SAVAGE VIEWS – First Week’s Observations -

 

 SAVAGE VIEWS – First Week’s Observations - 

April 19, 2022 

In the Spring of 2021, I was optimistic about the Mets season and predicated they would win 93 games.  Despite their 7-3 start I am less optimistic about their chances in 2022.  I would not be surprised to see them miss the playoffs – the competition has gotten stronger. 

Both the Phillies and Braves boast superior lineups than the Mets and if either team’s pitching holds up, they will be tough to beat.  And don’t forget the Marlins with their terrific young arms.  Every game within the division is going to be competitive.  My early observations: 

THE BULLPEN – Entering 2021, my major concern was the lack of enough quality arms in the pen.  It’s surprising with all the moves made for this year that the bullpen has not been adequately addressed. In fact, it’s hard to imagine how replacing Loup, Familia and Castro with Shreve, Ottavino and Rodriguez makes us a better team. This is an area that needs to be addressed as the season progresses.  

STARTING PITCHING – It's been spectacular – what else can you say? Strange how things work out. Losing deGrom for the first 6-8 weeks may turn out to be a blessing in disguise as it has given Megill a chance to prove himself. Last year I was singing Hefner’s praises – time to recognize him as one of the best pitching coaches in the league. When deGrom does return and if everyone else is healthy. I suppose Peterson and Walker could head to the pen. Now if we can only get more than 5 innings per start per pitcher. 

THE OFFENSE – Got to say I love the off-season acquisitions of Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha. These guys certainly change the dynamics of the team. They are contact hitters who don’t strike out a lot and tend to put the ball in play. Over the past few years, I used to complain a lot about their lack of aggressiveness on the basepaths. These are the new look Mets willing to steal a run when the opportunity presents itself. 

Still, going up against weak competition, they have shown difficulty in mounting a good offense. With a couple of exceptions, their powers numbers are not impressive. Also, let’s stop alternating catchers. Decide on Nido or McCann as the starter and have him play 75% of the games. 

THE BENCH – This is a major concern with too many DHs and not enough role players. Last year we got significant contributions from the bench mob. To be honest, I wish we had Pillar and Villar instead of Smith and Davis. I think Dom and JD are good players that would benefit in another environment. Neither looks comfortable without a defined role. I’m afraid that Jankowski, who is a valuable role player, will be lost when the roster is reduced to 26. 

MANAGEMENT – Hard to be critical of Buck Showalter after 10 games. An argument can be made that better bullpen management would have us 10-0. The next man up approach rather than best man in has me bewildered. Bringing in Rodriguez and Williams in high leveraged situations had us scratching our heads. 

WHAT’S NEXT – The Giants are coming to town and should provide us with a formidable challenge. It should be interesting. 

Ray