Reese Kaplan -- It's More Than Just the Injuries

While many people gnash their teeth about what’s gone wrong as the 3^rd and 4^th wheels came off the Mets’ express train this week, simply blaming injuries is convenient but an incomplete look at the whole picture.  There is plenty of blame to go around, but lack of execution by the players when they are capable of playing is really the crux of the problem. 

Robinson Cano

While some applauded the addition of a professional hitter of Cano’s stature, others wondered about the wisdom of obligating the team to four more years as he will cross the 40-year old threshold while still collecting a rather hefty paycheck.  To be fair to BVW, he got the Mariners to pay down some of his contract and take on the salaries of some unwanted players in Jay Bruce and Anthony Swarzak.  Oh yeah, then there’s a guy named Edwin Diaz came over in that deal, too.  Now the price paid in terms of younger prospects Jared Kelenic and Justin Dunn was a stiff one.  I won’t lose any sleep of Gershon Bautista.  However, the point here is about what Cano has (or more appropriately has not) done since donning a Mets uniform.  It’s ugly.  He is currently on the IL and sports a .241/3/13 line more than 25% of the way through the season.  He’s been worth -0.2 WAR and certainly is not earning his bloated paycheck, yet he’s in the lineup day after day save for the one game benching after two recent loafing incidents. 

Wilson Ramos

Things started off quite well for Ramos who made the signing look like pure genius, but the man with the checkered injury history has managed to stay healthy, but his bat less so.  He did have a two-hit game against the Nationals on Wednesday and when they walked him in deference to his recent hot hitting, that was nice compliment and defied conventional baseball strategy putting the go-ahead run on base.  Carlos Gomez hit a three-run homer to bury the Nationals for that decision, but we’re here to talk about Ramos.  His slash line thus far almost mirrors Cano.  Although he’s driven in quite a few more with a .241/2/24, he’s actually worth less with a -0.3 WAR.  Still, I have more confidence about Ramos being productive than I do Cano.

Brandon Nimmo

Maybe it’s his infectious smile, maybe it’s because he plays hard, but Brandon Nimmo has gotten a pass on his very poor play thus far this year.  His slash line of .200/3/14 has him in the negative WAR column as well.  We’ve seen him play well and we’ve seen him have prolonged slumps, but two months have gone by in the season and he’s not come out of it (before landing on the IL himself). 

Other Assorted Warm Bodies

You can name them in any particular order – Juan Lagares, Keon Broxton (sayonara to Baltimore), Todd Frazier, Tomas Nido, Travis “we hardly knew ye in 2019” d’Arnaud, and way too many pitchers to list…it’s been more than ugly, it’s been fugly. 

Mickey Callaway

Remember the Wizard of Oz?  What was the Scarecrow's theme song?  That's my official nickname now for Mickey Callaway -- Scarecrow!  

Now here’s a guy who has control over something called the lineup…choosing who to play, where to play them and when to play them.  Still he seemingly goes out of his way to minimize the playing time of guys who ARE getting it done like J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith, in order to give maximum opportunity to those players drawing the largest paychecks.  Is the game supposed to be about winning or merely a test of seniority?  I don’t know…if it was up to me I’d put my best team on the field, not the highest-paid one.  His in-game decision making has not improved one iota with Jim Riggleman by his side.  If anything, it's gotten worse.

For example, the Wednesday decision to leave a running-on-empty Robert Gsellman in the game after he let the 1^st run score was dumb.  Then when the tying runs was on 3^rd, the go ahead run on 2^nd and Diaz warm in the pen, leaving him in during that crucial spot with the game on the line was criminal.  After all, hadn’t Scarecrow publicly declared earlier that same week that the reins were off Diaz and 4-out saves were now in the mix?  We all saw what happened and he would be getting crucified in the papers this week had it not been for Carlos Gomez hitting a 3-run homer to regain the lead in the bottom of the 8^th.  How many games have his empty-headed lineup decisions and in-game decisions cost in the win column already?