We know all the negatives. There’s the shaky defense, the less than stellar bullpen, the surprising lack of power and the struggles with RISP. But there’s been some good things, real good things happening. We take Jacob deGrom’s magnificence for granted but he’s been good, even for him. James McCann has been a great defensive upgrade behind the plate, as has Francisco Lindor at shortstop. Jonathan Villar has had a really strong start, as has Luis Guillorme. Hopefully the first three things last. And if the latter two don’t, well, that won’t exactly make or break the season.
Here are some performances that have caught my eye, ones that may or may not last the rest of the month, much less thru the rest of the season. Which one would you like to see last for 162 games?
Which would you like to see most going forward
- Marcus Stroman having a 2.22 ERA (60%, 6 Votes)
- J.D. Davis maintaining a .276 ISO (30%, 3 Votes)
- Brandon Nimmo being ranked average or better in 2 advanced defensive metrics (10%, 1 Votes)
- Miguel Castro keeping his 2.57 BB/9 (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 10
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With about 30 starts remaining, if Stroman can keep his ERA at the current level, one has to think that the Mets will win most of those games. We know what Nimmo will do defensively, he’s just not a natural glove out there. And we know what JDD is capable of… anything close to 2019 would suffice. Castro’s stuff looks electric thus far, and he appears to have his control, errr… under control. He’ll have his bad days, I’m sure… but if he can be used properly, he will be a huge bonus in the pen.
DeGrom, a Stroman with ERA, Carrasco,Snyndergard in June, Peterson or Walker…That’s a great starting Five if……..
I want Brandon Nimmo to finish top 5 in the MVP vote so I’m rooting for his defense.
That would be great!
I’ll settle for an All-Star bid and JD slugging the way that he is.
I don’t think of Nimmo as an MVP-type player, largely because he does not really know yet what type of player he is. Compare him to Ronald Acuna, who arrived fully-formed and exactly who he was on his first day. Or Juan Soto. Nimmo still seems to be feeling his way to his identity.
This identification process might be from Nimmo himself, a kid from Wyoming, and at least partially from playing in the Mets organization, where he was, and in some respects still is, not wholly embraced. Add to this his playing out of position, and we see him coming into his own this season maybe for the first time.
He may ascend to MVP heights, but only after he figures out what kind of hitter he is. He takes a lot of walks, a lot of HBP, and a lot of strikeouts. No one attains MVP status through those venues. I’d be interested to see him choke up some on the bat, shorten his swing, use his prodigious eye, and be a perennial .300 hitter. Yeah, he may give up a few HRs in that process, but he would be a tougher out, score a million runs, and establish himself as an elite offensive player. MVP? The most “valuable” player in the league… he’s not nearly that yet.
Wow, I dig those comps, Wobbit. From where I sit, it’s challenging to see how Nimmo emerges as a superstar like Soto or Acuna. I think of Nimmo as perhaps like Yelich in his Miami days. He didn’t find his real power until Mil. It’s hard to imagine Nimmo hitting 40+ HRs but I’d argue that it was not predictable that Yelich would do that either, earlier in his career. Yelich has the defensive edge but I’m a believer in Nimmo’s work ethic and athleticism and I predict that he’ll emerge as an above average CF as early as this season.
Been a lot written about deGrom and his climb into discussions of historical greatness. Came upon a great trivia nugget that I’m going to leave here and will check back later with the answer. Only 2 MLB players have ever won rookie of the year, cy young, and MVP. Neither is in the HOF.
I believe that Newcombe did this hat trick and I think he’s in the HOF. I think the other one might be Clemens?
Stroman because with a 2.22 ERA the Mets would likely be winning those games.