Draft night scouting reports are adorable. Teams tell the media what they liked about each player. Every breaking ball is plus, or projectable. No player is overweight, instead, guys are described as “large” or the analyst uses some other appropriate simile. Every swing will work: there are no hitches, weird hand paths, poorly timed or directed […]
Category: Articles
Mid-Season Mets Top 10 Prospect Update
With another Rule 4 draft in the books, and the A-ball first-half break just around the corner, this seems like a good time to check in our preseason Mets Top 10 Prospect List that I compiled with the help of the BP Prospect team. The Top 10 1. Steven Matz, LHP Current Assignment: New York […]
How Michael Conforto’s Slump Compares to a Different Left Fielder
Michael Conforto is having a good season. It’s true. He has a .287 TAv and has posted 1.3 WARP in 56 games and 216 plate appearances; he’s also hit nine home runs. PECOTA projects Conforto to post another 1.5 WARP for the remainder of the season. According to these same projections, he should finish up […]
Game recap June 12: Errors will ruin you
THE RUNDOWN After an ugly start, the Mets give the Brewers a late scare, but it wasn’t enough to overcome two critical errors and Steven Matz’s worst outing since his first game of the season. A SLOPPY BEGINNING After Curtis Granderson grounded out to second to start the game, the Mets got their first baserunner tellingly when Aaron […]
Game recap June 11: Too many home runs
What Happened, In a Sentence The Brewers hit too many homers against a depleted Mets pitching staff, winning 7-4. Mets’ Misery Continues at Plate Early on, it looked like Wily Peralta would be the ideal cure for the Mets’ struggling offense. Peralta is already 2.1 wins below replacement and allowing a .365 opponents’ batting average. […]
Game recap June 10: A comedy of errors
After a truly horrendous start to the season, Matt Harvey bounced back with a 0.64 ERA in his past two starts and looked to extend his recent resurgence against the Brewers. Junior Guerra, a 31-year-old rookie with a 3.61 ERA claimed off waivers from the White Sox this offseason, started for the Brewers. Alejandro De […]
Michael Conforto Can Escape His Slump By Minding The Strike Zone
In each sport, one event can signify an exit from that worst of five-letter words: slump. For baseball’s hitters, that event is a home run–if you’re in desperate need of positive mojo, a grand slam should catalyze a reversal of fortunes. On Tuesday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, Michael Conforto found himself in just the position he […]
Retro Mets: The Ups and Downs of Rey Ordonez
Over the past few years, a number of ballplayers defecting from Cuba have infused baseball with energy, excitement, and talent. This most recent wave of imports probably started with Aroldis Chapman, but can be followed down the line to other impact talents on the field today: Yasiel Puig, Jose Abreu, and the Mets’ own Yoenis Cespedes. […]
Game Recap June 9: Started With a Bang, Ended With a Whimper
With the third-lowest scoring offense in the majors, the Mets’ five-run performance on Thursday night in Milwaukee seemed much more explosive than its 1.29 runs above their season average would suggest. Coupled with an outing by Bartolo Colon that can be best described as Bartolian in both stat line and surprisingly agile playmaking, the team appears […]
The Mets’ Groundhog Day Problem
Kelly Johnson is a Met again, so let’s start there and work backwards now, just as the Mets appear to be caught in some sort of repetitive loop. This is their Groundhog Day. The beauty of sports, and baseball especially, is that it always seems to provide comps and context. For the Mets, it’s easy […]