Tom Brennan - SURPRISING NUMBER OF METS MINOR LEAGUE HITTERS FANNING A WHOLE LOT

Lot of fanning from this baby I found in Kannapolis.  BREEZY!

Boy, the Mets call up Khalil Lee at a time of dire need for the Mets, with 4 outfielders down.

First 8 times up as a NY Met - 8 strikeouts.  

Huh?   Put me out there instead  - I can do that much.

Then arrived Cameron Maybin - the Artist Formerly Known as Hitter - 0 for 19 after his 4 for 39 in AAA, and lots and lots of Ks.

Besides an emergency call up like Lee, or like Maybin, there are lots of guys striking out lots of times in the Mets' minors.   An epidemic of such, it seems.

Not sure if it is due to the year off, taking time to shed rust, facing better pitching, being assigned at a level higher than one might expect to challenge the player (or because Kingsport is no longer around), or just the unfortunate whiffing proclivities of the hitters, who may feel an urgency to hit 50 out, but there are quite a few Mets minor leaguers with outsized strikeout rates to date (i.e., through Friday, unless noted).

BTW, I did not list players who were high in numerical strikeout totals but whose whiff rate is 3 PA per K or greater, so if a player has fanned 13 times, but in 42 plate appearances, I left them off this list.   Of course, 13 of 42 is not good at all, but I wanted the list to not get any longer.

AAA

Deivy Grullon - C (released) 16 Ks in 41 ABs, .146

David Thompson - 3B - 21 Ks in 51 ABs, .196

Martin Cervenka - C - 10 Ks in 26 ABs, .192

Quinn Brodey - CF - 14 Ks in 36 ABs, .167

AA

Luis Carpio - SS/2B - 16 Ks in 45 ABs, .178

Mark Vientos - 3B - 21 Ks in 14 games, .212

Manny Rodriguez - SS - 18 Ks in 42 ABs - .095 (but up to .144 on Sun).

Desmond Lindsay - OF - 16 Ks in 29 ABs, .103 (Sun.)

Will Toffey - IF - 4 for 31, 16 Ks, .133

High A

Blake Tiberi - 3B - 21 Ks in 40 ABs, .175

Jake Mangum - OF - 15 Ks in 23 ABs, .206

Ronny Mauricio - SS - 20 Ks in 54 ABs, .316

Luke Ritter - OF - 19 Ks in 54 ABs, .241

Hayden Senger - C - 13 Ks in 35 ABs, .257

Adrian Hernandez - OF - 2 for 22 (.091) with 8 Ks

Gerson Molina - OF - 2 for 32 (you don't want to know), 9 Ks

Joe Genord (thru Sun.) - 1B - 20 Ks in 14 games, 58 PAs, .273.

Low A

Sherveyn Newton - SS - 28 Ks in 57 ABs, .211

Jaylen Palmer- 3B - 17 Ks in 47 ABs, .213

Tanner Murphy - OF - 13 Ks in 25 ABs, .240

Matt Dyer - C - 17 Ks in 38 ABs, .174

Cole Kleszcz - OF - 14 Ks in 29 ABs, .138

Matt O'Neill - C - 8 Ks in 9 ABs, .000

That's quite a list - 23 high K guys across 4 teams (one guy wiggled off the list between Friday and Sunday, which had been 24 guys then) - and more guys quite close to that "one K per 3 PAs" cutoff not on the list - quite a troubling list, I'd say, given it size and the collectively immense number of Ks.  Most of the above, as you'll noted are hitting like spit, average-wise, too.

Team-wise, thru Sunday, Syracuse is averaging 9.7 Ks per game.  That only makes then 10th worst out of 20 teams in their division. Binghamton is averaging 10.3 Ks per game, and 7 of the 12 teams in their division have done worse.  Brooklyn is averaging 12 Ks per game - 2 teams are worse.  St Lucie?  Also averaging 11 per game - 4th, but barely not worst, nipping at the heels of the league "leader".  

In fairness to St Lucie, there is a team in a different low A division (Kannapolis) averaging nearly 14 Ks per game, as incredible and unfathomable as that may seem.  FOURTEEN.

What do you think is going on, folks?

It is thankfully not 100% pervasive, as some players are still able to largely avoid the dreaded K virus.  

None are better at supporting the "some hitters can still hit" thesis than Francisco Alvarez, who is averaging just 1 K every 9 times up, and has a .417 average and .567 OBP.

And Friday night's AA opponent, RF Jacob Robson of the Erie squad, can really hit, too as his slash line at the time of .456/.569/.789 in 16 games at the time can attest.

So, take a swing at this, let's kick it around if you like.  

WHY ALL THE K'S?  

Kevin Kernan posted a Ballnine article on this website yesterday afternoon, and in one of his points noted the problem of minor league Ks as part of an overall baseball contagion which I call CONTACT AVOIDANCE SYNDROME (CAS).

There certainly is a K contagion in the minors.  Check bats for termites.

P.S.

Did you watch the Mets last night?  Not me.  FOUR HITS??

Lindor slipping to .189 as he imitates Zoilo Versalles two seasons after his MVP year.  Maybin ready for the trash bin after falling to 0 for 19 with 11 Ks, shocking since he was a robust 4 for 39 in AAA when the Mets snagged him.

And Fargas, presumably trying to do too much to impress, hurting his AC joint slamming into a wall trying to make a play.

Mets pitchers having the gall and temerity to allow THREE RUNS?  ARE THEY CRAZY? 

Nah.  I can't watch.  Tucker Carlson is far more interesting.

Then we find out McNeil, Conforto, and Cookie are still a month or more away.

That's the way the 2021 Cookie crumbles.

Steve Cohen offering tryouts.  "I'm 67, and I think I can do it, sir...where do I show up?"

I noticed the other day that the Mets had less than HALF the extra base hits of the Red Sox.  LOL.    The Mets are DEAD LAST in scoring with 140 runs.  On, they are a mere 109 runs behind the Red Sox.  LOL.  ZZZZZZ.

Sorry, that's where this team has put me.  I'm a fan, perhaps a Diehard, but the battery is out of juice.  Simply, I cannot stand to watch catatonic offense.  

When that happens, I look to the minors.  Thank heavens for high performing guys like Megill, Baty, and Alvarez to keep me hopeful of a better Mets day.  Megill, by the way, is 2-0, with Jake deGrom luck - he should be 4-0.  But while he is 2-0, the rest of Binghamton is 0-15.  Now THAT'S impressive, ain't it?  Hard to make the 1962 Mets look elite.  Them boys ain't ready to RUMBLE.  Seems many are Phonies and not Ponies.

I'll stop venting now.  Please forgive me.