Observations from Mack -
Writing Bad, A Fistful Of Dollars, Play For The Future
Morning.
An old Morris Publishing editor of mine told me once “writing something bad is easy, but making it sound both good and informative is the real talent”.
Everyone that writes about this team is currently struggling with what their next article is going to be. I’m not talking about Twitter fans that actually sound suicidal these days… really, I had to talk one off the ledge early this morning… no, I mean the writers that write for money or for major blogs. They too are struggling with what the Mets AREN’T churning out recently.
The horrendous Rockies home series, that ended with them scoring 13 runs on Sunday, will hopefully be the day all fans look back at as the turning point. (ha ha) I hope it is for all you fans. It doesn’t matter to me because I am a writer first.
That same editor corrected my first submission for a Savannah Sand Gnats article. He crossed out where I wrote “we” when I described the team and wrote in, in the margin, “NEVER we…. they”.
I never did that again nor did I ever think that way either.
Remember this movie? I saw it the first time in a movie theatre in Ubon, Thailand. Think you had a hard time finding a plot in this one? Try watching it in Thai with no sub-titles.
Spending a ‘fistful of dollars’ on a baseball team seemingly hasn’t guaranteed you walk away with a winner.
Let’s look at the top five spenders of baseball salaries this season and where they stand through Saturday night:
1. Mets $345mil 17-17 $8 in NL
2. Yankees $280mil 18-16 #8 in AL
3. Padres $246mil 18-16 #6 in NL
4. Phillies $244mil 15-19 #11 in NL
5. Dodgers $226mil 20-14 #3 in NL
What about the five lowest?
26. Reds $88mil 14-19 12th in NL
27. Pirates $76mil 20-14 #2 in NL
28. Rays $74mil 27-7 #1 in AL
29. Oriioles $66mil 22-11 #2 in AL
30. A’s $60mil 8-26 #14 in AL
Hell,Max and Justin cost $88mil.
I’ve said this a number of times in a number of ways… spending the right amount of money on scouts, cross-checkers, and evaluators, Internationally as well as stateside at colleges and high schools, “in the field” rather than on it, is the proper way to build a team.
If you just conservatively find four prospects a year, for five years, you potentially someday have filled 20 slots in your 26-man team, with team controlled, cheap, players.
Keep doing this and you are now the team with the best record in the American League.
Yes, it it early, but if the results of playing against the worst in the league is any indication of how this team will play beginning with the soon to be Rays series, well, this might not be a bad time to begin, at least, to think about what was done in the past and start targeting for the future (whew)) .
What we can do is begin to start a board and list the players that should remain on the 2023 roster, based on their future as remaining in 2024 and beyond.
My board, as of today, is simple. Younger, healthier players that have a future in this organization, either through next season, or beyond. It also included players that are under long contracts and are, sort of, (***) doing their job right now. Lastly, some are currently on the injured list (IL) but have a future on my 2024 team.
Here it is so far:
1. 1B Pete Alonso
2. 2B Ronny Mauricio
3. SS Francisco Lindor (***)
4. 3B Brett Baty
5. C Francisco Alvarez
6. LF Jeff McNeil
7. CF Brandon Nimmo
8. RF Starlin Marte (***)
9. SP Kodai Senga
10. SP Jose Quintana (IL)
11. RHRP Adam Ottovino
12. RHRP Drew Smith
13. RHCL Edwin Diaz (IL)
That’s it, so far, for my list.
Did I miss someone?
Justin?
13 comments:
You missed DH Mark Vientos, in my humble opinion.
I try to catch myself on “we” also, unless I am talking as a fellow fan.
You sign old guys, you are making very risky investments. It remind me of one day in my mid 30s. I was a decent hoops player, excellent jumper, in my teens and 20s. I was in fine shape in my mid 30s. But when i started to play that day, I thought “what the heck happened to me?” Looked the same, just got older.
You are right about Vientos
Will add him and Verlander when I update the list next week
Same with me playing third
Balls in the hole seem to roll faster
Well,it’s a young man’s game.
I feel like this is all still due to the Wilpon hangover (with some bad choices by the FO this offseason). And it happened at exactly the time when it became en vogue to not permit any player in their prime to hit free agency. So when you have a thin minor league system (made thinner by some bad trades) you have no choice but to sign older players who are hitting their wall.
Tell that to Eppler
It's hard to determine what direction this team is going right now.
Look for changes if this continues through.May
I'm not one to believe in numerology, don't even really know what it is. But some numbers hit me yesterday.
In 1993, the Mets had one of the highest payrolls in MLB. They lost over 100 games, inspiring Klapisch's book, "The Worst Team Money Could Buy".
Ten years later, again with a huge payroll, they "only" lost almost 100.
In 2023, we have (yes, I use "we") by far the highest payroll, and are floundering miserably.
Besides the payroll standing, what do these years have in common? Does the number 3 carry a curse?
Ask a 🙄
Mack:
There are certain franchises in MLB history, that really "got it right." The first one that comes to my mind, is the 1990's Atlanta Braves. There was a formula I saw to how this took place. To me, it is the closest I have ever seen to a dynasty MLB baseball team.
There are succinct fundamental reasons as to why:
1. Great scouting.
2. Great player development with quality coaches.
3. Building the personnel core both in the field and in pitching.
4. Developing the very best team in all three categories of pitching, batting, and fielding. NO compromises. NO large scale reliance on making trades for other team's players in the off season or during the season to fill personnel holes.
Yes, they had a terrific GM in John Schuerholz, and a terrific manager in Bobby Cox to aid this process along. But to me, this Braves success methodology is still the best way to go. A way to becoming a true dynasty like the Braves were in this timeframe.
The 1990's Braves almost always had one really good kid starter to bring up from their AAA team each season. Often that starter would automatically go into the fifth starter slot. There were four outstanding starters already in-place when this new kid starter got there. In other words here, there was a smooth process and depth that began from their minor league development so that this reliance upon making last second trades to fill roster positions, was only a secondary emergency one because their own minor league was where they drew the most talented players from.
This is the way to go here. But you have to have a GM and manager who can see this first.
I believe the future is bright . They will be a much younger team next year. Maybe Vasil is our #5.
Rds he might be our #2 so where does that put us and how much $$$$$ will SC eat here?
Let's wait, and see how much we feel he NEEDS to eat.
Remember--- 12 months ago we were running away with the Division, and the Braves were floundering, way behind.
Sooner or later, our big bats will get it together, and hopefully we'll have Max, Justin (maybe even Q), and Cookie in the rotation.
Or maybe not, but it's all very speculative right now.
Lou K.C. is a good lefty starter - and rap star?
May Gill is always fishy this month.
Excuse me for now, my orderly is bringing me my ice cream.
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