Vote Noah Syndergaard & Bartolo Colon

MLB has announced the candidates for the 2016 esurance MLB Awards. MLB and esurance has given fans an opportunity to vote on their favorites from a number of categories with the fan vote accounting for 20% of the decision making in giving out the award. With the Mets having a roller coaster of a year that saw them rally from two games under .500 in August to returning to the postseason for a second straight year, the Mets were prominently featured in this year’s ballot:

Best Social Media Personality – Noah Syndergaard

If you are on Twitter, you are following Syndergaard not just because he is the Mets ace, but also because of his ongoing feud with beloved Mets mascot Mr. Met:

There is also the witty comment he makes after a Mets win, and he usually likes to chide his teammates:

Overall, Syndergaard deserves this award because he truly does get it:

Best Play Offense – Asdrubal Cabrera

As the Mets were fighting tooth and nail to try to return to the postseason, it was Cabrera who got insanely hot and lead them to the promise land. After coming off the disabled list on August 19th, he went on a tear hitting .345/.406/.635 with 11 doubles, one triple, 10 homers, and 29 RBI. His biggest homer and RBI came on a walk-off home run against the Phillies on September 22nd:

If Cabrera didn’t deserve the award for the magnitude of that home run, he certainly did for the epic bat flip.

Best Social Media Post – Noah Syndergaard

Among the many reasons Syndergaard is a beloved social media figure is his embracing the Thor moniker. For those that are not aware, Thor is the Norse god of thunder. It is why Syndergaard would immediately have to go onto Twitter to defend himself:

 

Best Performance – Noah Syndergaard

If you recall, Syndergaard’s last appearance against the Dodgers in 2015 was in the seventh inning. He came out throwing over 100 MPH to record a hold and hand the ball to Jeurys Familia to close out the series victory. His May 11th start against the Dodgers this year might’ve been even more impressive than that as he dominated the Dodgers on the mound and at the plate:

On the mound, Syndergaard pitched eight innings allowing just two earned with six strikeouts. At the plate, he was was the whole of the Mets offense in a 4-2 win going 2-4 with two runs, two homers, and four RBI. There is no one in baseball that dominated a game from both the mound and the plate this season.

Best Call TV/Radio – Gary Cohen & Ron Darling

No one, and I mean no one, ever believed that Bartolo Colon was ever going to hit a home run in a game. On May 7th, Colon did the impossible hitting a James Shield pitch over the left field wall. Everyone was bemused and incredulous. As usual, the Mets booth, led by future Hall of Famer Gary Cohen, perfectly captured the moment:

I’m not sure what was better, Gary’s voice cracking or Darling cracking, “I want to say that is one of the longest home run trots I’ve ever seen, but I think that’s how fast he runs.” Either way, a call doesn’t get better than that.

Best Trending Topic – Bartolo Colon Home Run

Simply everyone was talking about it, and everyone was tweeting about it:

Honestly, I don’t know how people don’t bring it up each and every day as with all due respect to Mike Eruzione it is proof that miracles do happen.

Voting for these awards ends on November 11th at 2:00 P.M. As there is no limit on the amount of votes cast, please make sure you go out and vote for your favorite Mets early and often.

Editor’s Note: this was first published on Mets Merized Online.

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Terry Collins Decision of the Game: Are You Sticking with Bartolo Colon or Not?

The reason why Bartolo Colon has been effective all season has been his ability to locate and put movement on his high 80s fastball.  When he is unable to do that, he becomes a batting practice pitcher.  Last night, Colon was a batting practice pitcher.  It all come unraveling in a four run second inning.

Consider for a second, the first out of the inning was a sacrifice bunt by the opposing pitcher Adam Conley. Up until that point, the Marlins first four batters of the inning had hit the ball hard, and there were already two runs scored.  Dee Gordon the followed his first inning home run with a two RBI single making it 5-0.  With the way the Mets offense has been hitting lately, and with the Marlins bullpen most likely needing to do a bulk of the heavy lifting on the night, this game was not out of reach.

What was interesting was Colon was due up second in the top of the third.  Last week, Terry Collins was very aggressive pulling his pitchers in a search for more offense to win games.  Granted, there is a massive difference between pulling Colon early than Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, or Gabriel Ynoa, but the game was already on the verge of getting out of hand at 5-0.  Furthermore, with Gsellman going deep into Sunday’s game along with the Mets not needing Ynoa or Rafael Montero to start another game this year, the Mets could’ve rolled the dice in pulling Colon.  Instead, Collins stuck with the veteran in the hopes that he would get himself right and go deep in the game.

In the bottom of the third, it was clear that wasn’t going to happen.  Right off the bat, Christian Yelich hit the ball hard, and it deflected off of Colon.  After the play, Collins and Ray Ramirez would go out to the mound with Colon ignoring Ramirez.  Giancarlo Stanton followed with a hard line drive out to center.  At this point in time, it was clear Colon didn’t have it, and yet he would go another batter.  Justin Bour then hit a hard line drive to right that Jay Bruce misplayed into a two run triple to make it 7-0.  Right then and there, the game was effectively over.  It was right then and there that Collins lifted Colon for Ynoa.

If you want to defend Colon pitching to start the third, you can make the case.  You can make an even better case given the emotions of the night and the way Colon was being hit around, he should not have been in the game.  The issue becomes why not let Colon finish the inning?  It’s one thing to go to your bullpen for six plus innings to stay in a close game.  It’s a whole other matter to go that deep into the pen for a game you’ve already lost.  Why not let Colon figure it out?  At that point, what is the difference between 7-0 and 10-0?  You might as well try to steal a couple of innings out of him to save the bullpen a bit – even with the expanded rosters.

As it turned out, the Mets bullpen wouldn’t get burned.  They got good work out of a group of relievers who are most likely not going to be on the postseason roster with Ynoa, Montero, Erik Goeddel, Josh Edgin, and Jim Henderson.  Still, you have to question what Collins would have done if one of those guys were hit hard.  Would he have made one of them wear it, or would he have chased the unlikely comeback?  We’ll never be sure.  What we are sure of is Collins inability to play it one way might’ve cost the Mets what might’ve been a winnable game.

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Reminder: The Mets Signed Colon . . . TWICE!

In Mike Vaccaro’s New York Post column, he had a quote from an unnamed member of the New York Mets organization who said about Matt Harvey:

He’s 27 years old. He’s a professional athlete, who makes his living – and wants to make $200 million – by being an athlete. Does he look like an elite professional athlete to you?

That’s right. The Mets wouldn’t possibly want to sign a player that has any body issues:

The Mets have signed Bartolo Colon to two contracts which pay him $27.25 million over three years. The Mets have made Colon their highest paid pitcher three years running. They re-signed him despite Colon being a well below league average pitcher (according to ERA+) for two years. 

That doesn’t mean overweight pitchers can’t be effective. No Mets fan would ever besmirch the good name of Sid Fernandez by making that statement. But that’s the point, a pitcher can be both overweight and effective. The Mets certainly think so. 

In reality, this is nothing more than a jab at Matt Harvey, who is struggling. It is similar to what they did in the offseason with Yoenis Cespedes when it appeared he wasn’t returning. It was a little more than a decade when they did the same to Scott Kazmir when trying to justify a horrendous trade. 

Overall, the issue should be how the Mets can help Harvey return to form instead of mocking him. Instead, the Mets decided it’s best to mock their pitcher publicly. They need to stop. 

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Bartolo Colon Should Be Booed

Since Bartolo Colon has come to the Mets, he’s had the monicker of a lovable character. He’s been dubbed “Big Sexy.”  Well, Colon has taken it too far. 

Colon is married to the woman he met as a poor 13 year old boy in the Dominican Republic. With the strength of his right arm, they were able to come to America and build a life together. Together, they have four children. According to the New York Post, Colon has two other children he refuses to acknowledge or support. 

He’s been having an affair with a woman. Together, they have two children ages seven and eight. There is an ongoing lawsuit seeking Colon provide financial support for his children.  He’s not providing support despite, according to Spotrac, Colon making over $101 million in his career.  He’s making $7.25 million this year. For his start today, he’s making a little over $44,000. 

When he does toe the rubber tonight, in the words of Dick Young, “Stand Up and Boo!”

No, it doesn’t mean you’re rooting against the Mets. It doesn’t mean you want him to lose the game. No, you’re booing the man, not the player. 

This isn’t about Colon’s extramarital affair. That’s between him, his wife, and his paramour. No, this is about Colon failing to do the right thing here. He’s failing to provide child support for two of his children. He deserves to be booed when he takes the mound, and when he steps up to the plate. 

Shame on Bartolo Colon. 

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Bartolo Colon Homered?!?!?! 

This game wasn’t about the superb game David Wright had going 2-2 with three walks, two runs, a homerun and an RBI. This game isn’t about Michael Conforto snapping an 0-17 streak with a homer. It’s not about Yoenis Cespedes hitting another homer. It’s not about the 6-3 win snapping the Mets two game losing streak. 

No, it’s about Bartolo Colon‘s homerun:

There’s nothing more than needs to be said about tonight’s game other than . . . 

Bartolo Colon homered. 

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Please Explain the Bartolo Colon Fascination to Me

Today, Michael Mayer broke yet another big Mets story. This time it was the Mets re-signing Bartolo Colon to a one year $7.25 million contract. Most Mets fans rejoiced. Personally, I don’t get the love affair. 

When I look at Colon’s Mets career, I see an ERA+ of 86, which means he was below average. He had a 4.13 ERA while pitching half his games in a pitcher’s park. The best argument you could make for his Mets career is: (1) he had an average FIP of 3.77; and (2) he didn’t miss a start. Why is it a player who’s average at best a folk hero?  It has to be more than this play:

Maybe it’s because of at bats like this, but I can’t imagine why:

Fact is, he’s not even that good. He’s not going to be any younger. Next year, he’s going to be 43 years old. Why would you want him over Jon Niese?  Niese was at minimum just as good as Colon. More likely he was better and will be better next year at 29. He also showed himself more capable in the bullpen that Colon. Throw in the two extra years of control Niese has, and you’ve downgraded your rotation and possibly your bullpen. 

Fair or not, I’ll remember Colon’s failings in the World Series. In Game 1, he walked a tightrope walk for two innings before imploding in his third inning of work earning the loss in a very frustrating game. In Game 5, he entered the game to clean up Addison Reed‘s mess.  The Mets were down 4-2, and the bases were loaded with one out. Colon would allow a bases clearing double to the first batter he faced putting the game and World Series out of reach. 

I don’t blame Colon for all that happened in the World Series. He may not have been put in the best position to succeed. Fact is, he didn’t succeed. I don’t hold it against him. However, I do look at it and ask why is this 43 year old pitched so revered?  If the same thing happened to Niese, the fans would’ve ran him out of town. Colon?  It’s like it never happened.  I just don’t get it.

Someone please explain it to me. 

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Mets No Longer Need Colon

I’ll be completely honest with you. I’ve never understood the Mets fans love of Bartolo Colon. As a Met, he was 29-26 with a 4.13 ERA, and a 1.232 WHIP. His signature moments were he cartoonish at bats. There was a terrific defensive play, but where was the signature pitching performance?

The performances I remember are his two extra inning World Series performances. He got the loss in Game One. He allowed a big hit to put the clinching Game 5 out of reach. I really harbor no ill will towards Colon for these games. Personally, I think he was put in a position to fail both times. Additionally, to blame him is to fail to acknowledge what he was. 

Colon is nothing more than a fifth starter, a durable one at that. He took the ball every fifth day. Sometimes he was effective, other times he wasn’t. However, his time has passed as it normally does for 42 year old players. It’s time for Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler. 

He wants to pitch next year. He probably wants to catch and surpass Pedro Martinez fir most wins by a Dominican born pitcher. He’s just one away from tying. If he starts, he’ll have his best chance to do it. Also, he’s a starter, not a bullpen arm. There will be a team that wants him to start. Let him go there.  He no longer has a place with the Mets. 

He did a good job with the Mets. He’ll deserve the applause he will receive when he returns to Citi Field, although I suspect he will get much more than that. I may not understand all the fanfare he receives, but I do understand he did his job well with the Mets. 

Good luck at your next stop Colon. 

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Colon Was Large and in Charge

If the Mets actually pull this off and win the division, they need to send some playoff shares to the Phillies as they are now 13-1 against them. If not for the Phillies, the Mets would only be three games over .500 right now and in a tie for the division lead with the Nationals. 

Today’s win was fueled by Bartolo Colon. He was once again terrific against them. Last time out, he went 7 innings with eight strikeouts and none earned. Tonight, he was even better going 8 innings with nine strikeouts and no runs allowed.  Between this start and Saturday’s relief appearance, he is single-handedly saving the bullpen. Honestly, he could’ve and should’ve gone nine. 

Jeurys Familia came on in the ninth, and he got into trouble. He loaded the bases. He was able to induce a 6-4-3 double play. He dodged a bullet when a would be Andres Blanco extra base hit went foul. Familia would strike him out to end the game. However, tonight belonged to Colon. 

Colon even added some offense. After Michael Conforto‘s opposite field HR giving the Mets a 1-0 lead in the fifth, Colon added a single. He would score on Curtis Granderson‘s homerun. Colon would make these three fifth inning runs hold up for the Mets 3-0 win. 

There needs to be an important point made about replay here. In the seventh, it appeared Conforto had his first stolen base. However, the tag lingered. There was about .000000000000000000000000000001 seconds where Conforto was not on the bag. After a review lasting about four hours, Conforto was ruled out. It became his first caught stealing instead of his first stolen base. 

I lean towards being old school. I was skeptical of replay. I agree that if you’re going to have it, you need to get the call right. The umpires got the call right. However, I still can’t believe that was actually replayed. Second, while I don’t think it was the case, how could you tell that the rage forced Conforto off the bag for that split second?  

If baseball wants to speed up the game, they have to address all areas. If you want a clock on the pitcher and batter, you need a clock on replay.  It detracted from the viewing experience. 

Luckily, it didn’t detract from the win. 

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Colon Comes Up Big

The Mets bullpen was left in shambles by a combination of Sandy Alderson, Jacob deGrom, and Noah Syndergaard. With the injured wrist, we weren’t sure what Bartolo Colon could provide.

Well, it wasn’t always pretty, but he responded with seven innings of shutout ball. He was in trouble in the first. He was aided by a double play in the first inning, but he gets credit for inducing the ground ball. There was trouble again in the fourth, but he fought through that as well. After that, it was fairly smooth sailing. Maybe he was inspired by the pregame Backstreet Boys concert?  Whatever it was, the Mets desperately needed it. 

Unlike Thor yesterday, he was able to hold onto his three run lead. It started in the first inning with a misplayed ball off the bat of Curtis Granderson. The Mets cashed in with a Daniel Murphy RBI ground after Granderson moved to third on Yoenis Cespedes‘ infield single. Cespedes would score on Michael Cuddyer‘s RBI double. The first inning scoring would end with a Michael Conforto RBI single. 

These early runs would prove important as young Phillies starter, Jerad Eickhoff, would settle down after that. The Mets would not score another run off of him. However, as he surpassed 40 pitches in the first, he was only able to go six innings. 

The Mets were able to add three more runs off of a putrid Phillies bullpen. In the sixth, Juan Uribe singled home Conforto. In the eighth, Cuddyer hit a two run homerun making the score 8-0. It should be noted again that Cuddyer is healthy and contributing. 

Then in the eighth, the Mets sowed off their own putrid bullpen options. I don’t care if it’s a 20 run lead, you don’t let  Eric O’Flaherty pitch to righties. He did. He couldn’t get them or the lefties out. He left with two down, runners on first and second and one already across home plate. Carlos Torres came in and promptly allowed a two run double. 

Here’s where I think Terry Collins is starting to get better. He said enough of this nonsense and brought in Tyler Clippard. Clippard allowed an RBI single to Frenchy, but he then struck out Darnell Sweeney to put an end to the nonsense leaving the score at 6-4. 

In the ninth, the Mets then did something good teams do. They tacked on a run by taking advantage of a mistake. When Juan Lagares reached on an E-6, Granderson moved him to third with a hustle double. When the sweep tag was applied, the ball dislodged from the second baseman’s mitt. An alert Lagares scored easily from third. 
Cespedes then knocked in Granderson with an RBI triple. Cespedes then scored on a Murphy sac fly. Just like that the score was 9-4 removing the save situation permitting Collins to save Jeurys Familia. In place of Familia would be Clippard, who got to bat in the ninth, to permit him to record the four out save. 

It should’ve been a surprise to no one that David Wright didn’t play. He’s not quite ready to play everyday, so I have no problem easing him back (pun intended). I’m shocked Logan Verrett did not pitch. There were multiple spots to use him in the eighth. He could’ve been used in the ninth to give Clippard a blow. Him not being used tonight makes me nervous. Very nervous. 

What I’m getting less and less nervous about is the division. With the Nationals loss, the Mets are now up 6.5 games with six head-to-head match ups remaining. The Nationals no longer have their own fate in their hands. 

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Cespedes Backs Up a Damaged Colon

I’ve made it well known that I don’t think Bartolo Colon is a good pitcher anymore. Normally, I’d be apoplectic over his giving up seven earned in 3.2 innings. 

Actually, you know what?  I am apoplectic over it. Look at the photo. They had to ice and rub him just to get him out there. If you were watching it on TV, you saw that bump on his wrist get bigger and bigger. He should’ve been taken out when he was hit on the wrist in the second inning. 

I don’t care if you’re one of the stud muffins or a bad 42 year old pitcher, the team does not have the right to put a player out there and risk significant injury. I’m even more incredulous because the Mets have a short bullpen and want to skip Matt Harvey‘s Sunday start. Also, if the Mets want a six man rotation, I’m certain that included Colon and not Logan Verrett. 

Also troubling for the Mets, Lucas Duda left the game in the seventh with the game very much in doubt. Hopefully, it has nothing to do with his back. 

Lucky for the Mets, Yoenis Cespedes unleashed his “Feats of Strength.”  He went 5-6 with a stolen base, double, three homeruns (one grand slam) and seven RBIs. Two homers were to CF and the other went to RF.  it would’ve been 6-6 if not for a terrific running catch by Carlos Gonzalez in the ninth.  Going into the ninth, Cespedes had a chance for the HR Cycle (solo, two run, three run, grand slam). The Murphy SF took care of that. He was also a triple short of the cycle. Car-Go’s catch took care of that. 

The rest you need to know?  the six inning, Travis d’Arnaud and Michael Conforto hit solo homeruns off former Met Gonzalez German.  Sean Gilmartin was marginally effective and got the win. Hansel Robles wasn’t good, but he only gave up one run. The Mets added an insurance run in the eighth with a Wilmer Flores [standing ovation] RBI double scoring Cespedes (who else?).  Daniel Murphy would knock in the last run with a ninth inning sacrifice fly. Tyler Clippard and Jeurys Familia locked down the eighth and ninth to secure the 14-9 win. 

It’s funny with everything going on tonight, the thing that threw me for a loop was seeing Jose Reyes bat second. The only other person not to put Reyes in the leading spot was Jerry Manuel. That’s not good company for Walt Weis. 

Overall, my favorite part of the night was in the top of the sixth. Despite burning a challenge earlier in the game, Walt Weiss came out to challenge a safe call on a Curtis Granderson stolen base attempt. It was a little ironic because the early failed challenge involved Granderson throwing out Nick Hundley at the plate to end the fifth inning. I think the umpires got the call wrong even if it was upheld on replay.

Anyway, Walt Weiss has no challenges left. It doesn’t stop him. The umpires went forward with the replay, which did confirm the call. Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez were livid and rightfully so. There were a few times I thought Keith was going to drop an expletive. In this mess of a game it gave me a chuckle. 

The win gave me a smile. I have a huge grin due to the Nationals loss, and the Mets expanding their lead to five games. 

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