Luis Rojas’ first-place Mets one of the big early surprises in baseball

We have arrived at the “circa 2020 COVID-19 60-game” juncture of the season and it has definitely not been without its share of surprising developments.

Like Bob Melvin’s Oakland A’s leading the AL West for most of the season after a 1-7 start and despite having lost their franchise shortstop Marcus Semien and All-Star closer Liam Hendrick to free agency over the winter. Or 76-year-old Tony La Russa’s White Sox holding firm in first place in the AL Central despite being without the services of two of their three best players, Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert. Or Kevin Gausman, a journeyman thrice waived/released right-hander with a 50-66 record prior to this year, leading the Giants to the top of the NL West over the heavily favored Dodgers and Padres with the most dominant start to a season (7-0, 1.27 ERA, 93K in 77.2 IP) this side of … Jacob deGrom.

Which brings us to the phenomenon that is Luis Rojas’ first place Mets. So much of it, of course, is deGrom, who Friday night against the Padres solidified his hold on National League MVP — at least for the 60-game “season”— by hurling six more shutout innings to lower his ERA to 0.56, the lowest in history of any pitcher through 10 starts, and striking out 10, including his top MVP rival Fernando Tatis twice. And with his two-run single, deGrom left the game with more RBI for the season (5) than runs allowed (4).

What is most concerning, however, was that deGrom left the game not because Rojas felt he’d done enough but because of an elbow issue. Even though the Mets initially said there is not concern, deGrom could miss his next start, and in this day and age of injuries in baseball, every outing from here on out, brilliant as they may be, will be tempered by the Mets holding their breath on every pitch.

DeGrom’s historical start notwithstanding, could anyone have predicted the Mets would be in first place after sixty games when (1) they had 13 players on the injured list, including four regulars in Michael Conforto, J.D. Davis, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo; (2) Francisco Lindor and James McCann, their two multi-million dollar marquee acquisitions over the winter, would both be hitting under the Mendoza Line as late as Memorial Day, and (3) they were last in the majors in runs and 28th in homers going into this weekend?

So how has this happened? I suppose it starts with the NL East itself which, instead of living up to the predictions of being the most competitive division in baseball, has greatly underachieved. The Braves suffered three big losses in Travis d’Arnaud, Mike Soroka and Marcell Ozuna (who may never play again after his domestic violence arrest); the Nationals have gotten almost nothing from their Nos. 2-3 starters Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin and Friday night Max Scherzer left the game against the Giants after just 12 pitches with a groin injury; while the Phillies have endured most of the same bullpen and back end of the rotation inefficiency that doomed them last year.

In the meantime, it should not be underestimated the work Sandy Alderson and his new GM Zack Scott did last winter in and around the more splashy McCann signing and Lindor trade. Once those were done, they eschewed going after George Springer and instead concentrated on depth. The low budget signings of Kevin Pillar ($5M), Jonathan Villar ($3.55M) and Taijuan Walker (2 years/$20M) are paying off big time as Walker, finally healthy, has taken up as the solid No. 2 starter behind deGrom, Pillar has provided superior defense in center field and Villar has plugged the hole at third. And most recently, Billy McKinney, obtained in an under-the-radar trade from Milwaukee, had 13 RBI in his first 12 games. All of these bench acquisitions were in lieu of spending another $100 million on Springer. Clearly, Alderson didn’t see center field as a priority and because he resisted the pleas of the fans and media (who always know better how to spend the owner’s money) to sign Springer, he’s left himself about $10 million under the tax threshold for additional help at the trading deadline.

IT’S A MADD, MADD WORLD

Has anyone noticed one of the biggest contributors to the Red Sox turnaround season has been Alex Verdugo, the principal return in the Mookie Betts trade for which they have been continually vilified. Going into the weekend, Verdugo, who has been playing excellent center field, had a .294/.353/.468 slash line with eight homers and 27 RBI. By contrast, Betts has gotten off to a slow start (for him) with the Dodgers (.251/.364/.441, six homers and 22 RBI). So maybe the trade isn’t going to be so bad for the Sox after all. ...

On the subject of trades, the July 31, 2018 colossally lopsided deal between the Pirates and Rays in which Tampa Bay unloaded their former ace Chris Archer in exchange for Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows, who have been two cornerstones of their success these past two years, is about to get even worse for Pittsburgh. Shane Baz, the low level minor league right-handed starter the Pirates added to the deal, is dominating Southern League hitters for the Rays’ Double-A Montgomery Biscuits — 0.73 WHIP, 49 K, just 2 walks and 22 hits in 32.2 IP. Said one National League scouting director: “This kid (Baz) is the best pitcher I’ve seen this year. He is going to be a No. 1 starter for the Rays, no question. They got themselves a real stud, as if that trade wasn’t already the steal of the century.”…

One reason why Met fans should maybe hope Jacob deGrom never pitches a no-hitter: Of the six pitchers who threw no-hitters this year, three of them Corey Kluber (shoulder), John Means (shoulder) and Spencer Turnbull (forearm strain) all went on the injured list. And we should never forget Johan Santana who was never the same after throwing 134 pitches in the Mets’ only no-hitter. …

I need a little help here. The going nowhere Diamondbacks last week fired both of their hitting coaches, Darnell Coles and Eric Hinske. One of the people they replaced them with was Drew Hedman, listed as their “run production coordinator.” What exactly is a run production coordinator?