Tom Brennan - Closing the Catcher Offense Gap, & an A's Series Preview

Tomas Nido, back when he won a batting title with St Lucie

Apologies are due from me to Tomas Nido. Bashed him a lot earlier this year and last year.  Wrote him off, pretty much.  But, here he is...

Hitting .310 in his last 30 games? Jeepers.

I haven’t been that wrong since predicting Danny Muno would achieve superstar status, with both Danny and Eric Campbell entering the Hall of Fame at the same time - I could envision that so clearly.

And, wait...James McCann at .238 in his last 15 games?  

A regular catchers' "hit fest" from Nido and McCann. 

Mets catchers have in fact  "surged" to .221, with 5 HRs, 51 RBIs. 

Closing the gap on their arch rival, I'd like to think.

Of course, however, I then remove the rose-colored glasses and look south to Atlanta, their actual arch-rival.  Their two guys?

TDA and Contreras? 

The Bashing Braves Brothers. A couple of Georgia Peaches.

Between those two, 30 doubles, 33 HRs, 90 RBIs, .281. That’s just while they’re catching. The two actually have 36 and 97 combined, all told (catching and non-catching) (stats source: MLB.)

36 and 97 is not shabby.

Quick, while on the subject of catchers, which catcher has the most MLB HRs? 

No, not Francisco Alvarez, nice try.

Cal Raleigh, Seattle. 

Cal WHO???

I admit, I never heard of him.  But he's got 23 HRs in 338 at bats. 

OK, those definitely will be Francisco 2023 Mets numbers. You heard it here first.  On his way to 36 and 97, that is.

COULD Francisco Alvarez BE CALLED UP TO DH?

I'd still like the Mets to consider calling up Alvarez, considering Ruf and Vientos combined are an absurd 3 for their last combined 50.  MLB rules say this: 

In order for a club to add a player to the 26-man roster, the player must be on the 40-man roster. If a club with a full 40-man roster wishes to promote a Minor League player that is not on the 40-man roster, it must first remove a player from the 40-man roster -- either by designating a player's contract for assignment, trading a player, releasing a player or transferring a player to the 60-day injured list.

However, if the Mets knocked someone off the 40 man (say, Ruf) to allow Alvarez on the team, getting on the postseason roster becomes difficult for Alvarez.

Postseason Roster Rules & Eligibility - In a typical season, any player who is on the 40-man roster or 60-day injured list as of 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 31 is eligible for the postseason.

Those on the restricted list at that point are also eligible if they haven't been suspended for performance-enhancing drugs during that season. (All players who have served a suspension for PEDs in a given season are ineligible for postseason play that year.)

A player who doesn't meet said criteria for postseason eligibility can still be added to a team's roster in the postseason via petition to the Commissioner's Office if the player was in the organization on Aug. 31 and is replacing someone who is on the injured list and has served the minimum amount of time required for activation. (For example, a player on the 10-day injured list who has been on it for at least 10 days, or a player who has been on the 60-day injured list for at least 60 days.) Players who are acquired in September or after are ineligible.

 - SO, THERE YOU GO.

OAKLAND A'S COMING UP.

Here is a team that on Wednesday was 55-94, and was LAST in the majors in hitting at .216.  Who do they get to face in the 3 games?  

Bassitt, deGrom, and Scherzer.

1) How do you spell "sweep"?

2) Will the As manage to have even 10 hits in the 3 game series?