roger_that

Lefty Specialist wrote: Mendoza pushing all the right buttons so far. Even when they screw up (Acuna tagged out at 3rd), And it's bound to end. Most of these tough decisions are crapshoots, 70/30, 80/20, and sometimes the smaller number pops up. I'd like to examine Acuna's "screwup" more closely. When Azocar gets himself into a sudden pickle between first and second, where exactly would you prefer Acuna to be? I think he did the right thing, drawing a throw. He might have done the wrong thing in trying to return to third when the throw went there, rather than taking off for home (and giving Azocar the chance to take third?). Sprinting home means there are two throws (2b-to-3B, and 3B-to-C) and two catches (3b and C) and one tag ©, all of which are rushed, which makes good things happen for the Mets. But most of the responsibility for a screwup belongs to Azocar-- Acuna, as I see it, was trying to make the best of a bad situation.

Tonight's win over the Phillies pushes us past the .700 mark (.708) and on track for nearly 115 wins (114.75). With only one crummy RBI, though, Pete falls even further from Hack Wilson's pace--he's down to 168 on the year at this pace.

What I particularly like about my suggested lineups (with Alvarez and Torrens each playing quite a bit at C) is the way the whole roster gets to play semi-regularly or regularly. No dead-enders sitting on the bench for weeks at a stretch.

Can Nimmo do it? I think so.

My personal preference: Against lefties: Taylor CF Acuna 2B Marte DH Nimmo LF Against Righties: McNeil LF Baty 2B Winker DH Nimmo CF

Brazoban is listed at 6'3", 155, which in my book is a bone-thin cadaver-type body, but he looks pretty solid to me.

MLB-tv

=Fman99 post_id=190455 time=1745366412 user_id=86] Rookie mistake there.

We've dirtied Sanchez up!

=Centerfield post_id=190436 time=1745363525 user_id=65] This game kinda feels like a loss coming. Hope I'm wrong.

Maybe update Pete's FA status?

Megill facing Nola again!!! Those two are gluttons for punishment. ETA: Edgy has corrected himself partially, making me look only partially like an idiot. I am still wondering, however, what it is that Marte is Staring at. ETA: And now he's corrected himself entirely, making me look like a complete idiot, though he's left Marte Staring at something indeterminate.

We've been lucky so far, of course, but not according to Pythagorus: the Mets' Pythagorean record is just about precisely (.008 off, in the "lucky" direction) their actual W/L record.

That's a good point. But why are they giving McNeil innings in CF during his rehab if not to see how he handles the position? Certainly not because it's easy or fun to learn a new position. Maybe they're concerned about Nimmo's ability to play CF at this point?

While the team improves to a new projected high of 113-49 (112.7, actually), Pete continues to slump, reducing his projected RBI to a mere 169.

Bob Alpacadaca wrote: Discussion in the booth about this. Gary says he thinks the both stay, and Azocar and Senger headed down. He noted that Acuna, McNeil, Marte and Winker can all play outfield. Yeah, the sticking point is that none of them is really a backup CFer at this point. But I hope they'll make McNeil into their platoon CFer with Taylor and continue to platoon Baty and Acuna at 2B, Winker and Marte at DH. I also hope that when Manaea gets back, they'll send a reliever down.

They can't call that one foul, can they?

Does Megill usually throw this fast? Gameday is reporting him throwing consistently in the 95-97 range. He just struck out Turner on pure heat.

On game day, they announced the HR, and put up a 3 spot in the line score--and left it up there for like 5 minutes!!!

Yeah! Soto! Worth every penny! WAIT--was that called foul? Jeez.

No problem disagreeing, Lefty. You may be right and we won't find out any time soon. But let me ask you this: you say that Baty might hook onto another team over the winter and you hope he does well there. Why? Why, that is, would you think that was even possible? He's a bum, a no-talent, a never-was-and-never-will-be. My thinking is he's not any of those. I wouldn't bet my house on him becoming a star, or even a regular, at some point soon, but I would bet a considerable amount on it. I think a lot of Mets fans (not necessarily you) are frustrated with Baty's performance in the major leagues so far (I am too) and are angry with him over it. (I am not.) They feel he has cheated them, teased them with stellar AAA numbers, deceived them with spectacular spring trainings, and then let them down by failing to deliver on his promise in the bigs. Me, I think they're impatient, and they're imputing all sorts of character flaws (which I don't believe exist, in Baty's case particularly but also in general), and I think that if he does go to another organization and he performs well there, they're going to be even angrier with him. I'm reminded of Justin Turner--pretty good hitter in AAA, .805 OPS in 831 ABs--who didn't show much in his first four years with the Mets (or with the Orioles, with whom he had 31 big league at-bats), but when the Dodgers picked him up he turned into a star. I think he had star talent all along, it just took a while to manifest itself, and I think that's what's going on with Baty now. As to McNeil, I think the Mets are thinking of him as a CFer (in rehab anyway) because if he plays there, rather than Acuna (who's probably a better CFer than Squirrel), then they've got a R/L platoon at CF and at 2B. If they put Acuna out there, then they've got two righties in CF and two lefty 2B men, which is a problem. How bad could McNeil be in center? We may find out.

Lefty Specialist wrote: What he needs is a chance to play every day This argument also has its flaws, Lefty. The counterargument (which I think plausible, though not complete) is that, like most lefthanded batters, Baty doesn't hit lefties well (he has a platoon disadvantage of .170 OPS which is larger than average), so it could well be argued that what he needs is NOT to play every day but to play mainly against righties. I don't know if he had that same kind of split against lefties in AAA but it looks to me that he put up impressive numbers while batting every day in AAA. I suspect that his .899 OPS might have been even higher if he were used more selectively there.

Lefty Specialist wrote: I hope a team gives him a chance and he does well. I hope that team is the Mets. You're ignoring the reason he's hit so much better in AAA than in MLB. Why is that? Your answer seems to be that he's not good enough to hit major league pitching, just good enough to kill AAA pitching. There are very few hitters (I can't think of any, offhand) who fit that description. Given enough opportunities a man who OPSes .900 in AAA will hit major league pitching. Maybe not at a .900 clip, but close enough, and certainly better than your average MLB .700 OPSer. And what accounts for his good showing in spring training? Is this what you think about Baty? That he's an emotional headcase, that he cracks under pressure, that he lacks "character" or "toughness" or maybe that he's got some weakness that MLB-level pitchers take advantage of but AAA pitchers can't? None of that makes much sense to me.

Lefty Specialist wrote: Only having one backup infielder necessitates Acuna. Baty can't play shortstop. Agreed. Keep Acuna up. Lefty Specialist wrote: McNeil has an albatross contract; he's not movable unless you pay off a lot of it. Unless you get lucky and find a trading partner with a sudden need for a second baseman. Happens sometimes--second basemen tend to get injured more than other players. Lefty Specialist wrote: Baty going back down to AAA and tearing it up will raise his value when he's moved in the offseason. Keeping him up and giving him limited at-bats is a waste all around. Now this is interesting. You're so sure that Baty will tear up AAA pitching if we send him down? Because AAA pitching is all he can handle, and MLB pitching overwhelms him? I don't buy that. Who was he facing when he was tearing up spring training? Mostly MLB pitchers who were getting the rest of the Mets lineup out fairly well. I think there's a direct correlation between hitting at AAA and hitting at the MLB level, and that 99% of the difference, when there's one, is sample size, luck, streakiness, and luck. Also luck.

I'm sure there's considerable pressure on both Baty and McNeil to prove their productiveness immediately if not sooner for the reasons you cite. As far as trade value goes, do you think McNeil would fetch more than Baty? I don't. A team might be willing to surrender a lefty-swinging CFer to platoon with Taylor (assuming they were otherwise set in CF) to get a shot at Baty's upside, but McNeil would only suit a team with immediate needs at one of his positions, probably 2B or 3B, and they'd have to be pretty desperate not to know that he's probably not going to be very effective. For an out-of-contention club towards the trade deadline, Baty might be a better long-term solution and would certainly bring back a better player. What does that tell you? I think the Mets would do well to put Acuna in CF, alternating with Taylor some days, rather than trying to retrofit McNeil as a CFer (they've been playing him in CF in his rehab stint) and drop Azocar to AAA. That would fix the imbalance between infielders and outfielders and free up a spot for Baty when McNeil comes back. Two lefty 2bmen isn't ideal of course but it's workable.