2017mfc- Some Current Players.

Lets get some cards for the current Mets squad out there.I love making the oldies but we have a season coming up and we have a team that any Mets fan has to be excited about. If we can stay healthy, always the big IF, we should be in the running. It would be nice to run away with it but one should never expect that. Anythings possible though. It's baseball!

So here's a few players on the 2017 Mets, and lets start getting excited, because before you know it baseball will be starting up again! Lets go Mets!

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Will Steven Matz have a bounce back year? He only pitched in 22 games in 2016 and gave us around 132 innings. He did have some high points. He actually got one Rookie Of The Year vote, which I found surprising.

After compiling a 4-0 win-loss record, a 1.83 ERA, and 31 strikeouts in May, he was named the National League Rookie of the Month. But after that he fell off, not winning a game in all of June and July. And then came the news of the bone spur in his elbow. He put off surgery and did pitch well in August, however, picking up his 9th win (he went 9-8, ,340 ERA). But the Mets shelved him on August 22nd (DL) and on September 27, it was announced that Matz would undergo surgery for the bone spur, therefore ending his season.

We need the full Matz. I'd like 30 starts, 180 innings from this youngster in 2017. From all our starters, really. I won't get any more specific that because you don't reach  those numbers without doing well. Just get your work in and we should be fine. Mets pitching will have to step it up with Bartolo Colon and his massive inning eating stomach currently in Atlanta feeding itself. 

Now it's all up to our our talented young arms..

This is exciting.

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Some players should always be pictured doing what they do best. Lagares tracking down a fly ball. Centerfield should be interesting in 2017. Especially since they have thrown Jose Reyes into the mix.

I have high hopes for Gsellman. This righty went 4-2 in 8 starts and compiled a nice 2.42 ERA.

He pitched in some pressure spots too, so I think this guy can handle pitching in New York.

 I'm going to over compensate for the Lucas Duda/ Eric Campbell Topps error. What a way to start the baseball card season. Ha!
Duda will get one mfc joke card and two regular issue in an effort to balance the scales due to Topps impropriety. The up side is we should see another Duda in this years Topps set (if it is corrected, and it should be this early in), hopefully with his actual photo on it.

Eric Campbell went the free agent route and in December 2016 he signed with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. He played in 40 games for New York last season, so eventually he will get a '17mfc card.

Lucas is going to have a breakout year (I say this every year, lol). Well, that's if he plays. I hear talk of David Wright moving to first base. Where will that leave Duda? I don't ever want to see him playing the outfield again, that's for sure. I hope Wright is healthy enough to handle third base all season and the Dude gets every opportunity to excel at first base. I really don't expect to see Dom Smith up early unless something has gone wrong. I hope to see a little bit of Smith in September.

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I've already displayed the 2017mfc Cespedes and his card back, but I don't think I showed them together, so here they are.

METS WIN 11 IN A ROW!

New Yorks winning streak came to an end Friday night. But not before it tied a franchise record. It wasn't going to last forever, and what a great streak it was. I've experienced many a Metropolitan winning streak but this one was something special. It was like everything that had gone wrong the last 7 years had gone right. Taking advantage of all opposition miscues, answering back and coming back regularly. Great hitting, pitching, and some really nice fielding. 

Even when thrown big painful monkey wrenches like David Wright running into the D.L., Travis d'Arnaud and Jerry Blevens both suffering broken bones in the same inning of the same game, the team marched on. Very enjoyable to see some great baseball for a nice stretch. Well, maybe it wasn't all great baseball but it was a stretch of winning, the likes we have not seen for a long time.

I have made a few "Winning Streak" cards to commemorate this fun run. These were selected using the players Schaefer Mets Player Of The Game points accumulated in all 11 games.

This cool throwback tradition, a tribute to days gone by (& beer), is in it's 11th year and hosted at The Crane Pool Forum after each and every game. The points are tabulated and then put on display at the Ultimate Mets Database, becoming part of Mets historical record. If you haven't joined the CPF and voted, you should. The more the merrier!

We'll start from the bottom and work our way up through the honors.

Honorable mention: Eric Campbell.
I can't call him best player off the bench because he came up just to fill in for David Wright at third. And he's done a great job.

The best player off the bench was Rubin Tejada. He scored twice as many Schaefer Points as any other bench player. Mayberry was second in points. Kirk Nieuwenhuis had a HORRIBLE point total, the lowest of any non-pitcher who was on the bench for the entire streak (and filled in, as did Tejada).

Even though he missed the last four games of the streak Jerry Blevins wins the Streak Award for Excellence in regular bullpen duty. That's how good he was pitching before his arm was broken.





Honorable mention: The next penman in points was Alex Torres, who wears the odd hat. I like the bumper cap. Carlos Torres and Buddy Carlyle were almost tied for third place in the voting.

The Schaefer Streak Award for best starting pitcher goes to Bartolo Colon. I'm not gonna say anything funny. No girth jokes. He did a fantastic job during the streak. The fact that he had one more start than the other starting pitchers helped him, of course. deGrom wasn't too far behind and he only pitched in two streak games. He could have made it three Friday night, but that's the way the ball bounces.

Lucas "THE LUMBERJACK" Duda was far and away the leading Schaefer Streak point producer of all regular players. Wilmer Flores and Michael Cuddyer were both distant 2nd & 3rd. Both Lucas and Colon led their respective categories by a nice chunk. Juan Lagares scored Schaefer points in all but one of the 11 games, the first one on the road.

And so Bartolo Colon and Lucas Duda win the pitching and player Schaefer Streak Awards.

Schaefer Streak M.V.P.

Jeurys Familia was incredible during the streak. I hope this gives him that extra confidence that all closers need. He had nasty stuff and should continue to do so, streak or no streak.

Jeurys leads the majors with eight saves in eight opportunities, including a span of six saves in seven games to close the streak.

It is great to see Familia doing such a great job. If he becomes a consistent closer, which we will know for sure by the all star break, we are in great shape with the tail end of games.

Juan Lagares made the best catch of the winning streak.

 


Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Rubin Tejada were runner-ups.

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    So the New York Yankees, of all teams, ended the winning streak. 

I see no need to commemorate that, but it's worth a mention. Aside from one in the loss column it's inconsequential. The Phillies beat the Braves and the Marlins beat the Nationals. 

^The standings so far, after the  subway split.^

Interesting that Atlanta is looking so good and Miami is looking so bad. Well, it is early, as I keep hearing in relation to the Mets being in first place. It would be nice if Philadelphia became a thorn in the side of the rest of the division, as they have been to New York for many a year.

So far the subway series has been a split, with both teams pounding one another. 

The rubber match tomorrow night at 8pm on ESPN.

Voting for The Schaefer Met Player Of The Year opens shortly after the games conclusion. Have fun and continue a great Metropolitan tradition. 

Voting for the 2015 Schaefer Mets Player of the Year Award is hosted at the Crane Pool Forum. This will be the eleventh season that Crane Pool Forum members will be participating in Schaefer voting. The Schaefer Mets Player of the Year Award was established in the 1970's, and Schaefer points were awarded by Mets broadcasters Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner, and Bob Murphy.

The award was re-established by the Crane Pool Forum in 2005. Third baseman David Wright has been the winner in six of the ten years of the revived prize. The other winners were Johan Santana in 2008, Jose Reyes in 2011, Daniel Murphy in 2013, and Lucas Duda in 2014.

A voting thread is opened in the forum at the conclusion of each regular season Mets game, according to CPF spokesmodel Benjamin Grimm. Voting generally stays open for two business days, after which the votes are tallied and the results are posted in the voting thread. In addition, says Grimm, each month a Schaefer Mets Player, Pitcher, Relief Pitcher, and Bench Player of the Month will be named.

Voters are asked to adhere to a specific format, which is outlined at

http://archives.cranepoolforum.net/6200/f9_t6278.shtml

Credits

The Schaefer Met Player Of The Game voters at The Crane Pool Forum

The Utimate Mets Database

Opening card photos by Ace photographer Sharon Chapman  & Ceetar The Optimistic Mets Fan

Other photographs courtesy of Zimbio

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This gal has a great arm.

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