Meet the Mets (For Mets Fans Only!)

DaveSchmidt said:
The Braves, man.   

 Oh, how I hate them and all they stand for.

With this bullpen and erratic starting pitching, the Mets could be 12 games under .500 by the end of the road trip, and out of the running for a wild card seed. Ugh.

That means they become sellers. Would hate to lose players like Smith, Davis, Nimmo and McNeil. I am less upset at the prospect of losing Thor and Wheeler. 

I agree. It'll basically be over after this road trip. They'll be 10+ games under .500 by the All Star break. The only reason to watch them will be to see if Alonso keeps hitting homers at his current rate. They don't have many pieces but they'll likely trade Wheeler, maybe Frazier since his average is near .270. Maybe give up Edwin Diaz and eat his salary. Maybe they can trade Rosario and bring up Andres Gimenez. The question remains if Callaway will still have a job before all's said and done.

Frazier is at 250.  He had a good week two weeks ago.  

When the Mets new pitching coach was born, Carl Hubbell led the league in wins.

Train_of_Thought said:
When the Mets new pitching coach was born, Carl Hubbell led the league in wins.

 I hate the Wilpons

How does this guy fit in with analytics?  

FilmCarp said:
How does this guy fit in with analytics?  

 the quotes from him today strongly suggest he doesn't. 

If you're a Mets fan this book is a depressing read: The MVP Machine

There is nothing that the team is doing that would indicate they're employing any of the methods being described. 

That was my point.  They hire a whole analytics staff and then do this.  I'm glad my son hates baseball.  Time to break the chains.

Train_of_Thought said:
When the Mets new pitching coach was born, Carl Hubbell led the league in wins.

 Trick question: How many wins?

FilmCarp said:
That was my point.  They hire a whole analytics staff and then do this.  I'm glad my son hates baseball.  Time to break the chains.

 I suspect their analytics dept is concentrated on scouting. The teams that are ahead of the curve are using analytics for player development. 

DaveSchmidt said:

Train_of_Thought said:
When the Mets new pitching coach was born, Carl Hubbell led the league in wins.

 Trick question: How many wins?

 I looked up...22. Why trick question?

Heh, heh. That was Hubbell’s record the year Regan was born. Except Regan was born on April 6, and the season didn’t start until April 19. So when the Mets’ new pitching coach was born, Hubbell was the league leader in wins — with 26 from 1936.

Just my way of tipping a cap to the ol’ screwballer for leading the league two seasons in a row.

Nicely done!

I found this fabulously descriptive account of Hubbell's legendary '34 All-Star performance. https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/all-star-game/carl-hubbell-and-his-screwball-struck-out-five-future-hall-of-famers-in-a-row-at-1934-all-star-game-1.5677840

Brodie is a bust.

You heard it here first. 

Soul_29 said:
Brodie is a bust.
You heard it here first. 

I don't believe that as long as the Wilpons own this team any GM can be truly successful. 

Jeff Wilpon is to the Mets as

Jim Dolan is to the Knicks.

We can only hope that the team occasionally stumbles on to some bit of success in spite of its meddlesome, brain dead ownership.

ml1 said:

Soul_29 said:
Brodie is a bust.
You heard it here first. 

I don't believe that as long as the Wilpons own this team any GM can be truly successful. 
Jeff Wilpon is to the Mets as
Jim Dolan is to the Knicks.
We can only hope that the team occasionally stumbles on to some bit of success in spite of its meddlesome, brain dead ownership.

 Agreed. 

I can’t think of a four-game series whose arrival has excited me less. 

How much longer is Mickey managing the Mets?

Is it me or does Vargas seem like a guy who will go postal some day?

He looks like the bad guy from the first Dirty Harry movie.

Mickey's a goner. This lockerroom outburst towards the media looks really bad. It's a legit question about Lugo being out there too long and Diaz just sitting around in the pen waiting for the call. On a good note: deGrom looks like he's found his stuff. Seemingly effortless 99 mph fastballs. And they were rising in the strike zone like last year which makes it virtually impossible to hit.

It is a legit question, but there is no right answer.  Lugo is the only reliable arm.  They overtaxed him and lost.  Had they gone to Diaz this might be a different conversation about how relying on him to close when Lugo should have been stretched.  Who knows?  It has to be frustrating not having any reliable arms to turn to.  

I'm on record as saying that closer is the most overrated role in sports.  There's no way the best reliever should be sitting in the pen in a high leverage spot because he has to "close."  Bring your best guy in for the 8th after a guy got on base, and then bring in Gsellman or someone else in for the 9th.  Teams do this all the time -- they worry that someone other than their closer would blow the game in the 9th, but in the meantime, someone other than their closer blows it in the 8th.  And you end up not even playing a 9th inning and your best reliever doesn't get in the game at all.

If you can only use Diaz for 3 or 4 outs, make 2 of those outs be the last 2 in the 8th, then let him pitch to as many batters as he can in the 9th, whether it's one or two.  And maybe he gets some quick outs on 1 or 2 pitches, and he can go for 5 outs.  Saving your best pitcher is just stupid, and the smart teams are recognizing that.  The most important late inning may end up being the 7th or 8th and not the 9th.

Mickey going ballistic over not much at all was especially weird since he comes on like Mr. Rogers most of the time.  At least when he gets sweaty, we think Vargas looks like Tiny Tim.  You'd think a well paid ballplayer could afford a decent haircut.

Yesterday I was listening on the car radio when Cano came up with the Mets suddenly (and shockingly) down two runs.  Cano struck out on a pitch in the dirt and just stood there--did not even bother to fake a run to first base.  Wayne Randazzo (I think it was) ripped Cano to pieces.  It is unusual for team announcers to be as immediately and bitterly critical of a player like this, although the Mets announcers are among the best in the game in terms of being baseball analysts first and home team rooters second. 

Still, I think Randazzo was mirroring general fan and player disgust with the effort from some Mets players, especially Cano.  The announcers are embedded with the teams and all but live with the guys on the road.  I have to think they are picking up on internal clubhouse concerns and off the record comments.  It makes me wonder if Mickey is losing the clubhouse, and if Brodie did not pay enough attention to compatibility when he tried to build the team this year.

Gary was very forceful about the Lugo/Diaz thing as well.

bub said:
Gary was very forceful about the Lugo/Diaz thing as well.

there are times when everyone watching can see the bad stuff coming.  It was clear Lugo wasn't sharp, but then when it got up over 30 pitches, it became evident that he had to come out.  Give Gary credit, he didn't second guess -- he was saying it a couple of batters before the disaster happened.

The radio guys were saying it as well, but maybe not as forceful as Gary. They were certainly questioning him being in there past 30 pitches. He was clearly struggling in the 2nd inning. 

sbenois said:
Is it me or does Vargas seem like a guy who will go postal some day?


He looks like the bad guy from the first Dirty Harry movie.

 This guy too. "Warriors, warriors, come out and play."