Rising Apple » Marlon Byrd

Lucas Duda Is Hitting .224

Rich Sparago — Sun, 12 May 2013 01:36:34 +0000

The Mets went into spring training with many questioning their outfield. Sandy Alderson even joked about his contingent of outfielders, asking “what outfield?” However, Alderson decided to break camp with the players he had, and essentially roll the dice. So far, the dice have come up snake eyes. The statistics of the outfielders currently on the 25-man roster are disturbing.

Player Avg. OBP

Lucas Duda .224 .372

Marlon Byrd .261 .293

Juan Lagares .167 .219

Andrew Brown .200 .294

Jordany Valdespin .242 .296

Mike Baxter .269 .381

Lucas Duda certainly is not solely responsible for the outfield’s offensive woes.

March 30, 2013; Sarasota, FL, USA; New York Mets left fielder Lucas Duda (21) works out prior to the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

But after a hot start, he has cooled considerably, and has struck out in about 33% of his official at-bats. The lack of production from the outfield is almost shocking, and has been a major contributor to the team’s 14-19 start to the season. When one sees statistics like these, the first reaction is to ask when help may be on the way. The problem is, at the high levels of the minor leagues, there isn’t help to be found. In the hitter-friendly PCL, AAA outfielder Jamie Hoffman is hitting .305, and old friends Collin Cowgill and Kirk Nieuwenhuis are hitting .261 and .245 respectively. Matt Den Dekker is close to returning to action, but he would likely be at least 2 months away from being able to help in Flushing.

The other option to improve the outfield is via trades. The Mets do not seem inclined to begin dealing to try to improve the major league club. This is understandable, since the Mets’ most-desired trading chip is starting pitching, and it would be counter-productive to trade pitching at this point. So where does Sandy Alderson go from here?

He probably goes nowhere. We all knew that this was to be a transition year, when bad contracts were allowed to expire while young pitching was afforded the opportunity to develop. However, Alderson has an obligation to put a competitive team on the field, and to the extent that each day Terry Collins has to select 3 players from the list above, Alderson has not done that. Alderson claimed he was actively trying to improve the outfield last winter, and that he was “in” on Justin Upton and Michael Bourn. These players did not end up in blue and orange; perhaps the prices (players and/or money) were too high. But should Alderson have stopped there? It’s clear he knew what he didn’t have, and that he made a conscious choice to go north with this team. To every action there is a reaction. The reaction to Alderson’s choice can be seen in the standings, and as was the case today at Citi, also in the stands.

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Quick Hits: The Byrd is No Longer the Word

Danny Abriano — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:51:23 +0000

When the Mets signed Marlon Byrd prior to spring training, I figured he was simply AAA fodder. His atrocious 2012 and suspension for PED use led me to believe I’d be correct, but his hot spring facilitated both his inclusion on the roster and led to him being entrenched in a fairly regular role. He had a nice start to the regular season, but has since slipped.

Apr 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets outfielder Marlon Byrd (6) warms up before a MLB opening day game against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Byrd has seen his average fall to .246, and he hasn’t homered in two weeks. That average from Byrd would be fine if he was drawing walks. The problem, is that he isn’t. He has three walks all season, leading to an unsightly OBP of .286. If you look at his strikeout rate, you’ll realize that Byrd’s numbers aren’t the result of him hitting into bad luck. Rather, his numbers are due to him often being over-matched at the plate.

Byrd has struck out 13 times in his last 32 at bats (he’s on pace to strike out 178 times for the season). That simply isn’t going to cut it. Byrd isn’t alone in his early season struggles (see Ike Davis). However, what sets Byrd apart is the fact that his poor 2011 and 2012 seasons should lead you to believe that what we’re seeing now is what we’re going to get. Davis, on the other hand, clubbed 30 homers and drove in over 90 runs last season. He has rope because he’s still likely a part of the future in Flushing, while Byrd is not.

Lucas Duda has earned the right to start the majority of the games in left field. The center field starts should go to either Jordany Valdespin or Collin Cowgill. Right field is a different story. If Byrd continues to struggle, his starts should go to either Mike Baxter, Juan Lagares, or Cowgill (on days when Valdespin is in center). There’s a chance that Byrd will discover the fountain of youth and reverse his decline. Odds are, however, that that isn’t going to happen. If he continues to struggle, the quicker the Mets end the “Byrd plays almost every day” experiment, the better.

Commentary from Staff Writer Dan Haefeli:

Marlon Byrd has, in all, been a positive addition to the Mets. His hitting skills are clearly diminished (which should push him to the bench), but he’s by all means a solid locker room guy and a good, somewhat versatile outfielder. With that said, the Mets might be leaving their best outfielder on the bench right now. Known primarily for his pinch-hitting prowess (.341/.429/.525 in 56 plate appearances), Mike Baxter is seemingly consistently overlooked. He’s put up a solid line as a Met (.258/.365/.408, 1.3 fWAR in 285 PA) and has exhibited good gap power throughout his career, averaging 36 doubles, 9 triples, and 14 home runs per 650 AA/AAA PA’s - rates he’s nearly matched in the majors (41,7,9, respectively). He also plays a very good right field (+17.7 UZR/150). He’s not young at 28, and has struggled against lefties (though 31 PA isn’t much of a sample size), but he’s a guy who put up consistently solid numbers in the upper minor leagues (.294/.372/.463, 1637 PA) and has shown a good eye against major league pitching. He may lack the upside of a Jordany Valdespin or Juan Lagares, but the Mets owe it to themselves to see what they have here. The worst case scenario is that Baxter is what he currently is: an inexpensive, solid fourth outfielder. But there’s a chance he can be something more, and that’s a chance Terry Collins should be willing to take.

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Collin Cowgill is Finally Getting His Chance with Mets

Matt Musico — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:00:44 +0000

If you’ve been a regular reader here at Rising Apple, you’re very aware of how much the entire staff likes Collin Cowgill. When Sandy Alderson completed the trade to acquire him from the Oakland A’s over the winter, he immediately started singing his praise for how he plays the game. When this transaction became official, the only thing I really knew about Cowgill was that he had a great name, and I was really hoping Sandy was right in his evaluation. So far (including spring training), the outfielder is looking like he could end up being one of the best trades from this past offseason.

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