Marcus Stroman has worked his butt off this season. While his record may not show it, he has put the New York Mets in position to win games all season.
Stroman has been the model of consistency for the Mets.
The Mets had big expectations coming into the season, but the season has certainly not gone the way the team envisioned. But Stroman has left it all on the field every time he has touched that mound. The Black Knight has been the ace of the staff in Jacob deGrom’s absence and he recently had another impressive start against one of the top teams in the league.
On August 22nd, the Mets took on the reigning World Series champions. Stroman was ready for that action and he let everyone know tthat despite his team’s collapse, he’s still on track and about his business. Stoman hurled six innings, striking out six while giving up two earned runs to secure the victory over the Dodgers.
Let’s be real here, the Dodgers can flat out hit, but Stroman kept the Mets in a good position to win the game and that’s what they did. Stroman put together another solid performance five days prior to playing the Dodgers. That game was against another top team in the San Francisco Giants.
The Mets lost that game by one run but Stroman was solid that night. He went seven innings giving up three runs and striking out nine.
“He’s been outstanding for us,” manager Luis Rojas told the New York Post about Stroman. “He’s pitched like an ace. … He’s been very valuable and he’s been one of the guys to keep us afloat.”
The Stro Show was on tonight 🔥 6 shutout innings on just 4 hits as #MLBbro Marcus Stroman and the #LGM sweep their double header in Philadelphia #MLBbroshttps://t.co/bUIfAPdqGJ
Looking at those numbers, you’ll notice that he has a losing record, but he has a solid ERA. This season, Stroman just hasn’t got that run support on a consistent basis.
There’s no question that Stroman can pitch. The brother is very talented and each pitch he throws is effective.Stroman will be a free-agent after this season and if the Mets don’t re-sign him, teams will be knocking on that door to acquire him.
Our MLBbro is in his seventh season and he’s brought that excitement to the game over the last few years.
He can certainly make an impact on any team he plays for.
Rob Parker takes us back to the 80s and remembers one of the baddest MLBbros to ever lace up the cleats. Few players in MLB history have captivated the fans like Darryl Strawberry. When he stepped to the plate, everyone stopped, looked and listened. He could give you 30 steals and 30 bombs, he had a rifle in the outfield and was one of the smoothest ballers you’ll ever see.
Dominic Smith plays an important role for the New York Mets. He is one player on the team that can make an impact in a significant way.
There’s a reason why the Mets selected him in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft. In his fifth season, Smith has shown improvement at the plate and in the field.
He’s been heavily relied on to provide the struggling Mets offense with a veteran power bat that they can rely on in addition to Peter Alonso.
Having him in the lineup is critical for the Mets and their success throughout the season. Smith has come alive offensively during July which is a sign that Mets certainly want to see.
The second half of the season will be an important stretch for Smith as he will look to be more consistent at the plate.
With the addition of Javy Baez to the Mets lineup, Smith should get a few more pitches to hit.
Through 96 games, he’s batting .251 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs.
Smith is third on the team in home runs and is second in RBI. Leaving Smith out of the lineup is something the Mets don’t plan on doing because he is too valuable.
He recently put together an impressive performance against the Atlanta Braves on July 29th.
Our MLBbro went 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Smith started the month seeing the ball really well.
At the start of July, he went on a five-game hitting streak where he hit .444 during that span with three home runs and seven RBI.
There’s no question that this brother can hit and he’s made improvements at the plate since he entered the league.
If you watch Smith play, you will see how patient he is at the plate. He’s the type of hitter that understands the count and knows what he’s trying to do in certain situations.
And he has some pop in that bat of his.
“I hit it on the barrel pretty well,” Smith told the New York Post. “This park is pretty friendly for hitters, so you just have to play your elements.”
Smith went into that at-bat with a game plan and made adjustments from his previous at-bats during that game.
“There’s nowhere to put me and I know he’s just trying to get ahead,” Smith said. “He’s trying to throw his best pitches to get me out. Throughout the first couple innings, he got a lot of soft contact on breaking balls, including I popped one up. That’s just something I took note of and I was just ready to hit.”
“I try to get better with my swing, with my approach, with the pitches I’m swinging at,” Smith said. “If you can simplify the game a little bit and swing at good pitches, then I think you’ll have pretty good numbers at the end of the year. That’s something I didn’t do at the beginning of the year and I’m starting to do — control the strike zone. The ball is starting to carry and leave the yard.”
Smith has adapted to the big leagues well over the last few years and he can become a player that the Mets could end up paying big money for.
He just needs to stay consistent at the plate and continue to let the game come to him.
Taijuan Walker goes for win No. 8 on Thursday afternoon when the right-hander totes the mound as the New York Mets finish a key series against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field.
Taijuan Walker has had a career season in his first stint with the New York Mets. It’s evident that the Mets got a steal in free agency when they signed Walker in the offseason.
Walker immediately made an impact when he joined the team and has become a fan favorite in the Big Apple.
For the first time in his career, Walker was selected to play in the All-Star Game:
Taijuan Walker talks about finding out he was named to the All-Star team, and is excited to "watch Pete [Alonso] win the Home Run Derby" pic.twitter.com/AWl6K8vRJK
He was added as a replacement when his teammate, Jacob DeGrom, elected not to play in the All-Star game to focus on getting some rest.
Walker’s numbers have been beyond impressive this season and he was one player that deserved his selection.
On the season, he’s made 16 starts and has a 7-3 record with a 2.50 ERA and 89 strikeouts.
Playing in an All-Star Game is something that Walker always wanted to accomplish when he entered the league.
“It’s finally starting to come and hit me now,” Walker told the New York Post when he found out he was selected to the All-Star game. “Everyone’s texting me, my family’s texting me, so it’s really cool.”
One of the best times of my life today!! Thank you for everyone supporting and cheering me on! #LGM
“Once I got to the big leagues, it’s always been a goal to be an All-Star, to be the best of the best and go out there and compete against the best and be around the best players in the league.”
Walker was also pleased to hear his teammate say that he deserved to play in the Midsummer Classic.
“Jake’s the best pitcher in the league right now. For him to come out and publicly say I should be an All-Star, it meant a lot to me,” he said.
Our MLBbro was the only player to represent the Mets in this year’s All-Star game.
In the sixth inning, Walker took the mound for the National League. He faced off against Cleveland Indians slugger Jose Ramirez to start the inning off and worked him to a full count and then retired him for the first out.
The next batter he faced was Whit Merrifield of the Kansas City Royals. Walker had no issues taking care of Merrifield as he struck him out for his first-ever All-Star Game strikeout.
Then Walker had the opportunity to face his former teammate Mike Zunino. Walker and Zunino were teammates for four seasons with the Seattle Mariners.
That at-bat, Zunino got the best of Walker as he took him deep for a solo home run. That was the only run Walker allowed in his one inning of work and for our brother, he was just glad to be out there on that stage.
He was glad to have his family come and witness his first All-Star Game experience.
“Hearing my family scream for me, and cheer for me,” Walker told the New York Daily News on what he’ll take away from the game. “I definitely heard them when I got that strikeout. I’ll definitely remember that one for a while.”
Now that the second half of the season is here, Walker will look to continue to dominate on the mound and help keep his team at the top of the National League East Division.
