“You win some, you lose some.” That has been the case for the 2016 Mets so far, but somehow they add much more stress than necessary. This week was another up-and-down string of games, with a bad series loss to a mediocre team to a good series win against an above-average team. It opened with an atrocious start from Steven Matz, and ended with a stellar one from him. We saw Michael Conforto move from the six spot to the three hole with exceptional results. We saw… well, if I say any more, I’ll give away my Player of the Week picks!
PITCHER OF THE WEEK: LOGAN VERRETT
With Jacob deGrom missing Wednesday’s start due to a combination of lat troubles and the birth of his son, Logan Verrett took the ball in what proved to be a crucial game against the Marlins to avoid a sweep at home. He pitched absolutely stellar, going 6.0 innings (and, honestly, he should have gone seven) while giving up only three hits with no runs. His pinpoint-accurate fastball, coupled with a nasty changeup and slick slider powered him to six strikeouts. While Noah Syndergaard pitched absolutely amazing the day before, the pressure that was placed on the shoulders of Verrett was far greater. He is an incredibly reliable spot starter and is one of the Mets’ most valuable bullpen arms. Props to you, Logan. Props to you.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: YOENIS CESPEDES
If I were to poll the entirety of Mets Twitter at the end of week one, they would have been in strong favor of trading Yoenis Cespedes away, because he, and I quote, “is being paid $25 million a year to strike out and make errors.” Well, good thing the season spans about 27 weeks, because it looks like Cespedes has finally overcome the first week blues. The slugging outfielder batted .318 with two home runs and seven RBIs over the course of the week. It’s pleasing as well as critical that he finally gets going, especially with Conforto in the three hole now; he needs to start slugging like a true cleaunup hitter, because he is the only candidate on the Mets’ roster right now that fits the bill as close as it can get. Plus, if Cespedes starts hitting, there’s a nice chance that Lucas Duda might begin to follow suit… stay tuned on that one. This will be bold.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ASDRUBAL CABRERA
Color me impressed… super impressed. I know last week I kind of blew off this category and haphazardly gave it to Bartolo Colon for fun… but it’s crunch time now. Asdrubal Cabrera‘s middle infield defense has, honestly, been one of my favorite things so far about this young season. He’s got great range and a vacuum of a glove that seems to suck up almost everything that comes his way. Even when presented with a tough turnaround play, his arm is so accurate that even if the throw is late, I know that it’s not sailing over Duda’s head or even taking a hop before it gets to him. Middle infield defense has been a scarcity for the Mets in recent seasons, and even though Cabrera is contributing the bare minimum at the plate, we brought him here to play defense, and that’s exactly what he’s going.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
As stated above, Noah Syndergaard certainly gets a mention. His performance on Tuesday, consisting of 7.0 IP of seven-hit, one-run, 12-strikeout ball was more than enough for a pitcher on any team to get a win– except for THIS team, apparently. Even though he was denied a W, it was another performance that further solidified the fact that Syndergaard is the clear ace of the staff.
Michael Conforto has been tearing it up ever since he was moved to the third hole. He went 5-for-12 with three RBIs on three doubles and a home run during the Cleveland series, after recording just one hit and five at-bats all throughout the Marlins series (granted, he didn’t play in Wednesday’s game). He makes for the perfect three hitter: puts together quality at-bats (the kind of at-bats you see veteran hitters putting together… seriously, he gets pitched to as if he’s a 10 year vet), he is patient and can draw a walk, he has pop in his bat and the striking ability to go opposite field, especially for power. If this kid hasn’t caught your attention yet, we probably haven’t been watching the same team. I don’t know about you, but I’m pre-ordering my Michael Conforto All-Star Game jersey right now.
