Benjamin Grimm

This would be much cooler if his name was actually "Kiwi Dork".

=Ceetar post_id=67532 time=1623417667 user_id=102] It's a little modern for my experience (in terms of being 'qualified') but it'd certainly be nice to be working on something I actually like and am interested in.

I'll say no.

These fill-ins have been terrific, at least in several cases. It will be hard for the Mets to decide who has to go to make room for the returning regulars.

http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/images/schaefer4.jpg> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/index.phpCast your vote!

I admit it's a possibility (albeit a very slim one), but Pete is presenting it as a solid fact. And there's no way he has any real evidence of this.

http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/2015/20150717_NYDN_02.jpeg>

Speaking of goo... Why was Francisco Lindor's Mets helmet so disgusting from the very beginning?

http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/images/schaefer3.jpg> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/index.phpCast your vote!

My first thought was Eddie Murray. I looked it up. Torre is correct. Murray is not and neither is Mays. The second correct answer is one I would not have guessed.

I'm beginning to lose confidence in David Peterson. I really hope the "Acting" GM is looking for starting pitching from outside the organization. Or maybe they can try to stretch out Lugo? Or Reid-Foley?

At least it's very likely that Peterson will pitch better than he did last time. But yeah, he really has to step up. I'm sure the Mets are actively considering alternatives to him, whatever those alternatives might be.

Tim Redding and Jeff Francoeur, both from September 2009. Redding won in a landslide, well ahead of Mike Pelfrey (5.92 ERA) and Pat Misch (6.35) http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potm_results.php?month=09&year=2009> http://leaptoad.com/mets/jpeg/JeffFrancoeur1971.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/jpeg/TimRedding1976.jpg>

SCHAEFER METS PLAYERS OF THE MONTH, MAY 2021 http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/JonathanVillar1972.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/TaijuanWalker1977.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/EdwinDiaz1971.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/PatrickMazeika1976.jpg> MAY 2021 Player of the Month: JONATHAN VILLAR Pitcher of the Month: TAIJUAN WALKER Reliever of the Month: EDWIN DIAZ Bench Player of the Month: PATRICK MAZEIKA http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potm_results.php?month=05&year=2021> Updated award winner standings, with this month's winners in bold: PLAYER OF THE MONTH David Wright 14 Jacob deGrom 11 Johan Santana 6 Jose Reyes 6 Carlos Beltran 5 R. A. Dickey 4 Lucas Duda 4 Michael Conforto 4 Daniel Murphy 3 Pete Alonso 3 Cliff Floyd 2 Tom Glavine 2 Carlos Delgado 2 Ike Davis 2 Matt Harvey 2 Noah Syndergaard 2 Curtis Granderson 2 Yoenis Cespedes 2 Mike Cameron 1 John Maine 1 Angel Pagan 1 Jeff Francoeur 1 Ruben Tejada 1 John Buck 1 Marlon Byrd 1 Dillon Gee 1 Jonathon Niese 1 Bartolo Colon 1 Juan Lagares 1 Wilmer Flores 1 Neil Walker 1 Jay Bruce 1 Asdrubal Cabrera 1 Brandon Nimmo 1 Jeff McNeil 1 Dominic Smith 1 JONATHAN VILLAR 1PITCHER OF THE MONTH Jacob deGrom 23 R. A. Dickey 10 Johan Santana 9 Pedro Martinez 6 John Maine 5 Bartolo Colon 5 Mike Pelfrey 4 Jonathon Niese 4 Matt Harvey 4 Noah Syndergaard 4 Tom Glavine 3 Dillon Gee 3 Orlando Hernandez 2 Robert Gsellman 2 Alay Soler 1 Steve Trachsel 1 Oliver Perez 1 Livan Hernandez 1 Tim Redding 1 Chris Capuano 1 Zack Wheeler 1 Rafael Montero 1 Steven Matz 1 David Peterson 1 TAIJUAN WALKER 1RELIEVER OF THE MONTH Jeurys Familia 12 Seth Lugo 8 Brian Stokes 5 Addison Reed 5 Billy Wagner 4 Aaron Heilman 4 Bobby Parnell 4 Carlos Torres 4 Francisco Rodriguez 3 Hansel Robles 3 Robert Gsellman 3 EDWIN DIAZ 3 Duaner Sanchez 2 Raul Valdes 2 Pedro Beato 2 Manny Acosta 2 Jon Rauch 2 LaTroy Hawkins 2 Darren Oliver 1 Chad Bradford 1 Guillermo Mota 1 Joe Smith 1 Jorge Sosa 1 Scott Schoeneweis 1 Pedro Feliciano 1 Sean Green 1 Fernando Nieve 1 Hisanori Takahashi 1 Elmer Dessens 1 Jason Isringhausen 1 Frank Francisco 1 Josh Edgin 1 Scott Rice 1 Paul Sewald 1 Chasen Bradford 1 Wilmer Font 1 Chasen Shreve 1BENCH PLAYER OF THE MONTH Wilmer Flores 5 Dominic Smith 4 Fernando Tatis 3 Daniel Murphy 3 Jordany Valdespin 3 Eric Campbell 3 Kelly Johnson 3 Julio Franco 2 Damion Easley 2 Marlon Anderson 2 Endy Chavez 2 Josh Thole 2 Justin Turner 2 Scott Hairston 2 Andrew Brown 2 Lucas Duda 2 Juan Lagares 2 Brandon Nimmo 2 Amed Rosario 2 Eli Marrero 1 Michael Tucker 1 Ricky Ledee 1 David Newhan 1 Ramon Castro 1 Ruben Gotay 1 Robinson Cancel 1 Gary Sheffield 1 Alex Cora 1 Jeremy Reed 1 Omir Santos 1 Cory Sullivan 1 Chris Carter 1 Mike Hessman 1 Nick Evans 1 Jason Pridie 1 Willie Harris 1 Val Pascucci 1 Mike Baxter 1 Ronny Cedeno 1 Kelly Shoppach 1 Josh Satin 1 Zach Lutz 1 Ike Davis 1 Chris Young 1 Anthony Recker 1 Curtis Granderson 1 Johnny Monell 1 Darrell Ceciliani 1 Michael Cuddyer 1 Yoenis Cespedes 1 Gavin Cecchini 1 Michael Conforto 1 Jose Reyes 1 Devin Mesoraco 1 J.D. Davis 1 Jeff McNeil 1 Luis Guillorme 1 Robinson Cano 1 Jonathan Villar 1 PATRICK MAZEIKA 1 Leaders for Relievers in May: 1 Edwin Diaz 8.47 2 Robert Gsellman 5.45 3 Miguel Castro 5.35 4 Jeurys Familia 5.32 5 Jacob Barnes 4.99 6 Trevor May 4.63 7 Sean Reid-Foley 4.31 8 Tommy Hunter 3.80 9 Aaron Loup 3.76 10 Drew Smith 2.53 11 Joey Lucchesi 1.74 12 Yennsy Diaz 1.73 13 Jordan Yamamoto 1.11 Leaders for Bench Players in May: 1 Patrick Mazeika 4.72 2 Brandon Drury 3.04 3 Tomas Nido 1.89 4 Dominic Smith 1.22 5 Khalil Lee 1.06 6 James McCann 0.99 7 Jose Peraza 0.96 8 Wilfredo Tovar 0.86 9 Jake Hager 0.61 10 Kevin Pillar 0.30 11 Taijuan Walker 0.03

SCHAEFER METS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Week ending April 10, 2021: Jacob deGrom, 10.15 points. Week ending April 17, 2021: Brandon Nimmo, 5.11 points. Week ending April 24, 2021: Jacob deGrom, 6.00 points. Week ending May 1, 2021: Taijuan Walker, 4.93 points. Week ending May 8, 2021: Kevin Pillar, 5.98 points. Week ending May 15, 2021: Dominic Smith, 5.00 points. Week ending May 22, 2021: Tomas Nido, 6.77 points. Week ending May 29, 2021: Jose Peraza, 4.90 points.

http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9445> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9446> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9447> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9448> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9449> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9450> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9451> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9452> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9453> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9454> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9455> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9456> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9457> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9458> http://potg.leaptoad.com/mets/potg_results.php?game=9459>

I think deGrom is more likely to stay than to go, but I don't see it as a sure thing.

Maybe the thing to do is hire whoever his current agent is to be the Mets GM. That seemed to work last time.

Yeah, that's going to be the ongoing story of 2022. As long as there's not a prolonged labor stoppage, that is.

We haven't talked about this. MLB is going to have umpires regularly check pitchers for foreign substances, probably as they're exiting the game. This is to avoid yet another reason for slowing the pace of the game. Although we only know that pitchers are leaving the game if they're removed mid-inning. If they're pinch hit for, then they've already had time to duck into the clubhouse and clean up. Anyway... Artificial substances increase spin rate, which adds movement to the pitch. Since the announcement (small sample size so far), the spin rates of Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer are said to have dropped markedly. This article from CBS Sports is interesting, despite its use of the phrase "lo and behind". https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-power-rankings-is-the-nl-west-home-to-the-national-leagues-three-best-teams/MLB foreign substance crack down: Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole show reduced spin; ex-MVP calls out 'coincidence' When asked whether he can be the same pitcher he was in 2020 if MLB cracks down on foreign substances, Bauer said, "Go look at the 2018 numbers and tell me what you think." Bauer was excellent in 2018 (2.12 ERA in 175 1/3 innings), though that is more or less an admission he is using foreign substances. The implication is he didn't use them in 2018 but is now, which matches up with the data on his spin rates.

That's occurred to me too, particularly with Davis. McNeil was looking pretty good at second base before he got hurt. If/when Davis gets healthy, I'd consider trading him for a starting pitcher, if possible.

This really wasn't supposed to be about the race at Aqueduct, but whatever! I have to wonder, though, what's the deal with Basement Bertha demanding to watch the Yankee game? Is she just being a troll?

"I jes' close my ears to it."

I'm happy with the split, and with the things you mentioned. I also agree about the borrowed time, but so far so good, and hopefully it won't be too many weeks before McNeil and Conforto come back. (Nimmo and Davis sound further off. And frankly, I'm not missing Davis that much.) They can really use Carrasco and Syndergaard, but both seem a long way off. I'd love to see the Mets pick up a reliable starter but I'm not sure how they'll be able to do that. I've read that Scherzer may be dealt before the deadline, but I have a hard time seeing how the Mets could make that deal. He'd be a rental, but at what cost?

The Mets have 110 games remaining. If deGrom starts one fifth of them, he'd have 22 more starts ahead of him. But because there are going to be a lot of doubleheaders, that's not at all likely to happen. Maybe he'll have 18? In that case, he currently projects to 174 innings, 15-6 record, 24 walks and 279 strikeouts. Oh, and an 0.62 ERA.