There is always a bright side to everything.
Let's list ten bright side Mets points.
1) The Mets ARE in the playoffs. First time since 2016 and only the third time in many seasons. The stumble to the finish line tarnished it a bit, but the Mets are in. Ya gotta be in it to win it.
2) We still have Jake and Max to go to war with in these playoffs. Their Braves hiccup will have them even more fired up, I'd surmise.
3) I am still quite confident with Chris Bassitt, and see the Mets as having a top 3 starter contingent that measures up to any others.
3) Edwin is our nuclear arsenal. Due to game-by-game stretch drive oddities, instead of having a crushing pre-playoff workload, from September 1 through Sunday October 2, that Diaz arsenal was largely silo-bound: just 8 outings spanning less than 9 innings. He ought to be extremely well rested, an important factor if the Mets are able to go deep into the playoffs. The man is simply lethal.
4) Pete and Lindor - excellent, workhorse seasons with record-setting Mets production. And Escobar passed the Bar exam in September.
5) McNeil - hit machine cranking mightily in from the last 2 games of July forward. Does he have a twin brother? We could use two of him.
6) Brandon Nimmo scored 100 runs this year, a big-time number.
7) Alvarez, Baty and Vientos may have flopped in 2022, but they have crossed the MLB threshold, which (if all 3 remain in the organization) can only help them in 2023 with the Mets. The ice, as they say, has been broken. Same with Bryce Montes de Oca, another flopper with the Mets briefly, but who compiled 47 Ks in his last 24 AAA innings. Fellow flamethrower Edwin Diaz in his last two full minor league seasons in 2014 and 2015 (all as a starter) was pretty wild, too: 257 innings, 88 walks, 21 HBP and 9 wild pitches - and he only fanned 256 hitters, somehow! So there is real hope, IMO, with a 2023 Montes de Oca, who still only has slightly under 100 pro innings.
8) Otta-Vino! has been mucho supremo.
9) If we can hold on a bit longer, the amazing Starling Marte will likely be back, barring setbacks. If he is right, he makes the line up go from average to dangerous.
10) After the miracles of 1969 and 1973, the Mets are long overdue for another one. With or without Al Weis on the 2022 roster.
Also, as Marlins proved last night, the Braves are a no-offense team. Scalped the Brats, 4-0.
P.S.
Through Sunday, the big 3 prospects, Mark, Brett, and Francisco, were a combined 11 for 75. Not good. This 2022 team needed a 2016 TJ Rivera to come up and hit .333 down the stretch for them. Instead, they essentially called up Jerry Koosman (.119 in his career) to hit.
And many fans, as they throw Mets' players under the bus, include Daniel Vogelbach. But "Danny Voy" thru Sunday was .259/.398/.453, ind of normal Michael Conforto level numbers, so he is not the problem, except he is so flawed against lefties in his career, that he gets pulled out of games at inopportune times.
QUESTIONS:
I honestly don't know the answer - is Vogelbach incapable of losing weight? He was 285 in high school, and perhaps above that now. What would he be like if he could de-bulk down to, say, 240?
Another question best addressed once the whole season ends...
Should the Mets try to bring Danny Voy back?
Another question:
With "Take Two Tylenol" Tyler Naquin in his last 30 games thru Sunday hitting a miserable .192/.253/.301, should he be summarily jettisoned and Dom Smith, who was hot towards the end of the AAA season, reinstated?
PLENTY OF GOOD SEATS AVAILABLE:
Fans could have been packing the park celebrating a division clinching at Citifield this week. Instead, absent a total miracle, it will be Citi Morgue. Add to that 48 degrees and windy Monday night, and low 50s and showers expected Tuesday night, and approaching 60 with showers for the season finale on Wednesday - in other words, normal November baseball - will ANYONE show up?
Will they have the guts to win 100 games?
TORTURED BY EX-METS:
Daniel Murphy absolutely tortured the Mets after he left them. Ruthian stuff. .355/.411/.650 in 46 starts and 52 games, 44 RBIs.
Travis d'Arnaud? Same sort of Mets brutalization.
22 games against the Mets (21 starts), he has 20 RBIs and .325/.388/.571.
Realize that those numbers are produced against the Mets' above average pitching. Ouch.
ARIZONA FALL BALL:
Started Monday. Our guys play for the Peoria Javelinas. They rallied for 5 in the 9th to win 5-3. SS Kevin Kendall was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Luke Ritter rang up an 0 for 4.
21 comments:
McNeil wakes up leading the entire majors in hitting after Freddie’s 0 for 4. Risen from .287 late July to .326 now. SQUIRREL ON FIRE!
Go Jeff
A few of us predicted in the pre-season that McNeil would bat over .300 and could challenge for a batting title. He has done well.
No one predicted 98 wins - would be great to get a few more.
The rain that is haunting Citi Field is the same storm that should have moved the series in Atlanta. What would have happened if the series were played at a neutral site? Do you think it would have mattered?
Degrom Max Bassitt in playoffs with Diaz and Ottavino available all 3 games i assume as needed. For me part of the dream scenario was them being healthy for playoffs and hwre we are.
I think this was the plan all along. Lull the Braves into a false sense of security by getting swept and then come home and win the 3 games while the Bravos lose 2 of three and we win the tiebreaker perfect right. Those sly devils. Now if Atlanta wins outright and we're forced into a doubleheader say Wed. and a single game Thurs. with the playoffs starting Fri. we could be screwed but I'm going with the first scenario how about you?
Another thought is that the FO figures out a way to get an ex Brave player who will hit .300 with oh say 25 HRs agains't THEM...it works for me.
I see Gary had a visit last night from his connection
Tom,
Let's give Dom Smith another chance. His AAA stats were better over the last few weeks he was at Syracuse.
D J - dazzling Dom to the rescue? Works for me.
Gary has it all figured out: 4 dimensional analysis.
Somehow, they have to play today. Weather or not the whether cooperates.
Ernest, it will be a new season, hopefully a LONG one.
Something else: the loss of Marte was huge and had to cost us a few games and then the whole scenario changes. The Braves can always find a player in their system who will come up and perform like an All-Star ......WE DON'T and we need to fix that pronto.
All good points, Tom. You've outdone yourself.
Squirrel now in position (if he doesn't falter) to be the first Met EVER to lead all of MLB in BA.
I don't see the point in Dom being traded at low value or DFA'd. Keep him at least until we can evaluate him in ST.
2 Questions:
1) Are today's games 7-innings each, or full-size?
2) Will you (or someone else here) be posting daily updates on AFL stats for our players? (Who are the Mets' AFL players, anyway?)
as I said to my son yesterday, the Braves are going to be swept for three games, and the Mets, after 3 rainouts, are going to win the first ever triple header on Thursday to win the division and get the 1st round playoff bye. one game down, five to go! nothing like being a pie-eyed optimist.
Jon, that could only happen if Darin Ruf was available to pitch :)
AFL? Not daily, I don't think, but when I have articles, I will add a blurb.
Facing the team the Mets' players are on tonight in AFL? Kumar Rocker.
Do you have a list to share of which Mets are on the Peoria roster?
courtesy of MLB:
https://www.mlb.com/arizona-fall-league/roster/peoria-javelinas
(who are these guys? no Mets top 20 prospects)
Kevin Kendall, Luke Ritter, Mike Vasil, Josh Walker, Franklin Sanches, Grant Hartwig, Christian Scott
Kendall had a strong 2020 debut, but was hurt most of 2021. Impressive to see them put him in AFL.
Ritter, low average, fans a lot. Vasil pitched very well in 2022. Walker needs the innings to see if he can be the next Tom Szapucki. Sanches I am not familiar with. Hartwig - an undrafted reliever who had a terrific 2022. Scott is a solid righty starter of reasonable promise.
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