David Wright
All I’ve heard everywhere today is the Mets need to get Juan Uribe in the lineup. People are starting to question at what point you sit David Wright. Do you rearrange the lineup? Stop.
Let’s start with Uribe. He’s not a good postseason player. You’re looking to substitute Wright’s .171/.320/.220 triple slash this offseason with Uribe’s career postseason stats of .204/.241/.338. It’s not exactly a massive upgrade especially when you consider Uribe hasn’t played in a month and the fact that he still may not be ready:
Terry Collins says his hesitancy to use Juan Uribe stemmed from chest injury. But #Mets expect Uribe to play a bigger role back at Citi.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 28, 2015
Another consideration is defense. Wright is a much better defensive player. Yes, he made one error in Game 1, but he’s been very good in every game.
With respect to the lineup, what are you changing? Yes, I know Wright’s not hitting. However, go over the stats. The only Mets hitting this postseason are Curtis Granderson, Daniel Murphy, and only recently, Lucas Duda. You still want to go L-R-L in the lineup, so who’s the right that’s hitting? If anyone was tearing it up, if consider it, but they’re not.
David Wright is the captain. He waited a long time for this. He worked hard to get back here. What effect would have on the team if he’s benched or put lower in the lineup. It’s a real consideration.
I’m probably harder on Wright than anyone, but I respect him and his game. That probably goes a million times over for his teammates and the organization. I still hope he comes through in a game. He needs to be in there.
Lets Go Mets!
Last night was a mixed bag for David Wright. He made some good plays during the game, but ultimately he wasn’t there when the team needed him most.
He 2-7 at the plate last night. In the 9th, he came up and got a basehit off of Luke Hochevar. He seemed to be getting a rally started to get an insurance run in a 4-3 game. However with Daniel Murphy at the plate, he was caught stealing. It was close, but he was out. The Mets didn’t get the insurance run, which would haunt them.
Wright then came up in the 11th with runners on first and second with two outs. He was facing Ryan Madson, who he has had success against. Coming into the night, Wright was hitting .308 with 3 homers and five RBIs. He struck out to end the rally. It was the last time the Mets threatened.
In the field it was a similar story to what happened at the plate. He had one web gem:
We'll leap at the chance to even things up tonight. #WorldSeries #Mets #LGM pic.twitter.com/vR9EsNaGI9
— New York Mets (@Mets) October 28, 2015
However, as we know, he made a throwing error in the 14th. It allowed the go-ahead run on base, which scored.
If Wright comes through last night in any of three spots, the Mets win the game. He didn’t, and the Mets lost. However, I’m not killing him. The loss was a team effort.
He didn’t allow the Alex Gordon homer. He didn’t blow a two run lead. He didn’t allow the base hits after the error. He wasn’t the only one who failed.
There was some good things that Wright did in last night’s game. If he continues to play good defense, as he has all postseason, and he has a .286 series average, good things will happen.
In the 14th inning, there were two pivotal plays. The first was the David Wright error allowing Alcides Escobar to score. Here’s an image of the play:
The next was Escobar scoring the winning run on a sacrifice fly that inning. Here’s why it bothers me. Neither play was reviewed. We didn’t see Terry Collins ask for a review.
What I don’t know is if the reason was because the team’s agreed to go without replay after the blackout in the telecast:
https://twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/status/659179564585889792
However, we do know that eventually replay again became available during the game:
Replay now back in both clubhouses according to MLB.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 28, 2015
If it was, then the Mets missed an opportunity. We’ve already seen strange things happen with replay this postseason. Are we 100% sure Lucas Duda wasn’t on the bag. It’s possible he was. We may never know because there was no replay.
If Collins thought there was replay that call needed to be replayed. It’s the 14th inning. You need to use your challenge at some point. If Collins thought there was no replay, why isn’t he out there arguing. Maybe he forces an umpire huddle and an overturn of the call. It’s not likely, but we’ve seen it happen.
If there was replay, how do you not challenge the last play of the game? I’m 99.999% sure Escobar didn’t leave early, but if he did it’s no two outs and the Mets can get out of the inning. The replays may not have changed anything, but don’t you have to at least try?
First pitch is slated for 8:07, which means the game will probably start around 9:00. It doesn’t matter the time because Mets fans have been waiting for that pitch seemingly all their lives. Stepping up to the plate will be Curtis Granderson.
It’s fitting that it’ll be Granderson. Granderson was the first offensive player to sign on. Yes, the Mets had David Wright, but he had not signed his extension yet. We didn’t know if Daniel Murphy would be traded or not. Lucas Duda had not yet wrestled first base away from Ike Davis. Seriously, all we knew at that time was Granderson was going to be the RF for four years.
Granderson was the first offensive player to really sign on for all of this. Except for Wright and Murphy, the team has changed all around him. He has been the Mets regular season MVP. He has been terrific this postseason. This year he’s been everything you could’ve asked him to be.
He’s going to step in the box and kick off the World Series for the Mets. It’s fitting since he was the first position player to sign on for this.
He’s worked hard to get to this point, and the Mets have rewarded the work by adding Juan Uribe to the World Series roster:
Juan Uribe is on the #Mets World Series roster. Matt Reynolds is off.
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) October 27, 2015
The Case for Uribe
This team turned around with the Uribe trade. He’s been on World Series winners in 2005 and 2010. You’re hoping for a little five year luck there.
Unlike most teams, the Royals have two lefties in the pen with Danny Duffy and Franklin Morales. Adding Uribe gives the Mets an extra right handed bat off the bench. After Michael Cuddyer the Mets can turn to Uribe. This allows Juan Lagares to be a defensive replacement, and Kevin Plawecki to be ready for a Travis d’Arnaud injury. Don’t worry I tapped on every piece of wood within the nearest square mile after typing that.
Additionally, it lengthens the bench. In a way, it’s amazing the Mets playing with a 24 man roster never caught up with them. In actuality, there was no way Matt Reynolds was going to play. At least now, the Mets don’t have a dead roster spot.
I have to say it’s a pretty convincing case. I still don’t like the move.
The Case Against Uribe
The last time the Mets thought Uribe could go, he exacerbated his chest injury. If that happens in the World Series, the Mets will be burning through 3-4 players in one at bat (original player, Uribe, new batter, defensive replacement). If this happens in Citi Field, this team is in real trouble.
The next reason is your backup SS is now Kelly Johnson. He’s only played one game at SS, and that was this year. He’s the DH in Game One. If anything happens to Wilmer Flores, the Mets have a terrible choice to make. Do you lose the DH? Do you move David Wright and his back there? Do you put Uribe there? Or my personal favorite:
Is everyone forgetting they can put Jacob deGrom at SS in a pinch?
— Joe DeMayo (@PSLToFlushing) October 27, 2015
Yes, the Mets can put Reynolds on the roster for the injured player, but that’s only AFTER the game. If anything happens to Flores, you’re playing a game without a SS [insert Flores isn’t a SS jokes here]. How quickly the Mets have forgotten that Flores almost had to leave Game 4 of the NLCS after hitting his head.
Furthermore, you’re risking a lot for someone who’s not a terrific hitter. In his playoff career, he has hit .204/.241/.338. As a Met, he has hit .219/.301/.430. As a pinch hitter this year, he has hit .190/.320/.333. He’s 0-4 this year as a DH. It’s just too much to risk for someone that really only plays third and just doesn’t hit the way you think he does.
Yes, he can change a game and a series with one swing of the bat. It still doesn’t change the fact that this move is extremely risky. I hope he does not only because he’s a Mets fan, but also he’s a big part of this team.
The Mets have been waiting 15 years to go back to the World Series. They’ve been waiting 29 years for a World Series title. Many Mets fans haven’t seen or don’t remember 1986. Mets fans aren’t the only ones who have been waiting.
There are players who have played their whole careers without playing in a World Series. The usual example is the late, great Ernie Banks. While none of the current Mets will be joining that group, there are many who have waited a long time to get here:
Bartolo Colon 18 years
Michael Cuddyer 15 years
David Wright 12 years
Tyler Clippard 9 years
Jon Niese 8 years
Daniel Murphy 7 years
It’s a long time to wait. These guys have earned it. They should each be proud of themselves. Twenty-four hours from now, they’ll be playing in their first World Series game.
It’s been a long time, but I can’t wait.
The Royals named Edison Volquez as their Game One starter. The Volquez-Johnny Cueto decision wasn’t like what the Mets faced before in the playoffs. However, it merited consideration, and the Royals went with Volquez.
This year Volquez was 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 1.308 WHIP, and a 7.0 K/9. That’s where the good ends for Volquez. In his career, he is 1-4 with a 6.56 ERA, 1.543 WHIP, and a 6.9 K/9. He’s been slightly better this postseason going 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 8.1 K/9. In the end, what matters most is how he’s pitched against the Mets:
Curtis Granderson 3-12 with 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K
David Wright 6-25 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K
Daniel Murphy 3-17 with 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Yoenis Cespedes 0-2 with 1 K
Lucas Duda 3-15 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K
Travis d’Arnaud 0-0
Michael Conforto 0-0
Wilmer Flores 1-6 with 1 double
Juan Lagares 2-12 with 1 BB and 2 K
Combined 18-99 (.182 BA), 12 BB (.270 OBP), 1 double, 4 HR (.253 slugging), 11 RBI, and 22 K
Here’s how the bench has fared against Volquez:
Michael Cuddyer 1-6 with 1 double
Kelly Johnson 4-14 with 1 double, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
Kirk Nieuwenhuis 1-3 with 2 K
Kevin Plawecki 0-0
Matt Reynolds 0-0
Bench 6-23 (.263) with 3 BB (.346 OBP), 2 double (.467 slugging), 2 RBI, 1 K
In essence, Volquez had pitched well against the Mets. However, the Mets players have gotten to him. When the Mets have made contact, they’ve hit homeruns. It’ll be tough to hit homers in a stadium like Kauffman.
Fortunately, the Mets have better pitching than the Royals. If the Mets pitch how they should, they will need just one of those blasts to win the game, similar to the NLDS.
Sometimes, there’s no rhyme or reason for things. I think this sums up Johnny Cueto‘s 2015 season. He went from a hitters’ ballpark with poor defense to a pitchers ballpark with terrific defense and got worse. It doesn’t make sense especially when you consider he left the best division in baseball for one of the worst.
With the Reds, Cueto averaged 6.2 innings per start going 7-6 with a 2.62 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 0.934 WHIP, and a 8.3 K/9. With the Royals, he averaged 6.0 innings per start with a 4.76 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 1.461 WHIP, and a 6.2 K/9. Sure, he was incredible in the clinching game of the NLDS, but his two other starts were terrible. In Game Three of the ALCS, he took the loss allowing six hits, eight earned, four walks, and two strikeouts over two innings.
Historically, Cueto hasn’t faired well against the Mets either. In his career, he is 3-4 against the Mets with a 4.02 ERA, 1.369 WHIP, and a 10.0 K/9. At Citi Field, he is slightly better with a 2-2 record, 3.60 ERA, 1.267 WHIP, and a 10.5 K/9. The Mets will face him at Kauffman Stadium in Game One. There he is 3-5 with a 3.88 ERA, 1.294 WHIP, and a 6.9 K/9. He’s prime to get hit by the Mets. The only issues is how do these Mets hit him?
Here’s the numbers against the presumed Game One starting lineup:
Curtis Granderson 3-12 with 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K
David Wright 6-25 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K
Daniel Murphy 3-17 with 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Yoenis Cespedes 0-2 with 1 K
Lucas Duda 3-15 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K
Travis d’Arnaud 0-0
Michael Conforto 0-0
Wilmer Flores 1-6 with 1 double
Juan Lagares 2-12 with 1 BB, and 2 K
Combined 17-89 (.191 BA) with 12 BB (.287 OBP), 1 double, 4 HR (.337 slugging), 11 RBI, and 21 K
Here’s how the projected bench has hit against him:
Kelly Johnson 1-6 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
Michael Cuddyer 1-6 with 1 double
Kirk Nieuwenhuis 1-3 with 2 K
Kevin Plawecki 0-3 with 1 K
Matt Reynolds 0-0
Bench Combined 3-15 (.200 BA) with 2 BB (.294 OBP), 1 double, 1 HR (.467 slugging), 2 RBI, and 4 K
In case the Mets make a roster change, here’s Uribe’s numbers:
Juan Uribe 2-6 with 1 double, 2 RBI, 2 K
Overall, the Mets have not hit Cueto well. However, prior to Cueto being a Royal no one did. Just last year, Cueto limited batters to a triple slash line of .195/.261/.313. So, where’s the discrepancy in all this? Where’s the hope for Mets fans tomorrow? It’s that Cueto’s numbers are actually no fluke at all. In his career, as the year progresses, he tired and gets hit harder:
March/April .208/.269/.349
May .222/.282/.364
June .235/.298/.367
July .252/.324/.365
August .243/.305/.412
September/October .275/.335/.426
Given these numbers, it’s clear that Cueto can be hit . . . hard. This gives the Mets a Game One advantage. When the goal is to split in Kansas City, the Mets need to utilize this advantage. I think they can and will.
My brother and I got into an argument before the season started. We were both optimistic about the Mets season. However, I thought the Mets were an 85 win team that could compete for the second Wild Card. He thought they could win the World Series.
I didn’t think this was possible. I thought there would be an innings limit problem with Matt Harvey (there was). I didn’t think the Mets would make a trade to go for it (they did). I thought 2016 was their year (it still might be). On the other hand, my brother knows nothing about baseball. Like nothing. He doesn’t even own a Mets jersey. He had to buy a hat for the playoffs. Why believe him?
Just kidding. My brother is a die hard fan too. He’s not as crazy as I am (who is?), but a diehard nonetheless. He was just more optimistic. I think he was more optimistic than most Mets fans out there. If most are being honest, they didn’t see this coming, especially with David Wright hurt and John Mayberry, Jr. batting cleanup.
By any measure, this season has been a complete success. Even if the Mets get swept in the World Series, it was a successful season. With all that said, I won’t be satisfied unless they win the World Series.
These chances come do infrequently, especially for a team like the Mets. Think about it. That loaded 80’s team won the only World Series they were in. The Mets went to back-to-back postseasons in 1999 and 2000, and they had no World Series to show for it. The 2006 Mets were built for the long term. All we saw was a Game 7 in the NLCS and two collapses.
Sure, with this young pitching, we can see an 80’s like run. It could be more successful because there’s now four extra playoff spots. However, we’ve seen this before. You need to seize the opportunity when it comes. If you don’t, you may never see it again.
I will always look fondly on this season like I do the 1999 and 2006 regular seasons. Now, I want to remember the 2015 season in its totality.
LETS GO METS!
In 2000, Mike Hampton became the first Met ever to win the NLCS MVP. He was 2-0 He didn’t allow a run. He pitched a complete game shutout in the clinching Game 5.
He was terrible in his only World Series start. He allowed four earned in six innings, and he wasn’t even that good. He was critical of Mike Piazza for not starting a brawl after the Roger Clemens bat throwing incident. He made this statement even though he tied the rubber in Game 2, and he never sought retaliation.
After the season, he left the Mets for Colorado due to the school system. I’m sure the eight year $121 million contract didn’t play a part. He warned every boo that would be rained upon him on every return trip to Shea Stadium. So why am I thanking him?
David Wright. Wright was the compensatory draft pick the Mets received when Hampton signed with the Rockies. Because Hampton left, we’ve had Wright’s terrific career. He’s been an All Star, MVP candidate, and the Captain. His career so far merits Hall of Fame consideration.
Now, he’s going to play in a World Series. It may be nine years after than we thought, but Wright has led the Mets to the World Series. It wouldn’t have been possible if Hampton didn’t do to Colorado.
So, thank you Mike Hampton for leaving town. We were better off for it.