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5/8/23

SAVAGE VIEWS – DON’T BLAME BUCKY

May 8, 2023


As many of you know by now, I am not a huge fan of Buck Showalter.  

I’ve often criticized his bullpen management and his reluctance to make needed changes to the lineup.  There are those who feel Buck is the best manager to ever wear a Mets uniform.  Better than Hodges, Johnson and Valentine who make up the top four (there is no number 5).  

I’ll admit to being prejudiced about Hodges since I was a huge fan during his Brooklyn years.  Remember, he took a team of perennial losers and crafted them into WS champs.  He was a leader among men and the right man for the job at the time. 

Davy also had traits that let the team to a WS championship.  Not only did he want to win, but he wanted to dominate.  It sure helped having the Straw and Doc and Nails on a very talented roster.  However, the fact is that he was a winner.  Bobby, on the other hand, thought he was the smartest man in the room.  Loved his attitude and he, too, was a winner.

Unfortunately, both Davy and Bobby clashed with the folks upstairs and left before their times.  In each case, these managers had relatively talented rosters and credit must be given to the General Managers that built these teams.  Frank Cashen deserves credit for building the Mets teams of the 80s and Steve Phillips for providing Valentine with a talented roster.

Of course, it’s almost impossible to rank managers from different generations.  Back in the days of Gil, Davy and Bobby, your starter was expected to complete the game.  It was not unusual for a pitcher to throw in excess of 150 pitches a game.  And I don’t remember pitchers spending time on the DL following TJ surgery.  Perhaps you had a couple of strong arms in the pen.  Like I’ve said we live in a different world.

My point is that it’s difficult to judge a manager simply based on wins and losses in any given season.  On one hand, the Mets have the highest payroll ever while on the other hand they are not that talented.  Billy Eppler may or not be the right man for the job, it’s too early to say.  It’s certainly not his fault that we have no MLB ready pitching prospects and that he was forced to sign expensive FA’s.  

We have a team whose legacy was built on developing pitching whose top prospects are at least a year away from making an appearance. Give Billy at least two more years before rendering a judgement.  Buck is in a difficult position since he is saddled with a number of older players past their prime.  No matter how this season ends, I will not blame Bucky if we fail to make the playoffs.

We all agree that the purpose of minor leagues is to develop prospects.   I’ve made the point that winning is also important.  Not only should we be interested in the physical and mechanical development of players but also in their mental development.  As of today, none of the minor teams boast a winning record.  Take St. Lucie winning 25% off their games.  Imagine the stress of being a player on a team where losing is routine.  Or being on a Binghamton team with very limited offensive talent.  Or a Syracuse team that has Dylan Bundy taking the mound every 5th day.

I keep hearing that the Mets farm system is top-rated.   But the results are not there.  We seem to have a handful of highly rated prospects, but the fall off is steep once you get past the top ten.

However, hope springs eternal.  Time for us to follow the Braves playbook and draft wisely and be aggressive in signing international free agents.

Ray 

9 comments:

  1. Ray, I agree with much of what you say. Could Casey be # 5? Did he get the most out of very sub-par talent.

    I disagree on one point…if Mike Vasil keeps dominating and fanning the world, even though he joined AA in 2023, he can really deal. I could see him called up after another half dozen starts.Maybe he is our Spencer Strider. Strider had 94 innings in the minors, got promoted, and is one of baseballs top 10 starters, immediately. Vasil seems to have a key ingredient, excellent control.

    Minor league longevity means little for pitchers. You can either pitch big time, or you can’t.

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  2. Hope you are right. To me Casey was a distraction. Not #5 on my list.

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  3. To me, starting to see signs that 2023 might be a wash

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  4. Maybe time to reshape the roster and bring up Vientos and Mauricio with an eye to 2024.

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  5. Patient's Diagnosis Here

    Pitching isn't fully healthy right now. It's in sort of "sickbay mode" for some. Lacks a little consistency at other times. When healthy, the top arms will show up bigtime and start to turn this all around.

    Not too much to show down at AAA Syracuse to remedy this pitching situation. But if you get the chance, do look-up Nathan James Lavender (a lefty, No.45) down at Syracuse. Impressive 23 year old starter. Reliever Dedniel Nunez, and starter Edwin Uceta worth a watch as well.

    Batting has been a bit inconsistent too, compared to this same time 2022. Should come around soon as a team. But better starting pitching does usually motivate the hitting side as well. It's a confidence thing with a team. It gives a team a sense to try and dominate its opposition.

    To me it's way beyond time really, for these NY Mets to bring up Syracuse sluggers Mark Vientos (10HR, 27 RBI's, .339BA, .424 OBP) and Ronnie Mauricio (6HR, 19 RBI, .333BA in 129 AB, 6 SB, .370 OBP). These two players could conceivably liven up the hitting side of this equation. Absolutely worth a shot.

    If you get a chance, also look-up outfielder Lorenzo Cedrola, an outfielder down at Syracuse. He's in a nice rhythym right now.

    The Mets and Syracuse are both under the .500% mark right now. There are some trade ideas available to the Mets, that do make some sense. They also have some decent veteran type of duplicate outfielders on the team. Like the .250BA guys who can smack the dingers.

    This ship will correct soon. Just needs a few more sparkplugs firing at the same exact time.

    Patience is advisable though.

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  6. Not too much to argue about here, but I would rate Buck above Davey. Buck is an intense thinker that is constantly evaluating the situation and planning ahead. Davey just let the guys play and with that talent they rewarded him with wins. But Davey also let them play off the field and that led to the demise of a should-be dynasty.

    I thought Buck did a masterful job last year managing the depth. He does give more loyalty than he should to vets, which led to way too much patience with Escobar last year. This year he did not make the same mistake with Escobar, but he is giving Marte a lot of time to work through his slump. We'll see how that turns out.

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  7. Last year there was no Baty to step up

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  8. Trading away Nails, Roger and Kevin helped to demolish the dynasty.

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  9. Rds don't forget not resigning Ray the heart and soul.

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