Lucas Duda
Last year, the Mets watched their lead in the NL East dissipate while the front office failed to make a move to address some big holes. The biggest of those was third base due to the discovery David Wright suffered from spinal stenosis. No one could accurately pinpoint whether Wright could return or be an effective player.
Despite this, the Mets allowed Eric Campbell play the majority of games at third base in Wright’s absence. Worse yet, due to a rash of injuries, he was hitting in the middle of the lineup. The Mets were fortunate the season didn’t come off the rails before they started making moves. The moves started with getting Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson. At a minimum, they were two bona fide major league players. Their acquisition helped turn the Mets season around.
This year’s Mets team is not in the same dire straits as the 2015 team. However, with Lucas Duda‘s stress fracture, they once again have to deal with a player’s back putting them on the DL. They’ve also had to deal with a Campbell playing the majority of the games in the injured player’s stead. No more.
https://twitter.com/theloney_s/status/736618457119096832
On Saturday, the Mets obtained James Loney from the Padres for cash considerations. The only thing that needs to happen for this trade to be a success is for Loney to hit better than the .169/.286/.255 Campbell is hitting. As a career .285/.338/.411 hitter, Loney should be able to accomplish that. Overall, the real question with Loney isn’t if he’s better; the real question is what can Mets fans expect.
For starters, the Mets are getting a player in decline. In each of the past three three years his batting average, OBP, and slugging declined. Last year, he only hit .280/.332/.357 with four homers in 104 games. Regardless of his struggles last year, he’s a platoon bat that has hit .254/.302/.351 against lefties. It was even worse last year with him hitting .226/.258/.310 against lefties.
Loney’s defense has also declined. He was once considered a good defender at first, but the numbers over recent years suggest he’s living on his reputation. For the better part of three years, his defense has declined. Last year, he posted a -2.4 UZR, -2 DRS, and a -0.7 dWAR. In essence, he went from a good to very good first baseman to slightly below par.
From this, you can see why the Rays released their second highest paid player in Spring Training. You can see why he could only get a minor league deal. The Mets were very fortunate that was the case. Despite all of Loney’s faults, he’s still better than what the Mets had.
Who knows? Maybe Loney has a renaissance. Maybe his working with Kevin Long will help him hit better. Whatever the case, he’s bound to hit better than Campbell. Whatever the case, he’s going to be the Mets best first base option until Duda returns.
Last year, the Mets didn’t make this move. They did this year, and the team is a lot better off for it. No matter what his faults are, Loney is a terrific addition.
In what was presumably a cost-cutting measure, the Mets released Ruben Tejada during Spring Training. As a result, the Mets started the season with Eric Campbell on the Opening Day roster and suspect organizational depth behind him.
When Lucas Duda went down with a stress fracture in his low back, the Mets depth issues were exposed. Campbell has started in 14 of the Mets past 18 games. He’s hitting .182 on the season. The only reason why he’s playing every day is because Wilmer Flores is on the DL and the Mets other two options, Matt Reynolds and Ty Kelly, are even more underwhelming than Campbell. The Mets needs to get better and soon.
The obvious, and most likely answer, is Flores, once he comes off the DL. Assuming he does turn around his thus far disappointing season and take over the first base job in Duda’s absence, the Mets still need to replace his role as super sub. The Mets still need someone who can play semi-regularly at third when David Wright sits. Campbell, Reynolds, and Kelly are not the answer. None of them are capable major league starters. None of them are as good as Tejada.
As per ESPN’s Mark Saxson, Tejada was designated for assignment by the Cardinals giving them 10 days to trade him, release him, put him on waivers, or outright him to the minors (which he could refuse). Therefore, there’s a 10 day window (or more) where Tejada is available. The Mets should re-acquire him.
If Tejada were to come back, the Mets bench would be drastically improved. In his last two years with the Mets, he averaged 118 games while hitting .249/.340/.330. He played second, third, and short. While working with Kevin Long last year, he hit .287/.362/.362 in the second half. He wrestled the starting shortstop position away from Flores, the same Flores the Mets are relying upon heavily this year.
This year, the Mets don’t need Tejada to take over the shortstop position. Instead, the Mets need to strengthen their bench with capable major league players. The only obstacle to adding Tejada would be money, and at the prorated amount of $1.5 million, which was half of the contract the Mets had tendered him, money shouldn’t be an obstacle. No, there are no reasonable excuses for the Mets to pass on Tejada.
Tejada will soon need a place to play, and the Mets need major league players. The Mets should bring back Tejada.
Dario Alvarez we hardly knew ye. Due to necessary roster machinations due a number of Mets injuries, including but not limited to Lucas Duda‘s stress fracture, Alvarez was put on waivers to make room for Ty Kelly. On Wednesday, Alvarez was claimed by the Braves.
Alvarez’s line highlight was in his first game last year. On September 7th, the Mets were four games up in the division with a three game set in Washington. The Mets and Nationals were tied 5-5 in the sixth inning, and soon to be named MVP Bryce Harper stepped to the plate. Terry Collins summoned Alvarez. Alvarez battled back from a 3-0 count to strike out Harper. When the Mets scored three in the top of the seventh, Alvarez would earn his first career win.
After the Mets had gone through Jerry Blevins (injury), Josh Edgin (injury), Jack Leathersich (Wally Backmaned), Alex Torres (terrible), and Eric O’Flaherty (words cannot describe how bad he was), it seemed like the Mets finally found their LOOGY. It turns out they didn’t. Alvarez hurt his groin soon thereafter. He tried to come back, but he wasn’t effective. The Mets went to Jon Niese for the postseason.
Coming into this season, Alvarez wasn’t given much of a chance to make the team. Blevins was brought back on a one year, and Antonio Bastardo was signed to a two year deal. With Edgin’s impending return from Tommy John surgery, Alvarez was once again buried on the depth chart. Unfortunately, exposing him to waivers made sense. That still doesn’t mean the Mets won’t miss him. He was further buried last year, and he still made an impact.
It’s impressive Alvarez even got that far. He was a failed Phillies prospect who was released in 2009. Four years later, the Mets signed him to a minor league deal, and he reported to Brooklyn. Alvarez quickly worked his way through the the Mets minor league system. He was mostly powered by a very good slider. However, he could never quite break through and make the Mets roster.
Now, he’s the Braves property, and he’s reported to AAA. Hopefully, he will get his chance soon. He’s earned it.
Its astounding how much 2016 is paralleling 2015. This year, like last year, 46 games into the season, they trail the Nationals in the division. Interestingly enough, this is not where the parallels end.
Catcher
Last year and this year, Travis d’Arnaud had a significant injury forcing him to miss a significant period of time. This pressed Kevin Plawecki into assuming the starting catcher’s job, and he struggled. However, Plawecki kept on catching because his backup was a good defensive poor hitting catcher. Last year was Anthony Recker. This year it’s Rene Rivera.
Back Issues
Last year, the Mets faced the prospect of not knowing when or if David Wright could return due to his back problems. As a result, Eric Campbell played many more games than the Mets ever anticipated he would. The same thing is happening now as a result of Lucas Duda‘s stress fracture in his lower back.
Minor Leaguers Not Ready for the Majors
With the rash injuries last year, the Mets trotted out the likes of Daniel Muno and Darrell Ceciliani to try to fill in the gaps. It didn’t work. This year the Mets have pressed Matt Reynolds and Ty Kelly into action. Reynolds and Kelly are having similar difficulties.
Rotation Issues
Last year, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee were having the worst years of their careers thereby putting the pressure on the other starters. The Mets were stuck in a holding pattern about making a change as the obvious replacement, Noah Syndergaard, still needed a little more time. This year it is Matt Harvey struggling while the obvious replacement in the rotation, Zack Wheeler, still needs more time to get ready to pitch in the majors.
Colon Dependability
At this point last year, Bartolo Colon was 7-3 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.20 This year Colon is 4-3 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. This year and last year the Mets have been able to count on Colon to take the ball every fifth day and give them a chance to win.
Mid 30’s Corner Outfielder
Through May 25th last year, Michael Cuddyer was hitting .250/.328/.372. This year Curtis Granderson is hitting .204/.304/.413. Like Cuddyer last year, the Mets are relying heavily on Granderson, and unfortunately, they are not getting the production they need from them.
Second Year Starter Stepping Up
Last year, Jacob deGrom went from Rookie of the Year to All Star. He emerged as the ace of the staff. This year that honor belongs to Syndergaard. Syndergaard has been dominating on the mound like deGrom did last year. He’s a likely All Star, and he’s quickly become the staff’s ace. Honorable mention should go to Steven Matz here as well.
Call for the AA Prospect to Get Called Up
Last year with a rash of injuries and offensive ineptitude, Mets fans shouted from the rooftops that Michael Conforto should be called up to the majors from AA. This year the fans have begun the same with Dominic Smith due to Duda’s injury and Campbell playing there everyday.
Jeurys Familia
Last year, Famila was as dominant as anyone at the end of the game. He started the year a perfect 13/13 in save chances. This year Familia is back to his dominant form. He’s a perfect 16/16 in save chances. As in 2015, Familia is going to slam the door shut.
The Two Team Race
Last year the Braves were the upstarts that faltered. This year will be the Phillies. However, when the dust clears, this is really a two team race between the Mets and the Nationals for the NL East.
Just remember that no matter how bad things got last year, the Mets still won the division by seven games. This year the Mets have a much better team across the board. We may sometimes forget this when the Mets slump or have a couple of injuries. However, this is a much better Mets team that can win the division. This is still a World Series contender. That’s the overriding lesson from 2015.
After Terry Collins stated he doesn’t believe the prognosis of Lucas Duda‘s back is good, it has caused many to speculate on how the Mets will proceed in fulfilling the first base vacancy. Many of those thoughts are creative as the Mets may need to get creative to fill the void. Unfortunately, most of the suggestions will not work. Here’s why:
Move Michael Conforto to 1B
The thinking here is Michael Conforto was deemed to have all the tools to be a great 1B by his biggest fan – Keith Hernandez. This move would allow Juan Lagares and Alejandro De Aza to platoon in CF while moving Yoenis Cespedes to LF.
Admittedly, this sounds great. It’ll improve both the offense and the defense. However, the problem is the Mets never even sought to have Conforto to play RF. Why should we now believe they’re willing to move him to the infield mid-season. They’re not.
Move Alejandro De Aza to 1B
This one makes sense as De Aza is languishing away on the bench. He went from a platoon player to a fifth outfielder with the Cespedes signing. However, he hasn’t played there in over a decade, and he has just recently started working with Tim Teufel to get acclimated to first. He needs more than a week to get ready.
Slide David Wright to 1B
The idea here is David Wright is better suited to first now with his back and throwing issues. In actuality next to catcher, first is the last position Wright should play. The amount of twisting and stretching involved is harder on the lower back and would only exacerbate his stenosis. Furthermore, even if he could play first base, all you’ve accomplished is reshuffling the deck chairs as you’ve now moved the hole to third instead of first.
Slide Neil Walker to 1B
In this scenario, the Mets move Neil Walker to first and call up Dilson Herrera to play second. The argument is this is exactly what the Mets would do if they had Daniel Murphy.
The problem with that thinking is Walker isn’t Murphy. Walker has never played first base in the majors. He last played first in AAA in 2009 and that was only for seven games. It’s not fair to expect him to be able to slide over with no preparation. It’s also not fair to add more things to his plate while he’s in the midst of a bad slump.
Move Asdrubal Cabrera to 1B
The thought is Asdrubal Cabrera was once a utility player who is capable of playing multiple positions. In addition, the Mets have Matt Reynolds on the roster who is a SS. There are two problems here. First, Cabrera is one of the few Mets producing day in and day out. You don’t want to mess with that especially when he’s never played first. Second, Reynolds was in the middle of a slump in AAA, and he hasn’t shown any signs he’s getting out of it in his limited major league duty.
Move Kevin Plawecki to 1B
This is a holdover from Spring Training when the Mets were looking for ways to keep both of their young catchers in the lineup while letting Duda sit against lefties. Doing this now would also open up more playing time for Rene Rivera, who has shown himself to be a terrific catcher.
The problem is this really damages your offense. Kevin Plawecki has hit .203/.300/.291 this year. Rivera is a career .209/.258/.329 hitter. It’s one thing to have either one of them in the lineup. It’s a whole other thing to have both of them in the lineup.
Call Up Dom Smith
The thinking here is if the Mets don’t have the answer at the major league level, they should go into the minor leagues to solve their problems. Who better than one of, if not the, best Mets prospect. The problem is he’s just not ready. He’s only played 41 games in AA. While the obvious counter-argument is Conforto, it must be noted, Conforto was much further along in his development offensively.
Call Up Brandon Nimmo
The thought process here is Brandon Nimmo is absolutely raking in AAA right now. He’s on an eight game hitting streak that’s seen him hit .364/.462/.636 with three doubles, three triples, and six RBI. While he has played CF almost exclusively, he should be athletic enough to play first. While these are valid points, it should be noted he’s never played first, and like with Conforto, the Mets do not appear inclined to let either one play first.
Trade for Yangervis Solarte
Yangervis Solarte makes a lot of sense for the Mets. He can not only play first, but he can also play third. In his career, he’s also played at second, short, and left. In essence, he’s a much better version of Eric Campbell. In his first full major league season last year, he hit .270/.320/.428. He’s hitting .250/.379/.375 this year. This is all the more impressive when you consider he plays most of his games at Petco.
Here’s the rub. The Padres have no incentive to trade him. He’s not arbitration eligible until 2017, and he can’t become a free agent until 2020. If the Mets were inclined to even trade for Solarte, it’s going to come at a high cost, and the Mets most desirable trade assets were traded away last year. No, if the Mets do make a move your looking at the In the interim, the Mets can inquire about the Kelly Johnsons and Ike Davises of the world.
Overall, that’s the issue. The Mets don’t have what it takes right now to address the first base position internally or externally. Although, the idea of having Travis d’Arnaud work at first during his rehab assignment is intriguing given his shoulder problems and injury history (hat tip Brian Mangan). However, short of that happening, it’s more of the same for the Mets.
This means Campbell is your everyday first baseman until Flores comes off the DL. At that point, the Mets will probably go with Flores until Duda is healthy. Ultimately, Duda needs to be the answer there because in reality any other solution is unrealistic or just a question mark.
With the prognosis on Lucas Duda’s back not looking good at the moment, it seems like it’s not a matter of if but when Duda is placed on the DL. When that happens, the Mets are going to have to make a move on the 40 man roster.
The Mets are not likely to call up either Brandon Nimmo or Dilson Herrera. Both are performing well at AAA, but both players are also seen as possible everyday players. It’s likely the Mets aren’t going to call them up, wasting service time, just so they can sit on the bench. No, the Mets are going to have to make move to call up either T.J. Rivera or Ty Kelly.
Early reports are that it may be Ty Kelly. There’s some logic to this move. Terry Collins seemed enamored with him during Spring Training. He’s hitting .391/.478/.548 in AAA. He’s played every position, but catcher. Yes, that includes him pitching one scoreless inning. He’s earned this call-up.
Problem is so has T.J. Rivera. He’s hit .375/.406/.569 in 20 more plate appearances. So far this year, he’s played first, second, third, and left.
Like Kelly, he’s a gap to gap line drive hitter with doubles power. They’re both 27 year old AAA utility players whose value is predicated on their bats. Neither are good defenders. Neither have a set position. Overall, there’s very little separating Kelly and Rivera.
The case for Kelly is he’s a switch hitter who’s been known to have an exceptional eye at the plate. This year, Kelly already has 19 walks. In his minor league career he has walked 505 times and struck out 504 times. While he’s struggled the past two plus years in AAA, he seems to be putting it together this year.
However, Kelly has played the vast majority of his time in left field this year, and the last thing this Mets team is another outfielder. With that said, he has primarily been an infielder prior to this year. Of note, he has only played four games at first base. Overall, while Kelly has had a nice year at the plate, he isn’t exactly what the Mets would need if Duda went on the DL.
If the Mets truly wanted a backup infielder, they would go with Rivera. He has played all but one of his games in the infield this year. While he doesn’t have Kelly’s eye at the plate, he strikes out less frequently. Rivera also typically gets more extra base hits.
There’s another important reason to call up Rivera. This is Rivera’s sixth season with the Mets organization after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent. He has improved his game each and every year. He has gone from a minor league depth player to being on the cusp of the major leagues. Calling him up would be a moral boost to every player in the organization. It’s a sign to every minor leaguer that if you continue to work on your game and continue to improve, you are eventually going to get a shot at playing in the majors.
Is that why Rivera should be called up over Kelly? Of course not. However, with so little separating the two of them, you might as well call up the infielder in whom you have invested six years. It’s time to call up T.J. Rivera especially with the Mets running out of excuses to keep him in the minors.
Editor’s Note: this was first published on metsminors.net
Right now, the Mets are in a prolonged offensive slump. It seems like every Met not named Yoenis Cespedes is having problems at the plate. Here’s how bad things are. Here are the triple slash lines for every Mets infielder (except Matt Reynolds) since the West Coast trip began:
- .176/.300/.235
- .227/.320/.273
- .152/.243/.273
- .129/.325/.258
- .200/.250/.267
- .235/.278/.294
Look at this list. Now, go and pick out which player is Eric Campbell. No, it’s not all Campbell. Yes, those are the real stats. Yes, each of the Mets infielders has been presented in that grouping. Take a look again and pick out which one is Eric Campbell.
The answer is number 2.
The other players were Lucas Duda (#1), Neil Walker (#3), David Wright (#4), Wilmer Flores (#5), and Asdrubal Cabrera (#6).
Campbell’s numbers are not too far off his career slash line of .230/.319/.321. What’s interesting about that is every Mets infielder is hitting like Eric Campbell right now. Not surprisingly, Eric Campbell is the best version of himself. Since the West Coast trip, Campbell is second among Mets infielders in batting average, OBP, and slugging.
He’s even added a few nice defensive plays. He had the diving stop at third for the final out of the game on Mother’s Day. He made two nice defensive plays at first last night including robbing Daniel Murphy of an extra base hit in what was then a tied game. So no, Eric Campbell isn’t the problem. He’s performing about as well as you can reasonably expect the last man on your bench to perform.
No, the problem is everyone on the Mets infield is performing like they’re Eric Campbell.
We can all talk about the Mets striking out too much. We can talk about their supposed over reliance on the homerun. We can talk about their problems hitting with RISP. We can talk about all of that at length. However, we first need to find out how the Mets entire infield hits like Eric Campbell now.
Day in and day out, we simply do not know if David Wright is going to play. We do not know if his back will allow him to play. There’s always the possibility that he can’t go.
Wright said as much himself when he said, “It’s just day to day. And I think that’s the most frustrating thing — you just never know how it’s going to feel waking up. You try to go through the preparation.” (ESPN).
For the first time since his spinal stenosis diagnosis, Wright had to be scratched from a game. He couldn’t get ready to play the game. As Wright said, “I basically did everything today to get it somewhat manageable. I just couldn’t get there.” Wright classified his back as being worse than it usually is saying, “This is the first time this year where I’ve come to the ballpark where I’ve felt the significance of it — the back. Most of the days have been fairly mediocre. Today was more toward the bad.”
The trainer tipped off Terry Collins. Despite Wright’s pregame issues, he still wanted to play. He was willing to do what was necessary saying, “I thought the extra treatment and extra preparation that I put in helped. And I wanted to give it a go.”
To his credit, Terry Collins wouldn’t let him no matter how much Wright tried to change his mind: “In batting practice he came up to me and told me he couldn’t play me. I was trying to change his mind, because obviously you want to play everyday, especially under these circumstances, with Lucas being out and us having a short bench. I just tried to see if there was any leeway there. I tried to be honest with them all year. I wanted to give it a go. And he just thought better of it.”
Collins benched Wright and started Matt Reynolds. It was the right decision, and Wright has to know better.
It was just a month ago that Wright tried to push his back beyond the point he should’ve. As a result, Wright couldn’t stand up straight the next morning. After the incident, he swore up and down he wouldn’t do that again. He said that he knew he needed to be there for the whole season rather than just one game. Wright should’ve remembered how he felt a month ago before trying to force his way into the lineup against the Nationals.
In reflection, Wright admitted Collins made the right call. Wright said, “It’s probably the right call [to scratch Wright]. I mean, it is the right call. It’s probably the best way to go about it. At the time, when you get the news that you’re being taken out of the lineup, obviously here everyone has a competitive streak Wherw you try to push it.”
Wright needs to understand the Mets need him for a full season. He’s the Captain. He leads the team in OBP. He’s still their best option at third base. It’s not about one game against the Nationals. It’s about all 18 games against the Nationals. It’s about the remaining 124 games left on the schedule.
No one wants to see a lineup with Eric Campbell and Matt Reynolds at the corners. No one wants to see it for multiple games. It’s reminiscent of the feckless lineups the Mets sent out there last July. Those lineups were in part due to Wright’s absence. It’s why Wright needs to make sure he’s available for a full season.
Wright does the work day in and day out to try to be ready each and every game. He wants to be out there with his teammates. When that can’t happen like it did today, Wright says, “I’m mad at the situation. But there’s nothing you can do. It is what it is.” While he’s mad, Wright is learning, and he’s listening to his manager.
Wright acknowledged Collins is keeping his best interests in mind saying, “Maybe Terry saved me a trip to the DL. Maybe he saved me missing multiple games. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. And hopefully it’s better.”
Editors Note: this was first published on metsmerizedonline.com
Tonight promised to be a pitcher’s duel, and it did not disappoint. The difference in the game was Max Scherzer made two mistakes and Noah Syndergaard made none.
Curtis Granderson took the first pitch from Scherzer, and he homered to right. Scherzer would be careful with Granderson the rest of the game. Granderson would finish the night 2-2 with a run, RBI, the aforementioned homerun, and two walks. It appears that Granderson is breaking out of his May slump.
The Mets needed it too. Before the first pitch, the Mets discovered neither Lucas Duda or David Wright would be available. Wright’s back flared up necessitating he sit. Duda’s own back issues re-emerged requiring him to receive an injection and sit. In their stead, Eric Campbell and Matt Reynolds manned the corners. It was Reynold’s major league debut. He played third, batted ninth, and wore Wright’d glove. Campbell and Reynolds each went 0-3. Campbell struck out twice, and Reynolds struck out once.
It was a lineup reminiscent of last July. Like last July, Granderson provided the offense. Like last July, Michael Conforto came to the rescue. In the third, he homered to right to make it a 2-0 game. Syndergaard did the rest.
Syndergaard pitched seven innings only allowing five hits, no earned, and no walks while striking out 10. He had the pitches coming in at 100 MPH. Before the game, Bryce Harper said at the ESPN Upfront event he was curious as to what would happen against the 100 MPH fastball. The answer was an 0-3 night with two strikeouts against Syndergaard.
Aside from the two mistakes, Scherzer matched Syndergaard pitch for pitch. He allowed three hits, two earned, and three walks while striking out 10. He did all he could do, but he didn’t get much help from anyone other than Daniel Murphy.
It was Murphy’s first game back at Citi Field since signing with the Nationals in the offseason. In the first inning, he made a sparkling defensive play robbing Campbell of a hit:
Daniel Murphy knows this Citi pretty well: https://t.co/adZAVppFSs pic.twitter.com/Ti2okeEWOq
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) May 17, 2016
After that play, Murphy would get his first official at bat against the Mets. Before the at bat, Murphy would get a well deserved ovation:
Murphy would foul out to third. Before his next at bat, he would be booed. Murphy responded by dropping a single over the head of his replacement, Neil Walker. Overall, Murphy would go 1-3 dropping his batting average from .400 to .399.
Despite Murphy’s and Scherzer’s efforts, the Mets shut down the Nationals. Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia came on and slammed the door shut. The Mets won 2-0, took sole possession of second place, and moved within a half-game of the Nationals. The Mets can take over first place with a win tomorrow.
Game Notes: Kevin Plawecki had a nice game going 1-3 and throwing out Ben Revere trying to steal a base. It was only the fourth runner in 33 attempts thrown out while Syndergaard was on the mound. Of course, Oliver Perez entered the game and got his only batter out. Here was the Mets pregame video tribute to Murphy:
Thank you, Murph!https://t.co/bna7xfzZWX
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 17, 2016