Edgy MD

McGehee is a trip. He's obsessed with playing the game the right way, which is practically synonymous with being a dick. He's got a wrestler's roidy-lookin' case of male pattern baldness. He's an inspiration when he's hitting, but can disappear for months at a time, with no corresponding dialing down of the attitude. He's practically John Buck without the catching gear. He's white, so we're legally obliged to term him a "throwback" � a throwback to the time when all ballplayers were dangerous sociopaths living by the code of a brutal street gang.

I'm changing my handle to batgrandersonnotleadoff

He was actually one point above Duda in slugging percentage. But yeah, irregular work does not seem to serve him.

Memory cloudy, but I think that may be from some sort of exhibition in a big league ballpark.

Traded before the season for left-handed specialist Jerry Blevins, who was making the Mets look like geniuses for a week there, until he took a liner off his forearm and has been out with a fracture ever since.

Murphy due to return for the start of that stretch. Mejia due back somewhere in the middle. Black and d'Arnaud maybe by the end. Probably not. Wright due back sometime before the end of days. No word on Jerry Blevins. Nor on any injuries yet to come.

The next six series. The good news is that only one of them is against a division opponent, so if the Mets flounder, it only counts once. The bad news is that most of them are against rilly good teams. June 30-July 2 vs. the Cubs at Citi Field (39-35 .527) The Cubs are mostly a Reds-like mediocrity, but they swept the Mets at Wrigley (all one-run games, if I recall correctly) and, thanks to that sweep, are currently ahead of them in the Wild Cardstandings. July 3-5 vs. the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium (43-35 .551) Let's not take Rollins off their hands until after this series. He's the only sucker in their lineup. July 6-8 vs. the Giants at AT&T Park (42-35 .545) I think we missed Bumgarner at Citi Field and I think we're lined up to miss him again, but Chris Heston proved you don't need your ace to ace the Mets. Here's to the fantasy that Matz can pay them back. July 10-12 vs. the Diamondbacks at Citi Field (37-39 .487) Considering the divisional competition, these guys are hanging in there far better than I expected. They're plucky, coming back from 4-0 and 6-4 deficits yesterday to beat the Dodgers 10-6. July 17-19 vs. the Cardinals at Busch Stadium (51-24 .680) The Cards are relentless this year. Six-eighty! That's an NBA winning percentage! Cheating pays off, kids!! July 20-22 vs. the Nationals at Nationals Park (42-34 .553) The Nats' current 8-2 streak has allowed them to take first from the Mets. They're still a little patchwork, and lost to the Phils on Sunday. Tanner Roark is back in the rotation and Matt den Dekker is seeing semi-regular time, but they could and possibly should be healthier by July 20. Total: 255-203 .558 I'm not one to believe in the redemptive power of trades, but if there is a deal to be made, a promotion to be executed, a missile to be launched, a dramatic lineup change to happen, I hope it all happens in time for that Cardinal series.

Yeah, Kaupe listed at 5'7" but I wouldn't be surprised to find out he's shorter. He's also got one of those Polynesian fireplug builds � low to the ground with a rock-solid powerful core. Looks like he's be a good punt returner. Very Backmanian, in fact. [fimg=500:3fdt0r4p]http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/2873037/kaupe1_BRYANGREEN.png[/fimg:3fdt0r4p]

John Paciorek: one game, three trips to the plate, and he gets his own bio. CBS got five and a half minutes out of him too.

Thirteen strikeouts through seven innings for Brooklyn pitchers. Innings 2-4 were pitched for Auburn by a fellow named Mariano Rivera, Jr. The Clones only scored once off of him, but it was his first run yielded as a professional. Junior was on in relief of Auburn's starter, a fella named "Joan Baez." Seriously.

Michael Bernal is 3-3 for Coney Island this evening. Double, triple, and home run. Up right now in the seventh inning as the Cyclones lead the the Auburn Doubledays 11-4. OHHHH! He rips it to center, but lines into a double play.

Twenty plate appearances and a slash line of .421 / .476 / .947 // 1.424? Either Barry Bonds is back or that's Pacific Coast League Player of the Week Anthony Recker. Look at the bat boy. Can barely control himself.

Good call. [fimg=400]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/83/The_Broker_Grisham_Novel.jpg[/fimg] There I was hopin' one of those kids had good taste and was reading Motherless Brooklyn.

Mark Fidrych. Dave Rozema. Britt Burns. Rich Dotson.

What's the reading material in the lower left?

Just want to bounce this up to re-capture this splendid photo. We have deGrom in the fire helmet, Walters owning the sombrero, ... who else? I recognize the young woman at 4:30 from the Wifey Watch.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Jimmy Rollins may be a Dodger now, but he's playing like a Phillie � which is to say, very poorly and not very cheaply. You want him to be a Met, show me how you are dealing off a burdensome contract at the Mets' end. Like Bonilla or somebody. PSST! LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: As far as short goes... how about Niese for Rollins and cash? There's apparently talk the Dodgers are interested in him. Rollins walks in November, by the by, so this would be strictly a (moderately) cheap rental thing. Well, sure, but that would still represent the Mets likely getting worse. Can the Dodgers throw in three or four wins? There's just so many mixed blessings (and currently, dodged bullets) beneath the Tulowitzki threshold. I'm starting to think the team is focused on Tulo or nobody, except maybe an insurance plan. Tulo is an easy call, if the price can be arranged. Who else, alternatively, is a really tough call to make. I don't know.

Those are two candidates that certainly occurred to me. Dave Steib: two trips to the plate.

Besides pitching and hitting, Steven Matz has a third talent � spinning a whole bunch of crazy crap on his finger. Is Jeff Walter a load of a roommate or what?

Jimmy Rollins may be a Dodger now, but he's playing like a Phillie � which is to say, very poorly and not very cheaply. You want him to be a Met, show me how you are dealing off a burdensome contract at the Mets' end. Like Bonilla or somebody.

No, that's mostly good work. I'm surprised at how few guys fit the profile I laid out though: post-1972/pre-interleague career AL pitchers: Flanagan, Martinez, Stanley, Clear, Nu�ez.

1) I'm using FanGraphs which calculates WAR differently. 2) Kirk Nieuwenhuis has been a healthy little drain in his sporadic appearances.

Who is the best, or maybe famostest, major league player to never bat? I was thinking primarily of pitchers who came up shortly after the dawn of the DH rule and retired before inter-league play, spending a long and profitable career entirely in the AL. Ron Guidry had three at-bats in the 1977 World Series. Jack Morris took a single turn at the plate in 1987. Who else might qualify?

Granderson now third in WAR (Fangraphs) among NL rightfielders. I mean, third in a two-man race, but still. [list:2tsnlk2x]1) Bryce Harper (Nationals): 4.9 2) Giancarlo Stanton (Marlins): 3.7 3) Curtis Granderson (Mets): 1.9 4) Jason Heyward (Cardinals): 1.8 5) Nick Markakis (Braves): 1.2 6) Andre Ethier (Dodgers): 1.1 7) Jay Bruce (Reds): 1.1 8) Ryan Braun (Brewers): 0.9 9) Ender Inciarte (Diamondbacks): 0.9 10) Gregor Blanco (Giants): 0.8 11) Yasiel Puig (Dodgers): 0.8 12) Mark Trumbo (Diamondbacks): 0.7 13) Jorge Soler (Cubs): 0.5 14) Clint Robinson (Nationals): 0.4 15) Justin Maxwell (Giants): 0.3 16) Yasmany Tomas (Diamondbacks): 0.3 17) Gregory Polanco (Pirates): 0.2 18) Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies): 0.1 19) Jeff Francoeur (Phillies): -0.2 20) Grady Sizemore (Phillies): -0.6 21) Matt Kemp (Padres): -0.8[/list:u:2tsnlk2x] Could you imagine if we were trotting Kemp out there night after night?

RBI Leaders Among Pitchers, 2015 T1) Matz, S (NYM): 4 T1) Burnett, A (PIT): 4 T1) Wood, A (ATL): 4 T4) Anderson, B (LAD): 3 T4) Bumgarner, M (SF): 3 T4) Colon, B (NYM): 3 T4) Foltynewicz, M (ATL): 3 T4) Hellickson, J (ARI): 3 T4) Heston, C (SF): 3 T4) Lorenzen, M (CIN): 3 T4) Wacha, M (STL): 3 T4) Young (KC): 3 T4) Zimmermann, J (WSH): 3