When you run a baseball team in the biggest market in the world and your budget in 2015 is 19th in the sport, it’s a little insulting to the fanbase to shell out nearly 1/10th of that budget to a player who will be turning 36 before the start of the season, and who played just 49 games the year before. That’s the kind of “big fix” that doesn’t go over too well. But that is also somewhat superficial thinking. It’s sad that the Mets have to overpay to get literally anyone to play in Citi Field, but the real question is what will Michael Cuddyer offer to the lineup once the season kicks off?
2014 was basically a wash for Cuddyer, but for giggles, let’s just take a look at some numbers. Coors Field has always aided in offensive production numbers due to its high altitude and lower air pressure. But it’s not like Cuddyer has been historically terrible on the road since playing in the National League. In 2014 he hit .282/.319/.418 away from Coors, and he was no slouch against righty pitching, hitting .302/.333/.496. While he did strike out more against righties, he hit home runs and walked roughly the same amount no matter the handedness of the pitcher.
2013 was a little different in that he raked against righties, hitting .350 compared to .276 against lefties, and hit 17 of his 20 home runs against the non-southpaws. He’s usually a more even hitter than those numbers suggest, but 20 home runs in 130 games is still nothing to complain about. Coors Field wasn’t as big of a factor as one might assume though. 9 of those 20 dingers came on the road. Additionally, Cuddyer had an ISO (Isolated Power) of .227 at home, and .174 on the road. While that’s a .053 difference, that year Cuddyer’s combined .198 ISO ranked 10th among right fielders, but his road ISO still would have been 13th best in the game.
2012 was more of the same.
| Games Played | Hits | Doubles | Home Runs | RBI | AVG | ISO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 55 | 52 | 17 | 9 | 35 | .268 | .247 |
| Away | 45 | 41 | 13 | 7 | 23 | .250 | .207 |
Of course playing in Colorado helped, but not nearly as much as we might suspect. So when Cuddyer is on the field, he hits well against both lefties and righties, and can do so away from the hitter’s paradise up in the Rocky Mountains. Age 36 or not, those are some pretty nice offensive numbers. While Citi Field certainly does not play like Coors, he will still be playing half of his games on the road, and his track record is a player who can hit no matter what town he’s playing in.
Alas, Cuddyer never played more than 130 games a season while in the purple and black, and likely won’t in the orange and blue either; a major sticking point in the fanbase’s craw about bringing the right fielder to New York. The point is that when Cuddyer is healthy he is still a potent bat to have in the lineup. He generates average to very good power against either-handed pitcher, and has proven that he is not just a product of high altitude home games. If management takes into consideration the health concerns and has him rest regularly, (one or two games a week) Mets fans in 2015 should still be able to see Cuddyer’s fine production of years past.
As the Mets360 2015 projection series roles on, Cuddyer will appear shortly. It’s safe to assume that many of our predictions will be average to potentially mediocre, and there’s safety in that sort of speculation. After all, we really don’t know what we’re going to get. However, that denies the kind of hitter Cuddyer has been in the past. If he hits fifth or sixth in the lineup as the consensus believes, he will lengthen the lineup so that Travis d’Arnaud, a possible 15-20 home run candidate might get pushed back to sixth or seventh, and Wilmer Flores likely will be 8th. The addition of Cuddyer means that the Mets probably won’t have a waste of an at-bat standing one or two spots in front of the pitcher day in and day out. And when teams can bat around through the pitcher’s spot, good things usually happen. Except on days Bartolo Colon hits obviously.
There are many reasons not to like the Cuddyer signing. He cost too much, he’s 36, his health is somewhat in question, and he does magic. (Seriously, I went to the Magic Castle in Hollywood the other day. Magicians are strange.) But he’s on the Mets, and we need to learn to like him while he’s here. His bat in the lineup will help make that easier.
Just as long as his bat stays in the lineup.
Hi Patrick,
Unfortunately I cannot agree with many of your points first one you didn’t touch on his defense it will be a negative well over what we had in his place last year, a big negative as EYjr, MDD Captain Kirk and even Chris Young are head and shoulders better defenders than Cuddyer was even when he was young, he is basically a traffic cone with a glove now. Standing at a position for innings on end does not mean you can play that position.
Second you said that “Of course playing in Colorado helped, but not nearly as much as we might suspect.” How can that be true he was a 270 lifetime hitter basically all his life in Minnesota playing in the Homer Dome no less and never hit above 284 in his career. Yet he comes to Colorado at age 33 and proceeds to hit 260, 331 and 332 in ages 33, 34 and 35 seasons how is that explained away so easily? Did he suddenly become a much better hitter as he exited his prime and entered his mid 30’s, or did he find some of that juice Colon pumped in his arm in Mexico and administer it to his bat? I think that bears a lot more consideration personally. IMO he is a prime suspect to be using something performance enhancing the last two years they just don’t fit his career path.
Third his power increased pretty much as well let’s kill of the first three years of his career since he didn’t play in over 41 games in any of them. In the remaining 11 years of his career he hit over 15 home runs in a season 5 times, two of them in Colorado once in only 101 games and in the season where he failed at that task he hit 10 in just 49 games. In Minnesota playing in a stadium known for surrendering home runs he achieved 15 or more home runs just 4 times in 8 years, contrast that to his Rocky Mountain numbers where he did it twice in three years and would have easily made it three for three if he had stayed on the field a reasonable number of games. And that was playing his prime in Minnesota to boot.
Take all this into consideration factor in the added pressure of coming to a big market for the first time in his life add in the greater expectations than he has ever faced as he has never in his life been the big off season acquisition anywhere that we are trying to make him, the advancing age and the more pitcher friendly ball park for the first time in his career and we have a problem Houston.
Just like Granderson he will take a significant hit on his numbers coming to Citi, and i’m not talking about his Coors field inflated numbers i’m talking about his lifetime numbers imo.
If we get 260/330/410 with 12 home runs and 60 rbi out of him in 120 games i’ll consider he had a pretty Cuddyeresque season after reviewing his past performances and factoring ball park and age. That is if he can stay on the field for 120 games not a given with his advancing age and the fact that he has only done that once in the last three years he has played. Also how many games will it cost the team to have a traffic cone with a glove in RF most games is anyone’s guess hopefully we get lucky and more often than not at critical times in a game they won’t hit it out there.
I am hoping for better but just like I said last year that Granderson would greatly disappoint I bet this year is more of the same disappointment from both of them.
Wow, Rob. You just ruined my day. LOL, just messing.
If he sucks in July, how about just combining Granderson and Cuddyer and getting the kids in there?
Hi Gus,
I would be game with that. You darn well know we aren’t going to make a deal and add a proven player that makes money so what choice would we have. It’s the kids and hoping these two old has beens have a little left in the tank.
Look on the bright side we have graduated from the never was’s like Ankiel, Torres, and the likes of them.
Rob,
Every post just keeps getting better and better. Well done…again.
Thank you Chris just an old timer that loves baseball. Sometimes though due to my advanced age and laziness of not wanting to Google every little thing my old mind plays tricks on me , when that inevitably happens accept my apologies in advance please.
The player this team needed was Matt Kemp. Said it, and said it, and said it some more. He’s 29 and ripping again. And stealing bases again.
While I have no problems with the person Michael Cuddyer, he is more a nice player than a difference maker. However, what if you don’t sign Cuddyer and don’t get Kemp or eventually Myers? Now you’re screwed. So, you sign Cuddyer and get the winter over with in November.
What bugs me is that for a team that isn’t a perennial powerhouse, why are the Mets so locked in to so many positional question marks that they cannot move any of them or upgrade? They are just too cheap to eat a contract!
Holy cow Gus even with the Dodgers eating half that salary Fred and Jeffy would have popped an overload at the shear mention of such a thing!
I do agree though he would have been the kind of stick we need. If we were going with a health risk why not go with a much younger and much more accomplished one?
If d’Arnaud had a solid year the entire year in 2014 than I think the Mets could have made a very similar offer to the Dodgers for Kemp, but I don’t think Alderson wants to trade Plawecki away until he is sure d’Arnaud is the catcher of the future. Kemp definitely had his injury concerns with him too and he is signed through 2019. With Granderson already hooked until 2017 and Lagares in center there would be no room for either Nimmo or Conforto. With the big contracts Granderson and Kemp would have they would get playing time over the younger guys. If the Dodgers gave the same money to the Mets as they did the Padres, it would still cost the Mets around $15 million a year for Kemp. More expesive than Cuddyer and much harder to move to another team. Sandy is not punting for 2015 like AJ Preller is doing for the Padres. Alderson has spent the last few years building a team to win for the next few years not just 2015.
Tyler,
Kemp is only 29, so in a few years he can still be tradable. But, that’s another debate.
Preller is going for it this year much more than Alderson. Presley got Upton, Myers, and Kemp when he already has Quentin, Venable, Smith, and Maybin. If Alderson had four outfielders under contract, he would be set. Peeler blows that up and upgrades tremendously and is in the news about getting Hamels. Who’s going after it more in 2015? How can you say the Padres are punting?
Last year, there were question marks at this time in LF, CF, 1B, SS, C, much of the bullpen and bench, and at least one starting-pitcher spot.
This year, it’s really just at SS and the second LH-reliever spot.
While Alderson should have done more this winter, that’s quite an improvement.
I dont think its that simple. We still have major ? in LF. Really the CF and 1B spots were solved back then and look no different this year than last (ok ok, I get the Ike thing, but Duda played 1B most of the season). Essentially its an improvemnt by doing nothing (or very little)…not much to get excited about.
I think the pen is far more than a lefty away from greatness. Im not comfortable that the pen is “solved” otherwise.
I think it’s all going to come down to how many games he plays. If he plays over 140 games, the signing will be worth it. Even if he hits .280, it would be a big help in this lineup. He’s a run producer and can hit doubles in Citi Field. He doesn’t need to be the best slugger on the team, but rather a complementary to Wright, Duda and Granderson. Hopefully he has a good season and can stay healthy throughout the year.
Nice writeup. It seems as if we all think the same thing about Cuddyer–he could be very helpful, he might not be very helpful. It might be a good signing, but there is a strong chance that he adds little because of his inability to stay on the field.
I’m personally pretty OK with this signing and look forward to a rebound 2015 from Cuddy, followed by the DL and 12 games played in 2016, but by then Nimmo will be here and it’s all moot.
I do like the fact that David Wright is happy–that along makes the signing good in my book.
I agree with that if he stays healthy, Cuddy will be productive. His defense is trouble some, but I think it won’t hurt all that much. Granderson didn’t fair well in right according to advanced metrics, but that had a lot to do with his arm, which won’t be an issue in left. When you add in Lagares and Mayberry (who is an excellent corner OF) and that Cuddy will see time at 1B and DH in inter league games, you might only see him in right for 90 games.
Look, I’d much rather have Myers, but Kemp wasn’t the answer as he has more concerning injury issues and a massive contract in terms of years and dollars. In the end, tge Mets weren’t going to block Nimmo and Conforto, so Cuddy is what we got.
i’d be more excited if he were signed to be a secret weapon – 1B against tough lefties, DH against AL teams, stud pinch hitter. He’d make a huge impact in 300 atbats. However, to justify his salary, Collins will be asked to play him every day, using him in the OF, where Cuddy is a virtual lock to wind up on the DL.
As I posted previously, this smells a lot like Moises Alou.
I like this secret weapon idea. Like he’s really the fix at shortstop we’ve been looking for. I with ya. I with ya.