The Show
Morning Dose: Monday, March 16
☀️ Good Morning:
Sunday night brought us The Show away from The Show.
From the bracketing of March Madness to the red carpet of the Oscars to an instant classic in Miami, where Team USA leaned on a fading judgment call to steal a 2–1 victory over the Dominican Republic.
For the Mets, whether the World Baseball Classic has captivated your attention or not, the tournament has turned into an important milestone in preparation for the new season.
We know star players like Juan Soto can perform under the bright lights.
But what about his supporting cast?
What about the up-and-coming actors ready to take a leading role?
Watching Huascar Brazobán retire hitter after hitter under the highest of stakes for his home country should be making Carlos Mendoza feel a lot better about the depth of his bullpen.
The right-hander struck out seven batters, including all three he faced in the sixth inning on Sunday, over his three appearances (four innings) for the D.R. His changeup was filthy and his sinker stole him strikes by darting into the zone.
It can take weeks for a manager to learn what he has in a given season with an arm like Brazobán. The Mets should have a very early idea now.
🇺🇸 Team USA’s win advances them to the championship against the winner of Monday’s Italy x Venezuela showdown.
Nolan McLean will be on the bump.
A chance for the young phenom to make his mark on the international stage. Tell me a big-time performance won’t stick with him throughout his young career. This experience will only help him when he’s inevitably asked to take the ball in a must-win game for the Mets, perhaps later this summer.
❶ Francisco Lindor returns.
❷ Mark Vientos flails.
❸ Kodai Senga dominates.
And stay for the final outs for some interesting notes!
📰 ABOVE THE FOLD
❶ LINDOR RETURNS
Remember when the training staff used to get booed at Citi Field?
There was a time when a player would get injured, the team would downplay the seriousness and list them as “day-to-day,” and three months later they would still be nowhere close to returning to the lineup.
The Mets aren’t immune to such things these days, but it feels like we have at least found a better place.
Francisco Lindor had two surgeries this offseason: one, on his right elbow; the other, to repair a stress fracture in his left hamate bone. Neither of those things sound like short-term recoveries. Both technically require months of repair.
So when the Mets kept saying they were “optimistic” he would be ready for Opening Day, I don’t blame fans for not believing them.
