Bat & Field

Peyton Battenfield is his name, and he’s up for Jeff Brigham. The Mets acquired this guy from Cleveland on a waiver claim earlie rthis month. He’d gone 0-5, 5.19 for the Guardians. The Met roster lists Battenfield in No. 60, which was freed up when Ronny Mauricio took 10 upon his callup.

This weekend saw the Mets assured of having a losing record and shut out of the playoffs even though it seems like they’re playing as well as they have all year. Soon it’ll be hot stove under a new baseball poobah David Stearns.

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Let the Future Begin

So as it turns out, Ronny Mauricio is wearing 10 tonight, and batting last as the Mets host the Mariners. The projection engines don’t much like Mauricio (they see him as a low-OBP) but I’m always excited about a power-speed switch-hitter, the future is hard to predict, so let’s see how he does.

Going down for him is Danny Mendick who hasn’t done much to justify staying on the roster other than he can pitch. Also back up are Jose Butto and Brett Baty, whom the projection software likes but slumped into Mauricio territory.

Hoping all these guys thrive because they whacked the farm director and a bunch of honchos in the organization in a move that some say clears the deck for a new baseball chief but could leave them without a champion.

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Meet the New Middle Relief Corps

Well it looks like the mystery below has been settled on Twitter, or has it? Word now is that’s Marv Throneberry, based on his white sideburns. Here’s an image I found on the Internet. Could be him! Marv wore No. 2 as a Met but 55 seems like something they’d give a coach.

Back to the Mets and the astonishing return of Sean Reid-Foley! He appeared seemingly out of nowhere wearing No. 71 the other night; the 61 he used to have has been given to Michael Perez. Reid-Foley has been away since early last season with Tommy John surgery. I always thought this guy might be something, having come over for a name-brand pitcher in Steven Matz.

Another blast from the past, if you recall minor-league Mets, is Adam Kolarek, a lefty sidearmer wearing 66. Kolarek was a longshot prospect who got away and since been kicked around the league from Baltimore to Tampa to Los Angeles to Oakland to Atlanta, etc. The Mets got him from the Dodgers along with Phil Bickford in a cash deal at the deadline. A whole new middle-relief corps.

 

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Name that Met

This week we saw the arrival–and departure–of reliever Tyson Miller, becoming the first Met since Seth Lugo and the second overall to wear No. 67. We also witnessed the debut appearance of Sam Coonrod wearing No. 45. Coonrod spent the whole year injured.

The real action happened on Twitter where a mystery popped up over the Met pictured below in the No. 55 jersey in a 1984 Old Timers Game. He looks facially like Bill Monbouquette even though Bill wore 54 and wasn’t on the Mets’ staff in 1984.

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Royal Flush

In some ways that was a more radical teardown than even I anticipated. For a time I was hoping to keep Justin Verlander in the hopes that he, Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana could be the start of a decent rotation for 2024. He got us two promising hitters instead. And how about that Dominic Leone trade? This was a guy we got off the trash heap in May and he brought back the Angels’ No. 9 prospect.

The problem with all this in-season wheeling and dealing is we’re left with a club that can’t beat the Royals. Thanks the the depletions of Tommy Pham and Mark Canha we’re running out palookas like Rafael Ortega (30) and Jonathan Arauz (19). We have new dudes in the bullpen I’ve hardly ever heard of like Reed Garrett (75) and Phil Bickford (50).

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Maxed Out

I’ll miss David Robertson and his reliable socks more than I’ll ever miss Max Scherzer and his reliable gopherballs.

Who knows whether Luisangel Acuna actually becomes a star; what we know was that Scherzer wasn’t one anymore. At best, he was a fading one whose 2024 looks pretty risky, so I’m glad he and all that money are gone.

Next up? Probably Tommy Pham and maybe Brooks Raley. Verlander? He might stay. Hopefully the rest of these guys give us a starting pitcher because I’m not looking forward to David Peterson and Tylor Megill.

Up from Syracuse to take Max’s place is Vinny Nottoli. Reed Garrett, No. 75, replaced Robertson.

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SHaMpionship Run

Welcome to SHaM Opening Night! (Second HAlf Mets) Many of us I’m sure will be missing the opener which is available to view only on Apple TV.

Not that it will necessarily be the kind of thing you shouldn’t miss. The less you saw of the First Half Mets the better. Who could have guessed that Tommy FHaM would be the Mets most reliable player? (He or Nimmo, I suppose). But I don’t have to tell you guys it was awful pitching that sunk us. Newcomers like Trevor Gott have the chance to improve that, if you want to be optimistic.

What will be interesting to watch I suppose is whether the SHaMs have another few 6-of-8 runs in them and get back into contention for a Wild Card, or revert to FHaM form and sell.

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Women and Children First

The Mets did the kindest thing they could and sprung Eduardo Escobar from this drifting shipwreck. The veteran infielder, who actually looked useful if redundant as a reserve, was traded to Anaheim last night for two minor league pitchers. It’s nice that Steve Cohen paid his salary on the way out which leads to a better haul of prospects in this case, /looks it up/ Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux.

I didn’t get to see Vinny Nottoli make his Mets debut but he’s wearing the No. 68 most recently belonging to Adonis Medina. I have gotten a look at sidearmer Grant Hartwig, who is making history as the first Met to wear No. 93.

I haven’t put better baseball beyond this group but it’s looking more to me like the Escobar trade could be the first of several unloadings for this group, especially if the time comes for Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio to be contributors. Mauricio is listed in No. 60 but I could see him taking the newly available 10.

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Goodbye Gary

I know I’ve been running behind schedule but I didn’t think I’d miss the entire Gary Sanchez Era. The Mets solved the problem of too many catchers today and designated the former Yankee for assignment. We’ve got to stop giving catchers No. 33, it did so little for James McCann.

Tomas Nido is back but he’s not about to be the starter any longer now that Francisco Alvarez has settled in. He’s pretty good. Brett Baty isn’t bad either though he may be having his first Big League slump. Mark Vientos? His swing looks long to me and I’m afraid he’s going to strike out too much. I’m a little scared to pull the plug on Tommy Pham yet.

I was in the stadium when Josh Walker made his first and still only appearance as a Met. He became the first 91 since Carlos Gomez broke it in in his brief return to the Mets in 2019.

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Catch Them While You Can

A flurry of fast-vanishing minor league palookas have inhabited the bullpen lately. We’ve seen Edwin Uceta (64), Zach Muckenhirn (71), and Dominic Leone (50), not to mention emergency starters Jose Butto and Denyi Reyes. Leone appeared so suddenly he beat the transactions column.

While inputting some of these guys I realized I’d neglected to mark the end of their predecessors like RJ Alvarez for Muckenhirn and the unforgettable Nate Fisher for Uceta. Early May seems too soon to be this deep into bullpen depth, but these guys are churning already. Only Leone is still up, now that Tommy Hunter and Stephen Nogosek are back from injury.

I’m not certain how the Mets shake themselves out of this malaise but more consistent work from the top three in the lineup would a place to start. They gave off “Worst Team Money Can Buy” vibes this week in Detroit.

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