In Focus - ***REVISED AT 6:30AM*** - Yesterday's Highlights

 

Pitch Profiler                      @pitchprofiler

Ryne Stanek is SO nasty

 

REED GARRETT STILL HAS NOT ALLOWED A RUN

 

Clay Holmes racked up eight strikeouts against the Twins tonight, coming through in some big spots.

He didn’t have his sharpest stuff and ran into trouble in his final inning, but he buckled down and limited the damage—putting the Mets in a great position to win.

Isaac                                      @isaacgroffman

The Mets drafted Will Watson in the 7th round out of USC 

The 6’1”, 180 pound righty has yet to allow a run in his first 7.2 innings with Port St. Lucie

His 2024 college numbers were solid, 3.93 ERA, 4.03 FIP in 50.1 IP, but the stuff is what stands out:

A mid-90s fastball (T97) with great ride from a low release, plus whiff-heavy secondaries

In college he threw a solid changeup with good run, a slider (40% whiff), and a heater with great IVB from a 5.3’ release, well above average traits for that slot

@mjd_analysis  noted in his great breakdown of the Mets’ draft that Watson’s slider did not have a great shape for it’s velocity in college and suggested it could be reworked

His slider has gained velocity in pro ball (83.7 → 85.4), but the shape remains similar

MLB Network                     @MLBNetwork

SIX National League sit atop the Team Power Rankings entering this week

BrooksGate             @Brooks_Gate

number of runners left in scoring position by each offense this season

This Week in Mets: Three early thoughts for the first 15 games

Syracuse Mets                   @SyracuseMets

Gilberto Celestino is the Player of the Week

Brooklyn Cyclones             @BKCyclones

INF Jesus Baez will join the Cyclones ahead of their series opener against Aberdeen on Tuesday.

In a corresponding move, INF Kevin Villavicencio was transferred to St. Lucie

This Week in Mets: Three early thoughts for the first 15 games

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6277444/2025/04/14/this-week-in-mets-three-early-thoughts/

When will the bottom half of the lineup come around?

If it isn’t fair to judge much of anything through 15 games, it’s certainly unfair to judge the Mets’ bottom half of the lineup, which has been missing a pair of important pieces in Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil. (Although Luis Torrens has been about as good as you could hope Alvarez to be with the bat so far.)

To this point, the offense as a whole has not been what the Mets want it to be. Pete Alonso is on one of the transcendent hot streaks we really haven’t seen from him since 2022, and Juan Soto’s tepid start — .250 average and just one homer so far — still carries a wRC+ of 132. (Remember, in what’s widely considered Soto’s worst season in 2022, he was still 46 percent better than the average hitter — or better than Alonso’s best season.) Francisco Lindor will be fine, and Brandon Nimmo is looking better than he did at any point in the second half of last season.

But the rest of the lineup poses some questions still, ones with less certain answers at this point. While Mark Vientos’ cold start isn’t a problem yet, he wouldn’t be the first hitter to take a step back in his second full season in the majors. Both second base and center field have been absolute black holes with the bat.

It’s a credit to the pitching staff, and especially the bullpen, that the Mets are on pace for 108 wins despite scoring a hair over four runs per game. Eventually, that dynamic has to shift. There are no legitimate concerns about the top half of the Mets’ order. But to be a championship contender, they’ll need more from the bottom half eventually.

Mets Prospect Group                   @bkfan09

Another  interesting arm that should be stateside this season Elwis Mijares  - 4.61 era  3 saves  84 IP  34 BB/ 106K

Jake Zitella to start in the FCL to get some Catching Reps  then on to PSL