Musings
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, Juan Lagares was coming off a 5.5 WAR season and a Gold Glove. There was discussion about him being the leadoff hitter in 2015. He seemed to be ready to take the next big step in his career.
Instead, Lagares regressed in every aspect of his game. His epic defense noticeably slipped. His batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage dropped. Eventually, he forced the Mets to trade for an outfielder at the trade deadline. A player that was supposed to have a breakout year became a platoon player and a late inning defensive replacement.
The Mets tried to trade Lagares at the deadline. The initial plan was to sign Alejandro De Aza to play a platoon with Lagares. When it became apparent the Mets could sign Yoenis Cespedes on a short term deal, they moved to get that done. That makes Lagares a fourth outfielder, at best, and a defensive replacement in 2016. Apparently, he has an untradeable contract.
That begs the question of what will be Lagares’ future with the Mets?
As noted in 2016, it will be as a bench player and late defensive replacement. Beyond that is anyone’s guess. Will he be able to build off a strong postseason? Will his elbow heal sufficiently enough to permit him to throw better in the outfield and/or swing the bat better? The Mets hope the answer to all these questions is yes.
Cespedes has an opt out after this year, and he could be out the door after this season. Curtis Granderson is only signed through 2017. Furthermore, he’s going to be 35 by Opening Day. Who knows if Brandon Nimmo will ever become a major leaguer let alone a starting outfielder? Also, as noted, Lagares may have an untradeable contract. He’s due to make $4.5 million in 2017, $6.5 million in 2018, and $9.0 million in 2019.
Personally, I’m still high on Lagares. He showed a lot in the postseason. He should be able to become the best defensive center fielder in baseball again. He’s got another year to work with Kevin Long to see if he can help Lagares maximize his offensive abilities.
Lagares is going to get his chances this year. He should play in almost every game to provide late inning defensive help. He should get starts against lefties allowing Granderson or Michael Conforto a day off. So yes, Lagares will be a bench player in 2016, but he will also have plenty of opportunities to improve. He will have plenty of opportunities to show the Mets he’s an important part of the Mets’ future.
Hopefully, this year, Lagares will take that step forward we were all hoping he would take last year.
I don’t care what is happening. The Mets could be coming off a World Series appearance. The Mets could have traded everyone away in Marlins fashion. It doesn’t matter. It’s always good to see Mike Piazza with the Mets.
He’s back as a special instructor. He is there to work with Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki. It makes sense to have a Hall of Fame catcher work with a budding All Star and prospect. Terry Collins intends gave Piazza more latitude than just working with the catchers. For example, Piazza took the time and the initiative to talk with Yoenis Cespedes about being a superstar in New York.
With his appearance at Spring Training, it did get me thinking about when and if Piazza would ever manage in the big leagues.
Right now, the Mets manager is Terry Collins, and there is no reason to believe that’s going to change soon. Collins received a two year extension. He supposedly wants to manage these next two years and then retire. The question them arises as to who the next Mets manager will be.
One trend that never seems to go away is hiring a former star to lead the team. Robin Ventura manages the White Sox. Paul Molitor manages the Twins. Ventura had no managing experience. Molitor had experience as a minor league instructor.
Piazza only has experience as the hitting coach for Team Italy. He has been well regarded in his work as the hitting coach. He has also worked with catchers and ran instructional clinics. This year has been his first year back at Spring Training with the Mets in two years. Most likely, this stint is the Mets inviting their Hall of Famer to spend time with the team. Who’s to say it can’t be more.
At one point in time, Piazza stated he envisioned returning to baseball in some capacity. He has always kept in touch with the Mets. As of right now, he’s enjoying his time, but he wants to let this team get ready for the season. He’s not overstaying his welcome. He seems content with a few days in Spring Training for now. Maybe with young children that’s all Piazza will ever want.
Two years is a long time. If Piazza wants to return to the Mets in a full time capacity, the door should always be open. No, they shouldn’t hand him a manager job. Still, there’s always room for a person with Piazza’s baseball acumen and ability to handle New York. He may just want to be a special instructor.
No matter what that future role may be, it’ll be great to see Piazza in a Mets uniform imparting his wisdom to the next generation of Mets players.
Sometimes Spring Training stories can be mundane, but we read them anyway because we’re desperate for anything baseball related this time of year. Other times, as Adam Rubin reports, Yoenis Cespedes buys a pig for $7,000.
It’s not as strange as it sounds. Cespedes was wearing a cowboy outfit when he purchased it.
Cespedes rules.
It’s at the point where nothing Cespedes does now will surprise me. He spent the beginning of Spring Training showing off his car collection. Now that he’s out of cars to premiere, Cespedes is now purchasing livestock. Today was a big. Tomorrow may be a cow. Hopefully, he will purchase a goat as there is a Murphy missing from this Spring Training.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Cespedes buys more animals and creates a petting zoo. Maybe he will have a luau. I can see him naming the pig Babe and taking him to New York City. Cespedes’ quirky behavior has been a lot of fun in what is usually a boring time of the year. So far, year two of Cespedes has been fantastic.
Hopefully, this year Cespedes winds up a champion like the pig he just purchased.
(Photo from the Cut4 Twitter account)
When Mike Piazza first came to the Mets, he was treated as the rock star he was. With him finally came the dreams of postseason berths and World Series titles.
Then something bizarre happened. He struggled, and he was booed. I still don’t understand it, but it happened. Piazza was incredible when he came to the Mets. With the Mets floundering, Piazza took his play to another level carrying the Mets ever so close to the Wild Card. With the treatment he received, Piazza had every reason to walk, but he didn’t he stayed. He wanted to be a superstar in the biggest market.
This is why he’s the perfect person to give advice to Yoenis Cespedes.
Cespedes came to the Mets, and he was a rock star. His coming to the Mets coincided with them taking control of the NL East. Unlike Piazza, Cespedes never received the boos. To that extent, he was a bit lucky. After Cespedes was hit on the hand, his play declined. He went from Babe Ruth to Mario Mendoza. In the final 18 games of the 2015 season, he only hit .220/.288/.373 with one homerun and four RBI. However, the NL East was sown up. He wasn’t going to receive boos.
The closest anyone would come was in the World Series. He missed player introductions before Game Three. After an uneven postseason, he fell apart in the World Series. He misplayed Alcides Escobar‘s flyball into an inside-the-park homerun. He hit .150/.143/.150 with six strikeouts in the series. Perhaps it was the shoulder injury. Maybe it was the moment.
No one would boo. Fans don’t boo you in the postseason unless you’re Bobby Bonilla. However, his play was poor enough that fans were initially ready to let Cespedes walk.
However, with an initially less than optimal offseason, Mets fans wanted Cespedes back. He wanted to come back too. All of what drove Mets fans crazy has been forgotten. Fans are re-embracing him. They love the cars. They love his little quirks. It’s a second honeymoon. That doesn’t mean that the fans won’t boo him this upcoming season.
Cespedes is notoriously streaky. As far as fans are concerned, he’s the face of the team. One long cold streak coinciding with a struggling Mets team could bring out the boo birds instead of the parakeets. It’s exactly what Piazza had to deal with 18 years ago. It’s the reason why Cespedes and Piazza need to talk.
Piazza can walk him through what it means to be a superstar in New York. He can tell him how to deal with the booing. He can share how the fans lifted him up when he needed it. He knows the ins and outs of being the a superstar on the Mets. That’s what Cespedes is now.
Fortunately, Cespedes has a Hall of Famer he can lean on to prepare for it.
It is surreal to think it was only 12 years ago that David Wright was walking into Mike Piazza‘s clubhouse. Now, with Piazza being retired, it’s now Piazza’s turn to walk into Wright’s clubhouse:
For the Twitter folks: David Wright welcomes Mike Piazza to #Mets camp on Sunday morning: pic.twitter.com/Yq9k7jLkxz
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinMedia) February 28, 2016
Back then, everyone on the team knew how good Wright was going to be. They saw him as their best chance of ever winning a World Series. They all took him under their wing.
Piazza mentored Wright how to handle New York and how he should listen to his body. In he following Spring Training, Carlos Beltran took Wright with him for extra workouts to show him the type of off-the-field work is needed to succeed in the major leagues. Cliff Floyd took him under his wing. Not only did he have Wright carry his luggage, he also showed him how to be a big leaguer.
It’s now Wright’s turn to return the favor. Seeing the Noah Syndergaard lunch incident last Spring, he appears ready, willing, and able. Now, it worked with Syndergaard because he was a player that wanted to get better.
There are still plenty of young Mets players who could learn a lot from Wright. Each of these players should be glued to Wright’s hip learning as much as they possibly can from him. Like Piazza, Beltran, and Floyd, Wright can teach these players how to handle New York, how to listen to your body, how to prepare for a season, and how to be a big leaguer. The one player who j think can most benefit right now from Wright’s wisdom is Michael Conforto.
Conforto is in the same spot Wright once was. He’s on a team with great players. Success in the majors seemingly came easy to him in his first half season. If the Mets do anything going forward, it’s going to be his bat that’s going to be a big part of it. He’s also still young with a lot to learn.
Like David Wright all those years ago, we all see greatness in Michael Conforto. Wright should be helping Conforto prepare himself not just for this season, but for his entire career. Helping Conforto could be the key to Wright getting that elusive World Series ring. Listening to Wright could be the key to Conforto having a long and successful Mets career. They need each other.
Who knows? Maybe 12 years from now, we will get to see Conforto welcoming a retired Wright into his clubhouse.
Foetunately for all of baseball, David Ortiz is retiring. Next to the Mets hopefully winning the World Series, this will be the best part of the 2016 season.
For all the “loveable” persona he has tried to create, the truth is Ortiz has always tried to be bigger than the game. No one is allowed to criticize him. Despite being given more rope and benefit of the doubt by everyone, he shows up and disrespects umpires:
It’s not just umpires. He shows up other players on the field with his antics. Look, there is a fine line between fun and showing up a pitcher. With that said, when you engage in the histrionics Ortiz engages in, he should expect and accept retaliation. Each and every homerun involves a pose, a bat flip, and a slow trot around the bases. In response, pitchers will call him out on his behavior by either speaking to the press or plunking him. Invariably, his response is either that such a player doesn’t have the right to question him or that he’s great so you have to deal with it.
If you have the audacity to call him out for his on the field behavior, which other players feel disrespects the game, he’ll attack you:
To hear Ortiz talk about it, he’s a protector of the game. He previously stated that steroid users should be suspended for a full year. There’s only one problem. Ortiz is as much the cheater as any other steroid user.
In 2009, it was revealed he tested positive for steroids under the 2003 survey testing. Ortiz was shocked . . . SHOCKED . . . that he tested positive. He was going to demand to find out what he tested positive for because he didn’t take anything impermissible. It was one of those phantom supplements that created the positive test. Ortiz was going to get to the bottom of things.
He’ll deny everything, but he has still yet to inform everyone what he took. Instead, he pleads ignorance. He says he has never tested positive since that time. By the way, neither did Alex Rodriguez, the player Ortiz wanted suspended for a year.
For all this nonsense, Ortiz, a career DH, tells everyone he should be elected to the Hall of Fame. Of course, he would say that. He’s spent his entire career letting everyone know how great he is and belittling those who disagree.
Fact is Ortiz has had a good career with many memorable moments. Moments that will forever be played. He is also a cheater. He has also shown up and disrespected his fellow players. He has shown up umpires. He has let everyone know he is bigger than the game. Thankfully, he’s leaving the game.
I’m tired of the act. I’m glad it’s almost over.
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.
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.
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.
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.