Jim Bowden’s top 10 National League rookies
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6610777/2025/09/09/best-mlb-rookies-drake-baldwin-nolan-mclean-nl/
2. Nolan McLean, RHP, New York Mets
W-L: 4-0 ERA: 1.37 IP: 26 1/3 SO: 28 WHIP: 0.76 | fWar:
0.9
How does McLean, 24, make this list after just four
starts? By virtue of his dominance in those outings in the midst of a
postseason race. In his brief MLB career, he’s only allowed 13 hits and seven
walks while striking out 28 batters in 26 1/3 innings. His stuff is just
ridiculous, led by his high spin rate curveball (3267 rpm) that has 18.2 inch
horizontal break and 13.1 inch vertical break. His four-seamer comes in mostly
95-97 mph and his sinker sits at 93-95 mph. He features a sweeper, changeup and
cutter, as well. A two-way player at Oklahoma State and during his first two
minor league seasons, McLean is an outstanding athlete who has really come into
his own as a pitcher after finally focusing solely on pitching. He looks like
the most talented rookie pitcher this season, and he has the highest ceiling.
MLB Top 100 Prospects: September 2025
45) Jacob Reimer - 3B - NYM
Reimer caught my eye early in the season thanks to his
all-around offensive profile and improved defense at 3rd. He just missed the
list in the August after big K% spike following his promotion to AA, but he
turned on the jets to end the season. The approach is sound, and the swing will
keep the ball in the air.
Baseball Hall of Famers Who Served During World War II
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/hall-of-famers-wwii.html
Warren Spahn – US Army
Prior to enlisting in the Army, Warren Spahn had a small
cup of coffee with the Boston Braves, appearing in four games. The lefty then
took off to war. Spahn served with distinction during his time in the Army and
saw action at both the Battle of the Bulge and Ludendorff Bridge as a combat
engineer. For his service, he was awarded the Purple Heart.
By the time he returned to the majors, Spahn was 25 years
old. Despite his age, he went on to pitch until the age of 44, winning 363
games during his Hall of Fame career.
‘We don’t have too much time’
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6622209/2025/09/12/mets-lose-phillies-series/
“It’s my job to get these guys going, and I will,” Carlos Mendoza said. “I have a lot of confidence in myself, the coaches
and the players. It is not easy right now. We are very frustrated. But, look,
we still have an opportunity to achieve our goal.”
Mack – I agree. It is time for Mendoza to step up, but I
just don’t think he, or this team, is capable of preventing another team from
passing them for the third Wild Card slot. The Giants and Reds just seem to
want this more.
The New York Mets are reeling and running out of time:
‘Nobody’s happy’
The noise, for this club, has never been louder. Their
grip on a playoff spot has dwindled of late. Their upcoming schedule is
imposing. The red-hot Texas Rangers will be in Queens this weekend, when former
Mets ace Jacob deGrom will make his triumphant return to Citi Field. After
that, the San Diego Padres come to town, with 2024 Mets hero José Iglesias in
tow, fighting for their own playoff lives.
The worst-case scenario — an October on vacation — is
starting to feel possible. Ample time for a turnaround remains. But these Mets,
at present, seem woefully ill-equipped to handle the task.
It’s a stark juxtaposition to last year’s team, which, at
this point on the calendar, was an unstoppable freight train, a baseball circus
thriving on grit, moxy and self-confidence. Those Mets knocked off the Brewers
on the road in magical fashion in the wild card before besting the
higher-ranked Phillies with a rousing NLDS win. The energy around that team,
even when it eventually faltered against the Dodgers in the NLCS, was
unmistakable.
There have been a handful of those moments this season.
The rousing home sweep against the Phillies a few weeks ago comes to mind. A
version of that swagger still exists. But it’s currently manifesting in a sort
of unfounded superiority complex, one that gives off a Yankees-esque vibe. The
Mets’ inability to escape this funk feels rooted, somewhat, in their unshakable
faith in their own quality.
OptaSTATS @OptaSTATS
The Mets are the only MLB team in the modern era to score
4+ runs in the first inning but have nobody reach base the rest of the game and
end up losing.
Jacob Kaye @JacobKaye_
Since June 13, 74% of the Mets’ losses (25 of 34) have
come after holding a lead.
That’s the highest rate in MLB
Just Baseball @JustBB_Media
Mark
Vientos' ranks among 3B
in the last 30 days:
HR: 1st (10)
RBI: 1st (26)
SLG: 1st (.678)
OPS: 1st (1.037)
wRC+: 1st (183)
Barrel%: 1st (24.6)
The 25-year-old is RAKING
Some additional thoughts this morning…
ReplyDeleteYou know me… I have always ranked the Wild Card race by the number of losses a team has. Well, the Mets no longer own the third wild card slot. They are tied with the Giants at 73 loses. Right behind that is the Reds at 7z4 losses. What saved the Mets arse yesterday was the fact that both San Francisco and Cincinnati lost yesterday as well.
Looking ahead at next week’s schedule:
The Mets play at home… three games vs. the Padres and three against the Nats
A tip of the Mets cap to Brandon Sproat, who should have earned a win last night. Instead, he had to sit there and watch the top two relievers on the team blow the game.
A new way to lose.
Dump a Mendoza now and let Beltran coach the rest of the year. We need a kick in the ass and this may be the only way to do it?
ReplyDeleteUnless grimace comes back with an OMG necklace?
Wake the F Up
This is not how Cohen rolls
DeleteThe current actors will be in charge for the remainder of the season
How much of manea’s contract do you think has to be eaten to move him this off season, 50% at least?
ReplyDeleteAt least that but I don't think anything is off the table right now
ReplyDeleteThe question for me is who will be calling the shots
Mack, do you mean in the dugout or the GM spot?
ReplyDeleteDo you think Cohen will be heavily involved?
1. I think a head needs to be removed from a venomous snake
Delete2. I think Cohen will first decide if he will remove Stearns
3. If not, I think Cohen and Stearns will then decide if they will add a GM
4. Lastly if none of that happens STEARNS not Cohen will decide if there should be changes in the manager and/or coaches
I believe Stearns has an iron clad contract that gives him total control of the operation as long as he is in charge
You know, I don't think it's possible to have a worse year than Stearns has had. He did not make one good move the entire year.
ReplyDeleteStart with Montas, Blackburn and Manaea. He overpays Manaea in money and years and he comes into camp fat and out of shape. How do you pull an ab muscle when don't have any abs.
He ends it with making 4 trades that have turned to shite. And he gives up 11 prospects in the bargain.
Holmes has been so-so. If you want to point to Canning, if your honest with yourselves you know his ERA was steadily creeping up and would have been around 4 by the end of the year.
How does he recover from this.
Well, he ain't going to Disneyland
DeleteAgree with Zozo on Beltran. It’s time to give him his shot. And Beltran has the resume to stand up to marginal players like Nimmo that never made an allstar team but are considered elite. Alonso needs to depart; his timely strikeouts in the late innings are getting worse.
ReplyDeleteJoeP is right, Stearns did have a very bad year. But I think the decisions were bad, not the effort. This contradicts Mendoza’s lack of effort that lead to his bad decisions. The only saving grace for Mendoza is that Stearns gave him this roster. Stearns traded for a crap performer like Mullins and wanted him in the lineup; not Mendoza. Stearns left the team with a woefully understaffed starting rotation and no long men, not Mendoza. And Stearns waited too long to bring up McLean - who even from last year we heard he was more of a frontline starter than Sprout - not Mendoza. Even when he gave promotions, Tong after two games in AAA was not as prepared as Sproat was. But hey, Stearns was trying to show that he doing something. I do agree he needs a GM.
Gus, many of Mendoza's bad decisions come from Stearns ill prepared roster. What do you do with 6 pitchers who can't go more than 4 innings. You eventually overwork and destroy your bullpen.
ReplyDeleteGiants-Cowboys
ReplyDelete1pm
Pulling back, look at how Milwaukee has thrived - two years post Stearns. This suggests Stearns did build an organization that lasts.
ReplyDeleteMany bad moves by Stearns this year - that said, the team did start out very strong. & how could virtually every deadline move blow up? What are the odds of that happening?
The balance of developing the future & winning the WS this year has created major problems across two dimensions - bulking up with players like Manea, Montas, etc & holding back McLean, Sproat. Then compounded by rushing up Tong (which I was aligned with due to the circumstances). One motto I live by “you panic, you die” that’s what is now happening.
At the end of the day, this core simply does not have the inner resolve to win at all costs. Some great individuals but collectively - always too much drama. Even last year, they dug such a big hole it was so dramatic just to get into the playoffs & then advance by the narrowest of margins.
This team desperately need some consistency to build the long term organizational health. The Cohen years before Stearns have really crippled the team. That said, Steve & David must ensure they are on the same page. They should be able to put playoff- competitive teams together while they build & start lowering costs this offseason.
Let’s Pete, Diaz go. Dump Manea, sign a couple bridge FAs for CF, 1B/DH/corner OF, let the kids play, put Holmes in the BP. Wait for Williams, Benge, Parada, Clifford, Reimer & Scott, Wenniger, Tong to get called up.
The coaching has to change. Beltran time?
Even if we make it & somehow go deep into the playoffs, things need to change. The Yankees dumped Buck as he was building success & look what happened.
I would be a lot more excited about the future if Williams, Benge, and Clifford were hitting better at the AAA level
DeleteRV, you make many good points. I would take things one step further. If we lose Pete and Diaz, Stearns must step up and prove he is the man for the job.
ReplyDeleteHe must find a way to trade Manaea and Nimmo and dare I say even Lindor. Not sure that's possible but other organizations have done so. By doing this you can truly start a youth movement and develop this team the right way.
I also share JoeP’s complements about RVH’s comment overall. But I must question you guys: after he had no spring training a couple of years of a good showing, why are y’all so eager to dump Manaea after a bad month? Is he the reason for the collapse? At least he has the stamina to go seven or eight innings, does Holmes? Why is Holmes still pitching every fifth day?
ReplyDeleteFair question Gus, firstly I was excited when they signed him. He came into camp looking out of shape. He rehabbed for three months. He hasn’t built enough stamina to go past 4 innings. If he is hurt, he should have been shut down. Trying to play injured or not fully rehabbed for this long has hurt the team - it’s not heroics. He is lost & doesn’t know why he can’t lock down even mediocre performance. Now he clogs the roster & cost $25 M for two more years.
DeleteWe need to buy down his contract 50% plus & open up his roster spot & save some cap money so the team can find a way to get below the $244M or whatever the 2026 number will be. He is not part of the future & is hampering the near term with performance, cost & blocking young pitching.
It’s not a personal thing about him (although for $75M I expect more) it’s purely business.
One more thought: it’s time to set a very clear three year plan - based on where the team stands now vs where everyone (Cohen & Stearns) wish it stood). I think it’s possible to field a Wildcard-competitive team while resetting (just) below the cap & developing young talent. Think a cardinals, reds, royals, Cleveland, Tampa type team. If things really click then add some fuel to the fire.
ReplyDeleteI don’t see Nimmo or Lindor moving (maybe tell Nimmo to grab a 1B mitt to start creating more flexibility since he will not play CF ever again (if he didn’t this year, he never will again). A few bridge FAs & bullpen rebuild with some internal talent (Hamel, Ross, others) plus mintor, Holmes, Raley, Smith, Garrett, etc) should cover this. Lots of talent to promote during the year assuming they progress during H1 next season.
Sure would have been nice to have Gilbert & Butto on the roster next year…
Three year plan on top of a five year plan?
DeleteI'm too old for this shit
I hear you Mack. I’d be happy with a playoff-caliber team that doesn’t carry all these uber expectations going into each year & then crap the bed over & over dimuring the season. 6% chance for a playoff team to win the WS, so odds are always against any single team. It the inconsistency & ridiculous payroll cost that get me - so damn inefficient & ineffective. We have to work with what we have. Three years to get to dominant, salary balanced, mature organization. I can’t see any other way to get there. Set goals & deliver them, consistently.
DeleteBottom line here is we have the highest payroll in baseball and the playoffs should be guaranteed period. I know Cohen didn't become a multi-billionare by tolerating under performance and if we don't make the playoffs that would be catastrophic and result in a serious top to bottom shakeup or he's not the man we think he is. The clock is ticking loudly.
ReplyDeleteStearns isn’t going anywhere. And I have thought for some time that Mendy’s job was safe and that he’d 💯 be the OD manager in ‘26. Stearns has actually never fired a manager in his career, and over the summer he noted that Mendy would be back next season, but things have gotten so bad that I’m not so sure anymore.
ReplyDeleteThey’re going to bring back Alonso (who was not the problem this year), and it would be silly to sell low on Manea - who was easily their best SP last season, after a year when he missed two months and then pitched with chips in his elbow. He’ll be back, and they have reason to expect a better ‘26 from him. McNeil has been very good and was their single most consistent hitter. He’ll be back for the last year of his contract. I think they’ll expect Baty (mostly 3B) and Vientos (mostly DH) to take a step forward, and they’ll cross their fingers and hope that Alvy has a healthier year and will progress. They’re also unlikely to get rid of Mauricio during the offseason. They kept him up all season and saved his option, meaning they can get him regular AB’s in Suracuse next season, and if he hits as expected there, he’ll be a trade chip at next year’s deadline.
Other than the pitching staff, the only place I see a big change coming is in CF, and the question will be whether or not Benge is ready. I’m not putting too much into his slow (16 games) start in AAA. It’s the end of his first full season of pro ball and is at his third level. I expect him to continue blossoming next season.
I like the idea of Nimmo going to first base. He has no arm anyway. But, can an outfielder his whole life become an infielder? Maybe make him the DH and Vientos the 1B?
ReplyDelete