The Hot Corner

If you are sold on the hitting and slugging potential of the triumvirate Baty, Vientos and Mauricio, then I would think Baty or Vientos are better options at first base, since neither of them play shortstop. Keep Lindor, an actual shortstop at his position. The only one of the three that can actually play shortstop is Mauricio.

I expect Lindor to remain at shortstop for a few years. When his defense deteriorates with age, I would think him to transition to third base. That is likely a few years away, though.

The issue I have with this logic is that Vientos, Baty, and Mauricio are not manning a single position or a single spot in the line up. They generally are occupying 2 positions between 3rd, 2nd, & DH. On occasion they are occupying all three spots in the line up simultaneously. Vientos, Baty and Mauricio have combined to appear in 223 games, the Mets have only played 115. That is why they collectively have so many at bats (678) versus any single Mets player (Lindor 512, Alonso 497, and Soto 496). So I don't think it is accurate to simply add up their counting numbers, such as HR and RBI, and say that they collectively are producing. Since they often occupy numerous spots in the line up simultaneously, I believe it is far more accurate to look at rates of production ( i.e. HR & RBIs per at bats). For simplicity, if we look at their combined rate of production over 500 at bats, their line is 18 HR & 56 RBIs. That's not too bad, if they were a platoon at one position, but they still are occupying 2 (and on occasions 3*) spots in the line up. That makes their production a little less impressive (at least to me). I'm not saying they can't break out and be productive in the future. Vientos was solid last season and seems to be picking it up of late. Baty has been very streaky throughout his time in MLB, unfortunately the cold spells have traditionally been longer and/or more frequent than his hot streaks. Mauricio has tremendous power, but needs greater discipline/pitch recognition as a whole and he is horrendous from the right side. Hopefully he will improve with age and experience. *This appears to be happening less now that McNeil no longer is manning CF.

Lindor is still a good defensive shortstop and appears to be better (more MLB ready) than other in house options such as Mauricio, Acuna, and Wiliams. He is also 5'10" which is on the short side for MLB first baseman. Lindor remaining at shortstop is the least of the Mets problems should Alonso leave, IMHO.

I don't believe in the "third time through" philosophy, at least not as a blanket policy. As long as the starting pitcher is pitching well and is not unduly fatigued, then I would prefer to let him keep pitching until he is is showing signs of faltering or fatigue. Why keep turning to your 4th or 5th best reliever in the 5th/6th inning in hopes that they will be the first in a succession of effective pitchers that day. Advocates of the third time through philosophy must believe that relievers don't get tired and fatigued from constant usage. They also must believe that the 4th/5th/6th best reliever in the bullpen is better than their starter after 75-85 pitches. Often times, the Mets are turning to a rotating group of minor league call ups to fill the 5th & 6th inning. I am old school. The third time through (or even the 4th time through) the line up didn't seem to be a concern for Seaver, Gibson, Maddux, Carlton, Marichal, Jenkins, Feller, R. Johnson, Ryan, Blyleven, Palmer, Clemens, Glavine et al. Even less accomplished (not HOF) pitchers like Koosman, Sutcliffe, Tiant, Morris, McNally, Drabek, Ojeda, Colon and John didn't have major issues facing batters more than twice in a game. It's not so much that pitchers are no longer capable of facing hitters a third time, it's that the game has changed and they are seldom asked to do so. With increased emphasis on pitch counts, protecting pitchers arms, advanced analytics, growing emphasis on velocity (radar guns) and larger/deeper bullpens have made complete game (or just completing 7 innings) a rapidly diminishing occurrence over the past 20-25 years. The emphasis is for pitchers to go all out for 5 or 6 innings, then get them out regardless of how well they are pitching. For relievers, it's get one inning, then they generally go to another reliever. It's not like the hitters of today are smarter or better than the hitters of old, it is just the philosophy of how the game is played that has changed.* *Of course, I'm just an old baseball curmudgeon, so I could be totally wrong.

=MFS62 post_id=200544 time=1754530766 user_id=60] =Centerfield post_id=200542 time=1754528152 user_id=65] The problem is they have three games coming up in Milwaukee. And the pitching matchups suggest getting even one is going to be extremely difficult. They're already down 4-0 in the Saturday game.

The Mets have a phantom offense.

Oh, that's what quality starting pitching looks like?

Woo Hoo? Soto HR. Breaks up the no hitter and shut out in one swing. I'm almost disappointed. Maybe Alonso can hit HR #252 to make it worth watching this embarrassment. Or maybe not.

The Mets offense, advancing the Cy Young candidacy of opposing pitchers.

Pwterson didn't give up many hits, but most of them were big ones. 2 Home runs and a triple in the 5 hits he allowed. Meanwhile, the Mets are hitting easy infield practice for the Guardians.

=metirish post_id=200480 time=1754504486 user_id=72] Do we ever win when the Little league kids are there 😂

The Mets have not remotely resembled a playoff team for the past month (or more). A flail and fail offense, inconsistent defense, and unreliable pitching (starters more so than relievers) is not what championship teams are made of. At least they are good at base stealing (91 of 101) on the season. Too bad they can't steal first.

Edgy MD wrote: Man, what happened to Peterson's beard? I want to know what happened to Peterson?

Well, it certainly isn't translating to winning.

Buxton made his MLB debut in 2015. Since that time he has appeared in 100 games of more only twice. Most seasons he appears in 85-95 games. He would have been a huge improvement in CF, at least when he could actually suit up.

Great talent. Hurt far too often. He seems to spend 35-40% of each season on the IL.

Mets now 8-9 since the All Star game. Drop 2.5 games behind the Phillies.

Hopefully, Smith is tired from last night. They have to lay off the high fastball. He blew the Mets away last night. I'm hoping McNeil can get to him.

Rogers was definitely a victim of bad luck tonight. Cleveland though keeps putting the ball in play. They hit a lot of balls to the opposite field rather than swinging for the fences.

=ashie62 post_id=200409 time=1754442625 user_id=90] The Mets just won seven in a row. Looks like a different team

Meanwhile, the Phillies beat the Orioles 5-0.

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Sorry if i missed this elsewhere, but why does the grass look so shitty at Citi lately? The booth mentioned during the Giants series that it was due to a concert while the Mets were on their west coast trip.

Cleveland demonstrating that if you just keep putting the ball in play, good things can happen. Three soft hit singles give them the lead.

=Gwreck post_id=200396 time=1754441191 user_id=56] Holmes had 75 pitches through 5 and was pulled! Unless he's on some sort of undisclosed pitch count/limit, I can't make sense of that decision.