Mike Freire - Fleeting Thoughts, Volume 4

​​​​​Another Good Morning to you, Mets fans!

We have now reached the fourth installment of my Fleeting Thoughts series and I don't see any reason to put the brakes on at this point (unlike the "out of control vehicle" that is our favorite team who long ago careened off the road and are comfortably ensconced in a ditch somewhere).  I know that it isn't "news" anymore, but can you believe that this team was once 11-1?  I don't think anyone could have predicted that the team would follow up that hot start with a 34-63 record.  Seriously, they have won only 35 percent of their games since then!

That last sentence pretty much sums things up, so let's get on with the rest of this article.

1.  Despite the erratic performance of the team this year, they still have fifty-three games remaining in the regular season.  This is a good news/bad news scenario.  The good news is that management has time to evaluate the players that are still in house, which should allow for off season planning and potential personnel decisions.  The bad news is that the current management has been resistant to giving "the kids" any meaningful playing time and they are also the folks who got us into this mess in the first place.

It does get a bit tiresome, doesn't it?  It makes me a bit jealous of what the Red Sox and Yankees have been able to do, year in and year out. 

2.  What the heck has gotten into Zack Wheeler?   He most certainly earned the labels "injury prone" and "unrealized potential" coming into this season.  OK, so it isn't his fault that the hype surrounding his arrival was unrealistic, nor is it is his fault that he was dealt for Carlos Beltran.  However, he significantly underachieved up until this year and there was talk of non-tendering him at the end of the 2017 season. 

Now?  He is pitching like one of the best players in the National League and he is starting to justify his first round selection by the Giants.  Oh and he has also figured out how to throw more strikes, which in turn lowers his pitch counts and puts fewer runners on base, etc.  The question in my mind is a simple one.

***Do you sell high if you are the Mets and deal Zack for a few prospects?   It isn't like the Mets are going to contend before he is due a large raise, so why not, right?

3.  Speaking of "injury prone" and "unrealized potential", what the heck is wrong with Steven Matz?  I don't think he is on Zack's level talent wise, but he is pretty good in his own right.  When he is healthy and pitching up to his abilities, he is one of the better lefties in the National League and a solid, back end starter for a contender.  But,he simply cannot stay healthy!  With that said, is it time for Matz to make a move to the bullpen?  Think about it for a second.  He would put less stress on his arm across a full season, while being able to really cut things loose during the shorter outings.  You never know until you try, but we could have the next Andrew Miller already on our roster.

4.  The excellent writers on this blog have all been clamoring for Jeff McNeil's promotion for quite some time, so the fact that he finally in New York is long overdue in "our eyes".  What is a bit surprising is how quickly he has adjusted to the big stage.  Yes, he has always hit the ball pretty well throughout his career and he would likely have debuted much sooner if he didn't have a few injuries along the way.  But he is flat out raking so far and he is showing some power which is even better.  It is a bit early for long term declarations, but I think we may have our future Second Baseman in place already.

Now, all we need to do is find a long term Catcher, First Baseman, Third Basemen and........