MACK - MORE FOCUS - Tom Tango_ 4-same, pitch combo, bunt rate - Tyrone Taylor, Striker Pence, Modesto Ulloa, Mets Mailbag, Edwin Diaz, Erick Fedde, Framber Valdez

 

Tangotiger                          @tangotiger

#Statcast

Over last 5 years, the most popular primary pitch is 4-seam fastball, with 2512 pitchers having thrown it

No surprise either the 2nd most popular primary pitch is Sinker (886 pitchers)

The most popular SECONDARY pitch is the Slider

Most popular combos:

FF/SL

FF/CH

 

Here are the run values for pitchers who throw each primary (left column), secondary (top row) combo

Minimum 30+ pitchers throwing that combo

Note: correlation is NOT causation

Pitchers whose primary pitch is a sweeper just means they throw great sweepers

More obviously ½

 

BUNT RATE, since 1969

Runner on 2B only, 0 outs

Home Team Bunting, Down by 1

9th or Extra Innings

Re-grading the 3 big NY Mets trades for center fielders David Stearns has made

https://risingapple.com/ny-mets-3-trades-center-fielders-david-stearns-grades?utm_source=bleacherreport&utm_medium=referral&_branch_match_id=1408222371212362866&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTyrSSywo0MvJzMvWd%2FPJLsirdCrPjEiyrytKTUstKsrMS49PKsovL04tsnXOKMrPTQUA%2Feq7NjkAAAA%3D

1) Tyrone Taylor (and Adrian Houser)

This is a slightly more complicated trade because it involved another player who failed to make it through the year. In fact, if we go back to how we honestly felt about this trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, there was as much, if not more, reason to think Adrian Houser would be the better Mets player.

It didn’t turn out that way. Tyrone Taylor became the far better player acquired in this deal that cost them minor league pitcher Coleman Crow. Oft-injured with plenty of uncertainties, swapping one low-ranking pitching prospect for a pair of major leaguers always made sense.

Initial Grade: A-

How do we feel now? Houser’s struggles as a starter in 2024 and later his low ceiling as a reliever had the Mets cutting him mid-year. Taylor remained with the club and, once again, helped them in their time of need as a regular center fielder. His defense is topnotch. The offense, while regularly inconsistent, is acceptable only because of how perfect he does the little things.

This trade deserves the same grade as it originally should have received, just not for the reasons we thought. Until Crow does something at the major league level, this is an A- worthy trade by the Mets.

Updated Grade: A- but not for why we thought

MACK – remember this name…

Perfect Game USA                           @PerfectGameUSA

Striker Pence is unfair

He was sitting at 99-101 and hit 101 four times

Did we mention, he’s only 16?

 

Francys Romero               @francysromeroFR

The Nationals have parted ways with four area scouts from their international department, sources confirmed.

Among them is Modesto Ulloa, who led the Dominican Republic area and was involved in signings or processes of players such as Juan Soto, Victor Robles, and Jose Ferrer.

MACK – hmm… what?

Mets mailbag

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6701964/2025/10/09/mets-mailbag-center-field-upgrade/

How does the team not win one game after the eighth inning with the talent on this team? I think that reflects on the manager’s preparation and ability to motivate. — Jeffrey D.

Tim: Yes, the Mets went 0-70 when trailing after eight innings; they were the only team in the majors that didn’t record a single comeback win in that situation. They only tied the game twice, meaning opposing closers were 41 of 43 in traditional save opportunities against New York. President of baseball operations David Stearns called the stat “inexplicable.”

But I hesitate to reach any grand conclusions about the manager’s preparation or the players’ collective heart/grit/whatever you want to call it based on that. First off, with the same manager and a lot of the same players, the Mets won eight such games in 2024. Only one team this century — Colorado in 2001 — came back in the ninth inning more often.

Second, it’s a weird stat, and one that doesn’t really correlate to overall team success. Those 2001 Colorado Rockies? They went 73-89 despite all those comebacks. The two teams that didn’t own a ninth-inning comeback in 2024? The historically bad Chicago White Sox and … the division champion Houston Astros. The 2000 Mariners made it to the American League Championship Series without a ninth-inning comeback in the regular season. The 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates won 98 games without one.

I think it’s part of the story of the 2025 Mets, and it’s worth investigating why it played out so differently from 2024. For instance, why did the offense experience so many extended lulls against opposing bullpens (even as, in another contradiction, its overall performance against bullpens was in line with 2024)? Maybe that’s one reason why Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez were let go.

Finding the worst realistic fit for the top 10 MLB free agents

https://fansided.com/mlb/worst-realistic-fit-top-10-mlb-free-agents

Edwin Díaz, CP: St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are all but officially entering a transitional period, which some teams view as an opportunity to spend big and bring in a proven All-Star. Díaz again dominated opposing lineups, posting a brilliant 1.63 ERA and a 98-21 K-BB ratio across 66 1/3 innings. Plenty in the Mets’ organization deserve blame for one of the worst collapses we’ll ever see in sports, but Díaz only allowed five earned runs in 28 1/3 second-half innings.

With that said, Díaz can do far better than the Cardinals. There should be no shortage of contenders trying to land Díaz, and we’re sure that the Mets will break out the big bucks if it means keeping their star closer. Unless Díaz’s priority is money, then there is no reason for him to even think about joining the Cardinals — and if money is the priority, then we obviously won’t blame him.

Mets trade targets

https://sportsnaut.com/mlb/new-york-mets-rumors-trade-targets-sp

Erick Fedde, starting pitcher, Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Erick Fedde should be near the top of the list of New York Mets trade targets. For a club seeking stability for its rotation, Fedde provides it as demonstrated by his 3.11 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP and .225 batting average allowed (FanGraphs) in 121.2 innings this season. Making Fedde just as valuable, he’s owed less than half of his remaining salary ($7.5 million) this season and he’s under contract at that same cost in 2025. If New York is serious about contending, Fedde should be prioritized.

Finding the worst realistic fit for the top 10 MLB free agents

https://fansided.com/mlb/worst-realistic-fit-top-10-mlb-free-agents

Framber Valdez, SP: New York Mets:

Speaking of the Mets, a major reason why they fell apart in the second half was a lack of impactful starting pitchers. Kodai Senga fell apart, and while the duo of David Peterson and Clay Holmes tried their best, they couldn’t save the Mets from themselves. The Mets gambled on their rotation, and their reward came in missing the playoffs entirely.

Valdez remains a workhorse, pitching 192 innings over 31 starts for an Astros team that barely missed the postseason. However, his hits per nine rose from 7.1 to 8.0, and his 3.2 walks per nine marked his highest since 2022. We won’t be surprised if Valdez slowly loses a lot of what’s made him efficient, and that would be terrible news for a Mets team teetering toward desperation. As bad a fit as this is, we nonetheless expect the Mets to ignore us, sign Valdez anyway, and then act shocked when he’s a replacement-level pitcher within two years.