Pete Alonso

Stroman Pitches Well Again in Mets 4-2 Loss Against Marlins

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

The New York Mets were back on television on Friday after only a couple thousand fans watched Jacob deGrom‘s dominance on Thursday. While not as dominant, Marcus Stroman put together a strong start against the Miami Marlins. Stroman became the first Mets starter to pitch into the fourth innings this spring in the 4-2 loss.

Stroman needed 58 pitches to get through 3.1 innings. He allowed a run in the first inning on a Jesus Aguilar single but settled in after that. Stroman recorded four strikeouts and lowered his spring training ERA to 3.24. Dellin Betances also pitched a scoreless inning with his fastball in the 89-93 mph range. The jury is still out on if Betances will sit at that speed all season, but he will need the best control of his career if he does.

Trevor May and Tommy Hunter struggled in their outings. May allowed three straight singles to load the bases, but a double play helped him escape with only one run allowed. Hunter’s inning was littered with hard contact. Monte Harrison broke the 2-2- tie with his RBI double, and Joe Dunand blooped a single to make it 4-2.

It is hard to find a hotter hitter than Brandon Nimmo this spring. His second double of the spring kept his average at a tremendous .444. Pete Alonso also remained hot with a line-drive RBI double to right-center field. Brandon Drury drove in the first Mets run with an RBI single in the fourth.

Jordan Yamamoto (0-1, 0.00) takes the mound against the Washington Nationals on Saturday. The first pitch is at 6:05 p.m. ET from West Palm Beach.

deGrom Lights Up Radar Gun, Alonso Homers Mets 1-0 Victory

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

The New York Mets played an untelevised game against the Houston Astros as Jacob deGrom faced Zack Greinke for the second straight outing. deGrom was as good as advertised and hit 102 mph on the radar gun as he continues to dazzle baseball.

deGrom faced nine batters and struck out seven of them in three innings pitched. He faced a lineup filled with backups and minor leaguers while the Mets put out a close to Opening Day lineup. Even with the lack of competition, deGrom did exactly what should be done when facing weaker competition. There may be a concern with deGrom throwing hard early on, but there is no reason not to trust the two-time Cy Young winner.

Pete Alonso provided the only run with his solo homer in the sixth inning. Despite also striking out twice, Alonso is hitting .313 this spring and has no issues hitting for power. Brandon Nimmo continued his hot spring with two more hits and pushed his average to .467.

Mets pitchers allowed just one hit and struck out 17 Astros. Mike Montgomery followed with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts. Jacob Barnes (1), Stephen Tarpley (2), and Daniel Zamora (1) combined for the final four innings.

The Mets are back on television for Friday’s matchup against the Miami Marlins. Marcus Stroman (1-0, 3.60 ERA) makes his third start of the spring against Pablo Lopez (0-0, 0.00). The first pitch from Clover Park is at 1:10 p.m ET.

New York Mets: deGrom Dominant in Rain-Shortened 6-1 Win

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

The New York Mets only played six innings on Saturday, but there were plenty of positives in their 6-1 over the Houston Astros. Jacob deGrom and Edwin Diaz made their spring debuts while Pete Alonso remained hot at the plate.

Before the game, deGrom was unsurprisingly named the Opening Day starter for the third consecutive season by Manager Luis Rojas. The only surprise from deGrom’s start was the two hitters who found their way on base. deGrom struck out three batters over two innings and needed just 29 pitches to get through his outing. As usual, he lit up the radar gun with a couple of 99 mph fastballs.

Diaz was even better in his one inning of relief. He needed seven pitches to record one strikeout and had help from Francisco Lindor behind him. Miguel Castro worked around a walk in one scoreless inning after Diaz left the game.

Coming Out Swinging

It was an all-around effort for the Mets offense that featured a different look without Brandon Nimmo. Jeff McNeil took over as the leadoff man, with Lindor batting second. Another line drive to the opposite field from Alonso resulted in an RBI double to get the Mets started in the first. Michael Conforto showed off his underrated speed by scoring all the way from first on the play.

Albert Almora and Kevin Pillar both received starts and made the most of their chances. Both recorded RBI singles as the eighth and ninth place hitters. Dominic Smith recorded his first home run of the spring with a majestic shot to right field.

The young blood of Ronny Mauricio and Pete Crow-Armstrong took over in the sixth. Crow-Armstrong led off the inning with a triple, his first hit in professional baseball. Mauricio drove him in with a single, giving Mets fans a sneak peek of a potential combination in the future.

The Mets are back on SNY on Sunday when they face the Miami Marlins. Marcus Stroman (1-0, 0.00) makes his second start of the season against Pablo Lopez (0-0, 0.00). The first pitch is at 1:10 p.m. from Clover Park.

Alonso’s Grand Slam Propels New York Mets to an 8-4 Victory

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New York Mets, Luis Rojas

For the second straight game, the New York Mets came out swinging and had the pitching to back it up. They used three home runs and seven two-out RBIs to defeat the Washington Nationals 8-4.

Brandon Nimmo got the Mets started early with a leadoff home run to give them a quick 1-0 lead against Jackson Rutledge. After three quiet innings, the fifth was loaded with action. Dellin Betances made his Spring debut and became the only reliever to allow runs.

After getting the first two outs of the inning, Betances issued two walks, and an RBI double on a fly ball that left fielder Drew Ferguson misplayed. Ryan Zimmerman capped off the inning with a three-run homer, giving the Nats a 4-1 lead. The only positive of his outing is his velocity in the 92-93 range, which is far better than last year’s spring training.

In the bottom half of the fifth, Pete Alonso‘s grand slam put the Mets back and forth 5-4. It was a classic Alonso homer as he drove it onto the right-center field hill. Alonso did not homer in 13 spring training games in 2020 and already looks more relaxed at the plate. Jake Hager supplied the third homer on the day with a solo shot in the seventh.

Pitching Success

David Peterson was solid in his first start of the spring as he tries to earn a spot in the starting rotation. In two innings, he allowed just one hit, a hit batter and worked out of a second and third jam in the first inning. Peterson finished off his start with a 1-2-3 inning in the second.

After Peterson left the game, the Mets used many relievers who are expected to make the Opening Day roster. Jeurys Familia struggled with his command and needed 31 pitches to get through his scoreless inning. Aaron Loup was the complete opposite, needing just 11 pitches to work through a scoreless fourth inning.

Trevor May, Robert Gsellman, Stephen Tarpley, and Sean Reid-Foley all put up goose eggs in their respective innings. Mets pitchers collectively only recorded two strikeouts on the day. The Mets have a day off on Friday and send Jacob deGrom to the mound on Saturday night against the Houston Astros. Due to MLB’s incompetence, the game will not be televised.

Mets’ slugger Pete Alonso is taking some grounders at third base

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The New York Mets’ position players reported to the team spring training camp this week, as they continue to prepare for what will be an exciting 2021 season. The organization invested a lot of money and resources to put the best possible roster on the field, and it now looks like one of the favorites to make some noise deep in October.

The Mets brought several starting pitching reinforcements, most notably Carlos Carrasco (in the same trade that netted the club star shortstop Francisco Lindor) Taijuan Walker, Marcus Stroman, Jordan Yamamoto, Joey Lucchesi and Jerad Eickhoff.

They also welcomed two impact relievers in Trevor May and Aaron Loup; plus Lindor, outfielders Albert Almora and Kevin Pillar, and infielder Jonathan Villar. Catcher James McCann was also brought to be the starter at the position.

However, the Mets didn’t bring any third basemen, or haven’t to this point. JD Davis is a liability out there in field, but carries monster offensive upside and that’s why acting general manager Zack Scott said this week that they are comfortable with him at the top of the depth chart.

The Mets are very flexible

However, that doesn’t mean the Mets aren’t willing to get creative. Davis will play some, but Jeff McNeil can also defend the hot corner and could potentially do it some nights when Villar plays second.

And, additionally, the Mets are trying slugging first baseman Pete Alonso at third base. Yes! You read that right.

According to New York Daily News’ writer Deesha Thosar, Alonso was seen taking some grounders in the hot corner.

It’s not uncommon for teams to try different things in the early stages of spring training, so the fact that Alonso is taking some reps there should be taken with a grain of salt and could mean nothing later down the road.

However, it’s still a noteworthy development. If Alonso can be a passable third baseman, that could open up more playing time avenues for the Mets’ fellow slugging first baseman, Dom Smith, who broke out last year with a .316/.377/.616 line and 10 home runs in 50 games.

Only time will tell if this is going to be more than just a spring training experiment.

New York Mets: It’s A New Year, But We Have No Clue About The DH

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New Yor k Mets, Dominic Smith

We are just over a month from the beginning of spring training, but Major League Baseball still has not decided on a universal designated hitter. This decision affects the New York Mets more than any other team in the National League due to their abundance of below-average defenders.

Returning the DH to the NL betters the Mets defense by default. It benefits the Mets to avoid playing Dominic Smith and Pete Alonso in the field together. With the DH, one can play first base (preferably Smith) while the other is the DH. Brandon Nimmo or Jeff McNeil play left field instead of Smith, and it leaves J.D. Davis as a DH option against lefties.

The lack of information on the DH affects the free-agent market too. If the Mets sign George Springer, Nimmo becomes the odd-man-out without the DH. Michael Conforto would remain in right field, and either Smith/Davis plays in left. With a DH, the Mets have a set outfield and only worry about who plays third base daily.

Unfortunately, Rob Manfred and the owners think the universal DH is a bargaining chip against the players union. The longer MLB waits on it, the longer players like Nelson Cruz and Marcell Ozuna only have 15 teams to play for in 2021.

New York Mets Player Evaluations: First Base/Left Field Dominic Smith

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New Yor k Mets, Dominic Smith

There once was a time where the New York Mets opted to keep Dominic Smith on the bench during the early part of the 2020 season. With Pete Alonso and Yoenis Cespedes clogging potential lineup spots, they could not find playing time for him. Thankfully, Cespedes decided to abandon the team, and Smith became the Mets’ most productive offensive player.

The 2019 season was a sneak preview of what Smith was truly capable of at the big league level. In 2020, he put it all together, hitting .316/.377/.616 with 10 home runs, 42 RBIs, and 21 doubles. Smith’s ability to drive in runs made him a staple in the fourth spot of the order. He hit .333 w/RISP and put the same batting average up with two outs and RISP.

Much like his teammate, Michael Conforto, Smith benefitted from a decrease in launch angle to produce more line drives. Smith’s average launch angle dropped from 15.1 degrees last year to 10.8. This allowed Smith to have a 46.7% hard-hit rate, 13.3% barrel rate, and have 39.3% of his batted balls result in line drives.

Complete Hitter

All of those factors equal a hitter who will put himself in a position to hit for average and for power. Smith also became a hitter who forced pitchers to get him out with the fastball. He batted .388 and .351 on breaking balls and offspeed pitches, respectively. Smith had his lowest average and slugging percentage against the fastball, but it was not enough for pitchers to survive by only throwing the hard stuff.

What made Smith such a successful hitter against the secondary pitches is his ability to let it travel in the zone. Smith’s ability to keep his weight back allowed his barrel to remain in the zone to make solid contact no matter how early or late he was. When a hitter does that, he gives himself the best chance to succeed because he can hit the ball in multiple different locations with that one swing.

Defensive Questions

With the two power-hitting first basemen, Smith and Alonso, it is tough to fit them in the lineup. Smith saw some time in left field and was an expected liability there. He had a -5 fielding runs above average and a negative ultimate zone rating. The numbers are much better at first base, and Smith played his natural position more often during the season’s final month. This was when Alonso had issues with his fielding, and the Mets wanted better outfield defense.

It is impossible to mention Smith’s year without mentioning his leadership on and off the field. He helped lead a walk-off between the Mets and Marlins following the protest going on throughout sports. Smith also spilled his emotions, telling his stories and opinions on what was going on in the country. He is one of the most colorful and genuine personalities on the Mets and one of the best teammates they could ask for.

Smith had a fringe-MVP caliber year, would have been an All-Star, and was named a finalist for the Hank Aaron award. Among NL leaders, he finished second in doubles (21), fourth in slugging percentage (.616), fourth in OPS (.993), tied for fifth in RBIs (42), and eighth in batting average (.316). The toughest part for the Mets comes in finding a position for him to settle into for the 2021 season.

 

2020 Grades On 20-80 Scale (2021 Projection)

Hitting: 80 (70), Cannot get much better than what he produced.

Power: 70 (70), Legitimate power to all fields, and it comes with 40+ double capability.

Run: 30 (30), Not fast but certainly quicker than you would expect.

Arm: 45 (45), Great for first base, but the accuracy surpassed the arm strength in the outfield.

Field: 50 (55), Fields what he gets to in the outfield but has gold glove capability at first base.

Overall: 80 (75), It was an unbelievable season, but doing it for a full year is the final test in his growth.

New York Mets: Pete Alonso underperformed against fastballs in 2020

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New York Mets, Pete Alonso

The New York Mets, despite failing to qualify to the playoffs, boasted one of the best offensive units in the league. They were among the leaders in wRC+ and their lineup didn’t have too much trouble producing runs.

However, the sophomore season wasn’t so smooth for first baseman Pete Alonso. The Mets’ slugger was the Rookie of the Year in the National League in 2019, and he set a record for most home runs for a first-year player with 53.

While he hit homers at a similar pace this season (16 in 57 games), his overall production fell off a cliff. In 2019, he slashed .260/.358/.583 with a .384 wOBA and a 143 wRC+, but this year, he was at .231/.326/.490 with a .342 wOBA and a 119 wRC+.

The New York Mets’ star had a horrible first July/August, with .213/.333/.385, a .309 wOBA and a 97 wRC+. Thankfully, he improved in September (.256/.316/.640, .391 wOBA, 151 wRC+) and was more like the player we know he is.

So, why did he struggle in 2020? His 90.7 mph 2019 average exit velocity was similar to that of this year, 90.2 mph. His BB% and K% were also similar (10.4 BB% in 2019, 10.0 in 2020; 26.4 K% in 2019, 25.0 K% this year.) So what changed?

The Mets are hoping it was just small sample size noise

Alonso, who is still among the New York Mets’ most important players for the future, performed at a similar level against breaking balls in 2019 and 2020. Last year, he had a .292 wOBA against sliders and curveballs, and while the number went down to .278 in 2020, it isn’t a significant dropoff.

However, if we examine his numbers against fastballs, we see a significant collapse. His wOBA against the pitch was .358 in 2020, a rather mediocre mark considering his abilities and the fact that he finished with a .438 wOBA against heaters in 2019. Alonso slugged .513 against them in 2020, a far cry off the .669 mark of 2019.

His expected batting average versus fastballs was .237 this season. It was .286 last year.

It could be small sample size noise. It could a timing issue. Either way, the Mets will be expecting Alonso to make the proper adjustments and start punishing fastballs again in 2021.

New York Mets Player Evaluations: First Baseman Pete Alonso

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New York Mets, Pete Alonso

Pete Alonso‘s rookie season for the New York Mets was nearly impossible to duplicate. He hit 53 home runs, won the home run derby and rookie of the year. The combination of tough luck and lack of plate discipline caused him to underachieve during the 2020 season.

Alonso struggled mightily during the first third of the season, only batting .197. Though he walked at a good rate, he only had two home runs through the season’s first 18 games. His defense also suffered from it, which caused him to see more time at designated hitter.

The following 20 games were filled with inconsistency. At times, it looked like he was becoming the 2019 Alonso, and during others, he looked completely lost. Over his next 20 games, he hit six home runs but only batted .222. Part of his unlucky season comes from a .204 BABIP, where he would have line drives sucked up by the shift.

Return to Form

Alonso’s struggles came from him over swinging, overthinking, and swinging outside of his strike zone. The over swinging came from him trying to replicate his home run output. His strength is at the top of the league, and using his natural swing will allow him to access his full field power.

The overthinking came during at-bats where he would let fastballs in the zone go by then chase offspeed pitches outside of the zone to strikeout. It also led to him spending the year around the .200 mark with runners in scoring position. Lastly, he spent a lot of time chasing pitches up in the zone that he cannot hit. Alonso only had a slugging percentage of .167 on pitches up and in for a strike and .200 on pitches up and away for a strike.

In five of the other seven squares in the strike zone, he slugged over .500. The adjustments showed over the final 19 games where slashed .271/.338/.657 with eight home runs. While the walk rate dropped, the strikeouts did as well since he was making solid contact. Should this have been a longer season, we would have seen his numbers improve to where the slump would be a forgotten part of the season.

2021 Improvements

While his defense took a step back during his sophomore slump, expect it to return to where it was in 2019. If there is a designated hitter in 2021, Alonso will play first less due to Smith’s emergence. He finished the season on a six-game hitting streak and looked like the complete hitter he was during his amazing rookie season. There were worries early in the 60-game sprint, but there is no reason to doubt a big season from Alonso in 2021.

2020 Grades On 20-80 Scale (2021 Projection)

Hitting: 35 (55), Having Chili Davis back in the locker room will make a big difference

Power: 80 (80), Still one of the best in the power department. Still finished tied for third in the NL, despite the struggles.

Run: 30 (30), Very good baserunning instincts for a player who lacks speed

Arm: 50 (50)

Field: 30 (40), The hard worker Alonso is will definitely show the stepback on defense was a fluke

Overall: 55 (70), Expect nothing short of greatness in 2021

New York Mets: Only Fitting For A Blowout To End The Wilpon’s Reign

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New York Mets, Billy Hamilton

Mediocrity is the first word that comes to mind in the broken marriage between the New York Mets and the Wilpon ownership. Their decisions, hirings, and lousy PR led to the Mets becoming the laughing stock of baseball and the butt of every joke. The Mets 15-5 loss to the Washington Nationals closed an ugly 18 years of Wilpon majority ownership.

Seth Lugo likely made his final start as a Met in which he allowed six runs and did not make it out of the second inning. The lack of quality starting rotation depth put the Mets in a situation where they had to force Lugo to be a starter. Should the Mets fix their pitching rotation, Lugo would play very well in his natural bullpen role.

Early Rout

This game was pretty well decided when the Nats had 11 runs after the third inning concluded. Brad Brach and Steven Matz concluded their poor seasons with poor outings, allowing the Nationals to put the game away. Dellin Betances also continued the trend when he made his second outing off the IL. Jeurys Familia was the only reliever to complete two innings without allowing a run and finished his season with a 3.71 ERA.

The two bright spots came from the bats of Pete Alonso and Guillermo Heredia. Alonso had three hits, including two home runs, to finish up the season on a good note. Heredia had two hits and drove in two runs as he hopes to earn an invite to camp in 2021.

The Mets finished their season at 26-34, tied for last place in the NL East. They fell under the .500 mark seven games into the season and never climbed out of that hole in their disappointing season. Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson inherit a broken organization, filled with potential. With their window to win still wide open, expect the front office to revamp this roster for the 2021 season.