Pitch
Profiler @pitchprofiler
Queens needed a hero.
The Sproat Goat answered the call.
MLB Top 100 Prospects: September 2025
8) Nolan McLean - RHP - NYM
McLean hopped into the Top 10 thanks to a very strong
showing in the Majors. The stuff screams frontline starter, and the command
gains this season feel sustainable.
Baseball Hall of Famers Who
Served During World War II
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/hall-of-famers-wwii.html
Hank Greenberg – US
Army
When Pearl Harbor was bombed, Hank Greenberg was 30 years
old and already a 10-year veteran in the major leagues. In October 1940, the
“Hebrew Hammer” became the first American League player to register for the
peacetime draft. While he was initially declared 4F – unfit for service – due
to his flat fleet, he asked the Army to reconsider and was later accepted.
He’d served as an anti-tank gunner and was honorably
discharged just two days before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
Greenberg re-enlisted in February 1942 and volunteered to
serve with the US Army Air Forces, the first major league player to do so.
After graduating from Officer Candidate School, he was assigned to the Air
Corps as a first lieutenant. Two years later, he was sent to the US Army’s
Special Services School, after which he served in the China-Burma-India
Theater, scouting locations for use as B-29 Superfortress bases.
By the time he left the military, he’d served 47 months,
the longest of any baseball player.
How Davey Johnson went from scapegoat to savant in the
1986 World Series
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6614090/2025/09/12/davey-johnson-mets-world-series-sliders/
When Davey Johnson died last Saturday, his obituary
naturally cited the 1986 World Series in the first sentence. Johnson, who was
82, is the last New York Mets manager to win a title, and the spellbinding
moments of their most famous victory will outlive all who took part.
But if Game 6 of that World Series had turned out
differently, if the Boston Red Sox had held the lead in the bottom of the 10th
inning and snuffed out the 108-win Mets, Johnson might have been the scapegoat.
In the moment, at least, that’s what 44 million TV viewers heard.
“It is tough enough to lose; it is a long enough winter
anyway,” Vin Scully told the NBC audience, after Wally Backman flied out to lead off the bottom of the 10th. “But when you have made a
decision and it will stick in your craw all winter, it will make the offseason
almost interminable. And that’s the life of a big-league manager.”
CLICK ON THE LINK FOR A GREAT READ
Jack
Leiter Is Finally
Delivering on the Hype
https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb/jack-leiter-finally-delivering-on-hype-texas-rangers/
Leiter Has Been Dealing
It did get a little dicey for Leiter. After dominating in
his first two outings of the season, Leiter would have to go on the IL with a
blister on his throwing hand.
Once he came back at the end of April, his performances
were not quite as shiny. Over his next 14 games (from the end of April through
the All-Star break), Leiter pitched to a 4.86 ERA.
Not the worst, but not what was expected out of the
highly touted flame thrower.
But since the All-Star break, Leiter has been pitching
terrifically.
The velocity has always been there, but the command and
secondary pitches have taken longer to develop. Over Leiter’s last 10 starts,
he has thrown 52 innings with 61 strikeouts and a 2.94 ERA.
Walks have still been an issue at times, but he has
learned to navigate around them better when they do occur. Leiter has also
reduced his home runs allowed over the second half of the season.
Before the All-Star break, Leiter had given up 10 bombs,
but he has only allowed four since.
Mack – everybody had his fellow Vandy ace, Kumar Rocker,
as the starter that would shine in the majors. So did the Mets, but that’s
another story. How is that working out for Rocker? 2025 stat line: -1.1-WAR, 4-5, 5.74
New York Mets' meltdown opens up NL wild card race
The San Francisco Giants, who traded two of their best relievers at the deadline, going 9-23
from the All-Star break to Aug. 22, are now just sitting two games back of the
Mets after winning 13 of their last 17 games.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, who gave away their best power-hitter, their best starter, their best
reliever, their starting first baseman and their DH, are 3 ½ games back,
despite having a losing record (73-74).
The St. Louis Cardinals, who also dumped at the deadline by trading away closer Ryan Helsley to the Mets and pitcher Steven Matz to the Red Sox, even are hanging
around at 4 games back with their losing record.
And then there are those Cincinnati Reds, whose obituary was written every other week in their
hometown, including as late as last weekend, are in the best position of all
the teams chasing the Mets.
They are sitting only two games back but considering they
have the tiebreaker over the Mets, it’s really a one-game deficit. The Reds
also have a favorable schedule with nine games against the Athletics, St. Louis
Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, with three games apiece against the Cubs and
Brewers.
The worst kept NY Mets secret is how they really feel
about Ronny Mauricio
Everything seemed to change for Mauricio after the trade
deadline when Mullins came in. It meant less McNeil in center field. Mauricio
was batting .252/.317/.461 after their game on July 28. He was playing
regularly, but a red hot Mark Vientos arrived and the Mets just couldn’t
find a reason to not play him.
Mauricio is still not the “odd man out” among the young
infielders we’ve seen on the roster. Luisangel
Acuna, who spent more
than 20 days in the minor leagues this year, will be on the trade block.
There’s always a chance he sticks with the club as their 26th man for some
speed to begin the year. But as far as regular playing time goes, it just isn’t
going to happen. The ceiling on his power doesn’t even require a child’s size
stepstool with 0 home runs in the majors or minors this year.
All hope isn’t lost for Mauricio. By keeping him around,
and not playing him, the Mets are showing a roundabout way of committing to
him. At the very least, he’s their top minor league trade chip they apparently
didn't feel should get moved a few weeks ago when they had the opportunity. In
either case, they don't view him as a major league player right now.
MACK –
It’s no big secret that I’m not a big
fan of keeping Mauricio on the 2026 26-man. He simply isn’t multi-dimensional. Brett Baty
and Vientos are going nowhere. His power simply hasn’t developed (and, in his
defense, it won’t playing as few games as he has played this season), his
overall defense is sub-par, and his running on the base is just not there. I don’t
agree with the writer here that Acuna will definitely be trade bait in the
off-season. His defense and speed alone make him a better utility option next
season. No, I would trade Mauricio which could turn out to be the best thing
that ever happened to him. He would at least get the reps he needs to prove to the baseball world that he's a major league player.
Of course, I will disagree with you and the writer. The Mets are keeping Mauricio to keep the minor league option for next year. A few weeks’ time would burn thw option unnecessarily. Also, Mauricio is a five tool player that had bad plate discipline. As I have given you Mauricio’s stats in the past when he started playing regularly in July, it was the first regular MLB action he had seen this year. Every team would love to get Mauricio, but probably the only thing Stearns did right on July 31st was keep him.
ReplyDeleteWhat they did to Mauricio for a washed up Mullins is criminal, but Acuna needs to play CF more. How do you not even put him out there while he had some experience but put McNeil who didn’t have any? Like I said, the Mets seem to be a popularity contest and the managerial decisions are making me question Mendoza’s ability to lead a roster instead of having the roster lead him.
Gus
DeleteDidn't expect a ringing endorsement of my commentary here
I'm not sure who is making the CF decisions right now. Assume it's Mendoza but Stearns could have his finger in this soup
Also:
ReplyDeleteI cannot open the Davey Johnson article. What was the potentially regretful decision, pitching to a hot Dave Henderson?
What the Tigers did last year and the Refs and Giants and Diamondbacks are doing this year is why you don’t go for broke at the deadline and give away three young players for two months of a sidearmer. Teams get hot and cold, and you have to hope your time is at the right time. Yes, Greg Soto was a need and Stearns did a great job getting him, but Rogers wasn’t a need and in fact Zac Gallen could have been gotten and the Mets needed a starter more than another one inning reliever. As for Helsley, foolish. As for Mullins, I still say Stearns had to have been drunk when he made that deal.
You have to subscribe to the Athletic to read that. I do. Costs me $1 a month
DeleteStearns did nothing right at the break. Should be replaced.
DeleteI do subscribe to The Athletic, it costs me $77 per year. Where do you get your subscription from so I could go there? The link I pressed on wanted me to have a MSN account, which my phone would self destruct if I tried to.
DeleteThey had a special introductory rate I agreed on
DeleteI think the Greg Soto trade was perfect. Then on July 31st, Stearns got wasted with expensive champagne sent in by Buster Posey and the Giants and we saw the results.
DeleteBut, signing Montas early on a “tip from a friend in Milwaukee” is not something he will do again. Canning fell in his lap at the end of the winter. Blackburn should have been DFA’d in December and signed to a minor league deal so he can recover from his surgery and then cut in March. Manaea just had a bad year. Can’t say the guy loses it in one year. Senga’s got hurt jumping up for Alonso’s crappy throw and didn’t want to go in a long IL stint again.
I wish the Mets had the balls to just be willing to take a step back and let the organization develop better. They may just get a nice surprise by trusting their system and have a very young and exciting YOUNG team.
Good for you! I’ve had a subscription for a few years now, so no benefit for me, LOL!
DeleteGus, while I typically agree with you on most matters I just can't get behind Mauricio.
ReplyDeleteYou say he is a 5 tool player but he can't play defense. He has absolutely no baseball instincts. He is fast but can't run the bases. He most definitely can't hit right-handed. His only tool is his undeveloped power, to which he has yet to develop.
Left handed DH is his only possible position.
Are you kidding me in his defense? Why do you say that? His throws to first base are always at the letters for Alonso. While others are always making Alonso scoop, his are almost always perfect. And his reactions are better than Baty’s, who couldn’t even react fast enough to field a hit grounder against the Reds that went under his glove for a run scoring hit.
DeleteI haven’t seen anything that gives me a positive or negative on Mauricio’s baserunning, but I know he was 7 for 7 stealing a few years ago when he came up. As for the hit to Castellanos last week, I saw the replay and it was too close to get too far off the base because Castellanos was playing so far back.
As for the righty thing, that I don’t know what the story is there and how that could have been permitted rising through the minors.
I am behind you on having the balls to develop a young team. I would love it.
ReplyDeleteGus, don't want to get into an argument with you, it's just my personal feelings. I agree with you on the arm thing, his throws are strong and perfect. But a good arm doesn't make a good defender.
ReplyDeleteIf you check his minor league stats he used to have 30 errors a year playing SS. His instincts are just not good. He doesn't know when to run, take an extra base...sorry I'm just not a fan.
As far as batting right handed, pretty much everyone on the board has been saying that for a while. He hits well below .200 as a righty.
I guess we can't agree on everything.
Joe
DeleteIf Gus and I agree on one thing a month, it's a victory ✌️ :)
There can be no better message than watching the Rangers come in w/o 4 of their top players and school us on what good defense and solid pitching can do so the old adage about pitching and defense still stands. I also see a defeated look on the players in the dugout like they see the writing on the wall which is totally different from last year as they seem to be waiting for the next mistake to cost they a ballgame. It will be a very interesting off season to be sure and i think Pete will be gone and wonder about Diaz.
ReplyDeleteWe all know that 1/3 of your game is mental and the Mets currently don't have that
DeleteTrue. Right now, they have that dear in the headlights look.
ReplyDeleteThe Mets just need to win ONE right now!
ReplyDelete