Edgy MD

John Dewan, writing in 2011, wrote: When a sacrifice situation was in effect last year (a bunt with men on base and less than two outs) there were 2,285 bunts put into play. 232 resulted in a hit for a .102 "batting average." On the other hand, there were 850 bunts put into play in a non-sacrifice situation last year, with 372 going for hits, making for a .438 batting average. And that was before the proliferation of shifts. I hope the Mets fill their lineup with guys who hit .438.

Ceetar wrote: It's 2017+ and home runs are leaving the yard at record paces. Yes, I know what year it is. The Mets have hit more homers than at any time in their history, and yet are 20th in scoring. They need baserunners. Ceetar wrote: I hope Washington fills it's lineup with guys that can drop down bunt hits. It's not an either/or choice. It never has been.

No.

It didn't seem to be something he wasn't good at, so much as something that was completely alien to him. Like the Mets had asked him to try and punt one inside the 20, or slap on some fencing gear and execute a passata sotto. Systemic neglect of fundies is a concern. The Mets should run an all-bunting mini-camp.

I'd like to buy it and broadcast a cable show from there of old musicians performing their songs. I'm not sure what I would call it, though.

Mets bullpen coach Ricky Bones and the organization’s minor league pitching coordinator, Ron Romanick, are the top candidates to replace Warthen, according to sources. Frank Viola, who has spent the past four seasons as the pitching coach at Triple-A Las Vegas, is unlikely to be considered for the job, according to sources. It is unclear if Viola will remain in the organization. I would have pegged the likelihood of Viola getting the job at around 80%. Have the Mets ever elevated a bullpen coach to pitching coach?

Yo La Tengo: "Meet the Mets"

I like that essay, but they kind of get the timeline wrong. By the time MTV launched, they had already let the world know what they were, reaching #14 with "Whip It" (unmentioned in the essay) in 1979. They seem to suggest that the SNL debut (that's a great performance in the video, up there) came following the MTV launch in 1981, but it's from 1978. If I write a book of greatest covers, I include The Beatles' "Twist and Shout" and Talking Heads' "Take Me to the River," but yeah, probably "Satisfaction." Unfortunately, too many covers (like the two I list) are white dudes taking the work of black dudes to a wider audience.

Great answers, Travis. I actually feel like I know less than I did before that interview.

Wow. That seemed like Peterson quit on that, but good job, TT.

He looked confused up there.

Keith: "I'd send him just for giggles." Maybe not such a great managerial candidate.

Pinch-running for Wecki. Down to our last catcher!

Terrific play by Drubie. I'm suddenly leaning toward him in the Cabby/Reyes showdown.

Nimmo doing the over-selective thingie.

Great catch. Not sure why Reyes didn't tag. If that drops in, he can certainly score.

Trying to figure out of if Aoki could have scored on that play.

Nice to see Aoki work the walk against a tough lefty.

Tying run on third and ... Taijeronie whiffie. But they chased Dickey, in what may be well be his final appearance on the Citi Field mound.

Okay, that's two.

Maybe we didn't win the Dickey trade after all.

There's some nice Nimmo centerfieldin'.

We never listed the pitchers. Mickey Jannis (rh-sp): a curious pick, as the Mets have kept the 29-year-old knuckleballer at AA for three seasons, and this year was his first successful season by any measure. This will also be his second year eligible for minor league free agency. The Mets re-signed him last year and perhaps want to take a look at him against a little more competitive group before deciding on doing so again, but if not, a few weeks in the desert will also be a showcase for his next employer. Worth noting that knuckleballs are supposed to be less effective in thin desert air, which may be part of the reason Jannis hasn't tasted Las Vegas yet. Tim Peterson (rh-rp): The 2012 draftee had a good year in 2016 and a great one (0.777 WHIP, 1.14 ERA) with Bingo in 2017. Slated for Vegas next season. Petey was a low velocity/high command guy in college before finding new life on his fastball shortly before graduating. The commissioner's office discovered the source of that new life and suspended him for 80 games back in 2015, but hey, he's been effective ever since, so do drugs, kids! Matt Pobereyko (rh-rp): Righthanded Sally Leaguer wears Tyler Clippard wraparound shades, and like Jannis, is a late starter at climbing the ladder, having been signed by the Mets this summer off the roster of the Frontier League's Florence (KY) Freedom. He set the Kentucky Wesleyan College strikeout record his senior season and was pouring the whiff juice on in indy ball, striking out 38 in 18 innings (which is just wrong), while walking just four. While 25 is old for the South Atlantic League, he continued to deal there, fanning a phat 53 batters in just 34 1/3 innings. Most indy league strikeout beasts get undone by wildness, but Matt walked just 10, so tune in and see if he may be for real. Kyle Regnault (lh-rp): Kyle pitched well for both Bingo and Vegas. And while offseason signings may change things, he currently sits just behind Smokey in the lefthanded reliever depth chart, so he's closest of any of these cats to the big leagues, and I'd expect he'd be looking at a camp invite next spring, but Sandy's kind of miserly with those, so he'll need a good AFL showing to get some attention. Like Smokehouse, though, he lacks the sort of lefty-on-lefty splits you want to see in a specialist. "So what?!" says Mrs. Regnault. "The world needs generalists too!!

That's another problem with the Mets. They need to get some heavier-duty doors. What is this? A summer bungalow in the Catskills?

I'm not as certain. At least, not necessarily a starter.