MLB: New York Mets at Kansas City Royals

Which Players Are The Mets’ Best Platoon Options?

Even the best managers aren’t perfect. In the first week of the season, Joe Madden, last year’s NL manager of the year, decided to start Matt Szczur because Villanova won the national championship in basketball. Terry Collins has been divisive throughout his first five seasons, but in recent years he has been receptive to sabermetric concepts including […]

MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets

Game recap April 10: Offense quieted as Mets lose series

Harvey inconsistent with command, slider: Matt Harvey didn’t have quite the outing he had probably hoped for in his 2016 Citi Field debut. He serviceably pitched six innings, but allowed three runs while striking out three. Though he wasn’t hit hard in the first few innings, a couple of singles by Phillies batters lead to […]

MLB: New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies

Our Probably Irrational Beliefs About 2016

Behavioral economists theorize that human activity is strongly influenced by context, particularly how the world presents us with choices. As Mets fans, however, our animal brains are conditioned to expect the worst. It’s an evolutionary defense mechanism, protecting us against the horrific memories of 2007 and 2008, when the Mets’ comfortable division leads evaporated in the seasons’ last three weeks. […]

MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets

Game Recap April 9: Bartolo’s Blues

Executive Summary On an evening so chilly that SNY activated the Frostbite Filter… …Ryan Howard’s solo homer in the fifth inning represented all the runs. Phillies 1, Mets 0. Discussion and Analysis Bartolo was terrific, scattering five hits and no walks over six innings, striking out seven and Say hey! Bartolo does his best Willie Mays impersonation with […]

MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets

Game recap April 8: Mets slug a 7-2 win over the Phillies, deGrom leaves with tight lat

The Mets raised their National League Pennant before opening the season at home with a 7-2 win over the Phillies. Jacob deGrom pitched six strong innings while Michael Conforto had three hits and three RBIs. Jim Henderson looked excellent in relief once again as did Antonio Bastardo making his Mets debut.   deGrom came out throwing […]

MLB: Spring Training-New York Mets at Houston Astros

Mets Minor League Preview: Binghamton Mets

After hitting on some of the notable Mets farmhands who will begin 2016 with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, today we’ll continue our tour of the minors with the Binghamton Mets of the Double-A Eastern League. This is a roster headlined by first baseman Dominic Smith, the Mets first-round pick in the 2013 draft. Behind him […]

MLB: New York Mets at Kansas City Royals

Noah Syndergaard and the Audacity of Velocity

The last decade of baseball has been marked by an inescapable arms race: The need to find pitchers that throw hard, harder and even harder, still. The signs are evident everywhere, both anecdotal and empirical. Staffs are stocked with pitchers who can turn hitters into cannon fodder. The average fastball velocity has risen–almost linearly–from 90.1 […]

MLB: World Series-Kansas City Royals at New York Mets

The Mike Piazza Jersey Foul

If you’ve listened to New York sports talk radio over the past few days, the predominant topic of discussion hasn’t been Noah Syndergaard’s dominance or the cold rain that forced the postponement of Opening Day in the Bronx. It’s been the decision by the Mets–made several years ago but only disclosed last week–to sell the […]