Tom Brennan - WHY ARE THE METS 28TH IN SCORING?
The Mets throughout their 56+ seasons have been a bottom half offense far more than a top half offense.
Believe me, I've been there since 1962, I know.
I especially enjoyed 1968, when the Mets managed to score 473 runs, or 2.92 runs per game. How exciting!
Even in early July 2015, the Mets team that went to the World Series was averaging just 3.5 runs per game.
This team wears its lack of hitting as a badge of honor.
This year is no exception - through Monday, they were 28th out of 30 teams in scoring.
Why?
First of all, to be fair, one must consider the number of games played...a few teams like San Diego that have scored a few more runs have also played more games....but that still leaves the Mets in the bottom 5 instead of just the bottom 3.
Back to reasons:
Yoenis Cespedes has played hurt recently, no doubt impairing his offensive output. He started slowly this year, but was quite clutch driving in runs.
Then he decided to steal twice in one game, hurting his thumb, presumably not badly but who can really be sure. We heard about quad discomfort shortly after that.
Stupid teams fail to restrain a leg-injury-prone slugging cornerstone star from unnecessary running. Bad legs to Yoenis is like Samson after a haircut....not the same dude.
Let's hope he heals without a DL stint and starts hitting like Manny Machado.
Let's hope he heals without a DL stint and starts hitting like Manny Machado.
Amed Rosario is progressing, but in nearly 2000 minor league plate appearances, he never really learned pitch recognition. Which leads to paltry major league on base percentage. How paltry?
Out of 26 major league shortstops with qualifying numbers of at bats, he is 25th at .273 in OBP. The lowest guy is at .271. Such futility contributes to the Mets' being 28th in scoring, certainly.
Two decent hitting catchers hurt at the same time, IN THE FRIGGIN' FIRST HALF OF APRIL, with no Rene Rivera to fall back on this year.
The injury curse of the Mets - only plausible explanation.
Lobaton and Nido went 12 for 80 (.150) in their absence thru Monday; Devin Mesoraco just 1 for 13 as a Met. Ugh!
Adrian Gonzalez was supposed to be a stop gap, really, until Dominic Smith, the future, was quickly ready. Smith promptly missed all but 2 plate appearances in spring training, resulting in his abdication of the first base job.
Smith is now, he says, acclimating himself to his svelte 215 pound body, so Gonzalez's "stop gap" is becoming a Grand Canyon sized gap.
Todd Frazier has hit as advertised, but not like Manny Machado has. Of course, being a bit of an older fella, Todd sustained a disabling leg injury. See you soon, hopefully.
Wilmer Flores finds not playing often difficult in terms of being effective....so far, he is not. 7 RBIs in over 80 plate appearances - I imagine he wants to be traded to San Francisco so he can become the next Jeff Kent.
Jose Reyes was impotent in spring training and still is, yet the Mets won't cut ties even now, 1/4 of the way through the season. Tomorrow could always be different, right? Wrong.
Michael Conforto, coming off a very serious shoulder injury, was rushed back, and has hit far less than Manny Machado, or whomever you might choose to compare him to.
The tong-less MC Hammer is 58th in average (under .210), and 79th in RBIs (9), among qualifying MLB outfielders.
Jay Bruce has been sluggish at the plate. He is not hitting at all like, oh, Manny Machado. Jay is 50th in average among OFs (.233) and 51st in RBIs (14) in 34 games.
He is also signed for 2.75 more years. Just the pertinent stats, Ma'am.
And the pitchers aren't hitting much either. 10 for 75, 1 RBI. Matt Harvey helped (2 for 7), but they traded his bat away.
Juan Lagares and Brandon Nimmo have done well, with an on base % of over .400 so far combined, but not been up enough at the plate to make a real difference.
And in about 125 plate appearances, just 6 RBIs, so appearances can be deceiving.
Asdrubel Cabrera is hitting really well....thank heavens SOMEBODY is.
That, ladies and gents, is how we're a bottom 3 scoring team.
Oh, and the fact that the Mets hit .227 with RISP.
But not to worry....Tim Tebow is looming on the horizon.
Hitting .260 in AA with 17 RBIs and a .452 slug % - take THAT, Jose and Jay and Michael and Wilmer.
He wouldn't be looming for any team but a bottom 3 scoring team, but the Mets are such a team. So he looms.
Hurry up, Tim. This team needs a hitting miracle.
Will a one game offensive explosion a turnaround make? You tell me.
ReplyDeleteMorning Tom.
ReplyDeleteA few things...
1. I have no problem with Amed Rosario. He is, at worst, an above average fielder and is starting to find wood with his bat. I do not expect him to ever win the batting title, but I LOVE him in the 9 slot in the lineup.
2. I was discussing Jeff McNeil with one of our readers, on Twitter this morning. I wish Sandy had the nuts to do something different than the same failed plan, year after year. Start turning this team young and exciting like the Braves. Give Gonzalez and Reyes their walking papers and call up McNeil and Peter Alonso. They are older than Michael Conforto was when he came up.
3. I like your idea about Cespedes. If we are going to make a run this year, we need him 100% after the break. Put him on the 7/day and send him back to Lucy to rehab. Play Lagares until he is ready to return.
4. The Mets still need to solve their catcher problem. Call Boston and inquire about Blake Swihart. He is available and should not cost the Mets more than a mid range reliever. Swihart is an ex first round pick that has never been given a chance by Boston. IMO, he would be a huge upgrade to Lobotan.
5. We still need another decent starter.
The team is 28th in scoring because they value other things more than putting the bat on the ball in a way that results in more frequent hits.
ReplyDeleteBob -
ReplyDeleteGood morning.
The obsession on walks drives me nuts but so does the emphasis on home runs. Give me 10-15 hits per game and my team will win more games than they lose.
Mack, good points. Hopefully, though, Mesoraco getting on 5 times last night was not a fluke. Amed may finally be getting over the jump, which would be huge.
ReplyDeleteBob, whatever turns this into a top 15 offensive team, I want.
A new GM would be a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteMore than a new GM would be new ownership!
ReplyDeleteYou can't have a fine turkey dinner until you chop off the head - we need new headship for the Mets, instead of the current turkeys.
ReplyDeleteThe lineup construction reminds me of a beer league softball team......all or nothing, only this version may have been hitting the keg a bit too hard.
ReplyDeleteJoking aside, it seems like we have always been a pitching heavy team that scored enough to win in good years and not so much in poor years (i.e. most of them).
We need a new approach!