The Mets are bad. The Phillies are worse. Ben Lively is mediocre (bordering on bad). Matt Harvey is worse. Both teams are better served by losing. It’s late season baseball at the bottom of the standings, folks, so get excited.

Game Recap

In what is probably (hopefully) his last series in a Mets uniform, Jose Reyes got things off to a fast start in the ballpark he’s so often enjoyed hitting in. With one out in the first, Reyes deposited his 15th homer of the year into the right-center field seats to give Matt Harvey a 1-0 lead before he even took the mound. Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a single on a pop up, but the Mets would only get the one run.

Harvey held that lead for an inning, but no longer. Odubel Herrera dropped down a beautiful bunt for a single with one out in second, and Maikel Franco immediately followed that with a moonshot of a home run on fastball that Harvey through right over the middle of the plate at 94 mph. Perhaps if he had the 98 mph life he used to, Matt could blow hitters away with that pitch. Instead, those strikeouts have turned into hard-hit balls.

Things continued to spiral in the third, as Harvey gave up a walk and two singles to load the bases with nobody out. Two batters later, a run scored on a sacrifice fly from Odubel Herrera. Then, with Maikel Franco at the plate, Harvey’s season reached its nadir. As he started his delivery, Harvey’s hand seemed to hit his knee, leading him to drop the ball for a balk and prompting Gary Cohen to give us a lesson about the 1962 Mets – certainly never the season that any team or any player wants to be compared to. The balk scored a second run for the Phillies to make it 4-1.

Dom Smith and Jose Reyes conspired to make Harvey’s life a bit more difficult in the fourth, letting a pop up off the bat of Jorge Alfaro drop for a leadoff double. Juan Lagares bailed the Mets out, gunning down Alfaro at the plate with one of his trademark, pinpoint throws to home plate, keeping the deficit at three. Harvey navigated the rest of the inning and departed having allowed just the four runs.

Smith did his best to atone for his mistake in the fifth, leading off with his ninth home run of the year. Hansel Robles eventually gave that run back. After tossing a clean bottom of the fifth, Robles left a fastball over the plate and down to Alfaro, who blasted it out to left-center to re-extend the Phillie lead to 5-2. Two batters later, Cesar Hernandez also went deep with a solo shot, making it 6-2. Yes, Hansel pointed to the sky on both homers. Things got a little touchy with Freddy Galvis at the plate as the Phillies got over-sensitive about an inside fastball (Robles does have some history with them, of course), but ultimately nothing crazy happened and the game went to the seventh with the Mets in a four-run hole.

The Mets wasted a walk from Smith in the seventh and singles from Nori Aoki and Cabrera in the eighth. Meanwhile, Kevin McGowan tossed a clean seventh and Jacob Rhame tossed a clean eighth (aside – he has a fun fastball, even though his results have been poor). That brought on Cabrera’s favorite person, Edubray Ramos for the save. Lagares and Phil Evans made some two out noise, each singling on ground balls to the left side. Ramos rallied to retire Aoki on a ground ball to first to end the 6-2 loss.

The loss drops the Mets to 69-91, holding them in line for the sixth pick in the draft. It’d be pretty nice if the Mets could manage to lose all three games of this series and sneak into the top five, but the Reds have a two-game “lead.” Seth Lugo takes the mound in game 161 today with Jacob deGrom scratched.

Thoughts from the Game

Keith was in rare form last night, as he and Gary started the last series of the year. His rants ranged from the overemphasis of home runs (no Keith, no one thinks Maikel Franco is having a good year) to multiple remarks on the music being played in Citizens Bank Park. Though his “back in my day” nonsense is at times annoying, it is almost always amusing, and he’ll be a big part of why we’ll miss the Mets for the next six months even after such a disastrous season.

For Harvey, this was probably an okay outing at this point of the season. He’ll end 2017, which he called a “nightmare,” with a 6.70 ERA, a meager 6.51 K/9, a bad 4.56 BB/9, and a stupendously awful 2.04 HR/9. Why he pitched for so long when he seemed physically unable is an open question. The Mets plan to tender him, and someone with a relatively recent history of elite performance is worth a $5 million gamble. We’ll just have to hope that Harvey’s issue were just an issue of a lack of strength and that he can rebound, though I don’t think anyone is holding their breath at this point.

Finally, I have to take a final jab at all the Dom Smith enthusiasts out there. Sure, Smith’s power has been better at the major league level (on a 30 HR/600 PA pace) as you’d expect with the juiced ball effect we’ve seen this year. Despite that, Dom has been awful, as his walk and strikeout rates unsurprisingly slipped, and his overall output plummeted to a putrid .226. There is no reason he should be gifted a spot in the starting lineup next season if the Mets are serious about contention.

Other Met News

Starting with the less inflammatory story (though there’s lots of inflammation here too most likely), Jacob deGrom has been scratched from his Saturday start with gastroenteritis. It’s nothing serious, and Seth Lugo will slot on Saturday in his place. deGrom finishes a very solid 2017 with a 3.55 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 201.1 innings.

Marc Carig’s bombshell article is the real big story around the Mets at the moment. Unsurprisingly, Sandy Alderson and other members of the front office have wanted to fire Terry Collins for some time due to a litany of problems with his managing tactics and style (more on that later). However, it was the elder Fred Wilpon shielding Collins from Alderson’s wrath, not the younger Jeff who is so often ridiculed by Met fans (with good reason).

There’s a lot to dissect here. On some level, it’s encouraging that Collins’ ineptitude was recognized as a problem by the supposedly analytically inclined Met front office. Team officials cited his frequent overuse of relievers and reluctance to play young players as particular issues, and any informed Met fan has been complaining about those tendencies for years. That gives you some hope that the next manager the Mets pick will be more receptive to analytic advice and, in general, not a tactical moron.

As cathartic as it is for us fans it’s very concerning that this sort of airing of dirty laundry happened at all. It’s clear that Fred Wilpon still fancies himself some sort of baseball man, overriding the people he hired to run his team so that he could keep reminiscing about the Dodgers with his old buddy Collins. Is the relationship so bad that Sandy (or whoever else) has to poison the well enough to force Fred Wilpon’s hand? That’s a scary thought on multiple levels. How do you sell a new manager on such a dysfunctional work environment? And what’s to stop Fred from overriding his front office again during the hiring process, perhaps bringing in someone he likes (Robin Ventura) rather than the most qualified candidate?

Regardless of the unclear implications for the functionality of the Met front office and their managerial search, Fred Wilpon’s meddling has certainly done long term damage to the Mets roster. In an age when pitcher rest has been recognized as more and more important, Terry Collins has run multiple pitchers in the bullpen and in the rotation in the ground, and likely deserves at least some of the blame for the rash of injuries the Mets have suffered. Further, his poor communication skills created a clubhouse culture where everyone was “miserable,” which could very well have ramifications for the Mets’ efforts to retain some of their home grown stars down the line. Why stick around in an environment where the managerial structure above you is clearly a disaster that trickles down into your day-to-day workplace?

Ultimately, this is the kind of story that, as Keith put it, has the smell of a loser. Terry Collins may deserve to be trashed for how awful he is at his job and we may take some small, perverse pleasure in watching the focus of our ire for so many years get lit up. But a well run organization doesn’t have this happen, as they either have the wherewithal to remove the source of internal strife before things reach this point or simply eat it and move on. This isn’t a well run organization though, it’s the Mets, and until that changes, they will remain a loser.

Photo credit: John Geliebter – USA Today Sports

Game 1

The Good

Frankly, there wasn’t much good to talk about from Monday’s first game. Juan Lagares gave us a pleasant surprise with a perfect day at the plate, going three for three with a run scored. The former Gold Glove center fielder seems to be finishing 2017 strong, with seven hits in 15 at-bats over his last four games. Any signs of life from Lagares are a welcomed sight, as there is still a fair amount of uncertainty regarding how this outfield is going to look in 2018. Other than Yoenis Cespedes, the rest is up for grabs thanks to Michael Conforto’s injury and subsequent surgery. Many are still holding out hope that Lagares can be the player he was in 2014, although I wouldn’t put too much stock in a guy who tends to wind up on the disabled list as often as he does.

The entirety of the Mets offense was fueled by Tomas Nido in this contest. Nido, the 23-year-old catcher from Puerto Rico, cracked a double in the bottom of the seventh to drive in Phil Evans and Lagares. The extra-base hit was the first of Nido’s career and the RBIs were his second and third. Given the inconsistency the Mets have shouldered at the catcher position, it’s safe to assume that the job is open in 2018 and with a strong finish over the last week of regular season play, Nido may just do enough to toss his name in the ring and be a dark horse candidate to win the job next spring.

The Bad

Receiving the spot start for this afternoon’s game was Chris Flexen, who last started on Sept. 3. The 23-year-old started well, limiting the Braves to one run (an Ozzie Albies solo home run) over his first five innings, but eventually ran into trouble in the sixth. After loading the bases, Flexen was pulled in favor of Josh Smoker, who allowed all three runners to score. Flexen finished with an unimpressive line of three hits, three walks, four strikeouts, and four earned runs.

The Ugly

Yesterday was just one of those games where the performance of the bullpen left you with nauseous feeling. Josh Smoker’s box score line looks pretty clean, but he was fortunate in that the three runs he allowed were charged to the starter. Every reliever who followed surrendered at least one hit and earned run. In total, Erik Goeddel, Kevin McGowan, and Jacob Rhame surrendered six hits, five earned runs, and three walks. It’s hard to blame the bullpen for the loss today given the lack of offense and rough effort from Flexen, but they certainly ensured the Mets wouldn’t fight their way back into this one.

If reading this hasn’t caused you enough pain already, every player in the Braves starting lineup recorded a hit, including their starting pitcher, Lucas Sims. Sims, a rookie from Lawrenceville, Georgia, shut the Mets out through the first six innings of this afternoon’s game, so feel free to add him to the list of no-name pitchers to dominate the Mets.

Game 2

The Good

As demoralizing as Game 1 of this doubleheader was, the Amazins rallied back in the second game, avoiding becoming a season-worst 25 games under .500. Seth Lugo put forth one of his best efforts of 2017 and notched his seventh win on the season, a sentiment that is even more impressive when you recall the fact that he has been battling a partially torn UCL in his pitching elbow. Lugo shut the Braves out over his six innings, allowing only two hits and no walks while striking out seven.

Jerry Blevins and Chasen Bradford contributed accordingly, keeping the Braves off the board for a combined two innings. Under normal circumstances their effort may seem a bit pedestrian, but when you contrast them to how awful the bullpen was yesterday afternoon, it’s nice to see the relievers do their jobs correctly.

Travis d’Arnaud had a night to remember (only because there are not too many to be had these days), knocking two hits in three trips to the plate and walking once. Following Asdrubal Cabrera’s RBI groundout in the third, d’Arnaud was able to extend the lead to 2-0 when he singled to center field to score Lagares. Facing Jose Ramirez (not to be confused with Cleveland’s MVP candidate), d’Arnaud launched one over the left-center field fence to extend the Amazins’ lead to 3-0. This would prove to be the deciding run after the Braves etched across two runs in the ninth. Monday night’s effort is a momentary sigh of relief for d’Arnaud in the midst of another disappointing season. Sit back and smell the roses, Travis, because you very well may not be a starter anymore come spring training.

Brandon Nimmo and Matt Reynolds each had a solid night at the plate. Nimmo cracked two doubles and a single in four plate appearances and Reynolds singled twice. While Reynolds ultimately has cemented his fate as a utility-man, Brandon Nimmo is starting to open some eyes on whether he can be an everyday player. Last night’s effort raised his batting average to .274 and his OBP to a .393 clip. Numbers like that are at least worth the discussion of whether Nimmo could have a starting job in 2018.

The Bad

2017 is just not Jeurys Familia’s year. Between the blood clot issue and his struggles on the mound, you can count on the fact that he’s eager to start the 2018 season and wipe the slate clean. Monday night’s outing was a textbook example, as he came very close to blowing a three-run lead. Despite surrendering an RBI single to Jace Peterson and an RBI groundout to Matt Kemp, Familia avoided a complete meltdown en route to his fifth save of the season.

Despite a measured level of success with the Las Vegas 51s, Travis Taijeron has failed to get it going at the Major League level. An 0-3 effort tonight lowered his batting average to a crisp .159. Not that Taijeron factored into the Mets’ long term plans at all, but his September cup of coffee put him in a position where he had more to gain than to lose. Unfortunately, some players are just stuck in the purgatory that is being too good for Triple-A, not good enough for the MLB.

What’s Next

The Mets take on a familiar face in R.A. Dickey tonight with a resurgent Rafael Montero toeing the rubber at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports

It goes without saying, but Montero is not a serious rotation candidate for next year, unless the Mets’ goal is to approach 95 losses again. Montero is out of options, and with the Mets having so many marginal or questionable pitchers already penciled in for next year, coupled with an impending 40-man roster crunch this offseason, it could make sense to finally pull the trigger and DFA Montero. And while it seems something the Mets wouldn’t do—if they haven’t DFA’d yet, why would they now?—it does appear to be a logical move at the very least, given that Montero’s absolute ceiling right now appears to be a unreliable swing-man with good stuff, but poor command.

Chris Flexen and Kevin McGowan had combined for three scoreless innings in relief of Montero. They were followed by Erik Goeddel, who got absolutely shelled in the eighth inning; he gave up four runs on three home runs while only recording one out. One of the dingers he served up was Giancarlo Stanton’s 56th of the season, as Stanton continues his chase of Roger Maris’ 61 homers for seventh place on the all-time list.

Tommy Milone finished off the eighth inning, pitching in what feels like his 500th consecutive game.

On offense, the Mets didn’t do much. They mustered just two runs, the first run coming on a Travis d’Arnaud single in the fifth, and the second on a Brandon Nimmo solo homer in the seventh, after which Nimmo still couldn’t keep that dorky smile off his face, even when losing 5-2 at the time. The homer brought his wRC+ up to 122 on the year. He’s been the only real positive to take out of the last two months of this dreadful season.

And, surprisingly enough, a 122 wRC+ is also what Kevin Plawecki has managed to do in 60 plate appearances since his recall last month. The 26-year-old backstop managed two more hits yesterday, solidifying his case to be in the catching mix come next spring.

OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY

Amed Rosario is still sick, though he was back in the clubhouse today. He blamed an undercooked meal for his stomach ailment.

Sandy Alderson said it was “highly unlikely” that Matt Harvey will be in a different uniform next season. The team plans to tender him a contract.

TOMORROW:

The season winds down as the Mets begin their final homestand of the 2017 season against the Nationals. Jacob deGrom starts for the Mets against a pitcher the Nationals have not determined yet. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Jasen Vinlove – USA Today Sports

Tuesday was a night to forget for the Amazins’, especially coming off their Monday night offensive explosion. After losing last night, the Mets have lost eight of their last 11 and 12 of their last 16 games at Citi Field. Overall, the game was just a disappointing mess. Here’s how it all shook out:

Not So deGrominant

Following the win last night, I think we all felt a series victory was imminent with Jacob deGrom on the hill. Prior to tonight’s effort, deGrom was 6-0 with a 2.10 ERA in his 10 career starts against the Phillies. Not to mention, the Mets won all 10 of those games. Well, with expectations high, the team received one of the worst outings of deGrom’s career. The de facto ace of this depleted Mets pitching staff surrendered a career high nine runs, six of which were earned, and 10 hits. deGrom got the hook after only 3.2 innings, making this the second shortest outing of the year. Putting aside deGrom’s prior success against Philadelphia, this all came as a surprise after the right-hander cruised through the first inning, striking out the side. However, the real knife twisting moment was when deGrom surrendered a two-run blast to Philly’s starting pitcher Ben Lively. Simply put, deGrom did not have his best stuff last night.

Ben Lively: The Latest in a Long Line of Met Killers

Imagine that I didn’t watch an inning of this game. If you asked me who the catalyst was behind last night’s impressive offensive performance, I probably would have guessed Odubel Herrera, Cesar Hernandez, Freddy Galvis, or maybe even top prospect J.P. Crawford, who debuted Tuesday. Never in a million years would I have predicted what came off the bat of Ben Lively. Lively broke a 1-1 tie in the second after singling home Hyun Soo Kim and J.P. Crawford on a single to center and then cemented himself as the next great Met killer after slugging a two-run bomb off of deGrom in the fourth. If that’s not enough for you, Lively also went out and tossed seven innings of one-run ball. Talk about a complete player. Last night, Ben Lively joined a prestigious fraternity of players who perform at superhuman levels against the Mets. I wish him nothing but injury-free bad luck and struggles on the mound.

Another Day Another Dom Struggle

With a playoff run essentially lost all season, the promotions of Amed Rosario and Dom Smith gave fans something to look forward to. These two would hopefully come to anchor the franchise the way David Wright and Jose Reyes did back in 2006. Granted, there’s no need to hit the panic button since these games are meaningless anyways, but it is always disconcerting to see a top prospect like Smith struggle early on. The first baseman lowered his batting average to .182 Tuesday after going 0-4 with a strikeout. To make matters worse, he committed a throwing error in the second that allowed the tying run to score. The good news is that Smith is in no danger of being sent down to the minors. The bad news is that it’s only because the minor league season is over.

Man I’m Glad I Called That Guy

Due to the entire outfield spontaneously combusting via trade or injury, the Mets were in need of a major league caliber outfielder to come in and fill the void. In a serendipitous turn of events, the team was able to sign Nori Aoki and slot him right into the lineup in Houston. In only four games with the Amazins’, Aoki is 6-for-17 with three RBIs and four run scored. I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but Aoki could be an interesting piece among the 2018 Mets, providing major league proficient outfield depth. When you consider the uncertainty regarding the return of Michael Conforto, Aoki could become a low-risk/high-reward value chip to keep around the organization.

At Least the Bullpen Was Immaculate

deGrom may have been awful tonight, but his compatriots certainly weren’t. Josh Smoker, Jacob Rhame, Kevin McGowan, Erik Goeddel, and Jamie Callahan combined for an impressive bullpen effort, striking out seven in 6.1 scoreless frames. It’s especially encouraging to see success out of two of the arms acquired at the trade deadline in Rhame and Callahan.

Everything Else

Asdrubal Cabrera continued to swing the bat well out of the three hole, notching a single and a double in four at-bats. Travis d’Arnaud also recorded two hits last night, a single and an RBI double, scoring the Mets’ only run in the game. Brandon Nimmo drew two more walks, giving him eight in his last five games, a sign that is especially encouraging when considering that a major hole in Nimmo’s game was his plate discipline.

What’s Next

The Mets will cap off their series against the Phillies at Citi Field on Wednesday at 7 p.m. After Matt Harvey was pushed back, Nick Pivetta’s rubber game matchup will be…who knows.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports

So this happened

The Captain is in the lineup! #STLMets #Mets #LGM pic.twitter.com/GXrS7mNRlW

— St. Lucie Mets (@stluciemets) August 22, 2017

And also this happened

Mets gonna have a new lineup. Conforto has a thumb issue of some kind.

— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) August 22, 2017

All in all, a typical Mets news day — every silver lining comes with a dull gray cloud.

MEANWHILE, thanks to Tommy Milone, the Mets were down half a dozen runs before they scored their first. They’re now 1-6 on the current homestand. Diamondbacks 7, Mets 4.

Punditry

What is there to say? Nobody wants to see Tommy Milone and Hansel Robles pitch in a split-squad spring training game, let alone on a Tuesday night in August. A lineup with Matt Reynolds in right, Wilmer Flores at first and Gavin Cecchini at second isn’t trying to be competitive as much as it is filling space and time until the season expires. Terry Collins double-switched twice to get Kevin Plawecki and Brandon Nimmo into the game, resulting in Matt Reynolds, major-league first baseman.

Twenty-five-year-old Kevin McGowan made his major-league debut in the top of the fifth against Paul Goldschmidt. He threw a first-pitch slider for strike one. The Mets took the ball out of play to authenticate McGowan’s first-ever MLB pitch. That was the highlight of the at-bat. Goldschmidt doubled to drive home the sixth run of the night charged to Milone. The Mets did not remove the ball to commemorate the first hit allowed in McGowan’s career.

Home team scoring commenced in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Amed Rosario lifted his third home run, a parabola that hugged the left field line. Say a silent prayer that Rosario will not forever be hitting solo homers with his team down 6-0 in the fifth. Dom Smith’s first major-league double drove home the Mets’ second run in the bottom of the ninth. That same inning, Rosario “tripled” on a bloop to left field that bounced past a sliding David Peralta. Rosario and Smith sure look like they’ll be more than roster filler. As ever, it’s a small bit of good Mets news in an otherwise dismal day.

Social Media

David Wright was 0-for-4 with two K's for the single-A Port St. Lucie squad tonight. If he can play tomorrow, tonight was a success. #Mets

— Scott D. Simon (@scottdsimon) August 23, 2017

GKR-isms

This is a meritocracy. — Ron, discussing Amed Rosario and ignoring the team’s season-long refusal to promote him over Jose Reyes and his .223/.286/.375 slash line.

I’m still not interested in finding out what a fidget spinner is or having one in my hands. — Ron, appealing to millennials.

You have to give [McGowan] one thing: He’s got the hair. — Gary, crediting the pitcher’s dark, curly locks.

Forecast

The Mets will continue to be bad and hurt and uninspiring. Chris Flexen and his 6.55 ERA take on Arizona’s Zach Godley (3.13 ERA) tonight at Citi Field.

Photo Credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

Remember last week, when the Mets traded away a veteran hitter, called up their top prospect, and suffered through a Rafael Montero start? This week was pretty much the same, give or take a few names. For one thing, the Mets traded Neil Walker to the Brewers. They also called up first baseman Dominic Smith on Friday, where he bounced his first major league hit up the middle for an single. The youth movement is underway. Last but not least, Montero took the mound for an inexplicable 23rd time this season to start against the Rangers. He gave up five hits, three walks, and four runs in three miserable frames of a 5-1 Rangers victory.

Apart from Dom’s call-up, there were two bright spots. The first was Sunday’s 6-2 win, where Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson each contributed a two-run homer. Terry Collins marveled that Conforto has the chance to hit 30 home runs when he “wasn’t even in the lineup in April,” adding that it “speaks volumes.” It certainly speaks volumes about Collins’s decision-making.

The second highlight was Amed Rosario’s first major league home run, a tiebreaking shot in the ninth inning of Friday’s game. The 21-year-old rookie later said that “Even though I’ve had a bad couple of days, this really helps my confidence.”

Neil Walker Traded to Milwaukee

Infielder Neil Walker was shipped to the Brewers on Saturday for a player to be named later.

Walker was almost traded to the Yankees on July 31, but the deal failed for so-called medical reasons. Mets officials allege that the Yankees backed out of the deal so they could pursue Oakland righty Sonny Gray. “I was healthy then, I am healthy now,” Walker protested on Saturday.

Regardless, the Mets are cutting salary after trading Jay Bruce, Addison Reed, Lucas Duda, and now Walker, which is what really matters. The Brewers are also plugging up their second base hole, from which they’ve received a meager .264/.312/.442 slashline and 10 home runs.

The Mets may end up trading three veteran hitters in three weeks if they decide to trade Curtis Granderson. He’s already cleared waivers, and his numbers are fantastic since May 15 (.284/.409/.567). His bat and “good clubhouse guy” reputation should be attractive to contenders seeking an outfielder. They’ll never trade with the Nationals, but Bryce Harper injured his knee on Saturday…

Dom Smith Called Up

Last week, shortstop phenom Amed Rosario was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas. Before Friday’s game in Philadelphia, the Mets finally promoted his teammate, Dominic Smith. The 22-year-old left-handed first baseman was mashing .330/.386/.519 with 16 HR in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Smith was the 11th overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, and he was praised for an all-fields hitting approach. He’s also considered an excellent defensive player despite his 6’0, 226 lb frame.

Evaluators disagree over whether his bat will play at first, though. Jarrett Seidler explores this in a recent prospect report: “One needn’t go further than how cheaply Tampa Bay was able to acquire Smith’s predecessor Duda to see how teams are valuing good but not elite superstar bats at the first base position these days, and it’s hard to not count that against Smith’s value as a prospect.”

Smith joined the Mets Friday night against the Phillies, where his first major league hit was a single up the middle.

Injury Update

On Saturday, Matt Harvey took a big step towards returning to the Mets. He pitched a rehab start with the Brooklyn Cyclones, where he allowed a walk, a hit, and a run in one inning of work. His velocity was reportedly around 93 mph. “Obviously a little rusty, but I think that was kind of expected from me going in… The arm feels great, which is what the goal was to come up here,” Harvey told reporters. Pitching coach Dan Warthen expects that he will pitch a side session in three days.

Jacob deGrom left Thursday’s start with a bruised triceps, but he’s expected to make his next start against the Yankees. The line-drive injury ended a dominant nine-strikeout effort against the Phillies. Since June 6, deGrom has gone 9-2 with a 1.42 ERA and 85 strikeouts.

Quick Hits

According to the New York Times, Dominic Smith was promoted when his Triple-A manager told him to come to the field to discuss Smith’s “malfunctioning sleep apnea breathing machine.” He later admitted to seeing through the ruse.

Tonight, the Mets begin their annual Subway Series against the Yankees. Michael Conforto entered last year’s showdown with a .711 OPS, but this year he’ll roll into the Bronx with a .968 OPS. In a statement dripping with enthusiasm, Terry Collins described the series as “games we have got to go play.”

The Mets have also called up RHP Kevin McGowan, a reliever with a 4.06 ERA in Triple-A. He is a New Hampshire native whom the Mets drafted in the 13th round of the 2013 draft.

Photo credit: Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports

We start exactly where you’d expect with Amed Rosario (#1). I am guessing he needs very little introduction here: Rosario is one of the best prospects in all of baseball, a potential All-Star shortstop with plus tools on the dirt and at the plate. He got assigned to Vegas with less than half a season under his belt in Binghamton, but hitting .350 is a good way to accelerate your timetable. This will be the 21-year-old’s first prolonged look at major league quality secondary offerings, so that is something to watch. Still, the bat is advanced enough, and the PCL Pacific South full of enough launching pads, that the topline numbers should look good. And if Asdrubal Cabrera goes down with an injury, Rosario might be the best everyday option at the 6 in the Mets organization right now. The Mets have indicated he will play third base once a week or so to give him more “defensive flexibility,” but if he isn’t the best defensive shortstop in their system right now, it is only because they also employ Luis Guillorme.

First baseman Dom Smith (#4) shouldn’t have much trouble with the Pacific Coast League either. On the podcast I set the over/under for his batting line at .330/.400/.480 (hmm, this might be low now). We won’t learn much more about the actual power projection here until we see him in the majors, but I am curious to see how he handles the kind of fringy backend lefty types he’ll see plenty more of in Flushing. If there is a weakness in his hit tool, it’s that you can get him to poke or roll over soft stuff away. Dom’s ETA is a little less clear to me than Rosario’s. Either could force the issue with a strong performance, but I don’t know if the Mets would be as willing to hand the first base keys to Smith in the middle of the season if Duda’s back acts up again.

I’ll cop to having more than a bit of prospect fatigue with both Brandon Nimmo (#8) and Gavin Cecchini (#9). They are both likely to be major league contributors for somebody, but it doesn’t seem like it will be with the Mets. Neither ever really blossomed into that everyday player projection that they had as first round picks in 2011 and 2012, but they also don’t have much left to prove in Vegas. Nimmo is currently on the DL after picking up another lower body injury in the WBC, a familiar refrain in his pro career, and the Mets seem to have no interest in playing him in CF in the majors at this point, although he might be their best left-handed hitting defensive option. Cecchini will continue to transition to second base, which puts more pressure on his bat. He’s always been a swing tinkerer, and this spring he seemed more coiled in his setup than he has in the past. I expect both to compete for a PCL batting title again, before getting traded at the deadline for an eighth inning guy and Bartolo Colon.

Short Hops

The 51s rotation doesn’t offer much in the way of prospects—or in all likelihood, PCL run prevention—but righthander Ricky Knapp is at least worth keeping an eye on. He might be the Mets 7th starter at this point, and he isn’t all that worse of a prospect than Seth Lugo was coming into 2016. He tops out around 91, but he is a pitching coach’s son, with all the pitchability and mound smarts that implies…a strong 2016 season put infielder Phil Evans back on the major league radar, but the Mets have depth in utility types that can’t really play shortstop… Matt Reynolds is Phil Evans, but on the 40-man roster. He is the best of this group at faking shortstop at least…Paul Sewald finally got a shot in the bigs to prove whether or not he can get major league hitters out, although I suspect he will be back in Vegas once Jeurys Familia is eligible to come off the restricted list. At least the $1,000 senior sign will be making 40-man roster money now…Kevin McGowan had an awful spring, but given the Mets bullpen issues, could just be a good month away from a major league shot. He’s your standard 91-95 with a slider guy…indy-ball find Cory Burns might be the best Mets candidate for the 2017 Mets Vogelsong award. He was up to 93-94 in the spring and has two secondaries he can throw for strikes, including a change that almost functions like a screwball.

Photo Credit: Butch Dill- USA Today Sports

Chasen Bradford: Bradford, like the majority of invitees, is a pitcher whose presence suggests the Mets are looking to bulk up the bullpen. Originally drafted in 2011, Bradford has been with the 51s since 2015. Though his ERA spiked to 4.80 in 2016, his career overall of 3.42 is stronger, and he’s shown time and again that he can handle the pressure, earning five of six saves in 2016, and 36 of a possible 48 across his career thus far.

Xorge Carrillo: The only non-roster catcher to attend spring training, Carrillo was also a 2011 Mets’ draft pick. He began in Brooklyn, and spent 2016 in Binghamton and Las Vegas, where he batted .333 and .269, respectively, slashing .257/.328/.354 over his career.

P.J. Conlon: A 23-year-old Northern Ireland-native, Conlon is an intriguing prospect beyond his heritage. The lefty was the Mets’ 13th-round draft pick in 2015, and has already played with the Cyclones, St. Lucie Mets, and Columbia Fireflies. At 5’11,” Conlon is the shortest of the pitching invitees, but so far his performance suggests he’ll be a force to be reckoned with: he’s gone 12-3 with one save and an ERA of 1.47 across 41 games.

Phillip Evans: A 24-year-old infielder, Evans was drafted out of high school in 2011, and had his best season yet in 2016 split between Binghamton and St. Lucie, slashing .321/.366/.460 with eight of his 19 career home runs. Over his five-year career, Evans has hit .255/.318/.344.

Luis Guillorme*: A 10th-round draft pick in 2013, the infielder started in the Gulf Coast League and spent 2016 with the St. Lucie Mets, where he hit his first professional home run. Guillorme hit .285/.355/.326 across his career, with 34 stolen bases.

( * – Editor’s Note: Please email Jeff Paternostro with any and all questions about Guillorme.)

Kevin McGowan: The tallest invitee on the list, 25-year-old McGowan fits neatly between other leggy pitchers Syndergaard (6’6″) and deGrom (6’4″) at 6’5”.  A 13th-round draft pick in 2013, the righty spent 2016 moving between Las Vegas, Binghamton and St. Lucie, going 5-1 with two saves and an ERA of 2.35, the best of his career so far.

David Roseboom: This lefty was a 2014 draft pick and spent 2016 in Binghamton, where he managed 14 saves (in 15 opportunities) with an ERA of 1.87 across 52 games. Over his career, he’s gone 5-3 with 26 saves and an ERA of 2.26.

Ben Rowen: Originally a 2010 Texas draft pick, the 28-year-old made his major-league debut in 2014, in an eight-game run with the Rangers. He was called up for four games by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016. Though both his stints in the majors have been middling (and short), his minor-league stats are impressive: 25-10 with 43 saves and an ERA of 1.85. Here’s hoping a spring training invite allows Rowen time to shake loose the nerves and show the majors some of his good stuff.

Paul Sewald: This righty pitcher was a 10th-round draft pick for the Mets in 2010, and spent 2016 in Las Vegas, where he went 5-3 with 19 saves and an ERA of 3.29. Over his time with Mets affiliates, he’s gone 16-8 with 66 saves and an ERA of 2.20.

Dominic Smith: Smith is the youngest of this year’s invitees—he’ll be 21 upon his arrival in Port St. Lucie. The infielder was drafted from his California high school by the Mets in 2013, their first round pick, and just finished off a great season in Binghamton, where he hit .302/.367/.457 with 14 home runs. I’ll be excited to see how this slugger holds up when he faces off against some major-league arms.

Champ Stuart: With a name like “Champ,” he’s gotta be good! Also an early draft pick from 2013 (the Mets’ sixth-round choice), this outfielder—given name “Jervis”—split time between Binghamton and the St. Lucie Mets in 2016. He hit .240/.314/.349 with eight home runs across the two teams, and he’s lightning fast; he’s managed 40 stolen bases in 114 games.

Corey Taylor: This 24-year-old righty pitcher was a seventh-round draft pick in 2015, and has done well in his time with the Cyclones and St. Lucie Mets. Over his two-year, 63-game career, he’s gone 5-6 with an ERA of 1.77 and 20 saves.

Logan Taylor: No relation to the aforementioned Taylor above, this 25-year-old, also a right-handed pitcher, was drafted by the Mets in 2012. He went 4-2 in Binghamton in 2016 and has a career ERA of 3.26 across 99 games.

Travis Taijeron: A 2011 draft pick for the Mets, this left fielder has spent the past two years in Las Vegas, where he hit 25 home runs in 2015, and 19 in 2016, batting slightly above his career average of .269/.370/.512. This slugger’s got power, and 110 career MiLB home runs to prove it; fingers crossed his swing is just as deadly in the big leagues.

Adam Wilk: At 29, Wilk is the oldest invitee on the list. (And yet still slightly younger than I am. Sigh.). Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, he’s already got his feet wet in the majors—he had runs in 2011 and 2012 with the Tigers, and two innings with the Angels in 2015. 2016 was not his best year—he went 2-8 with the Triple-A Durham Bulls, but I’ll indulge the Mets pitching staff here in the hope he can combine the mojo from his earlier days with his major-league experience and put his best arm forward for 2017. Wilk has a career ERA 3.59 across 153 games.

Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA Today Sports

21. Chris Flexen, RHP, Age 21 (St. Lucie)

The least-heralded prospect the Mets added to the 40-man this offseason. Flexen is honestly about as close to a generic assembly-line good-but-not-great right-handed pitching prospect as there is, right down to the Tommy John surgery in his recent past. 2016 was his first full season back, and he was middling in High-A, but his velocity did largely come back. The Mets have done extremely, extremely well maximizing this profile into major-league success, and Flexen will start 2017 in Double-A and on the 40-man, so this could all come together quicker than you’d think. Whether or not that future is in the rotation or bullpen remains to be seen.

22. Andrew Church, RHP, Age 21 (Columbia/St. Lucie/Las Vegas)

2013’s second-round pick emerged from years of erratic and unspectacular performance in the depths of short-season ball to put up an impressive half-season split between A-ball levels. There isn’t a lot differentiating him and Flexen, honestly—touching 95, good breaking ball (curve for Flexen, slider for Church), change that needs some work, a lot of time missed with arm injuries, unclear whether either will fit in the rotation or the bullpen. Flexen being a spot higher is more that we’ve seen him pitch more and better through the years, despite the TJS in his background, but consider these guys fairly interchangeable.

23. Phil Evans, IF, Age 23 (St. Lucie/Binghamton)

Evans opened 2016 as a High-A extra infielder and ended it as a Double-A batting champion. He was originally notable as one of the first markers that the new regime would be way more aggressive in the draft, signing as 2011’s 15th-rounder for a $650,000 bonus. Of course, draft bonus pool caps came just the year after, and nobody could be particularly aggressive after that. Evans bounced around the system until this year, emerging as a hit-tool first second base option in much the same way T.J. Rivera did at Triple-A and in the majors.

The Mets exposed Evans to Thursday’s Rule 5 draft, and he’s been widely talked about as one of the more likely players to get popped. It’d be more of a loss if the system didn’t already have Wilmer Flores, Gavin Cecchini, and Rivera as young RHH utility options that can’t really play short.

24. Anthony Kay, LHP, Age 21 (DNP)

As ESPN’s Keith Law noted at the time, Kay’s usage at UConn this past spring was suspect at best. Surprise surprise, Kay’s physical with the Mets showed significant elbow damage, costing him many hundreds of thousands of dollars of bonus money. MLB, through the bonus pools, made it up to the Mets by allowing them to sign Cameron Planck. Nobody will make it up to Anthony Kay–not UConn or the NCAA or the AAC.

This ranking is pretty much a shot in the dark; Kay would’ve made the top ten if healthy, but won’t throw a meaningful professional pitch until his age-23 season in 2018. As with Marcos Molina, we’ll probably have a much better idea how the recovery is going in a year, even if he probably won’t make it back before the end of the MILB season.

25. Cameron Planck, RHP, Age 18 (DNP)

Do you like playing the lottery? Well, here’s a pair of prospects for you. The Mets went through quite a saga to acquire Planck, originally offering to cut a pre-draft deal with him for somewhere in the mid-high six figures, to be drafted in the third or fourth round. Planck turned them down. The Mets took him in the 11th as a backup plan, and ended up having a bunch of leftover pool money when Kay took a far lower bonus than expected. Planck signed for $1,000,001.

He’s yet to pitch as a professional. He throws in the mid-90s. We’re ranking him around where we’d rank a generic third-round prep arm because, well, for the purposes of rankings, he’s sort of a generic third-round prep arm. And as you see with Church upstream, it’s not always clear for a number of years which way these things are going to go.

26. Gregory Guerrero, SS, Age 17 (DSL)

Gregory Guerrero is most notable as Vladimir’s nephew, trained by Uncle Vlad at the Guerrero Academy. He signed for $1.5 million as one of the reported best players in the 2015 international class. And that’s where it about ends for now—Guerrero was adequate in enough in the Dominican Summer League, but doesn’t get the kinds of great whisperings Andres Gimenez has, at least not yet. He’s likely to be way up this list after a summer in North America, or off it entirely.

27. Nabil Crismatt, RHP, Age 21 (Brooklyn/Columbia/Binghamton)

Crismatt put up one of the more spectacular ratios in the system in 2016, striking out 74 and walking only 7 while rising from extended spring all the way to a spot start in Double-A. He’s already being used in a swingman type role and is very likely headed to a future in the bullpen. As a fastball/change guy with a fringe breaking ball, it’s easy to think Akeel Morris. He’s a few years away from any sort of major-league role, and was subsequently left off the 40, where he should be among the lower risks among the significant prospects to be taken in the Rule 5 draft.

28. Kevin McGowan, RHP, Age 24 (St. Lucie/Binghamton)

Of the prospects the Mets exposed to the Rule 5 draft, McGowan is probably most ready to contribute to a major-league team. Jeffrey and I talk quite frequently about “95-and-a-slider” guys in the context of generic perfectly acceptable relievers, and after converting to relief in 2016, McGowan is basically already there. He could be this year’s Erik Goeddel in contributing decent innings to the major-league club from off the radar, or he could be this year’s Matt Bowman in contributing decent innings to someone else’s major-league club.

29. Jake Simon, LHP, Age 19 (Kingsport)

The Mets gave Jake Simon $400,000 in the 11th round in 2015 because he was a projectable lefty, and early signs are promising. His velocity ticked up in 2016 while pitching adequately in the Appy League, a perfectly respectable assignment for his age and advancement. These profiles can come together quickly—we’ll note that this is about the same point where we’d have had Simon’s teammate Thomas Szapucki last year, and with broadly the same profile. Simon will be headed for a higher-profile assignment in either Brooklyn or Columbia in 2017.

30. Ty Kelly, IF/OF, Age 27 (Las Vegas/New York)

Ty Kelly deserves to be higher than this, as he’s not more than a shout off of T.J. Rivera, but this is what happens when your authors end up counting service days by hand and realize he is eligible at the last second. He’s a present major-league role 4, a perfectly good utility guy, and honestly most of the players behind him are future 4s, so here he is. I guess this serves as a reminder that more guys are still “prospects” than you’d think.

THREE MORE WITH A SHOT:

• P.J. Conlon, LHP, Age 22 (Columbia/St. Lucie): A small, soft-tossing lefty from Northern Ireland who has dominated the low-minors to the tune of a 1.47 career ERA. This profile often implodes in Double-A, but he could carve out a MLB future in some role.
• Paul Sewald, RHP, Age 26 (Las Vegas): The best pitcher for the 2016 Las Vegas 51s, and overqualified for a MLB long relief type role with a chance for more. Could be selected in Rule 5.
• Jeff McNeil, IF, Age 24 (Binghamton): The former golfer missed nearly all of 2016 with lower-body injuries. If his athleticism and hit tool remain intact, he has a chance at a long career as a utility player or even fringe starter. Also exposed to Rule 5.

Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Amed Rosario, SS

When you show up to see a consensus top-20 global prospect–or is it top-10?–you expected to be wowed by at least something. Your expectations are set quite high and a merely decent toolset will leave you a bit disappointed. Well, there is no such disappointment when going to see Amed Rosario play.

The first pitch I saw Rosario swing at this season, which came in an early August game against the Reading Fighting Phils, landed mere inches short of being a home run to dead center field. (It ended up going for a double.) He absolutely crushed that ball. And the hits didn’t stop there. He had two more that game and, throughout my looks, showed an ability to fight off pitches and utilize right-center field. His wrist/bat speed is off the charts and gives him a good chance to be successful regardless of swing path. His bat is impressive for anyone, let alone for a slick-fielding shortstop, and Rosario certainly qualifies as one.   

Putting a plus grade on Rosario’s arm at SS might be conservative. He has no trouble throwing quickly or across his body. Even in those situations, he  makes strong and accurate throws to first base. This sort of arm affords him extra time to hesitate on balls or play back, but that is a luxury he does not need. His instincts and reactions at shortstop are phenomenal, which allow him to get to balls and into his throwing motion very quickly. His hands at shortstop are merely good at this point, but it would hard to grade his overall glove at anything less than a 60 given the rest of the defensive profile.

On the negative side, Rosario did strike out a fair amount in the times I saw him, which might be something to keep an eye on. All of my looks at him this year came in the month of August after he had already surpassed his previous career high for games played in a season, so it might be understandable to chalk some of this up to  fatigue. However, it is worth noting that a good number of Rosario’s strikeouts seem to have come on changeups down in the zone from both lefties and righties. In one look, he struggled to identify and make contact with the changeup of Tigers LHP prospect Tyler Alexander, an advanced college arm with an impressive change. While such struggles are not uncommon for a prospect, let alone a 20-year-old in Double-A, it is something Rosario will need to work on going forward. Overall, Rosario projects as an All-Star-caliber shortstop. 


Phil Evans, IF

After receiving a $650,000 signing bonus from the Mets as a 15th-round pick out of high school in 2011, Evans had struggled prior to this season to prove himself worth second-round money. He hit .234/.300/.313 while repeating the Florida State League in 2015 and failed to hit a single home run in 280 plate appearances. The former highly touted high school shortstop prospect had become a minor league utility infielder without much utility.

In 2016, five years after being drafted, Evans finally began to show why he was worthy of such a high signing bonus and started to regain his former prospect status. The body is still less than ideal, with a bit too much bulk packed into a shorter frame. Evans played both second base and third base in my looks at him and showed decent enough hands and lateral movement, although I didn’t get a chance to see him have to make any tough throws from across the diamond at third. The bat, however, is the tool that is helping to put him back on the map.

Though a bit overly aggressive at the plate, as would be suggested by his below-average walk rate this season, Evans has a shot to hit due to a short, compact swing that allows him to make frequent hard contact. It’s a line drive swing that allows him to spray balls to all fields. It remains to be seen if he will be exposed as a hacker in Triple-A (probably not, because Vegas) or in the majors, but ultimately, the swing changes give him a shot to stick as a fifth infielder, albeit one that will be stretched to play shortstop. The potential major league profile isn’t too different from Justin Turner’s prior to his days with the Dodgers.

Paul Paez, LHP

I went to four Binghamton Mets games this August. In them, I somehow managed to watch Paul Paez–a pure middle reliever who has never started a professional baseball game–pitch for a total of 6.7 innings. He is a 5’7”, former 38th round pick with a sizable midsection who tops out at 90 mph and pitches at nearly the same pace as Antonio Bastardo; in other words, this guy should not be exciting. Yet, in some weird ways, Paez is actually quite an interesting guy to watch and perhaps a bit more than just an organizational arm.

While Paez’s 89-90 mph fastball comes from more of a low three-quarters release point, he is almost exclusively a sidearmer at this point. From that angle, his best pitch, without a doubt, is his curveball, which sits in the 71-74 mph range. That curveball comes with beautiful, late movement that makes it a potential plus pitch and a weapon against both lefties and righties. If Paez ever sticks in a major league bullpen as a lefty arm, it will be because of that curveball. And the key towards him progressing from a struggling 24-year-old in Double-A to a major league relief pitcher will be finding the ability to pitch off of that curveball. He had some level of success pitching backwards and using his curve to set up his fastball, which can come in at 89-90 from a three-quarters release and a few ticks below that as a sidearmer. He also threw a pitch at 76-79 mph (changeup?) that need some development before it can become a weapon. I also once clocked him throwing a 65 mph eephus, which just about sums up the Paul Paez Experience.

Kevin McGowan, RHP

Kevin McGowan, a 13th round pick out of Franklin Pierce University, a small Division II school in New Hampshire, has never been a major presence on prospect radars. However, McGowan has a case as the best right-handed relief prospect in the system. McGowan, who is listed at 6’5” and 235 lbs, is an intimidating presence on the mound and has the stuff to match. His fastball sits at 92-94 and touches 95, with the potential to add a tick or two as he gets moved full-time to a one-inning reliever role. He has plus movement on the fastball that allows him to induce swings and misses and allows him to throw the pitch in and out of the strike zone in any count. On the back of this plus fastball and impressive numbers, McGowan should be added to the 40-man roster to this winter and get the call up to Queens at some point in 2017. If he is left unprotected, he would be a strong candidate to stick in someone’s bullpen for an entire season as a Rule 5 pick and possibly make a positive impact in such a role.

Nabil Crismatt, RHP

It feels a bit wrong to provide a write-up here on a pitcher who had made exactly one start above the South Atlantic League based on a cameo in Binghamton. But in this case, grading on a curve or not, Nabil Crismatt didn’t embarrass himself after making a two-level jump for this spot start. He is not an overpowering pitcher, with a fastball that sits at 90-91 and touched 92. His best offering is a plus changeup that will be his carrying pitch if he is ever going to make it to the majors. The pitch had good velocity separation at 80-83 and helped him to strike out the side in his second Double-A inning. Given his funky and deceptive delivery and his shorter, maxed out frame, Crismatt’s most likely path to the majors most will come as a reliever. An eventual move to the pen would allow him to ditch his loopy and mostly ineffective curveball for a straight two-pitch repertoire. It is possible to stick as an effective major league reliever with a low-90s fastball and a good changeup, as Tyler Clippard has shown us over the past decade. But Clippard is essentially a 90th percentile outcome for any FB-CH prospect with a low 90s fastball.

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez- USA Today Sports