The Amazin Mets - 1962 and onward!

[JimMorrison]

I never really play historical saves so why not start chronicling one by playing as my favorite team from the absolute beginning! As some know, the 1962 Mets are the worst team in post-integration baseball history, losing a ridiculous 120 games as an expansion team..

I have already played the 1962 season before starting this so I will recap the Mets first season here and the transactions made to try and get this team to the top. There really wasn’t much missed with this season as they stunk just like as expected.

We started the season on a decent note, winning three of our first six games. But things fell apart quickly and by June 1st we were sitting at a dismal 15-34, last in the National League.

Really the rest of the season went as bad as expected and we finished our inaugural year at 50-112. The season on paper was a disaster but I obviously expected a tough challenge, but we did make some interesting moves to try and get the roster to compete.

Our first big move was with the San Francisco Giants, who were really willing to give away some solid players. The Giants went on to win the ‘62 World Series after this trade so it can’t have been that much of a steal for us, but I think this could be a good long term play for us.

The New York Mets trade 31-year-old 2B Charlie Neal, 25-year-old LF Jim Hickman and 29-year-old C Harry Chiti to the San Francisco Giants for 32-year-old RHP Don Larsen, 20-year-old RF Jesus Alou and 24-year-old RHP Ron Herbel.

Both Chiti and Neal were pretty bad for us early in the season so I wasn’t too sad to lose them here in this early June trade. The real centerpiece for the Giants was Jim Hickman. Hickman was pretty solid for the team in a limited role (10 AB, .300 AVG) and also had some real potential both defensively as a corner outfielder and as a decent hitter with some power, but he projected to be a solid starter at best here.

The real reason for the trade for the Mets side was Alou, who is a prospect who was ready to play and had loads of potential as a 20 year old. He can hit for contact at an elite level already and also played some solid defense at left and right field. I think already Alou is a better player than Hickman and he also has a ton of room to grow. I was also keen on Larsen and not just for his perfect game fame. We needed a ton of depth in the rotation and he was a perfect fit here.

Then at the deadline, we were able to swing two big one-for-one trades that immediately helped our team talent wise.

The New York Mets trade 28-year-old 2B Felix Mantilla to the St. Louis Cardinals for 24-year-old RHP Ray Washburn.

Mantilla was a fun player who I enjoyed in this first season but his numbers never impressed (89 OPS+, 1.6 WAR) but his defensive versatility was an asset that a team like the Cardinals could use. Washburn was great for the Cardinals with a 2.65 ERA and was a great all around pitcher who could get strikeouts, prevent runs and limit walks. At the age of 24, he’s already a great building block for the rotation and he still has the potential to be a key option as a 1 or 2 starter. I think this trade will be huge for our team’s growth and now we have a pitcher that should perform well even at his worst.


The New York Mets trade 23-year-old RP Bobby Miller to the Chicago Cubs for 31-year-old 1B Ernie Banks

On paper this trade should be a no-brainer with name recognition in mind, but Banks has declined a decent amount by 1962 and his days of 40 homers and 6 WAR a season seem to be over. It’s still a great move so that the team has an identifiable star and we can leave Banks at first for a couple years and not have to worry about it. Miller is a really good young relief option and pitched even better once going to the Cubs, but I want to really worry more about the bullpen once we get some actual talent on this team. Is Banks going to be our superstar? No, unless he has a time machine on him. But he is still a good player and will contribute to winning baseball which is all I really care about after a 112 loss season.

I’ll expand on the 1962 season here before I move forward to the 1962 rookie draft in November. The Giants beat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series in five games. Giants 3B Jim Davenport won the World Series MVP and the Giants now have their sixth title.

AL MVP - LF Manny Jimenez (Kansas City Athletics, .328 AVG, 136 OPS+, 6.5 WAR)
AL Cy Young - SP Camilo Pascual (Minnesota Twins, 273 IP, 21-5, 2.73 ERA)
AL Rookie of the Year - LF Manny Jimenez (Kansas City Athletics, .328 AVG, 136 OPS+, 6.5 WAR)
AL Reliever of the Year - RP Terry Fox (Detroit Tigers, 9-8, 2.02 ERA, 29 SV)

NL MVP - CF Dick Allen (Philadelphia Phillies, .369 AVG, 188 OPS+, 9.5 WAR)
NL Cy Young - SP Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers, 268 IP, 23-8, 3.22 ERA)
NL Rookie of the Year - CF Dick Allen (Philadelphia Phillies, .369 AVG, 188 OPS+, 9.5 WAR)
NL Reliever of the Year - RP Ron Perranoski (Los Angeles Dodgers, 2.65 ERA, 6-11, 19 SV)

Koufax being there isn’t a surprise but wow what a season from rookie Dick Allen! Allen is looking like the face of baseball after a season like that and I’ll be curious to see if he can keep it up. Crazy that both an AL and NL rookie won MVPs here, there should be a ton of young talent coming into the league now and that leads us to the 1962 Rookie Draft!

[JimMorrison]

1962 Rookie Draft

Looking at this draft, there are really some franchise altering players immediately available to us with the first overall pick. Some of these guys look to be excellent right out of college as well, I wouldn’t even bother sending some of them to the minors depending on who we take.

For me there are four options I could take here at pick #1. RF Tony Conigliaro, LF Cleon Jones, 2B Joe Morgan and RF Reggie Smith. All four of these players have ridiculous potential and will immediately make an impact on this Mets team but I can only choose one of them here.

Conigliaro is still pretty young at 17 and while he’s not amazing at anything, he’s one of the most well rounded hitters I’ve seen. Cleon Jones is really a great player too but is a little further back skill wise right now then some of the others. If everything goes right for him, he could be one of the best contact hitters in the league with some great outfield defense but I don’t really want to wait to see if a player is productive when we need production now. Reggie Smith is a projected pure power hitter with a great eye and could play at first or at left/right field. Problem with Reggie is that he’s even more raw than Jones and would be even more of a project to wait on.

Finally there is Joe Morgan, truly the best player of the four at this moment and he still has a ton of room to grow as well. Morgan is completely average at second base but he’s a ridiculous hitter. As a 19-year-old he already has the eye of a seasoned veteran and can hit to all parts of the field. He has great ability to hit for singles, doubles, home runs and doesn’t strike out a ton too. Based on my assessment, it seems like Morgan is much better than the others but they are all fantastic prospects. I just know what Morgan is already and he will be a great hitter regardless of his development, and this team needs that right now more than anything.

With the first pick in the 1962 Amatuer Draft, the New York Mets select 19-year-old second baseman Joe Morgan!

I am ecstatic about this pick and now I know we have a future star that could lead us out of the basement to compete!

First Round Top Ten Picks:
#2 Houston - LF Cleon Jones
#3 Kansas City - RF Reggie Smith
#4 Washington - SP Rudy May - really good SP prospect who has control issues but has great strikeout potential
#5 Chicago Cubs - CF Bobby Tolan - talented OF prospect that seemed just a step below the three outfielders I was considering at #1
#6 Los Angeles Angels - CF Jay Johnstone
#7 Boston - RF Tony Conigliaro - pretty sizeable fall for Tony, really thought his hitting tools at such a young age would entice some team
#8 New York Yankees - RF Mike Lum
#9 Cleveland - SP Dave Roberts
#10 Baltimore - LF Johnny Briggs

I will now recap my other picks up to a certain point as there are 44 rounds to this one!

2nd Round - C Jerry Grote - A really interesting college catcher with a real leader personality who can also hit pretty well for the position. I also know a little Mets history here and had to pick him for that reason too.

3rd Round - RP Tom Kelley - A reliever who could become a starter if his stamina improves but his strikeout potential was worth the pick here. Nothing wrong with some bullpen depth here as it’s always needed on a bad team like ours.

4th Round - LF Chris Coletta - Just a fine outfielder with some decent corner defense and can hit a bit, probably won’t ever start for us but could fill a bench role if he develops more.

The rest of the picks were players that wouldn’t be on my radar once in the minors but someone could always break out. Between the Morgan and Grote picks alone, I feel like I have answers for two important positions for the team and for that alone, I’m very hopeful.

Next I will go over the 1962-63 offseason and talk about any other transactions that were made heading into our second season. I will also preview the 1963 roster as well before we start playing games on Opening Day.

[JimMorrison]

This off-season was not a super important one as the amateur draft is really the main way we are going to go from zeroes to heroes. Trades and signings will be important to fill in some of the gaps and this off-season I think went pretty well for us.

We made one signing in “free-agency” (not really ACTUAL free agency yet) and that was LF Willie Smith. Smith has never made the majors and spent 1960-1962 sitting in Detroit's minor league system but in ‘62 he destroyed minor league pitching and our scouts think he could be something special in the majors. Smith is also a really odd case as he can pitch pretty well too and projects to be a starter. Willie is a really interesting player that I am willing to give a shot with as we really don’t have anything to lose right now by making a mistake. He’s only 24 too and does have some growing to do. I don’t think he’ll be the next Babe Ruth, but I am going to try him out as a two-way player.


We also made two pretty decent off-season trades, both with the Red Sox actually so I’ll just condense both trades into one here.

The New York Mets trade 24-year-old RP Bob Moorhead and 29-year-old LF Ed Bouchee to the Boston Red Sox for 35-year-old RP Luis Arroyo and 34-year-old SP Dick Donovan.

It’s a weird trade because general logic would tell you that a rebuilding team would try to get younger, but I just think this is a natural upgrade here. Moorhead really struggled a ton in the bullpen last year (7.04 ERA, 5.28 FIP) and just wasn’t someone I wanted to throw back out there in 1963. He is still young but he looked to be at his full potential here and my scouts don’t see a ton more growth in him. Bouchee also was tougher to lose but our outfield was already pretty full with players and I couldn’t really see a great role for him on this team. He impressed with some power in limited time last year, but I really want to be giving those at-bats to young players like Kranepool and Alou instead of an ok option in Bouchee.

Our pitching was truly the biggest flaw with this team and I think Arroyo and Donovan will immediately help us out here. Donovan really struggled in Boston last year (3-8 5.91 ERA in 13 starts) but this was his first year where he looked pedestrian on the mound. He still has a great command of his pitches and shouldn’t give up too many long balls. Not the greatest needle mover, but we need solid innings in the rotation and he can provide that! Arroyo I think is the best player in the deal and should immediately find a role in our bullpen. Like with Donovan, Arroyo was nothing special in Boston (7.77 ERA in 24 innings) after a mid-season trade with the Yankees, but he profiles well compared to the rest of our bullpen, and I don’t mind taking a chance on a guy who could really help us.

Last move we made in the off-season was the Rule 5 Draft where we picked 24-year-old 2B Orlando McFarlane from the Milwaukee Braves. Orlando was in the Braves minor system for his whole career, but he has excellent defensive versatility and can play the entire infield really well. He’s not going to light the world on fire with his bat, but he won’t really hurt us either. His defense alone should be a nice piece for the team and will be a great bench option.

Next I will recap Spring Training, introduce the 1963 New York Mets and then finally play some games!

[JimMorrison]

Spring training went by quick for our Mets and we actually played pretty well, going 14-16. No injuries either which is a big deal for us as we really don’t have a ton of depth on this team. One big injury and we could be in trouble.

The preseason predictions are also showing us improving with a win-loss record of 66-96, setting us at 8th in the National League, ahead of the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. I would love to see a season under 100 losses here and that alone would make a 13 win improvement from last season. Now onto the hitters!

Catchers:

Hobie Landrith, 33 (.200 AVG, 64 OPS+, 0.6 WAR) - Hobie was our starting catcher last year and will be our opening day starter in 1963 as well. His bat is pretty solid for a catcher but last year he really struggled at the plate. He did have a career high in homers (10) for us last year and his defense is pretty solid, I just hope by 1964 he is not the starter again,

Jerry Grote, 20 (No stats) - Grote was our second round pick in the amateur draft and has some potential to be the catcher of the future. Both his bat and defense need to improve, but I really don’t have another backup option in the minors and I don’t think he’ll be completely overmatched here. I will be relying on Landrith to do most of the catching, but Grote will get some starts and I hope he can hang in there for now.


Infield:

Ernie Banks, 1B, 32 (.268 AVG, 111 OPS+, 29 HR combined with Mets and Cubs) - Banks was a nice mid-season acquisition for the team, but once in New York, Banks struggled and wasn’t nearly the same player as he was when with the Cubs. He will be our starting first baseman regardless of his stats last year and there’s not much competition for him here. I am hoping he will be an above average hitter who can get some power back for us, and it is nice to have some proven talent in our lineup!

Gil Hodges, 1B, 39 (.190 AVG, 55 OPS+ in 210 PA) - Bluntly, Hodges was terrible last season and was a big reason why I was happy trading for Banks at the deadline. He was really worse than I could have imagined and his talents have completely vanished. I didn’t have a say in the expansion draft and if I did, a 38-year-old struggling first baseman would not have been my priority. This will be his last chance with us and it’s been frustrating. Maybe he could be a great manager?

Joe Morgan, 2B, 19 (No stats) - The first overall pick in the draft has looked as good as advertised in the Big Apple. Morgan hit .308 and had an OPS+ of 142 in the spring and has really held down the starting spot at second. I am not expecting him to immediately be our best hitter, but he should really be above average at the plate and that in itself is more than enough for right now.

Orlando McFarlane, 2B/3B/SS, 24, (.319 AVG, 161 OPS+ in AAA for Detroit) - Orlando is going to be our utility infielder as he can play all four infield spots. His defense alone is a huge asset and he can hit well enough at the major league level as well. I think if things go well, he could find his way into a starting infield spot as 3B and SS are pretty weak at the moment. Very happy to have him on this team honestly.

Don Zimmer, 3B, 32 (.242 AVG, 93 OPS+, 1.8 WAR) - Zimmer was frustrating to me in 1962 but looking back at his season as a whole, he wasn’t really that bad. There’s some value in having a below average bat with some solid defense at third. He will not be a part of the first great Mets team, but he isn’t a terrible option for now. If McFarlane can hit well, I could see him taking Zimmer’s spot at third but we will have to see how the season plays out.

Elio Chacon, SS, 26 (.243 AVG, 91 OPS+, 1.3 WAR) - Chacon is going to be our starting shortstop coming into the season but I really think we need an upgrade here. Like with Zimmer, I can deal with a below average hitter but his defense at short was a big liability last year and I need to find someone who can actually play the position better. With some more experience at short, McFarlane could take Chacon’s spot, but he’s much more of a 2B/3B type than a great shortstop. Chacon is still younger but I don’t think he’s the guy but we really don’t have any better options for now.

Outfield:

Frank Thomas, LF, 33 (.288 AVG, 121 OPS+, 2.4 WAR) - Thomas is an older player on the decline, but was still the best player on the 1962 Mets by far. As the only good hitter on the team last year, Thomas is going to start for us in left and I hope he can at least match last season’s production.

Richie Ashburn, CF, 36 (.263 AVG, 98 OPS+, 2.0 WAR) - I thought Ashburn was going to be our best player going into the 1962 season, but he was really disappointing as he just really struggled to hit for contact. His walk rate was as good as it’s been and he didn’t strike out much at all so it was really just a batted ball issue. Richie played some really good defense at center for us and as a now 36-year-old, I can’t really sit there and complain about that. My scouts have not seen a real decline with him but this could be a player who could drop off fast. This deadline I may use him as a big piece to hopefully get some younger players and prospects, especially if he’s hitting better than last season.

Jesus Alou, RF, 21 (.261 AVG, 72 OPS+, -0.7 WAR) - Alou was acquired midseason from the Giants in the Jim Hickman trade and his potential leaps off the charts here. Alou did not impress in his half season with the Mets, but he made some improvements over the off-season and is looking to be a solid hitter. His ability to hit for average is really high and he could be a great lead-off option for us. I am giving him the starting RF job as a way to just give him a shot. If he struggles, I am not in panic mode but I want to see if he can hold a spot in the line-up because my scouts love him.

Ed Kranepool, LF/RF, 18 (.261 AVG, 99 OPS+, 0.8 WAR) - Kranepool was a pretty big contributor to this line-up at the ridiculous age of 17 and while his ceiling isn’t as high as some others on this team, he had a very great rookie year in 1962 all things considered. On a pure statistical level, I should probably be starting Kranepool over Alou in right, but Ed is still only 18 and if Alou struggles in the first month or so, he will be the one taking his spot. Kranepool will be a super useful pinch hitter and outfield option off the bench here.

Willie Smith, LF/RF/SP, 24 (.359 AVG, 202 OPS+, 6.9 WAR in A league for Detroit) - Our one actual signing in the off-season is one of the weirdest players in the league as he looks to be a true two-way player. I signed him as an outfield option but our manager Casey Stengel really wants him in the rotation too. Since Smith is still figuring stuff out and has never played in the majors, I just may have him be a pitcher first and an outfielder if we really need him. It’s not really a situation where he is better at one either, he’s an above average hitter and pitcher and could be a #2 starter on this miserable rotation and a #3/#4 option on an actually talented one. One of the bigger storylines this season is going to be how we use Smith and for now I am planning to let him focus on his pitching.

This line-up has a lot of holes but there are some really talented players in there who could become something special. Morgan, Alou, Kranepool, McFarlane and Grote are the real development pieces to watch while Banks, Thomas and Ashburn could be trade pieces if their value is high and we can get some young talent back in a trade. This should be a much more interesting year than ‘62 and I am hoping we can be a below average offensive team.

Next I will go through the rotation and bullpen and then the start of the ‘63 season!

[JimMorrison]

Opening Day Rotation:

Ray Washburn, 24, (4.27 ERA, 4.11 FIP in 13 starts) - Washburn was acquired at the deadline last year for Felix Mantilla and he looks to be our future ace for now. He has great control and three really solid pitches that should help him get batters out. He also is a workhorse and can stay in games longer than most. Washburn is still young and I don’t want to expect too much but he should be a solid starter at his worst which is better than anything we had really last year.

Al Jackson, 27, (4.51 ERA, 4.27 FIP in 34 starts) - Jackson was really our ace last year as he just pitched a ton of innings for us and didn’t completely stink. He has a weird profile as none of his pitches are truly great and he does not strike out many, but he does get out of jams and doesn’t lose control of games. On most teams he’d be a #5 starter, but he’s our #2 and just needs to be an average starter for this team.

Don Larsen, 33, (5.16 ERA, 4.20 FIP in 22 starts) - Larsen came back to New York in a trade with the Giants and really struggled here. I look at his numbers and it feels like he was just really unlucky, his FIP was a full run lower than his ERA and his BABIP was .290. Even in those 22 bad starts, he still pitched a ton of innings and was valuable in that sense. I think Larsen is primed for a bounce back season here and like Jackson, I just need him to be a serviceable starter.

Luis Arroyo, 36, (5.79 ERA, 4.07 FIP in 35 appearances with the Yankees and Boston) - So I traded for Arroyo this off-season with plans to use him as a reliever, but our manager Casey Stengel wants him in the rotation. I can see why but his stamina is a flaw of his and I am worried he is not going to last in games. For now I will try this experiment out, but if it’s failing, Arroyo will go back to the bullpen here.

Willie Smith, 24, (0.89 ERA, 1.14 FIP in 25 starts in A Detroit) - Smith was mentioned in the Outfielders part of this preview and for good reason. The plan from our manager is to try Smith as the #5 starter to give him a shot to pitch. Our scouts actually like him more than Arroyo, Larsen and even Jackson so there may be something there. We have some relievers that were starters for us last year that we can use if Smith can’t cut it, but I don’t mind trying this out to see if we could have a solid starter here.

So yeah our rotation is something... Washburn is really the only “sure thing” while Jackson and Larsen were locks but are not talented arms. Both Arroyo and Smith are going to be experiments here and they could work really well, or be a complete disaster. When you lose 112 games, sometimes you have to throw things at the wall to see what sticks.

Opening Day Bullpen:

Ron Herbel, 25, (3.33 ERA, 3.53 FIP in 28 appearances) - Herbel was another piece we got back in the Hickman trade and surprisingly became one of the few actually decent relievers we had in our bullpen. Herbel will be in long relief but I’d be inclined to give him a bigger role if things start well again in ‘63.

Tom Kelley, 19, (No stats) - We drafted Kelley in the third round of the draft and he’s improved a ton since November. His stuff is electric and while he has no major league experience, we have to try out an arm like his in the bullpen. Control could be an issue but I also plan starting him in long relief for us.

Jack Curtis, 26, (5.90 ERA, 4.53 FIP) - Curtis was a starter for us last season and really stunk. His pitches are pretty lackluster and while he does do a good job at preventing walks, he has no real strikeout ability, which I’d really want for a reliever... Not expecting much here honestly, this bullpen has very few options.

Dick Donovan, 35, (5.91 ERA, 4.84 FIP for Boston) - Donovan was acquired in the off-season as a starter but our manager wanted to have Arroyo there instead. Looking at how Donovan was as a starter in Boston makes me understand why he feels that way. Donovan had some more recent success as a reliever in years past with Cleveland and Washington, so this could be a solid option for us, we will have him in middle relief.

Ken Mackenzie, 29, (5.13 ERA, 5.41 FIP in 45 appearances) - Mackenzie was flat out terrible for us last year but our scouts still like him and we really don’t have any other options here. I am hoping he’s more of a 4-4.5 ERA guy, but who knows at this point?

Jay Hook, 26, (5.71 ERA, 5.48 FIP in 28 starts) - Like Curtis, Hook was another failed starter for us in ‘62 and was one of the worst pitchers in baseball. As a reliever he does look better, but that’s not saying much and this could be another ugly season for Hook.

Roger Craig, 33, (5.33 ERA, 4.88 FIP in 32 starts) - The final and third member of the Failed Starters club is Craig who I thought had a bit of an unlucky season relative to the other two guys, but we still kind of need him in the bullpen as he does have good command and his pitch mix is completely serviceable. Just hoping for an improvement I guess.

Clem Labine, 36, (3.43 ERA, 3.31 FIP in 58 appearances) - Labine and Herbel were the two only real reliable options in the bullpen last year and Labine definitely has some talent. He’s been consistently good at preventing runs for years now and did help this team not fall even further down to the bottom. He is 36 and a decline could hit here, but our scouts still like him and he seems to be the best of a real bad bunch to get the final outs.

Yeah this bullpen is a disaster, only Labine and Herbel are proven commodities and while Kelley has loads of talent, I can’t expect him to be great right out of the gate either. A fun storyline this season will be which fails me more, the rotation or the bullpen. I would bet on the bullpen at this point but both are very flawed.

After this roster recap, we can now get to some actual baseball! The Mets start the season at home in the Polo Grounds for two games against the St. Louis Cardinals, then four games out west in Milwaukee to play the Braves. I am still deciding how I want to tell the narrative of the season, but I will definitely do a deep dive into this first week of 1963. Let’s Go Mets!

[JimMorrison]

The 1963 Mets started the season by hosting the St. Louis Cardinals for two games. The Cards were pretty good in 1962 at 92-70 but still fell nine games behind the eventual champion Giants. 27-year-old Bob Gibson has turned into their ace and made his first aa-star appearance last year as well. Will be curious to see how former Met Felix Mantilla looks for them here.

St. Louis Cardinals (0-0) vs New York Mets - Gibson (0-0) vs Washburn (0-0) April 9, 1963

A solo shot in the first inning from Cardinals 3B Ken Boyer started the scoring early, but the Mets tied it right away in the bottom of the inning after a Richie Asburn walk and a Ernie Banks double deep into center. The Mets struck again in the second as Hobie Landrith hit a solo shot to lead off the inning. Both teams settled down in the third, but Washburn got into trouble in the fourth, as back to back singles and a groundout brought C Gene Oliver to home to tie the game at 2. Frank Thomas answered back in the bottom of the inning with his own solo shot and the Mets went on to hold the lead from there. In the eight the Mets got two insurance runs off a Joe Morgan homer and a Don Zimmer sac fly. Clem Labine shut the Cardinals down in the ninth and the Mets started their year off with a 5-2 win! Washburn (1-0, 8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 8 K), Morgan (2-4, HR, RBI), Landrith (2-4, HR, RBI)

Game 2 - STL 0 NYM 3 - Al Jackson pitched a complete game shutout, only allowing four hits and one walk to the Cardinals hitters. Jesus Alou had a great game as well, going 2-4 with two runs and a double to help lead the Mets to another victory over the Cardinals!

New York Mets (2-0) vs Milwaukee Braves (1-1) - April 11-15, 1963

The Braves come into this series splitting a two game set in Pittsburgh and now host our lowly Mets for their home opener at County Stadium. They have been solid these past two years, but still have not gotten close to winning the National League. Led by CF Hank Aaron who had a great ‘62 season and got close to getting an MVP, this team has loads of talent. They have 3B Eddie Matthews who was also excellent and led the NL in walks, and a young talented catcher named Joe Torre, who could have won Rookie of the Year in 1962 if it weren’t for Dick Allen just absolutely crushing the ball in Philly. This Raves team will be a great test for us and I’m hoping our pitching can hold up against a potent offense.

NYM 3 MIL 2 - Larsen pitches 8 innings and only allows two runs as we hold on. Back to back RBI singles from Morgan and Banks had us take the lead in the fifth and Labine closed the game out for us in the ninth.

NYM 2 MIL 1 - Arroyo’s first start with the Mets could not have gone better as he pitches a solid six innings and only allowed one Hank Aaron solo shot in the first. Labine and new acquisition Dick Donovan closed the Braves out in the last three innings as this pitching staff has looked dominant early on here. Zimmer and Landrith get RBI hits in the second and that’s all that we needed to get this win.

NYM 2 MIL 6 - We started Washburn again in this one and he was cruising into the seventh, only allowing two runs. Our offense kept up with theirs too as we got big hits from Grote in the 4th and Alou in the sixth to give us two runs as well. The seventh and eighth though is when Washburn fell apart, Rico Carty hit an RBI triple in the seventh and they added three more runs in the eighth off a barrage of singles and doubles. Braves 1B Joe Adcock had a great game going 4-4 with four singles and Hank Aaron hit another homer today too.

NYM 1 MIL 7 - Our momentum in this series ended fast here as Al Jackson struggled early in the first, giving up six runs off an Adcock home run and RBI hits from LF Lee Maye and RF Bill Bruton. Our offense stayed stagnant too, we got ten hits in this one but could only score one run with 14 men left on base.

Thoughts: If you were to tell me we’d win four of our first six games, I’d roll my eyes at you. But really this team played awesome against St. Louis and had some really close wins against a great Braves offense. We lost the last two in Milwaukee in not great fashion, but I am more than happy to start the season like this. Jesus Alou had a great first week (9-23, 199 OPS+) and our pitching looked really good at times. This is still going to be a tough season, but weeks like this will make it go a lot better for us.

Next week we play the Cincinnati Reds on the road for two games, then we head back home and host the Milwaukee Braves for another four game series, with the third and fourth games as a doubleheader on Sunday.

[JimMorrison]

Before we played some games, some news came up as we were ready to play the Reds. Richie Ashburn is going to be retiring at the end of the season and at age 36 he doesn’t have a desire to keep playing. Even though Ashburn’s time as a Met has been less than expected, he brought us a lot of fans and was pretty solid. I am still wondering if we can trade him at the deadline for some pieces as a rental, or if the retirement news is scaring teams off. I will look around and see if I can get any value for him here. I know it’s kind of a cruel move but I need some depth and I need all the value I can get here.


New York Mets (4-2) vs Cincinnati Reds (5-0) - April 16-17, 1963

Cincinnati comes into this two game series looking fantastic, winning three at home against Pittsburgh and two in Philadelphia. Superstar LF Frank Robinson is completely dominating at the plate to start the season, hitting .500 and slamming two homers and two doubles. A young Pete Rose and Vada Pinson also support Robinson in the line-up and allow for a really potent offense. This will be a really tough series and I would love to take one of these games.

NYM 2 CIN 6 - SP Sammy Ellis pitched really well as our bats only had four hits and two earned runs. Jesus Alou hit an RBI triple and scored to give us our two runs but that was all from us here. Don Larsen struggled today as well, giving up six runs in less than five innings and a big grand slam homer from 1B Gordy Coleman.

NYM 3 CIN 4 - A walk-off double by pinch hitter Tony Perez ended this one today in Cincinnati sadly as we now lost both games in this short series. SP Willie Smith went all nine innings and gave up all four runs, he also had a great day at the plate with two hits including a solo shot in the third. Frustrating loss but it’s not a surprise to lose two games to a really hot team.

Milwaukee Braves (6-3) vs New York Mets (4-4) - April 19-21, 1963

After our four game set last week in Milwaukee, the Braves now come to NY for another four game series here. After their series with us, the Braves stayed hot and swept the Phillies in three games. Coming into this one, they’re on a five game winning streak and our Mets have lost four straight.

MIL 1 NYM 3 - A fantastic outing from Ray Washburn helps us win this first game as he goes a full nine innings only allowing four hits and one run off an Eddie Matthews solo shot. A passed ball brought Jesus Alou home in the sixth to tie the game and a solo shot from Frank Thomas and an RBI single from Wasburn got two more in the seventh. What a great start to the series!

MIL 8 NYM 3 - Al Jackson got lit up in this one as he gave up four runs in the first two innings and our offense couldn’t catch up. Hank Aaron hit two homers and five RBIs and it was just one of those games where their offensive firepower just ended it early.

Double header today to close out this four game set...

MIL 4 NYM 2
MIL 8 NYM 9 - I am pretty happy to have split this one here and the second game really showed some offensive output that I love to see. In game one, Larsen pitched well (8 IP, 2 ER) and was level with Warren Spahn, but Labine blew the game in the ninth as he allowed a two run shot from CF Mack Jones.

We played much better in the second game, and we found an unlikely hero in this one. Arroyo pitched pretty well in a 5 inning start, but Dick Donovan completely blew this one in the eighth, giving up five runs and getting only one out. An 8-4 game in the ninth looked to be the final nail in the coffin here but our offense went crazy. With the bases loaded and no outs, we had Gil Hodges in as the pinch hitter and on the first pitch he belted a 414 foot grand slam into left! Then after another rally with still no outs, Don Zimmer singled and brought Willie Smith home from second to win the game! This was the best win of the season for the team and I hope this comeback victory can keep this team afloat in the standings for as long as they can.

Thoughts: After last week's 4-2 start, it makes sense to go 2-4 here. The Cincy series was tough but we played that second game close and could have split it. Going 4-4 against the Braves early in the season though is a win for us and I thought those two four game sets would be really tough for us.

Although Willie Smith has been pretty mixed as a starter so far, he has been an excellent hitter in his limited appearances (3-7, HR, RBI). In terms of our starters, Frank Thomas has been on fire, hitting three homers, three triples and six walks in 12 games. Both of our best young players have been great too as Morgan (.256 BA, 115 OPS+) and Alou (.289 AVG, 119 OPS+) have shown they can be really important contributors early. Ernie Banks has really struggled though as he’s hitting .163 and just can’t get the ball down.

Our rotation and bullpen have definitely been worse than our offense here but there have been some standouts. Ray Washburn has looked good in his three starts with a 3.28 ERA but he still needs more time to see what he can truly be. I’ve also enjoyed the Arroyo starter experiment so far but it’s still early and he still does not pitch a ton of innings for us. Dick Donovan has been really terrible out of the bullpen in three appearances as he’s allowed 7 runs in 2 innings, but we can’t overreact too much yet to both success and failure.

Our schedule next week is very weird as we play one game in Philly on Monday, then two games in Chicago and then a three game weekend series against Pittsburgh. Should be a real good test for us against some more average to below average teams.

[JimMorrison]

New York Mets (6-6) vs Philadelphia Phillies (4-8) - April 22, 1963

A weird one game series here in Philly starts off the week. We will see them again in a couple of weeks, but it is still a weird setup. The Phillies started off the season at 0-8 but then took four straight games at home against St. Louis and look to be much improved coming into this game. 62’ MVP Dick Allen has looked like the same player, hitting .378 with three homers already but the rest of the lineup looks mediocre besides him.

NYM 12 PHI 4 - In Willie Smith’s second start, he looked much better (9 IP, 3 ER, 9 H, 3 K) and our offense continued to mash after last game’s nine runs in Milwaukee. Don Zimmer was great as he got two hits and three runs in this one, and WIllie Smith also contributed with his bat, going 3-4 with a two run shot. It’s insanely valuable to have Smith go all nine AND go 3-4 in the same game, this two-way experiment looks genius early on here.

New York Mets (7-6) vs Chicago Cubs (5-9) - April 24-25, 1963

We continue our week long road trip at Wrigley Field for two games as we play a pretty mediocre Cubs team. At one point last week, the Cubs were on a six-game losing streak and looked like one of the worst teams in baseball, but since Saturday they’ve been 2-2 and have settled down a bit. 3B Ron Santo looks to be the true star in Chicago after they traded away Ernie Banks to us in ‘62 and he’s been good so far this season. (136 OPS+, .281 AVG) Should be a fun two game set and I am hoping Ernie Banks can mash in his return to Chicago.

NYM 4 CHC 5 (14) - A brutal 14 inning game here as 1B Lou Brock hit a solo shot off Ken Mackenzie to win this one for the Cubs. Washburn again played really well in his nine inning start and has really shown to be a really reliable arm for us. Despite the loss, Frank Thomas had a fantastic day at the plate, going 4-6 with four singles and a run. Problem for us was we got 11 hits here but only one double and no other extra base hits. We need some actual power to win these close games.

NYM 2 CHC 4 - Another rough loss as SP Bob Buhl outpitched Al Jackson in this one and gave them the big win. Joe Morgan hit a big triple to bring the first run home in the third and Frank Thomas added another, but we blew the lead in the sixth off a two run double from SS Jimmy Stewart and two other RBI singles.


New York Mets (7-8) vs Pittsburgh Pirates (6-8) - April 26-28, 1963
The Pirates have been pretty mediocre to start this season and have not been the same great team that won the World Series back in 1960. The true story for them this season has been 23-year-old LF Wille Stargell, who has finally broken out after limited time in ‘62. (.250 AVG, 141 OPS+) We have struggled so far this week and I am hoping we can show that we are closer to some of these below average teams than I had thought coming into the season...


NYM 2 PIT 3 - Another close loss as C Smoky Burgess hit a two run double off Dick Donovan to walk this one off. Don Larsen pitched incredibly for almost eight innings and Labine came in to close out the eighth for Larsen. With a 2-1 lead for some inexplicable reason, our manager put Dick Donovan out in the ninth to close the game instead of just sticking with Labine. Donovan’s struggles have been seriously bad and his ERA jumped to 27.00 after today's blown save. Just an immensely frustrating decision. Both Ernie Banks and Richie Ashburn had nice games for the Mets today, both going 3-5 with 3 singles each.

NYM 4 PIT 2 - Man Willie Smith has been ridiculous! A complete game for Willie allowing only five hits and two runs as we finally get one back. An Ernie Banks RBI double in the third and a two run single from Frank Thomas gave us the lead and Smith just held it down, giving our bullpen some much needed rest.

NYM 2 PIT 5 - Pittsburgh SP Bob Veale just completely had us today as he pitched a complete game giving up one earned run and two runs total. We did have a 2-0 lead heading into the seventh but Arroyo fell apart after a really solid six innings here. SP Veale helped with his bat, hitting a two RBI single and Bob Bailey and Don Clendeno had back to back EBI singles as well as we completely blew this one.

Thoughts: Another 2-4 week sends us down the NL standings to 8-10 and 7th place. I am lucky that St. Louis, Philly and Houston have all been pretty bad and that we are still holding on here. I definitely thought we’d be worse through our first 18 games but I still feel like we had opportunities to win even a couple more games.

Our rotation has been pretty solid and can actually stay in games pretty long. except Arroyo which I expected coming into the year. Washburn, Larsen, Willie Smith and Arroyo have all been pretty great and are above average pitchers so far in the league. The real disappointment so far has been Al Jackson who just cannot stop giving up hits. Last year he pitched a ton of innings for us and while he wasn’t good, he was good enough to where those innings were still valuable. Now he’s sporting a 5.54 ERA and just cannot get guys out. Since his great first start against the Cardinals, he’s given up at least four runs in his last three starts. He just needs to be better here...

Catcher Hobiue Landrith has struggled for us too and rookie catcher Jerry Grote has been completely outhitting him early on. Banks and Ashburn have still been subpar hitters thus far but Banks at least looks to be turning it around, hitting 9-24 with four RBIs this week.

Our schedule next week gets brutal as we come back home to the Polo Grounds for two against the LA Dodgers, two more against our expansion counterparts in Houston and then a big four game set at home against the defending champion SF Giants where we play a doubleheader on Sunday. I’m sure that this week of eight games in seven days will really help us out here...

[JimMorrison]

Los Angeles Dodgers (15-5) vs New York Mets (8-10) - April 29-30, 1963

The Dodger have been on fire to start the 1963 season and have won four straight and won eight of their last ten games. Their rotation has been the best in the National League so far with a 2.12 ERA. The 1-2 punch of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale has been great as expected but the rest have been stellar too, especially Stan Williams (4-0, 1.48 ERA) Their offense has been great too and they look to try and get their first pennant since their championship run in ‘59.

LAD 2 NYM 10 - Huge win at home here as we got a seven run seventh inning as pitcher Ray Washburn had a crazy two run shot, a two run single from Joe Morgan and a Hobie Landrith grand slam! Washburn had a great complete game start as well and only gave up two runs, all around solid victory here.

LAD 6 NYM 3 (10) - We really should have had this one as we had a 3-1 lead going into the ninth, but we gave up two in ninth to tie and then three in the tenth to lose this one. Zimmer, Al Jackson and Kranepool all got RBIs in a loss and it wasn’t enough to take this series. Al Jackson though had a great bounce back start here as he went nine and held this potent Dodgers lineup in check. We need him to pitch more like this! Can’t complain about splitting a quick series with a really good LA team.

April Award Winners:

AL
Hitter of the Month: 1B Boog Powell (Baltimore) - 6 HR, 25 RBI, .352 AVG
Pitcher of the Month: SP Dean Chance (LA Angels) - 3-1, 1.65 ERA
Rookie of the Month: RP Chi-Chi Olivo (Minnesota) - 1-0, 2.70 ERA, 9 K in 10 IP

NL
Hitter of the Month: LF Frank Robinson (Cincinnati) - 4 HR, 20 RBI, .432 AVG
Pitcher of the Month: SP Jim Maloney (Cincinnati) - 5-0, 1.07 ERA
Rookie of the Month: SP Bob Heffner (LA Dodgers) - 2-0, 3.13 ERA

April Best Teams: Cincinnati Red (16-3), New York Yankees (12-4), Los Angeles Dodgers (16-6)
April Worst Teams: Houston Colt 45’s (4-18), St. Louis Cardinals (5-14), Washington Senators (6-14)

Houston Colt 45’s (4-18) vs New York Mets (9-11) - May 1-2, 1963

It was not a great first season for our fellow expansion brethren, going 59-103 but they were still nine wins better than us in ‘62. This season though has been a complete disaster in Texas though as they have lost seven straight games coming into this one and have been the worst team in baseball. This should be a fun series to compare how each team has been built so far into these massive rebuilds.

HOU 4 NYM 3 - Struggling Houston starter Bob Bruce outpitched Don Larsen tonight as the Mets lose another close one here. Our offense could not do anything here except a big Kranepool 2 RBI single. Three hits all game is pretty inexcusable facing a team that is struggling as bad as the Colt 45’s are.

HOU 3 NYM 0 - Another brutal offensive showing here today as we only get four hits and no runs. Willie Smith got hit hard in the first, giving up three runs but then he settled down and pitched some really good innings.

San Francisco Giants (12-11) vs New York Mets (9-13) - May 3-5, 1963

The defending champions have come into this season really looking not up to par with other National League contenders. They are currently 2-8 in their last ten and have not found a real consistent rhythm thus far. Their line-up has actually been really solid as stars like Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Felipe Alou have all been mashing it. Their rotation has been great too and the talent is all still there, I think they have just been incredibly unlucky. 1-5 in one run or extra inning games and they have a pythagorean record of 16-7 which shows they should be winning some more games based on the numbers they have. This should be a good series for them to turn it around and a bad one for us as we have really struggled.

SF 2 NYM 7 - Heck of a start to the series here as Luis Arroyo pitches a great game and completely neutralizes a great San Fran order. Most of our runs came in the fourth off a Grote two-run single and a McFarlane two-run double. Hoping to split this series as we need to stop the constant fall down the standings here.

SF 2 NYM 1 - The Juan Marichal and Ray Wasburn duel lived up to expectations here as both pitchers were excellent in this one. Marichal was just a bit better and held on for the Giants today. Can’t really complain here as I didn’t expect much offense off a starter as good as Marichal.

Doubleheader Sunday...

SF 1 NYM 7
SF 4 NYM 5

Thoughts: Going into this week, I thought this could be a stretch that could sink our hopes but we really rallied back after a really awful two games in Houston for a 4-4 week. I do think we have gotten unlucky in a couple of close games this season, but we are still looking like a pretty average team so far and I am more than satisfied with that after losing 112 games the year before.

Ernie Banks is starting to heat up again, going 10-27 with 2 HR and 3 RBI in this past week. I have also been happy with Jerry Grote who is hitting really well when given the ABs. He started three games this week and went 7-10 in those at bats. Al Jackson and Ray Washburn were also fantastic in their two starts this week with both holding an ERA under 1.

Next week we continue our homestand with three games against the Philadelphia Phillies and then four more games at home against the 20-3 Cincinnati Reds, woo!

[Euroalien]

Just getting ready to start a similar save. I started unemployed in 1961, simmed the '61 season and will take over the Mets going into 1962.

[JimMorrison]

Originally Posted by Euroalien

Just getting ready to start a similar save. I started unemployed in 1961, simmed the '61 season and will take over the Mets going into 1962.

Good luck! I am hoping you can prevent an 112 loss season better than I could...

[JimMorrison]

Philadelphia Phillies (12-13) vs New York Mets (12-14) - May 7-9, 1963

Last time we saw these Phillies was a win in a one game series in mid-April and since then they have looked much improved, starting May going 5-1. 1962 NL MVP and Rookie of the Year Dick Allen is on pace for another great season as well. There aren’t really any other stars in the line-up besides Allen but the pitching staff has been solid, sitting at 5th in the NL for ERA and first in strikeouts.

PHI 7 NYM 3
PHI 3 NYM 2 (10)
PHI 9 NYM 1

A pretty terrible series here against Philly as our bats could not get anything going here. The last game especially was bad as Washburn completely blew up, allowing 11 hits, seven runs in only six innings of work. We may look back at this series and see a turning point where this team went from decent to pretty bad. I knew our adequate start to the season was a bit of a mirage but to watch it come crumbling down in one series is pretty frustrating. You’d think we’d be looking for a turnaround, but now we host the Cincinnati Reds who have been the best team in baseball by far!

Cincinnati Reds (24-4) vs New York Mets (12-17) - May 10-12, 1963

After that brutal series against Philly, we close out our homestand against the ridiculously hot Reds. After a 16-3 April, the Reds have started May going 8-1 and look to take the National League by June! Frank Robinson has continued his hitting prowess after winning Hitter of the Month for April, rookie Pete Rose is hitting .356 and is on pace for a better rookie season than Dick Allen lsat year, and their pitching has been as good as their offense, 1st in ERA, 1st in bullpen ERA and 3rd in starter ERA. I just don’t want to get swept at this point really, that’s all I ask for!

CIN 2 NYM 7 - Al Jackson pitches a heck of a game against the best offense in baseball as he goes 8.2 innings of two run ball. Jerry Grote hits his first career homer to bring in three runs and we held this one together, a huge win for morale here.

CIN 3 NYM 5

Sunday’s doubleheader...

CIN 2 NYM 11

CIN 3 NYM 4

Well I have absolutely no clue how they pulled this off, but the Reds now have double the losses they had before this series! We outscore the Reds 27-10 in these four games as we go from having the worst series of the year against Philadelphia to now the best series of the year against Cincy. We have really turned this week around and I think I need to stop overreacting to one bad series in early May.

Thoughts: May has started pretty well for us here as we go 4-3 this week and are 7-6 to start the month. Joe Morgan was on fire this week as he hit three homers and definitely found some power back after coming into this week with only one homer. Our offense has been above average so far this season as we’ve scored 133 runs in 33 games, which is 4th in the NL. The rotation and bullpen haven’t been great but they aren’t one of the worst either like last season. This team is not a good team but we do have some talent and we can get streaky at times. For our second year, this has been a really nice start to the season compared to where I thought we’d be.

Next week is another crazy one, as we go to Texas to play the Colt 45’s for three games, then we head out west to play the San Francisco Giants for three games and the LA Dodgers for a doubleheader on Sunday. The series in LA continues into the next week, but I will only cover the games taking place next week first.

[JimMorrison]

New York Mets (16-17) vs Houston Colt .45’s (10-25) - May 13-15, 1963

Since losing both games to Houston to start May, the Colt 45’s have been pretty mediocre which is a massive improvement for them compared to their 4-18 April. LF Al Spangler has been Houston’s best hitter here with his .321 AVG and 125 OPS+ and there are only three batters in the Houston roster that are hitting at an above average pace. The pitching staff has been even worse as both the bullpen and rotation are ranked the worst in the NL in ERA and FIP. We have definitely been better than Houston this season so far and I’d love for us to finish above them in the standings by October.

NYM 6 HOU 0 - A great Washburn outing (7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER) gets us the shutout and Elio Chacon went 4-5 with three singles, a triple and an RBI. Nice to start a 14 game road trip off with a win!

NYM 1 HOU 2 (12)

NYM 4 HOU 2

A great series win in Houston as we play great against our expansion rivals and fight our way back to an even record. Our pitching staff was excellent in this one as we gave up four runs in three games. Pretty happy to be sitting at 18-18 in mid-May but I am expecting some regression soon.

New York Mets (18-18) vs San Francisco Giants (18-17) - May 16-18, 1963

The defending World Series champs have been a mediocre team so far this season and definitely showed their decline after losing three of four to these Mets back in the first week of May. They did take both games against the Pirates coming into this one and look to get revenge on the Mets. Willie Mays has been still solid this season but not as his normal MVP candidate self. I feel like the Giants have been pretty unlucky so far this season and will come back into contention in the next month or two.


NYM 3 SF 5

NYM 3 SF 9

NYM 1 SF 8

Tough sweep in San Fran here as the Giants offense completely blew us out of these games. I really like our lineup, but it’s going to be hard for them to compete against McCovey, Felipe Alou and Willie Mays here. Our pitching left a lot to be desired as Washburn imploded in the last game (5 IP 13 H 7 ER) and we had to rely a lot more on our pretty weak bullpen which didn’t help us out either. Just a rough series that still shows how much work this team needs before we can even be mediocre.

New York Mets (18-21) vs Los Angeles Dodgers (24-15) - May 19-22, 1963

This series is a doubleheader on Sunday then a game on Tuesday and Wednesday so I will only show the doubleheader and continue with the next two games next week. After a 16-6 month, the Dodgers have struggled in May going 8-9. We have only played them twice this year, splitting a series with them in late April and I am hoping we can take advantage of a team that hasn’t been playing up to their potential.

Sunday doubleheader...

NYM 2 LAD 10

NYM 7 LAD 8

Rough day in LA as we lost both games, Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers lineup flattened us in game one and in game two, a four run ninth for the Mets wasn’t enough as the Dodgers walked it off with three of their own in the bottom of the inning.

Thoughts: After a great start to the week in Houston, everything fell apart out west as we lost five straight to the Giants and Dodgers. Joe Morgan has gotten better as the games go on though as he added three more homers this week and his power has finally been coming out of the shadows here. Richie Ashburn is continuing his decline as he can not get hits at all. Even his trademark great plate discipline has fallen off a bit and he’s been a negative asset for the team. Our rotation has also been really bad this month as we don’t have one starter with an average ERA for the year. Willie Smith has been our best starter thus far and I didn’t even know if he could fit into the rotation to start the year!

We start next week by continuing the Dodgers series for two more games and then we head to St. Louis to close out our road trip with a four game set on the Mississippi. I’d like to take a game in LA and then be competitive against a struggling Cardinals squad, but who really knows at this point?

[JimMorrison]

We continue with our four games series against the Dodgers after losing both games in our doubleheader Sunday. Hoping for one win here to give us something.

NYM 0 LAD 5

NYM 3 LAD 1

In the third game, Don Drysdale pitched a complete game shutout allowing only six hits and our lineup could not do anything here. Three homers that drove in five runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth was enough for LA to take their third in a row but luckily we found a way back in the last game. Don Larsen pitched his best game as a Met in this game, going eight innings of one run ball. Back to back RBI singles from Morgan and Banks got us the 2-0 lead that we never gave up and we win this one close 3-1. Not happy to lose three of four but the Dodgers are on another level and I know that we have a long way to go before we can really compete with them.

St Louis Cardinals (15-26) vs New York Mets (19-24) - May 24-26, 1963

This will be the first time seeing these Cardinals since we opened the season beating them in both games at the Polo Grounds. The Cardinals really struggled in April, going 5-14 and they looked like one of the worst teams in baseball. May has been a lot kinder (10-12 in May) but they still sit in ninth in the NL above the lowly Colt 45’s. The pitching has been really solid actually for them as they rank third in the NL in starter and bullpen ERA, but the lineup has struggled immensely. 1B Bill White is the only starter who’s been hitting well (.288 AVG, 119 OPS+) and the rest of the lineup looks lethargic at best. I am hoping for a big series here to help bring us back from some tough losses as of late.

STL 9 NYM 8 (11)

STL 3 NYM 1

Sunday doubleheader...

STL 7 NYM 3

STL 3 NYM 4

Man, I got nothing to say... I don't know why I’ve been expecting a decent season, if we can’t beat a struggling Cardinals team here, I think it’s going to truly be a longer season than I realized.

Thoughts: A disastrous 2-4 week has really sunk our chances of a .500 season and maybe being a somewhat decent team. We were 18-18 on May 15th and since then we’ve been 2-9.

Our offense has been pretty bad as Frank Thomas, Banks and Alou have all been struggling at the plate here in this eleven game slump. The only consistent hitter who actually seems to oddly be getting better is Joe Morgan who has been better than advertised as a 19-year-old.

I don’t really know what to do at shortstop either moving forward. Eli Chacon, my starter last year and coming into this year, has been terrible offensively and while his defense hasn’t been as negative as it was last year, it’s still not good for such a vital position. Orlando McFarlane who we got in the rule 5 as a backup infielder has been even worse too so there’s really no great option we can use right now at short and I need to find a better option this offseason or at the deadline!

The rotation has been pretty lackluster too as the Luis Arroyo starter experiment is starting to backfire fast. In Arroyo’s last three starts he’s given up 13 runs and his ERA jumped from 3.19 to 4.53. Even Ray Washburn, who I thought would be reliable, has been pretty bad and is sitting at a 4.38 ERA in a very pitcher friendly league. I complain about the offense but they are really just middle of the road, 5th in runs scored, 5th in OPS. It’s the pitching that has sunk this team and we are going to need another makeover once we get to the end of the season as this just has not looked like a remotely viable group of pitchers.

We continue our homestand next week against the Chicago Cubs for three games and then we end the week hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates for four more games. If we come out of these games with another two win week, I think we are officially in big trouble!

[JimMorrison]

Chicago Cubs (20-25) vs New York Mets (20-27) - May 28-30, 1963

We have only seen the Cubs in two games so far this season in late April and lost both. The Cubs have really been the definition of a below average team this season and like us, have just not found any consistent form of winning. To be fair to them, they’ve been 7-3 in their last ten games and have taken two of three from the Braves, Cardinals and Colt 45’s. RF George Altman, 1B Lou Brock and 3B Ron Santo have all been excellent for the team this year, but their pitching staff looks about as bad as ours here. Should be a high scoring series here and I am hoping to show we can play against some of these weaker teams.

CHC 5 NYM 2

CHC 3 NYM 0

CHC 3 NYM 6

Other than the third game, Chicago just completely out pitched us here as Morehead was better than Larsen and Lary was better than Washburn. Frank Lary especially was ridiculous as he pitched a one hit complete game shutout, just an extremely frustrating game. Al Jackson pitched the final game and was pretty great in eight innings of work allowing two runs. He even contributed with a solo shot in the 7th, his first career home run. Jackson has stepped up in May going 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA and for me that’s fine enough. On to play Pittsburgh now for four games, anything worse than a split here is really going to be frustrating.

Pittsburgh Pirates (20-27) vs New York Mets (21-29) - May 31-June 2, 1963

We last saw the Pirates in the same week as the Cubs in late April and lost two of three to them in Pittsburgh. They have not been good in May (10-18) though and have really fallen down the NL standings to eighth, a half game ahead of us. Their pitching is around average but their offense has been pretty terrible, 9th in runs scored, 8th in OPS, 9th in WAR. Roberto Clemente currently sports a 83 OPS+ and while his .280 average is fine, it’s still nowhere near his highs of .351 in 1961. Rookie Willie Stargell hasn’t been great either and this offense does not really have a consistently good hitter that can generate runs. This is a huge series for us as a bad showing could get us ten games off .500 to start June.

PIT 5 NYM 6

PIT 8 NYM 1

Sunday doubleheader...

PIT 9 NYM 8 (10)

PIT 6 NYM 7

Thoughts: A walk-off two run homer from none other than Richie Ashburn gave us the win in the final game and kept us afloat for now in the standings. I am still not super happy as both the Cubs and Pirates are teams we should be taking some games off of and it’s frustrating to only go 3-4 this week.

Joe Morgan and Ernie Banks were great this week as Morgan had two homers and Banks had three. Joe Morgan’s plate discipline has been insane for a 19-year-old as he has 33 walks and only 20 strikeouts so far in the season. He is already proving to be a star right away for us and I am so excited to build around him moving forward! Some of our rotation was better this week as Willie Smith, Al Jackson and Washburn were all pretty good in each of their starts.

We play a quick two game set against the Milwaukee Braves, then host St. Louis for a four game series with another doubleheader Sunday. The Cardinals have continued to struggle and are now behind us in the standings again, but the Braves are only four and a half games back of Cincy and will be a tough team to face. Next week I will also go over the winners of the awards for the month of May as well and surprisingly a Met is going to be featured!

[JimMorrison]

May Award Winners:

AL
Hitter of the Month: 1B Boog Powell (Baltimore) - 9 HR, 15 RBI, .302 AVG
Pitcher of the Month: CL Hoyt Wilhelm (Baltimore) - 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 SV
Rookie of the Month: RF Willie Horton (Detroit) - .392 BA, 4 HR 10 RBI

NL
Hitter of the Month: LF Dick Allen (Philadelphia) - 7 HR, 26 RBI, .298 AVG
Pitcher of the Month: SP Gaylord Perry (San Francisco) - 5-1, 0.46 ERA
Rookie of the Month: 2B Joe Morgan (NY Mets) - .253 AVG, 8 HR, 29 RBI

May Best Teams: San Francisco Giants (18-10), Baltimore Orioles (18-12), Philadelphia Phillies (18-12)

May Worst Teams: Houston Colt 45’s (11-19), Minnesota Twins (10-18), Pittsburgh Pirates (10-19)

Milwaukee Braves (30-20) vs New York Mets (23-31) - June 4-5, 1963

We have actually seen the Braves a lot this season, playing them in two separate four games series back in mid-April. For being such a strong team in the NL, we’ve actually had some success so far too, going 4-4 against them. Now with a short two game set, it would be nice to win a game or two here. The Braves have been consistent but just haven’t been winning enough yet to catch the first place Cincinnati Reds.

MIL 12 NYM 7

MIL 0 NYM 8

Game one was another complete implosion by Ray Washburn as he lasted only three innings and gave up eight runs, seven in the first inning alone. He really should be better at this point but he gives up way too much hard contact and if he pitches like that, we have no chance to win a game down 8-0 in two innings.

Game two was truly the “Al Jackson Game” as he pitched eight innings, allowed no runs AND HIT TWO HOME RUNS! He already surprisingly had one in his last start against Chicago, but here he adds two more and gives us a huge victory at home!

St. Louis Cardinals (22-31) vs New York Mets (24-32) - June 7-9, 1963

We last saw St. Louis two weeks ago where we lost three of four games to them on the road. After their dismal 5-14 April, they really improved in May, going 16-14 but they are still sitting in ninth in the National League. This is a big series for us against a similarly talented team, we should be holding our own here.

STL 5 NYM 2

STl 8 NYM 2

Sunday’s doubleheader...

STL 8 NYM 2

STL 5 NYM 2

Thoughts: What an absolute embarrassment of a series for the Mets... two 8-2 losses and two 5-2 losses as we fail to even play a close game let alone win one for the home fans... I think this start has been a mirage and made me think this second year expansion team was much better than I had thought. Sitting at 24-36 I am not seeing a real reason to analyze every game and take stock in it.

We just need talent and I am hoping to get some young players back for some of these decent vets. Someone like Frank Thomas would be a great trade piece as he is pretty valuable (116 OPS+) and we can get young Ed Kranepool some more at-bats as he’s been really solid in his limited opportunities.

A guy like Ashburn who I thought would have some value, has really negative value at this point as he’s hitting .202 with a -1.7 WAR. We may need to find a decent defensive CF to replace him because you can’t really be much worse than he has. Ernie Banks is another guy to consider but I still think he’s too valuable to just trade away unless we can get some good prospects. Banks (112 OPS+, .274 AVG) is on pace to have a solid season and I wouldn’t mind keeping him around as we have no real options at first besides him.

Moving forward, we are at 24-36 and we are 14 games back of the NL leader, 3.5 back of the eighth place Cards. I am just going to be recapping every two weeks and just showing the series outcomes and talking about news and decisions I am making. If we were sitting at like 30-30 I’d feel different but this team feels completely out of it.

The next two weeks brings a two game series at home against the NL leader Reds, two in Milwaukee to face the Braves, four more games against Cincy on the road, three on the road in St. Louis and then we host the Phillies for four games. These 15 games in 14 days will most likely sink us but I am hoping we can at least hold it together a little while longer before we fall off completely.

[JimMorrison]

First series 2 games vs Cincinnati Reds (37-21) - 0-2 L, 7-8 L (13 innings)

Second series 2 games @ Milwaukee Braves (32-26) - 5-6 L (10 innings), 7-4 W

Third series 4 games @ Cincinnati Reds (41-21) - 0-2 L, 4-2 W (10 innings), 4-0 W, 2-8 L

Week Ten Thoughts: Really not the greatest week after the disastrous series against St. Louis and in the first game of the four game Cincy series, we were no-hit by Jim Maloney. Maloney completely dominated us and only allowed one walk that prevented him from being perfect. This is the first no-hitter thrown this season and I can’t be that surprised it’s against us. After this tough 3-5 week, we sit at 27-41, 17 games back of the first place Cincinnati Reds and we are 4.5 games back of the eighth place St. Louis Cardinals. I am very lucky that the Colt 45’s have been even more putrid so far!

First series 3 games @ St. Louis Cardinals (30-35) - 4-2 W, 2-1 W, 1-3 L

Second series 4 games vs Philadelphia Phillies (35-35) - 7-1 W, 0-1 L, 10-2 W, 2-4 L (11 innings)

Week Eleven Thoughts: An improved week for the team was big here as we finally got back at the Cardinals and also had a solid series at home against Philly. Al Jackson has been awesome for us in June and he has not had more than two runs allowed in a start since May 25th. Both Wllie Smith and Don Larsen have been improved as well, the problems have been Washburn and Arroyo. Arroyo was a shot in the dark that has really failed spectacularly, but Washburn was someone I valued in the Felix Mantilla trade and he has not lived up to it at all (4-9, 4.64 ERA, 3.81 FIP) His FIP tells you that his performance has been unlucky, but it’s still very frustrating to watch. I need to see an improved July and August from him.

The player who continues to get better and better after each game is Joe Morgan though! He holds a 154 OPS+ in June, his power has been slowed a bit but with an OBP of .404 also for the month, I cannot complain one freaking bit. Morgan is going to be the franchise icon and I need to get him a championship!

While the right side of the infield has been solid with Banks and Morgan, we still cannot get any production out of short and third base. Don Zimmer wasn’t anything special this season but in June his slight productive abilities have completely vanished. Before as a 92 OPS+ third baseman with decent defense, I had no issue. But now he’s at a 68 and cannot make contact at all. Elio Chacon was benched by Casey Stengel and Orlando McFarlane has been slightly better offensively and defensively at short. It still has to be my biggest need and I am hoping we cna get some prospect back that can at least play the position well enough.

Generally in baseball, you want great players up the middle. We’ve had constant issues at shortstop and we’ve also had a bunch at center field. Richie Ashburn has been better... but I really cannot give any credit to a guy who’s at a -0.8 WAR and has done nothing to show he isn’t completely washed. I know he’s retiring after the season, but he should have just done it last year.

Next, I will cover the final week of the month and the June award winners. Next week will be a short one relatively, two games hosting the Cubs and three games in Pittsburgh to face the Pirates.

[JimMorrison]

Chicago Cubs (36-37) vs New York Mets (31-44) - June 25-26, 1963

We have struggled in our matchups with the Cubs this year, only winning one game out of five played so far. The Cubs are looking to add to their 13-11 month of June where they’ve finally looked like a team that can at least compete in the middle of the NL standings now. RF George Altman is on pace to have his best season as a pro (.286 AVG, 2.7 WAR, 140 OPS+) but the rotation and bullpen still need a ton of work before these guys can actually contend. Hoping to split this short two game series.

CHC 1 NYM 0

CHC 1 NYM 3

A really strong pitching series in NY as Washburn pitched really well in the first game, but not well enough to give us the win. Cubs starter Don Cardwell was dominant as he pitched a four-hit complete game shutout! I still am fine with the result as I need to see more starts like this from Washburn.

Game two was another Al Jackson masterclass as he went six innings and only allowed one run and four hits. For the record Jackson has been 3-1 with a 1.37 ERA in June, just a wonderful month from him as he is trying to maybe sneak into an all-star game. The fourth inning is when we got our three runs, all from RBI singles from Zimmer, Morgan and McFarlane. Nice little series here and I am hoping to end the week well in Pittsbrugh.

New York Mets (32-45) vs Pittsburgh Pirates (37-39) - June 28-30, 1963

In what feels like forever, we finally end the week with just a three game series with no Sunday doubleheader against the Pirates. We’ve been competitive against them in our couple of series, going 3-4 up to this point. After sitting at 20-28 to start June, the Pirates have been pretty solid, going 17-11 and getting close to .500. Both Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente have been good, but not truly great and that is a decent reason why they’ve been lackluster. The team just isn’t really great at anything nor are they really bad at anything. They are the definition of an average team and I’m interested to see if they can get hot in the second half or if they are doomed to this medicority.

NYM 6 PIT 7

NYM 1 PIT 4

NYM 0 PIT 3

A miserable series in June to end the month. The cherry on top of the three losses is in the last game we were no-hit AGAIN... this time by Bob Veale, a very good pitcher for them. Weird note is though it was a no-hitter, the game got called in the sixth due to bad weather so to me I don’t really count it but I think the record books do! I’d rank this game as the weirdest game so far in the save, hoping the next one won’t come at my expense!

With the month over, I’ll recap the June award winners and best and worst teams... I am thinking we are going to be on that worst teams list.

June Award Winners:

AL
Hitter of the Month: 1B Boog Powell (Baltimore) - 11 HR, 22 RBI, .274 AVG - he’s won this every month so far!
Pitcher of the Month: SP Hal Brown (Baltimore) - 6-0, 0.71 ERA, 53 K
Rookie of the Month: SP Jim Hannah (Washington) - 3-0, 2.57 ERA

NL
Hitter of the Month: LF Willie McCovey (San Francisco) - 13 HR, 29 RBI, .314 AVG
Pitcher of the Month: SP Ray Sadecki (Cincinnati) - 5-0, 1.45 ERA
Rookie of the Month: SP Willie Smith (NY Mets) - 3-2, 2.90 ERA

June Best Teams: Baltimore Orioles (24-7), Cincinnati Reds (20-11), Pittsburgh Pirates (20-11)

June Worst Teams: Boston Red Sox (8-23), Houston Colt 45’s (9-20), New York Mets (10-19)

Really good to see Willie Smith on here as he has been the second best starter next to Jackson for us, and coming into the season I really didn’t even know if he was a starter! Our June was very rough though as we are pretty solidly in ninth place in the National League and will need a big second half to be respectable again. At this 32-48 pace, we’d finish the season at 65-97 which isn’t terrible and is a 15 game improvement over last year.

Next week we play the Cubs and Pirates again, then we head to the all-star game! I will first recap these seven games, cover the all-star game and then I will do a little retrospective on the first half of the season before we move past the all-star break.

[JimMorrison]

New York Mets (32-48) vs Chicago Cubs (38-40) - July 2-4, 1963

After a two game split series last week, we now play a four game set in Chicago with a doubleheader on Thursday July 4th. I’m expecting some more struggles here as my expectations really couldn’t be lower.

NYM 3 CHC 9

NYM 1 CHC 6

Thursday’s doubleheader...

NYM 3 CHC 4

NYM 3 CHC 0

Another rough series in Chicago as our bats could not get going and our pitching was still pretty lackluster as well. A great first start of the year for Roger Craig got us the 3-0 win in the final game, but the rest was pretty bad. Arroyo has been terrible as our fifth starter so Stengel finally decided to move him to the bullpen and bring Craig into the rotation. Craig was bad in ‘62 when in the rotation (5.33 ERA in 32 starts) but he came in and had a good start. I don’t know how long this form will last but we need a fifth option who won’t completely harm the team. On to host Pittsburgh...

Pittsburgh Pirates (43-41) vs New York Mets (33-51) - July 5-7, 1963

To further show how top heavy the NL is, we are ten games back of this Pirates team and they themselves are in fifth and are still eleven and half back of the first place Reds. We have a ways to go before we can even start fighting for the top half! After traveling to Pittsburgh last week and getting swept, I am really hoping to take one game here at home before the break!

PIT 9 NYM 2

PIT 7 NYM 3

PIT 9 NYM 1

What an embarrassment I feel for the fans paying to see this series. Usually we can at least get a game to be competitive, but no these were three blowouts. It's’ truly going to be a long second half of the season...

1963 All-Stars:

The roster for the AL is:

SP Jim Bunning (DET) - 9-4, 1.74 ERA, 144.2 IP, 0.88 WHIP, 6.4 K/9, 3.5 WAR
SP Dean Chance (LAA) - 10-4, 1.84 ERA, 141.2 IP, 0.95 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 4.2 WAR
SP Al Downing (NYY) - 13-3, 2.48 ERA, 145.0 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 2.7 WAR
SP Whitey Ford (NYY) - 8-4, 2.50 ERA, 126.0 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, 3.8 WAR
SP Tommy John (CLE) - 7-5, 2.23 ERA, 125.0 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 3.3 WAR
SP Dave McNally (BAL) - 9-4, 2.09 ERA, 129.1 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, 2.1 WAR
SP Claude Osteen (WS2) - 12-4, 1.87 ERA, 144.2 IP, 1.06 WHIP, 5.7 K/9, 4.0 WAR
CL Bill Dailey (CLE) - 7-5, 10 SV, 2.05 ERA, 57.0 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 4.4 K/9, 0.4 WAR
CL Bobby Shantz (CWS) - 3-4, 14 SV, 1.61 ERA, 56.0 IP, 0.88 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 2.1 WAR
CL Hoyt Wilhelm (BAL)* - 7-5, 13 SV, 1.72 ERA, 62.2 IP, 0.94 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 1.2 WAR
C Joe Azcue (KC1) - .312/.349/.470, 266 AB, 8 HR, 5 SB, 141 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
C Bill Freehan (DET) - .278/.331/.464, 263 AB, 12 HR, 3 SB, 136 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
1B Norm Cash (DET) - .237/.353/.461, 295 AB, 18 HR, 2 SB, 144 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
1B Jim Gentile (BAL) - .257/.349/.461, 323 AB, 19 HR, 144 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
1B Tom Tresh (NYY) - .293/.363/.479, 307 AB, 9 HR, 7 SB, 151 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
SS Jimmie Hall (MIN) - .270/.327/.437, 311 AB, 12 HR, 7 SB, 129 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
SS Woodie Held (CLE) - .220/.303/.358, 282 AB, 10 HR, 3 SB, 101 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
SS Zoilo Versalles (MIN) - .293/.349/.449, 341 AB, 8 HR, 16 SB, 137 wRC+, 4.4 WAR
LF Ed Kirkpatrick (LAA) - .281/.366/.396, 278 AB, 5 HR, 3 SB, 131 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
LF Boog Powell (BAL)* - .303/.400/.616, 294 AB, 26 HR, 193 wRC+, 4.9 WAR (Injured)
LF Al Smith (CWS)* - .300/.355/.464, 323 AB, 8 HR, 3 SB, 143 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
LF Carl Yastrzemski (BOS) - .282/.377/.466, 309 AB, 12 HR, 1 SB, 149 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
CF Al Kaline (DET) - .295/.376/.478, 224 AB, 8 HR, 5 SB, 155 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
CF Mickey Mantle (NYY)* - .277/.427/.562, 256 AB, 20 HR, 8 SB, 188 wRC+, 4.2 WAR
RF Tony Oliva (MIN)* - .302/.363/.439, 255 AB, 6 HR, 3 SB, 132 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
RF Pete Ward (BAL) - .282/.326/.422, 348 AB, 8 HR, 4 SB, 120 wRC+, 2.8 WAR


The roster for the NL is:

SP Don Drysdale (LAD) - 9-7, 2.15 ERA, 146.1 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 6.1 K/9, 3.4 WAR
SP Sandy Koufax (LAD) - 15-2, 1.39 ERA, 148.2 IP, 0.89 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 5.2 WAR
SP Jim Maloney (CIN)* - 12-3, 2.38 ERA, 143.2 IP, 1.06 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 5.4 WAR
SP Juan Marichal (SF) - 10-5, 2.23 ERA, 145.0 IP, 0.87 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, 3.9 WAR
SP Al McBean (PIT) - 6-4, 1.76 ERA, 117.1 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 2.6 WAR
SP Gaylord Perry (SF) - 11-3, 1.55 ERA, 145.1 IP, 0.91 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 5.5 WAR
SP Ray Sadecki (STL) - 8-8, 2.29 ERA, 137.2 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 4.0 WAR
CL Lindy McDaniel (STL) - 7-4, 3.01 ERA, 68.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 0.9 WAR
CL Stu Miller (SF)* - 2-4, 7 SV, 2.37 ERA, 57.0 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 1.2 WAR
CL Ron Perranoski (LAD) - 2-2, 10 SV, 2.53 ERA, 42.2 IP, 1.27 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, -0.1 WAR
C Smoky Burgess (PIT) - .316/.338/.471, 263 AB, 10 HR, 137 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
C Joe Torre (ML1)* - .288/.369/.432, 264 AB, 8 HR, 1 SB, 140 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
1B Orlando Cepeda (SF)* - .294/.321/.484, 343 AB, 15 HR, 3 SB, 141 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
1B Bill White (STL) - .311/.375/.505, 315 AB, 12 HR, 4 SB, 160 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
2B Joe Morgan (NYM) - .256/.369/.444, 297 AB, 12 HR, 11 SB, 144 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
2B Pete Rose (CIN)* - .345/.412/.509, 336 AB, 6 HR, 17 SB, 169 wRC+, 4.3 WAR
3B Eddie Mathews (ML1) - .263/.358/.450, 289 AB, 12 HR, 2 SB, 142 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
3B Ron Santo (CHC)* - .277/.350/.471, 310 AB, 10 HR, 2 SB, 142 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
SS Leo Cardenas (CIN)* - .278/.314/.370, 324 AB, 2 HR, 1 SB, 103 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
LF Felipe Alou (SF)* - .307/.331/.482, 365 AB, 15 HR, 8 SB, 143 wRC+, 3.9 WAR
LF Willie McCovey (SF) - .317/.407/.631, 306 AB, 25 HR, 5 SB, 203 wRC+, 4.8 WAR
LF Frank Robinson (CIN)* - .354/.444/.606, 302 AB, 15 HR, 10 SB, 203 wRC+, 6.4 WAR
CF Hank Aaron (ML1) - .302/.333/.621, 232 AB, 18 HR, 10 SB, 181 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
CF Dick Allen (PHI)* - .307/.377/.525, 316 AB, 14 HR, 10 SB, 164 wRC+, 5.5 WAR
CF Willie Mays (SF) - .304/.345/.585, 342 AB, 22 HR, 6 SB, 176 wRC+, 4.8 WAR

It’s crazy to see a rookie Joe Morgan here already! He’s truly been the sole bright spot of the season so far and I am ecstatic that we now have a face of the franchise in New York.

The National League beat the American League 5-4 at Candlestick Park. Morgan pinch hit for Pete Rose in the fourth and drove a run with a single.

Next time I will start by doing a retrospective at the halfway point of the season and give some thoughts on the roster. Then we will cover the next two weeks of the season as I really don’t want to cover every game in this meaningless season. I will note any news, injuries or thoughts throughout this time but I want to get through this season and get to this offseason where we can get some more talent!

[JimMorrison]

1963 All-Star Break Thoughts:

Our offense so far has been pretty bad and I did think this lineup could be seen as a more average one in the National League, but I have been delusional here. 7th in runs scored and 8th in OPS, 8th in on base percentage is really not good enough. Our pitching staff has still been the main issue with the roster, but our offense has not done enough to overcome those issues either.

C Hobie Landrith was the starter coming in but lost his job to rookie Jerry Grote pretty quick as he was evidently a much better hitter. Grote’s defense at catcher has also improved massively and I think soon he will be seen as a good defensive catcher relative to the league. For a rookie second round pick, I am pretty ecstatic with a .257 average and an 89 OPS+. There are a ton of catchers in the league who can’t hit that well and are seasoned vets so I have been really impressed with Grote’s development here.

1B Ernie Banks is not the same superstar he was when in his mid 20’s, but he has actually been much better than his post=-deadline stint with us in ‘62. I’d love to see more of a .280 average and 120 OPS+ but he’s not that far off and with a better second half, he could really have a good season for his standards. 1B Gil Hodges has just been a pinch hitter for us and even in that role, he’s been bad. Luckily he’s retiring at the end of the season and it’s been a frustrating two years for him as a Met.

I’ve praised 2B Joe Morgan to the moon so far this season and I really can’t say more on how well he’s played. He truly has the potential to be an all-time great already and I can’t wait to see what more he can do as he gets even better! Other than Banks and Morgan, the infield has been a complete disaster for the ‘63 Mets. SS Elio Chacon was the opening day starter at short but has completely lost his job to Rule 5 pick Orlando McFarlane. McFarlane has been nothing of note but he’s slightly better than a washed Chacon. I look back at his ‘62 season which was nothing impressive and he’s still not even close to THAT player. (.243 AVG, 91 OPS+)

While I knew shortstop was already an issue, I thought 3B Don Zimmer could at least be a serviceable starter at third but he’s been just as bad as Chacon. It’s really hard to have a .541 OPS hitter out there every day, but we really have no other option at third and I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that we need to just ride it out with him.

The outfield has also been very inconsistent as the only good hitter we have right now is LF Frank Thomas. He is going to be my main candidate to move at the deadline as he's on pace to be a 3.5 WAR, 120 OPS+ hitter and I think we will get some great value for that in the open market. It’s funny because I really get frustrated with Chacon and Zimmer but I really don’t think any player has been a bigger disappointment than CF Richie Ashburn. His whole skill set is hitting for average and right now he’s hitting .226 with no power, no extra base hits and pretty bad defense at center. He’ll be retiring at the end of the season but I would like to get a good defense first option at center field at the deadline to replace him, cause wow it’s been bad.

Jesus Alou was a big piece we got at the deadline in ‘62 but he has not hit like scouts thought he would. Our scouts saw him as an insanely good contact hitter, but he just doesn’t do that well, only sporting a .271 average so far. His defense in right field is fine but he needs to hit for contact to be a valuable player and he just hasn’t done that so far. He is only 21 and will need some time, I just hope he can turn it around a bit in the second half. LF Ed Kranepool was a pretty great bench option for us as a rookie but he’s slowed down this season. I want to give him some more at bats because our scouts do think he can play at this level. I think a Frank Thomas trade could really do wonders for him so he can get some much needed time in left field in at-bats that don’t matter for wins and losses.

It’s been a weird start for our rotation here as well. The one starter I thought would be consistent has been one of the worst pitchers on the team. Ray Washbrun was acquired to be a quasi-ace for this Mets squad and while he didn’t have the talent to be a true #1 guy, he looked like a solid option that every team would be happy to have in their rotation. He has really been inconsistent though with his 4.81 ERA in 18 starts. His FIP is at a 3.56 so it does seem he’s been pretty unlucky but I still think there is good reason to be worried about his future here. Al Jackson and WIllie Smith both have been the best arms in our rotation and Don Larsen has been alright as well. None of these guys are going to match up well with the top rotations in the league though and it’s going to be a big undertaking of mine to develop a good staff.

I complained most about our bullpen heading into the year but oddly enough, it may be the best aspect of our team. Starters ERA has been last in the NL, bullpens has been fifth! Clem Labine, Jack Curtis and Ken Mackenzie have all been solid options for us here and third round pick Tom Kelley has been great in limited opportunities for the team.

Baseball is a weird sport, you really cannot predict performance and I am hoping that we can at least be competitive for the rest of the year. If not, I am hoping we can get a top pick and get a player that can immediately contribute like Joe Morgan has this season.

Next, we will cover the next two weeks after the all-star break. We first play the LA Dodgers at home for three games, we then host Houston for three games, then we finish off the homestand against the SF Giants for two games. Finally, we finish the second week in Philly to play four games against the Phillies.