George Springer

[Centerfield]

The more I think about it, this is the guy. Go get him Sandy.

[Lefty Specialist]

Absolutely. A real CF with all the tools. Much more important than a SS upgrade.

[smg58]

He's a really good fit for this team. Plus if he needs to slide over to a corner in a couple of years, the team should be able to accommodate him.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Right handed hittingness, centerfieldability, northeasterncentricity, ticketsellingability, yeah he's a guy to get

[smg58]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Right handed hittingness, centerfieldability, northeasterncentricity, ticketsellingability, yeah he's a guy to get

And don't forget his last name is Springer.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Dennis and Steve can suck it

[Frayed Knot]

The interesting thing about him was that he came up as a guy prone to K-ing but morphed into a low(er) K guy (who knows what even constitutes 'low' these days) even

at a time when K-rates continue to climb in the sport.



2015: 28.1% (K/ABs)

2016: 27.6

2017: 20.2

2018: 22.4

2019: 23.6

2020: 20.1



Or by ABs per K



2015: 3.6

2016: 3.6

2017: 4.9

2018: 4.5

2019: 4.2

2020: 5.0



Now cynics might note that maybe that's the result of the Astros increasingly knowing the pitches that were coming and perhaps there's something to that especially

since he wasn't the only Astro to do so. But those changes are also significant enough (especially starting in 2017) and have kept the trend long enough to treat them

as at least mostly real. It's the difference between K-ing between 1/4 and 1/3 of the time as a rookie to down around 1/5 now, or over once per game in the beginning

to more like four Ks every five games now. That's not just a statistical quirk.



Already 31 y/o (two months ago) you'd want to consider the length of the deal you'd offer and he's neither the true ball-hawk of a CF you'd love to have nor is he likely to

stay in the middle of the field for long. But for the next couple of years at least he should be a terrific fit.

Plus he's semi-local [Avon, CT and UConn] and despite the fact that his paternal grandfather was a black man from Panama who immigrated sometime during the middle

of the 20th century while my clan is decidedly white and landed in this country about a century before it was even this country, I'm still determined to find a genetic link I

can use to go and hit up old "cousin George" for some tickets now and then.

Edited November 11, 2020 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

If there's any insider information about him that might add some insight, maybe the Cardinals can let us know.

[Centerfield]

Great analysis FK.



I was already sold, but that drives the point home. Plus, what are you looking at if you don't get him? Jackie Bradley Jr? A trade for Starling Marte?



Gotta get this one. I can see Cohen going Axelrod here.

[metsmarathon]

yeah, he's as close to a must-have as there is this winter. if we miss on springer, there's a lot of cobbling together of odd fits in odd places. which, well, sounds like a very traditionally metly thing to have to do.



and while i'm all about tradition, i hope we can do away with that one, maybe just a little bit.



with springer, on the other hand, it really unlocks the tumblers on all the other things we might like to get done this winter.

[bmfc1]

Thanks, FK. I hope that Steve Cohen considers him to be Alberto Giacometti's "L'Homme au doigt" of this FA class.

[Benjamin Grimm]

So we'd have Springer in center and Conforto and Nimmo on the corners?



The DH question really needs to be answered soon. If the NL is going to have the DH, I'd put Smith on first (most of the time) and let Alonso DH (most of the time). But if there's no DH, I would think that Smith or Nimmo might be dealt.

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: So we'd have Springer in center and Conforto and Nimmo on the corners?

That represents a lotta OF'ers on base (and a potent 1-2-3 in the lineup maybe) specifically a .383 OBA for that trio across the 2019 & 2020 seasons combined [just over 2,000 total PAs].

Edited November 12, 2020 by Guest

[MFS62]

Edgy MD wrote: If there's any insider information about him that might add some insight, maybe the Cardinals can let us know.

A spectacular 94 points on the snark-o-meter!

Well played!

LOL!



Later

[Frayed Knot]

I hope that Steve Cohen considers him to be Alberto Giacometti's "L'Homme au doigt" of this FA class.

And remember: l'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace

[Lefty Specialist]

Où est la poubelle?

[MFS62]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Où est la poubelle?

Pot belly?

We already had Bartolo Colon.



Later

[The Hot Corner]

Springer is at the top of my wish list for this off season.



If the Mets can land Springer, then add a solid starter to slot behind DeGrom and a proven catcher, I will be very happy. Yeah, I know I don't want much, but for the first time in several years, I truly have hope that the Mets cand (and will) make the moves to legitimately improve the team.

[Benjamin Grimm]

He would be only the fifth Mets player named George, assuming you count Seaver as a "Tom".

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: He would be only the fifth Mets player named George ...

Odd, considering that signing him would make him the third Springer to play for the team. One would think that Georges would be considerably more common than Springers.

Or, put another way, that would mean exactly half of all the ML Springers in history would have spent time on the Mets. Now not much time so far considering that Steve

Springer totaled 5 ABs in 1992 (and never appeared in a ML game again) and Dennis racked up a grand total of 11-1/3 IP in the 2000 season so George doesn't exactly have

a large barrier to clear in order to claim the title of best ever Springer on the Mets. I think he's already sewed up the best ever pro baseball playing Springer.



* Ed Springer - a Canadian native whose lone season came in 1889 for Louisville in the American Association when he was 22 y/o. He'd live for just another 2-1/2 years

* Brad Springer - the Detroit native saw time in the 1925 season for the StL Browns and in '26 for the Reds. He appeared in a total of just 4 games as a reliever.

* Dennis Springer - a knuckleballer (I've had some knuckleHeads in my family) who pitched for six teams over eight season from 1995 to 2002

* Steve Springer - Long Beach, CA native and a 20th round draft pick by the Mets out of baseball hot-spot University of Utah was an infielder who got

four starts/12 ABs for the 1990 Indians then one start/5 ABs for the '92 Mets

* Russ Springer - Prior to George, Russ held claim to king of the Springers in MLB. The Louisiana native came up with the Yanx and became a durable, if mostly

unspectacular, reliever [740 Games, 27 starts] across 18 seasons for ten different teams.



And in looking all this up I discovered that active player Carson Fullmer (2016-2020; White Sox, Tigers, Orioles) sports the full name of Carson Springer Fullmer

which indicates to me that he's quite possibly got a maternal Springer somewhere in his midst (that maternal middle name thing is popular 'mongst us WASPs)

so he qualifies as an honorary Springer.





OK, this got me going. Now we HAVE to sign George!

[Edgy MD]

Without checking, I'm recalling our four Georges to date as being Altman, Foster, Stone ... and Theodore.



Hey, I remembered them an alphabetical order.



With checking, I see that they were all born before 1950 — a gilded age for Georges.

[Centerfield]

For those that feel a grown man shouldn't wear another man's name on his back, what if that name is also your name?

[Centerfield]

Cuz if his name were Dae Sung Kim...

[Benjamin Grimm]

=Centerfield post_id=51054 time=1605833318 user_id=65]
For those that feel a grown man shouldn't wear another man's name on his back, what if that name is also your name?

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: =Centerfield post_id=51054 time=1605833318 user_id=65] For those that feel a grown man shouldn't wear another man's name on his back, what if that name is also your name?

Make sure the uniform number is different?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Edgy MD wrote: Without checking, I'm recalling our four Georges to date as being Altman, Foster, Stone ... and Theodore.

You know what's weird? I remembered Stone and Theodore immediately, and Altman very shortly after. I forgot all about Foster, the Mets' most prominent George, completely. I didn't realize I had overlooked him until I looked it up.



Sheesh.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Edgy MD wrote: Without checking, I'm recalling our four Georges to date as being Altman, Foster, Stone ... and Theodore. Hey, I remembered them an alphabetical order. With checking, I see that they were all born before 1950 — a gilded age for Georges.

George Thomas Seaver says he's in that club, and slides in between Foster and Stone aphabetically.

[Frayed Knot]

https://nypost.com/2020/11/25/mlb-free-agency-2020-george-springer-would-shine-with-mets/https://nypost.com/2020/11/25/mlb-free-agency-2020-george-springer-would-shine-with-mets/

[Centerfield]

I'm convinced. Let's sign him.

[MFS62]

Ruh Roh!

The Jays have spent a lot on free agents in recent years, and this makes me nervous:

https://sports.yahoo.com/latest-mets-free-agent-target-155528632.htmlhttps://sports.yahoo.com/latest-mets-free-agent-target-155528632.html

Later