Yoenis Cespedes

Live by the Home Run, Die by the Home Run, Resurrected by the Home Run

As we have seen all season, the Mets basically need to hit home runs in order to score runs and win games.  Last night, against the Phillies was no exception in what was a back-and-forth nail bitter.

Curtis Granderson would get the Mets on the board with a two run shot off of Phillies starter left-handed starter Adam Morgan:

The home run was an important one as it gave the Mets and Seth Lugo a 2-0 lead in a game they really had to have after being swept by the Braves.

Well, because this is the Mets, and nothing is easy, that two run lead would turn into a 3-2 deficit thanks to a couple of Phillies long balls.  At the time, Seth Lugo was cruising, after only allowing a run off a Roman Quinn RBI groundout after Cesar Hernandez legged out a triple.  However, in the top of the fifth, Ryan Howard and Cameron Rupp would got back-to-back. Those homers effectively knocked Lugo out of the game after another strong effort.

Ty Kelly would pinch hit for Lugo in the bottom of the inning, and he would get a rally started with a walk.  He eventually came home on a Yoenis Cespedes clutch two-out single tying the game.  With the way things have been going with the Mets lately that RBI single seemed bigger than it probably was.  What was even bigger was Cespedes RBI double in the seventh that would score Jose Reyes to give the Mets a late 4-3 lead.  With Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia ready for the eighth and ninth, this game seemed in the bag.

It wasn’t as Reed was done in by three balls that didn’t leave the infield and one that did.  Hernandez used his speed again to bunt his way on, and he was standing at second after a Quinn sacrifice bunt.  The Mets would challenge the next play, and it was really close, but Odubel Herrera beat T.J. Rivera‘s throw to first to set up runners on the corner with one out.  Rivera really did all he could do on that play.  He made a diving stop that saved a run, he popped up, and he made a strong throw.  Herrera just beat the throw.  Why?  Well, as usual the “good defensive baseman” James Loney couldn’t bother stretching on the play.  It was a crucial play because Maikel Franco would hit a three run homer to turn the Mets sure-handed victory into a 6-4 deficit.

There was an ominous tone to the home run after the Braves series.  It was an even worse situation when the Mets failed to score in the bottom of the eighth and the bottom of the Mets lineup was due up in the bottom of the ninth.  Brandon Nimmo would pinch hit for Travis d’Arnaud and get on with a single.  After Nimmo, Jay Bruce made his obligatory pinch hit strike out thereby leaving the game in Reyes’ hands:

You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger hit in Reyes’ Mets career.  As big as that home run was, what would follow in the 11th would loom even larger.

In his second straight multiple inning outing, Familia would put the Mets in position to lose in his second inning of work.  After a clean 10th, Familia would allow a leadoff double to Freddy Galvis.  Familia would be ever so close to navigating around it getting the next two guys out.  Then in a curious move, perhaps to negate the ability of Hernandez killing the Mets with his legs again, Collins ordered an intentional walk.  A.J. Ellis, who is a renown clutch hitter, would deliver the go-ahead single giving the Phillies a 7-6 lead.

Jerry Blevins would relieve Familia, and he would load the bases by hitting Herrera.  That led Collins to turn to Jim Henderson, who would walk Franco to give the Phillies an almost insurmountable two run lead.

Still, the Mets had a chance with Nimmo leading off.  Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same magic he had in his last at bat.  Michael Conforto, pinch hitting for Henderson, would have to get this rally started.  He did by drawing a walk.  He would find himself standing on second after a Reyes single.  At that point, the Mets would send Asdrubal Cabrera to the plate as the winning run.  Right now, he is the guy you want at the plate more than anyone – not just the Mets, but in all of baseball.  He would show you why:

His bat flip said it all.  It was a huge emotionally charged home run to give the Mets the victory they so desperately needed.  The home run also made baseball history as the Mets become the second team to come back with homers to erase two run deficits in the ninth inning or later in a game.

With the much needed victory, you felt the momentum for this team shift.  You once again felt as if the Mets were assured of winning a Wild Card spot.  As it stood, the win helped the Mets keep pace with the Giants and put them a half a game up on the idle Cardinals.

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Better Bat Flip: Asdrubal Cabrera or Yoenis Cespedes

Last night, with the Mets trailing 8-6 in the 11th inning, Asdrubal Cabrera not only hit a walk-off three run homer, he also had a bat flip for the ages:

It reminds you of epic bat flip we saw last postseason.

With the NLDS between the Mets and the Dodgers tied at one apiece, Yoenis Cespedes hit a three run bomb to left to blow Game Three open:

So that begs the question, which bat flip was better?

For me, it may be recency bias, it may be the utter celebration involved, but Cabrera wins this round in my mind. While Cespedes’ was in the NLDS, Cabrera’s was a game-winner in a game the Mets absolutely had to have.

Honorable Mention should go to Mike Piazza for this mammoth shot against the Yankees in what was an incredible back-and-forth game:

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Trivia Friday – Sandy’s Deadline Acquisitions

With the Mets once again going with a Yoenis Cespedes–Alejandro De Aza–Curtis Granderson outfield, now seems like a good time to revisit Sandy Alderson’s deadline acquisitions. Can you name them?  Good luck!


Danny Herrera, Francisco Rodriguez, Adrian Rosario, Zack Wheeler, Carlos Beltran, Kelly Shoppach, Pedro Beato, Eric Young, Collin McHugh, Kyle Johnson, Collin Cowgill, Dilson Herrera, John Buck, Marlon Byrd, Vic Black, Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe, John Gant, Robert Whalen, Tyler Clippard, Casey Meisner, Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Fulmer, Luis Cessa, Eric O’Flaherty, Dawrin Frias, Addison Reed, Miller Diaz, Matt Koch, Akeel Morris, Jay Bruce, Jon Niese, Antonio Bastardo, Erik Manoah, Fernando Salas

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Asdrubal Cabrera Is Willing the Mets to the Wild Card

Guess who has been the best hitter in all of baseball over the past month?  Mike Trout?  No it’s a National League player.  Kris Bryant?  No, the player resides in the National League East.  Daniel Murphy?  Actually, no, it is a Mets player.  Yoenis Cespedes?  It isn’t.  The best hitter in all of baseball over the past month is Asdrubal Cabrera.

In his career, Cabrera has been a second half player, but his level of play recently has been off the charts.

In the second half, Cabrera has been hitting .309/.359/.564 with 13 doubles, one triple, nine homers, and 23 RBI.  In the month of August, he hit .405/.435/.786 with four doubles, four homers, and 11 RBI.  So far in September, he has been hitting .328/.408/.627 with six doubles, one triple, four homers and eight RBI.  These numbers are all the more incredible when you consider Cabrera is doing this on just one knee.  A knee injury that required him to go on the disabled list at the beginning of August.

When Cabrera returned to the lineup on August 19th, the Mets were one game under .500, and they were quickly falling out of the Wild Card race.  In fact, they sat five games behind the Cardinals for the second Wild Card and seven games behind the Giants for the first Wild Card.  Since Cabrera’s return , the Mets have gone 20-11 which is the best record in all of baseball.  The run has catapulted themselves into a three way tie with the Cardinals and Giants in the Wild Card race.

This run coincides with Cabrera’s hot hitting.  Since his return from the disabled list, he has been the Mets best player. Even on one leg, he is carrying the Mets back to the postseason.

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Collins Mismanagement Lets Cespedes and Loney Off the Hook

First and foremost, Terry Collins mismanaged last night’s game, which helped lead to the Mets losing the game.  However, it is ultimately the players that decide the game on the field.  Ultimately, James Loney and Yoenis Cespedes made crucial mistakes that led to Collins’ mismanagement and the Mets loss.

Ender Inciatre led off the inning with a ground ball that dribbled through Loney’s legs.  It was a play that left Bill Buckner scratching his head.  With Inciarte reaching on the error, the Braves rally was started.  As Collins noted in the post-game, Inciarte reaching led to Collins replacing Addison Reed with Josh Smoker.  That led to Freeman’s bloop single.  Ensuing from that, Collins double switched Jeurys Familia into the game.  With Familia being poor holding runners on, it led to the Braves double steal.  Rene Rivera threw to third instead of second.  Instead of there being two outs, there was one out allowing Matt Kemp to score the run with an out instead of a hit.

It should also be noted this was Loney’s second bad defensive play of the game.  In the sixth, Bartolo Colon made a pickoff attempt.  Instead of stretching for the ball, Loney let the ball bounce away.  Colon was able to limit the damage by quickly grabbing an Ender Inciarte comebacker and catching Smith drifting too far off second.

As bad as the Loney error was, Cespedes’ lack of hustle might’ve cost the Mets even more.

In the bottom of the eighth, Cespedes hit a long flyball to left field.  Kemp raced back, jumped, and muffed the catch.  Looking at the replays, the ball was most likely going to hit the top of the wall.  Given Cespedes’ speed, there was every reason to expect him to easily be on third on the play.  Instead, Cespedes watched the ball as if he had hit it into the Fan Fest area, and he took his time jogging around the bases.  In reviewing the replay, I believe Darryl Strawberry was quicker around the bases after his home run in Game 7 of the 1986 World Series.  Cespedes’ long hit would turn out to be a double instead of a triple.  That changes the entire complexity of the inning.

It is quite possible that the Braves would’ve pitched to Curtis Granderson instead of intentionally walking him.  Maybe the Braves do walk him, and they pitch to T.J. Rivera differently as they will be seeking a ground ball to get an inning ending double play instead of a strikeout.  Possibly, the Mets wouldn’t have been in position to burn Kelly Johnson, and send up Eric Campbell and Kevin Plawecki with a chance to get a lead in the game.  (Remember, Matt Reynolds wasn’t available as he came in for Jose Reyes on the Familia double switch).

It should also be noted that in the top half of the inning, Cespedes took a poor route to the Kemp fly ball, and he made a poor throw trying to get Inciarte at the plate.

So while Collins deserves every bit of blame for this loss, he’s not alone.  Collins was set in motion because Loney made an error and Cespedes failed to hustle.

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Ender Inciarte Robbed a Yoenis Cespedes Homer and Mets Victory

There’s anothe name to add to the Braves collection of Mets killers. It started with Terry Pendleton who got his start as a Mets killer with the Cardinals. He passed the torch to Chipper Jones who passed it to Freddie Freeman. Apparently, Freeman has been tutoring Ender Inciarte. 

Not only would Inciarte get the game winning RBI, he would rob a game winning home run. He stole a homer, a Mets victory, and spoiled a terrific Bartolo Colon start. 

Colon had completely shut the Braves down through the first six innings. He was his usually nimble self popping off the mound on balls up the middle to make a neat defensive play. In the sixth, he caught Mallex Smith straying a little too far off second when he nabbed the Ender Inciarte comebacker. It started the routine 1-6-5 fielder’s choice. 

In the seventh, Colon reached the end of the line. Anthony Recker hit a two run homer off of Colon. I’ll spare you the “He Reckered It!” line. With two outs in the inning, Colon would be chased by a Dansby Swanson single. As Colon departed, he gestured to Swanson as if to compliment him for the base knock. 

However, it was Colon that deserved the praise. After Addison Reed got the Mets out if the inning, Colon’s final line was 6.2 innings, six hits, two runs, two earned, no walks, and six strikeouts. He would depart on the long side because of a pair of homers. 

In the first, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two run homer off of John Gant, scoring Jose Reyes naturally, to give the Mets the 2-0 lead. That lead would grow to 3-0 on a Rene Rivera fifth inning home run. Unfortunately, those three runs weren’t enough. 

Reed would come back on to pitch the eighth.  The Mets defense would let him down. 

Inciarte would reach as James Loney completely bungled a sure out by being a bad first baseman. It was his second bone-headed play of the night. In the sixth, Loney had failed to stretch on a Colon pickoff attempt. Colon bailed him out by starting the aforementioned fielder’s choice. There was no bailing out Loney this time. 

In a controversial move, Collins removed Reed from the game to get Josh Smoker in against Freddie Freeman. It was absolutely the right move as Freeman was hitting .400/.500/.600 off Reed entering the night with two homers. Furthermore, Smoker did his job breaking Freeman’s bat thereby generating a weak blooper. Unfortunately, the ball had eyes and fell behind Cabrera. 

With runners on first and second with one out, Collins went to Jeurys Familia for the five out save. It didn’t happen.

The Braves immediately took advantage of Familia’s inability to hold on base runners by executing the double steal. Rather than throw to second and nail the slow Freeman, Rivera made the mistake of trying to get the speedy Inciarte at third. Rivera’s mental error proved costly. 

Matt Kemp had a terrific nine pitch at bat against Familia. He eventually lifted a fly ball to left, and Inciarte ignored the third base coach by breaking for home. It was the right move. Yoenis Cespedes didn’t get his momentum behind the throw, and his throw was up the line. Just like that tie game. 
The bottom of the eight could be best described as much ado about nothing. The Braves used three pitchers, and the Mets used three pinch hitters. The Mets would load the bases in the strangest way possible. 

Cespedes lead off with a double. It was a double instead of a triple. because he was posing as the ball hit off of Kemp’s close. Curtis Granderson was then intentionally walked. During T.J. Rivera‘s at bat, the Mets would return the favor with a double steal of their own. Rivera would strikeout setting up for some histrionics. 

The Mets announced Kelly Johnson as the pinch hitter for Matt Reynolds. The Braves then brought in the left-handed Ian Krol. The Mets responded by bringing in Eric Campbell, who Krol intentionally walked to load the bases. Kevin Plawecki pinch hit for Loney and struck out to end the inning. 

The Mets would immediately regret blowing the opportunity. The Braves would get two soft singles off Familia. Inciarte would then hit a soft grounder past Familia to score the go-ahead run. 

The Mets went back to their bench with three straight pinch hitters in the bottom of the ninth against Braves closer Jim Johnson. Brandon Nimmo hit a lead off single. The next pinch hitter was Jay Bruce who struck out of course. The last of the trio was Travis d’Arnaud who worked out a walk. This set the stage for Cabrera. 

Over this month, Cabrera was been willing the Mets to the Wild Card by being the best hitter in baseball over the stretch. All he could do against Johnson was to fly out. This set the stage for the Mets MVP Cespedes who looked foolish striking out against Johnson to end the game yesterday. 

Cespedes launched one to deep center which looked like the game winner. Inciarte came from absolutely nowhere to jump, leap over the fence, and literally snatch away the Mets victory. 

With that, just like old times, the Mets suffered a frustrating September sweep at the hands of the Braves. 

Game Notes: Alejandro De Aza got the start over Bruce. De Aza started in center shifting Granderson to right. 

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Ender Inciarte Robbed a Yoenis Cespedes Homer and Mets Victory

There’s anothe name to add to the Braves collection of Mets killers. It started with Terry Pendleton who got his start as a Mets killer with the Cardinals. He passed the torch to Chipper Jones who passed it to Freddie Freeman. Apparently, Freeman has been tutoring Ender Inciarte. 

Not only would Inciarte get the game winning RBI, he would rob a game winning home run. He stole a homer, a Mets victory, and spoiled a terrific Bartolo Colon start. 

Colon had completely shut the Braves down through the first six innings. He was his usually nimble self popping off the mound on balls up the middle to make a neat defensive play. In the sixth, he caught Mallex Smith straying a little too far off second when he nabbed the Ender Inciarte comebacker. It started the routine 1-6-5 fielder’s choice. 

In the seventh, Colon reached the end of the line. Anthony Recker hit a two run homer off of Colon. I’ll spare you the “He Reckered It!” line. With two outs in the inning, Colon would be chased by a Dansby Swanson single. As Colon departed, he gestured to Swanson as if to compliment him for the base knock. 

However, it was Colon that deserved the praise. After Addison Reed got the Mets out if the inning, Colon’s final line was 6.2 innings, six hits, two runs, two earned, no walks, and six strikeouts. He would depart on the long side because of a pair of homers. 

In the first, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two run homer off of John Gant, scoring Jose Reyes naturally, to give the Mets the 2-0 lead. That lead would grow to 3-0 on a Rene Rivera fifth inning home run. Unfortunately, those three runs weren’t enough. 

Reed would come back on to pitch the eighth.  The Mets defense would let him down. 

Inciarte would reach as James Loney completely bungled a sure out by being a bad first baseman. It was his second bone-headed play of the night. In the sixth, Loney had failed to stretch on a Colon pickoff attempt. Colon bailed him out by starting the aforementioned fielder’s choice. There was no bailing out Loney this time. 

In a controversial move, Collins removed Reed from the game to get Josh Smoker in against Freddie Freeman. It was absolutely the right move as Freeman was hitting .400/.500/.600 off Reed entering the night with two homers. Furthermore, Smoker did his job breaking Freeman’s bat thereby generating a weak blooper. Unfortunately, the ball had eyes and fell behind Cabrera. 

With runners on first and second with one out, Collins went to Jeurys Familia for the five out save. It didn’t happen.

The Braves immediately took advantage of Familia’s inability to hold on base runners by executing the double steal. Rather than throw to second and nail the slow Freeman, Rivera made the mistake of trying to get the speedy Inciarte at third. Rivera’s mental error proved costly. 

Matt Kemp had a terrific nine pitch at bat against Familia. He eventually lifted a fly ball to left, and Inciarte ignored the third base coach by breaking for home. It was the right move. Yoenis Cespedes didn’t get his momentum behind the throw, and his throw was up the line. Just like that tie game. 
The bottom of the eight could be best described as much ado about nothing. The Braves used three pitchers, and the Mets used three pinch hitters. The Mets would load the bases in the strangest way possible. 

Cespedes lead off with a double. It was a double instead of a triple. because he was posing as the ball hit off of Kemp’s close. Curtis Granderson was then intentionally walked. During T.J. Rivera‘s at bat, the Mets would return the favor with a double steal of their own. Rivera would strikeout setting up for some histrionics. 

The Mets announced Kelly Johnson as the pinch hitter for Matt Reynolds. The Braves then brought in the left-handed Ian Krol. The Mets responded by bringing in Eric Campbell, who Krol intentionally walked to load the bases. Kevin Plawecki pinch hit for Loney and struck out to end the inning. 

The Mets would immediately regret blowing the opportunity. The Braves would get two soft singles off Familia. Inciarte would then hit a soft grounder past Familia to score the go-ahead run. 

The Mets went back to their bench with three straight pinch hitters in the bottom of the ninth against Braves closer Jim Johnson. Brandon Nimmo hit a lead off single. The next pinch hitter was Jay Bruce who struck out of course. The last of the trio was Travis d’Arnaud who worked out a walk. This set the stage for Cabrera. 

Over this month, Cabrera was been willing the Mets to the Wild Card by being the best hitter in baseball over the stretch. All he could do against Johnson was to fly out. This set the stage for the Mets MVP Cespedes who looked foolish striking out against Johnson to end the game yesterday. 

Cespedes launched one to deep center which looked like the game winner. Inciarte came from absolutely nowhere to jump, leap over the fence, and literally snatch away the Mets victory. 

  
With that, just like old times, the Mets suffered a frustrating September sweep at the hands of the Braves. 

Game Notes: Alejandro De Aza got the start over Bruce. De Aza started in center shifting Granderson to right. 

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Ender Inciarte Robbed a Yoenis Cespedes Homer and Mets Victory

There’s anothe name to add to the Braves collection of Mets killers. It started with Terry Pendleton who got his start as a Mets killer with the Cardinals. He passed the torch to Chipper Jones who passed it to Freddie Freeman. Apparently, Freeman has been tutoring Ender Inciarte. 

Not only would Inciarte get the game winning RBI, he would rob a game winning home run. He stole a homer, a Mets victory, and spoiled a terrific Bartolo Colon start. 

Colon had completely shut the Braves down through the first six innings. He was his usually nimble self popping off the mound on balls up the middle to make a neat defensive play. In the sixth, he caught Mallex Smith straying a little too far off second when he nabbed the Ender Inciarte comebacker. It started the routine 1-6-5 fielder’s choice. 

In the seventh, Colon reached the end of the line. Anthony Recker hit a two run homer off of Colon. I’ll spare you the “He Reckered It!” line. With two outs in the inning, Colon would be chased by a Dansby Swanson single. As Colon departed, he gestured to Swanson as if to compliment him for the base knock. 

However, it was Colon that deserved the praise. After Addison Reed got the Mets out if the inning, Colon’s final line was 6.2 innings, six hits, two runs, two earned, no walks, and six strikeouts. He would depart on the long side because of a pair of homers. 

In the first, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two run homer off of John Gant, scoring Jose Reyes naturally, to give the Mets the 2-0 lead. That lead would grow to 3-0 on a Rene Rivera fifth inning home run. Unfortunately, those three runs weren’t enough. 

Reed would come back on to pitch the eighth.  The Mets defense would let him down. 

Inciarte would reach as James Loney completely bungled a sure out by being a bad first baseman. It was his second bone-headed play of the night. In the sixth, Loney had failed to stretch on a Colon pickoff attempt. Colon bailed him out by starting the aforementioned fielder’s choice. There was no bailing out Loney this time. 

In a controversial move, Collins removed Reed from the game to get Josh Smoker in against Freddie Freeman. It was absolutely the right move as Freeman was hitting .400/.500/.600 off Reed entering the night with two homers. Furthermore, Smoker did his job breaking Freeman’s bat thereby generating a weak blooper. Unfortunately, the ball had eyes and fell behind Cabrera. 

With runners on first and second with one out, Collins went to Jeurys Familia for the five out save. It didn’t happen.

The Braves immediately took advantage of Familia’s inability to hold on base runners by executing the double steal. Rather than throw to second and nail the slow Freeman, Rivera made the mistake of trying to get the speedy Inciarte at third. Rivera’s mental error proved costly. 

Matt Kemp had a terrific nine pitch at bat against Familia. He eventually lifted a fly ball to left, and Inciarte ignored the third base coach by breaking for home. It was the right move. Yoenis Cespedes didn’t get his momentum behind the throw, and his throw was up the line. Just like that tie game. 
The bottom of the eight could be best described as much ado about nothing. The Braves used three pitchers, and the Mets used three pinch hitters. The Mets would load the bases in the strangest way possible. 

Cespedes lead off with a double. It was a double instead of a triple. because he was posing as the ball hit off of Kemp’s close. Curtis Granderson was then intentionally walked. During T.J. Rivera‘s at bat, the Mets would return the favor with a double steal of their own. Rivera would strikeout setting up for some histrionics. 

The Mets announced Kelly Johnson as the pinch hitter for Matt Reynolds. The Braves then brought in the left-handed Ian Krol. The Mets responded by bringing in Eric Campbell, who Krol intentionally walked to load the bases. Kevin Plawecki pinch hit for Loney and struck out to end the inning. 

The Mets would immediately regret blowing the opportunity. The Braves would get two soft singles off Familia. Inciarte would then hit a soft grounder past Familia to score the go-ahead run. 

The Mets went back to their bench with three straight pinch hitters in the bottom of the ninth against Braves closer Jim Johnson. Brandon Nimmo hit a lead off single. The next pinch hitter was Jay Bruce who struck out of course. The last of the trio was Travis d’Arnaud who worked out a walk. This set the stage for Cabrera. 

Over this month, Cabrera was been willing the Mets to the Wild Card by being the best hitter in baseball over the stretch. All he could do against Johnson was to fly out. This set the stage for the Mets MVP Cespedes who looked foolish striking out against Johnson to end the game yesterday. 

Cespedes launched one to deep center which looked like the game winner. Inciarte came from absolutely nowhere to jump, leap over the fence, and literally snatch away the Mets victory. 

With that, just like old times, the Mets suffered a frustrating September sweep at the hands of the Braves. 

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Mets Should Pick Up Jay Bruce’s Option

No matter how you look at it, the Jay Bruce acquisition has been a disaster for the Mets.  In 40 games, Bruce has hit .176/.255/.289 with only four doubles, four homers, and 11 RBI.  Bruce has gone from the major league leader in RBI to tied for 30th in the majors and 10th in the National League.  He went from hitting .360 with runners in scoring position to .172 with the Mets.

Yesterday was rock bottom for him.  He got mixed up with Curtis Granderson on a catchable flyball that lead to a Matt Kemp RBI single instead of a an out with Bruce having a chance to throw the runner out at home.  At the plate, Bruce was 0-3.  Worse yet, when the Mets were rallying to try the game, Terry Collins pinch hit Eric Campbell for him when the Braves brought in the lefty Ian Kroll to face him.  Bruce was brought to the Mets just for these RBI situations.  However, it has now gotten to the point that no one trusts him in those spots.

Bruce’s struggles have led some to suggest the Mets should decline Bruce’s $13 million option and give him his $1 million buy out.  If the Mets were to do that, it would be a very poor decision.

Over his career, Bruce is a .247/.317/.465 hitter who averages 26 homers and 81 RBI.  With Bruce turning 30 years old next year, there is every reason to believe Bruce’s struggles with the Mets are the result of a player struggling when joining a new team more than it is a Jason Bay falling apart when signing the Mets and playing his games under the old outfield configurations of Citi Field.  So yes, there is reason to believe Bruce will return to form next season whether or not he is wearing a Mets uniform.

Admittedly, the Mets are going to have a glut of outfielders next year.  Curtis Granderson is under contract for another year.  The Mets figure to give Michael Conforto an everyday job next year.  Juan Lagares should be healthy and could form a center field platoon with Brandon Nimmo.  Furthermore, Justin Ruggiano, who mashed lefties in the short time he was with the Mets, is arbitration eligible.  In addition to that, the Mets should do all they can to bring back Yoenis Cespedes in the even he opts out of his contract.  Looking over this list, it’s hard to find a spot for Bruce in the Mets outfield.

The Mets could shift Bruce to first base.  However, Lucas Duda, who has been a much better offensive player than Bruce, is still under team control.  Additionally, with the overcrowded outfield, it is possible the Mets will seek to move Conforto to first base as has been recommended by Keith Hernandez.  Overall, no matter where you look, there may not be room for Bruce.  With that in mind, why pick up his option?

The reason is Bruce is an asset in what is going to be a weak free agent class.  After Cespedes, the best free agent outfielders will be Ian Desmond, Mark Trumbo, and Jose Bautista.  Each of these free agents have their own issues.

Desmond was a surprising All Star outfielder after struggling last year with the Nationals.  However, overlooking his stats, Desmond has a number of issues.  First, he is hitting .239/.287/.362 in the second half.  Second, he’s showing himself to be a platoon bat hitting .272/.329/.442 against righties and .338/.373/.507 against lefties.  Lastly, Desmond appears to be a product of Globe Life Park hitting .336/.374/.516 at home and .244/.309/.405 on the road.

Trumbo is essentially Bruce with vastly inferior defense.  He also has the same issues as Desmond.  He’s hitting .188/.266/.431 in the second half.  He’s hitting .183/.232/.415 against lefties.  He’s also hitting .257/.337/.552 at Camden Yards and .242/.282/.498 on the road.

Bautista is a 35 year old outfielder who has taken a step back this season.  Over his last six seasons with the Blue Jays, he played at a superstar level hitting .268/.390/.555 while averaging 38 homers and 97 RBI.    This year he is only hitting .258/.359/.433 with only 18 homers and 59 RBI.

Another team could look at these options and determine they would rather obtain Bruce who should have similar production at a reasonable $13 million price tag.  Teams may also prefer to keep their first round pick rather than give it up for Desmond, Trumbo, or Bautista.  Additionally, if Bruce bounces back from his struggles with the Mets, the acquiring team could make him a qualifying offer allowing them to obtain a compensatory first round pick in the event Bruce leaves them next offseason.

There’s the other issue.  Cespedes is far from a lock to return.  In that scenario, the Mets may feel compelled to find a player who can put up the power numbers Cespedes does.  Like it or not, the Mets only real opportunity to replace Cespedes’ bat in the lineup will be a Bruce caliber bat.  With Bruce most likely being the cheapest option as well as the option that doesn’t require the Mets to forfeit a first round pick, he is probably the Mets best Cespedes replacement (NOTE: no one can truly replace Cespedes).

So yes, Bruce has been a terrible with the Mets.  However, that shouldn’t prevent the Mets from picking up his option as he is going to have value for someone next year.  Just cross your fingers that team won’t be the Mets.

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Blame Everyone But Asdrubal Cabrera

Other than Asdrubal Cabrera, who was 3-3 with two walks and an RBI double, everyone involved with the Mets had a hand in this putrid loss. That’s the way it is for a team that is 1-7 with RISP for the first seven innings. 

Robert Gsellman cruised through five innings before struggling in the sixth. He loaded the bases with one out. To his credit, he did get Matt Kemp to hit a medium depth fly ball to right center that should’ve been caught. 
It wasn’t. It fell between Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce. The conversation probably went like this:

  • Granderson: “Jay, that’s yours. I have no arm.”
  • Bruce: “Sure, I got it.”
  • [Ball Drops]
  • Granderson: “I told you it was yours!”
  • Bruce: “I know, but in case you haven’t noticed, I suck as a Met.”

By the way, yes, Terry Collins played Bruce over Michael Conforto despite: (1) Bruce being terrible; (2) Conforto playing well the past two nights; and (3) Playing Bruce over Conforto violates the “You hit you play” mantra. And, yes, Collins should’ve pulled Gsellman before it got to this point. 

Josh Smoker relieved Gsellman, and he got squeezed on a 2-2 pitch:

He then walked Nick Markakis on the 3-2 pitch giving the Braves a 2-1 lead. 

That lead grew to 5-1 when Collins unnecessarily stayed with  Jerry Blevins. Dansby Swanson led off the seventh with a single off Fernando Salas. After Julio Teheran failed to bunt him over, Collins went to Blevins to face Ender Inciarte. 

Inciarte singled, and then the RIGHT hand hitting Adonis Garcia hit a three run homer. Of course, Collins could’ve stuck with Salas, but no, he went to his second lefty there. 

The Braves continued to tee off Blevins. It got so bad Rafael Montero of all people had to bail him out of out the two on two out jam. 

Collins’ inactivity proved costly especially after a Mets eighth inning rally that was helped by the Braves pulling Teheran. 

Cabrera got it started with a one out walk. Seriously, who else would get things started?  After Yoenis Cespedes was hit by a pitch, Granderson hit an RBI double. T.J. Rivera hit a sac fly to make it 5-3. The Braves would bring in the lefty Ian Krol to face Bruce. 

It wouldn’t happen because Collins would hit Eric Campbell for Bruce. Campbell actually cane through with a pinch hit RBI single. As Terry was rolling the dice, he then hit Kevin Plawecki for James Loney. After Plawecki reached on an error, Collins rolled a snake eyes with his sending Travis d’Arnaud to the plate. d’Arnaud grounded out to kill the rally. 

The Mets had their chance in the ninth off Braves closer Jim Johnson. Cabrera hit a seeing eye two out single to bring up Cespedes. It was the exact situation you want. Johnson then made Cespedes look silly on a 2-2 pitch to end the game. 

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