Mack – A Seasons Of Questions

I know that many Mets bloggers are going to begin to post up articles like this. I’m not trying to win a trophy by being the first. I’m just expressing where my head is now and, frank, where it has been since September started.

Let’s look back.

          August started like gangbusters with a win against the White Sox, winning two of three against the Pirates, and sweeps of both the Marlins and Nationals. That’s 9-1 in August through the 10^th of the month.

Playoff teams don’t follow this streak with only 11 wins in the next 25 games.

Especially when you are fighting for a Wild Card slot against five  (Nats, Phils, Cubs, Brewers, Arizona) other teams that currently have a better record than we have (through Sept. 8^th games).

I would operate this team in a different direction. I would sit all exiting contracts and only play the players I felt were going to be my core on opening day in 2020… but here is the problem. What kind of sign do you send to your young stars that you are willing to give up before you are mathematically eliminated in the standings?

I especially don’t understand why we didn’t bring up relievers like Matt Blackham and Stephen Nogosek. Both dominated at the AAA level. Nogosek deserves a second look while Blackham deserves a first.

Have the Mets thrown in the towel on Matt because he is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft?

Look, I love what Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso have done so far this season, but that’s like saying the New York Giants played well against the Cowboys because of the skills of Evan Engram and Saquon Barkley.

I think both Wilson Ramos and Amed Rosario have bumped up their game this year and Jacob deGrom and Seth Lugo have been, well, Jacob deGrom and Seth Lugo, but frankly, I can find holes in most of the other players on this team. Michael Conforto just can’t seem to hit above .260, J.D, Davis keeps trying to catch fly balls with a fork, Justin Wilson’s WHIP is too high, and the rest of the pitching staff have ERAs over 4.00.

Past that, injuries cost us players that were supposed to be key players on this team. I thought Dominic Smith was showing positive signs of becoming both our backup first baseman but also an adequate back-up outfielder. Robinson Cano’s season was a wash and there is someone running around the clubhouse claiming to be Jed Lowrie.

As for our ‘backups’, Jake deGrom has a higher batting average than Juan Lagares, Brandon Nimmo, and Tomas Nido.

And Todd Frazier? He is hitting .004 ahead of Zack Wheeler.

I think this team needs to continue to change from within. We’ve recognized the need to revamp our scouting program and that seems done now. We now need to move on to field management.

It has amazed me about how poor the execution of our pitchers has been by someone that used to be a pitching coach.

For two years.

Pulling starters with low pitch counts, repeating the same mistakes in the pen that has been done countless times, and offering the only reason in doing that is because that’s what he is paying that pitcher to do.

Imagine finding out your babysitter is a pedophile and you continue to hire this person to watch your youngsters.

We need a new manager, though I don’t expect this move to be made.

Not the way the Mets do it.

Wouldn’t be prudent.