Okay Met fans, exhale. From Curtis Granderson working out a walk against Max Scherzer to Jeurys Familia striking out Jay Bruce to everything in between. The trade that didn't happen that led to Flores hitting a critical and emotional dinger against the Nationals to Yoenis Cespedes's historic second half. There has been something special in the air this year.
This team is a never say die team. In the beginning of the season, people were picking the Nationals to win the east with ease. Their pitching was going to be the best in the league, with newly acquired Max Scherzer. Bryce Harper was going to finally show up and carry his team to a postseason birth. The Mets had different plans. They let everyone think the Nationals where going to win but they kept the motto of, the future is now.
Nine years, nine years since the Mets made the postseason. In 07 and 08 we lived through the heartbreak, 09-12 we lived with turning off the game in the sixth inning, in disappointment. 2013 we had the same thing unless Matt Harvey was pitching, then we got disappointed that Harvey had to get Tommy John Surgery. In 2014, the Mets where just trying to stay out of the cellar and Met fans where just trying figure out why this team is a mid-market team. Now in 2015, this Met team has a great pitching staff and they were able to string together timely hits. The pitching is what got them their sixth division title. Familia stepping into the closers role, might have happened either way this year but I don't think anyone saw him doing this well after stepping into save the ninth inning.
First let me say what David Wright means to this team. He has been the heart and soul of this team and him coming back added such confidence to this young team. It helps that Sandy Alderson got the players to help make this push too. As well as the Wilpons seeing potential and spending the money to make the moves. The team MVP's would probably have to go to the pitching staff as a whole. Colon and deGrom as starters. Colon would just go out there and have fun. I think the young pitching staff around him feeling younger while he passed on his knowledge to the youngsters on the pitching staff. deGrom lifted this pitching staff for most of the season carrying them, being deGrominant. Familia deserves consideration for team MVP as well, he stepped up and saved games for the Mets in a great manner. Offensive MVP would have to go to Cespedes, he came in and helped that lineup so much. I want to give it to Curtis Granderson for how well he played also but Cespedes has definitely been the Met second half MVP.
The Mets are going to the playoffs, THE PLAYOFFS!!! THE METS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!!! 2015 DIVISION CHAMPS!!!
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Thursday, September 17, 2015
The DARKest of Nights
In this topsy turvy sport we call baseball, offense and pitching will carry a team during the course of a season, while defense will help magnify both of those things. Mets had a nice stretch where both pitching and offense were clicking on all cylinders. Now since September and all this drama surrounding Matt Harvey and his inning limits, the Mets pitching has taken a little bit of a hit.
Harvey was looked at as a leader, an ace of that staff but now in the middle of a meaningful stretch, seems to be looking to get out of working. He wants to get a doctors note from Scott Boras, I mean Dr. Andrews, and stop working then come in the postseason and pitch. The Mets don't need that. See, Matt Harvey is NOT Batman, he is not the hero this city needs. He IS Havey Dent, Two-Face. He complains about being able to get rest in June, but then turns around and complains about not enough rest in September, down an actual important stretch run. This is a very good problem to have in September but Harvey's innings issues could have been done behind closed doors. Just go out there and pitch. It's a 25 man roster (September up to 40) not a 24 man roster and an ego. 25 guys make up a team and if you play like a team, you could do so much better. Just like if pitching, defense and offense are all clicking together.
If Harvey is going to have a 60 pitch limit in the postseason, throw him in the pen. Pitch guys that want it! deGrom is going to be pitching more than he did last year and that's probably why his numbers are down. Have you heard anything about him needing rest down the stretch? What about Matz? He's had Tommy John and a slew of injuries. What about Noah with a promising future in place? I doubt that any of them have complained, but if they have, you don't hear at about it. Put Harvey in the bullpen, he could be good there, let him not go over 60 pitches in there and let that be that. Play for the team kid instead of seeing dollar signs. The goal should be to get that last win of the year. Harvey's goal is to get that last cent. I get it, it's your livelihood, but don't let the fans that have loved watching you know that while they are playing meaningful games in the second half of the season. Mr. Harvey, You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. You still have time to become a fan favorite, but it requires you and Boras to stop airing dirty laundry and for you to pitch well. Good luck.
Lets Go Mets!
Harvey was looked at as a leader, an ace of that staff but now in the middle of a meaningful stretch, seems to be looking to get out of working. He wants to get a doctors note from Scott Boras, I mean Dr. Andrews, and stop working then come in the postseason and pitch. The Mets don't need that. See, Matt Harvey is NOT Batman, he is not the hero this city needs. He IS Havey Dent, Two-Face. He complains about being able to get rest in June, but then turns around and complains about not enough rest in September, down an actual important stretch run. This is a very good problem to have in September but Harvey's innings issues could have been done behind closed doors. Just go out there and pitch. It's a 25 man roster (September up to 40) not a 24 man roster and an ego. 25 guys make up a team and if you play like a team, you could do so much better. Just like if pitching, defense and offense are all clicking together.
If Harvey is going to have a 60 pitch limit in the postseason, throw him in the pen. Pitch guys that want it! deGrom is going to be pitching more than he did last year and that's probably why his numbers are down. Have you heard anything about him needing rest down the stretch? What about Matz? He's had Tommy John and a slew of injuries. What about Noah with a promising future in place? I doubt that any of them have complained, but if they have, you don't hear at about it. Put Harvey in the bullpen, he could be good there, let him not go over 60 pitches in there and let that be that. Play for the team kid instead of seeing dollar signs. The goal should be to get that last win of the year. Harvey's goal is to get that last cent. I get it, it's your livelihood, but don't let the fans that have loved watching you know that while they are playing meaningful games in the second half of the season. Mr. Harvey, You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. You still have time to become a fan favorite, but it requires you and Boras to stop airing dirty laundry and for you to pitch well. Good luck.
Lets Go Mets!
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Cespedes=MVP?
Yoenis Cespedes has awakened a slumbering Met offense. His bat has seemed to be able to carry this team since August. The Mets were moving along, being able to scrap together wins, some wins left fans with us wondering how they pulled it out. Cespedes made the Mets more of a well rounded team, not one that just looked like a great pitching team. Granderson was arguably the Met offensive MVP before August 1, but now that Cespedes has arrived, there is no argument, Cespedes wins the Met MVP.
Can someone win the NL MVP that only played half a season on that team and in the NL? I think it's fun to think about as Cespedes has been the best player on the Mets, and arguably in the league. I don't think a player has meant more to his respective team this season than what Cespedes has meant to the Mets.
I think it's a little bit unfair for guys like Andrew McCutchen, Anthony Rizzo, and Bryce Harper, just name a few. Those three players have played with their team for the whole year, have been carrying their team game after game and that should hold a little bit of weight when the ballots get casted.
As much as I would like to see a Met win the MVP, I think it should go to someone who has been with the team for longer than half a season. Although it's just like someone being injured and coming back to help the team out, ie David Wright.
Do you think Cespedes should win the MVP?
Lets go Mets!
Can someone win the NL MVP that only played half a season on that team and in the NL? I think it's fun to think about as Cespedes has been the best player on the Mets, and arguably in the league. I don't think a player has meant more to his respective team this season than what Cespedes has meant to the Mets.
I think it's a little bit unfair for guys like Andrew McCutchen, Anthony Rizzo, and Bryce Harper, just name a few. Those three players have played with their team for the whole year, have been carrying their team game after game and that should hold a little bit of weight when the ballots get casted.
As much as I would like to see a Met win the MVP, I think it should go to someone who has been with the team for longer than half a season. Although it's just like someone being injured and coming back to help the team out, ie David Wright.
Do you think Cespedes should win the MVP?
Lets go Mets!
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
News: Two Games, Two Wins
These first two games of this series have been a roller coster. On Monday the Mets were up by three in the fourth, but then in the bottom half, Niese gave up five and the Met bullpen didn't allow another run cross the plate. That allowed the Met offense to chip away and eventually win the game.
Then tonight, with Matt Harvey coming off the controversial innings limit debacle, fed by the media, showed that he might be a little bit distracted. He put the Mets in a 7-1 hole before departing and again the bullpen came in and held the Nationals scoreless. Cespedes made up for his blunder with a three run double. In the eighth, Kirk came up as a pinch hitter and gave the Mets the lead. It seems that everyone is helping the Mets win games.
One of my best, closest friends brought to my attention that the turning point of the season might have been Flores crying on the field. I think it brought to light the fact that Flores is a good player and he has shown that the Mets made the right choice in keeping him. I think that that might have been the start of a snowball affect. Flores wasn't traded for Carlos Gomez, but the Mets still went out and got an outfielder in that guy with those bright armbands, Cespedes. Flores hits a game winning homer two days after not getting traded against rival, Washington Nationals, and it was off the races for the Mets. The Met bench seems to be a lot more powerful as well as their bullpen. It's been a great showing from all the players on this September roster. Seeing Familia's fire at the end of games has been really fun to watch. This team has been really fun to watch and I think my whole block knows it after Tuesday's game.
Congratulations to Bartolo Colon for being awarded NL player of the week.
Lets go Mets!
Then tonight, with Matt Harvey coming off the controversial innings limit debacle, fed by the media, showed that he might be a little bit distracted. He put the Mets in a 7-1 hole before departing and again the bullpen came in and held the Nationals scoreless. Cespedes made up for his blunder with a three run double. In the eighth, Kirk came up as a pinch hitter and gave the Mets the lead. It seems that everyone is helping the Mets win games.
One of my best, closest friends brought to my attention that the turning point of the season might have been Flores crying on the field. I think it brought to light the fact that Flores is a good player and he has shown that the Mets made the right choice in keeping him. I think that that might have been the start of a snowball affect. Flores wasn't traded for Carlos Gomez, but the Mets still went out and got an outfielder in that guy with those bright armbands, Cespedes. Flores hits a game winning homer two days after not getting traded against rival, Washington Nationals, and it was off the races for the Mets. The Met bench seems to be a lot more powerful as well as their bullpen. It's been a great showing from all the players on this September roster. Seeing Familia's fire at the end of games has been really fun to watch. This team has been really fun to watch and I think my whole block knows it after Tuesday's game.
Congratulations to Bartolo Colon for being awarded NL player of the week.
Lets go Mets!
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Wright in Time for the Stretch
Okay I realize I haven't written for a month and I've been neglecting my readers with my opinions and analysis. I have been thinking about how to make a start my blog back up and I think I have a place to start. I think I'll start Wright here.
David Wright reentered baseball life with a bang. He started for the first time since April 14, on August 24. He went 2-5 with a blast in his first at bat. The Mets went on to win that game 16-7. His bat might have been there that game but it's not what he's doing on the field, it's what he's doing for that clubhouse. He brings a positive aura with him. That whole team plays a more upbeat game when he's around, that was evident in the series against the Dodgers when he was in the clubhouse during the July 4th weekend. The clubhouse just seemed a slightly more pumped with him around. It's showing on the field too. The Mets won seven of the Wright's first 11 games back including his first four.
David Wright's presence will not hurt this team. I think that his spot in the lineup should be in the two hole or five slot. When Wright is on, he goes the other way with authority. He goes to right field and can hit with two strikes, which is something that you like from your two hitter so it gives the guy on first the opportunity to swipe a bag. Whether it's Granderson or Lagares, I think either of them should be swiping bags. Cespedes in the three hole will give Wright better pitches and Duda in the four hole give the Mets a real power threat. Those should be your first four batters: Granderson, Wright, Cespedes, Duda-when healthy. They it gets a little foggy depending on who is defending where that day. If Cuddyer is in left, then he should be five, Flores six at second, d'Arnaud, seven and Tejada at short prior to the pitcher. There are other mixing and matching you can do over here like Flores five, d'Arnaud six, Lagares seven to man center field. It all depends one who you want out there on any given day. Sandy did a good job to get quality depth on the bench for this run, especially with Wright unable to play daily.
Lets go Mets!
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
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