Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Notable Players

The lineup will include Ozzie Albies, Xander Bogaerts, Jurickson Profar and Ceddanne Rafaela. Profar’s brother, Juremi, a 30-year-old who played 11 years in the minors and in foreign leagues and last played in 2024, is an infielder. Didi Gregorius, who is 36 and last played in 2022 for the Phillies, is also on the squad.

Kenley Jansen, 38, the active MLB career saves leader (476), will close. It will be his fourth WBC representing the Dutch. In his first in 2009, he played catcher, which was his position in the Dodgers’ minor-league system before he switched to pitcher.

Shairon Martis, who started 19 games for the Nationals in 2008-09 and made six appearances for the Twins in 2013, is on the pitching staff. Martis, 38, threw the only no-hitter in WBC history in 2006 against Panama. He was 18 and has appeared in every WBC since except for the 2009 tournament, which the Nats didn’t give him permission to play in.

Mets prospect Jamdrick Cornelia, 20, of Curacao, is in the bullpen. The left-hander pitched to a 2.76 ERA over 32 2/3 innings in the Dominican Summer League last year.

Notable Coaches

Jones, 48, will have another ex-Brave as his pitching coach in Jair Jurrjens. They weren’t quite teammates, though their careers overlapped. Jones was a Brave from 1996-2007 before signing with the Dodgers as a free agent and Jurrjens played for Atlanta from 2008-2012.

WBC History

The Netherlands have appeared in all five WBC tournaments, advancing as far as the semifinals in 2013 and 2017. In 2013, they lost to eventual champion Dominican Republic and in 2017 they lost to Puerto Rico in 11 innings when Eddie Rosario drove in Carlos Correa with a walk-off sacrifice fly.

In 2023, they split four games in pool play and failed to advance because of tiebreakers.

Pool

The Netherlands are in Pool D, with the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Israel and Nicaragua. Their first game is against Venezuela on March 6 at loanDepot park in Miami. The top two teams from each of the four pools advance to the quarterfinals. The Dominican Republic and Venezuela, each flush with MLB talent, are expected to advance from Pool D. Netherlands is considered the best of the other three teams in the pool.

The post WBC Team Preview: Netherlands appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

On January 21, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will reveal their ballot results and any new entrees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame will be announced. To be elected, those on the ballot must receive at least 75% of the vote. On this year’s ballot, there are 28 former players.

The Ballot

Of these 28, 14 were on the ballot last year. Relief pitcher Billy Wagner (73.8%), outfielder Andruw Jones (61.6%), and outfielder Carlos Beltrán (57.1%) are the three returnees on the ballot that were the closest to being elected last season. This is Wagner’s 10th-and-final year on the ballot. He must break the 75% threshold this season to be elected, as he will no longer be on the ballot starting next season.

Other notable returnees to the ballot are Álex Rodríguez (34.8%), Manny Ramírez (32.5%), Chase Utley (28.8%), Bobby Abreu (14.8%), Francisco Rodriguez (7.8%), and David Wright (6.2%).

The full list is below which includes percentage of votes from 2024 and number of seasons on the ballot:

• Billy Wagner, (73.8%), Enters 10th-and-final year on ballot
• Andruw Jones, (61.6%), 8th year
• Carlos Beltrán, (57.1%), 3rd year
• Álex Rodríguez, (34.8%), 4th year
• Manny Ramírez, (32.5%), 9th year
• Chase Utley, (28.8%), 2nd year
• Omar Vizquel, (17.7%), 8th year
• Bobby Abreu, (14.8%), 6th year
• Jimmy Rollins, (14.8%), 4th year
• Andy Pettitte, (13.5%), 7th year
• Mark Buehrle, (8.3%), 5th year
• Francisco Rodríguez, (7.8%) 3rd year
• Torii Hunter, (7.3%),  5th year
• David Wright, (6.2%), 2nd year

To remain on the ballot next season, a player must receive at least five percent of the votes.

In addition to the above, there are 14 new individuals being added to the ballot in 2025:

• Carlos González
• Curtis Granderson
• Félix Hernández
• Adam Jones
• Ian Kinsler
• Russell Martin
• Brian McCann
• Dustin Pedroia
• Hanley Ramírez
• Fernando Rodney
• CC Sabathia
• Ichiro Suzuki
• Troy Tulowitzki
• Ben Zobrist

These new candidates can remain on the ballot for up to 10 years. They must achieve at least five percent of the vote, yearly, to remain on the ballot. If any receive at least 75%, they will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame.

Derek Jeter, Álex Rodríguez. (Photo by Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic)

Who Deserves To Be In?

When the writers who have the honor to vote do so, they are only able to vote for a maximum 10 players. They are not required to use any of their votes if they do not want to, however, they are limited to 10 votes maximum.

With that being said, who are those who are the most deserving to be in? A good starting point, before going position-by-position and taking into account other  attributes, is sorting each of the individuals by wins above replacement (WAR).

Note, the below is sorted by total bWAR.

• Álex Rodríguez, 117.6
• Carlos Beltrán, 70.1
• Manny Ramírez, 69.3
• Chase Utley, 64.5
• Andruw Jones, 62.7
• CC Sabathia, 62.3
• Bobby Abreu, 60.2
• Andy Pettitte, 60.2
• Ichiro Suzuki, 60.0
• Mark Buehrle, 59.1
• Ian Kinsler, 54.1
• Dustin Pedoria, 51.9
• Torii Hunter, 50.7
• Félix Hernández, 49.7
• David Wright, 49.2
• Jimmy Rollins, 47.6
• Curtis Granderson, 47.2
• Omar Vizquel, 45.6
• Troy Tulowitzki, 44.5
• Ben Zobrist, 44.5
• Russell Martin, 38.8
• Hanley Ramírez, 38.0
• Adam Jones, 32.6
• Brian McCann, 32.0
• Billy Wagner, 27.7
• Carlos González, 24.4
• Francisco Rodríguez, 24.2
• Fernando Rodney, 7.4

Right off the bat, one would assume the first three are worthy. However, each individual have some type of “ethical” issue voters take issue with. Rodríguez and Ramírez both performance-enhancing drug questions and Beltran was involved with the Astros sign-stealing scandal. However, based purely off on-field performance all three certainly appear worthy of the Hall of Fame.

The next chunk of 60.0-plus WAR pose a lot of interesting questions. The one with the least amount of question marks is Ichiro Suzuki. He ranks 25th all-time in hits at 3,089. This despite not coming to North America and Major League Baseball until his aged-27 season. Of the 33 players in history with last least 3,000 hits, Rafael Palmeiro, Álex Rodríguez, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, and Pete Rose are the only not in the Hall of Fame. Of those five, three have potential ethical issues and the other two have not yet become eligible. It is a safe bet Ichiro will be Hall of Fame bound at some point, if not this season.

Chase Utley.

Mets nemesis Chase Utley is an interesting case. His 64.5 bWAR is not far off the average bWAR of the 20 second baseman currently in the Hall of Fame (69.5). Not to mention, his seven-year peak WAR (WAR7) is comfortably above the average of those 20 second baseman Hall of Famers (49.3 versus 44.4 average). Lastly, his JAWS rating (a measurement created by Jay Jaffe to value an individual’s Hall of Fame worthiness) is right on par with the average of the second baseman who currently occupy Cooperstown (56.9 versus 57.0 average). Whether Mets fans want to hear it or not, Utley, a terrific all-around player, has a very compelling argument to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Utley’s case, on play a lone, is a lot more compelling than that of fellow second baseman Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia, though, a compelling case for each can be constructed. Both Kinsler and Pedroia have WAR, WAR7, and JAW ratings not terribly far off the average of the other second baseman in the Hall of Fame. Maybe down the road, especially Pedroia, they may be considered seriously.

Andruw Jones, who was the second-highest vote-getter on last year’s ballot, has one of the more compelling cases on the ballot. According to defensive WAR, Jones was arguably the best defensive center fielder in baseball history. To go along with that, he hit 434 home runs; the fourth-most among center fielders. His overall bWAR number is a little off the average of the 19 center fielder Hall of Famers (62.7 versus 71.5 average), however, that is largely due to a five-year stretch of really poor offensive performances to end his career. His peak years (WAR7) are above the average for Hall of Fame center fielders and his JAWS rating is not too far off either. The 10-time Gold Glove winner certainly has a great case for Cooperstown.

CC Sabathia, Bobby Abreu, and Andy Pettitte round out the reminder of the 60.0-plus bWAR group. Sabathia may have a case at some point, especially given he was a southpaw. However, as it relates to starting pitchers, his WAR, JAWS, and WAR7 are all a decent bit off the averages of the 66 Hall of Fame starters. The same goes for Pettitte whose numbers are slightly off of Sabathia’s overall. Based off his positional peers, a pretty compelling case can be made for Abreu. On offensive performances alone, the 15 right fielders ahead of Abreu in offensive WAR are all in the Hall of Fame. However, Abreu struggled so much defensively his overall WAR, JAWS, and WAR7 numbers are all a decent bit off from his positional peers’ averages.

Photo Courtesy of CBSSports.com

Billy Wagner came within 1.2% of being elected in 2024. His last chance is this year and his candidacy is an interesting one. The Ferrum College alumni ranks eighth all-time in saves at 422. He also posted a sparkling 2.31 ERA, including a 1.43 mark as a 38-year-old in his final season. However, his WAR and JAWS are a decent bit off the averages and both John Franco and Francisco Rodríguez, who have more saves than Wagner overall, are not in the Hall of Fame. Joe Nathan, who has a very comparable WAR, WAR7, and JAWS profile as Wagner, was not elected to the Hall of Fame either. Though, Wagner has a much-better ERA than each and had tremendous strikeout numbers. Specially, his career ERA+ would only trail Mariano Rivera among Hall of Fame relievers.

Of the rest on the ballot, not many more staggeringly compelling cases can be made. Of course, being a former Met legend, it would be nice to see David Wright at least stay on the ballot. Being enshrined to the actual Hall of Fame is likely a long shot, as his WAR, WAR7, and JAW metrics are well off the average of the 18 third baseman Hall of Famers. Unfortunately, injuries cutting his career short ended what once seemed like a Hall-of-Fame trajectory.

My Ballot

If I was lucky enough to have a vote, for whatever it is worth, here is how my ballot would look:

• Álex Rodríguez
• Carlos Beltrán
• Manny Ramírez
• Andruw Jones
• Ichiro Suzuki
• Billy Wagner
• Chase Utley

Each of the above, based purely on on-field performances and value, deserves it based on others who were inducted from their respective positions. Billy Wagner was pretty tricky given how others who have comparable numbers were not enshrined, I ultimately chose to include him given how strong his metrics were. Utley, despite being a Met enemy, has an extremely underrated and compelling case. He would be my dark hose, if you will.

What your ballot look like?

The post The Most Deserving On The 2025 Hall Of Fame Ballot appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

While everyone has all of their attention on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, which seem to be heating up, the Yankees are still keeping their eyes on the pitching market. The club in the Bronx officially spoke with both top free agent pitchers, Max Fried and Corbin Burnes, via Zoom this past week, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. Reportedly, nine team officials including Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone and Matt Blake were on the call, which lasted over an hour.

While this might not have any correlation to the Yankees chance with Soto, it shows that New York is ready in case the slugger decides to jump ship. 

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

New York City FC showed some pictures of the progress being made towards their new stadium in Queens.

Jose Iglesias told Laura Albanese of Newsday that he is very open to a return to the Mets, and will also be dropping a new song in 2025. 

Mets legend Johan Santana was inducted into the Latin Baseball Hall of Fame in the Dominican Republic. Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez and Andruw Jones were also inducted. 

The Mets received a fourth minor league option for right-handed hurler Max Kranick, per Joel Sherman of the NY Post. 

Frankie Montas’ two-year deal, including a player opt-out after 2025, with the Mets was officially announced by the club. David Stearns commented on the signing: “Throughout his career, Frankie has flashed some of the best stuff in the game. He’ll provide a stabilizing presence to our pitching staff and can contribute on and off the field.”

Latest MLB News

Several industry sources believe that the San Diego Padres are in a strong position to land Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, per Francys Romero. 

RHP Koyo Aoyagi’s 45-day negotiating window with major league teams has begun, after the Hanshin Tigers made his posting official, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network. The sidearm pitcher posted a 6.2 K/9 and 1.307 WHIP in 114 innings this past season.

Major and minor league player representatives, including former Met Chris Bassitt, were elected by the MLBPA.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that all five Juan Soto contenders, including the Mets, Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays and Dodgers, are still in the mix. He also noted that he will meet with clubs this weekend and we should know his decision by the start of winter meetings on December 9.

On a Bleacher Report live stream, Jon Heyman reported that the Mets are still the favorites to land Pete Alonso. He also noted that getting Soto would in turn help the Mets keep Alonso.

Latest on MMO

Jose Iglesias is open to return to Queens in 2025!

Check out MMO’s free agent profile on a familiar face, Sean Manaea.

Hyeseong Kim of the KBO is being posted for major league clubs. 

On This Date in Mets History

2021: Former Mets manager Gil Hodges is elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The man who lead the Amazins to their first World Series got in on his 35th ballot.

2005: The Mets send prospects Gaby Hernandez and Dante Brinkley to the Florida Marlins and receive catcher Paul Lo Duca in return. His .297 average as a Met is the highest for any catcher in franchise history,

Born On This Date: Cliff Floyd (1972), Al Moran (1938).

The post Morning Briefing: Yankees Speak to Fried, Burnes appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Chris Bello

My ballot would be: Carlos Beltrán, Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, Andruw Jones, Joe Mauer, Francisco Rodríguez, Billy Wagner, and David Wright.

Why Beltrán isn’t in yet is baffling to me. He’s one of the best switch hitters of all time, plus was a gold glove centerfielder. Same goes for Jones. He had 443 homers and is the best defensive centerfielder of all time (yes I said that). There’s an argument to be had for Helton but I believe he deserves to be in.

As for Wagner and Rodríguez, I believe they should be in as well. They’re both over 400 saves and Wagner is among the best relievers in K/9.

David Wright should be self-explanatory. I am biased.

Jorge Eckhardt

For my ballot, I’m going with Carlos Beltrán, Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, and Billy Wagner.

Beltrán: One of the greatest switch hitters ever, a true five-tool player, and one of the best of his era. Beltré: Self-explanatory. It’s Adrian Beltré. Helton: Screw the Coors tax. Helton was elite. 3/4/5 career slash. Clear HoFer. Mauer: One of the best catchers of his era, maybe the best (even though he was only really 50% a catcher). Wagner: Probably the best left-handed reliever ever. Relief pitchers don’t get enough love.

I understand people want all 10 votes to be used, but in my opinion, this is not a very strong ballot. I’m not in favor of voting for someone who isn’t HoF-worthy just because there’s a vote available. For some of the notable people not included, the explanation is either one of two things: 1) Steroids. I wouldn’t personally vote for steroid users. No issue with those who do — either is an acceptable opinion — and this is mine. 2) Violation of the character clause. People might not like it, but it’s a thing. This is about honoring people, not just players. No matter how good of a player someone might have been, if they fail the character clause, they don’t get my hypothetical vote. Maybe some people who fit that criteria have been elected before, but just because a mistake was made in the past doesn’t mean we need to keep making it.

Oh, and, regrettably, no David Wright. He was on the HoF track but played his last 100 (hell, last 50) game season at age 31. Injuries suck. That said I am conflicted. I prefer Hall of Famers who were the best of the best, even if it was for a shorter period of time (ex: Johan Santana should be in the HoF) than those who were just above average for a long time (ex: Mark Buehrle, Bobby Abreu). You can make an argument Wright meets the requirements of the first category. Did all Wright need to do to make the HoF was play 4-6 more years even if he was awful? It’s an interesting question for sure.

If I have to make a decision though, these five get my vote.

James Villani

My votes (in order): Adrían Beltré, Álex Rodriguez, Manny Ramírez, Todd Helton, Joe Maurer, Carlos Beltrán, Billy Wagner, Chase Utley, Andruw Jones, Garry Sheffield

You have 10 votes, why not use them all?

Each player above, when compared to other Hall of Famers at their respective positions, stacks up very well. Whether you look at WAR, Baseball Reference’s JAW metric, etc. As one can see, my ballot is very “value-based.”

As for the touchy performance-enhancer subject; some say that some individuals already in the hall are suspected of using as well. The on-field results are what they are.

Allison Waxman

For my ballot, I’m selecting: Carlos Beltrán, Joe Mauer, David Wright, Billy Wagner, Todd Helton, Gary Sheffield, and Andruw Jones.

For me, this feels like a very biased list, but isn’t that how most people vote for these things? There’s always the age-old debate about how much a scandal can affect one’s chances of getting into Cooperstown. People tend to look the other way for some, but for others, they scrutinize based on the size of the scandal. And don’t even get me started on players whose careers ended far too quickly due to injury (Oh Captain, my Captain).

These players are some of the best of the best at one point in their careers, regardless of how their careers ended. Mauer might be overlooked, but he might also be considered by some as one of the best catchers of the 21st century and recent memory. Wagner is considered the sixth-best reliever according to JAWS and feels like a shoo-in. Like many here, I’m a sucker for David Wright. It’s hard not to imagine what his career would have been like without injury, but it’s something for voters to consider.

Johnluke Chaparro

My votes would go as follows: Carlos Beltrán, Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, Álex Rodríguez, Gary Sheffield, Billy Wagner, David Wright, Andruw Jones, Manny Ramírez

Every single one of those players was at one point considered a superstar of the game. Even though A-Rod and Ramirez are shrouded in controversy, the Hall has elected players with similar pasts, so why not two of the most prolific home run hitters of our time?

Billy Wagner is a personal favorite for mine because of how dominant he was on the mound when needed and factor in his story of how he threw left-handed in the first place is incredible.

David Wright is, as many others stated, is a biased pick but he does have strong enough numbers to be considered seriously.

The post MMO Roundtable: What Would Your Hall Of Fame Ballot Be? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Draft week is upon us, and with that comes plenty of speculation about how the New York Mets will play their cards with the 11^th and 14^th overall picks.

The Athletic’s Keith Law put out his MLB Mock Draft 3.0 on Monday, and he has the Mets selecting two college bats in Texas Tech’s Jace Jung and Arizona’s Daniel Susac.

Jace Jung, 2B/3B, Texas Tech

Law believes that the Mets will have a standard approach to this first round rather than trying to get fancy with over slot or under slot picks. That starts with the Mets selecting Texas Tech infielder Jace Jung with the 11^th overall pick, the compensation pick the Mets received for failing to sign 2021 first-round pick Kumar Rocker. Jung is the younger brother of 2019 first-round pick Josh Jung, and the brothers had strikingly similar numbers during their respective stints at Texas Tech.

The left-handed hitting Jung is regarded as a Top 10 prospect in most rankings due to his mature approach at the plate and his remarkable ability to stay on the field. Jung was named the 2021 Big 12 Player of the Year as a freshman, leading the conference in just about every major statistical category. While his sophomore year was not as prolific, he managed to draw 59 walks in 61 games for an absurd .481 OBP on the season. Jung has appeared in all 136 games for Texas Tech since his freshman season in 2020, compiling a career 1.116 OPS with 39 home runs and 147 RBI.

Jung’s draft stock is fueled entirely by his bat, as his defense leaves a lot to be desired. He has played predominantly at second base, but he has also seen time at third base and shortstop and will likely bounce around the infield if it means being able to keep his bat in the lineup. The Mets appear to have a degree of security at every infield position already, but it would be tough to pass up on a guy like Jung who could conceivably hit his way to the majors in just a few seasons of professional ball.

Daniel Susac, C, Arizona

Law has the Mets taking Arizona catcher Daniel Susac with the 14^th overall pick, another selection that would keep them right within the value of that pick. Like with Jung, Susac is the younger brother of a former high draft selection, as Andrew Susac was a second-round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft.

Daniel Susac has had an impressive two-year showing at Arizona. He earned freshman All-American honors and was named the Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Year in 2021, and he followed that up by becoming a unanimous All-American in 2022. Susac entered college as a switch-hitter but has since moved to hitting right-handed, and his bat grades as one of the best among all collegiate backstops, as he has 24 home runs and a .999 OPS across 125 games at Arizona.

Susac’s defensive abilities are also highly regarded, as he is viewed as having a strong arm and above-average capabilities behind the dish. Susac appears to be as well-rounded as catching prospects come, and even the presence of top prospect Francisco Álvarez should not deter the Mets from taking the best bat available at this pick. After all, the Mets should know from their current situation at catcher just how valuable it would be to have multiple catchers with great hit tools in the organization.

What is the Mets’ Draft Strategy?

One thing of note: this draft strategy of selecting within the perceived value of these picks is not a foregone conclusion for the Mets. The threat of the Mets flexing their financial muscle has loomed over the sport since Steve Cohen purchased the team back in 2020, and Joe Doyle of Prospects Live reports that there are at least some speculations about how that could play into the 2022 MLB Draft regarding top prospect Druw Jones.

Jones is at the top of just about every prospect ranking list, and the son of former major leaguer Andruw Jones seems to be a safe bet to be taken at the top of this draft. However, Doyle notes that some scouting executives believe it is possible the Mets will entice Jones by allocating nearly all of their draft capitol to select him at pick 11 and then go exceedingly under slot for pick 14. The amount of money that the Mets could offer Jones at pick 11 would be nearly identical to what the Orioles would be able to give him if they selected him first overall, so in this scenario it would come down to the market that Jones would want to play in.

This is all speculation of course, and Doyle himself notes that there have “hardly been any legitimate rumors regarding this situation in scouting circles.” Still, it is something to keep in mind as the draft nears, and it speaks to the ever-shifting narratives surrounding the spending power of the Mets.

The 2022 MLB Draft is set to kick off on Sunday, July 17^th in Los Angeles and will be aired on MLB Network.

The post Mets Target Two College Bats in Athletic Mock 3.0 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Chipper Jones

Jones played 18 full years in the big leagues from 1995-2012. He hit .303/.401/.533 with a 141 OPS+ in that time frame. “Larry” tormented the Mets and all other teams. I refuse to call him a Met killer because he killed every team, not just the Mets. Gaby Sanchez, Pat Burrell? Sure those guys are Mets killers.

Among all third basemen, Jones has the sixth highest WAR at 85. And Baseball Reference shows that he was a one of a kind hitter. He currently ranks 33rd on the all-time home run list with 468 but will likely fall this year to Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Beltre. There’s really nothing more to say about Chipper that hasn’t already been said. Congrats, Chipper.

Jim Thome

One of the more underrated hitters of his ERA. Thome played on a team with guys like Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez but put up great numbers on his own. Thome through his career hit .276/.402/.554 with a 147 OPS+. Thome ranks on the eighth on the all time home run list with 612 and is well deserving of the Hall of Fame.

Vladimir Guerrero

Vlad hit .318/.379/.553 with 449 home runs, and a 140 OPS+ through his career. I like Vlad but I’m not sure he’s as good as his vote percentage says he was. Vlad’s career numbers are like that of Gary Sheffield‘s and he was not a better hitter than Edgar Martinez.

Guerrero’s 59.3 WAR is actually lower than Andruw Jones‘s. He’s a Hall of Fame player who is getting overrated due to the rule of 10 in my opinion.

Trevor Hoffman

Ah, the beloved saves stats. I do not see how Hoffman is a Hall Of Famer, I really don’t. Here’s two pitchers:

A: 1089.1 IP, 2.87 ERA, 141 ERA+, 3.08 FIP, 9.4 K/9, 3.7 K/BB, 25.8% K-rate

B: 903 IP, 2.31 ERA, 187 ERA+, 2.73 FIP, 11.9 K/9, 4 K/BB, 33.2% K-rate

Both pitchers have a near identical WAR but which pitcher would you want in the make or break part of Game 7 of the World Series? Probably B. B is Billy Wagner while A is Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman has 601 saves and that is the only reason he is getting so much love on this ballot. Personally, Wagner isn’t a Hall of Famer but I don’t see how Hoffman is while Wagner isn’t. And no, saves isn’t a valid reason as to why Hoffman is a Hall of Famer.

To see the full list of votes, click here.

Notable Omissions

Edgar Martinez: Martinez could un-retire, go 0-for-982, and still have a higher OBP than Vlad. Edgar hit .312/.418/.515 with a 147 OPS+, the same OPS+ as Jim Thome. Thome and Vlad also used the DH to extend their careers.

The biggest knock on Edgar is his inability to play in the field. But that knock that he “wasn’t good enough” doesn’t seem to hurt Hoffman’s inability to be a starting pitcher. Edgar wasn’t a perfect player but the process of justifying not putting him in the Hall is extremely flawed. He helped the team win just as much even though he was DH’ing. He could have been a bad defensive first baseman and still been very good because DH is a negative value adding position.

Mike Mussina: Mussina spent his career in the AL East band boxes during the peak of the steroid ERA while posting a 123 ERA+ and averaged almost 200 innings a year over 18 years. He also had an 83 WAR and if that isn’t good enough for the Hall Of Fame, then I’m not sure what is or isn’t anymore.

Barry Bonds/Roger Clemens: The traditional, Do Steroids Belong in the Hall Question? Here’s my thing, Bud Selig, the steroid enabler, is in. Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez had some question marks about whether or not they used but it was never proven.

How is it fair to say some guys deserve it and some don’t? Both were Hall of Famers and both put up great numbers even after the steroid ERA. Bonds is arguably one of the best hitters of all time (the best in my book) while Clemens was arguably one of the best pitchers of all time. Want to put asterisks next to their name? Sure. But can’t we do the same for Babe Ruth because he played in a league that was not integrated? There’s so many “What Ifs” that I don’t think Bonds or Clemens should be punished for it.

Larry Walker: As Julian Levine of Beyond the Box Score explains, Walker was much more than just a product of Coors field. He did well both at home and on the road. Walker is starting to trend towards the direction that I am almost hopeful that he might finally make the Hall soon. He should get a significant push in 2019 when the ballot becomes less crowded.

Scott Rolen: I’ve had arguments with people on this one before. Rolen was a pretty darn good hitter, for a a long period of time while also being great defensively. His WAR ranks him 10th all time behind 8 Hall of Famers and Adrian Beltre (who will be in on his first chance and could easily pass Eddie Matthews this season). Rolen will hopefully get the love that he deserves because he is a deserving candidate.

The Fallen

Johan Santana, Livan Hernandez, Jason Isringhausen were all removed from the ballot.

The post Hall-of-Fame Class of 2018 Announced appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Thanks to the irreplaceable @NotMrTibbs on Twitter, baseball fans are able to evaluate and discuss support for Hall-of-Fame players ahead of the election.

The public-ballot collection has become an important part of the conversation surrounding Cooperstown. Almost 40 percent of the vote has been made public (which you can see here) and so it greatly mitigates the possibility of surprises on the ballot.

By now, we know the Class of 2018 will almost definitely consist of Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Vladimir Guerrero.We can also see that other players seem to be moving towards enshrinement in the future; this would include Mike Mussina, Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.

However, this ballot is indeed a crowded one, so there are a lot of guys on the margins who have otherwise solid credentials. These guys stand little chance at making it to Cooperstown, but each has a very solid case to be made. Let’s take a look at six of those guys right here, in no particular order.

Andruw Jones

The sorry second act of Jones’s career makes many forget how dominant he was during the first half. From 1998-2007, Andruw Jones averaged 34 home runs, 103 RBI and a 115 OPS+ per season. Oh, and he was the best defensive center fielder in baseball, winning 10 consecutive Gold Gloves.

Jones’ seven-year peak WAR is 46.4, which is higher than the average 7 WAR of the 19 Hall-of-Fame center fielders. He also has the ninth-highest fWAR of any center fielder. Ever. He beats out guys like Robin Yount, Duke Snider, Andre Dawson and Larry Doby. And, to top it all off, he has a higher defensive runs above average than any center fielder ever.

Jones is currently on just 5.4 percent of all public ballots. It would be an absolute travesty for him to be five-percented in year one, considering many of his stats would indicate he deserves to be enshrined.

Jeff Kent

The former Met Jeff Kent obviously won’t be remembered for his time in Flushing, but he should be remembered by voters for his elite offensive output. His 377 career home runs are 76 more than any other second baseman, which alone should give him consideration. He also had a nine-year stretch where he was bar-none the best hitter at his position: He batted .296/.365/.529 while averaging 28 home runs and a 132 OPS+ from 1997-2005.

Kent is in his fifth season on the ballot, and he is currently on just 10.7 percent of public ballots. He has routinely gotten anywhere between 14 and 17 percent on his first four seasons on the ballot, so it looks like he’s losing support here.

Fred McGriff

Fred McGriff has the same number of homers as Lou Gehrig, no PED suspicions, and virtually no support from Hall-of-Fame voters. He currently has just 17.3 percent of the vote in his seventh year on the ballot, meaning it will be an uphill battle for the “Crime Dog” to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

But it shouldn’t be. McGriff was one of the most consistent hitters of the ’80s and ’90s. He hit at least 20 home runs in 15 of 16 seasons from 1987-2002 (he hit 19 in the only year he didn’t get to 20) and hit over 30 home runs 10 times in that stretch. That kind of longevity, along with a solid .284/.377/.509 lifetime slash, makes McGriff worthy of a plaque in Cooperstown.

And if it weren’t for the baseball strike from 1994-95, he easily would have gotten well over 500 home runs. He hit 34 home runs in 113 games in 1994, which would have put him on pace for 48 in a 162-game season, and he hit 27 in 144 games in 1995, which would put him on pace for 30. Had McGriff hit another 17 home runs from 1994-95, and brought his career total over 500, would he have more support than he does now? Perhaps.

Johan Santana

I’ve written about this ad nauseam here, here and here, so I’ll keep this short to avoid sounding redundant. But just a couple of things to consider with Johan Santana. Let’s start with how he ranks among all ’00s pitchers:

– Second in ERA (3.03). Pedro Martinez was first with a 3.01 ERA.
– Second in WHIP (1.07). Again, Pedro is No. 1 by just a hair (1.04)
– Fifteenth in wins with 118, despite not becoming a full-time starter until 2003.
– Fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (9.13).
– Sixth in FIP (3.37)
– Eleventh in fWAR (37.6). Again, Santana wasn’t a full-time starter until midway through 2003.
– Third-highest strikeout rate (25.2 percent)
– Second-best batting average against (.219)
– Second-best ERA- (69). Fangraphs considers anything below 70 to be “excellent.”

And from 2004-08, Santana led all pitchers with at least 700 innings in just about every statistical category. His short career will probably keep him from getting in; he has appeared on just three public ballots so far.

Gary Sheffield

The former Mets legend has 509 career home runs. Call me old school, but that alone should get you in the Hall. Couple that with a .292/.393/.514 slash, and a 140 career OPS+, Sheffield belongs in Cooperstown.

During his peak 14-year stretch from 1992-2005, Sheffield fared even better: Batting .304/.411/.551 with a 151 OPS+, and averaged 31 homers and 96 RBI per season. Sheffield was named in the Mitchell Report, which is likely the reason he has appeared on just 9.5 percent of public ballots — and has never received more than 13 percent of the vote in his three prior years of eligibility. Hopefully Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens‘ inevitable enshrinements will open up the floodgates for guys like Sheffield. Which brings us to our next list item:

Dilip Vishwanat/Sporting News/Icon SMI

Sammy Sosa

PED’s or not, what Sammy Sosa did at the height of his career was one of the most impressive onslaughts of power in baseball history. From 1998-2001, Sosa hit 243 home runs — that’s one more than David Wright has in his entire career.

Sosa’s 609 home runs are the ninth-most all-time. He’s the only player in MLB history to have three 60-homer seasons. He had 10 consecutive seasons of at least 35 homers, the second-longest streak in baseball history. I could go on and on with more impressive home run stats by Sosa, but ultimately PED suspicions will keep him out of the Hall-of-Fame.

Thankfully, attitudes towards PED use seem to be changing among baseball writers, as evidenced by increased levels of support for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, like I mentioned above. Hopefully, this means guys like Sosa, Sheffield, and even Rafael Palmeiro will someday enter the Hall too. PED users should be remembered within the context of the times that they played.

Who do you think is criminally underrated that belongs in the Hall?

The post The Most Criminally Underrated Players on Hall-of-Fame Ballot appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets, Major League Baseball and MLB Advanced Media today announced that David Wright was named the club’s nominee for the 2013 Hank Aaron Award.  Fans can vote exclusively online at Mets.com and MLB.com.

Wright, who was named to his seventh All-Star team (fifth as starter), led the Mets with a .307 batting average.  The third baseman hit 18 home runs with 58 runs batted in, despite missing six weeks with a right hamstring injury.  Wright homered in three straight games twice, and also passed Mike Piazza to move in to second on the Mets all-time home run list with 222. On June 23^rd, Wright collected four extra base hits (two doubles, one triple and one home run) to tie the franchise record. Wright was named the fourth captain in club history by his teammates in March.

For the fourth straight year, a special panel of Hall of Fame players led by Hank Aaron will join fans in voting for the award, which is officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball and has recognized the most outstanding offensive performer in each League since it was established in 1999.

The Hall of Fame panel led by Aaron includes some of the greatest offensive players of all-time –Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Tony Gwynn, Paul Molitor, Eddie Murray and Robin Yount.  These Hall of Famers – who combined for 15,581 hits, 6,902 RBI and 1,334 home runs – have all been personally selected by Hank Aaron to lend their expertise to select the best offensive performer in each League.

Through October 10, fans will have the opportunity to select one American League and one National League winner from a list comprising of one finalist per Club. The winners of the 2013 Hank Aaron Award will be announced during the 2013 World Series.

“It is a great honor that Major League Baseball recognizes the most outstanding offensive performer in each League with an award in my name,” said Hank Aaron. “The game is full of so many talented players today that I am thankful my fellow Hall of Famers and the fans assist in selecting the much deserving winners.”

Past winners of the Hank Aaron Award include: Miguel Cabrera and Buster Posey (2012), Jose Bautista and Matt Kemp (2011), Bautista and Joey Votto (2010); Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols (2009); Aramis Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis (2008); Alex Rodriguez and Prince Fielder (2007); Jeter and Ryan Howard (2006); David Ortiz and Andruw Jones (2005); Manny Ramirez and Barry Bonds (2004); Rodriguez and Pujols (2003); Rodriguez and Bonds (2001-02); Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton (2000) and Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa (1999).

The Hank Aaron Award was introduced in 1999 to honor the 25th Anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, and, at that time, was the first major award introduced by Major League Baseball in more than 25 years.

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Scott Kazmir has resurrected his career with the Indians this season.

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Scott Kazmir will make his first career start against the Mets tonight, nine years, one month, and eight days after the Mets traded the budding prospect for Victor Zambrano and Bartolome Fortunato. The trade will always be remembered as one of the worst in Mets history, as Kazmir went on to have four very good seasons for the Devil Rays-turned Rays. Meanwhile, Zambrano had a decent 2005, but one day after striking out Andruw Jones in 2006, jogged off the mound and into the clubhouse after facing just four batters, never to be seen again, at least not in a Mets uniform.

After a few years with the Rays, however, the concerns that led the Mets to trade Kazmir flared up. He didn’t go deep into starts. He got repeatedly injured. In 2009, the roller coaster that was his career took a whole new turn. After posting a 5.92 ERA in the first half, he was dealt to the Angels where, at 25 years old, it became evident that his career was in danger. Over the next four years, Kazmir made only 55 starts, posting an ERA of 5.54 and striking out a little more than six batters per nine innings.

This season, the Clevland Indians took a chance on the journeyman lefty, signing him to a minor league deal, one which has paid off tenfold for the Indians. After winning the fifth starter job out of spring training, Kazmir now has a 4.36 ERA over 130 innings. Even more impressive, he has seen his velocity rise back into the mid-90s. When he auditioned for scouts in 2012, his fastball was clocked around 86 to 87 miles per hour. This year, according to PitchF/X, he is averaging 93.54 on his four-seam fastball this season.

With Matt Harvey‘s injury opening a big void in the Met rotation, a reunion with Kazmir may make sense for the team. He is a step up from the Mike Pelfreys and Chris Youngs of the world, meaning he will be more of a sure thing, yet still cheap, allowing the Mets to address needs in the outfield, and at shortstop and third base without having to spend a large chunk of their budget on a replacement for Harvey.

The post Is a Kazmir-Mets Reunion Possible In 2014? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

YES!!!

Mets righthander Dillon Gee credits his improved performance to his defense because he doesn’t have to be afraid to pitch to contact, he especially singles out Juan Lagares.

“It gives you confidence to keep attacking because you know you’ve got guys out there that are playing hard and making all the plays for you,” Gee said. “Juan tracks down everything out there in centerfield. It helps having that. Other than that, I’m throwing the ball probably the best I’ve really ever thrown it.”

Now after pimping Juan Lagares on MMO for the last two years, you didn’t think I’d let yesterday’s incredible defensive performance go unchecked did you? Check out one of his many amazing grabs in yesterday’s win over Minnesota…

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I smile whenever I see Lagares make plays like that and it reminds me of when I asked the producers at SNY and their minor league analyst Toby Hyde last March why they spend so much airtime on Brandon Nimmo and yet none on Juan Lagares or Rafael Montero. “Because average Met fans don’t care about Juan Lagares or Rafael Montero… They just want to know about Nimmo, Wheeler and D’Arnaud.”

I bet they’d love to take those words back…

On Monday, Joel Sherman of the NY Post spoke to a baseball official who compared Juan Lagares to Michael Bourn:

Lagares has really impressed me, and our scouts and I think he’s a much better value — and very likely a better player than Bourn for 2013-2016.

He isn’t as polished right now, but he may be the best defensive center fielder in the NL right now with apologies to Andrew McCutchen.

He’s a young, cheap, high-upside piece for the future. I would rather have Lagares through 2016 than Bourn independent of the money because the former has more upside and is younger and will continue to improve.

Actually, that was a quote from me back in April – Nah, just kidding, I only called him the best defensive outfielder in the entire Mets system back then…

I love how some of the fans I follow on Twitter laughed when I said he was better than Matt den Dekker, and now these same people compare him to Andruw Jones, Tommie Agee and Carlos Beltran…. (Note to SNY: It’s Tommie not Tommy)

I’m not the least bit worried about his bat… He’s young and you can see him making adjustments and working things out. After hitting the ground running in the month of June and then slumping, he stepped in closer to the plate and responded with a .353 average in July. He’s now seeing a healthy diet of inside pitches as they try to back him off the plate, and Lagares has slumped badly in August batting .227. But he’s made another adjustment after some time in the cage with Dave Hudgens and is now 4-for-12 in his last three games and also got robbed of a couple of hits in that span.

Also this from ESPN’s Mark Simon:

Juan Lagares had a great game on the defensive side in Target Field with a couple of nifty catches, one of which should be under strong consideration for a No. 1 Web Gem from Baseball Tonight. The Mets entered Monday with the most No. 1 Web Gems of any team with nine.

Lagares, with 20, ranks second among major-league center fielders in Defensive Runs Saved. That measures ability to turn batted balls into outs and the deterrent value of throwing arms. Only former Mets outfielder Carlos Gomez has more (27).

I wrote Mark and added that Gomez had played 400 more innings than Lagares and had over 140 more fielding chances. Lagares could easily be the league leader if Terry Collins has simply stayed out of his way and played him…

At 24 and with nothing but upside ahead of him, Lagares has cemented himself in centerfield and expect Terry Collins to start utilizing some of his great speed at the top of the order before this season ends. As I’ve said before, the Mets have a lot of things they need to fix in the upcoming offseason, but centerfield isn’t one of them.

The post Is Juan Lagares An Everyday Center Fielder? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.