Paul Articulates - The right time

As the post-season story unwinds, the teams that did not make it there are going through the evaluation process to determine what the team needs now, what they no longer need, and possibly "what could we have done differently last year?".

Since the New York Mets are in that category, and the evaluations have already begun to bear results (like most of the coaching staff being let go), I would like to explore one area.  When is it the right time to call a player up to the major leagues?

Of course, there is no generic answer to this question because there are many determining factors, such as player "readiness", performance of the player in MLB at that position, and the inevitable economic considerations of starting a player's MLB service clock.

There is a certain amount of timing involved, but beneath that is a core determination of when a player is ready.  That is a difficult question to answer, because a player is always learning and improving, so if a team waited until a player has learned everything possible, that player would be eligible for retirement, not promotion.  Clearly a balance must be struck.

To me, the Mets have not achieved that balance.  They have consistently waited a long time to promote players, and then once that player reaches MLB and does not tear it up, there is immediate second guessing followed by a demotion to "work on some things".  To me that is damaging.  A player will always wonder if they are worthy of a position in the majors, and although the first experience is probably very daunting, a demotion can create lasting doubt about whether the player is good enough.  As I have said in many of my posts, the mental aspect of the game is extremely important - so if confidence is damaged, performance is damaged.

The cases of Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Francisco Alvarez share similarities.  Each has been on the yo-yo between Syracuse and Queens for more trips than they wanted.  None has reached the full level of their potential, and although Baty showed some real signs of maturity in the late 2025 season, all of them are prone to regress because of doubt that was planted in their heads long ago.

Decades ago, a player would be called up to the major leagues in the late season (August/September) as rosters expanded to "give them a taste" without the pressure to make the team win.  In the case of Baty and Vientos, that never happened - they were thrown into a situation of need, and when they didn't perform above the level of their replacement, they were sent back.  

This year we watched the call-up of three minor league pitching prospects, Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat.  None of them were eased into place with a few innings in a decided game to see how their stuff played.  They were thrust into a failed starting rotation during a playoff race where every start and every inning mattered.  In McLean's case he was up to the task and built the self-belief that is needed for a pitcher to dominate in the future.  In Tong's case, his second start was a difficult implosion of not being able to find his pitches while an exhausted bullpen and millions of Mets fans held their breath.  Sproat had all of his pitches hit, but since he had undergone a similar experience in AAA, he can at least call on the experience of pulling through that to provide hope for his future.

I think it is safe to say that all the players named so far possess the skill sets to be significant contributors to a major league roster.  They just need the uber self-confidence to star.  

Developing that confidence in players is easier said than done.  But to develop a championship talent pipeline, the psychology of professional athletes must be considered as much as the physical skills training.  That should be a priority as this Mets team turns the corner and heads into 2026.  Run the competitions for positions during spring training, make the decision on who gives the team the best probability to win, and cast the starters in a majority of the positions to give those players the peace of mind that they have "it".  Let them play.

The Atlanta Braves seem to understand this.  Several examples come to mind: Michael Harris, Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach were all given the green light and they raced forward without looking back.  Contrast this with the Mets' approach at third base - Baty, Vientos, and Mauricio were in and out, up and down all season.  Only Baty was able to hang on mentally because he had been through it so many times before.

I think that we have to face the fact that 2026 is going to be a transition year.  We are not going to surge into the world series on the heels of the 2025 performance, so it is time to build the team for the long haul.  Pick the players that you believe are going to be in the September must win lineup, put them in the April lineup, and give them 3-4 months to prove it with only rest days off.  2026 is the right time to do it.