After a strong debut last year, expectations were high on lefty Steven Matz throughout the offseason. So when it finally came time for him to make his first start of 2016, Mets fans were understandably excited as they filed into Citi Field. It turned out to be a rude awakening though, as Matz only recorded five […]
Category: Articles
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Projecting the Wright-less Mets
There is little doubt that David Wright, battling spinal stenosis, is the Mets’ biggest X-factor this season. The range of reasonable outcomes for his season is huge, with 130 games and four-ish wins around one end if all of the exercises and planned off-days work like a charm. On the other hand, there’s “out for […]
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 […]
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 […]