibrell’s progress is his command, as he’s already walked 28 batters this season. Command’s been a problem for Dibrell since college and it’s something he’ll need to improve before he can move up the minor league ladder. Like Cavallaro, Dibrell is a collegiate pitcher in A-ball so we’ll hold off much judgement until he’s promoted. Expect that to happen at some point this season, as the Binghamton and Las Vegas rotations are in dire need of capable starters.

Photo credit: Aaron Doster – USA Today Sports

Las Vegas 51s (AAA)

Pitcher: RHP Corey Oswalt

Corey Oswalt hasn’t thrown for Vegas since April 13 but he did make his major league debut last Wednesday, throwing 4.2 innings of much-needed mop-up duty against the St. Louis Cardinals. The 24-year-old righty is a former seventh-round draft pick that was named the organizations Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2017 after posting a 2.28 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 134.1 innings at AA Binghamton. Oswalt needed to be protected from the Rule 5 draft this offseason, earning him a spot on the 40-man as well as an invite to big league spring training. The 6’5,” 250-pound hurler looks intimidating on the mound and sits 90-94 mph with his fastball, but it doesn’t generate much movement, leaving Oswalt susceptible to a lot of contact. This was a bigger problem when he was in Single-A throwing an extremely hittable 95 and allowed 153 hits in 128.2 innings, but he’s added a little more sink now and it has seemed to do the trick just fine. The fastball has lost a couple ticks since last season, where he was more in the 92-95 mph range, and it averaged 90.8 mph in his 4.2 innings big league debut. In addition to the heater, Oswalt also throws a slider, changeup and a curveball, of which the slider is definitely the best of the bunch. He doesn’t possess a plus offering, although the slider is close to, if not above average, and he doesn’t have great command either. That being said, Oswalt projects as a back end of the rotation innings eater, and all things considered, that’s a great outcome for a seventh rounder. I think he’s more of a long reliever type than a guy you’re comfortable throwing every fifth day, but he’s capable of starting and his stuff may play up out of the pen.

Hitter: Gavin Cecchini

Cecchini has been on fire to start the season, batting .342/.395/.532 with seven walks against 13 strikeouts for Vegas. The former first-round draft pick in 2012 has moved over to second full time after beginning his professional career at short, a move made in part by the presence of Amed Rosario, but more so because of his limited defensive profile. Cecchini had to be moved off short mainly because of his arm, which isn’t particularly strong and became so inaccurate that he left the Mets little choice. He doesn’t possess great range or speed either, and he profiles as a below-average defender even at second. At this point, his prospect status begins and ends with his ability to get on base, which he’s showcased at every stop throughout his five-year minor league career. Cecchini has 60 hit tool at peak, but his 40 raw power leaves a lot to be desired and he’s never hit more than eight home runs in a single season. The swing is flat and is geared more for any contact rather than good contact, which is a bit of a problem for a second baseman who can’t really field. Cecchini is now 24 years old with nothing substantial left to prove in the minors, but he’s blocked by Rosario and Asdrubal Cabrera at the major league level for the foreseeable future. At this point in his career, Cecchini profiles as a utility guy who can get on base, and that’s valuable enough for a roster spot with an organization next season. I just don’t see it with the Mets, or any National League team rather, as this sort of player is much more valuable to an American League team.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (AA)

Pitcher: RHP Eric Hanhold

This is Hanhold’s first season as a member of the Mets organization and he’s gotten off to quite the start. After being acquired from Milwaukee in last season’s Neil Walker trade as the PTBNL, the Mets chose to convert him from a starter to a full-time reliever, and the move has paid early dividends. The 6’5,” 220-pound right-hander is long-limbed and has seen his velocity spike in the bullpen, as I had him sitting 94-96 and touching 99 mph in my look a couple weeks ago. The fastball is already a 60 and I’m comfortable projecting heavily on it, I think it’s a 70 at peak, due to the movement it generates in addition to the premium velo. Hanhold gets great sink and movement on the four-seamer — it even shows some two-seam run at its best — and it allows him to induce a ton of ground balls. He posted a 60% groundball rate with the Brewers organization last season and I expect similar numbers moving forward. Like every other Mets relief prospect, Hanhold throws a slider, but it’s already above average and he’s comfortable throwing it in any count. The slider sits 87-89 mph with tight break and is a great change of pace pitch that keeps hitters off his fastball. In a Binghamton bullpen full of interesting relief prospects, I think Hanhold may be the best of the bunch. I see a potential high leverage reliever that could eventually be a middle of the pack closer, which is a fantastic outcome for half a season of Neil Walker.

Hitter: Patrick Mazeika

The Mets have had success drafting position players from Stetson University (see: Jacob deGrom) and Mazeika hopes to be the next major league contributor from the small school in Florida. An eighth-round pick in 2015, Mazeika has hit for a high average at every stop of his minor league career thus far. Although his hit tool far outweighs his game power, Mazeika gets on base at an excellent clip for a catching prospect. It’s not too often you find catchers with this track record of on-base ability, but Mazeika needs to show he can perform at the higher levels of the minors. He’s currently hitting .225/.304/.394 for AA Binghamton, a far cry from his 2016 and 2017 numbers. The biggest knock on Mazeika has been his defense behind the dish; he has a strong arm, but he doesn’t block particularly well and is big for the position. I’ve been able to get three looks at him behind the plate and all in all it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. I saw some positive developments in regards to his framing as well as the strong arm he possesses, but I also saw him allow a couple passed balls, not to mention a couple of steals, mainly because he’s slow to pop despite his strong arm. He only threw out 32% of base stealers last season between Single-A and Double-A and that’s going to need to improve in order for him to have a shot. Unfortunately, I think he’s a little too big and not a good enough athlete to stick behind the dish. I’m intrigued by the on-base ability though, and if I squint hard enough, I can see a big league backup catcher who’s more hit tool than defense.

Columbia Fireflies (A)

Pitcher: LHP Anthony Kay

After missing all of 2017 due to Tommy John surgery, Kay made his highly anticipated minor league debut for the Fireflies on April 8, allowing no runs in four innings to go along with four strikeouts. Kay is a local kid — he grew up on Long Island and went to the University of Connecticut — who was overworked heavily in his draft year before being selected 31st overall by the Mets. Prior to the injury, Kay projected as a solid lefty starter who could potentially move quickly through the system. He’s actually been throwing harder since his return than he was at UConn, which is unexpected but certainly a welcome development. He was 88-93 mph with his fastball in college but is reportedly now 90-94 and even touched 96 in his debut outing. Kay complements his fastball with a changeup that sits in the low 80s and flashes plus, as well as a curveball that’s fringy and slurve-like. The 23-year-old has a clean delivery that he has no trouble repeating and he works quickly. He doesn’t have great command (he’s walked seven in 20 innings so far), but it should get better with more reps and it probably settles around average or a little above. Kay already looks to be too advanced for Low-A and should get the chance to pitch in Port St. Lucie at some point this season. It’s hard to project a 23-year-old in Low-A, but Kay still looks like a future No. 4 starter for the Mets. That being said, he’s probably two years away at his point, which would make him 25 when he eventually latches on in the big leagues full time.

Hitter: Jeremy Vasquez

Vasquez has exploded onto the scene in 2018, hitting a blistering .325/.455/.545 while reaching base safely in 23 consecutive games. A 28th round pick in the 2017 draft, he split last season with Kingsport and Brooklyn and hit only .266/.368.430. The 21-year-old has more walks (20) than strikeouts (16) so far, but he’s old for Low-A Columbia and has never performed this well previously. Vasquez has below average raw power and is more hit tool than power, which isn’t a great profile for a guy who can only play first. The more highly regarded Peter Alonso faced similar questions last season as a first base-only guy who was more hit tool than power, but a swing change has allowed for his 70 raw power to play much better in games. I don’t see above-average raw power here for Vasquez, so a swing change may not do much in the way of increased power production. The expectations weren’t high to begin with — they never are with a 28th rounder — but I’ve seen Vasquez’s name thrown into the first baseman of the future conversation along with Peter Alonso and Dom Smith and frankly, that’s absolutely ridiculous. I’m extremely skeptical of Vasquez’s hot start to the season, but I’d like to see him get a chance at Port St. Lucie before I jump to any major conclusions.

Photo credit: Gregory Fisher – USA Today Sports

1B Peter Alonso

A former 2nd round pick in the 2016 draft, Alonso had a terrific 2017 at the dish but failed to answer lingering questions about his defense and conditioning. Alonso hit .289/.359/.524 across two levels last year, spending 82 games with High-A Port St. Lucie before finishing the season with Double-A Binghamton for 11 games. In our own Jeffrey Paternostro’s and the BP prospect staff’s ranking of the organizations top 10 prospects, Alonso found himself ranked seventh due to the combination of hit and power potential he possesses.

After a bad first inning strikeout in which he swung and missed at two consecutive 89 mph fastballs up in the zone, Alonso reached base in all three of his remaining at-bats. The hit tool was as advertised, as I saw Alonso take a two-strike fastball down and away over the right fielder’s head for an RBI double in his third at-bat. I was impressed with Alonso’s bat-to-ball skills; he gets his bat to the ball quickly, which allows him an extra sliver of a second to see the incoming pitch. In the field, Alonso did little to answer the defensive questions that have surrounded him since college. On one hand, he made an impressive play looking a runner back to third on a hard hit grounder with the infield in. On the other, he had a lot of trouble with a routine pop out in foul territory, taking a bad route to it and almost dropping it. I don’t think the defense was bad enough that he can’t field his position adequately, but there’s no denying it’s below league average. With his approach and power potential, Alonso looks like he fits the everyday first basemen profile at the dish.

C Tomas Nido

Nido is a former 8th rounder who was added to the 40-man roster after the 2016 season. A defense-first catcher, he struggled with the bat in 2017, hitting a paltry .232/.287/.354 in 102 games for Double-A Binghamton. He was a September call-up for the Mets and collected three hits in 10 at-bats. Nido ranked sixth, one spot ahead of Alonso in the organizations top 10 over at our main site.

Nido was in the lineup at DH Saturday, so I wasn’t able to get a look at his oft-raved about defense. He fell behind 1-2 in his first at-bat but took an 81 mph slider down and away to right field for a leadoff double. The bat control was impressive, and the pitch recognition he showed throughout the game was a welcome sign considering his .287 OBP last season. Nido made a swing change last season, using a leg kick in an effort to more effectively get to his raw power. The leg kick wasn’t as pronounced on Saturday as it was last season, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you ask. I would rather see him try to sell out for power than hit an empty .265 in the majors, but it appears the Mets feel otherwise. With the bases loaded in the 5th, Nido took the first pitch he saw to right center for a three-run double. If Nido can get to his 60 raw power in games, he’s going to develop into an easy top 100 prospect in all of baseball.

RHP Andrew Church

Church is another former 2nd rounder and has shown signs of developing into useful rotation depth for the Mets. 2017 was his best season as a pro as he threw 152 innings with a 4.62 ERA for High-A Port St. Lucie, but he only struck out 95 batters resulting in a 6.25 K/9. Church was sitting 88-90 mph with his fastball for me, it’s straight and lacks movement, but his late release point causes it to come inside to lefties and away from righties. The delivery isn’t great, it’s max effort and doesn’t do his control any favors. His best weapon was a slider that had significant right to left movement and is a weapon against lefties. I saw a couple of 45/50 sliders and he was sitting 82-85 with it on the afternoon. The slider is Church’s go-to with two strikes and it generates a significant amount of swings and misses.

Church also showed a below average curveball that was 70-72 and is only thrown with two strikes. He did throw a couple 40 curves though, striking out Mike Olt with one to end the 3rd inning. Developing a third pitch is necessary for Church, as he works quickly and pitches to contact, which limits his pitch count but explains the low K/9. Church did have six strikeouts on the afternoon, and if he can elevate the K/9 to somewhere in the 8.0 range, his outlook immediately improves. The right-hander currently projects as Quad-A rotation depth, with a small chance for more if he can find a useful third pitch.

RHP Eric Hanhold

Hanhold was the PTBNL acquired from the Brewers in last year’s Neil Walker trade. Formerly a starter, the Mets have elected to move Hanhold to the bullpen, and he looked great in his 2018 debut outing Saturday. The flame-throwing right-hander was the most impressive player I saw on the afternoon, as he was sitting 94-96 with his fastball, even hitting 99 mph out of the pen. The fastball, a four-seamer that sometimes shows two-seam run, has great sinking action and induces a ton of ground balls. It’s already comfortably plus and even flashed plus-plus for me on the afternoon. The pitch is currently at least a 60 with the potential for a lot more at peak. Hanhold posted a groundball rate around 60% last season, which is fantastic for a potential high leverage reliever.

Unsurprisingly for a pitcher in the Mets organization, Hanhold also throws a slider, but it’s a well-developed pitch that sits 87-89 mph. The slider showed tight break and flashed plus for me, and Hanhold is comfortable throwing it in any count. I saw a 55 slider in a 3-0 count to Conrad Gregor in the 6th inning, and Hanhold eventually got Gregor to ground out to second. With a potential plus-plus fastball and plus slider, Hanhold projects as a high leverage reliever that could reach Triple-A Las Vegas by the end of the season.  I really like Hanhold and think he’s a got a shot as a potential 55 closer down the road.

RHP Tyler Bashlor

Bashlor struck out 61 batters in only 34 innings last season at High-A Port St. Lucie. He threw two scoreless innings on Saturday, striking out two. The fastball was sitting 91-93, it topped out at 94 mph, and he threw it almost exclusively. That’s a large step down from the 94-98 mph he was reportedly sitting at last season. It could be due to the cold temperatures and I’m not ready to write the velocity off completely until I get a couple more looks, but it’s interesting to say the least. When he wasn’t throwing his fastball, Bashlor was using his 82 mph slurve to keep hitters off balance. The slurve has a ton of right to left movement and drop, although it’s easy to spot coming out of his hand. I saw at least one 55 slurve and it has potential to be a real weapon for Bashlor. Bashlor is definitely someone to keep an eye on this season and he has 7th inning potential at peak.

LF Tim Tebow

After going yard in his first at-bat of the season, on the first pitch he saw, Tebow is 0-6 and failed to generate any hard contact Saturday. The swing is max effort and it seems as if Tebow is trying to hit a home run every single time he steps up to the plate. His bat speed isn’t great either, as he was behind on 88-89 mph fastballs all throughout the afternoon. Tebow looked uncomfortable facing left-handers and is looking for strictly fastballs he can hit out of the park. I don’t think Tebow looked all that different from last season, but it’s only been two games and he has the whole season to prove us wrong. I would be shocked to see Tebow reach Triple-A Las Vegas in 2018.

Here’s a video of @RumblePoniesBB LF Tim Tebow in the 6th inning. Tebow struck out swinging. #Tebow #Mets pic.twitter.com/YgNmSGk6nB

— Alex Rosen (@asros213) April 7, 2018

Photo credit: Gregory Fisher – USA Today Sports