Rookie Development and Future Outlook

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There's a lot of news and notes from this Mets off day. Juan Soto officially going on the injured list. A date for Carlos Beltron's jersey retirement. And the Mets made the decision to change the start times for Tuesday and Wednesday's game. Let me actually start there because I'm very mixed about these kinds of decisions. Uh, and now I can say that it does not affect me personally. I remember last year when there were changes made, I always said,, yeah I'm on in the afternoon, and this sucks. I don't want to be on during a Metgame. Now, with the new hours, it doesn't I'm not giving you a personal impact on the start time changes. Um I wasn't gonna be able to go to any of these games because of the temperature. I'm still not going to go to these games because of partially the temperature and activities with the youngins. So I say this as somebody that isn't affected, good or bad, in terms of changing the start time of a baseball game about thirty-six hours before the game takes place. What I wonder about, and I ask the fans, I ask anybody that's going to Tuesday or Wednesday's game, would you rather freeze your butt off at seven o'clock at night because that's what time you thought the game was going to start? Or would you rather them push it up three hours? It's a little bit warmer. I mean, a little bit, certainly. Uh you get a little bit of sun . But there's a chance you're not able to see the entire game. There's a chance that a four o'clock start is either a game you just can't go to, or a game in which you' ll probably show up in the fifth inning. And that's where I'm not sure how great of an idea it is. So where I stand on changing start times is about weather when it comes to rain. So Tiki and I were talking about this a lot uh in the middle of last week in regards to the Yankees. The Yankees had a schedule in which they played on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. And the reason they played Saturday night is just in case opening day got rained out. They would have done a day-night doubleheader. There's the reason why that early window is open . And so when we saw that the weather for Sunday was going to be bad and it was going to feature a lot of rain, and you know that when you play a team like the Marlins who only come in once, this is really your one chance to play them. The idea we had is wouldn't it make sense to say, hey, we're not going to play Sunday, we're going to move the game up to Saturday. Now that's more extreme than what the Mets just did, but I think when it comes to rain and it comes to possibly not being able to play or making your fans wait for four or five hours, that's where I'm a fan of changing start times. That's where I'm a fan of changing potentially the day a game is played. But there is no threat of rain Tuesday and Wednesday. So what I asked last year is the same question I'd ask right now. Are you more likely to to go the game at four o'clock because it's five degrees warmer or seven o'clock when you knew the initial start time? And that's where I think this is a mixed bag. So I commend the Mets for trying. I commend the Mets for giving out, you know, vouchers to those that were supposed to attend the game. But I'm a bigger fan of changing start times when it has to do with rain or snow than it has to do with temperature. But I also think the Mets were very keen in making this move in that they knew that the Yankees are also home at the same time , and so they are basically saying to the world, We care more that you guys freezing your butt stuff than the Yankees do. And the Yankees would never follow the Mets lead on anything, let alone a start time change. So what'll be interesting is to see the Yankee fan and the Met fan that goes to the ballpark Tuesday, Wednesday, specifically Tuesday, Wednesday, because Thursday's start time has not changed. And what do they prefer? So I ask you guys, and I really ask those that are going to the game, what's better for you? I mean, is it better to move it up a few hours or is it just a game you wouldn't be able to attend? So I lean towards it being probably more of a negative than a positive, just because people have jobs , uh, people have hours. It's tough to imagine that if you were able to go to a seven o'clock game, going to a four o'clock game is the same thing. Now you do get a few extra degrees of warmth. There you go. But this has become like a more common trend with teams doing it. I remember last year uh it happened with the Mets. The Yankees had a bunch of games in Detroit that got moved up to afternoon games just to try to avoid the really, really cold weather. So the Mets play a four o'clock game on Tuesday, a four o'clock game on Wednesday, and then they are keeping Thursday's game with a temperature supposed to be a little bit warmer, and Nolan McClain is on the mound. They are for now keeping that as a night game as they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. To Juan Soto . I can't say that when I hear the news Juan Soto is going on the I.L., I'm happy. Because why would I be happy that our best player is going to be out multiple weeks. But I think the Mets are making the wise decision. Uh, calf injuries can turn into more serious things. We are very early in the season. The weather is clearly not going to be good, as we just discussed. I'm no expert on uh soft tissue injuries, but I can't imagine running around in forty five degree weather, whether it's at five o'clock during the day or nine o'clock at night, is good for your body. So I think the Mets made a very wise decision in protecting Juan Soto from himself and also protecting Carlos Mendoza from simply saying, All right, I'll get you back in the lineup. All it takes is you know a shuto ut at the hands of Zach Allen for fans and maybe Mendy himself to say, screw it. All right. How you feeling, Juan? Can you get back in the lineup? The Met offense has responded brilliantly since he got hurt. There's certainly no guarantee that's going to last. Uh, along with Soto going on the I . L is the thought that he's going to miss two to three weeks. So it's not simply he's going on the I de IL and he'll be activated at the first available date. For those keeping track, the first available date for Juan would be Tuesday in Los Angeles. So he would definitely be out for this homestand against Arizona and the A's and then miss the very beginning of the LA series. But it it feels with a two to three week timeline, you're talking about about a lot more than that. So if it's two to three weeks from now, the hope is can he be back for the Minnesota series, which is right before the NFL draft, if you're looking for a timeline. But basically , the Mets have this home stand against Arizona and against the A's. They go to LA and Chicago before they come back and take on Minnesota and Colorado. And that leads you to wards the end of April. So hopefully he's back at some point in the midst of that homestam between April 21st and April 26th. And now you look to survive. And you look for guys to step up. The Mets got that in the two plus games, really three games that they have played so far without Ju . And what is going to be really interesting is how this is divvied up. Ronnie Mauricio got the recall from the minor leagues. Uh, what I'm curious about with Ronnie Mauricio, who's had a limited amount of at bats down there in the minor leagues, just because the minor league season has barely started, is do you call up Ronnie Mauricio with the intention of playing him ? Because when you look at this roster right now and you look at who's going to play and who's not going to play, Mark Vi entos has obviously earned that opportunity. And I think we all agree that Mark Vientos needs to play. I'd even say first base every day. I think he should be the first baseman for a few reasons. Number one, Jorge Polanco should remain as designated hitter. He is not healthy. He's dealing with this Achilles issue. And instead of a letting it get worse, playing the field can't help. So A, Mark Vientos has looked good defensively. Let's acknowledge that. Right now, he's one of their better defenders at first base. Not that's that's not that that's saying very much. But I would basically tell Mark Vi entos, you're playing first base every day for the next two weeks . I'm not going to sit you. I don't care what kind of righty they face. Jared Young, who has earned an opportunity as well, I want to acknowledge that about Jared Young. His opportunity to me, should come in the outfield. The only time I'd be more okay with Young playing a little bit of first base, because he does have, I guess if you're comparing Young's outfield experience to Beatty's outfield experience, both have very limited. Uh, but I guess if you're to gonna choose keep Beatty in the outfield and Viento's DHs because Polanco is not playing a game, then obviously you can bring Young back and have him play first base. Or Beatty, if that's your preference. But when days that Polanco is D-H ing, Mark Vientos should be the every single day first baseman. He should continue to get this opportunity and try to ride with it. What I was sort of surprised about was that MJ Melendez was not the guy called up. And maybe the reason is because it's another left-handed bat. And you know, you saw this in Sunday's game . You know, if Melendez is replacing Soto and he's off the bench, you put yourself in a very similar spot where Teren z is the right-handed bat off the bench. But Ronnie Mauricio, while being a switch hitter, has always been a better left-hand hitter than right. So while he's an option from the right side of the plate, I ask you this. If the Mets are facing a similar situation to what they faced on Sunday with a left-handed reliever on the mound in a big spot. Are you going to Mauricio from the right side or do you prefer Luis Torrenz as that bullet off the bench? Menopause can change many things. Not just your mood or sleep, but even your hair. For so many women, thinning and shedding can come as a surprise. It's not something you can always fix quickly with a new shampoo or styling trick. That's why Virtue developed Flourish, a hair care collection made specifically for women experiencing hair thinning or loss, often related to hormonal changes, stress, or aging. Virtue's key ingredient, Alpha Kratin 60KU Clinical, is a combination of two bioidentical proteins that are recognized by the body as its own keratin. 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Go to Rosetta Stone.com slash RS1 0 now and begin your language learning journey . With Leech, which leads me to this question : if you want a right-handed bat off the bench, and it's obvious ly going to be Luis Torrenz or Francisco Alvarez. Are you better off starting Terence more over the next two weeks? He's better defensively, as we know. And Alvarez is your magic bullet coming off the bench. It's worth thinking about. Now, granted, the Mets play Teren ce a lot as it is behind the plate. They make sure to get him opportunities, which they should. But does it make you more likely if you're Carlos Mendoza to say, let's start Luis Torrenz, let's have the better defense behind the plate. And then our big bullet coming off of the bench can be Francisco Alvarez. Obviously, the opportunity kind of impacts this. Like the situation that Terence came up in on Sunday was a situation in which you needed contact. You needed a good at-bat. And Luis Terenz was able to provide that. Sometimes Francis co Alvarez doesn't exactly provide the greatest bat. Hey Spence, you're back. Yeah. Did you win your WWE 2K match? Yeah. What was the match? Uh you gotta say it in the microphone if you want people to hear . Flea stages of It's okay, you took the uh microphone cover off. It's alright. What was the match ? You keep grabbing the microphone. No, it's not gonna work that way. You gotta talk into the microphone. Go ahead. Just speak into it. Go ahead. Don't grab it. Don't grab it. Go ahead. All right, spance, fence. Don't grab it. We stay the Yeah, it's a pretty good feature that they have. Alright. I'll give you dollars. You got it. Uh, but in that sequence where they went to Terenz, they needed contact. You know, Alvarez obviously is a little bit more all or nothing, but it's worth thinking about. It's worth thinking about maybe being a little bit more defensive, happy by starting Luis Terence and having Alvarez come off the bench. And think about it. In the circumstances they set up, because they pinch ran for the designated hitter, they were forced to bring the catcher in the game. I mean, I guess they weren't totally for no, they they kind of were. I'm trying to think about it. No, they weren't forced to, but the sequence in the batting order kind of allowed that. But bringing up Ronnie Mauricio doesn't solve that right-handed bat off-the-bench issue unless they believe Ronnie Mauricio, much like Jason Dominguez on the other side, has figured out batting right-handed. So it was an interesting decision calling Ronnie up. Uh now that he's up here, would it be nice for him to get some at-bats? Sure. But who is the victim of him getting at bats ? We have seen that Marcus Simeon's going to play every day. He's not taking any off days. Francisco Lindor, despite his April swo on, what else is new? Is going to play every day and not take off days. Bo Bach et is going to play every day and not take off days. We all want Mark Vientos every day . So where's he getting the chances on the days that Jorge Polanco sits? Possibly. Uh, but they're very left handed. So even on a day, because they're gonna face Eduardo, Rodriguez on Thursday, a left-hander for Arizona. They're going to face another left-hander a little bit later on in the A's series. So over the course of this six-game homestead, they are going to see two left-handers. The other one is Jacob Lopez, who's scheduled to start Saturday's game. You're not going to play Jared Young. You probably want to sit Carson Benge. So I guess that's where Ronnie Mauricio gets the opportunities, but you're not really playing him in the outfield. So it's probably Tyrone Taylor who plays one of the outfield spots with let's say Beatty and right, Robert Jr. in center. And then you kind of have the same question of Vientos at first base, Polanco at D eight. So it really feels to me that the only place Mauricio should or would get at bats is on the days in which you sit Jorge Polanco, which may be once a series. It may be twice over these six games coming up against Arizona and Oakland or the Sacramento, whatever you want to call the Ace. But I'll make you this prediction. And I don't know if I'm being optimistic or negative. I'm just gonna make a prediction on when we see Juan Soto back. I'm looking at Tuesday, April 21st against the Minnesota Twins. So if I'm right about that, that is 12 games without Juan Soto. Some of them are tough, obviously, going to LA, and I think Chicago will be fine. What can we expect and hope for over those 12 games? I like to do that. Chunking parts of the season. Like we mentioned the other day on episode six, six, four, going into the Arizona NA's homestand, that four and two would be more than acceptable. I think you look at LA and Chicago and say, get me 500, get me three and three. So that would give you a seven and five record over these 12 games, presumably without Juan Soto, and I would absolutely sign for that. But Francisco Lindor is really going to be under the microscope. We could talk about a lot of those ancillary pieces I mentioned. Jared Young, Tyrone Taylor, Brett Beatty should play every day. Mark Viento should play every day. Uh being careful with Polanco, how you handle the catcher spot, where there's at bats for Ronnie Mauricio. And yeah, it's a compet ition for a lot of these guys. You know, we've seen it with Vientos over the last week. All of a sudden, he went from the forgotten guy that half you people wanted a DFA or trade for a reliever, and now he's the play him everyy da at first base. So this is a big opportunity for all those guys I just mentioned. But it also is about the stars stepping up. And Francisco Lindor has been very quiet. It's been a quiet start to this year. He's still looking for his first home run. He's still looking for his first RBI. He has drawn a lot of walks, no doubt. I give him credit for that. And what's odd is he was doing that ahead of Juan Soto. So for whatever reason, Lindor was doing a really good job of getting on base ahead of Juan Soto. And now Juan Soto isn't there to protect him anymore. And in a lot of ways, they need Francisco Lindor to step up, especially now that it is going to be a somewhat extended period of time without Juan Soto . They need him to step up and perform. And I know he's a bad starter. He's had bad Aprils. You could even say that the ham ape bone may still be affecting him. And all may that all that may be true. But this is where the V in MVP is earned. This team is going to need Francisco Lindora to contribute. And I was, I was giving it some thought. Like, do you do something drastic with the lineup? Do you move Lindora to the leadoff spot? And honestly, I I don't think that's the answer. I think what they've been doing over the last few days probably is the answer, which is Lindor one, Bob ette two, and then you kind of figure out the rest. Maybe you do go Mark Viento's three or four, throwing them right into the mix of this thing. And he's been that good . And you know what? You reward him for the way he's played. And the same thing with Jared Young. That question and that email has been sent to me a lot over the last few days. Has your opinion changed on Jared Young? My opinion hasn't changed on Jared Young, but I am a big believer in rewarding success. So I am all for Jared Young getting opportunities on this homestand. I'm not against it. I think the negative is the defense . Even though we had that great outfield assist the other day. I mean, obviously, Tyrone Taylor is a professional. You put him out there, he'll give you professional at-bats, he'll play good defense, he's got a little bit of speed. So I I look at the next two weeks as play the hot hand . That's how I'd view it. Play the hot hand. They have Zach Gal and Ryan Nelson to start this series. They've got Eduardo Rodriguez, the left hander to wrap up this series against Arizona . And then the A's will throw Luis Morales who has struggled so far. Jacob Lopez, the young lefty, and then Aaron Savali is gonna wrap this series up. One daily ritual. Meet Daily Microfoliant from Dermalogica. This iconic exfoliating powder activates with water to gently polish away dullness and uneven texture. It leaves skin instantly smoother and more luminous while supporting your skin barrier. Formulated with professional expertise to deliver visible results daily, even on sensitive skin. Discover your healthiest skin today. Visit dermalogica.com and use code SMOOT at checkout for an exclusive gift with your $65 purchase . This is the Tony Kornheiser Show. Right now, new FanDuel customers can bet $5 and get $2 50 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. That's right. 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And if the answer is Cedric Mullins, uh there's something wrong with you. The answer to me is Bobby Jones. That's the first number 28 that I think of. But I'm glad he's changing his number. Uh, if you're gonna retire 15, retire it. As even though the Mets have handed that number out to basically everybody since Carlos Beltron left, here's how bad it was, and here's how surprising it is that Carlos Beltran is having his number retired when he was traded to the Giants, they couldn't wait to give it out to Valentine Pascucci . I think they could Valentino Pascuc. They couldn't wait. And then you think about the cavalcade of guys that wore that number since Beltron's trade 15 years ago. It's kind of nuts. But as we've talked about here on the Rico, my opinion is very simple. Because he's going in as a Met to the baseball hall of fame, you got to retire his num ber. Now they're doing it against the Phillies. I don't like that. I don't know if that's an unpopular. I do not like retiring his number against the Phillies. And it's fair to say, well, why? Well , why would you have a problem with them retiring as number against the Phillies? The reason is when I think of Beltron, I think of a lot of success. I do. He was a really good Met, one of the best free agent signings in the franchise's hist I do think of his walk-off home run against Ryan Madsen and the Phillies in the 16th inning or the 18th inning, whatever inning that was. I think of that. I think of the catch he made in Houston, that incredible play at the old Enron field , as they used to call it, and he also got the game winning hit. I obviously think of the strikeout at the end of 06 , but I also think of collapses against the Phillies. And I'm not saying it was his fault because it wasn't most of the time. But I think of that. And so I don't know. Maybe I'm being a nitpicker here. I prefer him not to have his number retired against an arch rival that at the end of the day got mostly the last laugh on us. That bothers me. And I think that that date, the Saturday against the Phillies, the last Saturday of the regular season, is a remind Okay, here's my conspiracy theory on this. And I've said this before on the Rico. I don't know how many people are buying tickets to honor Carlos Beltron. He has a weird legacy with us. I like Carlos Beltron. He was I was a fan of his, but I also admit he's got a very weird legacy as a New York Met. And I don't know if retiring his number and putting him in the Mets Hall of Fame has the same juice that David Wright does. And so when they picked the day to retire David Wright's number, it was against the Reds. You know, there was nothing there. This is the last Saturday of the regular season. You have to think the ballpark is going to be sold out anyway. You have to think the Mets are in the middle of some kind of pennant race. It's almost as if they're hiding his retirement by putting it on such a big day where the baseball is the priority. And I don't even blame him for that. Because again, I think Beltron's legacy here is a little , it's a little mixed. Let me read some of your emails, the Rico B at gmail.com. Josh writes, Evan and Hoff, I'm officially f ed up with this travel ping pong schedule. Forget the opponents, the travel alone feels like a competitive disadvantage. The Mets are sitting at nearly thirty-nine thousand miles traveled this season. For context, the Phillies are at 30,000. The Braves are at 31,000. That's about 8,000 miles lighter. That's not nothing. That's a real tax on the roster. And look at this stretch. April 5th, the team lands back in New York after St. Louis and San Francis co, about twenty five hundred miles just to get home. April seventh to the twelfth is a short homestand. April thirteenth, right back to the West Coast for the Dodgers. Then Chicago finally returning home on the 21st. That's cross-country home, cross-country again in less than two weeks. How are players supposed to stay fresh or find any rhythm when they're constantly changing time zones? By midseason, it feels like this is going to matter. Is this just bad luck in the schedule or the Mets getting hit harder than other East Coast teams ? I don't know what this does to them. I can't say it's going to affect them in May or June. I think that would be an excuse we'd be making for them, but it is an absurd schedule. You know, I look at the A's. The A's are playing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. And then right after that, they're coming to City Field . So the A's are spending an entire week in New York. It makes sense. It's smart. You see that a lot in the NBA. If you're the Mets and you're going to Los Angeles and you're going to San Francisco and you're going to San Diego and you're going to all these West Coast places. It would make sense to do it in a group the way they used to . So I do agree that it's an absurd scheduling thing, but I also don't think it's an excuse for why this team will struggle. Leon writes, Evan, as you always point out, no team is ever as good as they look when they're hot nor as bad as they look when they're ice cold. Two notes of caution coming out of the San Francisco series. The Giants may be the 2026 version of the 2025 Rockies and the 2024 White Sox. While extrolling the the virtues of Mets play the last three games during last night's Rico , you never really mention that the Giants gifted the Mets around six to eight runs along with the final game of the series. A team which has no ability whatsoever to field the baseball is simply not ready to win major league baseball games. Given the other 32 outs per game, you're almost guaranteed to lose. The Giants are on almost unfathomably awful. Let me stop you right there. I have pointed out, I can't say specifically on the last Rico, but I have pointed out how the Giants and before that the Cardinals gifted the Mets runs. But what I also point out is that's why contact matters. That putting the ball in play allows you this opportunity for your opponent to make mistakes. As far as what the Giants are, I try not to over-exaggerate to what we see early this season. I kind of looked at them as a low to mid 80s win team. And that may seem nuts considering how they've played over the first few weeks of the year. But I actually think their lineup is halfway decent. The middle of their rotation is awful after Logan Webb, and that is definitely a concern, but I do not think they are the Rockies or the White Sox. I think that's an extreme view to have. It's early. I remember last year when the Yankees assaulted the Milwaukee Brewers, there was a thought of boy, the Brewers are terrible. And it's like, not really . It's early in the season . Sean writes, Mark Vientos to replace Carson Benge. GM Evan . GM Evan or good morning, Evan. It may be good morning, Evan. Or maybe he's saying GM Evan. Vientos and to a lesser extent Jared Young will provide the Mets the opportunity to send Carson Benge down to get some needed time in triple A. This will allow you to play Beatty and Wright, Vientos Polanco rotating at first, and you could also have Jared Young mix in. Benji's wing looks long, and he looks like more time in the minors would do him some good, and will probably give the Mets another year of service time, like what happened with Alvarez last year when the Mets gained another year due to his brief stint in triple A. It might be early, but Beatty needs to play and Vientos needs to play. I don't see another way to do that with Polanco healthy. Beatty looks fine in right. Well, I think the pseudo injury takes care of that. Unless you're so committed to Tyrone Taylor and Jared Young, who you don't have to be. They're veteran pieces who deserve their opportunities. But I think that Brett Beatty is going to play every day. I think Mark Vientos, as we talked about, should play every single day. And I think you still have room for Carson Ben ch. So I'm not ready to make that move. It's only April 6th as we record this, Rico. Uh the date of reflection to me is May 1st. And even then feels too soon. I I always think of when I think of rookies coming up, I'll pull up the exact numbers so I can give it to you. But when I think of rookies who come up and struggle early on and you talk about sending them down because they're not ready, the guy that jumps out at me the most is a twenty three year old in two thousand seven named Dustin Padroya. I don't know if that surprised anybody that that was where I was going. But Dustin Pedroya made the team out of spring training. He played every single day. And on May 3rd was hitting 180 with a 535 OPS. And from that day on, he got very, very hot. And by how about that, by May 29th, he was hitting 302. And he never looked back. And he ended up having a wonderful rookie season he had three seventeen, anyone rookie of the year. I like that line as a line of demarcation for a young player. I think the first week of May. So we got time. And the opportunities right in front of him. And maybe the new line of demarcation, maybe a reva