8/13/22

Tom Brennan - Best Mets Team EVER?


2022 is a Vintage Mets Year

Man, that 1986 championship team was really good.  

Excellent starters, strong pen, very clutch and solid line up.

1969?  Miracle championship year.  

Excellent starters, strong pen, solid line up, many magical moments.

Me?  I think this 2022 Mets team is better.

I think it is the best hitting team of the three squads now that they've added Vogelbach, Naiquin, and Ruf.  Only catching is a weak hitting spot and even that has been improving.

Pitching?  Watching Jake utterly dominate the other day, and Max being magnificent in his last start, I think that duo is better than the top 2 starters in 1986 (Gooden & Ojeda), and at least as tough (right now) as Koosman and Seaver were in 1969.  I think Max and Jake are even tougher than the latter duo.

Then, after Jake and Max, the Mets still have Carrasco (12-4), Bassitt (9-7, should be better), Walker (9-3, with his bad start against Atlanta hopefully being a fluke), and Peterson (6-2). That's 36-16 from your SP3 through SP6.  

With a healthy Jake pitching from here forward, I think the 2022 rotation is the toughest of the three Mets teams.

Pen?  No Mets reliever ever has pitched like Edwin.  Ever.

Wagner? No. Benitez? No. Franco? No. 

Familia? No.  Orosco? No. McGraw? No. 

Diaz?  Yes!

Ottavino has been terrific, Lugo solid, Trevor Williams very effective, Joely is erratic but was excellent Sunday, and the pen will be rounded out by Peterson, Megill and Drew Smith (when the latter two are healthy). Givens looked fine in his last outing.

The Mets through Wednesday were on a 106-win pace.  

They are relentless.  

They are terrific.

Best Mets team ever? I think so.

Just…stay…healthy.

Other Mets premiere years? 

2015 was a fluky year - this team is better.

2006 was a very good team - but this team is better.

In my humble opinion, of course. 

(I brag about my humble opinion a lot, but do it humbly).

So...BEST METS TEAM EVER?  You decide.


6 comments:

Paul Articulates said...

Tough call at this stage, but I see the argument with the pitching staff we have. It is fragile though - we're only on the second time around this rotation yet 2/3 of the way through the season.

This team is definitely better than the '69 team - they got on a roll late and rode it through the championship. However, the '86 team won 108 games. They were the dominant team in baseball that year. Not sure you could say the '22 team is the dominant team this year with the Dodgers, Yanks, and Astros racking up the wins.

The one thing I hope to be able to say well into the future is that this time we had longevity. The '69 team never challenged again and was quickly dismantled. The '86 team looked great in '88 until the NLCS, but never won more than one ring.

Jon Messinger said...

I love this year's team, with the emphasis on 'team;' lots of heart, made necessary improvements at the trade deadline, but... probably better than '69, but haven't won their division yet, much less pennant and World Series. and remember, I believe they're the oldest team in the league, with a ton of free agents, so even with the richest owner in the league, it's going to be tough to maintain. they've got a ton to prove to come close to equaling 1986.

Woodrow said...

50 games to go and then the playoffs. Let’s see what happens.

Tom Brennan said...

It is an early call. LGM 2022

Unknown said...

Agree with the others. You need to win the World Series first, then, and only then, can you have “the best ever” conversation. But this season is amazing, so far.

Tom Brennan said...

Just go down the pitching staff right now, with Jake back. It is a great staff, not to use the term loosely. Then add Megill and Drew Smith when healthy. That could be the best Mets staff ever going into September, shaky-lefty-in-pen or not. Peterson will be in the pen, anyway, as long as the veteran starters stay healthy. Just a terrific staff. Add that to a strong offense and tight defense. Potentially the Mets' best ever. Of course, they need to get past the Braves, who seem to never lose to teams not named Mets anymore.

Dodgers, of course, are better right now - on pace for 114 wins and 363 more runs scored than surrendered. All without Trevor Bauer - who needs a psycho Cy Young winner anyway, when you are LAD.