"29th in runs? TWENTY NINTH IN RUNS? WHERE'S THE BANG-ZOOM??"
I write this after the Mets, a veritable offensive force, mustered 3 ringing hits against a sure-fire Hall of Fame pitcher on Sunday. Well, not really - it was against Vladimir Gutierrez, who came into the game struggling with a 4.75 ERA.
I admit I foolishly thought this Mets' team might be best Mets' offense ever, or at least close to best. Why?
2020's offense was very good - and the two weak 2020 positions, SS and C, got major upgrades.
Boy was I wrong...
29th in runs scored in 2021 - just to be clear there are only 30 teams, so we are better scoring-wise than ultra-low budget Pittsburgh. Not by much, but I digress.
How did we get to "perhaps the best offense ever" to 29th out of 30?
Here's how.
1B Pete Alonso - Doing the best of any offensive player on the team, but still somewhat below where I thought he'd be in HRs and RBIs. But, to be clear, I had VERY high expectations - maybe he'll still meet them.
2B Jeff McNeil - injured, and low run production, so well below my expectations. But he is, thankfully, on an upswing. Because he's back to a level swing.
SS Francisco Lindor - horrible start, improved quite a bit, then seriously (time-missed-wise) injured...FL is well below my expectations.
3B Davis, Villar and Lindor - poor overall run production for the hot corner, so it's below my overall expectations.
LF Dom Smith - was awesome in 2020, well below that in 2021. Well below my expectations.
CF Nimmo, Pillar, Maybin - weak run production, so...below my collective pre-season CF expectations.
RF Michael Conforto - safe to say that Michael, McKinney, Fargas and Lee have been drastically (in the aggregate) lower than my expectations.
C McCann and Nido - not too bad, frankly, but somewhat below my expectations. Why? McCann hit better in 2019 and 2020.
Well...
I guess one could say that overall, I was overly optimistic in February.
I look at it another way - I was NOT overly optimistic - they, however, have been collectively terrible offensively.
I pictured the Mets at 5 runs per game this year, not 3.75. This team could have/should have scored 5 runs per game.
I pictured the Mets being top 5 in runs scored, not 29th.
Who pictured 29th? Anyone? Did you?
I thought that was impossible.
Conclusion:
WOEFUL
BUT...YOGI SAYS IT AIN'T OVER TIL IT'S OVER.
The Mets just got Javy Baez. Can he awaken a flat-lining corpse?
As I see it, if there is anything less than 4.5 runs per game the rest of the way, I will declare this season, offensively speaking, a total disaster.
I cannot remember a Mets team performing as poorly offensively compared to my expectations as this one.
If it does not improve, and improve a lot, the rest of the way, I am very skeptical as to their making the playoffs.
Are you?
Hey Norton! Address the Ball! "Hello, Ball."
ReplyDeleteHaving hard time focusing on this team right now.
ReplyDeleteIf it is due to the team's non-performance, tell me about it. The hitters are neutering Mets' fans' high expectations.
ReplyDeletePart One: Multiplicity
ReplyDeleteTom: I liked the "flatlining" mention thing. It was funny to me and made me laugh out loud. Thank you. Wasn't there a movie "Flatliners" a few years back too?
But I do share your overall disappointment thus far, as do most NYM fans I am sure. We were so pumped up for this season to begin. It isn't for me so much "flat lining" but rather an accumulation of unexpected occurrences I think. A proverbial "multitude" of smaller disappointments, that can overwhelm us at times.
Here's my list of what I mean translated.
1. Injuries. More injuries. Injuries on top of the first injuries even. The "injury bug" running amuck and wild here. Crazy like. Ubiquitous. It has "injured" a really good, really well designed (personnel wise) team. We need to somehow rent Dr. "Hawkeye" Pierce I think. Is he still alive even?
Problem is that this may not be quite over yet here. We may need more body parts in other words, especially arms and hamstrings. My body hurts just watching this team I tell ya'. But I do anyway. I am a lifetime Mets fan from pitch one while in diapers.
2. Michael Conforto, RF. This guy was a "superstar in rent a car" last year. He could make things happen by a simple wave of the hand. Flowers were thrown at his feet. But he got sick and what he got sick with isn't always a simple recovery. He's getting back to his old self now I think and hope so. Be patient. But he was such a wonderful force in 2020, and that force is his natural state of being (I think) as a NY Met. He'll be back soon. I bet you.
Part Two: Synchronicity
ReplyDeleteThe process of experience coming together and forming some sort of meaning. Synchronistic occurrences are formidable and propel us forward with a surge of ephemeral courage. Courage. Just like the Oz' Lion.
3. Brandon Nimmo, CF. His stats tell his story (.292 BA, .419 OBP, .820 OPS) this season, despite the injuries. He's .030 pts. above his MLB average and "sky" is his only limit. And errors are down because he has grown into playing CF.
The catcher position.
Tomas Nido and James McCann are a welcomed platoon here at this position. Combined they are batting .246 (but can and will hit higher, probably finish around .255 BA my guess), and they play a solid defense as well. I have excellent confidence in them both.
So what is Great Gazoo?
To me, it has been all about starting pitcher injuries, and having enough good starters here healthy, so as not to have to call up too many from AAA Syracuse who are not first proven there. This is what effected this 2021 NY Mets team the most. It cost the Mets around five games in the won column.
But this is not over.
This is a completely bizarre season, worse then last season's half schedule one. This Covid19/Delta Dawn Variant thing is sadly not over, and in some ways rather just beginning quite possibly. This 2022 season could become a WS of two teams who could somehow keep their players the most healthy and unaffected by it. Healthy, in other words. I wish that I was kidding here, but I am sadly not.
Changes will have to be made on the fly. I recommend having a "six man" rotation as soon as possible. Keeping all six starting in succession, so that one when possible gets injured or sick, the flow isn't interrupted and a new "fill-in" could be easily plugged in. The Rich Hill addition was smart.
This isn't any other season.
We are all dealing with what looks like a longer term health circumstance than most leaders are suggesting right now. We are 18 months into this health situation, yet very little worthwhile information/remedies are coming forth to help us all stay well and non-infected.
Every pro sports team has to remain wise and cautious.
this teams a shot in the arm and I dont think Baez is that shot...
ReplyDeletewhat about bringing up Vientos to see if he catches fire...
soto came up at 19 and never looked back
Acuna at 20
we never seem to just put our guys in there and see if they can excel.
One theory that i believe i read here was we ant older prospects so they are at their peak age (27-30) prior to free agency... If that is how we operate the management team will always prevent us from excelling...
Well, in 1969 and 1973, it looked like it was way over. Then it wasn’t. I wonder if Conforto’s January COVID is a lingering impediment like Ike Davis’ Valley Fever. But if it is, he belongs on the bench.
ReplyDeleteEddie, Vientos would be interesting.
ReplyDelete38 XBH and 53 RBI in 67 games Carlos Cortes perhaps as well.