d'Whit - Built For The Future-The Kids Are Alright Pt. 2

It’s an exciting time to be a Mets fan. Don’t get consumed in the doom and gloom embraced by so many. The team is playing about to the level of their talent, maybe slightly above it actually. Now this mediocre group is being infused by the first wave of prospect talent heading to Citi Field this season. The changing of the guard is entering its next phase. The arrival of Matt Harvey in 2011 arguably was the beginning of the team’s move into the future. Last season the debuts of Wheeler, d’Arnaud, Lagares, and Flores added momentum to the youth movement. Last week Rafael Montero acquiesced himself well in his MLB debut and Jake deGrom dominated his first time atop the Citi Field in his MLB debut. This is what Met fans have been waiting for, the chance to get a glimpse of what is hoped to be a return to prominence for the squad in Flushing. 

Later this summer Noah Syndegaard is expected to join the party sometime after his super 2 date. By then both Montero and deGrom will have a month or more of MLB experience. It’s also possible that Jenrry Meijia will be successfully closing out ballgames for the Mets as well. Fans can whine and moan about the owners, the GM, as well as the manager and his peculiar in-game moves-all easy and well-deserved targets- but the focus must switch to tomorrow now-the past is gone and the 2014 Mets are who they are. But these new faces arriving and their performances in 2014 should begin to shed some light on where the Metropolitans will be in 2015 and beyond. 

Getting back to the present for minute though-I’m curious to see what the Mets do at the trading deadline. Will they move Colon, Young, and possibly Murphy or Gee? If so, what prospects will they add down on the farm. Also, just who will be the mystery man acquired from the Pirates 2013 draft class? 2014 is a season of transition. We’re seeing that now with the debuts of Montero and deGrom, and it’s obvious that’s just the beginning. I seriously doubt Valverde, Dice K or Abreu will be around much longer. Vic Black, Jeff Walters, and Cory Mazzoni-once he’s  healthy and pitched a few games in Vegas-are other arms to look for and in the field-although the 51’s squad consists of too much AAAA-type players-Cesar Puello should debut later season, possibly joined by Cory Vaughn and Dustin Lawley. Though the latter two are off to slow starts and really need to step it up in Binghamton. 

The Alderson era began by focusing on building up a supply of arms at the expense of building a solid foundation of position prospects. This is really apparent at AAA, and to degree at AA but the fields of St. Lucie and Savannah are filled with potential hitting talent for future Met teams. In addition to Brandon Nimmo there’s Dilson Herrera, T.J. Rivera, even Phillip Evans has found his stroke at the plate this season for St. Lucie, while the Sand Gnats feature last year’s #1 pick Dominic Smith, Jeff McNeil, Gavin Cecchini, and the recently activated Champ Stuart (probably the fastest player in the Mets organization-a future Billy Hamilton). 

The struggles and frustrations of 2014 are part of the growing pains of a team finally beginning to leave behind nearly a half-decade of mediocrity and disappointment. The organization has made more than its share of mistakes this decade but slowly the winds of change are making their way into Flushing. Hopefully that change will include new owners too. Though that is a discussion for another time.