For the first time this spring the Mets are going to play a west Florida opponent! The Mets are taking a weekend trip to the other side of Florida to play the Rays today and the Red Sox tomorrow – giving us a break from the Marlins, Nationals, Astros and Cardinals on the east Floridan coast.
The Mets are coming off of a great game where they recorded seven runs on 13 hits and shut out the Nationals over nine innings. Juan Soto hit his second home run of spring, Pete Alonso had his third double, and Francisco Lindor recorded two hits. Brandon Sproat and Moreno dazzled on the mound. The vibes are good!
Three Things To Watch For:
- Blade Tidwell’s time. Sproat and Tidwell are competing to become mainstays in the Mets rotation at some point this year. Early injuries this spring to Montas and Manaea have created more openings for all the starters in camp. Sproat looked great on Friday striking out a batter and allowing nothing else over two innings. Tidwell is looking to rebound from his first spring training start where he allowed three runs from four hits and a walk over two innings. Even though the results weren’t good, his fastball averaged 96 mph in his last starter and his sinker was at 95 mph with a 40.0% Whiff%.
- Mets hitters against Shane McClanahan. The Mets are going to face two, true starting pitchers over the weekend. First up is Shane who has made it to the All-Star game two seasons in a row. Over his three big league seasons he has had a 118, 144 and 128 ERA+. Baseball Reference keeps track of the pitcher quality that hitters face, with a 10 being an MLB pitcher, 8 being an AAA arm, 7 AA arm, etc. Juan Soto’s opponent quality has been a 7.5 this spring. Brett Baty’s has been a 6.9. Today’s a great day to see great stuff!
- Bench Battle. There was always going to be a battle for the last bench spot on the Mets that would come down to Brett Baty or Luisangel Acuña. With the injury to Nick Madigral, there is a path for both, even though it becomes a question how to get ample playing time for both. The question now is who could become the super utility player that becomes the x-factor the Mets this season. Acuña is 2-for-10 this spring with a stolen base and two runs scored over four games. Baty has been on fire going 6-for-11 with a double, two homers and four runs scored.
Let’s Go Mets!
