Tom Brennan - Aging Like Fine Whine; Hitting Advice from the Splendid Splinter

 

“WOW! I CAN ALMOST SEE UNMITIGATED DISASTER FROM HERE!”

BINGHAMTON GETS NO-HIT ON SUNDAY, IS HITTING .194 IN 14 GAMES.

BROOKLYN NOW UP TO .190 IN ITS FIRST 14 GAMES.  

ST LUCIE IS RAKING AT .264, AND PLATING 6.4 RUNS PER GAME.

METS?  Just 72 RUNS IN 22 GAMES (29TH). 61 IN THEIR LAST 21 GAMES.

NY METS LOSE 11TH STRAIGHT TO END ROAD TRIP FROM HELL.

METS TRAIL HOT-LANTA BRAVES BY EIGHT GAMES ALREADY, AND MIAMI AND PHILADELPHIA BY FIVE OR MORE GAMES. 

GOOD GRIEF.

AND IT IS STILL 11 DAYS UNTIL MAY 1.

THIS METS TEAM NEEDS THREE SOTO’S, NOT JUST ONE.  OK, FOUR.

LINDOR IN 22 GAMES THRU SUNDAY, HAS THAT ONE VERY LONELY RBI.  

UNREAL, DON’T YOU THINK?

LET US BREAK IT DOWN:

The Mets have lost 11 straight games, and 15 of their last 20. 

In nine of those losses, they allowed four or fewer runs. 

Usually, allowing 4 or fewer runs should get you 4 to 5 wins in those games. 

Take out the one high scoring loss, where they scored six runs, and in the other 14 losses, they scored an incredibly low 18 runs.

So, while you can place some blame on the pitching, this is completely, utterly, and squarely on the shoulders of the moribund Mets hitters.

Soto should’ve been a given. Lindor should’ve been a given. Bichette should’ve been a given. 

The three of them combined have “given”, all right…as in…

They have given almost nothing. 

The rest of the offense to me as constructed is a real crapshoot. 

And probably will remain so until many are dealt away, released or disabled.

How About You? 

Thoughts? 

I have one…

ONE OF THE REASONS:

Part of a Dysfunctional team’s dysfunction is “key players’ age”, where age increases injuries/decreases performance. 

Age-related decline in baseball?  - here is some info:

Interesting graphs on age-related hitter decline (Fangraphs)

And...

A 2021 Follow Up Fangraphs Article on Hitter Age-Related Deterioration

When Stearns rebuilds a team around aging players, you run a real risk.

The whining that occurs when you root for a team of old guys may well be joined by your own whines.

Of course, when you thrust role players into starting roles, or green rookies into starting roles, and the core hitters are MIA, then you are brewing up a potential disaster.

Well, enough of that, it’s only Monday. 

At least Elian Peña.(.333) is splendidly raking at the age of 18 in St. Lucie.

HITTING ADVICE FROM THE SPLENDID SPLINTER

I saw this in a non-baseball article the other day. Mets minor league

hitters would be smart to read and consider it:

“The legendary baseball player Ted Williams once wrote a letter to the Angels outfielder Jay Johnstone on improving his hitting. 

“Among his pieces of advice was that "with two strikes, you simply have to protect the plate." ”

Your batting average, you see, is .000 in at bats where you take strike 3.

- I wonder what the “splendid splinter” would advise Mets fans. 

He probably would say, after 11 straight losses, to protect your eyes by finding something else to do than watch Mets games, which can cause eye strain.