Cautious Optimist -- Hitting fundamentals and a brief look at some Mets hitters

 

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PRELIMINARY INSTRUCTION:

There is something amiss with my personal youtube channel.  To see the videos in each section, please highlight, copy, then paste into your browser.  Click on the highlighted version that shows up in the browser and play.  Works perfectly but obviously involves an additional step that I would have preferred not to impose on you. If you are having a problem, please let me know in the comment section, and I will work on rectifying it.

Thanks

JC-CO

t's good to see the Mets hitters taking advantage of a weekend's worth of relatively ineffective pitching from a Marlin's squad that seems to have lost its way after last weekend's unceremonious sweep of the Mets.  

I'm optimistic, of course, but within limits.   Those limits were immediately tested in last night's loss to Seattle, where tested by quality pitching, the Mets looked lost at the plate.  I have been vocal in expressing concerns about what is being taught throughout the organization.  I don't expect that my concerns will provide an impetus for change.  

But I do feel I owe it to the readers to explain my view of hitting mechanics in some detail so that the reader can judge for themselves whether there is any substance, not just to my concerns, but to the basis of them.

I have taken a fair bit of time this weekend to put together a series of videos of  dubious cinematic quality to explain and illustrate the general principles that are involved in a hitting motion in baseball.  For clarity I break the mechanics into the following phases:

* Recruiting energy;

* Loading (turning the recruited energy into potential energy)

* Transition (which is by far the least talked about phase of the swing but among the most important)

*Unloading (turning the stored potential energy into kinetic energy)

* Directing the energy (sending the energy out in a particular direction)

I have videos on each of these phases in what follows.  In each video I discuss some potential issues and explain some of my preferences and identify what I take to be general flaws that should be eradicated if a swinging pattern is to be effective, achievable and repeatable.

I close with a series of videos that are designed to explain concerns I have about the motions of Bichette, Baty,  and Alvarez.  

My goal is educational, not critical.  I fully recognize that there will be others who take issue with my approach, but that's fine with me.  I try to keep my comments as general as possible to avoid controversial claims in biomechanics, kinematics or kinetics, to the extent possible.

At a later date, perhaps, if enough people are interested, I can go into the mental side of hitting and in doing so introduce concepts from cognitive and neuroscience, explore the difference between 'teaching' and 'coaching', explain the concept of 'deliberate practice'  and perhaps go into more detail about the ways in which data can both help and hinder progress in coaching.

At this point, I just want to equip the readership with some tools and understanding when they watch at bats during a game -- especially those readers who would enjoy doing so with a critical but understanding eye.  Though every player's swing will differ to some extent, that does not mean that there are no global principles that apply to the kind of motion they are trying to execute.  There are elements that effective, achievable and repeatable hitting motions share, many of which I am pretty sure I never had in baseball, but which I have to a degree in golf!  So without further ado, but with apologies for my limited editing and filming skills ...

The swing motion is a fluid and continuous motion, but breaking it down into its component elements can be clarifying

The basic swing 

Key ideas: two connections a player has that define the ways in which completing the task of hitting can be accomplished: connection of feet to the ground and hands to the bat. The energy in the ground and the player recruits it into his system, which consists of various parts of his or her body that work poorly or well, in sync with one another or not with the ultimate goal of delivering that energy to the ball.   Everything that happens from the moment the player settles into the box to completing a swing is a movement pattern that involves lots of parts of the body put into use to execute that goal.  

A well functioning system can amplify the ballistic impact the bat has on the ball.  It is much harder to create a well functioning system than it is to be victimized by a suboptimal one.  There can be failures to recruit sufficient energy, leaks in the energy one does recruit, and premature release of that energy, and more.  There are many patterns that work, and even more that don't.  Hitting a baseball is hard to do, and even harder when pitchers are trying to make it difficult to do so.

Every hitter has a pattern that is unique to the player, but that does not mean that there are no general principles at work.  Facts about the player impact the way in which those principles are realized in an achievable, effective and repeatable movement pattern for that player.  

I am not a baseball hitting coach, and little of what I know comes from my own experience playing baseball.  I am a golf coach and I have played golf reasonably well.  I have had the benefit of learning by teaching as well as by playing.  

To be clear about my view of my competence: I wouldn't personally feel comfortable teaching elite players in golf or baseball, but I do have a good sense of how to construct a well functioning swing in both sports and how to help others learn it.  The thing to remember is that all professional baseball players we have the pleasure of watching perform are elite hitters.  They are the top 1% of the 1%, no matter how lost a pitcher can make even the best of them seem from time to time.

I hope you find the videos interesting.  Feel free to let me know in the comment section.

Video 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Vi0LgJdzv1A

The loading phase:  What does 'loading' mean and why is it important. How the body moves to take the energy and load it optimally so that it can be most efficiently be unloaded and sent out to the bat.  Loading of the hip/pelvic structure, and loading of the ribcage, arm structure, shoulders, arms and levers (in the arms and the hands) are discussed separately.

Two Videos

Lower body loading

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FSy4wk3FjAo

Upper body loading

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lYpIWGrwS6I

The transition phase How the body moves in transitioning from the loading to the unloading phase of the swing.  This is the least discussed and in many ways the most important phase of the swinging motion.  A poor transition precipitates a lot of energy leakage and a premature release of energy.  It is the period in the swing in which the body executes the change in direction  of the bat from its farthest distance from the body towards the ball.  Ironically, though the swing itself takes almost no time at all, some transitions are faster than others, some have great flow and fluidity and others do not.  All types can be effective or not.  In this video I only explain what this phase is and why it is important.  I would be happy to explain in more detail at another time, how it happens and when it should begin and how, when properly done, it allows everything afterwards to happen in ways that seem effortless yet powerful. That is the fluidity and flow we see in the best swings, what appears as a seamless connection from storing to unleashing.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2TVKzdsM648

The unloading phase: How the body moves to create the unleashing of the energy through the arms into the hands and into the bat and onto the ball.  It is a remarkable sequence of movements.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IzmYE9DV1YE

Directing the energy:  Amazingly, a hitter does not simply unleash the energy but he or she has the power to direct it and focus it; and with different intentions to release it in different directions the body responds and moves differently, as if on command, with no additional thoughts beyond the intention to release the energy in a particular direction.  Because of the time it takes for the body to respond to a signal from the brain, the intention to direct the energy in a particular direction cannot be made during the swing but before it.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4MeurCHcFWc

Bichette's motion:  Synching the trigger of the leg kick with the movement of the barrel.   Look at his address.  The bat barrel is around his neck/head and pointing pretty much to left field.  It doesn't mean he has a long swing. It means that the barrel has to travel a long distance in his swing.  Is the trigger additive in any way, or is it the source of an unnecessarily complex timing issue?  That is not something I can answer.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_HEVxmxslTM

Baty's long and languid swing:  A swing is long, in my terms, when the arms keep moving back on their own initiative and are no longer connected to the turn of the rib cage or shoulders.  They drift beyond the trail pec and in some cases beyond and behind the trail side of the body altogether.  When this happens the lead arm typically goes across the body and the hands are no longer connected to or in sync with the body's rotation.  The hands have to catch up and get back in front of the body, thus throwing sequencing off.  The result is a hitter being vulnerable to off speed stuff and high heat and to any pitcher who can set one up off the other.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sTVtu5uIs9Q

Alvarez's upper body swing:  The paradigm of powerless effort. Outside to in swing path; reduced plate coverage; a power outage that is easy to explain.  Has no coach seen this?  If they have, why hasn't it been corrected?  

Video

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5re1Zlcwq9E

Steve Sica- Should the Mets call up this "Draft Bust?"

Photo courtesy of Bronson Harris

In the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, the Mets held the 11th overall pick. They chose catcher Kevin Parada out of Georgia Tech University. 

Coming off his second season with Georgia Tech, Parada put up numbers worthy of such a high draft selection. In 60 games, he batted .360, smashed 26 home runs, and collected 88 RBIs while sporting an OPS of 1.162. In 258 at-bats, he struck out just 32 times and drew 30 walks.

After the Mets drafted him, they sent him to Low-A St. Lucie. In his small sample size (10 games) Parada would go 8-for-29 (.276 AVG) while putting up an OPS of .877. Not a bad start for the then 20-year-old backstop.

His first full season, though, saw him struggle as he tried adjusting to MiLB pitching. Across Single-A through Double-A, Parada would bat just .248 with an OPS of .751. What was more concerning was that after that season, Parada would go to the Arizona Fall League. A place that's should be a hitters paradise. His numbers tanked as he batted just .189 with an OPS of .611. His defensive numbers lagged behind too.

In 2024, things wouldn't get much better as he batted .214 in a full season with Binghamton. While fellow draft class pick, Jett Williams rocketed up the Met prospect rankings. By the end of 2024, Parada had disappeared from the top-30 Met lists.

Coming into 2026, there were questions if Parada would survive the Rule 5 Draft. No team picked him up and he remained a Met.

Flash forward to the present day, Parada is suddenly having a hot streak in Triple-A Syracuse, batting .385 and has gotten a hit in every one of his seven games since being called up. He's sporting an OPS of .916. As the Met catching depth remains weak at the Major League level, Alvarez is on the IL, Torrens is a serviceable starter for now, but Hayden Senger isn't quite cutting it at the Major League level. Love his story of how long he waited for his shot at the pros, even working as a clerk at his local Whole Foods, but it might be time for the Mets to look in another direction for a backup.

They have two options. Find someone off the waiver wire. Somewhere, the Mets haven't exactly found a lot of luck in. Andy Ibanez, for starters. Or they could promote from within. And why not give their former first round draft pick a shot?

Now, for starters, Parada's success is a very small sample size, just seven games. Before his promotion, he was putting up abysmal numbers in Binghamton. Parada isn't a stranger to bursts of success at the MiLB level. There were similar talks late last summer of calling him up, as he had a hot streak in Binghamton, but it never materialized, and once the Mets called him up to Syracuse, he hit under the Mendoza line for the rest of 2025. 

The 2026 Mets aren't exactly lighting the World on fire. They've had some awful waiver wire selections. A call-up for Kevin Parada could be in the cards. It would be temporary, as Alvarez would be due back soon, but at this point, why not roll the dice on the Georgia Tech product?

Tom Brennan - I Want Players That Want It THIS BAD; Dodger Dummies

The NBA’s Victor Wembanyama Soars Above the Rest

 

7’5” Victor Wembanyama is the greatest current player in the NBA, leading his Spurs team into what will be a cataclysmic NBA Final series, against a scorching NY Knicks squad that is trying for their first NBA title since 1973.

Right after the Spurs’ game 7 win against awesome OKC on OKC’s home court, Victor said three incredibly powerful things:

“Winning the championship trophy, it’s a childhood dream, and having a real shot at it, having a chance, a tangible chance at winning it, realizing a dream…It’s a lifetime chance. You never know when it’s gonna happen again. The day we win it, speaking for myself, it’s gonna be an amazing day of realization of the dream.” 

“It’s hard to put into words. It’s almost like the meaning of my life.”

“I want to win so bad. It’s like my life depends on it.”

Victor isn’t just tall…he is multi-gifted, and works SO incredibly hard to achieve excellence in every conceivable offensive and defensive aspect of his game to make his team the best team it can be.

Listen to those words…who wants to win more than Extraterrestrial Victor?

Did I say he was 22? Not yet? OK, I will say it again, then…he is just 22.

Which Mets players do you feel have at least close to that comprehensively intense inner drive?

I see Soto; Lindor; Benge; Ewing for the hitters. 

But none quite as consumed with excelling as Vic, in my mind.

Mets’ Pitchers with an intense drive to be their absolute best? 

I can say, but I want to hear from YOU.

FROM DEAD IN THE WATER - TO HOT! THAT’S BASEBALL FOR YA!

The Mets were swallowing water and flailing in rapids. But a sand bar opened up, and the sunshine broke out. Blazing hot sun. Four straight, through Sunday. The paddles worked…the cadaver is alive again. But can the pulse sustain itself out west?

We will see. Big break for Mets: Cal Raleigh is out with an oblique.

Still, the Mets lost Monday night, 3-2, on just 2 hits…a 425 foot Jared Young HR to break up an no-hitter, and a Marcus Semien lined HR. 

The Mets were a little too “efficient” - their only other base runner was MJ Melendez on a HBP. 

GOOD NEWS: Mets’ bats arrive in Seattle at 9 AM today, via Fed X. 

Six Mets’ pitchers allowed just 4 hits in the loss. Sean Manaea pitched a fine 5 innings of one run ball, allowing just a solo HR. He seems to finally be getting untracked, a good sign.

EVEN THE DODGER’S “CHILL” FANS TURN HATEFUL

Saw this in Breitbart:

“Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott and his family received death threats from fans after a recent loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, the pitcher’s wife revealed on social media.”

I won’t repeat the threats here. So many sickos these days.

“In the game, Scott took the mound in the eighth inning of Saturday’s game against the Phillies as the Dodgers fought to hold on to a 3-1 lead. However, things did not go well for the reliever, who surrendered three earned runs and Philadelphia held on to win the game, 4-3.”

“On the season, Scott is 1-2 with a 2.19 ERA over 24.2 innings pitched.”

2.19 ERA?  AND HE GETS THREATS??

Classy fans from 60+ years ago many times went to games wearing suits and ties, and in many cases, a chapeau. 

But somewhere along the way, civilization died.  Felony assaults in NYC, I just read, are up 44% since 2019.  Make sure to lock those doors and windows. And whatever you do, don’t pitch for the Dodgers.

Paul Articulates – When a good stretch could be a bad thing

What a relief it is to see the Mets on an actual winning streak.  They swept the Marlins, gaining some level of revenge for being swept in Miami.  They avoided a sweep by the Reds by winning the final game of the series.  That’s four in a row to close out a homestand that has Queens breathing a sigh of relief.

From here, it is back out to the west coast for series against the Mariners (31-29 AL West) and the Padres (32-26 NL West).  It has been very difficult for the team to keep changing time zones, having been alternating between west and east three times already.  With two good teams facing them and little rest to be had, this could be a difficult challenge that derails the winning momentum that has recently been gained.

But losing a series or two may not be the worst thing that could happen to this team.  I think (and many of you will disagree) that the worst thing that could happen to this team is a winning streak.  Why?  Well by this point in the season with the Mets 7 games underwater and a team OPS of .654, it is a logical next step to start re-working the team for success in the future, not compromising strategy to eke out more wins and keep the fans happy.  That process would right the ship and eliminate some of the recent very costly mistakes like Polanco, Bichette, and Peralta.  It would also force a final reckoning for those players that have had too many chances like Baty, Vientos, and Alvarez.

What could go wrong is a winning streak that pulls the team back up to .500 and suddenly renews hope that this is not a lost season.  Instead of correcting the huge miscalculations in the rebuild of 2026, it would drive some desperate deadline behavior that could cost more prospects and more money for short-term rentals that might get the team to challenge for the last wild card spot.  Then we would lose not only the first playoff series but would also lose the rentals and the prospects we paid for them and be back to square one for spring training 2027.

The best thing that could happen, though very painful for the fans, would be for the team to play mediocre baseball for the months of June and July, head into the trade deadline 8-10 games below .500, and do the right things for the future.  Let the kids play and prove themselves, get what you can get for the baby Mets that never grew up to be man Mets, and trade away the mid-30’s players that were acquired in the winter for whatever prospect collateral we can obtain.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the collapse of the development system from the low minors to MLB will cause a great deal of introspection, hopefully concluding with lessons learned and actionable results that will salvage the talent we still have in the system.

Yes, this is another year lost in the quest for the World Championship.  Yes, this will mean less fans in seats in 2026 and less merchandising.  Yes, this will mean a financial loss for the ownership this year.  But if it becomes the means for a real, no-compromises strategic recalibration, it will be the beginning of a long, bright future.

Reese Kaplan -- So Maybe Mets Changes are A'Coming After All

I’ve been more than transparent about my disdain for the Mets President of Baseball Operations sitting back and doing pretty much nothing but waiting while the wheels have fallen off and the gas gauge is well past the warning line and smack in the middle of Empty. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I can’t blame Stearns for the multitude of injuries that have impacted the club’s dismal won/loss records.  He did not hit the ball that fractured Clay Holmes’ fibula.  He did not cause Francisco Lindor’s calf strain.  He did not break Ronny Mauricio’s thumb.  He did not force Juan Soto onto the IL for recovery time.  He is not responsible for Tyrone Taylor’s issue.  He did not do anything to Kodai Senga’s long term health.  These things are all simply part of the game as it is played.

Where you can get a little bit less understanding is in player selection.  Two of the 2026 newcomers had a long history of injury problems which made their acquisitions a bit overly optimistic because what if that trend continued once they put on Mets uniforms?  Sure enough, both Luis Robert and Jorge Polanco have missed more time than they have played yet they are tying up combined about $43 million dollars of Steve Cohen’s payroll budget to be on the bench as a result of their maladies.  Those choices are somewhat indicative of a less than stellar selection of player personnel.

Going forward, however, could there actually be a plan being put into place to relieve payroll pressure and set up the 2027 team for the success that’s eluded the 2026 squad.  This week combined reliever/starter Tobias Myers was somewhat surprisingly sent down to Syracuse after lately not having done his best work but he surely had not sunk to a Peterson level of ineptitude. 

Word soon filtered out that there could be a sliver lining to this seeming dark cloud over Myers’ career.  It is said that he’s going to take some time there to stretch himself out from a primarily relief pitcher role into being one capable of handling 5+ innings as a starting pitcher.  That decision if true suggests that perhaps the forward thinking gene has not completely gone comatose in Stearns’ head.  Making Myers available to start opens up the July trade market for starting pitchers currently on the Mets or soon to return from injury.

While the normal reaction to a Mets prospective trade transaction would be genuinely misguided with some version of dumping David Peterson who is an upcoming free agent for another team’s bag of balls.  However, he’s not the only one who has worn out his welcome here.

There is projected ace Freddy Peralta who is in the same boat for whom the Mets paid a price to acquire for his walk year.  His recent starts have not been quite the level he’d delivered in the past but his recent success and more importantly his health have made him a desirable rental for another team to spend player personnel to swap.

Sean Manaea is the toughest nut to crack and the swap of Peterson with him in the starting rotation is likely being done in the hopes that the poorly performing and high priced righty can string together June and July starts that are markedly better than what he’s shown in 2026.  If he uses these nine starts to demonstrate that there is both health and quality there, then it’s possible though less likely the Mets would find another team willing to take on Manaea not just for the balance of 2026 but also for the 2027 season.  Even if he managed to lower his ERA below 4.00 it’s going to be a bit of a tough sell given the remaining payroll commitment for the next 18 months.

Finally, there is everyone’s favorite target, Kodai Senga.  He’s doing rehab games right now and certainly has a much higher level track record in his American career than any of the others.  Health has been a bigger issue for him but his $15 million annual salary makes him a moderate cost for a guy with a career ERA 3.39.  The Mets are obligated to pay him for the remainder of this year as well as 2027 with an option for 2028 at the same rate.  If healthy he would be right up there with Peralta for the starting pitchers near easiest to move. 

In the absence of one or more of these pitchers the Mets are left with Christian Scott, Nolan McLean, maybe Jonah Tong, now Tobias Myers and whomever is left on the starting roster once trades are consummated.  Clay Holmes would be back at some time and some IL losses to Tommy John Surgery are also available next year if wanted.  They need some help.  

MACK - Strike News

On Thursday, the filthy rich baseball owners delivered their initial salvo going into the negotiations regarding the possibility of a strike at the end of this season. It outlined a hard salary cap of a ceiling of $245.3mil (nice round number) and a floor of $171.2mil.

The length of the owner's offer is seven years.

The player’s union has already responded saying the only thing the greedy owners want is more money in their pockets. There is a better chance of President Trump accepting a deal from Iran that keeps their nuclear material in place than the players accepting a salary cap.

As for the Mets, what would they look like with a payroll of around $100mil less? Could be a quick solution to all the mistakes made in the off-season. 

This isn't a lengthy post. It's just a reminder that this issue is in play and there is a good chance that the only baseball you will be able to watch next year is the Savannah Bananas.

Look at the bright side... the team will come out of this with only Calvin Zeigler on the IL.

In my opinion, the owners care about their profit margin much more than the players on their payroll. How much profit, you say? Well, a sizable amount of these teams have increased their value ONE BILLION DOLLARS +;more since the current agreement was signed.

That's one billion with a B.

And yet, a salary cap like this one would only increase that profit. 

Please don't ever call this a game anymore.

Tom Brennan - Brooklyn Batter Blues; Is the Bryce MDO Rambling Road Show Ending? And Discrimination by Nats vs. Trevor Williams

 

“Don’t extremely windy conditions negatively impact hitters?”

“Nah….how could they?” 

Had you ever gone out as a kid or a teenager and hit baseballs into a stiff wind? 

I still remember that - remember it being no fun at all. 

Hitting the ball with the wind at your back? That was terrific.

Bud Harrelson turns into the Bambino.

But if you blasted a high fly into the wind on a particularly windy day, the wind would just stop it. Why? Because it is called wind RESISTANCE.

That’s what hitters in Brooklyn constantly experience, especially, I imagine, early in the season, when there is dead air and blustery, sometimes near gale force, conditions.

In 1981, when I trained for the marathon, I Live near Tanners Park in Amityville. I would run down there and the wind coming in was fierce in the winter. After doing it a handful of times, I stopped and picked the other roots. 

I also got to do singing gigs at the Jones Beach bandshells on field three and field four on four different occasions. 

On one occasion, it was so windy that the guy with the sound system had to use sandbags to hold the speaker stanchions down. Another time, the wind was really strong, but not like that. Then one other time it was a normal breeze and one time it was dead air. You never know what you’re gonna get down by the water. The differences can be extreme.

I put all that together and I come to one conclusion: that Park with his current dimensions has to really suck for the hitters. And the statistics over the years support that conclusion. Mets former slugger Ike Davis hit plenty of home runs with the Mets for a few brief years, including 32 in 2012.

But when he played in Brooklyn, as a left-handed hitter, he had exactly 0 home runs, in roughly 125 Brooklyn plate appearances.

He played for Team Israel in a WBC qualifying round game back in Cyclones Park in September 2016, towards the tail end of his career. An MLB article included this stunning statement:

"I can still barely hit it out," said Davis, standing on the field at MCU Stadium, home of the Mets' Class A affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones, and eying the right-field wall.

"Can you feel that wind?"

Yes, I can feel it, Ike. Great for flying kites, not for playing pro baseball.

In a publication known as the Brooklyn paper, I also saw the following quote from a 2025 article:

“It’s super hard to hit in this field,” said catcher Ronald Hernandez, who is a switch-hitter. “But we don’t think about it because we make a lot of preparation during the practice, and we try to bring our best effort every time. It’s hard when you hit the ball in the air and the winds kind of treat you.”

And…

“You’re not going up there looking for home runs,” said Carson Benge. You’re going up there looking for low-line drives, something you can hit hard. So I feel like that in my approach has stayed the exact same. If I get something up a little bit and it gets caught at 105, I’m completely okay with that.”

Lastly…

(Manager Gil Gomez said) “It is a pitchers’ ballpark. There’s no secret about it. But I feel like the more that we can put that out of their minds and just focus on hitting the ball hard regardless of the outcome, I think we should be in a good spot.”

A Baseball America article in January 2025 said this:

 “High-A Brooklyn (Mets) and High-A Tri-City (Angels) have reputations as brutal hitters' parks, and…rugged conditions for lefthanded batters”.

WHICH LEADS ME TO A SIMPLE QUESTION: 

Since ownership can modify field dimensions simply by moving fences closer, to make the field footprint smaller, why the heck isn’t that done? 

Does the organization want to torment its prospects? Does the organization want to make it a daily dose of miserable for its prospects? Does the organization want to take its prospects away from their normal style of hitting, assuming that their initial style of hitting involves some normal ball lift that translates into home runs in normal parks?

If I were the owner, I would want to protect my prospects and see them not have to fight through adversity. I would move the fences in. A lot.

But, sadly, I am not the owner, and really have no say in the matter. It just pains me to see hitters struggle in a nasty hitting Park. There are parks right in that league that are very friendly hitters Parks and I’m sure they’d much rather be playing there.

OK. I know I’ve written about the fences before. I’m going to stop here. Have a good day.

P.S. Playing on the water is weird. I went to Smith’s Point Beach in Suffolk County with the missus this Thursday.  The wind was extremely strong, all right - fierce - but from the north, not from the ocean. For baseball, it is just weird playing in high wind conditions.

IS BRYCE MONTES DE OCA REACHING THE END OF THE ROAD?

Everyone has that one freakishly talented guy that you hoped would somehow straighten out their performance flaws and become a star. Darryl Dawkins in the NBA was one such guy. The backboard buster turned into a pretty good NBA center, but was incessantly in foul trouble.

Of all the Mets prospect guys I’ve followed as a writer on this site over the last decade, big Bryce was my guy. 

A very wild guy who could throw 103 miles an hour, and I still remember that one pitch that he threw that look like a sick Mason Miller slider, except it instead broke like a screw ball in the other direction. A total freak pitch. It literally looked like it broke about 2 feet. Maybe that’s why he’s had repeated arm problems. Too much torque, no finesse.

Now in another organization, he pitched against Brooklyn Friday night in relief. I noted in the box score that the Brooklyn scored 10 runs on just six hits. Which is unusual. So then I looked at the box score. Bryce pitched.

He retired a batter (by strikeout) and allowed no hits…but hit two batters and walked 4 more, allowing 6 runs.

Bryce is now 30, and was drafted in 2018 but did not pitch as a pro until 2021. Injured seriously and often, he has only thrown 106 pro innings, fanning 156 batters, walking 94, and hitting 18 dudes that likely were quaking in their boots and had gotten their wills notarized before facing him.

He could fool everyone and pull it all together, finally, at age 30. But this feels like an experiment that will never be anything but a failed experiment. However, until Bryce says it’s over, it’s not over.

Washington Nats Exec Sean Hudson Fired for Discrimination Vs. Former Mets Player

SAW THIS ON TWITTER:

Director of Community Relations Admits on Hidden Camera to Active Religious Discrimination Against Starting Pitcher Trevor Williams, Surveillance of Nationals Fans’ Google History, and Segregated LGBTQ+ Corporate Meetings to an O’Keefe Undercover Journalist “One of our pitchers, Trevor Williams. He’s super Christian-Catholic, all these tattoos that mean a lot.” “The Dodgers had a group… who were drag queens who sometimes dressed up as nuns. 

“He [Trevor Williams] went on social media like… ‘This is my religion. You all are mocking it.’” “Because of that, we [Washington Nationals] don’t use him [Trevor Williams] on social [media].” “Like, when they're like, is a hot dog a sandwich? And like, the players come up, you know what I mean? Like, we [Nationals] don't ask him [Trevor Williams].” “If you ever come to a Nats game, there is someone on our team who is responsible for figuring out everything about you and assigning you into a bucket of people. If you’re accepting cookies, we’re getting a plethora of your Google history.”

- We live in strange times.

Tom Brennan - Embarrassing Mets OFF-base Percentages; And Awful Mets Subs’ Hitting

 

ARE METS HITTERS EMBARRASSED WITH THEIR SUNKEN OBP’S?

So, the Mets moved on from 3 key hitters from the prior half decade this past winter - Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil.

Their career on base percentages as Mets?

Nimmo: .364

McNeil: .351

Alonso: .341

Collectively excellent.

This year, through Wednesday, Juan Soto (.392 OBP) has been scorching since the frigid early season warmed up, and after his recovery from injury. 

Stop nitpicking and criticizing him - he is great.

Other Mets’ OBPs this season? 

Miserable. They would be OK if they were batting averages and not OBPs.

Tyrone Taylor .210

Ronny Mauricio .219

Jorge Polanco .246

Mark Vientos .261

Marcus Semien .264

Luis Torrens .266

Bo Bichette .273

Brett Baty .306

Look at those putrid OBPs, and then realize that the lowest team OBP last year was .293. 

The Mets team OBP this year, through Wednesday? .292.

Well, they do lead the majors in OFF BASE PERCENTAGE.

And…

The new kids are embarrassing the others not named Soto:

Carson Benge .310

Andrew “AJ” Ewing .350

SOMETIMES, I JUST CANNOT GET OVER HOW…

…poorly Mets call ups and part timers hit, each and every year.

This year, 4 called-up hitters - Ibanez, Morabito, Senger, and Pham - combined to go a sickly 1 for 40 through Thursday, with 20 Ks. 

 - Nick Morabito went 0-11, with 9 Ks! 

Last year’s Flopping Foursome - Senger, Young, Mullins, and Siri - in 268 at bats produced just 45 hits (.167).

In 2024, Omar Narvaez and DJ Stewart combined to go 38 for 223 (.170). 

In 2023, Almonte, Nido, Arauz, and Mendick combined for 28 for 195 (.143).

In the 101 win of 2022, you remember, the season the Mets lost the division in a tiebreaker, an incredible 14 hitters hit under .200, going a combined 123 for 690 (.178). 

 - Would they have won 110 games if those guys hit .228?

In 2021, it was Cameron Maybin going 1 for 28, while Khalil Lee and Albert Almora chipped in a combined 7 for 70. That’s a combined 8 for 98 (.081).

Question:

Is the pressure of hitting on the Mets unlike that of any other team?

METS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT, INCLUDING SCOTT’S 1ST MLB WIN

6-1 win - final. Christian Scott dazzled for 5 innings, fanning 8 to secure the win. Very promising about Scott.

Minor league Mets teams also all won, except for a close loss by Syracuse punctuated by a bad Jack Wenninger outing. A nice day.

MORE A&Q

ANSWER: 73-38

QUESTION: What is Zach Wheeler’s record after leaving the Mets?

Hey, I don’t know about you, but I am sure glad that Wheeler went to one of our key rival teams. 

How about you?

RVH - Rethinking the Mets, Part 2: The Slow-Start Problem Is Killing Seasons

In Part 1 of this series, we argued that the Mets do not have an ambition problem. They have an execution problem.

The first six years of the Steve Cohen era have been defined by aggressive investment, organizational modernization, and a clear objective: build a championship organization capable of competing with baseball's elite year after year.

The goal has never been simply to reach the playoffs.

The goal has been to join the Yankees, Braves, and Dodgers as one of baseball's enduring standard-bearers.

But if Part 1 was about understanding the gap between ambition and results, Part 2 begins examining one of the most persistent patterns preventing the Mets from closing that gap.

The slow-start problem.

At first glance, this might seem like an overreaction.

Every team starts slowly sometimes.

Every team experiences injuries, slumps, and bad stretches.

Baseball seasons are long.

The standings on May 1 rarely determine where teams finish in October.

All true.

But the Mets' slow-start problem is not primarily a standings problem.

It's a pressure problem.

More specifically, it's a pressure-amplification problem.

Because one of the defining characteristics of the Cohen era is how quickly an ordinary baseball challenge can become an organizational stress test.

The cycle has become familiar:

The season opens with expectations.

A few injuries appear.

The offense struggles.

The bullpen blows a few games.

The standings tighten.

Questions emerge.

The media intensifies.

Fans become restless.

Players start pressing.

The noise grows.

And suddenly a difficult two-week stretch becomes the dominant storyline of the season.

The best organizations don't eliminate adversity.

They eliminate amplification.

That's the difference.

The Dodgers suffer injuries every year.

The Braves lose important players every year.

The Yankees face pressure every year.

Yet those organizations rarely allow a difficult April to become an organizational crisis.

The Mets still do.

And that's where this discussion becomes uncomfortable.

Because by now, some of these patterns have repeated too often to dismiss as bad luck.

Every season seems to become emotionally heavy almost immediately.

That matters because baseball is not played in a vacuum.

Pressure changes behavior.

Players press.

Managers manage differently.

Front offices feel pressure to act.

Media narratives harden.

Fans become less patient.

The game itself begins to speed up.

And once that happens, mistakes multiply.

The irony is that the actual baseball problem often remains manageable.

The emotional consequences become far more damaging than the standings consequences.

That distinction is critical.

A team can recover from being three or four games under .500 in April.

Recovering from months of accumulated pressure is much harder.

Part of the challenge may be roster construction.

Older rosters often start slower.

Power-dependent offenses can be vulnerable to cold-weather baseball.

Athletic teams tend to absorb early-season variance better.

Part of the challenge may be organizational depth.

The best teams don't avoid injuries.

They replace production.

When stars disappear, capable alternatives emerge.

The season continues moving forward.

Part of the challenge may be environmental.

April baseball at Citi Field is different from April baseball in Atlanta or Los Angeles.

Weather matters.

Ballpark conditions matter.

Offensive environments matter.

And over time, those factors can influence both performance and perception.

But there may be another factor that receives less attention.

History.

When the Yankees start slowly, fans become frustrated.

When the Mets start slowly, many fans become concerned.

Those are not the same thing.

The Yankees spent generations building institutional credibility.

The Braves spent decades building trust through consistency.

The Dodgers rebuilt theirs through sustained excellence.

Those organizations have accumulated something the Mets are still chasing:

The benefit of the doubt.

The Mets have not earned that yet.

And that's why every slow start feels heavier.

The reaction is not simply about the current season.

It is about forty years of accumulated frustration.

Every stumble reopens old questions.

Every losing streak revives old fears.

Every disappointing stretch creates renewed uncertainty about whether the organization is truly moving closer to its ultimate goal.

That is the trust gap.

And right now, it may be one of the biggest challenges facing the franchise.

Because the Mets are trying to become a championship organization.

But when slow starts repeatedly create pressure spirals, the conversation quickly shifts back toward more immediate concerns.

Instead of discussing how to become the Dodgers, Braves, or Yankees, the Mets find themselves trying to prove they can simply stabilize the current season.

That is not where a championship organization wants to live.

The encouraging news is that many of the necessary investments have already been made.

The Mets have committed resources to player development.

They have expanded analytics.

They have upgraded performance infrastructure.

They have modernized baseball operations.

They have invested heavily throughout the organization.

The challenge now is converting those investments into greater stability.

Because ultimately, the organizations the Mets are chasing are not defined by how often they face adversity.

They are defined by how well they absorb it.

The Mets still allow adversity to compound.

Until that changes, every season will continue to feel harder than it needs to be.

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Part 2 Thesis

The Mets' slow-start problem is not primarily a standings problem.

It is a pressure-amplification problem.

The best organizations absorb adversity without allowing it to spread.

The Mets too often absorb stress.

Until that changes, every season risks becoming more difficult than it needs to be.

---

What We've Learned So Far

Part 1: The Mets do not have an ambition problem. They have an execution problem.

Part 2: The Mets' slow-start problem is not a standings problem. It is a pressure-amplification problem.

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Next: Part 3 – The Yankees Didn't Eliminate Pressure. They Learned How to Carry It

If pressure is one of the Mets' biggest obstacles, the obvious next question is how the Yankees have managed to thrive under it for generations. The answer has far less to do with payroll than most Mets fans realize.