Paul Articulates – Thompson, Bannon, Senger – Spring Breakout

Happy Leap Day Everyone!!

There are so many good things about spring training season.  First of all, after a long winter, it is great just to see some sunshine and green grass.  Add to that the sound of a ball hitting leather, a bat striking a ball, and the chatter of the fans and it is going to be a good day.  The other great thing about spring is the opportunity to see how your favorite players are developing and also to get a glimpse of those players that are not as well-known as they make their bid to be remembered.

For those of you that have not been aware, Mack’s Mets is featuring a write-up every weekday at 11am Eastern time on some of the lesser known players to give you some background and perspective.  Please make sure to take a look!

Yesterday was the Mets’ fifth spring training game and they looked very good.  The usual rotation of starters and prospects took place, but we got to see Starling Marte get a couple at-bats, Pete Alonso whack a change-up out of the park, and several other outstanding plays.  Here’s what looked good to me yesterday:

1) The pitching continues to be solid.  In yesterday’s game, seven pitchers threw shutout innings to hold the Cardinals without a run.  Reid Garrett started and was replaced by Josh Walker and they both looked very strong, with each striking out a pair and allowing no walks.  

We also saw innings from Trey McLoughlin who had been honing his game in the Arizona Fall League last we looked.  Trey pitched two innings of one-hit ball.  Overall I was impressed with everyone’s control: seven pitchers, nine innings, one walk, seven K’s.

2) Rylan Bannon had one of those games you dream about.  This is a kid that was drafted in 2017 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, bounced around the minors for five years, and finally got a cup of coffee with a few teams in 2022/2023.  He signed a minor league contract with the Mets as a free agent in this past off-season and had hoped to make an impression with the team.  

Yesterday in his three innings of work, he had a spectacular defensive inning at second base, making a diving stop of a ground ball after many steps then calmly throwing out the runner.  Two more batters, two more assists of the more routine type.  Two more assists later, including the beginning of a ninth inning double play.  One plate appearance, one hit.  What a day!

3) Trayce Thompson is making a bid to be on the roster in April.  He had a grand slam last week and took one deep to center field (416 feet) yesterday to continue his hitting tear.  The 32-year-old former White Sox outfielder is batting .571 with a 1.57 slugging percentage so far this spring.   Did we tell you that he is the younger brother of Golden State Warriors shooter Klay Thompson?

4) Daniel Murphy has now had two days in the broadcast booth alongside Gary Cohen.  He did a very nice job there and gave some interesting insights into how he prepared for the next day’s starting pitcher and how he adjusted his approach at bat to improve contact.  I always loved watching him hit.

5) Gary Cohen called Hayden Senger the “best catch-to-throw guy in the Mets’ organization”.  That is pretty high praise for this catcher-heavy team.  Senger has always brought the defense, but has not hit enough yet to move beyond AA ball.  So far this pre-season, Hayden is batting .500 in four at-bats.  Keep it up, Hayden!