What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets were off on Thursday - they will begin a weekend series with the Cardinals tonight at Citi Field
The Mets will debut their new black jerseys tonight and their City Connect jerseys tomorrow against St. Louis
Roster Moves 🗞️
Veteran DH J.D. Martinez is expected to be activated and in the lineup for tonight’s series opener against the Cardinals - a corresponding roster move will be made later
Recently DFA’d RHP Michael Tonkin was claimed off waivers by the Yankees
Down on the Farm 🌾
RHP Dom Hamel (No. 14 prospect, Triple-A) (W) 5.1 innings 0 ER 1 H 2 BB 8 K
C Kevin Parada (No. 9 prospect, Double-A) 1-for-4 3-run homer
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (13-11) vs Cardinals (11-14)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Jose Butto (0-0, 1.65 ERA) vs. RHP Miles Mikolas (1-3, 6.49 ERA)
When: 7:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
How great has Tyrone Taylor been so far? ✍️
When an executive leaves one organization to join another one, like the way David Stearns departed Milwaukee to come to Queens and run the Mets, it’s not uncommon to bring players they like with them to their new location.
So it really didn’t come as a surprise in any way when shortly after getting the job Stearns swung a deal with the Brewers to bring in starting pitcher Adrian Houser and outfielder Tyrone Taylor.
Houser was a better known name and someone that came with a multi-year track record of being a solid middle to back of the rotation big league starter.
Taylor, meanwhile, had spent the last few years as a reserve outfielder for the Brewers, having never registered more than 373 at-bats in a big-league season. He had shown some power, and flashed a capable outfield glove, but Milwaukee never gave Taylor the opportunity to really grab a job and run with it.
Getting a fresh start with a new organization might be the best thing that ever happened to him. Thus far in 2024, Taylor has been arguably the Mets most consistent offensive player.
He’s slashing .327/.358/.510 with two homers, 13 RBI, three doubles, and two stolen bases. He’s become a fixture in the club’s lineup when the opposition starts a lefty—something that will admittedly be more difficult with the impending arrival of J.D. Martinez.
But the thing about Taylor that’s been most impressive to me is that through the season’s first few weeks he’s emphatically possessed what is fun to refer to as the clutch gene. With two outs he’s slashing .471/.500/.588 with six RBI. Time and time again, he’s come up with the critical hit to break the backs of opposing pitchers and help put the Mets in position to win.
Obviously those numbers are probably not going to stand pat over the next several weeks. But the point is Taylor has shown himself to be fearless in big spots, and he plays with a level of swagger and attitude that is refreshing.
He’s also an incredibly talented defensive outfielder, and when the Mets choose to give one of their three starters out on the grass a blow, they certainly don’t lose anything with the glove.
Just two years ago, Taylor crushed 17 home runs for Milwaukee in a part-time role, and the Mets would absolutely welcome that level of consistent production as the 2024 season marches on.
Now, is a lifetime .244 hitter likely to continue swinging a well over .300 bat? Probably not.
But I think manager Carlos Mendoza has done an excellent job of playing the match-up game and putting Taylor in a position to succeed, and it’s been a whole lot of fun t watch during the season’s opening month.
With the aforementioned Martinez joining the Mets today, the DH position in the Mets lineup is going to be occupied on a near nightly basis. That means finding playing time for Taylor will have to come at the expense of one of the team’s starting outfielders, Brandon Nimmo, Harrison Bader, or Starling Marte.
That could become a challenge, but it’s important for Mendoza to continue finding opportunities for him, because so far in 2024 it’s been obvious that the Mets are a better team when Tyrone Taylor is in the lineup.
Mendoza has had an outstanding pulse on this roster and team in general through the first 24 games of the year. While it will become more complicated, Taylor has made himself hard to ignore and exponentially more valuable to the club so far - it will be imperative for Mendoza to keep that pulse on the roster, keep Taylor fresh and find those spots that continue to make him successful.
Around the League 🚩
Zack Wheeler fired six one hit innings as the Phillies easily blanked the Reds 5-0
Gary Sanchez hit an 8th inning pinch-hit two run homer against Aroldis Chapman to spring Milwaukee to a 7-5 win over Pittsburgh
The White Sox got a good start from Michael Soroka but still lost to the Twins, dropping to a paltry 3-22 on the season
Former Mets’ first round pick Pete Crow-Armstrong connected on his first MLB home run in the Cubs 3-1 win over Houston
Colorado scored six runs in the 8th inning to flip the script on the Padres and beat San Diego 10-9
Taylor be at least a “give X a day off” guy, for Marte in particular.