Tom Brennan - Just Some January Idle Time Mets Stuff

Rare Picture of the Lone Fan Upset With Mets' Offseason So Far

Few are unhappy, even despite the defection of North Correa.

Baseball is a great game because there is no shortage of stuff to consider, especially now that the rosters around baseball are fairly well set - which they never fully are.

Like this stuff: 

David Peterson had a higher K/9 rate in 2022 (126 in 105 IP) than did mighty mad Max Scherzer.

David Peterson (48 in 105 innings) had at the same time the highest walk rate of any significant Mets pitcher in 2022.  So it was a mixed bag for DP.

G.O.A.T. DeGrom was a damaging 1-3 in 5 September starts in the midst of a heated pennant (and barely lost) race.  He no longer cares, as he is probably a Texas goat herder as we speak.  My brother said he heard that Jake hopes to ramp up his innings in 2022 now that he no longer has to be as concerned about injury.  

Which kind of confirms my sense that he was healthy sooner than his return in 2022, but that he wanted to pitch enough to show he was healthy and get a big contract, but not return too early and get reinjured down the stretch, impairing his resale value.  Only Jake knows for sure.

deGrom was 5-4.  Struggling Tylor Megill and traded Colin Holderman, meanwhile, were a combined 8-2 in 2022 - and so very much cheaper.

Jose Butto has surrendered 51 minors HRs in 450 innings, so many in fact that Cape Kennedy is being renamed Cape Butto. 

"Rocket cleared for launch!  Butto Booster Rocket is attached."

Bryce Montes de Oca just 1 HR in 85 innings...but Boom Boom Butto is viewed more favorably by many than is BMDO.  BMDO, in fact, is still not listed in the Mets prospect top 30, although lesser performer-in-2022 Eric Orze is.  That aside, some fans sitting behind home plate are concerned that BMDO is so huge, so immense, their view of the centerfielder will be obscured - tragic, but it seems the solution is that they'll just have to move, that's all.

Moving on:

Two of the Mets’ all-time pitchers were Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack, most Mets' aficionados would agree.

But that duo went 15-35 in 1977.  That team had to have really sucked, huh?  I think finishing 37 games out of first place was an indicator. 

In 1978, the great Pat Zachary was 10-6, while Koosman was 3-15. Koosman was in point of fact a ghastly 11-35 in 1977 and 1978, making Darin Ruf's 2022 output look good, but Jerry was a 20 game winner in both 1976 and 1979.  Those 4 seasons were like a sandwich with great slices of bread on the outside, and two big slices of rancid meat on the inside.

Back to hitters: In 1962 Mets original Jim Hickman's best two combined years with the Mets, he cracked 28 total HRs and had 108 RBIs while hitting .240 in 285 games.  

In his one best year in 1970 as a Cub, he had 32 HRs, 115 RBIs, and hit .315 in 149 games and finished 8th in MVP voting.  And some people wonder why sluggers would prefer to play away from Queens.  

In 1970, against the likes of dandies like Seaver, Koosman, and others, Hickman in 17 games went .315/.456/.645.   

In 1969, he hit just .237 for the Cubs.  Had he hit in 1969 like he did in 1970, maybe the Miracle Mets never would have caught those Cubs. On that trivial note, have a more-tha trivial day.

P.S. 

Pete Alonso signs pre-arb at $14,5 million, so he is finally earning some serious coin.  Apparently, MLB batting champ Jeff McNeil wants in the mid-$7 millions, while the Mets are offering in the mid-$6 millions, a little more than a million apart.  Jeff, if they don't come up, take them to arbitration and win.

And Drew Smith gets $1.3 million pre-arb.  Drafted by the Tigers in the 3rd round of 2015, glad I am that he is a Met.  7-6, 3.24 in 110 career outings.  Stay healthy, bigger paydays will be forthcoming.

Looking back at the good deal that brought him into the fold:

On July 27, 2017, the New York Mets traded slugger Lucas Duda to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher Drew Smith.