Mack Ade – A Sense of Urgency

Mack Ade – A Sense of Urgency

Well, it’s March 1^st so what better time to take our first look at the results coming out of Tradition Field during spring training.

Wait a minute… isn’t March 1^st like , around, the first day a spring training game is played? Why did ST start so early this year? I assume it had something to do with the World Baseball Classic (doesn’t everything have to do with that…), but no one seems to be able to define to me exactly why we’re playing baseball so early.

And that’s the problem.

Around two-thirds of the pitchers in baseball live in towns and cities that have really cold weather this time of the year and the last thing they were doing three weeks ago was tossing a baseball. There are some pitchers that have only thrown off a mound in the past two weeks and they are already in a game. I’m not sure Jenrry Mejia was allowed to unpack his bags from the airport.

It’s no better for hitters. Hitting is all about timing, weight distribution, and conditioning that all comes over a period of time that is called… err… spring training. Playing baseball in February is like choosing up with other members of your team on the backfields before the coaches land at the airport. It’s not even practice.

Hey Lucas… let’s change your swing, go take a few hacks at it and there’s a game tomorrow…

Lastly, there’s fielding, which is the last skill to come around each spring. Have you noticed all the routine balls popping out of gloves, or hitting the side of the mitt on a grounder or pulling the first baseman off the bag? Again, this doesn’t happen with the proper amount of prep time before spring training starts.

So, that being said, how’s the team look?

One of the first things you notice is 20% of the projected 25-man squad (Shawn Marcum, Pedro Feliciano, Johan Santana, Frank Francisco, Latroy Hawkins) isn't throwing right now.

The entire league is in a reversal. Normally, pitching comes around first. This year, the scores look like football games.

Except the Mets. They really aren’t pitching, hitting, or fielding.

They seem to be going through the motions and, there are exceptions, but, what’s becoming normal for this team is that the wrong guys are doing better than the right ones.

Take the outfield (please… ba-dum…). Three are hitting well (Jordany Valdespin, Collin Cowgill, Marlon Byrd), though one of them is exclusively playing second base. The real problem is the guys you have projected as starters, Kirk Nieuwenhius, Mike Baxter, and Lucas Duda, haven’t.

Overall skills-wise, Matt den Dekker is showing that he just might have what it takes to be the future Mets centerfielder. He’s excellent defensively (though he should have caught that ball that popped out of his glove), and the sharp single last night that turned into a manufactured run (steal, tag-up, wild pitch score) to tie the game, is what you look for in a future outfielder.

Pitching right now is a blur. Some look good for one inning, but can’t get out of the second without giving up runs. There are guys that have already thrown three outings and there’s still four weeks left in camp. None of this makes any sense.

For now, I’ll say I’m impressed with Scott Atchinson, Scott Rice, and Cory Mazzoni, think Mazzoni should be added to the Las Vegas rotation, and consider LaTroy Hawkins the smartest pitcher in camp because he didn’t fall for this shit and refused to pitch until the month started with the letter ‘M’.

I’m also impressed with TC who hasn’t put his pen into his neck. They keep showing pictures of him standing alone against the wall of the dugout. It sure seems like no one wants to catch a stray here.

All Collins has to do is look at the lineup he writes down every night against the other team. The Mets vs. The Nationals. The Mets vs. The Cardinals? He knows what he doesn’t have here.

We’ll check back around March 15^th and see how this is all going.