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Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Benjamin Grimm
Nov 10 2017 06:10 PM

Mets plan to change how pitchers are used in 2018, sources say

Fewer innings from starters!

With the exception of Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom, Mets starters may be shielded from facing lineups more than twice in a game, mirroring an industry-wide trend, according to a source. The adjustment comes after a season in which team officials watched many of their starters fade badly as they pitched deeper into games.


If you limit your starting pitchers from facing more than 18 batters, you're really going to tax your bullpen.

The Mets will look to establish a norm of carrying eight relief pitchers, one more than the standard seven.


A 13-man pitching staff leaves only four bench players!

An extra reliever means one less roster spot for the bench, which places even more importance on the ability to play multiple positions.


More indications that the Mets are not in fact "all in" on Dominic Smith:

Team officials remain wary about leaning on Dominic Smith at first base. With the Mets potentially sending Smith to the minors for more seasoning, they intend to seriously explore upgrades.

But rather than targeting those limited to only first base, they want a player capable of being part of a mix to help fill holes elsewhere.


So what new faces might we see in Mets uniforms next year?

Reunions with free agents Neil Walker and Jay Bruce could also make sense since both have show a willingness to play other spots apart from their natural positions.


How about top-tier free agents?

They may be left with about $30 million to spend on new players, a modest amount given the scope of the Mets’ needs. It essentially prices them out of top-tier free agents.


Can they trade some prospects?

The farm system has slipped, becoming one of the thinnest in baseball, leaving the Mets with few chips to dangle in potential deals.


Do any of their big-league players have trade value?

Rival executives say the likes of Juan Lagares, Robert Gsellman, Wilmer Flores, Steven Matz and Brandon Nimmo could bring back help in other areas. But moving those types of players would only eat into the Mets’ depth, which is already an issue.

Centerfield
Nov 10 2017 06:31 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Benjamin Grimm
Nov 10 2017 06:33 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Yeah, I'm not seeing a whole lot of good news there, other than that Steven Matz is still considered to have trade value.

41Forever
Nov 10 2017 06:38 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

I don't oppose bringing back Walker or Bruce on a short deal, but I think that Bruce, especially, will want something longer. Walker seems to get hurt a lot, and after last season I'm more inclined to go with guys who have a track record of being able to stay on the field.

Centerfield
Nov 10 2017 06:44 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Yeah, both are useful pieces, but none are really difference makers. I feel like if you want to win it all you need somebody on your team that is great.

I just don't see how the Mets will get that type of player.

d'Kong76
Nov 10 2017 06:47 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Wasn't there some 'news' that Bruce didn't want to be in NY or did that
change after he got his feet wet here?

Benjamin Grimm
Nov 10 2017 06:50 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Latest is that he'd rather play in Texas, but he'd be open to returning to the Mets.

dgwphotography
Nov 10 2017 06:56 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Centerfield wrote:
Sounds like a recipe for disaster.


Sounds like a recipe for a space-filling, click driving, off-season piece with little actual meat to it.

Let me see what the roster looks like on Opening Day. Until then, this isn't worth an ounce of angst.

Edgy MD
Nov 10 2017 06:57 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

With the exception of Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom, Mets starters may be shielded from facing lineups more than twice in a game, mirroring an industry-wide trend, according to a source. The adjustment comes after a season in which team officials watched many of their starters fade badly as they pitched deeper into games.

I'm not sure what games Carig is reporting that the Mets officials saw. The Mets gave up 131 runs in the first inning, their highest number for any inning.

This sounds like some real pseudo-science.

Ceetar
Nov 10 2017 07:06 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

SplitGPAABRH2B3BHRSBCSBBSOSO/WBAOBPSLGOPSTBGDPHBPSHSFIBBROEBAbiptOPS+sOPS+
2nd PA in G as RP704246922054456381125110002034272.10.289.353.494.847109055288252322.312125100
3rd PA in G as SP4395276852487634776766139813310253656228050962.24.272.337.462.8001150562525987170132258.303113100
3rd+ PA in G as RP4512911515306240010222.20.261.333.452.78652630100.289109100
2nd PA in G as SP481342213378545311100252014183152644135346285302.46.265.331.449.78016983869401230257142403.303108100
4td+ PA in G as SP6931446130417935280941051212582.13.270.337.439.7765732713441112.308107100
1st PA in G as SP48604352639158434897762001189138751104346798072.83.250.315.417.7321631686136729223081344.29895100
1st PA in G as RP4801678276005584111462927862742012701326286159642.54.244.320.400.720239991367692304481581591.29693100



Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/10/2017.

Chad Ochoseis
Nov 10 2017 11:32 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Edgy MD wrote:

I'm not sure what games Carig is reporting that the Mets officials saw. The Mets gave up 131 runs in the first inning, their highest number for any inning.

This sounds like some real pseudo-science.


- Not clear who is responsible for that. Without looking, I suspect it may have been driven by pitchers who don't figure into the Mets' 2018 plans.

- I think most runs are scored in the first inning in general, since the first inning is the one inning where the top of the order always bats. So it's not clear if the Mets' percentage of 1st inning runs allowed is high relative to the league.

Mex17
Nov 10 2017 11:39 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Three things. . .

1) It definitely looks like I was wrong when I said that the Mets were "all in" on Smith as the undisputed starting first basemen for 2018.

2) I would caution against going completely into "all is lost, woe is us" mode with regard to the $30 million budget for new players (if that even is true). You have to look at this with an eye towards next year's Hot Stove as well in that you want money saved and positions on your roster available for what is a clearly better class a year from now. This can go in any number of directions obviously, but in theory what if an on it's face meager 2018 haul of Morrison, Vargas, and Shaw paves the way to a dual splash of, let's say, Donaldson and LeMahieu next year?

3) If this "trend" of limiting the innings and exposure of pitchers continues, MLB as a whole is going to have to either: a) add an extra active roster spot for the whole season, b) allow teams to carry/travel with more players than they would be able to "dress" for any given game and just move guys in and out of the active roster on a daily basis at will, or c) do both of those things in conjunction.

Frayed Knot
Nov 10 2017 11:41 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Chad Ochoseis wrote:
- I think most runs are scored in the first inning in general, since the first inning is the one inning where the top of the order always bats.


Correct, at least it was for this past year. More runs were scored in the 1st than in any other single inning*.


So it's not clear if the Mets' percentage of 1st inning runs allowed is high relative to the league.


Ahh but it is.
NL as a whole allowed 13.12% of runs in the 1st inning as a pct of runs given up in innings 1-9 (iow, not including extras as that could vary between different teams)
NYM pitchers = 15.41% of runs allowed in inning #1





* followed by the 4th, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 5th, 8th, 2nd, and then 9th in decreasing order - although the 9th is naturally last as frequently only half the inning is played and one-run strategies are often employed even when the bottom half is played

cooby
Nov 11 2017 02:09 AM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

This is BS. What ever happened to offense?

Ceetar
Nov 11 2017 02:41 AM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

cooby wrote:
This is BS. What ever happened to offense?


record number of home runs this year.

Nymr83
Nov 11 2017 03:28 AM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

A 13-man pitching staff leaves only four bench players!


terrible idea. if the Mets plan to go "bullpen heavy" i'd propose this:

1. Focus on acquiring bullpen arms who regularly pitch multiple innings at a time, screw the 1 inning reliever.
2. stockpile guys with options. burn a guy out for 10 days then send him down, let him rest and pitch once every few days in AAA/AA, bring him back - you could manage workload this way without the major league staff being 13 men.
3. skip the 5th start whenever the calendar allows and make him available in relief.

Ashie62
Nov 11 2017 04:49 AM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

8 relief pitchers? Is this still MLB Baseball?

Centerfield
Nov 11 2017 12:45 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

So Dave Roberts tried this during the postseason, where there are more offdays, and managed to exhaust the best and deepest bullpen in baseball. This might have cost them the championship.

We want to try this for 162 with a shitty bullpen?

seawolf17
Nov 11 2017 01:00 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Centerfield wrote:
So Dave Roberts tried this during the postseason, where there are more offdays, and managed to exhaust the best and deepest bullpen in baseball. This might have cost them the championship.

We want to try this for 162 with a shitty bullpen?

No. We're going to have a *great* bullpen! That'll make all the difference! Except for when they all get hurt in May and have to have their arms amputated.

smg58
Nov 11 2017 05:20 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

SplitGPAABRH2B3BHRSBCSBBSOSO/WBAOBPSLGOPSTBGDPHBPSHSFIBBROEBAbiptOPS+sOPS+
2nd PA in G as RP704246922054456381125110002034272.10.289.353.494.847109055288252322.312125100
3rd PA in G as SP4395276852487634776766139813310253656228050962.24.272.337.462.8001150562525987170132258.303113100
3rd+ PA in G as RP4512911515306240010222.20.261.333.452.78652630100.289109100
2nd PA in G as SP481342213378545311100252014183152644135346285302.46.265.331.449.78016983869401230257142403.303108100
4td+ PA in G as SP6931446130417935280941051212582.13.270.337.439.7765732713441112.308107100
1st PA in G as SP48604352639158434897762001189138751104346798072.83.250.315.417.7321631686136729223081344.29895100
1st PA in G as RP4801678276005584111462927862742012701326286159642.54.244.320.400.720239991367692304481581591.29693100



Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/10/2017.


So the difference between the second and third appearance against a starter is 20 points of OPS. That's not that big of a deal. What I read from this is to field a better rotation, not to add more relievers.

G-Fafif
Nov 11 2017 05:28 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

A truly innovative approach would be to have starters face the opposing lineup the second and third times through the lineup, but not the first.

Benjamin Grimm
Nov 11 2017 05:58 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

Do we know, on average, in what inning a starting pitcher is most likely to face his 19th batter? I have a feeling that if you follow this strictly you'll often be into your bullpen before the fifth inning is over.

cooby
Nov 11 2017 06:35 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

cooby wrote:
This is BS. What ever happened to offense?


Ashie62 wrote:
8 relief pitchers? Is this still MLB Baseball?

This is what I meant.

G-Fafif wrote:
A truly innovative approach would be to have starters face the opposing lineup the second and third times through the lineup, but not the first.
LOL

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Nov 11 2017 06:56 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

I keep coming back to my blasphemous but sensible idea on how to solve many of the problems plaguing today's game (too many pitchers, too many injuries, too many long games).

Cut games to 7 innings.

Boom, like that.

It's not like the length of the season hadn't been messed with before (they played 80 then 98 then 116 then 140 then 154 then 162), just not the length of the game. This way maintains the same number of games (therefore tickets sold, broadcasts broadcasted etc) but gets everyone on with their days and nights as little better. It also cuts the longest parts of the game out (granted the 6th inning becomes the new 8th, the 5th the new 7th and so on). I'd imagine it would also spark new offensive strategies to respond to having fewer opportunities to score.

seawolf17
Nov 11 2017 09:27 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

smg58 wrote:
So the difference between the second and third appearance against a starter is 20 points of OPS. That's not that big of a deal. What I read from this is to field a better rotation, not to add more relievers.

And the best situation was relievers' first batter faced. So just bring in a new reliever before every hitter. BOOM. Problem solved.

Mets Willets Point
Nov 12 2017 01:47 AM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

seawolf17 wrote:
smg58 wrote:
So the difference between the second and third appearance against a starter is 20 points of OPS. That's not that big of a deal. What I read from this is to field a better rotation, not to add more relievers.

And the best situation was relievers' first batter faced. So just bring in a new reliever before every hitter. BOOM. Problem solved.


Increase the roster to 27 and you can have one pitcher per out every game. They'd have to versatile about playing field positions and batting, though.

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Nov 13 2017 10:43 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!

[tweet:1flca7sq]https://twitter.com/MarcCarig/status/930201073922519040[/tweet:1flca7sq]

[tweet:1flca7sq]https://twitter.com/MarcCarig/status/930198846331813888[/tweet:1flca7sq]

from today's gm meetings

Ceetar
Nov 14 2017 07:36 PM
Re: Marc Carig has a lot to say!