Musings

Jeff McNeil Should Play Third, Luis Guillorme At Second

It finally happened. In the New York Mets 8-4 loss, the late inning machinations led to Jeff McNeil playing third base. It took 74 games for the Mets to put their best third baseman at third base.

Now, many don’t believe that to be true because McNeil struggled there for exactly nine games in a COVID impacted season. For some reason, those nine games were weighed much more than the rest of his career.

Entering 2020, McNeil had played 171.1 innings at third at the MLB level. Over that admittedly small sample size, he had a 6 DRS, 3.1 UZR, and a 5 OAA. Those numbers are excellent. Really, when you have a player of that caliber, you don’t move him off the position.

That goes double when you look at the other Mets third basemen. J.D. Davis and Jonathan Villar entered the year with reputations as poor defenders, and they haven’t disappointed.

In 94.0 innings, Davis has a -2 DRS, -0.9 UZR, and a -1 OAA. While having the propensity to make the highlight play, Villar has a -1 DRS, -1.9 UZR, and -2 OAA in 362.2 innings at third.

At the moment, both Davis and Villar are on the IL taking them out of the third base mix. That means Luis Guillorme is the third baseman for now.

Shockingly, Guillorme is not a good third baseman. In 113.2 innings this year, he has a -3 DRS, -1.0 UZR, and a -1 OAA. For whatever reason, the skills which make him an extraordinarily gifted middle infielder isn’t translating at the hot corner.

This makes the Mets putting McNeil at second and Guillorme at third an inexplicably bad and stubborn decision. Remember, when McNeil wasn’t initially called up in 2018, Sandy Alderson’s initial rationale was McNeil wasn’t a third baseman.

Of course, the problem is McNeil is s third baseman, and he’s a very good one at that. They’re taking one of their best players and neutralizing just how great he can be.

More than that, they’re purposefully not allowing Guillorme to thrive. He is a player who plays exceptional defense and finds a way on base. When he’s played second, he’s done that. When he hasn’t, he’s a player who hits for no power and plays poor defense. Continuing down this path is insane.

This is a good Mets team which can be great. They can win a World Series. To do that, they’re going to have to get the most out of their roster and put their players in a position to succeed. As long as McNeil is at second with Guillorme at third, they’re not going that.

It’s past time to make the switch. The Mets can maximize their defense and help their pitching by making this switch. They can be an even more imposing club. Hopefully, we will see McNeil at third with Guillorme at second soon.

page top

Mets/Phillies SPOILER ALERT

Based on what we’ve seen in this Mets-Phillies series, the Phillies bullpen is going to have a lead. Luis Guillorme is going to find a way on to start a rally. The Mets will score a run to tie and/or take the lead with a batter who the fans will say they have no faith in the big spot (Francisco Lindor, Dominic Smith, Michael Conforto).

There will be much rejoicing.

page top

Make Tom Seaver Patch Permanent

One of the better things the New York Mets did for the 2021 season was to have a second season with the Tom Seaver patch. While it was worn in memorium in 2020, this year, it was to celebrate his life and accomplishments.

The Mets have so far done well to honor Seaver. With his 41 on their right arms, the Mets pitching staff leads the majors in ERA and FIP. Put another way, when emblazoned with the best on their right arms, they’ve been the best staff in the league.

Of course, that all starts with Jacob deGrom. Not only is deGrom the best pitcher in baseball, like Seaver once was, but he’s also challenging many of Seaver’s records.

Certainly, part of what the Mets are doing can be attributed to the excellent staff they’ve assembled. Moreover, Luis Rojas, Jeremy Hefner, and Jeremy Accardo have done an amazing job, which deserves all the accolades and superlatives you can give them.

Still, there’s some magic with Seaver’s number on the jerseys. There’s also something to be said for The Franchise to be a part of the Mets uniform. After all, there’s no rule which states you can’t forever honor a player like this.

Overall, Seaver is the Mets, and he always will be that. He’s arguably more important to the Mets than any player is to any franchise. He should be recognized and honored as such with his number forever a part of the Mets jerseys.

page top

20/20 Hindsight: Mets Reawakening In Split Against Braves

The New York Mets treaded water by splitting the series with the Atlanta Braves, but there are signs of a big run coming:’

1. It probably should’ve been more obvious, but having Michael Conforto back really jump started this offense.

2. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out, but Conforto’s presence on this team with all the things he can do is going to put all the more pressure on the Mets to re-sign him.

3. One interesting thing Conforto said was how much of a leader Francisco Lindor is. Not only does that mean something coming from Conforto, but it’s also an indication on just how much value Lindor provides beyond his play on the field.

4. Mets are lucky Marcus Stroman may not be IL bound because they can really ill afford to lose pitching.

5. There’s a lot of things we can say about Jacob deGrom‘s start, but the biggest thing to come out of it is he came off the field on his own accord with no injuries.

6. deGrom is on pace for the greatest season ever with a 744 ERA+, which is well over double the best season ever.

7. It’s interesting Tylor Megill made his MLB debut when he was 25 years 330 Days old just like deGrom in 2014 (hat tip Christopher Soto). There were certainly some flashes for Megill in his 4.1 innings.

8. No, no one really wants to see a pitcher frisked in Enrico Pallozo fashion when they step off the mound, but as Preston Wilson astutely points out, there really isn’t a better way to do this.

9. So far, the Mets pitchers have been gentlemanly in the checks, which they should be as the umpires didn’t want this. The best reaction so far was the bemused Aaron Loup.

10. Sometimes you get it wrong, and I got it really wrong on Loup. Loup’s three innings was the latest example of how great an addition Loup has been.

11. On the topic of pitcher reactions to umpire checks, Sergio Romo‘s was funny, but it was probably uncalled for given how umpires didn’t want this either. Max Scherzer was just childish with the temper tantrums, especially when he’s one of the reasons why this is happening.

12. In terms of asking Scherzer to get checked out, Joe Girardi was right to have Scherzer checked after his two checks. If anything, not asking someone explicitly named as using foreign substances is bad managing. The only spot Girardi was wrong was the childish challenging to a fight.

13. Once again, Corey Oswalt showed he can pitch at this level. His innings came up huge because this Mets bullpen is on fumes and is starting to deal with some significant injuries.

14. Drew Smith is going to get his chance to be a significant part of this bullpen.

15. Luis Guillorme showed why he should be starting over Jonathan Villar and J.D. Davis when all three are healthy. Not only does Guillorme do things defensively the other two couldn’t dream of doing, but he can get on base.

16. We could make a bigger deal of the shut outs and offensive struggles, including that embarrassing base running performance, but really, it was a group stepping up and doing it for as long as they could. You can’t expect the back-ups and the back-ups to the back-ups to not finally relent.

17. Unless something changes, and it very well might, we may just have to admit Pete Alonso‘s career year was 2019, and he’s really the player he was last year.

18. It doesn’t matter how many injuries the Mets suffer, they’ll never need and should never want Bartolo Colon.

19. The Mets are finally getting an off day after playing 15 games in 13 days. While you might’ve wanted more, their dividing lead stays in tact.

20. The Mets aren’t atop All-Star voting, and they probably shouldn’t be, but who cares? They’re winning the division, and that’s what matters.

Recaps

Jacob deGrom Was Great and Healthy

Mets Ran Away from Win

Marcus Stro-No, Not Another Injury

Mets Offense Returns with Conforto

page top

Stop The Bartolo Colon Nonsense

With Marcus Stroman leaving the game with a hip injury, the Mets already thin pitching depth might’ve suffered another blow. These injuries have led to selecting the contracts of MLB retread Jerad Eickhoff and a promising prospect Tylor Megill, who really isn’t ready.

As is always the case, this has led to the bring back Bartolo Colon nonsense. Yes, it’s nonsense, and this time it was Howie Rose asking Mets GM Zack Scott about it. Hopefully, it was tongue-in-cheek:

Just so we’re clear. Colon last pitched in the majors as a 45 year old in 2018. In 24 starts and four relief appearances for the Texas Rangers, he was dreadful going 7-12 with a 5.78 ERA, 82 ERA+, and a 5.47 FIP.

There is zero chance three years later he’s any good. It doesn’t matter how many nonsense workout videos you see or his fooling semipro players. He’s terrible, and he’s going to be terrible.

For all intents and purposes, the nostalgia aspect doesn’t make all that much sense. He was an okay pitcher with the Mets who was horrid in big spots in the World Series. There was also the matter of his refusing to pay child support. Really, he wasn’t the lovable guy some make him out to be.

Colon pitched better than expected when he was with the Mets. He hit a homer. He made some great defensive plays. He made an All-Star team, and he helped drag the 2016 Mets to the postseason.

Enjoy those memories. However, that’s all they are memories because there’s no clinic in Germany, and MLB testing has gotten much better meaning there’s no Fountain of Youth this time.

Instead, let’s enjoy Megill’s debut, hope Corey Oswalt gets stretched out, see if Thomas Szapucki can put it together, and wait to see if Carlos Carrasco can return soon. If not, let’s see what trades this front office can swing in the event any starters need to miss any more time. Really, just anything other than Colon.

page top

Pete Alonso Closer To 2020 Than 2019 Form

For some, Pete Alonso‘s 2020 season was some cause for concern. After all, his performance in the abbreviated 60 game season was a precipitous drop-off from his record setting 2019 rookie campaign.

In 2020, Alonso played 57 games. He hit .231/.326/.490 with six doubles, 16 homers, and 35 RBI. Prorated over 162 games, that’s 17 doubles, 45 doubles, and 99 RBI.

You’d take those power numbers, but it was a far cry from his 2019 season. In that season, he hit .260/.358/.583 with 30 doubles, two triples, 53 homers, and 120 RBI.

In 2019, Alonso was an All-Star. He had a 5.4 WAR and a 143 wRC+. In 2020, that dropped to a 0.1 WAR and a 118 wRC+. The wRC+ would be the same on a prorated basis, but his WAR over 162 games would’ve been roughly 0.3.

No matter how you look at it, that’s a steep drop-off. Still, it was a pandemic shortened and affected season. There was no need to overreact to it. That said, the disparity in performance meant Alonso may not be the player he was in 2019 in what was a juiced ball season.

The question for Alonso was whether he was closer to the 2019 or the 2020 player. This season should provide some answers to that.

Well, Alonso has played 58 games this season, just one more than last year. Through those games, he’s hitting .250/.333/.451 with eight doubles, 11 homers, and 35 RBI. That’s much closer to his 2020 season than his 2019.

In fact, Alonso has a 120 wRC+, which is a hair better than last year. It should be noted OPS+ paints a different picture with Alonso dropping from 121 to 119. Effectively speaking, Alonso is the same hitter he was last year.

Now, his WAR is much higher with it being 0.9 so far this year. That’s attributable to two things. First, he’s back to playing first instead of being a DH. Second, his first base defense is much improved.

However, when we look at Alonso, the focus is on the bat. Over 57 games the past two years, it’s just not there. Well, it’s there, but it’s just not at that level he set in 2019.

This isn’t a 57 or 58 game issue per se. Keep in mind, through his first 58 games as a rookie, he was hitting .263/.335/.606.

Another way to look at it is between this year and the last, Alonso has played 115 games. He’s hitting .240/.330/.471 with 14 doubles, 27 homers, and 70 RBI.

Prorated over 162 games, that’s 20 doubles, 39 homers, and 99 RBI with a 120 OPS+. That’s good, but it’s nowhere near what he showed his rookie year.

Now, there are factors this year including an injury and now a deadened ball. Those factors, much like the juiced ball of 2019, make it extraordinarily difficult to analyze and ascertain just what Alonso’s true talent level is.

The only thing we do know is Alonso is closer to what he was in 2020, and so far, we’re not seeing signs he’s nearing that 2019 form. Still, there’s a lot of season left where Alonso can once again show us the transcendent and hand changing hitter he can be.

page top

Plan To Keep Jacob deGrom Healthy

Earlier in the season, Jacob deGrom landed on the IL with tightness in his right side. Since coming off the IL, deGrom has left games for various reasons.

There was fatigue. There was a flexor tendon issue. The latest was his leaving a game with a shoulder issue. Overall, since that IL stint, it needs to be reiterated deGrom has left starts for reasons other than he hit his pitch count, and it was time to bring in a reliever.

With that being the case, everyone has a theory on what the issue is and how to handle it. He has too much velocity. He didn’t heal and is pushing it. As usual, there was Dr. Sal Licata with his input saying deGrom never should’ve made the start:

Actually, no, Licata doesn’t have an MD. The same goes for people like Chris Carlin, who proffered similar advice. Really, anyone rendering an opinion has the same level of medical expertise as Jeff Wilpon, which is to say they have none. As we saw with Wilpon, when people with zero medical expertise renders an opinion on what should be done, bad things happen.

On that note, there is something to be said for what Pedro Martinez said. Remember, Pedro was once what deGrom is now, and we did see Pedro’s prime and career shortened due to injuries. When he speaks, it should carry weight.

Pedro’s advice was rest, and while his words should be heard, it’s not dispositive. Really, nothing is right now.

At this moment in time, no one knows what’s wrong. We don’t know if these injuries are all linked by one core problem, if one injury begat the other, or if these are just three isolated injuries which happened.

No one knows, and those offering advice are just trying to get heard and sound smart. Well, everyone except Pedro, who is someone speaking from experience.

To the question of how to keep deGrom healthy, the answer is no one knows. If they did, he wouldn’t be dealing with different issues right now. That said, someone will figure it out, and everyone will go on from there.

Overall, just be patient and wait with baited breath until we find out what’s wrong and how to best address it. Hopefully, sometime soon, we’ll see deGrom back out there pushing for a third Cy Young and leading the Mets to the World Series.

page top

deGrom’s Shoulder Overshadows Mets Win

Jacob deGrom was perfect through three striking out eight of the nine batters he faced. In a two run second, deGrom drove in his sixth run of the year.

Yet again, this had the aura of a special night. Could this be the Mets first perfect game? Could deGrom pass Tom Seaver‘s 10 in a row. Would he surpass Max Scherzer, Kerry Wood, and Roger Clemens for the most strikeouts in a game.

As deGrom left the mound after the third, the answer was none of the above. Instead of history, a very clearly frustrated and upset deGrom left the game.

While in previous starts, it was a flexor tendon or other hopefully innocuous issues, this time it was a shoulder. While it may be nothing, the shoulder strikes fear into the heart into every fan.

This is why the Mets victory was as anticlimactic as they come. It’s a shame because a lot of good happened.

Kevin Pillar was 2-for-4 with an RBI double to open the scoring and a homer. Dominic Smith.

Francisco Lindor was the latest Met to draw a bases loaded walk. Overall, the Mets scored in four consecutive innings.

Sean Reid-Foley surrendered a homer to Anthony Rizzo, but, until the ninth, that was it for a Mets staff who struck out 15 in this game. Three of those strikeouts came from Trevor May, who bounced back nicely by striking out the side in the eighth.

Things got dicey in the ninth. Drew Smith allowed a two run homer to Rafael Ortega. After he threw 20 pitches, and there was a runner on first, the Mets brought in Edwin Diaz to get the save.

Willson Contreras pinch hit, and he hit a sinking liner to center. Mason Williams, who was in for defense, came in and made the sliding catch to end the game.

With that, the Mets won 6-3. That’s great and all, but the real issue on everyone’s mind is deGrom and his shoulder.

Game Notes: Mets pitching staff has struck out 15+ in consecutive games and has more 15 strikeout games than any other team. Miguel Castro had a scoreless inning in his first appearance since he injured his neck.

page top

Luis Guillorme Is A Magician

While the focus was on Willie Harris‘ bad send, truth be told, it only looked bad because of that relay. In previous seasons, Jake Marisnick would’ve been safe and scored the tying run.

There’s one word for what Luis Guillorme did there – Magic.

It’s an old magicians maxim. The hand is quicker than the eye. You could say that about Guillorme. His hands in receiving the relay, transferring it, and going home, were quicker than Harris’ eyes.

Guillorme’s lightning quick transfer could be the best in the game. It’s the difference between a run and an out. It’s the difference between a fielder’s choice and a double play.

Guillorme is just that good. He’s a wizard in the middle infield. Certainly, we can’t go talking about Guillorme’s tricks without bringing up Adeiny Hechavarria‘s bat again.

Guillorme can do things on the field seemingly no one else can. His hands are quick. His instincts, reflexes, and reaction time are quicker. When you get all of that, you get pure magic on the field.

When you get pure magic on the field, you build a winner. Notably, the Mets are in first and appear poised to stay there all season long. The Mets making the other team’s chances of winning the division may just be the best magic trick of them all.

page top

Taijuan Walker Great, Defense Better

While we’re seeing pitchers struggling after MLB declaring they’re cracking down on sticky substances, Taijuan Walker just went out there and had a big start against the Chicago Cubs. It was the best start from the best free agent signing.

Over 7.0 innings, Walker allowed two earned on five hits and zero walks while he had a career high 12 strikeouts. The only blemish was a third inning two run homer by Javier Baez.

Walker partially had a good start because there was excellent defense behind him. Dominic Smith made a leaping catch into the wall robbing Willson Contreras in the third. Jonathan Villar went in the hole and made the play on a ball Joc Pederson hit against the shift.

After the Cubs scored their two in the top of the third, the Mets returned serve. Villar drew a one out walk against Alec Mills. After Smith hit a two out double, Pete Alonso tied the score with a two out single.

The next time Alonso stepped to the plate in the fifth he had the opportunity to break the game open. Mills was knocked out of the game, and Cubs reliever, Rex Brothers loaded the bases.

Notably, Smith had a very tough at-bat. After falling down 0-2, he stayed alive, and he drew a walk.

For some reason, even with Brothers losing the zone and falling behind 2-0 to Alonso, Alonso got aggressive. Luckily, Alonso hit a sacrifice fly scoring Villar and putting the Mets ahead 3-2.

Seth Lugo breezed through the Cubs in the eighth, and with Edwin Diaz unavailable, Lugo was being called upon to convert a six out save.

With the Mets rallying in the eighth, that meant Lugo would bat for himself. He went to sacrifice runners to second and third, but he popped up the bunt. Anthony Rizzo let it drop to try to turn the double play.

The plan almost worked. The problem is Lugo busted it out of the box, and Sergio Alcantara dropped the ball. It’s hard to know how much it tired Lugo, and maybe it didn’t at all, but Lugo lost some velocity in the ninth.

Certainly, Lugo struggled in the ninth. It started with a Contreras single, and Jake Marisnick came on as a pinch runner. Eric Sogard then hit a single into the gap.

Kevin Pillar did well to prevent the ball from going into the gap. He made a strong throw back to the infield which normally would have frozen the runners, but Cubs third base coach and perpetual Mets killer Willie Harris got aggressive sending Marisnick.

Luis Guillorme came across, fielded the relay throw, and made a lighting fast transfer as he threw a strike to James McCann. That was a huge play to keep the tying run from scoring.

Lugo might’ve been on fumes, but he had enough left in the tank to strike out Alcantara to end the game. With that, the Mets won another tight game, and they once again did it with pitching and defense.

Game Notes: The Mets were the only team to offer Walker a contract this offseason.

page top