Mike Friere - It's Not How You Start......

….it’s how you finish, right?

This statement can be applied to many different aspects of life, to include the sporting world.   Granted, like most statements of fact, you need a frame of reference or at least a range of what is considered successful with regards to possible outcomes.  Using a foot race as an example, you can start the race too poorly that you are in dead last as the race progresses. However, you can also finish strong but still come in last if your start was so bad that it didn’t matter.  So, the saying does not cover every scenario know to man, but it does have a kernel of truth embedded within those ten words.

Transferring our focus from the general nature of the statement to the Mets (and their Spring Training results), I feel that it applies to the Mets’ 2018 season in multiple ways.

For starters (pun intended), pitchers like Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz and Matt Harvey got off to awful starts this Spring, yet all of them have rebounded quite nicely (in varying degrees) as the make believe schedule draws to a close.  In their collective case, I would rather have them struggle early and finish strong, as opposed to the alternative.  

Or, consider the Mets’ overall Spring Training record which stands at a “not so pretty” 8 wins and 16 losses (along with a few ties).  That, my friends, is not what you would like to see as a fan, especially in Mickey Callaway’s first season at the helm.  Extrapolated across a full season, that record would translate to a 54-108 campaign and the first overall draft pick in 2019.  In other words  “nothing to see here, move along”.

So, what’s the point of this article then?

Looking closer at their Spring record, the Mets recently posted a nine game stretch of 0 wins, 8 losses and 1 tie, which was the main contributor to the aforementioned overall record.  However, over their last five ballgames, the Mets have actually posted 3 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie.  A small sample size to be sure, but that record extrapolated over the course of a full season would result in a much nicer record (~97 wins) and a division title to boot. 

So, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish!

Yes, Spring Training results (good and bad) do not mean that much, because everyone starts the regular season 0-0.  Usually, the goal is for everyone to “get their work in” and to avoid any significant injuries (for the most part).  But, I like the fact that the team is trending in the right direction as the regular season comes into view.  The last thing you want is for the team to stumble into the regular season with the offense “out of sync” and your pitching staff getting shelled on a daily basis. 

Let’s hope the success of the last five ballgames carries over into the rest of the Spring schedule, as well as the regular season slate that will start next Thursday at home against the stinkin’ Cardinals!