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#1 A Perfect 10 For 10
Jeurys Familia has 10 saves (T- 1st in MLB) in as many opportunities this year. He is striking out 10.80 batters per nine innings with a sparkling 1.35 ERA. The NY Mets have one of the hottest closers in the game right now and if the offense, along with the starting pitching, can put the team on top by the ninth inning- Familia is a sure fire bet to lock in the W.
#2 Red Hot Bat Of Lagares
At only 26 years old, Juan Lagares is emerging as an impact player on both sides of the ball. With the offense staggering over the last few weeks, the one constant that has held true has been the starting pitching. They’ve been the one element that has been a reliably stabilizing force in each and every game. The amount of confidence the pitching staff has pitching to contact is a direct result of them knowing Lagares will turn a routine double into a fly out.
Now, he’s yet again found himself batting at the top of the order and like last year, he’s flourishing. In 2014, Lagares went 12-32 out of the two hole (.375) with two doubles and a home run. He is batting .314 out of the two hole this year and once again experiencing success. In the four game series against Washington, he batted .467 (7-16) with a .500 on base percentage ahead of Lucas Duda.
Kevin Long has been working extensively with Lagares to wait for pitches inside that he can pull for extra base hits. Pay close attention to the center fielder’s at bats in the upcoming Baltimore series, Lagares may find the stroke to start going yard with the way he’s seeing the ball.
#3 Gee, Ain’t It Nice Having This Guy Back?
He took a loss but Dillon Gee has two incredible streaks running parallel to each other that are worth noting. Over his last three starts, Gee has pitched 19.2 innings, allowed only four runs, struck out 11 and posted a 1.83 ERA. He left the game Sunday with the bases loaded, but was picked up by teammate Alex Torres who pitched a spectacular inning of scoreless relief.
As of Sunday’s outing, Gee also continued his streak of 5+ innings of work for the 51st time, surpassing Doc Gooden on the Mets all-time list. Admittedly, there’s nothing flashy about Gee, but man I respect how well this guy pitches every time it seems his back is up against the wall.
#4 Dark Knight Shines Brighter Than Ever
Matt Harvey stands alone as the ace of this Mets staff. Jacob deGrom will right the ship, he’s too talented and too intelligent to stay down for longer than a couple bad starts, but Harvey seemingly wills himself to a level of mental fortitude that is impermeable to the opposition.
Harvey is also developing as a pitcher, not just a flamethrower. He credits teammate Bartolo Colon for introducing him to the value of pitch location, above velocity, which has unintentionally introduced a ‘3-speed’ fastball effect for the Real Deal. Instead of always trying to throw hard on every two and four seam fastball, Harvey now changes speeds within those pitches.
In 2015, he has routinely started hitters off at 93 mph and finished them off later in the count at 97-98 mph, or vice versa. The point is, he presents his fastball as two different speeds, except to the hitters, there’s no visible difference.
In between the counts, he utilizes a change up that he can throw for a strike or bounce in the dirt, and that pitch has averaged 86.9 mph on the gun in 2015. To an opposing batter, 86, 93 and 98 mph all look the same coming out of Harvey’s hand and the effect is flat-out crippling.
It’s all fascinating when you consider that Colon has been an effective pitcher in the majors for many years now with basically one pitch, his fastball. He’s developed a list of effects that he uses to build a particular pitch, ranging from fastball type (two seam, four seam, sinker) to location (in/away, up/down), but he’s managed to be effective throwing no faster than 93 mph.
What’s scary is that this knowledge has been passed on to Harvey, who now possesses the same qualities that make Colon effective, except the former is capable of throwing near triple digits with an arsenal that also includes a knee buckling curve ball and a power slider. Damn.
We as fans have been so impressed with Harvey’s sheer dominance that it is easy to look past the fact that he may still be growing and learning as a player. We’ve witnessed his potential based on physical attributes alone, but a major factor to his successful return (aside from the extended recovery period) has been his attention to location over velocity.
That isn’t to say he won’t dial it up to speeds equivalent to a hitter’s nightmare, but it’s inspiring to know we’ve only witnessed the beginning of the Dark Knight’s development.
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#1 Where’s Cuddyer
Michael Cuddyer is a valuable hitter, but in a shallow lineup, it’s clear he’s not getting the type of pitches he needs in order to be a serious threat at the plate. In all fairness, he did belt the game winning home run in Friday’s Harvey v Max Scherzer showdown, but the difference in his production since David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud hit the DL is startling.
Through his first 12 games, when the Mets boasted a much deeper lineup, Cuddyer produced an astounding .333/.388/.511 slashline out of the cleanup spot. His run production was as hot as his stat line (8 runs scored/7 RBI’s), but since d’Arnaud’s injury, Cuddyer has posted a lowly .130/.216/.283 slashline.
#2 Crashing Back to Earth
Since their 11 game winning streak, the Mets have come crashing back down to earth going 3-7 in their last 10 games. Everyone in the NL East not named the Phillies has gained ground on the 1st place Mets as every game between now and the Captain’s return becomes more and more crucial.
#3 DeGrom Paying Heavily For Mistakes
It’s easy to look at Jacob deGrom’s sophomore campaign and start wondering if he can repeat what he did last season. But his last two starts and even parts of his whole season can be attributed to a combination of bad luck – and good hitting.
Errors plagued his most recent start in Washington where he gave up three earned runs, five total over 5.1 innings pitched. A noticeable difference from his previously success starts is his pitches landing higher in the strike zone, compared to his rookie campaign and the beginning of 2015, when he consistently hammered the bottom of the strike zone.
DeGrom has also given up a much higher rate of home runs this year as a result of his pitches creeping up and missing their original target. Hopefully, he can make the necessary adjustments and regain the consistency he had in 2014 because the Mets need a second ace in order to stay atop the NL East.
#4 Orioles Pitching Versus Mets Offense
The Orioles starting pitchers are on a downward trend to start the season. They own a 4.51 ERA on the season, averaging 3.98 walks and 1.22 home runs per nine innings of baseball. The Mets are desperately trying to generate some offense and the O’s pitching may prove to be the relief the Amazins are looking for.
Lets! Go! Mets!
