Earlier I had voiced an opinion that it is time for a report card on the ballclub. Some folks agreed. Others said, as I did in my preface, it’s very early yet and difficult to draw definitive conclusions over a three week or so body of work. Things are bound to change and hopefully improve over the passage of time as the 2021 season continues to unfold.
Since I am leaving for a long overdue (since 2019) vacation later this week, I thought I’d ponder a bit about what might be improved in my absence for about two weeks.
Surely the defense must be on everyone’s mind. Once you get past Jacob deGrom and now Taijuan Walker, the starting pitching has been punched around (including the normally reliable Marcus Stroman in his last start). The bullpen shuttle has been operating at warp speed with folks brought in and pushed out at a moment’s notice, some of whom don’t even get into a game. The previously reliable hitters need to come to life, while some of the hotter sticks are likely to cool off. Yes, a lot can change, though a mere two weeks is even less time than was given for the early and perhaps premature report card.
One of the things I’m truly hoping will happen is a prospective return date will be penciled onto the arm of Carlos Carrasco. He was always a highly effective pitcher but the Mets have not yet seen a return on their investment since he went down with a hamstring injury during the Port St. Lucie preseason. Obviously you need a good and healthy pair of legs to stand properly on the mound and pitch.
I’m always in favor of erring on the side of caution and missing out on Carrasco for say six weeks at the beginning of the season seems a small tradeoff to make if it will make him available to handle a workload of 24 or more starts for the rest of the campaign. For folks who don’t remember what the team is missing right now, Carrasco is projected in a typical year to go 14-11 with a 3.77 ERA, excellent control and a highly respectable WHIP. That kind of output would most certainly be welcome on the Mets as soon as he’d deemed capable of taking the mound.
More pressing in the minds of Mets fans is the long blonde locks of Noah “Thor” Syndergaard once again being a part of the five man starting rotation. Fans and coaches are well aware of what he can do when he is fully healthy. The issue for him is the prospect of rushing back from his Tommy John Surgery. Doing so holds two story lines. First, he would replace the likes of a David Peterson in the rotation which pretty much 99.9% of the people who watch the games would rule a major step up. It is also Thor’s walk year before becoming a free agent, so it’s just as critical for the Mets front office as it is for his own personal bank account to gauge what it would be worth to make a preemptive strike on an extended contract before allowing him to take the Zack Wheeler route out of town.
Aside from the Uber shuttle back and forth between Citi Field and Syracuse, there are no top prospects that folks are waiting with bated breath. The closest might be pitcher Tom Szapucki who has shown the ability to retire minor league hitters with aplomb but has had issues with his ability to stay on the field to do so and advance through the system. He’s not likely ready to help at the major league level yet, but he is someone to consider as a part of the potential pitching future if they lose out on Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard or others due to free agency. His cumulative 6-8 record across the minors is nothing to write home about, but his 2.42 ERA during that span most certainly is (as is his 11.5 K per 9 IP performance).
What improvements do you see the Mets making as the season progresses?
5 comments:
If the Mets continue to sputter along, I could see them trying to make a Yankees like trade for a Kris Bryant or someone similar. Not what I would do, but who am I? Sandy knows what he is doing.
I would also have not traded for Lindor or given him $341M before he played for me in the regular season. Piazza had to play here first. Made sense then, made sense now. But what do I know?
I would try to get more team speed and defense on the team. As Whitey proved - hitters slump - speed and defense never slumps. But what do I know? Also there is a rumor that a Mets Manager in Brooklyn won a championship in 2019 using that formula - but that can't be true because he was fired right after the season - must be more fake news.
It will be interesting to see how Cohen works vs. how the Wilpons worked. Then again, the common denominator is the GM who is highly questionable who served under both.
Agreed Reese. I think if it was up to Sandy, he'd stay pat. I think Cohen will push him to make a move to try and win which is why I see them trading for a Kris Bryant or other type of player.
I think he rolls all these pitchers in, drops the 4 worst, and frankly will have a super staff. Now, if only the hitters can be revived from their comas.
Tell me why you feel Szapacki would be an improvement over Peterson. Two quality starts and a third hurt by bad defense and a couple of soft hits.
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