Perspectives is a compilation of news, columns and team analysis
Six out of eight playoff teams–Boston, Tampa Bay, Detroit, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles–all featured a top-10 OBP leadoff hitter and all made the playoffs. A 7th team represented on this list, Texas, missed the playoffs on game 163. The non-contending teams with strong leadoff hitters were Toronto, Milwaukee, and Colorado. The two teams who made the playoffs without a top-10 OBP leadoff hitter were Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Atlanta positioned Andrelton Simmons and Jordan…
Terry Collins is now the oldest manager in the major leagues. He’s played his part of the development of the young players in the organization from his years as the minor league coordinator to the past three years as the Mets’ skipper. The majority of the players on the prospective 25 man opening day roster are familiar faces he has overseen early in their careers. So as Mets fans look for a bump up in…
Joe talks about Mets pitching prospects, and why starting Eric Young Jr. over Juan Lagares is lunacy.
There was the Miracle of 1969. There was its even more unlikely cousin, the “Ya Gotta Believe” pennant of 1973, which saw a second championship fall short – just when the Mets were poised to take it — due to un-robust hitting and some managerial malpractice. What was lost on the management of the time — in the person of the execrable M. Donald Grant – was just how unlikely that NL Championship actually was,…
It has been a hot topic as of late. Who is going to start for the New York Mets on opening day? Three names have been thrown around: Jon Niese, Bartolo Colon and Zack Wheeler. Niese, who has started opening day for the Mets in the past, hasn’t gotten off to a great start. He still has yet to throw in a spring training game as a shoulder injury has kept him sidelined. Colon was…
Spring training is a time of hope, happiness, and wonder. The regular season is less than a month away, and every team has a chance to prove the haters wrong and win a championship. But spring training can also be a time of concern. Something could go wrong at any point in time. So what are some concerns for the Mets for the next few weeks? I have made a list of a few that…
Ah, spring training. The one time when losing is acceptable and the Mets have done a ton of it. Several hours after the loss to the Cardinals on Sunday I read a review of the game on a few websites, as I had not watched it, and there were a couple bright spots; Curtis Granderson doubled, Brandon Nimmo had a hit, and Steven Matz struck out a pair. However, with these bright spots a right…
When Sandy Alderson decided to trade R.A. Dickey, he insisted on a haul befitting a sitting Cy Young Award winner. In one of his best moves yet, the Son of Alder came home with Travis d’Arnaud, Wuilmer Becerra and fellow Nord Noah Syndergaard, right now looking for all the world like the lynchpin of the entire deal. In his first game action under close scrutiny, Syndergaard – already bearing the nickname “Thor,” thanks to the…
Adam Rubin suggested in a recent ESPN article that Anthony Seratelli stands a chance of being a 31-year old rookie with the Mets come April. Many people are rooting for him to succeed and no wonder since this is a heartwarming tale for a career minor leaguer who is well-versed at playing first-base, second-base, shortstop, third base, and the outfield. He has put up a .385 OBP over the last two years with the Royals’…
Sandy Alderson did a decent job this offseason making upgrades that will hopefully make the Mets more competitive, if not this year then next year. Alderson addressed the outfield situation with the signings of Chris Young and Curtis Granderson. Alderson added an arm in Bartolo Colon to hold down a spot in the rotation until Matt Harvey is ready to come back. For the most part, people would agree that these signings improved the team.…
The good news is that Jeurys Familia has not pitched in the first three exhibition games of the year and is therefore not among the nine pitchers in camp with an ERA of 9.00 or above. The bad news is, well, just about everything else. Familia has gone from hot-shot pitching prospect to potential future closer to staring at another season in the minors and being bypassed by others on the team’s depth chart. While…
One of the fun parts about spring training is that there is always a group of pitchers vying for a coveted spot in the Opening Day bullpen. While that may not sound very exciting on paper, the mix of veterans looking for one last go-around in the show and young up-and-comers trying to open up eyes and prove themselves worthy makes for a great competition for the seven bullpen spots. For the purposes of this…
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