Throughout the season, I attempted to grade the different Mets players performances for each month of the season. In determining the year end grades, the aggregate of the monthly grades given was considered, but it wasn’t conclusive. For example, one player’s awful month could be more than offset by having an incredible month. Also, those decisions were made in the heat of the moment. There has been a cooling off period in giving these finals grades, and with that, there is time for reflection. It should also be noted the Wild Card Game did have some impact on these grades as that game was part of the story of the 2016 Mets. Overall, the final grades assessed considered the monthly grades, but also took into account that player(s) overall impact on the Mets season (good or bad). For the first set of grades, I will start with the catching position:
After a breakout 2015 season, this was supposed to be the year that d’Arnaud broke out and became an All Star caliber catcher. Instead, we were faced with another injury plagued year, discussion of moving on from him and acquiring Jonathan Lucroy, and finally him effectively losing the starting job to Rivera.
Let’s start with the good. Believe it or not, and many Mets fans don’t believe it, d’Arnaud had another great year behind the plate. He was once again one of the best pitch framers in all of baseball, he called a good game, was the Mets best catcher in terms of limiting wild pitches and passed balls, did another phenomenal job of navigating baseballs plate blocking rules, and had the full confidence of his pitching staff. And yes, while his throwing took a major step back this year due to a combination of poor mechanics and a shoulder injury, he was better than advertised trying to throw out base runners. With that said, despite many of the stolen bases having come off the pitching staff this year, yes, d’Arnaud did regress, but it was not to the point where he became a major liability.
Now the bad. There is no way to put it nicely. d’Arnaud was simply terrible at the plate this year. In 75 games, he hit just .247/.307/.323 with only four homers and 15 RBI. He didn’t have one extra base hit or an RBI off of a left-handed pitcher the entire season. His numbers were almost as bad as they were in his 2014 rookie season when Mets had to send him down to the minors to let him fix his issues at the plate. The Mets couldn’t afford to do that this season.
In some ways, d’Arnaud is unique across the game of baseball. He is the rare catcher that is expected to be a significant offensive contributor for his team. He didn’t just fail in that regard; he was actually a liability at the plate. This was the main reason d’Arnaud eventually lost his starting job. If he hit, he would’ve played more, but he didn’t. In the end, it was a disappointing and yet another injury plagued season for him. However, his 2015 season gives us hope, and that is why we can expect him to rebound and be a significant contributor next year.
If you want to be fair to Plawecki, you would say he should never have started the season as the Mets backup catcher. The former first round pick had the potential to be more than just a backup, and with that he should have been in AAA honing his craft instead of waiting idly by until d’Arnaud got injured again.
Still, that is not an excuse for Plawecki to once again squander the opportunity given to him. Y0u think d’Arnaud’s offensive stats were bad? Plawecki’s were worse. In the time he was the backup and took over for d’Arnaud, Plawecki hit .194/.301/.258 with five doubles, one home run, and 10 RBI in 41 games. He wasn’t much better in his September call-up. For the season Plawecki hit .197/.298/.265 with six doubles, one homer, and 11 RBI.
Sure, Plawecki did hit well in AAA like everyone seems to do. In 55 games with Las Vegas, he hit .300/.348/.484 with 11 doubles, eight homers, and 40 RBI. While not outstanding for the Pacific Coast League, it did show a marked improvement over what he has been in the majors. However, they were still empty numbers. As we saw in Plawecki’s limited time in September, he had made no adjustments while in AAA. He was still a pull happy ground ball hitter who does not make a lot of hard contact. With the Mets likely returning d’Arnaud and Rivera next year, he is likely going to get one last shot to improve and make himself a major league hitter.
With all that said, it should be pointed out that Plawecki has established he can be an effective backup catcher at the major league level. While he was touted for his offensive skills, Plawecki was really established himself as a good defensive catcher with excellent pitch framing skills. Given the fact that catchers tend to develop later than other players, it would be unwise to cut bait with him even with the rise of Tomas Nido.
Rene Rivera C+
This season the Mets got the best out of what Rivera could offer. He was a good defensive catcher, he helped Noah Syndergaard through his issues holding on base runners, he mentored Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo, and we discovered he could actually hit left-handed pitching pretty well. With his work with young pitching, and with d’Arnaud’s struggles, Rivera effectively took over the starting job late in the season.
Overall, this was the second best season of Rivera’s career. Still, he was not very good. He only accumulated a 0.4 WAR and a 69 OPS+. Most of his offensive stats were from a nine game July hot streak that saw him hit .323/.400/.581 with two doubles, two homers, and seven RBI. Other than that nine game stretch, Rivera hit .201/.256/.292 with two doubles, four homers, and 19 RBI in 56 games. Those are Plawecki type numbers the Mets wanted to move away from when they made the switch from Plawecki to Rivera as the backup catcher.
Another note, Rivera was awful behind the plate in the Wild Card Game. Yes, he did go 1-3 off Madison Bumgarner. However, it was his work behind the plate that was troubling. Many criticized the work of home plate umpire Mike Winters for missing a number of close pitches made by Mets pitchers. However, it should be noted that Buster Posey, a superior pitch framer to everyone, was getting those calls for Bumgarner. While he is usually a good pitch framer, Rivera was terrible at it during the Wild Card Game stabbing at many pitches. With that he extended some at-bats making Syndergaard go deeper into counts and not allowing him to pitch into the eighth. Also, his passed ball and poor pitch framing cost Addison Reed some pitches and quite possibly gave the Giants some confidence heading into the ninth against Jeurys Familia (note: Rivera had nothing to do with Familia making a bad pitch to Conor Gillaspie).
That game marred what was a pretty good year for Rivera. Given his rapport with Syndergaard, he should start the year as his personal catcher. It will also be nice to have him around should Gsellman or Lugo need to make some spot starts next season.
Editor’s Note: the grades for April, May, June, July, August, and September/October can be found by clicking the links.
Ten years ago, Omar Minaya had his second draft as the manager of the New York Mets. With the team having signed Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran in the offseason, they would not have a first round draft pick. In total, the Mets would draft 49 players, and they would be able to sign 35 of them. Of the 49 players drafted, six of the players would play in the major leagues. Here is review of those players that were drafted and played in the major leagues:
Kevin Mulvey, LHP (2nd Round, 62nd Overall)
Mulvey was a fairly well-regarded fastball-changeup pitcher out of Villanova, who shot through the Mets minor league system. In his first full professional season, he started in AA, and he finished the year with one start in New Orleans, which was then the Mets AAA affiliate.
In the offseason, Mulvey was a significant piece in the trade that brought Johan Santana to the Mets. Notably, he was the only player drafted by Minaya to be included in the deal.
Mulvey would not last long with the Twins. He spent a year and half with the team, and he made a very brief major league appearance with them in 2009. He would become the player to be named later in a trade in which the Twins acquired Jon Rauch to help them not only win the AL Central, but also to help them in the postseason.
Mulvey would not pitch well for the Diamondbacks. In 2009 and 2010, he would only make four starts and four relief appearances. He would go 0-3 with a 6.92 ERA and a 1.615 WHIP. In 2011, the Diamondbacks would designate him for assignment to remove him from the 40 man roster. A year later, he would be outright released.
Mulvey caught back on with the Mets in 2012, and he was assigned to AA Binghamton. After 13 relief appearances that saw him go 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA and a 1.707 WHIP, Mulvey retired from the game of baseball, and he returned to Villanova to be an assistant coach. On July 14, 2016, he was named the head coach of the Villanova Wildcats.
In total, Mulvey only started four games and made six relief appearances over three major league seasons. He finished with an 0-3 record, a 7.90 ERA, and a 1.756 WHIP.
Joe Smith, RHP (3rd Round, 94th Overall)
After losing Chad Bradford to free agency, the Mets decided the side winding Smith was ready to take over Bradford’s role in the bullpen.
Smith would pitch two seasons with the Mets making 136 appearances. In those games, he would go 9-5 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.402 WHIP. While he could never match what Bradford did for the 2006 Mets, Smith was still a reliable bullpen arm so long as he was called to pitch to right-handed batters.
With the Mets bullpen falling to pieces during the 2008 season, the Mets sought a dominant reliever who could pitch in the eighth inning and who could be a reliable closing option in the event the Mets closer once again succumbed to injury. With that in mind, Smith was included as a part of a three-team deal that netted the Mets J.J. Putz. Ironically, it was Smith who would have the best career out of all the relievers in the deal.
During Smith’s five year tenure with the Indians, he got better and better each season as he got better and better pitching to left-handed batters. He went from being a reliever who got just righties out to an eighth inning set-up guy. Because of that, he got a big three year $15.75 million contract from the Angels when he hit free agency for the first time.
While Smith regressed a bit during his time with the Angels, he was still a very effective reliever. Because he is still a very useful reliever, the Chicago Cubs obtained him after the non-waiver trade deadline. Despite pitching well with a 2.51 ERA in 16 appearances for the Cubs, he was left off the postseason roster. Smith is due to be a free agent after the season.
So far in Smith’s 10 year career, he has averaged 64 appearances and 57 innings per season. He is 41-28 with 29 saves, a 2.93 ERA, and a 1.199 WHIP.
John Holdzkom, RHP (4th Round, 124th Overall)
Holdzkom was a high school pitcher with a big arm whose fastball could reach triple digits. Initially, he posted big strike out numbers in the minors before needing season ending Tommy John surgery in 2008. The surgery caused him to miss the entire 2009 season, and when he returned, he was never the same pitcher.
After six games in the rookie leagues in 2010, the Mets released him. Holdzkom would take a year off from baseball before signing a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds. He would struggle for two years in the Reds farm system before being released in June 2012.
From there, Holdzkom went to the Independent Leagues in the hopes of rekindling his hopes of becoming a major league pitcher. With his fastball returning, he was dominant with high strikeout numbers once again, and he caught the attention of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who offered him a minor league deal. In 2014, Holdzkom would actually appear in nine games for the Pirates pitching very well. In those games, he was 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA and a 0.667 WHIP.
Holdzkom would lose his fastball again, and he would never again be able to crack the Pirates major league roster. On the eve of Opening Day, he was released by the Pirates, and he was eventually signed to a minor league contract by the Chicago White Sox. While never appearing on an injury report anywhere, Holdzkom only made one appearance in 2016 for the White Sox rookie league affiliate in July. In two-third of an inning, he allowed four runs on three hits and two walks.
As for this moment, it is unknown what lies in the future of this 28 year old pitcher who is still looking to reclaim his fastball.
Daniel Murphy 3B (13th Round, 394th Overall)
Murphy is the best known player from the Mets 2006 draft. He got his start with the Mets in left field for a 2008 Mets team desperate for offense. Murphy hit well enough that he was named the Opening Day left fielder in 2009. That year it was apparent he was not an outfielder, and he began his transition to second base.
While there were some rough spots along the way, everything finally clicked for Murphy last postseason with him hitting home runs in six consecutive postseason games. These home runs were all the more notable when you consider Murphy hit them off Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, and Kyle Hendricks. His key steal and home run in Game 5 helped propel the Mets to the NLCS, and in the NLCS he was the obvious choice for MVP.
He signed with the Nationals, and he went out and proved his postseason run was no fluke. Murphy hit .347/.390/.595 with 47 doubles, 25 homers, and 104 RBI. All these numbers were career bests. He led the National League in doubles, slugging, and OPS.
In his Mets career, Murphy hit .288/.331/.424 while averaging 33 doubles, nine homers, and 57 RBI per season. Among Mets second baseman, Murphy is the all-time leader in games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, RBI, and batting average. He is also ranked third overall for the most doubles by a player in a Mets uniform, and he is ranked eighth in batting average.
Tobi Stoner, RHP (16th Round, 484th Overall)
The German born Stoner was used as a starting pitching in the Mets minor league system. However, in his brief time with the major league club, he was used exclusively out of the bullpen. Between 2009 and 2010, Stoner made five appearances going 0-1 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.412 WHIP.
After his big league call-ups, Stoner actually regressed. That could be in part due to bone spurs in his elbow he had to have removed prior to the 2011 season. Even with the removed bone spurs, Stoner could never get back to being the pitcher he was or who the Mets thought he could be, and he was released on the eve of the 2012 season. Stoner would pitch the 2012 season in the Independent Leagues. In 12 starts, he would have an 8.11 ERA, and his professional career was over after that season.
Josh Stinson, RHP (37th Round, 1,114th Overall)
Stinson was a high school pitcher with a mid 90’s fastball. As he did not truly develop his secondary pitches, he became a bullpen arm. With a his live arm, he got called-up in 2011, at the age of 23, and pitched in 14 games with the Mets recording a 6.92 ERA and a 1.615 WHIP.
The Mets relased him before the 2012 season, and he was claimed by the Brewers. He pitched mostly in the minors for the Brewers. Stinson did get a brief call-up where he actually pitched well. Despite his success in a small sample size, he was released before the 2013 season, and he was eventually picked up by the Orioles. He made 19 appearances with the Orioles, pitching to a 4.50 ERA, before he was granted free agency. Stinson signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he would not make it to the majors in the 2014 season. The Pirates released him at the end of the year.
In the 2015 season, Stinson pitched for the Kia Tigers of the Korean Leauges. In 30 starts and two relief appearances, Stinson was 11-10 with a 4.96 ERA and a 1.521 WHIP. No one signed him to a professional contract to pitch in 2016. According to Stinson’s Twitter account, the 28 year old still considers himself a free agent pitcher.
Vic Black, RHP (41st Round, 1,234th Overall)
The Mets drafted Black out of high school, but he would not sign a deal with the Mets. Rather, he attended Dallas Baptist University, and he re-entered the draft in 2009 where the Pittsburgh Pirates would draft him in the first round (49th overall). The Mets would acquire Black in 2013 as part of the trade that sent John Buck and Marlon Byrd to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Black and Dilson Herrera.
In 2014, Black seemed to have a breakout season for the Mets. He began to harness his high 90s fastball, and as a result, he was becoming a reliable bullpen arm. Unfortunately, Black would land on the disabled list with a herniated disc in his neck. When he tried to pitch through it, he eventually developed a shoulder strain. He was first shut down, and then designated for assignment in the offseason.
While Black elected free agency, he hoped that he could re-sign with the Mets. Neither the Mets nor any other major league team were interested in his services. Black has not pitched in professional baseball in two years. At the moment, it is unknown if he will be able to ever pitch again.
Johnny Monell, C (49th Round, 1,463rd Overall)
Like Black, Monell did not sign a contract with the Mets instead choosing to re-enter the draft at a later date. He would be drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 30th round in the following draft.
From there, Monell has bounced around from organization to organization. Finally, in 2014, he returned to the same Mets organization that had drafted him eight years prior. Due to injuries to Travis d’Arnaud and the ineffectiveness of both Kevin Plawecki and Anthony Recker, Monell would be called-up to the Mets in 2015, and he would play in 27 games hitting .167/.231/.208 with two doubles and four RBI. Monell would be sent back down to AAA where he would remain for the 2015 season.
The Mets would remove him from the 40 man roster after the 2015 season, and Monell would agree to return to the Mets. Monell spent the entire 2016 season playing for the Las Vegas 51s. He hit .276/.336/.470 with 22 doubles, one triple, 19 homers, and 75 RBI. With Plawecki being sent down in favor of Rene Rivera, Monell became the backup catcher. In order to get him into the lineup more, Monell saw some additional time at first base. Monell finished the year tied for the team lead in homers and third in RBI.
At this point, it is not known if the Mets intend to bring back the 30 year old catcher to play for the 51s again in the 2017 season.
With the 2016 World Series going seven games, today marks the deadline for Yoenis Cespedes to opt out of the remaining two years of his contract. Once Cespedes opts out of his contract like we all expect him to do, the danger of losing him in free agency will begin to be fully realized.
The Mets have had over a month to negotiate a deal with Cespedes. Over this time period, they were the only team that could negotiate with him, and yet, the Mets haven’t had any real contract discussions with him. Instead, the Mets have let everyone know they are pessimistic about re-signing him because he wants a five year deal. Then they began the process of putting out there the team is concerned about what type of effort Cespedes will give once he receives the five year contract he is looking to obtain in free agency.
This is the beginnings of the same smear campaign the Mets launched against Cespedes last offseason. As you remember last offseason, the Mets quickly moved on from Cespedes by signing Alejandro De Aza to platoon with Juan Lagares in center. It was only after Cespedes didn’t get the deal he was expecting in free agency that he and the Mets were able to negotiate the current deal Cespedes is opting out of today.
There will be no bat signals like De Aza this offseason. The Mets already have a glut of outfielders with Curtis Granderson, Jay Bruce, Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and Lagares. The Mets also have Justin Ruggiano for the moment. With all of those pieces, the Mets are likely going to figure out how to piece those outfielders together. With that in mind, it is likely Cespedes is gone.
And if he is as good as gone, just let him go. He was great for the Mets for the last year and a half. He was a fan favorite, and he was a difference maker in the lineup. If the Mets believe they can build an offense without Cespedes much in the same fashion many of these same front office people did with Oakland after Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi left in free agency, more power to you. This decision right here is exactly why this front office is in place.
However, no matter what your decision, don’t smear the guy on the way out. You’re not changing the fans’ opinion on him, nor are you ever going to convince the fans you are not willing to have a payroll commensurate with the payroll a big market team should have.
With the smear campaign already in place, and the Mets not negotiating with Cespedes when they had the time, the handwriting is on the wall. We just do not know how many more days, weeks, or possibly months lie ahead before Cespedes signs elsewhere. No matter what happens from this point forward, the Mets front office better be right in how they handle this decision.
This postseason Terry Francona relied heavily on this three best relievers throughout the postseason. One reason why he did it was Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller, and Cody Allen were all terrific relievers. Another reason why is the Indians starting rotation was decimated by injuries. Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar were out of the rotation due to injury before the postseason, and Trevor Bauer lacerated his hand while fixing a drone. Francona was forced to do what he did in the postseason. It was not unlike Willie Randolph in 2006.
Like Francona, the Mets were running away with the division when disaster struck. Their ace, Pedro Martinez, was ruled out for the postseason due to an injured leg, and then all hope of his return for the postseason was abandoned when it was discovered he had a torn rotator cuff. While Steve Trachsel was purportedly healthy a year removed from a cervical discectomy, he wasn’t the same pitcher anymore finishing the year with a 4.97 ERA. On the eve of the NLDS, Orlando Hernandez (“El Duque”) suffered a torn calf muscle thereby putting John Maine in position to start Game 1.
The surprise starter Maine gave the Mets 4.1 strong innings. Still, with runners on first and second with one out, Randolph wasn’t taking any chances in a 2-1 game. He first went to Pedro Feliciano to get Kenny Lofton, and then he went to Chad Bradford to get Nomar Garciaparra. The bullpen pitched the final 4.2 innings to secure the victory. This would essentially be how Randolph would manage the rest of the 2006 postseason in non-Tom Glavine starts. Overall, here’s a look at when the Mets bullpen entered each game that postseason:
| NLDS Game 1 | John Maine | 4.1 | Chad Bradford |
| NLDS Game 2 | Tom Glavine | 6.0 | Pedro Feliciano |
| NLDS Game 3 | Steve Trachsel | 3.1 | Darren Oliver |
| NLCS Game 1 | Tom Glavine | 7.0 | Guillermo Mota |
| NLCS Game 2 | John Maine | 4.0 | Chad Bradford |
| NLCS Game 3 | Steve Trachsel | 1.0 | Darren Oliver |
| NLCS Game 4 | Oliver Perez | 5.2 | Chad Bradford |
| NLCS Game 5 | Tom Glavine | 4.0 | Chad Bradford |
| NLCS Game 6 | John Maine | 5.1 | Chad Bradford |
| NLCS Game 7 | Oliver Perez | 6.0 | Chad Bradford |
Overall, the Mets starters pitched 47.2 innings that entire postseason meaning they averaged 4.2 innings per start. This year, the Indians starters pitched the very same 4.2 innings per star those 2006 Mets did. Despite Francona and Randolph having the very same approaches to the postseason games, Francona was hailed as a visionary and a genius, whereas many blame Randolph for the Mets failures in the postseason. The difference?
It started in Game 2 of the NLCS. Mota infamously shook off Paul Lo Duca, and Scott Spiezio hit a game tying triple. When Billy Wagner subsequently allowed a So Taguchi lead-off home run, it was a completely different NLCS. Then in Game 7, Aaron Heilman left a change-up up in the zone, and Yadier Molina hit a go-ahead two run home run. If not for those two mistakes, the Mets are in the World Series, and quite possibly, it is Randolph, not Francona that is seen as the visionary.
But the Mets lost because their pitchers did not execute in the two biggest moments of that series. As such, Francona is the genius because to the victor goes the spoils.
After the Cubs won an absolutely thrilling Game 7 behind MVP Ben Zobrist, we have another World Series and Game 7 in the books. With that the Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years, and a pitcher joined 37 other major leaguers as the winning pitcher in a World Series Game 7. Can you name all 37? Good luck!
Babe Adams, Jeff Tesreau, Walter Johnson, Ray Kremer, Jesse Haines, Burleigh Grimes, Dizzy Dean, Paul Derringer, Hal Newhouser, Harry Brecheen, Joe Page, Allie Reynolds, Johnny Podres, Johnny Kucks, Lew Burdette, Bob Turley, Harvey Haddix, Ralph Terry, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Mickey Lolich, Steve Blass, Catfish Hunter, Ken Holtzman, Clay Carroll, Grant Jackson, Joaquin Andujar, Roger McDowell, Frank Viola, Jack Morris, Jay Powell, Randy Johnson, John Lackey, Chris Carpenter, Jeremy Affeldt, Madison Bumgarner, Cody Allen, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, Corey Kluber, Jeff Manship, Zach McAllister, Ryan Merritt, Andrew Miller, Dan Otero, Danny Salazar, Bryan Shaw, Josh Tomlin, Jake Arrieta, Aroldis Chapman, Carl Edwards, Justin Grimm, Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Mike Montgomery, Hector Rendon, Pedro Strop, Travis Wood
Last night’s Game 7 was one of the most thrilling games you will ever see. It was full of twists, turns, and surprises. Neither manager had their best day. Players went from goats to heroes and vice versa. Most of the players were not sharp in this game. While it is hard to say that a great game like that wasn’t the best baseball, it is certainly true seeing the errors, poor judgments, and miscues. Despite all of that, it was a great game with a lot to unpack.
First off, the umpiring was atrocious as it was most of the World Series. Throughout the telecast John Smoltz and Joe Buck did a good job highlighting how first Home Plate Umpire Sam Holbrook was just missing clear strikes throughout the game, and then when the game got tight late, his zone became inconsistent. There was a pitch that Mike Napoli struck out on that was a foot off the outside corner, which is all the more appalling when you consider Holbrook wasn’t even calling pitches strikes that were actually on the outside corner.
Then there was the call John Hirschbeck completely blew in the third inning.
You can’t get that play wrong. It wasn’t even close. This game and this World Series made the best possible case for the need for replay in baseball, and it also made the case for the need to get going on the technology for automated called balls and strikes.
The play was also terrible because it was just a bad play by Javier Baez. It was one of two bad errors he made in the field trying to do too much. Baez would make everyone forget about those two errors, and his overall shaky play in Game 7 by leading off the fifth inning with a monster home run off Corey Kluber.
Baez was one of THREE players to make everyone forget about his poor play by hitting a huge home run.
The next up was David Ross of all people. With Jon Lester pitching, Ross was the only player who could have fielded a dribbler off the bat off Jason Kipnis. He got to it, but instead of eating the ball, the threw it away giving the Indians second and third with two outs. A wild pitch later in the ensuing at-bat would ricochet off his helmet (not his fault) and would lead to two Indians runs to get them back in the game. Of course, we would forget about it as Ross hit a solo home run in the sixth inning off of Andrew Miller which would make it a 6-3 game. At that point, we would not know how crucial that run was.
It was crucial because of Rajai Davis. While it was doubtful Davis could get either Ross’ or Dexter Fowler‘s leadoff home run, it is true he gave himself little chance by mistiming his jumps. That really wasn’t a big deal. What was a big deal was his hesitation and poor throw in the fourth inning.
With Kris Bryant (one of the few players on the day who actually played well throughout) standing on third base, Addison Russell hit a medium depth fly ball. Many people don’t go on that play, but someone with Bryant’s speed and base running ability does. Davis didn’t get his full force behind the throw, he hesitated his throw, and he threw it high. The combination of the three along with a great slide by Bryant allowed the Cubs to score the go-ahead run.
Later that same inning, he misplayed a Willson Contreras ball to the wall. He initially broke in on a ball that went to the wall. It is up for debate whether or not he could have got there, but it is undisputed he gave himself no chance whatsoever to get there.
Of course, everyone forgets his play in the field because he squared up an Aroldis Chapman fastball in the bottom of the eighth to hit one of the most dramatic and improbable World Series home run this side of Bill Mazeroski:
Rajai. Davis.
Cleveland. Legend. #Game7 pic.twitter.com/PptzTVwcu5
— MLB (@MLB) November 3, 2016
Normally, Davis wouldn’t have had a shot against Chapman, but Chapman has been over worked and exhausted. It is strange Maddon stuck with Chapman because Lester was dealing. On the other hand, it wasn’t that strange when taken in context of the full game.
Despite the Cubs having a 5-1 lead in the fifth, and Kyle Hendricks, the NL leader in ERA this season, in complete control of the game, he went to Lester after a Santana two out walk. It was either desperation, sticking with a pre-determined formula or both. Whatever the case, as noted above, it led to the Indians getting back in the game.
As we saw with Davis’ home run, Maddon sticking with a Chapman who had nothing out there also let the Indians back into the game.
Sticking with pitchers far too long is ultimately what did cost the Indians the World Series. While Kluber wasn’t getting help from the home plate umpire, he wasn’t helping his own cause either. He wasn’t as sharp, and the Cubs went to work. Despite this, Francona got greedy trying to push him through the fourth. It ended up with a 3-1 Cubs lead, and eventually a 4-1 Cubs lead when Francona put Kluber back out there for the fifth.
Francona then went to Miller who had nothing. As a result, he allowed two earned over 2.1 inning. Both Kluber and Miller allowed more earned runs in this game then they had allowed all postseason.
Francona almost did it again with Cody Allen. Allen took over for Miller in the seventh, and he got out of a mini-jam. Allen would pitch effectively into the top of the ninth where he seemingly lost it all at once. Jason Heyward was tattooing him left and right before finally hitting into a fielder’s choice. For the only time in the game, Francona went to his bullpen in time to get Bryan Shaw. Shaw got out of the ninth, but fate would not be on his side.
As if the game wasn’t crazy enough, right after the ninth inning, there was a rain delay. It was a short one, but it was enough to have a profound impact on the game.
During the telecast, we heard how Heyward calmed the Cubs down in the weight room during the rain delay. With the Cubs scoring two in the top of the 10th, his speech was and will forever be attributed to the Cubs rallying to win the World Series. Not to downplay it, but there was more at hand there.
Shaw, the latest pitcher available Francona trusted, was getting cold in the clubhouse. It showed when he came out for the 10th. Kyle Schwarber hit a blistering ground ball through the shift to get the rally started. Bryant then just missed one as he hit it to the deepest part of the park. It was at this point that a game with so many twists and turns finally reached its final turning point.
Rather than go halfway on the deep fly ball, especially on a ball Davis had similarly misplayed earlier in the game, the pinch runner Albert Almora tagged up and got himself into scoring position. This lead to Francona somewhat controversially intentionally walking Anthony Rizzo to set up the double play and pitch to Ben Zobrist. Zobrist then hit a sharp opposite field double just past Jose Ramirez to set up the go-ahead run.
After another intentional walk, Miguel Montero hit what would become the World Series winning RBI. Only at that point did Francona lift Shaw for Trevor Bauer, who somehow managed to get out of the bases loaded one out jam to give the Indians a chance.
The Indians would start a two out rally against Carl Edwards, Jr. Brandon Guyer worked the two out walk, went to second base on defensive indifference, and he would score on Davis’ RBI single. However, that is as far as the Indians would go. Mike Montgomery came into the game, and he faced Michael Martinez. Martinez had entered the game in the ninth for defense during that rally Shaw had to sniff out. The Indians had no more bench players left, so they had to stick with the career .197 hitter. He hit a soft grounder to a grinning Bryant. Bryant made the play, and Rizzo put the ball in this back pocket.
With that the Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years.
It was a thrilling game throughout that had you on the edge of your seat. It was also a sloppy played game with poor managing and even worse umpiring. While there might have been some poor baseball played, it was a great game nevertheless. It will go down as one of the greatest games ever.
For me, it wasn’t THE greatest. At this moment, the Smoltz-Jack Morris duel still sticks out to me as the greatest game I’ve ever seen. Many will bring up Mazeroski and the 1960 World Series. Historians will argue it was the 1924 World Series that saw the Washington Senators win the World Series behind Walter Johnson and a bad hop off a pebble. There are many others. This game belongs in the conversation with them, but in reality, it wasn’t the best ever, nor did it need to be to cap off what was a great World Series.
If you are a diehard Mets fan, or if you are a Mets fan well versed in the history of the team, you know how the Cubs were the Mets first real rival. You know the stories about how Ron Santo clicked his heels taunting the Mets, and you warmly remember the black cat crossing Santo’s path. From there, the Mets overtook the Cubs to win the National League East en route to winning the 1969 World Series.
In 1984, the Cubs obtained Rick Sutcliffe, and the team went on an incredible run to win the National League East over the upstart New York Mets who went from 68 to 90 wins with their first full season with Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry. By the way, it was also the rookie year for phenom Dwight Gooden.
Then there was the NLCS last year that saw Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, and Jacob deGrom dominate a terrific Cubs lineup. We all knew the Cubs were a great team, but the Mets were their kryptonite. As a Mets fan, a large part of you had to wonder if the Cubs even make the World Series if the Mets pitching was healthy.
But the angst goes well beyond that. There was Ben Zobrist as the World Series MVP. Mets fans watched him be a major contributor to a Kansas City Royals team who beat the Mets in the World Series last year. In the offseason, he was seemingly all but assured to join the Mets to replace Daniel Murphy. Instead, literally at the 11th hour, he spurned the Mets, and he signed with the Cubs. Part of you had to wonder how different the 2016 season would have been had Zobrist signed with the Mets.
The Cubs also overcame a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series. The Mets were in the same position last year, and like the Cubs, the Mets had their starting pitching aligned. It all seemed to be going according to plan as Harvey carried a shutout into the ninth inning. As we remember, Terry Collins went against his better instinct, and he sent Harvey out there instead of Jeurys Familia. Harvey allowed a walk and a double to narrow the gap to 2-1. Familia then did his job getting the ground ball to get out of the game only for David Wright to cut off a ball he shouldn’t have played allowing Eric Hosmer an extra jump rounding third. That was important as it gave Hosmer the ability to break for home, and he scored with Lucas Duda making the worst throw of his life.
Watching the 10th inning reminded me of that 12th inning game of that ill fated Game 5. Watching a cold and tired Joe Shaw helplessly trying to get out of the jam reminded me of an overworked and tired Addison Reed getting hit left and right by the Royals in what was a devastating seven run inning.
In many respects, as a Mets fan it was tough to watch. It was even tougher to watch when you consider Theo Epstein got his Cubs team to win the World Series before the Mets could win one despite Sandy Alderson having been on the job a year longer than Epstein. It is all the more frustrating when you consider the Cubs beat out the Mets for Zobrist, and the Cubs spent a lot of money in the past offseason.
The one solace to take out of all of this is the fact that the Mets are built to win not just next year, but in the ensuing years. And yes, the Mets are built to contend with or without Yoenis Cespedes. Not only do the Mets have the pitching, but they also have players like Dominic Smith and Amed Rosario on the way. There is still hope for Michael Conforto and Travis d’Arnaud to rebound in 2017 to recapture their 2015 form. Duda can put together a healthy contract year season. There is still a lot of hope for the Mets to be World Series contenders the next couple of seasons. There are also the seeds for a real rivalry between the Mets and the Cubs over the next few seasons.
However, as of right now, all that is left behind is a World Series victory for the Cubs, and the Mets wondering both “what if” and “how do we get back there.” That is what stings most of all.
The year my son was born, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series.
Today, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series.
People waited their whole lifetimes for each of these things to happen, and they never did. He’s three this month, and he’s around for both.
In an odd twist of fate, he has never seen a Yankees World Series.
It was strange typing it. It’s weirder re-reading it.
He was up for the last out, and he went right back to sleep. He has no idea how incredible he got to see something no one on this planet has ever seen.
I just hope he doesn’t have to wait long for a Mets World Series victory.
Who will eventually become the World Series MVP largely hinges on what happens tonight. There is a chance that any one of the following could have a great game and separate themselves from the list. There is also a chance one of the following could become a goat tonight thereby removing themselves from the list. There is also a remote chance someone could pull a Bill Mazeroski and vault themselves to the top of the MVP list. It should be noted that Bobby Richardson was the 1960 MVP (first from a losing team). With that in mind, there are some potential MVP candidates from each team:
Chicago Cubs
Kris Bryant – Despite his poor play in the field in Game 4, his bat coming alive helped the Cubs win Games 5 and 6. He homered in each including a game tying shot in Game 5 and a go-ahead first inning shot in Game 6. So far in the series, he is hitting .273/385/.545 with two homers and two RBI
Anthony Rizzo – Rizzo has been the hottest hitter on the Cubs this World Series hitting .364/.462/.636 with three doubles, one homer and four RBI. He has also played a slick first base which should help his cause.
Addison Russell – His offensive stats aren’t spectacular, but his defense is. It should also be noted he leads the team in RBI this World Series. Those numbers are largely boosted by a game changing grand slam in Game 6.
Kyle Schwarber – If the Cubs were to win tonight, one of the narratives is going to be how Schwarber’s ability to DH greatly impacted the team. It would be why they won 3/4 in Cleveland while losing 2/3 at home. So far in the series, he is hitting .333/.467/.417 with one double and two RBI.
Ben Zobrist – This World Series, Zobrist has showed everyone why the Mets and the Cubs were so desperate to get him this past offseason. So far in the series, Zobrist is hitting .391/.462/.552 with a double, a triple, and an RBI.
Aroldis Chapman – While Chapman only has one save, he has made four appearances this World Series pitching 6.1 innings striking out nine Indians. The only run he has allowed was an inherited run from last night’s game as a result of Joe Maddon pulling him due to Pedro Stroop not being ready to enter the game yet.
CLEVELAND INDIANS
Jason Kipnis – Over the last few games, Kipnis has been red hot at the plate trying to do all he can do to defeat his hometown team and bring a World Series back to Cleveland. So far this series, Kipnis has been hitting .308/.333/.654 with three doubles, two homers, and four RBI
Francisco Lindor – the Indians best player has been their best player in the World Series. In addition to playing sterling defense at short, he has hit .364/.440/.409 with a double and two RBI.
Roberto Perez – His handling of the pitching staff has been key for most of this series, and he hit two huge home runs in Game 1 of the World Series shocking the entire world. So far in the series, he is hitting .211/.318/.526 with two homer and five RBI. He is the Indians leader in RBI.
Corey Kluber – Not only has Kluber shut down the Cubs in his first two starts, he also had a huge base hit in Game 4 of the series. So far, Kluber is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA and a 0.833 WHIP.
Andrew Miller – Miller has been almost as good as he was in the prior rounds of the postseason. So far, he has made three appearances pitching 5.1 innings going 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA and a 0.938 WHIP.
For sure there are other candidates for each team, and quite possibly new ones will emerge tonight. No matter who that player is, the main hope for all baseball fans is that we are treated to a great Game 7 tonight.