Tejada

Mets Short on Shortstops

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Cecchini is still a few years away.
Cecchini is still a few years away.

Ruben Tejada has taken a big step back in his development this year. At times, he’s just been plain bad.

He’s hitting .209/.269/.264. He does have 10 doubles, which is good for second on the team, but that may speak more to the makeup of the roster than it does to Tejada’s extra base hitting ability. As a shortstop, a team will usually put up with a lack of offense as long as you play solid defense. But Tejada hasn’t done that.

He’s already made 8 errors (6 of them throwing) after making only 12 last year. A look at advanced fielding metrics, which is still somewhat of an inexact science, shows his rPM (Plus/Minus runs saved above average) at -7. I’m not going to pretend I know exactly how this is calculated, but it’s not good. His rPM last year was -3.

You don’t need a supercomputer to see how he’s struggled in the field, however.

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Link Roundup: Davis, Prospects, and The 7 Line

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It’s time for our second annual “Should The Mets Demote Ike Davis?” discussion. Rumor has it, demotion is once again a possibility for the struggling first baseman, just as it was last year at this time. Davis somehow pulled it together in June of 2012 and kept himself in the majors, finishing the season with … Read more

Ike Davis is the Key to Mets Offense

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Ike Davis K
Ike Davis strikes out on Sunday during a key moment in the game.

OK, you’re probably reading the headline and thinking, “more like ‘Seven Guys Not Slumping at the Same Time is the Key to Mets Offense.'”  Yes, the Mets are not exactly the reincarnation of the 1927 Yankees.

They don’t have an ideal leadoff hitter or a steady center fielder or right fielder.  Ruben Tejada has been nearly as unspectacular with the bat has he has been with the glove this year, and Daniel Murphy, after a hot start, has slumped mightily.  On April 25th, he was batting .346/.388/.538.  Since then, he’s hit only .130/.161/.167.

It seems in late April, everyone went into a slump following their hot start.  But the Mets need a stabilizing presence in the middle of the lineup to mitigate poor performance from the rest of the team – let’s say…a power-hitting left-handed bat.  Someone like Ike Davis.

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Blog Roundup: All-Star Break

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The first half of the 2012 season is in the can, and the Mets are a respectable 46-40, sitting in third place in the NL East, 5 games behind the Washington Nationals.  They’ve certainly exceeded expectations.  This year’s edition of the Mets is loaded with overachievers, like Ruben Tejada, Scott Hairston, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and R.A. … Read more

Which Outfielder Will Be the Odd Man Out?

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Within the next 2-3 weeks, the Mets should be getting 3 key injured players back.  SS Ruben Tejada, C Josh Thole, and OF Jason Bay are all beginning to play rehab games this week.  So which players on the current major league roster will they replace?

In the case of Thole, the answer is simple – Either Mike “Grand Slam” Nickeas or Rob “Snap Throw to First” Johnson (whoever is sucking the most when the time comes) will be replaced.

Has Kirk done enough to stay on the big club?

When Tejada comes back, he would have replaced Vinny Rottino.  However, the injury to Justin Turner muddies the picture a bit.

Omar Quintanilla is likely to replace Turner on the roster.  If Tejada then replaces Quintanilla, the Mets will only have one player to backup second base, shortstop, and third base – Ronny Cedeno.  That’s assuming Cedeno’s minor quad strain doesn’t turn into a major pain in the posterior.  If the Mets decide they need 2 backup infielders, then Quintanilla would stay, and Rottino would be sent down after all.

For the sake of this post, let’s assume the latter will be the scenario.

With that in mind, the decision of whom to drop when Bay returns becomes complicated.  It’s doubtful the Mets will carry 6 outfielders, so someone is going to have to go.  Here are the candidates for replacement:

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