The Official 2015 Mets Thread

[HuskyCLT]

Doesn't look like they'll be continuing their streak any time soon tonight

 

[progrocks]

But they did!!!!!!

 

[8893]

So with all the discussion about how to handle Harvey and balance the desire to have him pitch in the post-season against the innings limitation and the need to keep him fresh, now comes the talk of whether there will be a spot anywhere for Colon to pitch, given where he sits in the overcrowded starting rotation that will be trimmed from six to four, and the bolstering of the bullpen by September call-ups, which would appear to make him unneeded there.

I wonder if it would ever be considered to tether him to Harvey, with Harvey starting and Barto coming in after 3 innings.

I know @mets1090 suggested something similar with Niese and Harvey, but I'd much rather have Colon than Niese.

 

[mets1090]

The only reason I suggested Harvey/Niese was that with that system, Niese would more or less know when he was coming in so it would be less like a bullpen appearance. i.e. He could start his normal starting process an hour later and just be ready for the 5th inning. Colon on the other hand would be ideal in the bullpen because I feel like you can give him the ball whenever and he'll just be fine.

Basically, if you assume Harvey/Colon will team up for 9 innings one game, Niese is more of a pitcher that is only coming in for an extra innings game or when things get out of hand. If you have Harvey/Niese team up for 9 innings with a schedule, Niese can be successful there and then Colon can be more fluidly available.

That's just my 2 cents but it really depends on how they build the roster in terms of number of pitchers. If they have less pitchers, it's more likely that they'll need a starter at any given time out of the pen - I'd have Colon be that guy. If they have more pitchers, it's more of a break in case of emergency situation - in that case I'd put Niese there and assume he wouldn't pitch any key innings but he's nice to have just in case of a classic 18 inning game.

 

[TheDoggPound]

I'd wager this will be the playoff roster for the NLDS:



# Name B/T Ht Wt DOB

68 Dario Alvarez L/L 6'1" 170lbs 1/17/89
46 Tyler Clippard R/R 6'3" 200lbs 2/14/85
40 Bartolo Colon R/R 5'11" 285lbs 5/24/73
48 Jacob deGrom L/R 6'4" 180lbs 6/19/88
27 Jeurys Familia R/R 6'3" 240lbs 10/10/89
36 Sean Gilmartin L/L 6'2" 205lbs 5/8/90
33 Matt Harvey R/R 6'4" 215lbs 3/27/89
43 Addison Reed L/R 6'4" 230lbs 12/27/88
47 Hansel Robles R/R 5'11" 185lbs 8/13/90
34 Noah Syndergaard L/R 6'6" 240lbs 8/29/92
72 Carlos Torres R/R 6'1" 180lbs 10/22/82



# Name B/T Ht Wt DOB

7 Travis d'Arnaud R/R 6'2" 210lbs 2/10/89
22 Kevin Plawecki R/R 6'2" 225lbs 2/26/91
21 Lucas Duda L/R 6'4" 255lbs 2/3/86
4 Wilmer Flores R/R 6'3" 205lbs 8/6/91
28 Daniel Murphy L/R 6'1" 215lbs 4/1/85
11 Ruben Tejada R/R 5'11" 200lbs 10/27/89
2 Juan Uribe R/R 6'0" 245lbs 3/22/79
5 David Wright R/R 6'0" 205lbs 12/20/82
52 Yoenis Cespedes R/R 5'10" 210lbs 10/18/85
30 Michael Conforto L/R 6'1" 215lbs 3/1/93
23 Michael Cuddyer R/R 6'2" 220lbs 3/27/79
3 Curtis Granderson L/R 6'1" 200lbs 3/16/81
55 Kelly Johnson L/R 6'1" 195lbs 2/22/82
9 Kirk Nieuwenhuis L/R 6'3" 225lbs 8/7/87


Starters - Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard

Colon in long relief role (although you could argue Goeddel for the NLDS) and Lagares left off because of his elbow issues.

 

[mets1090]

Injuries will sort out some of the toss ups but I see it like this.

d'Arnaud
Plawecki
Duda
Murphy
Flores
Wright
Tejada
Uribe
Johnson
Conforto
Cespedes
Granderson
Cuddyer
Lagares/Young

deGrom
Harvey
Syndergaard
Matz
Colon/Niese
Goeddel/Torres
Gilmartin
Robles
Reed
Clippard
Familia

1) If Matz is healthy, I don't see how you can leave him off the roster. This forces Alvarez off (who I think is only eligible if he's replacing an injured player - he wasn't on the 25 man roster or the DL as of the end of August 31).


2) IMO, if anyone is replacing Lagares, it's Eric Young Jr. I think they picked him up specifically so they would have a pinch running specialist for late game situations in the playoffs. His speed probably has more value than Kirk's overall game in the playoffs. At the end of the day though, I think Lagares makes the roster because they'll need him to start against Kershaw in his two potential starts. Kershaw's numbers against lefties are silly so I don't see them starting Grandy or Conforto, despite how good they've been overall.


3) If Syndergaard finishes strong, I can easily see the case for a 3 man rotation since it bolsters the pen. However, I feel like Syndergaard has tired a bit and they'll be better off going with 4 starters with deGrom being the only one to pitch twice.

I'd probably go with Matz but depending on the next 3 weeks, you could make an argument for Colon or Niese. Niese has been struggling big time and Colon has been lights out (albeit against bad teams) but their ERAs are still comparable. We'll see if Niese can bounce back, Colon can keep it up, and/or Matz can impress down the stretch.


4) The last toss up I see is Goeddel over Torres. Objectively, the pick is Goeddel but we all know things don't always get decided objectively. Torres has been pretty bad and now he's got this injury which, while supposedly minor, doesn't help his case. Goeddel has been nothing but solid. Really the only thing Torres has going for him is tenure.


Disclaimer, I haven't put a ton of thought into these points so I might be overlooking some details or even leaving off a semi major player that slipped my mind.

 

[TheDoggPound]

Alvarez is eligible and I doubt the Mets want Matz to be the second lefty out of the pen (or want to carry just 1) so I think his spot is fairly safe. Colon over Niese is a forgone conclusion.

I'm beginning to think Syndergaard's spot will go to Matz which imo is not a bad thing it's a lateral move and protects Noah. I get the notion of Noah in the BP but I think the org. goes with Torres or Goeddel.

d'Arnaud
Plawecki
Duda
Murphy
Flores
Wright
Tejada
Uribe
Johnson
Conforto
Cespedes
Granderson
Cuddyer
Niuwenhuis or Lagares or EYJ

Harvey- Starter #1
deGrom - Starter #2
Matz - Starter #3
Colon - Starter #4
Alvarez
Gilmartin
Goeddel or Torres
Robles
Reed
Clippard
Familia

 

[mets1090]

My only thought re: Niese vs. Colon is that 3 weeks ago it was a foregone conclusion it was Niese over Colon. A lot can change in 4 starts. Right now no doubt it's Colon though.

 

[progrocks]

Colon is doing it against crap teams though. There are no crap teams in the playoffs.

 

[8893]

More bad news for the Nats:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/1...en-right-thumb-resulting-slamming-locker-shut

 

[joober jones]

Wow Murhpy... just wow.

 

[8893]

This is really getting silly.

I almost didn't want them to come back today, even though I felt it was inevitable again, because I don't think any team can keep up this level of mojo for too long and I want to save some for the post-season.

 

[UConnMike04]

I don't even know what to say, but after the last 7 years I'll take every damn second of it!

 

[mets1090]

Is this real life?

 

[8893]

Is this real life?

Yes. The NY Giants gave me a grim reminder last night.

 

[mets1090]

Yes. The NY Giants gave me a grim reminder last night.

Doesn't explain how my Bills beat the Colts.

 

[Alum86]

Unreal. Let's go balls to the walls and overtake LA so we get them at citi field to start.

Did I just jinx us?

 

[mets1090]

No worries Alum, I've had my eyes on the Dodgers since the end of August. Half game back entering today (1 back in the loss column). It's a toss up right now. Dodgers might be the better team but we know what kind of schedule we're looking at.

Just saw that the Dodgers were losing in the first inning and it reminded me that entering today the Mets are only 3 games back. A nice hot streak against this weak schedule would be nice to not only try to put the Nationals away but also maybe steal home field advantage in the first round.

 

[Alum86]

Strasburg insane tonight amd our "ace?" Got shelled. 81/2 now.
2007 up 7 with 17. This feels better with Yo. And Bartolo

 

[Deepster]

Strasburg insane tonight amd our "ace?" Got shelled. 81/2 now.
2007 up 7 with 17. This feels better with Yo. And Bartolo

C'mon. They just won 8 in a row. Let them lose at least 1 game every couple of weeks...

 

[mets1090]

Anyone who puts ace in quotes when talking about deGrom is incredibly reactionary, a troll, or just a complete joke with no knowledge of the game of baseball.

 

[UConnMike04]

Exactly. He hasn't been AS dominant his last few starts but it happens. He's also pitched more innings this year than any other time in his career. Most of these guys have, which is the one thing that scares me in Oct. That being said, we were due to lose and will lose again before 10/4. DeGrom/Thor/Harvey/Matz is still light years ahead of what most teams can run out there in Oct. Dodgers have Kershaw/Grienke but nothing after them, and Kershaw doesn't exactly have the best track record in the playoffs.

 

[mets1090]

Fatigue is definitely an issue. Fortunately, if deGrom pitches game 1 and they go with 4 starters, he'd get a full 5 days of rest before game 5.

The Mets aren't a juggernaut but the Dodgers are beatable. I think home field is huge, particularly so you can pitch Syndergaard in game 2 at home.

 

[8893]

So if the Nats win tonight while we are idle, we're 7 up with 16 remaining, is that right?

And is that why we are all silent here? Not wanting to think about besting that most improbable finish to 2007?

 

[mets1090]

At the end of the day, there's a reason why the 2007 finish was so insane. It's really just that unlikely. 7 up with 16 left is not impossible to blow, but it's pretty damn close. I'd wager the odds are about 50:1.

Of course we have our history there so it doesn't feel that way, but if you want to feel better about it just look at the NL West. Do you think the Giants have any shot at making a comeback? The answer is some combination of "No" and "Well if literally everything goes right for them, then maybe."

I won't really sweat it unless the lead is cut to 5 by the end of the weekend. At that point it's going to be hard not to go into panic mode because the Nats really just have to get it down to 3 heading into the last series.