Craig Mitchell -- The 2014 Mets: A Work In Progress

The 2014 Mets are a work in progress.  I was thinking and I don’t think I've heard that term used by Sandy Alderson, Terry Collins the media or ownership lately. But this year’s vintage Mets are exactly that. That thought came to my mind this week. Met fans have been screaming for Alderson and owners to show us they care. They have had a tough time shaking their reputation of being cheapskates in suits, counting their money and not caring what product is on the field. Oh yeah, they throw us a bone now and then. They sign David Wright to a long term deal. They sign Curtis Granderson and sure up the outfield with Chris Young. Actually, come to think of it, the bone they toss us isn't very meaty is it?

This past week the Mets made some moves. At first they seemed reactionary. They almost seemed pandering to the raging masses. But since the Memorial Day Massacre the Mets have won 5 of 6.  Sure, perhaps the sudden ejection of Jose Valverde and hitting coach Dave Hudgens may have appeared cosmetic. It seems to have worked, initially.  Keith and Ron in the booth haven’t hesitated to note that the Mets seem more aggressive at the plate and the results are plain to see. Six games is a pretty small sample, but it does appear the Met bats agree with the new found freedom the Lamar Johnson regime has brought. Has his addition caused Sandy Alderson to abandon his hitting philosophy we assumed was installed? No one seems to be sure. But the results sure feel good.

But despite the early results, what I’ve noticed is that the Mets aren’t hitting any better, as far as “hits” per game. It’s when the hits are coming that has made a huge difference.  Take Lucas Duda for example. Last week he left the population of Forest Hills on base. It was painful. This week, he’s had 2 or 3 key hits with runners on base including winning Sundays game with a 2 run homer in the top of the 11th.. Clearly, something has changed. Either Duda and the rest of the Mets have been given more freedom to swing more instinctively or its blind luck. I tend to think it’s the former.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of room for improvement. Curtis Granderson has shown us flashes of what he can bring but still can’t get off the interstate. Chris Young has seen better days. Struggling mightily at the plate and in the field, Met fans are looking at Nelson Cruz's 20 homers and 53 RBI bought for the same price tag and are screaming foul.  Travis d’Arnaud and Anthony Recker, while both being terrific receivers, are having their issues at the plate. But to be honest, we kind of expected growing pains at backstop. On the flip side, Bobby Abreu seems to have found the fountain of Youth. Abreu has been getting frequent starts and is playing like the Abreu of old. I doubt he can withstand the workload of starting but he has provided plenty of offense and key hits when he’s played and has been a happy surprise.  Ruben Tejada has been playing like the prospect of old as well.  No matter what the reason, either Lamar Johnson or the threat of Wilmer Flores taking his job, it’s a welcomed change. What I resent most about Tejada’s resurgence is it makes Terry Collins seem more credible. But that’s another story.

Whatever it is, it’s working. However, the biggest change is in the bullpen. Honestly, the Met pitching has been doing the heavy lifting all year. As contemptible as Met fans view the front office, significant progress has been made in the bullpen.  Gone since opening day are John Lannon, Jose Valverde, Bobby Parnell, Kyle Farnsworth and Gonzalez Germen (Parnell and Germen went on the DL).  The new-look bullpen includes Vic Black, Josh Edgin and Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jenrry Mejia.  Dice-K has been Mr. Everything; Long man, set up, closer and spot starter. Mejia, who showed shades of brilliance in the rotation in 2013 and this year, has taken to closing so well that Bobby Parnell is probably reading the writing on the wall. That said, Mejia is 6 for 6 in save attempts, but it’s still a very small sampling but it’s hard not to get excited when he moonwalks off the mound after saving a game. It’s a role you can see him fitting in for a long time to come. His fragile arm recently appeared in 5 of 6 games and has put many doubters to rest. 

Black, who was recalled when Valverde was abruptly released after the Memorial Day game has been nothing short of dominant. Black in his first week with the big club in 2014 has tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings allowing just 3 hits and striking out 7.  His control is better, but still and issue as Black also walked 4. But he was close to unhittable in his first week and he has shown a lot of maturation since last year.

Josh Edgin is also looking good. This spring Edgin was a shu-in for the roster but had no velocity or control in camp and was a surprise early cut. Edgin has the lefty power arm the Mets pen needs and in his brief sampling this week has looked real good. Edgin has gone 5 2/3 scoreless since his recall with 3 k's.

The new-look bullpen comes just in time to support a rotation that has been terrific.  Even without Matt Harvey and Dillon Gee the staff has been putting up quality start after quality start. Despite the demotion of  Rafael Montero things continue to look good. Montero has the tools to be a star and showed extended flashes of what he is heading towards. It’s widely assumed he’ll be back this year. It seems like a no-doubter.  Montero had issues with his control in his stint in the rotation.In the May 25 ^th start he allowed just 2 hits and 1 run striking out 10 in 6 innings.

Jacob deGrom has been magnificent.  He’s still searching for his first major league win, but that’s clearly coming. So far deGrom has a 2.42 era and a 1.07 whip in 26 innings with 24 K’s.  deGrom has been compared to the likes of Jared Weaver and his upside is plain to see. He has helped to solidify and fortify the current rotation and the wins will come.

Now, jump ahead to spring 2015 and the Mets are going to have some very hard decisions to make. Assuming everyone stays healthy, and these days that’s a big assumption, Harvey, Gee, Jonathon Niese, Bartolo Colon, Zach Wheeler, Jacob deGrom, Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard will all be viable candidates for the rotation.  And that assumes that Jenrry Mejia stays in the bullpen.

Clearly better days are coming. Actually, they may already be here. The Mets are not standing pat. They are making moves to make this team better. They just aren't moving as fast as their frustrated fanbase would like. They haven’t delivered us a Giancarlo Stanton player yet, but they haven’t mortgaged the farm either. While I've been guilty of having my frustrations, I like what I am seeing.  Change for the better is happening in Flushing.  Not fast enough for some, but it is happening. The Mets are indeed a work in progress.