Mike Freire - Fleeting Thoughts

Good morning once again, Mets fans!

Now that the holiday break is over, it is time to get serious about the upcoming pennant races and of course, October baseball!  

Wait, what?  The Mets are not in contention and they will not be taking part in "meaningful games" as the leaves change and fall sets in? 

Of course not, after the deluge of injuries and crappy luck that sabotaged their chances before we even got to the All Star Break.  Sarcasm aside, I only mention that negative turn of events since it is still hard to believe how quickly things went off the rails after the "hot start".  It also highlights how far this club needs to go to return to "playoff baseball".

Or does it?

Let's get on with the rest of this article, which will be current through Labor Day's slate of games.

1. The Mets' record stands at an uninspiring 62-75, which is fourteen games off the pace being set by the division leading Braves and thirteen and a half games behind the second Wild Card team (Cardinals).

That is a fact and despite the myriad of reasons for the lack of success, "it is what it is".  While everyone is familiar with the 11-1 start to the year, the horrendous month of June (5-21) is what really torpedoed the Mets' season.  If the team simply played .500 baseball during that month, their record would be 70-67 at this point in the year (granted, not playoff worthy but over .500 and much closer to relevance).

Furthermore, the Mets have a record of 23-20 since the All Star Break which is a winning percentage of .535, or a pace that would result in a final record of 87-75.  Again, nothing spectacular, but that record would be firmly in the playoff picture in the National League.

So which version of this "Jekyl and Hyde" team is legitimate?  Are injuries to blame and will this sort itself out for next year with minimal changes to the roster, or is a complete overhaul needed?

2.  As a side note to the second half improvement, our starting pitching staff has started to hit their proverbial groove of late!  Yes, Jake has been a beast all year and should win the Cy Young award.  But, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz and Jason Vargas (yes, even him) are all pitching really well, which begs a simple question.  Is it real or is it Memorex?

How does the recent level of success affect off season planning and potential personnel moves? 

Is this "fool's gold" that will tarnish once next season is underway or can management focus on other facets of the 2019 team, knowing our starting pitching staff is in good shape?

3.  As a fan, you have to be encouraged by Peter Alonso's development in AA and AAA this year.  Not only is he showing immense power potential, but his defense has really taken a step forward.  OK, so going from abysmal to average is considered a step forward, but the guy recently won "defensive player of the month" recognition, so perhaps he is a notch better then average now?  With his power potential, he doesn't need to be the next Keith Hernandez, right?

I also think it is a wonderful idea to let him play in the Arizona Fall League, where he can continue to work on his game in time for the 2019 season.  The only fly in the ointment is the recent "dust up" with the media over his desire to get promoted to the parent club for the last month of the year.  He could have handled the situation better, but you also have to remember that he is still a young player and we all likely said some things in our twenties that we wish we could take back.  I HOPE that this does not inhibit his long term future with the Mets (fingers crossed here).

4.  I have been accused of having some radical ideas, but when it comes to young players in the minor leagues, I think that an organization should challenge their prospects whenever possible.  I believe the term "iron sharpens iron" is appropriate for this scenario.  If you subject a player to adversity, they will either learn to adapt and overcome OR they will fall by the wayside.  I WANT my team to be full of players that will thrive under the pressure of playing baseball in New York, as well as playing in meaningful games late in the season.  I don't want someone who will fold like a circus tent once things get a little stressful.

In the past, it seemed like the Mets organization moved players along a bit too conservatively.  Other organizations, like the Nats and Braves for example, are much more aggressive with player promotions, etc.  Recently, that seems to have changed when you look at prospects like Andres Gimenez and Jared Kelenic who are playing in leagues that feature players who are quite a bit older then they are.  I don't buy the hogwash that you can "ruin" a player by promoting them too soon.  Yes, they may struggle a bit at first, but you want to see if they are a "fighter" and if they can figure things out in a tough environment.

The Mets deserve a good deal of the negative press they get, but this recent shift in philosophy is a positive development and they deserve kudos for the same.  Perhaps our old friend Omar Minaya deserves some credit here?

Well, that's it until next time. 

I hope that the relatively strong finish is indicative of what is to come and that it does not deter management (whoever that will be) from making the necessary personnel decisions for 2019 and beyond.

Oh and one quick note for the new General Manager.....sign Jake to an extension while we can still afford to do so!