A Scout’s Look: Mets Big Leaguers and Backfielders

Spring is the season of new beginnings, and for Mets fans, there’s a lot to be excited about. The stellar starting 5 is healthy, the young position core of Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Amed Rosario, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil have a chance to be really good in 2019, and new acquisitions like Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, and Wilson Ramos look poised to fill last years holes.

On break from law school at Arizona State University, I flew out to Florida last week and scouted the Mets on both Major League diamonds and minor league backfields. I spent the week shadowing a 20-year pro scout whose team had him keying in on the Mets—that meant access to closed backfield sessions as well as the perfect scouting view behind home plate for the big league games. Here’s what I saw!

My single biggest takeaway is that Pete Alonso gives the Mets something they sorely lacked last season: a bona fide slugger at 1st base. Alonso is batting .356 with three home runs and a 1.040 OPS this spring after hitting 36 homers between Double-A and Triple-A in 2018 for a .975 OPS. His standout tool is his power, something I marveled at back in October in the Arizona Fall League.

Watching Alonso take BP on a Port St. Lucie backfield, I was struck by how simple and repeatable his swing is. We see so many huge swings these days from hitters selling out for power: they’ll yank their hands way back when loading up then lung violently at the ball. But look how quiet Alonso’s hands are, he just needs that little trigger as they come up at the last second before exploding forward. While he generates some of the highest exit velocities in baseball, he’s not swinging out of his shoes, but following through with balance.

https://twitter.com/TheReelJZ/status/1102589764853743616

All that said, Mets fans already know Pete Alonso has premium power. The thing that makes Alonso special is that he’s not just a big-time slugger, but a good all-around hitter. Not only does he have power to all fields, (highlighted by this majestic bomb off a 103 mph Nate Pearson fastball in the AFL), but he knows when to take a line drive approach to get on base. I saw him hit line drives to left and right against the Nationals at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

https://twitter.com/TheReelJZ/status/1103757049719123970

And keep in mind, because of Alonso’s tremendous strength, a lot of these liners end up in the gaps for extra bases—he hit 31 doubles in 132 games last year on top of his 36 bombs. Perhaps most important is Alonso’s ability to change his approach depending on the count. He’ll look to do damage when he’s ahead in the count, but Alonso shortens his swing and protects the plate with two strikes.

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If you try to pull that pitch from Henderson Alvarez for a home run, you’re probably striking out or bouncing it on the ground. Instead, Alonso goes down and pokes it out to right center to keep the Mets alive with 2 outs in the 9th. Finally, what you have to love about Alonso’s approach this spring is that he hasn’t been content merely to rake at the plate—he’s also put a ton of time into improving as a defender.

I caught him working on the backfields with a small infielders glove so that each pick he makes must be precise. That way, when he puts on a first baseman’s mitt for games, he feels like he has more than enough real estate to scoop any ball he gets to.

Pete Alonso taking ground balls with a middle-infielder’s glove before today’s game against Houston. Like using a weighted donut on your bat so the bat feels super light w/o it, the added challenge here makes using a first base mitt in-game feel like a cheat code 4 @Pete_Alonso20 pic.twitter.com/VeDstwsT4o

— Jacob Zweiback (@TheReelJZ) March 4, 2019

Ok, that’s a lot on Pete Alonso. Bottom line, he has a legit shot at 30 home runs in the Majors this year, and I can see him hitting .270 in his prime with 35+ bombs and a good on-base percentage. Yes, Mets fans, Pete’s for real.

Now let’s move to a prospect who is much farther away from the majors but no less tantalizing: 17-year-old Ronny Mauricio. This kid looks like he might be 6’4″ now, with broad shoulders, and the potential to turn into a physical specimen as he hits the weight room in the coming years. A switch hitter, Mauricio has a smooth stroke from both sides—I could watch him hit all day.

Mets shortstop Ronny Mauricio has special physical tools: doesn’t turn 18 until next month, yet looks like a man amongst boys when standing next to 23 and 24-year-old teammates. Switch hitter, good coordination and major power potential. pic.twitter.com/MDDkfGWkAW

— Jacob Zweiback (@TheReelJZ) March 8, 2019

I didn’t get to see him face live pitching or play defense—but I did see him steal a base. For now, he’s fast (not sure why he was caught stealing in six of his eight attempts in 2018). Of course, as Mauricio gains 20+ pounds from age 17 to 22, he might not be a big base stealer at the Major League level. Along the same lines, he might end up at third base instead of SS—not that many 6’4″, 220 pound shortstops in the game today.

Don’t worry though—the bat is so promising that Mauricio has a chance to be a special player regardless of where he ends up on the diamond. I know a lot of Mets fans bristled at some of the prospects Brodie Van Wagenen traded this offseason, but other than Kelenic, I don’t think any of those guys had the potential of Mauricio. There’s a reason the Mets protected him in their trade talks: this kid has a chance to make a difference in Queens down the road.

Alright then, let’s move on from prospects to a proven MLB star: Edwin Diaz. With relievers like Jeurys Familia, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, and Joe Kelly all getting $25 million and up this offseason, the fact that the Mets have Diaz at just $600k this season is insane.

If you haven’t seen Diaz live, you really need to in order to fully appreciate how electric his arm is. I had this great view of his delivery at a Diamondbacks game in August: look how he explodes forward on his front leg to create maximum torque as he rotates through his torso. Long and loose, it’s like Diaz is snapping a whip every time he throws the baseball.

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Pitching at Miami’s Roger Dean Stadium last week, Diaz was already hitting 97 mph on the radar gun—his average fastball velocity in 2018, when he topped out at a cool 100. With hitters worrying about the fastball, he got two K’s with the slider, including this one on the outside corner (with a little help from umpire C.B. Bucknor).

https://twitter.com/TheReelJZ/status/1103023282805198848

While it’s going to be hard to replicate last year’s 1.96 ERA, .79 WHIP, 57 saves, and 124 K’s in 73 innings, Diaz is in a special tier of relievers with Blake Treinen and Josh Hader, and turns the Mets bullpen into a strength after it has snake-bitten them ever since the 2015 World Series. For my in-depth breakdown of December’s Diaz-Cano trade, click here.

Speaking of filthy pitchers, here is the single filthiest pitch I saw by a Met last week: Seth Lugo wiping out Boston’s Joseph Monge with his signature high-spin curveball. (I incorrectly wrote that it was Josh Ockimey batting in my tweet).

One of the best curveballs in baseball: @seth_lugo wipes out Josh Ockimey. Statcast has measured Lugo’s curve at as high as a record 3,500 rotations per minute. Lugo also threw the 4-seamer, 2-seam, slider, and changeup today—key piece for Mets in 2019. pic.twitter.com/3mczilXUcM

— Jacob Zweiback (@TheReelJZ) March 4, 2019

And as for the best swing I saw in person, here’s Brandon Nimmo blasting off at a closed backfield scrimmage that also included Alonso, Carlos Gomez (his first day with the Mets), Travis d’Arnaud, Keon Broxton, Danny Espinosa, Rajai Davis, and Tim Tebow.

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With the access, Spring Training grants you to see players up close comes a greater appreciation for just how hard they work to be the best at what they do. I caught this great moment at the pitching mounds: while Steven Matz works intently on his delivery, Jason Vargas—ever the thinking man’s pitcher—tells his catcher what pitch sequence to expect: curveball in the dirt then curveball at the knees, alternating many times over. Of course, with Vargas’s elite command, he hit his spot every time.

Steven Matz and Jason Vargas working on the mounds at Port St. Lucie today. @Smatz88 showing you the athleticism and strength in his delivery, Vargas planning out his pitch sequence with catcher then executing ++ command. These guys work hard! pic.twitter.com/NWY1fTsJX8

— Jacob Zweiback (@TheReelJZ) March 8, 2019

Well, that about does it for my notes from spring training. But, hmmm, it feels like I’m forgetting someone important. Was there a Met who accomplished historic feats last year and is looking to spearhead a 2019 postseason run? Oh yeah, this guy:

https://twitter.com/TheReelJZ/status/1103728786586128385

If you’re a Mets fan (as I’m sure you are), you already know all about Jacob deGrom‘s lightning-quick arm action, dominant stuff, and pinpoint command. But one thing that’s hard to fully appreciate on TV is just how balanced Mr. Cy Young is on every pitch.

Sitting behind home plate, I was amazed by #48’s athleticism and flexibility, striding seven feet down the mound so that the ball jumps on hitters from an unusually low release point, he stays over his front leg and keeps his head in position towards the target. In fact, the “Mets” on his jersey is flush towards home plate in this shot—the perfect indicator that deGrom is opening up neither early nor late, but right on time.

One more note on deGrom’s delivery: look how balanced he is despite the long, low stride and whiplike torque. Incredible body control. pic.twitter.com/bB8K6hop5O

— Jacob Zweiback (@TheReelJZ) March 7, 2019

Coming at hitters with such an explosive delivery, it’s no wonder they struggle to stay back on his changeup:

Jacob deGrom owns Michael Taylor with an 89 mph changeup. One of 3 dominant pitches @JdeGrom19 used to win the Cy last year, mixing in the occasional curveball as a 4th. pic.twitter.com/M9JxTNUFov

— Jacob Zweiback (@TheReelJZ) March 7, 2019

Well, there you have it. From prospects both seasoned and raw to dynamic relievers and premium starters, the Mets have good reasons to like their chances in 2019. And as for the MLB scout I shadowed the entire week, he sees New York as the favorite to win the NL East. In just 12 days, we’ll all begin putting our predictions to the test, as the season opens with deGrom facing Max Scherzer in Washington, D.C.

Follow me on Twitter @thereeljz