213 Miles From Shea

The Mets return to the land of daytime baseball at 1:10 today against the Nationals.

Yesterday they took a 2-1 loss against the Astros, moving their meaningless spring training record to 3-3 on the season. Tylor Megill allowed 2 runs, both unearned, over 3.2 innings from 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. Ottavino, May, Zastryzny and Claudio all pitched scoreless innings behind him. Zastryzny (today is his birthday, happy birthday!) and Claudio are both lefty, non-roster pitchers in Mets camp this spring.

As you could probably imagine with a score of 2-1, there wasn’t much offense to write about for the Mets as they scattered 7 hits across the night. Travis Jankowski did have a 2-hit night as he tries to break the outfield depth chart and Daniel Palka added his 3rd spring training RBI.

Mets Lineup:

1. Brandon Nimmo CF
2. Mark Canha LF
3. Jeff McNeil RF
4. Pete Alonso 1B
5. Robinson Cano 2B
6. Eduardo Escobar 3B
7. Dominic Smith DH
8. Luis Guillorme SS
9. Nick Dini C

Starting Pitcher: Taijuan Walker

What We Are Watching For:

Taijuan Walker finally returns to the mound! Walker had a January procedure done on his knee and he makes an important step forward today to get ready for the start of the season. Walker had two very different halves to his All-Star season last year. In his first 17 games and 94.2 innings, Walker put up a 2.66 ERA and a 1.056 WHIP. In his next 13 games and 64.1 innings, he had a 7.13 ERA and a 1.368 WHIP. Today though we just want to make sure that Walker is ok and feels good after he pitches.

The Mets will get an extended look today at Nick Dini, who signed a minor league contract with a non-roster invite to major league camp back at the end of November. Dini, from the great state of New Jersey was drafted in the 14th round back in 2015 out of Wagner College in Staten Island. He made his major league debut with the Royals during the 2019 season and hit .196/.270/.357 over 64 plate appearances. In Omaha last season, he hit .303/.357/.495 over 98 plate appearances. He is one of four catchers not on the 40-man roster the Mets invited to Spring Training this year.

Let’s Go Mets!

Today we preview the last pitcher (in alphabetical order) the Mets invited to Major League camp this year – Rob Zastryzny!

If you are reading this article on it’s original publication day, March 26th, it’s also Rob’s Birthday! Happy Birthday!

Zastryzny was drafted in the 2nd round back in 2013 by the Chicago Cubs. The lefty from Canada went the University of Missouri and went to High School in Corpus Christi. He made his major league debut in 2016 with the Cubs and was in a total of 18 games between 2016 and 2018. During that time he pitched 34.2 innings with a 4.41 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.529 WHIP and a 99 ERA+. In 2019 he was in the Dodgers system, 2020 with the Orioles, and 2021 with the Marlins. With the AAA Jacksonville club last year he posted a 3.68 ERA and 1.500 WHIP over 29.1 innings. Now he’s here!

According to Baseball Savant, he has a mid 70’s curveball, low 80’s cutter and high 80’s 4-seamer.

He’s been impressive in Mets camp so far, tossing 3.0 perfect innings while striking out 5 batters. Being a lefty is an advantage in the Mets system – the Mets desperately need a lefty specialist. He has some tough competition as several other lefties on NRI’s have also done well. However, as we learned last year, you can never have too many pitchers in camp and in your system ready to go.

Here’s hoping Rob continues to have an amazing Spring! Let’s go Mets!

The Mets continue their streak of 6 PM starts! After two consecutive night starts, the Mets head on the road to Astros camp for another night game!

The Mets are coming off of a fun win last night against the Marlins, where the Mets bats exploded for 9 runs. Mark Cahna and Francisco Lindor got the festival started hitting back to back homers in the first inning. J.D. Davis added in a bases clearing double, Eduardo Escobar went 3-3 at the plate and top prospect Fracisco Alvarez hit his first homer in Spring.

Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar were the two batters we featured yesterday in our “What We’re Watching For” segment at the end of this article. You can thank us later.

The game also featured a clean inning of work from Edwin Diaz who struck out two batters and a 1-hit/no runs inning from Miguel Castro. Several players who are trying break onto the roster had a strong night too including Eric Orze, Chasen Shreve and Colin Holderman.

Mets Lineup:

1. Luis Guillorme 2B
2. Francisco Lindor SS
3. Dominic Smith 1B
4. Pete Alonso DH
5. Daniel Palka RF
6. J.D. Davis 3B
7. Travis Jankowski CF
8. Tomas Nido C
9. Carlos Cortes LF

Starting Pitcher: Tylor Megill

What We are Watching For:

Tylor Megill returns to the mound tonight. Megill had a strong start to Spring Training, logging 3.0 scoreless innings in relief. He allowed 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out three batters. There were stretches last season where the Mets rotation was being held together by Megill, now he’s scheduled to start the season in Syracuse.

As expected there are not a ton of regulars making the trip today. Francisco Lindor will look to keep last night’s hot start going tonight in the two-hole. This is also an opportunity today to see Dominic Smith play defense at first, with Alonso sliding into the DH. Finally, the Mets outfield options are starting to dwindle a bit, so there’s a good chance we’ll get an extended look today Travis Jankowski. So far in Spring he has seen time in three games with five trips to the plate. he’s drawn a walk but has done nothing else.

Let’s Go Mets!

Josh Walker is that “technically correct” answer for which pitcher started the Mets 2022 season as he started the first game of Spring Training this year! In two games and 4.0 innings so far, he’s allowed 2 runs, 1 earned, from 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.

The Mets drafted Josh Walker in the 37th round back in 2017 out of the University of New Haven. The 27-year old lefty is trying to break onto a roster this season after playing at three different levels last year. Walker pitched a three different levels last year for the Mets (like fellow Non-Roster Invitee Eric Orze). Walker posted a 2.57 ERA over 21.0 innings in Brooklyn, 3.45 ERA over 44.1 innings in Binghamton and a 5.54 ERA over 50.1 innings in Syracuse. He was one year younger than the average player in AAA ball when he pitched in Syracuse last year. His time in the minors has been full of interruptions beyond his control. He had a nerve injury in 2019 from a car accident and there was no minor league action in 2020.

The MLB Prospects Page notes that he has a low 90’s fastball, upper 70’s curveball and a change-up. He is more of a control pitcher than an over powering speed pitcher.

There are a couple of questions the Mets should have about Walker going into this Spring. First, he’s been primarily used as a starter. Should that continue? (This is a good time to note he was primarily a reliever at the University of New Haven) The Mets immediate need is a lefty reliever. Second, Syracuse’s rotation is stacked and now four members of their projected rotation were starters for the Mets last year (Peterson, Megill, Yamamoto, Williams). That being said, we saw how quickly last year things can fall apart and you could be scrambling for a pitcher who is stretched out to the start. The second question is attached to the first – where should Walker pitch this year? If he’s a starter, he would get more innings initially in Binghamton. Age wise he should be in Syracuse.

There’s still a few weeks in Spring! We are excited to see what Walker brings the rest of the way!

The Mets are going to try to get a game in tonight even though the weather looks a little suspect in St. Lucie. The Mets are playing their second consecutive night spring training game, which is awesome, this time against the Miami Marlins.

Last time the Mets played, on Tuesday, they ended their two game losing streak with a 2-0 win against the Houston Astros. The star of the game was Jacob deGrom, who looked dominant in his 2.0 innings of work returning the mound. He even mixed in a rare curveball.

Mets Lineup:

1. Brandon Nimmo CF
2. Mark Canha RF
3. Francisco Lindor SS
4. Pete Alonso 1B
5. Eduardo Escobar DH
6. Jeff McNeil 2B
7. J.D. Davis 3B
8. Dominic Smith LF
9. Hayden Senger C

Starting Pitcher: Sean Reid-Foley

What We Are Watching For:

Sean Reid-Foley, who has one of the best pre-pitch stances in baseball gets the start tonight for the Mets. Born in Guam and drafted by the Blue Jays in 2014, Reid-Foley made his way over to the Mets as part of the Steven Matz trade. He was a critical part of the Mets last year, stepping into games when the Mets needed a long-man or a spot starter. So far this spring he has pitched one inning, allowing one run on two hits. He also struck out the side.

Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar are major additions to the Mets. Last year Canha hit .231/.358/.387, and that was a dip for his OBP. Baseball Reference has his projections at .241/.358/.410, a slight bump from last season. Eduardo Escobar hit .253/.314/.472. Baseball reference has him projected at .246/.306/.446. That’s a bit of decline but not much.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are hopping to find their left handed specialist this season through a series of non-roster invitations to big league camp. Right before the start of Spring Training, the Mets announced they signed Chasen Shreve to a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp. His name should sound familiar as Chasen pitched in 17 games for the 2020 Mets.

Chasen was drafted in the 11th round back in 2010 by the Atlanta Braves. He made his debut in 2014 and was stellar, allowing only one run over 15 games and 12.1 innings. He was then traded to the Yankees where he was solid and was later traded to the Cardinals. After that he signed a one year deal with the Mets and then a one year deal with the Pirates:

2020: 17 G, 25.0 IP, 3.96 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.160 WHIP, 109 ERA+
2021: 57 G, 56.1 IP, 3.20 ERA, 4.73 FIP, 1.260 WHIP, 132 ERA+

According to Baseball Savant, Chasen has three pitches: a slider in the low 80’s, a 4-seamer in the low 90’s and a splitter in the low 80’s. He was ranked last year in the 94th percentile for hardhit% a drastic change from when he was with the Mets and was in the 25th percentile. His average exit velocity also took a gigantic change. When he was with the Mets he was in the 10th percentile now he is in the 68th.

Chasen had a great year last year and the Mets are looking for a lefty. He’s going to get a long look this spring to see if he’s a fit!

The Mets pulled a fast one on everyone as soon as the lockout ended. In November, the Mets claimed Antonio Santos after he was put on waivers by the Rockies and he was added to the Mets 40-man roster. Somehow right after the lockout ended, the Mets slipped him back through waivers. No other teams put a claim on his contract and he ended up off of the Mets 40-man roster.

Now, officially a Mets minor leaguer, he was given a non-roster invitation to Spring Training, so here we are.

Antonio was signed by the Rockies in 2015 and made his major league debut during the 2020 season. Between 2020 and 2021, Santos has pitched in 10 games, starting 1, totaling 17.1 innings with a 8.83 ERA, 4.97 FIP, and a 1.846 WHIP. In the minors he was used pretty much as a starter through the year 2019. He became a reliever during the pandemic and pretty much only pitched relief last year. In triple A, he posted a 7.94 ERA over 34 games and 45.1 innings. He had a successful winter for Licey where he posted a 1.00 ERA over 9 games and 9.0 innings of work.

According to MLB Savant, he has 5 pitches: mid 90’s fastball, high 70’s curveball, mid 80’s changeup, low to mid 80’s slider, and a mid 90’s sinker. In his two cups of coffee at the major league level he used his fastball about 50% of the time.

Repeating what we’ve said a lot this week – the Mets need pitchers. Between injuries last year and trades from the last few seasons, the Mets have lost quite a bit of pitching depth. Santos is part of the rebuilding of depth this year. The Mets will be taking looks at everyone on the depth chart this year as the Mets get ready to kick off their 2022 campaign.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, the Mets have an early Spring night game at home! Yes, I know Spring Training started late, but the point still stands, the Mets, at home during the Spring, generally avoid 6 PM starts. Tomorrow’s game is also a 6 PM start at home. I’m trying to not read too much into but if someone who controls the Mets schedule for the regular season is reading this please note that this Mets fan is a supporter of 6 PM over 7 PM starts, especially in April and September.

The Mets lost yesterday but that’s not what anyone really cares about. Scherzer made his spring debut! He pitched 5.0 innings and tossed only 72 pitches (if the game continued at that pace, he would have hit 100 pitches at the end of the 7th inning). Max allowed one run off three hits and no walks while striking out 5. What a glorious spring sight. The offense on the other hand yesterday wasn’t so great to look at as they compiled only two hits, one coming from Luis Guillorme who now has a small sample batting average of .571 and OPS of 1.714.

Mets Lineup:

1. Brandon Nimmo CF
2. Francisco Lindor SS
3. Jeff McNeil DH
4. Pete Alonso 1B
5. Robinson Cano 2B
6. Eduardo Escobar 3B
7. Mark Canha RF
8. Dominic Smith LF
9. James McCann C

Starting Pitcher: Jacob deGrom

What We’re Watching For:

Happy Jacob deGrom day! Jacob returns to the mound and we couldn’t be more excited. He battled injuries for significant chunks of last year but when he was on the mound he was untouchable. Over 15 starts and 92.0 innings he had a 1.08 ERA, 1.24 FIP, 0.554 WHIP, and a 373 ERA+. His 14.3 K/9, 1.1 BB/9 and 3.9 H/9 marks were both the best in his career.

The lineup tonight is fairly close to what the starting lineup would look like without Starling Marte. More interesting is the defensive alignment – with Jeff McNeil at DH will get a look tonight at how Cano is on the same field as Escobar, Lindor and Alonso.

It’s Jacob deGrom day! Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets signed Jose Rodriguez out of the Braves system earlier this off-season. The Angels originally signed him in 2012 and he made a cup-of-coffee major league debut in 2019 at the age of 23 years old. Between 2019 and 2020, Rodriguez has pitched in 10 major league games, starting one, with 21.1 innings posting a 2.53 ERA in a very small sample size.

Last year the Braves used him as a starter in the minor leagues. In AA ball, he posted a 1.61 ERA and a 0.672 WHIP over 22.1 innings. AAA ball, where he was two years younger than the average player, wasn’t as kind to him. He posted a 5.29 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP over 78.1 innings.

According to his Baseball Savant page, he has a changeup (mid 80’s), 4-seamer (low 90’s), slider (low to mid 80’s) and a curveball (mid to high 70’s). In 2019 he also logged a low 90’s sinker in 2019 as well. The amount of pitches he has screams starter/spot starter/long reliever.

The Mets learned a lesson about arms last year – you can never have enough of them. Especially arms that can start games. Rodriguez would be fairly low down the depth chart thanks to some other moves the Mets made. That being said, he could easily be a spot started candidate this season depending on if he’s able to stretch his arm out where he is placed. Specifically, I’m thinking about a scenario where the Mets need one start, so it doesn’t make sense to go to Peterson or Megill. The Mets will be looking at him this spring both determine if he’s going to Binghamton or Syracuse and where on the Mets depth chart he falls.

The last couple of days we previewed pitchers in the prospect vein for the New York Mets, today we look at a veteran trying to push his way onto a major league roster this season.

Felix Pena was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 2009 and made his major league debut in 2016 as a 26-year old. He was traded to the Angels in 2017 and stayed with the Angels until he was released in 2021, and then signed by the New York Mets.

For the majority of his career he has been a reliever in the majors, with 2020 as his best season. He posted a 4.05 ERA, 3.00 FIP, 1.313 WHIP over 25 games and 26.2 innings. His 2018 season is also interesting – he started 17 of the 19 games (92.2 IP) he appeared in posting a 4.18 ERA, 4.04 FIP and a 1.241 WHIP.

Felix Pena spent most of last year in the minors, pitching in 31 games, making 7 starts, and logging 68.1 innings with a 8.43 ERA. He had much more success in the Dominican Winter league, making 7 starts (33.0 innings) with a 1.91 ERA and a 0.879 WHIP. Looking at his stat cast – he tosses a fastball and sinker in the low 90’s. He also has a slider and a change up in the mid 80’s. 2020 was the last year he pitched enough to register in the percentile rankings where he was in the 70’s or better for xwOBA, xSLG, BB%, Fastball Velocity, and Hard Hit%. But he was only in the 8th percentile for chase rate.

Depth is important for the Mets. His mix of starting and long relief does make him an intriguing player.