SAVAGE VIEWS – Ray Said What?

  

Over the years I have probably been one of most pessimistic contributors to this site.  Until recently, I saw no reason to change my stripes.  Following the trade deadline and the addition of a number of highly rated prospects, I now like our future and believe we have significantly closed the talent gap between us and the Braves.  Thought it would be interesting to review past posts made by the negative Ray.

November 1, 2022

Take Francisco Alvarez.   He is still a work in progress but to think a few months in the minors will improve his skills behind the plate is short-sighted.  His power bat is far better than any alternatives.  Over time, his defense will improve.  As with most young players, there may be some growing pains – but worth the wait.

In the case of Brett Baty, making him the regular third baseman means that either Edwardo Escobar or Mark Canha would be superfluous.  I would rather keep Escobar and make him my regular left fielder.  He offers much more flexibility than Canha since he is also able to serve as a back-up on the infield.  Canha has trade value and should help us secure either a nice prospect or a bull-pen arm.

Mark Vientos has nothing left to prove in the minors.  He should be given the chance to be the full-time DH.  He is another power bat that will enable the lineup to really rock.  Unfortunately, retaining Vientos makes Daniel Vogelbach unlikely. Unlike Vogelbach, Vientos can play the field if necessary. 

March 31, 1023

As we head into the 2023 season, I am not feeling very optimistic that the Mets are play-offs bound and I felt this way before the Diaz injury.  At this stage, both the Braves and the Phillies are better teams.  Both have explosive lineups and pitching staffs that measure up to the Mets trio of Verlander, Scherzer and Senga.  All indications are the Mets starting line-up will be pretty similar to the one that closed 2022 and we know how well that turned out.

It looks as though they will begin the season with Brett Baty and Mark Vientos in Syracuse.  That would be beyond insane.  Whatever happened to the mantra of having the best players on your team regardless of age or experience.  It’s been an absolute pleasure watching Baty this spring.  This guy has a major league bat, kind of reminds me of Freddie Freeman.  His glove is adequate and will get better over time.  There is nothing to be gained by sending him down for more seasoning.  His time is now.  He may encounter some growing pains but let’s experience them now rather than later.

April 27, 2023

No one could have predicted that our starting rotation would be in shambles.  Unfortunately, neither Peterson nor Megill have shown the ability to step up.  In their recent outings they look more like BP pitchers than legitimate major leaguers.  Lucchesi looked sharp in his debut but it’s too early to tell if he’s going to work out long term.  Even when we get Verlander and Scherzer back our rotation does not seem to be strong enough to overcome the deficiencies of this team. 

Let’s stop the platoon and make Baty and Alvarez our regulars.  Look what the Yankees are doing with the 21-year-old Volpe.  We need to recognize that true talent will eventually manifest itself.  We are a team on the path to mediocrity.  Unless things are turned around quickly not only will we not make the playoffs but will have trouble winning more than 81 games.

Buck Showalter is well regarded as a manager, but it’s hard to envision him being retained if we do miss the playoffs.  In his defense, he can only play the cards he is dealt and this roster has major flaws.  The bullpen is a mess and losing Diaz certainly complicated matters.  Even with a healthy Diaz, the bullpen would not have been a strength.  While Robertson and Ottavino are solid, there is little else in the pen.  In this era of starters having trouble lasting six innings, a strong pen is a necessity.  I admire the Yankees who always seem to find diamonds in the rough.

In Summary

For the most part, my predictions over the past year have been pretty much on target.  I expected more from Baty and still think of him as part of our future.   I thought he was trending in the right direction toward the end of the season.  If, as expected, the Mets are able to add at least two top of the rotation pitchers and shore up the bullpen, we will be contenders in 2024.

Ray