Terry Collins
It’s the bottom of the ninth, and James Loney takes his lead from second. He represents the tying run. With his speed, or lack thereof, the ball is most likely going to need to be hit deep in the outfield to score him. With that in mind, Terry Collins knows he can’t let Rene Rivera bat in this situation, and he turns to his bench. He then summons Ty Kelly because he seriously had no better choice to make.
With that said, Kelly was the wrong choice. It should’ve been Travis Taijeron there.
On a bench with a dearth of power, Taijeron would be a welcome addition. This year Taijeron is hitting .314/.394/.587 in AAA. As we saw in Spring Training, his slugging isn’t a Vegas desert mirage. It’s legitimate power. He’s hit for power at each and every level he’s played. On top of that, Taijeron is a good corner outfielder. With that’s said, with the amount of strikeouts heaccumulates, there is a legitimate issue as to how his skills will translate to the majors.
What we do know is that Kelly’s skills don’t translate well. Despite his one home run, he hasn’t hit the ball with much authority from either side of the plate. It’s why he’s hitting .160/.222/.280 in his 27 plate appearances. He’s shown why four organizations passed on him, and why he didn’t get a call to the majors until he was 27. And yet, the Mets won’t move on from him allowing Taijeron to get his chance.
We don’t know if Taijeron would’ve come through in the ninth inning last night. What we do know is that Kelly didn’t, and no one reasonably expected him to get that big hit. Last night was yet another reason why the Mets should send down Kelly and give Taijeron his shot.
Editor’s Note: this was first published on metsminors.net
After the game, Terry Collins revealed Juan Lagares was scratched from the lineup because he couldn’t close his left hand. At a minimum, it seems like a DL stint is inevitable.
The natural inclination would be for the Mets to call-up Brandon Nimmo. He’s certainly earned the promotion hitting .330/.411/.529 with five homers and 32 RBI. The 23 year old 2011 first round pick appears to be ready for a promotion to the majors. He could take the place of Michael Conforto in the lineup while Conforto waits for his wrist to react to the cortisone shot.
With that said, Conforto is expected back this weekend. Once he returns, it is likely Terry Collins will play him everyday. That will leave Nimmo on the bench which would be detrimental to his development. Nimmo needs to get regular at bats, and that does not appear likely at the major league level.
However, Lagares and Conforto aren’t the only Mets that are ailing. Neil Walker had to pull himself from a game on Saturday. He hasn’t been able to play since. Tomorrow, he is going to see a back specialist to be evaluated. Given the Mets luck lately with Lucas Duda and David Wright, no one should be holding their breath.
With that in mind, the Mets should call-up Dilson Herrera.
Herrera is the second baseman of the future, and depending on Walker’s back, the future may be now. Herrera is hitting .298/.344/.517 with ten homers and 36 RBI. Like Nimmo, Herrera has earned the call-up. Unlike Nimmo, Herrera has some major league experience. Moreover, Herrera doesn’t have an obvious impediment to his playing time.
In Walker’s absence, Collins has had to pick between Matt Reynolds and Kelly Johnson. Both have played well recently, but there shouldn’t be expectations for that to continue. Reynolds is the same player who has hit .282/.335/.420 in the Pacific Coast League, which is about as favorable a hitter’s league there is. Even with his hot streak, Johnson is hitting .226/.288/.308 this year. Herrera should be an upgrade over these players.
Accordingly, Herrera should be called-up to play second until such time as Walker is ready to return. In the interim, Collins can go with either Johnson in left, like he did Wednesday, or Alejandro De Aza, who Collins wants to get more at bats. Herrera can and should effectively man second base until Walker is ready. When that happens, the Mets will do what they always do in these situations:
They will call up Eric Campbell.
However, before that happens the Mets need to call-up Herrera. He’s the best option at second base behind Walker. Additionally, in Wright’s absence, the Mets can judge whether it is time to let Herrera play second while moving Walker to third. This is an option the Mets have internally discussed. They now have a window to see if it is feasible.
It’s time to call-up Dilson Herrera.
Editor’s Note: this was first published on metsminors.net
This time last year fans were begging the Mets to call up Michael Conforto. He was seen as part of the solution to the Mets offensive issues. When he was called up on July 24th, he delivered. Conforto hit .270/.335/.506 with a 131 OPS+. He would hit two homeruns in a Game Four of the World Series. He jumped out of the gate this April hitting .365/.442/.676. He looked to be well on his way to become a superstar. Then he stopped hitting.
Since May 1st, Conforto has hit .165/.231/.339. He’s striking out 30.6% of his at bats. He’s gone from the leader in hard hit rate to 21st. He dropped from hitting the ball hard 31.4% of the time to just 21% of the time. It’s a big dropoff. It begs the question what is wrong with Conforto?
In reality, there’s nothing wrong with Conforto. He is a 23 year old player who has never played a single game in AAA. He is allowed to struggle.
Also, some of his early season success was unsustainable. He had a .411 BABIP. The league average is .300. While some have a natural talent to hit above the .300, no one has a .411 BABIP. Also, his current .188 BABIP is also unsustainable. It should be of no surprise that Conforto’s true talent kids in the middle, which is a really good thing.
He’s also not hitting lefties . . . yet. In 45 plate appearances, he’s hitting .095/.133/.095. This includes him going 0-3 against Madison Bumgarner on May 1st. Do you know what 45 games is? It’s a small sample size. His numbers aren’t pretty, but they’re also not indicative of his true talent level. In AA last year, Conforto hit .333/.414/.490 against lefties in 58 plate appearances. For the sake of comparison, Conforto hit .303/.388/.508 against righties in 139 plate appearances. Even if Collins won’t play him against lefties, it doesn’t mean he’s incapable or that playing him against a lefty will throw him into a tail spin. For his part, Kevin Long, Conforto’s hitting coach, believes that Conforto can hit lefties if given a chance.
Overall, Conforto can hit righties and hit lefties. He’s just in a prolonged slump. Hes just a 23 year old who still needs to make adjustments in the big leagues. He has the talent to do so. He’s hit every step of the way. He hit last year, and he has hit well at times this year. As we saw with Conforto’s sacrifice fly and homerun last night, he’s not only going to hit, he’s going to get big hits. When Conforto does turn things around, National League pitching is going to be in a lot of trouble.
When that happens, we are all going to be reminded just how good Conforto really is.
Yesterday was about as frustrating as it gets. The Mets only scored one run in 13 innings despite drawing 13 walks. The natural reaction is to try to figure out where things went wrong, to try to figure out why this happened. There are many plausible and reasonable explanations. However, when seeking out an answer to what is currently ailing the Mets, Terry Collins is not one of them.
Yes, Terry Collins has his faults as a manager. He sticks with veterans too long. He has a tendency to mismanage the bullpen. He mismanaged the World Series so poorly he might’ve cost the team an opportunity to win the World Series. There are many things wrong with him as a manager. However, you cannot blame him for the current state of the Mets’ offense.
Terry Collins is not to blame for Travis d’Arnaud going down with a rotator cuff injury leaving him with the choice of the light hitting Kevin Plawecki or Rene Rivera each and every night. Terry Collins is not to blame for Lucas Duda‘s pre-existing back issue or his subsequent (if unrelated) stress fracture. He’s also not to blame for David Wright‘s spinal stenosis or the herniated disc in his neck. You can’t blame Terry Collins that his had to start someone from the triumvirate of Eric Campbell, Ty Kelly, or Matt Reynolds at third base. You can’t blame Terry Collins that the Mets had to go out and get James Loney, a player released by the Tampa Rays before the season began, to fill-in at first base.
Overall, the manager’s job is to get the best out of his players. It is not to suddenly turn Kevin Plawecki and Ty Kelly into capable major league hitters. That’s unfair and unreasonable.
While there is plenty of blame to go around for the offense, it’s not on Collins. In fact, you could argue that given the current state of the offense, Collins is exactly the manager you want in charge of the Mets. The Mets faced similar issues last year while Collins was at the helm. He had a young starting rotation going out there putting terrific start after terrific start just hoping the offense could score a run or two to get them the win. This is the type of environment that coiuld’ve fractured a team. It’s the type of environment when players could start getting frustrated and take those frustrations out on the field. Instead, Terry Collins held that team together until the team got healthy and Sandy Alderson could get reinforcements in place. A year later, the Mets are in the same exact position.
So, overall, Terry Collins is not to blame. In fact, he has shown that he is the exact manager you want in place right now. The World Series? Well, that’s a whole other matter. Let’s get through this rough patch first before discussing that point.
In the 2013 Homerun Derby, Mets fans got a chance to see Yoenis Cespedes’ awe inspiring power. During Cespedes’ display of his potencia, he would hit 23 homers beating Bryce Harper for the title.
On that stage, Cespedes showed himself to have outstanding power. However, it never fully translated to games. In his first three seasons, he only averaged 24 homers and a .464 slugging. He was never Top 10 in the American League in either catergory. His isolated power over those three seasons was a very good .201. However, seeing Cespedes in that homerun derby, you just knew that he was capable of more.
Maybe he needed to get out of ballparks like O.co or Commerica. Maybe he needed to play in a big market. Maybe, just maybe, he needed to set foot back in Citi Field.
As reported by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Cespedes feels comfortable and at home as a member of the Mets. Cespedes said, “I’ve said as much as I got here last year, it feels very much at home here.” His manager Terry Collins agrees saying, “[Cespedes] wants to play in New York City, and that says a lot, because a lot of guys would shy away from that challenge.”
Upon setting foot upon the New York stage, Cespedes looked at home. He rose to the challenge. In just 57 games, he hit .287/.337/.604 with 17 homers. Extrapolating that over the course of a full 162 game season, Cespedes would’ve hit 48 homeruns. The 48 homeruns would’ve led the league, and the slugging would’ve been good for second in the league. The .314 isolated power was off the charts good.
The only thing more amazing than Cespedes’ run after the trade deadline is the run he’s on to start the 2016 season.
This year, Cespedes is hitting .281/.358/.611. with 15 homers in 46 games. He’s leading the majors in homers. His .330 isolated power is even better than it was last year. He’s on pace to hit 58 homers. While these numbers seem unbelievable, it is quickly becoming what is expected from Cespedes. Assistant GM John Ricco said, “I hope it’s sustainable. Whether it is or not, we’ll see. But he’s certainly proven over his time with us that he is that level of player.”
Cespedes is that level of player now because he continues to put the work in that is necessary to raise his game. As his hitting coach Kevin Long says, “Its hard to say this and not sound arrogant about a certain player, but he’s getting better. He’s really understanding his self, his swing, his strike zone, what pitches he does more damage on. He’s maturing as a player.”
Cespedes agrees with Long’s statements saying, “You don’t usually seeing someone at this age make adjustments. However, when you meet someone in this league that’s 29 or 30, they’ve probably also been playing longer than the five years that I have. So I think if they feel they need to make adjustments, they probably make them earlier in life.”
With these adjustments, Cespedes has vaulted himself among the best players in the game. Collins puts it perfectly as he says, “He’s a star. He’s a good player. He does what stars do.”
Cespedes had to come to the Mets to become a star. He had to come to the Mets to unlock his full potential. Cespedes belongs in a Mets uniform. Cespedes said it himself when he said, “It feels as if I’ve been playing here a very long time. And I could spend the rest of my life with this team.”
Editor’s Note: this was first published on metsmerizedonline.com
Three years ago, Matt Harvey’s May start against the Chicago White Sox was a statement that Harvey was already one of the best pitchers in the game.
Harvey was ever so close to a perfect game. If not for an Alex Rios infield single in the seventh inning, Harvey would’ve made history. Instead, Harvey had to be satisfied with pitching an absolute gem. He pitched nine innings allowing only the one hit while striking out 12. His stuff was absolutely electric. At least on that day, there was no better pitcher in baseball.
That hasn’t been Harvey’s story in 2016. This year it’s been about struggles. He struggles with his mechanics. He struggles with the fourth inning on. He struggles with the ever increasing scrutiny that class come with his struggles. His scheduled start against the White Sox was a reminder of how Harvey has gone from an unquestioned ace to a struggling pitcher. We have all been left to figure out what happened. That includes Harvey, who said, “I’ve been wondering the same thing.” (ESPN)
On Monday, the struggles seemingly disappeared. His fastball was blazing occasionally touching 98 MPH. His fastball averaged over 95 MPH. For the first time all year, he pitched into the seventh inning. In the seventh, there were runners on second and third with one out, and Harvey got out of a jam unscathed. He only allowed two hits and one walk while striking out six. Seemingly, the Harvey of old was back.
When you go out and prove you’ve still got it: https://t.co/kPLrCSb36f pic.twitter.com/FrXqYctOcO
— MLB (@MLB) May 30, 2016
The Mets need that Harvey. That was the Harvey that gave them hope in 2013. That was the Harvey that took the ball in Game 5 of the World Series and ALMOST willed the Mets to victory. Even with the emergence of Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard taking the next step, the Mets still need Harvey. Fortunately, the questions about Harvey have shifted from “What’s wrong?” to “Is he back?”
According to Terry Collins, “it’s a big first step.” Collins went on to say, “[Harvey] feels good about the way it went. He feels good about the way he threw the ball. Now, we’ve just got to build on it, and stay as positive as we can and have him repeat it. No matter what the results are, if he repeats this kind of performance with stuff, I think we’re on the right track.”
That makes Harvey’s start the most important start of the season. Harvey must build off this start. If it was a mechanical adjustment, he needs to hone his mechanics. If it was a mental issue, Harvey has to get back to that mindset. Whatever it is, Harvey needs to get back to that point and stay there.
Harvey put it best when he said, “This really doesn’t mean anything unless I continue it.”
Once again, Major League Baseball showed its umpires are terrible:
That’s right. Noah Syndergaard got tossed for that. No warnings. Nothing. The umpire went from zero to ejection. Best part? It was a minor league umpire:
Adam Hamari, the ejector of Syndergaard, is listed as a "Minor League Call-Up Umpire" in MLB's 2016 Umpire Media Guide.
— Tim Heiman (@TimHeiman) May 29, 2016
Anytime you can have a minor league umpire behind home plate for a nationally televised game, you gave to do it, right? It’s always a good thing to have a minor league umpire effectively decide the outcome of a major league game. At least Terry Collins came out and got his money’s worth before getting ejected:
Retaliation? Noah Syndergaard threw behind Chase Utley & was ejected.
Terry Collins was livid & got tossed too.https://t.co/LqL4Qax0YS
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 29, 2016
Believe it or not the rest of the game ensued after that #umpshow.
It should come as no surprise that with an injured David Wright (didn’t start due to neck issues which may or may not be related to the spinal stenosis) and the Mets ace being ejected, the Mets were behind the eight ball. It’s not that Mets fans accept a loss, it’s just that they would’ve understood at least until Chase Utley homered off of Logan Verrett in the sixth to break the 0-0 tie.
He then hit a grand slam off of Hansel Robles the following inning after Antonio Bastardo loaded the bases with only one out to make it 6-0.
Now, normally, when you get buzzed, you’re uncomfortable at the plate. Not Utley. Why? BECAUSE THE UMPIRES PROTECTED UTLEY! Because the umpires announced the Mets were not allowed to pitch him inside lest they be ejected. It was a joke. But hey, he wasn’t suspended or even called out when he broke another player’s leg for a clearly illegal play:
The Mets lost 9-1. The entire night was ruined.
It was supposed to be a night when the fans celebrated the greatness of the 1986 Mets. It was supposed to be a night where we remembered their swagger and how they always won the battle whether we were referring to the game or the brawl. That wasn’t what happened tonight.
Instead, we were left with the same bitter taste in our mouths that we had in 1988.
The only thing that will make me angrier about the ejection and the final score will be when that hack Joe Torre suspends or fines Syndergaard.
Game Notes: The Mets had a funny take on the Thor pitch:
The ball gets away from @Noahsyndergaard, he is asked to leave. @lverrett4 will enter with one out in the 3rd. #Mets pic.twitter.com/SFmeM3hv5M
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 29, 2016
Dario Alvarez we hardly knew ye. Due to necessary roster machinations due a number of Mets injuries, including but not limited to Lucas Duda‘s stress fracture, Alvarez was put on waivers to make room for Ty Kelly. On Wednesday, Alvarez was claimed by the Braves.
Alvarez’s line highlight was in his first game last year. On September 7th, the Mets were four games up in the division with a three game set in Washington. The Mets and Nationals were tied 5-5 in the sixth inning, and soon to be named MVP Bryce Harper stepped to the plate. Terry Collins summoned Alvarez. Alvarez battled back from a 3-0 count to strike out Harper. When the Mets scored three in the top of the seventh, Alvarez would earn his first career win.
After the Mets had gone through Jerry Blevins (injury), Josh Edgin (injury), Jack Leathersich (Wally Backmaned), Alex Torres (terrible), and Eric O’Flaherty (words cannot describe how bad he was), it seemed like the Mets finally found their LOOGY. It turns out they didn’t. Alvarez hurt his groin soon thereafter. He tried to come back, but he wasn’t effective. The Mets went to Jon Niese for the postseason.
Coming into this season, Alvarez wasn’t given much of a chance to make the team. Blevins was brought back on a one year, and Antonio Bastardo was signed to a two year deal. With Edgin’s impending return from Tommy John surgery, Alvarez was once again buried on the depth chart. Unfortunately, exposing him to waivers made sense. That still doesn’t mean the Mets won’t miss him. He was further buried last year, and he still made an impact.
It’s impressive Alvarez even got that far. He was a failed Phillies prospect who was released in 2009. Four years later, the Mets signed him to a minor league deal, and he reported to Brooklyn. Alvarez quickly worked his way through the the Mets minor league system. He was mostly powered by a very good slider. However, he could never quite break through and make the Mets roster.
Now, he’s the Braves property, and he’s reported to AAA. Hopefully, he will get his chance soon. He’s earned it.
After Terry Collins stated he doesn’t believe the prognosis of Lucas Duda‘s back is good, it has caused many to speculate on how the Mets will proceed in fulfilling the first base vacancy. Many of those thoughts are creative as the Mets may need to get creative to fill the void. Unfortunately, most of the suggestions will not work. Here’s why:
Move Michael Conforto to 1B
The thinking here is Michael Conforto was deemed to have all the tools to be a great 1B by his biggest fan – Keith Hernandez. This move would allow Juan Lagares and Alejandro De Aza to platoon in CF while moving Yoenis Cespedes to LF.
Admittedly, this sounds great. It’ll improve both the offense and the defense. However, the problem is the Mets never even sought to have Conforto to play RF. Why should we now believe they’re willing to move him to the infield mid-season. They’re not.
Move Alejandro De Aza to 1B
This one makes sense as De Aza is languishing away on the bench. He went from a platoon player to a fifth outfielder with the Cespedes signing. However, he hasn’t played there in over a decade, and he has just recently started working with Tim Teufel to get acclimated to first. He needs more than a week to get ready.
Slide David Wright to 1B
The idea here is David Wright is better suited to first now with his back and throwing issues. In actuality next to catcher, first is the last position Wright should play. The amount of twisting and stretching involved is harder on the lower back and would only exacerbate his stenosis. Furthermore, even if he could play first base, all you’ve accomplished is reshuffling the deck chairs as you’ve now moved the hole to third instead of first.
Slide Neil Walker to 1B
In this scenario, the Mets move Neil Walker to first and call up Dilson Herrera to play second. The argument is this is exactly what the Mets would do if they had Daniel Murphy.
The problem with that thinking is Walker isn’t Murphy. Walker has never played first base in the majors. He last played first in AAA in 2009 and that was only for seven games. It’s not fair to expect him to be able to slide over with no preparation. It’s also not fair to add more things to his plate while he’s in the midst of a bad slump.
Move Asdrubal Cabrera to 1B
The thought is Asdrubal Cabrera was once a utility player who is capable of playing multiple positions. In addition, the Mets have Matt Reynolds on the roster who is a SS. There are two problems here. First, Cabrera is one of the few Mets producing day in and day out. You don’t want to mess with that especially when he’s never played first. Second, Reynolds was in the middle of a slump in AAA, and he hasn’t shown any signs he’s getting out of it in his limited major league duty.
Move Kevin Plawecki to 1B
This is a holdover from Spring Training when the Mets were looking for ways to keep both of their young catchers in the lineup while letting Duda sit against lefties. Doing this now would also open up more playing time for Rene Rivera, who has shown himself to be a terrific catcher.
The problem is this really damages your offense. Kevin Plawecki has hit .203/.300/.291 this year. Rivera is a career .209/.258/.329 hitter. It’s one thing to have either one of them in the lineup. It’s a whole other thing to have both of them in the lineup.
Call Up Dom Smith
The thinking here is if the Mets don’t have the answer at the major league level, they should go into the minor leagues to solve their problems. Who better than one of, if not the, best Mets prospect. The problem is he’s just not ready. He’s only played 41 games in AA. While the obvious counter-argument is Conforto, it must be noted, Conforto was much further along in his development offensively.
Call Up Brandon Nimmo
The thought process here is Brandon Nimmo is absolutely raking in AAA right now. He’s on an eight game hitting streak that’s seen him hit .364/.462/.636 with three doubles, three triples, and six RBI. While he has played CF almost exclusively, he should be athletic enough to play first. While these are valid points, it should be noted he’s never played first, and like with Conforto, the Mets do not appear inclined to let either one play first.
Trade for Yangervis Solarte
Yangervis Solarte makes a lot of sense for the Mets. He can not only play first, but he can also play third. In his career, he’s also played at second, short, and left. In essence, he’s a much better version of Eric Campbell. In his first full major league season last year, he hit .270/.320/.428. He’s hitting .250/.379/.375 this year. This is all the more impressive when you consider he plays most of his games at Petco.
Here’s the rub. The Padres have no incentive to trade him. He’s not arbitration eligible until 2017, and he can’t become a free agent until 2020. If the Mets were inclined to even trade for Solarte, it’s going to come at a high cost, and the Mets most desirable trade assets were traded away last year. No, if the Mets do make a move your looking at the In the interim, the Mets can inquire about the Kelly Johnsons and Ike Davises of the world.
Overall, that’s the issue. The Mets don’t have what it takes right now to address the first base position internally or externally. Although, the idea of having Travis d’Arnaud work at first during his rehab assignment is intriguing given his shoulder problems and injury history (hat tip Brian Mangan). However, short of that happening, it’s more of the same for the Mets.
This means Campbell is your everyday first baseman until Flores comes off the DL. At that point, the Mets will probably go with Flores until Duda is healthy. Ultimately, Duda needs to be the answer there because in reality any other solution is unrealistic or just a question mark.