2024 New York Mets Thread

[SWC75]

Notes from inside the Mets’ pitching lab: ‘It looks like a pitcher’s playground’

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — For pitchers throughout the Mets organization last fall, the first step in their offseason program was stripping down to their skivvies. As the season concluded at each professional level, the Mets sent as many of their pitchers as possible to throw a 20-pitch bullpen...

theathletic.com

“Throwing a baseball in my underwear is weird enough,” said Dominic Hamel, “and now you’ve got all these sensors on me.”

 

[SWC75]

Mets' Adam Ottavino knows the stolen base numbers. How he aims to change that in 2024

Ottavino consumed tape of right-handed pitchers adept at holding runners, including Zack Greinke and former teammate Taijuan Walker.

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

This Week in Mets: One turn through, how does the Mets rotation look?

“Nothing on earth is more gladdening than knowing we must roll up our sleeves and move back the boundaries of the humanly possible once more.” —“The Writing Life,” Annie Dillard The New York Mets have reached their first off-day of spring training, the first time to exhale after playing 10...

theathletic.com

Watch out for Megill this season.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

This Week in Mets: One turn through, how does the Mets rotation look?

“Nothing on earth is more gladdening than knowing we must roll up our sleeves and move back the boundaries of the humanly possible once more.” —“The Writing Life,” Annie Dillard The New York Mets have reached their first off-day of spring training, the first time to exhale after playing 10...

theathletic.com

Watch out for Megill this season.

Everyone knew her as Nancy.

 

[SWC75]

The stories that reveal Carlos Mendoza's communication style as manager of the Mets

When Mendoza showed up at Francisco Lindor's home, they chatted about their values and visions for the future. The talk lasted 3 hours.

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

Mets' Pete Alonso wants to improve chase rate. Is there a relationship with platform years?

With Alonso entering his age-29 season, it’s not crazy to think that he can produce some of his best numbers ahead of free agency.

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

Which Mets are impressing scouts and what will the roster look like? Mailbag, Part 1

We answer questions on who is poised to break out this year, which of Luisangel Acuña and Drew Gilbert is closest to the majors and more.

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

Mets mailbag, Part 2: Can New York keep Pete Alonso and sign Juan Soto?

Our Mets writers answer questions about two contract-year sluggers and what the team's 2025 rotation might look like.

theathletic.com

 

[sutomcat]

This has been an interesting spring training so far for the Mets.

They started off with a loss.

Then won 4 in a row..

Then lost 4 in a row.

And now have won 4 in a row again.

Severino, Megill, and Butto have been outstanding.

Manaea and Quintana have been pretty good (Manaea had a really good start today).

Houser has been bad.

Kranick got hurt almost immediately and is out of contention for a spot in the starting rotation for now.

Diaz still hasn’t pitched in a real game but is said to be throwing well. Hartwig has looked old all spring. Raley, Fujinami and Smith have been good in limited appearances. Diekman has struggled some. So far, I have not been impressed.

Reid-Foley, Lavender, Yacksel Rios, Yohan Ramirez have all been really impressive. Don’’t think any of them (maybe Reid-Foley) were expected to be on the roster opening day but they are pitching so well they are making the late cuts tough ones.

Alvarez is hitting and throwing like an all star. Trayce Thompson is making a strong bid to make the team as a fourth outfielder (sounds unlikely though). Pete is doing Pete things and playing well early.

Baty and Vientos are both struggling some but seem to get getting better as spring progresses. Lindor got off to a slow start but appears to be coming on (had an HR today). Tyrone Taylor has done well early as a backup outfielder. Ji Man Choi has been good as the backup first baseman.

Jeff McNeil hasn’t played. Has a sore bicep. Expected to start playing soon. Jose Iglesias has done well backing him up. Starling Marte has struggling so far. Nimmo is playing like Nimmo which is good. Bader hasn’t played much but so far looks as advertised. Great fielder who struggles to hit well.

Bickford and Parsons look really bad and I am not sure I even want them pitching for Syracuse.

I will feel better about things if/when McNeil and Diaz start playing in games and playing well in games. But overall, the team is looking quite impressive so far. These exhibitions don’t mean a lot but all things being equal, I would rather win a bunch of games in spring training and look good than get rocked repeatedly. So far, so good.

 

[SWC75]

This has been an interesting spring training so far for the Mets.

They started off with a loss.

Then won 4 in a row..

Then lost 4 in a row.

And now have won 4 in a row again.

Severino, Megill, and Butto have been outstanding.

Manaea and Quintana have been pretty good (Manaea had a really good start today).

Houser has been bad.

Kranick got hurt almost immediately and is out of contention for a spot in the starting rotation for now.

Diaz still hasn’t pitched in a real game but is said to be throwing well. Hartwig has looked old all spring. Raley, Fujinami and Smith have been good in limited appearances. Diekman has struggled some. So far, I have not been impressed.

Reid-Foley, Lavender, Yacksel Rios, Yohan Ramirez have all been really impressive. Don’’t think any of them (maybe Reid-Foley) were expected to be on the roster opening day but they are pitching so well they are making the late cuts tough ones.

Alvarez is hitting and throwing like an all star. Trayce Thompson is making a strong bid to make the team as a fourth outfielder (sounds unlikely though). Pete is doing Pete things and playing well early.

Baty and Vientos are both struggling some but seem to get getting better as spring progresses. Lindor got off to a slow start but appears to be coming on (had an HR today). Tyrone Taylor has done well early as a backup outfielder. Ji Man Choi has been good as the backup first baseman.

Jeff McNeil hasn’t played. Has a sore bicep. Expected to start playing soon. Jose Iglesias has done well backing him up. Starling Marte has struggling so far. Nimmo is playing like Nimmo which is good. Bader hasn’t played much but so far looks as advertised. Great fielder who struggles to hit well.

Bickford and Parsons look really bad and I am not sure I even want them pitching for Syracuse.

I will feel better about things if/when McNeil and Diaz start playing in games and playing well in games. But overall, the team is looking quite impressive so far. These exhibitions don’t mean a lot but all things being equal, I would rather win a bunch of games in spring training and look good then get rocked repeatedly. So far, so good.

You want to look good and then get rocked repeatedly?

 

[SWC75]

Inside the Mets' payroll: How did it get here and what could it mean for future signings?

Other than starting pitching, the club’s expenses at other positions are pretty much in line with where they were a season ago.

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

Mets roster projection: Final bullpen and bench spots up for grabs

With just two weeks left before Opening Day, the New York Mets’ roster features some intriguing decisions remaining for the bullpen and the bench. Beyond those intricate questions, the group appears mostly set. Still, the Mets’ front office always monitors the market in an attempt to be...

theathletic.com

That outfield isn't going to strike fear in the hearts of many teams.

 

[donniesyracuse]

Mets roster projection: Final bullpen and bench spots up for grabs

With just two weeks left before Opening Day, the New York Mets’ roster features some intriguing decisions remaining for the bullpen and the bench. Beyond those intricate questions, the group appears mostly set. Still, the Mets’ front office always monitors the market in an attempt to be...

theathletic.com

That outfield isn't going to strike fear in the hearts of many teams.

It's a very good defensive outfield, especially if you put Taylor in for Marte in the late innings.

 

[sutomcat]

It's a very good defensive outfield, especially if you put Taylor in for Marte in the late innings.

True. Hopefully Bader can hit and he can stay healthy. Nimmo might be able to help him some with that.

Marte is a huge wildcard. If he gets back to where he was before he got hurt, or even close to it, the outfield goes from a weakness to a strength.

Harrison has streaks where he is really impressive with the bat. He is capable of hitting .250 with 20 HRs and 30 SBs if he can put it all together and avoid injury.

I am not a DJ Stewart fan and hope he gets replaced by Drew Gilbert by the second half of the season. He can't field at all and isn't much of a hitter either. Gilbert is the future. I think we will enjoy seeing him play in Syracuse.

 

[SWC75]

Which Mets prospects are poised to break out? Meet 5 under-the-radar candidates

Two-way player Nolan McLean headlines a group of sleeper prospects in the Mets' farm system.

theathletic.com

What we're hearing about the Mets' interest in J.D. Davis

At least a handful of teams have expressed interest in Davis after the Giants released him earlier this week.

theathletic.com

 

[SWC75]

MSN

"Mets’ Yohan Ramirez set to ‘reinvent career’ under Pedro and Ramon Martinez"

 

[donniesyracuse]

MSN

"Mets’ Yohan Ramirez set to ‘reinvent career’ under Pedro and Ramon Martinez"

I’ve never seen that name spelled with a Y.

 

[sutomcat]

The Mets are currently 10-9 in spring training games. 5th in the grapefruit standings. Not sure if there is any meaning to win/loss record in these games but I think overall it has been a good spring, other than the Senga injury.

The pitching, especially the starting pitching, has been very good. Severino has looked excellent. Quintana got off to a shaky start but got steadily better as the spring progressed. Houser has been decent and looks like the weak link in the rotation right now. Manaea has also been up and down so far. Hope his hair cut brings good mojo. Luchessi had a chance to win a spot in the rotation but got off to a late start and pitched poorly. He has already been sent out. Kranick was said to have a chance to win a spot in the rotation but got hurt right away and is going to be out a while. Megill replaced Senga and has been terrific. Butto has also been very impressive and appears to be the next man up. Vasil and Hamel have looked promising so far. Overall things are looking good with starting pitching especially given Senga has been out.

Relief pitching is also looking better than expected. Great to have Diaz back and he has looked like his old self in the one in I g he has thrown to date. I think Raley and Ottovino are pretty reliable. Smith has been working in the Mets new pitching lab and appears to have improved, as many of the Mets pitchers. That might be a big long term impact on this team. Megill has a new breaking pitch that is getting a lot of buzz and might take him to the next level.

Sounds like Lopez and Diekman are considered locks to make the roster. Neither has looked great in spring training. Worried about both.

The other two spots are expected to go to Tonkin, a long reliever type in the mold of Trevor Williams, and Sean Reid-Foley, who has looked great in spring training. Might have benefited from working in the lab.

Fujinami has not looked good and will start the season in Syracuse. Bickford has looked bad and I think is going to get released. Rohan Ramirez has looked good but I think also ends up getting released. Wish they could find a way to keep him.

 

[SWC75]

I’ve never seen that name spelled with a Y.

You always want to keep the batters guessing.

 

[SWC75]

Mets president teases future big moves after underwhelming offseason​

MSN

​

How should the Mets construct their batting order?​

How should the Mets construct their batting order?

Based on analytical trends and what we've seen in the Grapefruit League, how will the Mets set their batting order when everyone is healthy?

theathletic.com

"The difference between the best lineup you can make and the worst one you can make is about three or four wins per season. And while you may roll your eyes several times a year at 3 p.m. tweets of the lineup, no major-league manager comes anywhere near the worst lineup you can make. So the actual difference between an optimal lineup and an average one might be a half-win to a full-win per year."

Anyone want to bat Pete #9 and put the pitcher in the clean-up spot? Would it make any difference.

 

[SWC75]

Mets Set Rotation After Making Decision on Fifth Starter Spot​

MSN

 

[SWC75]

Mets X-factors: How has spring gone for some of their most important players?

Luis Severino and other Mets looking to bounce back this season are under a watchful eye as Opening Day approaches.

theathletic.com

Jeff McNeil as our clean-up hitter?

Mets notes: Tough call in bullpen, Tylor Megill makes rotation, Christian Scott impresses

Sean Reid-Foley emerges as a top contender for one of the remaining bullpen spots as long as he can show he's healthy.

theathletic.com

 

[sutomcat]

Well, the Mets did it. They signed JD Martinez.

x.com

x.com

This probably means Mark Vientos ends up playing in Syracuse this season. It also means Pete Alonso has a quality hitter behind him for the first time in a long time. Maybe ever.

It will be interesting to see what his impact will be. My guess is that this will energize the Met fanbase quite a bit.

 

[SWC75]

Well, the Mets did it. They signed JD Martinez.

x.com

x.com

This probably means Mark Vientos ends up playing in Syracuse this season. It also means Pete Alonso has a quality hitter behind him for the first time in a long time. Maybe ever.

It will be interesting to see what his impact will be. My guess is that this will energize the Met fanbase quite a bit.

I'll take his per 162:

J.D. Martinez Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of J.D. Martinez. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

 

[donniesyracuse]

Well, the Mets did it. They signed JD Martinez.

x.com

x.com

This probably means Mark Vientos ends up playing in Syracuse this season. It also means Pete Alonso has a quality hitter behind him for the first time in a long time. Maybe ever.

It will be interesting to see what his impact will be. My guess is that this will energize the Met fanbase quite a bit.

That is a nice pickup. I assume they have no intention of playing him in the field. A career 132 wRC+ is fantastic. I’m not sure why FanGraphs’ projection is so modest at 107. I would take the over if he is healthy.