The Mets have some of us buffaloed into thinking they can actually score.
You hear a lot of positive things about Mets' hitters.
Pete Alonso has prodigious power and a Braveheart mentality.
Michael Conforto can blast them and can really get on a roll.
Brandon Nimmo can REALLY get on base.
JD Davis can hit well, and also get on base a lot.
Jeff McNeil is a career .300+ hitter with some pop.
Francisco Lindor had a terrific stretch of years with Cleveland and his pay indicates he is one of the game's top stars.
Dominic Smith had a solid 2019, a strong 2020 and looked very much to be an emerging star.
James McCann was signed to a big contract due to his ability to both hit and catch.
Kevin Pillar and Jonathan Villar are quality MLB caliber players.
Luis Guillorme can give you tough at bats and great D.
On the surface, what seemed to be a lot of very good parts.
But players, offensively, are supposed to be run producers. These Mets? They don't produce many runs.
Excluding ultra-low budget Pittsburgh, the Mets are jockeying all season long for the worst scoring team in all of baseball.
So, I'm gonna get real here - how are they producing?
Pete is a producer, but not a PRODUCER like some other major league stars (or, well, like Pete was in 2019). 100 RBIs in 680 plate appearances in 2020 and 2021 (through Sunday). Could certainly be worse - but could be better.
(Let me sneak in my constant refrain that those Pete numbers would be better, and possibly excellent, if fences were moved in again at Citifield. Evidence-based - just 15 HRs in 2020 and 2021 at Citi vs. 26 on the road for Pounding Pete.)
Michael Conforto has been very off for most of this season - but he was overly "on" in 2020. Looking at both seasons combined, 541 plate appearances through Monday, with 60 RBIs. 60 is not nearly enough. The career .255 hitter is .232 career with 2 outs and RISP, and just .208 in late and close situations. So, it is not your imagination that you get frustrated by him.
Brandon Nimmo may really get on base, but in 2021, in 240 plate appearances, he has scored just 32 times, and knocked in just 19 - pretty sub par. Smile less, score more.
JD Davis - in 368 plate appearances in 2020 and 2021, he has just 40 runs and 34 RBIs - grossly sub standard for what should be a high production spot in the infield.
Jeff McNeil is way off at just .260, and in 288 plate appearances, a mere 31 runs and 29 RBIs. Clearly sub standard.
Francisco Lindor was picking it up substantially, but then got hurt, and yes, Matilda, injuries do count. This year, in 364 plate appearances, just 49 runs scored and 36 RBIs. From a guy who scored 129 runs in 2018.
Dominic Smith started glacially this year, and has showed occasional signs of break out. While playing out of position might impact his hitting - well, it shouldn't. In 421 plate appearances, the slow moving Dom has just 38 runs and 51 RBIs - sort of like a 1968 Ed Kranepool.
Thom McCann's brother James knocked in 75 in 587 (non-Mets) plate appearances in 2019 and 2020, but just 35 in 333 PAs in 2021 - and just 22 runs scored. Unproductive.
Pillar and Villar? Pillar has 246 PAs and just 27 runs, 26 RBIs and .209, after .288 in 2020. Villar? In 332 plate appearances, he has scored a fairly decent 43 runs but knocked in just 29, even with 13 HRs. He scored 111 runs in 2019. Combine the 2 and you get 578 PAs, 70 runs, and 55 RBIs and about .230. Not terrible for back ups, but given their histories, sub standard. (Of course, Pillar hit a game-changing 3 run shot on Wednesday, and deserves kudos for it).
Luis Guillorme? Well, in 139 plate appearances, he has 13 runs and 4 RBIs. Not nearly a productive enough rate, even if he were Ozzie Smith. By comparison, Jake deGrom in 2020 and 2021 in 103 PAs? 8 runs, 12 RBIs.
Tomas Nido? John From Albany, he started nicely in 2021, but has regressed to an unproductive .275 OBP and just 15 runs and 13 RBIs in 142 plate appearances. Barely good enough for a # 2 catcher.
So, no, do not attempt to adjust your TV dial...
These dudes have been collectively awful offensively.
All they produce is agita.
The Astros, meanwhile, have 5 guys with between 62 and 76 RBIs, and 5 more guys in the mid 30s in RBIs.
I wish I lived in Houston, where the fan fun factor is high, and the aggravation quotient is low low low.
But for now? I gotta go go go.
Unless you can trade the Mets' entire offensive roster for that of the Astros - then I'll stick around.
FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS:
It is funny how it works that just when I take the offense to the woodshed, like I did above, they find themselves yesterday teetering on the sliver's edge of the abyss in the 9th inning with no runs to speak of and somehow suddenly become clutch - which "clutch-ness" to any fan feels incredible.
I sure do wish we had a lot more of that as Mets fans. A functional, productive offense makes me smile. For the 9th inning and extra innings yesterday, we had that. Keep it up.
12 comments:
Tylor Megill was the hidden savior of yesterday's game, the man who has inherited Harvey and deGrom's mantle of never, ever getting run support while he is pitching. Without his excellent start, this would have been another L.
Yes Tom just like the Braves y/day scored ELEVEN RUNS ON TEN HITS OMG kind of like what your talking about. I give Pete a pass just because there's no one around him who hits so why would any pitcher pitch to him. This off season should be be VERY intersting indeed but I'm with you for Citi AND Brooklyn BRING THE FENCES IN!
I'll play the devil's advocate here and make a pitch to move the fences BACK by five feet. Maybe they could learn to play real baseball and hit some singles, doubles and triples. Hit behind runners. Think about line drives when there are guys on base. Think about lowering the strikeout percentage.
Remember 1969, I disagree - that would be back to where the fences were before the last move in - they didn't hit at that dimension, and frankly have never hit well in Citifield. Ever.
The pitchers do better in Citi, too, but not nearly as much as the hitters do badly. Pitchers are easier to adjust, repertoire-wise, than hitters.
Gary, if they have any chance of coming back, they need to hit hit hit. I think their chances are small small small
Tom Brennan has done well to articulate our frustrations. We have all looked at this roster's prior numbers and thought, "this lineup should be good!" But they have seriously underperformed to their numbers. Firing Chilli Davis didn't help, but Steve Cohen was right - their approach is killing them, especially with RISP. The ball is not as lively as 2019, spin rates are down, so it is a mortal sin to strike out with men on base - just hit the ball where it's pitched, get a knock, and keep the line moving.
Paul, that comment segues into a comment I made on the daily news piece earlier that Todd Zeile pointed out: This team does not know who they are. They seem to think they are home run hitters on all pitches in all situations and pull too many on the ground for easy 6-3 or 4-3 outs (or worse yet 6-4-3 or 4-6-3 double plays). An inning full of singles and doubles does much more than the occasional 2 run home run. Just keep the line moving is the greatest strategy in baseball.
Paul and Remember 1969, the hitters have one essential job…maximize run production. Anything not focused there is selfishness on the players’ parts.
If 'maximize run production' is defined as 'try to hit a home rum whenever they are at bat whatever the situation', then I disagree. Trying to move runners over and bringing them in with a line drive hit is more productive than a K or a ground out. Home runs will come on pitchers mistakes or very good swings, but I would rather see a well hit drive up the middle or down the line than a forced home run. There are places where it is warranted to 'swimg for the fences' - perhaps Pillar's last night was one, but my definition of 'maximize run production' is six batters in a row safely reaching base
No, when I saw maximize run production, it is by any healthy means necessary. HRs are great, but if they don’t maximize production, adjust accordingly. My guess is that in general, the higher the homers, the higher the scoring and winning. I am not in favor of Baez/Chris Davis K machines.
Tom - Thanks for the shout out. I am still on Team Nido though as well as Team Meyer in the minor leagues. It was defense that kept the Mets in first place for that long stretch this year - surely not the offense. If the guys who were paid to hit, hit, there would be np concern over Nido (who by the way had some big hits for a week or two this year). Peter Gammons had a piece in the Athletic about the importance of good defensive catchers and pointed to the improvement the Mets made in this regard this year as one of the big reasons why they were able to have that 1st place run.
John, I agree. If the main hitters did their job, Nido would be a fine primarily defense catcher. McNeil at .252 is simply bewildering to me. Hitters need to hit. It is the 11th hour. Do or die time.
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