Mailbag Monday: Q&A

Dear Bryan,

Why is Kevin Long such a highly touted hitting coach? It looks like the Mets have had a power surge since his arrival. David Wright is hitting moonshots and the younger players are also on power trips. Do we contribute this mostly to a healthy Wright, a year progression with younger players or is this Kevin Long's magic? Thanks!

-Mike from Mineola

To Mike from Mineola,

Well first off it’s spring training. It’s a good sign to see all this power and all this hitting. They are hitting like a team that could be making a run for the playoffs. Unfortunately spring training records or stats do not transfer in the regular season. If they did, Kris Bryant would be the MVP and the Mets would be headed to the playoff’s. This is the time that hitters get their timing down and pitchers get a feel for their pitches. I think Kevin Long has something to do with it but I could remind you of a man named Rick Peterson. When Peterson came here he was the talk of the town and he was going to be able to make the pitching staff the best in the league. Make another three headed monster like he did with Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson in Oakland. I don’t think comparing Peterson and Long is fair to either of them.

The thing with coaches is this, they always get blamed, and very little credit so I’m happy you bring this up. I don’t think Kevin Long as the Mets hitting coach hurts them. He’s had success. I think being a hitting coach is a little bit easier than being a pitching coach because even though every hitter has different stances, it’s a little bit easier to see and fix a problem than for a pitcher. A hitter might not have his hands in the right spot or his stride might be El Duque’s leg kick and needs to be cut down. Kevin Long also seems to also have some very creative ways to practice with the hitters. The thing is, when a player steps into the batters box, it’s nobody else except the guy who’s name is on the back of his jersey with the bat in his hands. You can go through a million and two drills to help the batter in the batters box but if he’s not willing to put in the effort then it won’t matter.

I think David Wright’s hitting is his own doing. All signs are showing that he’s healthy and good to go. As for the younger players, it seems like Kevin has the teams attention and is helping in every way he can before they get into the batters box. I don’t think it’s magic, I think it’s sweat and hard work. Oh and just a minor factor that is making the ball travel a little bit more could be the weather. It also helps that some of the pitchers are working on certain things in spring training. The pitchers that know they will be making the team, are working on their pitches, trying to get a feel for them after the offseason. Sometimes pitchers are trying to work in a new pitch to see if they can use it during the regular season to make them more effective. The final two weeks the pitchers are usually just getting in their groove, mixing up pitches, playing it like it’s a real game. 

Like I said in the beginning, this is spring training. All spring training stats and records go back down to zero come April 5th, 2015 and for the Mets, it starts back up again on April 6th at 4:05pm at Nationals Park when Max Scherzer throws his fastball to Juan Lageras, who should be leading off, NOT batting ninth. But that’s another blog entry for another time. 

     Thank You for your question Mike. If anyone else would like to ask me a question please feel free to ask me a question by e-mailing me at: fighttilwon27@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing all your questions and will answer them in a timely fashion.

     As always thank you all for your support because as much as I enjoy writing about the Mets I really enjoy the support from the fans.

-Bryan 

Mets News: Injury Bugssssss

     Remember when the Mets signed Michael Cuddyer? Remember when David Wright said he was healthy and ready to return to All-Star form? Remember when Harvey was on the comeback trail? Remember how good that felt when Harvey took the mound in spring training and we all watched, listened or read the next day how well it went? Remember when all that excitement was directed at the future? Maybe the Mets should be looking at the now.

     It started with the Mets not getting another shortstop. Although Wilmer Flores has shown he can hit, he has been at best, decent defensively. Then with Zack Wheeler tearing his UCL and needing Tommy John surgery, he will be missing the entire 2015 season and up to half of the 2016 season. After that, it spread to the bullpen, left hander Josh Edgin also has to get Tommy John surgery. Vic Black has some shoulder soreness which hopefully won't be much more than just his arm being tired and not anything serious because so far that's two major pieces in the pen. Now Daniel Murphy has gone down with a hamstring injury, a pulled right hamstring. And to wrap it up, that same guy that I mentioned slated to play shortstop, is injured. He's walking around in a boot after he fouled a ball off his left foot. All of the aforementioned injured names will most likely be starting the season on the D.L.

     There are battles going on for the bullpen spots and luckily the Mets have Bobby Parnell coming back. As for who plays second base? I think it will be Matt Reynolds or Danny Muno. I am battling between Reynolds and Muno as well. On the one hand, if Matt Reynolds is ready for the majors why not see what he's got and he'd be an upgrade defensively from Wilmer Flores, so maybe he proves he should be on the team by the time Daniel Murphy comes back. Muno seems more like he should a utility guy than a second base starter day in and day. Let's just say that Wilmer Flores isn't ready for Opening Day, I hope Flores is ready by to go by then. But I also hope he's able to look like an average shortstop out there, but that might not happen in 2015. So let's say Flores isn't ready to go, maybe Dilson Herrera will slide into second base and Reynolds will shift over to shortstop, making the race on for who will play everyday at the major league level very intriguing. I kind of think Reynolds get the upside to start at second if Flores is okay to go.

     Hopefully this injury bug will go away because it's hurting the Mets not only physically but psychology as well. Losing one of their top pitchers for the whole year for two consecutive years is not an easy thing to go through, especially when they are legitimately looking at a playoff spot this year. Who do you think will get the nod at second base for Opening Day? Who do you think starts the year in place of Zack Wheeler? Do you think the Mets go out of house to find out who the Mets left-hander is? If not who do you think the Mets wind up being the left-handed reliever in that pen? I know they should go with two, especially against NL East people like lefty's Bryce Harper, Chase Utley, Freddie Freeman and Ryan Howard. I also know that a couple of those guys might be past their prime or are overrated but they should still be handled with caution. Do you think the Mets should go with two lefty's, if so who do you think that will be?

Family Feud: Mets Edition

     I found this and thought that at least one of my fans would find this pretty dope. I hope you enjoy it! I thought it was pretty neat for them to be doing a Family Feud survey. If you're into the Feud as much as I am, and well think Steve Harvey is a great host of this show, this just seems like fun for you to do.

     If you're asking yourself, "Did he put this up there for me?" The answer is "Yes, yes I did." I hope you enjoy it. Be a part of the Mets Family Feud and check this survey out. Click Here.

News: Who starts for Wheeler?

     So the Mets are down a pitcher. Zack Wheeler has a tear in UCL. He first had reported elbow problems at the end of last year. I don't blame the Mets for this happening though, I do wish he didn't get injured though cause I think he would have been a very solid two or three pitcher through his growth. Luckily though, the Mets have a surplus of pitching. 

     Dillion Gee will probably now not be traded and start the season as the Mets fifth starter. I think Gee is a formidable major league pitcher. He will probably have an ERA hovering around four. If he's lucky he could have an ERA around 3.50. I don't think he will be starting for the whole year, or if he does, it will be because Jonathon Niese or Bartolo Colon has been traded. I think Gee will win a handful of games before one of the many pitching prospects come up and the future begins.

     I think the first pitching prospect that will be called upon will be Noah Syndergaard. Barring injury or even a slow start, Thor (nickname of Noah Syndergaard's) will be up by probably May, maybe in July when the super two deadline is. It depends very much how Gee is doing. Niese gets a pass because he is the Mets lone lefty for the time being and Colon gets a pass because he will probably be used as trade bait come the trade deadline. There is a name that could come up as a starter if one of those three come down with an injury.

     Rafael Montero's name could be a gap filler. Sometimes some people only need a chance to show what they can do. I think Montero will eventually get his chance, either in orange and blue or another color but he will be given his chance. I just hope it's in orange and blue. If he can seize the moment and fill in for Wheeler, it will make his stock even higher and give the Mets another difficult decision to make in, is Montero a trade chip or part of the Mets future. There is another pitcher in the Mets system that could take Wheeler's spot.

     I think that Long Island native Steven Matz could be a dark horse in this situation. Steven Matz has been through a lot since being selected 72nd overall in 2009. He then had to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2010 and couldn't make his minor league debut until 2012, June 20, 2012 to be exact, almost three years from when he was signed by the Mets. He would later be shut down because of shoulder tendentious to finish 2012. With Matz's luck some might have given up but he's very persistent and has seen his hard work prevail. He has become one of the Mets promising prospects but he still has a lot to work to become a top MLB pitcher. The 6'2, 200 pound lefty has a fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. His fastball is his best pitch with his curve coming in second. He needs to trust himself with his curveball. It's good, but if his command and confidence was there it would be even better. I think with a little bit more time in the minors to prove to him that he has a very good curve would do him good. He will also be working on his command over that time, having the same motion and same delivery. After he works on that in the minors, he will be able to make the jump to the majors, as a starter. If he's only able to kind of work on that, he will be a lefty middle reliever. I think he will need some seasoning in the minors but he could be a dark horse.

     I think it's a battle for Gee and Montero during spring training. It will also depend greatly on if anyone is traded before April 5th. Who do you think the Mets will have as their fifth starter? Do the Mets go with six pitchers? Do you think Thor winds up coming up to make 15-20 starts?  Do you think, with time, Matz is able to have more control over his pitches by changing his mechanics? Do you think the Mets wait for the super two to bring up Thor or Matz? 

Player Profile: Jacob deGrom

     A pretty good shortstop is going to be starting every five days. Him and his lettuce are going to be on the pitchers mound. I like this kid a lot. deGrom was a major bright spot for a team that went just 79-83. After winning the Rookie of the Year, he only adds more hope for 2015. He will be in a pretty powerful pitching staff that hasn't even reached it's full potential with all the minor leaguers coming up and pitchers to be traded. He had a 2.69 ERA with 22 starts in 140.1 innings. His strikeout total was 144 and he only let up seven round trippers.

     I would really like to see deGrom's innings go up to around 160-170. This will be an extra 3-5 games, meaning 25-27 out of a possible 32 starts. I think with the way this league babies pitchers, this will be right in line for him and the Mets. Then the following year after an injury free season, he will be able to pitch 200+ innings. I think in 2015, with his innings going up, his numbers take a slight hit. His ERA goes a little bit above three, his strikeouts go from a little more than one per inning to under one per inning (145-150). I think in this rotation he can project as a number three, maybe a number two. Not that the number in the rotation really matters except for MAYBE the win loss record. This is the year that deGrom needs to focus even more on because there will be even more pressure on him due to last year's success.

     The fact that there is so much that the other teams can look at now and learn from deGrom's first season in the bigs might make for him to cracked during his second year. I think that if deGrom uses his resources to his advantage, he can wind up having a very good season again. I think he will hit speed bumps but doesn't every pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw? deGrom is quickly becoming a fan favorite, it must be the hair. He has to resources to prevail like I know he can.

     What do you think? Do you think he can have a home in the Mets starting rotation even with all these pitchers coming up?

Player Profile: Matt Harvey

     "In Harvey we trust!" Matt Harvey is coming back this year and will probably lead the charge in Comeback Player of the Year. Eighteen months after having Tommy John surgery he is back in spring training. Harvey's Drama a little more than a year is a thing of the past, he is going to be in Florida for spring training and New York for the Mets home opener. The only question is what game does Matt Harvey start?

     It was first reported that he will start the home opener on April 13th. Now it is being reported that he will start April 9th, and April 14th. It's looking like he will be eased back into pitching. He isn't being given any of the big early games in the Nationals home opener and the Mets home opener. The adrenaline will already be pumping due it being Harvey's first time on the mound, why have it off the charts and maybe causing him overthrowing?

     I think Harvey being able to recover (where he would like) for 18 months really helped. Some pitchers come back from surgery before 18 months and wind up not getting back to their top form until right around 18 months. I think Harvey will have some bumps along the way and he will need some time to get into top form again but somehow Matt Harvey staying down just doesn't seem likely. His mindset and work ethic will prevail and allow him to put up some decent numbers.

     Before Harvey went down he was putting up some outstanding numbers. He was in the Cy Young talks and could be back in that conversation in no time. But one step at a time. He first needs to get back into the groove of pitching and then the awards will follow. The baseball seems to be jumping out of his hand in spring training. It's really exciting to see. Him going down was hard to bare and everyone in that clubhouse was deflated when the news broke.

     His numbers will be a little bit inflated from the last time he pitched but not by much. I think he will have an ERA right around 3.10, 10-12 wins, and 220 strikeouts. I think his healthy presence simply in the clubhouse will be a boost for the pitching staff and the Mets as a team. He has the presence of someone I know, when they around or you're simply talking to them, you can't help but be happy. You're so happy but when you hear that they're down and there's nothing you can do other than give them time to recoup, you just feel so helpless and want to be able to help. But all you can do is wait for them to come back. Hopefully they recoup and know they have people rooting for them every step of the way for them to recoup. Even though there is nothing that someone else can do other than send healthy and positive vibes their way. They add so much optimism and so much motivation.

     I can't wait until his return. It will help the "Let's Go Mets" mean more!