After the Mets 4-2 loss to the Phillies on Sunday, there was a lot of managerial decisions to dissect for Mickey Callaway.
The spotlight came on Mickey Callaway as a manager after the Mets batted out-of-order against the Cincinnati Reds. It is inexcusable as a manager at highest level of baseball to allow the wrong player to bat, the Mets being the first team to do so since 2016.
Yesterday Callaway made more questionable decisions. Pulling Jacob DeGrom after one inning, leaving Paul Sewald in to face Nick Williams, letting Yoenis Cespedes continue to play, and letting Jeurys Familia pitch the 8th. Yet, all of them had reasonable logic.
The whole Jacob DeGrom decision is the easiest to understand. He skipped his last start and was just coming off of the disabled list. He probably came into the game with a pitch limit of 80-90. So, after a 45-pitch first inning where he dealt with 20 foul balls and walked the first three batters, he was on thin ice. 45 pitches in an inning stresses any pitcher’s arm, especially one coming off of the disabled list. So, when his spot in the order came up the next inning, Callaway found it a good time to pinch hit and replace him.
Sewald is slightly more confusing. The right-hander was supposed to try to get in a 1 inning outing on Sunday. After DeGrom only went one inning, everything was thrown into question. So, Sewald was sent out for a second inning of work, and immediately gave up a booming double to Carlos Santana. Eventually, with 2 outs and 2 on, Nick Williams came to bat. The talented lefty presented Mickey Callaway with a decision. Bring in the warmed up Jerry Blevins, the Mets only bullpen lefty, now or save him for the red-hot Odubel Herrera. Callaway opted for the latter, and a 3-run homer from Williams was the fatal blow in the game. With Herrera’s .992 OPS this year, it is understandable.
The Cespedes and Familia decisions go hand in hand. Cespedes, the Mets best hitter, showed clear signs of discomfort in his quad after having to beat out an infield single and sprint for a shoestring catch. After quad and hamstring issues kept him out for half of last year, it was odd to leave him in. The Mets lineup doesn’t look very dangerous without him. In terms of Familia, he was oddly sent out to pitch the eighth inning. First, it is odd to have your closer pitch in a game that you are losing in. Then, to ask him to pitch the eighth is more confusing. Lastly, don’t do it when he is battling an ankle injury. While it is understandable to need Cespedes in the lineup, Familia’s use was unnecessary.
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So, despite these questionable decisions, there is logic seen in Callaway’s decision. Everything he did had a reason. So, just because the decision he made these times didn’t work out, doesn’t mean that will happen every time. The moment a manager starts questioning his own intuition is the moment he loses everything. So, stick with the manager who engineered the Mets hot start even if he’s having a down stretch now. Managers have slumps too.