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6/30/21

Reese Kaplan -- First Place and Nothing But Worries

It’s getting increasingly difficult to watch the Mets play despite them still being 3 games out in front of the Nationals in first place in the NL East.  Some days it’s the pitching that’s cringe-worthy.  Most days it’s the hitting.  Let’s not forget the highly inconsistent and questionable defense.  

Many people felt that the return of various injured players would revitalize the team and propel them into a more consistent winning way of playing.  Well, Jeff McNeil is back. Michael Conforto is back.  Marcus Stroman missed IL time for his hip but last pitched as if all was not right (and let’s not forget he’d just lost his grandmother).  



Initially people were expecting Brandon Nimmo yesterday, but word came out that they are having him play some more games in Syracuse to confirm not only that his finger is OK but also that he’s back in form for regular everyday play in the majors.  He will likely slide into center field where he was most of the pre-injury games.  That means Kevin Pillar gets to spend lots of time sitting on the bench (hopefully alongside Albert Almora).  


Word has also come out that later this week or early next week J.D. Davis is beginning his minor league rehab games.  While he was not exactly performing at star level before he went down, his replacement -- Jonathan Villar -- has been up and down.  Right now he’s out.  



The latest word on missing pitchers is not especially good.  Carlos Carrasco they’re expecting in late July to early August.  Noah Syndergaard may not make it back at all.  Jordan Yamamoto is being reevaluated to see when he can attempt to throw again  None of that means much to the Mets improving their competitiveness.


The one move that is expected sooner definitely has that potential, but not necessarily in a good way.  Dellin Betances has been pitching in the minors and hitting mid 90s on velocity but his ERA is plain awful.  He’s only allowed just so many days in rehab before the Mets have to make a decision on his future and there are some who would advocate cutting him loose or trying to station him in the minors rather than letting him jeopardize games in the majors.  



Once again it looks as if our acting GM Zack Scott is going to need to start acting like a GM and engage in that old fashioned baseball transaction called a “trade” in which he can try to pry loose from another team some starting pitching to help the Mets right now.  Doing so may require sacrificing players who are relatively highly regarded prospects or who are already in the majors but not suited particularly well to the roster right now.  No matter who leaves, the Twitterverse will illuminate with fury from the fans, all of whom are sure they just gave away a future Hall of Famer for scrap heap leftovers.  


I’d recently volunteered a few names from other clubs who are likely obtainable due to their teams being out of contention or their contracts coming to expiration at year’s end.  It might be worth exploring younger pitchers, AAA pitchers and other options as well since a quick (and expensive) fix may not have as many hurlers available and they may only be rent-an-arm types.  


6 comments:

  1. In the long range we need an SP & OF with a contract that at least runs thru the 2023 season.

    Only expendable Prospect at this point is Ronny Mauricio.

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  2. The remainder of 2021 will be key for the direction this club goes in this winter.

    For this year, I have no issue with trying to trade for one more starter, although I think deGrom, Walker, Stroman, Peterson, and Megill can hold things together until (if) Carrasco and Syndergaard come back for the final push.

    The Mets need to play just about .500 ball for the next three months to win the division. It appears 86 games will take it - that is 10 over. Washington recently had a nice little run, but they are running on a hot bat right now. Philly and Atlanta have settled into to who they are. So, this summer may not be the one to do a knee-jerk reaction for the big trade. It would be tough seeing the Nats come up with another solid arm in July, tho.

    And to Mack's point, I would actually see Vientos ahead of Mauricio as a trade chip, although the return value would probably not be equal.

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  3. Remember 1969, Vientos’ last 14 games? 21 for 55, 7 walks, 9 HR, 20 RBIs. I would be very leery of moving him.

    Reese’s precarious issues may be offset by…yes, Megill.

    NY Post noted he was getting the rookie squeeze by ump all night and still threw 60 of 85 pitches for strikes. Poised and effective.

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  4. Tom, Yes, I understand Vientos has hit well over the last couple weeks or so, and is most likely a much better hitter than he started the year off. But he is not going to sustain a pace of nearly .400 with OBP of .500 and an RBI of better than one every three at-bats for the long haul. Even Kyle Schwarber will be back on this planet sometime soon. I don't like to focus on the "SSS". Yes, he is probably a pretty good hitter, but . .

    My problem is that he is not a fast guy, there are better fielders for his position right behind him (Baty) and the organization is stacked with corner infielders now. He is one of the guys that could be used to fill a position of more need, particularly if his bat does stay warm at AA.

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  5. A Few Things

    I seem to hesitate more (nowadays) trying to predict out players going from the AAA rank to the major leagues. It is because it is almost never a simple thing trying to be accurate with this.

    Look at Jarred Kelenic here as a prime example.

    Everyone here thought that his promotion to the majors would be "automatic". A can't miss guy. I didn't. But only because I have to see things like this happen first.

    Right now, Jarred is back in AAA Tacoma with nine homeruns and a .310 BA after his demotion from Seattle where he was batting a mere .096 BA with two homeruns in a short stay. My point is that going AAA to the majors is not always a true and guaranteed thing. My guess here is this, it overwhelmed Jarred having his own dream in life come true, and he needed to regroup first down in AAA. A wise Seattle management probably saw that. It isn't a totally unusual thing for players or human beings in general.

    My guess is that Jarred Kelenic will become the player everyone here saw and thought he would become, but only his watch.

    My final point here is simply that most "AAA really good players" should never actually be considered a "can't miss". Look recently at SS Andres Gimenez for proof. It does not matter how much we all think or want a AAA player to become. It's their talent level once here at this highest level of baseball, and facing the very best pitching which is not at all like AAA normally. And it is also other intangibles things like confidence, desire, hustle, and what makes each one tick.

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  6. I personally think that either Mark Vientos or Ronnie Mauricio will probably be used in possibly a soon to take place trade for maybe another decent starter for insurance purpose. It does make some sense.

    I would not consider right now either Syndergaard or Carrasco as being anything near automatic for the second half of 2021. Both have suffered setbacks in their own rehabbing programs. This is a factor here.

    I really like this SP Tyler McGill and appreciate this board for always having kept us updated on him coming up. One single three-run homerun to Albies and that was about it. Tyler does appear to have that nice "Left Coast" calm and confidence about him. He has great composure and mound presence a smart team looks for.

    Tyler is a keeper for this rotation, even after Noah and Candy get back. Sky is Tyler's limit. Enjoy the ride sir.

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