Starling Marte. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

We’re just two games into the 2023 MLB season, but Starling Marte has already teased tantalizing signs of operating at the full peak of his powers for the New York Mets.

There were some concerns over whether or not Marte would be at full tilt come Opening Day after undergoing core surgery during the offseason. However, those fears have quickly been eradicated.

Through the first two games of the season, Marte has displayed all the signs that he’s already firing on all cylinders and has been willing to run at every given opportunity. He has already stolen two bases, with one coming on Opening Day and the other coming in the loss to the Marlins on Friday.

Starling Marte swipes the first bag of the year 🏃‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/Y5k2TfQ3oR

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 30, 2023

During both instances, Marte showed no signs of limitations when running and he looked back to full power in that respect. Given that the core injury clearly restricted the 34-year-old in 2022, it will be incredibly encouraging for the Mets that Marte has not only been willing to run a lot more from the very get-go in 2023, but that he’s done so while looking like the Marte of old.

As good as he was for the Mets in 2022 – hitting .292/.347/.468 to go with a 3.0 fWAR and a 136 wRC+, Marte was a shadow of his former self when it came to running the bases. He stole just 18 bases, his lowest total since the 2020 season and he was caught stealing nine times (his highest total since 2018). The fact that Marte has already stolen base twice this year and has looked more like his old self is a good omen for the rest of the 2023 season.

Plus, as the SNY broadcast touched on, the new rules have set the stage for Marte to be an absolute game-changer on the base paths this year. With bigger bases introduced in order to encourage more stolen bases, Marte should absolutely thrive in this new world we’re all living in and he has proved, albeit in a small sample size, that he still has the wheels required to finish among the league leaders in stolen bases in 2023.

Provided he can remain healthy, Marte’s speed will be an absolute lethal weapon throughout the year and it would not be surprising if he gets close to or even surpasses the 47 bases he stole in 2021 while with the Marlins and the A’s.

We shouldn’t also underestimate Marte’s general value at the plate, either. He’s slashing .500/.556/.500/.1.056 to begin 2023, going a combined 4-for-8 in the first two games of the season. He’s also drawn a walk and he’ll be a big factor in that second spot behind the leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo in this lineup.

With Marte looking the healthiest he’s been since he joined the team last year, he’s poised for a monster year offensively and he’s already flashed seductive signs of that in the opening two games of 2023. If he can mash at the plate while stealing an abundance of bases and causing problems on the base paths with his blistering speed, then Marte really could be the X-Factor in this lineup for the Mets. This team needs their key offensive players to step up this year and, if Marte can do exactly that, then that would be a considerable boost.

The post Healthy Marte Firing On All Cylinders To Start Year appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

It seems as though at least one of Major League Baseball’s rule changes is already having the desired impact.

We’re a day into the 2023 MLB season and Opening Day 2023 was both a success for the Mets, and for the game of baseball overall. There was action galore and a lot of that action was to be found on the base paths.

While the introduction of the pitch clock attracted the most attention throughout spring training, increasing the size of the bases was done to try to infuse the game with a deluge of action. After all, Major League Baseball had become all about feast and famine with home runs and strikeouts, with little else happing in between. By increasing the size of the bases from 15 inches to 18 inches and reducing the distance between first and second and second and third, the league hoped this would encourage and lead to more stolen bases.

It has already worked.

And, it should also be noted that the change to the pickoff rule is also going to have a positive influence on more stolen bases too. With pitchers now limited to just two disengagements with a third attempt resulting in a charged balk, that will encourage hitters to steal more often as was the case in the minors, which saw a rapid rise in stolen bases in the wake of the new pickoff rule being implemented.

Aside from looking like giant pizza boxes, the bigger bases had exactly the desired effect on Opening Day alone. As the below Tweet illustrates, there was a dramatic increase in stolen bases and, perhaps more importantly, the success rate.

Stolen Base Opening Day Comparison

2022:
Stolen bases: 5
Caught stealing: 4
Success rate: 56%

2023:
Stolen bases: 21
Caught stealing: 2
Success rate: 91%

— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) March 31, 2023

We saw 16 more stolen bases on Opening Day 2023 than we did on Opening Day in 2022, two fewer were caught stealing and the success rate not only increased, but it skyrocketed. The fact that we witnessed such a huge positive difference in such a small sample size only bodes well for the future.

It was also the most bases stolen on an Opening Day since 1907. That stat alone perhaps best illustrates the rapid success of the bigger bases.

MLB wanted more action on the base paths in order to make the game a more fun and entertaining product full of action and, if Opening Day is anything to go by, the larger bases will help to accomplish that goal and then some. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility to suggest that we could see a return to the days when Jacoby Ellsbury stole 70 bases in 2009, and former Met Jose Reyes stole 78 bases in 2007.

More stolen bases and more action on the base paths, just like the glory days of old, will only be good for the game.

To hammer home the point a little bit more emphatically, the Baltimore Orioles alone had five stolen bases on Opening Day, highlighting that teams full of speed and athleticism are already taking full advantage. Not only that, but it took over three full days of games in 2022 before there were even over 17 stolen bases.

The difference already is staggering.

The new change also benefited the Mets. One of the biggest and most interesting trends to emerge from their Opening Day win over the Marlins on Thursday was their aggressiveness in running the bases. They hit two sacrifice flies after Daniel Vogelbach and then Brandon Nimmo went from first-to-third. That is a sight we should get used to seeing a lot in 2023.

Plus, Starling Marte opened his season with a stolen base and both he and Francisco Lindor, given the blistering speed they both possess, should absolutely torment opposing lineups and feast on the bountiful opportunities the bigger base paths will present to them when it comes to stealing bases.

Overall, something needed to be done to inject more action into the game of baseball and, while increasing the size of the bases sounds simple on the surface, we’ve needed just one day to see how big of a difference it has made already. And, if Opening Day is anything to go by, the base paths are going to provide a lot of entertainment throughout 2023. And that’s what the game needs.

The post MLB Sees Surge In Stolen Bases On Opening Day appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Max Scherzer took to the mound against the Rays on Friday knowing that he would be the Opening Day starter for the New York Mets. He paid back the faith shown in him by absolutely dominating on the mound in his final spring training tune-up.

It was reported on Friday by Mike Puma of the New York Post that Scherzer would get the start on Opening Day against the Miami Marlins, with the Mets later confirming that news.

Scherzer will become the Mets’ 28th all-time Opening Day starter. He missed out on pitching on Opening Day for the Mets in 2022 after suffering a hamstring injury. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is likely to go up against Miami’s Sandy Alcantara, in what will be one of the most highly-anticipated pitcher duels of Opening Day.

Starting on Opening Day is a big deal for pitchers and it will be the seventh time Scherzer has had that honor, with the previous six all coming with the Washington Nationals. And, despite achieving pretty much all there is to achieve in the majors, Scherzer still gets excited about the prospect of pitching on Opening Day.

“It’s awesome,” Scherzer said after Friday’s game. “It’s a heck of a day to pitch on, the atmospheres are crazy every single venue that you’re in. It’s going to be a great day and it’s really fun to get out there and get the ball in that situation.”

It appears as though Scherzer is more than ready for Opening Day, too.

Making his final start of spring training, the righty was locked in against the Rays and he breezed through an easy first inning at Tropicana Field. Scherzer did run into some trouble in the second, however, giving up a walk, a single and a hit by pitch in consecutive plate appearances to load the bases with two outs. Yandy Díaz was able to tie the game with a single to left field that drove in two runs, before Scherzer forced Wander Franco to ground out to end the inning and escape before any further damage was done.

“This last start, this is a full kind of dress rehearsal,” Scherzer said. “I was going to get 100 pitches and you go. You’re facing the lineup two, three times now. When you get into your Opening Day start, you get into that 90-plus pitch count and now I can tell Buck (Showalter) ‘look I’ve been here, I’m strong, I can go,’ or ‘hey, I know where I’m physically at and I’m starting to fatigue.’ It makes the conversation with Buck in that situation just a lot more confident if I say I’ve got one more hitter.”

That's strikeout No. 11 for our Opening Day starter. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yrEVf2fBe0

— New York Mets (@Mets) March 24, 2023

However, after getting those kinks out of the way, Scherzer absolutely dominated and he allowed just one more batter to reach base over the next four innings. He struck out five of the last six Tampa Bay hitters he faced, finishing with two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out 11. According to Jacob Resnick, Scherzer’s 11 strikeouts set a new Mets spring training record going back to 2006 when spring training box scores became available.

Scherzer’s impressive outing against the Rays capped off what has been a strong spring for the veteran. He finished his Grapefruit League campaign with a 1.53 ERA with three earned runs on 16 hits and 25 strikeouts in just over 17 innings of work. After using the duration of spring training to ramp up and get his body right, Scherzer feels good and as close to the peak of his powers as possible.

“That’s where I’ve been paying attention to how I ramp up,” Scherzer said. “You know the pitch count and seeing how my body responds to that. And here I am, I’ve ramped up, I’ve got to 100 pitches and I feel great. My side is responding well, I’m not having any lingering effects from it and that’s the good news, I’ve got my side built up and strong like my arm as well.”

With his spring training campaign now firmly in the rear mirror, Scherzer can fully focus on getting himself ready for Opening Day and going up against one of the best in Alcantara.

“It’s everything,” Scherzer said. “You feel like you are at the starting line of a marathon, of the season, everyone is playing on the same day, you’ve got the best pitching matchups across the league and the whole day is awesome. It is fun. I enjoy competing against the best. He’s obviously one of the best in the game and that’s what Major League Baseball does, it constantly puts you against the best and constantly puts you in high intensity positions. You’ve got to rise to it and match it every single time. That’s the challenge of the big leagues and that’s what makes it great.”

The post Max Scherzer Dominates Rays, Raring To Go For Opening Day appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Pete Alonso. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Pete Alonso arrived back from the World Baseball Classic on Thursday and he came back with one thing on his mind: The Mets making it to the postseason.

Alonso represented a Team USA team that lost to Japan in the final of the tournament. So many players came back saying the WBC had the atmosphere of playoff baseball, and Alonso was no different.

“It’s an addicting feeling,” he said in an interview with Andrew DiComo of MLB.com. “To play playoff-type baseball early this year I think is going to be an extremely important experience and learning thing for me. To be able to jump right in during spring and to be able to experience that and be able to participate, it’s really special. I think that performing and then having those at-bats and experience, it’s going to be extremely valuable for October.”

Alonso was back in the lineup for the Mets on Friday for the second time since returning from the WBC, and it was clear that participating in that kind of atmospheric-baseball has him fired up.

Alonso went 2-for-3 against the Rays with a home run, walk, stolen base, and three RBIs. Alonso’s homer, his fourth of spring training, was a two-run blast in the third inning off of Luis Patino and extended his team’s lead.

Pete Alonso’s fourth spring homer gives the Mets a 5-2 lead.

pic.twitter.com/UvgR4ijqgT

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) March 24, 2023

Alonso is now batting .286/.412/.714, with a 1.126 OPS this spring. He has four home runs and seven RBIs. He finished the 2023 WBC 2-for-14 with one run and one RBI, but those lower stats are primarily due to Paul Goldschmidt getting most of the starts over Alonso during the tourney.

Playing competitive baseball this early has sparked the fire in Alonso’s belly, and has also helped him to get locked in for the regular season. That, coupled with the bad taste of losing to the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card series last year, has the slugger hungry for more in 2023 with Opening Day now firmly on the horizon.

“The result wasn’t there, but I wanted more,” Alonso said, referring to wanting a World Series win. “I think that’s trial-by-fire. Those high-leverage reps earlier in the year, they gave me a pretty good reminder of what I need to do in order, not just to be physically ready for the season, but how to control emotions in a super tense situation – whether it be a big series in the year or in the playoffs. That’s what it’s all for. I want to be able to draw from those big-game experiences, and then apply them.”

Alonso’s first stop he made upon returning to spring training camp on Thursday was the batting cages to get extra reps in before jumping straight in to a Grapefruit League matchup with the Braves on Thursday. And then Friday he was back in the lineup against Tampa Bay and it was clear he was on mission with his 2-for-3, three RBIs performance.

The Mets now have just two spring training games remaining before they get down to business for real, and it is obvious that Alonso is locked, loaded and ready to go and play his part in what everyone in Queens hopes to be a successful 2023 season.

The post Motivated Pete Alonso Rakes Against Rays appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Updated Post, 3/23/2023, 4:31 p.m.

Continuing on the “Nimmo is trending well for Opening Day” trend, the center fielder played in a minor league game on Thursday at Port St. Lucie. He tripled and knocked in two runs.

Original Post, 3/22/2023, 10:07 a.m.

When Brandon Nimmo suffered a low-grade sprain on his right ankle and knee in a spring training game last week, Billy Eppler described the injury as “week-to-week“, seemingly putting the Mets’ starting center fielder’s status in serious jeopardy for Opening Day.

However, there appears to be some optimism that the Mets will have their leadoff man in the lineup on March 30 after all. According to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, Nimmo “continues to tread well” for Opening Day after having a full day of running, hitting, and fielding on Tuesday. DiComo also reported that Nimmo is hopeful to play in the Mets’ final spring training games over the weekend.

Needless to say, Nimmo’s presence at the top of the Mets’ lineup is critical to the team’s success. The center fielder signed an eight-year, $162 million deal to remain in Queens this offseason after producing a 5.1-WAR season in 2022 and finishing fifth in the NL in OBP. The Mets have already been ravaged by injuries this spring, most notably to Edwin Díaz and José Quintana, so Nimmo avoiding any serious damage is a significant relief.

If Nimmo is forced to miss games to start the year, the Mets would likely start either Mark Canha or Starling Marte in center, and slot in Tommy Pham in one of the corners. Nimmo missing the start of the season could also open up the door for the likes of Tim Locastro to possibly make the roster.

While it’s too soon to say for certain that Nimmo will be available, it appears to be trending in the right direction. If he’s able to return to action over the weekend and not have any setbacks, the Mets should be able to pencil Nimmo into the Opening Day roster.

The post Brandon Nimmo Plays in Minor League Game appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Max Scherzer. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Max Scherzer contributed a sensational performance in the New York Mets’ 2-0 win over the Houston Astros Saturday afternoon. The right-handed pitcher looked quite sharp, throwing seven scoreless innings and striking out eight along the way. Scherzer is in great shape as he prepares for his first start of the 2023 regular season.

Astros‘ starter Framer Valdez and Scherzer battled it out for the first four innings, before the Mets opened in the scoring in the top of the fourth. Mark Vientos put the team ahead with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Tommy Pham. Tim Locastro would extend the Mets lead in the top of the seventh, as the outfielder hit a solo home run to center field. That would be all they needed, as Scherzer and the bullpen kept the Astros bats quiet all afternoon.

The 38-year-old’s final line on Saturday read: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 SO. He only threw 71 pitches, 52 of which were strikes.

Overall, Scherzer has dominated in his limited spring training action, pitching to a 0.77 ERA in 11 2/3 innings. His seven innings of work against the Astros is great sign, especially with Opening Day just 11 days away. It looks more and more likely that Scherzer will be ready to give the team length to open up the season, something the Mets so desperately need.

The state of the rotation has some questions with José Quintana out until at least July. Kodai Senga dealt with a bit of nagging finger injury, but he has since returned to the mound. The Mets need Scherzer and Justin Verlander to stay healthy and give the team as many quality innings as they can, especially early in the season.

Early returns show Scherzer should be in line for another stellar season.

The post Max Scherzer Continues To Shine In Spring Training appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Last week we shared with you whether we thought Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer would be the Opening Day starting pitcher. Of course, now we have to share what we think the Opening Day lineup is going to look like!

Here’s our predictions:

John Sheridan

Brandon Nimmo
Starling Marte
Francisco Lindor
Pete Alonso
Jeff McNeil
Mark Canha
Daniel Vogelbach
Eduardo Escobar
Omar Narváez

Mojo Hill

Brandon Nimmo
Jeff McNeil
Francisco Lindor
Pete Alonso
Starling Marte
Daniel Vogelbach
Mark Canha
Brett Baty
Tomás Nido

Matt Mancuso

Brandon Nimmo
Jeff McNeil
Francisco Lindor
Pete Alonso
Starling Marte
Daniel Vogelbach
Mark Canha
Brett Baty
Tomás Nido

Chris Bello

Brandon Nimmo
Starling Marte
Francisco Lindor
Pete Alonso
Mark Canha
Jeff McNeil
Daniel Vogelbach
Eduardo Escobar
Tomás Nido

Christian De Block

Brandon Nimmo
Starling Marte
Francisco Lindor
Pete Alonso
Jeff McNeil
Mark Canha
Daniel Vogelbach
Brett Baty
Tomás Nido

Dan Quiñones

Brandon Nimmo
Starling Marte
Francisco Lindor
Pete Alonso
Jeff McNeil
Mark Canha
Daniel Vogelbach
Brett Baty
Omar Narváez

Andrew Steele-Davis

Brandon Nimmo
Starling Marte
Francisco Lindor
Pete Alonso
Jeff McNeil
Mark Canha
Daniel Vogelbach
Brett Baty
Tomás Nido

The post MMO Roundtable: Opening Day Lineup Predictions appeared first on Metsmerized Online.