Let’s pretend that you are a baseball fan but for some reason (new baby, ridiculous job demands, or being on a space mission to Mars) you were not able to follow this season or post-season. Now you are ready to be caught up and have been told that the recently played World Series featured two very different types of baseball teams.
One team was a relentless group of singles and doubles hitters who struck out very rarely. They prided themselves on pushing the envelope at every opportunity whether it be stealing or taking the extra base on any and practically all outfield hits. They play superlative defense and have a shutdown back end to their bullpen.
The other team featured a great young starting pitching staff and mostly relied in the post season on the home run ball in order to score. This team has a shaky-at-best defense especially up the middle where the catcher practically never throws out base stealers, the keystone is very range deficient, and the center fielder has played mostly left in his career while possessing a classic right fielder’s arm.
Supplied with this information you are asked which team was the American League representative and which came from the National League. Surely you would be inclined to think the first team was the one from the senior circuit, the NL. You would recognize how much this team sounds like the Maury Wills’ Dodgers or the Cardinals when Jack Clark was surrounded by seven scatbacks with no better than warning track power. The other team sounds like an American League team – maybe a Yankees or Red Sox team or even a Harmon Killebrew Twins team.
And, of course, you would be wrong.
The Royals beat the Mets while playing a much better brand of National League baseball than the Mets played. They were the better team coming into the series, they played better during the series, the won and fully deserved to notwithstanding the Mets’ blown saves problem.
Many people fail to understand the lesson of “Moneyball”, both the book and the movie. It’s not just to go out and get players that walk a lot and pitchers that don’t walk a lot of guys. The true lesson is to look for market inefficiencies where you can win more games without spending excessive money to do so.
It certainly is easier and cheaper to find guys who can catch and run than it is to find guys to crash home runs over the wall. Give these guys great advance scouting let them continually poke the opponent in their weakest spots and they will win frequently.
Neither the Mets nor any other team can turn into the Royals overnight. However the Mets will be losing some people this off-season, Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy being the most important of them. In replacing them and in getting new bullpen pieces the team should keep the Royals in mind.
If the Mets opt to turn second base over to young Dilson Herrera then they can expect a speed boost and definite improvement on defense.
Personally I am distressed reading that the team might be inclined to continue with the Tejada/Flores tandem at shortstop. In Tejada they have an average fielding defender with a weak bat. Flores offers some power, still not a great stick, and well below average defensive range. If Flores is to be the shortstop his offense needs to rank with Jhonny Peralta’s (or Derek Jeter’s in his younger days) and it clearly does not.
As for center field the team really could use someone better defensively than Cespedes and simultaneously better offensively than Juan Lagares.
The Mets and everyone else should notice that a philosophy of avoiding the strike out has numerous benefits. Yes, the downside is some extra double play grounders but the flip side is that hunkering down with two strikes taxes the pitch count of the hurler. Any batted ball, especially a grounder, can be misplayed into a hit or an error. Strikeouts, absent a wild pitch or passed ball, do not move base runners.
So here’s to the Royals of Kansas City. They entertained, they taught, and they won. Hopefully the Mets can use what they’ve learned to create even a better team in 2016.
The Royals capitalized on the Met’s shortcomings while the Met’s could not. Poor defense up the middle,Cespedes Murphy and d’Arnaud. A catcher who is so consumed with framing pitches that he led the NL in passed balls (and no R,A, was not here). A catcher who has his share of difficulties in throwing out base runners as well. A center fielder who was not 100% and gave away Game 1 with a drop fly ball that any high school player makes and game 5 with his base running skills. Or is it lack of base running skills? Look at the Royals and see the difference up the middle. It starts with Perez (catcher) first and foremost. Duda was dead and so was his bat (I wont even mention that god awful throw to home with the game on the line). Zero offense from him. I’d sign Heyward and move Granderson to center. Dump Niese (Detroit or Toronto) and Cuddyer and apply that money to Heyward. Comforto in LF and Lagares becomes your 4th outfielder and spot starter. And can someone please tell TC not to use his closer when the score is 9 to 3? Does little to help boost his confidence. And stop trying to squeeze 4-6 outs from Familia! The more you use him. the more familiar the opposing hitters become.
Good work, Larry.
SS is a problem with Tejada/Flores hardly adequate, yet the Mets had a successful season with the tandem. The market for SS is always filled with guys who probably won’t be much of an upgrade. The Mets may have to look to Cecchini or Reynolds but its hard to say at this time if they would provide a boost.
As for Pete’s comment on Heyward, I love the guy. But the Mets, no matter what budget moves they make, will not come up with enough money. Too bad!
Wrong. Dilson has little speed. Much like Ruben tejada he looks fast but possesses very little speed. So his upside is his youth, quick bat with (some) pop, and most of all his salary. His defense will be better than murph’ but he also shown lack of concentrations and bonehead plays. Without even trying I can remember him not covering bases ect.
Murph, for all the hate and lack of appreciation he got, stole you 20 bases without much speed himself, played 3rd and 1st, and had the best RISP numbers on the team.
Mark my words, if they let murph walk they would live to regret it.
I agree with you that losing Murph is going to be tough but the limited baseball dollars that the Wilpons can afford just make it impossible to keep the guy.
I somewhat disagree with you about Dilson’s speed. He is indeed not a speedster but he is not as slow as the ponderous Ruben Tejada.
If we look at how the Strat-O-Matic game rated his speed for his 2014 card it becomes clear. Players are rated on a scale of 8 (slowest, Ramon Castro) to 17 (fastest, Billy Hamilton and Eric Young Jr.). Last year Tejada was a 12, Murphy a 13 and Dilson Herrera a 14. Another 14, meaning a comparable speed guy was Curtis Granderson.
Dilson stole 13 bases at Las Vegas this year and another 2 for the Mets. His success rate wasn’t particularly good but he might be able to improve on that in the future.
Excellent post. Sandy transformed this team from a classic NL team (big ballpark, fast players) to an Earl Weaver team that lives and dies by the long ball.
I love Murphy’s bat on this team, but unless he’s playing third (sorry, this seat’s taken) he’s a defensive liability. I know he will be in high demand but Zobrist woukd be a perfect replacement. As good a bat, just as versatile and a much better defensive player. A little older but he strikes me as the type of player who will still be solid in his late 30s.
Zobrist would fit great on the Mets. Unfortunately 29 other teams can make that statement about their teams. History shows that when more than one team likes and bids for a guy’s services the Mets do not come out the winner.
It would be a pleasant surprise and a minor miracle to see Zobrist on the Mets in 2016.
You’ll be surprise. Most players, wants to play in a championship team. Granted, the Royals, won it, but, with the pitching that the Mets have, coming next year, and what they have accomplished, do you think that a player like Zobrist, if KC, does not retain him, he will not at least contemplate to play for the Mets. Here’s the starting 5.
2 years for $ 22 Sign Ben Zobrist
Harvey
DeGrom
Thor
Matz
Wheeler
“As for center field the team really could use someone better defensively than Cespedes and simultaneously better offensively than Juan Lagares.”
Sounds like Heyward! 🙂
Unfortunately, and despite my article following this one, I wouldn’t hold my breath on the Mets shelling out the cash.
I am still grieving for two reasons…of course, the WS loss.
Mets should have one Game 1 and Game 5, period. DeGrom and Thor did not even get a chance to pitch a second game it was over too early.
The second reason is that the Wilpons will cash in from the extra post season games, the notoriety and attention the Mets gave NYC, and not spend a dime more than they did last year to improve the team. For those fans waiting to see an active off season, forget it. Heyward ?? Ha, Zobrist ?? Crazy dreamin’.
The team will be good in 2016 because the starting 5 are awesome, but the lineup will be just what you expect, good, not great, and the other teams will be better- Cards, Cubs, Pirates, Dodgers, and the Nats with Dusty Baker will be much, much tougher. Mets will put out a lineup of C- d-Arnaud (can’t throw),
1b- Duda ( streaky low BA, K machine), 2b- Herrera (potential but cheap $, that is why he will be in), SS – Flores (good but not really a SS), 3b- Wright (always will be a ? to hold up all yr) Lf- Conforto (star in the making), Cf- Lagares (ok, but no way a star), Rf- Grandy (exc year in 2015, can he do it again with more pressure to drive in runs ?) So-so bench with Cuddy “Cadaver”, Uribe, Tejada, Kelly Johnson (hope so), and Plawecki (no bat), Capt Kirk spare OF.
The BP will be the key to keep team afloat and maybe reach 90 wins again.
Hopefully the Mets can make a play for O’Day and have him, Reed, Robles, Familia, and two lefties Blevins and Edgin (both questions one $ Blevins, the other TJ surgery return).
Please dump Parnell, OFlaherty, Clippard and all the other jokers out of the BP.
Unfortunately, I am not optimistic with the Wilpons spending, even for O’Day and Blevins. This past year was “gravy” for the the owners, and “those Wilpons likes them their gravy $$ !”