Reese Kaplan -- Some Folks Worth Not Seeing Daily

With all of the idle time many of us have without sports to occupy our off-hours, the majority of the debate centers around the players we miss seeing.  Obviously folks yearn for watching Pete Alonso deposit a ball over the outstretched arm of the outfielder giving it his best shot at making a spectacular catch.  Others want to see Jacob deGrom leave batters with weak half-swings and strikeouts when faced with a pressure situation. Many are rooting to see Michael Conforto continue to progress to the next level, hoping for 35 HRs and 100 RBIs in his next active year.  Some want to see what Marcus Stroman would have done in his walk year trying to drive up his price as he hits free agency. Hell, there are even folks who want to see singles off the bat of Jeff McNeil or stolen bases by Amed Rosario or runs driven across the plate by Wilson Ramos.  I’ll bet there’s even a small, rabid group looking forward to the return of Yoenis Cespedes to the plate.

What no one really seems to talk about are the players we don’t miss seeing on a regular basis.  Believe me, there are several who are not exactly in the hearts of local fans. First and foremost would be reliever Edwin Diaz who went from lights-out to fully ablaze in his first year in a Mets uniform.  Whether it was adjusting to a different league, overworking his arm the previous few years or some as yet undiagnosed health issue, there is no excuse acceptable for his 2019 season.

Another player who was hardly worth watching last year was the suddenly overweight Jeurys Familia.  Now remember that Familia had been a star quality closer in his first go-round with the Mets. In the 2015 World Series year the big closer had finished 65 games, saving 43 of them and sporting a season-long ERA of just 1.85.  In his follow up in 2016 his ERA rose to a still highly acceptable 2.55 but his save total increase to a team record 51. Of course, his 2017 was best with injury though he was on a good path back in 2018 when he was sporting a nice 2.88 ERA with 17 Saves when he was shipped to Oakland in a salary relief move to finish the season.  Last year was flat-out awful, with a 5.70 ERA, no Saves and everyone cringing whenever he entered the game.

Another of last year’s acquisitions, Robinson Cano, was mostly disappointing for much of his initial trial in the National League.  He was not hitting, he spent some time on the injured list and his fielding was at best adequate, but that level didn’t come through on a day-to-day basis.  During August and September he finally started showing signs of life in his bat, but it was really too little too late as most folks were beyond incensed by General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen stacking the deck with his former clients whether or not they were still able to perform.  While people would certainly welcome a comeback from Cano, most were not looking forward to seeing him well past 40 in a Mets uniform.  

There were any number of relief pitchers people did not want to see coming into a ballgame.  You can create a list starting with Robert Gsellman, Jacob Rhame, Paul Sewald, Tyler Bashlor, Walker Locket, Corey Oswalt and Daniel Zamora.  Yes, there were some good moments from Seth Lugo, Justin Wilson, Brad Brach and great hope for the recovering Dellin Betances, but most of the bullpen (including the two 8th and 9th inning guys) was a pure nightmare.

Backup catcher was another lost horizon and nothing suggests the next active baseball season will be any better.  Tomas Nido and Rene Rivera did not instill much confidence in the position, particularly when a bat was in their hands.  Now we’re facing more of the same with Rivera back on a minor league deal, Nido out of options and other catchers not deemed ready.  

On the plus side, gone are a number of lost causes like Todd Frazier, Juan Lagares, Drew Gagnon and Chris Flexen no longer entering Citifield on a regular basis.  Is there anyone you don’t look forward to seeing on game day? (Former managers Mickey Callaway and Carlos Beltran don’t count).