Tom Brennan: Players Better As Ex-Mets; AZ Fall League; Late and Close

 

HOW CAN WE GET OUT OF HERE, SO WE CAN EXCEL ELSEWHERE?

Remember Adrian Houser? 

Chants of “Yo, Adrian” turned into “GO, ADRIAN”!

He was awful with the 2024 Mets. 1-5, 5.84.

In 2025, with the White Sox and Rays, though, he went 8-5, 3.31 in 125 innings and 21 starts.

Mike Vasil found AAA hitters to be too much of a hassle, while in the Mets system. Dismal.

In 2025, with the White Sox, though, Vasil was 5-3, 2.50 in 101 IP / 47 G. 

If I was David Stearns, I’d sure look to figure out what was missed on Vasil.

Eric Orze broke in with the Mets in 2024 but just for a micro-nanosecond.

In 2025 with the Rays, tho’, he had a 3.02 ERA in 33 relief stints and 42 IP.

Would the Mets have made the playoffs if they kept those 3 arms?

You decide.

Others?

Remember Zack Wheeler?  I do.

44-38, 3.77 as a Met.  Decent.

But a totally superior 69-37, 2.91 thereafter with the Fallopian Phillies.

Phillies Phans watch him excel at home on their Fallopian Tubes.

Jake Mangum?  Never a sniff from the Mets. “We already HAVE one Jake!”

In 2025, with the Rays, Mangum P.I. hit .296 in 405 ABs, with 27 steals.

Even Juan Soto didn’t hit .296. Just saying. Very few did hit .296 in MLB. Ninth highest average in the MLB.

- Imagine a .296 hitter in centerfield this year?  

Old post-Mets great improvement names? 

Justin Turner had just 86 RBIs as a Met, 736 RBIs post-Mets.

Daniel Murphy? Decent as a Met, mega-magical as a Washington National.

Pete Crow Armstrong, who got flipped by the Mets for Joan Baez… 

Crow hit 31 HRs and added 41 other extra base hits, totaled 35 steals, had over 90 RBIs and 90 runs, and caught absolutely everything but the common cold in 2025 with the Cubs. Mack doesn’t like him. But he made Mack eat crow. And he’s just 23?

I could go on, even write a book about those who excel after leaving the Queens cell block and experiencing their very own Shawshank Redemption, but I promised myself to limit my total elapsed time doing each article.

So feel free to comment, or to come up with your own sadly surrendered guys.

Well, OK, I’ll add several off the top of my head:

Nolan Ryan, Amos Otis, Ken Singleton, Kevin Mitchell, Lenny Dykstra, Jeff Kent, Gregg Jeffries, Jeff Reardon (10 saves as a Met, 357 thereafter), Paul Sewald (1-14, as a Met, but 20-12 thereafter),  Michael Wacha (1-4, 6.62 in 2020 as a Met, 51-32 as an ex-Met since), Randy Myers, etc.

Oh, and Scott Kaczmir for Victor Zambrano, anyone? Anyone?

Why do many intensely struggle in Queens, then truly excel thereafter?  

GIVE ME YOUR REASONS, PEOPLE.  DON’T BE BASHFUL.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE STARTED MONDAY, OCTOBER 6 

THANKFULLY, FINALLY - MEANINGFUL OCTOBER BASEBALL

I’m so happy, I could hug a cactus. Somebody stop me, please.

Key points: 

1) Where and Who, per an MLB article:

Scottsdale Scorpions is the where, as far as the team is concerned.

Who? 3 fleet-footed Mets minors hitters and 4 Mets minors pitchers:

Chris Suero, C/OF/1B (No. 15)

Nick Morabito, OF (No. 16)

D’Andre Smith, OF

Brett Banks, RHP

Wyatt Hudepohl, RHP

Bryce Jenkins, RHP

Austin Troesser, RHP (he possesses Austin Powers, baby)

2) How did they do in yesterday’s opener? Dunno…they weren’t updating game stats timely. Only Morabito was in the starting line up.  Wait, it’s now 10 PM, Scottsdale is trailing 4-1, BUT….Nick Morabito has a hit and stolen base so far.  YAY!

3) Question 4 u: To hasten their elevation to the 2026 NY Mets, would you instead have assigned the Mets’ top bat prospects (Carson Benge, Jett Williams, Ryan Clifford) to Arizona to play another 20-25 games to accelerate their readiness for 2026?

BATY/VIENTOS/MAURICIO THOUGHTS RE: “DO WE NEED PETE BACK”?

Is Baty the answer for 2026?

Well, it seemed he was coming around…he hit a solid .291 after the ASB.

He’s now had 1.034 MLB plate appearances.  

Absolutely time for him to start playing like a veteran in 2026.  Why? 

He now is a veteran.

He already had 1,434 plate appearances in the minors, too.

He did go just 4 for 23 down the stretch.  I call that wilting.  So…

Will he wilt in big 2026 moments?

Consider this: Baty the Batman hit just .140 (7 for 50, with 3 walks, 15 Ks, 1 HR, 3 RBIs) in his all-important “late and close situations” plate appearances.

He did hit .281 with RISP, and that is good, but RISP is not as important a category as Late And Close.

Me? I hope he is a league-average 1B/3B next year.

Let’s go further in a look at what life will be without Pete Alonso returning.

Mark Vientos was a sucky 5 for 34 in Late and Close at bats, with 2 RBIs, 1 walk, and 10 Ks.

Ronny Mauricio was 5 for 20 in Late and Close, with 2 solo HRs, not bad, but was an atrocious 4 for 34 with RISP.

Take off your rose-colored glasses. 

Put them on the table. Blink twice. Focus…

If you want exciting late inning hitting from these 3 wannabes in 2026, you are very likely to have your hopes very badly dashed.

After all, in Late and Close, those three bats were 17 for 104 with 7 RBIs.

Awful, right?  

Wrong.  Brutal is a better word.

Simple: We need Pete back.

I fondly remember the 1986 Mets.  One reason why?

They were SO TOUGH in late and close.  

Lose Pete, and you will be stomping on your rose-colored glasses.