Most fans of baseball root for two things to happen. They want to see runs score when their team is at bat. They want to see strikeouts when their pitcher is on the mound. Both of these outcomes are definitely worth watching and cheering when they do occur, but for the most part fans do not rave about seeing a slick fielding play or watching a well aimed defensive throw nail a baserunner.
Of course, most fans root for teams that know that when they are not at the plate they are responsible for keeping the other club from scoring runs. The scary statistic for Mets fans right now is that a full 25% of the runs they’ve allowed are of the unearned variety.
That stat does not suggest the pitchers are at fault for failing to get their job done as much as it indicts the fielders for whom catching the ball, throwing it accurately and knowing how to shift to prevent runs from scoring is really not a part of their everyday game plan.
Right now it’s fashionable to blast certain chronic offenders for bad defense. J.D. Davis is regularly roasted for the way he handles the third base position. Dom Smith is cheered for his bat but people watch him in left field with at best only one eye open. Brandon Nimmo plays way too far back to catch anything in front of him. Even the normally reliable Michael Conforto is seeming to allow his offensive woes carry over to the defensive side of his game.
So the question becomes at what point to the Mets concentrate on putting a better defensive team on the field even if it comes at the expense of reduced potential for an offensive breakout? Everyone knows what an Albert Almora can do when he plays centerfield, but inserting him into the lineup means that Dom Smith or Brandon Nimmo or Michael Conforto must sit.
Luis Guillorme can pick it at third base but he’s primarily a singles hitter. Jonathan Villar is a bit more capable with the stick but his defensive reputation isn’t that much better than what they’re getting from J.D. Davis. Pete Alonso is mostly sufficient at first base, but people would be far more tolerant of his glove if his bat came to life.
Some are advocating that the Mets need to trade J.D. Davis to help fortify the team in one way or another. You could use him as part of a package to bring in a more capable defender at third base. You could send him away to get some more capable relief pitching to fill in for some of the less stellar members of the bullpen.
You could also look to reverse what was done when he was obtained, sending him as a decent major league hitter to another team to get one or more prospects to help fortify the Mets’ somewhat unimpressive minor league system.
Others are suggesting they need to consider doing the same for center field. You need to make a decision about who is the most valuable outfielder and who would bring back the most in trade. It may not be a bad thought to consider moving Michael Conforto as he’s set to become a free agent at the season’s end. You could then move Nimmo to a corner position and open up center field for a true glove man who can contribute offensively as well.
Right now with the Mets playing win one/lose one, it’s hard to get overly enamored nor overly frustrated by what the team is doing. As opined here already in the past, the club is likely to get better pitching and better hitting moving forward.
The one area where there is no expected improvement with the current cast of characters is defense. Many fans are beginning to squawk that it’s time to pay attention to this over-neglected aspect of winning games.
JD Davis has to show us if his potent 2019 hitting, or struggling 2020 hitting will be his norm. Starting to look like 2019. Yea!
ReplyDeleteI still think much of the error-laden baseball was cold weather induced. Now that it is warming, we’ll see the true baseline.
A fascinating study would be to take all baseball games over the past 20 years that stated out at or below 35 degrees and see what the error rate was as compared to, say, over 60 degrees. I bet the difference is huge.
Pitching wins games.
ReplyDeletePoor defense losses them.
No matter what Davis hits, he is a liability at third.
Right now, he and Nimmo are our hot bats. It will be interesting to see what the Mets do if he cools off or others heat up.
Yes, all facets of the game (no surprise here) are important, including defense. In the past, before the DH era, teams had choices to make even more so than today. Nicknames like "what a pair of hands" and "iron glove" and the like were pretty common when appplied to some players who were productive with the bat.
ReplyDeleteThe situation is not as extreme now, but the basic concept of how to win is the same: score more runs than your opponent. A 9-8 W is better than a 2-1 loss.
If the pitching is solid and the offense clicking, we can afford to sacrifice some defense. I've been a strong supporter of Guillorme, and want to see him get more playing time, but there's no way JDD should be sitting.
Our pitching looks solid and deep, especially once Thor, Cookie and Lugo return. If the offense can provide 4+ Runs per game, we'll do very well, even with Davis and Smith playing daily.