The New York Mets are a dumpster fire right now. Most of this team and the organization could be placed in the “fallers” category. We have known for years if not decades that ownership is much more interested in pocketing money than they are placing the best team possible on the field. I know you might be thinking, what are you talking about, they have a top ten payroll in baseball. Technically that’s true, but remember, David Wright and Yoenis Cespedes are both part of that payroll, and while they do have to be paid, the Mets recoup over $30 million of that salary via insurance. They do not put that $30 million back into the team. It’s in the Wilpon’s bank account. When you take that away, now their payroll isn’t in the top half of MLB teams. This for a team with their own television network and one that plays in New York. They hired an agent to be their general manager. An agent that traded away the best organizational prospect for an aging highly overpaid star and an elite closer. Well, closers don’t mean much if you have a bad team and that aging star is once again being called out for not hustling, something that has dogged him throughout his career. This is certainly going to end poorly. Ownership did not allow that new general manager to hire his own manager. Instead, they forced him to keep Mickey Callaway, a manager who were all just counting down the days now until he’s fired. I’m surprised that hasn’t already happened after the Mets were swept by what most consider to be the worst team in baseball, Miami. I still have hope for several members of the rotation for the Mets and Pete Alonso is fun to watch, but anyone else I’m going to be wary of. This is a team that laid down and decided not to play Sunday in Miami. When was the last time you saw a game completed in under two hours? The Mets just wanted to go home.
Risers
Tommy La Stella, Los Angeles Angels: I’m at a loss to explain the 2019 season for La Stella. This is a 30-year old player, not some young rookie who we could expect major upside once the game slows down for them and they learn the league. La Stella already has 11 HRs. That’s one more than he had in his entire six-year career entering this season. He’s batting .310. He’s only batted over .280 once in his career as he usually bandies about the .260 mark. Is this just a great start to the season? Probably, but I’m starting him until he slows down.
Gerardo Parra, Washington Nationals: Parra was terrible with San Francisco earlier this season and seems to be the definition of a player who needed a change of scenery. His overall numbers still look terrible as he is only batting .225, but since going to Washington he’s hitting well over .300. Once again, I don’t expect this to continue, but you could do worse than have him as a backup on your bench.
Caleb Smith, Miami Marlins: Not only is Smith the only pitcher worth owning on Miami, but he may also very well be the only player. The problem is, even if he pitches a gem, you still might not get a win as the offense is poor and may not score enough runs for him. I have a hard time banking on guys that are only going to help me in three categories as wins and saves may be out the door.
Marwin Gonzalez, Minnesota Twins: When it comes to analysis, we can find stats that support just about any argument for a player. You want to say Gonzalez has been terrible this season, you point out that he is only batting .250 with four HRs and 13 RBI. If you want to support Gonzalez, you point out that over his past 16 games he has a slash line of .355/.429/.500. I would want Gonzalez. Sure, I worry about playing time, but I also like to believe that Gonzalez, who came over from the Astros via free agency, is just starting to hit his stride now and you have to love that he is eligible at so many positions.
Luis Castillo, Cincinnati Reds: When you go back and look at your draft, you will see that about 75% of the starting pitchers that you thought would be the ace of your team aren’t paying off. Max Scherzer only has two wins. Jacob DeGrom and Aaron Nola have been inconsistent, to say the least. Corey Kluber is hurt, and it goes on and on. Castillo may be the best pitcher in the game that no one considered to be an ace. Sure, pitching in Cincinnati and with a team that wasn’t expected to contend played a part in his draft ranking, but the man has an ERA of 1.90 with a WHIP of 0.96. He is the real deal.
Fallers
Chris Archer, Pittsburgh Pirates: This is a trade that is destined to haunt Pittsburgh for years. They traded Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow to Tampa for Archer. The warning signs were there as Archer wasn’t pitching well last year in Tampa, but I’m sure Pittsburgh thought a change of scenery and facing National League lineups would solve that problem. Well, between injuries, being suspended, and poor pitching (5.58 ERA, 1.60 WHIP), it’s not getting any better in PIT and it certainly doesn’t help matters that Glasnow looked like a Cy Young candidate before his arm injury and Meadows looks like a regular OF.
Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals: This one is pretty simple, it’s a reverse case of how you look at numbers that I pointed out above with Gonzalez and Parra. Wong started off this season strong as most of us can remember the long bombs he hit during the first week or so of the season, but since that hot start, not so much. The bottom line is he is not the answer to your fantasy problems and should be sent packing.
Khris Davis, Oakland Athletics: Davis has averaged close to 44 HRs over the past three seasons. He’s also batted .247 for four straight seasons (that has to be some kind of record). Now, Davis does have 12 HRs so far this season and is once again on pace to hit 40+, but he also only has two HRs in May and is battling a hip injury that has had him in and out of the lineup for the past week. I’d be sitting him for the immediate future until he works himself out of this funk.
Nomar Mazara, Texas Rangers: I’ve been as high on Mazara over the past few seasons as anyone else, but it’s just not happening. Mazara has still yet to take the next step in his progression and it doesn’t look like it will happen this season. He is just the type of player that always leaves you wanting more. More power, more average, just more damage in general. Mazara looks the part, but the numbers just don’t add up.
Clint Frazier, New York Yankees: Injuries seem to always disrupt any chance for Frazier to make his mark with the Yankees. Last year it was a concussion in spring training that pretty much ended his season. This year, injuries to other Yankees gave him a shot and he was playing better than anyone expected, but then an ankle sprain in Los Angeles sent him to the injured list and life hasn’t been the same since he returned. In 12 games since being activated, Frazier has a slash line of .150/.209/.175 and a strikeout rate of 35%. That’s just not going to get the job done. Throw in that Giancarlo Stanton has begun a rehab stint that could have him back in a Yankee uniform in early June and life is no longer rosy for Frazier owners.
