Quotes: Smoltz says Mets pitching is better than 90’s Braves

In an interview with the New York Daily News, soon-to-be-inducted Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz had some high praise for the Mets' young pitching quintet of Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom. "They're way better," Smoltz told Daniel Popper. "They've got more talent than we could ever have." The [...]

Jacob deGrom continues to be the light in the Mets’ darkness

In April when the Mets were still mostly healthy and the season was young, the club rattled off an 11-game winning streak, seemingly announcing its presence as a legitimate contender in the National League East.  But circumstances, as they often do, have changed.  With Curtis Granderson no longer producing at high levels and a disabled [...]

Can the new Bobby Parnell still be effective?

There was a time a few years ago when Bobby Parnell was half-lovingly nicknamed Captain Fastball.  He could bring the heat - reaching over 100 mph on the gun - but had problems with control and being hittable.  As the now well-known story goes, Jason Isringhausen taught him the knuckle-curve and from that point on, [...]

Michael Cuddyer heating up, but offense needs more

Three short weeks ago, Michael Cuddyer was being left for dead.  He didn’t look particularly good at the plate, and the results backed that up – through May 18th, Cuddyer was hitting .239/.295/.355 in 37 games.  The two-year contract he signed during the offseason where the Mets surrendered a first-round draft pick was looking worse [...]

Power finally showing up in the bats of Lucas Duda, others

After a slow start to the season in the power department, Mets hitting coach Kevin Long said that he wasn't worried, and the home runs would come. And come they have. Over the past seven days, Mets hitters have clobbered 10 home runs, tied for fifth-most in baseball in that time.  Lucas Duda has five [...]

Hansel Robles needs a bigger role in the bullpen

Since his call up from Triple-A Las Vegas on April 25th, Mets reliever Hansel Robles has proven to be deserving of a spot in a major league bullpen.  For the most part he has come in in low-leverage situations and has excelled. He is striking out 10.57 batters-per-nine, and issuing 2.35 walks-per-nine.  Robles throws gas, [...]

Despite results, Lucas Duda still needs help against lefties

During the offseason, it was frequently brought up that Mets first baseman Lucas Duda has been a dreadful hitter against left-handed pitching throughout his career.  This was first mentioned when speaking of a need to acquire a platoon partner for Duda, and then once Michael Cuddyer and John Mayberry Jr. signed, the idea of a [...]

Bartolo Colon’s dominance overshadows historic pace of Mets staff

At 42 years old, Bartolo Colon’s career is in its third act. Act one featured a young flamethrower with the Cleveland Indians, the Montreal Expos, the Chicago White Sox and the Anaheim-then-Los Angeles Angels. It was in this opening act that Colon was crowned the American League Cy Young Award winner in 2005 after going [...]