GORSKI, ANYONE?

GORSKI, ANYONE?  by Tom Brennan

As the Mets look to replace Matt Harvey in the rotation, and Logan Verrett has not been impressive (in fact 0-6, 6.14 in his last 15 games), what are the minor league alternatives internally?

Sean Gilmartin?  Kinda shaky lately.   Well, he's 7-2 in his last 10 starts, but with a 5.49 ERA over that span.

Gabe Ynoa?  Gone from early season ace to BP pitcher. 

Rafael Montero?  A deteriorating 7.20 ERA is all you need to know.

How about Darin Gorski?

Darin has returned to the Vegas team strongly, posting a 3-1, 3.65 mark through 4 starts, the last 3 being his strongest of the 4.

Career-wise, he excelled up to AA, but AAA was his speed bump, as it is for so many - prior to this year, Gorski had tossed 198 innings for Vegas, with a 13-12 record and a 5.36 ERA.

I am more and more convinced that pitching in Vegas adds 2 runs per game to one’s ERA (heck, the team’s pitchers are allowing 6.2 RPG), so Darin has actually fared pretty well in Vegas (now 16-13) and could be the short term answer.

If it were me, I’d go with Gilmartin, but it is good to know there is at least another half way viable in-house alternative in the minors in Gorski.

Reese Kaplan -- What Can We Expect in the 2nd Half?

While a lot of people are doing the mid season report cards on the club, wringing their hands over the injuries and bemoaning the lack of offense, I’ve come to accept the team for what it is and want instead to examine how to get the best out of the resources at hand. 

First Base

James Loney started slowly, then caught fire, then regressed.  It appears the plan now is for him to platoon at 1B with Wilmer Flores, giving both of them exposure only to the pitchers who they hit best.  While the power numbers may be down from what you’d expect from Lucas Duda, the overall offense – higher batting average and some good RBI production – might actually make Duda’s absence a bit easier to swallow. 

Second Base

Call me crazy, but I think the Mets’ best trade chip right now is Neil Walker.  He’s likely gone as a free agent next year anyway, Dilson Herrera is having another solid season in AAA, and Wilmer Flores is another backup to the position.  You have to give to get, so maybe it’s time to consider dangling the big power numbers from the first half to interested parties and see if it can help net that number five starter the team desperately needs.  To the acquiring club, he’s only a half-year obligation after which they could issue a QO and get the draft pick, so he’s fairly desirable.  (Of course, for the very same reason he’s desirable to keep around for the remainder of the year, but the Mets are more flush with middle infielders right now (throw Gavin Cecchini and TJ Rivera into that mix, too) than they are with healthy starting pitchers.

Shortstop

Asdrubal Cabrera is doing what they hoped he would – providing solid if unspectacular defense and solid offense at a position that was mired in the Ruben Tejada era for far too long.  He’s looking to be worth every bit of his free agent contract.

Third Base

Early indications are that the fans’ affection for Jose Reyes far outweighed the protests over his personal behavior.  His arrival at the top of the batting order along with some unexpected power suggests that there’s no Yuliesky Gourriel in the team’s future. 

Catcher

Travis d’Arnaud has shown the ability to drive the ball in the gaps and over the wall.  His defense is Piazza-like but if he can provide .275 hitting with some power then everyone will be happy to take it.  Rene Rivera is what he is…perhaps he can impart some of the pitch handling wisdom to the younger catcher (even if he can’t surgically attach his throwing arm). 

Left Field

My suspicion is that Michael Conforto will be back on Friday to begin the second half.  While it’s Brandon Nimmo who will likely be shown the door, most would agree if money was not an issue they’re rather see Alejandro De Aza make his exit.  Still, in the bizarre world of Terry Collins, younger players don’t get to play anyway, so it may be better for Nimmo to go back to hitting .330 in AAA and build up his trade value. 

Center Field

While no one will ever confuse Yoenis Cespedes for Juan Lagares out there, the fact remains that he’s been pretty much a one-man show when it comes to the Mets’ offense.  As long as he stays healthy, you keep him in the lineup wherever he can do the least damage.  In an ideal world that would be right field given his strong arm, but apparently management does not want to ask him to play there.

Right Field

Curtis Granderson is turning it on at the right time.  Not only is his power surge helping the Mets win some games, but, shockingly, it may turn him into a viable trade commodity to a club looking for some power from the left side.  Of course, taking him on means agreeing to pay the remaining approximately $24 million for the rest of this season and next, so it would be a bit of a tough sell, but it may turn out that there’s a similarly expensive pitcher that could be acquired.  Doing so would necessitate playing Nimmo or Lagares every day, but right now as bad as the offense is it would appear a pitcher is actually a higher priority. 

Starting Rotation

Let’s all wish for health for the two question marks – Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz – while the healthy pitchers can hopefully avoid the injury jinx that’s befallen the club.  After Bartolo Colon and Jacob de Grom it’s pretty bleak.  Logan Verrett is rapidly earning the nickname “Gopher” for the number of meatballs he’s serving up to opposing hitters.  The choices in AAA are not too appealing.  It looks as if Sandy Alderson is going to have to use some of his sparse chips to try to acquire outside help.

Bullpen

Jeurys Familia has been tap dancing on the edge of collapse many times, but how can you argue with Saves perfection?  Not to be a Debbie Downer but the law of averages will catch up to him eventually.  Addison Reed has been awesome and Jerry Blevins is getting out right handers as well as left (though the platoon obsessed manager hasn’t really noticed).  Hansel Robles seemed to have turned it up a notch lately and is becoming more of a long man than the quick strikeout artist he’d been in the past.  The problem children, however, are Antonio Bastardo (here for yet another year after this one) and Erik Goeddel.  Both have been getting shelled lately and while it’s not likely Bastardo is in any risk, Goeddel could see his spot taken by someone internally or through acquisition.  As it is, he’s likely under consideration for a trip to Las Vegas once Jim Henderson is deemed healthy enough to return.  That depends, of course, on Seth Lugo’s performance.  While Collins is known to go with the familiar rather than with the untested, he may be tiring of the 9.00 ERA Goeddel has posted in July. 

Bench

Kelly Johnson is a veteran who can play many positions and has some home run power.  Juan Lagares is an awesome fielder with good baserunning speed and line drive capability.  Wilmer Flores has shown some good ability to hit when he plays regularly but he’s not gotten it done very well as a bench player.  It gets ugly fast after that.  Rene Rivera is a Mendoza-line hitter.  Alejandro De Aza is John Mayberry-Lite. 

How to Improve

Getting healthy is easier said than done, but any team that’s lost its first baseman, third baseman, catcher and ace starting pitcher to injury already would be happy to be where the Mets are at this point in the standings.  Throw in the implosion of Michael Conforto and it’s amazing they’re actually over .500. 

Still, there is a great need to acquire someone who can give them Matt Harvey’s innings at a close-to-2015 and prior Matt Harvey level.  Getting that pitcher is going to require the sacrifice of some chips at the major or minor league levels.  In the majors it could be Neil Walker as you do have Wilmer Flores and Dilson Hererra available to play 2B (or Reyes with Flores to 3B).  It could be Curtis Granderson whose recent power surge might raise some eyebrows and start some rival GMs salivating.  Still, if trading away a Granderson means an everyday role for a Nimmo/Lagares platoon, that’s a pretty steep drop off in power.  There are the minor league chips – Herrera, Cecchini, Dom Smith and even Nimmo – but people’s opinions vary widely on their value. 

The easiest thing in the world to do would be to sign Gourriel, shift Reyes to 2B and use Neil Walker to acquire the pitcher, but that would require more guts and imagination than Sandy Alderson has ever demonstrated.  He’s cautious to a fault and the results show that.  Instead of trading Curtis Granderson last off-season coming off a solid 2015 he did nothing.  Instead of coming up with a plan to back up David Wright who he knew was likely to miss a lot of time, he did nothing.  Signing Gourriel would allow him to preserve his other trade chips for other needs down the road.  Trading away Neil Walker would offset most of Gourriel’s salary anyway (for this year).  

How do you think the Mets can solidify and improve the team?

Desmond Lindsay Sighting

DESMOND LINDSAY SIGHTING by Tom Brennan

 

 

Last year's 2nd rounder out of high school, Desmond Lindsay, finally got into what was presumably a rehab game for the GCL Mets yesterday.

 

He managed just a walk to go with 2 strikeouts, but it is good to see someone finally return from the injured list.  Maybe he can get 2 months in this year, and be ready for full season ball next year.

 

What else?

 

Zach Wheeler?  We're still waiting. Apparently he has nerve pain in the healthy reconstructed elbow joint.  My guess is it is something he could pitch with right now, but each day for him is one day closer to when he can ultimately become a free agent.  If I were him, I'd look at Harvey's travails and think to myself that I am a high risk arm, and if I can just be healthy when free agency arrives, I can cash in big, so (just speculating), I think he is being super cautious.

 

Lefty Tom Szapucki, who reportedly can hit 97 on the gun, is killing it in Kingsport: 0.42, 38 Ks in 21 IP in Kingsport.  One to watch.

 

Another is lefty 19 year old teammate Max Wotell.  Max got touched up a bit late in his last start, but the control issues he showed in his brief pro cameo last year seem to have been alleviated.  In 26 pro innings, he has fanned 32 and allowed just 13 hits.  Don't stand too close to Mad Max, though - 6 hit batters already.

 

That's it - writer's fatigue has set in.  Have a great day.

PCL AAA SUCCESS AND MAJOR LEAGUE SUCCESS ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS

PCL AAA SUCCESS AND MAJOR LEAGUE SUCCESS ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS by Tom Brennan

I noticed yesterday that Matt Bowman is pitching quite nicely for the St Louis Cardinals this year since he was snatched from the Mets in the offseason.  

Matt was an awful 7-16, 5.53 and 1.68 WHIP with the Vegas 51s in 2015.

In the majors with the Cards in 2016, a vastly better 1-2, 3.12, 0.95 in 28 relief outings.

Say what?

Brandon Nimmo may have been torching Vegas, but last night got "Scherzered", with 3 Ks.

Kevin Plawecki and Michael Conforto in 91 combined at bats in Vegas since being sent down by the Mets are hitting .330 with 6 homers and 26 RBIs, and a .600+ slug %.  Making it look REAL easy.

With the Mets, they had 330 at bats and combined to hit about .210 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs and about a .350 slug %.  Inflated #s actually, due to Conforto's great April with the Mets.

Virtually every hitter in 2015 that the Mets promoted from Vegas, except Conforto, collapsed in a heap when facing big league pitching once removed from Vegas Hitters' Heaven.

So how do you project how a AAA guy will do when he joins the Mets?  Heck if I know, but if you are a hitter, generally "much worse" and if you are a pitcher, often "much better."

So we need pitching in Queens, and Rafael Montero is getting pounded in Vegas and has a 7.20 ERA.  Based on the above, he's probably ready for a call up.  Probably has a no hitter up his sleeve too.  

Reese Kaplan -- With Harvey Out, Who Should Be In?

With the news about Matt Harvey’s shoulder problems perhaps responsible for his subpar performance this season, it put the Mets into a bit of a temporary quandary regarding what had always been their strength – starting pitching.  Now with Harvey on the shelf and Zack Wheeler far from ready, the team must decide what it plans to do to fill the void.  A lot, of course, depends on the Harvey prognosis but news trickled out Thursday suggesting it is indeed looking like Thoracic Outlet Syndrome with a recommendation for season-ending surgery.  The temporary internal reinforcements become far less palatable when you realize they may be needed for as much as half a season.  That development may force open the door to external resources.

The internal options are frankly not too exciting – a big change when it seemed the Mets had too many hurlers in the minors to ever hope to get them into Queens.  Now you have Rafael Montero who went rapidly from uber-prospect to head case and is definitely in Terry Collins’ doghouse.  Think of him as the pitching equivalent of Wilmer Flores – he would only get a chance when every other option had extensive opportunities to fail first. 

Then you have last year’s Cinderella Rule V pick – Sean Gilmartin – who started off like a house afire in AAA but rapidly descended into mediocrity.  His brief recall as a reliever did not likely win him any additional innings with the big club.

Seth Lugo was a surprising promotion when he got the call based upon his very pedestrian performance not only this season, but throughout his minor league career.  He acquitted himself well in his two innings in the majors but aside from a nice run in Savannah in 2013, he’s been a strikeout guy who has proven far too hittable when the pitches are over the plate.  His career record is 28-22, 4.26 with the highlight being 8.6 Ks per 9 IP.   Somehow I don’t think he’s going to morph into an All-Star. 

Logan Verrett has been arguably the Mets’ worst pitcher all year.  The ERA isn’t awful at 4.01, but he’s given up an astonishing 9 HRs in just 49 IP while sporting a K:BB ratio of just 1.55.  Ugh!

Untested Gabriel Ynoa is on the 40-man roster and is having a credible year in AAA.  However, the Mets have always been reluctant to give opportunities to young players, are wary of service time clocks ticking too soon, and may succumb to FUD -- fear, uncertainty and doubt -- while in the midst of a pennant race.  The fact he gets his job done -- 3.31 ERA for his minor league career -- without overpowering strikeout stuff is another mark against him.  

None of these options is very appealing, though based upon real world performance for the entire 2015 season I’d be in favor of giving Sean Gilmartin another look.  However, it would appear that the Mets are going to go with Logan Verrett to take Matt Harvey’s place.  Given the fact that Harvey himself was pitching to an ERA even worse than what Verrett has provided, maybe they’re simply hoping to tread water until Zack Wheeler returns.

Suppose, however, the Mets had a proactive GM who actually acted as if he wanted to win ballgames.  Then you’d think he’d be evaluating pitchers who are likely going to be relatively easy to acquire, such as pending free agents.  These pitchers would only put the Mets on the hook for the remainder of the year and would allow them to continue their long term plan of a rotation filled by Matt Harvey, Jacob de Grom, Noah Syndergard, Zack Wheeler and Steve Matz. Let’s take a look at some players who are on second tier teams who might be in sell mode right now.

The Mets have had a good trading relationship with the San Diego Padres over the past few years.  You win some – James Loney – and lose some – Alex Torres.  Right now Andrew Cashner is a pending FA and has delivered some quality years in the bigs already.  Although this year he has a 4.42 ERA, he’s a career 3.66 pitcher and these days that kind of quality is highly desirable.  He is currently earning $7.15 million.

A less obvious and desirable name, Jhoulys Chacin, toiled in the toughest pitching environment in baseball in Colorado before being moved to better environments where ironically he has not pitched as well.  For the Rockies he had a career ERA of 3.78 and it surely wouldn’t take much to dislodge him from the last place Angels.  He’s sporting an ugly 6.05 ERA but compare that to the 5 years of success in Colorado and it’s a gamble perhaps worth exploring. 

The Houston Astros are one of those teams who have to make the buy or sell decision very soon.  They’re 6.5 games back and since they are in striking distance they may not want to tinker.  However, Doug Fister is on a one year $7 million deal and he’s again pitching credibly.  He’s a 3.44 ERA for his career and during his time in Washington certainly proved he can win in the NL. 

The Philadelphia Phillies have exceeded some expectations this year by performing significantly better than the Atlanta Braves.  They currently stand 11 GB while Atlanta is 22.5.  Even though they are probably pretty happy in Philly, the fact remains they’re more than one piece away from contention.  Starter Jeremy Hellickson has done a fine job for them, pitching to a 3.92 ERA in a hitter’s ballpark.  Since he’s earning $7 million this year and slated to be a free agent, he’s likely going to be up for grabs in trade. 

My dark horse selection for the Mets to pursue is 36 year old lefty Rich Hill of Oakland.  The A’s have already fallen out of contention and they have a long history of moving players if they think they are not going to be part of the future (or will be too expensive to keep around).  Hill earns a modest $6 million.  He is striking out 10.3 per 9 IP, has a better than 3:1 K to BB ratio and has a very impressive 2.31 ERA.  He’s become something of a late bloomer having pitched quite well since 2014 for various teams.  I can’t see Oakland building around him for the future and since he’s set to depart as a free agent, he can likely be pried away in trade. 

The Tampa Bay Rays are allegedly considering full fire sale mode with players such as Jake Odorizzi already rumored to be in play with the Texas Rangers.  Even longtime stalwart Evan Longoria could be on the block.  However, there are two other pitchers worth exploring.  Matt Moore is a pending free agent who never quite lived up to his big year in 2013.  However, for his career he’s still sub 4.00 in ERA and guys in their final months before free agency had better keep their bags packed. 

My preference, however, would be the somewhat unheralded Drew Smyly who has quietly put together a nice little career.  He started off shuttling between the bullpen and rotation for the Detroit Tigers before making his way to Tampa.  The lefty owns a career 26-25 record with a 3.69 ERA, a 9K per 9 IP strikeout record and a nice WHIP of under 1.2.  This year he’s earning $3.75 million and is arbitration eligible for the first time next season, not a free agent until 2019.  He doesn’t fit the profile of the kind of players on this list and his price is modest enough that the Rays may hold a tight grip on him.  Names like Gavin Cecchini, Wuilmer Becerra, Gabriel Ynoa and even Zack Wheeler might get the conversation started (though I'd like the last one to be part of a monster deal to land Longoria as well). 

Another reunion possibility (though the bridges burned make it unlikely to happen) is the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Jon Niese.  He can also be a free agent next year for a modest buyout of his contract.  In the realm of pitchers on this list, he’s far from the top but he would likely provide better quality than Verrett or Lugo. 

With the Toronto Blue Jays only 2.5 games out of 1^st, it’s unlikely they’re going to want to tamper with their current formula for success.  Many pundits have already suggested the Mets reach out for yet another reunion, this time for former Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey.  Personally, I can’t see it happening as Toronto is not exactly flush with pitching and they have to be smarting mightily from the results Noah Syndergaard, minor leaguer Wuilmer Becerra and when he’s on the field, Travis d’Arnaud, have been providing. 

Finally, a crazy, outside the box idea that was shot down once before it ever came to fruition was when the Cincinnati Reds having toyed with converting then closer Aroldis Chapman into a starter.  He had been a starter in Cuba so it’s not like it would be new to him and the Yankees have been public about moving him in a deal.  I can’t see it happening, but it’s a nice pipe dream.  

Manure-For-Brains Manager Smells Like a Rose

In what universe do you take a guy who's hit 4 home runs in the past 4 days and .315 since the beginning of June and decide, "Hey, the best way to try to win is to glue his butt to the bench!"?

Of course, Wilmer Flores saves his sorry ass by smacking a 3-run homer that helped win the game from the bench.  Imagine what he might have done had he gotten up to bat more often, but no...that made way too much sense.

Had Wilmer not hit that HR you can bet everyone would be crucifying the silver haired simpleton in the morning papers...the man must have found his lucky rabbit's foot when bending over to pluck his four leaf clover.  Tell him to buy a lottery ticket...he's the luckiest SOB in town.  

NOT READY WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

NOT READY WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS by Tom Brennan

Before the season, you would have figured if one of the starting 5 went down, Rafael Montero would slot right in.

Could anyone have imagined, though, that when Harvey became that guy to go on the DL, Montero would have, in his last 8 outings, allowed a ghastly 41 earned runs in 36 innings?  What on earth has happened to poor Raffie?

7.20 ERA this season...time to try something else. Bullpen in Vegas for Montero?  A breather in AA?

Hey, and that guy Michael Fulmer is outpitching the world (9-2, 2.11). At least we have a starting All Star OF in Cespedes in return.

Have a great day....train pulling in.

Reese Kaplan -- Was Earl Weaver Right After All?

Earl Weaver famously said he believed in pitching, defense and the three-run homer. The Mets this season have been somewhat feast or famine when it comes to offense.  The power numbers are respectable.  They are tied for second in the league with the juggernaut Chicago Cubs with 111 HRs, trailing the league leading Washington Nationals by just 3.  However, when it comes to runs scored, they are more than 100 off the pace, 3^rd from the bottom of the league.  The team batting average is an unsightly .240 and the OBP leads only cellar dwelling teams like Atlanta, Cincinnati, San Diego and Philadelphia.  

On the other hand you saw in October what a balanced attack can do when you play small ball, stealing bases, hitting behind the runner, taking walks and reviving the long dead concept of the hit & run.  The Kansas City Royals were so tough not simply because they pitched well, but because there were no easy outs in their lineup.  It seemed every single player was a threat to get on base or advance the runners that were already there.  The Mets, by contrast, may put the ball over the wall, but they also might strike out or hit into a double play. 

The question of the merits of this approach arose due to a few developments on the Mets front.  First, there’s the return of Jose Reyes.  Yes, he will bring speed to the lineup.  Yes, he is a contact hitter.  Yes, he has turned in seasons with an OBP as high as .384.  All of these attributes would suggest that the brain trust finally realized that all of those homers would be even better if there were people on base when the ball sailed over the fence.  Of course, in typical Metsian fashion the plan appears to be to bench the guy who’s hit .315 since becoming a regular at 3B for a period of over a month in order to make room for someone who couldn’t crack the Mendoza line against AA pitching and who has fewer than a dozen games at 3B in his entire pro career.

The other player whose presence raises this question is the team’s newest Dr. Strangeglove, Brandon Nimmo.  In his brief trial in the majors he’s shown that his offensive explosion this year in AAA was not merely a PCL side-effect.  Although he’s never been a power hitter, the monstrous blast out of the back of the bullpen was the longest by any Mets player this year.  He obviously has some ability in that regard as well.  However, before people start clamoring for him to be a middle-of-the-order type of bat, just look across the field for a good comp in Christian Yelich. 

Take a look at the numbers.  Yelich is off to a terrific start and if you double his first half output to approximate what he should have at year’s end, he’s on pace for 12 HRs, 84 RBIs and a .317 batting average with a .399 OBP.  With apologies to both Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson, I’d sign up for that kind of small ball production right now. 

Brandon Nimmo was putting together a very similar offensive run in AAA after having been classified by most as a first round draft pick bust.   His numbers would have extrapolated to 12/88/.328/.409.  Granted, that’s AAA and Yelich is that productive in the majors, but Nimmo was a project type of pick given his lack of organized baseball experience.  He’s showing now that as he’s learning the game the ability is there. 

So now come the interesting questions for for the foreseeable future.  Suppose he does turn into a 1^st or 2^nd place hitter in the mold of Christian Yelich?  What does that do for the Mets outfield come 2017?  Yoenis Cespedes may or may not be back.  Let’s assume for the moment that he is.  Curtis Granderson is under contract for another $16 million.  Michael Conforto seems to be putting it together in AAA now that he’s had time to clear his head.  Then you have Nimmo.  You also have Juan Lagares. 

Of course, the outfield answer doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  There are questions about the infield offense as well.  Who knows what Lucas Duda will be like upon his return?  Who knows if David Wright will ever return?  Who knows if Travis d’Arnaud can ever stop doing his Cliff Floyd impression?  Who knows if Neil Walker will be considered as an option to replace David Wright?  Who knows if Wilmer Flores’ hot month is for real?  About the only virtual certainty going into 2017 is that Asdrubal Cabrera is under contract and will be playing shortstop. 

You also have some questions down on the farm.  Gavin Cecchini is having a terrific year with the bat but an awful one with the glove.  Does he wind up changing positions or changing uniforms as part of a trade?   Dilson Herrera has been on the cusp each of the past few years.  Is he ready? 

Personally, I find small ball exciting.  If Cespedes is back, I’d like Sandy Alderson to work some magic to send Curtis Granderson off to DH somewhere and go into the season with some alignment of Conforto, Cesepedes and Nimmo in the outfield.  The more money he kicks in to defray salary, the better the return I’d expect to get. 

I’d really like to see what Dilson Herrera can do as he brings both speed and power.  While I’d like James Loney back for the bench, it’s more likely they’d want a right handed counterpart for Lucas Duda (and given Loney’s relative success with the Mets, he’s probably looking for a starting gig on a 2^nd tier team).  I’d hand Travis d’Arnaud a first baseman’s mitt and tell him for the sake of his health and his rag arm (as well as the team’s need after Duda becomes a free agent), learn the position.  Wilmer Flores remains a supersub. 

I’d roll the dice on letting Neil Walker depart, and try putting that money shorter term into Yuliesky Gourriel’s 3-4 year contract this year.  Thank him for his service, take the supplemental draft pick and wish him well. 

So what do you prefer?  Is it guys getting on base and playing sound fundamentals?  Or was Tom Glavine right so many years ago?

Reese Kaplan -- All Star Rosters Revealed @ 7:00 PM

Going into the 2016 All Star Game you’d have to think the National League is decidedly behind the eight ball.  First, there’s their long track record of rolling over and curling up in a fetal position during the midsummer classic.  Then there’s the rematch of last year’s managers (and we know how that turned out). 

Still, it’s nice to see the Mets on a national stage again.  Yoenis Cespedes is deservedly going to start in the All Star Game representing the Mets and will likely be joined by both Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia.  Traditionally the manager tends to stuff the roster with as many of his own players as possible, but this time there are few deserving of such a nod with the possible exceptions of Addison Reed (if you were to select a setup guy rather than multiple closers), or Jacob de Grom who is only sporting a 4-4 record despite pitching at an elite level. 

I may be alone in this thinking, but I do believe that one day Travis d’Arnaud will remain healthy enough at least for the first half of a season to get the nod.  Neil Walker has been terrific in the absence of Daniel Murphy, but Ben Zobrist should get the nod at backup (with props to both DJ LeMahieu and Jean Segura).  That’s about it for the Mets pitiful offensive side.  The corner infielders are both out.  Asdrubal Cabrera has been solid but unspectacular.  We all know the prolonged slump that resulted in Michael Conforto’s demotion.  Curtis Granderson has hit for power but not much else. 

In the future do you see any of the Mets’ hitters earning All Star nods?