Comparing Jacob Degrom To Hisashi Iwakuma

Courtesy of 11 Alive

     At first glance, they look like completely different pitchers. One's a tall, lanky 6'4 power pitcher who averaged 93.5 MPH on his fastball. The other is seven full years older and averaged just under 89 MPH on his fastball last season. I have a feeling you can tell which one is which. However, I saw some similarities between the two pitchers, and I figured I would conduct some research to see if I was correct.

Fantasy Baseball: Top 80 Starting Pitchers

Courtesy of Grantland   

     In fantasy, there is no position deeper than starting pitcher.... until Spring Training hits. If my fantasy draft from last friday was any indication, pitcher on the surface looks like a garden of quality options. However, in a few short picks that garden quickly gets picked off and sees a flamethrower attack it until the charred remains make it look downright ugly. Anyway, enough with the imagery. The point is, don't take what seems to be a lot of depth at the position for granted. When you get the chance, fill out your rotation with whichever options suit your style, whether that be solid proven arms that you can count on, or dynamite pitchers who possess sky high upside. Without further ado, lets take a look at who I feel are the top 80 starting pitchers in fantasy.

With Murphy down, who will the Mets turn to?

Photo Courtesy of Nypost.com

According to Sandy Alderson, Daniel Murphy may begin the season on the disabled list with a right hamstring pull. The 2014 All-Star was originally listed to miss a week with his injury, but it appears like the organization would like to make sure he is 100% healthy before returning to the starting lineup. 

In the meantime, Alderson also said that top prospect Dilson Herrera will NOT return to the big league camp, after being re-assigned to the minors last week. That leaves Matt Reynolds and Danny Muno as the final two infielders with experience at second base this spring. The question is, who will the Mets go with?

Mets cut 5 more players from camp

The Mets have cut 5 more minor leaguers from Spring Training camp. The following players have been re-assigned to minor league camp: Akeel Morris, Noah Syndergaard, Kevin Plawecki, Jon Velasquez, and Cory Mazzoni. The team is now down to 39 players.

Fantasy Baseball: Top 60 Outfielders

Photo courtesy of Gammons Daily

     This is perhaps the deepest offensive position besides First Base in my opinion. This is because Outfield can provide owners with just about anything they want. They can have that extra bump in the slugging category from the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, consistency from the likes of Hunter Pence and Matt Holliday, and remember, Outfield also consists of a who's who in fantasy names. Without further ado, here are the top 60 outfielders in the fake sport.   

What I Learned From The Zack Wheeler Injury

Photo Courtesy of NY Post

     It was ironic how on a sunny Monday morning, we were delivered news that was reminiscent of a rainy day. That news of course, was the diagnosis of a full tear of the UCL in Zack Wheeler's elbow. At this point it is a given that Wheeler will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2015 season. As much as it may seem ridiculous to try and put a positive twist on this situation, I will simply say that I learned a lot from that brief second flash of the notification on my phone a few days ago.

Mets make 2nd round of cuts

Today the Mets made their 2nd round of cuts, sending 7 players over to minor league camp. Those players are Cody Satterwhite, Tyler Pill, Matthew Bowman, Gabriel Ynoa, Hansel Robles, Dilson Herrera and Wilfredo Tovar. The team now has 49 players who are still in major league camp.

As always, I will briefly analyze each out of the players who have been cut.

Options to replace Wheeler in the rotation

As we all know, Zack Wheeler has a torn elbow ligament and will miss the entire 2015 season. Losing a young stud is a big blow for the Mets, but luckily they have quite a bit of pitching depth which should off-set the loss of Wheeler. Terry Collins immediately stated that Dillon Gee would earn the 5th starter spot, but since then there have been rumors that it may go to someone like Rafael Montero, or even an elite prospect like Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz. In this article I will list all of the options that the Mets have internally to replace Wheeler.

Mets have been scouting Matusz

The Mets have been scouting Orioles left hander Brian Matusz, according to Dan Martin from the New York Post. Matusz, the former starter, completed his 2nd straight season as a reliever last year, compiling a 3.48 ERA in 63 appearances. He had a 9.2 K/9 ratio and a 3.0 BB/9 ratio. 

Zack Wheeler Has a Torn UCL, Tommy John Surgery Likely

Credit to Zimbio

    The Zack Wheeler elbow saga has come to an end, and sadly, it was a grim one. Within a span of three and a half days, the word went from simply missing his next start, to getting an MRI and finally, the diagnosis of a torn UCL.

Fantasy Baseball: Top Ten Third Baseman

Credit to Zimbio

     For years, Third Base was considered to be incredibly top heavy. However, last year showed there are a lot of great options at the front of the line, as well as there being options that range from reliable, to high upside. Without further ado, let's take a look at my top ten ranked Third Sackers.

Mets make first round of cuts

The Mets have made their first round of cuts, sending the following three players to minor league camp: Brandon Nimmo, Gavin Cecchini and Xorge Carrillo. Nimmo and Cecchini, two former 1st round picks, were not expected to make the roster, and neither was Carrillo, who projects to open the season as the backup catcher for Triple-A Las Vegas. 

Attention Mets Fans, Zack Wheeler Is Still Second In Command

NY Daily News

      I may be wrong here, but I get the feeling that all of us Mets fans have a split opinion on Zack Wheeler. I've seen plenty on Facebook forums and other groups state that he is destined to be a second fiddle. Basically, those fans are saying that Wheeler will not only be behind Harvey in the rotation, but also behind Degrom, Syndergaard and perhaps even Steven Matz too. While this happening is a possibility, I feel like those fans are forgetting that Wheeler has just as much, if not more talent than the last two pitchers I mentioned. Plus, we all know that Zack Wheeler has been getting better as time wears on. What I want to talk about here is simply how Zack Wheeler has been taking steps to improve, and it has been under our noses. 

Edgin to start season on the DL, TJ surgery possible

After undergoing an MRI yesterday, Josh Edgin has been diagnosed with a stretched elbow ligament, according to Sandy Alderson. He will begin the regular season on the disabled list with the hopes of rehabbing the injury, but there is a strong chance that the 28 year old will eventually require season-ending Tommy John surgery. 

Taking a Look at Jenrry Mejia and Bobby Parnell

 

Courtesy of Bleacher Report

     Last week, I briefly mentioned how Bobby Parnell could cause a bit of complication in terms of the bullpen once he returns. 

Credit to NY Daily News

Edgin has elbow discomfort, to get an MRI

Uh oh. 

The Mets have announced that Josh Edgin has informed them of elbow discomfort in his left arm. The team also announced that he will undergo an MRI in the coming days to detect the source of the discomfort. 

Fantasy Baseball: Top Ten Shortstops

   

Courtesy of Zimbio

     I'd be lying if I said I don't think Shortstop is one of the weakest positions in fantasy right now. Now, there are certainly good options, but the top ranked Shortstops are considered either injury prone, or inconsistent. When I see lists ranking the top Shortstops, the majority of them seem to be the same. I personally find this a tad strange because since Shortstop is shallow, I feel like the considered "top ten" is wide open. That's why on my list, you may find some interesting choices. With all of that said, let's get this list underway.

Could Reynolds make the cut?

We are five games into Spring Training, and a few players have surprisingly come out of the gates on fire. One of those players is shortstop Matthew Reynolds, who I will be analyzing in today's article. 

David Wright, and The Value Of a Clubhouse Leader

Courtesy of Fansided

     I typically am one that looks up all different types of stats, and to me, they are a very important way to evaluate a player. However, there are a few cases where a player's value goes beyond the stats. David Wright is one of those few players

Ruben Tejada Could Be Very Useful

   

Courtesy of Bleacher Report

     Just like the majority of Met fans, I firmly believe that if Ruben Tejada ever becomes our starting shortstop again, we could be in serious trouble. However, that isn't to say that he could be incredibly valuable in his own right.

Fantasy Baseball: Top Ten Second Baseman

     For years, people talked about how Second base was starting to come around and become a better position offensively. It seems like now that day has finally come. The position isn't exactly gleaming with elite offensive options like First base, but it has become a position where solid contributors can be found. Without further ado, here are the top ten Second baseman.

Bold Predictions for 2015 (AL edition)

A few days ago I wrote an article that included 5 bold predictions for each NL team, and in this article I will conclude the series by going through each American League squad, and giving them 5 bold predictions as well.