“DID YOU SEE THAT GUY?”
“I’D TRADE FOR HIM.”
“Everyone is available at the right price”, goes the old adage.
When you see someone great, and young, should you go crazy to get him?
Well, 22 year old Washington Nats 6’7” James Wood is great, and young.
I saw him early this year hit a moderate speed grounder to short.
I thought it might be bang-bang at first. It wasn’t.
His front foot was already 6 feet past the bag when the bullet throw arrived! WHAT??
Well, he ain’t just super fast. He already (through Thursday’s 5 for 5 game) was hitting .295/.394/.563 with 23 HRs, 67 RBIs, and 12 steals for the Nats.
Would the Nats trade him? Probably not.
Would I trade for him? Are you serious? I asked my cardiologist and he said, “in a heartbeat.”
So, who would I trade from the Mets system to get him?
How about Jonah Tong, not enough. Throw in Nolan McLean, not enough? Carson Benge, getting a little closer. And perhaps Elian Peña? Not enough? Add Jett or Reimer, too?
(I’d want to keep Tong, and give them Sproat or the Superb Santucci instead).
Superstars are so hard to find.
I’d break the bank to get James Wood.
Future superstar (heck, he already IS one).
After all, an outfield of Soto (who SD traded to the Nats for Wood, and others), plus Wood, and Nimmo? Beyond lethal trio.
I’d do that. So fast. So beautifully. One Big, Beautiful Trade.
I doubt the Nats are interested, period, full stop, but if they were…
You interested?
METS BARELY TURN THE TIDE…BUT SOMEHOW TURN IT
Game 2 of the Milwaukee Brewers series snapped a bad Mets loss spiral. Then the Mets won game 3 in part due to an overturned,incredibly bang-bang 9th inning play. Then they trail the Yanks but Jeff McNeil golfs a come-from-behind 2 run shot. A 3 game in streak fashioned in a crucible.
Amazin’.
Jeff McNeil has missed time and not played every day, but he is hitting like Nimmo (.250’s, a HR every 19 at bats, 9 HR, 28 RBI in 174 at bats). Huge game winning upper deck HR yesterday.
Amazin’.
In the minors, Messrs. Tong, Sproat and McLean have all been terrific over the past 2 days, fanning 28 in 15.2 IP. Tong and McLean are ranked the 9th and 10th best right handers in all of the minors by MLB.COM.
Amazin’.
Finally, on this Saturday, 2 superb pitchers will be starting for Binghamton (Senga) and Brooklyn (Santucci).
They will be Amazin’.
FORTY HR METS GUYS? FOUR?
1) Soto? Maybe.
2) Alonso? Maybe. (Although he keeps thudding balls off walls, not over them).
3) Lindor? Maybe.
Nimmo? Wait, the guy who everyone hated early in the season?
17 HRs in 84 games through Thursday.
He admitted to Soto that the ball don’t carry down home on the Citi plantation early in the season….but it ain’t early no mo’.
The ball is carrying now.
And 9 of his HRs have come in his last 31 “the ball is carrying now” games.
40?
Probably a pipe dream for Brandon in Citi, without shorter Citi fences, but hey, ya never know.
Of course, if you traded for James Wood, you’d be doing a 5 by 40 dash.
Those fences prevent “WOW” reactions from fans to our 4 top hitters. Each of those 4 guys has probably lost 2-5 HRs already this year in Citi Cavern. Shorter fences, they’d all be on track for 40.
Screw the pitchers, move them barriers in. Yesterday, my brother noted that Soto, Alonso, and Torrens flew out near the wall. Move the fences in as I’ve suggested? Three more HRs.
SPEAKING OF NUMBERS…
I was frankly SHOCKED the other day to see Pete Crow swung at an incredible 54% of his first pitches, while Brent Rooker swung at a very high 46%.
In what amounts to, combined, a little over a full 162 game season, these two free-swinging bashers have done this:
175 G, 684 AB, 115 R, 38 doubles, 6 triples, 39 HRs, 110 RBIs, .270.
Dang, bruh!
Meanwhile, one of the Mets’ “take first pitches meatball strikes to work the count” hitters, Mark Vientos, who swings at a far lower 31% of first pitches, has a .218/.282/.354, frankly miserable, slash line.
Is it that the other two players are much better than Swaggy V, or is it due to Swaggy V taking 69% of his first pitches while the other two hitters take only 50%?
Over 600 plate appearances, Mark would swing at just 180 first pitches, while Crow and Rooker would swing at 300. Huge differential.
Message to Mets hierarchy:
Only one way to find out…tell Mark Vientos to unshackle himself and to swing free and frequently at first pitch strikes, then analyze the data, then proceed.
“Try it, you’ll like it?” I darned well think so. If so….
Then look at all the players for this change in strategy.
It is tough, for instance, to win when Baty, Vientos, Torrens, Mauricio, and Taylor are combining to hit a very un-James Wood-like .218 in 853 at bats through Thursday, with just 84 RBIs.
That’s 1968 Mets stuff.
But nah, even that moribund 473 run Mets 1968 offense hit a higher .228 that year.
OK, I’ve beat that dead horse enough…I get it.
You can lead a horse to Mets water, but I realize you can’t make him drink.
And I don’t sign the checks.
8 comments:
When I read the title of this I thought I was going to have to suffer through another Pete Crow Armsttong post, but no. It was a trade proposal for someone you have less change of getting than Aaron Judge.
So I read on..
Oops, there it is
Ya know, as administration, I have the ability to go into every post and erase parts or all of it...meaning, in an Ozone Park second I could ditch any future dribble about this PCA guy
Your call
I wouldn't package up 4 of our best prospects for Babe Ruth.
Baty is on his way to 20 homers and 70 RBIs. Don't group him with the other guys.
Ray, Baty, though, is hitting .220. I bet if he was more of a free swinger, we’d see 30 & 85.
Mack, my other favorite non-Met? Switch hitter Cal Raleigh has 35 HRs. Meanwhile, Alvarez went 0-4, with 3 Ks, in AAA yesterday. Most Mets fans say, Cal Who? Never heard of him. I believe Mantle’s 54 HR season is the record for a switch hitter. Cal needs “just” 20 more.
Nickel, pitchers crumble like shortbread cookies. Christian Scott looked great, then misses a year and a half. If I said, would you trade four for a young Willie Mays, would you? I would. James Wood might be the next Say Hey Kid. And, Wood not being a pitcher, durability is less of a concern. We’d essentially have TWO Soto’s.
But, like Mack basically said, there probably isn’t a crowbar big enough to pry Wood away from the Nats. However, Stearns should be considering ALL possibilities to improve this team. Easy to just keep your prospects.
I love Jonah Tong, but if he could be traded to get James Wood, count me in.
Raleigh is such a great story for baseball. Everyone knew PCA was going to be a star. No one thought this guy would
I love that Raleigh is a switch hitter - huge power both sides. Good for Seattle. Maybe, just maybe, Mauricio can be that in the future.
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