Photo by Sam Greene of The Enquirer

Francisco Álvarez was the number-one prospect in all of baseball for a reason.

The 21-year-old with 70-grade raw power is showing what he’s capable of as he settles into life as a major-league Met.

Álvarez has played 28 games for the Mets this season. His first 12 were abysmal. He batted .194/.216/.278 while striking out in 35% of his at-bats. By all means, if the Mets had a healthy catching tandem, Alvarez would be back on his way to Syracuse.

But now it’s May. Álvarez has played 15 games during the month and turned his season trajectory around. Over those 15 he’s batted .271/.364/.604 with four home runs, four doubles, and nine runs batted in. Additionally, he’s cut down the strikeouts to 18.2% and raised his walk rate to 10.9%. Using wRC+ he’s been 66% better than the average major leaguer at the plate during the month. He’s solidified his job as the Mets starting catcher for the rest of the season.

The truth is the Mets are winning with Álvarez, not in spite of Álvarez.

During the Mets five-game win streak, Álvarez has caught three of them going 4-for-12 with two home runs, five RBIs, and three tuns scored. His home run against Tampa Bay on Wednesday tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. The Mets would win an inning later. Then on Friday, Álvarez homered in the fifth to start a climb from a five-run deficit to Cleveland. Later in the game he would single – again with two outs – to tie the game at 9-9 in the 10th inning. Two batters later he’d cross the plate as the winning run.

How good has Álvarez been over his 90 at-bats or possibly how bad have Mets catchers been to record at least 90 at-bats in a season?

His 114 wRC+ ranks SIXTH for the Mets since 2000. The top five are 2004 Mike Piazza, 2002 Piazza, 2015 Travis d’Arnaud, 2007 Ramon Castro, and 2003 Piazza.

Over the last two decades, no one other than Piazza ranked in the top 10 multiple times and he did it four of those seasons.

Now it’s only 92 plate appearances for Álvarez this season and we still have all of June, July, August, September, and October to get through.

But what have the other Mets catchers done this season? Michael Pérez has seven plate appearances, Omar Narváez had 17, Gary Sanchez had four in his debut on Sunday, and the one who filled the gap Tomás Nido had 54 plate appearances. The other three have too small a sample to even criticize but Nido has a wRC+ of -23. NEGATIVE. TWENTY. THREE.

The concern with Álvarez was his defense. That’s why he was left in the minors to start the season, although a terrible spring training showing didn’t help. He’s been more than fine behind the plate. Actually, elite with a 89th framing percentile. In the most subjective matter he passes the eye test. Friday’s game he dealt with a plethora of bounced pitches that he handled with ease. He’s comfortable behind the plate. Maybe the Mets lied and his defense was further along than what was thought or maybe it speaks to the incredible work ethic he’s been praised for his during his young career.

Álvarez and Narvaez should be the tandem behind the plate for the remainder of the season. Besides Narvaez was the one who was most excited to help Alvarez reach the majors.

“I think my experience, I’ve been able to have a good a good relationship with pitching staffs and learning from each other,” Narvaez said during his introductory video call. “And if I can go and help Álvarez be a part of this team also, I’m gonna do it.”

Álvarez has supporters on the pitching staff, too. One veteran pitcher told SNY, “he should stay” when asked about the potential of optioning the youngster. SNY said another source would be “angry” if Álvarez wasn’t part of the battery. “Guys love him. … He cares so much,” another pitcher said.

And if the Mets don’t want to cut ties with Nido after signing him to a two-year deal this offseason there’s always the option of making Álvarez the designated hitter and cutting someone like Daniel Vogelbach. That doesn’t make much sense but you could’ve made the argument for them to carry three catchers out of camp and they could do it now. But Alvarez’s best spot is at the dish. Him, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos are up, it’s not time to shuffle them back down.

The post Francisco Álvarez Has Earned the Mets Starting Catching Job appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Things haven’t gone totally right for Max Scherzer in a Mets uniform.

The former Cy Young, the future Hall of Fame member, the presently injured. Scherzer, 38, is now pitching with discomfort below his right scapula, or the area around his shoulder blade according to the New York Post.

“I’m doing everything I can to get through this without having it linger through the rest of the season,’’ Scherzer said. “I’m in a good spot… I’m not going backward [with the injury], I’m moving forward. That’s the good part.”

Unfortunately for the Mets, Schherzer’s last pitching performance, and first since his 10-game suspension for illegal substances was anything but good. He allowed six runs on eight hits and two home runs to a then 12-17 Detroit Tigers team that ranks 29th in runs scored this season.

Scherzer said he didn’t get hurt during the outing. Which is a positive in some way. But he didn’t say it got better. He appeared happy that he was able to get through the outing without the injury worsening.

In 2019 with the Nationals, Scherzer had a similar, more serious version of this injury that caused him to miss several weeks.

“That’s how bad this can get,’’ Scherzer said. “I respect that. I’ve learned from that and I’m trying like hell to not have that happen.”

Scherzer should know his body better than anyone. But the last time the Mets let a player dictate his injury status, Jacob deGrom ended up avoiding the field for the remainder of his contract.

Nothing about the current iteration of Scherzer screams a pitcher that should be throwing every five days on a team with World Series hopes. His standard numbers are horrific with a 5.56 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Scherzer has pitched six innings just once this season, his first start. His velocity, which has fallen since 2019, has taken its steepest drop yet with 0.7 miles per hour gone on his fastball and offspeed pitches.

Opposing batters are swinging more at Scherzer’s pitches and making more contact. He’s also striking out 10% fewer batters and walking 6.2% more since last season.

The struggle is the Mets can’t afford for Scherzer to not pitch. He’s paid to be the ace – alongside Justin Verlander who already missed the first month of the season – and he hasn’t delivered.

“Just don’t break,’’ Scherzer said of his goal while pitching in his current condition. “I’m trying like hell not to join the IL. I’m fighting through this and doing everything I can. But this is the big leagues and no one cares if you’re hurt. You’ve got to go out there and perform, so I get it.”

The Mets have thrown Joey Lucchesi out on short rest despite him not being fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. Carlos Carrasco is unreliable on the mound and his health is an even bigger question. The team took a huge blow with the ironman Jose Quintana scheduled to be out until the All-Star break. David Peterson cannot make it in the majors. Who knows how much Kodai Senga will pitch this season? How much can Tylor Megill go after his injury woes in 2022?

The Mets have struck out on plenty of more reliable options in free agency the last two seasons, opting instead for the big money to the Scherzer’s and Verlander’s of the world. Their pitching staff isn’t young, it isn’t cheap, and it isn’t locked up for a long time. Maybe Billy Eppler, like was seen during his tenure as Los Angeles Angels general manager, can’t build a starting rotation.

The caveat of course is their pitching development has given them next to nothing. Whether it’s injury or pedigree there is no one saving the Mets in the minors right now. The Mets need to rethink their starting pitching strategy. It’s hard to believe they’ll continue to be the worst-performing staff in the majors but if it doesn’t get any better by June then they could be selling at this year’s deadline.

The post Max Scherzer Adopting “Just Don’t Break” Mentality With Injury appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Seven New York Mets have made Baseball America’s Top 100 list for May.

In order to be eligible for the list, a prospect must not have exceeded 150 MLB at-bats, 50 innings pitched, or 30 pitching appearances. MLB service time does not factor into their prospect eligibility qualifications.

The rankings are as follows:

No. 8 Francisco Alvarez
No. 15 Brett Baty
No. 21 Kodai Senga
No. 46 Kevin Parada
No. 80 Alex Ramirez
No. 91 Jett Williams
No. 99 Ronny Mauricio

Alvarez, Baty, and Senga should all graduate from the list by the next ranking update from Baseball America. Alvarez has 62 career at-bats, Baty has 94 at-bats, and Senga has 32.0 innings pitched.

As for the Mets prospects still in the minors, they’re off to some mixed starts. Parada, who the Mets drafted No .11 overall in 2022, is moving slowly for A+ Brooklyn slashing .238/.337/.417 with two home runs and six runs batted in. Additionally, he’s struck out 24 times and walked 12 in 84 at-bats.

Ramirez is putting up similar numbers in Brooklyn to what he did to conclude the 2022 season there. In 22 games and 89 at-bats he’s hitting .270/.337/.348 with a home run and 15 runs batted in. Last year in 54 games at the level he hit .278/.329/.427. Still just 20 years old, Ramirez has massive potential, especially as a defender with one of, if not, the best arm in the Mets system.

Williams, the Mets minuscule shortstop prospect, was drafted No. 14 overall by the team last season. He’s starting in St. Lucie this season after 10 games of rookie ball in the FCL in 2022. Through 19 games he’s hitting .231/.429/.354. He has 65 at-bats with 17 walks and 21 strikeouts. He also has six stolen bases to open the season.

Mauricio is sizzling at the Mets highest minor league level. He’s batting .333/.370/.581 with six home runs and 19 runs batted in. Mauricio’s prospect pedigree isn’t as high as it once was but he’s turning it around after a strong winter in the Dominican Leagues and a blazing start to the 2023 season.

The post Seven Mets Make Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospect List appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy hit a pair of three-run home runs to lead them past the New York Mets 9-8 on Monday afternoon.

The Braves took Game 1 of their doubleheader against the Mets. Both teams were supposed to be off but a wet weekend in New York caused the games to be made up on Monday. Atlanta had already taken the first game of the series, 4-0 in an abbreviated matchup on Friday.

The Mets, without a starting pitcher, opted to have reliever Denyi Reyes start on the mound. Reyes had not allowed a run in five appearances this season. That streak didn’t hold for long on Monday.

The Mets opener allowed back-to-back singles to Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson. He got Austin Riley to pop out to short for the first out but Murphy punished Reyes, blasting his seventh home run of the season over the left field wall and giving Atlanta a quick 3-0 lead.

Reyes completed the inning without allowing another run but he was quickly hooked following a single and two-run homer by former Met Kevin Pillar to open the second inning. Reyes was replaced by John Curtiss. Curtiss’ first batter, Acuna, took him deep into the third deck of left field. Atlanta had a 6-1 lead after just 10 batters.

But the Mets didn’t just give up. It would’ve been easy when you starter gives up so many so early and your opponent is Spencer Strider but the Mets challenged the Braves ace.

Nimmo opened the game for the Mets with a triple and was driven in by Lindor for the Mets first run of the game. Then in the third while down five runs, the top of the order came through again. Starling Marte singled, Lindor walked, and Pete Alonso joined the homer club with his 11th of the season to make it a 6-4 game.

The teams would trade scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth innings. Stephen Nogosek made his return from the injured list and tossed 2 2/3 innings for New York, allowing just one hit.

The Mets cut the lead to one run in the bottom of the sixth. Brett Baty stayed in against the lefty reliever Dylan Lee and promptly took him deep for his second home run of the season. Baty now has 10 hits, two homers, and four runs batted in over his last seven games.

Atlanta wouldn’t go quietly. Acuna and Olson got on base again for the top of the seventh and Murphy drove them again on a three-run home run, his second of the game.

The Mets kept battling. The bottom of the seventh started with consecutive hit by pitches of Lindor and Alonso, then a McNeil single to load the bases. Daniel Vogelbach grounded into a force out but Atlanta shortstop Vaughn Grissom committee an error on the throw, allowing Lindor and Alonso to score. Baty singled to give the Mets two runners on and only one out but each of the Mets pinch hitting choices – Tommy Pham and Mark Canha – grounded out.

Down 9-7 in the ninth, the Mets had a chance to tie it. Alonso and McNeil were set to bat 1-2 against Braves closer A.J. Minter. Minter got Alonso to strike out, followed by a lineout from McNeil. The Mets, down to their final out, opted to pinch hit Eduardo Escobar for Vogelbach. Escobar promptly hit his third homer of the year to bring the Mets back to within one.

Baty was up and hit an absolute screamer to right field, unfortunately, it was right to Acuna Jr ending the ballgame.

The Mets will get a chance to avoid the sweep tonight in the second game of the doubleheader. But a different starter choice and the Mets could’ve stolen a bullpen game against the Braves No. 1. If the division comes down to the wire again this is one the Mets are going to wish they had back.

The post Mets Comeback Falls Short 9-8 to Braves appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets are starting to look like the team that was promised on paper.

After Monday’s doubleheader, the starting rotation is set with New York’s big three pitching consecutively. Max Scherzer makes his return from his 10-game suspension, Justin Verlander makes his regular season Mets debut, and Kodai Senga returns after a week off.

The Mets have more weather concerns upcoming this week, causing Scherzer to get pushed back one day. He would be eligible to pitch Tuesday’s game against Detroit but will be pushed back until Wednesday. Joey Lucchesi will start instead Tuesday.

Thus it lines up Scherzer, Verlander on Thursday, and Senga on Friday against the Rockies.

Additionally, it sounds like the Mets are happy with the progress being made by Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco landed on the injured list on April 19 due to right elbow inflammation. Manager Buck Showalter said he could be inserted back into the rotation next week.

With Carrasco’s return imminent, Monday and Tuesday could be a showcase between Tylor Megill and Lucchesi for the final rotation spot. The Mets already trimmed the starters room by optioning David Peterson to Triple-A with Verlander ready to return.

Megill hasn’t been spectacular. In five starts he has a 3.96 ERA over 25.0 innings pitched. He’s walked 12 and struck out 19. Megill has only gone past five innings once this season. His last two outings haven’t been impressive allowing three runs, seven hits, and four walks to the Dodgers then giving up four runs in four innings against the Giants.

Lucchesi has made two starts since starting the season in Triple-A. He had a terrific debut against the Giants, throwing seven scoreless innings and striking out nine. He then followed it with a 5 1/3 inning outing against the Nationals where he was charged with three runs.

Megill will have the tougher draw between the two, going against the Braves lineup Monday night. The other advantage Lucchesi has is he’d be the lone lefty in the rotation.

The Mets rotation is becoming fuller, hopefully it means no more Denyi Reyes starts for a long time.

The post Mets Set Post Doubleheader Rotation, Verlander Back Thursday appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jeff Brigham. Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Could a 31-year-old with fewer than 85 career innings be a stalwart in the Mets bullpen this season?

Jeff Brigham has certainly impressed in his brief time on the Mets. The right-handed reliever has thrown 4.0 innings while striking out seven of the 12 batters he’s faced. No batter has reached base and he came up huge during Sunday’s game against the Giants, throwing two scoreless innings after an early departure from Mets starter Tylor Megill.

It seemed his career wasn’t going to continue when the Miami Marlins designated him for assignment this past offseason. But the Mets saw something in the vet that had him thrown in as part of a trade of Elieser Hernandez to New York for Franklin Sanchez and eventually Jake Mangum.

Brigham, a fourth-round pick in the 2014 draft by the Dodgers, has spent most of his career on the bus between Triple-A and the majors. In 2019 he made 32 relief appearances for the Marlins where he accumulated a 4.46 ERA in 38 1/3 innings. He’d then pitch just one inning for them in 2020 and wouldn’t pitch at all in 2022. Brigham came back in 2022 with a 3.38 ERA in 16 games and 24 innings. He showed plus strikeout potential with a 10.5 strikeouts/9.

Brigham had a strong spring for New York but not strong enough to make the team out of camp. In six games he tossed eight innings and allowed three runs while striking out 12. Opponents batted just .161 off him.

He was recalled to the majors on the Mets latest road trip. He made four appearances, two against the Dodgers, and two against the Giants. He was untouchable.

Brigham retired the first two batters he faced by strikeout on April 18. Then retired the one batter he needed to the next day. Brigham was brought in for a third consecutive day on April 20 where he struck out one and needed just 12 pitches to retire the side.

His big moment came on Sunday. The Mets needed length and clean innings after Megill allowed four runs in four innings. Brigham fired off for two innings, striking out four and not allowing a baserunner.

The big thing for Brigham may be the refinement of his newly reclassified sweeper. He’s throwing it half the time to batters and they simply have not been able to touch it with players whiffing on the pitch at a 53.3% rate.

Metsmerized’s Matt Mancuso breaks down what exactly is a sweeper and why the Mets are so fond of it here.

Brigham fits the build and so far it’s working.

The Mets didn’t use David Robertson or Adam Ottavino during their four game series with the Giants. Buck Showalter attributed it to wanting to give proper rest to veterans over the course of the season and without their best two bullpen arms the Mets were able to win two games. Although one could argue they win on Sunday with one of them pitching the last inning over Drew Smith.

The Mets bullpen was sensational in their series. They pitched 13 innings, allowed one run, five hits, three walks, and struck out 15. Without the necessary returns from their starters, the bullpen has been far from a worry so far even with the loss of Edwin Diaz.

Brigham has two options remaining on his contract so the Mets might bounce him up and down a bit this season but right now with the injury to Stephen Nogosek opening a roster spot he looks intent on keeping it.

The post Jeff Brigham Looks Ready To Keep Bullpen Role appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Brett Baty is back in the majors.

The Mets prospect was officially recalled by the team on Monday prior to their series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a corresponding move the Mets sent outfielder Tim Locastro to the 10-day injured list with back spasms.

The Mets also optioned José Butto back to Syracuse and recalled right handed pitcher Edwin Uceta from Triple-A.

Baty has dominated Triple-A this season and his promotion was only a matter of time due to his prospect pedigree and the poor start to the season by Eduardo Escobar.

In his first game back with the Mets, Baty will play third base and bat eighth.

The post Mets Officially Recall Brett Baty, Locastro To IL appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The story of Carlos Carrasco‘s career is one of strength and resiliency but the recently turned 36-year-old might be nearing the end.

Carrasco has not been the trade piece the Mets sought when they added him with Francisco Lindor in 2021. Carrasco was coming off abbreviated seasons as he battled a leukemia diagnosis in 2019 and the shortened 2020 season. The trend continued his first as a New York Met. In 2021 Carrasco tossed 53 2/3 innings. That makes it all the more surprising that at 35 he was one of the Mets most durable arms, starting 29 games for them in 2022.

Unfortunately, Carrasco’s arm isn’t throwing what it used to. That’s trouble for the Mets who already had to dip into their top two reserve arms and we’re on Game 5 of the season.

Carrasco’s velocity was down significantly. He lost over two miles on his fastball from last year’s average of 93.2 to 01.1 and he experienced similar dips on his breaking pitches.

Carrasco’s slowest fastball was 88.7 mph, it resulted in a two-run home run by Brian Anderson in the fourth inning.

What adds to the struggles for Carrasco is his spring wasn’t particularly good either. His last start was March 17 when he built up to 57 pitches. He tossed 96 on Monday but the velocity kept declining. Maybe it’s the pitch clock or maybe it’s something else but the initial signs show that his arm might not be able to keep up for a full season.

Carrasco ranked 181st last season in pitch tempo for an average time of 17.7 between pitches with the bases empty. Now he has to speed up by 2.7 seconds with the bases empty.

Hopefully, it’s something Carrasco can overcome as the season rolls on but the Mets might need to look outside the organization for more immediate help if Carrasco cannot go.

Some players on the Mets have yet to realize the season started. Unfortunately it’s the three most important.

Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil combined for another clunker, combining to go 0-for-9 with two walks and three strikeouts. Even in the small sample size, none of them have been able to get on base with any consistency.

Lindor is batting .143, Alonso .167, and McNeil .190. You can only assume they’ll pick it up but it’s not the start the Mets were looking for after shipping all three off to the World Baseball Classic in March.

Really no Met has come out of the gates firing offensively except for Omar Narvaez and Tommy Pham being responsible for four of the Mets five runs in Sunday’s 5-1 win over Miami.

Although no one is feeling the pressure quite like Eduardo Escobar. He has one hit in 16 at-bats with one walk and seven strikeouts. Brett Baty should’ve made the team out of camp and the Mets shouldn’t hesitate to fix that mistake.

Tim Locastro is really trying to steal the crown of hit by pitch king from Mark Canha.

Locastro has been hit by three pitches in four plate appearances. Last season, Canha was hit a league-high 28 times as the Mets set the record for most times hit by a pitch in a single season. Canha also led baseball with 27 HBP in 2021.

Locastro has a penchant for leaning his elbow down into the zone. Back in 2019, he was hit 22 times in 250 plate appearances. Canha set his career high last year after 542.

The strategy is at least working for now. Of the three times he’s been on base he’s scored twice.

Having some fun with numbers, using Fangraphs games played percentage projections, Locastro would be hit by a pitch 81 times in 122 plate appearances. That’s got to be worth at least 1.0 fWAR, right?

Locastro has a very specific skill set. The more he’s on base the better. Hopefully he’ll get a chance to show off his speed soon as players across the big leagues are taking ample advantage of the new base stealing rules.

The post Can Carrasco Keep Up? Three Takeaways From the Mets Loss In Milwaukee appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Tommy Pham. Photo via Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe Tommy Pham’s spring training was a blur.

The veteran outfielder who failed to crack a batting average over .200 in 17 spring training games, is hitting the regular season with a bang. With Brandon Nimmo resting, Pham was Sunday’s leadoff hitter. He did more than deliver.

Pham went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, walk, and a stolen base against the Marlins. He drove in three of the Mets five runs in their 5-1 victory.

The key for Pham? Going to the optometrist.

Pham suffers from keratoconus, an eye disorder that causes a thinning of the cornea and a loss of vision. It’s a condition he’s been dealing with since 2008.

Pham received new corrective contact lenses on Friday.

“I feel like I am seeing the ball better,” Pham said. “My eye doctor out here, she kind of fine-tuned my lenses for me and when I got my new lenses on Friday I felt like everything was way different in a good way.”

Over the weekend, Pham went 4-for-5 at the plate. He had seven hits in 45 spring at-bats.

“My other lenses from the spring had a little bit too much astigmatism. A little too much ‘residual cylinder’ is the term, and she kind of eliminated some of that for me, so now I can see.”

Pham has seen other doctors about his lenses before, but these are presently tuned for him.

“They’re great,” Pham said. “This is probably the best I have seen on defense in years, but they still needed a little fine-tuning and the doctor here fine-tuned them for me.”

It’s good news for Pham and even better news for the Mets.

The post Mets Tommy Pham Fulfilling Contact-ual Obligations appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

David Peterson. Photo by Ed Delany of MetsmerizedOnline

David Peterson beat out Tylor Megill for the final spot in the Mets opening five-man rotation, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.

Peterson was immaculate during spring training. He pitched 12 scoreless innings, struck out 13, and allowed just one hit on his way to earning the rotation spot that opened as a result of an injury to free-agent acquisition Jose Quintana.

When Quintana’s injury was first reported, the Mets leaked that Megill was the favorite for the job. But Peterson made that decision much harder with his level of play.

Peterson earned the job. Not only due to his pristine performance but he has a  longer history of doing so in the majors. Last season he started 19 games, posting a 3.86 ERA. In his 91 innings pitched, he struck out 110 batters.

Megill was roughed up in his final few outings this spring. He began spring by allowing just one run over 8 and 1/3 innings pitched but lost his command toward the end. In his final two starts he walked 10 batters in 8 and 2/3 innings, allowing six runs.

Megill opened last season in the rotation and was a delight until injury wrecked his promising season. Megill was the starter during the Mets’ combined no-hitter last season and ultimately stepped into the No. 2 starter role with ease once Jacob deGrom went down.

Megill will be starting for the Mets at some point this season. Injuries always lead to open spots and he’ll be the first to get the call from Syracuse. The Mets haven’t announced if he’ll land in the pen to start the season but there’s little room for him there as well, especially since it’s a position he struggled in last fall.

With spring performances it was clear who should get the first crack in the rotation. The Mets rotation now lines up as Max Scherzer, Peterson, Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, Carlos Carrasco. Scherzer has already been announced as the Opening Day starter while Verlander will pitch the Mets home opener the following week.

The post David Peterson Earns Final Mets Rotation Spot appeared first on Metsmerized Online.