Remember1969: Remember's Ramblings

 

New or Used?  What Should I Buy? 

 

Earlier this month I bought just the third brand new car in my almost 50 years of driving and the first one since 1984.  In the last 40 years, I have purchased quite a few “gently used” models that have served me well.  

 

What does this have to do with the Mets you ask?     Well, this is my analogy for the managerial opening.  I have read several fans comments that ‘Now is not the time to hire a brand new (‘new car’) manager without any previous MLB managerial experience’.   This set of people seem to want to go the ‘used car’ route to lead the clubhouse in 2024.

 

With that in mind, it is time to look at the used car lot and see what (who) is available.   I did some quick thinking about it and came up with a dozen or so names before I decided to do the thorough research and find the all of them.    The following is the complete list of 69 names that (a) currently do not have a manager job, (b) have managed in 2011 or later – I disregarded anyone who hasn’t managed in 13 years), (c) are still alive, and (d) are not named Craig Counsell. 

 

Now there are a lot of ways to slice, dice, and sort this list in an attempt to glean out the best candidate, but I will let you readers do that in the comment section.   For now, I will separate the list into just two groups.   The first group is the managers that were considered ‘interim’ at the time and have managed a total of less than 100 MLB games (9 names).  The second group is the other 60.   For whatever reason, I am sorting them in descending order of age.     

I will list each name, their age (as of April 1, 2024), the number of MLB games they have managed, their career winning percentage, and the last year they managed in the big leagues.  

 

For starters, the interim guys:

Don Cooper                        68           2            .500       2011

Tom Lawless                       67           24           .458       2014

Pat Murphy                        65           98           .438       2015

Tony DeFrancesco            60           41           .390       2012

Sandy Alomar, Jr.              57           6            .500       2012

Tony Beasley                       57           48           .354       2022

Tim Bogar                            57           22           .636       2014

Rod Barajas                         48           8            .125       2019

Kai Correa                            35           3             .333       2023

Anybody there you can’t live without?     Tim Bogar, with his lifetime .636 winning percentage, has to be the top priority.

And the rest:

The nona-octo-septua-generians:

Jack McKeon                      92           2042     .515       2011

Davey Johnson                  81           2445     .562       2013

Charlie Manuel                  80           1826     .548       2013

Tony LaRussa                      79           5387     .536       2022

Jim Leyland                         79           3499     .506       2013

Terry Collins                        74           2012     .495       2017

Bobby Valentine                73           2351     .504       2012

Pete Mackanin                  72           518        .438       2017

Jim Riggleman                    71           1630     .445       2018

Ron Washington               71           1275     .521       2014

Joe Maddon                       70           2599     .532       2022

All those guys are too old for my liking, in addition to some of the baggage they have accumulated through the years.  Holy moly . .Davey Johnson is the second oldest ex-manager in this list!    There are probably others (Joe Torre comes to mind) that might be older but haven’t managed since 2010.  

Now the Sixty-somethings:

Ned Yost                              69           2544     .473       2019

Jim Tracy                              68           1736     .493       2012

Brad Mills                            67           445        .384       2012

Paul Molitor                       67           648        .471       2018

Mike Quade                        67           199        .477       2011

Ron Roenicke                      67           733        .499       2020

Buck Showalter                 67           3393     .509       2023

Ron Gardenhire                 66           2480     .484       2020

Kirk Gibson                         66           728        .485       2014

Clint Hurdle                         66           2615     .485       2019

Alan Trammell                     66           489        .382       2014

Terry Francona                  65           3622     .538       2023

Lloyd McClendon             65           1114     .450       2020

Mike Scioscia                      65           3078     .536       2018

Ryne Sandberg                  64           278        .428       2015

Dan Jennings                      63           124        .444       2015

Don Mattingly                   63           1839     .483       2022

Bob Geren                           62           710        .470       2011

Rick Renteria                      62           707        .437       2020

John Farrell                          61           1134     .517       2017

Bryan Price                          61           666        .419       2018

Don Wakamatsu               61           284        .458       2018

Jeff Banister                      60           638        .509       2018

Fredi Gonzalez                   60           1402     .506       2016

Ozzie Guillen                       60           1457     .513       2012

Dale Sveum                        60           336        .399       2013

Walt Weiss                          60           648        .437       2016

Getting younger – the guys still in their fifties that might want a comeback:

Joe Girardi                           59           2055     .545       2022    

Chip Hale                             59           324        .457       2016

Charlie Montoyo              58           472        .500       2022

Matt Williams                     58           324        .552       2015

Robin Ventura                   57           810        .463       2016

Eric Wedge                          56           1620     .478       2013

Manny Acta                        55           890        .418       2012

Mike Shildt                          55           451        .559       2021

Brad Ausmus                     54           808        .478       2019

Mike Matheny                   53           1449     .522       2022

Phil Nevin                            53           268        .444       2023

Mike Redmond                 52           362        .428       2015

Bo Porter                             51           300        .367       2014

And now the relative youngsters – they’ve had a taste but no longer have a job for one reason or another

Mickey Callaway               48           324        .503       2019

Gabe Kapler                        48           867        .526       2023

Chris Woodward              47           498        .424       2022

Andy Green                         46           640        .428       2019

Jayce Tingler                       43           222        .523       2021

Luis Rojas                            42           222        .464       2021

                                          

That is the list.   Is there anyone in there that screams “gotta have him”?     There are quite a few names in there that were highly thought of for a while – remember the hype around Don Wakamatsu and Eric Wedge?    There are some that are still great names, but are voluntarily out (Terry Francona, Dusty Baker).      

If I had to pick 4 from the list to interview, I am not sure I could do it.   Chris Woodward and Jeff Banister were both Rangers managers that were hot for a while – perhaps they have something left?    I always thought Fredi Gonzalez was a good manager – he might be one of the 4.   I sure liked the way Ned Yost had his Royals playing in the 2015 World Series.  He managed baseball like I like it, but at 69, probably a bit too old for today’s game. 

Of the ex-Mets, the ONLY one I would not have an issue coming back to the organization is Luis Rojas.    Mickey Callaway is done through his own doing.   I was actually a fan of his as a manager, not of his character.  Davey J, Terry C and Bobby  V are all on the oldies list and are past peak.  

So from this roster of the ‘used cars’, are there any you would want in the garage?   I think I am buying new this year. 

That is my car, now who will the Mets select as their manager?

Lastly, how the heck did some of these guys get that old?  Paul Molitor is 67?

Tom Brennan: Hitter Tiers; Fastballs; Innings Eaters; Hondo R.I.P.

 

The More Top of the Heap Mets Hitter Types the Mets Put on the Field, the Better

We complain about the Mets’ offense a lot, but the team’s hitters can be broken down into 3 tiers:

1) Those 4 who did admirably and shouldered the offensive load. No complaints.

2) Those 4 who were mediocre, or in one case a strong marginal player.

3) Those who really underperformed (or, in a few cases, were traded).

The top tier came down to just 4 players, which is part of the Mets’ problem. By comparison, Atlanta had probably twice the tier 1 type hitters on their team.

The Mets’ tier 1, obviously, was Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez,  and Brandon Nimmo, who did this:

2,144 ABs (40%), 340 runs, 97 doubles, 126 HRs, 347 RBIs, .246.

The Mets’ tier 2 included Jeff McNeil, Vogelbach, Stewart, and Marte, who did this:

1,335 ABs (25%), 167 runs, 49 doubles, 39 HRs, 157 RBIs, .254.

The Mets’ tier 3 included every hitter other than the eight above, who did this:

1,884 ABs (35%), 210 runs, 75 doubles, 50 HRs, 188 RBIs, .222.

5,363 total team at bats equal out to almost 600 ABs for 9 positions, so how did each tier produce over 600 at bats?

TIER 1: .246, 95 runs, 27 doubles, 35 HRs, 97 RBIs.

TIER 2: .254, 75 runs, 22 doubles, 18 HRs, 71 RBIs.

TIER 3: .222, 67 runs, 24 doubles, 16 HRs, 60 RBIs.

Had Pham and Canha more properly been added by me to Tier 2 instead of Tier 3 by me, the difference between Tiers 2 and 3 would have been much wider. Tier 3 without Canha and Pham had 1400 at bats and hit about .200, making the output from the true Tier 3 far more impotent.

The overall conclusion is that, if possible, expanding Tier 1 has obvious positive benefits. Maybe McNeil and at least one of the 3 remaining Baby Mets climb into Tier 1 and rev up the 2024 offense.

Or we get Juan Soto, immediately boosting Tier 1 output greatly.

If we want to win, we simply need less tier 3 hitters, who are like an anchor.

The Braves by comparison had 9 tier 1 hitters; 2 productive tier 2 hitters in d’Arnaud and Pillar, who combined for a fine 23 doubles, 20 HRs and 71 RBIs but a .270 OBP; and VERY FEW TIER 3 AT BATS, only about 275 total tier 3 at bats, constituting 5% of the team’s at bats, far less than the Mets’ tier 3.

Even if had I shifted all Pham and Canha ABs into tier 2, that would have left over 25% of the Mets’ total at bats coming from tier 3, which is way too high for a team desiring to make the playoffs.

Hopefully, this article hasn’t left you in tiers.

WHICH (ON ANOTHER TOPIC) HAS THE TOP-RANKED FASTBALL?

Which of these three pitchers has the highest rated fastball?

Blade Tidwell

Calvin Ziegler

Nolan McLean

According to the Mets’ top 30 prospects list on the Mets’ site, Tidwell and Ziegler both have “60” fastballs. 

McLean? A “65”.

Hitters will likely Die Hard With a Vengeance when McLean pitches next year.

IRON MAN TOM SZAPUCKI

How many outs did Iron Man ex-Met Szapucki record in 2023? 

Majors, minors, wherever?

Answer: 

One out was recorded, by the Szapper, in spring training. 

Five runners reached base, one out recorded, season over.

He is the definition of a Partial Inning Eater.

Hie 278 career innings starting in 2015 are 268 innings more, though, than those of 10 career inning Matt Allan, whose minors career started in 2019.  In comparison, recently deceased septuagenarian Rob Gardner once threw 15 shutout innings for the Mets in a single outing in the 1960s (of course, being a Met, he got an ND, as the game ended in a 9-0 15 inning tie).

Szapucki and Allan. “We” sure know how to pick ‘em.

HONDO R.I.P.

Frank Howard, a giant of a power hitter, has died at age 87. He was a Mets manager and coach from 1982-84, welcoming rookie slugger Darryl Strawberry in 1983, and being on hand when Dwight Gooden exploded on the baseball stage in 1984.

It was reported once that as a Dodger in 1960, he hit a ball over the left-field wall at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh that was found alongside a parked car some 560 feet from home plate.

Batting against Whitey Ford in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series, at the original Yankee Stadium, he hit a drive that landed, in fair territory, just to the left of the monuments to Yankee greats in center field, about 460 feet from home plate. He lumbered only as far as second base in what has been called the longest double in Yankee Stadium history.

In Game 4, he hit a 450-foot homer off Ford into the left-field mezzanine at Dodger Stadium, in a 2-1 victory that completed a Dodger sweep of the Series. 382 career homers.  

R.I.P.

Before I wrap up, Hondo serves as a perfect note of caution about giving Pete Alonso a really long contract. 

From age 31 to 33, over 3 seasons on average, Hondo had 44 HRs, 115 RBIs, hit close to .290, and in one of those three seasons had 132 walks. He was an early age 30s beast. Pete neither hit for average or walked like that last year, at a younger age, although the power numbers were equivalent.

At age 34, Hondo slipped fairly significantly to 26 HRs, 83 RBIs, .278.  

At ages 35 and 36, in his final two seasons, he got up a total of just 547 times, with 22 HRs, 69 RBIs, an average of 11 and 35 per season, and .250, a far cry from his annual average production at age 31-33, and then retired. 

Let the long-term buyer beware. Pete may look like Hondo now, but could resemble an albatross later.

Paul Articulates – Arizona Fall League update

The Arizona Fall League is just about two thirds of the way through, with the Glendale Desert Dogs in fifth place with a 9-13 record.  It is not as bad as it looks, as they got off to a rough start and then surged with a seven game winning streak before dropping their last three.

There are nine Mets prospects playing for the Desert Dogs, and a few of them are really standing out.  Coaches in the AFL are expected to generously distribute playing time amongst their roster, so players have to make the most of their time on the field.

On the offensive side of the statistics, first baseman JT Schwartz has continued to prove that he can hit at this level and has also shown some improvements in power.  Schwartz was named hitter of the week for the AFL in the recently completed week 3.  As of Saturday his slash line was .306/.364/.551 and his OPS was .915 with six doubles and 2 HR in 13 games played.  

Schwartz would be making an even higher contribution to the team if he were not splitting time with Minnesota Twins prospect Aaron Sabato who wields a power bat for the Wichita Wind Surge in the AA Texas League during the summer.

Fellow 2023 Rumble Pony Rowdey Jordan has also hit well with a .255/.327/.383 slash line.   He has been working at 3B with the team after playing mostly outfield positions in the 2023 AA season.  Jordan is second in the AFL in doubles, with half of his 12 hits being two-baggers this season.  He is showing as a very speedy, versatile player this season across the AA and AFL contests, but will have to continue to raise the bar on his hitting to move up.

Unfortunately, Kevin Parada has not seen the ball well in Arizona, as he only has a .182 batting average so far.  D’Andre Smith has struggled as well with a .175 batting average and a .624 OPS in 12 games of action.

There are five Mets prospect pitchers on the staff, and most are showing well.  Jordan Geber has seen the most action, getting 15 innings of work with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.  He has been working on developing his pitching mechanics and has found some success this fall with more carry on his fastball and a sharper cutter and slider.  Geber spent time at four different levels in the Mets organization this past summer, and hopes to continue his upward rise in 2024.

Teammates Nolan Clenney (0.00/1.00) and Trey McLoughlin (0.00/1.05) have pitched very well, showing their ability to keep runners off the bases and not giving up any earned runs thus far.  McLoughlin has one of the five saves tallied by Desert Dog relievers this fall season.

Tyler Thomas (3.52/1.17) and Brendan Hardy (9.82/2.45) have also seen action on the mound with less favorable results.  Hardy has only pitched 3-2/3 innings so the statistics are still recovering from that eighth inning HR that cost him a game back on October 5th.  His four walks and two hit batsmen in less than four innings are the biggest concern.

To stay on top of the AFL stats, please check our link in the header bar above to get all the action.

Reese Kaplan -- First Come Cuts, Then Arbitration Decisions

While many people are focused on the trades and free agent acquisitions the Mets and their as yet incomplete front office make to prepare for the upcoming 2024 season, there are other decisions that need to be made between now and then.  Already the Mets have dismissed six players from their 40-man roster -- Jonathan Arauz, Anthony Kay, Danny Mendick, Vinny Nittoli, Michael Perez and Rafael Ortega -- though they have five on the 60-day IL who need to be added back onto the roster in the near future.  

Going forward the Mets may decide it's not worth sacrificing 40-man roster slots to fringe players who are not necessarily part of the long term plans for success.  Now don't get me wrong.  It is not a direct criticism of a player like left handed pitcher Josh Walker, but given his fragile health and limited major league output it may be more prudent to offer up that roster spot to a newcomer than it would be to preserve it for someone like Walker who isn't necessarily a shoo-in to be a factor in Queens.  

A parallel decision making exercise must soon follow for the thirteen arbitration eligible players currently residing on the 40-man roster who will be facing salary increases despite an unclear value proposition for how much they deliver to the team.  Players can submit a projected new salary amount, teams can submit their own figure.  Then an arbiter will determine which number is more appropriate.  

First, let's take a look at the list including their number of big league seasons and the amount they're projected to be awarded by an arbiter:

• Pete Alonso (5.000): $22 MM
• Jeff Brigham (3.142): $1.1MM
• Sam Coonrod (4.078): $900K
• John Curtiss (3.137): $1MM
• Trevor Gott (5.057): $2MM
• Luis Guillorme (4.159): $1.7MM
• Elieser Hernandez (5.044): $1.6MM
• Tim Locastro (4.122): $1.6MM
• Joey Lucchesi (4.112): $2MM
• David Peterson (3.089): $2MM
• Drew Smith (5.034): $2.3MM
• DJ Stewart (2.168): $1.5MM
• Daniel Vogelbach (5.138): $2.6MM

Now some of these decisions are brain dead simple.  You give Pete Alonso his sizeable payday in the hopes you extend the opportunity to negotiate between now and the end of the 2024 season about a long term contract extension.  Joey Lucchesi David Peterson, Drew Smith and DJ Stewart all earn very little and performed better than expected or in Peterson's case, not markedly worse by year end.  So that's five who should receive arbitration offers.

Now comes the harder part.  Does the team need to bring back Luis Guillorme?  While no one questions his defense, the fact is with the glut of infielders already on the roster he will not be anything more than a backup.  His hitting has gone downhill during the past couple of years but it's his health that is the bigger issue.  He's not helping the club if he's not available to play.

Another borderline case is a one dimensional player but it's not defense that is his standout skill.  Outfielder Tim Locastro is certainly a capable base stealer and with Starling Marte's health and overall batting condition uncertain it may not be too quick to sever ties with a spare outfielder and pinch runner.  

The one who probably causes the most agita on current roster is big Daniel Vogelbach,  Thus far in his eight year major league career he's worn out his welcome with Seattle, Toronto, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.  Now the Mets have to decide if his modest paycheck of $2.6 million is worth paying for his home run and RBI production as a part time DH or part time pinch hitter.  He cannot run, cannot field and has a hard time getting on base (while clogging them when he is there).  David Stearns showed him the door while in Milwaukee and it may be time for a sequel to take palce in New York.

Then you have the passel of would-be relief pitchers.  None of Jeff Brigham, Sam Coonrod, John Curtiss nor Elieser Hernandez have done enough to warrant a guaranteed seven figure contract to return, particularly when roster spots are needed for newcomers.  You could make a minor case for Trevor Gott who started off badly but then put together some more solid outings in September. 

So if you went the hard core roster rebuild direction, then you would be looking at sending potentially eight of these thirteen players out the door to make room for others who potentially could be more productive.  It's not necessarily a given that this level of cleaning house will take place and it's also possible that some of the players could be moved in trades rather than simply cut loose.  

On the other hand, if those eight non-guaranteed spots open up, then the Mets have plenty of opportunity to acquire via trades and free agency quite a few new faces who likely could exceed the output Steve Cohen has gotten from any of the players on this list.  It's a gamble but not of the magnitude of record setting salary commitments for people nearing retirement age.  

PIITB By JD- Pitching Grades for the 2023 Season

 PIITB By JD- Pitcher Grades for the 2023 Season

 

We covered the Mets Offensive players a couple of weeks ago and graded their performances. Here are the pitchers…

 

Kodai Senga: Let's start with a fun one. Senga blew everyone away in his rookie season. He started out walking a lot of batters but improved as the season went on. A 2.98 era, over 200ks, and 166IP are numbers I would sign up for every year. I would like for him to adjust closer to a 5 man rotation schedule, but Senga was fantastic. Final grade: A

 

Tylor Megill: Tylor had an up and down season for the Mets. He started 25 games this year and pitched to a 4.70 era. He could not pitch past the 5^th inning very often and as a result only threw 126 innings. Final Grade: C-

 

David Peterson:  David Peterson was not very good this year. He struggled to a 5.03 era over 111 innings. He got 21 opportunities to start and could not get himself in a groove. His command faltered and home run rate was high. Final Grade: D+

 

Max Scherzer*- Max obviously did not finish the year with the Mets, but I wanted to grade the first half. He pitched to a 4 era and could not beat a good team. Max struggled for the most part and was not Max Scherzer, but his leadership was a big pro. Final Grade: C

 

Justin Verlander*: Verlander did not finish the year with the Mets either, but he deserves a grade. Verlander was mostly very good for the Mets this year. He missed a month to start the year so he took a bit to get going, but did not disappoint. He pitched to a 3.15 era in 16 starts. Final Grade: B+

 

Carlos Carrasco: Carrasco was not a serviceable starter this year. He made 20 starts in just 90 innings and pitched to a 6.80 era. The Mets ended up letting him go late in the season. I wish him all the best. Final Grade: F

 

Jose Quintana: Quintana was hurt for the first half of the season. He only made 13 starts, but was a solid arm in those appearances. He pitched to a 3.57 era over 75 innings. Hopefully, he is healthy next season. Final grade: B

 

Adam Ottavino: Otto was solid for the Mets this year. He was not clutch in high leverage, but he got outs in low leverage innings. He pitched to a 3.21 era in 66 appearances. Final Grade: B-

 

Drew Smith: Man did I want Drew Smtih to succeed. I have always been a big Drew Smith support but Drew did not pitch well this year. A 4.15 era in 63 appearances is not enough. He struggled with command of all his pitches over the season. Final Grade: C-

 

Brooks Raley: Brooks had a good year for the Mets. He pitched to a 2.80 era in 66 appearances. He was not used as much in high leverage as he could have been. I believe Brooks was mismanaged a lot this year. Final grade: B+

 

Joey Lucchesi: Lucchesi did not pitch much this year while he was rehabbing from TJ surgery. He got 9 starts and had a 2.59 era. I hope he gets more chances as the 6-7 starer next year. He was good when called upon. Final Grade: A-

 

David Robertson: Robertson was traded as well, but man was he good. He replaced Diaz and passed with flying colors. A 2.05 era in 40 appearances. Enough said. Final Grade: A 

 

Jose Butto: Butto looked much better this year than he has in past call ups. A 3.65 era in 7 starts is solid and he will look to get a shot in spring training. Final Grade: B

 

Jeff Brigham: Jeff started out hot this year and looked promising, but that did not last long. A 5.26 era in 37 outings is not going to cut it. Final Grade: D

 

Grant Hartwig: Hartwig had an up-and-down year. He was elite at times and earned some high-leverage innings. Most of his innings were lower leverage and he struggled. Overall, not great. A 4.84 era in 28 appearances is not enough. Final Grade: D

 

Dominic Leone: Billy Eppler somehow got something decent for Leone. He pitched to a 4.40 era in 35 innings. Thank you Billy for getting prospects for him. Final Grade: D

 

Trevor Gott: Gott pitched 29 innings for the Mets this year and had a 4.34 era. It feels like all these relievers have 4+ eras. Gott was not what the Mets expected. Final Grade: D

 

Stephen Nogosek: Nogosek's numbers were worse than how he pitched. He was forced into high-leverage spots out of necessity and he was not ready for his. He had a 5.61 era over 25 innings. Final Grade: D+

 

Phil Bickford: Bickford got himself a save this year. A 4.62 era is not good, but he gave the Mets 25 innings. 

 

Tommy Hunter: Tommy Hunter was a clubhouse favorite as always and fun to watch pitch. He did not pitch well with a 6.85 era but he was cool. Final Grade: D

 

The remaining pitchers you may remember (John Curtis, Denyi Reyes, Dennis Santana etc.) did not exceed 20 innings. Let me know what you think of the grades below!

 

Tom Brennan: Sewald Debacle; Pitching Discards; Pham Slam; Mets Puny P/O Records

 

Paul Sewald has been a gem everywhere, except with the NY Mets. 

Funny, huh?

Paul Sewald was a brutal 1-14, 5.50, 3 saves as a Met.

In part, as I recall, his abysmal W-L record was due to a complete lack of offensive support when he pitched.

But 5.50 is 5.50, which is not good, because it is 5.50 and not 2.50 or 3.50.

When he was a Mets minor leaguer, I yearned for the Mets to promote him. Why? In the minors, mostly before his initial call up, he did this:

74 of 83 saves (wow), 23-12 (wow), 2.32 ERA (wow), and 388 Ks in 330 innings (wow). And his ERA was above 2.00 only because of a short rough stretch one season in the Las Vegas hitters’ heaven.

As the story goes, Paul signed with Seattle after failing with the Mets, and they got Paulcto change his approach: pitch up, up, up in the zone, not down, down, down. 

Immediately, he excelled.

Since his move to the Mariners, he has gone 18-9, 2.95, 65 saves out of 80 tries, and 256 Ks in 189 IP.

Very closely correlating to his prior minor league level of excellence.

Yeah but can he perform in the crucible of the playoffs? The real season?

Uhh…yeah.

8 innings, 3 hits, no runs, 11 Ks, SIX saves! Beast.

Well, he did get beat in a big Mano-a-Mano moment in the 9th inning when  Corey Seaver took him deep. Corey is Corey, awesome, and that’s the story. Paul is human.

Anyway…Nice, Mets. Real nice, to not fix the dude like Seattle easily did.

Right up there with allowing Daniel Murphy go to the Nats after his 2015 playoff explosion, which was a division-changing move to the Mets’ distinct detriment, since Murph became an absolute beast in 2016-18 for the Nats.

And letting Travis d’Arnaud go after his Tommy John recovery, only to have him end up with arch-rival Atlanta and being one of the reasons the Atlanta has been the Mets’ daddy. He has 61 HRs and 226 RBIs, post-Mets, in just 1,365 at bats. Numbers almost no other catcher can match.

Avoid these sorts of debacles, or never win another division.  

Because spending mega-millions can’t overcome “stupid”.

So…

One of baseball’s best relievers, Paul Sewald, was jettisoned by the Mets.

Who else left and how did they do in 2023? Here’s four:

* Michael Wacha 14-4 (11-2 the year before).

* Zack Wheeler 13-6, and 3-0 in the post-season.

* Taijuan Walker 15-6.

* Chris Bassitt 16-8.

So, in 2023, those 4 ex-Mets went 58-24 (.707).

What??  58-24?

How’s THAT for shrewd decision-making? “Let’s not keep the .707 guys.” “Hey, you’re right, let them go. We got Cookie. We’re all set.”

ROB GARDNER PASSES AWAY AT AGE 78

Forgive me, but I do not remember him as a Met.

He had one of the most memorable starts in Mets history as a rookie call up. 

He tossed a 5 hit shutout and fanned 7 in a late September game.

Yeah, OK, that’s nifty, but what was so unique about that?

Two things:

1) It ended in a 0-0 tie, so he didn’t pick up the win.

2) He threw all FIFTEEN INNINGS. FIFTEEN!! 

A 15 inning shutout and no win…a truly expected Mets occurrence.

PHAM PULLS A “HOWARD COSELL”, AND TELLS IT LIKE IT IS

From a Greg Joyce article in the NY Post, the worst words a Mets fan wants to hear:

“That team [the Mets] is more talented than this team [the Diamondbacks],” Pham said Thursday at Globe Life Field. “Let’s be honest here. But what makes this Arizona team different is everyone is still at this level trying to reach their max potential. The drive wasn’t there [with the Mets]. That drive is here [with the Diamondbacks]. That’s what separates this team from most teams. You have guys that are still trying to get better every day. You have teammates trying to help you out. And that’s dangerous.”

Pham’s comments echoed what he previously told Francisco Lindor and then The Athletic — that the Mets were the “least-hardest working group of position players I’ve ever played with.”

The hard working Pham went 4-4 in his team’s game 2 WS win last night.

Hard workers with huge hearts and drive win. That is Pham.

SO…THREE THINGS:

1) Why do WE bother to put so much of OUR time and effort into THEM?

2) David Stearns must fix THAT lack of player drive. PRONTO. MAJOR SURGERY, IF NECESSARY. If players need psychologists, you have the wrong players. You need more Phams.

3) Hire a Billy Martin manager type without the drinking problems, to kick butt and take names. 

ORGANIZATIONAL FUTILITY

Will we Mets fans ever get OUR Adonis Garcia, a hitter like him who will go out and hit .357 in 56 at bats with 8 HRs and 22 RBIs in 13 games?  Garcia accomplished all that through Friday night, with possibly 6 more post season games remaining.  

Tomas Nido BTW in 2023 had the same # of ABs this year, and just 21 fewer RBIs.

Mark Vientos had 22 RBIs this year, but it took him four times as many at bats as Garcia to do it.

PLAYOFF BLUES: 

The Mets in their entire team history have won just 11 rounds in the playoffs. Eleven.  

If Texas or Arizona win, it will have taken them 4 rounds JUST THIS YEAR.

ALL TIME METS PUNY PLAYOFF RECORDS:

Mets playoff offensive records are puny. Offensive.

The legendary Jay Payton has the 15th highest all-time Mets playoff RBIs with 8. 

Everyone-Loves-Benny-Boo-Boo Agbayani is tied for 19th all time with 7.  

He had a whopping 156 RBIs in his career. But his name was Benny, and Mets fans embrace mediocrity so we naturally loved him.

Edgardo Alfonso has the Mets playoff record of 17 RBIs in 113 at bats.  

Garcia has 5 more RBIs this playoffs, in half the number of at bats as Alfonso. 

- Where, oh where, is OUR Garcia?  Oh where, oh where, can he be?

Alfonso has the Mets record of 24 playoff games played. Nearby Bonx Bomber Derek Jeter played in 158 playoff games and he had 200 hits. Edgardo holds the Mets playoff record for hits, with 26, just 174 short of Jeter.

PUNY

Lastly, before I go, Albert Belle is not in the Hall of Fame despite having the 13th highest career slugging % (.564) in baseball history. I’m sure 500 HR, not in Hall Gary Sheffield thinks that sucks. 

Albert had 9 straight years of 100+ RBIs, in which he averaged 123 RBIs, and had 95 RBIs in the season prior to those 9 seasons, only missing 100 that year because he played in just 123 games. 

He had a 50-50 year as well (52 doubles, 50 HRs), and just missed another 50-50 year in another season where he had 48 doubles and 49 HRs. 

“Sorry, Albert, we just didn’t like you.”

In the Hall is our favorite Korner Man dRalph Kiner:

5,205 at bats, 369 HRs, 1,015 RBIs, .279, .548 slug, 22 steals.

Belle?

5,853 at bats, 381 HRs, 1,239 RBIs, .295, .564 slug, 88 steals.

I guess this hurt, though, with the voters…hurt a lot, and rightly so:

“In 2006, Belle was sentenced to 90 days in jail and five years' probation after he admitted to stalking his former girlfriend.” 

That kind of Fame isn’t good at all. Should there be a Hall of Infamy? 

Belle might be its first inductee, after Pete Rose, whose favorite WOR radio show was no doubt Rambling With Gambling.

OK, I’ll stop rambling. Happy Sunday.