As we flip back to our Top 50 prospect countdown we reach a group of players that minor league fans should know about. From here on out there are fewer and fewer surprises and almost none for those of you who follow my minor league reports should see a name you’ve never heard of. Last [...]
For those of us who aren’t independently wealthy and who try to be optimists, 2016 sure was a lousy year. The Mets’ closing kick in August and September could only make up for so much. But it’s the season to be joyful and triumphant. Let’s try a Christmas verse and see if it helps. I [...]
It is often said that nobody is perfect, and that certainly rings true with baseball players. It seems that even the best players have weaknesses. Whether it be Noah Syndergaard's molasses-like delivery to the plate or Curtis Granderson's sometimes ineffective throwing arm, every player has their flaws. So what if we could create an outfielder [...]
Assuming the Mets front office does what we think they’re going to do over the next few weeks – unload Jay Bruce and his $13 million salary and bring in a secondary bullpen arm or two – we’ll be in pretty good shape. That is to say, good enough to compete for the playoffs if [...]
We Met fans are starting to get a little antsy. Since Conor Gillaspie deposited a Jeurys Familia slider into the right field bullpen at Citi Field, it has been a winter of relative inactivity – Yoenis Cespedes notwithstanding. It’s nearly Christmas and the Mets still have a tangled outfield and a bullpen that could stand [...]
The idea of the Mets trading for an upper shelf center fielder is one that refuses to die. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Mets and Pirates discussed Andrew McCutchen in a minor way and that rumor took off again. Then today on MetsBlog there's talk of a three-way deal where the Mets land [...]
In recent years with respect to baseball statistics, some new stats have been created, and some older ones downgraded. A prime example of this is pitcher wins, at one time it was probably the most important stat in grading pitchers, but not so much lately. There is a trend to advanced metrics like FIP and [...]
The New York Mets head into the 2017 season with four of the five starting pitching spots taken by young stars. However three of the four young stars are coming of injury with Noah Syndergaard being the lone exception. If everything goes as planned and Matt Harvey, Jacob DeGrom, and Steven Matz all return healthy [...]
As we continue to progress through the Top 50 prospect list we begin to get a little bit of name recognition. Some of these players you may have heard of before. Maybe they were very strong in 2015 and fell off the radar in 2016 or maybe they came out of relative obscurity and produced [...]
With the Statcast data now making its way out to the public, we’re going to see new metrics proposed. This is going to be a turnoff to some people and that’s okay. What you have to ask yourself is: Am I happy with my current level of knowledge and understanding of the game or am [...]
If you look to any recent World Series winning teams, you'll notice a definite pattern. Just glance behind the plate, and you'll find a veteran catcher commanding the game. Not only are they veterans in the sense of simply games played, but also in experience in different high-pressure situations in the post and regular seasons. [...]
Platoons can be an effective way of maximizing production from a position. Rather than give the position to one guy, split it between a lefty who clobbers right-handed pitchers and a righty who murders southpaws. The Mets have deployed this with varying levels of success. My favorite example was the mid 80's second base platoon [...]