Musings
The Pittsburgh Pirates had fired Joey Cora because he was literally the worst third base coach in the game. We saw that early in the season as he had some indefensibly bad sends.
That said, he seemed to improve after April. Admittedly, his decision making at third base had not been an issue since April.
However, we are now seeing the return of Cora from April; the return of the worst third base coach in the game.
In the second game of the five game set against the Atlanta Braves, the Mets were down 8-0 in the second. Bases were loaded with two outs. Brandon Nimmo ripped a single scoring one.
The Mets had one on the board with Ian Anderson on the ropes. They had a chance to get back into the game with Anderson all over the place and the heart of the lineup due up. Then, Cora happened:
The play wasn’t even close. Guillorme was out by a large margin. Cora had run the Mets out of the inning. It’s the type of decision you get from the worst third base coach in the game.
The first game of the three game set was a pitchers’ duel. It was 1-1 with Starling Marte at third and one out. Remember, this is the same Marte who has been very cautious with a nagging injury, and as a result, we have not seen him trying to steal bases.
Daniel Vogelbach hit a shallow fly ball to left. Very shallow. Matt Vierling had all of his momentum going towards the plate and unleashed a strike:
Marte was out by a significant margin. That ended the inning, and the Mets would lose in extras.
On both plays, Cora made a send he never should have made. He also clearly didn’t account for the catchers.
Travis d’Arnaud and J.T. Realmuto are great on those tag plays. d’Arnaud is probably the best in the game. They lessen the need for the “perfect throw,” and they’re not flubbing it the way Tomás Nido did.
Another thing, neither play required the perfect throw. It just needed a throw. Both runners were easily out. In the end, they were both indefensibly bad decisions.
Cora cost the Mets a chance to win in both games. The hope is that he doesn’t do that come October when his decision making may cost the Mets a postseason series.
With the second Field of Dreams game, we get to revisit all the things and the people who made that movie special. At least this year, chief among them was the late, great Ray Liotta.
It was Liotta who brought Shoeless Joe Jackson to life. Of course, the story revolves around Shoeless Joe, but he wasn’t the only player key to the plot.
The other famous player was Moonlight Graham.
Graham was the player JD Salinger, sorry Terence Mann, saw on the scoreboard at Fenway Park. He got his one wish to get a plate appearance, but then he had to abandon the dream to save the girl choking.
Ray Kinsella did a masterful job learning who the real Moonlight Graham was and incorporating him into the tale. Sadly, the real Moonlight Graham wasn’t really rewarded did the great post-baseball life he led by getting that plate appearance.
Moonlight Graham’s special or unique. Rather, it just happened to be the one highlighted in a novel and a major motion picture. Really, every franchise has their own Moonlight Graham.
For the New York Mets, that’s Joe Heitpas.
Hietpas made his Major League debut on October 3. 2004. He replaced Todd Zeile, who was playing in his last ever game, and he caught one inning. He’s never bat in that game or any subsequent game.
Of course, that season, the Mets finished 20 games under .500 nowhere near the pennant race. They let Zeile catch but couldn’t get Hietpas even one at-bat or start. Part of the reason was an abdominal muscle strain, but still, the Mets were terrible.
After the season, the Mets hired Omar Minaya and revamped the roster. Between his minor league hitting and there now being more depth, Hietpas never would get a chance to be called up as a catcher again.
The Mets did want to try him at pitcher. Initially, he wanted to make it as a catcher and demurred. He eventually relented, but he had no control, and he would finally be released ending his professional baseball career.
According to SABR, as of September 2018, Hietpas was the last position player to make his Major League debut in the field and never get a plate appearance. Per Hietpas, he doesn’t regret not getting that at-bat.
He’s put together a good life since raising a family. Still, to this day, you have to wonder just how much he really wanted to just wink at the pitcher as he went into his windup.
The fun part about trade deadline acquisitions is the entirety of your impression of them is formed over their first few weeks with the team. When that player is a pure reveal, there really isn’t much more to assess until October.
On that front, Tyler Naquin has been absolutely phenomenal. We’re seeing a player who adds a dynamic missing from this New York Mets team this season.
That was on display in the series finale against the Cincinnati Reds. In the game, he was 2-for-4 with two runs, a double, homer, and RBI.
Naquin has been a power threat in the lower half of the lineup the Mets have lacked all season. Suddenly, with Naquin typically batting seventh, there is a batter in the bottom third of the lineup who can drive it out of the park.
It’s more than that. Naquin has speed too. While he’s not a stolen base treat, he can and will take the extra base. He will go first-to-third and from second to home. Again, this was a dynamic surely lacking.
We tangibly see it in the stats. In his 10 games with the Mets, he’s hitting .367/.387/.867 with two doubles, two triples, three homers, and seven RBI. He’s also stolen a base.
What was most impressive so far was his double off Reds reliever Reiver Sanmartin. With the Mets having a 6-2 lead in the fifth. Buck Showalter was right there.
Naquin rewarded his manager’s faith with a double igniting a two out rally. With the Mets so platooned base, on occasion, the Mets may need to have a Naquin face a lefty. Here, he passed that test.
Another important factor is it let Starling Marte truly get the day off. That’s what depth does. It allows everyone to get a rest and perform at their tip level.
For Naquin right now, it’s just about hitting. He needs to keep driving the ball. With that, there will come more chances. When they come, Naquin can rake.
In their 60 year history, the New York Mets have never had an MVP. Francisco Lindor is set to change that.
This is a record setting season for Lindor, and it’s the type that gets recognized. He’s really out there doing what Hall of Famers do. Being a future Hall of Famer, that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.
As noted above, Lindor is one of 12 players in MLB history to have 10+ game streaks with a run scored and an RBI. That list includes Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, Rogers Hornsby, Hack Wilson, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and Joe Morgan.
Lindor is also setting Mets records. He’s the first Mets shortstop with consecutive 20 home run seasons. In fact, he’s the only Mets shortstop with a 20 home run season.
Lindor ranks sixth in the majors with 79 RBI. That puts him two behind Jose Reyes for the Mets single season record by a shortstop.
Overall, Lindor has played 110 games thus far. He’s hitting .268/.344/.462 with 17 doubles, three triples, 20 homers, and 79 RBI. He’s 11/14 in stolen base opportunities.
From an advanced stat perspective, Lindor has a 4.4 bWAR, 4.8 fWAR, 130 wRC+, 127 OPS+, and an 8 OAA. These are outstanding numbers.
The fWAR ranks Lindor fifth in the NL within shouting distance of Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. Historically, Arenado and Goldschmidt cool off a bit over the final month of the season.
The bWAR ranks Lindor sixth. One note here is Arenado and Goldschmidt may split the vote. With respect to Austin Riley, there may be emphasis on how much better the Mets were, and how good Lindor was in that division altering series.
Lindor is certainly in the Gold Glove mix and may find himself a finalist. Even if he’s not, he’s the one shortstop in the game who or year-in and year-out one of the best defenders and hitters at the position.
All told, the Mets are having a special season, and Lindor has been their best player. Historically, players like this do well in MVP voting.
With 51 games remaining in the season, we could well see Lindor establish himself as the best player in the NL. He could be the Mets first MVP.
After the five game series against the Atlanta Braves, the New York Mets bullpen needed a break. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one in the schedule.
That left Chris Bassitt to get them one.
It wasn’t his prettiest outing, but it was his grittiest. While dancing around eight hits and a walk, Bassitt threw 114 pitches over eight innings.
Like that, there wasn’t any concern over who came out of the bullpen on a night Edwin Díaz was completely unavailable. No need to dance around with Adonis Medina or Yoan López.
No, with Bassitt going eight, Buck Showalter could hand the ball to a trusted reliever – Adam Ottavino – to wrap up the win. Ottavino did just that securing the Mets 5-1 win.
In some ways, this was a page from the 2015 Mets. Use your dominant starting pitching and only those relievers you can trust.
Back in 2015, the only relievers the Mets trusted down the stretch were Addison Reed, Tyler Clippard, and Jeurys Familia. They had the starting pitching to limit it mostly to just these relievers in the big spots.
In the 2015 postseason, the Mets got innings primarily from Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Matt Harvey. That proved to be a bit of a double edged sword as it allowed the Mets to only have to roll with these relievers, but then, those relievers were exhausted and faltered in the postseason.
Fortunately for these Mets, they’re deeper. In addition to Díaz and Ottavino, they also have Trevor May, who has looked good since coming off the IL.
Seth Lugo has also better better of late. Moreover, Trevor Williams has performed in whatever role the Mets have needed from him. Keep in mind, Showalter isn’t Terry Collins as Showalter will use the next tier of guys when warranted.
That’s something Collins could never comprehend, and it cost the Mets dearly. Part of the reason the Mets could only use three relievers was because he only trusted three.
That led to disastrous decision making in Game 3 of the World Series which caused further bad decision making the rest of the series. However, the underlying principle was correct.
The more dominant innings you get from your starter; the better your bullpen is. Less innings means more rest. More rest means better performance. Better performance leads to wins.
In pressure spots, the Mets don’t want to see the last couple of pitchers in their bullpen. That goes double in the postseason. Of course, with Mets starters going deep, and we know they can, the Mets can lean on their top performers.
At least for this win, eight from Bassitt meant one from Ottavino as Díaz, May, Lugo, and Williams rested. It means the other pitchers will be fresher when called upon to pitch again.
This is how the Mets cover their tracks in the bullpen. Dominant starting pitching going deep into games followed by the 1-2 relievers a night the Mets actually want pitching in a big spot.
With certain franchises, the top player will always be the top player. Their legend and accolades just reaches that level.
The New York Yankees have Babe Ruth. The Boston Red Sox have Ted Williams. The Braves have Hank Aaron. The San Diego Padres have Tony Gwynn.
Then again, there’s the St. Louis Cardinals. They had Stan Musial, but then Albert Pujols comes along. The answer is still Musial, but with what Pujols accomplished, it’s now more of a conversation. It seems Jacob deGrom is becoming the Pujols to Tom Seaver’s Musial.
In his second start off the IL, deGrom flirted with a perfect game. Over the first 5 2/3 innings, he was absolutely perfect striking out 12 of the 17 batters he faced. The Braves had no chance against him, and really, the only thing that stopped him was stamina as he’s working his way back to full strength.
This would be the 200th start of deGrom’s career. He recorded his 1,523rd strikeout of his career. That is the most strikeouts any pitcher has had over their first 200 career starts. Yes, that includes Nolan Ryan, the all-time leader.
This is emblematic of how deGrom has dominated like none before him. In 146 starts, he’s allowed two or fewer runs. In 106 starts, over half of his career starts, he’s allowed one or fewer. Each and every time he takes the mound, he absolutely dominates the opposition.
His 157 career ERA+ is the best in Major League history for all starters. In baseball history, he trails only Negro League Hall of Famers Bullet Rogan and Bill Foster. This arguably makes him the best and most dominant pitcher in Major League history.
Looking to the Mets, deGrom currently holds a number of records. He holds the record in ERA (2.50), WHIP (1.007),. K/9 (10.8), K/BB (5.1), FIP (2.63), and ERA+. Looking at that, by some measures, deGrom has actually been better than Seaver. That’s remarkable in and of itself.
That said, there are records Seaver has that deGrom will never touch. That includes wins, innings, complete games, and shutouts. Seaver has some other attainable records like the three Cy Youngs.
That’s the thing. Seaver is the greatest Mets who has ever worn the uniform. There’s a reason he was the first player to have his number retired and there is a statute of him as you enter Citi Field. No one can and will ever be better.
That said, by some measures deGrom has actually been better, and his career isn’t over. There are things he can do that Seaver never did. Maybe deGrom wins multiple World Series. Maybe he has another Cy Young or two in him. Who knows?
All we do know is deGrom has done things Seaver never did, and he actually holds some Mets pitching records over Seaver. He’ll never quite catch Seaver, but he has increasingly put himself in the conversation. Just how much more he puts himself in the conversation remains to be seen.
So far, the New York Mets have dominated the Atlanta Braves over the first four games of this five game set. Like the prior matchups, the Mets are just proving they’re the better team.
The only game the Braves won was when Taijuan Walker had that odd step on the mound. He says he was alright, but his pitching was clearly impacted.
The two best players in this series have been Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor. With all due respect to Michael Harris, the best defensive play came from Luis Guillorme.
As Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson, and Max Scherzer have shown, the Braves cannot handle the Mets starting pitching. Then again, who can? Oh, and by the way, the Mets have Jacob deGrom up for the finale.
After the dominant starting pitching comes Edwin Díaz. Like the rest of baseball, the Braves haven’t been able to do anything against him either.
Buck Showalter is managing circles around Brian Snitker. He’s expertly deploying Tyler Naquin, Darin Ruf, and Tyler Naquin, and he’s getting great production from each of them.
Showalter also had the stones to have Tomás Nido lay down that suicide squeeze. With Naquin’s speed and Nido’s bunting ability, that’s knowing your roster and managing to their strengths.
Win or lose the finale, the Mets have taken the series. Win, and the Mets will have wrapped up the NL East in the beginning of August and can their sites on catching the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top overall record.
For those nervous at this statement, put 2007 aside. That year never happened, and really, this is a far different and deeper team.
This is the Mets team with the best chance of winning the World Series since 1986. It can and will happen. This Braves series is all the proof we need.
In the previous game, Edwin Díaz threw two innings leaving him unavailable until the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Then, Taijuan Walker threw an awkward pitch.
Walker somehow got out of the first allowing “just” four runs. In the second, you saw he was off. It was 6-0 with runners at the corners and no outs. Doubleheader or not, Walker had to come out of the game.
That meant the New York Mets unsung hero Trevor Williams came into the game. He did what he always does. He gave the Mets innings.
En route to giving up the inherited runs, he got the Mets out of the inning. He’d load the bases in the third, but he wiggled his way out of the jam.
After throwing just one inning over two weeks, we was summoned to take the ball and do the thankless task of just eating innings. When all was said and done, Williams did not allow a run over four innings.
Williams answered the call and got the job done just like he has all season.
When the Mets were dealing with injuries to Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Tylor Megill, he jumped back into the rotation. He gave the Mets eight credible starts including a seven scoreless against the Miami Marlins.
As a reliever, he has a 1.29 ERA over 12 appearances and 28 innings pitched. Of the 12 appearances, eight of them are multiple innings. Of those eight, five were 3+ innings.
His work in the rotation has meant credible starts helping keep the Mets in first place. His relief work has saved the bullpen and allowed their big arms to pitch another day.
Just look at what happened in this last game. The Mets fought their way back into the game. This forced the Braves to use all of their high leverage relievers.
The Mets didn’t have to use any, really just Williams. This is what makes Williams so vital to this team, and what he does goes beyond the numbers.
Williams is a reason the rotation has been great. After all, he was a part of it. He’s a reason the bullpen has been great. After all, he’s been a part of it. On the later, Diaz only needing to pitch in high leverage situations is part of the reason, Díaz is having an all-time great season.
Like with Pat Mahomes in 1999, Darren Oliver in 2006, and Sean Gilmartin in 2015, Williams is that long man who is a vital part of the team. Eating these innings while pitching very well makes the team great.
In the aforementioned three seasons, the Mets were a great team who went deep in the postseason. Williams will be a reason why the Mets do it again this season.
The New York Mets began a five game series against the Atlanta Braves which will define the rest of the season for both clubs. For the Mets, it’s a chance to end the NL East race here and now.
Buck Showalter was sending the moment in the first game of the series. With the Mets up two in the eighth, he went to Edwin Diaz to face the heart of the Braves order.
Showalter has done that previously only to have someone else pitch the ninth. This time was different. This time, it was the Braves in a postseason atmosphere. This time, Díaz was out to pitch the ninth.
Díaz worked around an Eddie Rosario lead-off single and wild pitch. After an Orlando Arica excuse me groundout to end the game, Díaz recorded the first six out save of his career.
That was yet another chapter in Díaz’s dominating season. It’s shaping up to be an all-time great season, and it’s high time we began giving him Cy Young consideration.
In Major League history, nine relievers have won a Cy Young. Bruce Sutter won in 1979 and was considered the first real closer to win. Eric Gagné was the last, and it was on the strength of converting 55 consecutive saves.
As noted by SABR, a reliever winning the Cy Young usually coincides with two primary factors: (1) Lack of dominant starting pitching; and (2) a historic season by a reliever. With Díaz, the second factor is certainly in place.
Right now, Díaz is 2-1 with 24 saves, a 1.44 ERA, 0.893 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, and a 17.9 K/9. From an advanced stat perspective, he has a 278 ERA+, 0.92 FIP, 2.3 bWAR, and a 2.2 fWAR.
Let’s use Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer of all-time, for some comparison here because it’s illustrative of just how great Díaz has been.
Rivera’s best ever FIP was a 1.88, and his best ERA+ was 316. His best K/9 was 10.9. In essence. All three of these came in different seasons, and Díaz is pitching like this right now.
While that’s outstanding, what really stands out with Díaz is the strikeout numbers.
So far this season, Díaz has struck out 52.1% of the batters he’s faced. There have been 167 unlucky batters to face Díaz this season, and 87 of them have struck out.
That’s in line for the second best single season mark in MLB history, and he’s off the top mark by 0.4%. That record is well within his reach.
Diaz is currently striking out 17.9 batters per nine. That’s in line for the best mark in Major League history. By any strikeout measure, this is a record setting season.
When a reliever has a season like this, they deserve Cy Young attention. Historically, relievers have.
Right now, the consensus is this is Sandy Alcantara’s award to lose right now. One note here is it’s taken Alcantara 158 1/3 innings to post a 5.8 bWAR. Díaz has a 2.3 in 43 2/3 innings. On an inning per WAR basis, Díaz is outperforming him.
That’s not to say Díaz deserves the award over Alcantara or any other starter. The odds are Alcantara deservedly runs away with this award. That said, Díaz merits significant attention for the record setting season he is having, and he should be on the writer’s ballots come voting time.