The Mets are bad. Really bad. After an impressive 15-5 start, the Mets have gone 10-16 and have largely failed to play professional baseball with any kind of aplomb. The pitching has scuffled (even Harvey has taken a turn for the worst), the defense is not great, and the offense is just putrid. The sad part about this recent stretch is watching the best hitters on the team simply struggle or just languish on the disabled list. Adding to their woes: David Wright has suffered another setback, it remains unlikely he’ll play in 50 games this season; Michael Cuddyer has been simply awful despite a .306 average in his last 10 games; and Juan Lagares, Wilmer Flores, and Daniel Murphy have all been streaky. The only consistent hitter on the team has been Lucas Duda. The best news heard by Mets’ fans is that Travis d’Arnaud is apparently close. So, how should this atrocious lineup be constructed when their budding star comes back? Let’s take a look.
Leadoff: Curtis Granderson
Granderson has actually been one of the more consistent hitters in this lineup and has hit extremely well since a cold start. Contrary to the common belief, he is actually a very solid leadoff hitter that features a great combo of walks and power. With all of the ice-cold hitters in the Mets lineup, Granderson has not only hit well, but lived up to the great contract this season.
Batting Second: Michael Cuddyer
Up to this point, Cuddyer has been nothing short of an absolute bust. He hasn’t hit in big situations, he hasn’t hit in small situations, and most important, he’s not making other hitters better. However, if there are any flutterings of life to grasp onto for this guy it’s the previously mentioned .306 average (over his past 10 games). Cuddyer has struck out a ton this season, but he still lifts the ball in the air which could help advance runners.
Batting Third: Travis d’Arnaud
Without this guy the Mets offense has been extremely shaky, which itself is an understatement. However, when he comes back, let’s hope that he picks up where he left off. His .317 batting average was propelling the entire squad while driving in countless runs to help the team. If he can come back at a level even close to where he was, then the entire offense will change in dynamic. By batting d’Arnaud third, he will be placed into a situation with the opportunity to drive in runs: which is vital.
Batting Cleanup: Lucas Duda
So far this season, Duda remains the only hitter on the roster that has actually hit with a purpose. His towering homeruns and consistent line-drive hitting have kept him in the lineup all season. Overall, his improved hitting versus left-handed pitching has transformed him into a force that can drive in a ton of runs. Terry Collins should place Duda where he belongs which is in the cleanup spot.
Batting Fifth: Wilmer Flores
This is where the controversy may come in. Flores has been the most scrutinized hitter on the Mets since Jason Bay, but has ironically played much better. With his team-leading seven homeruns and 19 R.B.I.’s, he has not disappointed at the plate. Considering his overall performance, he would be perfect to bat fifth. Flores has the ability to drive the ball to both sides of the field and plate runners. If Duda fails to drive a base runner in, Flores can come to the rescue. Open your eyes, he has been the best R.B.I machine on the team: take him seriously.
Batting Sixth: Daniel Murphy
The longest active position player in this lineup appears to be heating up as of late with a batting average over .300 since his two-hit game against the Yankees. Murphy has a knack for driving in runs at crucial times and has been a mainstay for years. He might not stay in Queens past this year, but the guy can still hit for the Metropolitans. Hitting him sixth will create a great lefty-righty dynamic and ultimately make the team better.
Batting Seventh: Juan Lagares
Clearly the most inconsistent hitter on the team, Lagares has not been great over the past month. It has been interesting to watch him bat ninth for the past few games, but he belongs in a place to set up innings. Overall, he belongs in low-pressure situations.
Batting Eighth: I Don’t Know (is on Third)
There has been nothing positive coming out of third base this season. Whether it’s the freezing soup of Eric Campbell or the lack of David Wright, it has not been fun. Hopefully the Mets can get something out of the position in the near future.
Please explain in what way Granderson has lived up to his contract? Batting leadoff is a last resort for him since he’s failed everywhere else he’s batted in the lineup. I do agree that batting him leadoff
is the only way they’ll get value out of him at this point.
I’m with you on Granderson. The Pirates series performance was a disgrace. Game 1: K to start the game, then K with man on 3rd with one out, then a DP after a leadoff single by Thor. Consistently junk. And Lagares can’t handle pressure? He hit Cole as did Flores. The difference between Flores, Lagares and Granderson is that the first two can hit good fastballs and curves. Granderson can’t. His lone hit in the series was off a reliever with the game out of reach. Lagares has to improve his selection, but with a quick bat, I’ll take him any day under pressure vs Granderson. 4 guys are hitting above .260. Bat them 1-4, Lagares, Flores, Murphy and Duda. Batting Murphy behind Duda is dumb. Murph’s a hit machine, and toughest K in the NL. Flores also tough to K, with 3 K’s in his last 39 AB’s. If Lagares gets on, Flores can hit n run. If Lagares doesn’t but Flores does, Murph can hit n run. Duda would be coming up with 1st and 3rd. Bat Grandy 8th, as he can’t steal and we could use the pitcher bunt him over, rather than the number 2 hitter being wasted doing this. And I want Grandy to have less AB’s, not more. What sense does it make to give him more AB’s than anyone else in the lineup? When TDA back, bat him 5th, Cuddy, 6th, whoever else(hopefully Herrera eventually) 7th and Grandy 8th. Always put your best hitters at the top half of the lineup, not the bottom.
Just to prove the point that Granderson is massively overpaid…
Player A: .312/.391/.412 2 HRs 11 SBs
Player B: .241/.342/.380 5 HRs 3 SBs
Both are batting leadoff and both also play RF. One clearly is a better average hitter and basestealer, the other other has more power. As a leadoff (maybe even for other positions), i think most people would rather have player A.
But Player A is making 4.7 million a year one a 1 year deal while Player B is making 15 million as part of a 4 year deal
If you haven’t figured it out, Player A is Nori Aoki and Player B is Granderson.
I might switch Murphy and Cuddyer, but overall this is a nice lineup. Not great, but nice.
Flores has as many walks as David Wright for the season. His batting line would near All-Star caliber if he can bring that up.
Walks are not that important. For the second year in a row, the Royals have the lowest walks and lowest K’s. Granderson walks a lot, but K’s a lot. When you’re very selective, you take too many strikes which can be good pitches to hit. Vlad Guerrero and Yogi Berra, rarely K’d. Vlad hit .318 for his career, never K’ing more than 85 times or so. In 1950, Berra had 28 hr’s and 12 K’s. They didn’t walk much, preferring to swing. Granderson, to me, takes pitches, and for a good reason. He can’t hit good pitching, so he’s hoping to walk, and he does, but he K’s too much. When you’re selective like Ted Williams, you’re supposed to K less, not more. You know who was very selective, but walked and K’d a lot? Bobby Abreu. I bet with less taking of pitches, he would have K’d less. You know who I think does this? Brandon Nimmo. Too many K’s, too many BB’s. He’s K’d 28 times in 34 games, while Conforto has K’d 25 times in 43 games. IMO, Conforto will make it before Nimmo. He’s a better hitter. And at A+, where Conforto is now, Nimmo K’d 51 times in 62 games, so Conforto would have to K 26 times in the next 19 games to match that. Not happenin. Don’t look for walks.
If you are optimizing your lineup and believe in The Book by Tom Tango then TdA is second because he is the best hitter. Cuddyer gets the nod at 3rd spot because of equal OBP with Murphy but he has more power. The 5 hole is Murphy. Flores is 6. Lagares is either 7th or ninth and has to run more with Tejada 8th or 7th depending where the pitcher bats. Murphy is my third baseman, Tejada is my SS and Flores is my 2B because that is their best defensive positions.
The bottom line is that Cuddyer has to keep up his present ten game production for the Mets to win. He can’t be the black hole in the lineup.
Since Murphy broke out of his dreadful slump to begin this season, he’s been worlds better than Cuddyer at the plate.
Stats since April 23rd:
Cuddyer : .233/.307/.340 3 HRs .107 ISO (.273 BABIP)
Murphy: .325/.369/.447 2 HRs .122 ISO (.347 BABIP)
“The Book says the #5 guy can provide more value than the #3 guy with singles, doubles, triples, and walks, and avoiding outs, although the #3 guy holds an advantage with homeruns. After positions #1, #2, and #4 are filled, put your next best hitter here, unless he lives and dies with the long ball. ” http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/3/17/795946/optimizing-your-lineup-by
That is why Cuddyer 3rd, Murphy 5th.
Granderson on this Mets team appears to be the best leadoff batter. IMO it is such a waste of power as Granderson should be a 3 or 5 hitter per “The Book.” Therefore Aoki should have been the signing instead of Cuddyer. He would have lead off, played a better RF than Granderson, Granderson would move to LF and Aoki was cheaper and no screwing up this years draft. I agree Name, good point.
Vey slow at the front of the order. But not bad. Since the managers “tweaks” the line up daily. Maybe he could try yours. How many different line up have Mets used this season?
According to baseball-reference.com, they’ve used 37 different batting orders. That, of course, is subject to change with the pitcher occasionally batting eighth.
Daniel Murphy should be playing 3B for the rest of his Met tenure. If DW returns, he and his fragile back go to LF,
I suppose there’s a question of whether you leave Wilmer alone and play Tejada at 2B until Dilson Herrera returns, or insert Tejada at short and temporarily station Flores at 2B.
Without Wright, my line-up would be: Herrera-Murphy-Flores-Duda-TdA-Grandy-Cuddy-Lagares. In fact, since I am now in complete control, I DFA Mayberry, platoon Ceciliani/Castellanos in RF, Grandy/Cuddy in LF.
I’ve got…
Wilmer Flores at 3B, with Matt Reynolds getting a shot at 2B.
I am also considering Reynolds at lead off, over Grandy.
I’m afraid the dirty little secret is that Reynolds is not an every day player. He has been sub par in the field and apart from last year (which was uber light on slugging) he has not even been an average minor league hitter. .280 in Vegas is not going to translate into the majors and he flashes a below average glove. He is not the answer and may not even cut it as a utility guy. Irrational exuberance is the best description of Reynolds and the Mets FO and most scouts know this
Like what Joe F said, Reynolds is not a very good baseball player. While MLB.com was incorrect in their predictions for Juan Lagares, they also predicted that Reynolds was nothing more than utility. He is nothing more than a guy who can replace Eric Campbell as super utility, don’t get your hopes up.
My hope is that eventually our leadoff hitter is either Lagares (if he learns to walk and hit more consistently), Herrera or someone not on the team yet. Grandy is being paid to hit HRs in the middle of the lineup, not draw walks at the top.
The biggest mistake the Mets made (not sure if Alderson is to blame or the Wilpons for not giving him the money) was signing Mayberry instead of Aoki or Morse to save a few bucks. A good 4th outfielder is invaluable.
They could have signed a one year deal with Ichiro as the 4th OF.