Tom Brennan - The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Mets Go Awry

I filed a missing persons report for a Mr. Jose Quintana. 34 years old.

If found, please return him to Queens.

The above headline statement  the best laid plans of mice and Mets go awry) fits the Mets, many, many more seasons than not.

This year (as of Friday AM):

The new mid-rotation pick up Jose Quintana looks to be making his first start mid-season. While fans appalled at Mets’ sub par play are having a mid-life crisis. 

Jose Q after 2019 has thrown just 239 innings and is 6-10 in that multi-season timespan. To be clear, that is 6 Quintana wins, in total, in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

An Iron Man is Senor Quintana, though, when compared to Tom Szapucki, who tossed 1/3 of an inning in spring training, and then SHUT IT DOWN.

Again.

They signed Quintana, of course,crather than re-signing the successful Taijuan Walker, who is 20-8 in 2022-23. 

(Oh, Billy, Billy, Billy).

And Max and JV had us wondering prior to the season as to which of the two would pick up another Cy Young. Maybe they’d share it, even.  

Instead, while they should already have had 30 or more combined starts, they only have 21, and are each averaging a mere 4-3, 4.30. It makes one sigh for young starters instead of watching overcompensated former Cy Young starters.

And Tylor Megill and David Peterson?  They stand tall, they pitch small.

They actually compiled 23 starts, two more than the two Cy Guys have, but who would have anticipated a whopping 84 runs allowed by this younger duo in 110 innings (6.88 runs per 9)? 

My advice?  Kaopectate stops the runs. Just make sure it isn’t a banned substance before using.

And Cookie, pitching like a rookie, with 2 wins and a 6.34 ERA in 9 starts? Snooki told me she wants Cookie to pitch in Jersey.

And we all feared Edwin hurting his pitching shoulder or elbow in the WBC, given his throwing high heat in total anger so early, weeks before the regular season. 

TOTALLY baseless WBC concerns, nervous Nellie Mets fans; just us being worry warts, one and all…he did, though, blow out his knee instead, which blew out his 2023 season. Which blew my mind. And blew the Mets’ chances. Which really blows.

And McNeil the champ having just 21 RBIs in 75 games? And .264? Bring back the shift? Adam Schiff suggests the opposing teams are colluding and to bring back the shifty shift.

And Lindor and Pete hitting a combined .220 in 522 at bats? (The oft-mocked and vilified 442 career HR Kong, Dave Kingman, was a career .236 hitter).

And, of course, Narvaez the #1 catcher joins the Mets and goes all Quintana on us, getting less than 10 at bats before missing 2 months, and his fill in, Nido, knocks in all of one run thereafter. 

Omar had TWO RBIs in his first 31 at bats in 2023, doubling Nido’s run production.

Hack Wilson recently told me he was initially quite concerned that, with Nido playing a lot more in April and May, Wilson’s 190 season RBI record might be in jeopardy, but he has since reconsidered, and is feeling more relaxed that his record is safe from Nido - for 2023, anyway, at least. 

I told Hack I do have Nido pencilled in for 195 RBIs in 2024, figuring that in baseball, all things eventually even out over time.

Which is one reason that I believe that the Mets, who almost never win Division titles, will win 25 straight divisions starting in 2024.

Even though, to our chagrin, they lost again while producing 3 hits.

Sadly, this team goes astray more than a Chinese spy balloon. 

Not just in 2023, either.

The only thing that doesn’t go astray is the fan base. So far.

Fans are loyal, to a fault. And beyond. 

Luplow’s Law: Losers lose.

DSL LOB LOL:

Sometimes DSL teams play 9 innings, sometimes 7 innings.  Not sure why.

Anyway, yesterday's 7 inning Mets DSL squad that went lost, scoring 2 runs on 4 hits.  Sounds normal enough. 

But they left 12 on base.  How? Because they walked 8 times, had 4 hits, got hit by pitches 3 times, and scored...just twice in those 7 innings.

They are true Mets now.  LOB Specialists.