Mike Freire - Fleeting Thoughts (The Pounder Edition)

Good Morning, Mets' fans!

Since I am writing this a couple of days before it will actually appear on the blog, the Mets are coming off a nice win in Miami last night (7-3) that included a timely rally and an absolute MOON SHOT off the bat of The Pounder.  The win improved the team's record to 3-1 on the young season and served as a nice "bounce back" effort after a tough loss in DC the previous day.  If they can split the next two games in Miami (at a minimum), that would cap off a nice 4-2 road trip to start the year.

I might be a bit "old school" in my thoughts, but I simply want the team to continue to win each series that they play, whether it is 2 out of 3, or 3 out of 4, etc.  Sweeps are nice if you are the one doing the sweeping, but consistently winning series will result in a nice record at season's end. 

For example, the 2018 Red Sox AVERAGED 2 out of 3 for the entire season which resulted in a record of 108-54.  I am not saying that he 2019 Mets are on that level, but it is an example of what consistent winning can do for your bottom line, so to speak.

***Wednesday Night edit.....the boys ended up taking all three games in Miami, which is VERY nice, as is the 5-1 start to the year.  A little concerned about the bullpen, but it is early and hopefully Mickey figures things out soon?

Even if the Mets win 108 games this year, it will likely result in one of the Wild Card spots due to the fact that the Bryce Harper led Phillies will be 162-0, after all (sarcasm activated).  Boy, the ESPN hype train is in full effect already, isn't it?

1.  OK, so we are "only" a few games into the regular season, but I am really impressed with Pete Alonso's start to the year.  I am also going to repent right now and admit that I was wrong to support the narrative that he needed to start the year in Syracuse for service time purposes (see, that wasn't so hard).  

It appears that he is everything that was advertised with the bat (1.238 OPS) and I suppose we shouldn't be overly surprised if you look at his minor league track record, or his Spring Training statistics.

What IS surprising is that he is more then holding his own defensively.  As of this morning (Tuesday), he has made every play that he has been asked to make, including two double plays and NO ERRORS (fingers crossed to counteract the jinx that I just asked for).

2.  I believe that I have used this comparison before, but Pete reminds me of Jeff Bagwell (for those of you who remember the Astros' first baseman in the 1990's and early 2000's).  If you don't remember the player Jeff was (shame on you), then you need to go to any site that archives baseball statistics and look him up.  In short, Jeff was an absolute BEAST, that included a Rookie of the Year award and an MVP award. 

In Jeff's rookie season (1991), he was a 23 year old first baseman, which is only a year younger then Pete's current age.  Jeff put together the following statistical line;

.294/.387/.437  (.824 OPS)

15 HR/82 RBI/7 SB

.992 Fielding % and 12 Errors

A solid debut for sure and it hinted at the greatness that was to come.  Do you think that Pete is capable of matching that production?  I certainly do, with the exception of the stolen bases, perhaps.  BUT, Jeff was 6 feet tall and weighed 195 pounds at that point, so it is understandable that he was a bit faster.  

Pete weighs roughly 50 pounds more then Jeff, so we can cut him some slack (imagine Jeff trying to steal all of those bases while carrying around the equivalent of a third grader on his back).

In short, I would be beyond happy if Pete turns into the type of weapon that Jeff was in his prime and I think it is possible.

3.  On a side note, I wanted to share a quick story that relates to Pete and his prodigious power potential at the plate.  Quite a few years ago, I went to a Mets/Rays game at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg (not the best venue for a game, but when you live in Pinellas County the options for live Mets' games are pretty limited).  

In an effort to get as much bang for my buck, I sprung for some really good seats behind the third base dugout and I also went to the ball park early enough to catch batting practice.

Most of the players were hitting solid line drives and the occasional "bomb" that landed well into the seats beyond the outfield wall.  It we pretty impressive to see the hand and eye coordination it took to do so, along with the occasional power that was displayed by the players in question.  Well, that was until Mike Piazza stepped into the batter's box for his turn.

Holy crap!  The sound that the baseball made leaving his bat was much different than anyone else in the rotation.  He was hitting missiles that landed into the second and third deck of the stands and they weren't lazy fly balls, either.  The talent gap was immediately obvious and I can't recall seeing that type of power potential on any of the Mets' teams since then.

Enter Pete "The Pounder" Alonso!  Now look, I am not saying that he is the next Mike Piazza with the bat, but his talent and power potential certainly stand out in a similar fashion.  There's a lot to like about our new first baseman so far, right?

4.  Lastly, I am pretty impressed by our favorite team's start to the year and I am also pleased with the foundation that is being put in place.  Provided Pete isn't a flash in the pan, the following positions appear to be set with reasonably young talent for quite some time;

1B - Alonso

SS - Rosario

2B/3B - McNeil (likely one of these, but it is hard to say what is exact future will be)

LF - Nimmo (where I see him long term)

RF - Conforto

SP1 - DeGrom

SP2 - Syndergaard

RP - Gselleman

RP - Lugo

Closer - Diaz

Sure, we have some veterans, or "short term" players that will fill the other positions, but the above listed players will be the framework of your team moving forward.  It provides some predictability for BVW, while also giving him options to continue to shape the roster as we move forward.

Let me know if I missed anyone and stay safe!