Mets Have Young Stud in PJ Conlon

The Mets seem to have struck gold in a 2015 draft pick, that happened to be in the 13rd round. They selected PJ Conlon, a left-handed pitcher that hails from Belfast, Ireland. PJ is currently seeking to become the first Major League pitcher from come from Ireland in over 72 years!

After three successful years as a University of San Diego Torero, the New York Mets took their chances on him. He’d posted a 2.83 ERA in 294.1 innings, an absolutely astounding figure given the fact that they play in the loaded West Coast Conference. The Toreros got a good one, as he helped lead them to multiple conference championship tournaments. Conlon is fond of the time he spent there, citing an extremely close bond with head coach Rich Hill and the rest of the coaching staff. Upon his departure, he had already received multiple All-American honors and even had two great summers with the prestigious Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League.

Soon after being drafted, he received a low $100,000 signing bonus. In his first season, he was assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones at the A- level. Just pitching 17 innings, he struck out 25 batters and allowed zero runs. This was enough to earn him a promotion in his second season, where he floated around with the Columbia Fireflies (A) and the St. Lucie Mets (A+). He was extremely successful and this is the season it became clear that Conlon was something special. In 78.1 innings with the Fireflies, he had allowed just 19 runs, striking out 61 and winning 8 of 12 starts. After being promoted again, the St. Lucie Mets saw him pitch 63.2 innings for a 1.41 ERA on a 0.96 WHIP.

In the off-season though, trade rumors began to arise. Mets fans seemed to be pleading the organization to keep the young stud, which they luckily did. The franchise seemed to doubt Conlon a little, considering draft reports cited him as being too small and weak. He only stands about 5’11”, and his fastball rarely tops the low 90s. Conlon was invited to the 2017 Spring Training, in a move that seemed kind of like a test for the crafty lefty. This gave the Mets a chance to judge his stuff even more, and they seemed to like it enough to keep him around. Last season was spent in AA, with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. His stats weren’t quite as phenomenal, but that can be accredited to the fact that he’s just two levels away from the Show. Conlon’s record was 8-9, with a 3.37 ERA in 136 innings, which was good enough to earn him an organization All-Star nod. Prior to the 2018 season beginning, he’s racked up four All-Star appearances throughout post-season and franchise votes. PJ has even been pitcher of the week three times, all of which go towards his case of an MLB promotion.

As 2018’s Spring Training begins, Conlon has secured another invite. So far, he’s just thrown live batting practice against the club. Mets manager Mickey Callaway has spoken highly of him, saying, “He was throwing the ball where he wanted to, pitching in off the plate, good changeup down and away, so I think he’s another piece of the puzzle that can help us sometime in the near future.” Star right-fielder Jay Bruce also spoke highly of Conlon, remarking that his changeup was “pretty good”. It seems that this next season he will float between AA and AAA, with the small possibility of an MLB call-up. The possibility of a call-up to the Major Leagues within the next two seasons is very high, though. It was just announced a day ago that Conlon will be converted into a relief pitcher, something that would make way for his debut at the highest level. The Mets currently have a strong enough rotation to not deem him necessary, thus the conversion being a way to find him time and growth in the Show. Currently, most prospect rankings have Conlon anywhere from 15-30th in the entire organization. That’s pretty good, nonetheless considering that he was a 13th round pick. For now, Mets fans can only wait and see what happens. They can be hopeful that he will eventually be called up but regardless, the young stud has a very bright future. If somehow a trade does go through, New York will certainly get some good assets for him. All in all, it seems as if this 24-year old kid will in fact break the long drought of Irish-born players in the MLB.

Mets Lose First Three Spring Games... Mets Fans Panic

Twitter has been real active now that Spring Training has started. It's a great thing until you realize how annoying so many people on Twitter are.  Predictably there's plenty of negativity surrounding the 0-3 start this spring. I will admit that aside from some nice pitching debuts from young studs and a few home runs from crappy first basemen, there hasn't been much to be excited about. But...

This post is to remind all you Debbie Downers that spring training games do not count toward the teams record. The definition of an exhibition game as per acclaimed and mostly accurate online encyclopedia Wikipedia reads as follows: "An exhibition game (also known as a demonstration, a friendly, a warm up match, a preparation match, or in some contexts a scrimmage) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the teams rankings is either zero or greatly reduced." 

Well there you have it. Spring training is a group of games that are used to get back into shape, to learn and to try new things. So many people are fired up over losing three games in which David Wright and Daniel Murphy haven't even played. The three games were started by guys competing for the fifth spot in the rotation and the games have been finished by guys starting the season in AA. 

Mets Twitter needs to take a Xanax and settle down. Guys are going to suck in the spring. Pitchers are going to work on pitches they spent the offseason developing to see if they are worth using in the season. They're gonna get hit around. Batters are going to try and get comfortable again and tinker with their batting stances. They're going to strike out. Fielders are breaking in new mitts. They're going to drop balls. You can start your panic on April 3rd if they're 0-3. Until then, be happy you're watching any kind of baseball right now considering we got 300 inches of snow this winter. 

Talk trash to me on twitter @GetsThruBuckner

The Biggest Questions Of Mets Camp

As the players continue to file into Port St. Lucie, FL, the 2014 New York Mets don't appear set to challenge in the NL East.  They seem to be well removed from the likes of the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves, yet don't really have many questions to answer as the spring plays out.

First base is without a doubt the biggest question mark of camp, and to be honest I'm not 100% sure its much of a question at all.  The Mets appear set to offer Ike Davis 80-100 at-bats this spring in an effort to "win" the job.  It begs the question, when will Lucas Duda get his reps?  If this is truly a competition, I would expect each player to get his equal share.  There certainly haven't been any references to Davis playing some other position he's fair from suited to play.  I'll let you in on a pretty poorly kept secret...  If Ike Davis is still with the team come March 31st, unless he has just a simply awful spring, he will be the team's first baseman on opening day.  He provides the higher upside, has the higher salary and still remains the distant front runner to assume the role.

Next up would have to be the role that Juan Lagares plays when camp breaks.  For all the hype about his surprise play in center field last season, the Mets have been very non-committal on where he fits in this year.  It seems the biggest threat to his playing time in 2014 is the team's lack of a leadoff hitter.  In an effort to have Eric Young Jr. assume that role, Lagares would likely be the odd man out under the guise that the lineup cannot afford to have two outfielders with little to no home run pop at one time.  As a result, we've heard there will be an open competition between Lagares and Chris Young for the center field spot.  This may be a question as we go through camp, but it shouldn't be.  Juan Lagares was amongst the best defensive center fielders in baseball last season.  Posting him in centerfield, with Chris Young and Curtis Granderson on either side should provide the Mets pitching staff with what would likely be the best outfield defense in baseball.  That's well worth the offensive gamble he presents, in my opinion.

Finally, there is the team's bullpen.  To date, the Mets haven't added the veteran reliever with closing experience they coveted all winter.  That means, despite reportedly being two weeks from throwing off a mound, the closer role remains with Bobby Parnell.  As a result, any competition will be for the spots behind him.  Can Jeurys Familia make the bullpen out of camp?  Is Vic Black ready to be a setup man after only a handful of major league appearances?  Will Jack Leathersich surprise the masses, cut down on his walks, and threaten to steal a spot in the bullpen?  These are all valid questions, but few if any are season shifting ones.

Yes, the Mets are preparing to enter camp with questions about whether they're good enough to compete in 2014, but there are precious few questions about who will make the trip north next month.  Our spring will be spent watching to see if Ike Davis can show progress, whether or not Juan Lagares has learned to take a walk, whether or not Bobby Parnell can still throw gas, and most importantly if they can all stay healthy.  The Mets roster is basically set, so for now we can simply enjoy the fact that baseball is back because there aren't many other reason to watch closely this spring.

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