3/9/23

Tom Brennan - How Do Mets’ Hitters Do in Spring Training?

Players’ spring training plate appearances can sure add up.

Some folks can quote players’ stats at the drop of a hat.

Pete Alonso hit 53 HRs in 2019, knocked in 131 in 2022, etc.

But how many can rattle off a player’s spring training stats? Not too many. And for good reason…they really don’t count. But in some cases, a players’ Spring plate appearances start to approach the equivalent of a full regular season’s worth of at bats.

Despite not really counting, I nevertheless thought it might be an interesting thing for you readers for a moment or two, before you scurry off to Walmart to buy a Mets T shirt. Here goes (in career spring training plate appearance order - stats through March 7):

Eduardo Escobar: 610 PA, .263/.292/.403. Likes to hit, not take pitches, in spring games.

Starling Marte: 498 PA, .323/.366/.527. Impressive. What else to say?

Mark Canha: 442 PA, .248/.310/.420.  He starts getting HBP in the regular season to drive up his OBP.

Francisco Lindor: 421 PA, .312/.355/.603. He loves spring training, clearly.

Tommy Pham: 396 PA, .244/.338/.387. Just 2 for 19 for the 35 year old this spring. Time to fret?

Darin Ruf: 366 PA, .238/.320/.460. The 36 year old started off 0 for 3, 2 Ks this spring. Time to fret?

Daniel Vogelbach: 342 PA, .275/.404/.482. Gaudy OBP.  Impressive.

Brandon Nimmo: 301 PA, .301/.375/.492. Like Lindor, he lights up when on the field.

Pete Alonso: 262 PA, .287/.355/.519.  No surprises there. Solid Pete.

Luis Guillorme: 251 PA, .276/.387/.397. Comes ready to impress each spring.

Omar Narvaez: 223 PA, .231/.323/.338. About what you’d expect.

Jeff McNeil: 212 PA, .272/.332/.440. His bad 2021 was preceded by a worse 5 for 46 spring).

Tomas Nido: 163 PA, .260/.301/.377. Pretty solid. I’d take that in the real season.

I found the above to be interesting. Maybe you will, too.


NINE FOR NINE:

Some guys age like fine wine. Consider, for instance, Max Scherzer:


Max recorded nine outs, all by strikeout, last night.

I am disappointed, though, that there wasn’t a passed ball strikeout, so Max could have fanned 10 in 3 innings, instead of just 9.




6 comments:

Mack Ade said...

Very interesting fake stats

Tom Brennan said...

Pretty amazing how in most cases they fairly closely mirror the players’ regular season rates of production

Paul Articulates said...

Pure coincidence I think. Interesting results, though.
I wonder what happens when you stitch together a player's Septembers over their career.

Tom Brennan said...

Well, Paul, with Marte he is missing that Sept stitch last year due to the broken bone, and Ruf had a ruf Sept, too, but that is an interesting one.

bill metsiac said...

Cherry-picking stats from meaningless games of the past may be interesting, but as meaningless as the games.

Years ago, someone compiled the stats of Mets players in ESPN games. And on Baseball-Reference.com you can see splits by month, night vs day, and other groupings.

Interesting? Usually. Significant? Rately.

Tom Brennan said...

Bill, in the here and now, please tell Mack that Bryce Montes de Oca had a 12 pitch, 9 strike inning with 3 up, 3 down, 2 Ks. Now 3 hitless & scoreless innings, 2 walks, 6 Ks.Jackie Gleason thinks he is a BUM. We needs lots of such bums.