Reese Kaplan -- Winning Back New York

Tom Brennan raised an interesting question this week vis a vis how the Mets can win back New York from their crosstown rivals in the Bronx.  After all, the Yankees have been known to spend what it takes to win, when something doesn’t work, they spend again, and they boast a long tradition of winning pennants.  That formula has some merit, but bear in mind the Yankees haven’t appeared in a World Series since 2009.  In a “what have you done for me lately” sense, Mets fans can puff out their 2015 chests with pride. 

That being said (and taken with an entire silo of salt), the fact remains that the Mets have also tried an approach with limited success.  For the past seven years they have embraced a veterans-first, trade-the-prospects, burn-the-bullpen and swing-for-the-fences way of doing things.  When relatively healthy, it worked.  Mostly it didn’t.

Well, there’s a new sheriff in town (actually for both NY teams) and the times they are a-changing.  For the Mets gone are the all-or-nothing sluggers like Lucas Duda, Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce.  The $17.2 million man is now in search of a job and Addison Reed did not find Boston Beans to his liking. 

So, tabula rasa, Mickey Callaway…what will you do differently to try to change the culture, the attitude and the results? 

First and foremost, it would be nice to see the players that produce actually get a chance to play.  How demotivating was it to hear surprise from your manager at your All-Star selection by the rest of the league’s peers, or to be benched after a 6-hit game?  In life, in business and in sports a little stroking goes a long way to keeping employees happy, focused and performing at a high level. 

It has been said that Callaway was brought on board due to his strong ability to communicate and his out-of-the-box thinking.  It remains to be seen both how much of that is allowed to happen and whether the front office squelches innovation.  As Marc Carig pointed out in September, it was not a happy clubhouse and a great many players did not even warrant a hello from Callaway’s predecessor.

The next thing to consider is how they want to score runs.  Without some of the occasionally booming bats in the lineup, might the team have to learn to play small ball, hit and run, stealing bases and doing other things that disrupt the opponent’s equilibrium?  Mets fans can remember how an in-his-prime Mookie Wilson or Jose Reyes would get into pitchers’ heads and thus make him concentrate less on getting out the hitter.  I begrudgingly respected those Whitey Herzog Cardinals teams who could beat you from top to bottom by playing hitting singles and doubles.  Is this direction something the club will embrace or continue to fight?  I’m not sure since they hired on Kevin Long disciple Pat Roessler to shepherd the now power-starved crew. 

The most significant change will play to the strengths of Mickey Callaway and new pitching coach Dave Eiland.  The team was supposed to be built on a foundation of pitching, but injuries, flawed approaches and bullpen mismanagement undermined what could have been a staff for the ages.  Can the two-headed pitching whisperers get into the minds of Rafael Montero, Robert Gsellman and others to make them harness the talent that they’ve shown in tantalizing glimpses?  Can a new approach to conditioning, and a keener eye towards who has it and who does not mean greater success and health for the pitchers?  Again, I don’t know.  I do know that despite the old Tom Glavine “Chicks dig the long ball” tagline, good pitching is like watching a maestro at work. 

The third facet of a winning without slugging is strong defense.  In this case, like bullpens and base running, it’s not been an area in which Alderson has wanted to invest.  Defense makes a pitcher’s life easier, but guys who excel at defense often do not do nearly as well with a bat in their hands.  The question is how to strike a balance between wanting to score runs when you’re at the plate and wanting to prevent runs from scoring when the other team is. 

What that means is a guy like Wilmer Flores who was not blessed with strong defensive skills needs to be put into a position where he can do the least damage with the glove and the arm if it’s determined that his bat warrants him being in the lineup regularly.  That could mean 2^nd base or it could mean a 1^st base platoon (or backup plan) along with Dom Smith.  If not, it means he’s trade bait to an AL club. 

Like many others I hold high hopes with this new beginning.  I want to see people held accountable.  I want good results rewarded and I want someone who doesn’t succeed at least get the opportunity to redeem himself and not be forever thrust into the doghouse alongside Gavin Cecchini.  I want to see veterans sit when they’re not getting it done and I want to see a positivity that’s been missing for a long, long time.  That change in culture can help win back NY, results in the won/lost column are the ultimate barometer.  Good luck, Mr. Callaway.  You’re going to need it…particularly when the payroll sits at 19^th of 30 teams.