Citi Dimension Issues Can Be Too Deep For Some To Comprehend
CITI FENCES BEGET CITI SLUMPS
In March and April, well struck Citi fly balls tend to die on the warning track, or at best, bang off the wall, at the spacious ballpark in Queens.
As you may recall, in one early home game where the Mets were trailing by a run, Jorge Polanco flew out to the top of the wall with a man on base to end the game and down a run. What would’ve been a win of thrilling proportions was just another loss at City field.
There have been several of the well struck Mets balls of late that could’ve turned the tide at the park. But… the decision makers decided that Citi Park should be decidedly pitcher-friendly early and late in the season, and just neutral the rest of the time.
Which is why almost every season, you will see the Mets hitting roughly 7th in overall batting average on the road and roughly 17th in overall batting average at home.
As you may recall, on opening day, the Mets trashed the great Paul Skenes and scored 11 runs at home. There was Citi euphoria.
Six home games later, the Mets are hitting .226 at home through Friday, With just four home runs in seven home games, and several near misses (Polanco, Lindor, Taylor, Benge…and others?) that the winds and cold prevent prevented from clearing the fences.
On the road?
As usual, Mets hitters are, relatively speaking, road warriors, hitting .252.
Yeah, but those Citi fences? Leave them right the heck where they are.
Mets fans love to lose low scoring games, and repeatedly watch anemic offense.
Also, I imagine that David Stearns does all kinds of season stress test testing for the roster, including what would happen if such and such happened in the first month of the season.
I will bet, however, that his stress test scenarios did not include missing Juan Soto for an extended period of April time, having Francisco Lindor with zero RBIs in the first 14 games, having Sean Manaea barely able to hit 90 miles an hour while most of the Mets’ minor league pitchers can throw miles per hour faster, and having Clay Holmes tweak his hamstring, and then the spiraling squad having to face a run of upcoming games against top 10 MLB teams, like Sugar’s new LAD squad.
The stress test would’ve held up a whole lot better, I believe, if he had just kept Brandon and Jeff.
And less stress if he/they moved those fences in 5 feet, to make the park hitter-neutral over an entire season. And not collectively punishing to Mets hitters. Long outs can really foster team-wide hitting struggles.
On Saturday, Senga got cremated in his start 7 runs, 8 outs. I imagine he is back out of sync and will need 3 to 6 months to rediscover his form.
The S.S. Met vessel is violently rocking in scary waters. Who can we the fans rely on, when it isn’t even tax day yet? McLean, the pen (except for Leave It To Beaver Weaver, in whom I am not a believer after back-to-back crumbles), Alvarez, Bichette, Robert, and perhaps the seemingly rebounding Benge. Vientos, 0-5, is an enigma yet and still.
Kimbrel debuted nicely. A scoreless frame. But his fastest pitch was 93.1, so he is not the prime time velocity master any longer.
Ex-Mets Jeff McNeil and King Carlos Cortes came up big against their former employer. Cortes rocked a 3 run blast off of the out-of-sync hurler.
End result? 11-6 loss.
Here’s my own stress test planning:
When Mets’ losing gets too stressful, I have pre-decided to shut the TV off.
This just in:
“Mets Change Team Name to Bad News Bears.”
Misery, of course, loves company, as the Yanks have also lost 4 straight.
What do you think Edwin Diaz of the now 11-3 LA Dodgers must be thinking? I think this: “I AM SO GLAD I LEFT!” He needs to avoid gleefully pinching himself too much so he can stay healthy.
As Bill O’Reilly would say, “and that’s my memo”. Except, there’s more.
HERE’S SOME OTHER FANTASTICALLY FASCINATING STUFF
Saw this:
“Could the Pirates have the Number 1 prospect 3 years in a row? Seth Hernandez’s night is done! 4.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 7 Ks
Fastball topped 101. Nasty!!!”
So I looked at his stats, and so far, the 6th overall pick of 2025 has thrown 7 pro innings: 1 run, 15 Ks. “I’ll take two of those, please.”
The Pirates sure appear to be on a major draft success super-surge. Skenes, Konnor, and not Seth H. Youza!
MOVING ON…
Biggest negative hitting surprise tandem so far in 2026?
MVP caliber teammates, 60 HR Cal Raleigh and former ROY Julio Rodriguez, through Thursday, were both 7 for 49 (.143), and in those 98 combined at bats, had just one HR and 2 doubles.
Others were struggling too, thru Thursday - here are a few:
Last year’s big hitting surprise, Seattle’s Josh Naylor, was just 5 for 48.
Former MVP Ronald Acuna thru Thursday? Hitting .204 with 2 RBIs in 58 PAs. Our former mini Met, Luisangel Acuna, is hitting better.
Former bashing Mets teammates Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor had only 3 total RBIs and were hitting roughly .160 in 115 combined at bats. And, then, neither had a Friday RBI, either. Lindor on Saturday? Up 5 times, no RBIs. We need fewer alibis and lots of RBIs from Frankie.
- Baseball sure can be a funny game.
And how funny is this outcome in a game played in frigid conditions?
“AA Portland’s pitchers — New Hampshire’s opponent for a six-game series — combined for many walks, and wild pitches and hit batters, paving the way for the Fisher Cats to score its first eight runs in the second inning without recording a single base hit.”
Eventually, they scored 10 runs on just a single hit that inning.
Heavy snow was removed from the field that morning to allow the icy affair to be played. The three frostbitten fans in attendance were rushed to nearby hospitals after the game to raise their body temperatures.
Bring your woolies, not your wife, unless you enjoy a lot of marital strife.
10 runs on one hit?
Well, Binghamton tried that, too, on Friday, but were only able to score 13 runs on just 8 hits.
In 42 degree, windy Saturday weather, more craziness, as the Ponies won 7-6, but the real story seems to be the results of playing in such weather:
23 walks, 3 hit batsmen, and 28 Ks for the two teams. 54 plate appearances in one game where hitters did not put the ball in play.
JT Schwartz had the best game for these Bingos, with 2 hits, 2 walks, 3 RBIs and zero Ks. Love your AJ Ewing…he is GETTING IT DONE!
Bingo Saturday LOBs? 16. They all got arrested for loitering after the game.
On Friday, Brooklyn’s “K Klones’” first 7 batters fanned in just the first two innings. Hard to do, but they pulled it off.
15 overall Ks on Friday, again, but they won 6-4 in extra innings.
On Saturday, the Clones entered the 9th trailing 3-2, ended the 9th tied 3-3, despite TWO batters reaching base on interference calls on Gutierrez, and added 3 runs without a hit in the 10th to win 6-3!
Ronald Hernandez had 3 walks and a key triple in the 9th, and Mitch Voit added a single and two doubles.
The win went to 26 y/o Danis Correa. He threw 2 much needed scoreless frames.
I will henceforth call him Chick Correa because I like his winning jazz.
Oh…”just” 13 Cyclones hitter Ks in the latest extra inning game. Which may indicate downward K progress.
It was 90 Ks in 6 games. Now it is up to 103 Ks in 7 games.
That may or may not not be a pro ball record, as I read this as one example:
“Mariners are the 3rd team ever to strike out 75+ batters in a 5-game span, joining the 2019 Rays and the 2019 Red Sox”
And, oh yeah, I almost forgot…
Syracuse? They were demolished. On both Friday AND Saturday.
RYAN CLIFFORD WATCH: 43 at bats, 23 Ks, 2 RBIs. SWING!
Did you happen to notice who else was demolished? Brandon Sproat.
In his first two Brewers outings:
6.2 innings, 4 HRs allowed, 10 hits, 7 walks, 11 runs.
That is the definition of UGLY.
St Lucie lost on Friday, too, but Elian Pena is a very bright light, starting out 9 for 24, with 3 walks versus just 2 Ks. One of those 2026 hits was an absolute bomb of a home run. Then, Saturday’s game ended in a 9-2 loss. But Pena was 1 for 2 and a walk. He Is Amazing.
There was also a 11-4 win in a make up of a rain out on Saturday. Pena DNP. PHAM? He played both ends and is ramping up. We need his bat in Queens, do you agree? Well, he is 2 for 10 and 2 walks so far, so rust still remains.
And, as Bill O’Reilly would again say, “and that’s my memo”.
He says it more than once, so I can say it more than once in this post, too.
NOW…Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to church I go.
Where messages are deep, but the “ballpark dimensions” are just right.
15 comments:
Brandon Nimmo on fire. Three hits, including 2 HRs, against LAD yesterday. Hitting .364.
Mickey Mantle was a winning ballplayer. What happens when you dis-Mantle a team? Someone should ask David Stearns.
Cable and internet were down yesterday, thanks to the most unreliable provider in the US - Spectrum. At first, I was angry that I could not see the game. Then, when I saw the score I was happy that I had not. Mets are really in a funk right now.
Speaking of walls, they sure didn't stop the A's from hitting homers. I think it isn't the walls - it's the bats.
Sorry, but Nimmo had to go to open up a spot for Benge.
Im not technically super worried yet but at the same time im confused overall by fhe look of this team, bats & arms. This team is full of "prove it" guys young and old trying to get their career going or trying to resurrect it. One big gamble all around.
After watching what has happened so far this season they would have to move the fences in about 50ft to matter for us. What is the DS plan if we don't make the playoffs and can Pena advance to Cuse' by Aug and to the big club in Sept? Hey he's supposed to be the new Juan Soto so why not. Bob Klapish must be taking notes on a sequel to The Worst Team Money could Buy and it ain't even close.
With a neutered Lindor and the trades, this team is likely to hit 50 fewer HRs than last year.
I wonder if they traded Nimmo a year too soon, then.
It is a roll of the dice.
Gary, I’d say next year for Pena at some point is not out of the realm.
Maybe the Mets can relocate to a smaller park in Williamsport.
Just realized former Met and major Chicago White Sox 2025 surprise Mike Vasil got TJ surgery last month. Geesh.
Did you realize that Nimmo and his boys are managed by Skip Schumacher, whom the Marlins would not renew even though he had a team of nobodies playing hard?
Did you notice what that team did to the brainless twit in the ninth inning on Friday night?
Did not see any of the game nor highlights (that’s several games now of that) but read on SNY that Lindor says his mental mistakes are inexcusable. I read the same thing earlier this week and also earlier this season. So, three weeks in, does he need to be sat a game to get his attention?
If we had a manager with balls, Lindor would spend some time on the bench.
Post a Comment