NFT: Mets and Marlins. Home opener. Walker.

shit. Just a great announcer.

Not exactly what you want to see from Conforto.

What were they doing with the headset if they aren't allowed to review that?

Also, good on the Mets booth for calling out the crap and not just accepting the win.

He did that s**t all the time

was to review if the pitch hit him, sounds like from Ron that's all that is reviewable (if it hit him) the judgment was call is if he tried to get out of the way or leaned into it and is not reviewable.

W is a W, and as I said, I'll take it (like I have a choice) but I'm not afraid to admit that was about as bullshit a W as you can get.

In comment 15214115 pjcas18 said:

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was to review if the pitch hit him, sounds like from Ron that's all that is reviewable (if it hit him) the judgment was call is if he tried to get out of the way or leaned into it and is not reviewable. W is a W, and as I said, I'll take it (like I have a choice) but I'm not afraid to admit that was about as bullshit a W as you can get.

Yes, from my understanding the determination of whether he leaned in can't be made after the fact on replay and can only be called on the field.

In comment 15214115 pjcas18 said:

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was to review if the pitch hit him, sounds like from Ron that's all that is reviewable (if it hit him) the judgment was call is if he tried to get out of the way or leaned into it and is not reviewable. W is a W, and as I said, I'll take it (like I have a choice) but I'm not afraid to admit that was about as bullshit a W as you can get.

Yes, from my understanding the determination of whether he leaned in can't be made after the fact on replay and can only be called on the field.

for Conforto is he's been struggling but he has another HPB coming his way, lol

win but that call can only come from the ump. Maybe the rule should be changed but "intent" is tough to prove. McNeil has been hitting rockets "all-season", Rojas/Sandy/whomever need to stop being so cutesy.

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Miami Marlins @Marlins · 32m ummm...ok?

Kimbrel 1.2 innings perfect 3 k's #MetsRPTradeTargetsWatch #Mets

McNeil is now top 2% of the league in XBA, top 5% in XSLG, top 5% in XWOBA. Jeff McNeil is crushing the ball, he needs to be one of the top 5 hitters in the lineup. No questions asked

Another serviceable/solid outing from Matt Harvey. Nice

In comment 15214142 DanMetroMan said:

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Kimbrel 1.2 innings perfect 3 k's #MetsRPTradeTargetsWatch #Mets McNeil is now top 2% of the league in XBA, top 5% in XSLG, top 5% in XWOBA. Jeff McNeil is crushing the ball, he needs to be one of the top 5 hitters in the lineup. No questions asked

I like the Top 5 as it was today. McNeil should definitely be batting 6th as long as Davis is out. When Davis gets back it is a little tougher because, as long as there is not nobody out, it prevents from a team bringing in a strong lefty reliever versus Smith and McNeil. If you look at the top lefty relievers, McNeil does not have good numbers and Smith has not faced many.

McNeil should NEVER be hitting behind Jonathan Villar. That's called being too cutesy. It's idiotic. Given Conforto's struggles, an early-season swap of the 2 of them (temporarily) would make a lot of sense. I don't know what the obsession with Villar is. He's a solid bench piece, Jeff McNeil is one of the best pure hitters in baseball

McNeil 252 big league games... 137 OPS+, .316/.381/.497. Villar over him is very, very silly.

decent start to the season with the Pirates.

in ex-Mets news...not a great day today though.

If he keeps pitching like this Jon Gray is going to be a hot name at the deadline

Nimmo
Lindor
McNeil
Alonso
Smith
Conforto

That should be the top 6 right now just about every day. When Nimmo Sits you can either move everyone up a spot or just have McNeil leapfrog to leadoff.

Get the best players the most at bats in the best situations possible.

start aside I have zero doubt in the 6 players you named. That's an excellent core. We'll see about JDD and McCann, and even Guillorme. Don't over think this, the bench players are better than they have been but they aren't starters for a reason. Mix and match when necessary but you want your big guns in there almost every day.

that were lacking prototypical players forcing people to hit cleanup or whatever who had no business doing so, praying for a Duda breakout that never happened. Or hoping Rosario would hit well enough to move to the top of the order. This isn't that.

Nimmo is one of the players in baseball getting on base. That's exactly what you want leadoff.

Lindor is one of the best players in baseball who can do everything. That's exactly what you want in a 2 hitter.

McNeil is one of the best pure hitters in baseball and literally nobody has a better BA than him over career. That's exactly what you want in a 3 hitter.

Alonso is perhaps the best power hitter in the sport and you want him up with men on.

Both Smith and Conforto are sufficiently dangerous to protect him.

That top 6 could be a thing of beauty. Don't overthink it.

People need to chill out. He's off to a rough start...

Probably pressing trying to prove he's worth $200M (which he is)

need to chill out? Who said anything other than Conforto is off to a rough start.

So sick of fans who think it's their job to tell other fans what to do.

No one is panicking, but yes people can criticize decisions and be pissed at losses.

No one is send Conforto to the minors or cutting him, but yes people can criticize his slow start.

he's a distant 3rd behind Lindor/Alonso at best and push come to shove I don't even think he's 3rd (I'd take McNeil).

It's either him or Smith for 4th, that's a toss up right now but if Smith has another strong year he probably wins that.

RC - 137 vs. 127 (McNeil +10)
OPS - .878 vs. .840 (McNeil +.38)
BA - .316 vs. .259 (McNeil +.55)
OBP - .381 vs. .357 (McNeil +.24)
SLG - .497 vs. .483 (McNeil +.14)

He's been better overall and better with each individual component input. Conforto homers a little more frequently but that's it.

In comment 15214280 Eric on Li said:

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he's a distant 3rd behind Lindor/Alonso at best and push come to shove I don't even think he's 3rd (I'd take McNeil). It's either him or Smith for 4th, that's a toss up right now but if Smith has another strong year he probably wins that.

Nimmo not far behind either (I think he's ahead of Conforto in some stats like OBP, behind in SLG, probably close in OPS, maybe ahead in wRC+). Mets have a solid lineup.

But how about that bat flip by McNeil.

You have to know with his bad luck start, when he hit that one, he was like, "catch that one, bitches!"

In comment 15214395 allstarjim said:

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But how about that bat flip by McNeil. You have to know with his bad luck start, when he hit that one, he was like, "catch that one, bitches!"

And how about he gets plunked Friday...was that used to be showing up the other team?

In comment 15214399 NewBlue said:

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In comment 15214395 allstarjim said: Quote: But how about that bat flip by McNeil. You have to know with his bad luck start, when he hit that one, he was like, "catch that one, bitches!" And how about he gets plunked Friday...was that used to be showing up the other team?

I think the bat flips are mostly ignored nowadays. The lines of the unwritten rules are a little blurred in modern baseball.

It was a 9th inning game tying homer to a guy that had yet to get his first hit. I seriously doubt he'll be thrown at.

Conforto may be a different story.

Replay clearly shows him, especially from the partially overhead angle, throwing his elbow toward the pitch. The ball was in the strike zone and he moved his elbow toward it. He should not be awarded a base for that. I am also not 100% sure the ball hit him.

In comment 15214421 Matt M. said:

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Replay clearly shows him, especially from the partially overhead angle, throwing his elbow toward the pitch. The ball was in the strike zone and he moved his elbow toward it. He should not be awarded a base for that. I am also not 100% sure the ball hit him.

The only thing that really matters is that the ball was clearly a strike. On that alone, he should've been called out.

Home plat umpire Kulpa has already admitted his mistake, but that the only reviewable aspect of the play was if the ball indeed hit him. It did hit his forearm guard, I have zero doubt, the ball ever so slightly changed trajectory.

In comment 15214142 DanMetroMan said:

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Kimbrel 1.2 innings perfect 3 k's #MetsRPTradeTargetsWatch #Mets McNeil is now top 2% of the league in XBA, top 5% in XSLG, top 5% in XWOBA. Jeff McNeil is crushing the ball, he needs to be one of the top 5 hitters in the lineup. No questions asked

Absolutely - Cant stand to see Luis bury him down the order - hell at this point just flop him and MC and all it a day

In comment 15214399 NewBlue said:

Quote:

In comment 15214395 allstarjim said: Quote: But how about that bat flip by McNeil. You have to know with his bad luck start, when he hit that one, he was like, "catch that one, bitches!" And how about he gets plunked Friday...was that used to be showing up the other team?

Well they're off Friday so that would be tough...

In comment 15214241 pjcas18 said:

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need to chill out? Who said anything other than Conforto is off to a rough start. So sick of fans who think it's their job to tell other fans what to do. No one is panicking, but yes people can criticize decisions and be pissed at losses. No one is send Conforto to the minors or cutting him, but yes people can criticize his slow start.

Yeah and I probably overreacted there..

I'm surprised that so many are down on Conforto overall though..

I'd put money on him having higher WAR for rest of his career than any offenses player on the Mets besides Lindor. I think the shoulder sapped him for 2 years and he is the 6 WAR guy he was before the injury and in 2020... But stats don't back me up for his career so I see why people say he is behind Alonso and Jeff...

Nevertheless, it's a good problem to have when you are debating whether your superstar RF is the 2nd through 5th best hitter on the team... That's pretty unreal

than what Conforto did on the field was his press conference afterwards.

That's a 1st ballot hall of fame in the bush league for Conforto today, and then he says "From my point of view, "I turned, there may have been a little lift in my elbow, out of habit/out of reaction"

Schmuck. He should get drilled on the 1st pitch of every at bat this weekend. At least own what you did

In comment 15214462 MookGiants said:

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than what Conforto did on the field was his press conference afterwards. That's a 1st ballot hall of fame in the bush league for Conforto today, and then he says "From my point of view, "I turned, there may have been a little lift in my elbow, out of habit/out of reaction" Schmuck. He should get drilled on the 1st pitch of every at bat this weekend. At least own what you did

Yeah its complete crap... he definitely deserved to get hit and I hope a coach pulls him aside and tells him to cut it out. Like I said, thats reserved for scum like Utley, who we now know was not well respected at all around the league by the players or coaches.

First - YES Conforto seemed to purposely get hit and yes I think he should have not been awarded first as a hit batsman - However - the only way he is awarded first by rule is that it is a ball NOT in the strike zone - which would have made it ball 4 anyhow. And the run scores. Again - I completely agree that Michael tried to take a dive but walking in the run vs being hit is still a run.

The rule states: If the batter does not attempt to avoid the pitch, he is not awarded first base, and the pitch is ruled either a strike if in the strike zone or a ball if out of the strike zone.

In comment 15214515 Gmanfandan said:

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First - YES Conforto seemed to purposely get hit and yes I think he should have not been awarded first as a hit batsman - However - the only way he is awarded first by rule is that it is a ball NOT in the strike zone - which would have made it ball 4 anyhow. And the run scores. Again - I completely agree that Michael tried to take a dive but walking in the run vs being hit is still a run. The rule states: If the batter does not attempt to avoid the pitch, he is not awarded first base, and the pitch is ruled either a strike if in the strike zone or a ball if out of the strike zone.

Official Baseball Rule 5.05(b)(2) states that the batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out when—"He is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting to hit unless (A) The ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, or (B) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball." Furthermore, "If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to avoid the ball. If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if he makes no attempt to avoid being touched."

In comment 15214519 Mike in NY said:

Quote:

In comment 15214515 Gmanfandan said: Quote: First - YES Conforto seemed to purposely get hit and yes I think he should have not been awarded first as a hit batsman - However - the only way he is awarded first by rule is that it is a ball NOT in the strike zone - which would have made it ball 4 anyhow. And the run scores. Again - I completely agree that Michael tried to take a dive but walking in the run vs being hit is still a run. The rule states: If the batter does not attempt to avoid the pitch, he is not awarded first base, and the pitch is ruled either a strike if in the strike zone or a ball if out of the strike zone. Official Baseball Rule 5.05(b)(2) states that the batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out when—"He is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting to hit unless (A) The ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, or (B) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball." Furthermore, "If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to avoid the ball. If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if he makes no attempt to avoid being touched."

Right - but that's the point- 1) he made no attempt 2) the ball MUST have been out of the strike zone or he is not a hit batter - ergo Ball 4

There is no part of the rule that states he took a dive at a ball outside the strike zone and he's out for interference or its now called a strike.

You can argue whether it should have been a strike or not (it should have) but results are the same if its not.

batters just stand there and get hit but that’s often because the ball is coming at them so fast. They are always awarded the base. I have never seen the ump question if they tried to avoid getting hit. This situation was a little different but usually the batter gets the benefit of the doubt.

In comment 15214462 MookGiants said:

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than what Conforto did on the field was his press conference afterwards. That's a 1st ballot hall of fame in the bush league for Conforto today, and then he says "From my point of view, "I turned, there may have been a little lift in my elbow, out of habit/out of reaction" Schmuck. He should get drilled on the 1st pitch of every at bat this weekend. At least own what you did

Oh dear. People do recover from such things.

Top 5% in expected BA
Top 3% in expected slugging
Top 3% in XOBA
Top 3% in XOBACON


It's 4 games, it's just noise with that sample but wowzas.

In comment 15214727 DanMetroMan said:

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Top 5% in expected BA Top 3% in expected slugging Top 3% in XOBA Top 3% in XOBACON It's 4 games, it's just noise with that sample but wowzas.

He's put on some muscle mass - even my girlfriend commented on it lol. With his pre-existing bat-to-ball skills some more strength could be huge.

and even though all of this is SSS that supposedly becomes a credible statistic quicker than others because of how frequent the events are (called pitches caught per game).

Realmuto is 94th so to your point DMM that's probably going to be "the one that got away" from this offseason when things are all said and done just because of how fair his contract ended up. But I kind of buy the whole "didn't want to go to NY" thing with him since he said he wanted to wait. Maybe he would have come here if there was no other choice but more likely they'd have gotten leveraged like Bauer/LAD and Philly would have just upped their offer with another year if need be. And McCann may have been gone.

Do I like it? Not at all. But, really, who cares. When Dietrich (sp?) was on the Marlins, he did this EVERY game. We even lost one the very same way. So, their faux outrage can take a hike.

The pitch was not "down the heart of the plate." It barely caught the plate and one could argue that the ball only caught the edge of the plate because of hitting Conforto's elbow. In real time, you can barely tell he moved his arm (obviously slo-mo enhances everything). I'm really surprised at the outrage in the NY media. They say NOTHING when other teams do this to us but now this is national news? Come on.

Feel however you want, I get it. I just don't see it. If the umpires are NEVER going to reinforce the rules, then this is what you get. To me, that was a bit of Karma due to the Marlins.

clue if he were willing to come here or not but the deal ended up being a "no-brainer" price for the caliber of player he is. I will say this, I do think Sandy easily gives Realmuto that (and more) had that been an option. Love me some Lindor but he's not worth 3 times the cash outlay than Realmuto. That speaks to Realmuto's contract vs. any knock-on Lindor. I was pretty adamant I didn't want to givee Realmuto 7-8 years but a 5 year deal? His AAV would have to have been absurd for me to pan such a move. All of that being said, we don't know if he were willing to come or what "option 3" was behind the plate if they whiffed on both he and McCann.

guy Omar Narvaez is hitting .444/.500/.778, Musgrove 6 innings 3 hits 8 k's his first start, pretty clearly I should be GM lol

But everything is relative, right. Philly got that deal for Realmuto in large part because the Mets were out. Realmuto definitely could have/should have gotten a better contract if there was a larger market for him. But I guess that's with everyone lol.

Paxton TJ, Springer a variety of leg issues, Bauer possibly caught doctoring balls...

That’s a whole lot of players on Mets wish lists this past offseason.

And they couldn’t afford to wait out the entire offseason like the Phillies could. Realmuto was my number one want but after seeing what they did with Carrasco, Lindor, Walker, etc I can’t be upset they filled a need as quickly as they could to move onto other areas of need.

I'm a little surprised that MLB is looking into it.

In comment 15214973 CooperDash said:

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I'm a little surprised that MLB is looking into it.

Not only that but his insane increase in spin rate last year just screams unnatural development.