Paul Articulates - Observations in the postseason

I watched the LCS games this week and paid particular attention to how the managers handled the tactical situations throughout the contests.   

It drove me crazy to watch how they did it.  Much like Buck Showalter did with the Mets, starters came out early even though they seemed to have plenty of gas left in the tank.  Relievers pitched perfect innings but were gone by the next.  This appears to be the way managers prove their worth – by optimizing the “matchup of the moment” only to have a few cards left in the deck by the end of the game.  

Sometimes that works, as it has for Bruce Bochy, who guided his third MLB team (Texas, San Francisco, San Diego) to a World Series berth.  Sometimes it doesn’t, as Buck Showalter heads for the beach just a year after winning Manager of the Year in the NL.  What’s the difference?  Some luck, and some skill in building a bullpen that can perform.

Speaking of bullpens that can perform, the Mets did not have one of those this year.  In the aforementioned parade of relievers that we saw frequently in 2023, there was always that one guy that had a rough outing that sunk the game.  Drew Smith was not unfamiliar with that failure scenario.  

Now Smith was a guy that we were all very high on a couple years ago.  He has a fastball full of life that could make him a star if coupled with effective secondary pitches.  Somehow he just can’t find the control to avoid walks or middle-middle mistakes that get him in trouble.  Many by now probably want to send him packing, but he reminds me of Paul Sewald who is suddenly being touted as a top closer.  

Sewald suffered the same fate with the Mets – getting middle inning assignments that ended in disaster with the wrong pitch at the wrong time.  It turns out that Seattle’s pitching coach found the problem and fixed it.  The Mets need to find a guy that can do that with Smith before he becomes another regrettable trade piece that tears it up in another uniform.

Speaking of managers that overplay analytics in tactical situations, where do the Mets go if Craig Counsell says no to old friend David Stearns?  Do they look for another wise, experienced guy like Buck Showalter was?  Dusty Baker may be available.  Or do you go with a guy that knows the game but hasn’t clocked in as manager for 1,000 games?  It doesn’t seem to matter if they are going to take lineup direction from the GM and tactical direction from the analytics department.  Or am I just being cynical?

There are only days left before the end of the World Series and the beginning of free agent signings.  Mets fans are on the edge of their seats to see what happens.  From the experience of the last two years, it is not likely that it will be quiet.  I am looking forward to seeing how it plays out.