These prospects the Mets dealt within the Cano-Diaz deal? They’re thriving for Seattle

Possibly Mets followers can take solace in the concept maybe Justin Dunn was by no means destined to pitch for his or her group anyway. Dunn grew up in Freeport, Lengthy Island, 23 miles from Citi Discipline and attended video games as a child there and at previous Shea Stadium. When the Mets drafted Dunn within the first spherical out of Boston Faculty in 2016, it seemed like a traditional local-kid-makes-good story.

The one hitch: Dunn grew up rooting for the Yankees. He needed to be the subsequent Derek Jeter greater than the subsequent David Wright. His dad is a Yankees fan, a Bronx Bombers diehard Dunn referred to as “the largest baseball fan I do know.” So Justin had little selection: He additionally needed to cheer for the Yankees. When his youthful brother determined at one level to turn out to be a Pink Sox fan — “an act of rise up,” Dunn laughed ultimately month’s Futures Sport in Cleveland — his dad quickly put a cease to that concept.

Nonetheless, that did not make final December’s commerce any simpler to take. Dunn had seemed ahead to pitching within the majors down the street from his hometown, taking part in in entrance of household and associates. Then got here the surprising information: He and outfielder Jarred Kelenic, the Mets’ first-round choose in 2018, had been traded to the Mariners for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz.

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Mets normal supervisor Brodie Van Wagenen referred to as Dunn and defined it was a enterprise choice. “He needed to do what was greatest for the group,” Dunn mentioned. “I perceive that, being from New York. what profitable means and you understand how vital the Mets are to the town, so he needed to do the precise transfer for his group, which was to attempt to win now.”

Dunn hasn’t fully severed his Mets ties, nonetheless. On the evening of the Futures Sport, he had dinner with former minor league teammates Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil. He had been texting with Alonso all season and even introduced a Polar Bear T-shirt to the sport. He referred to as Alonso “my large little Teddy Bear and greatest good friend.”

Kelenic was in Port St. Lucie with different Mets minor leaguers in an offseason coaching program when he first realized he might be traded — although the Mets had simply made him the primary highschool participant drafted, sixth total, and he had rapidly impressed throughout his first skilled season. A bunch of gamers was at a restaurant when Kelenic noticed his identify on a TV display screen. “I seemed up at a TV and my identify was up there as a rumor. I used to be like, ‘Are you kidding me? Is anybody else seeing this?'”

His mother additionally noticed the rumors. “I used to be like, ‘Mother, this does not occur to first-year guys. It simply does not occur,” Kelenic mentioned. He went house to Wisconsin. Three days later he was traded. The blockbuster deal went down on Dec. three, one of the crucial controversial trades in years. Sure, the Mets had been getting an elite and cheap nearer in Diaz, however Cano was a 36-year-old second baseman, and whereas he had a superb season for Seattle in 2018, he had additionally been suspended for PEDs and, extra problematic, nonetheless had 5 years remaining on his contract. The Mariners would choose up a few of the cash, however many Mets followers had been apoplectic over the deal.

Issues look even worse now. The Mets are competing for a playoff spot, however not due to Diaz and Cano. Diaz is 1-6 with a 5.60 ERA and misplaced his job as Mets nearer. Cano is hitting .252/.295/.415 with 32 RBIs and can seemingly miss the remainder of the season with a torn left hamstring. In the meantime, Kelenic and Dunn have continued to blossom into high prospects.

Kelenic is hitting .298/.371/.532 with 17 house runs in 99 video games and was simply promoted from high-A to Double-A (he started the season in low-A). Dunn is 7-Four with a three.66 ERA at Double-A Arkansas with 132 strikeouts and 32 walks in 110.2 innings.

On his midseason replace of high 50 prospects, Keith Legislation ranked Kelenic No. eight, writing “He is a plus runner who may keep in heart, although I may see him getting bumped by a plus defender there and transferring to proper discipline as a result of his arm. He has high-OBP, 30-homer potential, and that can play at any spot.” Dunn was honorable point out for the highest 50. Keith wrote, “He is nonetheless a bit an excessive amount of of a two-pitch man, centered on his fastball as much as 94 and a plus breaking ball, and there is a contact of effort in his launch. I do know a number of scouts who like him, however as a reliever. I nonetheless say he can begin however acknowledge the volatility.”

With a pair of Juniors — Fernando Tatis and Vlad Guerrero — graduating to the bigs, there is a new look atop the very best prospects record. Keith Legislation (ESPN+)

Earlier than GM Jerry Dipoto’s offseason rebuilding program that introduced in Kelenic, Dunn, Justus Sheffield and J.P. Crawford, the Mariners had been as soon as once more in line to have the lowest-ranked system within the majors. Over the earlier 5 seasons, Baseball America had ranked the Mariners 30th, 21st, 28th, 24th and 25th. The despair goes effectively past that, nonetheless, which helps clarify why the Mariners have the longest playoff drought within the majors.

Going again to 1999, simply two gamers the Mariners drafted within the first spherical have produced 10 WAR within the majors: Adam Jones, who was traded to the Orioles in an ill-advised deal for Erik Bedard, and Brandon Morrow, who earned simply 2.1 WAR with the Mariners. From 2009 to 2014 that they had 4 picks within the high six, choosing Dustin Ackley, Danny Hultzen, Mike Zunino and Alex Jackson. Zunino has the been the very best of the lot and he was traded to Tampa for Mallex Smith, who has had a zero.zero WAR season for the Mariners.

Alongside the best way, Dipoto’s rapid-fire strikes to maintain the Mariners in doubtful playoff competition drained the system of what little expertise it did have. Ryan Yarbrough is now a precious member of the Rays’ workers. He was a throw-in commerce that introduced Drew Smyly to Seattle (he bought harm and by no means pitched for the Mariners). Emilio Pagan, now the Tampa Bay nearer, was traded to Oakland for Ryon Healy, who has produced adverse WAR in two seasons with Seattle. Dipoto gave away Chris Taylor to the Dodgers and Pablo Lopez — one among 4 gamers traded to the Marlins for David Phelps — has an opportunity to be a high quality starter. Even the Mitch Haniger commerce does not look so nice now that Ketel Marte has developed right into a star for the Diamondbacks.

But it surely’s been a superb 2019 for the farm system, with Kelenic and Dunn main the best way. The roster at Double-A Arkansas is at the moment stacked:

RHP Logan Gilbert (No. 50 on MLB.com’s high 100 prospects), the group’s first-round choose in 2018 out of Stetson, has a 2.86 ERA by means of his first six begins there and a 2.03 ERA throughout three ranges of the minors.

1B Evan White (No. 73 on MLB.com) is a slick fielder hitting .290 with 16 house runs.

C Cal Raleigh, a third-round choose in 2018, has struggled in his call-up to Arkansas, however hit .261/.336/.535 with 22 house runs at Class A Modesto.

Sheffield struggled together with his management at Triple-A, however has hopefully mounted his mechanics after a demotion to Arkansas, the place he has a 1.75 ERA in 11 begins with 79 strikeouts, 16 walks and one house run in 72 innings.

OF Kyle Lewis has lastly been wholesome and showcased the instruments that made him a first-round choose in 2016.

Then there’s outfielder Julio Rodriguez, who’s rapidly rocketing up prospect boards (MLB.com has him at No. 53). The 18-year-old Dominican is hitting .296/.361/.496 for Class A West Virginia as one of many youngest gamers within the South Atlantic League.

“I believe we have accomplished what we mentioned we had been going to do,” Dipoto just lately instructed The Athletic’s Corey Brock. “We recognized younger gamers, we went out and improved our farm system, by means of the draft and worldwide signings and with quite a lot of these trades. We’ve got refocused what we’re doing. It is making a distinction.”

How the Tampa Bay Rays flipped a bust for 15 years of expertise. Sam Miller »

The Mariners at the moment are considered having a top-10 system. The followers are pinning their hopes for a shiny future on the event of Kelenic, Dunn and the others. On the Futures Sport, effectively earlier than his promotion to Double-A, Kelenic was proud of how his season had gone.

“To be fully sincere, it has been even higher,” Kelenic mentioned in Cleveland. “There are undoubtedly occasions I can sit again and take a look at what I’ve accomplished and proceed to do. I by no means thought I might have 15 house runs at this level. I did not even know if I might have 15 house runs on the 12 months.”

He and Dunn are additionally conscious that in some regard they’re the faces of the franchise now, much more so than lots of the gamers on the most important league roster. With that comes the strain of efficiency. “My most straightforward reply to that’s that my expectations are increased than anybody else’s,” Kelenic mentioned, “so if I can exit and obtain my expectations, I will have already got exceeded everybody else’s.” When requested when he expects to succeed in the majors, he laughed, “I wish to be there now.”

Dunn is a kind of whole baseball rats, which bodes effectively for his means to be taught and adapt. He even mentioned he will get in bother together with his girlfriend typically for enjoying an excessive amount of MLB The Present. A key pitch for him this season — and for his means to ultimately thrive within the majors as a starter — is a changeup Frank Viola taught him when he was with the Mets group. “I am pounding the zone higher,” he mentioned. “My strike price is up with all my pitches. And I’ve added a brand new weapon to the arsenal, the changeup, and beginning to use it much more.”

Each gamers are likeable and extremely motivated — Kelenic even completed highschool early so he may deal with making ready for the draft his senior season — another excuse for Mariners followers to be enthusiastic about their arrival. It has been a catastrophe of a season on the main league degree for the Mariners, however for the primary time in a very long time, there’s actual motive to be optimistic concerning the future.