Reese Kaplan -- What Can the Mets Take From Alex Cora's Exit?

During Saturday’s rainout word filtered out that there was an interesting change afoot in the American League East.  Having gotten off to a very poor start to the 2026 season tied with the Kansas City Royals for overall ineptitude the Boston Red Sox somewhat surprisingly pulled the trigger on Manager Alex Cora who has been at their helm since 2018 with a career record as skipper in the positive column by going 620-541 good for a .534 winning percentage.  

This year’s dismal .370 winning percentage was too much to take and he was sent packing along with most of his coaching staff.  The news was indicative of what a team does when they reach a breaking point and can no longer continue down the same path that isn’t working.

Dig a little deeper and guess what?  The Mets are currently owning a 9-17 record with a winning percentage even lower at .346.  They are led by third year manager Carlos Mendoza who owns a career record of 181-169 good for a winning percentage also lower at .517.  

Unlike Cora who became the World Series winner in his 2018 rookie season in charge, Mendoza has made the playoffs exactly once.  Yet despite achieving less with a poorer record and worse winning percentage and having just endured a Mets record setting 12 game losing streak apparently the New York Mets front office feels this path is the right one to continue as theoretically the best is yet to come.

I’ve written an article not long ago in which I concluded that Mendoza was not the root cause of the Mets malaise, yet at the same time optics sometimes matter more than do numbers.  Yes, the Mets have had to endure a great many injuries and slow starts by a multitude of hitters and pitchers, yet you’re left wondering exactly who is being held accountable for what appears on the stat sheet in the individual and team wide record books?  

For now the only red flags waved included fringe pitchers like Luis Garcia and Dicky Lovelady with offensive stopgaps arriving who either couldn’t make the majors at of Spring Training (MJ Melendez) or not even gotten a job at all elsewhere in baseball (Tommy Pham). 

So after the brief two game winning streak the Mets hit the skids again during the opening game with the Rockies and now hold a razor thin half game margin before owning the worst record in all of baseball.  Thus far the “stay the course” philosophy rings hollow with seemingly no one other than David Stearns who assembled this roster accountable for what’s gone wrong.  Owner Steve Cohen sent his public “rah rah” message during the streak which had no direct impact on anything.  No key ballplayers who are not on the IL have been credited with any of the negative outcomes. 

Many folks are quick to point out that the Mets did a major overhaul of their team roster during the offseason during which Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo and others hit the road while the hometown team brought in the likes of Bo Bichette, injured Jorge Polanco and semi regular threatening to sink to the Mendoza line, Luis Robert.  

On the pitching side they did add Freddy Peralta but have already squeezed Sean Manaea and David Peterson out of the starting rotation while test driving ineffective substitutes to take over the role of starting pitcher.  Everyone is still awaiting the return of AJ Minter to help fortify the spotty bullpen but even if he replicates the quality he showed during his Atlanta years, nothing has been done to help improve the 25th ranked team batting average of just .230. 

Cora will not stay unemployed for very long given his track record.  In fact, the equally dismal Philadelphia Phillies may consider him a viable candidate to replace their own embattled skipper Rob Thompson whose own career record of 354-266 (.571 winning percentage) is not helping them much in 2026. 

The most interesting question about the Alex Cora and staff firing from Beantown is what exactly are the Mets doing to correct their course?  Yes, hitters actually remembering what to do when they come to the plate would be a huge step in the right direction as would steadiness from shaky members of the pitching corps.  However, once again it is about optics.  What have the Mets done to right the ship?  Thus far it’s a whole lotta nothin’

Tom Brennan: Mets Home Parks Simply Stifle Their Hitters

 

 Unfriendly Dimensions Lead to Boring Results

HOME FIELD HITTING DISADVANTAGES

Binghamton is off to a poor hitting start.

I have never been to the Binghamton park, nor to the Phillies’ Reading AA park.

But I believe the best way to assess a team’s hitters is how they hit ON THE ROAD. 

Why? Because some teams play in lovely hitter’s parks and some in stingy, frustrating pitcher’s parks. The road largely equalizes hitter abilities from team to team.

So, check this out about the Binghamton Rumble Ponies:

Over the 5 year period from 2021 through 2025, Binghamton hitters on the road hit 340 HRs, while Reading’s hitters hit just 277. 

Do the math. That’s 13 more “away” homers per year by Bingo than by Reading. 

So that certainly leaves the impression that Binghamton hitters are much better than Reading hitters, huh?

At home, though, Reading hitters in 5 years smashed 373 HRs, or 96 more than Reading hit on the road!

That implies to me that Reading’s home park is “very hitter friendly.”

On the other hand, Binghamton in 5 years hit just 240 homers at home, or a stunning 100 fewer than they hit on the road!

That implies that “Bingo Caverns” plays as a very hitter UNfriendly” park.

Conclusion: if Binghamton on the road has hit 23% more HRs than Reading, then, if Binghamton also hit 23% more HRs than Reading while playing their home games, they would have hit 459 homers (1.23 * 373) at home.

But they hit just 240, or 219 fewer than 459. 219/5 is 44 more home HRs per year at home. 

So, the next time you think Binghamton hitters are lousy, that they are Stumble Ponies and not RUMBLE Ponies, think again. 

Think how doggone deflating Moribito Park has to be to Binghamton hitters power-wise…44 more home runs at home annually would do absolute wonders for Binghamton hitters’ statistics.

When I see this, and also realize how (let’s say it as it is) piss-poor the hitting conditions are for Brooklyn Cyclones hitters, too, when they’re at home, I simply am baffled as to why an organization like the Mutts would make their hitters struggle at two of their 4 top minors levels in that fashion. 

What? Don’t you think that a good hitter, losing perhaps five home runs a year in Binghamton and seven home runs a year in Brooklyn, is going to be having a much harder time impressing the bosses statistically than they would if they were in a normal hitting park or, better yet, in a hitter friendly park? And also look less attractive as trade bait?

And remember dimensions when you ponder Mets prospect pitchers too. 

How often have we seen pitchers dazzle in Brooklyn and Binghamton, like Hamel, Vasil, Sproat, Tidwell and Suarez, and then get roughed up in AAA, where the balls carry out much better, just judging by the much higher home run totals in AAA versus AA and versus High A.

I would strongly recommend that Mets management, in coordination with Binghamton and Brooklyn, consider how they might be able to move the fences in somewhat to make both of them at least hitter neutral parks.

“Mr. Cohen, tear down those walls”, President Ronald Reagan might have said.

And put up ones that are more hitter friendly. 

Do it in Queens too. 

I have said it before, and I will say it again, fans dig the long ball. 

And most of them hate the long Mets hitter fly ball that is caught on the warning track that would be a home run in other parks. They hate it even more when their home team is losing too much. 

Who wants to go to a game where your team is losing too frequently, and can’t get the darn ball over the wall? 

Simply, the Mets compete (poorly) for fannies in NY seats with the Yankees. 

And those Yankees? Boy oh boy are they smart! How so?

So far, both teams have played 13 home games. 

In 13 home games, the Yankees have hit a whopping 24 home runs. 

And in 13 home games, the Mets have hit a paltry 10 home runs, with quite a few near misses that show up in the box score as an average-deflating out, not a home run. 

As a consequence, the Yankees have scored 75 runs at home in 13 games, and the Mets have scored an anemic 50 runs at home in 13 games (and just 39 in their last 12 home games). Boring.

Frankly, any smart businessman would know what to do here. 

But I’m no longer hedging my bets that there is one in Queens.

Tom Brennan: Mets Minors Pitching Update; The A.J.’s; Scott Not (Yet)

 

REMEMBER JONAH TONG IN LAST SEPTEMBER’S GREAT METS START?

IT WON’T BE HIS LAST GREAT METS START

TOP 30 PROSPECT PITCHERS UPDATE

The Mets’ official Top 30 prospects list has 17 hitters and 13 pitchers. 

I addressed most of the hitters a few days ago.  

Today, it is the 13 prospect pitchers’ turn to go under the Brennan Scope:

(Based on stats through Friday):

AAA

Jonah Tong (Terrific)

One rough outing so far, and one rough 5th inning in another. But he has fanned 32 in 20.2 innings. 

Last 2 outings, 10 innings, 19 Ks. Beast. Terrific.

Jack Wenninger - Jack thought he was Christian Scott in his last outing: a short (2.1 IP), low hit (1), high walk (5) game, but Jack fanned 4, and so far has a 2.16 ERA. A good one.

Ryan Lambert - 1-0, 3.86 in 8 outings. Two were wild, the other 6 were great. 11 Ks in 7 IP.

Dylan Ross - 3 rehab innings so far in A ball. 0.00 ERA, 2 Ks. Good to see.

Jonathan Pintaro - 1-0, 2.51 in 7 relief outings with a 1.05 WHIP. And a 1.46 ERA after his first relief outing in sub-zero March conditions.

AA

Jon Santucci - Santucci started slowly in 2025 in High A. He has started a little unevenly this year

Will Watson - 0-3, 4.96 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in the early going.

Zach Thornton - 3 outings, 0-1, 2.76 ERA. His team is not hitting.

Brendan Girton - very wild in his first 3 starts. But threw a strong 5 innings of 1 run ball on Friday night.

R.J. Gordon - 11-3 last year, zero innings so far this year. (He actually had a short, rough rehab outing Saturday night for St Lucie.)

FULL A

Cam Tilly - 1-0, 5.85 in 15 innings, with 19 Ks, for the 21 year old 7th rounder, in his pro debut.  I think he will do well.

PETER KUSSOW & NATHAN HALL?

Their FCL season starts in early May. Their next pro inning will be their first. Both therefore have a 0.00 ERA.

One AA reliever off to a great start is 29(!) year old Brian Metoyer. 5 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 8 Ks, 0.00. An oldie but goodie. Maybe he ascends to Queens this year?

SUMMARY CONCLUSION: The system has been somewhat depleted from the depth of pitching it had a year ago, but is nonetheless still solid.

FRIDAY MINORS ACTION

Two rainouts and 2 losses. Syracuse got smoked 9-2, with bad bullpen work. St Lucie lost 8-7, with bad bullpen work. Jose Chirinos pitched well, again, for St Lucie (2,45 ERA). Lavender pitched well for Lucie in his ongoing rehab.

Elian Peña (.338) had 2 hits and a walk, and feels more and more like a RISING STAR!

WHAT WOULD BE COOL…

It won’t happen, but it would be cool (at least to me) if the Mets called up both A.J. Minter and A.J. Ewing on the same day.  

Minter should be called up within the next several days. 

Ewing IMO deserves the same timeframe, but it will be longer for the AA hitting star to arrive. Hitters are simply less fungible than pitchers.

CHRISTIAN SCOTT

After his most recent no-decision, he has been in 10 career major league games spanning 49 innings.  Considering all the chatter, and all the “top prospect coverage” he has gotten on the Macks Mets website, he has exactly 0 major league wins. Zero.  No place to go but up.

Of course, pointing that “zero” out is not to denigrate him. 

If he was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he’d probably have five career wins already. 

Just ask Jake D how difficult it is to win games as a Mets starter. 

Or ask Freddy P. Or Matt Harvey. Or Anthony Young.

Anthony Y. was 3-30 over a 2 year period. In true Mets fashion, he had an ERA below 4.00 spanning those 2 years. But heck, at least he won some games. Young was 10-13 with his 2 other clubs. 

Paul Sewald? 1-14 with the Mets. His next team, Seattle? 18-8.

So, Christian, take it all with a grain of salt.

RVH - April 24, 2026 — Game Recap (Analytics Mode) Rockies 4, Mets 3 — When Structure Isn’t Enough

 

The Mets didn’t get beat tonight by a better team.

They got beat by a more efficient one.

Against the Colorado Rockies, the Mets actually won parts of this game — more hits, strong strikeout pitching, controlled innings. And still lost 4–3.

That’s not bad luck.

That’s a conversion gap.

Game Frame: Lost in the Middle

Final: Mets 3, Rockies 4
Run Differential: -1
Game Type: Competitive Middle (2–4 run band)

This is the exact category of game that exposes a team’s true quality.

And tonight, the gap wasn’t talent.

It was a lack of execution.

Pitching: Strikeouts Without Shutdown

At first glance, the pitching line looks strong:

• 15 strikeouts

• 10 hits allowed

• 4 runs

But dig one layer deeper:

Freddy Peralta

• 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K

Sean Manaea

• 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

This is the paradox:

High strikeouts + limited walks, yet still 4 runs allowed

What that tells you:

• When the Rockies did make contact, it mattered

• Hits were clustered, not scattered

• The Mets failed to kill innings early

This is a classic inefficient suppression game:

• Dominance in moments

• Leakage in key sequences

Offense: Volume Without Leverage

Now the real story.

The Mets:

• 11 hits

• 3 runs

• 3-for-8 with RISP

• 3 double plays

• 5 LOB

This is not a lack of opportunity.

This is misuse of opportunity.

Key indicators:

• Double plays (3) → rally killers

• No walks (0) → no pressure creation beyond hits

• Low LOB (5) → innings ended quickly after traffic

And the biggest tell: The Mets had traffic — but not sustained innings

They didn’t stack at-bats. They reset too often.

Baty as Microcosm

Brett Baty:

• 2 hits

• 2 RBI

• Only extra-base hit (double)

He drove the offense.

That’s both:

• A positive (production exists)

• A problem (too concentrated)

The lineup didn’t function as a system — it relied on isolated contribution.

Game Flow: Where It Flipped

Look at the scoring:

• Rockies score in 5th, 6th, 7th

• Mets score 1 early, 2 late

That middle sequence (5–7) is the game.

That’s where:

• Pitching allowed clustering

• Offense failed to respond in real time

• Momentum shifted and held

The Mets were reactive, not responsive.

System Read: Same Inputs, Opposite Outcome

Compare this to the prior two games:

Input	Output
Strong pitching	Mixed results
Adequate hitting	Inconsistent runs
Clean defense	Stable

The Mets are generating similar inputs, but:

Outputs are unstable

That’s a sequencing problem.

Core Issue: Conversion, Not Creation

This is now a pattern:

• Hits are there

• Strikeouts are there

• Errors are minimal

But:

• Runs don’t scale with hits

• Opponent runs come in clusters

• Key moments are lost

That’s not randomness anymore.

That’s a system inefficiency.

Takeaway

This was not a frustrating loss.

It was a diagnostic one.

The Mets don’t have a talent problem in this game.

They have a timing problem:

• When to get the hit

• When to avoid the double play

• When to shut down the inning

Until that aligns, you get games like this:

Out-hit the opponent
Match them in strikeouts
Lose anyway

That’s the difference between playing baseball…and winning it.