Herb
G says that I’m too pessimistic, which is pessimistic in itself.
I
know this is only spring training, but no one has a better knowledge of what
has gone on during every pitch than I do this spring. Evan Terry
Collins couldn’t follow the Florida game while the Las Vegas game
started up.
The
tough part about evaluating what a player does in spring training is that you
have to extract what your legitimate starters are doing against the other team’s
minor league players. On paper, someone could go 3-4, with a double, a home
run, and three runs knocked in, but if all these runs come from an opponent’s
travel team that featured three non-roster rubber arms all trying to make their
40-man.
It
works the same for your pitchers. On the surface, the guys you bring in,
especially during the late innings, you may think your staff is spot on, but
take a look at who they are pitching to. Five guys from A-ball do not create a Cy Young winner.
I’m
relatively comfortable with projecting decent numbers for David Wright and Daniel Murphy.
They’ve always used spring training as a springboard and I’m sure they will
produce in the same levels we have seen so many times before.
I
think a platooned Josh Satin will also produce
quality numbers. He’s a professional bat and maybe, just maybe, he has a
half-life future on this team for years to come.
I
happen to think that the Mets will have a ‘group’ of .230-.250 type hitters… Lucas Duda, Chris Young,
Curtis Granderson, Eric
Young, Juan Lagares… the true test here
will be how much pop is included in what they do well, and how timely it is.
My
bat confidence stops here. Ike Davis, Travis d’Arnaud, and Ruben
Tejada have showed me basically nothing since the beginning of the 2013
season. Yeah, I know Ike finished strong last year, to what, finish with a
.205? That’s like saying someone was a great baby sitter a month after he was a
serial killer.
I
think this team will produce more home runs, runs scored, and runs batted in
than the Marlon Byrd-John
Buck version… I really do… but you can’t win enough games if you have
five key players averaging a .240 batting average and three more hovering
around the Mendoza line.
I’m
truly concerned about the pitching too. Only Zack
Wheeler and Dillon Gee seem to have their
starter mojo together and, of the two relievers that have great results with a
decent amount of innings, only Jeurys Familia (the
other is Miquel Sokolovich) is expects to make
this team.
This
whole Vegas crap really pissed me off. The 2014 Mets are not deep enough to lose
3-4 days of critical lineup building.
We’re
past the mid-month portion of March and it’s time to start seeing the eight
field players that start this game be basically the same lineup that’s going to
take the field on March 31st. Moreover, your starters have to start
turning in a minimum of five innings per stint.
We’re getting close and the
eraser is ready to clean the slate.
But, is the team?
But, is the team?
Ike the serial killer turned baby sitter was actually Ike the season killer turned baby hitter - he killed 2013 with his unbelievably horrific start, costing game after game, followed by his later return where he got on a lot due to walks and very little power - but it was all the undisclosed oblique injury , you see - once the compression socks work, he'll be back on track towards a Hall of Fame career.
ReplyDeleteEveryone assumed Black could close - ignoring his control issues throughout his career - but control is an issue there. If Campbell goes down and hits, and 1B or OF struggles, get him up quick - 2014 should be perform or we make changes time. And treat harvey like a star please - give him leeway - if he messes it up, he messes it up, but do not treat him like a 2 year old. He'll want to leave - and the rest of baseball will say, there goes those Mets again.
Somebody needs to tell Duda, if he plays tomorrow, that running hard only counts come March 31...NO reinjuries allowed on that hammy. If he is careful he should be ready...miss any time with relapses, just exile him to Siberia and put Campbell in there.
2010... 2011... 2012... 2014... and now, 2014...
ReplyDeleteI've been writing the same thing every year...
A season of "ifs"...
Mack,
ReplyDeleteIt is a Wilpon-created pity that all the waiting for 2014 has essentially produced another 2011-2013. In no way, shape, or form has 2014 been killed by Harvey's injury, and there are many "competitive" teams today that are "all in" on 2014 given the loss of front in pitchers in their rotations.
Let's suppose the Met management/ownership wasn't essentially liars, and were actually interested in truly competing in 2014. There is still time to do this. There are upgrades at 1B and SS available for a 3rd and or 4th round pick plus the salary. There is an abundance of pitching talent in the system that other teams are interested in. There are players available to fill needs at 1B, SS, and 8th inning set-up. The only roadblock here is money. A kindergartener can figure that out. Forget the 90 win doublespeak. Go get a big league caliber SS, a 1B that can hit 5th, and a legit 8th inning guy, without dealing Syndergaard, Wheeler, or Montero. And, make sure the SS and 1B that are acquired will be under control beyond 2014. The 8th inning guy can be a one year deal. There are 11 days left to do this, and it is very rare that a team can fill these three holes this late in ST. What more do they want to wait for? The time is now for a little aggression, not emptying the sysem, but a little aggression. The Braves are vulnerable, the Phillies have discontent, and the Nats look real good but they looked real good last year and fell short.
But TP... nothing gets done...
ReplyDeleteand I have no idea why... if it's Sandy, other teams that want nothing to do with the Mets, or a combo of both...
the 2014 mets are going nowhere... I've cover them... I'll write about them... and I'll do justice to the kids... but the parent team choices not to compete with the rest of the league