Stephen Guilbert - Terry Collins "Fireable Offense"- Do Not Take Juan Lagares out of the Game

Met manager Terry Collins makes an inexcusable roster swap late in Thursday's game.

I am writing this in the middle of a tie game and the Mets with a very solid chance to pull out a win--and a series victory--against the division-leading Washington Nationals. It is the 8th inning. Terry Collins just took the ball from Josh Edgin and double-switched Chris Young into the game and Jeurys Familia to the mound.

The problem is two-fold, the first of which is what I call a "fireable offense".

1.) He took Juan Lagares--the best outfielder in baseball and the fifth best hitter on the Mets--out of the game.
2.) He took out a lefty pitcher who fairs better against righties and exchanged him with a righty…to face a righty. This RHP happened to be someone Terry also wanted to rest (for good reason).

As I write this, Familia got a ground ball out and the game still rests solidly in the Mets hands to win, but this move and others like it have Terry on official warning in my book. No, I am not on the Wally Backman train (I never will be) but our incumbent needs to know how runs are saved, how outs are attained, and why Chris Young is the worst player in baseball who has been gifted 300 at bats this year.

1.) Juan Lagares taken out of the game.

Juan Lagares has a 95 RC+, or has been 5% below league average, offensively. That's not bad. Especially for an outfielder who has saved more runs than any other outfielder in the game, in 2/3rd the chances of most of his peers.

Terry took him out of a game in which the lead run was on 2nd base and a base hit would come down to an outfielder being able to make a throw to the plate. Few in the game are better at this than Lagares.

The move also significantly downgraded the corner outfield positions as an impotent Chris Young was placed in left. Any average fly ball for a good left fielder becomes a hit with Chris Young. And there are also those times in key spots when he just misses and the Mets lose. 

What's with the idea that Chris Young is a better hitter than Lagares? He isn't. I'm not sure Chris Young is a better hitter than anyone.

The rationality was that Lagares made the final out last inning. You want Familia to pitch the 9th as well, thus making a double switch sensible. Here's the problem: It is a tight game late and you want to have good defense and your best hitters. You do that by keeping Lagares in the game. You still have most of the bullpen available (only Black had been used). Keep Edgin in the game. Pinch hit. Use Familia for the 9th. Keep arguably your best player in the game.

The lack of respect for Juan Lagares despite his continued excellence is dumbfounding.

2.) Josh Edgin is actually better against righties than lefties.

In 20 at bats this year, batters have a .390 OPS against Josh Edgin, far better than his mark against lefties, strangely. For his career, in a much larger sample size, Edgin's OPS against is 23 points lower against righties than lefties.

So, the move itself is silly even if you do not take Juan Lagares out of the game.

This is, officially, the worst move I have ever seen Terry Collins make.

Terry Collins continues to misuse players. He, in combination with Sandy Alderson have kept our best left field option (Matt den Dekker) off of the 25-man rotation in lieu of Chris Young, largely, who can make the case for the least valuable player in baseball with as many at bats as he has logged. Matt den Dekker is better than all outfielders on this team save Granderson and Lagares and is wasting his prime in Triple-A. Furthermore, Chris Young, Eric Campbell, and Kirk Niewenhuis are not good enough to be on a contending 25-man team. Matt Reynolds, Matt den Dekker, and many others down in the minors are (Rafael Montero, anyone? Give Niese and Gee a break coming back from injury).

I have always been a strong supporter of Terry Collins. I think that without Terry, the Mets are even more of a joke than they have been the past few years. The players play for him and he is a calming yet steady leader. However, mistakes like this and a failure to adapt to the knowledge available to him have made me change my tune. He needs to adapt, stop making silly mistakes like this, or I will be calling for Tim Teufel to take over his job and very very soon.

As I finish writing this, the Mets are still playing in a tie game. Chris Young, as could be predicted, did nothing with his plate appearance. The Mets are playing with fire with a poor defensive outfield and a worse lineup. If the Mets lost this game, it is squarely on Terry Collins' shoulders. Even if they win, decisions like this must have consequences and mistakes of this magnitude cannot happen again.

The only way this article is moot is if Lagares came down with an injury. There is no evidence of this, but we will wait to hear from Terry after this game is over.

--SG