Talking Trade Deadline with Mediagoon, Keith Blacknick of QBC, on Another Metsian Podcast

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

SATURDAY AT THE GAME

A METSIAN PODCAST

with SAM, RICH, and MIKE

With Featured Guest

Mediagoon 

Keith Blacknick of QBC, aka 

Queens Baseball Convention

sixty-six minutes

STUFF

Marcus Stroman ~ Steven Matz

Noah Syndergaard ~ Trade Deadline ~ Edwin Diaz

Anthony Kay ~ Simeon Woods Richardson

Todd Frazier ~ JD Davis ~ Jeff McNeil

Queens Baseball Convention

Brooklyn Cyclones: Lowell Spinners Complete Coney Island Sweep

From the desk of:  THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

13-16

tied last place

McNamara Division

BROOKLYN CYCLONES: Time for all these college kids to start showing what they can do...

It took some doing, but the 2016 Brooklyn Cyclones are finally assembled.

Former University of Connecticut southpaw Anthony Kay, the Mets first round compensatory draft pick (#31 overall) finally agreed to terms with the club on Wednesday - two days before the July 15 signing deadline - and will report to the Brooklyn Cyclones.

That means all eleven of the Mets first ten round selections are now signed, sealed, and delivered straight out of college - an astonishing turn from the Paul DePodesta era.

That said, let the frat party begin...

Delta Tau Chi - Brooklyn

• Rd. 1 - Justin Dunn, rhp, Boston College
• Rd. 1 - Anthony Kay, lhp, UConn
• Rd. 2 - Peter Alonso, 1b, Florida
• Rd. 3 - Blake Tiberi, 3b, Louisville
• Rd. 4 - Michael Paez, 2b, Coastal Carolina
• Rd. 5 - Colby Woodmansee, ss, Arizona State
• Rd. 7 - Austin McGeorge. rhp, Long Beach State
• Rd. 10 - Gene Cone, of, South Carolina

Kingsport

• Rd. 6 - Chris Viall, rhp, Stanford
• Rd. 8 - Placido Torres, rhp, Tusculum, TN
• Rd. 9 - Colin Holderman, rhp, Heartland CC, IL

Brooklyn's opening week of the regular season was somewhat less like baseball, and something more akin to boot camp, having to play 56 innings (29 extra innings) in the span of just four games/days, highlighted by their 20 inning opening night loss against the Staten Island Yankees.

An omen of things to come?

They were promptly no-hit thereafter, and recently turned the club's first ever triple play.  In other words, the first 39 games of the season have provided fans with a little bit of everything both, good and bad.

Despite their sub .500 record, they've more importantly managed to stay within shouting distance of first place Staten Island, who jumped out to a 5-0 start, and posted a fine 11-3 record in June.  But the junior Bombers have since cooled.  Saturday's loss against Hudson Valley dropped them to 7-9 for the month of July.

Brooklyn, however, is presently failing to seize the moment.  They entered Saturday's action trailing Staten Island by six games, but gained no ground after getting whitewashed 4-0 Saturday, capping off a sweep by the visiting Lowell Spinners, whom initially shut-out the Cyclones 1-0 in Thursday's series opener at MCU Park.

   

The loss dropped Brooklyn's season record to 13-16, but there's a case to be made their season is just beginning.

Saturday only marked Michael Paez' fourth appearance for Brooklyn, as he played for Coastal Carolina during their recently concluded college championship run, while first baseman Peter Alonso just concluded his first full week with the Cyclones.  

The Cyclones presently rank 13th with a .214 team batting average, yet rank sixth in the circuit in runs scored.  So there's hope for this line-up yet.

Likewise, there's hope pitchers Anthony Kay and Justin Dunn can soon help getting Brooklyn's 5th worst team ERA turning in a better direction.

Last Sunday, Justin Dunn (#19 overall) made his Brooklyn debut.  It was his second relief appearance of the season, and for a second straight time pitched two scoreless innings en route to earning his first victory as a professional.  The Hudson Valley Renegades witnessed Dunn's full repertoire, including a fastball that popped the catcher's mitt with a top speed of 97 mph.

He is adhering to a prescribed light schedule - every sixth day.  His next appearance was scheduled for Saturday, June 16.  That never happened.  Perhaps Sunday then?

Dunn otherwise discussed making his first professional start during SNY-TV's live coverage of Wednesday's Cyclones game, perhaps next week against the Aberdeen Ironbirds - albeit a limited three inning start at most.

N.Y. Mets: Still No Agreement With First Round Pick Anthony Kay

From the desks of:  

HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET  and  THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

Still Waiting....

Friday, July 15

is the deadline for amateur draft picks to sign.

The New York Mets have so far agreed to terms with ten of their top eleven 2016 amateur draft picks. Seven reported to the (A-) Brooklyn Cyclones, while three others reported to the Kingsport Mets of the (R) Appalachian League:

Brooklyn

• Rd. 1 - Justin Dunn, rhp
• Rd. 2 - Peter Alonso, 1b
• Rd. 3 - Blake Tiberi, 3b
• Rd. 4 - Michael Paez, ss
• Rd. 5 - Colby Woodmansee, ss
• Rd. 7 - Austin McGeorge. rhp
• Rd. 10 - Gene Cone, of

Kingsport

• Rd. 6 - Chris Viall, rhp
• Rd. 8 - Placido Torres, rhp
• Rd. 9 - Colin Holderman, rhp

Dissecting pitching performances in particular would be premature, as they've only appeared in a handful of games to date.  First round pick (#19 overall) Justin Dunn has made just two appearances for the Cyclones so far, in which he's thrown four scoreless innings.

Of the position players, shortstop Colby Woodmansee is off to a fine start with the Cyclones.  The former Arizona State product made 82 starts at shortstop for the Sun Devils, and wrapped up his collegiate career with 44 RBI.  He is presently hitting .328 (seventh in the NYPL) through 17 games with two home runs and already has a team leading ten RBI.

There's Always One in Every Crowd

Only first round compensatory pick and the #31 overall selection, left-handed pitcher Anthony Kay, remains unsigned (among the Mets top ten round selections.  Four of their top 21 selections remain unsigned).

A University of Connecticut junior hailing from Stony Brook, Long Island, Anthony Kay started 17 games in 2016 for the Huskies posting a 9-2 record with a 2.65 ERA.  He surrendered 99 hits, walked 37 batters, and fanned 111 in 119 innings pitched.  He twice registered ten strikeouts in a game, while hitters hit just .223 against him.

Overall, Kay went 22-12 in 52 games/39 starts with a 2.64 ERA during three seasons at Connecticut, and fanned 263 batters over 286 innings pitched, with a .224 average against.

Brooklyn Cyclones: Justin Dunn Has Entered the Building

From the desk of:  THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

Justin Dunn preparing for professional debut in Brooklyn

BROOKLYN CYCLONES: Mets Sign First Round Draft Pick, Justin Dunn; Next Stop, Coney Island.

The New York Mets and first round draft pick Justin Dunn agreed to a $2.38 million signing bonus Tuesday.  Dunn, 20, is now on his way to come ply his talents here at MCU Park.

A local talent hailing out of Freeport, Long Island, listed at 6'2" and 185 pounds, Dunn was selected #19 overall by the Mets as a junior out of Boston College.  In fact, he tied for the highest RHP pitcher selected in BC history.

He features a mid 90s fastball, a good off-speed curve, hard slider, and an effective change-up to boot.

Dunn was utilized in relief earlier this year, racking up 17 strikeouts with only 3 walks in 9 appearances.  By April, Justin was inserted into the starting rotation and finished out the season totaling eight starts.

Among them - in the days leading into the 2016 amateur draft - Dunn threw seven innings versus Tulane on June 3, in which he allowed 2 earned runs on 5 hits and one walk, and fanned 11 batters.   In his start previous to that, Dunn threw a complete game against Georgia Tech, allowing 2 earned runs on 7 hits, with 9 strikeouts.

In 17 overall appearances, Dunn posted a 4-2 record, with 2 saves and a 2.06 ERA this season, while allowing 52 hits and 18 walks, with 72 strikeouts over 65.2 innings pitched.

Overall, he posted a 9-6 record and 3.45 ERA during three year career at Boston College.  In 120+ innings pitched, Dunn allowed 110 hits but only 25 went for extra bases.  He otherwise allowed 46 earned runs, 48 walks, and fanned 124 batters, while limiting the opposition to a .247 average against.

The Cyclones are still waiting on fellow first round draft pick (#31 overall) LHP Anthony Kay, who has yet to reach an agreement with the Mets.