Bartolo Colon
Every time the Mets run Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman to the mound, they’re out there trying to help the Mets return to the postseason. They’re also making their own case why the Mets should put them on the postseason roster.
Assuming the Mets make it back to the postseason, there is little guaranteed on who will and who won’t be on the postseason roster. In fact, as it stands today, Noah Syndergaard and Bartolo Colon are the only two starting pitchers who will be guaranteed a spot on the postseason roster. If, and it is becoming a bigger if with each passing day, Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom can return from their injuries, they will be guaranteed not only a spot on the roster, but also a start in the postseason.
Assuming deGrom and Matz can return for the postseason, there will still be room in the bullpen. Last season, the Mets went with 11 pitchers in the bullpen. The Mets were given that luxury, in part, because the team carried Colon and Jon Niese in the bullpen. This gave the Mets a number of pitchers who could go multiple innings out of the bullpen. Coupled with a starting rotation that could go deep into game, the Mets were able to add the extra bat on the bench. Looking at the Mets bullpen as constituted, there are few absolutely guaranteed spots:
With teams only needing four starters in the postseason, that leaves two open spots in the postseason bullpen.
If deGrom and Matz are able to pitch in the postseason, that means Lugo, Gsellman, and Montero will be competing for the last two spots in the bullpen most likely with Josh Smoker and Jim Henderson. If the Mets want to go with two lefties in the bullpen, Smoker could have the inside track. While he has been touched in three of his nine appearances, Smoker has shown he can strike people out. Currently, he strikes out 14.5 batters per nine innings, which is only slightly higher than his 12.8 strikeout per nine figure in AAA. If Smoker keeps striking people out, it is going to be hard to justify leaving him off the postseason roster.
Given his early season success, Henderson presumably has an excellent chance of being on the postseason roster. However, each and every time Henderson takes the mound, he makes a case why the Mets can’t trust him in a big spot. In his six appearances since coming off the disabled list, Henderson has a 7.20 ERA and has allowed opponents to hit .318 off of him.
If the Mets went with Smoker and Henderson, there may still be a spot for Lugo and Gsellman if the Mets decide to go with 12 pitchers this offseason. In that scenario, there would be one last bullpen available that would most likely go to Lugo or Gsellman. That means with every start, Lugo and Gsellman are not just pitching against the opponent, but also each other.
Overall, in order for Lugo and Gsellman to help their chances for a postseason roster spot, and for the Mets to even make the postseason, they are going to have to go out there and continue pitching as well as they have been.
Terry Collins and the Mets made the best out of an awful situation with the Mets playing a late Sunday night game followed by an early Monday afternoon game.
Bartolo Colon flew ahead of the team to make sure he was well rested. Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Yoenis Cespedes, i.e. veterans with some nagging injuries, were given a day off. Curtis Granderson was also given a day meaning the Mets were without the top four hitters in they’d lineup. With that in mind, an extremely tired Mets team went to their bench to ask them to win one. They did.
Matt Reynolds, who took the red eye from Las Vegas, and Kelly Johnson each hit solo homers to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
That was enough for Colon who navigated his way out of trouble for most of the day. He was aided by two double plays in the first few innings. Twice he stranded a runner on third with no outs. His best feat was in the sixth when he stranded Hernan Iribarren at third after a lead off triple. This was in part due to his unwillingness to test Jay Bruce‘s arm. Coincidentally, Bruce’s throw would go to the backstop.
His final line was six innings, five hits, no runs, none earned, one walk, and two strikeouts.
Fortunately, he gave the Mets some much needed depth with both Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia unavailable.
On the bullpen front, Hansel Robles had another good outing, but Jerry Blevins struggled. Blevins would get bailed out by Fernando Salas in the eighth. Salas would finish out the game.
Still, even with the win, it’s not like the Mets were crisp. Reds starter Robert Stephenson struck out nine in 5.1 innings. The only Mets player with a multiple hits off the Reds stater was Wilmer Flores, who no one was quite sure what he was doing on the bases:
He's Phoebe pic.twitter.com/AAqX6lNTdh
— Mets Daddy (@MetsDaddy2013) September 5, 2016
In the first, he was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. In the fourth, he was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple. Finally, in the sixth, he had the good sense to stop at first bases much to the delight of Phoebe:
Flores thrown out at another bass pic.twitter.com/Wf1yh8Oudw
— Mets Daddy (@MetsDaddy2013) September 5, 2016
The Mets put the game on ice in the seventh. Reynolds hit an RBI single scoring Travis d’Arnaud, who walked to start the rally. Cabrera pinch hit for Colon, and hit an RBI single scoring James Loney. Alejandro De Aza capped off the rally with a sacrifice fly scoring Reynolds making the score 5-0.
While it was Flores that was perfect at the plate, it was Reynolds who was the offensive star of the game. Reynolds would go 2-3 with two runs, two RBI, and a home run. With the insane scheduling and the veterans’ nagging injuries, the Mets needed someone to step up. It was an exhausted Reynolds who stepped up and powered the Mets offensively.
With that Reynolds and the entire Mets team earned a well needed rest.
Game Notes: This was Bruce’s first game back in Cincinnati since the trade, and the team had a pre-game ceremony honoring him. Bruce would go 0-3 with two strikeouts leaving two men on base.
If you took a poll asking Mets fans to ask who was the player who got the big two out hit with the bases loaded to give the Mets the lead, the most popular guess would be Yoenis Cespedes.
It wasn’t Cespedes as he was intentionally walked by Tanner Roark to load the bases. It wasn’t Jay Bruce as he was sitting. It wasn’t James Loney. Even though he played, Terry Collins finally had the good sense to stop hitting him clean up and move him to the eighth spot in the lineup. In fact, the batter who got the hit might’ve been more unlikely than Loney. No, it wasn’t Bartolo Colon. It was Curtis Granderson:
.@cgrand3 delivers! #Mets https://t.co/CEe4cWo0ur pic.twitter.com/GHbt5H9twA
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 4, 2016
The two run single scoring Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera was a long time coming. Granderson was 0-22 in his last 22 at bats with runners in scoring position. He was 2-42 with runners in scoring position and two outs all season. It was his first two RBI game without a homer since July 6th (hat tip @themainemets).
Even more impressive than that was two of Robert Gsellman‘s feats.
The first was being a Mets pitcher who actually holds on runners and pays attention to the running game. He has a good move to first. The result of which was him picking off . . . sorry catching Bryce Harper stealing. Seriously, the pickoff/caught stealing scoring rule is as it gets.
More impressive than that was his escape in the sixth.
The Nationals had two on and no out after an Anthony Rendon double and a Wilson Ramos walk. Both would advance on a Ryan Zimmerman ground out.
It was a precarious situation not just because Gsellman is a young pitcher, but also because he isn’t a strikeout pitcher. He’s a ground ball pitcher in the ilk of a Chien-Ming Wang.
Naturally, Gsellman would get a huge strikeout of Ben Revere, who is a tough batter to strike out. Gsellman then induced Danny Espinosa to groundout to end the inning. Incredibly, Gsellman got out of the jam, and he preserved the 2-1 lead.
It would be Gsellman’s last inning. Like his other starts, it was never pretty with him, but he managed to find a way. His final line was six innings, six hits, one run, one earned, three walks, and four strikeouts.
Even more amazing than the aforementioned Granderson and Gsellman contributions was Loney’s. Loney came into the game not having hit an extra base hit in over a month and having gone 1-13 over the past week. Naturally, he hit an RBI double off Matt Belisle scoring Travis d’Arnaud making it a 3-1 game.
It would stay that way in large part because of Michael Conforto‘s center field defense.
Paint-by-number Collins brought in Jim Henderson because it was the seventh inning. Henderson allowed a one out single to Jayson Werth creating a hazardous situation with Daniel Murphy and Harper due up. With the two lefties coming up, Collins went to Josh Smoker.
It was a huge appearance for Smoker not just because of the situation, but also because who he was facing. The Nationals were the team that made him a first round pick and the team that released him after his injuries.
Murphy would hit a sinking line drive off Smoker that was almost assuredly a base hit until Conforto did this:
Smoker responded the same way we all did:
Smoker made the play stick by getting a huge strikeout of Harper to end the inning on a pitch that wasn’t in the next next batter’s box – it was in the next county.
Here's that Josh Smoker slider that had Bryce Harper flailing. #Mets #Nationals pic.twitter.com/robcKUED6W
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 4, 2016
Smoker was equally pumped after that strikeout:
The Smoke Show was in full effect. @Josh_Smoker retires Murphy and Harper to keep it 3-1 #Mets, Mid 7. pic.twitter.com/EO4zfBCpAY
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 4, 2016
After Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia combined to pitch a scoreless eighth and ninth, Mets fans were celebrating like Smoker.
With the Cardinals losing, it was a huge win that brought the Mets within one game of playoff position. It also kept their faint NL East hopes alive.
Game Notes: Give Dusty Baker credit, he tried to win the game making an estimated 350 pitching changes to get the right match ups in critical spots. It was really six, which is still a lot. Olympic Gold Medalist Laurie Hernandez threw out the first pitch:
Pennant Race: The Cardinals lost to the Reds 9-1. The Marlins lost to the Indians 8-3. The Pirates trail the Brewers 6-3 in the eighth.
The Mets entered August 6.5 games back in the NL East race behind both the Nationals and the Marlins. They also trailed the Marlins by 1.5 games for the last Wild Card spot. The Mets have also fallen behind the Cardinals in the Wild Card race as well.
By going 15-14, August turned out to be just the second winning month the Mets have had this season. They now trail the Nationals by nine games in the NL East. After what has been a crazy month, the Mets still remain 1.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. Only now, the Mets trail the the Cardinals after having helped put the Marlins away having won the first three against them in a four game series. Given the Mets weak September schedule, it should be an interesting finish to the season.
Bear in mind, these grades are on a curve. If a bench player gets an A and a position player gets a B, it doesn’t mean the bench player is having a better year. Rather, it means the bench player is performing better in his role.
Position Players
Travis d’Arnaud (C). After the Jonathon Lucroy rumors died down, d’Arnaud starting hitting again. However, he has cooled off to hit at a rate slightly better than his 2016 totals. Part of the reason may be Collins playing Rivera over him with the Mets needing to throw a lot of young pitchers out there.
Kevin Plawecki (Inc.) Plawecki spent the entire month down in AAA where he has started hitting again. He should be among the first group of players called up today. It’ll be interesting to see what, if any, impact he has over the final month of the season.
Rene Rivera (C). Rivera came crashing back to Earth offensively. However, his value has always been as a receiver, and he has done that job fairly well helping usher some of these young pitchers into the big leagues.
Lucas Duda (Inc). Duda is most likely gone for the season, and the debate will soon begin about whether he will be a Met in 2017.
James Loney (F). He didn’t hit for average or power, nor did he get on base much during the entire month. Worse yet, he has not been good in the field. The next ball he stretches for will be his first.
Neil Walker (A+). What has happened to Walker is nothing short of heart breaking. He had completely turned his season around, and he appeared to be headed for a massive payday this offseason with him standing out as one of the better options in a weak free agent class. Instead, Walker is going to have season ending back surgery to end his season.
David Wright (Inc.). It’s clear he’s done for the season, but it is nice seeing him around Citi Field and looking better.
Asdrubal Cabrera (A+). Since his return from the disabled list, Cabrera has been a blonde bombshell. He moved into the second spot in the order, and he he has combine with Reyes to form a dynamic and powerful 1-2 duo at the top of the lineup. The only concern is how much he is going to actually be able to play with that lingering knee issue.
Wilmer Flores (B+). Flores has continued to rake putting up numbers at an unprecedented. This month he hit seven homers. He has benefited greatly by mostly facing left-handed pitchers, and now he’s hitting righties better. The Mets will need his versatility all the more as injuries mounted during the month.
Eric Campbell (Inc.) Campbell did not play in a game during the month, and the Mets are not likely to call him up again until rosters expand in September.
Matt Reynolds (D). Reynolds didn’t hit well during his 10 games with the Mets this month. Worse yet for him, he has been passed over on the team’s depth chart by Rivera.
Ty Kelly (A). During his limited August playing time, Collins was able to maximize Kelly’s abilities by making him a short-lived platoon left fielder with Cespedes dealing with his quad injury. In his nine August games, Kelly hit .381/.500/.524 with a double and a triple.
Michael Conforto (D). After a stretch in which the Mets bottomed out, Conforto was sent down as he was a young player unable to handle sporadic playing time. Since being sent down to AAA, Conforto has hit everything including lefties. He should be called up today, and most likely, never play as Collins is his manager.
Yoenis Cespedes (A). It was admirable that Cespedes played until he could play no longer (even if his golfing might’ve been part of the reason why). Since his return, Cespedes is hitting home runs again. He has had another incredible month, and he had a walkoff with a legendary bat flip to help the Mets beat the Marlins.
Curtis Granderson (D). It hasn’t been fun seeing last year’s team MVP struggle the way he has this month. He lost his job in right, moved to center, and now has become a part time player. The hope is that with the time off, he rests up, and he returns to the Granderson of old. Those hopes don’t seem that far fetched after he came off the bench the other night to hit two home runs.
Juan Lagares (Inc). Lagares didn’t play in August due to the thumb surgery. It remains questionable if he can return in September as he will most likely not be ready for rehab games until after the minor league affiliates have ended their seasons.
Alejandro De Aza (C-). De Aza followed a great July with another poor August. Mixed in there were a couple of terrific games that helped the Mets win a pivotal game against the Cardinals. Right now, what he brings more than anything is the ability to play center field.
Kelly Johnson (A+). Johnson continues to be the Mets top pinch hitter as well as a platoon option in the infield. Over the past month, he has hit for more power including a surprising five homers. His bases loaded double last night might’ve buried the Marlins.
Brandon Nimmo (Inc). He only played two games before being sent down to AAA. Given the fact that he’s one of the few healthy center fielders in the organization, he may see some real time when he gets called up with the expanded rosters.
Jose Reyes (A). You could say we’re seeing the Reyes of old, but Reyes has never been this good in his career. He has adapted extremely well to third base while playing a steady shortstop when the Mets have needed him to play over there when Cabrera has been injured or needing a day off. The one caution is he still isn’t hitting right-handed pitching that well. Still, his numbers were terrific.
T.J. Rivera (B). After all this time, Rivera finally got his chance. He made the most of it hitting .289 in 13 games while playing decently at second and third base.
Justin Ruggiano (Inc). When he plays, he hits, but he is now on his second disabled list stint already with the Mets. With him being put on the 60 day disabled list, he’s now done for the season. Seeing what we have seen with the team, there may be something in the water.
Jay Bruce (F). Since coming to the Mets for Dilson Herrera, he has just been bad. But hey, it’s not like the Mets need another second baseman, right?
Pitchers
Matt Harvey (Inc). Harvey is done for the season after having had successful surgery to remove a rib. For a player who has been criticized in the past for attending Yankee games while being gone for the season, Harvey has been a fixture in the Mets dugout during games.
Jacob deGrom (D). deGrom had been pitching great until August rolled around. In back-to-back big games against the Giants and the Cardinals, he couldn’t deliver pitching two of the worst games in his career. Hopefully, the Mets skipping his last start will help get him back on track.
Noah Syndergaard (B). Syndergaard has had an uneven month, but after his last start, it appears he is dealing better with the bone spurs, and he is getting back to the pitcher who was dominant over the first half of the season.
Steven Matz (C). Just as you thought he turned things around with his flirting with a no-hitter in his last start, he goes down with a shoulder injury. At this time, it is unknown as to when or if he can return.
Bartolo Colon (A). Colon stopped his good start-bad start streak in August, and he started pitching much better during the month of August at a time when the Mets needed him the most.
Logan Verrett (F). Look, he shouldn’t have been tapped as the Mets fifth starter after Harvey went down, but with that said, he did everything he could to lose the job pitching to a 13.50 ERA in August. He eventually lost the job to Niese of all people
Jeurys Familia (A). That’s the Familia we all know and love. He not only had a sub 1.00 ERA, but he also broke the single season Mets save record he shared with Armando Benitez.
Addison Reed (B+). You knew he wasn’t going to keep up what he has been doing, but even with him coming back to Earth slightly, he has still be incredible.
Jim Henderson (F). After being on the disabled list for so long with yet another shoulder injury, Henderson has made his way back to the majors. Unfortunately, he’s not the same pitcher. Collins owes him an apology.
Hansel Robles (F). Robles showed how much he has been overworked this season by Collins this month. Hopefully, with some rest, he should finally be able to rebound and contribute in September and beyond like he had done for most of the season.
Jerry Blevins (B+). His 2.16 ERA was terrific, but his 1.560 WHIP gives some reason for pause. Both righties and lefties are starting to hit him, and he has been allowing inherited runners to score.
Antonio Bastardo (Inc.) Thankfully, he is gone, and it was worth it even if it meant the Mets had to take back Niese.
Rafael Montero (Inc.) He got an unexpected start due to injuries, and he fought his way through five scoreless innings. Good for him.
Sean Gilmartin (Inc.) Gilmartin has only made three appearances since being recalled, and he hasn’t pitched particularly well. Whether it was the shoulder injury or teams figuring him out, he’s not the same guy he was last season.
Erik Goeddel (F). There used to be two factions of the Mets fan base: those who thought Goeddel was a good major league pitcher, and those that didn’t. Seemingly, everyone is now in the latter camp now.
Seth Lugo (A). Lugo has been nothing short of a revelation this year. Due to injuries, he has had to go from the bullpen to the rotation. He has not only shown his stuff translates as a starter, but he also shown he could actually be more effective as a starter. He has gotten his 2014 deGrom moment, and he has taken advantage of it.
Jon Niese (F). Somehow, he was worse with the Mets than he was with the Pirates. He has failed in the bullpen and the rotation. Hopefully, for him, the reason is because of his knee injury that has required surgery.
Robert Gsellman (Inc.) It’s been a mixed bag for Gsellman. In his one relief apperance and his one start, he has given the Mets a chance to win. However, he’s a powder keg out there as it seems as if he is in trouble each and every inning. To his credit, he has gotten out of most of the jams. It’ll be interesting to see where he goes from here.
Gabriel Ynoa (Inc.) Ynao was surprisingly called up to pitch out of the bullpen. In three rough appearances, the only thing you can fairly conclude is he isn’t comfortable yet pitching out of the bullpen.
Josh Edgin (D) Edgin has gone through the long Tommy John rehab process, but he’s not quite back yet. His velocity isn’t quite there. With that in mind, he has struggles getting major league batters out.
Josh Smoker (B) After a rough start to his major league career, he has gone out there and gotten better each and every time out. He is getting his fastball in the upper 90s, and he is a strikeout machine. He could be a real factor over the next month and in the postseason
Terry Collins (D) He iced Conforto. He continues to overwork the bullpen. He makes baffling lineup decision after baffling lineup decision. He is even worse with in-game management. However, with the Mets on a stretch against some bad teams, and the Wild Card frontrunners not having run away with it, he may once again be in position to ride some good luck into the postseason.
With the way the Mets season has gone, you knew they were going to regret not scoring with bases loaded and no outs. The issue was whether they would be able to rebound.
At the time, the Mets were up 2-1 after a Wilmer Flores two run homer in the second scoring the clean up hitter Curtis Granderson. The home run was off the right-handed Jake Esch, who was making his major league debut. It was an important homer for Wilmer as he needs to hit righties more with the uncertainty surrounding Neil Walker and his back.
As in the first two games of this series, the Mets scored the half inning immediately after the Marlins too the lead.
The Mets had their chance to blow things open but failed. Jay Bruce started the rally with a single. Travis d’Arnaud singled himself leading to the Mets loading the bases. The rally was killed and the Mets scored no runs as Bartolo Colon hit into a double play. Which inning was this?
It was the second and the fourth.
In the second, Colon came up with one out, and he hit into the 3-6-3 inning ending double play. In the fourth, there were no outs as Colon hit into the rare 5-2-3 double play. Colon had two at bats leading to four outs.
The second failure with the bases loaded was especially notable as there are no outs and Bruce’s decided not to test Ichiro Suzuki‘s arm despite Tim Teufel waving him in. Kelly Johnson didn’t get the RBI, and after a Jose Reyes groundout, no one scored.
The Mets would regret missing out on these chances after Christian Yelich hit a game tying solo homer in the sixth.
The homer was a blip for Colon who was great on the night. His final line was seven innings, seven hits, two runs, one earned, no walks, and three strikeouts. However, he wouldn’t get the win, in part, due to his offense. Addison Reed would after pitching a scoreless eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Mets would not be denied again. The bases were loaded with two outs as Johnson stepped to the plate. He would hit a 3-2 pitch for a bases clearing double giving the Mets a 5-2 lead.
Probably just going to watch this over and over and over again. https://t.co/ivfU7c86xY pic.twitter.com/9oFlShbHnQ
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 1, 2016
Jeurys Familia came on and closed it out recording his 44th save of the season. With the save, he broke the tie he shared with Armando Benitez for saves in a single season. He is assured to only add to that.
With that, the Mets have taken three of the first four from the Marlins. They also finish the month over .500 for the first time since April.
Game Notes: Old friend Kirk Nieuwenhuis did his part to help the Mets hitting a three run home run against the Cardinals.
Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera let everyone know right off the bat the Mets were not going to take a second division club lightly by hitting back-to-back homers to start the bottom of the first.
"Watching these guys take off, I'm ready to dye my hair blonde." – Ron Darling. https://t.co/7sWZupyJDP #Metshttps://t.co/vw2V7WN511
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 27, 2016
They also brought their gloves. After Cabrera made a nice play in the fourth, Reyes followed up with a better one:
At the time, it preserved a Bartolo Colon no-hitter. Colon would lose it in the fifth on an Odubel Herrera hustle double. Herrera scored after the Mets gamble of intentionally walking Peter Bourjos, who is hitting .179 in the second half, to get to the pitcher Adam Morgan. Morgan hit an RBI single to close the gap to 2-1. That’s as close as the Phillies would get.
In the bottom of the fifth, Wilmer Flores made it 6-1 with a grand slam off Morgan:
Wilmer. Flores. CRUSHED! https://t.co/HgRyjgt2in #Mets #LGMhttps://t.co/xEUwvKJkQ3
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 27, 2016
Once again both Flores and this iteration of the Mets lineup just crushes lefties.
In the sixth, the Mets would put the game out of reach off Phillies reliever Frank Herrmann. Travis d’Arnaud hit an RBI double, and he would come around to score on Cabrera’s second home run of the game. It was the first time he homered from both sides of the plate. It gave the Mets a 9-1 lead effectively ending the game.
The Phillies would touch up Colon a bit in the eighth to close the gap to 9-4, but in reality it was just putting lipstick on a pig. Colon was terrific in every way tonight starting with a quick defensive reaction in the first:
Bartolo doing him. #Mets #LGM pic.twitter.com/WmgahMWWGv
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 26, 2016
He didn’t just help himself in the field, he helped himself at the plate going 2-3 with two runs and a double . . . yes, a double.
His final line was seven innings, six hits, four runs, four earned, two walks, and six strikeouts.
On what was a terrific day for the Mets, Cabrera put the capper on the night with a terrific defensive play in the eighth. Reyes tried to bare-hand a ball at third, and he missed it. Cabrera backed him up, and dive to tag out Aaron Altherr.
After a second lackluster appearance by Sean Gilmartin and his bleeding thumb, Terry Collins wasted no time in bringing in Jeurys Familia even though it wasn’t a save situation. Familia got out of the first and second no out jam to preserve the Mets 9-4 win.
Game Notes: Neil Walker was activated from the paternity list, and he went 1-3 with a run and a walk. T.J. Rivera was sent back down. Jay Bruce returned to the lineup as well, and he went 0-4 with the golden sombrero. Curtis Granderson sat against the left-handed again.
Pennant Race: The Nationals beat the Rockies 8-5. The Marlins are losing to the Padres 6-3 in the ninth. The Pirates are leading the Brewers 5-4 in the sixth. The Cardinals lead the Athletics 3-1 in the seventh.
In the offseason, the Mets have more 40 man roster decisions looming. Here are some notable Mets minor leaguers who will be needed to be added to the 40 man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft:
- Amed Rosario
- Wuilmer Becerra
- Gavin Cecchini
- Marcos Molina
- Paul Sewald
- Travis Taijeron
- Paul Paez
- Phillip Evans
- Champ Stuart
- Chase Bradford
There are many other roster choices the Mets will have to make aside from the aforementioned players. With that the Mets are going to have to make some tough 40 man decisions. With the Mets refusal to call-up Rafael Montero, he certainly stands to be one of the first people cut from the roster. With that in mind, isn’t it in the Mets best interests to find out what they have in him?
At this point in his career, Montero was supposed to be a fixture in the Mets rotation, or at the very least, a part of the Mets bullpen. Instead, he is stuck in AA, and he appears on his way out of the Mets organization.
The beginning of the end was last year when he complained of a shoulder injury after being demoted. The Mets insisted he should be able to pitch through it while Montero stated he couldn’t. It led to Terry Collins giving him a pep talk during a Mets road trip to Miami last August. Collins then lectured Montero in Spring Training about how he needed to step it up; how it was supposed to be him instead of Bartolo Colon for the fifth spot. Montero wouldn’t make it out of the first inning in his first Spring Training start, and he would be part of the first group of players demoted to Minor League Spring Training.
Due to a short Steven Matz start and a taxed bullpen, Montero would get called up to pitch out of the bullpen. Even in obvious situations to use him, Collins refused. Montero would go over a week without pitching a game, and when he did pitch, Montero would show his rust. In his two appearances, he pitched 2.1 innings with an alarming 11.57 ERA. Montero would be demoted. It wouldn’t be his last demotion.
After going 4-6 with a 7.20 ERA and a 1.888 WHIP in 16 AAA starts, he was sent down to AA where he has thrived. In eight starts, Montero has gone 4-2 with a 1.70 ERA and a 1.091 WHIP. It is the best Montero has pitched in his professional career. Arguably, Montero has become the Mets best minor league pitcher. Still, the Mets have routinely passed him over.
When Matt Harvey went down for the season, the Mets turned to Logan Verrett. When Verrett proved he couldn’t be a starting pitcher at the major league level, the Mets went to Jon Niese and his 5.20 ERA to take the fifth spot. The Mets chose a struggling Gabriel Ynoa as insurance for Niese. When Steven Matz first had his start skipped, the Mets went with Seth Lugo in the rotation. Now that Matz is on the disabled list, Lugo is firmly in the rotation. With Niese going on the disabled list and Robert Gsellman performing admirably in relief last night, Gsellman is going to take Niese’s sport in the rotation, which used to be Verrett’s spot, which used to be Harvey’s spot. Point is the Mets are going through a lot of pitchers before even considering Montero.
The Mets didn’t even so much as call-up Montero to take Ynoa’s or Gsellman’s spot in the AAA rotation. They didn’t go to Montero for a spot start or to go back to the bullpen. The Mets went with Ynoa and Gsellman despite them not being relievers and with Montero having experience as a reliever. It’s likely the Mets won’t turn to Montero unless there is another rash of injuries to the pitching staff, and perhaps not even then. It is possible the Mets will call him up September 1st, but given Collins apparent unwillingness to use him, it’s extremely doubtful he will even appear in a game.
Fact is Montero is done with the Mets, and he is merely occupying a very valuable 40 man roster spot. A roster spot the Mets could have used to protect Dario Alvarez, a very valuable reliever the Mets lost for nothing. A roster spot the Mets will need to protect a prospect who still has a future with the team. Montero has no future with the Mets, and the Mets aren’t even going to see what they have in him before he leaves the team.
Editor’s Note: this was first published on Mets Minors
Hopefully, all the suddenly (if relatively) healthy Mets needed to get going was to get one game under their belts. It certainly seemed to be the case as the August 2015 Yoenis Cespedes returned:
Difference Maker. #MetsWin #LaPotenciahttps://t.co/arxNRI0H5E
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 20, 2016
Cespedes powered the Mets offense to nine runs by going 3-5 with two runs, a double, two homers, and three RBI. He was just one of the Mets to tee off on Matt Moore and Jake Peavy. Even more amazing was the fact that the Mets were 5-9 with runners in scoring position.
Like it once did a decade ago, it all started with Jose Reyes, who doubled to leadoff the game en route to going 1-4 with two runs, a walk, a double, and a stolen base. He was the only Met to score in a first inning that saw the first four Mets get on base with two of the Mets hitting doubles.
The reason for the one run was partially a TOOTBLAN from Asdrubal Cabrera and his Ryanochte hair dye trying to go to second on what really didn’t amount to a wild pitch. At the time, the out loomed large. However, he’d make up for it with a third inning sacrifice fly scoring Reyes and his overall solid day at the plate going 2-4 with an RBI.
Soon to be dad, Neil Walker, was 2-4 with two runs, one walk, and one double. Justin Ruggiano was 2-3 with a run, a walk, and an RBI. Ruggiano needed a good day at the plate as he had some miscues in the field as he is apparently learning how to play alongside Cespedes.
The icing on the cake was an Alejandro De Aza three run sixth inning homer which capped off a four run inning. At the time, it put the Mets up 7-2, and they seemed to be in control.
It certainly was enough for Bartolo Colon, continued his good start, bad start pattern with a good one with a final line of 6.1 innings, nine hits, two runs, two earned, one walk, and five strikeouts. He departed with a runner on first. Josh Smoker came on and got Colon out of the inning.
While the lead was safe for Colon, it initially seemed the lead wasn’t safe for the bullpen. Hansel Robles was brought in to pitch the eighth, and he sandwiched walks to Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford around a Buster Olney line out. Even with the big lead, Collins was right to move to get the recently slumping Robles out of the game. However, Collins went to Addison Reed as Collins is the only one who doesn’t know Reed struggles with inherited runners.
Reed would allow both inherited runners to score on an Eduardo Nunez two RBI double. Reed would allow another run to score before getting out of the inning. Reed would settle in in the ninth shutting the Giants down ensuring the Mets 9-5 win.
Game Notes: Jim Henderson was activated off the disabled list but did not pitch. Erik Goeddel was sent down in his place. Slumping Jay Bruce sat against the lefty Moore. It was classified as day to get himself going than a benching.
Despite Travis d’Arnaud catching, there were no stolen base attempts once again showing there are more forces at work in a stolen base other than a catcher’s arm.
Right now, the Mets are four games out of a Wild Card spot, and they are desperately hoping with Yoenis Cespedes and Asdrubal Cabrera coming off the disabled list this week that the team goes on a run that will bring them back into the postseason. Whether or not that works, it is fair to ask if this is the Mets last chance to win the World Series.
The foundation of this team is its starting pitching. Matt Harvey has gone from Opening Day starter to question mark with his season ending surgery to address his thoracic outlet syndrome. There is no telling how effective he will be if he is able to come back.
Zack Wheeler was supposed to be back by the All Star Break. Now, it appears that he will miss his second consecutive season. While rehabbing from the surgery, Wheeler has had to have a second surgery to deal with forearm irritation caused by stitches, sensory nerve irritation, and now a flexor strain. He had been treated by Dr. Dave Altchek, and he sought a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews. We are continuously assured there are no structural issues, and yet, time and again there is a new excuse why he can’t pitch. At the end of the day, it does not matter if he is unable to pitch due to his elbow or for other reasons. Who knows when he can return or how effective he will be when returning.
There are more question marks in the rotation. Steven Matz has yet to have a healthy season in the majors. Bartolo Colon will be 44 years old next year meaning there is no guarantee that he pitches beyond this year. Even if he does, there is no guarantee he will be this effective. Logan Verrett has shown he is not capable of being a member of the starting rotation. Sean Gilmartin‘s season ended early with shoulder problems. The Mets aren’t going to pick up Jon Niese‘s option, and even if they did bring him back, you should probably expect more of the same from him.
The Mets other options are Gabriel Ynoa and Robert Gsellman, both of whom are probably not ready to start in the majors. Even if they are, both realistically project to be middle to back of the rotation starters. That certainly helps, but that also a huge drop off from someone like Harvey.
As if the starting pitching wasn’t a big enough issue, there is the issue of the Mets offense.
As we saw this year, you cannot rely upon David Wright at all. The Mets have no internal options to replace his bat in the lineup. Worse yet, there is a lack of very good options on the free agent market choices available even if the Mets were so inclined to add a bat. Keep in mind, they may also have to replace Lucas Duda at first base. In 2015, Duda had a disc issue. This year, Duda will miss almost the entire season with a stress fracture in his back. There is a very real chance that he is a non-tender candidate. The Mets do not have a first base option in the minors who is on track to play in the majors next year, and again, the free agent market is less than promising. That means James Loney can once again be the Mets best option, and as we have seen, he is not a terribly good everyday option.
This isn’t even the Mets biggest problem, not by a long shot.
Cespedes can opt out of his contract at the end of the season, and he will easily become the best free agent available. The narrative coming out of last offseason was how much Cespedes wanted to be a Met, and that is why he returned. That’s the hope why he will stay. However, it’s more narrative than fact.
The fact is Cespedes didn’t get a fair market value offer on the free agent market. Judging from the free agent contracts handed out, teams placed a higher value on Jason Heyward and Justin Upton. The teams you would think would be interested in Cespedes gave the money to somebody else. The Nationals were interested, but due to budgetary constraints, they only offered Cespedes a largely backloaded deal. It is possible that after another postseason berth, and Jonathan Papelbon‘s salary off the books, the Nationals could make another run at Cespedes in the offseason. It is also possible that the Giants, Dodgers, Rangers and/or the Angels could emerge as suitors for Cespedes. There’s always the phantom mystery team that could join the bidding.
It is certainly plausible the Mets get outbid from Cespedes, or they simply move on from him. Keep in mind, there were rumblings all over that the Jay Bruce trade was made, in part, as insurance for Cespedes leaving in the offseason. If that is the case, the Mets outfield will yet again be left without a true center fielder.
The main task may first fall to Curtis Granderson, who has struggled mightily this year and should not be counted on to rebound in 2017. The Mets could go with a Juan Lagares/Brandon Nimmo platoon in center, but that would leave no room for Michael Conforto to play everyday.
Speaking of Conforto, there is another major issue with this Mets team. Both Conforto and Travis d’Arnaud have regressed this year. Certainly, Conforto’s wrist and d’Arnaud’s shoulder are factors, but the fact remains, they have regressed. Couple that with Kevin Plawecki not progressing at all, there is a major issue. Either the Mets young talent is not as good as anticipated, or there are impediments at the major league level that is preventing them from reaching their full potential. In order for the Mets to remain contenders, they will need their young players to step up.
Between the aforementioned free agent market and lack of major league ready prospects, the Mets only real hopes of improving the roster is on the trade front. The problem there is the cupboard is getting bare. The Mets have already moved big pieces in Michael Fulmer and Dilson Herrera. They’re not willing to move Amed Rosario, and they are really unlikely to move Dominic Smith. The Mets could move Nimmo, but that depletes from their depth for next season, and as we have seen, the Mets need all the depth they can get.
Keep in mind that over the past two seasons, the Mets have also moved Robert Whalen, Luis Cessa, John Gant, Akeel Morris, and Casey Meisner. They lost Matthew Bowman and Dario Alvarez without getting anything in return. Their departures leaves a gap of mid-tier prospects the Mets could move for upgrades.
Yes, the Mets can field a very competitive baseball team next year. As long as you have pitchers like Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, you are going to have a chance to compete. With another year of Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia, it is a seven inning game for the Mets. It’ll become a six inning game if Hansel Robles takes the next step. But after that?
You’re counting on Neil Walker returning, which is not a guarantee. You’re counting on Asdrubal Cabrera developing more range at shortstop while hitting better than .255/.308/.410. He was a .249/.307/.405 hitter from 2013 – 2015. You’re counting on Jose Reyes to hit better than his .250/.302/.466 and be healthy all of next year. Reyes hit .274/.310/.378 while hitting in two of the best hitter’s parks last year. You’re counting on Wilmer Flores being able to learn to hit righties. You’re counting on the Mets not having to rely on the Eric Campbells and Ty Kellys on the world for prolonged stretches of time over the next season. It’s all possible, but it’s not likely.
As things look right now, the Mets better start winning some ballgames and make a run because there is no guarantee that the Mets window to contend will remain open past this season.
The runner takes off from first, and Travis d’Arnaud pops out of the chute unleashing a throw to second base. The throw isn’t even close as the runner swipes the bag easily. Mets fans groan as it is yet another time d’Arnaud has failed to throw out the runner. It happens all too often, and seemingly most of d’Arnaud’s throws to second are either off line or spiked in front of the base not giving Neil Walker or Asdrubal Cabrera a chance to put down the tag in time. It should come as no surprise that d’Arnaud has only thrown out 22.6% of would be base stealers. It should also come as no surprise that d’Arnaud has allowed the seventh most stolen bases in the majors despite a stint on the disabled list.
However, what may come as a surprise is that d’Arnaud is not really to blame at all for these woeful statistics. It’s really the starting pitcher. Here is a breakdown on how successful base stealers have been when each of the Mets starting pitchers are on the mound:
| Pitcher | SB | CS | Success Rate |
| Noah Syndergaard | 40 | 4 | 90.91% |
| Bartolo Colon | 7 | 6 | 53.85% |
| Jacob deGrom | 3 | 3 | 50.00% |
| Steven Matz | 20 | 6 | 76.92% |
| Matt Harvey | 7 | 3 | 70.00% |
| Logan Verrett | 3 | 5 | 37.50% |
As you can see, teams run wild when Syndergaard and Matz are on the mound. However, when Colon and deGrom are on the mound, teams tend to stay put, and when they do run, they are much less successful when attempting a stolen base.
These results are all the more surprising when you consider that Rene Rivera, who is generally regarded as a much better defensive catcher, has effectively become Syndergaard’s personal catcher. Here is a breakdown of how successful Mets catchers are trying to throw out base stealers when Syndergaard is on the mound:
| Catcher | SB | CS | Success Rate |
| Travis d’Arnaud | 12 | 1 | 92.31% |
| Kevin Plawecki | 6 | 1 | 85.71% |
| Rene Rivera | 22 | 2 | 91.67% |
In reality, it doesn’t really matter who is back there, teams are going to run wild when Syndergaard is on the mound. The catcher is always going to look bad trying to throw out base stealers when Syndergaard is on the mound. We saw it again last night as the Diamondbacks were a perfect 4/4 in stolen base attempts. It’s a big reason why Rivera is only throwing out 25.6% of base stealers this season.
It should also be noted that with veteran pitchers who actually hold on baserunners, d’Arnaud throws out more baserunners. With Colon pitching, d’Arnaud throws out 37.5% of base stealers, and with deGrom on the mound, he has thrown out one of the three players who have attempted a stolen base with him behind the plate.
This isn’t to say d’Arnaud doesn’t have room to improve. He can certainly work on winding up less on his throws, and he can work on making better throws to second. However, at the end of the day, the base runners are running on the pitcher and not d’Arnaud’s arm.