Please use this thread all week to discuss any Mets-specific topic you wish.
The Mets have played 31 games – 17 on the road and 14 at home. Six of those 17 road games have been in Philadelphia, which historically has been a great park for hitters. Three more in Arizona – another good park for pitchers to avoid. And with that, here are the H/R splits for Mets pitchers this season:
H – 3.19 ERA, 1.016 WHIP, .576 OPS against
A – 3.20 ERA, 1.114 WHIP, .634 OPS against
Yes, offense is down this year and we haven’t had the warmer months yet, either. But to have virtually identical pitching outcomes both home and on the road is pretty unusual for the Mets. Here’s how they’ve done the last three complete seasons:
2021: Home 3.42 ERA, Road 4.39 ERA
2019: Home 3.89 ERA, Road 4.63 ERA
2018: Home 3.54 ERA, Road 4.63 ERA
Someone re-send the memo to Chris Bassitt that Citi Field is a good place to pitch. Bassitt has a 4.26 ERA in three starts at home. He has the second-most innings of any Mets pitcher at Citi Field. The home pitcher with the most at Citi? Carlos Carrasco, who has a microscopic 0.87 ERA in 20.2 IP in his home park.
I saw that Billy McKinney was DFA’d the other day.
Would he give the Mets more than what they get from Dom Smith?
Can play the field, throw, run, and hit for power once in a while.
Thoughts?
In his last 210 PA, McKinney has the following line: .132/.238/.214
The 12-19 A’s didn’t think he was worth rostering. I know he gave the Mets two great weeks last year but bringing him back now seems less than ideal.
Yes, he’s been really bad — I didn’t realize how bad, though.
It was somewhat of an obnoxious question.
I operate under the theory that every player on your bench should do *one thing* really well. Steal a base, field a position, hit for power, crush LHP, something. When I look at Dom, I wonder: What does he do? What is he good at? What does he bring to the party?
And I guess the only answer left is that some people still think he might be able to hit. And that it’s worth waiting for.
Cano leaving was bad news for Dom. Because 1) He’s the next guy under the microscope; and 2) All those people who blamed Cano for Dom’s struggles are running out of excuses.
I agree that your bench players should be able to give the team at least one strength. And Buck has been using Dom as a defensive replacement, while also hoping that his hitting will come around.
But so far, there’s been virtually no change in Dom’s usage since Cano was let go. The Mets have played seven games since cutting Cano and Dom’s had three starts, two games where he pinch hit and two games where he entered as a defensive replacement and did not bat. Not exactly a playing time windfall.
You can certainly look at it like Dom hasn’t earned any more playing time than that. Or you can say that a struggling player needs consistent ABs. I’d feel better telling Dom that he’s going to play full-time for the next three weeks and see if he can get untracked. And if he doesn’t he goes to the end of the bench or SYR.
If I was the manager, I’d look at Alonso, Escobar, Smith and Davis in the near-term as 4 guys for 3 positions. JD needs more playing time, too. If they play 6 games a week and get 4 PA per game – that’s 72 PA in a 3-week stretch for 1B, 3B and DH
1B – Alonso 56 PA, Smith 16 PA
3B – Escobar 52 PA, Davis 20 PA
DH – Smith 44 PA, Davis 16 PA, Alonso 12 PA
Total games would be: Alonso, 17, Smith 15, Escobar 13, Davis 9
I like Dom Smith, but he is not hitting well at all. He needs some at-bats. He is batting fifth tonight which is puzzling to me. If he does not breakout very soon I would have him go to Syracuse and call up Pummer who is also a lefty the bat. In this way Smith would have more at-bats and find his stroke.
Since Cano was released, Dom Smith has gone 1-18 with 6 Ks and 0 walks. And many of those ABs have been miserable, non-competitive, deer-in-headlights affairs.
Must be the manager.
Billy Mac seems like a Jankowski duplicate, and I don’t know any Met fan that doesn’t love Jankowski.
The baseball season being a marathon, we should care less about short-term stats and tendencies. Good pitchers, with good stuff and good command, will tend to throw more and more consistently good games… like I expect of Bassitt. All the starters, including Max might see a lull at some point. But barring injury, I like the Mets’ chances over 162.
So far, I see the NL as:
Dodgers, Mets, Brewers on top tier.
Giants and Braves a half-step down.
Cardinals and Padres a full step down.
Phillies, Padres, Marlins vying for respectablity.
JD might have even fewer ABs than Dom, yet is managing to make great contact. Sometimes you have to expect grown men ML players to get themselves up for whatever their playing time happens to be. I chafe a little at the idea that we have to suffer 72 ABs from an under-performing player just to see if he can get started. Damn… get started… the hard, cruel world is calling.
I’ve said before… trade Dom and let him blossom somewhere else (don’t believe he will). That’s fine as long as we get something useful in return.
Why would any team give up something useful for Dom Smith?
Left hand batter with power, good glove first baseman, can spot in the OF, still young, two years control. No the worst credentials.
Many teams think a might change after their first team goes on him and they get a new lease on life. The Red Sox traded Babe Ruth…
And “useful” is relative… one man’s refuse is another man’s gold…
rs