Ross Clark asked -
I was just wondering
how you guys view Matt denDecker. Everything I read about the kid says he is
already an MLB outfielder, but with his recent hot streak at the dis,h how far
is the gap between him and a cold Torres? I realize that Binghamton is a long way from Flushing,
but, if he continues to be this good at the plate, could it make Torres
expendable in an already crowded outfield at the deadline?
Renan
Varghese -
I've got to say, I'm of
two minds on bringing up den Deckker at this point. On the one hand, his power
and (especially) his defense would be a welcome addition to a team sorely
lacking on both fronts. On the other hand, I'm not sure he's quite ready to be
a major leaguer and I'm even less sure that he's a good fit on this particular
team at this particular time. First, even though he's improved his strike out
rate slightly this year, to a not terrible 23.7%, that's still pretty high.
While it's possible to be productive as a big leaguer while striking out once
every four plate appearances, if we're being honest, the strikeouts are only
likely to increase going from Double A straight to the majors. Second, his numbers
this year are supported by a crazy high BABIP of .428. Although den Dekker has
historically had higher than normal BABIPs throughout the minor leagues (with
last year being the exception), his numbers this year just aren't sustainable.
The bigger issue with this team is that I'm not sure there's an argument that
den Dekker is actually better than Nieuwenhuis, who is likely to see his
playing time diminish with the return of Jason Bay. Although one could (and
should) argue that Jason Bay shouldn't be getting any regular playing time, it
seems as if the Mets are committed to running him out there on a consistent
basis. As a result, unless they send Ike down and move Duda over to first base
(which I fervently hope they do, and soon), it doesn't make sense to have den
Dekker and Nieuwenhuis splitting time in the outfield. Both of them need to
play every day to keep refining their skills. (Ross' question doesn't take into
account the fact that Torres is basically a part time player for the Mets at
this point). The best course of action is to send den Dekker to Buffalo, have
him succeed there for a couple of months and force the Mets hand. Ideally, by
that point the Mets will have found where Bay is keeping his stash of
incriminating pictures of the front office and they can just get rid of him
already, opening up a spot for den Dekker.
Mack Ade –
I can see Matt den
Dekker playing CF for the Mets in 2014, flanked by Lucas Duda and Kirk
Nieuwenhuis. IMO, he needs to
concentrate on pitch selection when he has two strikes on him. Spray/gap
hitters tend to swing at too much. There’s a good chance he will finish the
year in Buffalo and could get an invite in September if the Mets are out of the
race, but he looks to be a Bisons starter on opening day 2013.
Flash – Den Dekker
was promoted yesterday to Buffalo.
I hope this
works out well for both him and the Mets. I tend to be conservative about the
few prospect bats in the system and I take a far more conservative approach to
them. Matt is potentially the future Mets centerfielder. He may be the best
defensive outfielder in the system. He had a great power spurt last year which
seems to come with the hot weather, something that doesn’t happen in Buffalo
for more than three hours a year. I know the Mets outfield in Queens isn’t
defined perfectly, but den Dekker isn’t the 2012 solution. Frankly, I don’t
think he fits in until after to all-star break next season, but that’s just me
looking from the outside. I have to assume the Mets know what they are doing
here. Scouts have repeatedly said that the kid is ready. Let’s all take a step
back here and watch what he does starting tonight.
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