Mets survive Kodai Senga's shaky start thanks to offensive boom, but it's time for the kids to get some action
Even though the Mets are winning, Buck Showalter needs to start getting the young call ups more playing time
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets beat the Giants 9-4 in the opener of their four game series in San Francisco (Box)
Pete Alonso homered and drove in four runs - he now has a league leading nine home runs on the season, representing 39 percent of the team’s total home run output
RHP Kodai Senga kept the Giants off balance and off the board for the first four innings but was touched up for four runs in the 5th
Jeff McNeil blasted his first home run of 2023 leading off the 6th
Eduardo Escobar got the start at third base against southpaw Sean Manaea and took the veteran deep in the 4th inning
Brandon Nimmo had three more hits, raising his average to a team high .368
Brooks Raley, John Curtiss, Drew Smith, and Jeff Brigham all pitched a scoreless inning of relief
RHP Max Scherzer chose not to appeal his 10 game suspension stemming from the sticky situation at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday
The three former Mets in San Francisco’s starting line-up last night—Michael Conforto, Wilmer Flores, and J.D. Davis—combined to go 1-11
Injury Updates 🏥
RF Starling Marte (neck soreness) did not play Thursday night and is considered day-to-day
Who’s Hot 🔥
Brandon Nimmo is 16-for-31 (.516) on this West Coast road trip with a home run, four doubles, six RBI and six runs scored in six games
Pete Alonso crushed his ninth home run in the Mets first 20 games and is on a pace to hit 73 long balls
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets at Giants
Where: Oracle Park - San Francisco, CA
Starters: LHP Joey Lucchesi (0-0 -.-- ERA) vs. RHP Anthony DeSclafani (1-0, 1.42 ERA)
When: 10:15 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
It’s time for the Mets to cut the cord with their big prospects✍🏻
For the duration of spring training, so much of the conversation in Port St. Lucie centered around the big four prospects the Mets had in camp: Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Ronny Mauricio.
Three of the four had reached the big leagues late last season, but all four faced challenging situations that made it difficult to make the team out of camp. Sometimes, though, you plan and god laughs, and just three weeks into the season things have changed dramatically.
Thanks to an injury to catcher Omar Narváez, Alvarez was promoted on April 7th. Baty tore the cover off the ball for the first two weeks in Triple-A and essentially forced his way to the big leagues, a development made possible by the perpetual struggles by incumbent starter, Eduardo Escobar.
Which is why the murmurs coming from the majority of Mets fans has shifted from…
CALL THE YOUNG GUYS UP!
to
Can we…..actually play these guys now that they’re here?
Thursday was the 13th game Alvarez has been with the big club and he’s started only five of them. I understand there are a plethora of factors in play here, beginning with the fact that the 21-year-old has hit just .158 in 19 at-bats thus far. To be totally frank, though, that meager mark is actually substantially better than the guy consistently starting over him, Tomás Nido, who has only four singles in 38 at-bats (.105).
Plus, its very difficult to learn and build any sort of positive momentum with 19 at-bats spread over six games and three weeks.
Yes, catching is a much more complicated position to break a rookie into than anywhere else on the diamond, and it is important to consider the pitchers’ comfort level working with a given backstop. But at a certain point, Álvarez is one of the very best prospects in the entire sport and the only way for him to gain experience and earn the trust of this veteran pitching staff is by playing. Regularly.
And how much worse can he be at the plate than Nido anyway?
Then there’s Baty, whose promotion last weekend was widely celebrated by New York fans. But he’s now been here for four days and has sat twice. Not starting the left-handed swinging rookie against a future Hall of Fame southpaw like Clayton Kershaw was one thing. But not penciling him in against a league average southpaw like Sean Manaea is puzzling. Sure the move worked out on Thursday as Escobar hit a two-run homer in the middle of the Mets five run fourth inning. But at a certain point that’s not even the point.
The reason the Mets didn’t take Álvarez and Baty north at the end of spring training was because they wanted the pair to play everyday in Triple-A and gain more professional experience before throwing them to the wolves against the sport’s highest competition.
But now that they’re here, the best thing for their development is not sitting on the bench.
There’s something to be said about the big league atmosphere, and getting acclimated with that is never a bad thing for a premier prospect. However, the Mets offense as a whole has struggled to score runs consistently, and their two top prospects have the potential to dramatically change that narrative.
That’s why it’s beyond important for the Mets to cut the cord and start penciling these two into the lineup each and every day, let them take the unavoidable growing pains and get them out of the way prior to the stretch run. Giving them an extended opportunity to start would also give the Mets a fair chance to evaluate them, which is important so the club knows what they do or don’t have to do with the offense at the trade deadline.
Playing twice a week is just not going to fly, and it’s honestly nothing more than negligence.
Why have them here if they’re just going to sit and watch most of the time?
Yeah, it’s time to see Álvarez and Baty, and not just when the camera pans to them in the dugout.
Around the League 🚩
The Yankees scored five runs in the 1st inning and went on to beat the Angels 9-3
C.J. Cron crushed his 5th home run and three Rockies pitchers combined to shutout the Phillies in a 5-0 Colorado win
Pittsburgh used back-to-back homers from Connor Joe and Jack Suwinski in the first inning to propel them to a 4-3 win over the Reds
Despite him still being under contract through the end of next year the Diamondbacks made the difficult decision to DFA struggling veteran lefty Madison Bumgarner
James Outman helped the Dodgers break a 2-2 tie with a grand slam in the 9th inning to top the Cubs 6-2
Fernando Tatís Jr. made his long awaited return from his PED suspension and played right field and led off for San Diego in Phoenix
The A’s announced they’ve reached an agreement to buy land in Nevada with the intention of building and opening a new stadium in Nevada by 2027
"Playing twice a week is just not going to fly, and it’s honestly nothing more than negligence. "!!!
Mr. Mears, please calm down. If Baty and Alvarez play each and every day as you insist, then Escobar and Nido will be buried. Do you really think that will be good for the team? Buck Showalter negligent? You must be kidding. Btw, one of his virtues is that he doesn't let anyone ride the bench for extended period and finds ways to get everyone into a game at least every few days.
Concerned with the Mets pitching. They are going to burn out the bullpen if the starters can't get past 5 innings. I think only a few games the starters have made it to the 6th inning, but that's it. Can't be running 4 or 5 relievers every game. Not sustainable. Disappointed that Senga didn't go more than 5 innings.