Musings
In honor of it being May the Fourth, i.e. Star Wars Day, here is a list of Mets players re-imagined as Star Wars characters:
Rey – Michael Conforto
Both were abandoned in the desert despite having great skills. Now, their opportunity has unexpectedly arrived, they are ready to be great like everyone once expected them to be.
Jyn Erso – David Wright
They have both sacrificed everything to be a part of this and to lead everyone to victory. It’s heartbreaking what happened to them. It’s incumbent on everyone to succeed and be victorious to honor their legacy.
Han Solo – Curtis Granderson
They were once great, but now they are older and are barely holding on at this point. As we know, it ends badly for both of them.
Luke Skywalker – Zack Wheeler
We thought both had disappeared and were never to be heard from again. Despite all odds, they have been re-discovered, but they may be here for the end of something (Jedi, Five Aces) than contributing to it.
Snoke – Ray Ramirez
They are both trying to oversee the destruction of everything, and we don’t know why they want to do it.
Jar Jar Binks – Rafael Montero
The question isn’t just why they are still here, the question is why did they exist in the first place.
K-2SO – Matt Harvey
While it may have been the opposite years ago, they are now the ones taking the bullets for everyone. It’s only a matter of time before they break down.
C3PO – Steven Matz
Both are constantly broken down, and we still do not know what is going on with their arms.
Jabba the Hut – Bartolo Colon
Both are massive, and both are now the enemy.
Saw Gerrera – Noah Syndergaard
Literally, no one thought what they were doing or how they were going about things was a good idea. Yet, they did them anyway, and now they are gone leaving others to scramble to do the job we once they were best suited.
Poe Dameron – Seth Lugo
Both played extremely important roles in the beginning of the saga (Poe – new trilogy, Lugo – aces getting injured). We are now just awaiting Lugo to return when he is needed again just like Poe did.
Finn – Jay Bruce
They were both told to do things a certain way, and it just wasn’t working for them. Now, the are in much better situtations, with people who realize who they really are, and they are thriving.
Galen Erso – Sandy Alderson
They were the ones with the grand plan, and they put all the pieces in place. However, they are now watching as things are falling apart all around them. Both need a miracle. Galen got his. We’ll see about Sandy.
Wickett – Wilmer Flores
Both are considered cute and cuddly, but they are warriors that will tear you to shreds . . . especially if you are a left-handed pitcher.
Death Star – Fernando Salas
Both were thought to be completely indestructible, and yet every time we see them they are getting blown up by the opposition.
General Leia Organa – Jose Reyes
They’re both back looking to recapture past glory. Sadly, we don’t think things are going to work out for them like we once thought it would.
Yoda – Yoenis Cespedes
Believe it or not, Cespedes is smaller than everyone, and yet, like Yoda he is the most powerful. Also, with his constant leg issues, he hobbles around like Yoda does.
Maz Kanata – Dan Warthen
Wedge Antilles – Lucas Duda
Time and again, their contributions are overlooked. Wedge took part in blowing up both Death Stars. Duda was the first base man for the pennant winner and one the Mets cannot adequately replace when he’s not on the field. Despite all of that, no one seems to want to give them credit for their contributions.
Obi-Wan Kenobi – Jacob deGrom
Princess Leia said it best when she said, “Help me Jacob deGrom, you’re my only hope.”
May the Force Be with You and Lets Go Mets!
With voting opening, Michael Conforto‘s name does not appear on the All Star Game ballot. His name doesn’t appear because a team only has three outfielders listed, and the Mets Opening Day outfield of Yoenis Cespedes–Curtis Granderson–Jay Bruce is on there. Still, that doesn’t mean you still can’t vote for Conforto. In fact, you can and should write his name in.
To date, Conforto has had an outstanding year. Through his first 23 games this season, the newly minted leadoff hitter has hit .344/.421/.688 with seven homers and 16 RBI. He’s gone from a player the Mets needed to try to find playing time for to a player they cannot afford to take out of the lineup. He’s been one of the best outfielders in all of baseball.
Among National League outfielders with at least 70 at-bats, he is one of the top ranked players. His batting average, on base percentage. and slugging are second only to Bryce Harper. Again, his 183 wRC+ is second only to Harper. Same goes for his 189 OPS+. It should then come as no surprise that his 1.1 fWAR and 1.1 bWAR are also second to Harper. No matter what state you cite, the only rationale conclusion you can reach is Conforto is the second best outfielder in the National League.
Last year, he had suffered from the proverbial ‘Sophomore Slump” due to a wrist injury, benchings, and the struggles that typically ensue from both of these circumstances. Despite proving himself in Triple-A, the Mets still wouldn’t trust him over injured and struggling players. Rather than give him the opportunity to be the player he was, the Mets traded for Bruce. The failure to move Bruce in the offseason led to Conforto starting the year on the bench. Despite this, Conforto was ready to to step in when the Mets needed him most.
He’s played all three outfield positions, and he has played them well. With Granderson’s and Jose Reyes‘ struggles, he has provided the team with a lead-off hitter. With the injuries to Cespedes and Lucas Duda, he has provided his team with a great bat – a bat that is the second best in the National League. Conforto has been everything the Mets have needed and more.
In reality, the question shouldn’t be whether Conforto should be in the All Star Game, the question is when does everyone start inserting his name into MVP discussions. Yes, it is too soon for MVP discussions, and so at this point, we should focus on his being an All Star. With his name not being on the ballot, Mets fans need to step up and write-in his name.
Look, if we are being honest, we just saw a really ugly side of Noah Syndergaard this past week, and it all surrounded how he is handling his current physical issues. As we have seen in the past, this isn’t the first time it has happened with Syndergaard.
Last year, there was a lot of drama surrounding Syndergaard’s elbow, and that drama was mostly created by Syndergaard himself. After the Mets had confirmed a report that Syndergaard did indeed have bone spurs in his elbow, he denied their existence saying, “I do not, no. My arm feels great. No, there is nothing structurally wrong with (the elbow), wear and tear will do it to you. My arm feels really good. I just have to get ready to go in five days.” (Kristie Ackert, New York Daily News). His denial of a team confirmed report created an unnecessary news cycle that ended in Syndergaard finally admitting two days later there was a bone spur.
The lesson here is there is no point in lying to the media, especially when they already know the truth. There’s also the lesson that you’re not going to win with the media, especially in a town like New York. Despite that, Syndergaard is repeating past mistakes.
After the Mets shielded him and started Robert Gsellman on Wednesday chalking it up to a “miscommunication,” the Mets and Syndergaard finally had to come clean on Thursday when Matt Harvey had to make an emergency start in his place. It was finally time to come clean. The Mets admitted Syndergaard had an issue with his bicep which precluded him from making the start. When it was time for Syndergaard to address the media, Syndergaard was completely unprofessional. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, instead of answering reporters questions, Syndergaard chose to rip into Jay Horowitz for allowing the media to do its job. Syndergaard wasn’t just disprespectful to Horowitz, he was also disrespectful to a media doing it’s job. As Jerry Beach tweeted, Syndergaard called the media Horowitz’s minions.
As if this was not bad enough, Syndergaard did something really dumb after that. He refused to get an MRI. The Mets made the dumber decision to let him pitch despite his not getting that MRI. Syndergaard took the mound without anyone knowing the full breadth of his injury. He would only last 1.1 innings before needing to come out the game with an injury. As of this moment, it is reported to be a lat injury, and no one knows if it is related to the aforementioned bicep issue.
With Syndergaard leaving the game with the injury, he left behind an exasperated Sandy Alderson, angry Terry Collins, and a dejected fan base. Also, he’s getting that MRI he initially refused to get making this whole exercise completely pointless.
Maybe Syndergaard needs to believe he is indestructible in order to take that mound and pitch as great as he does. Maybe his emotions get in the way, and he responds in ways he later regrets. No one really knows because no one has the stuff he has, and those that have had something close have not been able to harness it the way Syndergaard has. He’s special on the mound, and there’s no doubt his mental makeup is a large part of that.
Still, Syndergaard needs to be a professional out there. While the New York media can certainly be unbearing, and at times cruel, a player has to learn to deal with them. Moreover, he has to learn to treat the people he works with with respect. That involves treating Horowitz like something more than a punching bag. It involves him doing the aspects of his job he doesn’t want to do like talking to the media when there’s a problem. It involves him not leaving his teammates to pick up the bag for him in the clubhouse or in the locker room.
These are the same criticisms everyone had of Harvey last year when he was going through his struggles, and they were all fair. However, it should be noted Harvey was not on record insulting anyone. He knew enough not to do that.
This isn’t to say Syndergaard is a bad guy, or that he needs to change that thing about him that makes him great. We all love his swagger. The 60’6″ talk. The pseudo-war with Mr. Met. Rather, Syndergaard just needs to learn when to answer a question and listen to medical advice. If anything, it will make his time in New York easier, and it might lengthen his career.
Arguably, the only reason why Josh Edgin made the Opening Day roster was because he was out of options. With the potential of losing him, and the Mets wanting to carry a second LOOGY in the pen, Edgin was going to get his shot.
Edgin got his shot despite his never fully regaining his velocity from what it was pre-Tommy John. He got the shot despite his struggling mightily in 2016. He got the spot because the Mets never really brought in another lefty to challenge him for the spot.
To start the season, it looked like a mistake. In his first five appearances, Edgin was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. That loss was brutal too as it helped stunt whatever momentum the Mets could have built off that 16 inning win.
With these struggles, it made you wonder if Edgin would be designated for assignment when Jeurys Familia was eligible to return from suspension. His play put him on the bubble.
It was more than that big loss. He wasn’t getting the big left-handed batters out. Justin Bour, a career .224/.286/.293 batter off left-handed pitching, was 2-3 with a double and an RBI off Edgin. Freddie Freeman is 5-10 off Edgin. With Bour and Freeman abusing him, it made you shudder at when he got to face Bryce Harper.
As luck would have it, Edgin has owned Harper.
In what was a lost series against the Nationals at Citi Field, Edgin did get one matchup against Harper. In that spot, he faced Harper with two on and two out, and he got a big strikeout of Harper keeping the game at a manageable three run deficit.
As good as that was, he was even better last night.
With Familia struggling, Terry Collins rolled the dice and brought in Edgin to get out Harper and to get the Mets out of a bases loaded one out jam. Surprisingly, Edgin did just that getting Harper to hit into the game ending 1-2-3 double play to earn his second career save.
But maybe, it wasn’t that surprising. After the double play, Harper is now just 2-12 off Harper with four strikeouts.
More than that, Edgin has turned his season around. In his last four appearances, Edgin has pitched 3.2 scoreless innings allowing just two singles. He’s moved from a pitcher of the verge of being released to a pitcher who can be trusted to get a left-handed batter out with the game on the line.
The last time the Mets lying to everyone about an injury worked out was when they hid the fact that Duaner Sanchez was done for the season after his ill-fated cab ride. Keeping the injury under wraps allowed the Mets to move Xavier Nady for pitching help at the deadline. Certainly, if teams knew the Mets were desperate, the price for a reliever or an additional starter likely would have gone up.
However, when it is still April, the Mets gain nothing from lying to the fans. In fact, it only serves to further sow distrust with the fan base and to make them angry.
Last year, the line was Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, and Steven Matz were all dealing with “mechanical issues.” That turned into deGrom having a series of physical problems including his needing season ending surgery to help repair a nerve in his pitching elbow. Harvey’s mechanical issues turned out to be Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which also required season ending surgery. Finally, Matz’s mechanical issues was a massive bone spur in his elbow the Mets had him pitch through until he could no longer. Like deGrom and Harvey, he also needed season ending surgery.
Based upon this and the many many lies this team tells, you can’t trust them at all.
For example, what really is the issue with Noah Syndergaard. First, it was reported he had a blister. Then that became it wasn’t a blister, but a nail that ripped off while he was pitching. Despite these minor issues, he was slated to pitch on Wednesday until he didn’t. According to the Mets, there was a miscommunication, and Robert Gsellman was not supposed to be skipped in the rotation.
Then, it was a tired arm which became a shore bicep. That sore bicep became tendinitis. Syndergaard’s explanation was much more daunting when he said he felt pain in his shoulder when he threw the ball.
Speaking of Gsellman, we saw his velocity drop from 94 MPH to 90 MPH as the game progressed. Now, we’re hearing that he has mechanical issues. I think we know where this ends up.
Now, no one is truly forthright when discussing injuries. It is part of the territory with professional sports. If you follow the NHL, you’ll notice how “upper body injuries” are terms that mean needs 10 offseason surgeries. In MLB, a tired arm means an eventual visit to Dr. Andrews. We know that. The issue is the Mets seemingly lie more than anyone, and frankly, they’re not even that good at it.
With respect to Syndergaard, just tell the fans he is being skipped with a tired arm, and he will see the doctor. Don’t announce he’s starting Wednesday to presumably try to drive up attendance. Don’t conjure explanations when you can simply say he’s going to see a doctor. This sows distrust, and yes, a bit of panic with fans. Panic, which Sandy Alderson has mocked Mets fans for having in the past while he was doing nothing to improve the team.
You are already seeing an angry fan base. Despite the Mets having World Series aspirations, Citi Field has looked largely empty. It’s looked as empty as it did anytime from when it opened until 2015. The fans aren’t happy. The least you can do is level with us.
As part of the unfortunate layoffs at ESPN this past week, their baseball coverage was gutted. One of the top baseball reporters there is, Jayson Stark, was let go. In addition, Baseball Tonight contributors Doug Glanville, Dallas Braden, and Raul Ibanez were also let go. In fact, Baseball Tonight is essentially no more. What was once one of the top shows covering baseball is now a once a week pre-game show for ESPN’s Sunday Night Game.
While you can certainly argue Baseball Tonight is not what is used to be, it still provided quality coverage. Yes, Baseball Tonight was harmed by the MLB Network both in terms of the depth of coverage and the quality of analysts. Still, Baseball Tonight mattered and had really good nights. That’s no more.
In place of Baseball Tonight, ESPN has opted to go with Intentional Talk as its daily baseball coverage. Both ESPN and MLB Network will air the show. For a network that values First Take and Pardon the Interruption over good reporting, this should be no surprise.
Intentional Talk is as bad as it gets. It’s just Charlie Rose and Kevin Millar with forced humor. As usual, forced humor isn’t funny. It’s what made the 2013 All Star and Legends Celebrity Softball game almost unbearable.
It should have been a lot of fun. You had Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, John Franco, and Mike Piazza on the same field. There was also former Met Rickey Henderson playing. Comedian Kevin James stole the show by taking the game way too seriously. Over all of this was Rose and Millar doing play-by-play. It was awful, not funny, and the worst thing there was at Citi Field that year during a season where Matt Harvey had a season ending injury.
The addition of Intentional Talk to ESPN is a reminder they do not care about good coverage or baseball for that matter. They mostly care about personalities, and Millar was a memorable one from his playing days. It doesn’t matter that the show isn’t good or watchable. The only thing that matters is it isn’t Baseball Tonight.
Overall, the biggest loss we might have seen from the ESPN layoffs was them essentially announcing they are ceasing their high quality baseball coverage. That’s a shame.
One thing that has become abundantly clear about Yoenis Cespedes in his short time with the Mets is he is prone to leg issues. It’s really not any fault of his own. He does all he can do each and every offseason to address it. After a 2016 season where he dealt with a quad injury, he changed things up, and he went heavy on the Barwis Method. Unfortuantely, it didn’t prevent him from having any leg issues this season.
It may be hard for Mets fans to admit, but Cespedes is far from invincible. The player that dominated in August 2015 could go down any minute with a leg issue. Knowing that, it should be incumbent upon the Mets, who are obviously aware of the issue, to act with precaution with Cespedes. That goes double when you consider Cespedes could very well be the most important player on this team.
Last year, Cespedes was hobbled by the quad. The Mets response to his injury was for him to skip the All Star Game. He did not play in a game for a stretch of 9 games. He returned to the lineup and hit a very un-Cespedes like .205/.302/.318 in 14 games before the team finally acknowledged he had to go on the disabled list. Essentially, the Mets messed around trying to get the bare minimum from Cespedes for about a month before they realized the leg injury wasn’t going to get any better, and he wasn’t going to be able to perform to the normal Cespedes standards.
AFTER THAT, you would think the Mets would treat Cespedes’ leg injury different this year. They saw how it affected the way he played last year. The disabled list has gone from 15 to 10 games meaning Cespedes could have been available five games sooner this year. Before Thursday’s game, he was winching while taking batting practice. Despite this, the Mets ran him out on the field. Putting it plainly, it was a dumb decision.
We all know what happened from there. Cespedes hit an opposite field double, and he aggravated his injury approaching second base. The best hitter on a team struggling offensively had to be helped off the field. At this point, no one knows when, or even if, he will return. All of this so Cespedes could play 13 innings after the Mets discovered he had a hamstring injury.
Every game Cespedes is unavailable to play is another game the Mets offense is compromised. More than any other player, the Mets needed to protect Cespedes, and they didn’t. What is infuriating is Terry Collins‘ comments after the game, where he said, “He did all the things that were required to get in the lineup. It just happens. It’s easy to say you should have put him on the DL. Well you know what? Every time you turn around for every little thing, if you keep putting guys on the DL, we can’t run anybody out there.” (Mike Puma, New York Post).
I’m not sure how a player who winces while swinging the bat during batting practice “did all the things required to get in the lineup.” At this point, it is fair to question is all that was necessary for Cespedes to get into the lineup was his ability to put on the correct uniform combination for the day.
And yes, when you have injured players, you put them on the disabled list. Certainly, you protect someone like Cespedes who is vitally important to your team. We saw it just last year! When Cespedes has an injury like this to his legs, he’s compromised as a hitter. You’re not getting Cespedes out there. It’s an unfortunate truth. You’d be better off letting him sit 10 games than allowing what happened yesterday to happen. Because the Mets did this, they got 13 innings out of Cespedes, which in turn might have cost them a couple of months for Cespedes.
Once again, this team has completely botched an injury situation. This is one everyone. It’s on Cespedes for not asking out of the lineup. It’s on Collins for putting him in the lineup. It’s on Ray Ramirez for being Ray Ramirez. It’s on Sandy Alderson, who is ultimately the one responsible in these situations. Because none of these people made the right decision, the Mets are in real trouble now. And all they got in return for this unnecessary risk was 13 innings.
With the injuries to Yoenis Cespedes, Asdrubal Cabrera, Travis d’Arnaud, Wilmer Flores, Seth Lugo, and Steven Matz, the Mets have not jumped out of the gate quite like we all expected. Entering this three game set with the Nationals, the Mets are 5.5 games out in the division. If they suffer another sweep at the hands of Daniel Murphy and the Nationals, they will fall to 8.5 games out.
And yet, this is not the worst the Mets have ever had it. In each of the six times they have won the division, they have trailed at some point in the season. There are multiple occasions where the Mets trailed in the division by double digit games. Can you name each deficit overcome by the Mets when they have won the division? Good luck!
Tonight is a jam packed sports night. For Mets fans, no matter how bad things are, you are turning into the game against the Braves if for no other reason than to see Noah Syndergaard pitch. For Rangers fans, it is the first game of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Ottawa Senators and their old friend Derick Brassard. However, as we all know the first round of the NFL Draft will get the largest share of publicity. The NFL gets the lion share no matter what it is doing.
The NFL Draft does present someone of an intriguing possibility for Mets fans. One of the top QB prospects in this draft is Texas Tech Patrick Mahomes. He has quite the pedigree with him being the godson of former Mets reliever LaTroy Hawkins. Oh, and Patrick Mahomes is the son of former Mets reliever Pat Mahomes.
Unlike his son, Mahomes wasn’t really on anyone’s radar heading into the 1999 season. Through six major league seasons, he was 21-28 with a 5.88 ERA and a 1.627 WHIP. After a poor 1997 season, where he was only able to pitch in 10 games for the Boston Red Sox, Mahomes found himself pitching for the Yokohama Bay Stars of the Japanese Leagues. In his eight starts and two relief appearances, he was far from impressive going 0-4 with a 5.98 ERA and a 1.510 WHIP. Still, Mahomes must have done something right in that stint as the Mets signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason.
With Josias Manzanillo struggling to start the year, there was an opening in the Mets bullpen in 1999. Mahomes was called up, and he took complete advantage of his opportunity. Mahomes became the long man in the Mets bullpen, and he thrived in that role. While the long man in the bullpen is an overlooked role on most teams, it was vitally important to that 1999 team.
Al Leiter and Kenny Rogers were the only pitchers who averaged more than six innings pitched, and Rogers didn’t come to the Mets until July. One of the team’s better starters, Bobby Jones, was injured leading to a revolving door of fifth starters. Top options in Jason Isringhausen and Octavio Dotel had the talent, but they couldn’t go deep into games. Overall, the team needed a good long man. Mahomes was that and more.
During the season, Mahomes would make just 39 appearances, but he would pitch 63.2 innings. It should be noted Mahomes was partially able to pitch those innings because unlike most relievers Bobby Valentine could trust him at the plate. During the 1999 season, Mahomes was 5-16 with three doubles and three RBI. However, we all know Valetine kept going to him because of the results Mahomes got on the mound.
In Mahomes’ 39 appearances, he had a 3.68 ERA and a 1.272 WHIP. As a result of his terrific pitching, he finished the season with a perfect 8-0 record. Considering it was the steroids era, those are truly impressive numbers. Considering where he was just a season ago, they are inspiring.
Mahomes would continue pitching well into the postseason where he had a 2.25 ERA and a 1.250 WHIP in eight innings over four appearances. Notably, Mahomes pitched four shutout innings in at epic Game 6 of the NLCS which permitted the Mets to get back into the game. What was once unfathomable when Leiter gave up five innings in the first inning, the Mets took the lead in the seventh inning. While the Mets did not win that game, they were in that position because Mahomes stepped up big in that spot. That was a theme for him during the 1999 season.
So to that extent, we know that big game ability is in the Mahomes gene pool. We also know the ability to play in New York in high pressure situations is as well. To that end, maybe, just maybe, Patrick Mahomes would be a fine fit with either the New York Giants, as Eli Manning’s successor in waiting, or the New York Jets as the latest franchise quarterback.
The talent is there. In a recent Peter King MMQB column, Mahomes was compared favorably to Brett Favre. With talent like that and his background, there should be no doubt Mahomes can thrive in not just the NFL, but also in New York. His name may not get called tonight, but it will likely get called on Friday.
Whatever the future holds for him, the best of luck to Mahomes. His father was one of the players that made one of the most enjoyable seasons in Mets history happen. Hopefully, wherever Mahomes lands, he can provide those fans the same joy his father provided Mets fans. With any luck, that will be with the Giants.