Reese Kaplan - Stop the Madness!

For the fourth year in a row a Terry Collins-led team is crashing and burning post All-Star break.  In a business setting after two years of this same result there would be the demand for new management, a leader who could motivate his employees to stay focused regardless of the talent level they exhibit.  If it was a stage play, there would be calls for the understudies taking over for the cast whose performances were ruining the overall effort.  Yet here we have the Mets, rewarding the underperformers with playing time, big money and/or contract extensions. 

After being manhandled by a real team in Washington, the Mets slink into Philadephia, tail between their legs, possibly exiting the City of Brotherly love looking up at the rest of the division.  Now the Phillies are not exactly the poster children for baseball success either these days.  They have several players whose best days are behind them owed huge sums of money.  Consequently, if I had to bet on which of these teams was better positioned for the future, then my simoleons are on the Mets.  Good pitching (as the Giants have demonstrated) can often overcome a tepid offense.  With depth in both pitching and middle infielders, however, it’s possible for the Mets to address that latter without fundamentally harming the former. 

Unfortunately, as this season rapidly devolves into yet another patented Collins Catastrophe, it’s well beyond time to see what the others in the organization can do since it’s clear that some on the current roster are absolutely not getting it done.  Or to put it another way, Terry, now’s the time to develop players and not worry about winning ballgames.

Towards that end, let’s see what Eric Campbell can do.  You have a player who’s only gotten better each year since joining the organization and heretofore you’ve left him to rot on the bench with everyone else under 30.  He’s a career .284 hitter in the minors who, despite Terry Collins’ best effort to minimize his effectiveness, is actually doing better – .309 – in the majors.  Whether it’s part of a platoon that Collins loves so much or as a daily regular, make room for him in the lineup.

Matt den Dekker is one of those players whose tools look impressive, but he’s always taken awhile to adjust to the next level as his career progressed.  He’s already 27 years old, having missed his opportunity during the “What outfield?” era of the Alderson regime due to injury, but true to form he’s crushing AAA pitching to the tune of a current .331 with 8 HRs, 46 RBIs and 9 SBs in just over a half season’s worth of ABs.  It’s not an isolated example.  His career best came in 2012 when he posted 17 HRs, 76 RBIs and 21 SBs.  His fielding is pretty much on par with Juan Lagares.  The Achilles heel of his game has always been strikeouts, including 154 in that solid 2012 season.  This year, however, he’s cut down considerably, fanning just 64 times thus far.  Compared to the Youngs, Curtis Granderson and David Wright, he’s downright selective.  He’s even performing better in that regard than an anemic singles hitter like Ruben Tejada.

Speaking of the man who inexplicably keeps coming back to the lineup like Jason or Freddie Krueger, Ruben Tejada has averaged .216 over his 2013/2014 seasons, totaling 501 ABs.  To accompany this paltry output he’s provided 2 HRs, 33 RBIs and 3 SBs.  Do you want to know how bad that is?  The man after whom fans dubbed the .200 average the “Mendoza Line” – Mario Mendoza – is a career .215 hitter who would provide 1 HR, 24 RBIs and 3 SBs over a 162 game period.  Tejada is only marginally better than Mario Freakin’ Mendoza!

Now on the same roster you have a guy who for the last 162 game period posted Miguel Cabrera type numbers while in AAA – .323/28/143.  Also like Cabrera, he’s not known for his glove and is probably born to be a DH, but for a franchise that routinely struggles to score 4 runs in a game, it seems foolhardy to keep Wilmer Flores buried on the bench.  Lest you think I’m alone in this observation, he’s spawned his own hashtag among Mets fans – #FreeWilmer.  Right now the Mets have mismanaged his value to that of belly button lint (which is quite the accomplishment given his gaudy minor league stats), yet by playing the man you have the potential to turn him into a valuable commodity.  If he hits, he either becomes a part of the middle infield mix for 2015 and beyond, or you show the rest of the baseball world that his lofty output was not merely the Pacific Coast League effect.  If he doesn’t, then you move on.  If you’re at best fighting to stay out of the cellar, what is the point of keeping him on the bench?

Another warm body from whom we’ve seen quite enough is Anthony Recker.  Buh-bye!  It’s been nice knowing you, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.  In the minors you have three alternatives – Kevin Plawecki, Recker’s clone (Taylor Teagarden) and Juan Centeno.  Recker is a below-Mendoza line hitter who strikes out in 34% of his ABs.  Granted, Travis d’Arnaud is going to get the vast majority of the playing time, but at age 31 later this month it’s highly unlikely Recker is going to improve.  It’s time to see if you’re not just conceding the outs on the days when d’Arnaud is getting a break. 

Then there are the Young “brothers”-in-ineptitude, Chris and Eric.  About the former, there’s nothing to say but he’s a sunk cost.  Move on.  About the latter, while it’s an overdue development that Terry Collins finally has realized he brings speed and nothing else to the table, his recent misplay against the Nationals has proven he’s every bit as damaging with a glove on his hand as he has been with a bat.  There’s a reason he was DFA’d by the Rockies.    Before his salary doubles that of his bumbling manager, show the world you’re at least as savvy as the people enjoying a Rocky Mountain high and follow suit. 

Now what’s the down side of trying something different?  Will you finish in 5^th place instead of 4^th?  Hey, as I wrote last time, at least that result will provide you with the best draft choice.  People seldom remember who finishes second, to say nothing of third.  If your only ambition is fourth then may you need to reconsider your priorities.  Right now the team is on a pace to win 76 games which, sadly, would represent the second best year ever under Commodore Collins.  If injecting some new blood into the lineup resulted in them finishing with 71 wins or 81 wins, the fact remains they are not going to the post-season and it’s time to see how they can get there next year.  Please stop the madness!