Normally, Citi Field is a slight pitcher’s park. However, this year it’s playing as an excellent park for pitchers so far. Let’s look at the home/road breakdowns for both batters and pitchers for the Mets:
Batters
H – 630 PA, .216/.296/.343, .248 BABIP, sOPS+ of 82
V – 478 PA, .271/.342/.425, .307 BABIP, sOPS+ of 121
Pitchers
H – 158 IP, 2.68 ERA, 2.46 K/BB rate, 1.095 WHIP, .569 OPS against
V – 103 IP, 4.72 ERA, 1.82 K/BB rate, 1.524 WHIP, .716 OPS against
The “s” in sOPS+ indicates that this is a comparison of this mark to the league’s mark. The Mets as a team are barely over the Galvis Line at home yet on the road, they’re hitting 21% above average and have the sixth-best mark in the majors. They’re just one point behind the Phillies in this metric.
The pitching away numbers may be skewed by playing six of their 12 road games versus the Braves and the Dodgers. The Braves are fourth and the Dodgers are second in the majors with their home sOPS+. In three games against the Braves, Mets pitchers allowed 17 runs, while in three against the Dodgers, they allowed 18. That’s 35 runs to two of the best offenses around. In the other six road games, they allowed 24 runs.
Pete Alonso has felt very much at home in Citi Field, as he has a .943 OPS there. On the flip side, Jeff McNeil has just a .454 OPS in his home park. Tyrone Taylor, Brandon Nimmo and McNeil all have road OPS marks of at least .940, while Francisco Alvarez brings up the rear with a .433 mark.
On the pitching side, four of Luis Severino‘s starts have come in Citi Field, where he has a 1.88 ERA. In his two road starts, he has a 3.27 ERA. Adrian Houser has a 5.52 home ERA in three starts. On the road, Sean Manaea‘s 1.84 ERA in three starts is the best among the starters, while Houser has a 13.00 ERA away from Citi Field.
One of the reasons the Mets have been a franchise known for their pitching is that both Shea and Citi were pitcher-friendly places. And that’s more so than ever in the first month of 2024. Before you complain about how the hitters do at home, recognize that their pitchers are cleaning up at home and that the park is a big reason why for both sides.
Road era also skewed by that 1 10 run outing at la.
As we look at how the season has progressed through the first 29 games, it is clear that if three or four of our starters were hitting just their career averages, the Mets would be probably six games over 500. A statistic I looked at yesterday showed that Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers has a batting average that is just 25 points less than the combined batting averages of Brandon Nemo and Francisco Lindor. Add that to the fact that even though DJ Stewart has four home runs, he is barely hitting over .200 and we get next to no offense from the catchers position.
We should be looking at the start in a very optimistic way as our relief pitchers are doing great and are starting pitchers. I’ve actually started to pitch deeper into games. The return of Senga and Alvarez will further bolster the performance of this team. I’m still sticking with my 88 wins and the last wildcard playoff spot.
Alonso, McNeil and Baty are proving that they are a dumpster fire.
Alvarez,when’s he back,after the All Star break? Senga,awfully good last year,broke down early in ST so who knows? Lineup looks awfully weak to me with 3-4 weak spots. I’m sticking with 74-78 wins but hope you’re right about the playoffs.
I am a little cantankerous today. I am really hapoy with the performance of some of our new players, Severino, Manaea, Reed Garrett, Tyrone Taylor and even Bader.
On the other hand, Alonso has 14 RBIs and almost no doubles and his batting average is sloding to pathetic. Stearns is going to be right to not resign him. No matter where the Mets are at the trading deadline, I hope they trade him. He would be a financial boat anchor with a big contract.
I am all about signing Soto and let Vientos play first base. Baty looks like he is punching his Jarred Kelenic ticket.
And dont get me started on McNeil. Im sorry but if he doesnt hit .300 to .320, he is worthless. We sucked last year because of these guys and we need to make changes. I hope Stearns has the stones to dump all three of these guys.
Bring up Acuna, Gilbert and Jett Williams at the right time and sign Soto or maybe Bregman next off season.
I have been a fan for almost 60 years and I really want to see another World Series title before I am an old man and kick the bucket.
Thanks for allowing me to vent.
Let’s go Mets.
McNeil – .284 BABIP, .683 OPS
Bader – .333 BABIP, .625 OPS
Not sure how you can include McNeil and not Bader. What happens when the hits stop falling in for Bader?
At breakfast this morning, I looked at the milk carton and I saw a photograph of Joey Lucchesi.
In Syracuse this year he has a 2.25 ERA in 6 games and 32 innings. He will be 31 on June 6th.
I’ll be rooting this Saturday for Christian Scott and I hope he takes Houser place in the rotation but it doesn’t seem fair.
After the way they’ve treated him, how much money would the Mets need to give Lucchesi to keep him for next year, as he’s a free agent after 2024? Would it take $10 million to pitch in Syracuse, compared to $1 million to pitch elsewhere in the majors?
Lucchesi still has another year of arbitration before he becomes a free agent after the 2025 season.
I checked Cot’s – which said he was a free agent after this year
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1npn_xiAwVyCUkZf6t2ivPtqyM-uF3IEcXcrsDT_BTvc/edit#gid=1520401900
But I see where both B-R and FG have him as still under team control next year. He’s not on Spotrac’s list of Mets free agents next year, either. Guess Cot’s is wrong here. Thanks for the correction.
I’ve had this idea since Pedro Martinez could only go five innings so long ago. With so many starting pitchers only able to go four or five innings the question arises on how to save the bullpen so they don’t get worn out. Most of our pitchers are usually effective for the first two times through the lineup. So why not pair two such pitchers together. For instance:
Pair Manaea (L) with Megill (R)
Scott (R) with Peterson (L)
Butto (R) with Lucchesi (L)
Quintana (L) with Houser (R)
In this model, Senga and Severino would be allowed to pitch into the seventh before calling on the bullpen.
In the other four cases, if either pitcher faltered his mate could come in and then the bullpen could be called upon as needed.
By switching between righties and lefties you give the second pitcher the advantage of offering a different look. I decided on six starters in lieu of Senga’s history in Japan and in 2023 with the Mets.
I’d be interested in your insights into the pros and cons of such a plan.
I don’t see any way this works on the MLB level
You’re essentially working with a 4-man pen in this situation and that’s assuming a 5-man rotation. And what happens when one of these piggyback pitchers gets blown out early? What happens when the game goes extra innings? What happens when you play a bunch of close games and need to give guys rest?
Not sure why you would create something unusual to keep giving playing time to Houser. Not sure why you would want to limit Butto, when he’s clearly shown the ability to pitch 6 innings and could develop into something even better.
Alonso with an ohfer five today with his average plummting to .206. Maybe repeating last year is who he is.
Starting to look comparable to Mark Reynolds.