Wars are often won or lost due to the superiority or inferiority of firepower and will.
In that regard, some will automatically look at Sandy Alderson's past Mets record and attempt to project that to some sort of mediocre future.
But the Brokeback Mountain Wilpons had his hands tied.
Far more often than not. Take, for instance, 2013.
In 2013, outfielders Mike Baxter, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Collin Cowgill, Matt den Dekker, and Rick Ankiel went 78 for 412 (.189) with 112 Ks. And, of course, the infield tandem of Ruben Tejada and Jordany Valdespin was brutal too (67 for 340, .197). Combined, that is 145 for 752 (.193). That's one of every 7 Mets at bats that year.
And that does not include underwhelming performances by other hitters like Andrew Brown, Anthony Recker, and Ike Davis, who went 94 for 452 (.208).
Do you think Sandy wanted that cohort of losers? Don't think so. But there was a skinflint issue.
How do you win with that?
Even for a team with a stellar 3.77 ERA?
Answer: you don't. They went 74-88.
The dapper Casey Stengel is fondly remembered by many Mets fans as a delightfully entertaining old captain of a tremendously losing early 1960s Mets squad.
Heck, his (non) winning percentage with the Mets was a gruesome 175-404 (.302).
But with far superior weapons, it was different story altogether.
With the Yankees for 12 seasons just prior to his Mets' tenure, he won 7 World Series and was a sensational 1149-696 (.623).
Last I checked, Mickey Mantle was a little better than that Mets outfield group listed above.
It matters greatly what tools you have to go to war with.
What better example than that one?
In 2020's off season, in terms of weapons, Sandy Alderson (and we) likely and happily have some nuclear devices in our arsenal.
The arsenal is called Steve Cohen's checkbook.
So I remain highly optimistic that the Mets could soon emulate that multi-year Yankees .623 win percentage.
Lethal baseball weapons do that.
You know, the ones with $$$ signs.
First, get a GM.
ReplyDeleteThen we can debate which players.
Humorously, it was around that time, 2013 or so, when so many fans and bloggers were cheering the Mets "All Homegrown" lineup.
ReplyDeleteAs if going the cheapest way possible, with our own prospects, was some kind of triumph.
I just shook my head.
Take a look at the team Sandy inherited in 2011.
Jimmy
My kingdom for a GM. As long as the GM isn't a Chevy Vega.
ReplyDeleteCheep is OK for birds, but cheap is NOT OK for a baseball franchise.
Just a personal note, and respectfully: As a rule, I dislike it when sports, an entertainment industry, are remotely compared to war, and warriors. A photo of actual soldiers, risking their lives, feels over the top.
ReplyDeleteIt's a comparison worth avoiding -- and yet we see it all the time. It's way worse in football.
Jimmy
Good Point Jimmy.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, one of my favorite scenes in a movie was in Warrior, the martial arts movie. The ref said, "Let's go to war!" and boy what scenes followed. Me personally, I like war movies. 1917 was a fine movie I just saw the other night.
ReplyDeleteI like the war concept for baseball, in the sense that it is about winning. Entertainment, of course, but winning. Something the Mets have not done enough of. Maybe because too often, they have had softies and not winners.