PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets face a pivotal week ahead of the All-Star break with seven straight games and the MLB Draft beginning Sunday.
To keep the pressure on the front office to add at the trade deadline — or at least not sell — the Mets (44-44) should continue to win or, at the very least, hover right around .500.
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Let’s dig into the stakes with takeaways on how Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor have grown as leaders, Pete Alonso’s All-Star selection and how the Mets are viewing the upcoming draft.
Nimmo, Lindor increase leadership roles to new levels
Before the Mets began their trip, a rain delay of nearly three hours during their last home game June 30 derailed their plans. They intended to continue their new ritual of eating together as a group on the first day of every trip, but they arrived in Washington too late, so they pivoted to the next-best idea.
Nimmo rented a conference room at the hotel and ordered food for everyone.
The newfound tradition was saved. At the start of the Mets’ last few trips, Nimmo and Lindor have paid for team dinners.
When the Mets held their players-only meeting at the end of May, Lindor and Nimmo, among others, talked about more accountability and the idea of looking oneself in the mirror and asking whether one is doing everything one can to help the team. Some of Lindor’s and Nimmo’s answers overlapped. Both veterans felt they could do more as leaders and try things they hadn’t yet tried before.
“One thing I’ve tried to make a point of is getting the guys together for a dinner on the road trips,” Nimmo said. “I was like, you know what? It would be good for us to just take them out to a big-league dinner, all of us get together, it’s on me or Francisco. Francisco and I as leaders, just getting the guys together more and worrying about the other guys a little bit more. Don’t get me wrong. I still have to take care of what I am doing. But I’ve had a lot of time here now so it’s trying to pass that on to the next guys and help in any way you can.
“Francisco and I are in the position where we want to take the guys out and we want to build some camaraderie. … It has felt emotionally tangible. And then seeing some results on the field is nice as well.”
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The Mets have had several events featuring the whole roster in the past, but this new tradition has made it a more regular occurrence. Also in the past, players mostly had dinners in smaller groups, maybe a dozen or so getting together. Lindor and Nimmo haven’t exactly made the team-wide outing mandatory, but they said they’ve had 100 percent attendance.
Alonso’s All-Star nod a surprise, especially with Nimmo and Lindor also worthy
Alonso was selected as a reserve at first base along with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman behind starter Bryce Harper. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Christian Walker qualified as one of the biggest snubs because he has the third-highest fWAR among first basemen in the National League (2.9) behind Harper (3.9) and Freeman (3.3) with a better OPS (.857) and more home runs (22) than Alonso (.792 OPS, 18 home runs).
It’s Alonso’s fourth time being an All-Star, the most for a first baseman in franchise history. Sunday, Alonso announced on Instagram that he would also be participating in the Home Run Derby, which he has twice won.
“I thought he got hot and then he got cold, but this is a guy who can carry us,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said when asked to assess Alonso’s first half. “I like the at-bats as of late. I think he is making progress as far as the chases go, but the impact there, he’s a game changer.”
Lindor and Nimmo seem like top candidates to make the team as injury replacements or alternatives for some other reason.
Lindor, who has a .763 OPS with 15 home runs and 16 stolen bases, was asked whether he thought his slow start played a role in his not being named an All-Star on Sunday.
“I guess I gotta have a better April,” he said.
When asked whether he deserved to go, Lindor said, “That’s not up to me. I would love to go. I would love to go, yeah. But I am happy for Pete. He definitely deserves it. This is going to be a great show for him and his family.”
Pete Alonso speaks on his All-Star selection: "I feel truly blessed. I'm really excited."
On if he'll be in the Home Run Derby: "You guys will see." pic.twitter.com/7cTWnCGajA
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 7, 2024
Among National League outfielders, Nimmo’s 2.8 fWAR trails only the San Diego Padres’ Jurickson Profar (3.2). He said he was very happy for Alonso. As for himself, he said his numbers speak for themselves.
“I don’t really attribute it to anything. I’ve done what I can do,” Nimmo said. “I’m just not winning the popularity contest right now.”
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Draft philosophy: Stearns, Gross aligned on valuation of certain aspects of players
The MLB Draft begins July 14, and the Mets hold the No. 19 pick. This is the first draft for the Mets under president of baseball operations David Stearns, who came from Milwaukee. The Brewers have had some recent success stories from the draft and there’s plenty of time in some other cases for development, but generally speaking, the draft was not one of Stearns’ biggest strengths during his successful tenure with the club.
Stearns worked with VP of amateur scouting Kris Gross in Houston from 2013 to 2015. Gross spent 11 seasons in the Astros organization and oversaw its past five amateur drafts. Houston did not have a first or second-round pick in two of them, part of its punishment for electronically stealing signs at Minute Maid Park in 2017 and 2018.
Gross joined the team’s scouting staff in 2012. The Astros have since drafted and signed a major-league-high 64 players who appeared in the big leagues either with Houston or another club.
Several in the industry believe the Mets might do a blend of what Houston and Milwaukee have valued in recent years. Mostly, that means explosive athletes with big tools and pitchers with electric raw stuff.
“We discuss the draft at least monthly if not weekly, and a lot of our thoughts on players and philosophy align really well,” said Gross, who added communication with Stearns will pick up this week. “So this match has been good. He’s been great to work with throughout this process.”
(Top photo: David Banks / USA Today)
