Mets Hitting

Are the Mets for Real?

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After a tough stretch against the Nationals and Yankees that saw the Mets drop 5 of 6, it’s time to ask the question at the back of every Mets fans mind. Are the Mets contenders this year? Will the Mets play meaningful September baseball for the first time since 2008? Luckily, thanks to sabermetrics, we can analyze some advanced statistics and trends from the season so far to try and get a handle on the 2012 Amazins.

For more information on any of the stats listed below, simply click on the stat name. 

Pythagorean W-L –  Pythagorean Won-Loss record (PWL) is much simpler than it sounds. It basically figures out

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What’s Wrong with Jose Reyes?

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If it were still April, the “shaking off the rust” excuse would still apply to Jose Reyes. However, we’re now getting into mid-May, and Reyes is floundering with a .229 batting average and a .281 OBP. Those certainly are not the numbers you’d expect from the best offensive player on your team — a.k.a. the number-three hitter.

Could this batting third thing be getting into his head?

It seems to me that his plate discipline has gone out the window since moving to the #3 spot — but that’s just my old eyes and my unreliable memory talking. So, as much as I tend to eschew “the new math” of baseball, I took a suggestion (via Twitter) from Craig Glaser of Sabometrics and took a look at “swing rates” on Fangraphs.

Accordng to the numbers, Reyes’ “outside swing percentage” (or “O-swing%”) — the percentage of balls outside the strike zone that he’s swung at — is

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Who Is Jeremy Reed and Other Mysteries

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jeremy-reed-nohatQuick quiz: who is the man in the picture to the left?

I’ll give you a few hints:

1. He was part of the trade with Seattle that brought J.J. Putz and Sean Green to New York.

2. He led the team in batting average during spring training.

3. He’s currently .313 and has played excellent defense in the outfield.

4. For about a 48-hour period, he was the team’s starting first baseman.

Give up?

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A Source of Power

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Jerry Manuel’s opine for power has so far fallen on deaf ears in the front office. But, perhaps the solution can be found from within. That’s right, there’s a slugging outfielder-first baseman right under our nose (well, actually, in Buffalo) — and he hits from the right side of the plate. His name is Wily … Read more

No Worries About Wright

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David Wright is leading the National League in strikeouts and hitting only .271. However, I see no reason for concern, since this is Wright’s M.O. for April. He is a notoriously slow starter, and we’ve come to expect subpar numbers from him in the first month of the season. But don’t listen to me, check … Read more

Reassessing the Offense

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Although Fernando Tatis hit only .244 in August, he picked things up these past few weeks, going 10 for his last 31 with a .910 OPS. That kind of offensive production is sorely needed on a team with a precarious bullpen situation — as I’ve been saying all along, the best defense against late-inning relief … Read more

Where’s the Beef?

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I’d like to share the stats of a “random” selection of batters … Manny Ramirez went 4-for-5 with 3 RBI in his most recent game, hitting .615 since joining the Dodgers. Casey Blake was 2-for-4 in the same game, hitting .364 with LA. Xavier Nady set a career high by driving in 6 runs yesterday, … Read more