10/8/21

Tom Brennan - Amidst Injuries Unlimited, What Would You Have Done?

            

One of the innumerable injured Mets in 2021


Yes sir, the Mets missed the playoffs - and won just 77 games.  

Yeah, I get it.  Boo!  Bashing!  Judgment!

It is easy to bash Luis Rojas, to bash Sandy Alderson, etc.

But consider the Mets injury list below (source: Fox Sports) - take a minute or two to really look it over.  

It is rather mind-blowing, if you ask me. 

If I count correctly, 36 players are on it, with most of them involving a 10 day or much lengthier IL stint.

I can't personally ever remember the Mets having a year that injury-filled - can you?

Just consider the starters for a moment: 

The irreplaceable Jake misses half the season; Carrasco, Peterson, and Lucchesi miss most of the season; reserves Yamamoto and Oswalt miss almost the whole season; and Thor misses essentially the entire season.  Good grief.

Then consider the scenario where it is you that somehow have to make the team not only survive, but thrive through ALL those injuries.  When you REALLY consider the magnitude of the list, it seems like a truly daunting, and almost impossible task.

What are your thoughts?  

What would you have done differently in the face of such an onslaught, such an avalanche, of injuries?

Me?  I'd have thrown up my hands.

DATE

PLAYER

POS

INJURY

GAME STATUS

9/29/21

Nido, Tomás

C

Thumb

10-Day Injured List

9/26/21

Davis, J.D.

3B

Hand

10-Day Injured List

9/17/21

Szapucki, Thomas

P

Undisclosed

60-Day Injured List

9/4/21

Nimmo, Brandon

CF

Hamstring

10-Day Injured List

8/31/21

Nido, Tomás

C

Thumb

10-Day Injured List

8/20/21

Reed, Jake

P

Forearm

10-Day Injured List

8/17/21

McCann, James

C

Back

10-Day Injured List

8/16/21

Nido, Tomás

C

Thumb

10-Day Injured List

8/14/21

Smith, Drew

P

Shoulder

10-Day Injured List

8/8/21

Báez, Javier

2B

Hip

10-Day Injured List

8/2/21

Castro, Miguel

P

Health Protocols

10-Day Injured List

8/1/21

Guillorme, Luis

2B

Hamstring

10-Day Injured List

7/31/21

Nimmo, Brandon

CF

Hamstring

Day-To-Day

7/21/21

McNeil, Jeff

LF

Undisclosed

Day-To-Day

7/21/21

Nogosek, Stephen

P

Shoulder

10-Day Injured List

7/20/21

Peraza, José

2B

Finger

10-Day Injured List

7/20/21

Stock, Robert

P

Hamstring

10-Day Injured List

7/17/21

deGrom, Jacob

P

Forearm

Day-To-Day

7/16/21

Lindor, Francisco

SS

Oblique

10-Day Injured List

7/15/21

deGrom, Jacob

P

Forearm

60-Day Injured List

7/6/21

Oswalt, Corey

P

Knee

60-Day Injured List

7/4/21

Reid-Foley, Sean

P

Elbow

60-Day Injured List

6/30/21

Peterson, David

P

Undisclosed

Day-To-Day

6/23/21

Nido, Tomás

C

Wrist

10-Day Injured List

6/22/21

Stroman, Marcus

P

Hip

Day-To-Day

6/21/21

Familia, Jeurys

P

Hip

10-Day Injured List

6/21/21

Gsellman, Robert

P

Lat

60-Day Injured List

6/21/21

Villar, Jonathan

3B

Calf

10-Day Injured List

6/19/21

Lucchesi, Joey

P

Elbow

60-Day Injured List

6/16/21

deGrom, Jacob

P

Shoulder

Day-To-Day


6/13/21

Villar, Jonathan

3B

Personal

Day-To-Day

6/11/21

deGrom, Jacob

P

Elbow

Day-To-Day

6/2/21

Villar, Jonathan

3B

Hamstring

Day-To-Day

5/28/21

Williams, Trevor

P

Appendix

10-Day Injured List

5/23/21

Yamamoto, Jordan

P

Shoulder

60-Day Injured List

5/21/21

Alonso, Pete

1B

Hand

10-Day Injured List

5/17/21

Pillar, Kevin

CF

Face

10-Day Injured List

5/17/21

Walker, Taijuan

P

Back

10-Day Injured List

5/16/21

Conforto, Michael

RF

Hamstring

10-Day Injured List

5/16/21

McNeil, Jeff

LF

Hamstring

10-Day Injured List

5/11/21

Almora Jr., Albert

CF

Shoulder

10-Day Injured List

5/11/21

McNeil, Jeff

LF

Body cramps

Day-To-Day

5/9/21

deGrom, Jacob

P

Right side

10-Day Injured List

5/4/21

deGrom, Jacob

P

Side

Day-To-Day

5/1/21

Davis, J.D.

3B

Hand

60-Day Injured List

5/1/21

Nimmo, Brandon

CF

Finger

10-Day Injured List

4/30/21

Guillorme, Luis

2B

Oblique

10-Day Injured List

4/22/21

Nimmo, Brandon

CF

Right hip

Day-To-Day

4/8/21

Betances, Dellin

P

Shoulder

60-Day Injured List

4/6/21

Davis, J.D.

3B

Hand

10-Day Injured List

3/29/21

Carrasco, Carlos

P

Hamstring

60-Day Injured List

3/29/21

Lugo, Seth

P

Elbow

60-Day Injured List

3/29/21

Smith, Drew

P

Shoulder

10-Day Injured List

3/8/21

Martínez, José

LF

Knee

60-Day Injured List

2/20/21

Syndergaard, Noah

P

Elbow

60-Day Injured List

14 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Kind of makes you doubly appreciate how few starts Tom Seaver ever missed as a Met, huh?

Tom Brennan said...

Also, do multi-year contracts make sense for anyone but the ballplayer? How long will the enriched player languish on the IL during that contract? I was going to ask Cespedes, but he was out somewhere roasting a wild boar.

TexasGusCC said...

Not have traded PCA for Baez.

Once Jake got hurt, they should have known a deep run was out of the question. There was no reason to do that. Get a lesser OUTFIELDER, which is what you need and see if the doldrums on the rest of your team go away.

Mack Ade said...

This hurts

Tom Brennan said...

I miss the Crow. Very disappointing.

Reese Kaplan said...

One would think an analysis of how the Mets train and monitor their players is in order as this list is beyond unreasonable. Are they overworking them, underworking them or not giving them proper rehab exercises to do? This problem is not new but it's gotten far worse and hopefully Steve Cohen hires a POBO who understands there is more to the game than who is on the 26 man roster.

Tom Brennan said...

Do it like the old timers did, Reese. They never got hurt.

Gary Seagren said...

I thought SC would usher in a whole new regime not recycle the old but with more $$$. Signing Lindor to that contract made absolutely no sense and still doesn't and you would think with Steve and family so intrenched as life long Met fans he would know better. Frankly it's just baffling and also does not portend for good things going forward but I hope I'm wrong.

Gary Seagren said...

Cespedes was a "bore" among many other things none of which were good.

Gary Seagren said...

Tom as far as appreciating pitching back in the day I still remember a complete game Ryan pitched in April of 70' when he fanned 15 and beat Bunning. The only hit was a Denny Doyle 23 hopper up the middle but it was only the 2nd best game I ever saw to Bunnings perfect game in 64'...ah the good old days right.

Tom Brennan said...

I was rooting against Bunning late in the game, when the Mets were down 6-0(?). My father said, no, root for Bunning. He’s throwing a perfect game. They never happen. He was right. The Mets have one very imperfect no hitter in 60 years.

Any team that would trade Ryan after seeing that could not be more stupid.

Lindor? In the movie Draft Day, the owner (Frank Langella) said to his GM (Costner), “ Sonny, I want to make a splash. People want to get wet.” Cohen’s splash was not wise…so far. If we win a World Series or two and Lindor is series MVP, maybe the splash will be worth it.

TexasGusCC said...

Lindor is certainly a player that can help win a World Series, but he won’t be the main piece. He will just be one of them. Carlos Correa is the same type of player. These are the new $30+MM players. Conforto is the new $20+MM player. Qualify relievers are the new $10+MM player. The Trouts, Betts and DeGroms will be the new 40+MM player.

Chazz50 said...

Listen the days of old are gone ....
The team is heavily invested in the players as well as the players invested in themselves. So it stands to reason why there are pitch counts, innings limits, extended IL stays...
I agree they need to reevaluate the whole conditioning programs and tighten them up..There were bound to be injuries caused by lack of conditioning
And playing time do to covid etc....
The Mets were hit hard but they also knew as most fans did that mirage was going to fade fast as the regulars plus others did not live up to any standard ,they had previously set..
I agree once the degrom went down the season was pretty much over that trade did nothing except maybe pacify some people

Tom Brennan said...

Chazz50, yes, sadly, the old days are gone. And players are all too quick to blame rustiness when returning from injuries for their poor performance.

The biggest difference between Seaver and deGrom? One (easy to guess who, if you try) was incredibly much more durable. I wonder if the latter could research the career of the former and see if any of the former's strategies might work for him in terms of durability.