Please use this thread all week long to comment on any Mets-specific topic you wish.
Luis Rojas has three players for two positions, 3B and LF. Here are his choices:
Player A – .298/.394/.458
Player B – .244/.314/.344
Player C – .261/.337/.445
Here are the triple slash numbers for our guys in the last 28 days:
Player A – .256/.340/.395
Player B – .207/.258/.268
Player C – .312/.396/.473
If you were managing a team struggling for offense, who would you pick? It’s pretty clear that the choices should be A and C. Rojas has opted for B and C, instead.
Player A – J.D. Davis
Player B – Jeff McNeil
Player C – Jonathan Villar
You can try to defend Rojas’ choice of McNeil over Davis by saying the former is better on defense. The immediate reply would be: Did you see McNeil in LF Monday night? He ran gingerly and threw like a second-rate Brandon Nimmo. Davis is lousy in left field. But there’s no way that McNeil’s defense in 2021 makes up for 209 points of OPS in the four weeks, or 194 points of OPS on a year-long basis.
We all want the 2018-19 version of McNeil to show up these last two-plus weeks of the season. It just doesn’t look like that’s in the cards. It’s time to go with the inferior defensive option in Davis and let him get three or four chances at the plate each night, instead of maybe just one.
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BoomBoom joined my knockout/do or die/suicide pool and we both survived Week #1. He took the 49ers and I took the Rams. Hopefully, we both survive Week #2, too
moved from last nights gt reaction,
The bad news is already in. Alderson is remaining for another year as president. Yes the Prince of Darkness, I mean the Prince of Mediocrity, shall again be infecting the team with some of the worst thinking in baseball and a toxicity unmatched almost anywhere.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Cohen, you need to do better, much better.
Here you go Chris. From tonight’s NY Post. Alderson has found his new Collins, someone that he can push around. Obviously, he likes having his ass kissed more than he wants to win. Seems like he’s good with everything he sees right now.
“ Alderson, according to a source, recently told a confidant his preference would be to retain Luis Rojas as manager for next season given all the other potential upheaval within the front office.”
JD is a terrible defensive player but he is a good offensive player. If Villar moves LF then there is two unsure defensive positions. The Mets needed offense and Rojas should inserted JD in left, early pulling for a defensive replacement when appropriate. Rojas should do that now but that train has left the station.
I just hands down disagree with any of those voices who keep berating JD Davis in LF. I watched all those games, and aside from a few short balls he had trouble reaching and an understandable adjustment period, he reached a decent level in LF and certainly has the strongest arm of the three by far.
McNeil is barely ordinary with a very weak arm, Smith is a hand grenade glove with a weak outfield arm, and JD is by no means any worse, maybe a step slower than McNeil but with a gun. Play JD for the two weeks and let it play out.
What about Baez? I hated the trade but he’s got some “pep in his step”. We need that. I haven’t seen crazy gold glove fielding from him but I sort like him as a player now.
And….I was hoping for Theo to take the Cohen train.
Oh and not sure about D. Smith but whatever his personal situation was when he was out probably has ruined his season.
The good news is that Steve Cohen can rebuild the team, has the money and perhaps the will. He will need to deal with Dom Smith, McNeil, and JD. The pitching will be there, and there’s even a nice core in the pen. One solid addition to the outfield, and one solid addition in the infield might make this team a contender. But one megaplayer at either spot can make them a top contender. Of course, a whole lot depends on deGrom’s health and smart moves by the FO… neither of which is a given.
The comment I have about that is this: Cohen does indeed have the resources to rebuild the team but “he” is not a baseball guy. The person who can make these changes is in charge of baseball – President and GM. Right now that is Alderson and Scott. All the money in the world will not fix a team with this FO.
I think the rotation is a major issue. I would look to make a huge play there, and 3B. The last decent every day player we had there was David Wright, and maybe Juan Uribe. Its a bad position to dump people that cant catch or throw the distance to 1B. Lastly, we clearly need a closer. So 3 starters, 1 3B, and a closer is what this team needs to be competitive.
Braves have commanding lead in weak division despite losing their top pitched for the year and top young stud for the 2nd half. They have productive kids locked up on team friendly contracts and just extended TDA and Morton. It will be interesting to see what pans out with Freeman, but it is a safe bet that he won’t get $340 million.
Cohen’s resources and will give me some hope for 2022, but, the bottom line is that the Braves know how to win and the Mets know how to lose, until proven otherwise.
Terry COllins, Cohen likes him,look for him to be part of the front office.
Wondering, did the announcers say anything when May came into the 11-4 game after Jake Reed pitched? May was available and Reed came in first? Wow.
Everyone here seems to luv Cohen, but wasn’t he fined $6B for being a wall street criminal? Well, unlike the Coupons, he’s a successful criminal
This team needs big changes. It is a weak team with glaring holes. Davis will be a very good DH. McNeill looks like a whiffle ball player and let’s face it, Dom has showed what he really is, a subpar player. The pitching staff is up in the air. The manager is of little league quality. It has to start with the front office. Let’s start the chant, Theo Theo Theo!
+1
Mike, we are on exactly the same page. Until the gangrene is eliminated, there can be no success.
Let me also add a new hitting coach. When McNeill swings, before he hits the ball, his front foot is firmly planted in the ground. His back foot is raised to the toe and his hips have already rotated. That is a formula for no power and weak grounders. Do you guys see the same thing?
Everyone is pressing, like when deGrom *used* to pitch – instead of playing calmly, everyone panics and fails worse. then they get mad and fail more. Basics disappear. This team believes it can hit 6 run HR. It has been trained to swing for the fences and mostly pops up or grounds out, which returns back to pressing harder.
The team has a bankrupt baseball philosophy based only on strike outs and home runs, yet actually is a different team entirely, being beaten like a drum not only on the things they *think* they do well, but killed on all the other stuff they done ever care about – baseball fundamentals.