As a Mets fan, it’s rare we confidently come into a new season with legitimate hope. With Mr. and Mrs. Met in the delivery truck heading south, I ventured back and rewatched a cinema classic - Major League.
The perfect parallel for the Mets’ outfielders in 2023.
In case you haven't noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven't, I’ve used the term “cinema classic” to describe a film with a legit stalker for a main love interest; a MLB team traveling like Stillwater in ‘Almost Famous’; and a fictional owner that would have printed the ‘Wild Thing’ shirts you see all over Cleveland.
But the biggest nit-pick isn’t right fielder Pedro Cerrano trotting the bases with his bat after the dramatic two-run homer to tie the game in the bottom of the 7th (which is actually legal). It’s manager Lou Brown’s team batting out of order from that point; meaning the dramatic ending never should have happened.
If Tomilson’s drive to the right field wall doesn’t fall short, outfielder Willie Mays Hayes never steps up to face Yankees closer ‘The Duke’ in the bottom of the ninth. Hayes shouldn’t have even made the team; showing up in a pimped-out VW and shaking hands with manager Lou Brown (My man!) despite not being listed among a group of players picked specifically to finish dead last.
One of the funniest scenes is the security guards moving his bed outside the facilities (while he's sleeping in it!) before the first spring practice, forcing Mays Hayes to race past potential players in his pajamas. I can’t imagine something similar happening to Brandon Nimmo, but he did start outside the traditional.
“From the start, which means from the time the season ended,” said Mets manager Buck Showalter to MLB.com, “I felt that bringing back Brandon was an absolute must.”
The first baseball player from Wyoming to be an MLB first-round pick, Nimmo played American Legion instead of high school ball as Wyoming high schools do not offer it. He practiced in a barn built by his father and it paid off. The early payoff was Nimmo and his older brother using baseball to see more than just the Cowboy State. Bryce played for the 2005 University of Nebraska College World Series team and his younger brother just signed an 8-year, $162 million dollar contract to remain with the only team he’s ever known.
The only known scouting report about Willie Mays Hayes is given by Brown moments after his first appearance in the batter’s box.
“With your speed, you should hit the ball on the ground and be legging them out.”
Nimmo has speed, but famously didn’t use it to steal last year. He attempted only five swipes and was thrown out twice. Starling Marte was caught stealing nine times and finished with a team-high 18 SBs last year, but his influence at the top of the lineup is seemingly taken for granted. When the 2022 All-Star injured his right middle finger in early September, the team followed by going 4-4 against Pittsburgh, Miami and a three-game sweep by the Chicago Cubs, who were days away from playoff elimination.
Maybe that initial stumble was lost because they followed with a six-game win streak, but Marte hit .292 with a speed and power combination that earned him an MVP vote. One vote might not be a great indicator of anything, so how about this?
According to Baseball Reference, OPS is a combination of a player's On-Base and Slugging Percentages. Last year, Aaron Judge led all of MLB with a 1.111 OPS. Did you know the 2022 Mets had six players in MLB’s top 60? Did you know of that sizable percentage of the league’s best, it includes all three Met outfielders?
Mark Canha didn’t overwhelm in his first season in Queens, but his .266 average was his best since 2019 (.273.) His 124 hits and 24 doubles were both career highs, while his 28 hit by pitches led the league. He played all three outfield positions without committing an error and was a steadying presence in the bottom half of the lineup.
Jeff McNeil batted behind Pete Alonso, but not as protection. He was hitting mostly behind the 5-hole near and around Canha, who excelled at either scoring (71 runs) or knocking people in (61 RBIs). And as I look back over his numbers and the rest of his teammates that patrolled Citi’s greens. I'm filled with just one emotion, jubilation, perfectly emoted by an enthusiastic Willie Mays Hayes after beating out an infield single in the bottom of the 9th.
Wesley Snipes is the star of two of the definitive sports films of the late 20th century. White Men Can’t Jump made $90 million at the box office in 1992, when that really meant something. Snipes plays Sidney Deane, a basketball hustler, and both Deane and Mays Hayes have the same problem. The actor portraying the character is neither a basketball or baseball player.
But not in the bottom of the ninth. Snipes and his slow looping swing hit an infield chopper. With an even slower break out of the batter’s box; he would need Olympic gold medal speed to beat it out. The character’s last name is likely a reference to Bob Hayes, but regardless, he should be out at first.
But this is a feel-good story, so Snipes beats it out and celebrates like Mets fans should about their outfield; similar to when he avoided the red tape inside his spring training locker - a high-stepping dance move that ends with “Yes, yes, yes!”
In the bottom of the ninth and with just the first-base line as a dance floor, Willie Mays Hayes performs a shortened version of his earlier dance; tapping his toes in excitement and quickly returning to the base because his job has just begun.
Other Mets Preview Articles
- Mets 2024 Preview - Get Ready And Be Patient - March 28, 2024
- Edwin Diaz Shines In Spring Debut - March 11, 2024
- Mets notes From spring's first pitch in Florida - February 26, 2024
