Three observations from Mets camp
Plus, Clay Holmes made the start in a win against the Blue Jays
What’s Up with the Mets? 🌴
The Mets beat the Blue Jays 4-3 in Dunedin on Monday afternoon (Box)
Clay Holmes started for the Mets and pitched better than his line indicates. He went 3.2 innings while surrendering just a hit and two walks. The one hit, however, was a Kazuma Okamoto two-run homer
Christian Pache hit a 7th inning home run for the Mets and Jackson Cluff contributed a pair of hits
Tobias Myers was impressive in relief, going 2.1 innings and striking out three, while earning the win
What I’m Reading 📰
Darryl Strawberry believes one day Pete Alonso will grow to regret his Mets departure (Newsday)
Juan Soto is determined to snatch the NL MVP award away from Shohei Ohtani (MLB.com)
Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
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Today’s Game 🏝️
Match-up: Mets (2-1) vs. Astros (0-2)
Where: Clover Park - Port St. Lucie, FL
Starters: RHP Jack Wenninger (0-0) vs. RHP Jason Alexander (0-0)
When: 1:10 PM ET
Where to Watch: SNY
Notes from a week and a half in Port St. Lucie ✍️
While the Northeast continues to endure the most brutal winter in recent memory and is currently getting battered by yet another snowstorm, I’m here to highly recommend Port St. Lucie in February.
After spending the better part of a week and a half down here, here are a few noteworthy tidbits.
Ronny Mauricio is taking all of the first team reps at shortstop
When Francisco Lindor first required surgery to repair a broken hamate bone, manager Carlos Mendoza was quick to bring up several internal options the Mets have to replace him in the short term. He mentioned Ronny Mauricio, Vidal Brujan, Grae Kessinger, Christian Arroyo, and Jackson Cluff, but it’s been obvious from the jump that there is a clear plan A.
When the Mets first team infield comes out for defensive drills, Bo Bichette and Brett Baty rotate at third base, Jorge Polanco and Mark Vientos swap out at first base, Marcus Semien handles second base, and it’s Mauricio that stands alone at shortstop under the watchful eye of Lindor who takes it all in from the grass behind second base.
The Mets obviously hope that Lindor will be ready for opening day, but in the event he’s not, it’s clear Mauricio is the one the club wants to see grab hold of the opportunity. To his credit, he’s been impressive to watch on both sides of the ball, seamlessly making all the plays back at his natural position, and hitting several long home runs during live AB’s on the backfields. He also looks noticeably more comfortable than in the past, routinely joking with and playfully ragging on his teammates—with Baty often the target.
Given everything we’ve seen over the last week plus, I found it odd that the Mets started Mauricio at third base with Brujan at short during yesterday’s game. Particularly since Brujan has looked disappointing at the position when taking defense with the second team infield. The obvious answer to that is that the Mets want Mauricio to get reps all over the infield, especially given the fact that with Luisangel Acuna now with the White Sox, he’s positioned the best to win a bench role as a backup infielder when Lindor is healthy. But it was noteworthy and curious considering all of his defensive work in practice has come at one specific position.
Juan Soto is an extremely engaging superstar
When the Mets signed Juan Soto ahead of last season, we all knew we were getting one of the best players in our sport, and someone who would define an era of Mets baseball. Soto is intense and serious about his craft, but his personality is also refreshing in so many ways. He enjoys engaging with the fans, consistently talking to and having back-and-forth exchanges with the Mets faithful watching outfield drills from the other side of the fence. He stops to sign autographs for kids in between drills, and most days on his way out of the parking lot will stop to sign autographs and take pictures with as many dedicated fans as have gathered in wait.
While this is not a required part of the job description, it’s rare for someone of his stature to be so available, and it’s a stark difference from some other players who routinely drive past one or two kids standing outside whose whole day would be made by a 15-second stop.
Gregori Louis is a name to remember
Every day last week, the Mets were giving minor league pitchers the opportunity to face Major League hitters in live ABs.
Guys like Dakota Hawkins, Brett Banks, Will Watson, and Joander Suarez were all included in that mix, but for me, it was big left-hander Gregori Louis who easily stole the show. I admittedly was not very familiar with Louis previously, but it was clear from his first pitch warming up in the bullpen that the ball comes out of his hand differently.
The 23-year-old was throwing noticeably harder than his teammates, and when he got on the mound against a group that included Grae Kessinger, Christian Arroyo, and Ji Hwan Bae, he was borderline untouchable. I looked up his minor league numbers on the spot and was so stunned to see his ERA a year ago was 5.64 in 30.1 innings that I had to ask the coach running the drill afterwards how anyone ever scores against this guy. The answer was that free runners have consistently killed him, which is apparent when looking at his career stats. In 123.1 minor league frames, opponents have managed to hit just .217 against Louis, but he’s walked 75 men and hit 11 more.
If he can get his command under control, this feels like a potential rising star in the Mets system. He actually got into the game against the Blue Jays yesterday and induced a double play groundball from the only batter he faced.
Around the League 🚩
The Cubs signed former Mets OF Michael Conforto to a minor league agreement (NY Post)
Baltimore signed veteran infielder Thairo Estrada to a minor league deal (Official)
Back-to-back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal says he will make just one start for team USA during the WBC and then return to the Tigers (The Athletic)