Mets Fans Are BUZZING Over This...

Mets fans are buzzing over this. The Subway Series Part 2 takes place this weekend and the Mets will go up against a healthy Aaron Judge in what should be a playoff atmosphere in a test that Andy Green has assigned to the Mets' young trio of starting pitchers in what should be an amazing learning experience and growth opportunity for both them and the team. What's going on guys? I'm Josh Byrne. You're tuned into Mets Digest. Guys, thanks again for all the support. Please do consider subscribing if you're not already and of course you can get the show wherever you download your podcasts. Andy Green did not mince words about this situation and the situation is that the Mets are going into a series this weekend that is going to be played in front of a packed house at Yankee Stadium. 50,000 plus people will be there. The fans will be crazy. It's going to be a raucous environment and that's not necessarily something that a team where the Mets are in the standings would be accustomed to seeing at this point of time in the year. Despite the Mets' recent super hot stretch of play, there's still 10 games below 500 and it would take an absolute miracle for them to make the playoffs. Essentially, they would need to win all 16 remaining games and then hope they can get some help. As for the Yankees, it's just a matter of who they will be facing in the playoffs rather than if they will make the playoffs. They are already 10 and a half ahead of the last wild card in a very mediocre American league. To me, I believe the Yankees are the most talented team in the American league and it would be a failure if they don't make the series, but that's their problem. This is a Mets podcast and looking at where the Mets are again, playoffs not really in the picture, but a lot of development opportunities are and Andy Green had to say this after he announced that McLean, Thornton, and Scott are going this weekend. He said, quote, where we are in the standings, that's as hostile of an environment we can find and as playoff atmosphere like as we're going to find. And he's absolutely right about that. I mean, you look at a guy like Nolan McLean and I understand last year when he came over in 2025 from AAA, he was thrust right into the heartbeat of an intense playoff race and he did the best he could. He was the best pitcher down the stretch of 2025 for the New York Mets when they seemingly couldn't find any answers in their pitching staff and he really stepped up. And when you look at what he's done this year, he's followed up his rookie season or at least his first few starts because technically he is still a rookie even this year and he's done a very, very nice job, firmly cementing him in the top five amongst the rookies in the national league. Do I think he's going to win rookie of the year? Probably not, but he has a chance to do so, especially if he finishes off strong. He's got a legitimate case to win 13 or 14 games and eclipse 200 strikeouts and also a chance to finish with an ERA below three. That would be an extremely impressive season. You'd be talking about him potentially getting in the top 10 in Cy Young votes and cementing himself as one of the better pitchers in the national league. But unfortunately, despite the relatively impressive crowds at Citi Field this year, which I think you have to give Mets fans credit for because the Mets are out of the playoff race now. They have been essentially all year going back to the 12 game losing streak in April, but the stadium has still had respectable attendance. That being said, again, there hasn't been this kind of pressure in terms of a standings component for these pitchers, including McLean and also the elephant in the room, and that's Aaron Judge. Aaron Judge, in my view, when he is on the field, when he is healthy, he is the best player in baseball. There's obviously a argument for Pete Crow Armstrong at this point, which also hurts to say because the Mets drafted him in 2020 and traded him away for Javi Baez in 21, but that's a story for another day. But when Aaron Judge is on the field, he is the best right-handed hitter I've ever seen, and this year has been a down season for him, mostly because of injuries. He's also producing a little less than what we're normally accustomed to seeing, but when you look under the hood, he's still one of the best hitters in the game, and he's going to look to acclimate himself more so off the injured list this weekend as the Yankees try to win the division, which may be hard to do with the Rays playing the way that they are. What I'm really focused on, though, is how the Mets pitchers go after them. We focused on Nolan McLean, and I believe that Nolan McLean has the type of build where he is made for these kinds of situations. I believe he is going to go out there, and I think he's going to have a very successful start. What I am more interested in seeing is how a guy like Christian Scott reacts. Remember, Christian Scott didn't pitch at all last year. The guy has less than a full season of Major League experience under his belt, and while he came off of the injured list this season and made a really high quality return, things have been a little more shaky for Scott in recent starts. We also know that he is under a semi-strict innings limit at this point, so it's going to be interesting to see how Andy Graham manages that in a situation where the Mets are facing one of the better lineups in all of baseball. And finally, Zach Thornton is also going this weekend, and Zach Thornton is a guy who, like Christian Scott, came up, had a ton of success, and lately it's been a little rockier. But one thing that I've said and I really respect about Zach Thornton is that even when he's getting hit hard, even when he's giving up runs, he's still going out there and delivering five to six innings for the team. So at the very least, even if he goes out and he gives up a few home runs, or a few runs in general, hopefully not a few home runs, he's able to sustain this trend where he's able to give the Mets length. We haven't seen any of the two to three innings starts where he's getting lit up. We've seen the starts where he's giving up runs, but he still gives up five or six innings. And when you look at a guy like Zach Thornton, a guy who I project as being in the Mets rotation next year, as sort of a back of the end rotation guy, maybe a four or five starter, then what you want to see, most importantly, is for him to eat innings. That's what I think he can do. 66 and a third innings pitched in 12 games started. Not bad for this day and age, really not. And especially for a young pitcher like him. So that's going to be the biggest key to watch is how these Mets pitchers are able to fare in that environment. And also in a band box of a stadium in Yankee Stadium. But of course, another reason to watch and another thing to keep a close eye on is, of course, Juan Soto. Juan Soto is always treated very friendly and very warmly in the Bronx, right? Yeah, not really. Soto is back. He's healthy. He's going to be DH-ing probably in all three games this series. Again, I don't really think he's going to play much of the field at all, if at all, the rest of the season. But if you don't watch any other at-bat of this weekend series versus the Yankees, at least turn it on for Juan Soto and see how he reacts. And I think he will react positively because that's the kind of player he is and that's the kind of player that Noel McLean is. But for a team in the Mets that is looking to contend next year, you want to acclimate yourself to these kinds of situations where you're playing on the bright lights, the biggest stage. And unfortunately, the Mets are in a situation where they won't be doing so in October. But this gives them, as Andy Green said, an opportunity to play on the most playoff-esque stage that they can right now. And frankly, I'm excited to see how the Mets young players, and not just the pitchers, but also Carson Benj and A.J. Ewing, who are true rookies, perform in an environment like this. But let me know what you guys expect to see, what your expectations are for the subway series this weekend, how you think the Mets young pitchers will fare, and anything else on your mind. As always, guys, let's go Mets.