Reese Kaplan -- 2015 Was a Wild Ride to a Skidding Finish

When the year 2015 rolled around no one knew quite what to expect.  

The historic losing of the franchise led by Terry Collins didn't inspire anyone to think there was a secret magic decoder ring at the bottom of the cereal box that would instantly transform the team from bums to champs.  

During his first four years at the helm Terry Collins pulled off losing records with totals of 77, 74, 74 and 79 wins. Now an eternal optimist might have taken some solace in the fact that in 2014 they approach .500, finishing 4 games under which was the man's crowning achievement as manager.  

(In case anyone was wondering, he was 224-260 during the first three years and was REWARDED with a two-year extension at the end of the 2013 season.  Is there a connection to why the club consistently missed the post season?)

I'll get off the loser's case right now and focus on the 2015 squad which started off looking not much improved from 2014:

Curtis Granderson - RF

David Wright - 3B

Lucas Duda - 1B

Michael Cuddyer - LF

Daniel Murphy - 2B

Juan Lagares - CF

Travis d'Arnaud - C

Wilmer Flores - SS

Bartolo Colon - RHP

Granderson was more good than bad for his Mets tenure, but his baserunning days were mostly behind him and his batting average was always a struggle.

David Wright likely would have been on a Cooperstown path had his health not failed him.  

Lucas Duda beat out the once and mighty Ike Davis to win the first base job.  That may have been the only celebration Duda was responsible for during the remainder of his career.

Michael Cuddyer looked like a decent free agent signing at the time but he was getting a bit long in the tooth, had defensive challenges and people wondered how much of his career .307 hitting in Colorado was a result of the altitude.  His .259 as a Met seemed to confirm both age and hitting at sea level.

It's hard to talk about Daniel Murphy without launching into high praise as his power evolved in the latter part of the season.  The Mets let him walk away because he would have cost money and the Wilpons were averse to spending on players.

Juan Lagares was a magician in center field with the glove and the arm but he had issues both staying healthy and consistently hitting enough to justify being in the starting lineup.  As a NY Met he was a .254 hitter with limited power and limited speed.

Travis d'Arnaud turned into a better player after leaving the Mets than he ever was in Queens.  It often seemed his nickname should have been "DL" because that's where he spent the majority of his time.  In 2015 he hit .268 which was one of his better years with 12 HRs and 41 RBIs in just over a half season's worth of ABs.  To this day he's never had a 400 AB season but it does appear he's improved his batting.

The often miscast Wilmer Flores started Opening Day at shortstop.  He was never known for his glove and although he had plenty of late inning heroics with his bat, overall he was a .266 hitter for the Mets during his career.  In 2015 he played nearly 500 ABs worth of baseball and turned in a credible 16 HRs and 59 RBIs.  

Then there was the ancient wonder of Bartolo Colon.  He didn't throw hard, didn't miss the strike zone very often and occasionally would hurl an impressive game that left you scratching your head about what he was doing at age 42.  He finished the season with a winning record despite a 4.16 ERA and the next season at age 43 was picked for the All Star team.  Go figure!

After a three game sweep by the Cubs to open the month of July, the Mets were under .500 and the media was in a frenzy for blood given the lack of offense generated by the team.  Sandy Alderson was on the hot seat and while initially downplaying the issue, he reached out with a few moves that month to give the team a better chance to score runs.  

On July 24th the Mets completed a trade with the Braves to acquire a couple of veteran players, Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson.  Neither were destined to make it as regulars in the lineup, but they fortified a previously anemic bench that was taxed by inexperience, competence and injuries.  

The trade that never was became the huge headline of the 2015 season when word leaked to in-the-game Wilmer Flores that he and Zack Wheeler were destined to move to Milwaukee for the Brewers' center fielder Carlos Gomez.  Everyone recalls vividly watching Flores taking his position in tears as the only club he'd ever known had allegedly sent him packing.  Later, of course, when reports of Gomez' physical condition were negative the deal was nixed.

Almost in desperation on the final day of the trading season Alderson reached out to obtain the well traveled but capable Yoenis Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers for minor league hurlers Michael Fulmer (eventual Rookie of the Year material) and Luis Cessa.  

Everyone knows that Cespedes was like a one man wrecking machine once coming to New York.  For the remainder of 2015 he hit .287 with 17 HRs and 44 RBIs over the course of August and September, practically single handedly propelling the Mets into first place.  

The Mets were terrific in the playoffs, first besting the Dodgers in a game five that came down to the wire.  Then they manhandled the Cubs to earn the National League Championship pennant and make their way into the World Series.  

Unfortunately the good news stopped right there as the Kansas City Royals easily beat the Mets 4-1 with the Series coming to a final conclusion on November 1st.  People had approached the matchup with criticisms about the managerial acumen of Ned Yost in the KC dugout, but he was not sparring with John McGraw in the NY dugout and it showed.