213 Miles From Shea

The Astros snapped the Mets winning streak yesterday beating the Mets 2-1 in West Palm beach. It was an unusual spring training game happening at night, in February, and with no television or radio coverage. It was also the first Mets spring training game of the season where the Mets did not hit a home run. The best performance of the night belonged to Tylor Megill who pitched three scoreless innings, scattering two hits, while striking out four.

Today Luis Severino will make his Mets debut. Severino signed a one-year deal with the Mets at the end of November for 13 million. The Mets are hoping they can help Severino figure it out this year and return to his stellar form from a few seasons ago.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Luis Severino: Over 19 games and 89 1/3 innings last year, Severino had a 6.65 ERA, 6.14 FIP, 1.646 WHIP and a 65 ERA+. In 2022 though, over 19 games, he tossed 102 innings with a 3.18 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 1.000 WHIP and a 124 ERA+. Today we are looking for a smooth, easy outing for Severino so he can get the confidence going early this spring.
2. Omar Narváez: Omar makes his spring debut today! He signed a one-year deal with the Mets before last season with a player option, effectively making it a two-year, 15 million dollar deal. At the start of 2023 he was set to be the starting catcher until Francisco Álvarez was ready. Omar got a nasty calf strain in early April and eventually landed on the 60-day injured list. This opened up the door last year for Francisco (and several other catchers). A healthy Omar Narváez makes the floor of the Mets roster higher than any other back-up catcher scenario
3. Trayce Thompson: Trayce is off to an incredibly hot start as he fights for the last outfield spot on the active roster. In three games so far this spring he is 4-for-7 with a double and two home runs. One of them was a grand slam (which is why he already has 6 RBI for the spring).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets play on the road for the second time this spring as they head to West Palm Beach to take on the Astros. This will also be the Mets first night game of the spring, which generally do not occur until later in March.

This will also be the second time this week the Mets play a game where there is no television or radio coverage in the tri-state area (and for those with MLBtv, the Astros are not providing television coverage either). This is frustrating, but not that surprising. The Mets provide excellent coverage of home spring training games and that is not a standard practice throughout the league.

Anyway, the Mets look to stretch their winning streak to five games this evening. Yesterday the Mets beat the Cardinals 3-0, thanks to another great day at the plate from Pete Alonso and Trayce Thompson. Alonso hit his first homer of the year and Trayce went 2-for-2 with a double and homer. If you had Trayce as the first player in Mets camp with more than one spring homer, you’re a winner!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. José Quintana’s spring debut: Senga’s injury makes Quintana even more important this season. Quintana’s season got off to a scary start with a lesion on his ribs that required surgery. Thankfully, the lesion was benign. Quintana was exactly what the Mets needed in the rotation towards the end of the season making 13 starts with a 3.57 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.308 WHIP and a 118 ERA+.
2. Tylor Megill’s second outing: Megill will pitch in his second spring training game today as he continues to compete for the final spot in the rotation. In his first outing he allowed one run over two innings while striking out three batters. The first inning was rough and Tylor had to put in work, but he was able to get out of it and have a smooth second inning. He didn’t throw his “American Spork” that much, but that also makes sense. It was literally the first spring training game. We’ll “see” if he throws it more tonight (or at least hear about it in tweets from people at the ballpark).
3. Mets showing power at the plate: The Mets have hit six home runs as a team so far this spring. They’ve come from players fighting for a position on the roster (Trayce Thompson and Ji-Man Choi), to players deep on the depth chart (Hayden Senger) to starters (Pete Alonso and Francisco Álvarez). The Mets were 10th in the league in home runs last season with 215. Here’s hoping the Mets keep the homers coming tonight – even if we won’t be able to see it.

Let’s Go Mets!

About two weeks ago the Mets resigned everyone’s favorite player who dislikes sleeves – Luke Voit!

Voit was drafted by the Cardinals in 2013 and made his major league debut in 2017. He was traded at the 2018 trade deadline to the Yankees where he made a name for himself. Voit had a solid 2019 campaign hitting .263/.378/.464 (124 OPS+) where he hit 21 homers. The following season he led the league with 22 homers (2020 was shortened due to Covid) and had 157 OPS+. The Yankees traded him during spring training in 2022 to the Padres who later traded him in the massive trade for Juan Soto. Voit finished the season with the Nationals and spent time last year in the Brewers and the Mets organization.

The 2020 season saw Luke Voit at the top of a lot of percentile rankings. He was in the 96th percentile for batting run value, 92nd for xwOBA, 81st for xBA and 95th for xSLG.

In 2021 and 2022 Voit was still an average power hitter according to OPS+ (109 and 104 respectively) but things fell off in 22 games with the Brewers where he hit .221/.284/.265 (53 OPS+) with no home runs. Strikeouts have always been a concern with Voit and in 2023 he reached a new low, striking out 36.5% of the time. A switch flipped after he signed with the Mets. In Syracuse he smashed 14 home runs over 37 games hitting .264/.415/.643. At the start of August he opted out of his contract so he could find an opportunity to play on a major league roster.

He’s now back with the Mets competing for a spot on the roster. He’s going to be directly competing with Ji-man Choi for a depth spot as either a DH option or backup first basemen. This competition is probably going to run the length of camp (unless Choi or Voit get an opportunity to play on a different team).

Break up the Mets! The Mets stretched their spring training winning streak to three games yesterday with a 7-1 win over the Marlins. Overall it was a solid day in the office for the Mets. Ji-Man Choi, in camp as a non-roster invitee, went 1-for-2 at the plate with his first homer of the season. It also means the Mets have hit a home run in each spring training game so far this season.

The pitching stole the show yesterday. Adrian House had a solid outing in his Mets debut allowing a hit and nothing else while striking out one batter in two innings of work. Nate Lavender burst onto the scene in his first spring training outing on Saturday by striking out the side. He added another clean inning (with another strikeout) yesterday.

Today the attention turns to the Mets bullpen as Reed Garrett, Grant Hartwig and Josh Walker are all scheduled to appear in the game. All three players are on the Mets 40-man roster and saw time in the majors last season. All three are now competing for a bullpen spot.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Last Bullpen Spot Competition: As the Mets added more and more arms to the bullpen this off-season, several pitchers that saw time last season in the majors started to fall into the danger zone of not making the team out of camp this year. Reed Garrett, Grant Hartwig and Josh Walker are all battling for one of the last couple of spots in the bullpen. All three are scheduled to pitch today. Garrett, starting today, had a 5.82 ERA, 74 ERA+ over 17 innings last season. Hartwig had a 4.84 ERA, 88 ERA+ over 35 1/3 innings. Walker posted an 8.10 ERA, 54 ERA+ over 10 innings. The Mets signings in January and February this year makes it feel like all three players are trending downwards, strong performances today can help reverse that trend.
2. Starling Marte makes his spring debut: Last year was a disappointing year for the two-time all-star who struggled with injuries leading to only 86 games played and a .248/.301/.324 (73 OPS+) slash line. In his first season with the Mets, Marte was a critical component of the Mets lineup with a 132 OPS+. His injury down the stretch could have played a role in the Mets not overtaking the Braves for the 2022 division title. A healthy Marte is a huge boon for the 2024 Mets and we are excited to see him in the lineup today.
3. Checking in on the third base position battle. The Mets are trending right now towards Brett Baty as the everyday third basemen and Mark Vientos as the everyday DH. Both are in those positions for this afternoon’s game. So far this spring Brett has played in two games going 1-for-4 at the plate two two runs scored and a strikeout. Vientos has played in three games going 2-for-7 at the plate with one run scored and a strikeout. Extremely small sample sizes so far and we are looking for both players to have a good day at the plate.

Let’s Go Mets!

Yolmer Sánchez was signed to a minor league contract with the Mets to help round out their up the middle depth for the regular season. Over the last several years the Mets have seen how injuries to the infield can quickly pile up and they’ve had to reach down the depth chart often.

Sánchez signed with the White Sox in 2009 and would have his best seasons with the organization. He made his debut in 2014 and started to see regular playing time in 2015. He was never much of a hitter, and more of a defender with his OPS+ never breaking 100 in any of this full seasons of play. There is a floor for offense from a defense-first player and he hit that between 2017 and 2019, putting up an OPS of .732, .678 and .638 during those three seasons. He also led the league in triples with 10 back in 2018. In 2019 his defense was recognized with a Gold Glove Award.

During the 2020 season is where he went from being a White Sox mainstay to Immaculate Grid super answer. He was selected off waivers by the Orioles only to be released at the end of spring training the following year. The Braves then signed him the next day. The follow year he signed witht he Red Sox who put him on waivers in August 2022. The Mets then selected him.

Sánchez was a Met before! He literally played in three games for the Mets in 2022 but didn’t get a single plate appearance. He did play in 22 games for Syracuse getting 93 PA’s hitting .244/.355/.333. After his brief stint with the Mets he signed with the Braves again last season. Now he’s back in the Mets organization.

Sánchez is effectively competing with José Iglesias for depth. Both players are known for their defense on the field and both are proven veteran relievers who have spent a lot of time in bench/depth positions over the last couple of years. As of writing (2/28), Sánchez has played in three games for the Mets this spring going for 1-for-7 with a run scored and three strikeouts.

The Mets bring their winning record back to Clover Park today to take on the Marlins for the first time this spring. Yesterday the Mets won their second consecutive spring game as they beat the Nationals 6-3 at West Palm Beach. Trayce Thompson stole the show going 2-for-3 at the plate including a grand slam. Additionally Pete Alonso had a great day at the plate going 2-for-2 with two doubles and walk.

The focus today though is not on the bats – it’s on the pitching. The Mets have several big names making their spring debuts in Houser and López. Nate Lavender, who impressed on Saturday, is scheduled to get his second outing of the year.

The biggest knock on the Mets game on Sunday was their defense. The team committed two errors and had a balk. Yesterday Luke Ritter had an error and Senger allowed a passed ball. It is difficult to have a full read on yesterday’s defense for the Mets because the game wasn’t televised or broadcasted on the radio (and sometimes defensive miscues don’t show up in the box score).

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Adrian Houser: Houser is making his first Mets start this afternoon and that’s biggest story of the day. Houser was acquired in a trade with the Brewers to round out the Mets rotation for this season. Last year he made 21 starts and pitched in 23 games tossing 111 1/3 innings with a 4.12 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.392 WHIP and a 105 ERA+. He has a low-to-mid-90’s fastball that he used 71% of the time last year mixing in a slider, curve and changeup. The Mets wild card chances this year are pinned on how solid the back of the rotation can be, Houser is a major factor for that.
2. Nate Lavender’s second outing: Lavender was fantastic on Saturday in his spring debut. The Mets prospect struck out the side and turned a lot of heads. After the game he said “If you throw 92 with a little doubt in there, it’s probably gonna get hit pretty hard. If you throw 92 with some grit and some intention behind it, you’re gonna be alright.” Lavender is currently in camp as a non-roster invitee and has a lot to over come to break camp with the team and we are very excited to see his second outing of the year.
3. Jorge López: Rebuilding the Mets bullpen was a key part to the Mets off-season. Stearns brought in a ton of pitchers with different throwing styles to give the Mets bullpen something it lacked last year – different looks. López is a key part to making the bullpen a strength for the Mets. Last year wasn’t great for the former All-Star as he posted a 5.95 ERA, 73 ERA+ over multiple organizations. His 2022 stint with the Orioles shows his potential. Over 48 1/3 innings he had a 196 ERA+.

Let’s go Mets!

Non-roster invitations generally fall into one of two larger buckets: prospects and veteran players. José Iglesias falls into the veteran bucket and is a great name to remember if you do the Immaculate Grid daily.

Iglesias was signed by the Red Sox in 2009 and would make his major league debut for the Red Sox at just 21-years old in 2011. In 2013 he was part of a three-team trade that sent him to the Tigers. During his time as a Tiger he lined up against Francisco Lindor and Cleveland a lot which led to the story SNY shared during the first broadcast of the year of Iglesias and Lindor admiring each other’s defense.

At the end of 2018 Iglesias became a free agent and that’s when his traveling journey started. He signed as a free agent with the Reds, then with the Orioles. The Orioles then traded him to the Angels who released him. He then signed with the Red Sox, the Rockies, the Marlins, the Padres (twice in the same season) and now he’s with the Mets.

The one-time All-Star is known for his defense but hasn’t been terrible as a hitter. 2022 was the last time he played in the majors and hit .292/.328/.380 over 118 games for the Rockies with a 91 OPS+. During the 2022 season he was in the 98th percentile for whiff% and 79th for xBA (but only in the 12th percentile for xwOBA). Even though he is defense-first player, his defense wasn’t tremendously noteworthy according to Baseball Savant in 2022. He was in the 46th percentile for range (outs above average) and 35th for arm strength.

Iglesias has had some seriously good seasons in the past. In 2020 he was in the 90th percentile for outs above average and the 91st percentile for xwOBA. He provides the Mets the depth they need in the middle infield. Compared to the other non-roster invitees, Iglesias has a good chance to play himself onto the 40-man roster and into a bench position with a strong spring.

The Mets look to make it two wins in a row this afternoon as they take on the Nationals for the Mets first road game of the season. The big story from yesterday’s game was Francisco Álvarez hitting his first home run of the spring. So far it’s been the Mets catchers this spring showing off the power with the other Mets homer coming from Hayden Senger in the first game of the season.

José Buttó had a solid outing, scattering three hits over two innings. On Saturday Megill had a rough first inning, but a much calmer second inning and allowed only one run over two innings. Buttó and Megill are both competing with Lucchesi for the Mets final spot in the rotation. There is one additional pitcher competing for that spot – today’s starter Max Kranick. The Mets claimed Kranick from the Pirates in mid-January. Max Kranick had Tommy John surgery in 2022, which caused him to miss most of that season and almost all of 2023.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Max Kranick: Kranick made nine starts in 2021 for the Pirates pitching a total of 38 2/3 innings with a 6.28 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 1.707 WHIP and a 68 ERA+. He made nine starts across the minor leagues last year with a 4.35 ERA over 20 2/3 innings rehabbing from Tommy John. Before his surgery in 2021, he used four different pitches in major league games. He has a mid-90’s fastball (thrown 48% of the time), high-80’s slider (32%), low-80’s curve (12%) and a high-80’s change (7%).
2. Sean Reid-Foley: Sean is fully competing for one of the last bullpen spots on the roster this spring. Similar to Kranick, Sean missed a large chunk of 2022 recovering from Tommy John surgery. In the majors last season he allowed only three runs from four hits and six walks over 7 2/3 innings while striking out 16 batters. In the minors he pitched 22 innings with a 4.09 ERA.
3. Top prospects get the start! The Mets are starting Drew Gilbert and Luisangel Acuña this afternoon. Both Gilbert and Acuña have already seen some playing time early this spring, but neither have started. As of right now neither player is expected to start the season with the Mets but there is a chance for one of both players to come up at some point this season. Hopefully they get to see major league pitching today!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets signed Ji-Man Choi on 2/16 to compete for the back up first base / DH role. Choi gained a lot of popularity and attention back in 2022 when he got off to a hot start. In April 2022 he went 15-for-42 hitting .357/.491/.595. He collected a total of six extra-base hits while walking a total of 11 times. He’s been a fairly reliable hitter throughout his career, posting an OPS+ above 100 every year between 2017 through 2022.

Choi was signed by the Mariners as a free agent in 2009. He never played in a major league game for the Mariners and was granted free agency in 2015 when the Orioles picked him up. The Angels then selected Choi from the Orioles in the December 2015 Rule V draft and he would go on to make his major league debut with the Angels. He was a Yankee for a year and then the Brewers signed him and later traded him to Tampa Bay. The Rays would later trade him to the Pirates and the Pirates would then trade him to the Padres. Ji-Man Choi is a name to remember for Immaculate Grid games.

Last year was a bit of a disappointment for Choi. First, the Pirates would not allow him to play in the World Baseball Classic for Korea. He dealt with Achilles strain that sidelined him for months and then when he got back to the field he was traded to the Padres. He then suffered a ribcage strain and got injured a third time while rehabbing. Ultimately he hit .163/.239/.385 last year over 39 games with a 68 OPS+.

The Mets are hoping to get the 2022 version of Choi. That year he was in the 93rd percentile for average exit velocity, 96th for chase%, 96th for walk% and 88th for hard-hit%. His running has always been a rough spot in his game. In 2022 he was in the 8th percentile for sprint speed and 3rd for baserunning run value.

This spring is a chance for Choi to establish himself, either for the Mets or for someone else. He’s been a solid hitter in his career. The Mets should be focusing on using Mark Vientos as their primary DH and Choi has quite a bit of competition to even make the 40-man roster. A strong spring from Choi though could force the Mets to think about their plans.

The Mets play their first of seven games against the Astros this afternoon at Clover Park! There are only a few teams left on the east coast of Florida, so the Mets play the same few teams a lot over spring training. At least the American League Astros are a club the Mets do not play often during the regular season.

Yesterday’s game for the Mets was a bit of a mess, but so are the Mets sometimes. The Cardinals won 10-5. On the positive side the Mets were able to get 11 hits throughout the game. The Mets also recorded two errors and recorded a balk. Alas, this is the purpose of spring training.

There were several standout performances for the Mets that are worth remembering as we head into game two. Nate Lavender, who is a non-roster invitee prospect, had a tremendous inning of relief where he struck out the side. Hayden Senger, a defense-first catcher who is probably 5th on the Mets depth chart, went 2-2 at the plate with two runs and a homer (the first of Mets spring training). Alex Ramírez, the forgotten Mets prospect, went 2-3 at the plate. First impressions are important!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. José Buttó: With Kodai Senga’s injury, a spot has opened up in the Mets starting rotation. Buttó is competing with Megill, Lucchesi, and Kranick for that spot (barring any surprise performances by prospects or non-roster invitees). Buttó started seven games and pitched 42 total innings for the Mets last season with a 3.64 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.332 WHIP and a 117 ERA+. This was way better than his Syracuse numbers last year where he had a 5.93 ERA over 91 innings. Buttó became part of the Mets rotation in September last year where he had 3.29 ERA over 27 ⅓ innings, and this includes one bad start where he allowed four runs over four innings. While Megill and Lucchesi have more major league experience, Buttó can make it an open competition with a strong spring.
2. Non-Roster Pitchers: If you like watching non-roster invitee pitching, today is your day! After Butto pitches Cole Sulser, Danny Young and Austin Adams are all scheduled to pitch. Adams was signed to a split contract at the end of November and was outrighted to make room for Jake Diekman. Before fracturing his ankle last year he had a 5.71 ERA and 3.72 FIP over 17 ⅓ innings. Danny Young is a former member of the Braves trying to break it through with the Mets this year. In eight games (8 ⅓ innings) he allowed one run from seven hits while striking out 11. Cole Sulser is an ivy league pitcher who had a great 2021 where he had a 2.70 ERA, 2.98 FIP over 63 ⅓ innings. All three pitchers are competing to get on the 40-man roster and one of the last bullpen spots the Mets have.
3. Ji-Man Choi: Choi is one of the more interesting players in Mets came on a non-roster deal. He signed with the Mets only nine days ago to compete for the back-up first basemen / DH spot on the Mets roster. Last season was his first season since 2017 with an OPS+ below 100 (68). He’s always been a player with some pop and more recently a player with patience to work out a walk. Even though went 2-31 at the plate with the Padres last year he still walked eight times!

Let’s Go Mets!