Me too... but I'm just annoyed that with all his doping BS, you'd think he'd try to redeem himself by working hard and joining ST in tip-top shape... SMH.
With Capuano signing with Boston, that leaves ErvinThe forgotten prospect: GM Jack Zduriencik has “no expectations” for Jesus Montero
Posted by Ryan Divish
Jesus Montero warms up before Thursday’s workout. (Seattle Times/Dean Rutz)
Jesus Montero is the forgotten prospect. He’s no longer something to build on, or even something that might be able to be fixed. He’s just another guy filled with potential but unaware that he’s squandering it.
This should have been a seminal offseason for Montero. He was coming off one of the worst years of his professional career. He was given the starting catching job in the offseason, lost it two weeks into the season, was sent to Triple A in May and told he was converting to first base, he injured his knee requiring surgery and then after coming back for a handful of games he was suspended for the remainder of the season for being linked to the BioGenesis.
It was a full year of disappointment.
For most players, a season like that would be the ultimate motivation. For most players, they would take the offseason to prepare like they’ve never prepared before and come to camp ready to have writers pump out the “best shape of his life” stories.
Instead, Montero came in heavier than ever. He even admitted it, making the regrettable line: “after winter ball, all I did was eat.”
After each season, players meet with training and medical staff to set up their offseason. Each player is given a target weight they are expected to come in at for the following season. According to sources, Montero has never once met that target weight since joining the Mariners. This year he came in 40 pounds over the weight the Mariners wanted him to come in at.
It’s led to frustration within the organization. General manager Jack Zduriencik was particularly critical of Montero and his future.
“We are disappointed in how he came in physically,” Zduriencik said bluntly.
That disinterest in conditioning in the offseason didn’t do much change the minds of people who have been skeptical of Montero’s work ethic. It certainly didn’t inspire Zduriencik, who was clearly unhappy with the situation.
“It’s up to him,” Zduriencik said. ” I have zero expectations for Jesus Montero. Any expectations I had are gone.”
It’s a far cry from when Montero was expected to be serious offensive contributor when they acquired him from the Yankees before the 2012 season. In 2012, Montero hit .260 with 15 homers and 62 RBI in 135 games. It seemed to be decent start to be a big league career. But now it’s seems to be headed backward at a pace much faster than Montero running the bases.
“He’s got a ton to prove,” Zduriencik said. “It’s all on him.”
But that’s the problem for some people within the organization. They seem to want it more than he does.
“I can’t want it for him,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “At some point, the light has to come on for all of us. When I talked with him, I told him he’s at a crossroads. It’s time to put up or shut up.”
Montero didn’t really offer any excuses or reasons as to why he came into camp overweight, but said last season and suspension was still on his mind. As for the weight?
“I feel comfortable with my weight,” he said. “But they want me to lose some weight. Whatever they want. I’m here for the opportunity.”
Really it’s not an opportunity to make the team as much as opportunity to change people’s perceptions of him.
“We can’t give it to him,” Zduriencik said. “And it’s not going to be given to him.”
Montero said he comes in every morning for extra cardio work and has been putting extra work with infield coach Chris Woodward at first base. McClendon said that Montero has done everything they’ve asked thus far.
“It’s all going to be up to him,” McClendon said.
Going off past experience, putting the onus on Montero likely won’t result in much. Maybe he will change? Maybe he will figure it out?
“I’m not counting on him,” Zduriencik said. “I’m not expecting anything. Whatever he does, he’s got to get our attention that’s how I’m looking at it. We haven’t discarded him at all. But he’s got to prove it us. We’ve got players here that want to be big league players and want to be big league players for a long time, in his case, he’s still got that to prove yet. And I don’t think he’s done that. He hasn’t taken that next step where he’s got everyone’s attention. He can because the ability is there to do that.”
And if not?
“In the end, it’s Jesus’ life,” Zduriencik said. “It’s Jesus who has to make a call on this. We’ll be there to assist any of these players him included. But he will not given anything. It’s an uphill climb for him. He has the ability to get over the hump and he should. But if he doesn’t, then shame on Jesus.”
I like Llloyd's tone
Any insight on these guys?[h2]The Mets like Nick Franklin: examing potential fits in a trade[/h2]
By Scott Weber @LookoutLanding on Feb 25 2014, 10:48a 145
Elsa
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Adam Rubin reports that the Mets are interested in upgrading shortstop with Nick Franklin. Who could the Mariners ask for in return?
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Despite the continual charade that Nick Franklin is battling for the starting shortstop role, barring a miraculous turnaround he's going to be served a ticket to Tacoma, or handed a plane ticket to another major league city. The hot stove been remarkably cool, and many of us thought Franklin would already be gone. But there's finally something to talk about. The Mets are set to open the season with the miserable Ruben Tejada at shortstop, and yesterday Adam Rubin confirmed that the Mets have some interest, and that there's a mutual fit in trade discussions.
If the Mets are interested in Franklin, then they believe he can play short at the major league level, which most in Seattle would view as a dubious proposition. If Franklin hits enough to justify the defensive ding at short, then he's certainly a more appealing trade target than he is at second. It's probably a major reason why the M's are letting on that he's in a positional battle with Brad Miller - if his own organization "views him" as a threat, maybe other teams will too.
Seattle is rumored to desire young pitching in return, which isn't a surprise. The Mets have a ton of it, and a lot of it is very good. Despite Matt Harvey being sidelined this year, Zach Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, and Rafael Montero all represent a tremendous amount of depth within the organization. Wheeler completed an impressive rookie season with the Mets, and is presumably off-limits unless Seattle steps up something more than Franklin, which it hardly seems like they're in the position to do. Wheeler has been as highly regarded as Walker, and he made it to the bigs and was successful. It's not going to happen.
On to the other potential matches:
Noah Syndergaard: Here's another major stretch. Syndergaard dazzled in AAA last year, compiling a 5.75 K/BB ratio that makes his 11.5 K/9 all the more impressive. He's considered only a notch below Taijuan Walker on top prospect lists, and Nick Franklin alone isn't going to make it work, no matter how desperate the Mets are for a shortstop. Syndergaard has all the makings of a future ace to pair alongside Wheeler and Harvey for the next five years. The Mariners would have to get really creative to make something happen, perhaps bringing in another organization. It would next to impossible to swing.
Rafael Montero: Here's the most commonly floated name, and for good reason. He's currently ranked #85 on MLB.com's top 100, and has managed to rise year by year. He's 23, has a fastball/slurve/change repertoire, and would probably be higher rated if he wasn't so small. He's not that different than Erasmo Ramirez in a lot of ways in that he's only 6 feet, 170 lbs and throws surprising heat from his petite frame. Much like Erasmo, he also hasn't thrown a ton of innings through his career, topping out at 155.1 in 2013. Montero is lauded for his command, walking an average of 1.7 batters per nine innings throughout his minor league career.
In AAA last year, Montero saw his first bit of decline in his K/BB rate, which went from 7.20 in AA to 3.12 as a result of both reduced strikeouts and increased walks. Despite that, he still managed a 3.05 ERA to go along with his 2.87 FIP. Montero has always done a tremendous job keeping the ball in the park, compiling a 0.41 HR/9 in AAA, consistent with his performances through his career.
Both Oliver and ZiPS are bullish on Montero's big league chances this year.
The command is truly Montero's calling card, and he's become a fast riser in the Mets organization, but represents somewhat of a luxury to them. Their pitching depth is in good shape, but shortstop is a Tejada-sized hole.
IP K/9 BB/9 ERA FIP WAR Oliver 122 6.81 2.15 3.19 3.48 1.6 ZiPS 139 7.14 2.14 3.76 3.66 1.5
On paper, this seems to be a great match, even if it's a touch light for the Mariners. Perhaps the Mariners can squeeze another player out of the deal, maybe even...
Juan Lagares: The defensive wizard. Lagares was primarily a center fielder in his rookie year, and his defensive numbers were staggering. +28 in DRS, +21.5 UZR. Lagares gained 13.8 runs of value from his arm alone, and while his sample is less than ideal, both metrics loved him in 2013. His defense was good enough to offset his miserable offense, managing to post 2.9 fWAR despite a 75 wRC+.
Lagares is essentially the center field version of Brendan Ryan. So much so that the Mets are seemingly turning to Eric Young Jr. for their final outfield spot, and while Lagares would be fantastic glove off the bench, he may be expendable.
The problem with endorsing Lagares as the sole return is buying into the defense. All three projection systems project his defense to regress to a certain degree (Steamer has his dWAR at +10, Oliver at +19), but all three project his value to be somewhere between 1.5 to 3 WAR. The most likely aspect of his defense to regress is the ARM rating, since Lagares led all outfielders despite playing 500+ innings less than Alex Gordon, who finished in 2nd.
Lagares would fill a tremendous need for the Mariners, whose current defensive outfield alignment is a bunch of hot garbage, likely about to get worse if they bring back Kendrys Morales. Having a stud to cover acres in center could go a long way in assisting lesser fielders in the corners.
There's an the issue of making things fit, as Lagares would certainly cut into either Dustin Ackley or Michael Saunders' playing time. The Mariners are in such a weird balance of figuring out what they have while trying to win, and the second may rely on the first. If they acquire Lagares, signing Kendrys Morales without trading away Justin Smoak or Logan Morrison just doesn't make much sense, otherwise Lagares, Ackley, and Saunders are all fighting for one spot with Hart and Morrison in the corners. Doesn't work. Once again, the poor roster construction starts to become evident. I don't want to give up on Dustin Ackley. Not yet.
If Lagares could hit even a little, he'd be a fantastic undervalued trade target. But he can't, and there isn't a ton to indicate he's going to get anywhere near 90, let alone 100 wRC+ in the next several years. As a standalone, even with his 2.9 WAR, it's a thin return for a player the Mets value as a shortstop.
There's other names that could make sense as additional pieces, but they aren't of immediate impact. Any deal structured around Nick Franklin seems like it would have to include at least one of Montero or Lagares, and the latter would start a cascading fallout of roster shuffle.
What do you think? Is Rafael Montero enough, or do you want both?
[h2]Rays join in on Nick Franklin discussions[/h2]
By Scott Weber @LookoutLanding on Feb 25 2014, 3:13p 21
Jamie Sabau
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Ever since I published the piece on Franklin and the Mets, things have started moving quickly. Jon Heyman reports that the Rays are (and have been) in on Nick Franklin, and that's a surprise to absolutely nobody. It does confirm that the Mariners are probably still shopping Franklin rather than Brad Miller, but the most interesting development here is what Adam Rubin passed along.
Hello! Hellickson is supposed to be out until late May, so no wonder the Mariners balked at the deal. Hellickson massively outperformed his peripherals in 2011 and 2012, then after posting his best FIP and xFIP of the last three years, he promptly blew up and saw two years of regression hit him at once. Hellickson may be one of those guys who constantly tricks his peripherals, but it'd take a deeper look. Before 2013, he was insane at stranding runners.
But that's not necessarily what this means. It could also mean that the Rays are suddenly reluctant to deal some of their other pile of arms due to the uncertainty about Hellickson. It could mean a lot of things. It could very well mean Alex Colome. It probably doesn't mean David Price, but who knows. Never count out ninja Z with a stealth attack trade...Trader Jack is still in there somewhere.
Colome is the most likely piece here, though he's not as good of a return as Rafael Montero would be. He's buried among the Rays stockpile of arms, but could slide right into the back of the Mariners rotation. The M's aren't getting Jake Odorizzi, and they're not getting Desmond Jennings, even though the Rays have an outfielder to spare with Jennings, David DeJesus, Wil Myers, and Matt Joyce. Joyce is possible, but the last thing the Mariners need is another defensively challenged left-handed OF/DH.
Sometimes when Jon Heyman gets a hold of a rumor, it happens soon after. The Rubin tweet confirms that the Mariners have had active, close to completion talks with at least one team regarding Nick Franklin. Something is probably coming, one way or another. If anything, this should put some fears to rest about Nick Franklin beating out Brad Miller.
In protest of being traded to the Yanks?
Don't worry about those 3, Mets said they are all off limits unless it's a can't miss trade (ie Trout, etc)
