There is not much that jumps out on the stat sheet when it comes to the Brewers this season, but they have the fifth-best ERA in all of Major League Baseball and are consistent in their approach at the plate. They will be without longtime Met killer Christian Yelich who had season-ending back surgery back in August, but Willy Adames and William Contreras have held down the middle of the line-up over the last month with 15 home runs combined.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Mets have continuously overcome adversity over the course of the season, and this weekend proves to be a big test of this team’s grit.  Following a crushing defeat in Atlanta on Tuesday and two postponements, they find themselves in another must-win game on Friday to keep control of their playoff positioning. These will be the five keys for the Mets to beat the Brewers:

Early Run Support

Milwaukee’s bullpen has been elite this year with the second-best ERA in the league at 3.17, which puts the Mets in a position where they need to be aggressive at the plate early in games this weekend. The Brewers’ starting pitching owns a 4.10 ERA and has struggled in the third go-around of the order, giving up an .856 OPS in the third plate appearance in games.

Aggressive Base Running

William Contreras has been excellent for the Brewers offensively but is a below-average defender behind the dish. He has only thrown out 21 of 93 runners this year, which has killed the Brewers all season. The Mets are going to have to find ways to get on base, but they have a great opportunity with Contreras’ inability to throw runners out consistently.

Starting Pitching Longevity

The Mets starting pitching has been a complete surprise in production this year, but they are going to have to show up in the last five games of the regular season. They must provide depth in their starts this weekend not just to keep the bullpen consistently fresh, but to be able to get the ball into Edwin Díaz‘s hands with a lead. Diaz looks to be back to his old form allowing one earned run over his last six outings while striking out 11, and will continue to be a big part of the final stretch.

Limit Defensive Miscues

Even with Francisco Lindor looking like the Gold Glover he is, the Mets are at the top of the league in errors committed. Tuesday night against Atlanta showed a dark side of the defensive miscues and lack of communication, which simply cannot happen this weekend. While they have been able to capitalize off of other teams’ mistakes it is going to be difficult for the Mets, given their high walk rate, to overcome these crucial errors.

Confidence

The core of this team is going to have to lead from the front and provide that spark of confidence they need down the stretch. Before Wednesday night’s postponement in Atlanta, Lindor was in the starting lineup which is a plus moving forward, but players like Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso are going to have to continue the leadership they showed in Lindor’s absence. Nimmo mentioned that in September of 2022, everyone was tense and the results showed, but credit to Carlos Mendoza, who has let this team be animated when performing well. It has a contagious effect not just with the veterans, but the younger players too.

The post Five Keys for the Mets Against the Brewers appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets completed the season sweep of the Subway Series for the first time since 2013 on Wednesday night.

After taking the first two games in Queens in June against their Bronx rivals, the Mets came into Yankee Stadium on Tuesday with all of the odds against them. Despite not getting to New York until 5 a.m., the Mets squeaked out an improbable win behind a huge ninth inning from Jake Diekman on Tuesday night. However, on Wednesday night, the Mets put the final nail in the Yankees’ coffin and left nothing for chance.

With Gerrit Cole on the mound at Yankee Stadium, the Mets’ bats were going to have to come to play in order to complete the season sweep of the Subway Series. But, the Mets hitters were more than up to the task. Tyrone Taylor started the home run party in the third inning with a solo shot, and the barrage carried on from there. Pete Alonso put the Mets ahead with a two-run bomb, Francisco Lindor followed with two long balls of his own, and Mark Vientos put the finishing touch on the Mets’ 12-run night with a solo shot in the eighth. The Mets held the Yankees to just three runs in a 12-3 slaughtering of the Bronx “Bombers.”

The Mets will look to carry their hot bats back over to Queens as they host the Braves in a pivotal four-game set, which will have great implications on the Wild Card picture. Luis Severino (7-3, 3.58 ERA) will battle Chris Sale (13-3, 2.70 ERA) in Game 1 of the series on Thursday night at 7:10 p.m.

Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told the media that Christian Scott will not require elbow surgery, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. He’s going to go the rest-and-rehab route and will be shut down for the next two weeks. For more information, click here.

José Iglesias jumped on the mic to talk to the ESPN booth about his hit song “OMG” during the Mets’ win against the Yankees on Wednesday night. 

José Iglesias gets on the mic and talks about the story behind his hit song "OMG" 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/Y7LltxqiV5

— ESPN (@espn) July 24, 2024

The Mets signed their picks from the 14th and 16th round on Wednesday. Fourteenth-rounder Tanner Witt signed for $225,000 ($72,500 goes toward the bonus pool) and 16th-rounder Josh Blum signed for $150,000, per Carlos Collazo of Baseball America.

Amazin’s first round pick Carson Benge also signed with the club. Click here for more details on the contract signing. 

Latest MLB News

After leaving just two innings into his first rehab appearance with a sore knee, Mike Trout was not in the Los Angeles Angels Triple-A affiliate Salt Lake Bees lineup on Wednesday night and will be returning to Southern California to be reevaluated. 

The Dodgers signed and activated INF Nick Ahmed, replacing Miguel Rojas who was rettroactively placed on the IL to July 22 with right forearm tightness, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. The Dodgers also activated RHP Tyler Glasnow.

The Milwaukee Brewers placed former MVP OF Christian Yelich on the 10-day IL with low back inflammation. Yelich will see a spine specialist on Thursday to discuss next steps, including the possibility of season-ending back surgery, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

MLB Network announced their direct-to-consumer offer for fans on Wednesday. Fans can purchase MLB Network through a standalone offer of $5.99 per month and through other avenues as well.

Prince Fielder‘s son, Jadyn Fielder, is joining the Brewers organization as an undrafted free agent, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The 19-year-old plays second and third base.

Chris Sale, who was supposed to start for the Braves on Wednesday night, will now pitch the first game against the Mets on Thursday, per David O’Brien of The Athletic. Charlie Morton, Spencer Schwellenbach and Reynaldo López, in that order, will start rest of the games against the Mets.

Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, that he will be retiring after the conclusion of the 2024 season. Kiermaier is still playing with the Blue Jays despite the team placing him on waivers and exploring trade options for the 34-year-old Gold Glove center fielder.

MLB will be redirecting money collected from teams that spend over the luxury tax to teams whose TV revenues are hurting, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic. The CBA provision will give teams losing TV money up to $15 million each, with an estimated limit of $75 million in payment league wide. 

Latest on MMO

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki looked into potential Mets trade target A.J. Puk.

Ricky Keeler highlighted Jeff McNeil‘s power surge in the second half.

David Melendi applauded the Mets bullpen brilliance on Tuesday night. 

On This Date in Mets History

2023: The Mets take the second game of a two-game set to split their Subway Series bout with the Yankees. Justin Verlander threw six scoreless innings and Pete Alonso hit two homers in the 9-3 victory.

2015: In his second MLB game, Michael Conforto goes 4-for-4 with a walk, and RBI, and four runs scored in a 15-2 romping of the Dodgers at Citi Field.

2014: Lucas Duda hits a two-run go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth inning off former Mets closer K-Rod, Francisco Rodríguez. Jenry Mejía went on to throw a scoreless bottom of the ninth to lock down the 3-2 win.

1990: Leading 10-3 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Mets give up six runs before John Franco forces a lineout with the tying run on third base to hold on to a 10-9 win.

Birthdays: Guillermo Mota (51), Billy Wagner (53)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Sweep Subway Series For First Time Since 2013 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Happy Independence Day to the best nation in the world!

On Wednesday, MLB released the starting lineups for the AL and NL as they prepare for the 2024 All-Star Game, which will be held on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. While no Mets made the starting lineup, plenty of first time All-Stars got the starting nod and familiar faces continue to cement their Midsummer Classic legacies. Here are the starting lineups for each league:

NL: C: William Contreras, MIL, 1B: Bryce Harper, PHI, 2B: Ketel Marte, ARI, SS: Trea Turner, PHI, 3B: Alec Bohm, PHI, OF: Christian Yelich, MIL OF: Jurickson Profar, SDP OF: Fernando Tatis Jr., SDP, DH: Shohei Ohtani, LAD.

AL: C: Adley Rutschman, BAL, 1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR, 2B: José Altuve, HOU, SS: Gunnar Henderson, BAL, 3B: José Ramírez, CLE, OF: Aaron Judge, NYY, OF: Juan Soto, NYY, OF: Steven Kwan, CLE, DH: Yordan Álvarez, HOU.

Along with announcing the starters for the 96th annual All-Star Game, MLB also released the uniforms that will be worn on the field.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday evening, the Mets found themselves on the losing side for the first time in their series against the Nationals this week. After taking two extra-inning games to start the four-game set, the Mets were not able to outscore their bullpen woes, blowing a 5-1 lead and falling by a score of 7-5 to the Nationals. For a full game breakdown, click here.

The Mets will try to leave Washington with a series win as they finish up the series. Jose Quintana (4.57 ERA, 3-5) will face Jake Irvin (3.03 ERA, 6-6) of the Nationals at 11:05 a.m. ET.

Latest Mets News

Kodai Senga looked sharp in his first rehab start for the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 35 pitches/25 strikes. To learn more about Senga’s first rehab start, click here.

The Mets called up Christian Scott from Triple-A Syracuse and DFA’d RHP Matt Festa prior to Wednesday’s game. Scott started on Wednesday, going 5.2 IP 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, and 2 SO while leaving the game with a 5-4 lead.

Veteran outfielder Trayce Thompson was released from his contract with the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online.

Latest MLB News

Minnesota Twins slugger Royce Lewis was placed on the 10-day IL with a right adductor strain.

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired starting pitcher Aaron Civale in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, sending INF prospect Gregory Barrios to Tampa Bay in return.

Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow to repair an impingement and will be down from throwing for at least six weeks, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. It is still unknown if he will be able to return this season.

The Minnesota Twins called up their top infield prospect, and No. 13 prospect in all of baseball, Brooks Lee, per Declan Goff of SKOR North. Lee started at third base and went 2-for-4 with an RBI in his MLB debut.

Jon Heyman reported on a Bleacher Report livestream that the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers are the “most likely” landing spots for Chicago White Sox star outfielder Luis Robert Jr.

Latest on MMO

Jose Iglesias and the Mets offense have propelled them to key late-inning wins.

Sean Manaea helped lighten the heavily taxed bullpen’s load with his impressive outing on Tuesday.

Kodai Senga shined in his first rehab start.

On This Date in Mets History

2006: The Mets score three runs in the bottom of the 8th to take a 7-6 lead over the Pirates and Billy Wagner locks it down in the 9th, recording his 300th career save. 

1985: In a 19-inning marathon, the Mets outlast the Braves, winning by a score of 16-13 behind a Keith Hernandez cycle.

1972: Tom Seaver comes within two outs of a no-hitter against the Padres, before a base hit by Leron Lee broke up the no-hit bid.

Birthdays: Jared Hughes (39), José Oquendo (61)

The post Morning Briefing: MLB All-Star Game Starters Announced appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Age: 53

Managerial Experience: Milwaukee Brewers (2015-2023)

Current Position: Milwaukee Brewers manager

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Profile

Craig Counsell was born in South Bend, Indiana, on August 21, 1970. He would attend college at Notre Dame, where he was an infielder until he was drafted in the 11th round of the 1992 MLB Amateur Draft by the Colorado Rockies. Across his career, he played for 13 seasons and six different MLB teams, including the Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks twice, and the Milwaukee Brewers twice, playing primarily shortstop and second base, but also getting playing time at first base and third base. Counsell retired in 2011 and, in 2012, took a job in the Brewers front office as a special assistant to general manager Doug Melvin. In 2014, he became a part-time color analyst for the Brewers radio broadcasts.

On May 4, 2015, Counsell was hired by the Brewers to become their manager and signed a three-year contract. Throughout his tenure as Brewers manager, he always kept them with a winning record minus 2015 and 2016, which were rebuilding seasons for the Brewers and the COVID-shortened 2020 season when they went 29-31. The Brewers reached the playoffs in every season from 2018-2021, losing in the NLCS in 2018, the NLWC in 2019, the NLWC in 2020, and the NLDS in 2021. In 2022, despite finishing with an 86-76 record, they missed out on the playoffs, and their 2023 season saw the Brewers lose in the NLWC to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

While Counsell was born in Indiana, he grew up in Wisconsin, so his ties to his hometown team, both as a player and as a manager, have been evident, but there is no doubt he knows how to win. His father, John, also worked for the Brewers for many years as the director of the speakers bureau and director of community relations. Counsell has, of course, worked with David Stearns from their time together in Milwaukee from 2015-2023, and has helped many of the players drafted or signed flourish into stars or at the least good everyday MLB players. Numerous players have been quoted as saying he doesn’t over-manage and is easy to communicate with.

Counsell has a distinct managerial style, definitely being a player’s manager, which is helped by his experience as a professional. He also mentioned he gleaned some of his managerial stylings from Jim Leyland and Bob Melvin. He has shown an ability to listen to players, while also not having to be a very vocal leader. His bullpen management with the Brewers has been excellent, with many relievers including Josh Hader, Devin Williams, Jeremy Jeffress , and Corey Knebel. Counsell seems to have a knack for knowing when to remove a starter and which pitcher will be best suited to come in. The 2023 Brewers had the second-best bullpen ERA in the MLB, headlined by Williams, Joel Payamps, Abner Uribe, and Hoby Milner. He has also not been shy about using younger players, with the Brewers routinely playing Brice Turang, Joey Wiemer, Andruw Monasterio, and upon his late-season call-up, top prospect Sal Frelick.

While Counsell isn’t truly a free agent manager – his contract runs until the end of the month, he nor the Brewers have made a definite decision on whether they would have a reunion. As per Matt Arnold, the Brewers GM “We’re in regular conversation with him,” Arnold told reporters in Milwaukee. “I’m excited about having those conversations with him and looking forward to hopefully having some news for you [media] as soon as possible. But either way, we’re going to be prepared to have a manager next year if it’s not Craig.” In addition, Arnold has said about Counsell: “He’s maybe one of the best people I’ve ever worked with,” said Arnold, who has worked with Counsell since the 2016 season. “I really, really enjoy working with him. He challenges us in great ways. We see the world differently. I think it’s healthy. I think he means a lot to this community. He’s done a lot. He’s been a player here. His dad worked here. He’s grown up here.” [New York Post, 2023]

What The Players Say

There’s no doubt that players who Counsell manages tend to like him. Here are what current players have said about Counsell as a manager:

Christian Yelich – “The players have to play the game, but it starts from the top down and players feed off the manager. I don’t think he gets enough credit, I really don’t. It’s almost a crime that he hasn’t won Manager of the Year the last few years. He’s definitely deserved it and he’s a huge reason for all of our success here.” – NYT, 2021

Jackie Bradley Jr. – “He definitely communicates and gets his point across, for sure. He’s pretty straightforward. I think that’s all you can really ask out of a manager — someone who just, you know, will get the point across right away and kind of go on from there. And he’s been able to do that all throughout the year. That’s helpful from a mindset for even all of our players.” – The Athletic, 2021

Corbin Burnes – “There’s multiple times throughout the year — probably once a month or once every other month — I just go in (to his office) and have conversations with him, like, “Hey, I’m feeling good and I’ve talked to the other starters and we’re all feeling good.” Just to ease his mind, ease our minds. That’s part of being a player’s coach. You want to have that ability, that the door is open and come in and chat whenever you want. And he knows the right things to say to get guys going. He’s good at knowing his players and has that relationship with most guys on the team; he knows what each guy needs.” – The Athletic, 2021

Recommendation

Craig Counsell would check many boxes for what the Mets would look for—a manager who is pro-analytics, who will play younger players and help them grow. Counsell has experience as a winning manager and has to work with what he has in terms of players and the budget and ability to get more players. One could only imagine the decisions he would be able to make if he wasn’t concerned his general manager might have to sell off pieces of the team because he couldn’t afford them. Counsell seems to be adept at managing the personalities of the players and has a good sense of bullpen usage, all while not being too far removed from being a professional player. The only concern with most managers and players is how will they handle the New York media cycle on a daily basis criticizing every move they made or failed to make.

The post Mets Manager Candidate: Craig Counsell appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

David Stearns, Photo by Roy Dabner)

The Missing Puzzle Piece

Included in the ever-vague “other teams” are the New York Mets, who are seen by some in the industry to be the “ideal fit” for Stearns, according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon. Stearns, now 38, would be the largest executive signing since Theo Epstein joined the Cubs before the 2012 season. Mind you, that Epstein’s reign in Chicago ended in a 108-year overdue title for the Cubs.

Sammon also mentions that “friends of Stearns say he is ‘re-energized’ and ready to return to a leadership position with a major-league club.” Along with Will Sammon and The Athletic, Joel Sherman of the New York Post mentioned that the Mets and Stearns are “down the road” in talks to bring Stearns to Quens.

Arguably the worst-kept secret in baseball is that the Mets are yearning to hire a President of Baseball Operations. It was reported by multiple outlets after Cohen purchased the team that the Mets’ new owner desired a president of baseball operations. Initially, Cohen’s lead brain trust was team president Sandy Alderson, general manager Jared Porter, and assistant general manager Zack Scott. For several reasons, that brain trust didn’t last. Two firings and two acting general managers later, the Mets opened up a large, and mostly failing, search for a new general manager. The search netted them Billy Eppler, who is now wrapping up his second season as general manager.

Eppler’s two season, one ending in 100+ wins and another challenging for 90+ losses, has led to a mixed bag of reviews on the executive. As Eppler’s second season winds down, one thing is becoming more and more clear: Steve Cohen wants David Stearns in Queens. Further than that, Steve Cohen wants David Stearns to become the president of baseball operations for the New York Mets.

Stearns is still regarded as one of the best executives in baseball despite spending this last year mostly on the sidelines. Stearns was still contracted by the Brewers but reduced his role to just an advisor in his final year. However, with his contract set to be up in a few weeks, he is now allowed “to start talking to other clubs about a front-office position after the Aug. 1 trade deadline, according to multiple industry sources,” according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

Previous Work Experience

Stearns grew up in Queens, New York (yes, really) before moving on to receive a political science degree from Harvard. Before graduating from Harvard, he interned with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his first job in a Major League organization. Immediately after graduation, Stearns began a role with the New York Mets in their baseball operations department under Omar Minaya.

After his quick stint with the Mets, Stearns worked with the Arizona Fall League and the MLB Central offices before becoming co-director of baseball operations for the Cleveland Guardians alongside Derek Falvey, who is currently the Twins President of Baseball Operations. In late 2012, Stearns would move on to the Astros, where he would become second in command to just Jeff Luhnow. His role in Houston would last just under three years, and he would then move on to the Brewers at the end of the 2015 season.

Roster Résumé

Stearns’ résumé with the Brewers largely speaks for itself: Stearns took over the Brewers at the backend of a lost 2015 season, replacing Doug Melvin. In seven full seasons under Stearns (2016-2022), the Brewers finished under .500 twice (one being the 60-game 2020 season), made the playoffs four times versus missing the grand dance thrice, came within a game of a National League pennant, and developed some of the better players in baseball.

Under Stearns, the Brewers brought in Christian Yelich in a lopsided deal with the Marlins, and Yelich went on to win MVP in his first season for the Brew Crew. The Brewers also developed some of the best pitchers in baseball under Stearns’ watch, including the likes of homegrown players Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams, Brandon Woodruff, and others who were brought in while still prospects such as Josh Hader, Adrian Houser, and Lewis Brinson, who ended up being a key piece in the move for Yelich.

Speaking of the move for Yelich, Stearns’ time in Milwaukee contained a ton of moves that were incredibly strong in the process despite the results. Beyond the move for Yelich, Stearns has made some other headline-grabbing moves. In a year when the Brewers were still competitive, Stearns traded Hader to the Padres at the trading deadline. Hader, who had posted a 4.20 ERA to that point, ended up putting up a 7.31 ERA in the final stretch for the Padres. Of note, in return, the Brewers got Esteury Ruiz, who was then moved to the A’s in a 3-team deal that landed the Crew William Contreras, who has a .815 and 120 OPS+ with Milwaukee as of September 6th. Contreras remains under team control until 2028.

Despite moving Hader, the Brewers remain in contention in 2023 and are vying for an NL Central crown. Hader, who has been superb in San Diego, is running full speed towards a contract that might rival Edwin Diaz‘s for the largest contract ever handed out to a closer. Most notably in Mets history, Stearns traded Keon Broxton to the Mets for three prospects: Adam Hill, Felix Valerio (who remains a prospect for the Brewers), and Bobby Wahl. Stearns received two solid prospects and a depth 40-man reliever from the Mets for a 5th outfielder who was cut just months into his Mets tenure.

Whatever happened to Adam Hill, you ask? Well, Hill was moved from the Brewers to the Mariners for Omar Narváez, who went on to be an all-star for the Brewers. Hill never reached the Major Leagues for the Mariners and has since been released by the organization. Going a little further back to the Christian Yelich trade, the aforementioned key piece for the Marlins, Brinson, was originally acquired by the Brewers in return for Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress at the 2016 trading deadline. Lucroy had success with Texas in the second half of 2016 but struggled mightily in 2017. Jeffress had much of the same story and was traded back to the Brewers the following deadline.

On the free agent market, Stearns has made his fair share of savvy moves, too. Before the 2017 season, Stearns signed Eric Thames, who had not appeared in an MLB game since 2012. Thames proceeded to put up a .877 OPS in his first year in Milwaukee and hit 72 homers as a Brewer. Stearns’s ability to hit the free agent market will only grow if he heads back home to Queens, and he will finally have the chance to dabble in the gourmet section of the open market.

Respected Co-Worker 

Needless to say, one of the strengths of David Stearns is talent evaluation in modern baseball. What does this mean? Stearns and his highly analytical front office excel at identifying talent, maximizing talent, and maximizing the return on the talent they identify as not fit for their system or not having as large of a future role in the Major Leagues as some may believe. For Brinson, the Brewers gave up two aging secondary pieces for Lewis Brinson, who they flipped into Yelich, who won an MVP for the Crew. Stearns would likely lead an analytically forward front office that places an emphasis on numbers and data, a model that took the small-market Brewers to the doorstep of an NL Pennant against the analytical and financial power of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His résumé more than carries its own weight, by why not take his successors’ word for it? In a recent interview with Joel Sherman for the New York Post, Matt Arnold, the Brewers’ general manager who replaced Stearns, and served as an assistant general manager under Stearns prior, said that he loves “David a ton. I respect everything that he has accomplished here and just as a friend, he is one of the best people you could ever meet either in or outside baseball.”

Regarding any potential move to the Mets and what that might entail, Arnold said that he knows that Stearns “Is going to be successful wherever he decides to go.  If that is with the Mets, I’m sure he will have a great level of success there. Honestly, if he chooses to do anything in or out of baseball he is going to do very well.”

Arnold continued that Stearns “Is somebody you want to work with and you want to work for. He’s somebody who every day challenges the way you think in productive ways. He’s going to make any situation better wherever he ends up.” He added “He has this great feel for people and understanding and relates to a lot of people in a lot of different ways. And then he’s one of the smartest guys in the room at all times.” A ringing endorsement from Arnold, whose comments could contain the connotation that Stearns is indeed departing the Brewers organization for a new, higher-ranking position in a different organization.

Stearns perfectly fits the mold that the Mets have longed for: young, analytically driven, and with a track record of success. If Stearns was able to bring the Brewers and all their small-market happenings to the cusp of the World Series, can you imagine what he would be able to do with a financial powerhouse like the Mets?

The post David Stearns: The Missing Piece appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

However, when Baty started the season red-hot at Triple-A, the team reversed course. They brought Baty up on April 17 and inserted him into the lineup primarily against right-handed pitchers. By May, he was starting virtually every day.

At first, Baty appeared to be doing nicely. In his first 30 at-bats, he had 10 hits, including a home run and a double. However, he also had 10 strikeouts at a 33.3% rate. When he started getting regular playing time, things appeared to get progressively worse. Here are his month-by-month splits from May through July:

• May: 98 PA, 87 AB, .207/.286/.356 (.642 OPS), 4 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 9 BB (9.2%), 20 K (23%)
• June: 81 PA, 74 AB, .257/.321/.338 (.659 OPS), 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB (8.6%), 24 K (32.4%)
• July: 76 PA, 69 AB, .188/.233/.319 (.552 OPS), 3 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB (3.9%), 24 K (34.8%)

Not only has Baty struggled mightily at the plate, but his defense has also steadily deteriorated. He has -5 OAA, per FanGraphs, which is the second-worst among third basemen and in the 17th percentile among 127 qualified fielders, regardless of position. His -8 DRS is in the ninth percentile among fielders, and his -10.4 UZR/150 is in the eighth. In other words, Baty has been a nightmare at third base, too.

What happened to the Mets’ prospect? Why has he struggled so mightily? While he is far from the first talented prospect to scuffle in his rookie season, the Mets must identify the specific issues he faces in order to correct them at the minor-league level.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Failure to Elevate

One of the chief concerns regarding Baty as a prospect was whether he could learn to elevate the ball. Despite his clear power potential, he had a high groundball rate even in the minors. Indeed, Baty has hit 51.8% of his batted balls on the ground in 2023, per Baseball Savant, which is the 15th-highest rate out of 188 hitters (min. 300 PA).

Now, this alone is not a recipe for failure. There are 24 batters with at least a 50% groundball rate. Here is their breakdown by OPS (per Baseball Reference, the league average in 2023 is .733):

• Below .680:  9 (37.5%)
• .680-.732: 4 (16.7%)
• .733-.785: 3 (12.5%)
• .786-.838: 4 (16.7%)
• .839+: 4 (16.7%)

Thirteen of the 24 hitters are below average and 11 are above. Eight of them could even be considered decently above average, and four well above average. Players like Juan Soto, Yandy Díaz, Christian Yelich, and Masataka Yoshida fall into this category. Still, nine of the hitters are below a .680 OPS, which means they are performing significantly below average. Considering that Baty is hitting .230/.230/.240 (.470 OPS) on ground balls, it’s natural for him to fall into that category.

To take it a step further, when Baty hits hard ground balls, good things seem to happen. His BABIP on ground balls with an exit velocity of 95 mph or above is .424, and he’s done so 17% of the time. The bigger problem is that 24.7% of his groundballs are soft (below 88 mph) with an average exit velocity of 71.6 mph, and he’s hitting .125 on those balls.

It’s not easy to succeed when hitting the ball on the ground so often. Baty’s 5.9 average launch angle is in the ninth percentile in all of baseball, far worse than his 10-degree angle in his 2022 cameo. This doesn’t appear to be a simple issue to fix.

Strikeouts

Baty is swinging and missing an extraordinary amount, as he ranks in the 19th percentile in whiff rate. That has contributed to a 27.7% strikeout rate, which is in the 17th percentile among batters.

Striking out a lot is par for the course for many power hitters. J.D. Martinez and Luis Robert Jr. are two hitters having excellent seasons while striking out at a higher rate than Baty. Still, a groundball hitter can’t also strike out a lot. Martinez ranks sixth in all of baseball in fly ball rate, and Robert is in the 77th percentile. Meanwhile, hitters like Soto, Díaz, Yelich, and Yoshida are all at least average in strikeout rate; Yoshida has the seventh-lowest rate in all of baseball at 11.7%.

Combining a high groundball rate and a high strikeout rate will usually yield poor results. I don’t think this is the chief issue plaguing Baty, but it certainly hasn’t helped.

He’s Not Hitting Breaking or Offspeed Pitches

It is typical for young hitters to struggle against breaking and offspeed pitches. Still, Baty is not hitting nearly well enough against fastballs to be able to survive those struggles against other types of pitches.

courtesy of Baseball Savant

Baty has whiffed at 42.3% of the breaking balls he’s seen while hitting .167 against them. Why would anyone throw him anything else with two strikes?

Not Swinging

Despite Baty’s high whiff rate, his refusal to swing is just as big of an issue. The Mets are stressing plate discipline in their hitters, but it’s resulting in them taking many strike calls. Baty is swinging at just 63.7% of pitches in the zone, which is in the 28th percentile among batters. He joins Pete Alonso as a hitter who is also not swinging at pitches in the strike zone.

Interestingly, while waiting for the “perfect” pitch to hit, both batters are laying off more perfect pitches to hit than they should. Baty has seen an 8.2% meatball rate, which is higher than 83% of hitters in baseball. However, he’s swinging at just 70.7% of those pitches, which ranks in the 18th percentile. Just below him is Alonso, swinging at 69.2% of the meatballs he’s seen (although he’s seeing them at a below-average 7.2% rate).

This is something to blame on the Mets’ coaching. They’re so insistent on being selective that they’ve made their hitters afraid to swing. Baty and Alonso are the two poster boys for this. Just as Alonso’s 43.3% swing rate, the lowest of his career, has contributed to what could be his career-worst season, Baty’s 45.3% rate is hurting him. These are hitters who need to attack. They have mistaken plate discipline for simply not swinging.

Lack of Adjustment

Baty is actually hitting very well against starting pitchers the first time he faces them. However, as they come around the second and third time, his hitting worsens. He’s also performed miserably against relief pitchers.

• SP, first time: 76 PA, .296/.329/.479 (.808 OPS)
• SP, second and third time: 95 PA, .222/.316/.321 (.637 OPS)
• RP: 140 PA, .167/.245/.254 (.499 OPS)

This could simply be a case of small sample sizes. It could also be starting pitchers and relievers throwing more breaking pitches as they move through the game. However, it also seems to be a lack of counter-adjustment as the pitcher adjusts to Baty.

In His Head?

Baty’s home/away splits are wildly extreme. At Citi Field, he’s been a competent hitter; on the road, he’s well below replacement level.

• Home: 144 PA, .254/.317/.485 (.802 OPS), 1 XBH/9 PA, 1 HR/20.6 PA, 33.1% K%
• Away: 167 PA, .182/.265/.196 (.461 OPS), 1 XBH/83.5 PA, 0 HR, 29.1% K%

If Baty had hit only at Citi Field this season, Mets fans would be excited about his future. Instead, he was demoted. Why are these splits so stark? Hitters often struggle at Citi, especially power hitters. Baty, by contrast, can’t hit away from his home ballpark.

Additionally, Baty’s numbers when leading off an inning and with no runners on base are decent.

• Leading Off: 64 PA, .250/.344/.464 (.808 OPS)
• Bases Empty: 185 PA, .224/.317/.410 (.727 OPS)
• Men On: 126 PA, .205/.248/.222 (.470 OPS)
• Batting 8th or 9th: 93 PA, .289/.333/.434 (.767 OPS)

While his numbers with the bases empty are certainly nothing to write home about, they are competent enough to have kept him in the majors. That leads to the question of whether he’s thinking too hard in situations where he’s not comfortable.

This further bears out from Baty’s defense. Earlier in the season, he made the occasional blunder but appeared mostly comfortable at third. However, as his hitting struggles have mounted, his fielding has regressed to much of what we saw from him in 2022.

A recent article by Mike Puma of the New York Post quoted Baty as saying, “You’re under a microscope up here, so you have got to be engaged from Pitch 1 to the end of the game. That is something I have got to work on and something I have got to learn, so I am going to do my best at it.” Puma implied that Baty is accustomed to taking pitches off in the minors, but I don’t believe that’s what Baty was trying to say.

Mental and emotional fatigue does not mean that the player is a slacker. I suspect that Baty is simply trying too hard and getting into his head too much. In 2021, Mets batters complained that the analytics department was causing information overload. It seems that this might be the case with Baty, forcing him to think too much rather than playing fast and loose.

Puma’s article also noted that Baty is working on pitch selection with hitting coach Jeremy Barnes. Perhaps that begs the question about where the fault for Baty’s struggles lies, especially in light of the above data about Baty’s swings (along with much of the Mets’ lineup).

What Can He Do About It?

It appears that Baty’s season will finish in Triple-A. The problem is that even if he knocks the cover off the ball there, we’ve heard that song before. That could just mean he’s a Quadruple-A player.

Rather than plate discipline or anything else, Baty’s chief concern should be to stop hitting the ball straight into the ground. Per Baseball Savant, the sweet spot for a batter is a launch angle between 8-32 degrees. Notice that anything below 10 degrees is considered a ground ball, so a batter can technically get the ball off the sweet spot and still hit it on the ground. However, Baty’s sweet-spot rate has diminished from 43.3% in 2022 to 32.6% in 2023 (30th percentile), even though his groundball rate is actually down by 5% and he rarely pops up.

Furthermore, more than plate discipline—choosing which pitches not to swing at—Baty’s focus should be on pitches to swing at. Rather than seeking to lower his strikeout rate and increase his walk rate, he should be looking for good pitches to hit, period. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the Mets’ way of teaching their hitters.

As far as his defense, it could simply be that he’s not cut out to play third base at the major league level. That was a concern the Mets had when he was originally in the minors and why there were rumors that they would try to move him to left field. Switching his position while he’s struggling so much at the plate likely isn’t wise, but he needs to get out of his head defensively, too. In fact, it’s possible that more offensive success will help him slow down once more, as he seemed to do in spring training.

Additionally, perhaps Baty—and all the other Mets—could use a sports psychologist. Just as athletes train their bodies to reach a peak level of performance, taking care of themselves mentally and emotionally can help them withstand the rigors of a long season.

This is not the 2023 season anyone, least of all Baty, was hoping for. Still, perhaps he can turn the page along with so many other Mets and find his way back to successful baseball.

The post Analyzing Brett Baty’s 2023 Struggles: Why the Rookie Faltered appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

David Stearns.

It was reported Sunday afternoon by Bob Nightengale of USA Today that the New York Mets are expected to hire former Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns this offseason. His contract expires after the season, and he is expected to be hired in Flushing to a high-ranking front office job.

Stearns stepped down from his general manager role with the Brewers after the 2022 season. However, his contract with the team spanned in the 2023 season as well.

Stearns was hired by Milwaukee on September 21 of 2015. Under his reign, the Brewers appeared in the playoffs four-straight seasons from 2018 through 2021. Some of his best moves were the acquisitions of starting pitcher Freddy Peralta, former MVP Christian Yelich, among others.

The 38-year-old Harvard alum coincidentally started his career in baseball in the baseball operations department with the New York Mets. He then moved on and joined the MLB’s central offices and had his hand in negotiating the Collective Bargaining Agreement back in 2008.

In December of 2011, he worked with the then Cleveland Indians focusing on player contracts and data analysis. His last stop before the Brewers was with the Houston Astros from 2013-15 as an assistant general manager where the team finally returned back to the playoffs.

The Nightengale articles reports that there are no plans to fire manager Buck Showalter or general manager Billy Eppler, “at least not during the season.” There is no mention of what may happen after the season when Stearns will reportedly be hired.

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Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

It’s the biggest series of the year for the New York Mets, who are in the midst of a division race for the ages with the Atlanta Braves. However, with five games to go this season, one player on the team finds himself competing for a title of his own: a batting title.

Jeff McNeil enters play on Saturday with a .322 batting average, good for second in the National League behind only Freddie Freeman who is hitting .327 on the year. The 30-year-old utilityman is in his fifth major league season and has vied for the batting title in just about every one of those seasons, but this season has presented his best chance yet to capture glory.

McNeil finished his rookie season in 2018 with a .329 batting average on his way to a sixth-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year balloting. He only played 63 games, so he did not have enough at-bats to qualify for any year-end leaderboards, but he did finish with a better average than Christian Yelich, whose .326 average won him the batting title that year.

McNeil followed that up with a .318 average during an All-Star year in 2019, finishing shy of the .329 average that Yelich posted in winning a second-straight batting title. McNeil managed to hit .311 in 2020, but given the abbreviated nature of the season, that was not even a top-ten mark in the league. McNeil then had his worst season by far in 2021, hitting just .251 and seeing his offensive numbers decline across the board.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

An All-Star again in 2022, McNeil has established himself again as one of the premier contact hitters in the league. In order to get over the line and win his first batting title, he’ll have to overcome a major obstacle in the ever-steady Freeman.

Freeman has also never won a batting title in his 13-year career, but he consistently finishes among the league leaders in batting average. He has posted a season-long average of at least .300 in seven different seasons and came the closest to winning a batting title in his MVP season in 2020, finishing second in the league with a .341 mark. In his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Freeman finds himself with a decent cushion in the batting average leaderboards, five points ahead of McNeil with five games to play.

It will take a great stretch of games from McNeil, a poor stretch of games from Freeman, or some combination of the two for McNeil to end up with the batting title. The Dodgers have already secured the best record in the National League and do not have much to play for, while the Mets have just about everything to play for, so maybe the intensity with which Freeman and McNeil approach their remaining games could play a factor.

Regardless of where McNeil ends up in the race for the batting title, he deserves to be commended for the fantastic season he has had both at the plate and with his glove. He has recorded multi-hit games in five of his last six played and hit .337 in the month of September, rounding out the year in excellent form. He’s also likely to be in consideration for the newly introduced Gold Glove award for utility players, a sign of just how much he has improved his defensive abilities during his time in the majors.

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Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets (40-22) are finally returning home to Citi Field after an extended west coast road trip, where they went 5-5 against the Dodgers, Padres, and Angels. Now the Mets are starting a seven-game home stand, beginning with a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers (34-28).

It was a strange trip to California for the Mets. Things stated off badly when Francisco Lindor fractured the tip of his finger in his hotel door and the Mets lost their first two games against the Dodgers. New York rallied for a 2-2 series split with the Dodgers and then headed to San Diego to face the Padres. The first game against the Padres went brilliantly, and the Mets won 11-5. But in game two they lost Pete Alonso and Starling Marte to injuries, and the Mets then lost games two and three of that series in lopsided fashion. Things got better in Anaheim, when New York won two of three games in their series against the Angels to end the road trip on a positive note.

Alonso has been one of the Mets hottest hitters this season, and that continued during the last road trip, even with his hand injury. He hit five home runs and drove in ten runs in nine games. J.D. Davis has started to heat up now that he has mostly taken over the DH role. He went ten for 33 on the road trip and hit his second home run of the season in the final game against the Angels. Closer Edwin Diaz did not get to pitch much in California, but in the three games in which he did appear, he was lights out. His best game was his last one, in the series finale against the Angels. He completed a five out save, striking out five of the six batters he faced, including Mike Trout. Interestingly, he is the first Mets’ pitcher to strikeout five in a five out save.

The Mets’ pitchers other than Diaz went through a bit of a rough patch in the last ten games out west. They gave up 16 runs in the four games against the Dodgers, 25 runs in the three games against the Padres, and 15 runs in the three games against the Angels.

On the Brewers’ side, things have been rough so far in June. They’ve won two of their last 11 games and sandwiched between those wins was an eight-game losing streak. This June swoon saw the Brewers fall out of first place in the NL Central, and they are now one game behind the Cardinals.

Some of the Brewers’ recent struggles can be explained by a weak offense. Former NL MVP Christian Yelich should be an offensive force for the Brewers, but he’s struggling at the plate again like he was last season. Catcher Omar Narvaez is the team leader in OPS+ at 123, and several of the Brewers’ starters have an OPS+ that is league average or lower. The Mets offense, for comparison, has much better numbers: Alonso leads the team with an OPS+ of 161, and no starters other than catchers Tomás Nido and Patrick Mazeika have an OPS+ lower than 100.

Milwaukee’s recent losing streak can also be explained by a faltering pitching staff. The Brewers’ gave up a little over seven runs per game on average during their losing streak, giving up 57 runs total over that eight-game span. The team also saw star closer Josh Hader blow his first save of the season, giving up two solo homers in a 3-2 loss to the Phillies.

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday, June 14, 2022: RHP Chris Bassitt (4-4, 4.35 ERA) vs. RHP Adrian Houser (3-6, 3.92 ERA)

Bassitt had a rough west coast trip. He gave up four runs in six innings of work against the Dodgers to start off the road trip. Things went worse for him in San Diego when he gave up seven runs in 3 1/3 innings of work against the Padres. Hopefully Bassitt can bounce back against the Brewers and give the Mets a chance to win his start.

Houser has never started a game against the Mets, though he has pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief against them. Those innings were logged in 2018 and 2019, so he was facing a completely different Mets team. In his last outing against the Phillies, Houser gave up five runs in six innings. The 2022 Mets offense should hopefully be able to score some runs against Houser.

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday, June 15, 2022: LHP David Peterson (3-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Corbin Burnes (3-4, 2.48 ERA)

Peterson has struggled to go deep in his last three starts. He went 4 2/3 innings and gave up four runs against the Nationals, followed by a four-run, 3 2/3-inning outing in Los Angeles. In his most recent start, Peterson gave up one run in 2 2/3 innings against the Padres. The Mets have won Peterson’s last three starts, but that’s not a trend that’s likely to continue if he can’t give the team more innings each outing.

Burnes is the undisputed ace of the Brewers’ rotation. He won the NL Cy Young Award last season, when he led the league in a multitude of categories, including ERA (2.43) and strikeout rate (35.6%). He set records that season, including striking out 58 batters before issuing a walk to start the season. While Burnes has been excellent for most of this season, his last couple of outings have been on the shorter side. In his last start against the Phillies, he gave up three runs in only 4 1/3 innings. Hopefully they Mets hitters can knock Burnes out early on Wednesday.

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday, June 16, 2022: RHP Tylor Megill (4-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. LHP Aaron Ashby (1-5, 3.91 ERA)

Megill’s return to the Mets rotation after almost a month on the injured list went about as expected. It was a short outing against the Angels, only 3 1/3 innings, but he was on a pitch limit. The only blemish on his start was the two-run homer he gave up in the second inning. If Megill can keep the ball in the park, and keep his pitch count low in the early innings, he should have a much better outing against the Brewers than he did against the Angels.

Like Houser, Ashby has only ever faced the Mets as a relief pitcher. He tossed one scoreless inning against the Mets in 2021. This year, Ashby has been both a starter and a reliever, appearing in 13 games and starting seven of them. In his last outing against the Nationals, Ashby went 4 2/3 innings and gave up six runs. With any luck, he’ll have a similar outing against the Mets on Thursday.

Prediction

It would be nice to see the Mets take advantage of a struggling Brewers team this series by winning at least two of the three games. The Mets will have their work cut out for them, since the Brewers are still a good team despite their June record. But if all goes well, a series win should be more than possible.

The post Series Preview: Bring On The Brewers appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

If it wasn’t already known Jacob deGrom ruled New York baseball now it’s official.

During 2021 the most popular player searched on Baseball-Reference in New York was the Mets ace.

Jacob deGrom the most popular player searched in New York and…South Dakota? pic.twitter.com/nmtO29iMUS

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) December 16, 2021

DeGrom also appears to have a growing and devout fanbase in South Dakota where he was also the most popular player page.

But everybody has their own tastes to random players they Google stats for when they’re bored at work or when they can’t sleep. Alaska loves Christian Yelich. New Mexico loves Miguel Cabrera. Mississippi loves Adalberto Mondesi. Look at Tennessee throwing it all the way back to Shoeless Joe Jackson.

Maybe the Mets fan contingent in Connecticut isn’t as strong as once thought with Aaron Nola as their top searched player. It’s possible that’s why former Mets manager Bobby Valentine lost the mayoral race in Stamford.

As part of their 2021 Sportify Wrapped, Baseball-Reference released the list of the top-10 most searched players. Francisco Lindor was No. 9 on the list with deGrom at No. 7. Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and obviously Shohei Ohtani were third, second, and first, respectively. Barry Bonds at No. 10 was the only non-active player to broach the top 10.

The Mets team page was the second-most viewed in the NL East, behind the Braves. The Dodgers were the most-viewed NL team and the Yankees the top-viewed team overall.

The most-viewed page on a single day was January 22 when the baseball world collectively eulogized Hank Aaron after passing away at age 86.

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