2023 NY Mets thread

[SWC75]

Rosenthal: Mets won’t be silent in free agency, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto might be best fit

The Mets are going to sign free agents. They never said they wouldn’t. What they won't do is sign future Hall of Famers in their late 30s.

theathletic.com

Mets Mailbag Part 2: Assessing the offensive approach, evaluating Billy Eppler

Plus questions on Steve Cohen's Mets fandom, the team's clubhouse chemistry and whether they should've re-signed Taijuan Walker.

theathletic.com

Were the Mets just lucky last year and this year they weren't?

 

[Orangezoo]

Rosenthal: Mets won’t be silent in free agency, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto might be best fit

The Mets are going to sign free agents. They never said they wouldn’t. What they won't do is sign future Hall of Famers in their late 30s.

theathletic.com

Mets Mailbag Part 2: Assessing the offensive approach, evaluating Billy Eppler

Plus questions on Steve Cohen's Mets fandom, the team's clubhouse chemistry and whether they should've re-signed Taijuan Walker.

theathletic.com

Were the Mets just lucky last year and this year they weren't?

Interesting read. Are the Mets possibly the most impacted team in the league after rule changes around the shift? This data certainly lends itself to as much.

 

[SWC75]

Mets’ flaws look more obvious than ever in twin-bill blowout losses to Braves

Since the trade deadline, the Mets are 2-10 with a minus-47 run differential.

theathletic.com

This Week in Mets: How can Brett Baty find himself while back in Triple A?

Better plate discipline holds the key: As Baty’s season spiraled on him, he swung more and more at pitches out of the zone.

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

Mets notes: How lost season could influence decisions on Starling Marte and others

Will Marte return this season? Might the Mets throttle back with Kodai Senga? And how many games will Francisco Álvarez catch?

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

The 7th inning:

Butto had gotten his first 7 guys out but faltered, walked a guy, gave up a double, struck a guy out and walked another guy.

Hartwig comes in and walks a guy on four pitches to drive in a run. Then he hits a guy to drive in another. I thought to myself: A fan could have been pulled out of the stands and done that. And he could have. Four straight balls, hit a guy and toss it over the middle of the plate. I could have done that. He gets a fly out and should have had another except Locastro plays it into a triple.

Smith comes in and ends the inning with a strike out but we've gone from 1-1 to 1-7 and lose 4-7 to the Pirates. Boos galore.

Pirates 7-4 Mets (Aug 15, 2023) Play-by-Play - ESPN

Play-by-play action for the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Mets MLB game from August 15, 2023 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

 

[sutomcat]

The 7th inning:

Butto had gotten his first 7 guys out but faltered, walked a guy, gave up a double, struck a guy out and walked another guy.

Hartwig comes in and walks a guy on four pitches to drive in a run. Then he hits a guy to drive in another. I thought to myself: A fan could have been pulled out of the stands and done that. And he could have. Four straight balls, hit a guy and toss it over the middle of the plate. I could have done that. He gets a fly out and should have had another except Locastro plays it into a triple.

Smith comes in and ends the inning with a strike out but we've gone from 1-1 to 1-7 and lose 4-7 to the Pirates. Boos galore.

Pirates 7-4 Mets (Aug 15, 2023) Play-by-Play - ESPN

Play-by-play action for the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Mets MLB game from August 15, 2023 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

That escalated quickly. Hartwig has been one of the first good surprises of 2023. Sad to see him struggle his last two chances.

Peterson was the same maddening pitcher he usually is. Good stuff, no control.

The Mets walked a ton of hitters again. Believe they lead MLB in walks issued.. They can’t seem to get this fixed.

Nimmo is finally hitting well again. A few days off and getting moved out of CF seem to have helped him a lot. I wonder if he returns to CF this season?

Butto looked really good in his appearance. Good little slider, his changeup had nice movement and he was hitting 97 with his fastball. He might have a future as a relief pitcher. I bet he gets a bunch of chances in this capacity the rest of the season,

 

[SWC75]

Were the Mets a poor fit for baseball’s new rules? Expect a new approach in 2024

Carlos Carrasco struggled with the pitch clock, while the pickoff-throw limit hurt Adam Ottavino. The Mets will search for solutions.

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

As Mets’ rookie Brett Baty searches for answers, his Texas roots offer clues

Baty is back in the minors, but his friends and family predict a bounce-back: "He's grounded enough as a guy to handle those pressures."

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

I know we haven't been playing against good teams, but the Mets have won 6 of 7 and have been looking more like last year's team than they have all season. We're still only 58-66 with 38 games left. But watching them this week, I wonder if we get to at least a winning record this year? 24-14 would do it.

 

[ScrabbCuse]

I know we haven't been playing against good teams, but the Mets have won 6 of 7 and have been looking more like last year's team than they have all season. We're still only 58-66 with 38 games left. But watching them this week, I wonder if we get to at least a winning record this year? 24-14 would do it.

Schedule is unfavorable. Only teams they play under .500 are the Nationals and Angels. But you never know.

 

[SWC75]

Schedule is unfavorable. Only teams they play under .500 are the Nationals and Angels. But you never know.

OK so now we need to go 24-13.

The Mets are 37-10 when their starting pitcher goes 6 full innings.

The Mets starting pitchers have gone 6 full innings 47 times in 125 games.

 

[sutomcat]

Even after all the trades, most think the Mets do not have a top 10 farm system. The problem is pitching. Or lack thereof.

Mike Vasil had a really good year in AA and struggled when he was called up to Syracuse. But he has had 3 really good starts in a row now and may have found himself. Thinking he might be a September call up.

Scouts and evaluators on Mets' revamped farm system, including what's keeping them from being in Top 10

The consensus among talent evaluators is that Mets GM Billy Eppler did well in bringing back top prospects that have added needed depth, though not necessarily potential star quality, to the farm system.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I think the clubhouse vibe is really important in baseball because of the length of the season and the long road trips.
Any inside items on Alonzo’s issues? He is a guy who would be devastating He is not a guy you would ask to bunt, so other than refusing to bunt or maybe hitting behind a guy on second, I don’t know how he would be “selfish”. Baseball is uniquely both a team and an individual (at bats) game.
Contrasting that report with the Oa’ Gunnar Henderson. Yesterday he took a double, when stopping at first would have given him the cycle. It was a blow out, so the extra base didn’t matter. Regardless, he made the right play. By all reports from interviews with veterans on the O’s, it’s a great clubhouse. Their season is not a coincidence.
Do the Mets have a leadership issue with their manager or other veterans? The reporter really laid it at the feet of Alonzo.

 

[sutomcat]

I think the clubhouse vibe is really important in baseball because of the length of the season and the long road trips.
Any inside items on Alonzo’s issues? He is a guy who would be devastating He is not a guy you would ask to bunt, so other than refusing to bunt or maybe hitting behind a guy on second, I don’t know how he would be “selfish”. Baseball is uniquely both a team and an individual (at bats) game.
Contrasting that report with the Oa’ Gunnar Henderson. Yesterday he took a double, when stopping at first would have given him the cycle. It was a blow out, so the extra base didn’t matter. Regardless, he made the right play. By all reports from interviews with veterans on the O’s, it’s a great clubhouse. Their season is not a coincidence.
Do the Mets have a leadership issue with their manager or other veterans? The reporter really laid it at the feet of Alonzo.

I believe the reporter in question was Sal Licata. Sal works for SNY and in theory should know what he is talking about but I don't think he is a real reporter and does not spend much time in clubhouses. I think he is going with something he has heard here.

To my knowledge, no beat reporter has written anything that verifies Sal's accusation.

I would be more concerned if this was coming from Harper, Martino, DiComo. Thosar or Lennon.

The Mets had by all accounts a great clubhouse in 2022. I think it is more likely players who were on the team in 2022 and were not on the team in 2023, or players who arrived in 2023 screwed up the chemistry.

I have never been in the Mets clubhouse. Maybe he is a diva or a jerk or something. All I know is that he plays every day, is willing to play when hurt and seems to give 100% at all times. When he fails, you can see it upsets him. A lot.

He wants to play for the US national team, he is very supportive of the NYC firemen and police officers, seems like he stays in the clubhouse to be accountable and answer questions from the press, after good wins and awful losses.

Overall, he seems to do a lot of things the right way. I would be surprised if he is a major issue here.

 

[SWC75]

I believe the reporter in question was Sal Licata. Sal works for SNY and in theory should know what he is talking about but I don't think he is a real reporter and does not spend much time in clubhouses. I think he is going with something he has heard here.

To my knowledge, no beat reporter has written anything that verifies Sal's accusation.

I would be more concerned if this was coming from Harper, Martino, DiComo. Thosar or Lennon.

The Mets had by all accounts a great clubhouse in 2022. I think it is more likely players who were on the team in 2022 and were not on the team in 2023, or players who arrived in 2023 screwed up the chemistry.

I have never been in the Mets clubhouse. Maybe he is a diva or a jerk or something. All I know is that he plays every day, is willing to play when hurt and seems to give 100% at all times. When he fails, you can see it upsets him. A lot.

He wants to play for the US national team, he is very supportive of the NYC firemen and police officers, seems like he stays in the clubhouse to be accountable and answer questions from the press, after good wins and awful losses.

Overall, he seems to be a lot of things the right way. I would be surprised if he is a major issue here.

And he might hit 50HR in a bad year. Keeper.

 

[SWC75]

Even after all the trades, most think the Mets do not have a top 10 farm system. The problem is pitching. Or lack thereof.

Mike Vasil had a really good year in AA and struggled when he was called up to Syracuse. But he has had 3 really good starts in a row now and may have found himself. Thinking he might be a September call up.

Scouts and evaluators on Mets' revamped farm system, including what's keeping them from being in Top 10

The consensus among talent evaluators is that Mets GM Billy Eppler did well in bringing back top prospects that have added needed depth, though not necessarily potential star quality, to the farm system.

sports.yahoo.com

Trades don't do much to build up a farm system. It can give you certain players who might be good. But a productive farm system gives a a steady stream of talent at all positions, builds up your entire roster, allows you to make trades without breaking up your line-up or allows you to let guys go in trades and free agency knowing that you already have their replacements ready to go.

 

[SWC75]

This Week in Mets: Pete Alonso is back and other takeaways from a rare good week

Alonso’s hot streak comes while his future with the Mets is under a microscope.

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

Mets launch new pitching lab, finally joining high-tech arms race: ‘We’re not there yet’

The Mets’ use of analytics and technology took a big step with a facility designed to help pitchers tap into personalized data.

theathletic.com

"The franchise’s best homegrown starter who has debuted since that pennant-winning season is David Peterson."

"Seth Lugo is the only homegrown reliever to debut since that 2015 pennant who has produced even a single win above replacement for New York. Robert Gsellman is second on the list, and Colin Holderman is third. Holderman threw 17 2/3 innings for the club before being traded last summer."

 

[sutomcat]

Mets launch new pitching lab, finally joining high-tech arms race: ‘We’re not there yet’

The Mets’ use of analytics and technology took a big step with a facility designed to help pitchers tap into personalized data.

theathletic.com

"The franchise’s best homegrown starter who has debuted since that pennant-winning season is David Peterson."

"Seth Lugo is the only homegrown reliever to debut since that 2015 pennant who has produced even a single win above replacement for New York. Robert Gsellman is second on the list, and Colin Holderman is third. Holderman threw 17 2/3 innings for the club before being traded last summer."

The farm system has been awful at producing pitching prospects, and when they come up with someone with a lot of promise, they seem to get traded away almost immediately.

Hopefully the lab will help in a couple of years.

 

[SWC75]

Meet the next generation of Mets pitchers: ‘Something really special going on’

Only six of the 34 pitchers the Mets have used this season were drafted or signed by the club. Steve Cohen is out to change that.

theathletic.com

Rosenthal: Pete Alonso was center of trade talks with Brewers. Will Mets make move in offseason?

Opinions differ on how close a deal was to fruition, but one thing is clear: Pete Alonso’s future with the Mets remains a major question.

theathletic.com

If the Mets extended Pete Alonso, what could the deal look like?

Let’s size up Alonso's season and look at how he compares to a few noteworthy players whose contracts could shape negotiations.

theathletic.com

 

[sutomcat]

Meet the next generation of Mets pitchers: ‘Something really special going on’

Only six of the 34 pitchers the Mets have used this season were drafted or signed by the club. Steve Cohen is out to change that.

theathletic.com

Rosenthal: Pete Alonso was center of trade talks with Brewers. Will Mets make move in offseason?

Opinions differ on how close a deal was to fruition, but one thing is clear: Pete Alonso’s future with the Mets remains a major question.

theathletic.com

If the Mets extended Pete Alonso, what could the deal look like?

Let’s size up Alonso's season and look at how he compares to a few noteworthy players whose contracts could shape negotiations.

theathletic.com

Nice to read the young starting pitchers at Binghamton are doing well. It has been a long time since the AAA team in Syracuse has had a good group of starting pitchers. Maybe that will finally happen next season.

Add in Acuna and some of the other position player prospects not far from AAA and it looks like the team next year could be fun to watch.

 

[sutomcat]

Was really looking forward to seeing the Angels play the Mets this weekend.

Trout just came off the IL and Shohei is having an historical year.

Then this happened.

Morning Briefing: Ohtani Tears UCL, Trout to the IL

Good morning, Mets fans. Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound for the first time in two weeks, but it was short-lived as he only recorded four outs prior to b

metsmerizedonline.com

Hope they heal quickly. Hoping Ohtani can still play and DH during the series.

 

[SWC75]

We're #16! But that doesn't include Alvarez, Baty or Vientos, (and I still consider Pete to be a young player).

Who has the top talent in the minors? Ranking every MLB system from 1-30

The MLB draft is in the books, and the trade deadline has come and gone. Which club sits atop the new rankings?

www.espn.com

 

[SWC75]

Why Brandon Nimmo is hunting power, and what it says about the Mets’ offensive approach

Nimmo's isolated power has jumped essentially from the lowest of his career to the highest. But the change is mostly in his mindset.

theathletic.com

 

[NYCCuse826]

Just got back from the game. Ohtani is the real deal and worth the price of admission. Too bad he tore his UCL.