Tom Brennan - CESPEDES, EVANS, AND GUILLORME
In an interview after YOENIS CESPEDES just went on the 10 day DL for hip flexor distress, Mickey Calloway said:
"He (Cespedes) was doing everything we asked of him, not only in the offseason, but in-season. He was doing a great job."
"His preparation and the way he went about his business is definitely not the reason this happened. It's just wear and tear on the body through the Major League season that everybody goes through."
Just a question: with very solid 4th and 5th outfielders in Nimmo and Lagares, wouldn't it have made more sense to give Cespedes some more days off to prevent the "wear and tear on the body....that 'everybody' goes through"?
Because "everyone" has not been as DL-prone as Cespedes has been. Why assume he will be Lou Gehrig when he hasn't demonstrated that sort of durability?
When I trained for a marathon back in the 1980's, I eased up to it mileage-wise. Otherwise, I would have ended up in a surgeon's office. I don't care if "everybody" else did.
(If you're wondering, I finished in 3:25:27.
One marathon was enough for me).
One marathon was enough for me).
Would it have hurt to have the Mets work Cespedes up to everyday play - say, by playing 5 days per week over the first several weeks, then expanding it, to avoid the "wear and tear everybody goes through?"
And of course give him a "no-go, no-way, no-how" in terms of stealing bases.
Like the Fram oil filter commercial - "you can pay me now, or pay me later" - you get the same or more games out of Cespedes by sitting him pretty liberally early in the season rather than trying to assume he can play every day and then finding out that was highly presumptuous, and then having to put him on the DL.
PHILLIP EVANS:
Called up to replace Yoenis Cespedes, he has been banging a bunch of homers in Vegas lately and had 9 in 118 at bats.
He is one of those guys who I am proud of, where he no doubt realized that one of the things keeping him out of the big leagues was the lack of a power tool - he did, after all, only have 11 homers from 2011-15 in 1,322 at bats (one every 120 at bats).
He progressed to hit 19 in 2016-17 in 855 at bats (one every 45 at bats), a big step in the right direction, and 9 in 118 at bats in 2018 is one homer every 13 at bats, so he seems to have made major (and hopefully permanent) power strides.
In a game today where 2017 major league teams averaged 200 homers, not hitting homers is a good way to become irrelevant. Evans has made himself relevant.
Of course, as I write this, LUIS GUILLORME (certainly a guy whose main asset is not power) has hits in his first 3 big league at bats. Pretty impressive.
Former Met Jack Leathersich needs a better Luis beard too.
P.S.
P.S.
Yesterday's loss was stultifying.
Vocabulary.com defines "stultify" as follows:
The verb stultify is sometimes used in place of "bore" or "exhaust," but only if something is so boring or exhausting that it makes you feel as though you might just die.
We all of course excuse Zachary Wheeler's poor performance (AJ Ramos' too) because, after all, the weather was pretty awful - but I was just reminded (thank you) that Mr. J.A. Happ dismantled the Mets' hitters in those very same conditions.
Tired of making excuses for Zach Wheeler, aren't you?
I am.
9 comments:
You beat me to it, Tom. It's not as if the rain clouds only dumped their worst on the Mets and the field was only wet when the Mets were on defense.
That exercise looks like it could cause an injury.
Reese, so true. "Our Navy Seals couldn't execute properly because it was drizzling out." Not acceptable.
The Mets need the postal motto - neither rain nor sleet nor snow...will keep us from our appointed rounds.
Mack, that exercise would result in insurance benefits being paid to my wife.
Has Juan Lagares ever played 10 straight games without a significant injury?
I agree Tom, hoping for consistency out of Zack is becoming a fruitless exercise.
Mike, I rarely cut Zach slack now, but the weather was awful - but he makes Dillon Gee look like a # 1 starter. Dillon, come home!
He has the talent, which is what makes it more frustrating.
Love this post Tom.
Why does Wheeler hate Citi Field so much? For his career - 5.31 ERA at Citi vs. 3.13 on the road.
I'm keeping faith in Wheeler, for now. He's maddening but I just don't like the game Lobaton calls for him.
Excited about Guillorme. He doesn't have any power but this team needs someone like him who gives you a good at bat and can get on base.
Erica, great observation.
The Mets as a whole over the last several years have had a homefield DISADVANTAGE.
I did an article some time last year that showed the Yanks and Mets had virtually the same road record over those several years, but the Yanks had a drastically better home record, and the Mets in fact won MORE games on the road than at home. Over a several year span. Pretty unfathomable.
Anyone who figures that out for the Mets and how to fix it should be paid millions.
The old adage for a team winning the pennant is .500 on the road, .667 at home.
I think there is a curse in effect. Too much negative publicity while at home...etc.
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