"SAFE AT THE "PLATE!" - with Tony Plate
The New York Mets were on a five-game losing streak
including a sweep by the last place Florida Marlins last weekend which brought
up a heated debate for Mickey Callaway’s dismissal. He was given a vote of confidence
by Brodie Van Wagenen.
All Met fans were told that Callaway wasn’t going anywhere and the team is going to provide the same support for him as they did during the off-season. Recently, Callaway has proved skeptics wrong for now. He was able to get his players to regroup and play well.
The Mets have won six of seven games at the time of this writing by sweeping four games from the Washington Nationals last week and taking two out of three games from the Detroit Tigers this past weekend.
All Met fans were told that Callaway wasn’t going anywhere and the team is going to provide the same support for him as they did during the off-season. Recently, Callaway has proved skeptics wrong for now. He was able to get his players to regroup and play well.
The Mets have won six of seven games at the time of this writing by sweeping four games from the Washington Nationals last week and taking two out of three games from the Detroit Tigers this past weekend.
Both of these opponents’ have mediocre
records, however a winning streak is a winning streak. The Nationals have been
the most disappointing team in the Major Leagues thus far, and their bullpen has
the worst ERA in baseball, over 6.00.
The Tigers, who are rebuilding, were on a nine-game losing streak before they snapped it against the Mets last Friday.
The Tigers, who are rebuilding, were on a nine-game losing streak before they snapped it against the Mets last Friday.
In my opinion, Brodie Van Wagenen made the right decision by deciding to
stay with Callaway. It is only May, it is early in the season and there was no
need for panic, because all teams go through a losing streak like the Mets had
previously. I think Callaway will guide the Mets to a much better record.
Callaway and the Mets have a real test, because they now face the National League West leading Los Angeles Dodgers for four games in Los Angeles.
Callaway and the Mets have a real test, because they now face the National League West leading Los Angeles Dodgers for four games in Los Angeles.
In other Mets news, right-handed pitchers Tim Peterson and
Paul Sewald cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple- A Syracuse.
Also, Michael Conforto was activated from the seven-day concussion list. He was hurt on May 16th when he collided with Robinson Cano while chasing a pop fly.
Also, Michael Conforto was activated from the seven-day concussion list. He was hurt on May 16th when he collided with Robinson Cano while chasing a pop fly.
In
other baseball news, former Boston Red Sox player Bill Buckner, who was 69, passed away after a long bout with Lewy Body Dementia, his family said in a
statement.
He played 22 major seasons in four different decades. He had 2,715 hits, 721 extra-base hits, never struck out three times in a game and won the 1980 National League batting crown.
Needless to say, Bill Buckner was one of the most under-rated players in the history of baseball.
3 comments:
Reese sees what the Mets need right now - RUBEN TEJADA!
12 for 24 and 3 walks in his minor league games so far. Who couldn't use a .500 hitter?
Back to reality: The Mets in 1986 were a .667 team. The Dodgers are also a .667 team.
Not having McNeil, Lowrie, and Nimmo right now does not help - but the Mets' 2019 team has the same problem as the 2018 team - a bad bullpen. And it showed last night. For the season, 106 runs allowed in 186 innings, slightly over 5 runs per 9. Houston's pen has allowed 57 runs in 168 innings (or 3 runs per 9 innings).
The Mets won't be winning anything without a substantially more effective pen.
Whether Buckner was "very underrated" or not, he was very good - I remember him as a tough hitter as a Cub against the Mets. In 650 plate appearances against the Mets, he hit .282 and fanned just 24 times.
In 10,037 career plate appearances, he fanned just 453 times, and had more than one season where he fanned under 20 times!!
Buckner was DEFINITELY one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated players in MLB. He never struck out, was a very good fielder until his knees completely went out on him yet he never complained, had more hits then Ted Williams (though Teddy Ballgame lost over 4 years to the military) and was one of the most reliable players in the game, year in, year out. Not a HOFer but a few more seasons like his 1980 and he would've been.
Regarding Callaway, managers don't hit or pitch or make errors in the field- can't hold him accountable for that. However, his bullpen usage isn't great and he does seem to be out-guessed by the opposing manager on too many occasions. He's NOT a great in-game manager, but firing him at that point would have been a mistake. Firing him either before the season started, or at the end of the year makes more sense, unless the players stop responding to him or they identify the guy they want on the bench for the long-term and have to fire Mickey to make way for him.
David, you look at Buckner's lack of strikeouts, year in, and year out, in his prime, and it was astonishing. A few years in the teens, other years in the 20s. Crazy, crazy low. For a few of his years, he fanned as much as a bad Chris Davis WEEK.
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