Here are some Mets or Mets-related tidbits that I’ve found interesting.
The Mets are 12-4 in their last 16 games. That’s their best stretch of 16 games this season since going 13-3 in late April. The earlier stretch was pitching dominated, as the club had a 2.80 ERA leading to the 13-3 mark. But while the pitching has been good lately, the current stretch has been heavy on offense. The Mets have scored 83 runs, a touch above five runs per game. The team has 27 HR and an .812 OPS in this span.
As the Mets look to catch the Cardinals and/or the Giants in the Wild Card chase, we see that both of those teams have some troubling numbers. The Cardinals are seven games under .500 at home and they have 14 home games remaining. The Giants are 16-31 in the second half. Also, San Francisco has four games against the Cardinals and six against the Dodgers remaining.
The Mets are 25-17 when Rene Rivera starts behind the plate. They are 47-49 when someone else is the starting catcher.
How reliable has Asdrubal Cabrera been in handling balls he reaches? He ranks fourth among qualified shortstops in the error portion of UZR, ahead of strong fielders like Brandon Crawford, Zack Cozart and Andrelton Simmons.
Wilmer Flores ranks fifth in the majors in OPS for RHB versus LHP, minimum 50 PA, with a 1.078 mark. Teammate Yoenis Cespedes ranks third with an 1.121 mark. However, according to ESPN, the Mets are just 17-17 versus LHP.
Terry Collins has 2 years in a row with a team that has launched itself out of the dust with a special run. The odds ahead are tough on this run…. after all, the pitching is an unknown.
Still…I’d say he’s done a heckuva job overall. I can kill some of the moves, but his teams have kept playing.
Terry’s job is safe.
As far as the Flores thing goes, I think that is because he has developed as a hitter this year and didn’t receive the benefit of season-long ABs (but please don’t get thrown out two times in one game again). I like Rivera behind the plate. Do we deal d’Arnaud in the off-season?
I just don’t see Rivera as a 120 games a year guy. I see him as a nice backup. I think he & TDA make a solid combo. I would have been in favor of a Lucroy deal at the deadline but that ship has sailed and I have a hard time seeing an upgrade available.
The Rivera stat is almost all Noah-driven
12-7 for Noah, 13-10 with everyone else.
Rivera’s winning percentage – .595
Others winning percentage – .490
Take Syndergaard out of the equation and Rivera is 13-10 (.565) and the others are 43-46 (.483)
.105 difference with Noah and .082 without him. So, about 25% Noah
I think it’s a good combination, too. Smart to pair d’Arnaud with a defense-first catcher. I like giving Travis regular rest, lightening the mental & physical load. That’s a tough position.
T’s numbers vs. LHP are obscenely bad. He’s had such a strange season.
My latest take is that all the missed time has done a bit of a number on him, and that he can’t be expected to regroup unless (and until) he stays healthy for at least another season. I do expect him to hit better in 2017 . . . if.
I think Cabrera and Reyes both suffered from astro-turf fueled defensive metrics last year. Neither is as quick as they used to be, but they can still field their positions adequately.
Rivera has been a great pickup. I love not just his defense, but the heart he shows on some of his hustling plays behind the plate. He’s also gotten a few really clutch hits. I know he’s not a 120-game catcher, but I’d love to see him back in 2017 as either a platoon or backup. I’ve completely soured on TDA – between the injuries and the lack of RISP hitting.
I’m amazed the Cardinals are still in it with all the injuries and off years they have. But then, they probably say that about our team too.
I just love Wilmer Flores – even his new walkup song makes me smile.
The Cardinals as a team have 48 HR and an .836 OPS with RISP. Both marks are good for 2nd in the NL and make up for a lot.
The Cards, as a team, compete. They just have that gene.
I am sick of many baseball cliches, especially ones that come from Terry, but the Cardinals really do seem to “grind it out.” They just have that collective mentality of making pitchers work, inning by inning, bat by bat, pitch by pitch. I guess Carpenter is their posterboy at this point.
Give the kids a shot,Lugo,Gseileman and finally Flores. Maybe TJ Rivera should get a shot.
The Mets are peaking at the right time, again.
The season is in the Mets hands. They just have to keep wnning each series against their sub .500 competition and 1 of 3 vs the Nationals.
Rene Rivera is a credible defensive catching back up, nothing more. Plawecki will secure that job next year.
When Cabrera was signed I made the sabermetric point that ,per Fanraphs, he was sure handed with the routine play. Just to stir the pot, who is the better defensive ss, Cabrera or Reyes? I don’t know.
If he continues to hit RHP, Flores should be the favorite for the starting 2017 second base job.