Musings
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.
In 2012, Major League Baseball enacted the 26th Man Rule to help teams deal with their pitching issues created by doubleheaders. The rule states that if a team has a doubleheader they can call-up a player from their 40 man roster to be available to play in both ends of the doubleheader if the doubleheader was scheduled at least 48 hours in advance. In the event that the doubleheader was not scheduled at least 48 hours in advance, a team can call-up a player from the minor leagues, but that player would only be available in the second game of the doubleheader.
Now, since this is the Mets only trip to Pittsburgh, there were only two possible dates to schedule the doubleheader. The first was today, June 7th, and the second was Wednesday, June 8th. Considering the fact that the first game of a doubleheader is going to start at 4:05 P.M. today, it was practically impossible for the teams to schedule this doubleheader 48 hours in advance. Basically, both the Mets and the Pirates were prevented from having a 26th man on their roster for both ends of the doubleheader because the schedule only has the Mets going to Pittsburgh one time this season. In essence, Major League Baseball has created a rule that is not in conformity with its schedule.
Accordingly, the Mets are going to have to pitch Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom today and try to figure out what they are going to do over the weekend. It’s likely that they are going to have to start Logan Verrett this weekend because they are not going to want to start Matz or deGrom on three days rest. The Mets could avoid this situation by having Verrett start today. It’s feasible, especially considering that Verrett last pitched on June 1st. He’s well rested, and if he’s going to have to make a start, why not make it now? The reason is that because this is a doubleheader, the Mets are going to need each and every single one of their bullpen pieces.
Alternatively, the Mets could call-up a starter from AAA to make the spot start in the second game. However, this situation isn’t feasible for a number of reasons. First, the likely starter, Sean Gilmartin, last pitched on June 3rd meaning he would have to make a start on short rest and after a cross-country flight. The Mets could go with Gabriel Ynoa in the second game since it is his turn in the rotation. However, the Mets may not want Ynoa to make his major league debut after a cross country flight, and they may not want to complicate their AAA rotation thereby pushing a young pitcher past the point they realistically should pitch. Finally, the Mets might not feel Ynoa is ready to pitch in the big leagues yet.
Realistically, the Mets don’t have a viable pitching option. Accordingly, the Mets are going to go the position player route. It’s not a bad decision either. You don’t want Yoenis Cespedes playing both games on a sore hip. Juan Lagares isn’t available to hit today with a torn ligament in his thumb. As much as the Mets may need another pitcher, they also need another position player. Accordingly, Eric Campbell is going to be that guy. Campbell will be available to play first, second, third, left, right, or pinch hit. Knowing Terry Collins, he just might have Campbell do all of the above in the second game since there is going to be a lefty starting in the second game of the doubleheader.
However, he’s not going to be able to do any of that in the first game as he’s unavailable to be used. Apparently, Major League Baseball believes you only need a 26th man on the roster when you have time to plan out how you are going to use your roster and not when you are pressed into making quick decisions. The 26th Man limitations are without merit, and they need to be removed immediately.
Since Michael Fulmer‘s call-up on April 29th, he is an astounding 6-1 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.175 WHIP. In his last four starts, he is 4-0 with a 0.32 ERA and a 0.635 WHIP. These are great numbers from any rookie. It’s all the more incredible when you consider he’s only made three starts in AAA. The 23 year old is showing everyone why he was considered a potential ace, and why the Tigers wanted him in the first place.
It’s also a reminder that the Mets used their biggest trade chip last year.
While the Mets farm system is still stocked with pitching talent, there aren’t any pitchers with the upside of Fulmer, at least not any that are as close to the major leagues as Fulmer was last year. Now, the Mets do boast some terrific position player prospects like Dominic Smith and Amed Rosario. However, neither one of those players are close to ready to being major leaguers. While these players are highly thought of around baseball, they are certainly not going to fetch a player of Yoenis Cespedes‘ caliber at the trading deadline. That’s a huge problem for the Mets.
Right now, the Mets are without Lucas Duda, David Wright, and Travis d’Arnaud due to severe injuries. The Mets don’t know the long-term status of Juan Lagares and the torn ligament in his left thumb. Hopefully, d’Arnaud, who has started rehab games, can catch with the torn labrum. Realistically, all the Mets can do with each of these players is put a timetable on when they think they could return not fully knowing when these players can return. As the Mets are waiting to figure this out, they are playing a group of players that are having problems just to reach the Mendoza Line. The big solution they have so far was to acquire James Loney. Loney has been good so far, but he is still the player who was released by the Tampa Rays and was playing for the San Diego Padres’ AAA affiliate. In short, the Mets are going to have to go out there on the trade market and obtain some players that can help them at catcher, first, and third.
The Mets have the pieces to make those deals. However, they may not have the pieces to make that blockbuster deal that everyone wants. The Mets don’t have the one big trade piece that could solve the issue at one or more positions. The reason why is the Mets went all-in on the 2015 season. The result was the Mets making it to the World Series. At the end of the day, the 2016 Mets may be hamstrung by what happened in 2015.
With that said, Sandy Alderson is a very good GM. He has swung some good trades while he has been the manager of the Mets. The deals he made with the Braves for Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe as well as the deal he made with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Addison Reed were absolute coups. Alderson was able to acquire quality major league pieces without giving up much of anything. The Mets are going to need the same type of performance this trading deadline, especially since he doesn’t have the same assets he had last year to get the job done. It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to require some creativity. However, if anyone can do it, it’s Sandy Alderson.
For the past year, we have seen the magic that can happen when a player plays for the team he rooted for throughout his entire life. Steven Matz is an astounding 11-1 as a Met. Not only has he become a beloved Met, but his grandfather has become a beloved figure as well. It doesn’t get any better than that.
However, what happens after that? What happens when the team you love decides they are better off without you?
Twenty years ago, that was what happened to Bernard Gilkey. Gilkey was born and raised in St. Louis. In 1984, Gilkey was signed as amateur free agent. Six years later, Gilkey made his major league debut for his hometown team. In six years, Gilkey played very well for the Cardinals. He hit .284/.354/.431. In his four seasons as a starter, he had a 117 OPS+. Then, after the 1995 season, the Cardinals decided they could do better than him as they had Ron Gant, Ray Lankford, and Brian Jordan. This facilitated a trade to the Mets.
Gilkey responded by going 2-4 with a homerun and 2 RBI on opening day against those same St. Louis Cardinals. It was the first step in what turned out to be a career year for Gilkey. Gilkey hit .317/.393/.562 with 30 homers and 117 RBI. He set a still standing Mets record of 44 doubles. He had a 155 OPS+. It stands out as the greatest season a Mets left fielder has ever had. Gilkey responded to the heartbreak of leaving his hometown team, the team that drafted him with a career year.
This year Neil Walker finds himself in the same predicament Gilkey did twenty years ago. Walker is responding in a similar fashion.
Moreso than Gilkey was to St. Louis, Walker was Pittsburgh. His father was good friends with Roberto Clemente. Walker walks this earth because Clemente told Walker’s father not to get on that plane. Walker was born in Pittsburgh, and he grew up in their suburbs. He was the Pirates first round pick in 2004, and he made his debut with the team in 2009. Walker was an important part of the make-over of the Pirates from a team that had a losing record 20 consecutive seasons to a team that made the playoffs three consecutive years. Despite all of this, the Pirates decided Walker was too expensive, and they traded him to the Mets.
Like Gilkey, Walker is responding by having a career. year. Walker has already hit 13 homeruns this year. That’s a 38 homerun pace, which would shatter his career high of 23. He is hitting .279/.348/.505. The OBP stands to be his second highest ever, and his slugging percentage would be his best ever. His 131 OPS+ would also be a career high. Perhaps more important than any of this is the fact that Walker is now a true switch hitter.
Before coming to the Mets, Walker only hit .261/.306/.338 with only six homeruns against lefties. This year, he’s hitting .341/.396/.727 with five homeruns. He’s nearly doubled his career homerun total. He’s gone from being meek against lefties to being a force in the lineup against lefties. In some way, the coming to the Mets as turned Walker’s already solid career around. Like Gilkey, coming to the Mets seems to be the best thing that has ever happened to Walker. Sometimes, the best thing that can happen to a player is for them to leave their hometown to fully develop as a player. The Mets have been fortunate to have Gilkey and Walker blossom after they left their hometowns.
With all that said, we all hope Matz never leaves the Mets. From what we’ve seen with him, he doesn’t need to leave the Mets to be great.
Editor’s Note: this was also published on metsmerizedonline.com
The biggest trade of the offseason was the Mets trading Jon Niese for Neil Walker. Now matter your thoughts on the trade, Walker has been terrific for the Mets as he has been their second best player this season.
Just glancing at the numbers, Niese has been pretty terrible this year making the trade look even better.
However, after starting the year 3-1 with a 5.94 ERA and a 1.680 WHIP in his first six starts Niese has turned a corner. It’s not that surprising given Ray Searage is his pitching coach. In Niese’s last five starts, he is 2-1 with a 2.64 ERA and a 1.206 WHIP. Part of that is his BABIP going from .337 to .264. Part of that is his level of competition has dropped a bit. And yes, part of it is his pitching coach.
Whatever the case, Niese pitching well now is certainly the worst case scenario. No one – I repeat – NO ONE wants to see Niese beat the Mets.
Niese was a guy who had no love for Mets fans. He always had an excuse for why he was pitching poorly. He took a jab at his teammates about their defense on his way out of the door. In sum, Niese wasn’t built for New York.
He still had some good moments as a Met. He volunteered to go to the bullpen for the postseason, and he pitched well there. For a few years, he was one of a few viable starting pitchers in the rotation. It speaks volumes that he once got an Opening Day start. However you felt about him, he’s now toeing the rubber against the Mets tonight.
This is not a game any Mets fan wants to lose. I’m sure the players he slighted on the way out the door feel the same way. Hopefully, Walker goes out and does this tonight en route to a big win:
Go out and beat Niese tonight.
The other day, Travis d’Arnaud began his rehabilitation assignment playing DH for High-A St. Lucie. It’s interesting he started at a position other than catcher as many people believe d’Arnaud should be using this time to transition away from catcher.
There are sound reasons for this decision. d’Arnaud has been injury prone, and catcher is a position where a player tends to get many nicks, bumps, and bruises. With the torn labrum, d’Arnaud is going to have even more issues throwing out more base stealers than he is perceived to have. Finally, with the Lucas Duda and David Wright injuries, the Mets may need long term solutions to those positions.
Despite all of these reasons, it would be an incredibly poor decision to move d’Arnaud out from behind the plate.
First, d’Arnaud’s torn labrum shouldn’t affect his ability to catch and call a game. Throughout his career, d’Arnaud’s strength has been as a receiver and a pitch framer. Yes, his torn labrum could affect his ability to throw. However, his throwing would be a bigger issue from third base.
Additionally, moving d’Arnaud doesn’t help the Mets offensively. In d’Arnaud’s absence, Kevin Plawecki has hit .203/.302/.298, and Rene Rivera has hit .194/.310/.361. Right now, the Mets have James Loney at first, who is a career .285/.338/.411 hitter, and Wilmer Flores at third, who is a career .251/.288/.382 hitter. Simply put, the Mets are better off with d’Arnaud, Loney, and Flores in the lineup.
Overall, the Mets need d’Arnaud back with the Mets as soon as possible. They need his bat in the lineup to improve the lineup. He helps this team, and this pitching staff most, when he is behind the plate. He needs to stay there.
Lost in all the offensive struggles is the fact that this Mets team is built upon pitching. As a franchise, the Mets always have and always will be built upon pitching. It started with Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Jon Matlack in the late 60’s. It was continued in the 80’s with Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, and David Cone. The mantle was supposed to be picked up this year by the Mets young rotation.
However, the rotation has had some struggles. Matt Harvey struggled mightily going 2-4 in May with a 5.91 ERA. To a lesser extent, Jacob deGrom struggled in May going 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA. The concern with deGrom was not so much the results but the seemingly precipitous drop in velocity. These were to the two aces the Mets road all last year and into the postseason. These were supposed to be the two aces this year leading the team while the younger starters developed. Instead, the reverse has been true.
Noah Syndergaard has taken the next step this year. He is 5-2 with a 1.84 ERA and a 0.958 WHIP. He is throwing fastballs up and over 100 MPH, and more impressively, he is throwing sliders around 95 MPH. He is as dominant a pitcher as there is in baseball right now.
Steven Matz was named the National League Rookie of the Month for the Month of May. It was a well deserved honor after going 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA and a 0.757 WHIP. In fact, if you take away his first nightmare of a start, a start he made after a long period of inactivity, Matz is 7-0 with a 1.51 ERA and a 0.932 WHIP. Matz has been the pitcher everyone has imagined he would be and more since he burst onto the scene last year beating the Reds from the mound at the plate.
Overall, Syndergaard and Matz have taken the next step. On almost any other rotation, they would be the unquestioned ace. That was the same thing that has been said for Harvey and deGrom. On that front, there is some great news as well. In Harvey’s last start, he went seven innings allowing only two hits, no runs, and one walk with striking out six. In deGrom’s last start, he went seven innings allowing five hits, one run, and two walks while striking out 10. More importantly, deGrom’s velocity is returning with him getting his fastball up to 96 MPH.
So yes, it appears like the 2016 Mets are continuing the franchise’s legacy of having great pitching. With Syndergaard and Matz being ahead of schedule in their development coupled with Harvey and deGrom starting to return to last year’s form, the Mets rotation is stacked with four aces. If you’re a baseball player or a poker player, you know four aces is next to impossible to beat no matter whatever else you have in your hand . . . even if that hand contains the deuce that the Mets offense was over the month of May.
This year, the Mets intended to rely heavily upon Wilmer Flores. The Mets needed him to be the main backup at all four infield positions. Mainly, he was needed as insurance for David Wright‘s back.
Unfortunately, Flores wasn’t up for the task in the early part of the season. Flores started the year hitting a paltry .167/.242/.267 with a -0.4 WAR, 40 OPS+, and a 44 wRC+. He was struggling with his throws from second and third. He then went on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. He was becoming an after-thought.
Part of the reason for Flores’ struggles could’ve been his irregular playing time. Now, with David Wright’s injury, there is a chance. With Wright being shut down for 6-8 weeks due to the herniated disc in his back, Flores is the obvious choice to get be the starter at third base. He’s going to get a shot to prove he’s up to the task. That’s all Flores wanted.
Flores knows this is his chance. Flores said, “You don’t want to have anybody get hurt. It happened. Since I got here, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity. It’s an opening. Knowing that you could be in the lineup, it changes everything.” (ESPN).
At least for one night, Flores looked like a changed player. On Friday, he went 2-3 with two runs, one walk, one RBI, and a double. He got a two out RBI hit, and he drew a walk to start the game winning rally. It’s the type of performance you wanted to see from him the first night he officially became the Mets short term answer at third base.
Better yet, there’s reason to believe games like Friday’s are not a mirage. Prior to that game, Flores had an unsustainably low .188 BABIP. That’s well below the league average of .300 and his career average of .264. Accordingly, it is reasonable to expect Flores to see an improvement in his offensive numbers.
Additionally, last year he got better as the season progressed. In the first half, he only hit .252/.286/.395 with a 91 OPS+. As he worked with Kevin Long, he improved. In the second half, he hit .280/.311/.429 with a 101 OPS+. His best month was August where he hit .306/.337/.506. As the year progressed, he steadily improved. It’s what promising young players do.
It’s easy to forget Flores is just 24 years old. He’s still developing as a player. He still hasn’t reached his full potential. He’s got a good coaching staff that will help him get there. Now, due to Wright’s unfortunate injury, Flores is going to get the playing time he needs to continue in his development.
This is his chance to show the Mets they don’t need to add a third baseman because he’s ready to take over. At least on one night, he took advantage of that opportunity.
Remember back in 2013 when Matt Harvey burst on the scene?
He took the ball every fifth day, and he was dominant. He was just awesome, so awesome in fact, that he was the starting pitcher for the National League in the All Star Game played at Citi Field.
His off the field behavior was covered, but it was put in a positive light. His attending Rangers and Knicks games was seen as being “pretty cool.” The coverage for his appearance in the famed ESPN Magazine’s The Body Issue was about how good he looked. His man about town appearance on Jimmy Fallon was seen as hilarious:
Then he got hurt and needed Tommy John surgery. After that, the coverage of him changed. The breaking point was his attendance at Derek Jeter’s last game at Yankee Stadium. From that point forward, the coverage of Harvey changed from positive to negative. It’s gotten to the point where the media feels comfortable outright mocking him for a serious medical issue.
It’s important to keep Harvey’s story in mind when analyzing how Noah Syndergaard has been covered since he debuted with the Mets.
Syndergaard captivated New York with his 100 MPH fastballs. He was celebrated for not only knocking Alcides Escobar down in the World Series, but also for being the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the World Series.
He spent the offseason doing a tour of all of New York’s stadiums. Syndergaard’s getting his picture taken at home court, center ice, and the end zones was seen as a young player having fun in the offseason. Syndergaard’s hair garnered its own coverage with news articles about his prank about getting his haircut. During what has been a dominant season thus far, he appeared in Times Square dressed as Thor, and it was seen as being funny:
Just to recap:
- Syndergaard burst on the scene with dominating stuff;
- He pitched in a big game at Citi Field;
- He attended sporting events;
- He got attention for his appearance; and
- He did the man about the town routine.
Following the Harvey timeline, the only thing that remains is the media backlash. With Syndergaard’s day trip to the the Bahamas to play a round of golf, on an off day, the media found their opening. Here’s John Healey of the New York Daily News take on Syndergaard playing a round of golf:
It’s worth pointing out that Syndergaard is slated as the starting pitcher for Friday’s opener.
Last year in the postseason, Yoenis Cespedes drew criticism for golfing prior to a playoff game and later revealed he was battling a shoulder injury.
Should Syndergaard struggle on Friday or worse, sustain an injury, then he may regret sharing the fact he was golfing in the Bahamas the day before a start.
As seen here, the tone of the media’s coverage is changing. With a good start tonight, Syndetgaard will quiet the critics waiting to use this golf narrative to tear him down. However, sooner or later, Syndergaard will have an off night; all the great ones do. At that point, the media will pounce.
This article was the first warning shot. It fits the pattern of the Harvey coverage. It’s a shame because the criticism is unnecessary and unwarranted.
Things are not looking good for David Wright. He came into this season battling spinal stenosis. Now, he has to deal with a herniated disc in his neck. It’s gotten so bad for Wright that there are days he doesn’t want to get out of bed. Now, Wright is going on the Disabled List, and no one can definitively tell you when he will return to the Mets. It’s a sad day for the Mets and Mets fans. The only thing we have left is hope. Hope that David Wright can return. Hope that David Wright can continue to play well when he returns.
Hope is a funny thing. As Red said, “Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.”
It certainly can. The hope of David Wright being able to play everyday without needing a stint on the Disabled List has led to the Mets being woefully unprepared for his extended Disabled List stint. Right now, Wilmer Flores is the best choice there is play third base everyday. This is the same Flores who is hitting .167/.242/.267 this year and .247/.284/.378 for his career. It’s led to the Mets going to Eric Campbell, Matt Reynolds, and Ty Kelly for stretches. Seeing these four players is enough to drive someone insane, especially after a month where the Mets averaged only three runs per game.
But watching Wright this season, you understood the hope. This is still the same David Wright that homered in his first at bat off the Disabled List last year. This is the same David Wright who hit the first ever World Series home run in Citi Field last year. This is the same David Wright who battled through spinal stenosis to become an effective major league player this year. This is the same David Wright that had homered in three straight games before needing to make this most recent trip to the Disabled List. It’s a reminder of what Andy Dufresne said, “Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
There’s still reason for hope because this is David Wright. He’s been counted out so many times before. He was counted out when he got hit in the helmet. He was counted out when the Mets had the ridiculous dimensions at Citi Field. He was counted out when he had the broken bone in his back. Time and again, David Wright has overcome all odds. We were watching him do it again with spinal stenosis. David Wright has “crawled through a river of shit and come out clean on the other side.” He’s done it numerous times. When you place your hopes in David Wright, he is not going to let you down. At the end of the day, all we have is hope, but that hope is justified.
However, until such time as David Wright comes back, I’m just going to have to agree with Red when he said, “I guess I just miss my friend.”