I went to another Met game last night, this time with Alan. It was a real nail-biter. The Mets beat the Nats 10-0. Alan left the game early and that let me explore Citi Field. Out tickets give access to three of the clubs, The Jim Beam, the Piazza, and Caesars. I have sought shelter at the Jim Beam which is right below where we usually sit but not the other two are both situated one level lower. Turns out that the Piazza has no view of the field so is pretty much useless. From our usual seats we can see Caesars and it looks like it has a great view from right inside the left field foul pole. Far away but you can see everything and sit in comfort. When I got there, I found out it’s a mainly a restaurant and all the good tables are for people dining. I tried sitting near the bar and it was OK. If it were raining a better choice than the Jim Beam, but not someplace I want to watch a game from. But here’s the thing, once I was at the Excelsior level, I had access to all the seats on that lever and at least late in the game the ushers don’t give you a hard time; under the old ownership they did. I watched the last inning from behind the plate below the press level. The seats are padded and far more comfortable. I could see Keith Hernandez. Most importantly it’s a great view of the game. The upper deck is somewhat better than Shea if you don’t have an obstructed view. These were much better. I won’t be able to convince Alan to join me, but this is where I go every game where he leaves early.
As we have finished two months of the season, really a month and a half thanks to the lockout, it’s a good time for me to evaluate the Mets. Today I’ll be looking at the position players. The Mets have scored the second most runs of any team in baseball, have the highest batting average and on base percentage. They are “only” 5th in slugging percentage but second in wRC+ which puts all the hitting together. If you look at Fangraphs WAR which includes fielding and baserunning they are the top team in baseball. This is an unusual position for the Mets. They have often had great pitching but not great position players. How unusual is this for the team? Lots of fans can’t internalize it. In the last week I have heard one fan say that they “desperately need” another hitter. Another thought they have a big need another batter in the lineup to provide protection for Mets first baseman Pete Alonso. Pete leads the leagues with 47 rbi and is second in the majors. At the game on Saturday, I heard a fan in the stands say, “That’s the Mets’ specialty” after they hit into a double play. The old ownership broke the spirit of man fans. Let’s hope this season puts and end to that and we can get our 1986 fan swagger back.
Now I’ll through it position by position.
1B – Pete Alonso – He leads the league in in HR and RBI. He is third among NL first baseman in WAR but there’s a good argument that he’s better than the second place. Freddie Freeman. Freeman is only ahead because of fielding and WAR does not do a great job with fielding over a fraction of a season. I suspect he’ll be an all-star but I’m not sure. His WRC+ is 149 and WAR is 1.7
2B – Jeff McNeil – He’s the Mets’ Swiss Army Knife. He puts in a lot of time in left field and has played 3B and 1B in the prior seasons. He’s 9th in the league in WAR and third in BA. He’s second among 2B and I’d put him as the best. He has gone from being an adequate to an excellent fielder this season. He’s perhaps the most popular Met and has the best nickname, Squirrel. Alonso gives him a run for the money with Polar Bear. He’s a joy to watch. WRC+=149, WAR=1.9. He should be an all-star.
SS – Francisco Lindor – He leads all NL SS in WAR. That’s not surprising as he’s a perennial all-Star. He’s the Mets’ highest paid player and their best. He had a subpar season last year and the shell-shocked Mets fans turned on him. When he slumped this season, they turned on him again. He still has many doubters. The doubters are wrong. He’s one of the best fielders, the second best the Mets ever had after Rey Ordonez who was brilliant in the field but horrible at the plate. Lindor is clearly the Mets best SS ever. He’s 7th in WAR at any position in the NL. He’s third in the league in RBIs. He plays the game with Elan. His nickname is Senor Smile. I can’t see how any fan can not love him. WRC+=140, WAR=2.1
3B – Eduardo Escobar – He was signed as a free agent in the off season and is proving a disappointment. He’s not as bad as he seems as part of his decline is part of the MLB wide decrease in offense this year. He has a lifetime WRC+ of 96, 4% worse than the average hitter. This year it’s 100 so you can argue that the Mets are getting more than they bargained for. He’s always been overrated as he hit 35 HR one season, which neglects to mention that HR were flying out of the park that year. He’s just an adequate fielder. Fortunately, the Mets have a better alternative, the next player on the list. WRC+=100 WAR=0.6
Utility – Luis Guillorme – Guillorme doesn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title but he’s batting. 365. His WRC+ is team leading 165 and his WAR = 1.1. He’s done that in only 99PA. For comparison Escobar has 203. Want to improve the Mets? Play Guillorme over Escobar. Even though he’s having a career year Guillorme has always been good. His career WRC+ =111, excellent for a middle infielder. He has never been given the chance to play every day. This should be the year that changes. He has been hitting into good luck but not extreme good luck.
LF – Mark Canha – His specialty has always been getting on base and this year is no exception; his OBP is .367 behind that of only Guillorme and Nimmo. He’s a good outfielder. He was signed as a free agent in the off-season. WRC+ = 132, WAR = 1.2. For Comparison Tony Gwynn’s lifetime WRC+= 132.
CF – Brandon Nimmo- He should be another Met All-Star. He’s 8th in the league in WAR despite missing some time in injuries. He’s always been terrific at getting on base, his OBP is 386. He could always hit but this year he’s become a top defender. Last year he was below average. Given the defensive improvement of both McNeil and Nimmo the Mets coaching staff deserves a lot of credit. WRC+ = 144, WAR = 2.0 He is the top CF in WAR in the NL and should be an al-star.
RF – Starling Marte – The third regular the Mets signed this year. He’s fourth in WAR among CF. He’s having a very good, not great season. I suspect some fans are disappointed, but this is a typical Marte season except for fewer steals and he now plays RF not CF.
C – James McCann – Tomas Nido – Patrick Mazeika – McCann was supposed to be the regular, but he got hurt and has played less than half the team’s games. He hasn’t hit a lick, but his defense has been great. More importantly he handles the pitchers better than his replacements. The Team ERA has suffered greatly since he went out. Nido has been terrible, and Mazeika hasn’t played enough to judge. McCann WRC+ = 65, WAR=0.3.
The Mets are strong everywhere but catcher and third and once McCann comes back should be adequate at both. I’d love for them to have four all-stars, Alonso, McNeil, Lindor, and Nimmo.
Tonight, I’m hearing live music with Dan and my blog will go back to normal. I’m having so much fun with the Mets this year I needed to talk about them.
Wise Madness 