Time For The Mets To Switch Things Up

Unless you've been spending the first few months of the 2013 season in seclusion, you know that the Mets are off to a less-than-spectacular start.  Through 56 games, the Mets have a disappointing 23-33 record.  The only teams in baseball that are more than ten games under .500 are the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros and Miami Marlins.

One of the reasons for the Mets' poor start is their inability to hit.  New York ranks 29th of 30 teams in batting average, with only the Marlins (.227) possessing a lower team batting average than the Mets' .228 mark.

The Mets' lack of success at the plate is more noticeable when two statistics are considered.  New York's right-handed batters are hitting .225 versus right-handed pitchers and their left-handed batters hit a mere .210 against southpaws.  Ordinarily, a team would combat this by employing a switch-hitter or two.  That way, there would be more lefty-righty matchups, which have traditionally favored the hitters.  There's only one problem with that.  The Mets don't have any switch-hitters.  And it's not like they have many switch-hitting options in the minors, either.

Last of the Mohicans?  Not really.  But Andres Torres was the last switch-hitter to bat for the Mets.

New York's current 40-man roster does not feature any switch-hitters.  But wait, there's more.  Their Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas had only one switch-hitter on the roster.  However, that dually skilled hitter (catcher Landon Powell) was only batting .159 in 82 plate appearances and was released today.  The Mets also have just one player who bats from both sides of the plate at AA-Binghamton.  But switch-hitting second baseman Daniel Muno is only hitting .217 in a team-leading 241 plate appearances.

Unless the Mets make a trade for a switch-hitter, it does not appear as if they will have one on the major league roster at any point this year.  The only other season in which the Mets did not have a single at-bat credited to a switch-hitter was 1964, almost half a century ago.

In late inning situations, opposing teams usually have left-handed pitchers available to face lefty hitters.  Similarly, they use right-handed relievers against right-handed hitters.  But with the Mets not having any switch-hitters on their active roster, they're forced to use their bench players or keep their starters in the game for a unfavorable hitting matchup.

An average starting pitcher can go about six innings.  Therefore, innings six through eight are usually reserved for tiring starters and/or middle relievers.  Any batter should be able to hit a tiring starter.  Likewise, a switch-hitter would have no problem against a middle reliever because he can bat from either side of the plate.  So how are the Mets doing at the plate in innings six through eight?  They're hitting a paltry .211 in those innings with a .273 on-base percentage - numbers that are considerably lower than their overall figures (.228 batting average, .295 OBP).  Makes you wonder if those numbers would look better if the Mets had a couple of switch-hitters in their employ who could foil potential lefty-lefty and righty-righty matchups in the later innings.

When constructing a roster, teams always try to have a lefty or two in the bullpen.  The Mets currently have two such pitchers in Robert Carson and Scott Rice.  But teams should also have their share of switch-hitters on the roster.  The Mets have zip, zilch, nada.  Their inability to send a switch-hitter up to the plate in the late innings has made them very vulnerable against an opponent's bullpen.  That makes it exceedingly difficult for them to erase late-inning deficits.  (The Mets have been outscored, 97-71, from the sixth through the eighth innings.)

The Mets need many things.  They need a dependable bullpen.  They need better outfielders.  They need to clone Matt Harvey.  But one thing they also need is a switch-hitter.  After all, they already have a bullpen (sort of).  They have outfielders (or guys who play outfielders on TV).  They even have a Matt Harvey (and his achy breaky back).  But they don’t have a switch-hitter.  It’s time for the Mets to switch things up if they want to fix that gaping hole on the active roster.

Is This Your Retirement, Larry?

Earlier today, Chipper Jones announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season after almost two decades spent entirely with the Atlanta Braves.  Jones will retire as one of the Braves’ all-time greatest players, finishing in the top three in many of the team's offensive categories (along with Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews).  He will also end his career as one of the best switch-hitters in baseball history, joining other greats such as Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray and Pete Rose.

Chipper Jones was like Norm from Cheers, with every fan at Shea Stadium and Citi Field saying his first name in unison as he strolled into the batter's box.  But unlike Norm, whenever Jones heard his name, it wasn't usually in adulation.

When the Braves and Mets competed for National League supremacy in 1999 and 2000, it was Jones who repeatedly delivered in the clutch, keeping the Mets from ending the Braves’ reign atop the division.  By then, he was already known as “La-a-a-a-a-arry” to the Shea faithful, similar to the way Darryl Strawberry was known as “Da-a-a-a-a-arryl” to Red Sox fans during the 1986 World Series.  Of course, Strawberry got the last laugh, hitting a towering home run off Red Sox reliever Al Nipper in Game 7.  Chipper Jones usually hushed the crowd as well with his ability to come through in the clutch.

And what a clutch hitter he was against the Mets.  In 812 career at-bats versus New York, Jones hit .318 with 44 doubles, 48 HR and 154 RBI.  Only Hall of Famers Willie Stargell (60) and Mike Schmidt (49) hit more career home runs against the Mets than Chipper Jones.

But Jones wasn’t just a great hitter when the Mets were in the other dugout.  He was an equal opportunity slugger, especially within his own division.  Take a look at his stats against the other teams in the National League East:

• vs. Marlins: .299, 45 doubles, 40 HR, 161 RBI in 834 at-bats.
• vs. Phillies: .332, 68 doubles, 46 HR, 144 RBI in 797 at-bats.
• vs. Expos/Nats: .298, 60 doubles, 40 HR, 154 RBI in 905 at-bats.

Through 2011, Jones has hit at least 40 doubles, 40 HR and picked up 140 RBI against every team in the National League East, numbers that will only rise as he plays his final year in the major leagues.  Despite his inability to stay on the field because of various injuries throughout the latter part of his career, he still managed to win a batting title in 2008, hitting an impressive .364 at age 36.

Over the years, Mets fans at Shea Stadium and Citi Field would shower Chipper Jones with boos and remind him of his given name whenever he stepped up to the plate.  But did they really hate Chipper Jones or was it just a masked sign of respect for a great player?

Admit it.  You've booed Chipper Jones, but you would have loved to see him in a Mets uniform.

Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino also get pooped on by the boo birds whenever they come to New York.  But all three of them brought it upon themselves by not being able to keep their mouths shut.  Cole Hamels may have been the biggest offender of Mets fans when he famously claimed that the Mets were choke artists.  In fact, his mouth is so big, he could insert Shaquille O’Neal's foot in it and it still wouldn’t shut him up.  Those players are players Mets fans genuinely hate.  There’s no respect in those boos.

But Chipper Jones is different.  He never guaranteed anything even when the Braves were racking up division titles faster than the current Mets rack up injuries.  He also never disrespected a fan base like Hamels or his former teammate, John Rocker, did.  In fact, Jones loved playing in New York so much, he named his son Shea.

Why was Chipper Jones booed so much in New York?  Because he was good.  Really good.  For a very long time.

Larry did his homework on the Mets, which is why he was so great against them for nearly two decades.  But he didn’t just pick on the Mets; he picked apart opposing pitchers all over the National League.  When the Braves make their final appearance at Citi Field this year on September 9, Mets fans should put aside their negative feelings and give Chipper Jones a standing ovation.  After so many years booing him, it’s time to recognize that he was one of the best players of his generation.  Jones is a certain first ballot Hall of Famer who, like Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn, played his entire career with one team.  Only special players get to do that.  Chipper Jones has been a special player.

When the 2012 season comes to a close, Chipper Jones will be retiring from baseball.  Ask any Mets fan how they feel about the news and they’ll say they won’t be at a loss, which shouldn’t be surprising.  Why not?  Because when the game was on the line, the man they called “La-a-a-a-a-arry” usually had their favorite team at a loss.  It’s no wonder Mets fans will probably enjoy Chipper Jones’ retirement more than Chipper himself.