New York Mets Fan Blog

Talk about the New York Mets

Another disappointing loss

For Mets fans, heartbreaking losses are nothing new. In fact, they seem to have almost become routine. Last night was no exception, as the Mets wasted a phenomenally gutsy effort by Johan Santana who threw 123 pitches over seven innings and left with a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately for Santana, the Mets bullpen was unable to hold the lead as Francisco Rodriguez (the pitcher formerly known as K-Rod) blew yet another save to cost his team a victory.

Managers and players are quick to point out that baseball has a long season, and they are absolutely right. Even so, losses like last night’s are especially painful, and they reveal many of the problems that have plagued the Mets all season.

One key issue facing the Mets so far this season has been a lack of offense. When the news of Carlos Beltran’s knee injury came out during Spring Training, most Mets fans expected the offense to struggle, and that has certainly been the case so far. With the news that Beltran could be returning to minor league rehab within the week, however, Mets fans finally have a small glimmer of hope for their offense.

Unfortunately, the Mets bullpen looks like it could be a more troublesome spot. Through the first month of the season, the Mets bullpen looked as if it would be a strength of the team. As the season has gone on, however, the Mets collection of castoffs and journeymen has struggled more and more. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, as there must be a reason that most of these players weren’t wanted by any other teams.

One player who Mets fans thought they could count on was their closer, Francisco Rodriguez. Like the rest of his bullpen mates, however, Rodriguez has been struggling, as last night’s appearance was Rodriguez’s third blown save. To make matters worse, Rodriguez’s velocity appears to be down and his ability to overpower hitters seems to have disappeared.

As the season goes on, the Mets don’t appear to have any viable alternatives to the players listed above. Instead, Mets fans will likely have to hope for K-Rod to return to his 2007 form, and also hope for Beltran’s return to energize the offense.

by Nathan Eagan at the Sports Fan Blog Network

June 3, 2010 Posted by nathaneagan12 | Francisco Rodriguez, Johan Santana, New York Mets, Original Content | | No Comments Yet

The Mets hidden problem

Most Mets fans would quickly admit that they follow a very flawed team. They lack reliable starting pitching beyond Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana, their offense without Carlos Beltran has been inconsistent at best. One problem that hasn’t received enough publicity, however, is the presence of New York’s free-swinging right-fielder, Jeff Francoeur. Many members of the media, and many Mets fans, immediately latched onto Francoeur upon his arrival last season as a glimmer of hope in an otherwise awful season.

While many people who follow the Mets might consider Francoeur to be an asset, a look at his stats reveal that this is simply not the case. According to fangraphs.com, Francoeur swings at a mind-boggling 44% of the pitches that are thrown out of the strike zone. To put that another way, Francoeur turns half of the pitches that he sees which aren’t in the strike zone into strikes. Francoeur also swings at an incredible 60% of the total pitches he sees. With statistics like these, it’s not surprising that he is unable to have successful at-bats. After Francoeur’s successful rookie season, it is clear that pitchers around Major League Baseball quickly realized that throwing Francoeur a strike was not necessary in order to get him out. Francoeur has done nothing but confirm that impression, as he continuously swings at pitches that are well out of the strike zone. As if to make matters worse, Francoeur has an uncanny ability to make contact with pitches out of the strike zone has led to a parade of weakly-hit popups. Until Francoeur displays the ability to work pitch counts and swing at hittable pitches within the strike zone, it’s unlikely that he will ever develop into a productive Major League Hitter.

Although Francoeur is, by all accounts, a great guy and an even better teammate, the fact that he is nearly an automatic out who longer serves as a serious power threat outweighs any of the benefits that his personality might bring.

by Nathan Eagan at the Sports Fan Blog Network

June 1, 2010 Posted by nathaneagan12 | Jeff Francoeur, Original Content | , | No Comments Yet

   

} catch(err) {}