With the loss, the Mets drop to 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East and have only three wins over their last 16 games.

Pitching has been an extreme trouble spot for the Mets over this losing skid, and Sunday proved no different. Frankie Montas looked like the pitcher that struggled mightily in his rehab stints, allowing five first-innings runs, all of which came with two outs. His day ended after four innings, as he allowed seven hits, six runs, two homers, to go along with one walk and five strikeouts.

Behind Montas, Richard Lovelady, who returned to the Mets after a short absence, allowed two runs. Dedniel Núñez also struggled, after such a superb outing his last time out, allowing a two-run homer to Oneil Cruz in the seventh inning.

The Mets utilized a position player in the eighth inning, turning to Travis Jankowski. Jankowski allowed two runs, getting out of the frame via a double play. This seemingly punctuating a woeful finale Sunday afternoon.

Offensively, playing behind from a 5-0 deficit early, the offense mustered seven hits, with the lone run being a Luis Torrens home run. Torrens, along with Jeff McNeil, had multi-hit games. Notably, Mark Vientos, who returned from injury this series, went 0-for-4, striking out twice and grounding into a double play. He is 1-for-13 since returning, and seen his season OPS drop to .645.

The New York offense left six more on base, bringing the series total to 24.

Player of the Game: Luis Torrens

The underlying metrics for Luis Torrens have been strong for most of the season, but he had not been getting any results, as he entered Sunday’s game hitting .213. His luck finally turned as he went 2-for-3 with his second home run of the season.

On Deck

The Mets have a much-needed day off on Monday. Then, they welcome in the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers to Citi Field for a three-game set. The projected pitching matchup for the first game of the series, which is set for a 7:10 pm ET first pitch on SNY, is Freddy Peralta versus Clay Holmes.

The post Mets Blown Out For Third Straight Day, Swept By Pirates appeared first on Metsmerized.

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Jankowski, 33, has already played for the White Sox and Rays this year, hitting .244/.286/.289 in 49 plate appearances combined for the two clubs. The Rays granted him free agency last week. The career .236 hitter has played for eight teams in his 10-year career, including 43 games with the Mets in 2022. Soon after leaving the Mets, Jankowski made an impact with the Texas Rangers in 2023, producing 1.2 fWAR in a reserve role as the team went on to win a World Series.

Alvarez Goes on Paternity Leave

Alvarez, 23, is hitting .255/.333/.343 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. He is 7-for-21 with a home run in June. He’s becoming a first-time father and will return to the team within three games.

Senger, 28, made his MLB debut with the Mets earlier this year when Alvarez started the season on the injured list. He went 5-for-28 (.179) with a double backing up Luis Torrens and was sent back to the minors when Alvarez returned from an injury.

The post Mets Sign Jankowski, Alvarez Placed on Paternity List appeared first on Metsmerized.

On Wednesday night, the MLB season officially ended as the Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 World Series, four games to one. Winning Game 5 of the series by a score of 5-0, the 2023 Rangers gave the franchise their first-ever World Series trophy since its inception in 1961.

Game 5 was the definition of a pitcher’s duel, even though each side’s pitcher did it in their own way. Nathan Eovaldi did a masterful job of wiggling in and out of trouble throughout his six innings of work, as the Diamondbacks were getting runners into scoring position consistently. While the D-backs couldn’t cash in on any of their early chances, their ace Zac Gallen did more than keep them in the game as he started his outing with six no-hit innings. However, Mitch Garver helped the Rangers scratch across a run as he was the third of three consecutive hits off of Gallen in the seventh inning. But the final blow came in the ninth inning; Jonah Heim scorched a two-RBI single, which was followed by a Marcus Semien two-run home run, as the Rangers solidified their championship win.

Corey Seager won his second Willie Mays World Series MVP as he tallied three home runs, six RBIs, and hit for a 1.137 OPS during the five-game series. Additionally, three former Mets — Max Scherzer, Travis Jankowski, and Jacob deGrom — became World Series champions, Scherzer winning his second. Rangers GM Chris Young also played for the Mets, and interviewed for their GM opening in 2020. 

Just over a decade after losing back-to-back World Series, even being an out away from accomplishing the feat, Texas overcame all of the odds to win this year’s commissioner’s trophy. They became the third team in MLB history, including the 1969 New York Mets, to win the World Series just two seasons after losing 100 games. 

Latest Mets News

Andy Martino of SNY reported that Mets third base coach Joey Cora has heard from several teams regarding open coaching positions. Cora is not under contract with the Mets any longer, and his future with the team is uncertain as the Mets continue to make changes after the hiring of David Stearns. 

Joel Sherman of the New York Post gave two significant updates to the Mets managerial search on Wednesday, as he reported that the Mets have interviewed Carlos Mendoza and Andy Green for the position. Mendoza, who has been with the Yankees organization for 15 seasons and has spent the past four as their bench coach, is reportedly also in a second-round callback interview with the Mets per Andy Martino of SNY. Green is a former major leaguer, playing four games for the Mets, and has managing experience as he formerly managed the San Diego Padres. 

Latest MLB News

Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported that Major League Baseball will no longer use uniform employee contracts, the agreements with standardized language that MLB long required managers, coaches, trainers, and salaried scouts to agree to across the 30 teams. Clubs are now to draft their own contracts, allowing terms to vary as the MLB makes this move to protect the league office against liability. However, Drellich reports that many are worried that clubs will now attempt to include language that works against employees in new ways. 

MLB’s Arizona Fall League announced the participants for their 2023 Home Run Derby, which will take place on Saturday, November 4. The field has several top prospects: Kevin Alcántara, Kyle Manzardo, Aaron Sabato, Ivan Melendez, Wes Clarke, Damiano Palmegiani, Gabriel Rincones Jr., and Kala’i Rosario.

The San Diego Padres recently took out a $50 million loan to help cover payroll, per a report from Dennis Lin, Evan Drellich, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Despite being in a bottom-third media market in the league, San Diego had one of the highest payrolls in baseball, as they are obligated to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr., and others. According to the article, the loan was taken out to “address short-term cash flow issues and meet their obligations, including payroll.”

Latest on MMO

Allison Waxman looked back at the infamous Matt Harvey ninth inning in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series and asked the readers, should he have gone back out?

Jett Williams‘ plan to make his major league debut in 2024 was highlighted by Alexis Farinacci. 

Evan Mazza looked into the Mets’ recent interviews for their open manager position. 

On This Date in Mets History

2015: After a historic postseason run in which he led the Mets to an unexpected World Series appearance, Daniel Murphy graces the cover of Sports Illustrated, titled “The Amazin’ Murphy.”

1972: The Mets traded Gary Gentry and Danny Frisella and, in return, acquired Félix Millán and George Stone from the Atlanta Braves. Both players the Mets received played crucial roles in their 1973 pennant-winning season; Millán hit .290 and received MVP votes, while Stone went 12-3 with a 2.80 ERA.

Birthdays: Denyi Reyes (27), Tom Paciorek (77)

The post Morning Briefing: Texas Rangers Win First World Series Championship appeared first on Metsmerized.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Miguel Castro

Miguel Castro found his way to the Mets via an August 31, 2020, trade. Castro would go on to pitch the 2020 and 2021 seasons for the Mets, notching a 3.52 ERA with 91 strikeouts to 51 walks. Castro was effective, but his inability to control the ball led the Mets to trade him to the Yankees for the 2022 season for lefty Joely Rodriguez. Castro would pitch one season for the Yankees, pitching to a 4.03 ERA. Castro was then signed by the Diamondbacks for the 2023 season and pitched to a 4.31 ERA across 64 2/3 innings, striking out 60 while walking 25 batters.

Castro has pitched in two games this postseason, pitching to a 5.40 ERA over five innings, striking out and walking four batters each.

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Sewald

The Mets drafted the reliever in the tenth round of the 2012 MLB draft out of the University of San Diego. Drafted exclusively as a reliever, Sewald worked his way through the Mets minor league system, finally arriving on April 8, 2017.

Sewald would go on to pitch for the Mets every season from 2017-2020, pitching to a 5.50 ERA across 147 1/3 innings pitched, striking out 151 batters while walking 51 batters. In December of 2020, Sewald was non-tendered by the Mets. He would sign with the Seattle Mariners in 2021 and immediately become a good reliever, posting way better numbers across the board, pitching to a 2.88 ERA while he was with the Mariners, and even closing for them.

A 2023 deadline trade would send him to Arizona, where he has continued his high-quality relief, pitching to a 3.57 ERA over the course of the season. Sewald has been even better in the playoffs this season, pitching eight scoreless innings while striking out 11, walking one, and allowing three hits.

Tommy Pham

Tommy Pham was signed by the Mets in January of this year, expecting to be their fourth outfielder. What happened was Pham was one of the few bright spots on the 2023 Mets, pushed into regular playing time due to both injuries and his great play. Pham posted a .268/.348/.472 slash line, with 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases. Pham was traded to Arizona for 17-year-old prospect Jeremy Rodriguez, who finished the season with a 1.247 OPS in 13 games for the DSL Mets.

Upon arriving in Arizona, Pham saw his power and batting average slightly dip to .241/.304/.415, but he still managed to hit six home runs and steal another 11 bases, bringing his combined total on the season to 16 home runs, and 22 stolen bases for a .256/.328/.446 final slash.

Pham has struggled this postseason with a .590 OPS and has more strikeouts (14) than hits (9).

Texas Rangers

Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom was selected by the Mets in the ninth round of the 2010 draft. After being drafted, deGrom ascended through the Mets minor league system at an average pace, having some success but never being considered a top prospect at any level. Once he was called up to the Mets in 2014 – he made his mark and proved he would be one of the best pitchers in baseball for the next nine seasons for the Mets.

DeGrom tallied a 2.52 career ERA with the Mets, striking out 1607 batters over 1356 innings, winning the 2014 Rookie Of The Year award and consecutive Cy Young awards in 2018 and 2019. However, injuries would alter his career from 2020 on, never seeing deGrom eclipse 92 innings in any season after that.

After the 2022 season, deGrom signed a five-year, 185 million-dollar deal with the Texas Rangers. When he pitched for the Rangers – deGrom was still lights out, pitching to a 2.67 ERA and striking out 45 batters in 30 1/3 innings, only walking four. After a few small injury scares, it was announced on June 6 that he would undergo Tommy John surgery – ending his season and putting some of his 2024 season in jeopardy.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Max Scherzer

The Mets signed Max Scherzer in December of 2021 with the hopes that he would pair with his future teammate, Jacob DeGrom and lead the Mets to the World Series. Injuries held Scherzer to only 23 starts and 145 1/3 innings, but in those innings, Scherzer posted a career-best ERA. Scherzer will be more remembered for faltering in the last week of the season and in the playoffs than the many great starts he had.

The 2023 season started off the same way, with the Mets signing another ace (Justin Verlander) to pair with Scherzer this time to get them over the hump. Scherzer battled injuries yet again and ineffectiveness, but repeating his 2022 season was never going to be easy. Scherzer became way more susceptible to the long ball than he has been in recent seasons. At the trade deadline, the Mets sent Scherzer to the Texas Rangers for top prospect Luisangel Acuna, brother of Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Braves. Scherzer would improve on his performance in Texas, pitching to a 3.20 ERA but still dealing with injuries.

In the 2023 playoffs, Scherzer has started one game, facing the Houston Astros in the ALCS and giving up seven runs in 6 2/3 innings, giving up four home runs.

Travis Jankowski

On March 17, 2022, the Mets signed Jankowski to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training. Jankowski would have a brief Mets career as their fourth outfielder. Jankowski suffered a broken hand on May 25, making a diving catch, was activated July 11, and then ultimately designated for assignment. The Mariners picked him up for a brief stint before he returned to the Mets in August.  His Mets career ended with a .167/.286/.167 slash line, stealing three bases.

Jankowski had one of his best seasons in 2023 with the Rangers, with a career-tying 1.4 bWAR over 107 games. He stole 19 bases and was caught only once during the regular season. Jankowski is 1-for-2 coming off the bench in four playoff games for the Rangers.

The post Meet The Former Mets In The World Series appeared first on Metsmerized.

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets signed Travis Jankowski to a minor league deal once again, Andy Martino of SNY reported Saturday.

Jankowski has made his way around this year, as the Mets signed him to a minor league deal back in March as well. He was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse but quickly received a call-up to the Mets on April 6. He fractured his left fourth metacarpal on May 27, which knocked him out for over a month. After a brief rehab assignment with Syracuse, he made his way back to the Mets, but less than three weeks later he was designated for assignment.

The Mariners claimed Jankowski off waivers on August 1. He had a whopping one plate appearance with Seattle before being designated for assignment again on August 5. Five days later, he was released.

Now he returns to New York, where earlier in the season he said “No one’s gonna be buying my jersey,” which prompted his teammates to all wear his jersey. He hit only .167/.286/.167 in 54 at-bats while stealing three bases. The 31-year-old is mostly a pinch-running and defensive option late in games, as his career OPS is just .629. He did, however, have his best offensive season in 2021, when he hit .252/.364/.351 with the Phillies.

Originally the 44th overall pick in the 2012 draft, Jankowski spent his first five big league seasons with the Padres. Jankowski provides some depth if Jeff McNeil or Eduardo Escobar has to go on the IL.

The post Mets Sign Travis Jankowski To Minor League Deal appeared first on Metsmerized.

May 30, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Starling Marte (6) reacts after hitting a two-run home run in the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Well, Mets fans, we have made it to the All-Star break. As crazy as it sounds, the first half of the season has concluded. So far, the Metsmerized team has put together grades on the coaching staff, starting pitchers, and relievers.

Now let’s shift our focus to the outfield.

Brandon Nimmo: A

 Nimmo is having the best season of his career and is proving to be one of the most important players on this roster. His approach at the plate as the leadoff hitter has been critical to the success of the rest of the lineup. The aspect of his game that has improved the most is his defense in center field, something that he has talked about in the past. Nimmo has been one of the best center fielders in baseball through the first half, as probably had a shot to make the All-Star team.

Starling Marte: A

The 33-year-old has been everything the Mets could have asked from him in the first season with the ballclub so far. Marte has been great with the bat, and his transition to playing right field has gone quite smoothly. Various injuries have knocked him out of the lineup from time to time, but he has managed to avoid something serious. Marte has done an excellent job out of the two hole, helping him earn a spot on the NL All-Star team.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Canha: B+

Canha got off to an excellent start to his tenure with the Mets, proving to be a guy that could play solid defense in left field while providing tough at bats behind the likes of Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. His ability to make pitchers work was something that was clearly evident through the first stretch of the season. But over the last month or so, the bat has slowed down for the former Oakland A. Canha is hitting just .197 with an OPS at .653 over the past 28 days. His .269 average on the season with a .750 OPS and a 116 OPS+ is still more than solid, even with his most recent struggles.

Travis Jankowski: C

The post Mets First Half Report Card: Outfielders appeared first on Metsmerized.

Dominic Hamel, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

After a successful run of 13 starts with St. Lucie, in which he struck out more than 10 batters per nine innings, Hamel earned a midseason promotion to High-A Brooklyn. He made his first start there on Saturday with mixed results. Overall, he allowed three runs and struck out seven batters over four innings.

AAA: Syracuse Mets (36-47) 4, Buffalo Bisons (43-40) 2 Box Score

• Travis Jankowski LF: 2-for-4, R, BB, K, .417/.588/.667
• Kramer Robertson SS: 3-for-5, R, 2 K, .237/.399/.372
• Francisco Álvarez C: 0-for-3, R, 2 K, HBP, .125/.286/.188

Jankowski played his fourth rehab game with Syracuse and has recorded a hit in three of those four games. This was his first time playing a complete game in the field. Patrick Mazeika was the starting catching in this game but was replaced by Álvarez in the second inning, shortly after James McCann was removed from the big-league game.

• RHP Nate Fisher (0-1, 3.08 ERA) 4.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 BB, 2 K
• RHP Michel Otanez (W, 4-1, 6. 17 ERA) 1.0 IP, K
• RHP Bryce Montes de Oca (S, 0-2, 4.20 ERA) 1.0 IP, 3 K

Fisher tied a career high with four walks but was still able to limit the damage he faced to just a single run. Limiting damage has been a common narrative for Fisher since his promotion to Syracuse, as his strong ERA masks his high 1.59 WHIP.

Montes de Oca tossed a perfect inning with three strikeouts on 18 pitches. He has maintained a 12.6 K/9 following his promotion to Syracuse and has cut his walk rate from 7.3 BB/9 in Binghamton to 5.4 with Syracuse.

AA: Portland Sea Dogs (39-41) 11, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (31-49) 5 Box Score

• Brett Baty 3B: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K, E, .277/.373/.469
• Luke Ritter 2B: 1-for-5, R, HR, RBI, 2 K, .249/.360/.445
• Zach Ashford RF: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K, .245/.319/.370

Binghamton’s offense had just six hits in Saturday’s game, but they took advantage of the few opportunities they did have by going 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Baty had his second hitless outing in his last three games but is still hitting a decent .257/.316/.571 so far in July. He also made his tenth error of the season. Ronny Mauricio did not play in Saturday’s game.

• RHP Justin Lasko (L, 3-2, 6.17 ERA) 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, K
• RHP Dedniel Núñez (0-0, 5.63 ERA) 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
• RHP Yeizo Campos (4-1, 6. 03 ERA) 1.0 IP

Lasko had shown significant improvements in recent starts, allowing one run or less in five of his previous six outings. However, he took a major step back in this start. The six runs he allowed were the most he had allow in any start this year.

Núñez also had his worst outing since his return from Tommy John surgery. Just 14 of his 35 pitches were strikes, and his four walks were the most he has given up since a 5 2/3rd inning start back in 2018. After walking nobody in his first five appearances of the season, he has now walked nine batters in his last six appearances.

A+: Aberdeen IronBirds (51-29) 7, Brooklyn Cyclones (37-43) 5 Box Score

• Alex Ramirez RF: 1-for-4, R, 2B, BB, K, .238/.273/.476
• Stanley Consuegra CF: 1-for-4, R, .105/.190/.211
• Joe Suozzi 1B: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, K, .206/.311/.376

Four of Brooklyn’s six hits went for extra bases, but that still was not enough for them generate enough offense to win the game. For just the fourth time this season, Ramirez started at a corner outfield position while Consuegra took over center field (Consuegra typically only plays center field when Ramirez is the designated hitter or has the day off). Four of Ramirez’s first five hits with Brooklyn have gone for extra bases, and he has struck out just three times in 22 plate appearances since his promotion.

• RHP Dominic Hamel (0-0, 6.75 ERA) 4.0 IP,5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• RHP Carson Seymour (L, 0-5, 4.68 ERA) 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 6 K
• RHP Brendan Hardy (1-0, 4.26 ERA) 1.0 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K

Hamel had mixed results in his Brooklyn debut. He threw 74 pitches over just four innings and was constantly in trouble throughout the game. He allowed seven batters to reach base over those four innings. But Hamel did have his strikeout pitch working for him, as he came just two strikeouts shy of his season high despite this being one of his shorter starts of the year.

Seymour has upped his strikeout rate to 9.64 K/9 since joining the Cyclones, but a high home run rate has led to worse results than when he was striking out less batters with St. Lucie.

A: St. Lucie Mets (47-31) vs. Daytona Tortugas (33-45)

The Mets’ game against the Tortugas on Saturday was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, July 10th.

FCL: FCL Mets (14-10) 4, FCL Astros Blue (5-18) 2 Box Score

• Wilfredo Lara 2B: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, .239/.289/.394

The Mets were just 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position during Saturday’s game, but they were able to push across four runs with the help of three Astro’s errors and a clutch double by Lara.

• RHP Justin Dillon (0-0, 0.00 ERA) 1.0 IP, H, BB, K

Dillon had a 3.45 ERA through 10 appearances with Syracuse before ending up on the injured list in late May. This was his first rehab appearance in his return from that injury.

DSL: DSL Phillies White (14-10) 8, DSL Mets 1 (13-12) 3 Box Score

• Simon Juan CF: 0-for-4, .204/.279/.323

Juan has struggled quite a bit early in his professional career and, although it looked like he was coming around by the end of June, he is hitting just .125/.176/.219 so far in July.

DSL: DSL NYY Bombers (17-11) 14, DSL Mets 2 (10-16) 3 Box Score

• Gustavo Marquez RF: 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, K, .226/.364/.302

The Mets were held without a single run until Marquez’s bases-clearing double in the eighth inning.

• LHP Richard Cardoza (0-0, 1.80 ERA) 1.0 IP, H, BB, 3 K

Cardoza has walked 12 batters in just 10 innings of work this season, but that has not stopped him from being very successful at limiting run scoring against him.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Dominic Hamel Makes Brooklyn Debut appeared first on Metsmerized.

Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

After breaking his left thumb, Bryce Harper will now need surgery. His recovery is expected to take roughly six weeks Jim Salisbury of NCBS reported.

The Mets lost to the Astros again Tuesday, their third defeat in as many games to the AL West leaders. They’ll play their fourth and final matchup with the Astros today at 1:10 p.m. Taijuan Walker will be facing off against Justin Verlander.

Latest Mets News

Max Scherzer‘s next rehab assignment, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was pushed back to Wednesday, per the Mets.

Travis Jankowski has begun baseball activities and is looking to go on a rehab assignment by the end of the next week, Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated reported.

Latest MLB News

The Braves placed Kenley Jansen on the 15-day IL with an irregular heartbeat, the team announced.

Freddie Freeman released a statement on his emotional homecoming in Atlanta.

The perception of executives is that a team looking to trade for starting pitching will be looking for prospect-rich proposals, Buster Olney of ESPN reported.

The Astros placed Michael Brantley on the 10-day IL with right shoulder discomfort.

Blue Jays pitcher Nate Pearson has been shut down for four weeks, Keegan Matheson of MLB reported.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has set its sights on Major League Baseball’s antitrust exemption, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic.

Latest on MMO

Alex Horowitz wrote about Pete Alonso‘s historic RBI pace.

Liz Evangelou previewed the Mets’ series with the Astros, which kicked off Tuesday with a thud.

Joe D. wrote about the new Pete Alonso and Bobby Valentine bobbleheads.

The Mets may have gotten crushed Tuesday, but you can read Matt Lazzaro‘s recap of the game.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: Larry Stahl (81)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Bryce Harper To Undergo Thumb Surgery appeared first on Metsmerized.

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets announced on Friday afternoon that outfielder Travis Jankowski has been placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to May 26, with a left 4th metacarpal fracture. He underwent surgery today at HSS. A general timeline for an injury of this nature is 6-8 weeks.

Jankowski, 30, was hitting .209/.292/.209 with zero extra base hits in 33 games for the Mets. He did have three stolen bases and played fine defense all over the outfield.

Mets manager Buck Showalter says that Jankowski broke his hand diving for a ball in the outfield in the game against the Giants.

The Mets also optioned left-hander Thomas Szapaucki to Triple-A following his disastrous first big league start on Sunday. Szapucki allowed nine runs in 1 1/3 innings to the Giants in the Mets 9-3 loss in San Francisco.

To fill those two roster spots, the Mets have recalled right-handed pitchers Yoan Lopez and Stephen Nogosek.

López, 29, has allowed three runs in three innings at the major level for the Mes this season. López was given a three-game suspension for throwing at Cardinals star Nolan Arenado, but he appealed and it’s been knocked down to one game.

Nogosek, 27, has been terrific for the Mets with seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 scoreless innings this season.

When the Mets decide to add an outfielder to the roster to replace Jankowski –likely after Lopez has served his suspension– they have both Nick Plummer and Khalil Lee at Triple-A and on the 40-man roster. Though, Plummer has hit much better with a 114 wRC+ compared to Lee’s 81 wRC+ this season.

They also have Jake Mangum, he’s a plus defender and has good speed like Jankowski, and has hit well this season to the tune of a 135 wRC+. Though, he has only played three games in Triple-A after getting promoted this week.

The Mets also have outfield Daniel Johnson in Triple-A too, they traded cash to the Guardians last week to get the 26-year-old. Neither Mangum nor Johnson is on the 40-man roster.

The post Travis Jankowski Undergoes Hand Surgery, Out 6-8 Weeks appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

On May 15, the New York Mets lost a tough game to the Seattle Mariners, giving them their first series loss of the 2022 season. The Mets had the lead, lost the lead, then battled back furiously in the bottom of the ninth inning, only to fall short by a run.

Some of the fan reactions after the game indicated a fear that 2021 was happening all over again, a good start followed by a demise. After all the Mariners had lost 12 of 15 when they arrived in Queens, so this has to be the beginning of the end. Not only is it too early for such comparisons, the 2022 version of the Mets seems to have an intangible that their previous-year predecessors did not have, an intangible that may mitigate long, season-damaging funks. That intangible is a strong and positive team culture.

What is Team Culture, and Is It Even Important?

After all, we have heard the (somewhat apocryphal) stories of the Oakland Athletics of the early 1970s-they took 25 separate cabs to the ballpark, but they won three consecutive titles. Organizational culture, is defined as follows in the Harvard Business Review:

“Organizational culture defines a jointly shared description of an organization from within.” — Bruce Perron

How do we know the Mets have a good organizational culture? Let’s look at some examples from within. Here is Travis Jankowski from Anthony DiComo on MLB.com.

“This team, dude,” Jankowski said, shaking his head. “I’ve never been a part of a team where the people in this clubhouse genuinely care about the person. It’s a really cool vibe in here.”

Jankowski’s comments came in response to the team wearing jerseys with the number 16 on them after Jankowski characterized himself as a role player and “no one will go buy my jersey.”

Pitcher Chris Bassitt also seems to think the Mets have a created something positive. From Joel Sherman in The New York Post:

“Yeah,” Bassitt said when asked if he would be open to extension talks. “From my standpoint, I am very surprised at how much I like it here, to be honest.”

In listing what he has appreciated about his Mets experience to date, Bassitt cited general manager Billy Eppler, manager Buck Showalter, the tenor of the clubhouse and being pushed physically, mentally and competitively by Scherzer.

These examples (and the simple “eye test”) would seem to indicate that the Mets have developed a solid culture. But, back to the question above, how much does culture matter? In the business world, the experts would say it matters quite a bit. From The Alternative Board:

There is a famous Peter Drucker quote that says that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” This implies that the culture of your company always determines success regardless of how effective your strategy may be.

When he said that culture eats strategy for breakfast, Drucker pointed out the importance of the human factor in any company.

As written here on MMO, the Mets are being run more like a business. They have taken steps to bring in top-level talent in analytics and human resources from owner Steve Cohen’s hedge fund. Perhaps the most important element the Mets have brought in, tying all of this together, is leadership. That leadership comes in the form of some of the new players (such as Max Scherzer), and certainly from the manager Buck Showalter.

When Showalter was hired, some expressed concerns that he was not as up-to-date on some of the analytics as a manager needs to be. However, the Mets have, as noted above, expertise in that critical area. They did not need their manager to be a subject matter expert in analytics, rather, they needed a leader to help create a culture conducive to winning. From SHRM:

A strong culture is a common denominator among the most successful companies. All have consensus at the top regarding cultural priorities, and those values focus not on individuals but on the organization and its goals. Leaders in successful companies live their cultures every day and go out of their way to communicate their cultural identities to employees as well as prospective new hires.

The same applies to baseball teams. Showalter seems to have gotten everyone on the same page, the page that talks about the team first (such as Jeff McNeil going the other way for hits), and the “next man up” mentality.

In 2021, we saw the rat/raccoon incident, and the thumbs down fiasco (where the apology was worse than the issue, when Francisco Lindor and Javier Báez faced the cameras, though they were not the only participants). It’s hard to imagine that type of thing happening on the 2022 Mets, because it would not be consistent with the team’s culture.

What Does All of This Mean?

In summary, a good culture is important in business and in baseball. Leadership (players, coaches, and front office) helps create that culture. The Mets appear to have the necessary leadership and culture to make their winning ways sustainable.

Winning is, of course, multi-factorial. Talented players (who can remain on the field) are tantamount to success. The value of culture, however, cannot be underestimated. The Mets seemingly have brought in people to create the type of culture in which a baseball team can thrive.

The post The 2022 New York Mets Have a Cultural Difference appeared first on Metsmerized.