The Mets are now 2-12 against teams with a winning record. The offense just hasn’t been able to score runs against the better teams. Here is the offensive output in those 14 games against teams .500 and above:
CHC – 1, 4, 3
BOS – 1, 0
STL – 5, 1, 7, 4
TBR – 2, 5, 1
SDP – 3, 0
That’s a total of 37 runs or an average of 2.6 runs per game. For the most part, it was the regulars against the Cubs, Red Sox and St. Louis and then the bench mob against the Rays and Padres. The last five games with the bench mob, it’s been an average of 2.2 rpg. We know that the regulars mostly got off to rotten starts. The bench mob has been worse. Let’s look at the OPS of these bench mob guys who’ve gotten a dozen or more PA. Their OPS+ will be before their name and their PA afterwards:
106 – Jonathan Villar – 152
77 – Kevin Pillar – 101
68 – Jose Peraza – 76
-33 – Cameron Maybin – 33
79 – Brandon Drury – 29
170 – Billy McKinney – 27
-59 – Albert Almora – 22
122 – Johneshwy Fargas – 22
-54 – Khalil Lee – 18
107 – Patrick Mazeika – 16
25 – Wilfredo Tovar – 12
56 – Mason Williams – 12
Yes, that a negative OPS+ for Maybin, Almora and Lee. What do those three have in common? They’re all outfielders. The Mets get a little production from Fargas and then he gets hurt, too. We should wrap McKinney in bubble wrap to make sure nothing happens to him. And we should be paying extra attention to the injury updates for Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo. Pillar was doing better before he got hit in the face but even then, he was still a below-average player overall and looked worse if we compared him to other outfielders. Nimmo’s 147 OPS+ is sorely missed.
In the infield, Villar’s essentially doing what he’s done pre-2020 with regular playing time. From 2015-2019, he had a 101 OPS+. If and when J.D. Davis comes back, Villar should stay in the lineup and move to second base. And then when Jeff McNeil returns, the Mets can see if Davis’ bat is providing more value than his glove is giving away and then act accordingly.
We all love the narrative of the scrub who comes up with an unexpected big play. Even though it happened over 45 years ago, I can still recall – and get an anguished response from my brother if I say the name out loud – reserve Joe Blahak’s blocked punt for a safety, which propelled the Vikings to a win over the Jets. Undoubtedly Mazeika will hold the same place for some young fans.
But we can appreciate the unexpected moments and still recognize that most of these guys are bench guys for a reason. And the reason is they’re not good enough to get the job done on a somewhat regular basis. Hurry back starters – we need you ASAP.
Good grief. Just imagine when the team is so good that Villar, Pillar, Peraza, and McKinney are back on the bench.
But recall that Nimmo was like 0-16 before going down, McNeil was struggling to get going, Conforto was just starting to barrel up, and JD was iffy in the field. All those questions went bye bye. This season is anything but a sure thing and this team is still floundering to find an identity. The Bench Mob was the clearest symbol for this team, and they will hold much value all season.
But this team will Iive and die on its starting pitching. My fear is that Luis Rojas values the bullpen too much. He arrives at the game wanting to use the bullpen. Many of us would rather he ride his starters well into the game, ask them to carry the team, and then relent when they do. I’m almost sure he is not built that way… starting pitching to Luis, is a temporary part of the game. Far too often he uses the pen before he needs to, removing the best pitcher that day from the game before he has finished his contribution to a win.
I agree 100% with your first paragraph. As for your comment on Nimmo, the fact that he had cooled off before he got hurt doesn’t mean he’s not a huge upgrade over the guys they have out there now.
As far as Rojas and his bullpen usage I think there have been times where I would like to see him go longer with the starters but I don’t have nearly the issue that some people here do. The Mets bullpen has been very good this year, but like all bullpens, the moves don’t always work out. It seems like in the comments here any time one doesn’t work out the second guessing goes on and on and on. It’s really easy to criticize a decision with the benefit of hindsight. Some moves make perfect sense and just don’t work out. Some could be a tougher decision but if they don’t work out it doesn’t make them automatically wrong. We also need to remember that we don’t always have all of the information that the manager does.
I agree 100% with your first paragraph and 100% with your 2nd paragraph.
The Mets are 2-12 against then they’re 25-11 against everybody else. The “Bench Mob” are surprisingly successful and even dominant but the good teams are too talented for them. 2-12 is hard to swallow but is could be expected because Lindor, Smith and McCann were not hitting. The Bench Mob is saving their season but they need get the starters back for the playoffs. It was a very good job by Scott/Alderson to obtain the depth.
These were 2 winnable games against 2 of the best pitchers in baseball pitching their best for a team that just got swept on the road, with a lineup of only 1/2 their projected starters. Worst time to face the Padres. It happens.
I think the record against good teams will eventually even out in the 2nd half, and of course if we take the next two from San Diego, it starts to look better immediately. Jake, unfortunately, needs to put up zeroes tonight and get into the 8th at least. I do think we’re going to get to Musgrove tonight. Just a feeling.
As a fan – I absolutely cannot wait to see Jake vs Tatis.
Thanks for all the great comments. A most enjoyable site to share our thoughts… I value all of yours.