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David Groveman's avatar

Around the Minors notes:

AAA:

Billy Amick and Émilien Pitre are both in AAA now. This triples the relevant players in the lineup for Syracuse. Ronny Mauricio is the hands down star of the AAA lineup and I think the Mets might want to consider him as the cost-effective solution to DH.

AA:

Sadly, the Rumble ponies lost a second game in the month of August. They are 14 and 2 in the month. They had such a bad record before August this turn around is insane. This month they have 130 runs scored and 59 runs against. Gary Gill Hill has been solid in AA for the Mets so far as well.

A+:

For a team without much success from the mound, Daviel Hurtado and Emilio Obispo remain two bright points.

Rick (José Hunter)'s avatar

DG:

I'd like your opinion

Over the last few years, why does the Mets' Syracuse AAA team have pitching stats which would be much more in line with the Pacific Coast AAA League from the recent past?

Pre-thanks in advance

David Groveman's avatar

It is a little baffling but I can only put my finger on one thing. It seems that Syracuse is a tough place to throw... strikes.

Look at Jack Wenninger and the difference in his stats from lower in the minors to AAA. The other numbers are steady but there is a big uptick in walks. I feel like this is even more notable with a pitcher who struggles with command of the strike zone but I don't have a reason for it. Maybe it's the colder weather?

This is only a guess.

Woody's avatar

Maauricio? Not convinced he’ll ever be a ML player

David Groveman's avatar

Sure. He also hasn't really been given a legitimate shot.

Rick (José Hunter)'s avatar

As usual, your essay is essentially indisputable

Onto something else

I just noticed an article on the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network comparing the MVP likelihood of Ohtarnicle versus PCA, the latter of whom is having a very good season, no doubt

But what about the 2024 NLMVP race between Oh and Francisco Lindor?

Now I realize that the modern stats like WAR, OPS+ and ERA+ are much better guidelines than the past often irrational justification employed by sportswriters, but there is a certain intangible in the words "most valuable"

Without Oh and PCA on the 2026 LADs and CHNs respectively, I'll warrant that their teams likely season outcomes wouldn't change much

But without FL in 2024, the NYMs would have been dead meat

The following I got from Google's usually intrusive but occasionally useful AI

(I wonder if AI has been sometimes programmed for nearly hysterical use of language)

On-Field Production & Turning Point

The Leadoff Spark: Moving Lindor to the leadoff role on May 18 completely re-energized a stagnant Mets offense.

Historical Run: He turned a miserable start into a stellar season, finishing with 30 homers, an OPS over .800, and elite defensive play at shortstop.

Clutch October Moments: Hit a iconic ninth-inning homer against Atlanta to secure a playoff berth and a dramatic, franchise-altering grand slam in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Phillies.

Leadership and Culture

The Daily Anchor: Mentally stabilized the clubhouse through daily consistency, positivity, and personal accountability regardless of the team's standing.

Unifying the Locker Room: Bridged gaps across a diverse roster of rookies and veterans, establishing a loose, joyful, and resilient team identity.

Fan Base Acceptance: Fully solidified his status as the de facto leader and beloved face of the franchise, erasing past friction with the New York crowd.

Woody's avatar

Skubal? Against that move but Bichette leaving frees up a lot of money.

Paul Castronovo's avatar

Nice to see Bo performing to par.

Since it’s open comment Wednesday, does anyone else now regret trading Pete Crow Armstrong for 2 months of Javier Baez and 120 innings from Trevor Williams?

Rick (José Hunter)'s avatar

PC

Regret? How about tearful agony?

Bob Peterson's avatar

I regretted it the day it happened.

Mike Walczak's avatar

So, was Alonso's blast a home run or a foul ball? I read that they needed two different camera angles to overturn the call and they only had one. If that is true, why was there only one camera showing the angle? To me, and this is not saying much, it looked like it was a home run.

T.J.'s avatar

It still escapes me as to why it would be okay to knowingly overpay Bichette who never played in NYC yet to run from Alonso as if he had the plague in fear of his contract not earning out full WAR value. Of course, time hasn’t told the full story on either, but it made no sense at the time of the transactions, it doesn’t make sense now, and it won’t make sense going forward. I’ve never seen where PoBo has received and answered a direct question of this nature.