OT: Official Mets' 2024 Thread (p. 19)

[HarthorneWingo]

Marte, Alonso, McNeil, Baty and Narvaez were a combined 1-22 today.

Picking 5 out of 9, that can happen. Nimmo & Lindor had good games. Mets hitting overall is basically average. A few are above average, but no studs at the plate. Baty is struggling lately and Narvaez is terrible. Lindor will probably pick things up but below average so far this year. McNeil has been average at the plate for a while. Nobody expected Bader to hit. The lineup could use a boost, even after JD Martinez.

8th in OPS in the NL, 100 team OPS+ (exactly average).

2nd in ERA is impressive though, even if Citifield plays as a pitcher's park, that's still well above average. Replace Houser's 22 earned runs in 23 innings and their pitching looks even better.

We're really missing Alvarez. But I have enough of McNeil, Baty, and Narvaez. Is McNeil even average anymore? I'd like to start to see us begin to bring these minor leaguers up. Maybe we trade McNeil and Narvaez before the deadline.

[Luv those Knicks]

Marte, Alonso, McNeil, Baty and Narvaez were a combined 1-22 today.

Picking 5 out of 9, that can happen. Nimmo & Lindor had good games. Mets hitting overall is basically average. A few are above average, but no studs at the plate. Baty is struggling lately and Narvaez is terrible. Lindor will probably pick things up but below average so far this year. McNeil has been average at the plate for a while. Nobody expected Bader to hit. The lineup could use a boost, even after JD Martinez.

8th in OPS in the NL, 100 team OPS+ (exactly average).

2nd in ERA is impressive though, even if Citifield plays as a pitcher's park, that's still well above average. Replace Houser's 22 earned runs in 23 innings and their pitching looks even better.

We're really missing Alvarez. But I have enough of McNeil, Baty, and Narvaez. Is McNeil even average anymore? I'd like to start to see us begin to bring these minor leaguers up. Maybe we trade McNeil and Narvaez before the deadline.

McNeil had a 100 OPS+ going into the game - spot on average, and 2nd basement tend to be a tick below average. Not as bad as catchers or CFs, but a little bit. He's pretty close to the definition of an average hitter right now I think.

Baty is young and deserves more time, unless you want to put Vientos out there, but I think Vientos K's too much and his glove isn't as good as Baty's, so Baty is the guy I'd go with.

Alvarez shows potential, but he's been an average bat in the majors. 96 OPS+ last year, 89 this year, which could still be above average for a starting catcher, but he's not a good hitter yet. He's young though and a plus glove.

I don't think it's time for the minor leaguers. Acuna is young and not hitting much in AAA. Jett is in AA, so too soon for him. Gilbert is hurt.

[Luv those Knicks]

Wow. Ugly outing by Quinny. He pitched a gem last time, so too soon to panic or make any changes, but it'll be interesting to see what happens when Senga & Megil return (Megil pitched 2.2 innings the other day against the "Yard Goats" and as far as minor league team names go, "Yard Goats" is one of the best.

2nd rehab start, 4Ks, 1 homer. Not terrible). Megill is getting close. In that same game, Joander Suarez replaced Megill and pitched perfectly the rest of the way. 6.1 innings, no hits, no walks. More on him below.

Houser officially to the Pen. Scott tomorrow.

16-16, but the bats woke up. 2 homers by Baty is nice. Mets are dead last in the league at throwing runners out percentage. Absolutely last, but I think Nido is better than Narvaez (slightly). That's not all on the catcher, it's also on the pitchers, but if everything else is clicking, a team can give up some stolen bases and still win.

In the Minors:

Hayden Senger is supposed to be a gifted glove at catcher, but he'd probably hit about as well as Doug Flynn, so he might see majors at some point, but also might not. The lack of a bat makes him pretty fringe.

Jonah Tong laughs at high A. His ERA is still 0.00 on the year. His high-A numbers weren't quite as lights-out as low A, but it was still a good outing for the kid who's still too young to buy a drink.

Tong wasn't on anyone's top 30 prospect lists 2 months ago. Now he's going to make everyone's mid-season list and perhaps even crack an occasional top 10. His start for Brooklyn: 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 run (unearned), 3 walks, 5 Ks.

Any New Yorkers, a trip to Coney Island to see him pitch might not be a bad way to spend the day and see the cyclones.

Joander Suarez isn't a top prospect. Amazin Ave ranked him as the mets #21 prospect in their off-season list, but the perfect outing probably got some notice. Several players are ahead of him this year and he's probably a fringe 40 man roster player next year, so it's hard to predict what will happen with him, but if he keeps pitching like this, he could get an AAA promotion at some point this year.

https://www.amazinavenue.com/2024/1/8/24029508/mets-top-25-prospects-2024-joander-suarez-pitching-new-york

[HarthorneWingo]

Christian Scott’s first MLB start against the Rays will be nationally televised on Fox tonight.

[Luv those Knicks]

Christian Scott’s first MLB start against the Rays will be nationally televised on Fox tonight.

Scott gave up hits to the first 3 batters he faced, but after that, smooth sailing. 6.2 innings on 96 pitches. He kept the pen rested, and after the first 3 hits, 6.2 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 6 ks. About as good a start as you could ask for.

Mets bats didn't contribute, so 16-17 but still a feel-good game.

[blueNorange]

pretty good i guess

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=6rskMP22ib9Gcn7bulfaTg

[HarthorneWingo]

Scott already looks like our best pitcher.

[Rich Rane]

Ugh wish you guys took at least one from the Rays.

[HarthorneWingo]

Ugh wish you guys took at least one from the Rays.

We can’t hit and Diaz still isn’t right after that WBC injury/surgery. Fastball has lost a couple of yards. We suck.

[Luv those Knicks]

Ugh wish you guys took at least one from the Rays.

We can’t hit and Diaz still isn’t right after that WBC injury/surgery. Fastball has lost a couple of yards. We suck.

I'd say the Mets are closer to solid-average.

I think it's a good thing that they didn't sign Pete to 6-180 or whatever Boras would have asked for. He's a big slow guy and his bat speed isn't all that, so he's probably a 220 hitter going forward. That's not worth 30 million even with 40 homers.

Nimmo's drawing walks, so he's not as bad as his average looks. Lindor should get better, but if the best hitters the Mets have are high 700 OPS types, maybe a few in the low 800s . . . An average season on offense might be what we're looking at.

Baty has been kind of fun and maybe he gets better. .270 average is encouraging. (only 3 mets starters are hitting above .240, Bader, Marte & Baty, or 4 if you count JD Martinez.

But the pitching has been above average, and if Scott keeps this up (Scott is on an innings limit and probably won't be on the team for playoffs), but Scott and when Senga returns, that's potentially a solid 1-2. If they can get 3,4,5 out of the rest, that's not bad.

Looks like an 83-86 win team right now, but better if things click (and worse if they don't). I'm not sure how much Acuna will help or when Gilbert will return, but the OF is 4 deep right now and Bader/Taylor are doing fine, so there's no spot for Gilbert. Acuna could replace Wendle (who's been awful) and maybe slide into a platoon with McNeil at 2nd, though McNeil isn't a big splits guy, but maybe Acuna is . . . not sure. I think the point is, after Scott, there's probably not a ton of help coming. Maybe some, but not a lot.

Peterson made a rehab start the other day, so they have an abundance of starting pitching and could maybe be both sellers and buyers at the trade deadline. There's lots of ways this season could go.

Tidwell and McLean had their best outings so far, Tiddy for AA (he's a 2025 guy, I doubt we see him this year) and McLean was just drafted last year - 2 way player, but his pitching is above his hitting. He's further away. High A this season.

Throw in Sproat & Tong, and the Mets have some exciting arms that could come up in 2025 and 2026. Not quite what they had 10 years ago, but still a nice collection of arms to look forward to.

Nick Morabito got promoted to high A. (another guy to see for anyone who goes to Cyclone games). Morabito was a 2nd round pick and speedy CF drafted out of HS in 2022 and at 20 years old, not old enough to drink. His bat has lagged behind his glove before this year, but something clicked and he was hitting .408 with a .536 OBP in low A this year and was very deserving of a promotion. He'll never be a power hitter, but guys who can field, hit for average and draw walks are still useful. He's maybe a fringe top 25 prospect in the Mets system right now, but still one to watch and I wish him success in A+.

And in the "MUCH TOO SOON" minor league watch. Boston Baro (who might end up a better SS prospect than Colin Houck from the same draft), made his 2024 debut a few days ago and he's had a hit in every game so far. Bo'Bar is 4 for 11 with a triple and 5 walks in 4 games. Between Bo'Bar, Houck and Marco Vargas (who hasn't played regularly, I'm not sure why), St. Lucie has a lot of young SS talent. (I'm going to call him Bo'Bar, unless anyone objects).

I'll stop now.

[HarthorneWingo]

Ugh wish you guys took at least one from the Rays.

We can’t hit and Diaz still isn’t right after that WBC injury/surgery. Fastball has lost a couple of yards. We suck.

I'd say the Mets are closer to solid-average.

I think it's a good thing that they didn't sign Pete to 6-180 or whatever Boras would have asked for. He's a big slow guy and his bat speed isn't all that, so he's probably a 220 hitter going forward. That's not worth 30 million even with 40 homers.

Nimmo's drawing walks, so he's not as bad as his average looks. Lindor should get better, but if the best hitters the Mets have are high 700 OPS types, maybe a few in the low 800s . . . An average season on offense might be what we're looking at.

Baty has been kind of fun and maybe he gets better. .270 average is encouraging. (only 3 mets starters are hitting above .240, Bader, Marte & Baty, or 4 if you count JD Martinez.

But the pitching has been above average, and if Scott keeps this up (Scott is on an innings limit and probably won't be on the team for playoffs), but Scott and when Senga returns, that's potentially a solid 1-2. If they can get 3,4,5 out of the rest, that's not bad.

Looks like an 83-86 win team right now, but better if things click (and worse if they don't). I'm not sure how much Acuna will help or when Gilbert will return, but the OF is 4 deep right now and Bader/Taylor are doing fine, so there's no spot for Gilbert. Acuna could replace Wendle (who's been awful) and maybe slide into a platoon with McNeil at 2nd, though McNeil isn't a big splits guy, but maybe Acuna is . . . not sure. I think the point is, after Scott, there's probably not a ton of help coming. Maybe some, but not a lot.

Peterson made a rehab start the other day, so they have an abundance of starting pitching and could maybe be both sellers and buyers at the trade deadline. There's lots of ways this season could go.

Tidwell and McLean had their best outings so far, Tiddy for AA (he's a 2025 guy, I doubt we see him this year) and McLean was just drafted last year - 2 way player, but his pitching is above his hitting. He's further away. High A this season.

Throw in Sproat & Tong, and the Mets have some exciting arms that could come up in 2025 and 2026. Not quite what they had 10 years ago, but still a nice collection of arms to look forward to.

Nick Morabito got promoted to high A. (another guy to see for anyone who goes to Cyclone games). Morabito was a 2nd round pick and speedy CF drafted out of HS in 2022 and at 20 years old, not old enough to drink. His bat has lagged behind his glove before this year, but something clicked and he was hitting .408 with a .536 OBP in low A this year and was very deserving of a promotion. He'll never be a power hitter, but guys who can field, hit for average and draw walks are still useful. He's maybe a fringe top 25 prospect in the Mets system right now, but still one to watch and I wish him success in A+.

And in the "MUCH TOO SOON" minor league watch. Boston Baro (who might end up a better SS prospect than Colin Houck from the same draft), made his 2024 debut a few days ago and he's had a hit in every game so far. Bo'Bar is 4 for 11 with a triple and 5 walks in 4 games. Between Bo'Bar, Houck and Marco Vargas (who hasn't played regularly, I'm not sure why), St. Lucie has a lot of young SS talent. (I'm going to call him Bo'Bar, unless anyone objects).

I'll stop now.

We have too many weak spots in the order. Nimmo is hitting just over .200. McNeil sucks. 1 HR, 7 RBIs and BA well under .250. Nido and Narvaez can't hit. And then there's Pete. No wonder we can't score runs.

On the pitching side, we walk way too many hitters to be successful in the long run unless we some more changes to the rotation. Yes, Senga is coming back and hopefully he's healthy but I don't have high hopes for Megil. He's never been consistent.

I would seriously consider looking to trade McNeil and Nimmo for sure. DJ Stewart and his .190 BA can go too. I'd rather Vientos get those ABs. Trade Joey Wendle, the gold glove fielder who can't field ... or hit for that matter.

I can tell already that season is lost. Too many issues.

[Luv those Knicks]

We have too many weak spots in the order. Nimmo is hitting just over .200. McNeil sucks. 1 HR, 7 RBIs and BA well under .250. Nido and Narvaez can't hit. And then there's Pete. No wonder we can't score runs.

On the pitching side, we walk way too many hitters to be successful in the long run unless we some more changes to the rotation. Yes, Senga is coming back and hopefully he's healthy but I don't have high hopes for Megil. He's never been consistent.

I would seriously consider looking to trade McNeil and Nimmo for sure. DJ Stewart and his .190 BA can go too. I'd rather Vientos get those ABs. Trade Joey Wendle, the gold glove fielder who can't field ... or hit for that matter.

I can tell already that season is lost. Too many issues.

From a roster perspective, they're not trading Nimmo. They don't have enough OFs to do that.

Bader is gone after 2024 and Marte after 2025. Marte is also injury prone at his age, so, no way they trade Nimmo.

I doubt they trade Jeff either because he can play 2B and LF and that's good versatility to have and it's a little early to give the job to Acuna and say - go out there every day.

DJ has 17 walks, he leads the team in OPS and he's got a .380 OBP. If he starts to struggle, then sure. Vientos is there to replace him, but he was good last year and even with the low average, he leads the Mets in OPS this year. I think he's fine.

Wendle sucks, so if they trade him, it'll probably be for cash like they got for Short or Diekman (I think it was Diekman). Zero trade value, but getting rid of Wendle - sure. Sign me up.

I'd look for them to trade Houser too. Maybe there's a team out there desperate for pitching who'd take him. With Megill close to returning, Houser is an odd-man out, even as a long man and spot starter.

Alonso is a guy they could trade. That would make an opening to look at Vientos at 1B. I don't know if they do that unless they're out of the playoff hunt, but that could happen.

They're certainly going to make some trades, but I also think it's too soon to give up on the season.

Hitting is down across MLB, so if you just look at the numbers, I don't think that gives a complete picture. Look at OPS+

Nimmo, for example, has a 120 OPS+. Alonso 107. DJ Stewart, 136.

McNeil was at 100 the last time I mentioned him, but his struggles the last few games, he's at 83. Ouch. Lowest among Mets starters and Lindor is up to .95 and much better than that if you remove the slow start.

I think there are more good pitchers and pitching beats hitting. I think that's the reason.

https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/offense-is-down-across-mlb-and-rob-manfred-cant-be-happy

OPS correlates to team-level run scoring more than any other statistic. 24 points of OPS is a significant drop. League-wide OPS has not been below .700 since 1989. It appears that the efforts of MLB to increase batting average through the elimination of the shift is not working either. A .240 batting average is not only five points lower than last year, it would be the lowest since 1968, when it was .237.

I don't think there's a solution to better pitching, unless they move the pitching mound back a foot or maybe even 6 inches. That would be interesting.

But if they do end up sucking, then they can sell players at the deadline.

Trade Pete
Trade Severino, Manea and maybe Quintana (all 3 are either free agents or can opt to be free agents next year).
Maybe trade Bader if a team wants him & JD Martinez.

Interestingly, they have enough starters, even if they trade those 3 starters and Houser.
Senga, Scott, Butto, Megill, Peterson, Luchessi, Kranik, and in a pinch, Vasil/Hamil.

I guess they could try to trade McNeil too though he's owed 33.5 million for 2025/26 with the buyout for 27, so I don't think any team would take that right now.

If they really do suck, then they have a fire sale like they did last year. I don't think they'll get what they got for Verlander & Scherzer, but they'll get something.

But I'm not convinced they suck. The bats need to wake up, and I'd give that maybe 1 chance in 3, but it's not impossible, and maybe they're buyers, not sellers at the deadline.

[Luv those Knicks]

7 runs on 14 hits is good. Every starter got a hit except DJ Stewart. Pete with the homer and double. Nimmo with the homer and a walk. McNeil with 3 hits. OK, it's just one game, but still good to see.

Apparently the Mets did something pretty slick. They offered Nido arbitration last year, paying him 2.1 million even though he wasn't on the 40. That contract likely kept teams from picking him up via waivers and Nido stayed a Met, and now he's playing more than Narvaez, who seems to have aged beyond where he's anything more than a disappointing backup. Look for an Alvarez/Nido combo when Alvarez returns.

Butto got hit hard in the first inning, but that's going to happen sometimes. He's still been solid for a fill in pitcher and he has options. It's nice to have guys like that on the roster.

I think the Mets are going to look at trading Houser soon, or maybe they do something creative like try to slip him through waivers, but I don't know if he'd make it, even with his ERA. Megill is maybe a week from returning, if he has no issues. Senga has started throwing batting practice. Senga has an opt-out of his contract after 2025 if he pitches 400 innings over his first 3 years. He pitched 166.1 last year, and in 2/3rds of a season this year, assuming he makes it back, he's still probably good for 110-120 this year. He's obviously going to want to opt-out after 2025 and get a bigger contract if he can, but he needs to stay reasonably healthy the rest of the way.

in the minors, Syracuse had a laugher, beating the Iron Pigs 18-3. (Iron Pigs is another great name - minor league teams have the best names). 13 hits, 10 walks. The hitters who stood out are the guys Brosseau & Gammel 3 hits each, Thompson with the homer and 6 RBI. Acuna & Vientos both when 1 for 5 with a walk.

Megill (mentioned above), 4 innings, 0 hits, 1 walk, 7 Ks. He's close to returning.

The Florida Coast League (FCL) mets also won a laugher 15-0. Some names to watch on that list including two million plus dollar signings from 2022, I think? (Willy Fanas and Simon Juan) But perhaps the biggest name of the bunch is Jeremy Rodriguez who the Mets got from Tommy Pham last year. At 17, Jeremy is the youngest player on the team and while it's early, his bat looks legit. What the Mets got in trade last year at the deadline feels almost like highway robbery. Certainly they crushed the Pham and Robertson trades. Almost unfair.

Jeffry Rosa is mentioned in the article below. He crushed it with 15 homers last year in the DSL but 2nd year stats in DSL don't mean a whole lot. And 4th round pick out of HS, AJ Ewing (no relation to Pat), is also on the team. $675 signing bonus for the draftee. Ewing is, as I recall, a speedy/defensive type more than a bat. Drafted as a SS, getting a look in CF.

And Joel Diaz is back from Tommy John in the pen. Diaz (again no relation to the more famous one), got noticed in 2021 for pitching 55 innings, giving up 29 hits and just 3 earned runs (0.54 era) with 63 Ks and 9 walks - numbers that really stand out, in the DSL, though he struggled after promotion in 2022 and missed 2023 due to Tommy John. Diaz has decent stuff and throws up to 97. He might be one to keep an eye on.

https://metsminors.net/jeremy-rodriguez-jeffry-rosa-highlight-fcl-mets-roster/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jeremy-rodriguez-jeffry-rosa-highlight-fcl-mets-roster

Nothing of note with the other 3 teams. 2 hits and 3 RBI for 2 way player Nolan McLean. The mets like him as a pitcher more than a hitter, but McLean wants to be a 2 way player and the Mets are going to let him try, allowing him to DH most days he's not pitching.

I regret mentioning Boston Baro after 4 games, because he went hitless in the next 2. I'm a sucker for pretty stats, but need to be more careful with sample size. (don't look at FCL numbers, just 3 games . . . too soon)

Back to the majors.

Mets are 18-18.

After Scott & Severino, the pitching feels average, but when Senga returns, that's not necessarily a bad rotation. Could be well above average with 3 plus pitchers. The bats woke up for a day. The jury is still out.

[HarthorneWingo]

We’re hanging around.

[Luv those Knicks]

Rain out today, game off tomorrow then 3 against Atlanta and 4 against Philly. I don't believe a single series defines a season, but this could be an interesting statement for the .500 Mets to see if they can win some games against the division leaders.

In the minors

Peterson, 3.2 innings in Low-A St. Lucie. 1 hit, 1 walk, 7 Ks. Solid outing. I still don't know what they'll do when all their starters are ready to come back. It's too many starters. Houser is a guy they might try to sell, but he's also an arm they might want to have to fall back on in case of injury so . . . who knows.

Jonah Tong wasn't bad, but he had his first so-so outing and first earned run on the year. 4 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 4 walks, 4 Ks.

[Luv those Knicks]

Not mets related, but I like this:

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/how-much-are-minor-league-baseball-players-paid-in-2024/

[HarthorneWingo]

Rain out today, game off tomorrow then 3 against Atlanta and 4 against Philly. I don't believe a single series defines a season, but this could be an interesting statement for the .500 Mets to see if they can win some games against the division leaders.

In the minors

Peterson, 3.2 innings in Low-A St. Lucie. 1 hit, 1 walk, 7 Ks. Solid outing. I still don't know what they'll do when all their starters are ready to come back. It's too many starters. Houser is a guy they might try to sell, but he's also an arm they might want to have to fall back on in case of injury so . . . who knows.

Jonah Tong wasn't bad, but he had his first so-so outing and first earned run on the year. 4 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 4 walks, 4 Ks.

Seems like a move is coming re the starting pitching. The question is who can they option to the minors? Butto?

[Luv those Knicks]

Rain out today, game off tomorrow then 3 against Atlanta and 4 against Philly. I don't believe a single series defines a season, but this could be an interesting statement for the .500 Mets to see if they can win some games against the division leaders.

In the minors

Peterson, 3.2 innings in Low-A St. Lucie. 1 hit, 1 walk, 7 Ks. Solid outing. I still don't know what they'll do when all their starters are ready to come back. It's too many starters. Houser is a guy they might try to sell, but he's also an arm they might want to have to fall back on in case of injury so . . . who knows.

Jonah Tong wasn't bad, but he had his first so-so outing and first earned run on the year. 4 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 4 walks, 4 Ks.

Seems like a move is coming re the starting pitching. The question is who can they option to the minors? Butto?

Peterson & Megill might have options. Butto definitely does. The locked on Mets guy thinks the Mets will use Peterson as a reliever, due to his being a lefty.

I'm not sure what to predict. Quintana got hit hard again today, so . . . I don't know what they'll do when everyone is healthy. 6 man rotation idea is being thrown around.

- -

Edit, Quinny had a bad inning more than a bad game. 3 homers given up in one inning. He doesn't have great stuff and he's going to be hit sometimes.

2 hits for Pete. Encouraging? 4 hits for the Mets overall - not so much. Same review. This team is average right now. The bats aren't batting, but the jury is still out.

Blade Tidwell got rocked for 10 hits and 5 runs in 2 innings. Not his usual dominant outing. Despite the shellacking, he's still got a 2.59 ERA and 1.117 WHIP on the season over 31 innings. Binghamton bailed him out with 9 runs, so he didn't get the loss.

[Luv those Knicks]

Nearly no-hit and 0-2 against the Barves this series. Several hard hit balls though. They weren't quite as bad as teh boxscore, and Scott could have been a lot better without the homer, so . . . not as bad as it looks, but still 0-2.

Houser, apparently has had more success as a relief pitcher than a starter. He might have some success here in that role. His career numbers as a reliever are pretty good.

[Luv those Knicks]

Clifford & Sproat have been promoted to AA. Sproat has been lights out, and too good for high A. (4.3 hits per 9, 1.07 era), though his walk rate needs to come down, but the stuff is getting high praise and guys who watch minor leaguers say he has a higher ceiling than Tidwell. Mets are very happy with this draft pick.

It took just 25 minor league innings for Sproat to reach AA. That's fast.

Clifford has been struggling, but 32 walks in 31 games, I wonder how many pitchers are just trying to pitch around the big fella, and Brooklyn isn't an easy park for lefties. So, even if the stats aren't there, the Mets like what they saw enough to promote him.

In the further down the list category, Nick Morabito continues his solid season. He got promoted to Brooklyn about a week ago, and in 5 games, he's 6 for 18 with 4 walks and 4 Ks. If he keeps this up he might break the Mets top 15 or 20 prospects by mid year or end of year, in a deep system. A speed guy not a power guy, but can play CF.

Finally, Jeffry Rosa might be a sleeper top 20 prospect by year end too. The 19 year old was recently promoted to low-A from FCL. He's played 7 games this year and hit 3 homers, after hitting 15 homers and slugging .669 in the Dominican league last year. Strong kid who seems to have a talent for the long ball. Another one to watch this year.