Plawecki’s Chance to Wally Pipp d’Arnaud

There are a number of ways to analyze Travis d’Arnaud‘s shoulder problems. It can be used as another example of the narrative that he’s injury prone. It could be used to explain his poor start at the plate. It could be used to explain why the Reds were 5/5 in stolen base attempts on Monday. 

It can also be seen as another opportunity for Kevin Plawecki. 

Plawecki had that chance last year, and he couldn’t take advantage. He hit .219/.280/.296 with three homers and 21 RBI. His OPS+ was 63, and his wRC+ was 60. It was about as ugly an offensive year as you could’ve had. To put it in perspective, Eric Campbell had a higher OPS+ and wRC+. You know it’s been a tough year at the plate when Campbell was the better hitter. 

Now, there were valid reasons for his struggles. First, he had no protection in that lineup. The aforementioned Campbell was at one time a middle of the order bat. Second, he might not have been ready. He had played less than one season’s worth of games in AAA. Finally, he had some health issues. He had offseason sinus surgery to help alleviate the dry spells he experienced during games last year. 

Whatever the reason, he struggled mightily. He was once seen as someone who could push d’Arnaud for playing time last year. Instead, his 2015 showed that d’Arnaud was clearly the better player. The Mets could’ve opted to start him in AAA this year to help his development, but ultimately, the team decided it was better to have him as a backup catcher. 

Now, depending on the severity of d’Arnaud’s shoulder, Plawecki is going to get a second chance to show the Mets he can be the team’s primary catcher. He can show them he can be the .290/.364/.432 hitter he was in the minors.  He has an opportunity to show his poor 2015 offensive numbers were driven by a low .277 BABIP.  He can show the team he’s every bit the pitch framer d’Arnaud is. He can show the Mets he’s more durable. Possibly, Plawecki can show he’s a better player and Wally Pipp d’Arnaud in the process. 

Plawecki is getting that all too valuable second chance to show the Mets he can be every bit the player they thought he was and more. He’s getting a chance to show the world what how good a ballplayer he really is. In essence, he’s getting a chance to show everyone he is better than d’Arnaud. 

This time he’s in a much better lineup. He has major league playing experience. He’s had surgery to alleviate the dizzy spells. He’s out of excuses. This is his chance, and he needs to take full advantage of it. 

Editor’s Note: this article was also published on metsmerizedonline.com

page top

Young Players Lead the Way

There was a time the Mets relying on the young meant hoping Chris Young‘s shoulder wouldn’t fall apart, or the other Chris Young hitting above the Mendoza Line. The 2016 version is much better. 

Tonight, the Mets were carried by two 23 year old superstars – Noah Syndergaard and Michael Conforto. 

Syndergaard was throwing so hard he broke the radar guns in Citi Field.  With that said, he wasn’t dominating. Of the seven innings he pitched, he had only two 1-2-3 innings. 

However, just because he wasn’t dominating doesn’t mean he wasn’t intimidating. In Billy Hamilton laid down a bunt single in the third inning. He then stole two bases leading to the Reds’ only run of the game. Hamilton’s next at bat? Syndergaard buzzed him inside reminding Hamilton he’s 60’6″ away. 

Still Syndergaard had some problems. In  the sixth, the Reds had runners on second and third with one out. Syndergaard would then strike out Devin Mesoraco and Adam Duvall to get out of the jam. He got them both with sliders. 

Speaking of the slider, Syndergaard went to that well too often.  After he passed 100 pitches, and the Reds were going to the fourth time through the lineup, they were able to get a two out rally started. 

Zack Cozart would chase Syndergaard in the seventh with an RBI single before Antonio Bastardo came in and showed signs of over use. He walked the first batter he faced before allowing a game-tying single to Joey Votto. Logan Verrett came on in relief and got the Mets out of the jam leaving the score tied 3-3. 

Syndergaard’s final line was 6.2 innings, seven hits, three earned, no walks, and nine strikeouts. 

The Mets would retake the lead on yet another Neil Walker homerun:

For his part, Conforto couldn’t make an out.  In the first inning, he hit a homer. He followed that with a single in the third. He got a shift double in the fifth. He hit a bloop by the left field line. Suarez got under it, but he still couldn’t make the play. It bounced into the stands for a ground rule double.  He walked in the seventh. The cycle was not to be.  He’s been amazing since he was called-up, and he’s been better since he started hitting third:

By the way, Lucas Duda hit another homerun:

In what was a good night overall, there was some cause for concern. Travis d’Arnaud continues to struggle behind the plate. While Syndergaard doesn’t hold runners on well, d’Arnaud’s throws were terrible. He was palming the ball. He was winding up too much. He seemed to be thinking more than reacting. Overall, the Reds were 5-5 in stolen base attempts. 

Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia closed out the win. 

The game was tougher than it should have been, but it’s still a win. It extended the Mets winning streak to four games. The streak should continue as the Mets are pulling it all together and are beating bad teams like they should. 

page top

Prediction for Fan Vote Under Proposed Change in All Star Voting Format

Earlier today, I published a proposal to change the way the fans vote for the All Star Game. To show how this may work, here is my best guess on how the fans may vote based upon if fans were voting today:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

AL East

Baltimore Orioles – Manny Machado 3B

Boston Red Sox – David Ortiz DH

Toronto Blue Jays – Josh Donaldson 3B

Tampa Bay Rays – Kevin Kiermaier CF

New York Yankees – Dellin Betances RP

AL Central

Chicago White Sox – Chris Sale SP

Kansas City Royals – Alex Gordon LF

Cleveland Indians – Francisco Lindor SS

Detroit Tigers – J.D. Martinez RF

Minnesota Twins – Joe Mauer 1B

AL West

Oakland Athletics – Sonny Gray SP

Texas Rangers – Adrian Beltre 3B

Seattle Mariners – Felix Hernandez SP

Los Angels Angels of Anaheim – Mike Trout CF 

Houston Astros – Jose Altuve 2B

Now, as the season progresses and players improve, we could see changes here and there like Miguel Cabrera in place of J.D. Martinez. Overall, this looks to be a fair projection. Of the 15 players selected, there were three starting pitchers, one reliever, no catchers, one first baseman, one second baseman, three third baseman, one shortstop, one left fielder, two centerfielders, one rightfielder, and a DH.  With nineteen spots left, there is plenty of room left to assemble a complete All Star Game roster. 

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NL East

Washington Nationals – Bryce Harper RF

New York Mets – Noah Syndergaard SP

Philadelphia Phillies – Vincent Velasquez SP

Miami Marlins – Giancarlo Stanton RF

Atlanta Braves – Freddie Freeman (?) 1B

NL Central

Chicago Cubs – Anthony Rizzo 1B

St. Louis Cardinals – Yadier Molina C

Pittsburgh Pirates – Starling Marte LF

Cincinnati Reds – Zack Cozart SS

Milwaukee Brewers – Ryan Braun LF

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers – Clayton Kershaw SP

Arizona Diamondbacks – Paul Goldschmidt  1B

Colorado Rockies – Nolan Arenado 3B

San Francisco Giants – Buster Posey C

San Diego Padres – Melvin Upton, Jr. LF

In total, the National League would have three starters, no relievers, two catchers, three first basemen, no second basemen, one third baseman, one shortstop, three left fielders, no centerfielders, and two rightfielders. Again, there’s plenty of room to fill in the rest of the roster. 

OVERALL

By no means should my choices here be interpreted as the final say or who I would vote for if these rules were adapted. It’s only a guess.

With that said, there are some young and exciting players here like Syndergaard and Lindor. There are bona five superstars like Harper and Trout (who also qualify as young and exciting). Also, there are players here like Freeman and Velasquez, who may not be chosen to an All Star Game, but nevertheless, they would be there because every team must be represented. Look, if you’re going to name someone to the All Star Game who wouldn’t be there but for one rule, you might as well let those fans pick the players. 

At the end of the day, these are mostly deserving All Stars, and their inclusion would not hamper Ned Yost’s or Terry Collins’ ability to field a team. It’s time to let fans pick their own players. 

page top

Fixing the MLB All Star Voting

On Sunday April 24th, Major League Baseball opened the voting to select the All Star Game starters. It’s another sign that the system is broken. 

The concept of voting for your All Star Game starters is becoming antiquated, if it’s not antiquated already. The concept is that the fans get to vote for the players they want to see play in the game, but that’s not what it is, or what’s is become. Rather, the All Star Game voting has become an opportunity for a fanbase to stuff the ballot box to vote for their favorites. For example, in 2012, the San Francisco Giants fans stuffed the ballot box to make Pablo Sandoval the starting third baseman over the much more deserving David Wright. 

Giants fans enthusiasm was much higher than Mets fans at the time with the Giants having recently won a World Series and the Mets being nowhere near contention. It also helped that the Giants’ organization led a huge push to get Sandoval elected. If we’re being honest, it’s not supposed to work this way. We’re not supposed to see fan bases making huge pushes to get their players elected. Rather, the fans as a whole are supposed to select the players that are the most deserving and who they want to see. 

And yet, the Giants fans voting enmass for Sandoval fits into the spirit of the All Star Game. 

The reason it fits into the spirit is even in the “This One Counts” Era of the All Star Game, each team no matter how bad gets a representative. The classic example is Dmitri Young representing a horrendous Tigers team that went 43-119. If 2003 didn’t force a change, nothing will. 

The reason why it hasn’t changed is because the theory is your team having an All Star would generate your interest in watching the All Star Game. The belief is that you’ll tune-in to watch your guy play. Baseball wants to generate interest in the All Star Game, and whether it’s true or not, they believe this will generate fan interest in every city. In essence, Major Leagur Baseball loves when there is a concerted effort in a city to get the fans to vote for someone. It shows that fans care about their team and the All Star Game. The hope is that this translates to more viewers. 

Now, if you want to generate as much fan interest as possible, you would want to try to ensure the fans actually get to see the players from their team they would actually want to see play. 

For example, in two of his first four seasons with the Mets, Bobby Bonilla was the lone Mets All Star. This is the same player who was wearing earplugs so he couldn’t hear the fans booing him. There were no Mets fans in 1993 or 1995 watching just so they could see Bonilla enter the game. It wasn’t happening. As a result, in these circumstances, you defeat the purpose of the every team represented premise. 

No, if your goal is to get the fans from a particular team to watch, you should pick out an All Star that they would actually want to watch play in the game. Better yet, why not let each team’s fans pick their All Star?  

Instead of voting for the starters, let everyone vote for the one player from each team they would like to see play in the All Star Game.  For the Dodgers, is there any question that player should be Clayton Kershaw?  It’s possible Red Sox fans would like the opportunity to have David Ortiz go out as an All Star. If you’re a fan of a team like the Phillies, wouldn’t you want to see how your young hurler Vincent Velasquez pitches against the big boys?  

This is also an opportunity the players themselves to market the biggest and brightest stars. Players can ask for people to vote for them and create their own hashtags. Jose Bautista could promise to do another epic bat flip if he’s selected as the Blue Jay’s representative. Maybe a slugger or two can make a reciprocal promise that if chosen they will participle in the Homerun Derby. This could be a chance for players to interact with the fans, let their personalities shine, and make themselves more marketable. Isn’t this exactly what baseball wants?  

Also, you can eliminate something inane that has taken place in baseball. You could vote for a starter at every position, but you can’t vote for a pitcher. Doesn’t make sense. Kershaw could be the best pitcher in the game. He’s the pitcher most fans would pay to see pitch, but no, you as a fan cannot voice how much you want to see him pitch. Selecting one player from every roster ends that. 

Another bonus is fans get to select more players to the game. Instead of electing 17, they get to pick 30. That’s 30 instead of 17 races to keep an eye on. Fans can get more involved. Throughout social media different factions of fanbase a can argue for their player and try to organize voting for that player. 

Now, there are some inherent dangers in allowing fans to pick more players. The selection of say Freddie Freeman for the Braves could block a more deserving first baseman from getting selected. However, that is also a risk inherent in having each team have a representative. 

The next hazard is there being too many players at each position. In some strange years, you may get three DH for the American League, which would create some potential roster issues. However, would that be any worse than Joe Torre going with five shortstops and one second baseman to the 2002 All Star Game?  Furthermore, having a surplus at one position may force the best players to stay in the game longer, which would also be beneficial for the fans. 

Overall, if you want to avoid the issue of having too many players at one position hampering the ability to field a team, expand the All Star Game rosters.  It also wouldn’t hurt having an extra player or two to avoid another Milwaukee situation. 

Now, there may be some people that would want to select the game’s starting lineups. There is no reason why that has to go away.  You can replace voting for the last player to make the team with voting for which All Star gets to be in the starting lineup. 

This would give an opportunity for fans to make a push to have their player start the game. Teams can launch their social media campaigns to have their players start the All Star Game. Then in an effort to increase ratings, baseball shouldn’t release the results of the fan vote until the players are introduced at the All Star Game. While we can debate the merits of whether or not more people would watch to see if Daniel Murphy or Neil Walker is the starting second baseman, we should be able to agree more would tune in to watch that than seeing the last All Star on each roster take the field. 

One logistical note. This is a time when voting for a pitcher to start the game doesn’t make sense. Pitchers who pitched recently are unavailable to pitch in the game. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to permit fans to vote for Kershaw only to have him miss the game.  Hopefully, this issue is alleviated by the fact that baseball and Dodger fans had the opportunity to vote for him to play in the game during the initial vote. 

Overall, implementing these two ideas would create more fan involvement and interest. It would actually let the fans of each team get to see the player they would want to see play in the game. Hopefully, at the end of the day, this will lead to bigger ratings. 

page top

Tipping the Limo Driver for Score Updates

Six years ago to the day, I woke up with a bundle of nerves. The Mets were under .500, and they were sending Jon Niese to the mound against the Braves. Niese has never instilled any Mets fan with confidence.  

Initially, I had high hopes for this team.  After 2009, they were more comfortable in Citi Field and knew how to play there. Jose Reyes and David Wright were in their prime. Carlos Beltran had a full offseason to rest up, get healthy, and return to his dominant form.  I thought Ike Davis would get a call-up and be a legitimate middle of the order power threat. I thought Jason Bay would succeed with the Mets after playing so well for the Red Sox. The team had an ace in Johan Santana and an emerging pitcher in Mike Pelfrey. K-Rod was the closer, and promising young rookie Jenrry Mejia was going to be his set-up man.  There was a lot to like. 

Those feelings of optimism faded away early in the season. They lost seven of their first 10 games. Jerry Manuel was the manager, and he was managing like it. The team was barely able to score runs against the Cardinals’ position players in a 20 inning game. The Mets were under .500. Worse yet, they had to face Larry Jones – err, Chipper – and the Braves. The Mets countered with the enigmatic Niese against a player and team that killed the Mets. It’s enough to make any Mets’ fans stomach turn. 

By the way, it was also my wedding day. 

Yes, my wedding day. That one I knew I got right. I was marrying the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met (still is), and she had no clue she was way too good for me (still is). Honestly, I was not nervous at all about marrying her. I was only nervous about the logistics of the day. I was nervous about missing the Mets game. Priorities. 

I made sure I was ready well in advance so I could watch the game from first pitch. I caught the first couple of innings at home before getting in the limousine and heading to the Church. As we got to the Church, it was still 0-0. Now, as a superstitious sort, I knew I couldn’t hang around in the limo listening to the game because I couldn’t risk seeing my then fiancée in her dress before she entered the Church. Accordingly, I tipped the driver a couple of bucks to funnel me score updates until the game was over. 

Last thing I knew as a single man, the Mets were losing 1-0 to the Braves. Sounds about right. After seeing my wife head up the aisle, I forgot all about the Mets. I was excited to marry the best person I’ve ever known. 

Once the mass was over, we had the proceeding line. All my wife could do was laugh when the limo driver came over to give me the score. The Mets won 3-1. She knew what she was getting into marrying me. I put the Mets out of mind, did our wedding photos, and then had the greatest wedding reception ever. 

By the way, my wife nixed the idea of having Mr. Met serve as the maitre d’. It wasn’t my idea (although I fully supported it). Some of the ushers started a collection, but it quickly died down when my wife caught wind of it. Speaking of the ushers, I did win the pool because I didn’t cry during the mass. First round of drinks in Hawaii were on them. 

After my wife and I got married, the Mets went on a winning streak and took over first place. I had no idea because I was on my honeymoon (although we did fly Jet Blue so I could watch the Mets and Braves play the Sunday Night Game).  

During my honeymoon, I paid no attention to the Mets. Spending time with her then (as it is now) will always be more important. I just enjoyed each and every moment of being married to my beautiful wife. I still do. Marrying my wife was the best decision I ever made. 

Happy Anniversary honey. 

page top

Cooking Eggs with Your Toddler

During the Alton Brown “Eat Your Science” show, he took questions from the audience. One involved when to cook with your kids and the benefits thereof. He advocating starting with your kids when they’re three or four. He explained the benefits of cooking with your kids, which includes making them healthier and more self reliant. 

I agree completely. Personally, I started cooking with my son right before he turned two. One reason I did this was because your son always wants to do what his daddy does. He was curious and wanted to help. Furthermore, I found when he helps, he was more eager to eat what was made rather than just asking for cookies, chips, or other kinds of junk food.  I also encourage cooking with your children because it teaches them patience and how to follow instructions. Lastly, I encourage cooking with your child because it’s bonding time. Every Saturday and Sunday, we go to the kitchen once we wake up to make breakfast. I love that time together. 

Like Alton Brown, I started with eggs because it’s nutritious, delicious, and pretty hard to mess up. The first time I cooked eggs with my son, he basically watched. Now, he participates. Here’s how we do it. 

First, I assemble everything we need:

 

I assembled enough eggs to cook breakfast for the family. There’s a pat of butter to grease the pan. There’s a Spurtle for me and a spoon for him. I like using the silicon because it doesn’t conduct heat thereby greatly reducing the chances of him burning himself. As for the bowl, you want something shallow enough your child can scramble the eggs but deep enough so you can prevent as much spillage as possible. 
After that, it’s time to break some eggs:

  
It was only recent that I allow my son to crack the eggs himself. The reason is egg shells could contain salmonella. It’s very important that not only your child, but also you wash your hands after cracking the eggs. At first, I would hold my son’s hands as he did this, but now he’s able to do it himself, and he knows if he gets anything on him he needs to wash his hands immediately. 

When you let your child crack the eggs, expect a lot of shells.  At first, I tried a sieve, but the eggs are too dense to easily pass through plus you have another dish to clean. By the way, cleaning a sieve is a massive pain. No, you’re really just going to need to pick them out. The best time to do it is when your child is washing their hands. 

Once everyone’s hands are clean, it’s time to scramble the eggs:

  
Yes, he did this himself. Yes, this was conveniently the first time he’s done it without spilling the eggs outside the bowl. At this time, you can add whatever you typically want whether it’s milk, cheese, broccoli, etc. I’ve found scrambled eggs are a good way to sneak in vegetables for your child to eat. With broccoli, chop it up in the food processor to get it fine this way it gets into every bite. Otherwise, you child can eat around it if he/she wants.  

In any event, it’s also a good time to wash yours and your child’s hands again. 

Whatever you do, once the eggs are scrambled, it’s time to actually start cooking the eggs:

   

  
Two notes here. First, I removed the nobs so he can’t start turning on burners. Second, the pan is not on at this point. I let my son put the butter in, and then I move the pan to a back burner. I don’t want him accidentally touching the pan or getting too close to the flame. In any event, I move it to the back burner and tilt it so he can see the butter melt. It’s an opportunity to explain to him why the butter melts while also exhibiting why we don’t touch things that are hot. At this point, it’s time to cook the eggs:

  
As you can see from the photo, he can only reach the pan with the spoon, but he can’t actually touch the pan. I usually get my son involved once the eggs are cooking. Note, we worked up to this stage. For a very long time, I held him with one arm while I cooked with the other.  Then I let him hold the spoon while I manipulated his hand to cook the eggs. 

Overall, just be careful. There is no need to let your child be involved in this or any other stage until they show they are ready. 

Another note, I like the spoon because it allows your child to serve themself. Once the eggs are cooked, I take out my son’s plate, and I hold his arm and body to make sure all he can do is scoop the eggs out of the pan and into his bowl. I use a bowl instead of a plate because it’s easier for him to carry it to the table without spilling anything. Once at the table, it’s time to taste:

  
If all goes right, your child will be left shouting “Hooray!”

page top

Matz-terful Performance 

When Steven Matz first cracked into the majors with his grandfather jumping up and down, we expected him to do the Jerry Koosman each start. For the uninitiated, Koosman said his job as a pitcher was to shut them out and hit one out. Essentially, a pitcher should be a threat on the mound and at the plate. By the way, Koosman might’ve said that, but he was a terrible hitter. 

Tonight, Matz had one of those Koosman dictated games. Matz pitched 6.1 innings allowing nine hits, two earned, two walks, and eight strikeouts.   He got touched up was the third when noted Mets killer, Freddie Freeman, hit an RBI double. In the seventh, he ran out of gas, but Hansel Robles came in and got out of the jam. At the plate, Matz went 1-2. Terrible Braves team or not, Matz had a terrific night. 

At the plate, the Mets had some firsts. In the first inning, Lucas Duda hit the Mets first sacrifice fly of the year scoring Curtis Granderson, who led off the game with a single and moved to third on a Michael Conforto single. Speaking of Conforto, he would have his first career stolen base in the third inning. After Duda hit his sacrifice fly, Neil Walker walked for the first time this year. Don’t worry, he would add a homerun in the eighth. The second run scored in the first would later score on an error. Sarcastic Mets fans would tell you this is the first time all year the Mets manufactured a run. 

In any event, this game was what you would expect, or rather, what we should expect from Braves-Mets games this year. The Mets pitching and offense dominated. Every Mets starter, including Matz, reached base at least once. The Third Baseman Formerly Known as David Wright (RIP Prince) hit two doubles. He was 2-5 with one run, two RBI, and two strikeouts. Once again tales of his demise were greatly exaggerated. 

Somewhat surprisingly, Juan Lagares got the start in center for an ailing Yoenis Cespedes. It was surprising because Jhoulys Chacin, who is a right handed pitcher. Before Cespedes was signed, it was presumed there was going to be a centerfield platoon with Alejandro De Aza facing the eighties. 

Other than the Lagares -De Aza decision, nothing about tonight was surprising was the Mets domination. Once all was said and done, the Mets won 8-2. They need to dominate teams like this.  They need to sweep teams like this. The Mets are in the process of doing that. They’re getting back on track. 

page top

Nice to Get Noticed

This past week, I was able to interview Anthony Scaramucci regarding him and his partners purchasing the Mike Piazza post 9/11 homerun jersey. I appreciate Mr. Scaramucci purchasing the jersey and taking the time to answer my questions. 

Special thanks goes to Mets Merized Online, who not only ran this interview on their site, but also many other of my Mets articles. 

I also appreciate the links and recommendations for this interview including being part of Adam Rubin’s Morning Links. My wife was so thrilled she got a screen shot of it:

 
There were also links from SNY and Kevin Kernan, whose reporting brought the issue to light. 

I appreciate everyone who linked the interview as well as those who took the time to read it. I especially appreciate those who read the site day in and day out. 

page top

Matthew Bowman Could’ve Helped

After last season, you would want to believe that the Mets wouldn’t want to underestimate their own pitching prospects and expose them to the Rule 5 draft. 

The Mets got very, very lucky with Logan Verrett. Everyone underestimated him. Perhaps it was a result of a low 90’s fastball. Perhaps it was because he relies on control, changing your eye level, and working both sides of the plate rather than blowing a 100 MPH fastball by you like Noah Syndergaard. 

In any event, the Orioles decided he was worthy of a Rule 5 pick but not worthy of making their Opening Day roster. The Rangers scooped him up and decided after six games he couldn’t help them. He was returned to the Mets. He pitched well out of the bullpen and in spot starts. This year he’s made two spot starts and hasn’t allowed a run in 12 innings.  The Mets needed him more than they ever knew.  Fortunately for the Mets, the Orioles and Rangers never realized what they had in Verrett. The Mets got very lucky.

This year the Mets may not be so lucky with Matt Bowman. 

Bowman was taken by the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft. Partially due to Jordan Walden opening the year on the DL, Bowman made the Opening Day roster. So far this year, Bowman has appeared on five games pitching 6.2 innings. He has a 1.35 ERA and a 0.900 WHIP. He’s predominantly throwing a 93 MPH sinker. He mixes in the occasional slider (88 MPH) and splitter (82 MPH). It’s a short sample size, but Bowman looks good out of the bullpen. There’s no reason to believe the Cardinals will let him go. 

The head scratching part was there was no excuse for why the Mets let Bowman become a Cardinal. The Mets had roster space. They could’ve protected Bowman.  To make matters worse, they lost what appears to be a good bullpen piece. How did this happen?

In answering, this question it is important to note teams typically keep a roster spot open so they can make a pick in the Rule 5 draft in the event there’s a player out there who can help them. It’s how the Mets acquired Sean Gilmartin last year, and he became a valuable part of the bullpen. So in reality, the question was who should the Mets have left off the roster in place of Bowman.

The Mets did subsequently lose Kirk Nieuwenhuis on waivers. The Mets traded Darrell Ceciliani for cash. Carlos Torres and Ruben Tejada were initially offered contracts only to subsequently be released. The Mets also could’ve realized what they had and did the unconventional and just put Bowman on the roster barring them from making a Rule 5 draft pick. The Mets didn’t. Instead, they exposed Bowman in the draft in the oft chance they could’ve found someone of his caliber in the Rule 5 draft. How did this happen?  

Simply put, like Verrett, Bowman didn’t have lights-out stuff. He is a four pitch pitcher that was projected to be, at best, a back of the rotation starter or bullpen arm. He really regressed his first full year in AAA. In 2014, he was 3-2 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.294 WHIP in six starts and one relief appearance. In 2015, he made 26 starts and two relief appearances. Bowman would finish the year 7-16 with a 5.53 ERA and a 1.679 WHIP.  Entering the 2015 season, he was seen as a back of the rotation starter or a bullpen arm. His 2015 season reasonably cast doubt on those projections. At age 25, it appeared like the former 13th round draft pick’s development had stalled. 

It didn’t, and it shouldn’t be surprising as Bowman has looked for ways to improve. He has tried to emulate Tim Lincecum‘s delivery. While in college, he studied Sabermetrics, and he has sought to use it to find ways to improve. Basically, there’s no rock this former 13th round pick will leave unturned to he better. He’s built himself into a major league pitcher. 

However, Bowman is pitching for the Cardinals, and the Mets have nothing to show for it. Worse yet, the Mets could’ve used him. With Jacob deGrom‘s lat injury (and problems with his son), Verrett was thrust into the starting rotation.  Rafael Montero was recalled to help in the bullpen, but Collins has been loathe to use him. 

Perhaps Collins would’ve trusted Bowman and allowed him to pitch. Unfortunately, we will never know. The Mets will not get lucky with a Rule 5 pick returning to the organization.  Bowman is a Cardinal likely never to return. 

Editor’s Note: this article was first published on metsminors.net

page top

Mets Powered by Grandy Slam

Before the game, Matt Harvey declared he figured out his mechanical problems, and that he was back. He took no chances as the Mets ore the traditional road grays instead of the blue alternates he prefers. The Mets need him to be back because he has not resembled the Matt Harvey we’ve seen:

First inning, Harvey came out guns blazing. He got three quick outs, including one strikeout. After the first, it was a struggle. It could’ve been the same problems he’s had all year. It could’ve been the delay due to the need to change home plate umpires due to the home plate umpire getting injured on a foul tip. In any event, Harvey’s pitches were up. His velocity was generally down (about 1-2 MPH), and the Braves were making solid contact.

Fortunately, the Braves were only able to score runs in the second. The first was an RBI single by old friend Kelly Johnson. Another run would score off an RBI double by Mallex Smith. Harvey would be in trouble most of the night. He would’ve allowed more runs in the fifth but for Yoenis Cespedes’ arm:

Keith Hernandez was right. He missed the cut-off man, but it was a near perfect throw that got the runner. It reminded me of Major League when Lou Brown essentially said to Willie Mays Hayes to never do it again.
Cespedes also left his impression at the plate with his seventh game with an extra-base hit. In the seventh, he hit an RBI double to score David Wright, who hit an opposite field one out double himself. Cespedes came up gingerly after sliding awkwardly into second. It should’ve been a standup double, but he didn’t break it out of the box presumably thinking it was a homerun. A noticeably uncomfortable Cespedes stayed in the game despite the a Mets having a 6-2 lead. He would eventually have to be pulled:

Curtis Granderson was responsible for the other five. In the second, Granderson hit his first grand slam as a Met. In his very next at bat, he hit a solo shot off of Braves’ starter Bud Norris. Granderson looks to be rounding into his 2015 form after a tough start.

The Mets’ bullpen would come through to get Harvey his first win of the year. Antonio Bastardo pitched 1.2 innings before needing to be pulled with runners on first and second. Jim Henderson only faced one batter – it was the seventh after all- and he allowed an RBI single to Adonis Garcia. Jerry Blevins came on and ended the rally by striking out A.J. Pierzynski. Blevins was the only one to get Pierzynski out all night.

After about an hour rain delay, Addison Reed came on to pitch the eighth. Originally, it was supposed to be Blevins, but the rain eliminate that option. Reed pitched a scoreless eighth despite a throwing error from Asdrubal Cabrera.
Jeurys Familia had a save opportunity in the ninth because God has a good sense of humor. With Cespedes out if the game, Terry Collins allowed Michael Conforto hit against Eric O’Flaherty. Conforto hit a soft liner to the shortstop, and Juan Lagares was doubled off of second for the inning ending double play. It didn’t matter. Familia pitch a scoreless ninth to preserve the 6-3 win.

In any event, Harvey struggled. He only pitched five innings allowing seven hits, two earned, one walk and five strikeouts. He fought through it. He still had work to do, but at least he has a win under his belt.

Game Notes: Freddie Freeman got his first hit in 20 at bats against Bastardo, who Collins was trying to pitch for two innings. While Harvey was struggling, Travis d’Arnaud tried talking to Harvey in the dugout. A visibly frustrated Harvey wanted none of it.

On another note, Ricky Bones was the pitching coach. Dan Warthen missed the game because he was attending his mother’s funeral. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Warthen family at this time.

page top