Reese Kaplan -- 20% of an Unusual Season Done

Before the 2020 baseball season began we all had our delirious optimism about how everything would fit together, where the gaps were that needed to be addressed and the potential for improvement by some of the younger players.  We looked forward (well, some did) to the return of slugger Yoenis Cespedes, and we hoped for stability from our stopgap pitching.  

20% of the way into the season now and it would appear that the best laid plans of mice and men have indeed gone the way of Robert Burns when he penned those words in his poem, ‘To a Mouse.”  The sudden disappearance and subsequent departure news from Yoenis Cespedes was indeed the most surreal of the many bizarre twists and turns of this ponderous tale of the mini-season.  

Injuries have not been kind to the Mets either.  We all suspected we’d seen the last of $20 million man, Jed Lowrie.  His failure to make the starting team and subsequent placement on the 45-day IL cements his horrific signing as a short term contender against other investments-gone-sour like Jason Bay, Oliver Perez and others.  

Then there was the disappearance of newcomer Jacob Marisnick whose assumption of the good glove/no hit replacement for Juan Lagares at ⅓ the price means nothing if he is on the IL and unable to play.  In fact, his situation led to a reunion with Lagares and now the addition of speedster BIlly Hamilton.  

Early in the season there was the surgery performed on Noah Syndergaard which left a gaping hole in the rotation and set very high expectations for fill-in starters like Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha to somehow provide the replacement innings previously handled by Thor and new Phillie, Zack Wheeler.  That thinness in the rotation had felt a bit tentative to many folks, particularly when the replacements behind them included the seldom successful Corey Oswalt and others of his ilk.

There was indeed optimism for the improvement of the previously kerosene-filled bullpen through the additions of Dellin Betances and others suggested the relievers would not resemble the corps from 2019.  Then the coronavirus hit two of the newcomers and the Mets found dual reclamation projects Hunter Strickland and Jared Hughes no longer a part of the mix.  That left openings for others in the bullpen who brought back nightmares of wasted innings.  The guilty parties from last year have had their rough outings, too, but also a few strong ones.  Even normally implacable Seth Lugo had a tough night. 

While some folks were glad to see another unimaginative reunion happen with Rene Rivera, he has also wound up on the IL and has brought Ali Sanchez to the majors as catcher number three behind normally hard hitting Wilson Ramos and benchwarmer Tomas Nido.  In the past I was fairly confident the Mets would pay off the option on Ramos rather than secure him for a third year, but from what we’ve seen from the younger options on the way up is that they’re more likely on the way out.  

Then there was the slow start by many of the expected strong hitters.  Pete Alonso looks completely lost.  Most of the players were invisible with bats in their hands until after the first two series ended, but now Jeff McNeil and (surprise, surprise) Robinson Cano were beginning to look like formidable opposition.  Then, of course, McNeil got back stiffness and Cano’s legs gave out on him. The Squirrel is still in that dreaded "day-to-day" status but Cano has graduated to the long term IL.  It’s not been a good start in terms of health.

Let’s not even start on defense.

Of course, with the Marlins, Cardinals and others facing suspension of games, many are questioning whether or not the 2020 season will continue as planned.  At this point I’m more interested in the health and productivity of the players who are penciled into the starting lineups each day.  It does suggest that when the 2021 season arrives there are a lot of questions that will need to be answered.