Musings

Lord Have Mercy on Utley’s Soul

Whether you thought Major League Baseball needed a new slide rule or not, after Ruben Tejada‘s leg was broken by Chase Utley in the NLDS, a new slide rule was enacted. It specifically eliminated Utley’s previously impermissible tackle. 

Actually, Utley disagrees with the notion he had anything to do with it. When questioned about the genesis of the new rule, Utley said, “From my understanding, I think we have been trying to work on this for a few years now, trying to get on the same page, and now we obviously are. I don’t think that one instance really determined anything.”

That pretty much sums it up right there.

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I’m in the Minority because I Love Lucas Duda

If you’ve read my blog, you know I love Lucas Duda. Lucas Duda began the seeds of my son becoming a Mets fan. Everytime Gary Cohen called out Duda’s name on TV, he would excitedly scream out, “Duda!”  As he learned more and more about the sport, he knew Duda hit homeruns and played first base:

With that in mind, I became sensitive to the criticism levied upon Duda. Some of its fair, some of its unfair.  All offseason, I’ve read negative comments about Duda on Twitter and on message boards. Overall, I come away with the impression that Mets fans either don’t like or don’t appreciate Lucas Duda. Reading Ken Davidoff‘s article in the New York Post, he apparently agrees with my characterization of how Mets fans see Duda:

I had just informed Duda that he is, in my opinion, the most over-hated, under-appreciated baseball player in New York. 

                             ********

[I]n interactions with Mets fans, be they in person, via email or on Twitter, Duda frequently gets mentioned as if he’s a serious liability. 

First off, we should get something clear. This is definitively not an attack on Mets fans. Davidoff is giving his impression of what fans believe based upon feedback he has received. Davidoff is in good position to do this because he has been a baseball writer in New York for quite a while. He has been a sports writer in New York since 1994. If you’ve read his columns, you will see he does engage with the fans by incorporating baseball trivia in his columns as suggested by fans. He’s active and responsive on Twitter. In short, it’s fair to say he has the pulse of the fans. His Duda column proves that out. 

The two things that Davidoff raised was Duda’s streakiness and his defense. All summer when the Mets were struggling, that’s what was discussed. As for defense, we do not need to rehash the one throw that made this a topic of discussion for Mets fans all offseason. Unlike you or I, Davidoff, as a reporter, got to address these issues with Duda. 

By the way, it should be noted that Davidoff focusing on these issues proves he has interacted with Mets fans. I digress. 

When talking to Davidoff about these issues, I found Duda’s responses enlightening. He acknowledges his flaws, and he states that he is working on them. He also acknowledged that players do know what fans think of them whether or not they are on social media. 

With that said, if you were truly blindsided by this article, and I don’t know how you could be, get out to Citi Field this year and shower Duda with praise. When he hits a cold streak, and you know he will, refrain from booing. Instead, cheer a little harder the next time his name is announced. Try to lift him up. 

Personally, I love Lucas Duda for the player he is. After reading Davidoff’s column, I like Duda all the more. 

I hope the article left the same impression on you. I hope it helped you appreciate Lucas Duda all the more, which was really the point of the article. If you came away with that impression, Davidoff did a great job. If you’re focused on his informed opinion that Mets fans don’t like Duda, please re-read his article because there is some great stuff in there showing why Duda is a terrific Met.  

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Will They Increase Utley’s Suspension?

The short answer is no. A slightly longer answer is they’re not permitted to increase a suspension under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  With that said, I was pondering that question when I saw Hansel Robles agree to a two game suspension. 

You know who else received a two game suspension?  Chase Utley. 

To put it in perspective, here are the two plays in question:

The optics of Robles’ pitch do not look good. It was a pitch by the head. He made the pitch in a game that had a number of hit batters, including Yoenis Cespedes right on the hands. The benches were warned. For his part, Robles states there was no intent. As Ron Darling points out, it was a slider that did not slide. It might’ve been because Robles tried to quick pitch the slider. Luckily, no one was hurt. 

Now Utley went beyond just trying to break up a double play. He didn’t slide. He wasn’t in the baseline. As a result of his actions, he broke Ruben Tejada‘s leg. Utley forever changed Tejada’s career. For that, Utley received two games. Baseball actually tried to get him to agree to a one game suspension. Utley’s appeal of the suspension is still pending. 

Think about that for a second. Whether or not you think Utley should’ve been suspended, how does it make sense for Robles to have a longer suspend io than Utley?  Utley potentially altered someone’s  career. He ended someone’s season. Robles had a pitch get away from him. 

If you are going to say Robles was found to have done it intentionally, I disagree. However, it would raise a new question. How is throwing a ball at someone’s head only worth two games?  That’s a dangerous play that should never be tolerated. To put it in perspective, Cole Hamels was suspended five games for hitting Bryce Harper in the small of his back. 

These suspensions don’t make sense. They’re preposterous. If baseball really wants to protect players, they should throw the book at players who actually intend to injure players. 

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Mets Karaoke 

You know what’s better than rooting for a winning team?  Rooting for a winning team that’s fun. 

After the trade deadline, the Mets team was fun to watch. They had a certain joy while playing the game. They brought an energy to the field. It spilled over into the stands. The 2015 run was the most fun I had watching a team since 2006. 

It looks like the Mets will be bringing more of the same energy to the field in 2015. Perhaps inspired by Yoenis Cespedes, Jeurys Familia has recorded his own entrance music. I hope it is as catch as Cespedes’ walk-up music:

Seriously Mets fans, we’ve heard this song plenty of times now. There is no reason for you to miss shouting, “CESPEDES” each time it’s mentioned in the song. It’s part of the fun environment the Mets players have created. Just listening to the song makes me remember all of Cespedes’ homeruns. 

That’s the bar set for Familia’s entrance music. He needs to have something fans will love. He needs something that reflects how awesome he is. I can’t wait to hear it. 

The more and more I think about it, 2016 is going to be a fun season. 

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Cespedes Is a Prince

Before my son was born, my wife and I used to like to take trips for New Year’s. Our favorite trip was in 2012 when we went to Côte d’Azur. 

Part of Côte d’Azur is the principality of Monaco. To gain citizenship in Monaco, you have to be the richest of the rich.  You have to keep more than €1 million in a Monaco bank at all times, and while there is no income tax, there is a VAT tax. Citizens are required to establish they spent so much money a year. Monaco will find out because they require you providing access to your personal and financial information. 

None of these requirments are particularly onerous for people who wish to apply. These are the people that buy yachts because they have money to burn. 

  

You quickly learn in Monaco the uber rich find interesting ways to flaunt how rich they are. For example, Prince Albert has his private collection of cars on display at the Exposition De Voitres Anciennes de S.A.S. le Prince de Monaco. Loosely translated, this means, “Hey!  I’m so rich that I have more expensive cars than I know what to do with, so come here and look at them.”  There is a notice posted that the cars are a collection and not a museum. Here are some:

   
   
I was reminded of this collection seeing Yoenis Cespedes, who is making $27 million this year, showing off his car collection:

By the way, in addition to these cars, Cespedes has an expensive car on loan to Wilmer Flores during Spring Training:

It’s now apparent that Cespedes is the Prince of Citi Field, and he’s using the Port St. Lucie parking lot as his exhibition of rich and expensive cars. 

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Cespedes Is Cooking

What did you have for breakfast today? 

Me? I had my usual bottle of Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi. I would’ve grabbed something on the way into work, but I didn’t have time to stop. I really could’ve gone for some waffles, but there’s no waffle iron at the office:

I know what I’ll do. I’ll give someone the keys to my Lamborghini to pick up a waffle iron. 

Just think about that for a second. Think about loving waffles so much you toss your keys for a car worth about $400,000 to make a Target run. Check that. You are so particular about your waffles that you’re willing to give the keys to that car to someone to get a round waffle maker because you don’t particularly like square waffles. 

I have to admit that year two of Yoenis Cespedes has been terrific thus far. Once Cespedes has arrived he has been the constant topic of conversation. 

We’re not talking about Terry Collins’ decision in Game 5 of the World Series. We didn’t freak out when Jacob deGrom tweaked his groin. There are a number of other issues that may have arisen that we’re not aware, or if we’re aware, we’re not focused upon them. 

Instead the talk is Cespedes’ cars and his breakfast options. It’s keeping Spring Training light and fun thus far. Instead of discussing what went wrong last year or what issues this team may have this year, we’re focused upon Cespedes. That’s a good thing. He was here to be the focal point of the Mets. He’s doing that. 

If I have one issue with Cespedes right now, it’s this – how could you not have a round waffle clause in your $27 million contract?  

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Super Matt Reynolds

Whenever a prospect is coming through the system or a young player makes his way to the majors, invariably there is a comparison made to an All Star caliber player. Very rarely do we see a comparison to a utility player or a grinder like Joe McEwing. 

With that said, if Matt Reynolds wants to be a part of this Mets team going forward, he will need to become this generation’s Super Joe. 

Right now, Reynolds path to the majors is blocked. At the major league level, the Mets have Asdrubal Cabrera, Ruben Tejada, and Wilmer Flores provide extraordinary major league depth at the shortstop position. On the horizon, the Mets have two very well regarded shortstop prospects in Gavin Cecchini and Amed Rosario.  For what it’s worth, Rosario is likely ticketed to play shortstop in AA, and Cecchini will be the shortstop in AAA. In short (pun intended), Reynolds will never be the shortstop for the Mets. 

Even if he moves off of shortstop, his options are limited. He’s blocked at second by Dilson Herrera. Even if the younger Herrera were to falter, it’s much more likely that the Mets would turn to Cecchini or sign a free agent than Reynolds. Also, given his lack of power throughout the minors, it’s unlikely the Mets will turn to him go play third. No, Reynolds’ future, at least with the Mets, is as a utility player. 

For his part, Reynolds is willing to play all over the field just to make it to the majors.  He will play some outfield during Spring Training.  As Reynolds told Adam Rubin, he knows a position change is in order:

No one has talked to me about it, but I heard about it from press conferences and everything. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make it to the big leagues. I figured that I’d probably be changing positions. Honestly, I just look at it as it makes me more versatile, and there’s more opportunity for me to get called up and maybe stay up there. 

Now, Joe McEwing was only a 28th round pick. When you are a 28th round pick, you are not seen as a prospect. You have to be ready, willing, and able to do whatever is necessary to get to the majors. It’s not only a talent issue. It’s a mindset. You have to show a lot of character and resiliency not only to make it to the majors, but also to stay there.

It was McEwing’s attitude and drive that helped him have a nine year career. It’s why Tony LaRussa requested a pair of autographed spikes from McEwing. He has the type of energy and drive that is infectious. It’s why he was a useful player. It’s why teams loved having him on the roster. It’s why he stays in the game as a major league coach and is a potential manager. 

Reynolds was a second round pick. Typically, second round picks are not seen as utility players.  As long as they produce, they usually have an easier path to the majors. With that said, it’s no guarantee. At some point, every player faces a turning point in their careers. For Matt Reynolds, that time is now. It’s time for him to embrace his future as a utility player. 

Seemingly, he’s doing that. If he meets this challenge with the same drive and enthusiasm that McEwing once did, Reynolds has a real future not just with the Mets, but in baseball. It’s quite possible Reynolds’ future with the Mets is this generation’s Joe McEwing. Right now, Reynolds seems ready to do what is necessary to get to that point. 

If he does, that means Reynolds will have a fine major league career. 

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Mets Defense Is Still Bad?!?!?

While the Mets are certainly favorites in the NL East, they are not unbeatable. Any team is subject to the injury bug. This team projects to be a high strikeout team. There was the bizarre claim that the position players are too old. However, I did not think that people would cite middle infield defense as a cause. No, seriously. 

In an offseason where the Mets jettisoned Daniel Murphy and moved Wilmer Flores to the bench, the narrative has been that the Mets are much improved defensively over last year. It appears not everyone is buying it, so let’s analyze to see if it’s true. 

UZR

Generally speaking, Ultimate Zone Ratibg (UZR) measures a fielder’s range. Obviously, the better the number, the better the range. The better the range, the more opportunities to make plays. 

In measuring year to year UZR, you may get a sense of how that player performed that season. However, it is too small a sample size to determine the player’s defensive abilities. You need a minimum of three years to do that. As such, to determine if the Mets are better defensively as per UZR, the 2015 UZR, along with the prior two years, should be reviewed. 

Here are Murphy’s UZRs for over the past three years:

  1. 2015 – (1.3)
  2. 2014 – (5.6)
  3. 2013 – (4.9)

All told, the combined -11.5 suggests what many already assumed. Murphy is a poor defensive second baseman. In 2016, he’s being replaced by Neil Walker, whose UZR over the past three seasons are as follows:

  • 2015 – (6.8)
  • 2014 – (6.8)
  • 2013 – (1.4)

Walker has a -15 UZR. He’s coming off consecutive -6.8 UZR seasons. At least in terms of UZR, he was worse than Murphy last year, and he’s been worse than Murphy over the part three years. In terms of UZR, the Mets have taken a step back defensively at second. 

The Mets sought to upgrade the shortstop position by bringing in Asdrubal Cabrera, who most fans perceived as an upgrade offensively and defensively. Here is Cabrera’s UZR at shortstop over the past three seasons:

  • 2015 – (6.0)
  • 2014 – (6.6)
  • 2013 – (12.8)

Wow. That’s a -25.4. To see if that’s an upgrade, here are Flores’ UZR at shortstop:

  • 2015 – (2.5)
  • 2014 – 4.0 

Now, before we point to Flores’ having a 2.5 UZR over two years, it’s important to note, it’s only two years of data. Furthermore, in each of those two years, Flores was not the everyday shortstop for a full season. Also, your eyes will tell you that he struggled there, especially early in the season. With that said, when thrust into the position in the postseason with no safety net, he played well at shortstop. While the team had defensive miscues in the World Series, Flores was not one of those players. 

Also, keep in mind that Cabrera was that poor of a defensive shortstop. Therefore, as far as UZR is concerned, the Mets are actually worse defensively. 

DRS

Generally speaking, Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) measures a player’s ability to make plays at their position as opposed to an average player at their position. Like UZR, the higher the number the better. Furthermore, like UZR, DRS is best viewed in three year clips to get a true measure of a player’s ability. 

Here is the DRS for Daniel Murphy over the past three years:

  • 2015 – (6)
  • 2014 – (10)
  • 2013 – (13)

Looking over these numbers, Murphy has a cumulative -29 DRS over the past three years. While it can be argued that he’s been improving, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s still a poor defensive second baseman. Conversely, here are Neil Walker’s numbers:

  • 2015 – (2)
  • 2014 – (2)
  • 2013 – 9

In reviewing Walker’s numbers, he may have slipped a little the past two years; however, he’s still a positive 5 in DRS. In reviewing DRS, Walker is a much better defender at second base than Murphy has been. 

Neil Walker’s new double play partner, Asrubal Cabrera, has not had DRS numbers as strong as Walker:

  • 2015 – (7)
  • 2014 – (7)
  • 2013 – (16)

Again, Cabrera has ugly numbers. Over the past three years, he sits at a -30 DRS. For someone that is supposed to be an upgrade, these are not promising numbers.  However, in order to determine if he’s actually an improvement, we need to look at Flores’ numbers:

  • 2015: (10)
  • 2014: (3)

Again, the caution with Flores is that these stats are a small sample size. He still hasn’t played a full season at the position. With that said, if you wanted a stat to confirm the your eye test, this stat is the one. However, before casting dispersions on Flores, keep in mind the Mets are replacing him with a bad shortstop with limited range. 

Conclusion

Using UZR and DRS, there is a reasonable debate to be had as to whether Murphy or Walker is better at second base. However, when framing those arguments, it should be noted  Walker has been in decline the past few years.  So yes, Walker MIGHT be better, but it’s also true he’s getting worse at the position. 

As for shortstop, the only thing we truly know is that Cabrera is bad defensively. He’s 30 years old and not likely to get any better. He’s replacing a 24 year old that seemingly grew into the position. Flores played very well defensively in the postseason. 

Overall, while Mets fans may believe the team is better off defensively without Murphy and Flores up the middle, the stats don’t bear that out. Rather, the Mets are more likely to have the same deficiencies they had last year.

If you are going to argue the current Mets double play combination is better, it is not because of their defense. 

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d’Arnaud Beats You in Many Ways

There is no more physically, psychologically, and intellectually demanding position than catcher. 

The catcher needs to know the entire scouting report for the opposition at the plate and on the basepaths. The catcher needs to balance a hitter’s strength and weaknesses against his pitcher’s in calling a game. If a pitcher doesn’t have a pitch working, he has to create a new strategy on the fly. When a pitch is thrown, he has to do all he can to make sure the pitch is called a strike. Throughout the game, he has to keep the pitcher’s head in the game. It’s especially tough when the pitcher is getting squeezed. 

When his team is up to bat, he needs to talk to the pitcher about the batters coming up the next inning. He needs to talk with the manager and pitching coach not only about that, but also how the pitcher is throwing and what he has left. By the way, at some point, he has to bat 4-4 times in a game to help put some runs on the board for the pitcher. 

The catcher faces pitches in the dirt he has to eat up with any part of his body. He will get nicked with a foul tip or an errant swing. Runners try to take him out with a slide, or in very rare instances, he can get run over at home plate. The catcher is bound to have some bumps and bruises or trips to the DL. Even after a tough game, the catcher comes back and does it all tomorrow. 

Even though all of this is gust the tip of the iceberg of a catcher’s responsibilities, how do most people judge the effectiveness of a catcher?  Their effectiveness in throwing out potential base stealers. 

It was the topic in John Harper’s New York Daily News column about Travis d’Arnaud‘s troubles throwing out baserunners in the postseason. Actually, to call it a difficulty is an understatement. Despite being better than league average in throwing out baserunners during the regular season, d’Arnaud struggled mightily in the postseason. Would be basestealers were a perfect 11/11 against him and the Mets pitching staff. 
This was a major focus of Harper’s article. For his part, d’Arnaud readily admits that shouldn’t happen, and he says he needs to improve. It was an important enough issue for Terry Collins that he made it a point to take a part in the first throwing drills of Spring Training. There was talk of a need to improve d’Arnaud’s mechanics and the like. 

What was overlooked was that of the 11 people who stole a base against the Mets in the postseason, only one scored a run. A big reason why is that d’Arnaud excels in all the other areas of being a catcher. 

Since he became the Mets catcher, d’Arnaud has been an excellent pitch framer. Last year, he led the majors in highest percentage of balls being called strikes. When there is a premium being placed on the pitch counts and innings pitched for this young staff, every strike d’Arnaud can steal is crucial. Furthermore, getting strikes called puts a pitcher in an advantageous position. This usually leads to shorter at bats and more outs. 

Additionally, there is the subjective element of catching. The pitchers like throwing to him. They feel comfortable while he’s behind the plate. He instills confidence in his staff. 

By the way, he’s also a terrific hitter. He was the second best offensive catcher in baseball last year. In the NLCS, he hit a homerun off of the Homerun Apple. d’Arnaud hit it so hard, the apple needed a bandaid. 

So overall, d’Arnaud does everything you could ever want your catcher to do. He has the confidence of his pitching staff. He gets the pitches called for strikes. He is a good hitter. Basically, d’Arnaud comes to beat you in multiple ways each and every day. If he struggles for a stretch with throwing out baserunners, there are other parts of his game that overshadow it, that help to prevent that run from scoring. 

d’Arnaud may struggle throwing out people again next year. That’s fine. As long as he keeps doing what he’s doing, he will still be a terrific all-around catcher. He will help the Mets return to the postseason and win the World Series. 

Editor’s Note: this article first appeared on metsmerizedonline.com

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This Is a Good Group of Guys

At this point, I’m simply in awe of this Mets team. It’s not the pitching. It’s not the power from the lineup. No, it’s the collection of the fine men they’ve assembled on this team:

Moments like this start with Terry Collins, who has time and time again proven himself to be a good man. Last year, he hand wrote a letter to a grieving family. He celebrated each victory with his team and the fans. Terry Collins gets it, and he makes sure his players get it as well. 

In 2016, Terry Collins will drive us crazy with his moves. He will cost the Mets games as he has done in the past. When that happens, I’m going to be upset. I’m going to utter more than a few expletives. I’ll calm down because Terry Collins is the right man to lead this Mets team. He brings the best out of his players both on and off the field. 

This is why the Mets stop to pose for a picture with a young fan that just had a life saving operation. It’s why the team does any number of things they do off the field we will never hear mentioned. This team gets it, and they do the right thing. 

As Mets fans, we’re lucky to have Terry Collins leading this team. 

Editor’s Note: this article first ran on metsmerizedonline.com

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