Your Saturday morning dose of New York Mets and Major League Baseball news, notes, and links.

Meet the Mets

Choose Your Recap:Amazin' Avenue, MLB.com, ESPN NY, Daily News, New York Times, Associated Press, Star-Ledger, NY Post

With the Mets on the precipice of losing their 73rd game, Sandy Alderson says that his 90 win statement from the offseason is no less relevant today than it was back then.

Baseball Prospectus and Minor League Ball wrote about Dilson Herrera's promotion. Herrera's rise through the system was incredibly quick, so much so that the promotion was a surprise to Dilson himself. We shouldn't worry about his readiness, though, as a scout says he's equipped for the big leagues.

Injured starter Daniel Murphy's DL stint may last longer than the minimum and could cost him the rest of the year.

Jenrry Mejia is the 2nd youngest Mets pitcher to reach 20 saves in a season.

Michael Conforto spoke with Toby Hyde about his first two months of pro ball. Wally Backman is the PCL's manager of the year.

Around the NL East

The Bravesrallied late to defeat the Marlins, while the NationalsknockedFelix Hernandez and the Mariners around.

Around the Majors

Bad news for the Yankees, as Masahiro Tanaka has been shut down with soreness in his pitching arm.

Ted Berg looked at 5 struggling MLB teams that could contend in 2015.

Apparently baseball is dying because people wouldn't recognize Mike Trout in a bar or something.

While on a rehab assignment, former top prospect Jesus Montero went into the stands and threatened a Mariners scout who was heckling him with a bat and also threw an ice cream sandwich at him. Oh #6org.

What does it take to get David Ortizhome without a home run?

Yesterday At AA

Get to know second baseman Dilson Herrera!

Matthew Callan's look back at the 1999 Mets continues with some shortstop fisticuffs.

Aaron Yorke previewed the Mets series with the Phillies.

If you read an article or find a link that you think would be a great addition to a future edition of Mets Morning News, please forward it to our tips email address tips@grission.com and we'll try to add it in.

Dig it!

Everyone worked together in tonight's 7-2 win over Bartolo Colon and the Mets.

Jerome Williams had another nice start, continuing to giving the Phillies more than they had any right to expect from him. In total, he went 6 1/3 innings, and he gave up just four hits, three walks and two runs. The defense was right behind him -- or, more accurately, Chase Utley was right behind him. In the first inning he gracefully plucked a Curtis Granderson line drive out of the air. In the second, he made this marvelous flip to Ryan Howard:

That's the patented Chase Utley glove flip right there. And in the fourth, he caught David Wright in a rundown and juuuuust managed to tag him. Wright was called safe, and it was overturned in about 4o seconds.

The Mets defense also came out in full force, with Curtis Granderson and Matt den Dekker making incredible catches in the outfield to rob Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard of hits. But it was clear from the start that Bartolo Colon was playing with fire, and in the sixth inning he got torched. The Philies offense tagged him for six hits and six runs, which chased him from the game. Every hit in the sixth inning -- there were seven total -- was a single.

It the seventh inning, Williams began to unravel. He loaded the bases and was promptly removed from the game. (The hit that loaded the bases was from brand-spanking new Mets second baseman Dilson Herrera, and it was his very first major league hit.) Justin De Fratus was brought in to replace Williams, and he allowed two runs on a single and a walk. Both were charged to Williams line.

Of note:

• Today is Marlon Byrd's 37th birthday. He hit his 25h home run of the season in the fifth inning, ostensibly to celebrate. 25 home runs is a career high for Byrd, and for the love of God doesn't someone want him?
• Cody Asche went 3-for-4, Jimmy Rollins went 2-for-4, and Ben Revere's hit in the sixth inning was his 150th of the year.
• Ken Giles racked up one strikeout in a hitless eighth inning, lowering his ERA to 1.30.
• Papelbon closed out the game in the ninth, even though the score was 7-2. I desperately want someone to take him, but no one will. This is worth keeping in mind...

Jonathan Papelbon's 2016 option is tied to games finished, and here he is with a 7-2 Phillies lead.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 31, 2014

Jonathan Papelbon is never leaving, is he.

Source: FanGraphs

Catch up on all of yesterday’s minor league action from around the Mets farm system!

*All results from games played on Saturday, August 30^th, 2014

Triple-A - Las Vegas 51's (80-62)_______________________________________

NO GAME

Double-A - Binghamton Mets (83-57)_____________________________________

BINGHAMTON 6, RICHMOND 7 (Box)

Randy Fontanez took a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the ninth and managed to turn it into a 7-6 loss within four batters.

• CF-LF Brandon Nimmo: 1-5, R, K
• 2B T.J. Rivera: 1-4, R, K, HBP, E (8)
• 3B-1B Brian Burgamy: 2-4, R, BB, K
• 1B Jayce Boyd: 0-3
• LF-1B-3B Dustin Lawley: 2-5, RBI, K
• C Juan Centeno: 0-2, BB
• SS Wilfredo Tovar: 1-4
• LF Kyle Johnson: 0-1, HBP
• RHP Rainy Lara: 5 IP, 9 H, 4 R/3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• RHP Hansel Robles: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K
• RHP Randy Fontanez: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R/2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, WP, E (1)

Advanced-A - St. Lucie Mets (35-33 / 75-62)_____________________________________

PALM BEACH 11, ST. LUCIE 5 (12 innings/Box)

The playoff hopes persist in St. Lucie despite the bad loss at Tradition Field last night.

• LF Maikis De La Cruz: 3-5, R, BB, K
• SS Gavin Cecchini: 1-5, 2 K, E (15)
• 2B L.J. Mazzilli: 2-6, 2 R, 2B, RBI, K
• DH Jared King: 2-6, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
• 1B Jairo Perez: 3-6, R, RBI, K, E (6)
• 3B Phil Evans: 2-4, R, BB, K
• C Cam Maron: 1-5
• RF Eudy Pina: 0-3, K
• CF-RF Gilbert Gomez: 1-5, 2 K, CS (6)
• RHP Kevin McGowan: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R/2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
• LHP T.J. Chism: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, E (1)
• RHP Robert Coles: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R/0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, WP, E (1)

Low-A -Savannah Sand Gnats(40-30 / 84-50)__________________________________

SAVANNAH 3, ROME 4 (Box)

• 2B Yeixon Ruiz: 0-4
• 3B Jorge Rivero: 2-4, K
• DH Matt Oberste: 0-4
• 1B Dominic Smith: 0-2, R, 2 BB
• RF Victor Cruzado: 0-3, R, BB, K
• C Jeff Glenn: 0-4, 4 K
• 3B Nelfi Zapata: 2-4, RBI, K
• LF Patrick Biondi: 1-3, R, RBI, BB
• SS Luis Guillorme: 1-3, R, BB, E (1)
• RHP Logan Taylor: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R/1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HB
• LHP John Mincone: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, WP, BK

Short-A - Brooklyn Cyclones (40-34)__________________________________

BROOKLYN 2, TRI-CITY 3 (Box)

Marcos Molina is awesome, even in defeat.

• DH John Mora: 1-4, R
• C Adrian Abreu: 0-4, 2 K, E (9)
• SS Amed Rosario: 3-4, 2 2B
• LF Michael Conforto: 1-4, R, HR (3), RBI, K
• 3B Jhoan Urena: 1-3, 2B, BB
• 1B Pedro Perez: 0-4, K
• RF Michael Bernal: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• CF Tucker Tharp: 0-4, K
• 2B Anthony Chavez: 0-2
• RHP Marcos Molina: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, 2 HR, 2 HB
• RHP Mike Hepple: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K

Rookie -Kingsport Mets(34-34)__________________________________

Rookie -GCL Mets(33-27)__________________________________

Star of the Night

Marcos Molina and Amed Rosario, who continues to sting the ball as of late.

Goat of the Night

Randy Fontanez and Jeff Glenn

Watching Juan Lagares roam center field is as pleasurable a sight as there is in baseball. However, his offensive shortcomings still leave something to be desired.

With apologies to the Milwaukee Brewers' Carlos Gomez, it's not a stretch to call Juan Lagares the best defensive outfielder in baseball. Whether he is running down fly balls in the gap with the grace of Joe DiMaggio or using his cannon of an arm to thwart baserunners from taking an extra base, praise for Lagares's defense is universal.

But while the 25-year-old may be to defense what Michelangelo was to art, his offense remains a work in progress. Mike Vorkunov of the Star-Ledgerrecently penned a column noting the Mets' belief in Lagares as they move into 2015 and beyond.

Lagares has improved at the plate this season. He is hitting .277 this season, while showing off his usual defensive abilities. Though he is not quite an All-Star candidate as Collins predicted this spring that he would be if he hit .280, he is hitting enough. His on-base percentage—.318—is above the National League average of .311.

Vorkunov is right. Lagares is having a solid season, bolstered by his Gold Glove-caliber defense. However, the Mets are an offense stuck in neutral, if not reverse. Barring a return to their offensive exploits of 2006 when three players enjoyed 100-RBI seasons, more offensive consistency from Lagares would be a huge plus.

Make no mistake about it: Lagares should be in the lineup every night. His defense alone is worth the price of admission and, as Vorkunov noted, he isn't embarrassing himself with the bat. A strong start to the year was interrupted in June by a three-week stay on the disabled list, his second DL trip of the season. Prior to his right intercostal strain, the defensive whiz hit .295/.337/.429 with a solid OPS of .767 in 42 games. Though largely helped by a .373 BABIP, Lagares enjoyed a wRC+ of 117 and was one of New York's most consistent hitters through the first two months.

Unfortunately that production has dipped rather noticeably since late June. In the 53 games since his return from the disabled list on June 26, Lagares is hitting .258/.293/.337 with a wOBA of .280 and a wRC+ of 80. Not surprisingly, his dip in average has coincided with his BABIP falling to .317. While he has shown an ability to put the ball in play, he is doing so at the expense of better at-bats. A free-swinger, Lagares's walk rate is a paltry 4.1% while his strikeout rate stands at 20.9%. To put that into a clearer perspective, his strikeout-to-walk ratio is an unhealthy 76/15 this season, one year after posting a 96/20 mark.

That plate discipline, or lack thereof, is what the Mets and manager Terry Collins are trying to instill in their center fielder.

"We gotta get him to get that on-base up. We gotta get him to use his power a little bit. This guy absolutely bombs balls in BP. So we know the power is there. As we all know, some young guys learn how to hit with power. It doesn’t just happen to a lot of guys. I think as he continues to play and continues to grow at this level, he’s going to have some power."

It's no secret that selectivity and extending at-bats can ultimately lead to better pitches to hit and drive, something with which Lagares is still struggling. According to FanGraphs' PITCHf/x Plate Discipline, Lagares is swinging at 34% of pitches outside of the strike zone—a slight improvement from his 35.6% figure from 2013, but still higher than the league average of roughly 30%.

No one is expecting Lagares to exhibit the patience of Frank Thomas, but the graph below shows too wide a disparity between the league average walk rate compared to that of Lagares.

Would closing that gap boost Lagares's offensive numbers? More than likely, but turning a free-swinger into a hitter with even average plate discipline isn't all that simple, especially for a player who never walked in more than 6.8% of his plate appearances in the minor leagues. That's not to say that the Dominican Republic native can't or won't improve. The focus on Lagares's offense speaks more to the Mets' inability as a team to score runs than it does to a player who has appeared in just over 200 major league games.

To be sure, offensive improvement from Lagares would go a long way in helping his team. His current OPS+ of 98, though 23 points higher than it was in 2013, is still slightly below league average. The Mets think that, with improved plate discipline, he can begin showing 15-home run power. That may be optimistic, but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

One thing is certain: Lagares's defensive prowess is so special that he needs to be the starting center fielder for New York. It's up to him to make the "does he hit enough?" crowd fade away into the background. It's up to the Mets to surround Lagares with enough offensive talent.

If not, unreasonable expectations may ultimately send the best defensive outfielder in Mets' history to the bench—a scenario in which nobody wins.

The Mets held on to beat the Phillies.

The Mets defeated the Phillies this afternoon, as Dillon Gee was decent, Anthony Recker hit a big three-run home run, and Dilson Herrera drove in what turned out to be the game-winning run on a chopper up the middle in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Ryan Howard doubled to score the game’s first run in the fourth, but in the fifth, the Mets tied the game on a Matt den Dekker single and took a 2-1 lead on a David Wright single. Howard hit a solo home run to re-tie the game in the sixth, but Recker answered with his go-ahead bomb in the bottom of that inning.

The Phillies scored once in the seventh and once in the eighth before Herrera plated the Mets’ sixth run in the bottom of the eighth. And Philadelphia scored once against Jenrry Mejia in the ninth, too, but Mejia was able to finish the game without blowing the lead.

GameThread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.

If nothing else, we will suffer no more Phillies-Mets games this season

Awful as they are, there’s a case to be made that the Phillies are a better team than the New York Mets. Outside the season series, the Mets have gone 51-67 in 2014; the Phils’ record against every other team is 56-61. The Mets’ run differential against the other 28 teams is -41; the Phils’ is -36.

Head to head, however, there’s been no comparison: going into Sunday’s contest, the Mets had won 12 of the 18 matchups, frequently in agonizing fashion. The lowlight was a five-game set in Philadelphia over Memorial Day weekend, of which the Mets won four including 14- and 11-inning victories. (The Phils' lone win in that series was also a 14-inning affair, which was only slightly less painful.) So it made perfect masochistic sense not just that the Mets won Sunday, but that they did so in a way that highlighted the worst aspects of this atrocious Phillies team.

Starter A.J. Burnett, originally drafted by the Mets in 1995, took his third loss in four starts against them this season. Burnett actually was cruising through the first 4 2/3 innings, but with two outs in the fifth and a 1-0 lead, he allowed a single, a double and a single to fall behind 2-1. After Ryan Howard tied it in the sixth with his 20th homer of the season--and seventh for his career against New York starter Dillon Gee-- Burnett faltered against the bottom part of the Mets’ order. Wilmer Flores singled to lead off the home sixth, and Burnett walked Dilson Herrera after recording an out. Backup catcher Anthony Recker, the eight-hole hitter who lugged a .185/.221/.322 line into today’s contest, sat on a first pitch fastball and crushed it for a three-run homer.

The Phillies weren’t done. Freddy Galvis pinch-hit for Burnett to lead off the seventh and drew a four-pitch walk to chase Gee. Ben Revere and Jimmy Rollins followed with singles, scoring Galvis and advancing to second and third when Recker couldn’t handle a throw home. But Chase Utley popped up and Howard and Sizemore struck out to end the threat. If you wanted to sum up the season in general and the Phillies-Mets matchup in particular, you could do a lot worse than the within-one-inning confluence of "three-run homer from the Mets’ all-glove/no-hit backup catcher" and "no runs scored from the Phillies’ 3-4-5 hitters after second and third, no outs."

The Phils did pull within a run when Domonic Brown hit a solo shot in the 8th, his fourth hit of the day. But Justin DeFratus gave it right back in the bottom of the inning, and that proved decisive when the visitors mustered one more in the top of the ninth—their fourth straight inning scoring exactly one run.

Fangraph of synecdoche (New York):

via www.fangraphs.com

The players will join the team on Monday.

The Mets will add infielder Josh Satin, right-handed pitcher Erik Goeddel, catcher Juan Centeno, and left-handed pitcher Dario Alvarez to their roster when rosters expand on Monday.

Satin, who last appeared in a major league game on May 9th, hit .289 with a .825 OPS in Las Vegas. He played the majority of his games at third base. Goeddel had been working in relief for the 51s, tossing 63.2 innings with a 5.37 ERA and 64 strikeouts. This is the 25-year-old's first trip to the major leagues.

This will be Centeno's second stint with the Mets in 2014. He has spent most of his season with Las Vegas and Binghamton and has hit .289/.342/.340 in the minors in total. Alvarez has worked mainly in relief this year and spent the grand majority of his season with Single-A Savannah. The 25-year-old lefty is 10-1 with a 1.10 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 73.1 innings, though he only pitched a few innings in St. Lucie and Binghamton. With the recent promotion of second baseman Dilson Herrera, the Mets now have two players on their roster who started the year in A-Ball.

The Angels Annihilated the A's to close out August. September opens to the sweet sound of sweep. 5 games up with 26 remaining, and another flag to be flown is almost within range.

While you were away...

The Angels marched to the forefront of Major League Baseball, triumphantly. With a pitching staff as broken and beaten and hobbled as anything imagined by Archibald Willard, they nevertheless left their boot prints all over the demoralized refuse of the Oakland A's, rendering them into a green and gold slimy slick oozing across the pavement and heading towards the gutter drain of 2014, their fans clinging to the sticky surface of hope as they, too, hurtle towards oblivion.

But when is it ever the best time to gloat? Now, when the tides might surely turn against us as hard as they turned in our favor? Or not until the very end, when the savory sensation of that critical moment has then gone cold and dry, becoming memories of lesser importance than the next exciting challenge that confronts us?

The answer is never, friends. It's never the best time to gloat. Not now, not then. Best to stay focused on the effort ahead, and fight on. Let the losers, alone, be the ones who laugh at their own fate.

But about those losers. Let's reel in the entire enchilada, shall we?

We start off with last Thursday, clinging to a single game lead over our Division rivals. Both starting pitchers (C.J. Wilson for our side) held the opposition to 3 runs, and both bullpens locked away home plate from their opponents, until the 10th inning, when a Howie Kendrick sac fly to right brought in Erick Aybar with the walk-off run as the Halos won 4-3 to double up their lead in the standings to 2 full games. With 3 games left in the head-to-head series, the worst that could happen would be for the Angels to be a single game behind when dawn broke on Labor Day.

Friday came, and Jered Weaver took the mound to face off against Jon Lester. For Weave, it was 7 innings pitched, 3 hits and 3 walks against 3 strikeouts, but zero runs granted and the Angels won 4-0, thrusting a dagger into the very heart of the blockbuster Yeonis Cespedes trade for Jon Lester. Now the lead was 3 games in the Division, and the best that Oakland could pray for would be to escape Anaheim still within reach of 1 full game.

Note, however, that with the 9 inning shut out on Friday, added to the failure to score in the last 4 frames on Thursday, the A's had gone 13 straight innings without a single run.

Saturday. The day that should have seen Garett Richards pitching for LAA, instead saw a parade of bullpen arms - 8 total, actually - combine to shut out the A;s for the second straight night, and holding them to 3 measly hits overall. The Angels scored 2 in the 4th off the OTHER Big Kahuna of the Oakland staff, Jeff Samardzija with Eric Aybar being the catalyst, and that was all that was necessary and the Angels won one of the most extraordinary pitching duels so far this century, 2 - 0. And with the second straight shut out, the A's have been held from scoring in 22 consecutive innings. Better, the Angels were now 4 games up in the AL West and assured of at least tripling the advantage in the standings that they brought into the series.

We conclude the bloodbath on Sunday.  The Angels jumped out on Scott Kazmir with 6 runs in the 2nd inning, running Kaz from the field after only 3 outs recorded in the game, total. Kazmir managed to get enough fervor stirred up over his failure to con the plate umpire into not making accurate calls on balls versus strikes, that he got his own manager ejected. But the Halos were now in a laugher, one that would end in an 8-1 thrashing and seal the LAA lead in the AL West at 5 full games. Matt Shoemaker was phenomenal once again, with 7 strikeouts and 0 runs allowed over 7 full innings of work, which was important after the extensive bullpen use the night before.

Oakland did finally put up a run on the board, in the top of the 8th. So tack on 7 more innings to that scoreless streak and it had reached 29 straight. In fact, after all 4 games and 37 total innings played, Oakland managed to cross the plate in only 3 of their frames.

Brilliant, brilliant pitching throughout the entire series. But, hey Oakland, there is always that run differential!!

Meanwhile, it has become rather droll to observe the many pundits feeling a need to protest the impact of the Cespedes trade. While we watched the Halos run the bases with near impunity and the Oakland bats completely tamed, if the world don't add up, let's keep redoing the math. For the A's fans, take comfort in knowing that Adam Dunn is riding to the rescue! That's Adam Dunn and his .220/.340/.433/.773 slash line. And his commitment to retire after 25 games.

_____________

Elsewhere in the Heavens of Anaheim:That Angels have awakened the baseball world. "Dominate"......"caught fire."....."spectacular"......"Matt Shoemaker has been brilliant"..."You just can't say enough about this team right now".............Albert Pujols must be feeling better with all that Plantar Faciitis stuff of recent memory. He may not be hitting like the Pujols of yesteryear, but he still fields like it...........Don't you believe it, folks. This race in the AL West is NOT over..........Grant Green has been activated, and Saturday's starter Cory Rasmus was sent down to make room. Rasmus will be back up after rosters get expanded on Tuesday. This happened Sunday afternoon, so doesn't this mean that Rasmus is now ineligible for post-season play? Isn't the rule that he had to be on the 25-man as of midnight on August 31?..........Mike Trout's extended slump is throwing away a lot of hard-earned media goodwill...........

Around Baseball: Speed Demon...Aroldis Chapman is on the verge of becoming the first pitcher since the implementation of PitchF/X in 2006 to average - average! - over 100mph for every fastball thrown in a season............Who needs bullpens? A Japanese High School Semi-Final match just concluded, lasting 50 innings over 4 days to determine the team to be sent on to the Finals. And both starting pitchers went the distance!...........Poor New York Yankees.  They find themselves visiting another stadium and, well, how can they possibly be expected to compete when they are forced to survive in visitors quarters?..........The Mets have fired one of the trailblazers in baseball ticketing and marketing, basically because she is forced to sell tickets for, and market, the Mets............Why is it that everywhere Nolan Ryan goes, rancor in the front office suddenly appears?..........I know you people are all going to feel real sad about this..........

_____________________

Moreno-Carpino Shame Update

135 games lost to the opportunity of remembrance, sharing our 2014 journey with the legacy of one of our earliest warriors.

1 game set aside for honor.

26 more games to be added to the "Lost" list.

Here is a close-up of the official patch, worn for a few hours for one game.

Our patch is HERE. All cotton, embroidered, iron-on. And they are free with a SASE. Just email your request to me and join your fellow HH'ers in the campaign. I am starting to see more and more photos from you with your patch attached! Keep up the good work!!

The Mets have a lot of decisions to make this offseason when it comes to the composition of their 40-man roster. Who should stay and who should go?

Today is September 1, and that means MLB active rosters expand from 25 to a maximum of 40 players through the rest of the regular season. After their victory over the Phillies on Sunday, the Mets immediately announced that they were set to promote four players today. Those players include current 40-man roster members Josh Satin, Juan Centeno, and Erik Goeddel and non-roster lefty reliever Dario Alvarez, who began this season pitching in Savannah. With that in mind, let's take a peek at the Mets' 40-man roster and try to figure out who is likely to stay and who could otherwise go elsewhere this winter. Here is the current 40-man roster.

Note: Some of these players could be dealt in trades this winter, but for this exercise, we'll assume that the Mets will keep all of them since we can't predict the future. Don't forget that while the Mets will have to add prospects to their 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft, they'll also need to reserve space for free agent signings and any other acquisitions they make this offseason. Finally, players on the 60-day disabled list have to be added back to the 40-man roster in the offseason, even if they're still injured. The Mets currently have 39 players on their 40-man roster plus two on their 60-day DL.

Obvious keepers (21)

Vic Black, Bartolo Colon, Travis d'Arnaud, Jacob deGrom, Matt den Dekker, Lucas Duda, Josh Edgin, Jeurys Familia, Dillon Gee, Curtis Granderson, Matt Harvey, Dilson Herrera, Juan Lagares, Steven Matz, Jenrry Mejia, Rafael Montero, Daniel Murphy, Jon Niese, Carlos Torres, Zack Wheeler, David Wright

There shouldn't be any big surprises here, as these are essentially the most valuable players currently on the Mets' 40-man roster and are all incredibly unlikely to be removed from it by DFA or release. A few of these players could end up being used as trade bait this winter, but otherwise, most will be on the 2015 Opening Day roster or somewhere in the farm system.

Free agents (1)

Daisuke Matsuzaka

After having already dumped Chris Young and Bobby Abreu, the Mets only have one actual free agent in Matsuzaka. There was talk about the possibility of Abreu coming back to the big leagues in September after Las Vegas' playoff run ends, but even if he does, he'll certainly be off the roster as a free agent after the season ends.

Out of options (3)

Wilmer Flores, Cesar Puello, Ruben Tejada

A few other players are out of options, but here we'll specifically focus on the young out-of-options players on the roster. These three players are 24 years old or younger and seem likely to be snapped up on waivers by another organization should the Mets try to sneak them down to Triple-A next year.

If the Mets are able to land a starting shortstop this offseason, it looks like they may have to choose between Flores and Tejada for a bench role on the big league team. Both have struggled at the plate in the majors this season, but Tejada has shown a decent hit tool in the past and features a stronger glove at shortstop and second base. Meanwhile Flores has hit at every level in the minor leagues and has experience at all four infield positions, even if he doesn't play them exceptionally well. There's another scenario that sees Daniel Murphy get traded and one of Tejada or Flores takes over at second base, though that job could also go to Dilson Herrera if he appears ready.

Puello is tougher to get a read on, as the enigmatic outfielder has struggled at Triple-A Las Vegas while seeing sporadic playing time for the 51s. Should he reach his potential, he profiles be an everyday right fielder for a contender, but a .240/.348/.373 line in the Pacific Coast League certainly isn't going to help win him a big league outfield job. They could use him as a platoon bat off the big league bench, but given that line, it could certainly be a waste of a roster spot next season.

On the bubble (16)

Dario Alvarez, Andrew Brown, Eric Campbell, Buddy Carlyle, Juan Centeno, Dana Eveland, Gonzalez Germen, Erik Goeddel, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Bobby Parnell, Anthony Recker, Scott Rice, Josh Satin, Wilfredo Tovar, Jeff Walters, Eric Young

These players are on the bubble because they're bench type depth players or relief options who haven't fully established themselves as long term pieces for the team going forward. Some of these players will stick around as depth, others will be removed from the roster via non-tender or DFA at some point.

Of this group, Campbell seems like the most likely to stay thanks to his strong performance off the bench this season and his versatility in the field. Even if he doesn't make the team, he has three options left. Eveland has performed capably as the team's second lefty in the bullpen throwing to a 2.73 ERA and a 3.28 FIP. He's been around for years but is still arbitration-eligible, and he appears to be succeeding due to a change in repertoire. Increased slider usage has resulted in more swings and misses and newfound success against left-handed batters. Edit:Bobby Parnell's growing price tag in arbitration combined with his rehab from Tommy John surgery could make him a surprise non-tender. Strictly from a performance standpoint, he should be a keeper but his injury leaves enough doubt that he'll be listed here.

Brown, Carlyle, Nieuwenhuis, and Young are out of options, so they either must make the team out of spring training or be exposed to waivers. Young and Carlyle seem like non-tender candidates. Even with his speed, the Mets probably shouldn't be paying Young nearly $2 million with how limited a player he is. Carlyle has pitched well but seems like the type of pitcher they could bring back on a minor league contract if they'd like. Brown and Nieuwenhuis could compete for bench spots next spring, though it wouldn't be shocking to see Brown waived given his age and how little MLB time he's seen this year.

Walters looks like a non-tender candidate given that he'll miss most of 2015 to Tommy John surgery, and they could try to re-sign him to a minor league contract, like they did with Jeremy Hefner last winter. One of Recker or Centeno could be cut loose if they decide to find an upgrade to serve as Travis d'Arnaud's understudy. Alvarez, Germen, Goeddel, Rice, Satin, and Tovar all have options left and could serve as depth but they also appear marginal enough that the team could drop many of them from the roster. Of this group, Rice and Satin seem particularly at risk given that their jobs have been taken by other players. Goeddel and Tovar, while young, could be looked at as redundant to others already on the roster and in the organization.

Potential additions before the Rule 5 draft

Jack Leathersich, Cory Mazzoni, Noah Syndergaard, Gabriel Ynoa

With Dilson Herrera having already been added to the roster on Friday, the four names listed above seem to be the most obvious players to protect from the Rule 5 Draft, though there always seems to be a surprise or two every year. For the full listing of players who are Rule 5 eligible, check out the always excellent tpgMets site.

Considering all of these factors, who do you think the Mets should keep, who should they let go, and are there any other players you'd like to see them protect this offseason? Don't forget, players such as Matt Reynolds, Kevin Plawecki, and Brandon Nimmo could all potentially see big league time in 2015, but they don't have to be protected this winter.

With only 25 games remaining on the 2014 schedule, the Mets head south for a clash with the Marlins

What's going on with the Marlins?

Miami has done well to hang onto contention as long as it has, but now it seems that the team is falling out of the National League playoff race. The Marlins have lost three series in a row on a recent road trip to fall to 66-69 and six losses out of the second Wild Card spot.

No matter the club's fate, Giancarlo Stanton is going to be considered a legitimate MVP candidate at season's end. The All-Star right fielder leads the NL in both home runs (33) and RBI (98). He's also first in fWAR thanks to an improvement in defense over 2013. That's should be all great news for the Marlins, but thanks to some recent comments by Stanton and the Miami franchise's history of not retaining its stars, most of the talk regarding Stanton has been about when and where he will be traded.

At just 24 years of age and with the ability to provide ultimate power in a powerless age of baseball, Stanton is as studly as they come. Although the last time Miami spent a ton of money, they traded all their purchases away within months, a big deal for Stanton could give the Marlins one of baseball's best players for years to come.

Who are these guys?

While all the attention has been on Stanton, left fielder Christian Yelich has quietly turned in a wonderful season in just his second year in the majors. Sure, he strikes out a little bit too much to be considered a prototypical leadoff man, but Yelich has a high BABIP to make up for it, and his on-base percentage of .371 is one of the best in the majors among players who hit at the top of the order.

Marcell Ozuna is another guy who strikes out a lot but still manages to make himself valuable to the Marlins. Ozuna doesn't get on base nearly as often as Yelich does (a .314 OBP is "meh" at best), but there's not many guys out there who can play a decent center field while hitting 20 home runs in a season. Ozuna has 19 right now, but he is trusted by manager Mike Redmond enough to support a recent move to the cleanup spot in the order. The change was short-lived, though, and now Casey McGehee and his .074 isolated power is batting fourth again, presumably because he had a lot of RBI in Japan last season.

Who's on the mound?

Monday: Zack Wheeler vs. Henderson Alvarez

The Mets were able to solve Alvarez when they faced him on July 11. They knocked the ground ball specialist around for six runs in just five innings. Alvarez's last two outings have been similarly bad, with nine total runs and four home runs allowed in 12.1 innings. Does this mean that his breakout season is a fluke? Probably not. Alvarez still has a 2.75 ERA for the season and is returning home today, where he's done most of his best work.

Wheeler has also done some great things at Marlins Park in 2014. Back on June 19, the 24-year-old dazzled all in attendance with eight strikeouts in a complete-game shutout. Wheeler threw 111 pitches during that game, but lately he's struggled to get through the seventh innings with that tally. The ERA continues to look good for him, but a 1.31 WHIP is indicative of the issues that Wheeler has had with his control. In July, he walked fewer than three batters in every start, but in August, he's walked three or four in every start.

Tuesday: Jon Niese vs.Brad Penny

Penny has a successful history with the Marlins that includes a 2003 World Series ring, but his second stint with his original club is just as a veteran fill-in. After making two starts in early August, Penny was shifted to the bullpen, but now he's back again to step in for the ineffective Brad Hand. With nine walks and seven strikeouts in 13.1 big league innings this season, Penny doesn't seem likely to provide anything more than replacement-level value as a starting pitcher for the rest of the year.

After a poor stretch through July and August, Niese has thrown three quality starts in his last four outings. Is this a sign that the lefty is back to where he was during the first half of the season? Well, Niese's strikeout rate has been more consistent lately, and Marlins Park has been friendly to him in 2014. In two starts against the Marlins (both on the road) this year, he's allowed just three runs in 13 innings.

Wednesday: Jacob deGrom vs. Tom Koehler

The Stony Brook alum Koehler is one of those guys who always has his turn in the rotation come up when the Mets are in town. The right-hander has already pitched against New York four times this season, and just like last year, Koehler has had a lot of success in those games. The Mets scored four runs in five innings off of him back in April, but since then, Koehler has surrendered just five runs in 21.1 innings to the orange and blue. Although he's typically been an inconsistent pitcher during his career, three straight quality starts could be a sign that Koehler is rounding into form.

Just like we hoped he would, deGrom went out and shut down the Phillies during his last outing, allowing just one unearned run in seven innings. One run is all he's allowed during two starts against Miami this season, so it's not too much to ask for deGrom to return to the dominant ways that have turned him into a miniature sensation in Queens in 2014.

Prediction: Mets win two out of three to finally give Miami's playoff hopes the boot.

What about some highlights?

The last time the Mets saw the Marlins, New York was playing some of its best baseball of the season. It certainly didn't hurt that Daisuke Matsuzaka was looking like the pitcher than the Red Sox once paid a king's ransom just to negotiate with.

Stanton's talents make him a great fit for the annual Home Run Derby. This year, he nearly hit a ball out of Target Field.

Yes, another Star Wars night! This one hasn't happened yet, but I just wanted to point out that Billy the Marlin could probably just use his nose as a lightsaber.

Remember to check out FanDuel.com for exciting one-day fantasy leagues!

A review of Mets position players over the last seven days.

As has often been the case this year, last week was not a pretty one at the plate for the Mets. With a .191/.256/.268 slash line as a team—good for just a .241 wOBA and 54 wRC+—only the Rockies were worse than the Mets over the past seven days. There were a couple of bright spots among the team's hitters, but the bad performances were significant.

Player	Last Week	This Week	Comment
Eric Campbell, 1B			Campbell made 13 plate appearances but had just a .308 on-base percentage and no extra-base hits.
Travis d’Arnaud, C			With a .555 OPS for the week, d’Arnaud had one of his worst weeks since coming back from his stint in Las Vegas in late June.
Matt den Dekker, OF			Thanks to the fact that he drew a bunch of walks, den Dekker had a .467 on-base percentage for the week. That plays at any position.
Lucas Duda, 1B			Duda had a rare down week, but it sure was a bad one, as he hit .087/.087/.087.
Wilmer Flores, SS			With a .333/.400/.556 hitting line for the week, Flores was the Mets’ best everyday hitter, and he made a couple of good plays in the field, to boot. This was probably the best week of his major league career.
Curtis Granderson, OF			Granderson was dreadful at the plate and hasn’t produced much with the bat in several weeks. He now has a 97 wRC+ on the season.
Dilson Herrera, 2B	--		In his first three major league games, the 20-year-old hit .222/.364/.222. One of those singles was the difference in the Mets’ victory yesterday.
Juan Lagares, CF			Lagares hit a home run and had a .713 OPS for the week, and he played his typical brand of defense.
Daniel Murphy, 2B			Murphy sat for a few days before the team placed him on the disabled list because of a calf injury. It sounds like he will miss the rest of the season.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF			He only got 7 plate appearances, but Nieuwenhuis had a .929 OPS and 168 wRC+ for the week. Perhaps he should play a little bit more.
Anthony Recker, C			Recker went 1-for-4 in his lone start of the week, but that one was a three-run home run that put the Mets in front of the Phillies.
Ruben Tejada, SS			Tejada hit .100/.100/.100. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him non-tendered this winter, assuming the Mets are capable of acquiring a new starter at short.
David Wright, 3B			Wright’s .313 on-base percentage wasn’t awful by 2014 standards, but he hit just .214 with no extra-base hits. Here’s hoping his shoulder gets well soon after season’s end.
Eric Young Jr., OF			Of the Mets who drew no walks and had no extra-base hits for the week, Young’s .200/.200/.200 line was the best, which is not saying much, of course.

Hey guys, here's an update on what is going on here at Minor League Ball.

I had planned to work this weekend, finishing the Baseball Prospect Retrospective Project, working on the Top 20 reviews, and writing up any trades. However, a family issue arose. It was not an emergency but it required my complete attention and I was away from my computer and cellphone all weekend. As a result, I have a large backlog of work to finish over the next few days. I didn't even know about the flurry of trades until this morning. Here's the plan of attack.

***The Baseball Prospect Retrospective Project is about 90% complete. All of the research (which is the hard part) is finished, but I need more time to get it into presentable format. It will run about 100 pages. The plan is to finish it this week and distribute it next weekend, September 7th.

***Before I can do that, I need to get all of the weekend trades analyzed. That is my main goal today.

***I also need to work on the Top 20 pre-season prospect reviews.

***Jessica Quiroli had a really interesting talk with New York Mets prospect L.J. Mazzilli about his decision to quit social media, which helped him focus more on baseball and on life in general. That interview will run tomorrow morning at 8 AM central.

Henderson Alvarez had a rough third inning against the New York Mets, and the Miami Marlins felt it was health-related. Mike Redmond and the Fish pulled Alvarez out of the game with a left oblique strain.

Henderson Alvarez was looking decent through the first two innings of today's Labor Day contest between the Miami Marlins and New York Mets. However, early on in the game, color commentator Tommy Hutton noticed that Alvarez's velocity was lower than usual and was concerned that there was a change in either pitch selection or mechanics associated with an injury.

In the third inning, this became more of a concern for Marlins manager Mike Redmond and the training staff. Dilson Herrera led the inning off with a home run, but it was the subsequent hit parade that occurred that got the Marlins thinking. Wilmer Flores singled, and that was followed by a botched attempt by Alvarez to get the lead runner on a Zack Wheeler bunt. The Marlins could not turn a double play on the next at-bat, and Alvarez then walked Curtis Granderson to load the basis and allowed an easy line drive single up the middle to David Wright. Marcell Ozuna airmailed the throw into the Marlins' dugout, clearing the bases and scoring three runs.

Right after that, Hutton made the velocity comment again, and almost on cue Mike Redmond came out of the dugout and approached Alvarez with the infield surrounding them. Alvarez walked back before angrily putting the ball in Redmond's hands, and just like that the righty was pulled from the game. Brad Hand entered to replace him.

Later on, word came back that Henderson Alvarez suffered a left oblique strain. He is currently listed as day-to-day. Stay tuned to Fish Stripes for more on the coverage.

The tenth overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft has earned positive reviews from coaches and scouts alike.

21-year-old outfielder Michael Conforto entered the Mets organization with high expectations at the plate. According to a report from Mike Vorkunov of The Star Ledger, he has met these expectations over his first several months at the professional level. In 182 at-bats with the Low-A Brooklyn Cyclones, the Oregon State product has hit .340/.412/.458, adding three home runs and 19 RBI. Perhaps more importantly, though, Mets coaches and scouts have been impressed with his approach at the plate. Cyclones manager Tom Gamboa said:

"It's just rare to see that kind of selectivity in somebody that is so young. Everything we had heard - he was one of the college hitters in the country - has proved to be true in pro ball."

Mets scouting director Tommy Tanous added:

"This kid knows the zone, he’ll take walks, he has power, things like that."

The praise for Conforto has not just been confined to the Mets organization. After a Cyclones win last week in which Conforto had an RBI single, Amazin Avenue's Kevin Cassidy referred to Conforto as a man amongst boys, and stated that he was more advanced than most players at his level.

More surprisingly, Conforto, who is viewed as a below-average defensive player, has been impressive in left field. Vorkunov, in his article, said the following:

"Gamboa raves about his hitting approach and boasts about Conforto’s defense in left field. A shortstop in high school, he struggled in his transition to the outfield at Oregon State, earning a poor reputation. In Brooklyn, he is building a better one."

The Mets consider themselves lucky to have drafted Conforto, as the team's scouting department was skeptical the outfielder would fall to the tenth pick. When the Rockies passed on him with eighth pick, the team knew they had their man. Sandy Alderson has hinted that Conforto may not spend the whole 2014 season in Brooklyn, and Gamboa believes the future is not very far away for the young outfielder. With the current hitting situation in the team's outfield, we're all hoping he's right.

After getting called up to the majors on Sunday, Satin explained his disappointment with the way his season progressed.

Despite his recent call-up from Triple-A Las Vegas to the Mets, Josh Satin is not happy with his 2014 season. According to ESPN New York, Satin understands why he hasn't been recalled until now.

"Anytime you can get back to the big leagues, it's obviously rewarding. This season hasn't gone as planned. It's been tough. It's been a grind. But I came out every day in Triple-A and worked hard. I was hitting early every day, just trying to get back here."

After hitting .276/.376/.405 over 221 major league plate appearances in 2013, Satin started the 2014 season as a utility infielder for the Mets. With limited playing time, he struggled to get his bat going, hitting just .107 in 34 plate appearances to start the season. On May 10, Satin was optioned to Las Vegas, and Eric Campbell has performed admirably in Satin's former role. At age 29. it's doubtful that Satin will have any sort of major role with Mets going forward, but with a solid month of September he could put himself in contention for a 2015 Opening Day roster spot.

The rehabbing, right-handed reliever will stick to flat-ground sessions until then.

Bobby Parnell, who is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in April, will not be throwing off a mound for another four months, according to Newsday's Marc Carig. The news shouldn't come as much of a surprise, considering the Mets waited just over nine months from his surgery to let Matt Harvey throw off a mound. It is, however, noteworthy that Parnell says he's feeling great after requiring surgery just one game into the 2014 season.

It's easy to forget that Parnell has been the best and most consistent Mets reliever over the past several years, notching 22 saves with a stellar 2.16 ERA in 2013. With the emergence of both Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia as solid back-end bullpen options, though, Michael Avallone wrote that it's unclear who will enter 2015 as the team's closer. Furthermore, Steve Schreiber hypothesized that Parnell's increasing price tag could make him a surprise non-tender option in 2015. Whether or not Parnell is the 2015 Mets closer, it is certainly good to know that his rehab is on the right track.

Henderson Alvarez got shelled in the third inning and was pulled from the game due to injury, but the Miami Marlins still won an odd shootout against the New York Mets thanks to the Mets' seven errors.

The Miami Marlins are set to face off against the New York Mets in the first of a three-game set that start with an early Labor Day special. Henderson Alvarez will take the bump for Miami opposite notorious Marlins killer Zack Wheeler.

Pitching Matchup

The Marlins will ask Alvarez to recover from his slump in order to help Miami break theirs. Alvarez's last start was an ugly one, as he gave up five runs in 6 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels. Facing him will be Wheeler, who has dominated the Marlins twice this season.

Lineups

Miami will go with its usual right-handed pitcher lineup against Wheeler. Donovan Solano's hot bat remains at second base, with Garrett Jones back at first and Jarrod Saltalamacchia back behind the plate.

Juan Lagares is New York's leadoff man, with Lucas Duda hitting cleanup and Wilmer Flores at shortstop.

Notes

-Can Miami bounce back? Coming off of a 3-6 road trip, the Marlins are looking to put together a winning streak.

-Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $18,000 Fantasy Baseball league for tonight's MLB games. It's $2 to join and first prize is $2,000. Jump in now. Here's the FanDuel link.

Bold Prediction: Mets def. Marlins 4-0

The Miami Marlins won a shootout of strange proportions against the New York Mets, thanks in part to a Giancarlo Stanton homer and seven Mets errors. Henderson Alvarez left the game early with a left oblique injury.

The Miami Marlins and New York Mets ran the gamut of emotions in this Labor Day contest and opening game of their three-game series. The Fish started off on a high note, as Zack Wheeler threw a hanging curve to Giancarlo Stanton that led to his 34th home run of the season and a splash-down at the Clevelander. That gave Miami a 1-0 lead early, and the team added on in the second inning, as Marcell Ozuna tripled home a run with no one out to give the Fish a 2-0 lead.

But amid that, there were concerns about starter Henderson Alvarez. Alvarez suffered a difficult third inning, complete with multiple baserunners and hits and an unfortunate ugly throw by center fielder Marcell Ozuna on a David Wright single. Ozuna airmailed the throw in an attempt to switch his target from home to third base on the fly; as a result, he tossed it into the Marlins' dugout and allowed the single to clear the bases and put Wright on second. That gave the Mets a 4-2 lead.

The Marlins came fighting back, however. Against the Marlins killer Wheeler, the Fish roared back in the fifth to take the lead. Donovan Solano reached on an error and, with two outs, the Fish pulled off a series of consecutive hits. Casey McGehee doubled home Solano, then Garrett Jones singled and scored him. Ozuna topped it off with a base hit to make it 5-4 Miami.

But the Mets came right back. Dilson Herrera added onto his spectacular game with an RBI triple that brought home two runs. He had already given the Mets their first run of the game with his first career home run in the majors in the third inning.

With the Mets ahead, it was looking grim into the late innings. But after the Fish tied it up in the seventh off a Christian Yelich single, the cavalry arrived in full in the eighth. Jarrod Saltalamacchia led things off with a double off the glove of the left fielder. Adeiny Hechavarria bunted him over, but the bunt was placed perfectly and Jeurys Familia threw it low to first and let him reach. One bouncer of a pitch later and Saltalamacchia came home to score for Miami to take the lead. A couple of batters later, with Yelich on at first after an intentional walk, Donovan Solano put on the safety squeeze and forced another error out of Familia. Casey McGehee topped things off with a bases-loaded walk to cap a 9-6 win, with Steve Cishek closing out a perfect ninth.

Source: FanGraphs

Attendance: 23,090
Hero of the Game: Casey McGehee (+0.221 WPA)
Goat of the Game: Henderson Alvarez (-0.410 WPA)
Play of the Game: Dilson Herrera tripled in the sixth inning. Travis D'Arnaud and Matt den Dekker scored. (-0.367 WPA)

The Mets lost an ugly one in Miami this afternoon.

The Mets could have very well beaten the Marlins this afternoon in Miami, but thanks to the six errors they committed in the field—and generally poor defense—they did not. Zack Wheeler was not his dominant self, as it took him 114 pitches to get through four-and-two-thirds innings. He gave up five runs, though three were unearned, while striking out eight, walking two, and hitting one batter with a pitch.

The Marlins scored once apiece in the first and second innings, but the Mets broke out for four runs in the third inning as Dilson Herrera hit his first major league home run and three runs scored on a bases-loaded David Wright single and an ensuing throwing error by Marcell Ozuna.

The Marlins plated three more runs in the fifth, all of which came after a one-out error by David Wright that allowed Donovan Solano to reach safely. Trailing by one, the Mets retook the lead on a two-run triple by Dilson Herrera, who had quite a day at the plate but made two of the aforementioned errors.

The Marlins tied the game with a run against Carlos Torres in the sixth, and neither team scored until Miami plated three runs in a very ugly eighth inning that saw Jeurys Familia commit two throwing errors and throw a wild pitch before Erik Goeddel made his major league debut and had to issue an intentional walk before walking in the Marlins' ninth and final run of the game with the bases loaded.

GameThread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.

For New York Mets prospect L.J. Mazzilli, it wasn’t enough to be focused on the game. He wanted to be more focused in his every day life.

At first, quitting social media was a decision brought on by thoughts of feeling disconnected from the moment. But he quickly realized that his career focus was also improved.

"It’s so modernized in society, in every workplace, and it was just too much for me," Mazzilli said Wednesday, before a game with the St. Lucie Mets. "It was tough for me at first, because I was seeing everyone around me up on things I wasn’t. Baseball is the type of thing where you want to be on top of your own brand.But I was just totally attached to my phone. I’d be working out in the gym and checking it, instead of focusing on what I needed to be doing.I feel freer without that distraction."

In the age of players sharing every detail of their lives on Twitter, particularly minor leaguers looking to connect with fans who might not know much about them, resisting social media is rare. But it’s likely not surprising to those close to him. He was known for his baseball intelligence and discipline, long before the Mets drafted him. It was at the University of Connecticut that he truly emerged from the shadow of his father, Lee, who’d played in the majors for thirteen years, including six with the Mets.

Young Mazzilli finished his collegiate career with the Huskies 2^nd all-time in hits (295), with 92 of them coming in his senior year. His .354 batting average led the team and was selected all Big East first team for 2013. The Mets drafted himin the 4^th round (he was previously drafted by the Twins in 2012) and the media blitz began. His father was not only memorable for playing with the Mets, but for his local Brooklyn connection, as well as his post-playing career in the booth for SNY, as lead analyst.

Mazzilli appeared unfazed by the attention, remaining even-keeled, and fully embraced his legacy. He channeled his quiet intensity with a singular focus from the start of his time playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones. Cyclones then-manager Rich Donnelly once commented that Mazzilli began asking questions about how he could improve after his first BP with the team.

In 70 games with the Cyclones, Mazzllli hit .278/.329/.381 and was selected to the mid-season New York Penn League All-Star roster. He spent the winter working out at a facility in Florida, following a Mets-approved plan that combines every area of physical health..

"I worked with Jason Reilly on lifting so I’m stronger at my position, nutrition, and just getting proper rest. He helped me get where I want to be physically. They know how to help you achieve more power, agility, and speed. I haven’t missed more than three games this year. I credit them there. It was big for me."

Through a combined 130 games between Florida State League and South Atlantic League, he hit .302/.363/.442 this year, with 79 RBI, 11 home runs, and 45 walks with 81 strikeouts in 500 at-bats. He also has 25 stolen bases this season, compared to just three in 2013. His relative production has been excellent, with a wRC+ of 122 in Low-A and 134 in High-A.

Mazzilli has good speed and defense to remain at second base, with a smooth and balanced compact swing that allows his to make solid contact. He projects average power, probably 10-15 home runs per season, but he could still develop a bit more. More importantly, he needs to continue to develop better plate discipline, and make more consistent contact. He's a bit of a free swinger, something he worked a lot on in 2013, and said he's continued to focus on improving in 2014.

The complexity of keeping it simple is a trick players have to pull off every day. Mazzilli’s noted patience is intact as he approaches the next phase of his career, and works at that simplicity.

"I’ve had ups and downs this year, but I’m learning to manage my body and mind. At the plate, I have more of an idea and I’m sticking to it. It’s about trusting your ability, because confidence leads to success. Bad or good, you have to turn the page, which makes the game more enjoyable and helps you get more out of each game. That’s really what I’m figuring out now. I’m learning how to be a professional on and off the field, and getting that routine down. I know more of who and what I am as a player."