The New York Mets were off to a promising start last week, as they won Sunday’s game against the San Diego Padres 4-3, splitting the four game set. The Mets would take two of four games against their 2015 NLDS opponent the Los Angeles Dodgers, but were swept at the hands of the Colorado Rockies, and outscored 16-9 in that three game series. The Mets would have a record of 3-4 from Sunday the 8th to Saturday the 14th, the same record they had the week prior.
The Mets are currently mired in a four-game losing streak, the second such losing streak this year, the last between April 9-12 against the Phillies and Marlins. Choosing an Offensive Player of the Week was tough, because most of the lineup was inconsistent. As a team, the Mets were 11-for-55 with RISP, good for a .200 batting average. They also left 50 men on base during that stretch, an average of 7.14 left on base per game, or about the Mets average so far on the season. To date, the Mets have left an average of 7.05 men on base per game, which is the 11th worst in the Majors as of Monday night.
But here we go folks, your offensive player and pitcher of the week for May 8-14.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: YOENIS CESPEDES
The offensive player of the week goes to center fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who went 7-for-26 with a home run, two doubles, two runs batted in, and four runs scored in that period. Cespedes had a hit in all but two games during the week, the Thursday night game against LHP Clayton Kershaw, who pitched a complete game three-hitter against the orange and blue, an ace performance to say the least. The other hit-less game was the opening night contest against the Rockies on Friday. Throw those two games out, and Cespedes would’ve been 7-for-19 instead.
As an aside, Cespedes also had a laser outfield assist in Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers, where in the bottom of the 5th, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez crushed a 1-1 pitch from Jacob deGrom to deep center. Cespedes played it off the wall perfectly, as he corralled the baseball on one hop, and threw a rope to Asdrubal Cabrera at second, who promptly tagged out Gonzalez, who was still about five steps away from the bag. MLB StatCast had Cespedes’ throw measured at 91.1 mph, and from a distance of 232 feet. On the year, Cespedes has four outfield assists; his career high is 16, which he accomplished in 2014 between Oakland and Boston.
Another positive for Cespedes is the patience he’s showcasing at the plate. During the week, he had three walks, and is up to 14 free passes on the year. Notorious for being a free swinger, and with a career high of 43 walks in his rookie year in 2012, Cespedes is finally showing patience at the plate. He currently has a 10.2% walk rate, a huge improvement from 2015, where he sat at 4.9%. Cespedes attributes his selective approach at the plate to the 12 home runs he has a month and a half into the season.
“I’m being more selective at home plate and that has allowed me to hit more home runs,” Cespedes said in Spanish. “A lot of Cuban players are hitters who swing at balls out of the zone. Having to adjust to a smaller strike zone is a task.”
Hitting coach Kevin Long has seen the work Cespedes has put in to cut down on swinging at the outside pitch, and shrinking the strike zone to set up his pitch.
“I’m extremely proud of what he’s done, and it’s easier said than done,” Long said. “I worked years and years and years with [former Yankees star Robinson] Cano, and he did get it. Ces has only been here a limited time. It was one of the things we focused in on, and he’s been tremendous as far as shrinking his strike zone and really taking walks when it present itself.”
PITCHER OF THE WEEK: NOAH SYNDERGAARD
The Mets’ pitcher of the week could’ve also been the offensive player of the week, as his two home runs were the most hit by a Met for the past week, and accounted for 33% of the Mets total homers hit. He also happened to drive in all four runs for the Mets in his start. Noah Syndergaard was brilliant in his start against the Dodgers on May 11, tossing eight innings of two run ball, giving up six hits, walking one, and striking out six. Syndergaard’s two gaffes were solo home runs off the bat of Corey Seager in the third, and Yasmani Grandal in the fourth. Take away those two mistakes and Syndergaard might well have been on his way to his first career shutout. It was encouraging to see him pitch eight full innings though, something that only he and his best friend, Bartolo Colon, have accomplished this season. Colon’s eight-inning performance came on May 2 against the Braves.
Syndergaard has his usual pinpoint control that game, throwing 95 pitches and 64 of them for strikes, a 67% strike rate. The only downside was the two solo home runs he allowed, however that was only number two and three he’s given up on the season, ten away from the league leader to date in Kansas City’s Chris Young (13).
And his offensive power was put on full display in Dodger Stadium, as he blasted a solo shot in the third inning against RHP Kenta Maeda, and then a three-run shot in the fifth, giving the Mets a 4-2 lead. The Met dugout was all smiles and puzzled looks, in disbelief at the six-foot-six Norse wonder. Not only can he throw 99 mph bee-bees into the eighth inning, but he can also hit 400-foot bombs! He also showcased his opposite field power, launching his second shot to deep left-center field. The exit velocity on his first home run was recorded at 104.3 mph, and his second was a tad lower at 103.5. Syndergaard became the second Met pitcher to hit two home runs in a game, joining Walt Terrell who did the same in a game at Wrigley Field on August 6, 1983.
Syndergaard impressed many that night, but second baseman Neil Walker summed it up nicely post game:
“You kind of think to yourself, we’re in kind of a different era now,” Neil Walker said. “You see these young players come up, what’s next? He comes out, he’s throwing 100 mph, he’s hitting home runs at night, opposite-field at Dodger Stadium. Those are legendary type things.”
The Mets open up a huge three-game home stand against the first place Washington Nationals. Game one features the fifth pitcher in MLB history to strike out twenty-batters in Max Scherzer, squaring off against Syndergaard. If that game doesn’t get you amped then I don’t know what will. Power pitching vs. power pitching, who blinks first in this chess match? Hopefully it means the Mets snap their four-game losing streak!
