STARING INTO THE ABYSS, IN A SPIRALING SEASON - IT’S GETTING OLD
Morning.
It's not easy being a Mets fan right now. Hell, it's not easy writing about this team either.
Nothing seems to be clicking right now. Even my computer stopped charging and I am awaiting Amazon Prime to deliver me a new power cord.
Last night was pure embarrassment. Once again, Sean Manaea shit the mound. The once league leading rotation has now had its planned 6-man rotation reduced to, effectively, three rooks and a converted reliever. Tylor Megill was suppose to help here, but we know how that has worked out. There are no more prospects in Syracuse..
This is the time of the year when playoff teams get hot. You know, what you are watching the Giants do this month. The Mets are about as hot as yesterday's campfire. There still is some heat omitting from the embers, but the fire itself has been reduced to a pile of ash.
I'm reminded of that famous scene in the movie Wall Street, where Hal Holbrook puts his arm around Charlie Sheen's shoulders just before the Feds handcuff him and perp walk to the elevator. Ya know, that famous short speech about looking into the abyss.
Frankly, you and I are looking into it right now.
You as a fan. Me as a writer.
What character we have will be exposed going forward. Neither one of us have any control how this team operates and performs during the rest of the season. What we can control is our actions in the role we represent. Ya know...
You as a fan. Me as a writer.
11 comments:
“Abyss” is very close in wording to abysmal. Promising can turn into Pathetic quickly in baseball. I just plan to enjoy watching the 3 newbie starters turn into the second coming of Maddox, Glavine, and Smoltz.
We don’t want to give up but we want them to give up on certain players. Why hasn’t Mauricio started in a month and only has three at bats, two of them against position players? Bench Mullins, Marte, Senger, and Siri; play the rest. The only legitimate spark plug you have on this roster - by the definition of what a spark plug is - is Acuna. And you’re facing lefties… and instead all the slumping players are playing.
This team has more talent than the record shows. Let’s entertain an analysis. A few weeks ago, everyone was hitting together; now they are mostly cold together. So, who can carry the team?
My view is that this team lacks role players. Players who can be compliments to the big guys. Guys that can get on base via a walk or a bunt; guys that may hit for a high average but not have power; guys that will battle the pitcher at the plate. Arraez from Reese’s article is perfect in that role.
Let’s look at the better teams in the NL, since we know this league better. They have their lumberjacks; most of the lineup hits around .260 or more; and they have guys that will walk alot, or a collection of guys that walk above average. Do the Mets have all of these?
Seeing Jeff McNeil unable to even make contact against Duran two nights ago when the infield was in and contact was mandatory kind of stays with me. Seeing Alonso swinging at sliders off the plate like Juan Lagares did with little adjustment stays with me. No wonder his clutch numbers are so weak. Pitchers know how to get him out when they absolutely need to, except for one homerun at a perfect time last year.
If the baseball season is a marathon or a grind, shouldn’t a winning team have a more consistent production? Is Mendoza as smart as I have repeatedly written that he was and just having a bad year with some of these moves or is he a person that doesn’t have the balls to sit a slumping player or at least move him down?
There are several Mets going through the motions: Mullins, Manaea, Senga was, sometimes Marte does, sometimes Nimmo does. These players’ roles must be lessened if they want to have a shot.
I don't have a solution for this team going forward for the rest of this season
It's just not how the Mets play. It's how other teams like San Diego and San Francisco are currently playing. They want this more
Mendoza has become Willie Randolph. The players love him, but he is not getting performance out of a very talented roster. It hurts to see these guys try to look motivated when there is so little going on out there.
Gus, I have been a proponent of this approach since I started commenting on this site.
You cannot have more than 2 or three thumpers on your team, with that all or nothing approach. The rest of the lineup has to filled out with guys who make contact hit above .270, draw walks, go to all fields and play the game well.
A perfect example is the Yankees. All those years of leading the league in HR's only to fail in the playoffs.
You have to have a good balance of hitters in the lineup.
The game has been ruined with launch angles and analytics. It's filled with 20 HR, .230 hitters.
The Mets are filled with those guys. Guys that dont grind out at bats to maximize their talent and guys that are meeely “happy to be here”.
Nimmo used to be that on base guy, but got home run happy. McNeil used to be that guy but got home run happy.
I'm not going to go back and reprint my REBUILD approach I would use in 2026
STEVE
sell off the under-producing "stocks " in your portfolio and replace them with fresh, exciting investments going forward.
My only regret is that kids like Williams, Benge, and Clifford haven't produced enough this season to help on OD 2026
We have to remember McNeil is older, likely a step slower, and balls he barely beat out 5 years ago he doesn’t now. He used to beat out a ton of infield hits. The answer is more power. And, on the K to Duran, I say Duran won that at bat. Jeff has 45 Ks in 410 plate appearances, an exceptional rate in K-crazy 2025 baseball. He just got beat.
. Nimmo? 50 extra base hits and 80 RBIs? I can’t complain. Recently, he got robbed several times, including on a great leaping snatch at the wall, or he’d be hitting .270. He was hitting .218 on May 27. I say he’s done fine. The pitching has absolutely disintegrated. 90% of the blame goes to them. The first few months, the Mets were tops in team ERA. They are now 15th.
Brandon Nimmo is the poster child for this argument. Nimmo before his big deal: Ages 23-29 .269/.385/.441/.827 with a 130 OPS+
After his big deal: Ages 30-32 .254/.341/.436/.777 with a 118 OPS+.
So… despite the homerun hunting his slugging is lower. Despite only having “prime years” in our comparisons, the previous years have better numbers in every category. Why is he swinging for the downs, again? Whose brilliant idea was it? Would you sign him to $21MM a year for eight years based on the second number, and they are all in his prime?
Post a Comment