Craig Mitchell -- An Open letter to Angry Met fans...........

Dear Met fans. While the current vintage of the Mets aren’t world beaters, yet, you can’t say that Sandy

Alderson has sat still. Since opening day the team has been actively tinkering, changing and making roster moves which for the most part have been effective.  No, I’m being serious. The entire bullpen has been reworked and after starting off the campaign mind-numbingly bad, it is now a strength.  Seriously, our bullpen and our pitching depth is so good that we have barely missed Bobby Parnell and Dillon Gee and Matt Harvey.

 Let’s be honest, aside from his latest start, Diasuke Matsuzaka has been awfully good filling in for Gee.  How many of you were expecting Jacob deGrom to be this year’s Matt Harvey/Zach Wheeler? I think

the smart money was on Noah Syndergaard. Actually, Syndergaard may still show up in Queens this summer, but honestly, it’s not a necessity anymore. The staff has excelled and grown without Gee or Harvey for most of the season. I find that tremendously encouraging.

And the bullpen? Jeurys Familia and Josh Edgin have stepped up and are excellent righty/lefty setup men. Jenrry Mejia has not only excelled and flourished as a closer, but he’s thrown in a moon walk or two; Vic Black is making the Marlon Byrd trade look better and better. Matsuzaka and Carlos Torres have grown into the roles of bullpen saviors. Also, who thought Dana Eveland would be so effective? When Gonzalez Germen is your only weak link in the bullpen, you are doing something right.

Here it is June 30^th and I’m still watching Met fans calling for boycotts and saying they've had enough.  Really? How many times have I covered this? The 2014 Mets are NOT the end of the world. Yes, they just dropped 3 of 4 to the Pirates. Yes, they have 6 outfielders and 1 shortstop. But, they are not the worst Met team of all time. They aren't even close.  I understand the frustration with the ongoing saga of the Wilpons money troubles. I understand how fans want to see the Mets spend big money on free agents and pull the trigger on deals in attempts to get the team’s offense better right away.  It’s time for acceptance. Yep, it’s time to accept what is. IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. At least not in that way.

The Mets plan on completing this rebuild a la the Oakland A’s. They are going to do it on a budget.  That means without a payroll near 200 million like the Yankees.  Threaten to boycott all you want. It comes across as a spoiled tantrum. No, it really does. Perhaps we should just sign on and enjoy the ride because frankly, I still think, barring injuries and anything unforeseen, the worst is over.

This year’s big expenditure, Curtis Granderson is proving he’s no Jason Bay.  Granderson has been terrific since May 1^st.  He is giving the Mets exactly what they thought they were getting. The added bonus is he’s a tremendous asset on the bench and in the clubhouse. He’s fun to watch. Yes, he went 0-17 in the Pirate series, but he'll bounce back.

As I have stated over and over. I was firmly and loudly on team Ike.  Watching Lucas Duda the past three weeks has made me question that as well.  Maybe I don’t know everything about baseball. More specifically maybe the Met coaches who worked closely and know Ike Davis and Lucas Duda knew something I didn’t.  Because while Ike Davis is still in neutral and platooning in Pittsburgh,  Duda has shifted gears and is getting better and better.  Duda is on pace to bat   .252 with 25 homers and 80 RBI.  I can safely say that will easily match or better what Kendry Morales, Davis, Josh Satin or many other first basemen will do this year.  The year isn’t over, but there is reason to be very optimistic.

Now that said, I’m still not a fan of Terry Collins.  I still firmly believe he does not utilized talent well. He

lacks faith in young talent (and on a team that is rebuilding that is problematic), and I feel he is very staid as a field tactician. He has improved in his managing of the bullpen of late. But still, I think the Mets would benefit from a manager who has a fire in his belly. A man who can get the most out of his veterans while bringing along the young players at the same time.  It’s embarrassing to see Wilmer Flores bounced up and down from Las Vegas without being given a clear shot to prove what he has to offer. Clearly if the Mets think he can play shortstop at this level he should be given a shot. If they feel he’s not a good fit for this team then their tactics have diminished his trade value tremendously. He has been mismanaged.  The same can be said for Andrew Brown, Matt den Dekker and Chris and Eric Young.

Clearly, Chris Young is not viewed as a cog in the Mets future.  As Sandy Alderson has stated he was a 7.25 million dollar insurance policy on Juan Lagares. He still has value. His series against the A’s proves that. But Chris Young can be utilized most effectively by platooning him.  Eric Young Jr. is an asset with his speed. As a switch hitter, EY is a much better hitter against right handed pitching. CY is much better against lefties.  That dynamic SCREAMS platoon!  Platoon the Young’s in left and let Lagares and Granderson remain mainstays in center and right.  Why this hasn’t happened is beyond me.  If Alderson and Collins are so caught up in numbers, the splits clearly show this would be a great move.  Let’s hope. But if it doesn’t happen, I’m not going to kick my feet and suck my thumb and cry about it.  Terry Collins and Sandy Alderson are getting paid to make those decisions. I may not like all of them, but that’s the way it is. It's their necks on the line. Not mine. 

No, I’m not a lemming. I just look at the Yankees. Their payroll is 203,000,000. Their pitching is bolstered by Masahiro Tanaka and frankly their bullpen is quite good. But as for their position players, for that money they are a compilation of aging free agents on the south side of their careers.  The average age of their top 10 starters is 34.1 years old.  What about next year? Jeter is gone and A-Rod will try to come back. Teixeira will be 35, Beltran 38, Ichiro 41, Brian Roberts 37, Alfonso Soriano 39. The Yankees despite all that money are not going to have a lot to show for it next year.  That’s a no brainer.  The Mets will be in a much better position than their cross town high spending cousins.  The point is, money isn’t not the only answer.

The Mets need to improve at short. If not, then they do have to upgrade elsewhere. Are they really going to trade Daniel Murphy? Yes, they might.  If the Mets can package Murphy for an upgrade at short, or left field they’ll do it. They probably believe Flores can be plugged in at 2^nd and they have Matt Reynolds in AAA who they are grooming for a middle infield position. Hell, EY is a natural second baseman.  We all love Murph’s bat, but he’s a square peg in a round hole at second base. This is as good as he gets. He is tremendously mediocre at second. In a close game my heart is firmly in my mouth when a grounder is hit to him with the game on the line. I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. It's just the way it is. This is his high water mark. That said, I don’t think the Mets are in a rush to move him, but if the right offer comes along, sure, Murph will be dealt.  It kind of reminds me of when the Mets traded Hubie Brooks.  I was quite upset with that deal, until I found out that Gary Carter was the return player.

Bottom line, as a Met fan I get frustrated too. But I also get tired of the same old complaints and threats by fans.  Sure, we’d all like a winner in Flushing.  But it’s not going to happen your way. It’s going to happen the Mets way. While you were in the middle of your tantrum you probably missed that Kevin Plawecki has moved to AAA and homered in his first game.  Good things are happening.  Just dry your eyes and relax. It is, what it is.