The Metsian Podcast: Rocky Mountain High

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

@THE_SamMaxwell     @MetFanRich     @BTB_MikeII

@THEMetsianPod

#LGM

The Metsian Podcast "Rat in the Grass" Episode

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

@THE_SamMaxwell     @MetFanRich     @BTB_MikeII

@THEMetsianPod

 

It's been said before but bears repeating.  The first-place Mets lead the National League in wins and still have yet to lose a series this season.  They're getting it done with solid pitching, fielding, and timely hitting.  However, we've seen this before.  The season is about a fifth of the way through.  So, let us pause and ask what differentiates this team from last year's Mets, who, on Aug. 14, 2021, dropped in the standings behind the Phillies and Braves and never recovered.  Please join Sam, Rich, and I, as we recap the week and chase down the "rat in the grass" on another getaway day edition of The Metsian Podcast.

seventy-three minutes

The Metsian Podcast: Season Opening Roundtable w/ National League Town's Greg Prince & Jeff Hysen

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

GUESTS

Greg Prince & Jeff Hysen

NATIONAL LEAGUE TOWN PODCAST

ninety-minutes

 

We're almost there.  Three more days and a wake-up until the New York Mets open the 2022 regular season at Washington.  Tonight, the National League Town Podcast proprietors Greg Prince and Jeff Hysen join Sam, Rich, and me on The Metsian Podcast in a collective first pitch roundtable extravaganza.  Speaking of which, pitching is suddenly a problem, again.  Otherwise, positional player chess, transactions real or imagined, minutiae, opinions, and potential rude remarks are all on the docket.  No stone will be left unturned. 

#LGM

THE METSIAN PODCAST: Let the Grapefruit League Games Begin!

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

GUEST:

Television Comedy Researcher

formerly of Yahoo Finance and former Teacher

REGGIE WADE

eighty-three minutes

Billy Eppler ~ Buck Showalter ~ Steve Cohen

Starting Rotation ~ Position Players & Lineup

Dom Smith ~ Robinson Cano ~ Eduardo Escobar ~ Pete Alonso

Max Scherzer ~ Jacob deGrom ~ David Peterson

a Michael Conforto reunion and so much more!!!

#LGM

It's a Mad, Mad, Mets World: A Cathartic Metsian Podcast With TUMARO MEDIA's Phil Maillard

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

GUEST
TUMARO MEDIA

PHIL MAILLARD

114 minutes

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mets world.  The lack of slugging is driving us crazy.  After losing three of four to the Miami Marlins, being swept by the Phillies, and falling out of first place, Sam, Rich, me, and Phil Maillard convene for a cathartic episode of The Metsian Podcast.  We're here for you.  Listen in and decompress.

#LGM

The Metsian Podcast: The Dog Days Of June(?) with the Kranepool Society, Stephen Keane

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

38-31 (.551), First Place

It's officially summertime!  Independence Day is ten days away, and the Mets, against all odds, still hold a four-game division lead over the Washington Nationals.  While it can be said the Mets are still feeding off their seven-game and five-game winning streaks back in May, they've nonetheless scratched and clawed to stay above par in June.  But how much longer can this last?  Joining The Metsian Podcast to help answer that question (and talk some 1979 Mets) is the one and only governor of the Kranepool Society ...

Stephen Keane

seventy-four minutes

 

N.Y. Mets: Opening Night in the Nation's Capital

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Northbound and down, loaded up and trucking, 

the Mets are gonna do what they said can't be done.

They've got a long way to go and a short summer to get there. 

They're northbound. Just watch ol' Mr. Met run!

OPENING NIGHT
NEW YORK METS
vs.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

FROM

Capitol Hill Grounds

With Defensive Shortcomings and Outstanding Bullpen Issues, The Mets Lineup Must Lead The Way 

Even though the Mets last season batted miserably with runners in scoring position, timely hitting this upcoming season is the least of my concerns.  By all indications, the Mets will be featuring a lengthy and potent lineup with few if any dead spots.  With the resumption of a full 162 game schedule, the law of averages will hopefully play a normalizing role as well.

I think we fans agree that Brandon Nimmo and his career .390 OBP is the logical choice for batting leadoff.  However, this season I want to see from him a more aggressive approach at the plate.  Otherwise, on average, Nimmo has scored runs in 49.8% of his 365 career games played.  I anticipate that percentage climbing as the hitters batting behind him should prove problematic for opposing pitchers.

Batting second in my order is Jeff McNeil.  Bat control factored heavily in my decision.  McNeil's and Francisco Lindor's respective rate of strikeouts are separated by mere percentage points.  Lindor strikes out in 15.7% of his at-bats, whereas McNeil fans 13.3% on average.  This might be a hot take, but I believe McNeil is the more traditional and polished slap-style hitter than Lindor, who swings a tad bit more from his heels.  I seek bat control from the second spot, someone adept at hitting the ball to all fields for the sake of advancing runners and not getting doubled-up.

Deep in my heart, I want Dominic Smith batting third.  The old adage says bat your best hitter third, and I believe Dom to be the Mets' most pure hitter.  However, I just cannot fathom Francisco Lindor hitting any further down the lineup.  Lindor's switch-hitting abilities, low strikeouts, and his .500 plus slugging average in three of the last four seasons make him quite the unique number three-hitter.  Dom Smith is better equipped to hit as far down as sixth with limited protection behind him; Lindor not so much.  But in truth, hitting sixth is never what Mets fans envisioned insofar as Francisco Lindor's proper place in the lineup.

Batting cleanup in my lineup is Michael Conforto.  Few hitters in baseball will be afforded the level of lineup protection the Mets will be providing Lindor and Conforto with Pete Alonso and Dom Smith hitting behind them.  Lindor and Conforto should game in, and game out see the best and more hittable pitches being offered.

 

Pete Alonso put the squeeze on Grapefruit League pitchers.  In 16 games and 50 at-bats, the Polar Bear slashed .340/.421./700/1.121, with six doubles, four home runs, and 16 runs batted in.

While Dom Smith offers exceptional protection for the top half of the lineup, he, in turn, will have to protect him either J.D. Davis or Luis Guillorme and James McCann.

McCann has never played in more than 118 games (72.9%) nor achieved 500 plate appearances in any of his five-plus full seasons in the bigs.  However, the Mets appeared to sign him while in the midst of an offensive uptick.  In 2019 with the White Sox, McCann registered career highs in all batting categories for a season that somewhat resembles JT Realmuto-like production.  Last season, he was arguably on track to surpass those numbers.  Not many other eighth batters in baseball can say that.

See pitch, hit pitch.

Time to play ball!

#LGM

N.Y. Mets: Third Base Debate Rages On

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

SPRING TRAINING

updated, Saturday, 10:30 pm

Who's on First; What's on Second; I Don't Know is on Third.

That's for Luis Rojas to decide ...

Luis Rojas has legitimate fielding issues to deal with, for which Spring Training offers no solution. 

For those of you who missed Saturday's game, the Mets committed three errors at third base.  It's as if we're just biding time until this ongoing condition makes its triumphant return to Flushing, where the onus will again be on Rojas, like previous managers under Sandy Alderson, to manage around it.  

The problem at second base is the easiest fix of all.  There is no problem.  Jeff McNeil is clearly the only answer.  He spent his minor league years playing primarily as an infielder, and comparatively, little time roaming the outfield.  As such, I want him eliminated from any and all talk about playing left field.  The infield is his comfort zone.  But as is their custom, perceived or real, the Mets forced him to play beyond the infield diamond on a more frequent basis.  This must stop.  His frame and build and agility are best suited for second base, even more so than third base.  I beg management to just leave him alone.

That leaves four other positions in question: first base, left field, center field, and third base.

Why mince words ... despite improved glove work, Pete Alonso remains a defensive liability.  In the absence of a universal designated hitter, he remains the incumbent at first base.  That means Dom Smith, the Mets' best fielding first baseman and one of their top batsmen, will be shoehorned into left field.  There really is no escaping this scenario.

Meanwhile, Brandon Nimmo teeters on being a par center fielder; we get it.  But his career OBP/OPS can not be denied.  He is among MLB's elite when it comes to reaching base safely.  Therefore, fans like me are willing to put up with his fielding deficiencies.  If and when a clear-cut upgrade comes along, make a move.  Until then, I'm agreeable with Brandon Nimmo as the starting centerfielder.  Let Luis Rojas implement late-inning replacement if he chooses.  That's his job.

The most conflicting situation facing Luis Rojas involves the hot corner.  If it's an offensive threat you desire, then you lean towards JD Davis.  But if it's a defensive specialist you seek, then Luis Guillorme is your man.  By starting Guillorme over Davis, Manager Rojas reduces the team's four outstanding liabilities by one.  But this does not preclude JD Davis from forcing himself into the line-up.  Sometimes offensive production speaks for itself.  If he's wielding a lethal bat, he starts, no questions asked.  But in more normalized situations, with the expectation Francisco Lindor, Michael Conforto, and Pete Alonso are providing the requisite production, I prefer Luis Guillorme starting at third and having JD Davis pinch hit off the bench.  I'm otherwise completely open to a full platoon at third.  However, like Jeff McNeil, the last place I want to see Davis is in left field.

Jonathan Villar remains an unknown variable; he might yet factor into the equation.  Although, he committed two of the Mets' three errors on Saturday.  The third error of the day was committed by an A-level third baseman who shall remain nameless.  He is not what this is about. 

Guillorme did not play Saturday against the Nats.  But if his 2020 slash of .333/.426/.439/.865 through 29 games and 57 at-bats, and this Spring's five hits through eleven Grapefruit at-bats to date is any indication of things to come, then we'll soon be having a much different conversation.

N.Y. Mets: Like a Nor'Easter Over Flushing Bay

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Pitchers & Catchers report in two more days when finally the Mets can again set about the business of playing baseball.

After one of the most comprehensively altering off-seasons in Mets history, Flushing begins digging out from a winter Nor'Easter marked by hype, controversy, and transformative acquisitions.   

Once his Mets' purchase was finalized by Major League Baseball, Steve Cohen officially arrived on the scene in November.  At long last, the Wilpon Era was over.  Replete with a Twitter account at the ready, Cohen, in an instant single-handed revived the spirits of New York City's increasingly despondent National League fan base.

Already a minority shareholder in the team, Cohen and Sandy Alderson were by no means strangers to one another.  However, I still wonder why Cohen acted so quickly in hiring Alderson to be his President of Baseball Operations.  With Steve Cohen in place, being a Mets executive instantly became one of the most sought after positions in all of baseball.  Why not wait and play the field or see who makes themselves available?  Instead, Cohen wasted little time in recruiting Sandy Alderson back into the Mets fold.  In turn, Alderson wiped out all vestiges of Brodie Van Wagenen's front office, all except "the survivor" John Ricco, that is.

Before hiring a general manager, Sandy Alderson's skeleton crew moved quickly in signing free-agents Brian McCann and Trevor May and executing the mega-deal for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco.  Not till a week after the big trade was Jared Porter hired as general manager.  All of this taking place in December.  

Flushing goes on to revel in one of the happiest New Year's holidays of recent history, pandemic withstanding.  But then a major controversy came crashing the party.  Roughly one year after hiring Carlos Beltran as manager then immediately having to let him go when it was discovered he participated in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, the Mets, after less than forty days on the job are forced to fire Jared Porter post-haste after it was revealed he texted numerous unsolicited lewd pictures to a female reporter.

Kicking off the month of February, news comes down of similar behavior involving former manager Mickey Callaway.  In what is being called the "worst kept secret in sports," several female members of the media claim Callaway's harassing behavior spanned five years, covering his time in Cleveland, New York, and Anaheim.  

As one who hired both, these incidents put Sandy Alderson's hiring practices squarely under the spotlight.  When a reporter questioned if he ever consulted with a woman at any point during his vetting of Porter, Sandy Alderson said no.  Therefore, it's now up to him to decipher whether his practices are fundamentally flawed, self-serving, or otherwise.

Then came the GameStop and supposed stock manipulation uproar that caused Steve Cohen's professional life as an investor to bleed over into his endeavors as Mets owner.  He suspended his Twitter account at once, and you might say the honeymoon period ended with it.

Meanwhile, free agency was not as cooperative as Mets fans anticipated.  However, for the first time in a long time, spending power was not a primary issue.  It certainly appears as if George Springer and Trevor Bauer never once contemplated playing in New York.  Instead, each used the Mets to facilitate an agreeable contract elsewhere, for it takes two to set a market ... just ask Baurer's agent.  I am actually very agreeable to missing out on both.  Just because they were the best available doesn't necessarily make them worthy of premium dollars.

This month's second wave of transactions saw the trading away of Steven Matz to Toronto for three prospects, one of which the Mets parlayed into Kansas City's eighth-ranked prospect, outfielder Khalil Lee.  Alderson and interim general manager Zack Scott also traded for pitchers Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto.  From the free-agent market, they signed outfielder Albert Amora Jr, pitcher Aaron Loup, and infielder Jonathan Villar.

And that was only in the first one hundred days of the Cohen Era.

The Mets still have several outstanding issues entering Spring Training.

Major League Baseball will not be implementing a universal DH this season.  As rules go, I'm happy about it, but it's problematic for the Mets.  The likely alignment when the Mets are not playing American League teams is Dom Smith playing left and Pete Alonso at first.  Otherwise, Dom Smith will DH and make the occasional start at first - not an optimal situation.

Albert Almora Jr. brings a potential platoon into the center field equation.  This is, of course, the backup plan after having missed out on George Springer.  Brandon Nimmo looks to be the starter heading into the season.  In fact, I welcome Nimmo and his career .838 OPS.  At the very least, Albert Almora Jr. should become the customary late-inning replacement.

The situation at third base remains fluid.  The job belongs to JD Davis until notified otherwise.  No one is questioning his bat.  However, his glovework leaves much to be desired.  Thus the Mets seem more than interested in making another move.

Meanwhile, Francisco Lindor and Michael Conforto have pressing contract concerns that require the Mets address.

Lastly, on the premise simmering in pockets of Metsville, that because the Mets have a billionaire owner, their inability to secure JT Realmuto, Brad Hand, George Springer, Trevor Baurer, James Paxton, D.J. LeMahieu, Cory Kluber, Nolan Arenado, et al, constitutes a failed off-season.

To all of it, I say, nonsense.

A Metsian Podcast: Gathering Round the Hot Stove With Director Phil Maillard

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

With SAM, RICH & MIKE

The band was back together again

GUEST

The return of video director, media content creator, Mets fan, and co-founder of

TUMARO MEDIA ~ PHIL MAILLARD

109 minutes

Special focus on Cleon Jones, his charitable work in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, and his efforts toward the education and preservation of Africatown.

A Metsian Podcast: Gathering Around the Hot Stove With Tim Healey of Newsday

From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

With SAM, RICH & MIKE

GUEST

Mets Reporter Tim Healey of Newsday

sixty-eight minutes

THE HOT STOVE

#LGM

Squeezing Grapefruit League Baseball with Marc of MetsFansUnited on Another Metsian Podcast

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

For love of Bob Myrick!

A METSIAN PODCAST

with SAM, RICH, and MIKE

WITH GUEST

Marc AKA @NoMoreWilpons 

and @MetsFansUnited1

77 minutes

STUFF

Grapefruit League Opening Weekend

Left-Handed Pitching Dilemma

Starters ~ Bullpen 

Three Headed Catcher

JD Davis ~ Dom Smith ~ Brandon Nimmo

Steve Cohen ~ The SNY Cash Cow ~ James Dolan

Jason Bay ~ Lastings Milledge ~ Izzy ~ Jeff Reardon

Dave Cone for Mets HOF?

Happy Birthday Ron Hunt, and so much more!

BONUS OFF-TOPIC TANGENT: 

Yoenis Cespedes vs. Bo Jackson?

Yeah, we went there.

#LGM

Amazin' Grilling with Jeff Cohen's Baseball And BBQ on another Metsian Poodcast

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

SUMMERTIME

A METSIAN PODCAST

with SAM, RICH, and MIKE

WITH GUEST

Jeff Cohen 

of Baseball and BBQ Podcast

94 minutes

STUFF

Twins Series ~ Trade Deadline ~ Brodie Scuttlebutt

Zack Wheeler ~ Edwin Diaz

Pete Alonso ~ Robinson Cano ~ Amed Rosario

Todd Frazier ~ Dom Smith ~ Juan Lagares ~ Brandon Nimmo

The Core ~ Mike Vail ~ and so much more!

T'was the Week Before Opening Day Metsian Podcast

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

OPENING DAY

Six More Days and a Wake Up

A METSIAN PODCAST

with SAM, RICH, and MIKE

Guest:

Mets Fan Extraordinaire, Writer, 

and Fellow Rising Apple Blog Alum

Helen Silfin, @HESilf

Sixty-Three Minutes

STUFF

41 SEAVER WAY ~ SEAVER STATUE

Travis d'Arnaud ~ Devin Mesoraco ~ Tomas Nido

Pete Alonso ~ Dom Smith ~ Adeiny Hechavarria ~ J.D. Davis

Juan Lagares ~ Rajai Davis ~ Keon Broxton

Netflix Deal ~ Brodie's Winter Wonder Land

..and so much more!

Wishing Tom Seaver Well on Another Metsian Podcast

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

A METSIAN PODCAST

with SAM, RICH, and MIKE

Host: Me

Sixty Minutes

FIRST HALF: GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE

Pete Alonso ~ Dom Smith

Travis d'Arnaud ~ Robinson Cano ~ Amed Rosario

Jeff McNeil > Wilmer Flores

TJ Rivera ~ Kyle Dowdy ~ Edwin Diaz

BVW ~ Al Leiter ~ Jessica Mendoza ~ John Franco

SECOND HALF: TOM SEAVER

Health Status of Tom Seaver

On Dedicating a Statue at Citi Field

Upcoming 50th Anniversary Celebration of 1969 Championship

Excerpt from Skip Lockwood's book: his reflections on Tom Seaver