Reese Kaplan -- 2019 Mets are Better Than 1973 Club

For the “You Gotta Believe” crowd, a look back at the 1973 New York Mets might prove inspirational as they sat in dead last on August 30^th.  When the month ended the next day, they were 9 games under .500 and things indeed looked bleak.  The big difference between then and now is there was still only a 6.5 game deficit to make up to win the pennant, unlike today when the uphill battle is twice as steep.

That club was somewhat similar to this one in that they had a mix of young talents in the form of Jon Matlack, Felix Millan, John Milner and Rusty Staub, as well as a collection of players who were there for the 1969 World Championship team, including Wayne Garrett, Jerry Grote, Bud Harrelson, Cleon Jones, Jerry Koosman and, of course, Tom Seaver.  Often forgotten in that mix was starter George Stone who had his career year while playing for the Mets after arriving with Millan as part of the deal that sent Danny Frisella and Gary Gentry to Atlanta.

This year’s Mets club has young talent like Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, JD Davis, Seth Lugo, Jeff McNeil and Amed Rosario, as well as 2017 World Series veterans like Jacob deGrom, Jeurys Familia, Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard.  Veteran additions like Wilson Ramos and Justin Wilson have had a positive impact as well.  Unfortunately some of the other players like Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, Jed Lowrie, Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith have not contributed as expected, while others have chosen 2019 to forget how to play at this level. 

Another big difference was that closer Tug McGraw essentially put the club on his back during that September pennant drive.  He delivered a 0.88 ERA, 12 saves and 5 wins over his last 19 appearances of the regular season.  If the Mets today could get that type of performance out of Edwin Diaz then a similar surge is possible, though it would likely be towards a wildcard berth and not the eastern division flag. 

Of course, it also helped having Tom Seaver deliver his second Cy Young Award-winning season with a 19-10 record, a 2.08 ERA and (believe it or not) 18 complete games!  When was the last time you saw a pitcher deliver ONE?

The 2019 NY Mets offense is head and shoulders better than what the 1973 crew had.  The top six hitters today include Rosario, McNeil, Alonso, Wilson, Conforto and Davis.  In 1973 John Milner led the club with just 23 HRs while hitting a paltry .239.  The normally sweet swinging Cleon Jones hit just .260 and the leading hitter with all of 3 HRs and 37 RBIs was Felix Millan. 

Of course, the starting rotation in 1973 was perhaps the best the Mets ever fielded.  In addition to Seaver’s exploits (worth 10.8 WAR!), you had Koosman pitching to a 2.84 ERA, Matlack to a 3.20 and Stone to a 2.80.  The only fly in the ointment was fifth starter Jim McAndrew who was north of 5.00.  Lest you think the bullpen was an unbeatable mix, the best number was Harry Parker at 3.35.  McGraw happened to get on a hot streak at the right time but finished with just 25 saves and a 3.87 ERA. 

So the 1973 club did it on a powerful starting rotation, a formidable closer’s best work in the final month of the year and the ineptitude of the rest of the division.  There’s no reason deGrom, Syndergaard, Matz, Wheeler and Stroman can’t put their best efforts together.  The offense theoretically should not be a problem.  The bullpen lately has been markedly better.  The only things the Mets can’t count on is the dismal failure of the other wildcard hunting teams and the bottom third of the order.  However, it would appear the pieces are indeed there for a run.  Whether or not they have the will, the motivation and the energy to execute to the best of their abilities are other matters entirely. 

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While at the second-to-last El Paso Chihuahuas regular season game against visiting Sacramento a few familiar faces were in the opposition's starting lineup:

And perhaps less familiar to all but the most astute Mets fans, he was the Luis Guillorme of his day: