Neon Moment of the Week: Golden Stroman

Sometimes, when you watch a player, you just see they are better than just everyone at something, and it’s pure magic. You see it when Jacob deGrom toes the rubber. You see it when Mike Trout steps to the plate. You also see it when a ball is put in play, and Marcus Stroman has the ability to make a play.

In many ways, that was Stroman’s introduction to the Mets. In his first ever inning, he made a great play to nail a Pittsburgh Pirates runner at the plate. Each and every time Stroman pitches, you realize that any ball hit near him is a play that he can make. That includes the plays no one else can make.

We saw that in the game between the Mets and the Rockies in the first end of the doubleheader. On balls hit to catcher turned first baseman James McCann, Stroman sprung into action directing McCann. The result was an inexperienced first baseman being able to pull off what was somewhat difficult 3-1 putouts.

If that was it, it was enough. However, this is Stroman, a uniquely athletic pitcher who plays the position defensively like he is a shortstop. With the Mets up 1-o in the fifth inning of a seven inning game, the speedy Garrett Hampson tried to get on to start the inning by laying down a bunt. It was a great bunt, but a better play by Stroman.

That play as well as Stroman’s other plays in this game stood out, and it allowed the depleted Mets to beat a very good pitcher in German Marquez 1-0. The Mets needed everything they could muster to beat Marquez with this lineup. They got that from Stroman with his pitching and his defense. Looking at Stroman, he has been great in both aspect of his game all year.

 

Image

Going through Mets history, Storman is just on another level defensively. Seeing him play defense as a pitcher is like seeing Keith Hernandez play first, Rey Ordonez play shortstop, or Juan Lagares play center. His defense is so special he even earned real praise from Howie Rose who has been a Mets fan from the beginning. Stroman’s defensive play has caused Rose to remark he would pay just to see Stroman play defense.

When you are receiving that level of praise from the great Howie Rose, and you are doing all you can do to help this depleted Mets roster win games, this is obviously the Mets Neon Moment of the Week!

* * * * * *

I am very appreciative Athlete Logos has agreed to participate in this feature. If you like his work as much as I do, please visit his website to enjoy his work, buy some of his merchandise, or to contract him to do some personal work for yourself (like I have).

page top

Mets Taijuan Walker All Over Braves

As we’ve seen recently, the New York Mets needed to get some of their starting pitching back. If nothing else, it helps to ease the burden off a very good bullpen. More than that, the Mets starting pitching has been superb.

One of the reasons why is Taijuan Walker, who has been far better than the Mets ever could’ve anticipated. That was the case again tonight in his first start back from the IL.

Like Jacob deGrom in his first start back, Walker was limited to five innings. Like deGrom Walker was great pitching five shutout innings allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out eight.

Unlike deGrom, Walker got run support. Actually, that’s putting it mildly.

The Mets got contributions from everyone in the lineup. That means everyone. Not only would Cameron Maybin finally get his first Mets hit after starting his Mets career 0-for-27, he would actually reach base safely three times while scoring two runs:

It was just one of those kinds of nights where the Mets offense exploded. That explosion included homers from James McCann, Jonathan Villar, Brandon Drury, Billy McKinney, and Francisco Lindor.

While all of this came as a shock, we did see some of the things we’ve become accustomed to seeing lately like Villar making a web gem at third, and Tomas Nido catching a base stealer:

On a night like this, you could pick any of a number of things to pick out as the biggest positive. Arguably, the best part of the night was McCann busting out at the plate.

While McCann has struggled most of the year, he didn’t tonight. He as 4-for-5 with three runs, a double, homer, and two RBI.

Really, it was just one of those nights for the Mets. They wound up winning 13-2, and they once again showed the Atlanta Braves they don’t have what it takes to beat the Mets.

Game Notes: Marcell Ozuna was arrested in Georgia for domestic violence. This was Lindor’s sixth multi-hit game this season.

page top

Mets Should Promote Mark Vientos To Triple-A

Jonathan Villar is doing a fine job as a stopgap at third base for the New York Mets. He has made the flashy defensive plays, and he has had a number of key hits. However, when you boil it down, Villar is still below average at the plate an in the field. As such, the Mets need to look elsewhere for an everyday third baseman.

That was supposed to be J.D. Davis. While Davis has his own issues at the plate and in the field, the biggest issue with him right now is health. He landed on the IL with a hand injury, and his rehab stint was paused due to a neck issue. Davis has undergone another MRI, and they have found joint inflammation in his left hand.

At the moment, the Mets seem to be optimistic Davis can return to the field again for another rehab stint. That said, they were previously optimistic about him as well as Noah Syndergaard, Carlos Carrasco, etc. Put another way, don’t read too much into their optimism. Even if Davis were to be ready to return, at that point, we would again need to revisit the issue of his being incapable of being an everyday third baseman.

All told between Villar’s play and the injuries to Davis and Luis Guillorme, the Mets don’t have a plan for third base. Considering that is the case, the Mets need to start making that plan. While you can be assured they’re investigating options like Kris Bryant and Kyle Seager, they need to plan for the event neither are available.

Enter Mark Vientos.

Vientos was the Mets 2017 second round pick. At the time, Vientos was seen as the best prep bat in the draft, and he has justified that reputation with his play since being drafted. As noted by MLB Pipeline, Vientos’ “power remains the standout tool and is evident in the right-handed slugger’s impressive exit velocities.”

Looking at Vientos at the plate, there are a few key points. First and foremost, he is always punching above his weight. Case-in-point, he is in Double-A where the 21 year old is 3.1 years younger than league average. Another important consideration is Vientos typically struggles initially at each new level, but he eventually learns and makes adjustments to have strong finishes to the season.

In some ways, this is reminiscent of Dominic Smith. When Smith was a minor leaguer, he would typically struggle in the beginning of the year or a call-up. He’d put in the work, make adjustment, and he would end the year with good numbers. Smith and Vientos should be a reminder prospect development is as much about learning and adapting as it is about having success.

We are seeing some of this with Vientos right now. He had a poor start to the season for Binghamton going 5-for-38 to start the season. However, as he always does, Vientos is adapting and hitting much butter. We are seeing Vientos having a quicker turnaround than usual.

Over his past three games, Vientos is 5-for-11 at the plate with a homer and three RBI. Stretching it out a bit, Vientos is hitting .324/.350/.514 over his last 10 games with four doubles, a homer, and eight RBI. He is not just getting hits over this stretch, but he is also getting big hits:

As noted by Fangraphs, he is really making the adjustments to be a real power hitter. Notably, Vientos has ” a wider stance and toned-down leg kick.” Even with the change, Vientos is still posting big time exit velocities, and he continues to exhibit the ability to drive the ball to all fields. Long story short, he continues to show he has the potential to be a real threat as a Major League hitter.

Even with the progress, it is too much to ask Vientos to pull off what Michael Conforto and Miguel Cabrera once did. In all honesty, while Vientos has been making strides, he is still a bit too raw as a hitter and player to make the Double-A to majors jump. Even with the Mets injuries, so long as Villar is faking it well, there’s no need to make that push.

There’s also the matter of his defense. Between his struggles at third coupled with his frame and the long term prospects of Brett Baty, the Mets have at least begun taking a look at Vientos at first. Of course, when you have Pete Alonso and Smith, you do realize there is no path for Vientos to the majors as the Mets future first baseman.

However, for right now, the question is what to do with third base for the Mets in 2021. The longer Vientos stays in Double-A, the more he is taken out of the equation. With his recent success at the plate, now would be as good a time as ever to look to promote him to Triple-A. With all the recent promotions, there really isn’t anyone in Syracuse blocking a Vientos call-up there.

In Syracuse, Vientos can continue working on his swing, and he could work with Luis Rivera to improve defensively. Based on his recent history, Vientos could use the help.

If nothing else, Vientos in Triple-A does push him closer to the majors. In the long run, that is the point. The Mets need to be putting their best prospects in a position where they can be called-up to the majors. They also need to put players like Vientos in a position where they can work on the specific areas of their game they need to address. For Vientos, all of that should mean moving to Triple-A sooner rather than later.

If the Mets do this, they will be helping Vientos in the long run, and they could help position themselves to call up Vientos to be their third baseman should they strike out on the trade market.

page top

20/20 Hindsight: Mets Successfully Transverse Rocky Path

The New York Mets kept getting injured, but they keep winning games, especially at home. They just won three out of four from the Colorado Rockies, and they remain in first place:

1. The Mets are so injured right now their injured players are getting injured.

2. Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco each having difficulty with their rehab assignments and with their probably not being back until August if at all, it’s a reminder you should never part with pitching. Pitching is fragile, and you never have enough of it during the course of a season.

3. The more fans inanely boo Francisco Lindor the more great plays he makes in the field.

4. At some point, we may move past discussing how Tomas Nido claimed the starting job over James McCann to talking about how Nido should be an All-Star.

5. McCann is taking a bad situation, and he is making the most of it by stepping up and playing a pretty good first base. We are also hopefully seeing some signs of life at the plate with his having a a double and homer in this series. At least that’s the hope.

6. Cameron Maybin setting a Mets record for hitless plate appearances to start his Mets career shows you just can’t but a hit for $1.

7. Billy McKinney had quite the Mets debut with some very good defense in the field and doing well at the plate. It was just one game, but it at least appears like McKinney could be part of the equation even with everyone is healthy.

8. While you hope moves like McKinney work, we are getting increasingly to the point where the Mets may have to do something drastic. In the short-term, taking a look at Carlos Cortes makes a lot of sense. If the injuries to J.D. Davis and Jeff McNeil are that bad, it may be time to consider calling up Mark Vientos who is scorching hot in Binghamton.

9. We are not talking enough about the job Jose Peraza is doing for the Mets. Yes, he’s below average at the plate and at second, but he is at least a credible presence on what is moving towards a Double-A roster. It also helps that when he gets his hits it seems to be big like his game winning homer in the first end of the doubleheader.

10. Marcus Stroman is defensively what Jacob deGrom is as a pitcher. Stroman is also a very good pitcher in his own right.

11. This is just a different team with deGrom. Yes, we know the frustration with the lack of run support. That said, he gives this team a swagger, and he eats up a lot of innings allowing the bullpen to rest and be great when needed.

12 People can complain all they want about replay, but when deGrom and Jonathan Villar were called out the primary objective of replay was achieved – it got the call right. Now, there is an easy fix where fielders should not be rewarded for pushing runners off the base. Hopefully, that is something which will be taken up this offseason.

13. It seems the adjustments Joey Lucchesi has made are working. That said, this is a pitcher who should not be relied upon for more than three innings. If utilized properly, that means Lucchesi could have an immense amount of value to this team.

14. At some point, you have to wonder if this is doing more harm than good to David Peterson‘s development. In all honesty, it’s difficult to see in which area of his game he is progressing.

15. The Mets are messing with Thomas Szapucki like they once did with Chris Flexen and Corey Oswalt. They need to let him pitch, especially when they are just going to wind up going with bullpen games anyway. His not stepping on the mound harms his development and may set him up for injury. Next thing you know, you hear the he can’t be good nonsense.

16. The Mets scored a total of 10 runs in a four game series and still managed to win three out of four. There are two reasons for this. First and foremost, the Rockies are bad. The second and perhaps more important reason is teams win games with good pitching and defense. Despite the injuries, the Mets still have that.

17. Even with all the injuries and people wondering why things aren’t as good as we thought they might be, the Mets are still on an 88 win pace. Just imagine where they will be when everyone is heatlhy and performing.

18. Brodie Van Wagenen has a lot of gall showing up at Citi Field for a game even with Edwin Diaz having a great year and finally fulfilling his promise.

19. It is good Luis Rojas is finally being recognized for the job he is doing. It should be noted he is essentially doing all the same things he was doing when he wasn’t popular. It’s just that people now recognize how the other things he does so well are so important when you have no one to play.

20. The Mets are getting back Taijuan Walker just in time. This is yet another big early series against the Braves, and the Mets really need to create more separation between the two teams as the Mets continue to navigate their injuries and head towards June, which is always a nightmare.

Game Recaps

At Least James McCann Was Good

Mets Get a Nido Win

Marcus Stroman Out-Pitches and Fields German Marquez

The Billy McKinney Game on Jose Peraza Day

page top

Worst Play In MLB History

While the early excitement seemed to indicate Javier Baez had the greatest base running play in MLB history, the truth is what happened was an embarrassment. When you break it all down Baez was actually involved in the worst ever play.

Before breaking it down, here’s the game situation. There were two outs and a runner on second when Wilson Contreras stole second base. Baez hit a grounder off Tyler Anderson to third. That’s when we saw bad go to worse to putrid.

First off, Erik Gonzalez‘s throw was way off-line. To be fair to him, that wasn’t that big a deal considering Baez was doing a light job towards first, an important consideration for what’s been deemed a great base running play.

Now, all Will Craig had to do was touch the bag or tag Baez. With their being two outs, once he did either, the inning is over.

Baez decided to have fun and move towards home plate. Considering Baez is much quicker, Craig really had zero chance to tag out Baez, at least not initially.

Instead of just heading back to first and stepping the bag, he chased Baez down. Now, it’s only 90 feet between home and first, and runners aren’t permitted to run outside the baselines to avoid the tag. Ipso facto, at some point Baez just loses and will have to be tagged out.

Baez reached that point, but when he reached that point, Contreras was trying to score from second. At this point, it is important to keep in mind, according to MLB rules, Contreras’ run does not count until Baez reaches first safely.

That meant when Craig threw to Michael Perez, the play for Perez was to tag out Baez. Actually, correct that, the play was for Craig to never throw it and to eventually tag out Baez or force him out of the baseline.

Alas, Craig threw to Perez, who, like Craig, was more concerned about Contreras than Baez. In any event, Contreras beat Perez’s tag which should not have mattered. After missing Contreras, Perez turned his attention to Baez.

Keep in mind while this was happening, there wasn’t a Pirates player at first base. Craig is near home plate. Anderson is who knows where. Adam Frazier is still at his original defensive position.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. Look back at the play. Once Craig catches it, the other Pirates infielders begin heading off the field.

To a certain extent, how can you blame them? After all, there’s really no possible way they should have been involved in the play. Again, Craig needed to step on first or walk back Baez to tag him when Baez ran out of room. As we know, Craig totally screwed up this play.

Well, when Craig threw the ball, he left Baez a clear path to first. That left Perez trying to hit Frazier on the run.

Not only did Perez miss Frazier, but it went into right field. What’s important here is even if Frazier caught it, it didn’t matter as he had zero shot of beating Baez to first. To wit, you have to ask why Frazier didn’t just stop and try to knock the ball down.

Well, Frazier didn’t. As a result, not only was Baez safe at first, but he was able to take off for second.

Making matters worse was Gregory Polanco did what he was supposed to do, and yet, he made a mistake as well. Poland’s charged in to back-up the play. However, the ball got by him. He rushed back to right and made a harried throw.

Polanco’s throw was off the mark, and it rolled towards third. In a twist of irony, Gonzalez, the same player whose throw off the mark gave way to this disaster, picked up the ball to effectively end the play.

So to recap, Baez doesn’t run, and Gonzalez makes an errant throw. Craig doesn’t tag Baez or step on first. Instead, he throws it, and no one covers first. When the ball is thrown away, not only did Baez get first, but he also got second.

In the end, this was just about the worst play you’ll ever see. The Pirates embarrasses themselves. Other than Contreras who busted it and scored from second, there aren’t too many involved in that play who did everything right. That includes Baez who initially jogged lightly to first.

People will understandably and justifiably love this play. They should. It was a truly fun and bizarre play. That said, make no mistake here. This is the worst play we’ve ever seen.

page top

The Billy McKinney Game On Jose Peraza Day

In the first half of the doubleheader, we had two good starters going head-to-head. In the second half, well, it was more readily apparent these are two poor hitting teams.

Case-in–point was the first inning. Joey Lucchesi walked the first two batters, and with two outs, the Colorado Rockies pulled off a double steal. Still, the Rockies wouldn’t score. Part of that was Billy McKinney making a running catch down the line taking away an extra base hit from Brendan Rodgers:

In the bottom of the first, Jonathan Villar drew a lead-off walk and went first to third on a Francisco Lindor single. McKinney came up, and he’d hit into a double play. Villar scored on the play.

It seemed like this would be another 1-0 game. After that first, Lucchesi settled in for a bit, and he actually no-hit the Rockies through three.

Of course, this would be another lesson in a pitcher is dealing until he’s not. The Rockies immediately jumped on Lucchesi in the fourth.

After Ryan McMahon led off the inning with a single and was picked off/caught stealing, C.J. Cron singled. A wild pitch moved Cron to second, and Lucchesi would walk Yonathan Daza to put runners on first and second with two outs.

Even with the threat of Charlie Blackmon coming in to pinch hit, Luis Rojas brought in Drew Smith. Surprisingly, the Rockies stuck with Connor Joe. It proved to be the right move as Joe hit a game tying RBI single.

The Rockies threatened to take the lead on what appeared to be an Elias Diaz hit, but Diaz was robbed on a sliding catch by McKinney to get out of the inning.

McKinney made the big catch, and then in the bottom of the fourth he hit a one out double off Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela. From there, the Mets loaded the bases with two outs, and Jose Peraza delivered the go-ahead RBI single giving the Mets a 2-1 lead.

That wasn’t the last rally featuring McKinney and Peraza.

McKinney led off the sixth with a walk against Jordan Sheffield. After a James McCann double and Patrick Mazeika hit by pitch, the Mets had the bases loaded with one out. Peraza would drive home another run by drawing a four pitch walk.

Then, we saw Cameron Maybin is the unluckiest man alive. He was robbed of a hit in the third by Trevor Story. Even with Story out of the game due to injury, the shortstop would again rob him of a hit.

Maybin smoked a ball off the drawn-in infield. The ball would deflect off the diving third baseman McMahon to the shortstop Rodgers. Rodgers then threw home getting McCann on the force out.

Brandon Drury pinch hit for Jeurys Familia, who pitched a scoreless sixth, and in a tough at-bat, he drew a bases loaded walk to increase the Mets lead to 4-1. It was also the Mets first RBI of the day by someone other than Peraza.

The Rockies pulled Sheffield, and Yency Almonte struck out Villar to end the jam. That meant it was a 4-1 game meaning it was still a save situation. Before the rally, it appeared Familia was going to go for the sixth out save.

Rojas was forced to pivot. With Edwin Diaz getting the save in the first half, Robert Gsellman got the save opportunity. He didn’t get it.

Blackmon was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a defensive indifference, and then scored on a Raimel Tapia two out RBI single pulling the Rockies to with 4-2. Rojas then brought in Jacob Barnes. Barnes retired McMahon to pick up the save.

With that, the Mets swept the doubleheader and took three out of four from the Rockies. Sure, the Rockies are bad, but this injury depleted team did what it needed to do.

Game Notes: Maybin tied a record with by starting his Mets career by going 0-for-26. The Mets have drawn nine bases loaded walks this season by nine different players.

page top

Marcus Stroman Out-Duels And Fields German Marquez

There were just six hits total in the first game of the doubleheader. Part of that was two bad offensive teams going at it. Another part was two good pitchers in Marcus Stroman and German Marquez facing off.

There was also some phenomenal defense in this game. There was this diving gem from Francisco Lindor in the second.

Stroman would also victimize Garret Hampson by making a great play on the bunt attempt:

Fortunately for the Mets, one of their three hits against Marquez, who was terrific in his six inning complete game, was a Jose Peraza homer in the third:

Stroman pitched six scoreless allowing three hits while walking two and striking out three. After Edwin Diaz pitched a perfect ninth, Stroman picked up his fourth win, and Diaz earned his ninth save in as many chances.

The 1-0 win was the Mets fourth shutout of the season. That’s two in a row, and the Mets now push for the doubleheader and series sweep later.

Game Notes: Noah Syndergaard had a setback and will be shut down until August. Cameron Maybin is 0-for-23 with 12 strikeouts with the Mets. Dominic Smith missed the game with a sore knee.

page top

Mickey Callaway Harassed Women Longer Than He’s Suspended

Former New York Mets Manager Mickey Callaway was suspended through the end of the 2022 season. At that time, the now deposed Los Angeles Angels pitching coach can apply for reinstatement to Major League Baseball.

In some respects, this is good because it’s a harsher penalty than any steroid user faces for a single offense. It’s also more severe than what the Houston Astros faced.

Going further, it’s a harsher penalty than what Jose Reyes or any domestic abuser has faced. So, yes, to that end, it’s progress.

However, the penalty in and of itself is just a slap on the wrist and falls far short of being reflective of Callaway’s actions. To that, it’s time to revisit the allegations in the article written by Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic.

Callaway was accused of sending UNWANTED and UNSOLICITED pornographic pictures of himself to female reporters and requesting they reciprocate. He’d leverage his position inviting these same and other reports out for drinks to provide news or leaks.

This on top of his thrusting himself towards female reporters, and you see this was a monster. This wasn’t just harassing behavior, it was borderline criminal. Keep in mind, that’s just what we know.

Callaway’s response to this was to deny wrongdoing. He did that despite behaving this way for over five years. He did that despite their being text messages between him and his victims.

Either he knew he was screwed and opted to push Major League Baseball to act, or he really had no clue his behavior was disgusting and wrong.

It needs to be reiterated Callaway’s lewd and malicious actions took place for a period over five years. It involved multiple women, and he showed no signs of remorse. He then dragged MLB further through the mud. Of course, he did that to a situation partially of MLB’s making.

The response? A two year suspension?After FIVE PLUS YEARS of harassment, he’s suspended for TWO!

TWO!!!!!

In that suspension, there’s no mandatory counseling and/or a framework for it. There’s no coinciding MLB partnership with organizations to aide in eliminating this behavior.

Sure, MLB put the provision for application for reinstatement, but that’s just kicking the rock down the road. It only has teeth if they want it to have teeth.

As we saw with Alex Cora with the Boston Red Sox and A.J. Hinch with the Detroit Tigers, if a team thinks they can help you win, they won’t care about your transgressions. Now, what Cora and Hinch did doesn’t compare to the heinous acts of Callaway, but the point remains.

After all, Callaway was “the worst kept secret in baseball.” Everyone knew what he was doing, and yet, he wasn’t fired by the Cleveland Indians. Worse yet, he was actually hired by the Mets and Angels.

In sum, we see the problem is bigger than just Callaway. To that end, we get the sense of why over five years of harassment leads to just a two year suspension.

page top

How MLB Can Stop Calling Overslides As Out On Replay

It happened against twice last night. Jacob deGrom had what appeared to be a hustle double. Jonathan Villar appeared to have third stolen.

However, upon replay, both players were called out. Villar came off the bag during the slide. deGrom came off the bag when he popped up.

Whenever, this happens there is consternation. Many voice they do not believe that is the purpose of replay. They’d rather it be for the “egregious” call and not the “technicality.”

Honestly, that position is more sour grapes than anything, and it’s a distortion of the real purpose of replay. The real purpose of replay is to get the calls right. The replay in both instances did its job by correcting a wrong call on the field.

Like it or not, both deGrom and Villar should’ve been ruled out. Replay did its job, and the Colorado Rockies were not victimized by a bad call.

Maybe.

The one unintended side effect we see with replays is a transition to how players are tagged on these plays. It used to be a quick snap tag to lead the umpire to believe you got him.

Now, fielders are taught to hold the tag. Essentially, they’re waiting for that split second (or more) the runner comes off the bag to get the out call. However, it’s a little more than that.

Look at that deGrom play again. Trevor Story appears to nudge deGrom, and you can see deGrom stumble a bit and come off the bag. That might’ve been what led to deGrom coming off the bag.

What’s interesting is there is no per se rule which prevents this. A fielder cannot inhibit a runner from running between bases. Catchers are limited in how they block the plate. However, there’s nothing that states a fielder can’t use a tag to push the runner off the base.

Therein lies the problem.

Between the replay rules and the lack of clarification on obstruction, fielders are not just incentivized to hold a tag on the runner. They’re also rewarded for nudging or downright pushing or knocking an otherwise safe runner from the base.

With the trouble scoring runs and producing offense, MLB should be addressing this very issue. It’s an easy fix too.

Since you can’t review “judgment calls,” there needs to be a clear-cut rule. For replays, it should be:

If a runner was called safe on the field, and upon replay it was determined the runner came off the base, the runner shall be deemed safe if a fielder kept contact with the runner for the duration of the separation from the base.

Put another way, fielders can no longer weaponize the tag. They can’t use it to make safe runners out. By doing that, you eliminate the portion of replay which causes derision amongst fans and teams.

By doing this, players who actually should be out are out. That is, unless, their ability to stay on the bag was interfered with by the fielder.

Going back to last night, deGrom would be called safe. Villar probably would be as well. That is, unless, they were initially called out on the field.

We can debate whether that’s preferable course of action. However, it does seem to be a much better course of action than letting runners be knocked off the base and penalized for it.

page top

Mets Obtain Billy McKinney Because There’s No One Else Available

Right now, the New York Mets have 16 players on the IL. That number will grow to 17 when Johneshwy Fargas hits the IL. That also means Cameron Maybin is the only active player with CF experience.

With that as the backdrop, the Mets obtained the recently designated for assignment Billy McKinney from the Milwaukee Brewers. In exchange, they sent 17 year old LHP Pedro Quintana.

In terms of Quintana, no one really knows anything about him, and he didn’t receive a large bonus. Long story short, the Brewers got well to get something here, and this may be the last time we ever hear the name.

As for McKinney, we know of him for a few reasons. First and foremost, McKinney was once a big-time New York Yankees prospect. In fact, he was one of the big pieces the Yankees received in the Aroldis Chapman trade.

McKinney was a well regarded outfield bat when drafted. He was supposed to be a high contact guy with power. It never panned out that way, but maybe, theres something still there.

To date, McKinney really hasn’t translated that skill set to success. Even with his just being 26, you’re probably grasping at straws to suggest he’ll begin to fulfill his promise.

While McKinney can’t really hit, he does provide speed and defense. Baseball Savant suggests McKinney still has good sprint speed and plays a good defense in the corners.

All told, McKinney is a player with some value. He can run, plays good defense, and has some power. That’s a worthy fifth or maybe fourth outfielder.

However, McKinney is an out of options player who can’t really be that. Just ask the Brewers. That said, with the Mets he’s likely a starting player for the simple reason there’s no one better available.

There aren’t any more healthy Mets, and we’re at the stage where we’re all trying to talk ourselves into Dee Strange-Gordon. To that end, McKinney is a good option, and fortunately, there’s real upside. Hopefully, he can tap into some of that to make a desperate move into a great one.

page top