Submitted by robsafuto on Tue, 05/04/2010 - 12:37.
Eight steps forwards then three steps back. I don't like it. The pitching held up just fine last night. When you give up 2 runs in 9 innings you should win. Too much whiffing last night. Not enough getting runners over when making outs. The player I'm most concerned about right now is Jose Reyes. His attempts to be a power hitter are falling flat and his batting average shows that. Perhaps Jerry Manuel should move Reyes back to leadoff and put Pagan in the 7th slot.
Anyone who's ever read the book "Moneyball" knows that plate discipline is one of the most underrated attributes for any MLB player. Learning to lay off balls and foul off unhittable strikes leads to walks and baserunners, which are just as good as hits and just as likely to score runs. It flusters the pitcher because you don't take his bait on bad pitches and make him work by fouling off others, making him more likely to give you a nice pitch to hit later in the count than he would be earlier in the count. It also runs up the opposing pitcher's pitch count, forcing the opposing team to use it's weaker bullpen pitchers earlier and thus heightening the likelihood of scoring opportunities late in the game. All in all the benefits of watching pitches and having long at bats are tremendously important to successful ballclubs.
Early in the season, we were doing that. Alex Cora and Luis Castillo are known for their patience at the dish, and Jeff Francouer started off the year hot mainly because he was being so uncharacteristically selective and waiting for pitches he could truly drive. Then he slumped a bit, and it seems to me that in his attempt to get out of the slump he's chasing pitches again, striking out a lot. David Wright is both improving from last year and not improving from last year at the same time: while more of the times he makes contact the ball is going out of the park or for extra base hits, his contact rate is continuing its plummet from last season and he's striking out on well over 30% of his at bats. That is inexcusable. We need guys like pagan, castillo, wright, and reyes to hit .300 for us, and right now almost nobody on the team is.
I agree that Jose Reyes, although he had an RBI double last night, has been dissapointing thusfar, but moreso because he's too anxious to swing early in the count and try to make things happen, instead of waiting for his pitch and taking it the other way with 2 strikes.
But these problems can certainly be corrected. Last year we had almost no power, but one of the highest team batting averages in the game: this is partly why we stranded so many RISP. We seem to be hitting for more power this year, but the average has dropped off as a result, and if we are to compete with teams like the Phillies we'll need to get on base more consistently. Plate discipline and batting eye focus are the keys to doing that.
Submitted by robsafuto on Tue, 05/04/2010 - 22:37.
Rod Barajas had the game winning hit for the Mets tonight. It was a solo home run with two outs in the top of the 9th inning. Barajas leads the Mets with 7 homers. I talked about Barajas in the podcast and said I was wrong to be disappointed in him getting the job over Omir Santos. So far Barajas has exceeded expectations at the plate. David Wright hit another home run tonight as well. Yes, I will take it.
Submitted by robsafuto on Wed, 05/05/2010 - 21:20.
Of course I record a podcast with the title, "Things Are Looking Up," then the Mets go on to lose 3 out of the next 4 games. Once again the Mets are struggling. Some individual performances are improving but the proof is in the pudding. Just as they did before coming home to Citi Field last time the Mets had a poor 2-4 road trip. Hopefully home cooking is what this team needs to get cookin' again.
But this year might be different than some of the past few. The NL East has a lot more parity than it has before. We might be able to count on Washington beating Philly 6-7x unlike the roll over and die act they've always done. Philly has had some actual injuries, so the teflon might be flaking. We have to hold our own in the division, especially head to head with Philly, and take care of business outside. Dropping two of three in Cincy is not going to get it done, but it happens. We lost two low-scoring extra inning games, which means the pitching is there. In bad years it's the pitching that shows up most glaringly, but the pitching's been getting it done by and large.
We just need a little killer instinct, an ability to put down the hammer when we have it. If you get the bases loaded with 1 out, you shouldn't end the inning with 2 popups. Force an error, make something happen. Heck, I wish this team would have Frank Taveras come in for a week to teach them how to push a bunt single into that no-man's-land between thet pitcher, first and second bases. Has any Met bunted for a hit this year?
Just off the top of my head, how about move Francoeur up to 2 and drop Castillo to 7 or to 8 and slide Barajas with his power to 7? Or Francoeur to 3 and Reyes back to leadoff?
I'm in favor of shaking up the order, but Francouer has got to be the worst fit on the whole team as a #2 hitter. You want for your 2 spot a guy with good speed, a great batting eye who won't swing at the first pitch and kill rallies, who can hit .300, and lay down great bunts to move the leadoff guy over. francouer has absolutely none of those traits haha. Don't get me wrong, i love frenchy, but his power and free swinging ways are far more suited for an RBI-getting slot like 6 or 7 than they are for the 2 hole. Castillo is the perfect fit at #2 hitter, he fouls off pitches, rarely if ever strikes out, has a supreme batting eye, and can slap singles to keep rallies going or serve as a second leadoff man in the event the first leadoff doesn't get on.
I'm all for putting reyes back up at leadoff man, the theory that his speed will help jason bay get more fastballs hasn't really panned out: bay is having trouble hitting the fastballs he gets! If Francouer was still red hot, I could see him moving up to 3, but he's been slumping lately and is striking out far too much. So I say we really shake things up a bit by having Reyes lead off, keep Castillo at 2nd, bat Bay 3rd to try and maximize his at bats and give him protection behind instead of protection in front, Wright 4th, the raw but very mipressive and exciting Ike Davis 5th, Francouer 6th, Pagan 7th, Barajas/Blanco 8th. That way Wright's homer-or-strikeout tendencies of late can be maximied in the 4th slot, and if Francouer's struggles continue we can have a makeshift leadoff hitter behind him to start rallies from the bottom of the order. Just a thought though, this'll be much easier if we ever get Beltran back and healthy
vs. 
Going Backwards
Eight steps forwards then three steps back. I don't like it. The pitching held up just fine last night. When you give up 2 runs in 9 innings you should win. Too much whiffing last night. Not enough getting runners over when making outs. The player I'm most concerned about right now is Jose Reyes. His attempts to be a power hitter are falling flat and his batting average shows that. Perhaps Jerry Manuel should move Reyes back to leadoff and put Pagan in the 7th slot.
Lack of Plate Discipline Troublesome
Anyone who's ever read the book "Moneyball" knows that plate discipline is one of the most underrated attributes for any MLB player. Learning to lay off balls and foul off unhittable strikes leads to walks and baserunners, which are just as good as hits and just as likely to score runs. It flusters the pitcher because you don't take his bait on bad pitches and make him work by fouling off others, making him more likely to give you a nice pitch to hit later in the count than he would be earlier in the count. It also runs up the opposing pitcher's pitch count, forcing the opposing team to use it's weaker bullpen pitchers earlier and thus heightening the likelihood of scoring opportunities late in the game. All in all the benefits of watching pitches and having long at bats are tremendously important to successful ballclubs.
Early in the season, we were doing that. Alex Cora and Luis Castillo are known for their patience at the dish, and Jeff Francouer started off the year hot mainly because he was being so uncharacteristically selective and waiting for pitches he could truly drive. Then he slumped a bit, and it seems to me that in his attempt to get out of the slump he's chasing pitches again, striking out a lot. David Wright is both improving from last year and not improving from last year at the same time: while more of the times he makes contact the ball is going out of the park or for extra base hits, his contact rate is continuing its plummet from last season and he's striking out on well over 30% of his at bats. That is inexcusable. We need guys like pagan, castillo, wright, and reyes to hit .300 for us, and right now almost nobody on the team is.
I agree that Jose Reyes, although he had an RBI double last night, has been dissapointing thusfar, but moreso because he's too anxious to swing early in the count and try to make things happen, instead of waiting for his pitch and taking it the other way with 2 strikes.
But these problems can certainly be corrected. Last year we had almost no power, but one of the highest team batting averages in the game: this is partly why we stranded so many RISP. We seem to be hitting for more power this year, but the average has dropped off as a result, and if we are to compete with teams like the Phillies we'll need to get on base more consistently. Plate discipline and batting eye focus are the keys to doing that.
Rod Barajas Game Winner
Rod Barajas had the game winning hit for the Mets tonight. It was a solo home run with two outs in the top of the 9th inning. Barajas leads the Mets with 7 homers. I talked about Barajas in the podcast and said I was wrong to be disappointed in him getting the job over Omir Santos. So far Barajas has exceeded expectations at the plate. David Wright hit another home run tonight as well. Yes, I will take it.
Struggling Again
Of course I record a podcast with the title, "Things Are Looking Up," then the Mets go on to lose 3 out of the next 4 games. Once again the Mets are struggling. Some individual performances are improving but the proof is in the pudding. Just as they did before coming home to Citi Field last time the Mets had a poor 2-4 road trip. Hopefully home cooking is what this team needs to get cookin' again.
true all that
But this year might be different than some of the past few. The NL East has a lot more parity than it has before. We might be able to count on Washington beating Philly 6-7x unlike the roll over and die act they've always done. Philly has had some actual injuries, so the teflon might be flaking. We have to hold our own in the division, especially head to head with Philly, and take care of business outside. Dropping two of three in Cincy is not going to get it done, but it happens. We lost two low-scoring extra inning games, which means the pitching is there. In bad years it's the pitching that shows up most glaringly, but the pitching's been getting it done by and large.
We just need a little killer instinct, an ability to put down the hammer when we have it. If you get the bases loaded with 1 out, you shouldn't end the inning with 2 popups. Force an error, make something happen. Heck, I wish this team would have Frank Taveras come in for a week to teach them how to push a bunt single into that no-man's-land between thet pitcher, first and second bases. Has any Met bunted for a hit this year?
shaking up the order
Just off the top of my head, how about move Francoeur up to 2 and drop Castillo to 7 or to 8 and slide Barajas with his power to 7? Or Francoeur to 3 and Reyes back to leadoff?
Francouer Struggling
I'm in favor of shaking up the order, but Francouer has got to be the worst fit on the whole team as a #2 hitter. You want for your 2 spot a guy with good speed, a great batting eye who won't swing at the first pitch and kill rallies, who can hit .300, and lay down great bunts to move the leadoff guy over. francouer has absolutely none of those traits haha. Don't get me wrong, i love frenchy, but his power and free swinging ways are far more suited for an RBI-getting slot like 6 or 7 than they are for the 2 hole. Castillo is the perfect fit at #2 hitter, he fouls off pitches, rarely if ever strikes out, has a supreme batting eye, and can slap singles to keep rallies going or serve as a second leadoff man in the event the first leadoff doesn't get on.
I'm all for putting reyes back up at leadoff man, the theory that his speed will help jason bay get more fastballs hasn't really panned out: bay is having trouble hitting the fastballs he gets! If Francouer was still red hot, I could see him moving up to 3, but he's been slumping lately and is striking out far too much. So I say we really shake things up a bit by having Reyes lead off, keep Castillo at 2nd, bat Bay 3rd to try and maximize his at bats and give him protection behind instead of protection in front, Wright 4th, the raw but very mipressive and exciting Ike Davis 5th, Francouer 6th, Pagan 7th, Barajas/Blanco 8th. That way Wright's homer-or-strikeout tendencies of late can be maximied in the 4th slot, and if Francouer's struggles continue we can have a makeshift leadoff hitter behind him to start rallies from the bottom of the order. Just a thought though, this'll be much easier if we ever get Beltran back and healthy
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