Casey Wentworth - Structural Flaws

I speak openly and honestly, but sometimes my opinions probably sound too harsh where my team and my heart is concerned. I do realize this. It's just the effing way I am really. I apologize for this immaturity on my part not to be better with diplomacy and such.

Anyway...

Regarding my "structural flaw", let me try to make myself more humanly clear here, if you will.

I did see structural flaws with the player personnel heading into the start of this 2017 NY Mets season. And it bothered me mainly because I love this team and I want to see them win. There were (to me) key inconsistencies that I could not placate in my own mind. Now, let me say too that I have nothing but utmost respect for this NY Mets team ownership. They have clearly done a really good job putting this franchise into shape and I have profound respect for that. And they are really decent people with heart too. I like them.

But to me this was mainly taking the 2016 Mets team and hoping that the reason that it was not a stellar team in 2016 was truly because of injury, mainly to key starting pitchers and then again too their best offensive ones as well. Their assumption here was that if the vast majority of these Met players could stay healthy in 2017, then this could be a really wonderful season for them. Overall, I kind of felt this same way as they did, especially with the starting pitching because there were eight really good and young starting pitchers that the team has. This is hard to argue with, and it should have been enough to get us started winning right away. But this crazy NY Mets injury bug bit quickly again in 2017 and now the team was down their spiritual leader in Bartolo Colon as well.

I really do think that having the number of key players entered into the WBC did not help things along. Look at how many of these players playing WBC have gone down hurt already. Some like Lutz, are just getting back to9 action now. In Lutz's case, we did get to see his potential as a starter in this WBC just played. And I for one was "very impressed" by his performance in it. But injuries do happen, especially when a player is ramped up as in such a WBC or Olympic format. It is merely a human thing we can all understand to some point. So players give it their all, in other words. It's country pride.

Believe it or not here, the 2017 NY Mets quickly found themselves without sufficient starting pitching pretty much from the get-go. Stephen Matz, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, and Matt Harvey were critical to just how good this team could be in 2017. Only now is Stephen getting back. Hopefully, he will not become another Scottie Kazmir, but it remains to be seen and we will have to wait for this answer. I never for one second thought in preseason, that starting pitching would ever be such an issue in 2017, as it has become. I miss Bartolo, but even with him gone, I did not see this because this team had eight decent MLB starters on its roster. I was wrong obviously.  We need nine because of the injury bug. 

But the offense, I did see these glaring deficiencies. In summary here, no definite hitting catcher with power, no true third baseman again with definite power, a questionable center field position with nothing but question marks, unsure whether Lucas Duda could return to his old self with the back, and I wondered which Jay Bruce would show up as well. In summation with their offense, there were simply way too many things involved from a consistency point of view. My rule of them with setting the offense has always been simple, a team should never enter into a new season with more than just two question marks. But here, five was two too many I felt and this is why I was concerned with the setting of this 2017 NY Mets Opening Day starting field.

So what now to do...

This 2017 team has not shown definite resolve here. It struggles game to game, week to week without significant upgrade and this is an issue going forward as well. Yes, once the starting pitching is healed it will make significant difference won and loss. This is obvious to all. However, I do feel that the starting offense desperately needs a few things added into the equation, ASAP. 

This franchise should probably be about 2018 now. I know, I know, I absolutely abhor giving up on a season while in that season. But here, I do not see it as "giving up" but rather improving our offensive chances. Why not really? The issues with our current offense are still too immense (I believe) to overcome them all in just the remaining schedule of 2017. Sure, the Mets could climb itself into who knows maybe second place. But it has demonstrated clearly an inability to compete with even just the NL's best teams on any consistent level. So yes, absolutely lets get started now on the 2018 season and get a head start on it. There is much to be done. This 2017 team needs more consistency, more true .280 BA players, more homerun power, a better understanding and implementation for manufacturing runs and base stealing, hit and run ball... In other words, fundamentals.

From 2016 to now the fundamentals of this team's offense changed, but without notice. It went from hitting the ball out, to needing more basic fundamental understanding to score runs. The problem to me here was bi-fold. Our starting pitching wasn't keeping the offense in the games, and the manager did not really grasp that this change had taken place. He was running the 2017 team the same as he had done in 2016, and to me that was part of all this.

As a target, I love my idea for the 25-man roster...

Namely on offense: 1B Dominic Smith 2B Neil Walker SS Amed Rosario 3B Asdrubal Cabrera, LF Yoenis Cespedes CF Brandon Nimmo RF Michael Conforto (the next Captain) C This is where it could get a bit tricky. Me personally, this team needs a true homerun hitting catcher. None is on this franchise at current. I would use Matt Harvey and one other player to go out and find him. Iloved the Jonathon LuCroy thing we were considering back during the off-season. Someone like him, has to be out there to obtain. Then just see maybe how Nido and even Plawecki come on, as the backup once Rene stops hitting for .300BA. Rene Rivera is a wonderful defensive catcher though. He really is.

Longtime NY Mets fan, in diapers for Choo-Choo, but there never the less. 

Have seen it all and have never one time stopped loving this franchise. My blood runs orange and blue.

You be good Mr. Mack!