I got into a debate with individual baseball fans as well as organized groups regarding the 2020 season such as it is. The feedback was surprisingly unvaried among the participants. They are universally thrilled to have some form of baseball back for the summer and are graciously allowing the inclusion of such oddities as the DH and the extra inning man-on-second to speed up outcomes of the game. They have not yet witnessed the 7 inning games in doubleheaders, but having sat through them in the minor leagues I can’t anticipate any major consternation once that becomes commonplace.
The other thing that surprised me was the uniformity of tolerance for the players who have opted out of the season, coaches who have opted out and players who have missed time due to positive coronavirus test results. The only exception was Yoenis Cespedes whose decision to forego the remainder of the 2020 season (and his paycheck) seemed to be greeted with great ecstasy among the fans, particularly when both J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith were heating up and now had opportunities to play regularly.
The lack of regular minor leagues has given fans the opportunity to see players who were clearly not in the 2020 mindset when the traditional February Spring Training began. Andres Gimenez and David Peterson were at best September late season call-ups once rosters expanded from 25 or 26 to 40. Now they’re a regular part of the season for the Mets in the majors a bit sooner than anyone could have anticipated and for the most part have conducted themselves quite well.
Of course, the shortened second Spring Training has led to a great many injuries that put players the team had planned to use on the sideline residing on the IL. Robinson Cano, Jake Marisnick and others they had penciled in as part of the regular 2020 roster have already missed quite a bit of time. It came as no surprise that surgery victim Noah Syndergaard and chronically injured Jed Lowrie were on the shelf, but the injury to Marcus Stroman was a bit tough to take (as was his later decision to sit out the remainder of the season). Time will tell whether or not this decision was good or bad for Stroman, but it’s opened up opportunities for the likes of Peterson and a reliever converted to starter in Robert Gsellman.
Personally, I really have to tip my cap to Luis Rojas who was thrown into the last minute mess in late January, then asked to somehow corral these malcontents and illness afflicted ballplayers into a team capable of starting every day. The Marlins, Cardinals, Reds and Phillies have not been as fortunate in this regard. As such, I think the sub-.500 record is not all that bad considering the deep water into which Rojas was asked to perform perfect aquatics.
Some folks think that the Wilpons will pull out nearly all stops to ensure the Mets make the playoffs in the attempt to increase the price they can ask for purchase of the ballclub. Of course some would wonder where the cash would come from to pay for the necessary reinforcements on the roster.
It will probably be more of the recent past where Brodie Van Wagenen trades away the crown jewels of the minor league system to other clubs to get some borderline or over-the-hill ballplayers in the blue sky fantasy they will push the Mets into October baseball. That approach costs very little upfront but can cripple the club for the foreseeable future.
So how do you feel about the Mets during this bizarre 2020 season? Are they what was expected? Are they better? Are they worse? Are they spinning in a hamster wheel going nowhere?
8 comments:
I agree Reese. I think Rojas has done better than he is given credit for. The fact that he was able to play defense first infields with Guillorme and Gimenez up the middle is a huge achievement as I am sure he had to sell upper management on the idea.
The owners not re-signing Wheeler was another huge mistake. If he wanted to leave anyway, at least they tried. They didn't. He could easily have meant 6+ additional wins, an incredible number in a 60 game season.
Rojas playing the G Kids has been excellent. They certainly will give Lowrie's plasma treatments more time to take full effect.
He is also using Diaz properly.
He can't hit for Pete - but he can sit him, and he did. Good.
If Jake is not back soon at Jake levels, the rest is wallpaper, as a friend of mine would put it. Luis would have to be a magician.
If Cespedes walked the way they were playing in the first half of 2015, when no one was hitting, I'd have been upset. But he did every hitter on the team a favor by leaving and reducing the logjam.
The Wilpons were likely dancing in the streets knowing that they would not have to pay that loser another cent since he volunteered to walk away from his contract.
I can see Brodie trading Alvarez and Allan for two starters on another team to try and make the playoffs. He recently opened up two spots on the 40 man roster.
I like some of the things Rojas has done with Gimenez and Peterson. Other things I put down as rookie mistakes. I think since he has worked with the Met players in the minors he has some knowledge of what they can do.
I would like to see the Mets try other starters then Geselman since they are going to need them in 2021. Why not try them this year. Kilome and Kevin Smith for example. I heard that Smith pitched five innings of no run ball in Brooklyn.
I really hope BVW has learned his lesson in trading his young assets for crap.
Give kilome, Smith or Thomas S some innings and let the season play out. Trade some veterans for some young talent.
So supposedly the coupons want to keep a minority stake in the team, I surely hope they don’t. You need to get rid of the jinx in total.
Zozo, keep then as minority owners. Keep presenting decisions they hate, and outvote them to torture them a bit.
Mr Wilpon - why did you let Zack Wheeler go and sign mediocrity?
Raw -
that trade will never happen
the Mets are bringing those two to Brooklyn to work on their skills. The Mets consider them their top 2 prospects and they want them in Brooklyn, working on their D behind the plate and stretching out for 2021.
Nothing more Raw.
Mets just added Ronny Mauricio to Brooklyn 60
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