Joey Meneses 2023 - Is he for real?

[imref]

Appears to be for real. .362 in his last 13.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/cc0eaaff-1249-44fb-be4b-ede196561a36

Scotty, we need power.

[Slateman]

BOMB

[imref]

Real. Most definitely real. Just needs the HRs to come around.

Last 15: .365 / .385/ .476

[Natsinpwc]

Real. Most definitely real. Just needs the HRs to come around.

Last 15: .365 / .385/ .476

So is there a reason to expect going forward he will hit like the last 15 games versus the first 25? Does not always work like that.  Not sure what the numbers say but his BABIP luck seems to have turned. Might as well give him the whole season.

[Slateman]

So is there a reason to expect going forward he will hit like the last 15 games versus the first 25? Does not always work like that.  Not sure what the numbers say but his BABIP luck seems to have turned. Might as well give him the whole season.

So his statcast data is indicating that his hitting is sustainable, albeit, not at that rate. But the data indicates that a ~.820 OPS is sustainable.

[nobleisthyname]

Where's the power? Is he getting "unlucky" and smoking singles everywhere? Even during this hot streak he's on his ISO is very low.

[Slateman]

Where's the power? Is he getting "unlucky" and smoking singles everywhere? Even during this hot streak he's on his ISO is very low.

Power is not there. EV is there. He's hitting the ball just as hard as last year, but his launch angle is less than what it was. Still, he's showing some correction and improvement.

We have 400 PAs of data which indicates he hits it hard.

[nobleisthyname]

Power is not there. EV is there. He's hitting the ball just as hard as last year, but his launch angle is less than what it was. Still, he's showing some correction and improvement.

We have 400 PAs of data which indicates he hits it hard.

Yeah I put unlucky in scare quotes because it's hard to call a guy batting .300 unlucky and his high BABIP suggests he's still smoking the ball, but his barrel rate is about half what it was last year.

If he can start elevating it again then that would be massive for the offense.

[nobleisthyname]

So looking at Meneses' Savant page, I noticed he is 87th percentile in hard hit rate (defined as balls hit at 95 mph exit velocity or greater), but only 53rd percentile in average exit velocity. How does that work exactly? Does that mean whenever he doesn't hit the ball hard he must be barely making contact at all to bring the average exit velocity down?

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/joey-meneses-608841?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb

[Natsinpwc]

So his statcast data is indicating that his hitting is sustainable, albeit, not at that rate. But the data indicates that a ~.820 OPS is sustainable.

That’s great if he can achieve that.  Especially for the Nats.

[Natsinpwc]

I would assume there are some adjustments going on. Probably hot more fastballs when he came up last year and now teams are aware.  And now maybe he is making some of those adjustments. Does not seem he is striking out at a higher rate which is good.

[Slateman]

That’s great if he can achieve that.  Especially for the Nats.

Thats a valuable deadline bat. Thats essentially Josh Bell last year, but under TC at the MLB minimum through next season.

[Slateman]

I would assume there are some adjustments going on. Probably hot more fastballs when he came up last year and now teams are aware.  And now maybe he is making some of those adjustments. Does not seem he is striking out at a higher rate which is good.

Yep. Especially with the pitch clock. He mashed in the WBC so now he's adjusting to MLB pitchin.

[imref]

I usually wouldn't say this, but just keep him. It's not like there is another guy in the system right now breaking down the door. He has value, but given his age and only becoming a rookie last year, there will be skeptics in every other FO. This one might actually be more worth it to hang onto then say, Yadi Hernandez was (even though they kept him anyway). Eventually a youngster will likely kick him out of a spot, but even if he continues to hit, there is some value to be dealt at any point in the next few years.

if we could get something of value for him i'd move him. He's going to be 31 next year, and assuming our window opens up again in 2025, he's well on the wrong side of 30. If you can get something of value for him that can help you in 2025, you trade him. Move Adams or Garrett to DH.

[Smithian]

If the Nats are still on a ~70 win pace at deadline, I don't want to move Meneses. I want a watchable team. Unless he starts putting some baseballs over the wall, the return won't be high and we already have enough low minor flyers.

[welch]

He's a keeper, at least until the off-season. Then, maybe he is Michael Morse of 2023.

[Mattionals]

He's a keeper, at least until the off-season. Then, maybe he is Michael Morse of 2023.

Or longer if no one boots him off 1B. If the OF prospects pan out, you've gotta stash one at 1B. Oh yea, and you could sign Soto and put him there too.

[Senatorswin]

I don't know how to find what it is now but over the weekend I was watching the Mets broadcast and they said Joey's average with men in scoring position was .512.

[imref]

Joey is going to be a daddy!

[blue911]

I don't know how to find what it is now but over the weekend I was watching the Mets broadcast and they said Joey's average with men in scoring position was .512.

.452

[Senatorswin]

.452

That's pretty awesome. Thanks for the info.

[imref]

All-star?

[welch]

I don't know how to find what it is now but over the weekend I was watching the Mets broadcast and they said Joey's average with men in scoring position was .512.

Mets announcers called him "Joey Menesses, the Mets' nemesis".

[nobleisthyname]

Mets announcers called him "Joey Menesses, the Mets' nemesis".

That's fantastic.

Throw an "is" in there for even more fun.