A Metropolitan Manuscript- Apples, Queens and Numbers
 NEW YORK has always been one of America's most iconic cities. From the Empire State Building to Times Square and on over to the Statue of Liberty, it's truly an American treasure. Maybe it's the monuments, maybe it's the cuisine or maybe it's "Seinfeld"... or maybe, just maybe, it's the game of baseball. Just about every city has its fair share of monuments and its own unique cuisine but you'd be hard pressed to find a city with a better baseball tradition than New York. From the classic Brooklyn Dodgers to the Yankees teams of the 90s... New York is the baseball capital of the world (No seriously, MLB is headquartered out of the city). But we're forgetting someone... Someone important. The New York Mets; the other guys. The Mets are just as important to the story as the Dodgers or Yankees are... It's been a while since they've gone to the playoffs but it has been even longer since they've won the World Series. Tom Seaver has been long gone. Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden are gone... With the recent Ponzi scheme and poor baseball decisions, the franchise has been stuck in limbo... but now, that's all about to change... If you're hoping for a 162 game recap, then you're not going to find it here. This is a manuscript for rebuilding a franchise, the correct way. Through the draft, with international free agents and one secret ingredient... numbers. Roster- OSFM Hybrid 2.3 Sliders- Custom 30 Team Control- Hah... good one. Vita doesn't have it. CPU Roster Control- ...Yeah |
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Re: A Metropolitan Manuscript- Apples, Queens and Numbers
Yessir, it's glad to be back in the swing of things, it's been about a month since I've played the show so I'm plenty rusty on the sticks...
******  Willie Singleton wasn't exactly the coolest kid in his high school days. He was that tall lanky kid with the glasses that always wore the collard shirts. You could say he was a nerd... but while the other "nerds" talked about their comic books and computer games, Willie was crunching numbers... specifically baseball numbers. You see, Willie had always had an affinity for baseball but wasn't anything special despite playing 3 years of Varsity baseball. What he lacked in talent, Willie more than made up with in his baseball IQ which was through the roof. As a high school kid, he probably knew more about the game than the commissioner. He could spit off records, important games and give you his opinion in one quick conversation. It was his baseball IQ and his affinity for his game that would later shape his future. Willie ended up graduating from Harvard University in 1999 with a degree in political science and a minor in economics on an academic scholarship. In order to push himself through Law School, Willie went to work as a financial adviser for AIG (American Investment Group). The world of economics however was not all it was cracked up to be. So Willie would arrive at work at 7:00 AM, well before anyone else and would finish his days work by noon or one in the afternoon. The rest of the day, Willie would sit at his desk with his calculator, a pad of paper and the days' sports page and would crunch numbers until 8:00 PM when everyone else had already gone home. Just Prior to the 2003 baseball season, Willie got a call from the newly anointed Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein asking if he had time to come down to Fenway for a job interview. Willie hopped into his Mustang and drove from New York up to his hometown, Boston. Theo met Willie at the gates and they walked up to the press box and sat in the front row and looked at the field. Theo had brought Willie up to Boston because the Red Sox were looking for cheaper, alternative ways to build a franchise. Phase 1 of Theo's plan was finding smart people that could crunch numbers and analyze them. Not wanting to be stuck behind a desk all day and with an opportunity to live out his dream, Willie accepted a position with the Boston Red Sox Organization title "Special Adviser to the General Manager". From 2003 to 2011, Willie worked in the Boston Red Sox with the legendary Bill James trying to uncover players that could be valuable to the franchise and that would be cost effective, by doing his favorite thing, crunching numbers. After the disastererous 2011 season, Willie followed Theo Epstein and other members of the Boston Red Sox to the Chicago Cubs. There, Willie became Theo's Vice President of Scouting and Player Development. In his tenure with the Cubs, Willie found talented players such as Javier Baez and Albert Almora while playing a critical roll in the decision to trade for First Baseman Anthony Rizzo. However, things were changing for Willie. For the past 10 years, he had compiled an impressive resume and was at the forefront of the industry in analyzing and creating numbers. His talents and accomplishments weren't going unnoticed by the baseball industry. Prior to the 2013 season, www.mlbtraderumors.com listed Willie as the #4 GM Candidate in baseball. Prior to the 2013 season, Willie was offered a position titled "Special Assistant to Baseball Operations" by the New York Mets. The unusual position title was to serve as a smokescreen which translated to "Future GM Successor". Willie had played second fiddle for most of his career and this position was just what he needed to start the next chapter of his career. Willie was ready to run things the way he wanted. He helped rebuild the Red Sox, he created the opening phases of the Cubs' rebuild project and now, it was time for him to begin his own rebuild project... |
Re: A Metropolitan Manuscript- Apples, Queens and Numbers
Very awesome intro to Willie Singleton Royals. Always enjoy reading your writings. Looking forward to your work as always.
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Re: A Metropolitan Manuscript- Apples, Queens and Numbers
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****** (made in Photoshop) The future is going to be a big part of this franchise. I would be lying through my teeth if I told you that we were in win now mode... that's just not going to fly. This thing needs to be overhauled big time, not many of the players on the current roster have any sort of value... even when looking at the numbers. We could try to rush a winner into action but by looking at the current farm system, most, if not all of the current impact talent is major league ready. Wheeler... d'Arnaud... Familia... it's all towards the top. We've got a few gems down lower in the system like Nimmo, Syndergaard, Cecchini and Smith. That may look like a lot, but 6 or 7 players doesn't win a championship. It takes 25 players and right now, the system is loaded with impact talent... then there's 50 feet of crap and then, there's maybe a few gems. We might be inclined to Huston Astros this thing if we don't show promise this season. We need more talent to fuel this franchise and turn it around. In other words, we need to completely overhaul the way this organization is run from top to bottom. We might as well shift on over to the top 20 prospects because that's what you all are reading this post for right? 1. Zack Wheeler- RHP The key figure of the Carlos Beltran trade, Wheeler has shown plenty of promise in his short time with the Mets. Wheeler has electric front of the rotation type stuff and some tweaks to cleanup his delivery have improved his control to give him legit #1 starter potential. Wheeler will get a long look in Spring Training but with this type of talent, and given the current financial situation, the New York Mets will not rush him. 2. Noah Syndergaard- RHP One of the key pieces of the R.A. Dickey trade, Syndergaard has the build and stuff of a future #1 starter. With just two pro seasons under his belt, he still has a long way to go before he can crack the Mets' rotation. At this stage in his development, Syndergaard needs to develop a plus breaking pitch to solidify his status as a front of the rotation arm. 3. Travis d'Arnaud-C With d'Arnaud, its never been a question of talent or potential but rather can he stay healthy enough to be an impact player. Another key prospect from the R.A. Dickey trade, d'Arnaud is widely viewed as the top catching prospect in all of baseball. He has a power bat and good contact skills to match plus defensive skills. The fact that d'Arnaud brings plus tools to both sides of the ball makes him a legit impact prospect at the catcher position. 4. Brandon Nimmo-OF Nimmo was drafted as a very, very raw high school outfielder with great tools across the board. As a 20 year old, he's still raw but the gears are starting to turn in his development. With a plus bat and average fielding skills, it's likely that Nimmo ends up moving to a corner outfield spot. At this stage, there is no reason to rush him to the big leagues so the Mets will take it slow with this talent. 5. Gavin Cecchini-SS Cecchini is everything you look for in a big league shortstop. He has a plus hit tool, weak power and plus defensive tools. Right now, Cecchini is a good shortstop prospect. If he can develop more power then he could be a great one. At just 19 years old, he's still very raw but it already looks like the Mets have their leadoff man of the future. 6. Domonic Smith-1B/OF Smith doesn't really have a natural position at this point. However, his bat more than makes up for that. Given Ike Davis' recent struggles he could end up at 1st base. Or since the Mets aren't particularly deep in the outfield he could end up manning a corner position there. Regardless though, Smith has the potential to hit for average and power making him a potential middle of the order threat. 7. Jeurys Familia-RHP To be honest, Familia has better raw stuff than Syndergaard and Wheeler. However, his lack of control is what has him so low on the list. Right now, Familia needs to touch up his command but could find himself in a bullpen role. He's going to get a long look in Spring Training but his arm might be too special to leave off the roster this time. 8. Wilmer Flores-3B One of baseball's top 3rd base prospects will probably have to make a move to another position for obvious reasons. Flores' bat is just too special to just leave to toil in the minors. He doesn't run very well but his arm is graded out as a plus. He's still young so at this point, he's bound to spend some time in AAA to learn to play a corner outfield spot. 9. Rafael Montero-RHP Yet another one of the Mets' high ceiling arms, Montero is a different breed however. He has a plus fastball with average secondary pitches. His advanced command separates him from the other prospects at this point with just average secondary pitches. However, Montero still projects as a middle of the rotation arm. 10. Michael Fulmer-RHP It should be no shocker that another arm rounds out the top 10. He's another one of those pitchability guys with great stuff. He has a plus fastball and a plus slider to go with an average change up. With his durable frame and his workhorse mentality, he should be an excellent back end of the rotation type. 11. Luis Mateo-RHP Plus, plus stuff across the board... future middle of the rotation type due to lack of wipeout 3rd pitch. 12 Andrew Church-RHP Great stuff, good command, front of the rotation arm if he can put it all together. 13. Domingo Tapia-RHP The Met's best relief prospect has great stuff across the board and could be the future closer. 14. Hansel Roble-RHP Good fastball, average secondary pitches but plus command allows him to be a potential middle of the rotation type arm. 15. Jacob DeGrom-RHP Has #2 stuff but his command and control will decide whether he's a front end or back end starter. 16. Cesar Puello-OF He's got a good ceiling as the next Mets' right fielder with all tools either above average or plus. 17. Wilfredo Tovar-SS He'll give Cecchini a run for his money at short but at this point, he might be forced to move to the outfield. 18. Cory Mazzoni-RHP He needs more pitches to stay in the rotation. If he can't, then a future in the bullpen is in store. 19. Amed Rosario-3B He's just 17 but he could potentially be David Wright's successor. All of his tools grade out as a plus... however, it's too early whether we can place that burden on him. 20. Kevin Plawecki-C Originally thought of as the Mets' long term solution at Catcher, with TDA in the fold, he probably will see time as a very, very good backup. And there you have it, that's the Mets' top 20 prospects. The biggest thing you'll notice is how deep we are in pitching. Which isn't a bad thing at all. Aside from Smith and TDA, there aren't many impact bats in the system. Hopefully, that's something that will change here in the near future. |
Re: A Metropolitan Manuscript- Apples, Queens and Numbers
Mets' Spring Training Complex
Willie's Office Febuary 20th, 2013 8:00 AM Willie stepped into his office, it was fit for a GM. Brand new desk, brand new leather chair, brand new laptop excellent view of the complex... It was almost too good to be true. He sat his backpack down at his desk and walked over to his mini-Fridge to grab a Gatorade. With his new role in the organization, Willie didn't hvae to take order from anybody. Essentially, Willie was getting paid $200,000 to do whatever the hell he pleased... as long as it was baseball related. He walked back over to his laptop and booted it up. He typed in his password and opened up a Word Document, then he went right to work. Quote:
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Sure, his document was a rough outline... a very rough outline... but it had quite a bit of truth. Outside of those three players, (Wright, Harvey and Davis) there really isn't much to build around. Jon Neise might be added to that list and so might Lucas Duda but they really need to show that they are on the same level as those 3 guys. The bottom line is, we need to define who our core guys are early so we don't accidentally sell players who can be of value to us... that's where the numbers game comes in. As for the draft strategy, the famous novel "Moneyball" Outlines this fairly well. The past 2 seasons (plus Domonic Smith), the Mets have gone heavy with high school players. In all actuality, we should be targeting college players and junior college players that are refined. That isn't to say that we won't draft high school players because they typically will have the greatest potential and room for development. College players just have better skill sets and will move quicker increasing the time table for our rebuild and on top of that, not many will bust meaning that we should be able to find roles for them at the big league level. We probably won't outspend teams on the free agent market but in the international market, we could find players that are young and have high ceilings. In this area, we hope to be targeting all markets, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and especially Cuba. We probably won't be able to field a 25 man roster with extreme talent top to bottom so it's crucial for us to use statistics when looking to add or subtract players. We could "Moneyball" this thing but we don't need to right now because of the talent in our minor league system. It is going to take some serious time to clean up this mess. |
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