2023 NY Mets thread

[SWC75]

This Week in Mets: How seriously should the Mets think about selling at the trade deadline?

The National League looks to be wide open. Does it make sense to pull the plug?

theathletic.com

 

[Newhouser]

I know Alonso was out and the Mets are scuffling, but the Pirates dont look awful. As a Pirate fan I expect this optimistic post to result in a ten game losing streak...

 

[SWC75]

MSN

This our second ex-Yankees slugger and I don't think he's the answer, either. I want Vientos to get more ABs.

 

[sutomcat]

Report: Mets To Hire David Stearns Following 2023 Season - Metsmerized Online

It was reported Sunday afternoon by Bob Nightengale of USA Today that the New York Mets are expected to hire former Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns this offseason. His contract expires after the season, and he is expected to be hired in Flushing to a high-ranking front office...

metsmerizedonline.com

Stearns is well respected and has done a great job of getting Milwaukee to be a consistent winner despite major budget restraints. This is a really encouraging report and I really hope it is accurate.

 

[SWC75]

MSN

Max and Justin may not be 'pieces of ...' but they aren't Max and Justin anymore, either.

 

[SWC75]

Yankees and Mets have the same problem: The Mets' highest batting average in their starting line up was Jeff McNeil at .276 and the Yankee's best was Anthony Rizzo at .272.

 

[MSOrange]

 

[MSOrange]

 

[SWC75]

So we lost both Drew Snith and Drew Smith. Shucks!

 

[ScrabbCuse]

Mets blew a 5-1 lead? Color me shocked.

 

[SmilinBob]

I know just watching last night is an incredibly small sample size but the Mets young catcher, Alverez I think his name was, has a very active mobile glove it doesn't seem to help his pitchers get called strikes. Also was disappointed on the wild pitch that he never dropped to block and just stabbed at the ball.

He seems to have a decent stick and I'm sure he'll improve defensively on framing and the like and as I wrote, it is a small sample size, and I'm curious what you Met fans think?

 

[sutomcat]

I know just watching last night is an incredibly small sample size but the Mets young catcher, Alverez I think his name was, has a very active mobile glove it doesn't seem to help his pitchers get called strikes. Also was disappointed on the wild pitch that he never dropped to block and just stabbed at the ball.

He seems to have a decent stick and I'm sure he'll improve defensively on framing and the like and as I wrote, it is a small sample size, and I'm curious what you Met fans think?

I agree he should have blocked that one pitch. But his framing looks shockingly good to me.

Baseball savant agrees.

I think he has a chance to win some gold gloves if he continues to work hard and improve.

Statcast Catcher Framing Leaderboard

Baseball Savant

baseballsavant.mlb.com

 

[SmilinBob]

I agree he should have blocked that one pitch. But his framing looks shockingly good to me.

Baseball savant agrees.

I think he has a chance to win some gold gloves if he continues to work hard and improve.

Statcast Catcher Framing Leaderboard

Baseball Savant

baseballsavant.mlb.com

Thanks for the info Tom.

Always taught to frame the ball to the plate and saw a lot of late movement from his glove catching away from the plate and once framing way too obvious by pulling a far outside ball over the corner. But that said, I watched when it was 6-6 and it could have been a pitcher he hasn't seen a lot of with a later running movement.

 

[OrangeFoo]

I'm heading from Austin to Houston to go to the game on Monday... great timing =(

 

[SWC75]

Max Scherzer's poor start dooms Mets in loss to Yankees

Scherzer allowed six earned runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings Tuesday.

theathletic.com

 

[sutomcat]

Just some general thoughts on where the Mets are and what I would do to try and fix things...

1) Go to a six man rotation. Verlander is 40 years old. Scherzer is 38. Carrasco is 36. Quintana is 34. Senga is used to pitching once a week. They will all benefit from more rest. It will allow them to go deeper in starts, I think it will improve the quality of their starts and it should make them less likely to get hurt and have to go on the IL again.

Here is the rotation now:

Scherzer
Verlander
Senga
Carrasco
Megill

Call up Lucchesi, who has been pitching well in Syracuse (just threw a shutout), and make him the sixth starter for now. He is 5-1 in Syracuse with an ERA of 2.30. He needs to be pitching in NY, if not as a starter than as a reliever.

Quintana is about to start making rehab starts and I think is only 15 days or so away from joining the rotation. Assuming that happens, and assuming he is effective, make him the sixth starter and take whoever is struggling the most (Megill probably) and either send them to Syracuse or add them to the bullpen.

2) Move Alvarez from the 2 hole in the lineup. He is a terrible fit there and I think he is hitting a lot worse since he was moved there.

3) Play Narvaez as the DH against right handed starters and Escobar as the DH against left handed starters.

For now, Canta is the first baseman and Pham in the left fielder. Let them play every day and when Alonso returns, play the one hitting the best in LF.

4) Return Vientos to Syracuse. He looks lost playing once a week and needs to play every day. It is a shame he was called up when there was no intention of giving him regular at bats. Put him back in Syracuse so he has a chance to develop further and so he is ready if there is another injury.

5) Play McNeil at 2B. Sorry, Guillorme is not the answer there. I know Buck likes him but it is time to play the best players.

Glad to see Walker called up. I hope he is kept in NY for a long time. He has really good stuff and throws left handed. That should be sufficient to keep him on the Mets for a long time.

 

[upperdeck]

lost last night because Nimo whiffed a simple fly ball.

who knew that Lindor was going to become a worse hitter than Ordonez?

 

[sutomcat]

lost last night because Nimo whiffed a simple fly ball.

who knew that Lindor was going to become a worse hitter than Ordonez?

That play was a key to the loss. In that same inning, I believe there was also two routine pop fly balls to center field that Nimmo, playing exceptionally deep, did not get to.

You can't give MLB teams 6 outs in an inning and expect to win.

The defense has to play well for this team to be successful. It at least has to be decent.

 

[NYCCuse826]

lost last night because Nimo whiffed a simple fly ball.

who knew that Lindor was going to become a worse hitter than Ordonez?

They lost because of the pitching. It's been the story all year. Scherzer and Verlander are sunk costs. You score six runs in a game and you win more often than not. When your "Ace" blows your lead and now you're fighting back, everyone is now pressing. Nimmo's inability to catch that ball because he has to play deep due to his lack of range was big, but not bigger than Scherzer being a bum.

These are things that unserious organizations do. It starts at the top.

 

[SWC75]

Just some general thoughts on where the Mets are and what I would do to try and fix things...

1) Go to a six man rotation. Verlander is 40 years old. Scherzer is 38. Carrasco is 36. Quintana is 34. Senga is used to pitching once a week. They will all benefit from more rest. It will allow them to go deeper in starts, I think it will improve the quality of their starts and it should make them less likely to get hurt and have to go on the IL again.

Here is the rotation now:

Scherzer
Verlander
Senga
Carrasco
Megill

Call up Lucchesi, who has been pitching well in Syracuse (just threw a shutout), and make him the sixth starter for now. He is 5-1 in Syracuse with an ERA of 2.30. He needs to be pitching in NY, if not as a starter than as a reliever.

Quintana is about to start making rehab starts and I think is only 15 days or so away from joining the rotation. Assuming that happens, and assuming he is effective, make him the sixth starter and take whoever is struggling the most (Megill probably) and either send them to Syracuse or add them to the bullpen.

2) Move Alvarez from the 2 hole in the lineup. He is a terrible fit there and I think he is hitting a lot worse since he was moved there.

3) Play Narvaez as the DH against right handed starters and Escobar as the DH against left handed starters.

For now, Canta is the first baseman and Pham in the left fielder. Let them play every day and when Alonso returns, play the one hitting the best in LF.

4) Return Vientos to Syracuse. He looks lost playing once a week and needs to play every day. It is a shame he was called up when there was no intention of giving him regular at bats. Put him back in Syracuse so he has a chance to develop further and so he is ready if there is another injury.

5) Play McNeil at 2B. Sorry, Guillorme is not the answer there. I know Buck likes him but it is time to play the best players.

Glad to see Walker called up. I hope he is kept in NY for a long time. He has really good stuff and throws left handed. That should be sufficient to keep him on the Mets for a long time.

I think Vientos has spent enugh time in AAA. This season is going nowhere because the pitching staff is such a mess. Let's develop the young players. Make Vientos the full time DH until he proves he can't handle it. Put Mauricio in left in Syracuse and keep McNeil at second for now.

 

[OrangeFoo]

I think Vientos has spent enugh time in AAA. This season is going nowhere because the pitching staff is such a mess. Let's develop the young players. Make Vientos the full time DH until he proves he can't handle it. Put Mauricio in left in Syracuse and keep McNeil at second for now.

Completely agree… but this would require admitting to Steve Cohen that you messed up.

I think Mets should sell at the deadline, but I don’t think they have much to sell.

 

[SWC75]

Completely agree… but this would require admitting to Steve Cohen that you messed up.

I think Mets should sell at the deadline, but I don’t think they have much to sell.

They've done a good job of developing young hitters. They are a couple of years behind with young pitchers and they are going to have to go the trade/free-agent route for guys still in their prime to fill out the staff until then. I just hope they don't have to give up top prospects for that.

 

[NYCCuse826]

This team is horrible.

 

[SWC75]

What did the man say? "Late game heroics can remove the stench of an ugly game".

I understand the impact of injuries, the gamble on pitchers way past their normal prime years, slumps by veteran players and shaky performances by rookies. But Buck Showalter got manager of the year last year by turning a team with shaky potatoes into a team that did everything right, not giving anything to other teams that they didn't deserve and taking full advantage of every opportunity. This team doesn't do that at all. OK, maybe they are pressing because of all the adversity. But this is, to say the least, a veteran ballclub that knows how long the season is and that you build your record game by game. They shouldn't be making silly mistakes.

Now come the post- Braves/Yankees let down - and we've already lost 9 of 11!

 

[SWC75]

On a positive note, that was the Mets' 10th walk-off win against the Yankees. (I don't know how many they have against us.)