marcus stroman

New York Mets: Marcus Stroman Year in Review

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yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

The Long Island born, Marcus Stroman, was a surprising candidate for the New York Mets to land at the trade deadline. His charismatic energy and swagger helped ignite the late season rise in the wild card standings.

Stroman was the ace of the bottom dwelling Blue Jays before the Mets acquired him in exchange for Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods-Richardson. The trade gave the Mets a rotation that could match up with anyone in baseball and upgraded them from Jason Vargas to Stroman.

The Return Home

While Stroman did not pitch as well as he did in Toronto, he still was solid during this short time with the Mets. He had a 4.91 ERA during his August starts with the Mets, which ended up being more Vargas-like. Stroman did not get past the sixth inning in any of those starts, but it included the electrifying nine strikeout performance in his home debut.

September delivered the Stroman that Mets fans expected. He pitched to a 2.91 ERA and struck out 35 batters in 34 innings. Every time he went out to pitch the energy in the ballpark would kick up a notch. Stroman is a crowd pleaser and the fans rallied around him from the second he arrived in Queens.

2020 is the last year the Mets have control of Stroman before he becomes a free agent. The expectation is that the Mets will sign him on a long-term deal, but they will wait to see him consistently pitch well before any offer is made. He will play a vital role in the rotation, replacing Zack Wheeler. Stroman becomes the branch between Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz in the middle of the Mets rotation.

Stroman should have another strong year in 2020 and the Mets will potentially have three pitchers to count on in a win or go home game.

Grades:

Pitching Repertoire: A, Hard biting sinker induces plenty of ground balls and his off speed complements it very well.

Control: B, Walked a few more guys than expected, but has confidence in throwing all of his pitches in any count.

Composure: A+, HDMH, handles pressure as good as anyone in the game.

Intangibles: A+, Immediately came in and embraced his teammates. High energy guy and was evident how much he loves being back at home.

Overall: A-, Pitched very well in the short period of time, but I think he would tell you there is another level he can reach.

 

New York Mets Tender All Arbitration Eligible Players A Contract

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yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

The New York Mets have tendered all eight of their arbitration eligible players a contract.

The New York Mets’ announced last night that they have tendered a contract to all of eight of their eligible players.

This should come as no surprise considering who the eight players were.

Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo are both starting outfielders for the Mets, and all-star caliber players. There was never any doubt that the Mets would ever consider not tendering them a contract.

Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz were also never in jeopardy. They’re three of the Mets starting pitchers for the 2020 season.

The Mets traded for Stroman in July and he pitched well for them. The Mets view him as their internal replacement for Zack Wheeler. Noah Syndergaard is one of the top 20-25 best pitchers in baseball. He had a down season last year, but even then his fWAR was higher than that of Dodgers’ ace Walker Buehler. Matz is one of if not the best number four starter in baseball. On another team Matz would likely slot in as their number two starter.

Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz were also never in doubt. Lugo is one of the best relievers in baseball. He may have never been an All-Star, but he’s also never been a close before. He’s made his money working as a multi-inning relief ace to put out fires and bridge to the closer. He was excellent in that role and he was excellent was asked to close in 2019. Despite his down year, the Mets were never going to non-tender Diaz. His ceiling is way too high and they gave up way too much to let him leave.

Last is Robert Gsellman, and while it was unlikely he would be non-tendered there was a slight chance. Gsellman hasn’t excelled in either the bullpen or the starting rotation. He’s been mediocre at both and hasn’t given the Mets much reason to pay him more than a relief pitching free agent would cost. However, his versatility and his consistent mediocre ability are worth something. Not everybody has to be good, teams need mediocre middle-relievers too.

New York Mets: Are They Really Making Another Run at It?

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yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

This entire Mets season has been the definition of a roller coaster. After seemingly dying for the fourth time this season after their Sunday night loss to the Dodgers, all the Mets needed was a trip to Denver to revive themselves. The Mets rode on the back of Marcus Stroman on Tuesday, then used a Wednesday afternoon comeback to move within three games of the second wild card spot.

They have to make up three games within the last 10 games of the season just to reach a one game playoff…to play in a one game playoff. The Mets will have a weak schedule for their next seven games, but then they run into the Atlanta Braves for the final three games of the season. It would be a terrific momentum builder for the Braves eliminate the Mets to close out the season.

What about the Cubs and Brewers?

Seven of the last ten games the Cubs play will be against the St. Louis Cardinals. That will certainly help the Mets who play under .500 teams for seven of their last ten. The Cubs are actually 7-5 against the Cardinals this season, but they have not faced each other since the end of July/beginning of August.

The Brewers schedule is the easiest out of the three teams. The rest of their games are against teams who are under .500. This leaves them with the best chance to secure the second wild card spot, but like with so much throughout this season we have no idea what will happen. All the Mets can do through the last 10 games is win out and hope for a beautiful collapse from the Cubs and Brewers.

 

New York Mets: Marcus Stroman’s Art of Pitching, Passion, and Love for the Game

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yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

When the New York Mets acquired Marcus Stroman at the July 31st deadline, they were getting much more than a pitcher. Stroman separates himself from the rest of the league in regards to heart, confidence, and his mechanics.

Art of pitching

Stroman understands that pitching is about timing, so he has a few tricks. He’ll add pauses, quick pitches, and hesitations into his windup to have batters uncomfortable and moving in the box.

Stroman also has an arsenal of pitches to keep hitters guessing. He’s a “sinkerballer,” which is his go-to pitch for when he needs a swing and miss. Stroman also flashes a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup.

Passion

Stroman is arguably the most passionate pitcher in the major leagues. He shows raw emotion when he’s on the mound. Even though this could create some controversy, Stroman ignores that and will show when he’s pumped up and when he’s frustrated. He was asked about his emotion possibly being misconceived when he’s on the mound when he was in Toronto, where he said “I’m an emotional guy. I’m gonna continue to be myself regardless of who doesn’t like it, who likes it, I’m always gonna be myself.” He added, “I’m emotional, I’m gonna pitch. That’s what I pride myself on, which allows me to my best out there.”

The Duke graduate also prides himself on a message he sends to kids around the world: “Height doesn’t measure heart.” The five-foot-seven pitcher even has this motto tattoed on his wrist.

Mechanics

The 28-year-old’s mechanics is something he prides himself on. His ability to repeat it over and over is what sets him as one of the premier pitchers in the league. Stroman uses his body effectually which allows him to throw in the 90s consistently.

Even though he’s not known for being a flame-thrower, Stroman’s game is to get players to get themselves out. This season with both Toronto and the New York Mets, he gets 54.8% of the batters to ground out (FanGraphs).

Gold Glove

Stroman is a tremendous athlete. He just understands how to use his body completely and is very fluid in everything he does. With a Gold Glove in 2017, Stroman is known for making not-so-easy plays off the mound. Stroman lands off his delivery very balanced which allows him to get to these kinds of plays.

New York Mets: Are the New York Mets Out of Gas?

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The Mets have lost four straight games at home for the first time all season and their magic from a couple of weeks ago seems to be coming to an end. The Cubs easily handled the Mets in their 5-1 victory to push the Mets three games out of the NL wild card race.

The Mets were shutdown by the resurgent Yu Davish as they could only muster a Pete Alonso solo home run in eight innings. They have scored two or less runs in four of the last five games. Their offense has gone cold after it was full of life in the series against the Royals and Indians.

Disappointing Stro-Show

Marcus Stroman did not have his best stuff and that his been the theme during his time with the Mets. He allowed four runs in six innings. Stroman pitched very well through the first four innings, but allowed two runs home runs in the fifth and sixth inning. He has yet to record a quality start over his first five with the Mets.

Citi Field was waiting to explode again after Alonso gave the Mets a one nothing lead, but were kept silent after. There is still plenty left in the Mets to make one last run, but it needs to start on Wednesday. They look to have reinforcements on their way back from the Injured List which could provide some much needed offense.

Luckily, the Mets still have two more games to win the series with their two aces on the mound. If the Mets lose both games with Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom on the mound, it might as well be the nail in the coffin on their season.

New York Mets: Six Games Over .500 for the First Time All Season

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New York Mets, J.D. Davis

The Mets pulled off their late-inning magic once again in their 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians in 10 innings. Wednesday night’s game was one filled with disappointment, happiness, and hope. The win put the Mets at 66-60, their best record all season.

Stroman Injury

Marcus Stroman left his start after four innings due to hamstring tightness. He suffered the injury covering first base and felt it tighten up. The Mets were forced to get six innings out of their bullpen due to Stroman’s exit. The Mets are not too concerned about the tightness and Stroman should be expected to make his next start.

The Mets bullpen did a terrific job of keeping the Mets in the game and giving them a chance to win. Seth Lugo pitched two brilliant innings along with Jeurys Familia, Brad Brach, Justin Wilson and Luis Avilan providing one inning help as well. Mickey Callaway decided not to bring in Edwin Diaz in the 10th inning and went with Avilan who allowed a solo home run to Carlos Santana to give the Indians a 3-2 lead. Callaway could have brought in Diaz, but it was not a bad move to keep Avilan in the game after he retired the first two batters.

Doing What Winning Teams Do

The Mets played the type of baseball is needed to win in October. The bottom of the order supplied the first two runs of the game. Juan Lagares perfectly executed a hit and run which led to the first Mets run. Since Lagares has received consistent playing time starting on August 3rd, he is hitting .326/.408/.422 along with a huge improvement in his defense. A month ago it seemed like his time as a Met would end after the season, but he has shown why the Mets had hope in him.

The second Mets run came from Luis Guillorme, who has proved to be a key asset off the bench. His pinch-double gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. Guillorme is only hitting .209 on the season but is a .263 hitter off the bench to go along with his slick fielding.

The 10th inning

If you asked 1986 how to create a perfect comeback, this is how they would describe it. The Mets were down one against Brad Hand, who has already blown three saves in the second half. Combine that with the Mets never say die attitude and you have a recipe for success. Amed Rosario started things off with a double, which set the table for a perfectly executed bunt by Joe Panik.

The bunt is an overlooked play because it forced the hand of Indians Manager Terry Francona. He had the choice of either pitching to Pete Alonso or intentional walking him to get the favorable lefty on lefty matchup against Michael Conforto. Francona decided to put Alonso, the winning run, on first base. The move almost worked out for the Indians, but instead of trying to throw out Rosario at home, they tried to turn two on Conforto’s weak ground ball. No one was able to cover first and the Mets tied the game.

This was all followed by Wilson Ramos rumbling down the first baseline on his swinging bunt to get his hitting streak to 15-games. J.D. Davis put together a terrific at-bat to get the count from 0-2 to 3-2 and lined a double to left field to pull off another miracle in Flushing. The win is the fourth straight for the Mets and their second straight against a strong team.

The Mets attempt the sweep Thursday with Noah Syndergaard on the mound before they start a key three game series with the Atlanta Braves. The win also put the Mets 1.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL wild card race.

New York Mets: The Biggest Home Series Since 2015

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New York Mets, Noah Syndergaard

After a miraculous run to close within half a game of a wild card spot, the New York Mets start a very tough schedule. The Washington Nationals come into Citi Field for what is the most anticipated series since 2015, when they face these same Nationals.

How Did We Get Here?

The Mets pitching staff from top to bottom led the way throughout their hot stream. The hitting was hot and cold, but caught fire against the Miami Marlins. Their odds to make the playoffs were at single digits in July and now the odds are close to 50 percent.

The Mets seemed dead in the water and ready to sell at the trade deadline, but Brodie Van Wagenen had other plans. He added Marcus Stroman, traded Jason Vargas and kept the team in tact. The Mets took advantage of a relatively weak schedule, but the red hot Mets are no fluke.

Home Cooking Against the Nationals

The Mets swept the Nationals at home earlier this season and did the same during their magical 2015 run to move into first place in the NL East. Just like 2015 the Mets can pass the Nationals with a sweep, but their eyes are on the division not the wild card.

The Mets have Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom lined up to pitch. This give the Mets favorable matchups in all three games of the series. The Mets have been criticized for their weak schedule, but now they will truly be tested and they have the weapons to come out on top.

New York Mets: Marcus Stroman’s Mets Debut and Pete Alonso’s Slump

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Are the New York Yankees interested in trading for Blue Jays pitcher, Marcus Stroman?

The New York Mets decision to bring in Marcus Stroman was a major trade that shocked the baseball world. Stroman is set to make his debut on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Mets fans are certainly excited to see him pitch.

What Can We Expect From Stroman?

Whether you like his antics or not, Stroman is very confident in his own abilities  and has the heart of a Lion. He will fit in very well in the bright lights of New York and the fans will love watching his personality on display.

Stroman features one of the best sinkers in baseball along with his sweeping curveball. He has the second highest groundball rate in baseball, which could be an issue for the the Mets defense, but their team defense has been much better of late.

What is Going On With Pete Alonso?

The Mets star rookie has been in a major slump since the All-Star break. He is just 8-for-64 since but has walked 15 times. Most of those walks are due to the fact that teams just are not pitching to Alonso. He has chased more pitches outside of the zone because all he wants to do is hit. Young hitters usually struggle a little when the league starts to make adjustments.

Some of these struggles occur because Robinson Cano has not been hitting consistently all season. Pitchers would much rather pitch to Cano instead of the power hitting Alonso. Cano has some big hits in Thursday’s win and if he finds any long term success, it could drag Alonso out of his slump.

 

Did the New York Yankees make a mistake not trading Deivi Garcia?

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

After a 6-1 loss for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders against the Rochester Red Wings, the New York Yankees might have stepped on their foot by not trading youth pitcher Deivi Garcia.

Garcia allowed six runs on eight hits over five innings after escaping the trade deadline and staying put in an impressive Yankees farm system. He’s the youngest player to reach the top level in the minors for the Bombers this year, but he’s struggled as of late due to the different grips on the ball and increased talent.

At just 20-years-old, Garcia has plenty of time to refine his skillset and adapt to the quality of players in Triple-A ball. There’s no rush to call him up to the big leagues just yet unless injuries being to mount and manager Aaron Boone has no choice.

However, he could have been used as a trade piece ahead of the deadline, and several teams were calling for him in a potential deal. The issue was — the Yankees had no leverage and were being asked for far too much in return for a quality pitcher.

They missed out on Zack Greinke, Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard and more, but staying put might have been the best move considering the asking price for most of the options available.

Was it a smart move for the New York Yankees to keep Garcia?

At such a young age, Deivi has a ton of potential that’s yet to be understood and unlocked. He can turn into an ace-caliber player with a bit more development and experience, but trading him for a proven option is justifiable. There’s no guarantee he will emerge as a starting pitcher in the Big Leagues, and the Bombers needed to add reinforcements to a rotation that has been awful recently.

Not a single starter has an ERA lower than 4.00 and injures piling up with CC Sabathia being moved to the IL. General manager Brian Cashman seems to have more confidence in his pitchers than most, considering the quality they displayed in 2018. They have taken a significant step back, but that doesn’t mean they can’t take two major ones forward to return to glory.

Maybe it’s Larry Rothschild at fault, or perhaps it’s a confidence issue. Something realistically needed to be done, and now we will have to bear the burden of staying put with the current rotation.

 

 

Who will the New York Yankees utilize as trade bait for a starting pitcher?

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New York Yankees looking into Madison Bumgarner?

With Marcus Stroman making a surprise move to the Mets, the New York Yankees will focus in on a select group of starting pitchers that clearly won’t include the Blue Jays ace.

With Stroman out of the picture, it opens up the door further for a Noah Syndergaard deal, but both Madison Bumgarner and Trevor Bauer remain available. In Bauer’s most recent outing, he allowed eight runs over 4.1 innings, which surely didn’t help his cause, but one dud in a solid season is acceptable.

The Yankees, however, are open to dealing both Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar, who has seen his value decrease in what was supposed to be another solid season for the second-year starter.

The Bombers weren’t willing to let Deivi Garcia go, which might have been the reason Toronto went after the Mets prospect pool. This was a smart move for the Yankees, as Garcia has shown fantastic ability so far and is only 20-years-old.

It will undoubtedly take a few quality prospects to pry an above-average starter away from any team, but the willingness to part with Frazier or Andujar increases their chances.

Who will the New York Yankees dive into now?

I believe the Yanks will focus in on Bumgarner, who is one of the league’s premier postseason pitchers. The Bombers’ starters last year were atrocious, allowing 16 runs in a loss to the Red Sox in the ALDS. Avoiding that same result is the goal at this point.

Madison owns an 8-3 record with a 2.11 ERA in the postseason. His dominance in the playoffs could help the Yankees succeed beyond 2018’s result, which is what they need.

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In his 11th seasons, Bumgarner has a 3.66 ERA over 22 games. His strikeouts are up significantly from last year, and he seems to be of ace quality. With Luis Severino destined to make a return at some point, having two pitchers that can go deep into games and hold their own in the postseason is very valuable.