With all due respect to Rafael Santana, the only choice for Homefield Magic Number 3 is Bud Harrelson:
He has been involved in more postseason and World Series games than anyone in Mets history. He was the SS on the 1969 Miracle Mets and the 1973 Mets. He was the third base coach for the 1986 World Series winning team, and the 1988 team. He was the inaugural member of the Mets Hall of Fame.
He’s the biggest winner the Mets have ever known. He’s one of the few who had two Mets World Series rings. He was never one to back down. He embodies the spirit these Mets will need in order to win the World Series this year.
Hopefully, the Mets on this team will win multiple World Series like Harrelson did.
The Mets have already begun the process of putting together the NLDS roster. The Mets are now starting to address Eric Young, Jr.:
Terry said Eric Young is "heavily" in the mix for a postseason spot, but pointed out it's much easier for AL teams to bring specific PR.
— Matt Ehalt (@MattEhalt) September 30, 2015
Essentially, the Mets would like to add him and what he brings, but they are afraid to put him on the roster. The reason is right now he is viewed as a nothing more than a pinch runner. On an NL roster that is limiting with the need to pinch hit for a pitcher and/or double switch to help get multiple innings from a reliever. EY is no longer a good hitter (if he ever was one), but he can play the OF and 2B.
Before Juan Uribe‘s back injury, I assumed he would be on the roster leaving no room for EY. However, Uribe is hurt, so choices need to be made.
The first option is Kirk Nieuwenhuis. He doesn’t have EY’s speed, but he can run. He can play all three defensive outfield positions well, which is important with Yoenis Cespedes‘ recent injury. He has some if homeruns, but overall he has not hit well this year. The Dodgers lefty pitchers presents a problem for Nieuwenhuis, who is hitting lefties .000/.100/.000. That’s right. He has no hits against a lefty this year.
The next option option would be Eric Campbell. Campbell plays each infield position, which could be important with Wilmer Flores‘ recent back troubles. He can also play both corner OF spots, and he can be an emergency catcher. For all the versatility he has around the field defensively, he is very limited offensively. Campbell is hitting .210/.318/.302. There’s no way to spin this even with him hitting the ball hard.
So, if the Mets are looking for offense, they could look at Dilson Herrera. He’s still only 21 years old, but he shows a lot of promise at the plate. Unfortunately, his .218/.320/.379 triple slash line makes him a better offensive weapon than EY, Kirk, and Campbell. He hadn’t played much since his call-up, but he did have quite the game in Cincinnati last week going 3-4 with a walk, two runs, two RBIs, and a homerun.
The problem with Herrera is versatility. He’s only played 2B. If you’re on the bench, you may be needed to play somewhere other than where you’re most comfortable. However, that issue may be assuaged with Daniel Murphy‘s and Kelly Johnson‘s versatility.
I’m not sure which direction the Mets are going on now. Each choice has problems of its own. I don’t dven know which way I would go right now. What I do know is that this may be the biggest decision the Mets had since getting Cespedes.
I hope this choice will work out just as well.
Sure, the Mets are seeking Homefield advantage in the NLDS, but more importantly, they want to enter the postseason healthy. Tonight, the Mets health was seriously called into question with one pitch:
Yoenis Cespedes leaves game after getting hit in hand by pitch.
He has 34 XBH since August 1, 2nd-most in MLB (Matt Carpenter 35)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 1, 2015
For an eternity (which is how long this game seemed to last), we waited for the result of Yoenis Cespedes‘ x-ray:
https://twitter.com/bbtn/status/649398261967659008
Whew! In the meantime, the Phillies hit two more batters before the Mets bothered to retaliate. After the retaliation, and the benches were warned, Hansel Robles threw one near Cameron Rupp‘s head. Note, I don’t think it was intentional, and Ruf swing at it. However, Robles was tossed and:
When benches cleared, Cespedes came in from clubhouse & tried to go on-field. Pat Roessler grabbed his shirt & got him back in dugout. Smart
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) October 1, 2015
There was no fight, but I’m still happy the Mets held him back. The rest of the game was just bad baseball and bad news:
Wilmer Flores left this game with lower back stiffness, not illness as originally thought. So not all good news for #Mets.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 1, 2015
On top of the injuries, a series of relievers, including Jon Niese and Dario Alvarez, showed why they should not be on the postseason roster. It took them five pitchers, including Robles, to get through the sixth. They entered the inning up 5-3 and left it down 6-5.
The Mets would lose by the score of 7-5. At least they came out of the game almost intact. Tomorrow’s game is at 12:05. Hopefully, there will be no carry over from Robles’ last pitch.
I have readily admitted that I have written too much about Dario Alvarez. My blog is about two months old, and I probably have more Alvarez posts than anyone. When Alvarez got hurt, I thought I was done with him, at least for the season. I was wrong:
Heard Alvarez looked good facing batters at instructs the other day. Got off the mound well. Slider was sharp. https://t.co/ouYkqa9O2t
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) September 30, 2015
Well, Alvarez is back, and he might be coming back just in time. The Mets are still looking for lefties in the bullpen. It’s part of the reason Jon Niese is out there. Unlike Niese, Alvarez is a true LOOGY and bullpen arm.
There’s only five games left to see if Alvarez is ready for game action. This roster selection process just got a lot more complicated.
Overall, Matt Harvey may be the best pitcher on the Mets. He may have the best stuff he may have that clutch gene. However, he had not been the Mets pitcher this year. That honor goes to Jacob deGrom.
deGrom leads the Mets in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP, ERA+, WHIP, and hair. By every measure, he is the logical choice to be the Game One starter. He’s the guy the Mets want on the mound to start the playoffs. He’s the guy you want in Game a Five if I comes to it. However, it sounds like he’s getting it by default:
Terry also said Harvey will not be making six playoff starts so don't expect a Bumgarner redux.
— Matt Ehalt (@MattEhalt) September 29, 2015
No one except the Game One NLDS starter could possibly pitch in six postseason games. The only other way it could happen is if the Mets started someone on three day’s rest, which is something the Mets are probably not going to do. The effect of this statement is to say Harvey’s our best pitcher, but with innings limits, we’re going with deGrom.
That’s not fair to deGrom, who has had a great year. He was an All Star. He leads the Mets in almost every statistical category. He’s earned the Game One start.
The Mets should just come out and say that.
After the Mets clinched, the rumblings began that Bartolo Colon may be in the postseason rotation:
https://twitter.com/jareddiamond/status/648148020169732096
Regardless of Steven Matz‘s recent sofa injury, it seems like Colon may have had an inside track to the NLDS rotation anyway:
Sandy said Colon's experience vs Matz inexperience is a factor in the 4th rotation spot in the playoffs. #mets
— Michael Baron (@michaelgbaron) September 29, 2015
There’s some merit to the decision. Experience can help calm nerves in the playoffs. Colon doesn’t walk anyone. Most importantly, he was good in his only start against the Dodgers this year (even if it was a loss).
However, I’m having some trouble trying to reconcile Colon in the rotation with the fact that Matz will definitely be on the playoff roster. The reason why I’m having trouble is because the Mets have been steadfast in saying Matz will not pitch in the bullpen. Therefore, I think the Mets announced, without announcing it, Matz will be the fourth starter.
I think it’s the right move. The Dodgers have a lot of lefties in the lineup. Colon has not been good against over .500 teams. Matz has better stuff. It’s time to get Matz and his grandfather ready for Game 4 . . . if necessary.
If rumors are correct, the Mets will go with the four man rotation of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, and Steven Matz. I put them purposefully in that order because that’s how the Nets intend to line them up in the playoffs.
These four pitchers have had zero postseason appearances. In fact, as a group, they have less than five years of experience. This just highlights the total lack of postseason experience for the entire Mets staff. Overall, there are only three pitchers on the Mets who have any playoff experience:
- Bartolo Colon (10 starts) 2-4, 3.70 ERA, 58.1 IP, 1.389 WHIP
- Tyler Clippard (3 appearances) 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 6 IP, 0 SV, 0.667 WHIP
- Eric O’Flaherty (1 appearance) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 IP, 0 SV, 2.00 WHIP
Unless his back prevents him, Clippard will be on the postseason roster. I believe the Mets will find a spot for Colon even if he isn’t starting. There’s no shot that O’Flaherty makes the team.
I’m not concerned at all. This was the case with the 1991 Braves rotation,nand they went to the World Series. The same goes for the 2003 Marlins. The 2008 Giants had a young core of starting pitchers they relied upon to win their first World Series in San Francisco. K-Rod burst on the scene on the 2002 Angels World Series Championship team. There’s another, better example for Mets fans. 1986.
In 1986, the Mets had Dwight Gooden (3 major league seasons), Ron Darling (4 major league seasons), Bobby Ojeda (7 major league season), and Sid Fernandez (4 major league seasons) make starts. Combined they had more than triple the major league experience of this current group of pitchers. However, they were still young and had zero postseason experience. The lack of postseason experience didn’t hold them back. The reason was their talent.
That’s right. For all the talk about what wins in the playoffs, we always forget the talent gap. This Mets rotation is the most talented in the NL, most likely all of baseball. If I have to choose between experience and talent, I pick talent every time.
It looks like the Mets are as well. Then again what choice do they have?
It was no secret the Mets were looking for an OF at the trade deadline. At first, it seemed they were close to acquiring Carlos Gomez. Then the Jay Bruce deal fell apart. After those deals, the Mets finally obtained Yoenis Cespedes, who has been amongst the best players this year.
I thought about this whirlwind when the Mets clinched the NL East. The final play was Bruce striking out. When he struck out, I thought about the saying “the best trades are the ones you don’t make.” That certainly applied to Bruce. Bruce ultimately stayed with the Reds and floundered. In August, he hit .150/.185/.292. He’s been a little better in September hitting .206/.257/.443.
Gomez, on the other hand, wound up getting traded. He joined an Astros team that was in first place and was 13 games over .500. Houston is now in second place, only eight games over .500, and in a dog fight just to make the playoffs. In fact, if the season ended today, they would miss the playoffs. While it has been a team effort, Gomez certainly hasn’t helped with his .234/.282/.379 line with the Astros.
Instead, the Mets got Cespedes, who has hit .294/.338/.624. This is the best stretch of his career. The Mets went from second place and only three games over .500 to a easy ride to winning the NL East. Maybe the Mets still win the NL East with Bruce or Gomez, but I doubt it would’ve been as easy.
The Mets got lucky the first two trades fell through because they wound up getting the right player. As a result, the Mets are now both lucky and good.