T.J. Rivera

Steven Matz’s Near No-Hitter Throws Padres for a Curve 

Regardless of the results what Steven Matz has been doing this season has been admirable. Matz knows he’s going to need surgery in the offseason to remove bone spurs in his elbow, and yet he still goes out there and pitches because his team needs him. 

With that said the results haven’t been pretty.  From June 7th until August 9th, Matz has gone 1-7 with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.435 WHIP. That is a precipitous drop from the guy who started the year 7-1 with a 2.28 ERA and a 1.030 WHIP. The main reason for the dip is he’s getting hit much harder. He’s gone from an 18% line drive rate with batters hitting .225/.272/.294 with four homers to a 28% line drive rate with batters hitting .297/.346/.475 with 10 homers. 

During his slump or whatever you want to call it, Matz has been without his main breaking pitch – the fabled Warthen slider. In the beginning of the year, he threw it 15% of the time. Beginning June 7th, he was only throwing it 8% of the time. 

In place of the change, Matz began throwing more changeups going from throwing it 9% of the time to throwing it 14% of the time. It’s not a wise move as opposing batters hit .340 against the pitch while slugging .630. He’s fooling no one with the changeup and the opposition has been teeing off on the pitch. 

Sunday, Matz effectively scrapped both his changeup and his slider focusing on his fastball and curveball. The result was a near no-hitter. 

Over 7.1 dazzling innings, Matz only allowed the one hit allowing no runs and two walks with eight strikeouts. It was his best start since May. It was a return to the Steven Matz everyone once believed would emerge to join Jacob deGromMatt Harvey, and Noah Syndergaard as one of four aces atop the Mets staff. 

Matz did it, in part, because he threw a lot more curveballs. He threw 29% curves on Sunday after throwing it 14% of the time ro start the year. It was the right move as it’s arguably his second best pitch (after his abandoned slider). Matz limits batters to a .235 batting average with his curveball, which is the second lowest batting average allowed against any one of his pitches.

With the fastball and curveball working, the only player who would get a hit off of Matz would be Alex Rios‘ former teammate Alexei Ramirez.  Like Harvey, Matz wouldn’t get the no-hitter. Unlike Harvey, his teammates would score runs did him a get the win. 

Wilmer Flores and Neil Walker hit solo homers in the first two innings respectively off Padres left-hander Clayton Richard giving Matz and the Mets a 2-0 lead. 
In the eighth, the Mets actually scored some insurance runs. Jose Reyes led off the inning with a single. He’d steal second and move to third when Padres catcher Derek Norris threw it into center. Reyes then scored on a Jose Dominguez wild pitch.  All of this happened during Ty Kelly‘s at bat.  It was vintage Reyes. 

The rally continued after the Reyes one man show, and it culminated in a T.J. Rivera two out two RBI double scoring Kelly and Jay Bruce. It was the first extra base hit and RBI in Kelly’s young career. It made the score 5-0. 

The final score would be 5-1 after Gabriel Ynoa allowed a run in the ninth. On the bright side, the Mets are 2-0 in games Ynoa pitched. Speaking of which, the Mets have finally won two games in a row. 

Overall, the story was Matz. He had a magical afternoon, and he made an adjustment to allow him to pitch more effectively. 

Pennant Race: Thr Marlins beat the White Sox 5-4. The Nationals beat the Braves 9-1. Three Cardinals beat the Cubs 6-4.  The Pirates bested the Dodgers 11-4. 

What’s There to Know?

The Mets lost 9-0. Seriously, what do you need to know about a game in which the Mets seemingly didn’t even bother?  That’s right, you should know where to direct your anger. Here’s the starting lineup:

  1. Alejandro De Aza (CF) 1-4, 2 K
  2. Neil Walker (2B) 1-3
  3. Jay Bruce (RF) 0-3
  4. James Loney (1B) 0-4, GIDP
  5. Kelly Johnson (LF) 0-2, BB, K
  6. Michael Conforto (RF) 0-3, K
  7. Rene Rivera (C)1-3 
  8. Matt Reynolds (SS) 1-3, K

And the pitchers:

  1. Noah Syndergaard (L, 9-7) 5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 6 K
  2. Jon Niese 1.0 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
  3. Josh Edgin 1.2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 K
  4. Jerry Blevins 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Just pick any of the above to direct you ire. Don’t forget the subs, Ty Kelly (0-1), Curtis Granderson (0-1, K), T.J. Rivera (1-2), and Wilmer Flores (0-1). 

By the way, the Diamondbacks were 4/4 in stolen base attempts. 

Don’t forget the manager, Terry Collins, who made his latest entry into the case as to why he should be fired

Game Notes: This team stinks, and it was swept at home by the Diamondbacks.

Pennant Race: Reserved for teams over .500. 

Congratulations T.J. Rivera

Undrafted free agent middle infielders aren’t supposed to reach AA let alone make it to the majors. Twenty-seven year old career minor leaguers not on the 40 man roster are supposed to read the writing on the wall. They’re not supposed to get called up to the majors in August to help a team in a pennant race. 

And yet, that’s where T.J. Rivera finds himself today. The 27 year old undrafted free agent is now a major league player, a New York Met. 

Rivera got here by doing whatever he needed to do. As a 22 year old out of Troy University, Rivera hit .301/.349/.383 with eight doubles, one homer, and 19 RBI in rookie ball. Over the next five years, he would steadily improve as a hitter. The end result was him hitting .347/.389/.512 with 26 doubles, one triple, 11 homers, and 80 RBI. 

It was good enough for him to rack up the accolades this year. He was named to the Pacific Coast League All Star Game. He has been twice named the Pacific Coast League Offensive Player of the Week including being the winner the past week. He was the Pacific Coast League’s May Offensive Player of the Month. 

Still, it wasn’t enough for him to get called-up. The Mets started the year with Eric Campbell as the last player on the bench. When he faltered, the Mets turned to Ty Kelly

T.J. Rivera and Eric Campbell Are Better Options Than Ty Kelly

With Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes joining David Wright and Lucas Duda on the disabled list, the Mets needed to go to AAA to find a utility infielder. For some reason or another they chose Ty Kelly.

Kelly has been a nice story this year.  He dominated AAA forcing the Mets to finally give him the major league shot the Orioles, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Cardinals declined to give him.  He had gone from a career minor leaguer to a player who has finally gotten his shot to be a major leaguer at 27 years old.  On June 8th, he even hit his first career home run off future Pirates ace James Taillon.  Kelly’s story has been one of perseverance and one of triump.  However, that terrific story does not make Kelly a major leaguer.

In 14 games, Kelly was over-matched hitting .148/.207/.259 with that one home run being his only extra base hit.  He has showed why four other organizations passed over him time and again.  He has shown why the Mets buried him on the depth chart after his 14 game stint.  Given his performance, it makes you question why he is back with the Mets,e especially with the team having presumably better options down in the minors.

If you are going to stick with the 40 man roster, Eric Campbell would have been a better choice.  He is a career .221/.310/.312 hitter, and he hit .159/.270/.222 this year.  He had some flashes this year with a five game stretch that saw him hit .273/.467/.273 while playing well defensively at first and third base.  On different occasions over the course of his career, he has come up with key pinch hits.  Since his demotion, he has hit .363/.493/.593 in AAA, which shows that he has the ability to get on base, and anyone can hit in the Pacific Coast League.  Regardless of your position on Campbell, he is a better player than Kelly.

However, Campbell has been given numerous chances to stick with the Mets, and he still hasn’t.  It has gotten to the point that the Mets now favor Kelly over him.  The Mets have moved on from him.  With that in mind, it might be time to consider someone other than Campbell and Kelly.

Again, the Mets should give T.J. Rivera consideration.  He was a Pacific Coast League All STytar, and he is hitting .340/.380/.490 in 90 games.  He has more defensive versatility than Kelly and Campbell as he plays all four infield positions, and he can also play left field.  He may not be a plus defender at any of those positions, but neither are Kelly or Campbell.  He may be a 27 year old rookie, but so was the older Kelly when he was called-up with year.  Overall, the only difference between Rivera and Kelly is that Kelly got his shot; a shot in which Kelly has mostly failed.

Admittedly, a pennant race is not the best time to give someone like Rivera a shot to prove he is capable of playing in the majors.  Then again, a pennant race is an even worse time to keep sending out a player like Kelly who has shown he struggles at the major league level.  If you are going to pass on Campbell, who has shown some ability to play at the major league level, the Mets should have called-up Rivera who provides the team more versatility despite not being a switch hitter like Kelly.

Sooner or later, you’d have to imagine Rivera will get his fairy tale shot like Kelly did.  He might even do more with the chance than Kelly has.  It would be in the Mets best interests to find out.

Editor’s Note: this was first published on Mets Minors

 

First Half Mets Minor League Offensive Leaders

Currently, MLB and many of their full season affiliates are either at or have already had their All Star Break. At each and every level, the Mets had a minor league hitter named to their level’s All-Star Game. Listed below is a synopsis of the Mets’ organizations leaders at the break:

Class A – Columbia Fireflies

Class A Advanced – St. Lucie Mets

AA – Binghamton Mets

AAA – Las Vegas 51s

Organizational Leaders

  • AVG: T.J. Rivera LV (.348)
  • OBP: Vinny Siena COL & STL (.413)
  • SLG: Travis Taijeron LV (.953)
  • OPS: Travis Taijeron LV (.953)
  • R: Travis Taijeron (61)
  • H: Amed Rosario STL & BNG (107)
  • 2B: Travis Taijeron LV (35)
  • 3B: Amed Rosario STL & BNG (11)
  • HR: Johnny Monell LV (14)
  • RBI: Travis Taijeron LV (69)
  • SB: Champ Stuart STL & BNG (26)

* stats are updated through July 13, 2016

Editor’s Note: this was first published on metsminors.net

 

T.J. Rivera Is Never Getting His Shot

The Mets have gone through Eric Campbell, Ty Kelly, and Matt Reynolds as bench players.  Unfortunately, none of them performed up to expectations.  Finally, the Mets felt compelled to trade a good prospect like Akeel Morris for Kelly Johnson.  It was a deal made after the Mets had already gone through almost every single last option they had in the minors who could play multiple positions.

Actually, they didn’t.  The Mets never gave T.J. Rivera a shot.

Rivera has done all you could ask from a player.  He has learned multiple positions.  He’s capable of playing every position in the infield even if he’s not truly adept at any single position.  After being passed over for a promotion to the majors by Kelly, Rivera dedicated himself to learning the outfield to make himself even more attractive to be a major league call-up.  He has hit .361/.401/.526 so far in AAA this year.  He as the Pacific Coast League’s Player of the Month for the month of May.  Again, Rivera has done everything to merit a call-up.  It just isn’t happening.

Was Rivera the solution to the Mets bench problems?  Probably not.  He was still a 27 year old undrafted minor league player.  Yet, he still possessed skills that could of translated to the major leagues.  He had the potential to be a contact hitter with doubles power.  He could have filled in all across the diamond.  There are a lot of things Rivera was capable of doing if only he got the chance.  He won’t for reasons that are still unclear, and frankly, are unfair.

So yes, the Mets minor league system is worse for having lost a real prospect in Morris.  It’s frustrating that he was traded away for a player that could have been re-signed by the Mets in the offseason.  However, that frustration doesn’t match the frustration Rivera must be feeling now knowing that the Mets may never give him his chance despite him having earned an opportunity.

Akeel Morris Was the Price of Not Re-Signing Kelly Johnson

For the second straight year, the Mets entered the season with questionable depth.  The result of the questionable depth last year was the Mets were forced to raid their minor league pitching depth to build a bench and a bullpen.  Overall, the Mets traded away Robert Whalen, John Gant, Casey Meisner, Michael Fulmer, Luis Cessa, Dawrin Frias, Miller Diaz, and Matt Koch.  The end result was a National League Pennant and only one player under contract beyond 2015.

The Mets had the whole offseason to make sure that didn’t happen again.  They didn’t.  The team decided not to re-sign Kelly Johnson, and they waived Ruben Tejada.  The end result was the Mets started the year with Eric Campbell on the 25 man roster.  Keep in mind, the 2015 Mets which supposedly had less depth had Campbell in the minor league system.

Unfortunately, Campbell did not reward the faith the Mets placed in him.  Campbell hit .159/.270/.222.  The Mets were forced to move on from him.  Next up was Ty Kelly, who the Mets signed to a minor league deal over the winter, and Kelly hit .111/.200/.111.  Another option was Matt Reynolds, who is still up with the team, who is currently hitting .167/.231/.167.  By the way, the Mets have now made it readily apparent they are not going to give T.J. Rivera a shot.  Long story short there are kiddie pools with more depth than what the 2016 Mets had this season.  Accordingly, the Mets were in a position where they were forced to make a move to improve their depth.

Today, the Mets traded away Akeel Morris for Kelly Johnson.  This is the same Kelly Johnson the Mets thought Eric Campbell was better than in the offseason.  This is the same Kelly Johnson who is currently hitting .215/.273/.289 this year.

Again, the Mets could have signed him in the offseason and not forfeited a prospect in return.  Either the Mets thought Campbell was a better player and were wrong, or they made a money decision.  There is roughly a $1.5 million difference between Campbell’s and Johnson’s salaries, and the Mets did release Tejada before the season in an effort to save money.  Keep in mind, the Mets not only obtained Campbell in the deal, but as per Jon Heyman, the Mets also received some money in the deal as well.  Because of the Mets penny wise pound foolish decisions, the Mets once again had to dip into their minor league system to address their poor depth.

This time the cost was Akeel Morris.  Last year, Morris was terrific in his 23 appearance in AA.  He went 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.091 WHIP.  This year, for the first time in his major league career, he is struggling.  In his 22 appearances, he is 2-2 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.382 WHIP.  Lost in those stats is Morris’ stuff.  He can get his fastball up to 95, and he has a good changeup.  With his ability to strike people out, he could have been a late inning reliever.  With the development of another pitch, like the Warthen slider, he would be. If he does reach his potential, it will be with another organization as the Mets decided they desperately needed someone who is hitting worse than Kevin Plawecki this year.

Regardless of his struggles, Johnson is an upgrade over what the Mets have been playing lately. Johnson may also benefit from returning to a team where he played well last year.  If Johnson does play well, it’ll be a reminder the Mets should not have let him sign elsewhere in the offseason.  It will be a reminder that the mistake the Mets made a mistake in thinking Campbell was the best choice for the bench. Ultimately, the cost of that mistake is the career of Akeel Morris.

Should’ve Re-Signed Daniel Murphy

Last year when David Wright went on the disabled list with a serious injury, the Mets moved Daniel Murphy to third base and recalled Dilson Herrera to play second base. This year?  This year, we get Neil Walker at second with a revolving door of AAAA caliber players at third base.

Now, it should be noted that Walker has been far better than anyone could’ve imagined. With his hitting .283/.345/.522 line with 13 homeruns, he’s in the midst of a career year. He’s been everything the Mets couldn’t asked for and more. With that said, he isn’t a versatile player. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets have reservations about moving Walker to an unfamiliar position.

This means Walker will remain at second while Herrera remains in the minors. That’s a problem.

Dilson Herrera is a superior player to Ty Kelly, Eric Campbell, and Matt Reynolds. He’s better than T.J. Rivera, who, for reasons unknown, is still not getting a shot. With his play this year, it’s fair to say Herrera is a superior option to Wilmer Flores. However, it doesn’t matter that Herrera is better than the four other options that have been and will continue to get playing time at third base. It doesn’t matter because there’s no room for Herrera to play second every day.

Herrera would be the second baseman right now if Murphy was here. It’s further evidence of how the Mets made a mistake by letting Murphy walk out the door. Better yet, Murphy’s in Washington helping a Nationals team that has a three game lead over the Mets in the NL East.

Walker’s been great player this year, but he’s still not a better fit for this Mets team than Murphy would’ve been. The reason is simple: No matter how good Walker plays this year, it won’t be worth having one of Flores, Reynolds, Kelly, or Campbell play third for long stretches of time.

Possible David Wright Replacements

Despite the spinal stenosis, David Wright was playing well in 2016. He was hitting .226/.350/.438 with seven homeruns and 14 RBI. He had hit homeruns in three straight games before it was discovered he had a herniated disc in his neck. It was a cruel setback for a player who has worked so hard to get back to this point. It leaves everyone questioning if this is the straw that will break the camel’s back. If it is, or if Wright needs another lengthy stint on the disabled list, the Mets are going to have to find a long term solution to third base.

Internal Options

Wilmer Flores. Going into this season, the Mets tabbed Flores to be the main backup at four infield positions. With Wright needing days off here and there due to the spinal stenosis, it was presumed Flores would play a lot of third base. At the outset, Flores appears to be the player who will get the first crack at the position. However, if he continues hitting .167/.231/.267, the Mets are going to be forced to turn in another direction.

T.J. Rivera. Eric Campbell already had his shot, and he hit .159/.270/.222 leading him to be designated for assignment. Matt Reynolds had a brief call-up and he hit .100/.182/.100 in limited duty. The revolving door has now brought us to Ty Kelly, who is hitting .167/.231/.167 in limited duty. While this triumvirate has been given the opportunities and failed to hit, Rivera stays in AAA hitting .364/.399/.535. Sooner or later, he’s going to get a shot to play in the majors with the way he has been playing.

Gavin Cecchini. The former Mets 2012 first round pick is currently hitting .308/.390/.400 in his first season in AAA. The issue is in his minor league career, Cecchini has only played SS. If he gets called up, the Mets would have to choose between playing him at a position he has never played before or making him the SS while Asdrubal Cabrera moves to third, where he has only played one inning in his major league career.

Dilson Herrera. The Mets could elect to call-up Herrera to play second while sliding their second basemen to third like they have the past few seasons. The issue here is Herrera is not raking in AAA the way he usually does, and Neil Walker hasn’t played third base regularly in his big league career, and he hasn’t played there in six years. 

External Options

If you are going to make a move at this point, you are really only going to be able to obtain a player from a team that is completely out of the pennant race, or a player that has been designated for assignment. With the current two Wild Card format, a safe line of demarcation is any team 10 games or more out of first place is out of contention. Looking over the standings, that would mean the Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds (who have nothing of value), and the San Diego Padres. Of course, due consideration should be given to the Oakland Athletics, who are always ready, willing, and able to make a trade.

Trevor Plouffe. Plouffe is one of the many reasons the Twins are having a down year as he is hitting .246/.273/.369. For his career, he’s a .245/.307/.417 hitter. As such, he’s not going to resolve any of the Mets offensive problems. Also, as per UZR and DRS, he has only been an adequate defensive third baseman meaning he doesn’t have the superior defense to carry his bat.

Eduardo Nunez. The former Yankee is having a nice year for the Twins hitting .340/.367/.507 in 42 games. This year he has mostly played third and shortstop. In the event Wright does come back, Nunez can be a valuable utility player. The main issue with the 29 year old Nunez is that he will not be cheap as he still has a couple of cost controlled years before he becomes a free agent in 2018.

Kelly Johnson. Johnson was a valuable bench piece for the Mets last year hitting .250/.304/.414. The benefits are you know he can play in New York, and he should not be expensive. The downside is he’s hitting .218/.279/.307 this year.

Gordon Beckam. While Beckham has never quite lived up to the hype, he is having a good year this year as a utility player for the Braves playing second, third, and short. The career .244/.307/.374 hitter is hitting .293/.393/.446 this year for the Braves. Maybe it’s the small sample size of 30 games, maybe it’s the change to the National League, but Beckham is a better offensive player this year.

Aaron Hill. Hill is having a tremendous year as the Brewers’ third baseman this year hitting .275/.351/436. He’s also capable of played second in his career. The main sticking point with Hill is his salary. He is earning $12 million this year with the Arizona Diamondbacks paying $6.5 million of that. If the Mets were to obtain Hill, they would have to take on the prorated portion of the $5.5 million the Brewers are paying him or part with additional prospects to get the Brewers to eat some of that salary.

Brett Wallace. Wallace is a left-hand hitting third baseman. He has bounced around as he has never reached his full potential at the plate. He has also been a below average fielder wherever he has played, including third base. He seems to have found a home as a Padre these past two seasons. This year he is hitting .219/.379/.381. The issue with him is he’s still a cost-controlled player just entering his arbitration years.

Yangervis Solarte. Former Met Roger Cedeno‘s nephew, Solarte, is hitting .300/.397/.600 this year while playing mostly third base. He is a versatile player with a good bat. He is only making $525,000 this year, and he’s not arbitration eligible until 2017. If you want him, you’re going to have to pry him away from the Padres. Remember, this is the same Padres front office that rejected Michael Fulmer for Justin Upton. Solarte would be a great fit for the Mets, but it is unlikely the Mets are going to be willing to pay the price of what it’ll take to acquire him.

Ruben Tejada. Simply put, Tejada is a major league caliber player that is better suited to playing shortstop. He was a career .255/.320/.323 hitter on the Mets. He played poorly with the Cardinals hitting .176/.225/.235 before being released. He’s better suited for the bench than he is as the third base option. Even if he’s not the third base solution the Mets should claim him and put him on the bench. 

Jed Lowrie. Lowrie is in the midst of a good season hitting .309/.351/.360 for the Athletics. He is capable of playing second, third, or shortstop. However, he has little power, and he is in the middle of a relatively large contract that pays him $7.5 million this year and $6 million next year with a team option/buyout in 2018.

Danny Valencia. Valencia is having a terrific year this year hitting .333/.370/.558 while playing third base for the the Athletics. He has an extremely reasonable $3.15 million salary this year. However, that is part of the problem. He has a reasonable salary this year, and he is under team control until 2018. Given the way Billy Beane does business, he will be extremely expensive.

Overall, that is the problem. If Wright is really going to miss a significant amount of time for the second straight season, the Mets are going to need a real long term solution. If the Mets enter the trade market and pay high prices for good, quality players like Solarte and Valencia. For the most part, you are looking to trade with a Brewers franchise you cancelling a trade with last year, or a Padres or Athletics team that really drives a hard bargain. That leaves the Mets in a very difficult situtation. Therefore, for the time being, the most prudent course might be to see if Flores can handle the position defensively and offensively. If he doesn’t the Mets will need to make a big trade just like they did last year. If that time should come, hopefully, they will have the pieces necessary to make that happen.

Editor’s Note: this was also published on metsmerizedonline.com

T.J. Rivera – Because the Other Options Have Been Terrible

Eric Campbell made the team out of Spring Training. He’s hitting .159/.270/.226 in 30 games. He has a -0.2 WAR, 39 OPS+, and a 47 wRC+. 

Matt Reynolds was briefly called-up to to injuries. In eight games, he hit .100/.182/.100. It’s a very short sample size, but he has a – 0.1 WAR, -20 OPS+, and a -15 wRC+ player. Before his call-up, he was only hitting .238/.303/.369 in AAA. In 2014, he hit .267/.319/.412. 

Ty Kelly was also called-up due to injuries. In five games, he has hit .091/.167/.091. It’s a very short sample size, but he’s a -0.2 WAR, -26 OPS+, and a -23 wRC+ player. Last year in AAA, he hit .236/.322/.296. There have been four other organizations that gave up on him before the Mets signed him to a minor league deal. 

These are the three players the Mets have deemed more major league worthy than T.J. Rivera. 

This is no fault of Rivera. Rivera has done everything the Mets could possibly ask. He has improved as a hitter each and every year at each and every level. Last year, he hit .306/.345/.443 in AAA. So far this year, he is hitting .374/.409/.549. 

Rivera has also become a very versatile player. In college, he played second and third. During his time in the minors, he has played second and third while also becoming an adequate defender at first and short. This past week, in an effort to become even more versatile and attractive to the Mets, he has begun playing left field. 

There are some holes in Rivera’s game. He has doubles power. He doesn’t work the count well. He may play multiple positions, but he’s not a plus defender at any of those positions. So yes, there are some flaws, but you know what?  These are the same flaws that Campbell, Reynolds, and Kelly have. The only thing that separates Rivera from these players is they got a shot, and he didn’t. That and Rivera has been a much better hitter in the minors than the other three players. 

The Mets have World Series aspirations. They cannot keep trotting out players who hit WELL UNDER the Mendoza Line. The Mets have to do something as Campbell, Reynolds, and Kelly have squandered their opportunities. There are more excuses. The Mets have to call up Rivera. 

Editor’s Note: this was first published on metsminors.net