By Brian Joura September 17, 2020
There’s no All-Star game in 2020 yet if there was one, the Mets would have no fewer than six candidates worthy of a long look. It’s kind of remarkable that the team with the fourth-worst record in the league could make a case for that type of representation. It’s either a perfect representation of how crazy the year 2020 is or a scathing indictment of just about everyone else on the team. Having watched a fair number of games, it seems like the latter more than the former.
The breakdown includes four position players and two pitchers. And while there are six candidates, clearly not all six would make the team. But that doesn’t make what they’ve done any less impressive. The four hitters all rank in the top 20 in wRC+ among qualified hitters in the National League. And no one doubts that the Mets’ ace would make the All-Star team, too. Let’s look at the case for each of these six players, listed below in alphabetical order:
Michael Conforto – He’s in the top 10 in just about every major offensive category there is. If the Mets were among the top teams in the league, he’d be a top-five MVP candidate. As it is, he might still draw some down-ballot support, depending upon how strong he finishes the final 11 games of the season. Among his many achievements this year is that he leads the league in singles. Part of this is because of a terrific approach at the plate, where he’s hitting to all fields and taking advantage of what the defense gives him. And part of it is because the hit gods are smiling upon him. That’s okay – those still count.
Jacob deGrom – The hamstring issue that caused the early exit in Wednesday’s game against the Phillies likely ends his quest for a third-straight Cy Young Award. But there’s little doubt he’d make the All-Star team. deGrom has been better across the board than he was in 2019 and nearly as good as he was in 2018, when he ended the season with a 9.0 fWAR. And the cherry on top of this season is that the Mets are putting up an incredible winning percentage in games he pitches. They’re not all going to deGrom, who is 4-1, but the team is 8-2 in his 10 starts, a far cry from the past two seasons when they were under .500 both years in games he started.
Edwin Diaz – Yeah, he lost the closer’s job after three games. But he also won it back by simply overpowering guys in his last 18 appearances. Overall, he has an incredible 19.3 K/9 and his ERA+ of 252 dwarfs the 208 mark of his magical 2008 season. In his last 18 games, opposing hitters have just a .541 OPS against him. And it’s only that high because of a .444 BABIP. Diaz has allowed just one homer in that span, a good thing to see after all of the trouble he had with the gopher ball last season. In his last seven games, he’s retired 23 of the 29 batters he’s faced, allowing just three hits and holding batters to a .322 OPS. It seems doubtful he’d make a mythical 2020 All-Star team given the Mets’ other candidates. But that doesn’t make his output any less noteworthy.
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2 comments:
I'd go with those 6 as All Stars - odd to have 6-8 players playing at All Star caliber and still be under .500. Shows how bad the others have played.
Mets likely have seen (the) last of Jed Lowrie
By Zach BrazillerSeptember 16, 2020 | 11:47pm
Due to multiple injuries, the 26-year-old Lowrie has recorded just seven at-bats since signing a two-year, $20 million deal with the Mets before last season. And, in all likelihood, that is how his brief Mets career will end.
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This is a shame because they just came out with a 100% cement knee brace too.
And Zach, Jed is 36 not 26, but who could remember since he never plays that much anymore. But nearly $3,000,000 an at bat is pretty freaking good if you ask me. It's almost stoic I tell ya'!
Imagine if he just could have gotten a three year deal? He'd have been a Guinness World Record holder I bet! A member of the "Order of Pizza's On Me" lifetime.
Life is sometimes cruel.
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