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2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Gwreck Oct 05 2022 09:10 AM

1. Playoff rosters can be tweaked round-by-round. Leaving Taijuan Walker off against the Padres is a practical choice, not a judgment on whether he pitches against the Dodgers. 2. Joely Rodriguez: In 4 appearances this year against SD, he has a 37.60 ERA. 9 runs, 7 earned. Retired only 5 of 17 batters he faced. 1 K, 5 walks, 7 hits (one was a homer). I'm not so sure he's on the roster this first round. 3. Tomas Nido is going to start at catcher. This appears to have been conceded when Nido actually hit for McCann on Sunday in Atlanta. But with Alvarez around, would McCann just be left off completely? 4. In a short series, offensive flexibility will be more important than the bullpen. Of course the Mets will take Diaz, Ottavino, Lugo, Smith, May, Peterson, and a “long reliever” (Williams or Carrasco). But Megill or Givens or anyone else is likely to be superfluous here, and allow some extra bench flexibility.

Edgy MD Oct 05 2022 09:17 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

As cold as he is, I don't think McCannister is going anywhere.

Gwreck Oct 05 2022 09:22 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Ed Hearn never appeared in a postseason game in 1986. Ramon Castro, same in 2006. Kevin Plawecki, same in 2015. Of course having a backup catcher is essential, but would they ever actually play? Put another way, in a key situation late, would Nido hit regardless of the pitcher? Or, if using Naquin/Guillorme to hit for him, could Alvarez then be counted on to catch the balance of the game? I do suppose the alternative to McCann is…Darrin Ruf?

Benjamin Grimm Oct 05 2022 09:28 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

I think McCann will be on the roster. Maybe Walker has a better chance than Carrasco... Buck removed him pretty much as soon as the Braves/Marlins game ended, presumably so he'd be available to pitch again sooner rather than later. Rodriguez has pitched well lately. I think he'll be there. I'm curious about what they'll decide about Alvarez and Vientos. I'd be surprised if we see Ruf on the Wild Card roster.

Gwreck Oct 05 2022 10:07 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

I think Walker has a better chance than Carrasco to pitch in the division series. But there doesn't seem to be a situation in which Taijuan would pitch in the upcoming 3 game wild card series.

Benjamin Grimm Oct 05 2022 10:13 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Long relief, I would guess. Maybe not in Game 1, but he could probably be ready for Game 2 or 3.

Benjamin Grimm Oct 05 2022 10:24 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Anthony DiComo wrote: What could the postseason roster look like? The Mets' initial playoff roster will probably include some quirks, since they're only prepping for a best-of-three Wild Card Series. Here's one stab at how it could look: C: James McCann, Tomás Nido 1B: Pete Alonso 2B: Jeff McNeil, Luis Guillorme 3B: Eduardo Escobar SS: Francisco Lindor OF: Brandon Nimmo, Mark Canha, Tyler Naquin, Terrance Gore DH: Daniel Vogelbach, Mark Vientos, Francisco Álvarez SP: Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt RP: Edwin Díaz, Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Joely Rodríguez, Drew Smith, Mychal Givens, David Peterson, Trevor Williams Because the Mets won't need more than three starting pitchers in the Wild Card Series, it's fair to assume they'll leave both Taijuan Walker and Carlos Carrasco off the roster altogether. Those two will instead throw bullpen sessions to stay fresh in advance of a potential NL Division Series matchup against the Dodgers, clearing space for the Mets to carry nearly every member of their regular bullpen. Tylor Megill is also an option to make the roster over anyone currently projected to hold a spot in the back half of the bullpen.

Edgy MD Oct 05 2022 10:28 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

I feel good about Walker and Carrasco making the team, and I imagine they both feel good as well. OE: DiComo, above, bumps 'em both. Hearn and Castro and Plawecki may have not appeared in the playoffs, but J.C. Martin and Duffy Dyer and Ron Hodges, and Todd Pratt sure did. He may be a rough sight at the plate right now, but he's been catching this staff for the last two years, and that matters to pitchers even if we may not think it should.

Gwreck Oct 05 2022 10:51 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

I could see Showalter asking, very discreetly, the three pitchers going this weekend who they'd prefer to throw to and then taking that into consideration.

smg58 Oct 05 2022 11:09 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Is Alvarez even eligible?

Benjamin Grimm Oct 05 2022 11:14 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Yes, he is. He just had to be in the organization on September 1.

Gwreck Oct 05 2022 11:48 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Also, as technical requirements for Postseason eligiblilty, (1) Alvarez has to be a “replacement” for another otherwise-eligible position player who is now injured and (2) MLB has to sign off. For (1), he could be the “replacement” for Brett Baty. (2) is understood to be a mere formality and there's no reason to expect such approval would be withheld.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 05 2022 07:47 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

If the Mets win the opener against the Padres and then gamble on game two without Scherzer and win that game as well, the Mets could then open against the Dodgers with Scherzer and deGrom both rested up and starting the first two ganes in that order.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 05 2022 07:51 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=110135 time=1665020831 user_id=68] If the Mets win the opener against the Padres and then gamble on game two without Scherzer and win that game as well, the Mets could then open against the Dodgers with Scherzer and deGrom both rested up and starting the first two ganes in that order.

But nothing ever goes according to plan so the Mets wont gamble and if they do gamble, having won the opener, they wont pull off the sweep.

bmfc1 Oct 06 2022 04:34 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

DiComo might be incorrect about Trevor as he pitched 6 innings yesterday so he wouldn't be able to pitch tomorrow. Ronnie said that you "only" need 11 pitchers for a 3-game series so Ruf might make the team. Odds from Fangraphs: https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds/post-season-zips?&series=NLWCS2

batmagadanleadoff Oct 06 2022 10:21 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

If the Mets win the opener against the Padres and then gamble on game two without Scherzer and win that game as well, the Mets could then open against the Dodgers with Scherzer and deGrom both rested up and starting the first two ganes in that order. But nothing ever goes according to plan so the Mets wont gamble and if they do gamble, having won the opener, they wont pull off the sweep. Mets announce their starter for Game #1 against the Padres -- Max Scherzer, but still haven't announced their Game #2 starter. The Blue Jays are the only other Wild Card round playoff team not to announce their Game 2 starter. So what gives when the obvious no-brainer decision is to start deGrom for Game #2 if Scherzer's the opener starter? Are the Mets planning on holding back deGrom if they win the opener -- hoping for a sweep and then two deGrom starts against the Dodgers, including the opener? Or are the Mets giving deGrom more rest, perhaps because of his blood blister, or some other as yet undisclosed health issue? Also, deGrom's been pitching before Scherzer in the Mets end of season rotation. So why is Scherzer pitching the opener? Because deGrom suddenly needs more rest? Or because the Mets are leaving open the gamble play which, if succesful, allows deGrom to open against the Dodgers. That series is a best of five, so it's likely, but not certain, that only the opening game starter would be able to start a second game in that series. Questions, question, questions. Ken Rosenthal, writing for The Athletic, opines that the Mets are overthinking the issue if they're considering holding back deGrom if they win the opener. deGrom should start Game #2 unless there's a health issue, sez Rosenthal. Me, I dunno. If there's no health issue, the Mets could still start deGrom in Game #3 if the gamble fails. Either way, it's not likely that the Game #2 starter will get to start more than one game against the Dodgers. But if the gamble pays off, deGrom could start games one and (if necessary, game five). https://theathletic.com/3666498/2022/10/06/mets-degrom-showalter-starters-wild-card/

Edgy MD Oct 06 2022 10:58 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Keeping the Padres unsure is one advantage. Holding off to judge whether deGrom's alleged blister is healed enough is another. Seeing what they have expended in the bullpen before making a choice might be one. Or maybe seeing how the San Diego Padres deal with one power starting pitcher before deciding on another. All these are (a) pure speculation, and (b) likely worth little more than a hair of an edge. But keeping his cards close to his chest by revealing as little as possible in advance is the edge Showalter plays for. He'd rather talk about ice cream than his next starting pitcher.

vtmet7 Oct 07 2022 06:57 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

I could see Showalter asking, very discreetly, the three pitchers going this weekend who they'd prefer to throw to and then taking that into consideration. I think that if you left it up to the pitchers: Mad Max would choose Nido; Bassitt would choose McCann; deGrom would choose whoever promises to actually contribute on offense (since he never seems to get much run support, and when he's on, the catcher is not as important as his lack of run support) speaking of offensive production from the catcher...why is it that McCann couldn't hit his way out of a wet paper bag with a sharp machete when he catches for the Mets; yet hits pretty decent in his rare starts at first base? As a first baseman, McCann has a "career" .370 batting average with a .741 Slugging Percentage and a 1.134 OPS (3 Homeruns, 1 double, 7 RBI and 5 runs scored in 9 games as a 1B)...yes, small sample size which is why I wrote "career" instead of career.

Ceetar Oct 07 2022 07:07 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

catching is physically demanding. We often underestimate the value of simply rest, good sleep, less fatigue, etc. Anyway. I don't love the deGrom thing. It seems like over-thinking it, and this from a manager who famously didn't use his best reliever in an elimination game.

vtmet7 Oct 07 2022 07:35 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=Ceetar post_id=110217 time=1665148035 user_id=102] catching is physically demanding. We often underestimate the value of simply rest, good sleep, less fatigue, etc.

true...and with Nido, his hitting really seemed to get better once McCann came back from the DL...From August 3rd to the end of the season, he hit .299 with a .479 Slugging Percentage...my thinking on that is, he got a good chance to see a lot of pitching while McCann was out (so his approach and rhythm got better, but was also getting a bit exhausted) and then when McCann came back, he got a chance to get a bit of a breather...



I realize that there are other factors involved in a team's record, but...

Mets were 54-32 (.627 winning percentage) when Nido was the starting catcher;

Mets were 33-21 (.611 winning percentage) when McCann was the starting catcher;

Gwreck Oct 07 2022 09:14 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Joel Sherman reporting that Marte is on and Naquin is NOT. Presumably that means Starling is ready to play…

Ceetar Oct 07 2022 09:26 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=Gwreck post_id=110227 time=1665155676 user_id=56] Joel Sherman reporting that Marte is on and Naquin is NOT. Presumably that means Starling is ready to play…

#pendingphysicals



let's wait for a real reporter.

Gwreck Oct 07 2022 09:34 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=Ceetar post_id=110228 time=1665156373 user_id=102]#pendingphysicals let's wait for a real reporter.

What does this even mean? Is there some source for a “pending physical”?



My understanding is the roster was due to MLB this morning. Sherman is either correct or he's not.

Ceetar Oct 07 2022 09:39 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

The pending physicals is a joke about how hacks like Sherman frequently get information wrong via the rush to be first with leaks, harkening back to the 2015 trade deadline when he made Wilmer Flores cry.

Marshmallowmilkshake Oct 07 2022 09:41 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

If Mitch Keller of the Pirates doesn't hit Marte in the hand, I suspect we win the division.

Ceetar Oct 07 2022 09:51 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

official via Mets[attachment=0]wildcardroster.jpg[/attachment]

DocTee Oct 07 2022 09:56 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

neither Carrasco or Walker. Nyquin behind Gore and Ruf?

Ceetar Oct 07 2022 10:01 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Ruf is garbage, but they clearly wanted another Righty bat instead of Naquin.

Fman99 Oct 07 2022 10:20 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

Marte, and Gore, meaning Marte isn't just pinch runner/window dressing decoy. So that's a plus.

vtmet7 Oct 07 2022 02:31 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=Ceetar post_id=110235 time=1665158463 user_id=102] Ruf is garbage, but they clearly wanted another Righty bat instead of Naquin.

I can't help but think that even though they list

the outfielders as: Cahna; Marte; Nimmo; Gore and Ruf;

and the infield as: Alonso; McNeil; Lindor; Escobar; Luis G; Volgelbus;

that I would imagine that as far as real depth chart for this series: you would be more likely to see McNeil getting at bats in the OF over Gore/Ruf; and even Cahna/McCann would more likely to strap on an infielder's glove than Volgelbus...to better clarify what I mean, Luis G at 2B with McNeil at RF is more likely to happen than Ruf/Gore (although Gore could be a defensive replacement late in a game)...and I can't picture Volgelbus playing defense at all...I'm really puzzled by having 4 DH/PH/PR types on the roster (as in Volgelbus/Ruf/Alvarez/Gore), I would have only thought 3 of the 4...

nymr83 Oct 07 2022 02:54 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

I love that Nimmo of all people is in the pronunciation column. wonder if he lobbied the organization to include him so everyone says 'NIH-mo' more and stops with 'finding Nemo' jokes

Lefty Specialist Oct 07 2022 02:56 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

So were they sandbagging us all this time about Marte? Seems like they had no return date for him just a few days ago.

nymr83 Oct 07 2022 02:56 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=DocTee post_id=110234 time=1665158205 user_id=85] neither Carrasco or Walker. Nyquin behind Gore and Ruf?

With Carrasco and Walker both off the roster, I assume deGrom's injury is a non-issue and the Mets are just playing stupid with 'who is starting game 2?' - if there was any chance of him NOT pitching one of those guys is rostered ahead of Megill, right?

vtmet7 Oct 07 2022 02:59 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

I'm guessing the thought process behind the game 2 mystery is all about game 1...if the Mets win game 1, then would it make sense to have deGrom pitch game 3 (hoping that we win game 2, and he would then pitch game 1 of the next series)...however, I would imagine that if we lose game 1, then deGrom would be a shoe-in for game 2

Willets Point Oct 07 2022 03:02 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=vtmet7 post_id=110271 time=1665176367 user_id=80] I'm guessing the thought process behind the game 2 mystery is all about game 1...if the Mets win game 1, then would it make sense to have deGrom pitch game 3 (hoping that we win game 2, and he would then pitch game 1 of the next series)...however, I would imagine that if we lose game 1, then deGrom would be a shoe-in for game 2

I favor this strategy if it is in fact what Buck is planning.

nymr83 Oct 07 2022 03:13 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

I would start deGrom Game 2 either way. Worry about the Padres first.

Ceetar Oct 07 2022 03:19 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=vtmet7 post_id=110271 time=1665176367 user_id=80] I'm guessing the thought process behind the game 2 mystery is all about game 1...if the Mets win game 1, then would it make sense to have deGrom pitch game 3 (hoping that we win game 2, and he would then pitch game 1 of the next series)...however, I would imagine that if we lose game 1, then deGrom would be a shoe-in for game 2

this has been confirmed yes.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 07 2022 04:35 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=Ceetar post_id=110282 time=1665177561 user_id=102] =vtmet7 post_id=110271 time=1665176367 user_id=80] I'm guessing the thought process behind the game 2 mystery is all about game 1...if the Mets win game 1, then would it make sense to have deGrom pitch game 3 (hoping that we win game 2, and he would then pitch game 1 of the next series)...however, I would imagine that if we lose game 1, then deGrom would be a shoe-in for game 2

this has been confirmed yes.


Good. I like it. The Mets could still start deGrom in game #3 if they win game #1 but lose the next game with Bassitt starting. It's a lot (though not exactly) like games six and seven of the '73 World Series where Berra had Seaver pitch game six, skipping George Stone even though Seaver could have still pitched game seven had the Mets lost game six with Stone.



Th only downside that I can see is that deGrom pitching game three of the Wild Card round sets him back a day or two should the Mets advance to play the Dodgers. Then, there's no way deGrom starts more than once against the Dodgers. But the risk is worth it to have Scherzer and deGrom open against the Dodgers.

Ceetar Oct 07 2022 04:57 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

there's no way, unless you're gonna short rest him, that deGrom would start both games against the Dodgers if he's not pitching game 1 (and 5). Arguably if you burn deGrom now in the Wild Card, you start Scherzer on short rest in game 1 so you have him for 5. This way you still get 3 games of them right? I wonder if that possibility has Buck pull Scherzer earlier tonight than he would otherwise, particularly with a few run lead..

MFS62 Oct 07 2022 05:25 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=Ceetar post_id=110293 time=1665183444 user_id=102] I wonder if that possibility has Buck pull Scherzer earlier tonight than he would otherwise, particularly with a few run lead..

That's a (Insert your own metaphor here)bridge I'd like to come to before I think about crossing it.

Later

Willets Point Oct 07 2022 08:39 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

=Ceetar post_id=110293 time=1665183444 user_id=102] I wonder if that possibility has Buck pull Scherzer earlier tonight than he would otherwise, particularly with a few run lead..

Well. Scherzer exited early. You didn't specify which team would have the lead.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 07 2022 09:20 PM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

At least we'll know tomorrow that if deGrom doesn't start, there's an injury issue brewing.

vtmet7 Oct 08 2022 06:56 AM Re: 2022 Wild Card Playoff Roster Thoughts

on a positive note: the bullpen pitched 4 shutout innings, and Buck found a way to use all 3 catchers in the game