Wrighting the Ship
Wrighting the Ship
The Mets had let the Phils and Braves creep back to just a Three-Finger Brown handful of games back last week. David Wright and Carlos Beltran then got really hot. They are both hitting over 0.400 and posting a 1.200+ OPS this month. Wright also is pounding out the multi-hit games with 25 already this year.
After the Sunday, June 10 head-thumping and sweep-completion of the Diamondbacks, the Mets have a ten game lead on the Braves and a six and a half game lead on the Phillies.
A week or so ago, I read a comment that the NL West was all at 0.500 or better. That’s really nice. I was certainly one to talk about how good the NL East was last season under similar circumstances. The Mets have played the NL West the last 13 games and smashed them in the mouth to the tune of a 9-4 record. It didn’t hurt to catch the Dbacks in the Grimsley distraction period, but these guys are pros, and every one will tell you that when they get between the lines, they don’t think about anything else.
The Mets traded Kaz Matsui for Eli Marrero. Well, it gets one less second baseman on the team. Last year’s collection about drove me batty. Chris Woodward can play every position, so we don’t need a bunch of others. Marrero can also field all over the diamond, and catch, so that’s a better use of the bench.
I was glancing at the schedule yesterday. I was discussing with my wife about how if the Mets go to the World Series, so will I. So I glanced at the schedule.
The last twenty games, the Mets play the Marlins and Nationals fourteen times and the Pirates and Braves three each. The last twnety games of the season are against teams that are not very good. There is no where for the Phillies to charge back in it. Twenty games against that assortment. That makes me smile and think of this season’s race as a game, and the Mets just have to get to September with a lead. That last twenty games really makes me feel even better about how this regular season will end up.
In case you haven’t looked or noticed, but the top four batting averages in the National League (as of this writing) are third basemen. That’s unusual. Rolen, Sanchez, Wright and Cabrera. With Chipper and A-Rod, this might be the best collection of third basemen in the game at any one time.
Coming up next is a three game set in Philadelphia. The pitching matchups look good – Glavine versus Madson, El Duque against Brett Myers and Trachsel against Cory Lidle.
Chris Dial
Posted: June 11, 2006 at 08:33 PM |
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Some fun with Mets' career lists, and Wright and Reyes (both, as of today, age 23):
Triples
1. Mookie -- 62
2. Harrelson -- 45
3. Cleon Jones -- 33
4. S. Henderson -- 32
5. Straw -- 30
Reyes -- 30
By the end of the year, Reyes should be # 3 on the team's all-time triples list.
Stolen Bases
1. Mookie -- 281
2. Ho Jo -- 202
3. Straw -- 191
4. Mazzilli -- 152
5. Reyes -- 119
By the end of the year, Reyes might well be # 4 on the team's all-time steals list.
Batting Average
1. Olerud -- .315
2. David Wright -- .310
3. Hernandez -- .297
4. Piazza -- .296
5. Magadan -- .292
By the end of the year, Wright might well be the leading hitter in Mets' history (Min.: 1500 PAs)
Slugging Average
1. Piazza -- .542
2. Wright -- .534
3. Straw -- .520
4. Olerud -- .501
5. Bonilla -- .495
It's possible Wright could even pass Piazza (as a Met) in slugging by the end of the year.
On Base Percentage
1. Olerud -- .425
2. Magadan -- .391
3. Hernandez -- .387
4. Wright -- .380
5. Piazza -- .373
OPS
1. Olerud -- .926
2. Piazza -- .915
3. Wright -- .914
4. Straw -- .878
5. Bonilla -- .851
Wright's got a great chance to finish 2006 # 2 on the Mets' career OPS list.
God, I love those two. More fun than any fan really has any right to expect from two players that young on one team . . . .
Marrero can't catch any more. He hasn't caught at all since 2003, and hasn't spent a significant amount of time behind the plate since 2002.
-- MWE
yes, I started to put some of that in there -mostly the Reyes SBs.
That's what the Cubs thought in '04.
My only worry anymore is Trachsel, who has yet to get his #### together this year. I figure he's got about 3-4 starts left to fend off Pelfrey and/or being displaced in a trade, but I'm rooting for the Mets to do it without a lotta deadline shopping -- they just might.
If we're thinking of dumping So-So Stevie does this mean those of us (myself included) who trashed Omar for thinning the pitching herd early didn't do as good a job of evaluation of what was on hand as he did?
Wait--We gave 3 starts to who?
And I am very, very envious of the two youngsters you have. Even though I don't like the Mets, I would like to see them lock those two up for a long time. They will be fun to watch together on one field as they develop.
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