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A Year Ago, He Became Our GM. Which of These Players Would He Sign?
Here is a hitters quiz question for you:
Player # 1 in Wrigley Field, career: .290/.386/.515
Player # 2 in Shea Stadium, career: .236/.304/.357
Player # 3 in Wrigley Field, career: .297/.360/.608
Player # 4 in Shea Stadium, career: .218/.285/.459
Who would you sign to a gargantuan, multi-decade contract?
Man, you'd sure want players 1 and 3 on the Mets, wouldn't you?
So much better than players 2 and 4.
Or are they?
Before we get to the answers, what about players 5 and 6?
Player # 5 was .287/.347/.404 career.
Player # 6 was .313/.369/.625 career.
You'd sure pick player 6 over player 5, right?
On this one, you couldn't pick the wrong guy.
And player #'s 7 and 8 had slugging %'s of .515 and .534 and player # 9 had a .369 slug %. Who of the 3 of these to pick?
ANSWERS:
What if I told you that players 1 & 2 were both Jim Hickman, and that players 3 & 4 were both the sometimes-despised Dave Kingman?
Home parks matter.
And what if I told you that player 5 was Donn Clendenon in 1966 in huge Forbes Field, and that player 6 was, yes, Donn Clendenon in 1966 on the far more forgiving road?
Home parks matter.
Lastly, player # 7 and player # 8 were actually the same basher over 4,000 plate appearances - Jason Bay. Player # 9? Also Jason Bay.
#'s 7 and 8 occurred with Pittsburgh and Boston, but # 9 was with the Mets in the Cavern know as Citifield, during Cavern Iteration # 1.
Home parks matter.
Yes. Parks Matter.
Location, Location, Location.
I just hope this latest Citifield fence move-in is far-in enough to make the dimensions carbon-neutral for our boppers.
P.S.
Mets get Tommy Pham, turning 35. 1 year, $6 million, plus incentives.
Main need being filled? A righty hitting platoon with Vogelbach.
Career #’s vs. lefties?
.276/.392/.450.
Nice numbers.
Nice fit.
Interestingly, if you had a player available who, in 531 plate appearances, hit .265/.370/.480, would you want him? I would.
That slash line and # of PAs is what, combined, Daniel Vogelbach did vs. righties and Pham did vs. lefties in 2022. I’d gladly take that tag team in 2023. How about you?
8 comments:
I like the Pham move.
And I will write more about this on Friday.
I also spilled some words about Pham for Friday, but I see it as an OK move. What makes me wonder however is what they are doing about the final piece for the bullpen. That matters more to me than 4th/5th outfielders, DH partners or guys getting hemorrhoids on the bench.
Bottom line is that the only way now for this team to improve offensively is our Rookes
Eddie
re: TB's recent article.
I concur that at the 2023 DH spot, the veteran tagteam of Vogelbach and Pham is quite convincing. There is no doubt about it really. However, nothing is ever perfect in reality and application that I have ever seen in life thus far anyway. True, having two good and experienced batters sharing the same one DH post (lefty/righty pitching) does impress me mainly since injuries and batting slumps can at times ensue during these long seasons for any one batter. So this point would be I believe well understood.
But what the NY Mets do also have knocking on their door at current is very impressive to me as well. Namely 3B Brett Baty (one of the sweetest swinging potential left handed batters -- with power stroke capability -- that I have seen here since really Darryl Strawberry arrived 40 years ago, and then also two other gorgeous and natural hitting players in infielders Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio as well who also impress me a lot.
So my question to you "TB" would simply be this one..."How can all three of these new Mets players, especially the later two because to me Brett Baty is the 2023 NY Mets third baseman no doubt, get a chance to hone their MLB skills with so very few position openings available to them beyond what could have been this DH post?
I am absolutely fine with Brett Baty starting at NY Mets third base coming out of Spring Training. You have to recall over the years as fans, that not every Mets "star-level player" came up here a finished defensive product. There are always things to added in here not as visible in MiLB play.
Some of this teams' very finest defensive players had a few smaller tweaks to work out once here. They overall did. For instance maybe star Jose Reyes, whom if I recall correctly may have started out here as a second baseman and not yet the finished product he would become for this team. This cracks me up, but Jose actually had to be "retaught" how to run (of all things) and please don't ask me why because I have no clue. But Jose Reyes became one of the best and most admired shortstops in NY Mets history, never-the-less. He challenged himself to be the very best that he could be. All star-level players do.
What sometimes worries me more with this team over the seasons, is simply that management at times appears to be somewhat apprehensive with their very best MiLB players coming up. In this way, some get started a season or two later then they should, with the team as a whole being the one who suffers for this apprehension. True too, every MiLB high level player arrives into their full "MLB skin" at slightly different times. In other words, this cementing is an individual thing and simply cannot be set by watch.
I like Brett Baty for 2023 and hope that he is given the opportunity to shine now because I think that he will once here. There is something I see in him that has me convinced that he is the real deal for now at third base. So much so, that when the NY Mets went out and acquired "Dr. Fibula", I was so disappointed because to me Brett Baty is absolutely a keeper for 3B. Let him begin his career now, is my only advice.
Sometimes great rewards require modest risk. Ask Mr. Cohen, he knows for certain. But Brett Baty should be the 2023 NY Mets third baseman. It's a no-brainer decision to me, and I for one will be absolutely delighted by that.
Paul:
I agree with you on Brett Baty for NYM 3B in 2023!
We forget as fans sometimes, that no MiLB Mets player ever comes up here a completely finished product. No one I have ever seen, beyond Dan Marino in the NFL and LeBron James in the NBA. But with a decent enough skillset intact, players can transition here into a finished player product.
New York sports fans always want the "sure thing" with no questions to be asked. However, one must be careful with what it is that they ask for. This particular NY Mets franchise almost went out and got a potentially damaged veteran third baseman that would have completely blocked Brett Baty from advancing here from the minors, and playing 3B as a NY Met for a long, long time.
So yes, be careful what you in fact wish for is very sound advice. The "sure thing" is not always just that.
The NY Mets to me, are right there and ranked within the top four MLB teams going in 2023. Which is good enough for me.
A major league team (to me) is more than just stockpiling the very best available players, although it does help I must admit. To me however, it is all about balance (young and veteran) every base being covered, depth and team chemistry. This last point (chemistry) being a lot more importante than some may think. It is what puts a team of professionals over the top. There exists a binder/glue with all this effort being made. And this holds true in business in every profession, and this holds true in all of sports from Little League on.
It is this chemistry, that brings all of planning to its true fruition. Never forget.
Two excellent to read articles for me.
(1) NY Post: "Mets reluctant to move their top prospects."
(2) Metsmerized Online: "Mets inviting David Wright to Spring Training to work with third base prospect Brett Baty and Mark Vientos."
Thank you Mr. Cohen!
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