Jun 14, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson (23) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

David Peterson toed the rubber for the New York Mets (33-25) as they opened a four-game homestand against the Chicago Cubs (38-28) on Monday.

The southpaw entered the game looking to rebound from two poor starts in which he allowed nine earned runs in a combined three innings.

Peterson started his night off on the right foot as he retired the first three batters of the night 1-2-3, while picking up a strikeout along the way.

Peterson walked Patrick Wisdom in the top of the second, but was able to erase him on the basepaths by getting Jake Marisnick to ground into a double play. He then finished his work in the second inning three pitches later by inducing a groundout.

In the third, Peterson retired his first batter faced by getting him to ground out. Eric Sogard followed with a single to center field for the Cubs’ first hit of the game. Sogard then advanced to second on a Jake Arrieta sacrifice bunt. However, Peterson was able to get Sogard out by picking him off at second base.

Peterson turned in an efficient fourth inning as it took him a total of 10 pitches to induce two flyouts and one groundout.

The fifth inning was not much different for Peterson. It once again took him 10 pitches to turn in a perfect inning, and this time he also picked up his second strikeout of the game.

Peterson continued to roll in the sixth inning. Although he gave up a leadoff walk, he made that a moot point as he induced a pop out and fly out over the next four pitches. He then closed the book on the inning and on his start as a whole with a strikeout to end the inning.

Overall Peterson limited the Cubs to one hit and two walks on 73 pitches in six shutout innings. It was the first time in his career he shutout a team for six innings in a start. Peterson picked up his second win of the season and was able to lower his ERA from 6.32 to 5.60 in the process.

The post David Peterson Rebounds With Best Start Of Season Against Cubs appeared first on Metsmerized.

The top starting pitcher on the open market this winter, Trevor Bauer, pulled a Lebron James mini on Friday, by announcing via his YouTube channel that he is taking his talents to Los Angeles to join the Dodgers.

The Mets offered Bauer more money to try and entice him away from the West Coast, but the California native and UCLA product had his heart set on a homecoming.

While Bauer would have given New York arguably the best rotation in the game, him spurning the Mets isn’t the end of the world — in fact, it could prove to be a blessing in disguise.

For one, we learned that the Mets are willing to exceed the luxury tax threshold, as Bauer’s deal had he signed with New York would have paid him upwards of $40 million in year one.

That money can now be used to fill other holes around the diamond, including some outfield reinforcements, a more cost effective starter, and potentially another infielder or reliever.

For the sake of brevity, I won’t delve too deep into Bauer’s off field persona. However, it is worth mentioning that issues such as him harrassing a college woman on Twitter a couple of years ago, and antics like throwing a ball over the center field fence when being pulled from a game in addition to his consistent activity on Twitter and YouTube would have become more magnified if he struggled in the heat of the bright lights.

These are just a few examples of Bauer’s past issues, but regardless, it’s not something the Mets have to worry about now. They made their offer, and Bauer made his decision. It’s time now to set their sights on wrapping up what has been an extremely productive offseason from a transaction standpoint.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how this benefits the Mets

Possible extensions looming

Had the Mets inked Bauer to such a lucrative deal, it could have made matters tight in extending some of their in-house talent, especially with second baseman Robinson Cano‘s contract hitting the books again next winter.

The Mets have shortstop Francisco Lindor, outfielder Michael Conforto and starting pitchers Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman slated to hit the open market next offseason and should realistically try to retain them all.

It’s feasible to believe that Lindor will reach an extension with the Mets as the team had faith that would ultimately come to fruition upon trading for him. Conforto as well has been an integral part of the Mets offensive success in recent years and is a homegrown star who seems to have mutual interest in returning.

As for Syndergaard and Stroman, not landing Bauer gives the Mets an opportunity to retain both, though even if they re-sign one of them, it would impact the rotation big time going forward.

Had Bauer opted out of his deal with the Mets after year one, the team might not have had to worry about anything, but had he opted in to his contract, keeping these four core guys would be a pipe dream.

Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Flexibility

Signing Bauer to a record breaking deal would have likely handcuffed the Mets from addressing other needs around the diamond this winter.

That would have meant going into the season without adding more outfield help, another infielder and potentially bullpen reinforcements.

There are still a few appealing options on the open market the Mets can now shift their attention to, including starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi, outfielders Jackie Bradley Jr., Albert Almora or a fallback option in Jake Marisnick, an infielder like Justin Turner and a bunch of low-cost, high-reward relievers.

Ideally, center field should be their top priority now, for one to allow Brandon Nimmo to move to a corner spot and additionally to provide the team some extra padding. Currently, Guillermo Heredia and Mallex Smith are about the extent of the Mets’ backup outfield options.

Splurging on Justin Turner on a one-year deal would also allow the team to use J.D. Davis in a more limited capacity instead of trotting him out defensively where he is a liability on a daily basis.

The team could realistically go into the season with a rotation as is, but the old adage of baseball proves that one can never have enough pitching. Odorizzi would round out the Mets’ starters and give them a solid and serviceable No. 5.

Apart from the free agent market, the Mets have also been linked to Chicago Cubs’ third baseman Kris Bryant this winter, and this could pave the way to try and engage in a deal for him again.

***

Overall, the Mets have already had a solid winter, and fanning on Bauer doesn’t change that. Also, they are likely to still add some supplemental pieces to tie the team together, which might not have been possible if they put all their eggs in one basket.

Signing Bauer would have given the Mets a historically good rotation on paper, but it wasn’t a do or die transaction. Now it’s time to get to work and execute on plan’s B and C.

The post Mets Missing Out on Trevor Bauer is a Blessing In Disguise appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jake Marisnick, OF

Player Data: Age: 29 (3/30/1991), B/T: R/R

Primary Stats: 16 G, 33 AB, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .333 BA, .959 OPS, 0 SB, 2.9 BB%, 29.4 K%

Advanced Stats: 0.2 bWAR, 0.1 fWAR, 156 WRC+, 159 OPS+, -3 DRS, -2.9 UZR

2020 salary: $3,312,500 ($1,226,852 prorated)

Grade: C

2020 Review

Jake Marisnick was acquired from the Houston Astros at the beginning of what turned out to be Brodie van Waganen’s last offseason with the Mets. It was van Waganen’s second trade with the Astros in as many offseasons (J.D. Davis being the first).

Left-handed reliever Blake Taylor and outfield prospect Kenedy Corona were returned for Marisnick’s services, which the Mets hoped would be as a platoon man with Brandon Nimmo facing right-handed pitchers and Marisnick facing lefties. Marisnick, who’d been an above-average defensive center fielder for through parts of seven seasons in the majors (46 DRS in about 3,750 innings), could also be a late-inning replacement as lineups shifted toward defense.

Noting a defensive upgrade as a necessity for the 2020 season, van Waganen said Marisnick was an “elite defender” and “smart baserunner” in the introductory press release. While no one could’ve seen what 2020 ultimately ended up as, Van Waganen did not get the best of the Astros this time around. Marisnick ended his 2020 campaign appearing in just 16 games due to injuries and ended the year defensively with -3 DRS and -2.9 UZR. This is not to say that Marisnick is not a good defender (he is), but he struggled in 2020 with what the Mets acquired him to do, and we can claim injuries as the culprit.

Everything was peachy keen with Marisnick as spring training commenced. He hit a homer in the first game of the spring, and he got a handful of starts and at-bats until everything shut down due to COVID-19 during the third week of games.

Once summer camp got going again months later, though, the 29-year-old seemed to fall victim to the ramp-up-then-down-then-up-again of the 2020 season. He tweaked his hamstring in mid-July, and ultimately started the season on the IL. He returned a month into the season on August 28, squeezed in eight starts an eight more appearances, and went on the IL again on September 21 with another hamstring injury.

These hamstring issues clearly played an impact on Marisnick’s overall play in the outfield. In previous years, Marisnick stayed among the tops in the league in average jump time (usually around 1.5 feet quicker than the average player). In 2020, he was 0.7 feet below average. Pair this with the fact that Marisnick’s foot speed on the base paths was a full foot per second lower than previous career averages (29.2 in 2018 and 2019 vs. 28.2 in 2020), the hamstring issues clearly played an impact even when Marisnick was healthy enough to get into games.

During the three weeks was able to get into games, Marisnick turned out to have the one of the best offensive burst of his career. In 33 at-bats, the 29-year-old had 11 hits, a .959 OPS, and two home runs, including this one at Yankee Stadium that came in the Mets onslaught late in the first game of their doubleheader there this year:

Marisnick’s hot couple weeks at the plate probably would’ve returned back to career averages had he had a full season, as would’ve his defensive numbers, but that’s the problem: in an already shortened season, Marisnick’s season got cut to just 33 at bats and a handful of putouts in center field.

The outfielder’s most impactful moment as a Met probably came before he took to the field. At the beginning of spring training, with the Astros cheating scandal and its fallout still the talk of baseball, Marisnick took the podium at a press conference and discussed his role. “There was a line and it was definitely crossed,” he said, noting that he knew he’d have to work hard to gain the respect of his teammates throughout the year.

He followed with, “We’re all grown men. I’m a person in there that could have spoken up. I’m not happy with myself that I didn’t, but I didn’t speak up. And I had the ability to.” (Quotes from MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.) It was nice to see Marisnick as one few regular hitters from the 2017 Astros team not on the roster anymore show regret for his role in the cheating. C’est la vie. All is well, Jake.

2021 Outlook

Marisnick is a free agent this offseason. The Mets are looking to upgrade their center field options, with George Springer and Jackie Bradley Jr. at the top of their wish list (and potentially Kevin Kiermaier and others as trade targets), so Marisnick probably won’t be back on the squad unless something goes wrong with the Mets’ offseason plan.

Guillermo Heredia was tendered a contract as a depth piece (with a minor league option left), and there are other cheaper depth pieces available on the market than a major-league contract that Marisnick will most likely demand.

The post 2020 Mets Report Card: Jake Marisnick, CF appeared first on Metsmerized.

On Saturday, the Mets lost to the Blue Jays by a score of 3-2. Not much was going right for the Mets offensively, as they collected just two runs on seven hits, three of them coming from Amed Rosario. 

Rosario found himself as the tying run in the ninth inning after reaching base via a strikeout and wild pitch. He ended up the final out of the game however, after Rafael Dolis picked him off for the final out of the game.

The Mets bullpen was scoreless against tonight, giving up three hits and two walks in its two and two-thirds innings of work.

Offense

The Mets were quiet at the plate until the fourth inning, when Jake Marisnick hit an RBI double to drive in Michael Conforto and give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

In the seventh, J.D. Davis sacrificed an out for a run, driving in Wilson Ramos with a ground out to second, cutting the Blue Jays lead to 3-2.

Rosario was the only Mets player to collect multiple hits, ending his evening with three hits in four at bats.

Pitching

Seth Lugo got the ball to start for the Mets and had a quality outing, lasting five and one-third innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk, collecting five strikeouts.

Chasen Shreve relieved Lugo in the sixth to try and get the final two outs, but did not have his best outing. Shreve could only collect one out, giving up two hits and a walk.

Miguel Castro came in to save Shreve and collect the final out of the sixth, getting Bo Bichette to line out to center field. Castro finished off a strong outing on the mound by striking out the side in the seventh inning.

Jeurys Familia got the ball in the eighth inning and found himself with runners at second and third after a single, walk, and two stolen bases. He escaped the jam however, striking out Cavan Biggio.  

On Deck

The Mets look to win the rubber match of their three-game series against the Blue Jays on Sunday. David Peterson will face off against Hyun Jin Ryu. The game will start at 3:07 pm EST and can be seen on SNY.

The post Mets Picked Off in Buffalo, Lose 3-2 to Jays appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets (19-24) dropped the first of a two-game series against the Orioles (20-21) Tuesday evening in Queens. 

The loss was an all around disaster as New York’s bats went cold and the pitching staff was absolutely clobbered. Mets’ pitchers gave up 14 hits, walked two, and struck out seven. They allowed four home runs. Michael Wacha took the loss and is now 1-3 on the season. 

As a team, New York could only muster six hits. They drew one walk, struck out eight times, and left four on base. The team’s pair of runs came on solo homers by Jake Marisnick in the second and Jeff McNeil in the eighth. 

The loss stings as every game is crucial with the Mets now sitting three games out of a Wild Card spot. As the season begins to wind down, the team sits five games under .500 and has not held a winning record since the 6th day of the season. (Box Score)

PITCHING

Michael Wacha got the start for New York and threw four innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. The struggling right-hander has yet to put it all together since returning from the injured list and now owns a 7.50 ERA on the season. 

Wacha tossed a 1-2-3 first inning. The starter got hit hard in the second, giving up a leadoff base hit to Pedro Severino and a subsequent DJ Stewart homer that gave the O’s an early 2-0 advantage. With two outs, Wacha put runners on second and third with a Rio Ruiz single and and Cedric Mullins double but a clutch play from third by Todd Frazier sent a strike to first base and got the final out of the frame. 

Jose Iglesias kicked off the third with a leadoff single but Renato Nunez grounded into a force out to put the shortstop away at second. With Nunez at first, Ryan Mountcastle knocked a homer right over Jake Marisnick’s glove in center field to make it 4-1 Baltimore. 

The Orioles added an unearned run in the fourth when Pat Valaika reached second on a fielding error by Marisnick and advanced to third on a Ruiz groundout. The first baseman was sent home on a Mullins triple, as the O’s slowly but surely broke away.

Robert Gsellman took over for Wacha in the fifth and he too, was unable to contain the O’s offense. He woefully gave up six runs in four innings of relief- with a pair of homers to match Wacha’s two surrendered. 

The trouble started early for Gsellman as he promptly allowed four runs on three hits in the fifth. It started with a one-out Pedro Severino double- who moved to third on a passed ball by Wilson Ramos. Gsellman then walked DJ Stewart with two outs and Valaika singled on a sharp ground ball to short that drove in a run. The reliever couldn’t seem to get out of his own way as a wild pitch sent Stewart running for the Orioles first and third. Unable to stop the bleeding, Ruiz sent a three-run moonshot out of right field to make it a 9-1 ball game. Gsellman struck out Mullins swinging to end the frame. 

The twenty-seven year old settled in and tossed a 1-2-3 sixth inning. He surrendered a leadoff walk to Severino in the seventh but put his next three away in order with the help of a 5-4-3 double play. 

Gsellman returned for the eighth and instantly let up a solo homer to Valaika. Mullins knocked a one-out infield hit, and the Orioles tacked on another run with an Iglesias single to make it 11-1, O’s. Gsellman then exited the game with an apparent injury and Brad Brach came in with a runner on first and two outs. He sent Nunez down swinging.

Brach came back for the ninth to close out the evening and gave up a one out-double, with nothing else across for Baltimore. He earned all four of his outs via strikeout, and lowered his ERA to a 1.50 with one and 1/3 shutout innings thrown.

OFFENSE

‘Twas a bleak night for Mets’ hitters not named Jeff McNeil. The squirrel was 2-for-3 with a walk and a homer.

McNeil got the Mets’ opening hit with a leadoff single in the first. In the following inning, Jake Marisnick cut the Orioles’ 2-0 lead in half as he knocked a two-out, solo homer to center field to get the club on the board. Andres Gimenez then notched a two-out single but was left stranded.

The Mets had nothing across for the next three frames. They had a lone baserunner when McNeil drew a walk in the sixth, but could not capitalize. 

Marisnick knocked his second extra base hit of the night with a two-out double in the home half of the seventh. Nothing came of it. 

The Mets earned a small morsel of satisfaction when McNeil knocked a solo home run out of right field in the eighth for his third straight game with a homer. Despite the individual accomplishment, it was in fact a small feat as the run barely made a dent in the team’s nine-run deficit at 11-2. Todd Frazier singled with one out in the ninth but it was too little, too late as New York looks to turn it around tomorrow. 

Pete Alonso went 0-for-4 and snapped his five-game hit streak. 

ON DECK

The Mets look to avoid a sweep tomorrow with the last of the two-game series against the O’s on Wednesday evening. 

Rick Porcello (1-4, 5.54 ERA) will get the start for the New York. In his last outing against the Phillies, the 31-year-old threw six innings and allowed two runs on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts. 

The Orioles starter is still to be determined. 

First pitch at Citi Field will be at 7:10 PM on September 9th. The game will be televised by SNY and broadcast on WCBS 880-AM.

The post Orioles Use Long Ball, Solid Pitching to Win 11-2 Over Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.

What a night for the Mets! They came back to win, twice! In the first game of the doubleheader, the Mets were in a 4-0 hole early but thanks to a big 6th inning with homers from Pete Alonso, Dominic Smith and Marisnick the Mets took a 6-4 lead. Rosario was the hero of the night cap, hitting a 2 run, walk-off shot as the away team, in the bottom of the seventh. A sentence that could only be uttered in 2020.

Mets Lineup

1. Brandon Nimmo LF
2. J.D. Davis 3B
3. Michael Conforto RF
4. Pete Alonso DH
5. Robinson Cano 2B
6. Wilson Ramos C
7. Dominic Smith 1B
8. Amed Rosario SS
9. Billy Hamilton CF

Yankees Lineup

1. DJ LeMahieu 3B
2. Luke Voit 1B
3. Aaron Hicks CF
4. Mike Tauchman RF
5. Clint Frazier DH
6. Brett Gardner LF
7. Jordy Mercer SS
8. Erik Kratz C
9. Tyler Wade 2B

Robert Gsellman makes his 3rd start of the season as he continues to get stretched out into a starter. The Mets need more stability (and length) out of their starters, especially in the midst of this ridiculous schedule to close out the season. On the year Robert has allowed 4 runs from 8 hits and 2 walks in 4.2 innings. In his last start he lasted only 1.2 innings, less than his previous start, but he increased his pitch count from 33 to 47. The Yankees have the following numbers against Gsellman:

• Jordy Mercer 2-4, 2B, BB, K
• Miguel Andujar 1-2, K
• Gio Urshela 0-1, BB
• Gary Sanchez 0-4, BB, 2 K
• Aaron Hicks 0-5, BB, K
• Brett Gardner 0-5, BB, K

The Mets have been struggling with most of their starters this season. The Yankees have their own version of this struggle with J.A. Happ. Happ has pitched 3 games and 12.2 innings this year with a 6.39 ERA, 8.68 FIP, 1.579 WHIP and a 68 ERA+. His last start was his most promising of the season, he allowed only 1 run over 5.2 innings. So the question is, which Happ shows up tonight? The one who massively struggled in his first two starts? The one who was great his last time up? The Mets have the following numbers against Happ:

• Robinson Cano 9-31, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 2 BB, 5 K
• Wilson Ramos 2-6
• Billy Hamilton 2-10, 3 K
• Jake Marisnick 3-18, 6 K
• Amed Rosario 0-2, K
• Michael Conforto 0-3, K

Let’s Go Mets!

Game Notes

Amed Rosario’s walk-off home run was the 20th pinch-hit, walk-off home run in Mets history, the first-ever pinch-hit walk-off homer in an inter league game, and the first pinch-hit walk-off home run by either side in a Subway Series game.

The Mets bullpen tossed seven scoreless innings in both games combined yesterday allowing just three hits, four walks, and struck out 10.

Over the last 10 games, the bullpen is 6-1 with a 3.44 ERA (14 earned runs/36.2 innings) with 19 walks and 42 strikeouts, the team is 6-4 in that span.

The Mets are second in the majors and top in the National League with a .269 batting average, and lead the majors with a .355 OBP this season.

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As the Mets get ready to return to action on Tuesday with a doubleheader against the Marlins, Brodie Van Wagenen talked to reporters extensively on a variety of different topics.

In-House Deadline Acquisitions 

When asked about how Brodie would treat the trade deadline this season, he noted that getting pitchers David Peterson and Michael Wacha and outfielder Jake Marisnick back from the injured list would be trade deadline type acquisitions.

Peterson has been on the IL since August 18 with left shoulder fatigue, Wacha went on the IL on August 9 with right shoulder inflammation, and Marisnick suffered a left hamstring strain that landed him on the IL in late July.

Four Additional People Stayed in Florida

In addition to the player and staff member that tested positive for Covid-19, four members of the Mets that were deemed to have close contact with them, stayed in Florida as well.

Van Wagenen noted that those four individuals have repeatedly tested negative and are in the process of returning to New York.

Dull Trade Deadline?

Van Wagenen doesn’t believe that teams will be as aggressive this years around the August 31 trade deadline. He noted that more teams will be in the playoffs, return for rental players will be less given fewer games, and the uncertainty of the season.

BVW noted on several occasions that team control would be an important factor in any trade talk even more so this year give the reasons mentioned above.

Pitching TBD

The Mets now have nine game in the next six days – doubleheaders on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday – which creates and even bigger issue for a team short on pitching.

With Peterson and Wacha still on the IL and very few optionable pitchers (Drew Smith, Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman) on the Mets active roster, the Mets will have to get creative with how they eat up innings.

Van Wagenen said that the Mets current rotation is TBD and that they will look at creative ways to manage the extra innings in a short period.

Infected Individuals Still Recovering

Van Wagenen did the right thing by saying he would not identify the player and staff member that have Covid-19, he did say that both of them showed symptoms but are starting to feel better.

Both are still in Florida as they recover. BVW doesn’t think that the positive tests were a result of any kind of breach of conduct.

The post Five Things We Learned From Brodie Van Wagenen appeared first on Metsmerized.

The New York Mets made a flurry of roster moves ahead of Wednesday night’s series opener at Citi Field against the Boston Red Sox, the most prominent being Jake Marisnick landing on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.

Marisnick, 29, was traded to New York this offseason and has gone 1-for-4 this season, appearing mostly as a late-inning defensive replacement.

To fill his place in the Mets’ outfield stable, the team activated Ryan Cordell from New York’s alternate training facility in Coney Island.

Cordell, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Mets this winter after hitting .205/.290/.355 over 116 games with the White Sox through the 2018 and 2019 seasons (.273/.334/.458 over seven MiLB seasons).

In order to add Cordell to the 40-man roster, the Mets were forced to designate right-hander Jordan Humphreys, the team’s 18th-round draft pick in 2015, for assignment.

After missing nearly two full seasons following surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow in 2017, the 24-year-old allowed one run over two innings (two appearances) in his return to the GCL Mets last summer and gave up one run over 11.2 innings (8 K, 4 BB) in the Arizona Fall League last October.

In order to make it back to the Mets’ training site in Brooklyn and remain in the organization, Humphreys will need to pass through league waivers unclaimed.

We’ll keep you posted with more information as it becomes available.

The post Mets Place Marisnick on IL, Activate Cordell, DFA Humphreys appeared first on Metsmerized.

I wonder what has gone through Jake Marisnick’s head this off-season? He comes to the New York Mets via trade as the Houston Astros cheating scandal sweeps across the world of baseball.

He instantly becomes the 4th outfielder of a solid offensive group that could use his speed in the lineup. He also knows his playing time could be cut if Yoenis Cespedes is healthy as well.

Then Michael Conforto gets injured and possibly ends up missing Opening Day. It’s unclear if that would have led to an increase in Marisnick’s playing time, but it probably would’ve resulted in a few extra plate appearances a week.

Then boom… the COVID-19 virus sweeps across the world and puts a stop to everything. It’s been a pretty crazy few months.

The Mets acquired Jake Marisnick from the Astros for Kenedy Corona and Blake Taylor. Jake was acquired essentially because the Mets needed a defensive minded center fielder.

This will be BVW’s second attempt at filling this type of role via a trade. His first attempt with Keon Broxton did not work out well (for either team in that trade) last season.

Marisnick doesn’t get on base much, but he does have some pop in his bat as evidenced in the difference between his OBP and SLG below.

2019 Stats: 318 PA, 292 AB, 10 HR, .233/.289/.411, 1.2 WAR, 68 DRC+

Cespedes is hoping for a comeback this season and the Mets outfield already has Nimmo and Conforto locked in at center and right field respectively.

Manager Luis Rojas had been hinting that Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis were going to be bounce between the infield and left field. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for Jake but the Mets need someone who can play well defensively so his playing time should be safe.

Marisnick’s projections seem to fall along the same lines of his 2019 season. He won’t get on base that often, has some modest pop but that’s about it. We’ll have to wait and see how Rojas ends up balancing out Jake’s playing time.

Obviously with the cut in games for the 2020 season, it’s unlikely that Jake will see double digit homers except maybe if the Baseball Reference projection holds true. They are quite keen on his power, projecting his slugging far ahead of everyone else.

(Citations: BP projections come from the Baseball Prospectus Annual, a must read for all baseball fans and can be purchased here. ESPN comes from their fantasy baseball projections and can be found here. Both ZiPS and Steamer are found on FanGraphs. ZiPS can be found here, Steamer can be found here. BR comes from the Baseball Reference for this specific player and is linked earlier in the article)

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Brodie Van Wagenen announced in a press conference Tuesday afternoon that Michael Conforto has a right oblique strain and will be reassessed next week.

Conforto injured himself while making a catch during Monday’s contest against the Marlins. After the game, he received an MRI and was sent back to New York for additional testing.

Conforto slashed a robust .257/.363/.494 in 2019, tallying 33 home runs and 92 RBIs. He also registered a .358 wOBA and .367 xwOBA and accumulated seven OAA in right field.

The Mets outfield depth chart is relatively thin. Should Conforto miss Opening Day, Brandon Nimmo would presumably shift to right field, which would give Jake Marisnick a starting role in center field. Dominic Smith could also fit into the outfield mix. Ryan Cordell, Jarrett Parker, Johneshwy Fargas, and Tim Tebow represent inside-the-organization players who could roam the grass in Conforto’s absence.

Outside the organization, Yasiel Puig still remains unsigned. The Mets haven’t been connected to him all offseason, although that could change now that Conforto is hurt.

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