(prepared prior to Sunday's games...)
-First and foremost, the Mets are a
starting pitchers team. Here’s where the six pitchers competing for the five
rotation slots stand (in actual pre-season games, not early slit schedule
versions that don’t make the team’s web site stat sheets) after the end of
business 3-15-14:
Zack
Wheeler – 3-G, 10.2-IP, 0.84, 0.94, 8-K, 2-BB
Jon
Niese – 1-G, 2.0-IP, 18.00, 4.00,
0-K, 2-BB
Dillon
Gee – 2-G, 5.1-IP, 1.69, 4-K, 0-BB
Bartolo
Colon – 2-G, 8.2-IP, 7.27, 1.62. 1-K,
2-BB
Dice-K
– 3-G, 7.2-IP, 3.52, 1.43, 7-K,
0-BB
Jenrry
Mejia – 1-G, 2.0-IP, 0.00, 1.50, 3-K, 2-BB
Mejia and Gee have both pitched more
than this, but it was done on split-schedule early games.
This week will begin a period in which
all starters will have their pitch counts extended and we should start seeing
consistent 5-6 inning outings.
Suffice to say, both Wheeler and Gee
seem to be close to season ready, while Matsuzaka has impressed many (even me!)
Pleasant surprises in the pen have been
Jeurys Familia (5.1-IP, 0.00), Carlos Torres (6.0-IP, 0.00), Miquel Socolovich
(5.0-IP, 0.00) and Scott Rice (5.0-IP, 0.00).
Josh Edgin (12.00) already lost his pen
slot and a developing problem could be Vic Black (5.40).
The most pleasant surprise with a bat
in his hand has been CF Juan Lagares (.321). We
all knew what he could do with his arm and glove, but the Mets just might have
found their new leadoff hitter.
There have been a number of
disappointments, bat wise, as well. Curtis Granderson (5-25,
.200)… Daniel Murphy (1-11, .091), Ruben Tejada (2-18, .111), Wilmer
Flores (5-27, .185)… but no more than Travis
d’Arnaud (4-25, .160). Yes, it’s early, but Lagares is facing the same
pitchers and he doesn’t seem to be having these problems. Scouts are now
reporting that d’Arnaud has a unique form of ‘yip’ on his swing that opposing
pitchers are picking up on. Mets coaches are trying to cure him of it, but so
far, not good (remember… this looks like a great trade, but, as of right now,
the Mets have squat for R.A. Dickey).
The Mets biggest problem may just be
the fact that their ‘regulars’ just haven’t played that much yet this spring.
Guys like Ike Davis (6-AB), Lucas Duda (7-AB), Murphy
(11-AB) and David Wright (16-AB) just haven’t
played enough yet to be properly evaluated.
There is no competition at shortstop.
It is Ruben Tejada’s job and he’s playing it poorly both defensively (3-E, four
uncompleted double plays) and on offense (.111). Frankly, it’s more of a media
cancer than a liability.
Lastly, some of the kiddie that have
played the late innings have had some fun, led by Dominic
Smith’s 1.000-BA (1-1). Others have been Brandon
Nimmo (.500), Kevin Plawecki (.500), Erik Campbell (.346), and Juan
Centeno (.333).
Post Sunday's games....
ReplyDeleteMurphy had a nice 3-3 day.....Regular big dogs just haven't had enough AB's yet.....they'll come around.
I have always said that Lagares will hit.....he has NEVER had an issue with his hit tool as evidenced by his high batting averages at every level....Just needed to give the kid some time to adjust.
I probably should have updated this post, but it gives you an idea where my mindset was at the time.
ReplyDeleteRight now, my bat worries are d'Arnaud, Grandy, and, of course, Tejada
I agree with Chris on Juan...he hit .350 in 2011 in AA and A...and last year, really struggled early, faded late, and in the middle 3 months, he hit .290 with almost an extra base hit every 10 at bats - as a rookie. Why shouldn't he improve, now that he has made the adjustment to the bigs? Especially when he is such a superior fielder. A Duda type doesn't hit and feels pressure because then he is contributing nothing. A Lagares has fielding swagger, so if he slumps a bit, he still feels like a contributor.
ReplyDeleteA "yip" in Travis' swing makes me go from Yip to Nope on thinking of trading Plawecki - let's wait and see who our real future catcher should be. I think it should be Plawecki.
Lagares has the same problem this pre-season as he has had all of his career.... and he shares it with most of the Latin players that come out of the Dominican system...
ReplyDeleteHe simply loses patience once you get two strikes on him and he expands his own swing zone to outside of the box, increasing the number of 'bad balls' he swings at,
The Mets have been trying to cure him of this for years.
I hear you on Juan's walk issues. Up to him to get the average up and put up #'s similar to Murphy's, and if he did that, we'd take a Murphy walk rate (around 4.5%), which is very low. If he could put up Murphy #'s, with his defense, he'd be All Star caliber, whether he got picked to the All Star team or not.
ReplyDeleteAnd someone wrote about whether the "take a pitch" approach really works, and felt that the Mets had no real success stories in that regard. I always see Duda as the worst by-product of that. I 2011, he hit over .300 in Jul, in Aug, and in Sept. Not many guys hit over .300 in each of 3 consecutive months. He then I believe got screwed up taking way too many first pitch meatballs and just hit very poorly in bad counts. Tell the Dude that a Murphy walk rate is not bad if he can hit for real power, and tell him to be ready to swing at those first pitch meatballs.
Not everyone can be a Keith Hernandez type who could work a pitcher and had a laser eye (I remember often seeing Keith lay off real close pitches and think, "how could he be that good at it?" Duda is not, but get his head right against righty pitching exclusively, and I think he could do a lot - if they tell him, "You know that work the count stuff? Forget it....if you see a first pitch ball you like, be aggressive."
You may have already done so, Mack, but it is worth a look at Duda's stats in bad counts - atrocious - so if it does not work, go back to what he did so well in 2011.
it's more than simply 'taking a walk' issue with him...
ReplyDeletehe's sometimes swinging (with 2 strikes) before the ball even leaves the pitcher's hand... he simply doesn't have the plate patience and confidence... and pitchers know it, so they don't have to throw it down the pipe... thus, bat doesn't hit ball straight up... thus, pop up, ground ball, or strike out
that is Juan's challenge - I see the flaw better as you put it that way.
ReplyDeleteWho is Brian Burgamy? Mets signed and played him in a few games…2 for 6…a weird career.
His stats showed he played in minors from 2002-2007. The next stats they show were 6 years later, in 2013 (did he previously play in Japan?)
In 2013, he had 167 at bats in AAA Mexican ball, and hit .335 with 15 HRs and .440 on base. Nice, but why so few at bats?
I realize now that I follow team in spring more that there are a lot of “B” games and all minor league games that don’t get included in official minor league stats – but check out this from official minors stats:
Plawecki, Reynolds, Taijeron, Vaughn, den Dekker, Puello, Campbell and Lutz are a combined 45 for 118 (.381) with 13 walks and 11 doubles and 4 HR. A collective round of applause is in order.
Wright, Granderson, Tejada, Murphy and d’Arnaud are a combined 18 for 107 (.168) with 2 HR (both by Granderson, both off minor leaguers).
Interesting - and a bit scary with the latter group - but clearly a very small sample.
Remember though... the kiddies come in during the later innings and face AA/AAA pitching, not the real MLB team...
ReplyDeleteBurgamy has floated around Indy ball... I don't expect him to be kept in the system come 3-31
I'm with you, Mack. I still remember the immortal Jon Nunnally, who was phenomenal in the Spring, won a job, then fizzled almost immediately right from the start. Kinda like a "Super Cowgill".
ReplyDeleteBut it's easy to get taken in by ST stats, and many of us do. That's why we're fans (or media), and not pro scouts or coaches.