The Mack Report - Jose Quintana, Carlos Carrasco, Power Ratings, Brandon Nimmo, Upgrading Bullpen

Jose Quintana, Carlos Carrasco, Power Ratings, Brandon Nimmo, Upgrading Bullpen

 

Bridget Hyland - Mets starter nearing season debut - 

The New York Mets still have another arm to introduce to their rotation this year in Jose Quintana. 

The veteran lefty, who had a stress fracture in his rib that required surgery, has yet to make his regular season debut as a Met. 

Tim Healey of Newsday reports: Jose Quintana continues to move right along in his rehab. He’s set to face batters — for the first time since his March rib surgery — during a live batting practice session Monday. A rehab assignment should follow shortly thereafter. 

Mack - Boy, this innings eater couldn’t be coming along at a better time.

 

Tim Britton - Carlos Carrasco - 

No one is claiming the Mets are fixed. They just feel a little less broken now. 

The same can be said of Carrasco since coming back from the injured list for a bone spur in his elbow. New York has won each of his three starts since, and he has allowed two runs in 12 2/3 innings over the last two. The right-hander isn’t going to be contending for All-Star berths the way he did during his best years in Cleveland. But he can still be a steady member of a winning rotation, as he was throughout last season. 

Mack - sorry. I want to see about three more outings from him before I jump back on this train.

 

Jim Bowden - MLB power rankings entering June - 

15. New York Mets

Record: 28-27

Run differential: -11 

The Mets have been disappointing overall, but they still look like a wild-card team to me. Third baseman Brett Baty and catcher Francisco Álvarez should be difference-makers the rest of the way after their early promotions. Pete Alonso is on pace for 60 home runs and Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil continue to get on base at a high rate. The biggest concern for the Mets is how effective their aging rotation will be and if their starters can stay healthy. David Robertson (1.54 ERA, nine saves) has been excellent closing games for them with Edwin Díaz on the IL for the season. 

Early trade deadline take: The Mets could use another starting pitcher and more bullpen depth. They also could consider either an upgrade in left field or promoting Ronny Mauricio to play second base and moving McNeil to the outfield. 

Mack - as you know, following power ratings is not my thang, but I put this up every week for those of you who care about this.

 

Joe Pantorno -  https://www.amny.com/sports/brandon-nimmo-hr-rob-defense-5-31-23/ - 

Brandon Nimmo is starting to make a habit of these gravity-defying home-run robberies. 

The New York Mets’ center fielder added another web gem to his highlight reel during Tuesday night’s series opener against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, robbing Nick Castellanos of a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the fourth inning. 

“I knew there was going to be a possibility [of making the catch] so when I got to the track, I was able to start timing it up,” Nimmo said. “That’s when I was just saying ‘OK, if I can time this right then I’ll get it.’ 

“But everything has to work out perfectly and that timing has to be just right and that timing had to be just right. Luckily, I was able to time that up.” 

Mack - Boy, my cap continues to be tipped to this guy. I’m so proud of how much he proved me wrong.

 

Rob Piersall - Upgrading Bullpen Should Be Top Priority For Mets at Trade Deadline -

 

Since May 1, New York’s bullpen has been among the top five worst in baseball.

 

In 96 2/3 innings, Mets relievers have combined for a 4.75 ERA, 5.20 FIP and 4.93 xFIP. 

Their combined -0.8 is second only to the Tampa Bay Rays who have been worth -1.3 fWAR over the same amount of time. 

Mack - What more do I have to say about the current Mets pitching?

 

In Defense of Vogelbach by David Jacks

    

    I know I know nobody wants to see this article and with every called strike three this article becomes harder and harder to write, but the career numbers say he deserves a defense. Met fans don't seem to agree.   

 PLAY THE KIDS! WHY IS VOGEL IN THE LINEUP? DFA HIM! The call to end this so called "experiment" (an odd way to talk about a guy who’s put up an 800 ops against righties his entire career) is eerily familiar to a former player, who despite a track record for hitting, couldn’t get out of his own way in 2022. That player is J.D Davis. 

Davis is a lifetime 800 ops bat (against righties and lefties to be fair) but he couldn’t hit a lick for 3 months as a Met in 22', and eventually was traded by Eppler for a comically bad package, and guess what? J.D. Davis, the lifetime 797 ops bat, is opsing 849 for the Giants in 2023. The Mets did like JD’s hard hit rate even as he slumped, and stuck with him, but months later with no results, other then hard hit rate, they eventually  moved him which proved to be a mistake (In the short term). 

Guess which Mets average exit velocity ranks him in their top 5 in 2023? Yep Daniel Vogelbach (when he actually swings of course). Now these two players aren’t entirely the same, Davis hits both lefties and righties (despite being almost blind to any fastball above the belt). Davis can play every day because of this, but both have severe limitations. Neither play good defense, though Davis can be used at 3b whereas Vogel is exclusively a DH. 

Neither has speed though Vogel is molasses slow. Vogelbachs stats against righties are almost the exact same as Davis’s. They both get on base at a 350/360 clip and ops around 800. It's not an experiment. Voglebach is slumping, or feeling the pressure of NY, but he’s going to hit righties again, wether its in New York remains to be seen. 

The bigger issue in all of this is the Mets usage of one of their top prospects, Mark Vientos (ranked 6-8 by most prospectus’s ). Vientos is only starting against lefties, so  essentially once or twice a week which is pretty hard to defend for a young player who should be getting as many at bats as possible. Not to mention any time Vientos does something positive, he’s immediately out of the lineup the following day. Hard to stack good ab’s daily when you are on the bench, that’s typically a veterans role, one Escobar is excelling in. 

As for Vogelbach he’s a lefty who hits righties and nothing more. Like Davis if the Mets move on he will hit righties again at his next stop. The question may be do the Mets ride out a prolonged slump or move on to other options? Vientos splits were  tilted until this year. The kid crushed lefties in the minors but struggled against righties, but everyone loves the shiny new prospect and they may have a case. 

At the very least calling up a kid to sit him seems like poor development. Ronny Mauricios is tearing up aaa but he's also adjusting to a new position which takes time (6 errors in his first 24 games at 2b). It's hard to defend a player in a slump, especially one as limited as Vogelbach, but the numbers tell the story. He WILL hit righties again. 

Expectations may also be an issue. Vogelbach is a big man and fans may have expected big man to who hit big dingers, except Vogelbach actually works counts and is more of a doubles threat. He’s in a slump, it's frustrating to watch as he takes strike three consistently, but if you don’t like it, wait a month, things will be different or maybe Eppler can flip him for Colin Holderman.  

Reese Kaplan -- When Stupid Rules Overcome Common Sense

In Thursday's game Max Scherzer was once again in conflict with the league and its representative, the man in blue.  This time was not the usual pitch clock complaint this time whereby Scherzer felt he was being pushed to throw the ball inordinately fast.  It was nothing to do with sticky substances on his hands either.  No, this time the matter concerned the almighty pitch clock when it didn't relate to facing a live batter at all.

For those of you who missed this little foray into the ridiculous nature of what umpires can do to interfere with the game, Scherzer was told he was in danger of a pitch clock violation BETWEEN INNINGS WHILE THROWING WARMUP PITCHES.

Please read the end of that sentence again.  Now the men in blue are so scared of the idiosyncracies of the new rules that they feel shortening the game must take place in every aspect possible.  In this case, catcher Francisco Alvarez was the final out in the 4th inning and as such took a little bit of time to get his gear back on and that circumstance caused an impact to the starting pitcher.  

Apparently the impact of Alvarez's tardiness was interrupting Scherzer's warmup routine.  The "normal" between inning preparation for starting pitchers is to make eight tosses to get a feel for being ready to pitch the upcoming inning.  The pitch clock violation occurred when the extra time required by Alvarez allowed Scherzer only time to throw seven of his eight customary pitches.  

Now no one would ever dare call Max Scherzer a shy man when it comes to putting on his game face, so he was understandably upset at what the home plate umpire had to say in regard to his warmup pitches.  He even suggested as politely as he could that perhaps the umpire could take the initiative to realize that shortchanging him on his warmup pitches wasn't impacting any batters at all as there was no live batter in the box.

Not surprisingly the umpire said that he did not have the authority to use common sense and must abide by the new regulations no matter what.  

Mr. Sherzer was not pleased with this reply nor with the lack of, uh...manhood that the umpire exhibited in making sure that facing no one in the box it was more important that the pitcher risk injury or pitching poorly than to use his brain to do what was in the best interest of the ballgame.

The pièce de résistance, of course, is that Scherzer threw a masterful 5th inning, putting his anger into pitching form and making the upcoming batters the recipient of what he was feeling for the game itself.  

Stupidity in enforcing rules is not new thing.  We can all remember times when the game's interference impacted the manner in which the results were calculated.  It's not an exclusive problem in baseball as we've seen the same lunacy in other sports as well.  Perhaps some day common sense will overcome the need for the folks at the top to demonstrate that they are bigger than the game they represent.   

Tom Brennan - Yeah (Yawn), Those Two Again

Matt Rudick, the Best Hitting 5’6” Guy in the System This Year

 I find underdog hitting stars to be fascinated. My top two this year…

JOSE PEROZA

He finished 2022 going 71 for 210 (.338).

This year, excluding a brief early rehab assignment, he has been up 130 times in AA, and hits .315/.409/.552, with 27 RBIs in 35 games. 4th in Eastern League average, 6th in OBP, and 5th in slug % this year.

THAT is a ton of hitting over late 2022 and 2023…in those 340 at bats, .330.

MATT RUDICK

On base 66 times in his last 36 games of 2022.

Then, for an encore, this year, on base 85 times in AA in 43 games. 

Math tells me he had been on base 151 times in his last 79 games. 

Last Mets  I or leaguer to do that was….was….I don’t know if any Mets minor leaguer has ever done that. Do you?

What an outstanding performance.

.319/.464/.542.  Highest Eastern League OBP by 26 points. 

3rd highest average. 6th highest slug %.

Last night? (Yawn) The two got on base 7 more times. 

Just another ho-him day at the office for the unrecognized, non-Top 30, duo.

P.S. Their teammate, Rowdey Jordan, got off to a slow start this year, but his OBP is up to .349 after getting on base last night. Oddly, he (.216), the puzzling Wyatt Young (.195), and Luke Ritter (.198) in Binghamton have combined to hit around .200, but the trio have walked 81 times in a combined 120 games, and have a combined OBP of around .350. They’ll walk you to death.

Reese Kaplan -- Sometimes You Don't Miss Who Got Away...

As bad as the Mets pitching has been this season, the fact is that several of their former team members who now get paid elsewhere aren't doing a whole lot better.  I tease a friend all the time about his desire for the Mets to have reunions with former players to help address their own needs.  Well, sometimes a missed reunion is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Noah Syndergaard

The clearest mystery of them all is former muscleman with the golden locks, Noah Syndergaard.  Thor has been more of a sore than a strength wielding giant for the Dodgers.  Currently he owns a 1-4 record with a 6.54 ERA.  Ouch!  

Zack Wheeler

Everyone is well aware of the kind of job Wheeler has done for the Phillies when he fled Queens for a greener bank account.  In 2023 that trend slacked off a bit, pitching to a .500 record with 3.60 ERA.  Those numbers still would have looked good for the Mets though perhaps he's not quite worth the $24 million he's being paid to deliver it.

Chris Bassitt

Many people were not aware who Chris Bassitt was when the Mets obtained him for the 2022 season.  Save for a final few clunkers he was a great acquisition with a Mets line of 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA.  He flew north of the border and signed with Toronto where he's doing well but a tick below his Mets performance.  He has a 5-4 record with a 3.80 ERA.  At age 34 he wanted a multiyear deal and the Mets decided he was OK to leave to go to the highest bidder.  This loss hurt a little bit but won't cause nightmares.

Seth Lugo

Like Trevor Williams, Lugo always wanted to be a starting pitcher.  For the Mets he was far more valuable in the pen than in the rotation, so he hit the road and earned an opportunity with the San Diego Padres.  The now 33 year old would-be starter is delivering .500 performance with an ERA north of 4.00 when healthy.  Unfortunately he's on the IL right now so he wouldn't have been much help to the Mets.

Marcus Stroman

After leaving the Mets following the end of the 2021 season where he gave the Mets a 3.02 ERA over 33 starts, he fled to the city of Mrs. O'Leary's cow where he continued pitching well.  Right now fans are well aware of his antics after having just faced him and they are also cognizant of his 2.59 ERA which would sure look wonderful in the Mets rotation today.  He's healthy and available to pitch every 5th day.  Despite being a less-than-optimal teammate, the fact is the little guy knows how to pitch and he would have been terrific in the rotation this year.

Trevor Williams

After bouncing between the pen and the starting rotation for the Mets for a few years, the talented Williams wanted to start full time and earned that right with the Washington Nationals.  Unfortunately, though the quality has been pretty decent at a 3.93 ERA, the record is on the wrong side of .500 given the sporadic offensive support he receives from his teammates. He certainly wouldn't have cost much to keep here though the Mets on day one did not appear to have the starting rotation vacancy he was seeking.

Taijuan Walker

After going 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA last season the enigmatic righty took to free agency and earned a berth with the Philadelphia Phillies.  While his 4-2 record on paper over 11 starts looks quite good, the 5.57 ERA accompanying it does not.  No one is shedding tears he is gone and it appears he would not have been much help.

Jacob deGrom

Nothing lately has hurt nearly as much as the decision made by Jacob deGrom to get paid in free agency to approach what former teammate Max Scherzer was getting to throw the ball.  The Texas Rangers made him a significant offer and he headed south with his inability to stay on the mound for many innings.  That trend has continued.  He's made just 6 starts for Texas pitching like himself with a 2.67 ERA and striking out over 14 per 9 innings pitched, but unsurprisingly he's on the injured list once again.  As much as the Mets have struggled, deGrom likely would have been a poor long term investment.

Rich Hill

After a solid stint pitching for the Mets a few years back in what folks thought was the tail end of the big lefty's career, he's moved onto two more seasons during which he's not been horrible but not great either.  Currently as he continues hurling at age 43 he gets paid by the Pirates to go 4-5 with a 4.76 ERA.  

Stephen Matz

Oft injured southpaw Matz put together some quality starts during his Mets campaign but his fragility and inconsistency made him a not too painful loss in free agency.  The St. Louis Cardinals bit on his talents and it has not been pretty.  After doing a 5.21 ERA in his Redbirds rookie season he's followed it up with a winless record and 5.60 in 2023.  And I was worried when I saw him in a Spring Training photo shark fishing!

Michael Wacha

After pitching horribly for the Mets back in COVID-shortened 2020, Wacha followed it up with more poor work for his next employer, the Tampa Bay Rays.  He improved significantly for the Boston Red Sox in 2022, then moved onto the Padres for this current season where he's pitching at star quality over 10 starts with a 5-1 record and a 3.45 ERA.  Though that performance would certainly have helped, no one had Wacha even on their list let alone at the top of it. 

Chris Flexen 

As of early June Flexen is still getting paid to throw a baseball, now by the Seattle Mariners.  He's had six starts in 2023 and has turned in an 0-4 record with a 6.21 ERA.  He doesn't appear to be someone who would cure what ails the Mets starting pitching.

So when all is said and done, this passel of pitching prowess only includes a sure loss in Marcus Stroman, a sentimental loss in Jacob deGrom and a shocking loss in Michael Wacha.  The rest consist of maybe helping, maybe not or outright dodging bullets.

The Mack Report - Payroll-heavy Padres, Mets, Tyler White, Kodai Senga, Gary Sanchez, Jett Williams

Payroll, Tyler White, Kodai Senga, Gary Sanchez, Jett Williams

 

Kevin Henry - Payroll-heavy Padres, Mets in the middle of an embarrassing race - 

Remember all of that talk about the San Diego Padres and New York Mets before the season began and all of the money the teams spent to build up their star-studded rosters? As we reach the Memorial Day milestone, both teams, of which much was expected, are in a race to see who will be the biggest disappointment of the 2023 MLB season. 

The New York Mets and San Diego Padres hold two of the three biggest payrolls in MLB as Memorial Day arrives, with the Mets spending just under $346 million to earn a 27-27 record and the Padres shelling out just over $246 million to sit in fourth place in the National League West with a 24-29 mark. Neither are anything close to what the teams envisioned when they stocked their lineups in the same way shrewd fantasy baseball managers might. 

Mack - I am sure no one in the Mets front office is happy with the season so far. 

The players and the talent are there. 

What they do with it for the rest of the season is on them.

 

Pat Ragazzo - https://www.si.com/mlb/mets/news/new-york-mets-acquire-tyler-white-minnesota-twins - 

On Tuesday, the New York Mets acquired first baseman/third baseman Tyler White from the Minnesota Twins. 

White was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse afterward. 

White has not appeared in the major leagues since the 2019 season, where he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros. In 256 career big-league games, White has 26 home runs and a .752 OPS. 

Mack - In actuality, this is a good move. 

The Mets “almost prospect”  first baseman in Syracuse, JT Schwartz, was placed recently on the IL for undisclosed reasons. Obviously, it is serious enough to find, at least,  a temporary replacement. 

In addition, Mark Vientos is no longer there to play first too. 

Lastly, White also brings veteran leadership to the clubhouse. 

Good org. depth move.

 

Tim Britton - Kodai Senga dominates Phillies with his ghost fork - 

To take advantage of that Tuesday, Senga had to, counterintuitively, throw more pitches in the strike zone. He came into the day throwing 36.5 percent of his pitches in the zone; he threw 42 of his 100 there Tuesday. A lot of those were fastballs that established strike-zone credibility early on for Senga. 

Although he fell behind with his first pitch more often than not, he routinely reached two strikes before two balls. That permitted him to use his stuff out of the zone, most notably his forkball. 

Senga generated 11 of his season-high 22 swings-and-misses on pitches below the strike zone. That tracks with his forkball, of which he’s harnessed better command as he’s grown comfortable in the major leagues. He threw it 29 times Tuesday. Despite only eight being headed for the strike zone, the Phillies swung at 18 of them. They missed it a dozen times, and half of those came with two strikes. 

Mack - This is the kind of pitcher the Mets had hoped they had when they signed this 30-year old “rookie” to a 5-year contract. 

This game is played so much easier when your starter does this.

 

Mark Polishuk - Padres Claim Gary Sanchez Off Waivers From Mets - 

Today’s waiver claim continues a whirlwind of movement for Sanchez, who went through the entire offseason without landing a free agent deal but will now be joining his third different organization in less than two months.  Sanchez inked a minor league contract with the Giants just after Opening Day, but then exercised his opt-out clause in early May when San Francisco didn’t add him to its active roster.  

Sanchez quickly landed with the Mets on another minors deal that ended up locking in a prorated $1.5MM guarantee for the catcher when the Amazins selected him to their 26-man roster just before his next opt-out date on May 19. 

Mack - On the surface, this might look like a stupid, expensive short term move, but if this was the stick up the arse needed to get Alvarez’s game going, then it worked and let’s move on to trying to find the proper return for Kevin Parada someday.

 

Zach Backman - MLB prospect intel: Scouts on...- 

Jett Williams, New York Mets, SS

Team: Low-A St. Lucie Mets

Age: 19

Stats: .215/.408/.308, 1 HR, 0.8 BB/K 

Scout says: He has a smaller, compact build at 5-foot-6 and 175 pounds, but there’s some upside in the bat. He’s probably one of the higher-profile projected bats that I’ve seen this year. He’s really short and compact to the ball, like dynamite in a smaller package. He’s short but really built. The Mets aren’t afraid to go after those smaller guys, and he does have strength. And he can run. 

It’s more a bat-to-ball profile than power right now, but he’s got a chance to have average power. He has a short, repeatable swing and those guys have the best chance to find their offensive ceiling. If you look at the walk-to-strikeout rate, there’s almost a 50-50 split. The strikeouts will come down as his plan becomes more advanced. It’s a bit on the rudimentary side now. Not very consistent, but he’s only 19 years old. 

They’ve got him playing shortstop but I also saw him at second base and center field, and he’ll either end up at one of those two in the long term. I would try to expand his defensive skill set and see how he does in left. There’s room to find versatility in his glove. 

Mack - I needed to read someone other than Tom “walks are cool” Brennan on this kid. Obviously Williams is still prospect material and we should all keep him on our radar.

Tom Brennan - Laggards Reviving, and Last Night’s Drink Stirrers in the Minors

Omar Narvaez looking READY (photo by Richard Nelson)

The Mets win again, 4-1.

Cookie Carrasco was an infrequent and terrible pitcher though the team’s first 48 games.

Laggard. Then…

Switch turned on. Revival time. 

Two straight gems, 2 straight wins,  was 0-2, now 2-2 for the season.

Mark Canha? He had just 12 RBIs through the first 55 games, and 12 times as many critics as in 2022. 

Laggard.

So, in game 56, he revives, as he increases his season RBI total by 33% to 16, as he drove in all 4 runs in last night’s win.

Pham? A few days ago, hitting .200. Laggard. Then Tommy revived to drive in 4 runs in a game in Colorado the other day, a 40% increase to his season RBI total to 14.

Nido? The laggard of laggards, nicknamed by me as the One RBI Guy, not as in 1 RBI pregame, like Alonso, but 1 RBI per annum. His .120 average would have made for a nice IQ.  Then he “revived” last night, with a hit in 3 at bats. He is now my .130 hitting One RBI Guy. Gotta start somewhere.

Vogelbach?  2 HR, 13 RBI in 129 PA?  Deeply slumping lately, and down to .219. But he walked twice last night, so like Nido, some nascent signs of a mini-revival.

Keep reviving, people. The regular season has started.  Well the second one-third of the season has, to be more accurate.

DOWN ON THE FARM

Omar Narvaez and Ronny “Never Not Revived” Mauricio each went 2-4.

They asked Omar his favorite old pop singer and he said Helen READY.

In AA, the Matt Rudick Machine rolled on with 2 hits and a walk. Sitting at .321/463/.550.  7 HRs as a lead off hitter, with 26 RBIs. Sensational.

And Jose Peroza smacked a 3 run, game tying, HR in a 4-3 extra innings Binghamton loss.

Slugging Jose in 34 games in AA has 26 RBIs and a .303/.399/.553 slash line. As I alway like to add, Jose is 6 months younger than Brett Baty.

Not just in 2023…

Matt has been on fire since the beginning of August last year, Jose has been on fire since the beginning of July last year. 

We’ve had the Fab 4 in Alvarez, Baty, Vientos, and Mauricio. 

Matt and Jose sure seem like the Next Two.

Paul Articulates – My wish list

I wish the Mets would have played better during their long stretch of series against teams under .500.  It was a tremendous opportunity to stay competitive in the NL East.  Now that we know the Braves lost traction for a while, it would have been even more satisfying.  Well, it didn’t happen and now there is a very difficult stretch of games in front of us.

But just when the pessimist on the shoulder of every Mets fan is whispering doom their ear, things start to turn around.  The Mets have taken the first two games from the Phillies in an important East matchup.  Carlos Carrasco has tossed two brilliant games in a row since I wrote that he was running out of highway.  Max Scherzer says he’s “feeling like himself again”.  Mark Canha had a great night at the plate yesterday.

OK, let’s take this a little further – what else do I wish for that would be beneficial to the Mets?

1) I wish that Starling Marte would return to the offensive powerhouse he was last season.  Marte has looked lost this year.  It is easy given his history to speculate he is not healthy, but I don’t believe that is the case.  He is running hard on infield grounders, dropping bunts, and stealing bases.  That’s not the signature of a guy gritting out an injury.  He just needs to barrel up a few balls and become confident again so he stops guessing in the batter's box.

2) I wish that David Peterson finds himself in AAA.  Peterson was someone I was counting on to give the Mets some long outings as the only left hander in the starting rotation.  It appeared that he lost the ability to control some of his pitches, because his walk rate was up, and he was behind on too many hitters.  If he can make some kind of mechanical adjustment that allows him to reclaim the strike zone, he would be an entirely different pitcher – and one the Mets will need to keep their aged rotation from wearing down.

3) I wish that the last two outings were the real Carlos Carrasco.  That everything else this year and in the second half of last year was an anomaly.  If he can be as good as last night for most of his starts as SP5, then the Mets won’t have to out-homer everyone to win ball games.  Even though they have more power in this year’s lineup with Alonso, Alvarez, Baty, and others I still don’t like counting on high run counts to win.

4) I wish that we could just be done with the DH experiments.  Vogelbach, Pham, and a host of others have failed to make the DH a position of significance for MLB’s highest paid team.  Yes, the trade season is coming upon us and yes, you have to showcase your cast to get the best deals, but after this awful stretch of baseball, the team needs to win games now.  If Mark Vientos is the best performer at that position, then let him hit against righties, lefties, and even ambidextrous pitchers – he needs to play!

5) I wish that Drew Smith would find a pitch with some vertical break.  Smith has always shown great promise for the Mets, and still displays a very live arm.  But it looks like his pitches all have horizontal movement, and that’s much easier to hit than pitches that drop late.  He can be a mighty contributor in this year’s pen with his live arm and youth, but he has to miss bats.  In 2020 Drew had a 25.0% hard hit rate and a 10% barrel rate.  Last year his hard hit rate was up to 50.4% and this year it is 44.2%.  That is not going to keep men off base, and his WHIP shows it – this year’s 1.31 is the worst WHIP he has had since his rookie year.

6) I wish for a June to remember for Mets fans.  They have struggled with the last half of April and the full month of May with this high expectations team.  They deserve better.  This team is still good, but they have to put it together.  There’s no better time than now.

How about you, readers?  What is your wish for the Orange and Blue?

The Mack Report - InSync, Francisco Alvarez, Grade For Mets, Marky V, %&$#$

 InSync, Francisco Alvarez, Grade For Mets, Marky V, %&$#$

Nick Groke - Mets’ aces aren’t in sync - 

Verlander, though, fell back to earth. In his fifth start of the season, he was peppered for six runs and nine hits over just five innings. He struck out just two hitters, his lowest total in a start since 2018. And the Mets lost a 10-7 marathon after the Rockies rallied for four runs in the seventh and eighth innings. 

Nearly a third of the way through the season, Scherzer and Verlander have yet to win consecutive games. Lesser teams look to an ace to stop a skid, leaning on that one arm to turn around the rough stretches. The Mets doubled down with two aces. And they aren’t yet working in tandem. 

Mack - no comment… 

Will Sammon - ‘He’s growing up on us’ -

Part of the potential logjam depends on whether Sánchez will hit. He started in Tuesday’s 7-2 loss to the Cubs and went 0-for-3 with a passed ball and failed to catch a pop up in foul territory. Manager Buck Showalter said Álvarez — the only one of the four catchers who holds minor-league options — will start on Wednesday and Thursday. The Mets could carry three catchers, in theory, if they see enough DH at-bats for one of them. Over the winter, the Mets gave Narváez a two-year guarantee; he figures to play a large role when he returns. The Mets also bought out Nido’s final two years of arbitration; at the time, league sources said that a fixed price for the catcher could make him more attractive on the trade market. Narváez and Nido give the Mets a terrific defensive duo at a position where defense is what’s most valued. Though Narváez profiles as the better hitter of the two, neither was being counted on for significant offense. 

Mack - The Mets moved him to the #2 slot on Sunday.  Batting 9^th is just plain stupid. 

The Athletic MLB Staff -

As Memorial Day nears, giving out grades as teams begin prep for trade deadline -

 New York Mets: C - The Mets were days away from a much worse grade, but their recent winning streak at home helped salvage this first part of the season. While there remain plenty of reasons for optimism moving forward — more regular starts from Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander and the continued progress of their young players chief among them — the Mets still missed a significant opportunity in the early part of the season. Namely, they went 6-16 during one of the easiest stretches of their schedule. In a division that came down to a tiebreaker between 101-win teams a season ago, that’s the kind of malaise that can haunt come October. — Tim Britton 

Mack - I wrote about extensively in my last Observations post. I no longer think this team will make the playoffs. Too many issues, especially pitching.

This C rating is too kind. 

 

Joe Pantorno - Mets must DH Mark Vientos full-time over Daniel Vogelbach - 

A position mostly inhabited by Daniel Vogelbach (32 games) and Tommy Pham (14 games), Mets DHs have combined to sport Major League Baseball’s eighth-lowest batting average (.224), slugging percentage (.359), and home runs (six) to go with the ninth fewest RBI (25). 

Mack - The Mets are trying to showcase Vogel for a trade. They don’t have to convince other teams he can get on base, but Mr. Daniel needs to put a few over the fences to get this accomplished. 

If he doesn’t, he will still be DFA’d for a lesser return. 

Relax… this will eventually happen. 

 

Kristan Wong -Buck Showalter blasts Pete Alonso for cursing - 

“It’s not a good idea, and something I don’t think you’ll see happen again. I hope not… It’s just the venue you put it in and the people that are listening. It’s just unfortunate, because I don’t want somebody’s day at the ballpark to be less than it could be because of something someone heard.” 

Mack - Look, this is far from being “blasted”. I hate when certain rags and blogs use words like this, or shredded, to explain a situation, in an attempt to suck in readers. Bad journalism. 

Buck told Pete to stop doing this. 

He will until the next time his adrenaline takes over. 

Oh, and Buck… what about Verlander’s “f--k ESPN?