The lack of Mets offense, coupled with shoddy field play, has let emotion get the best of me the last couple of days. Maybe the problem is I live in South Carolina and don't get as many chances to see this team play as I have so far this season.
Andy Carra, an old Mets writer who was my brother's best friend, told me once that you can't root for the team you write about. He said that the secret of being a great sports reporter was being objective. Adam Rubin told me the same thing years later as we stood together on one of the side fields in St. Lucie during spring training.
I agree with them, but the fact remains that you are writing about the team you love and it's been decades since they had a parade thrown for them.
We all have to remember all the members of the Mets 25-man squad that are now on the disabled list. Pitchers include Josh Edgin, Zack Wheeler, Dillon Gee, Rafael Montero, Vic Black, Jerry Blevins, and Bobby Parnell. Add jerko Jenrry Mejia to that list and that's eight pitchers!
Then there is 3B David Wright and C Travis d'Arnaud and the total rises to 10 of your top players.
Then there is team offense... 23rd in team batting average (.236)... 24th in on base percentage (.303)... and forget about it in slugging (28th, .352).
And what does all this add up to?
A first place team (at the time I am writing this) tied with the 6th best win-loss percentage in baseball (,588) and two loses ahead of their closest division rivals (Nats).
I don't know where this team is heading right now. They're 4-6 in their last 10 games even though it feels like they have played a lot worse than that. Obviously, the pitching has kept them competitive through this rough patch.
We know that the Nationals are going to play well enough to pass the Mets in the standings and there's very little we can do directly to prevent it from happening. They don't play them again until after the All-Star break and my guess is .500 ball until that mid-season break just might be a good target for our favorite team to try and achieve. By then, there should be some movement off the disabled list and the original day-to-day lineup might have a chance of getting back on the field.
My guess is, barring any future injuries, the current rotation (Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Bartolo Colon, Jonathan Niese, Noah Syndergaard) will continue to pitch during this time. I don't think there's a chance in hell that Dillon Gee comes back as a Mets rotation pitcher. Whether the Mets, the brass, or the Super-2 people like it or not, the race is on... now.
That means that Steven Matz is the next up, not Gee.
Trades... all emotion aside, I don't see any happening that's going to change who plays where this season. Sandy Alderson doesn't say much sometimes, but when he does talk, he usually stands by what he's saying, and what he has said lately is he's sticking with Wilmer Flores as the starting shortstop and hanging in there with Curtis Granderson and Michael Cuddyer as his starting corner outfielders. I can't say that John Mayberry or Kirk Nieuwenhuis have that kind of job protection, but, when it comes to the basic starting eight in the lineup, there will be no 'outsiders' joining this team, unless you consider the return of either Wright or d'Arnaud an 'outsider' move.
Regarding trading either Harvey, deGrom, Matz, or Syndergaard, it simply isn't going to happen. Yes, the Mets might not make the playoffs this year because of their lack of offense, but these four guys, and Zack Wheeler, are the future of this team for the rest of this decade.
Let's all try and hang in here.
Maybe Daniel Murphy will throw it a little harder to first base from now on. Maybe Flores' bat will continue to heat up and one of the corner outfielder could join him. And maybe both Dilson Herrera and Juan Lagares can get back in the starting lineup and produce the timely hits we became accustom to them producing.
Take a deep breath and let's get through May. Remember, as I write this, it's mid-May and 'we' still are a first place team.
17 comments:
Mack, if it were my team, Recker gets demoted, Kirk and Mayberry asked to leave. 9 for 80 is inexcusable and intolerable. We need hitting help or we may go 5-9 in next 2 weks and be standing at a crossroads.
Well, some of the problem you have to lay at the feet of Sandy Alderson as he was the one who felt that other than adding 36 year old Michael Cuddyer, the starting lineup was just peachy keen. Then there's the blame given to you-know-who that fills out the lineup card who again today thinks the way to jumpstart the offense is to sit two regulars with offensive potential in order to give away ABs to Recker and Tejada. The Mayberry thing instead of Nieuwenhuis is like choosing between arsenic and cyanide, but at least today it's a different poison. For that he gets kudos...though it's only being done because the Cubs are starting a southpaw. Gotta live and die by those matchups, right Terry? I guess that's the rationale for Honus Tejada over lefty hitting Daniel Murphy but couldn't he have played Monell last night in place of Plawecki and thus give him rest instead of suffering through Recker?
Tom -
This team can not be evaluated unless d'Arnaud, Wright, and Tejada are in the lineup.
Without them and the rest of these guys, it's close to a AAA offense
Reese -
Frankly, I turned it off last night when Harvey was still leading 1-0 and watched my old favorite team, the New York Rangers.
I glanced back later and it was 1-1 with Familia on the mound with bases loaded on 0 outs.
I can't fault anyone... so many pieces missing, especially the pen.
Try to hang in there Reese. I know how easy it is to second guess when a team is losing
Mack
Unfortunately.... I don't think anybody is really surprised that Wright and D'Arnaud have ended up spending part of their season on the disabled list.
Maybe the why they are on the list could be a surprise but definitely not the fact they are on the list.
Given this fact as being so easily predicted well before this season began, it is indeed correct to evaluate the Mets offense as they currently stand.
This is the reason why Alderson's choice of Cuddyer being added to the team was thought of by many as a poor decision.
The Mets needed atleast one more reliable bat in this line-up that could fill in the gap when Wright would inevitably miss time.
First off, Tejada is not a starter. If a plus defense glove is needed, may I suggest Wilfredo Tovar instead?
Second, once Harvey left and I saw Torres coming in, I switch the channel because I thought the Mets were done. That he was there the following inning speaks volumes on just how stupid Collins really is.
Third, for a team that is not hitting, how about giving some starts to Monell? How about putting Granderon on the 6th slot after the equally useless Cuddyer?
Lagares (when healthy), Herrera, Murphy, Duda, Cuddyer, Granderson, Flores, Plawecki/Monell.
How about if the Imbecile gives more credit to Robles and pitches him accordingly? Has he ever heard of hit and run and base stealing?
Adam Rubin on twitter yesterday:
Adam Rubin @AdamRubinESPN · 15h 15 hours ago
Would have preferred the 2-1 scores been reversed tonight, I'll admit.
Listen, the regular beat writers can write the non-emotional pieces. Having articles that write with emotion connects more with fans in a smart way differentiates between those articles. I don't read Metsblog as much because it reads more and more like AP instead of a fanblog. I can get that info from Rubin. Cerrone occasionally bops in for some comments of his own but then the discussion in the comments are abysmal. I like the work that Baron has been putting into his new blog. Lots of intelligent commentary backed by interesting stats and info that takes some time to put together with a fan flavoring to it. Anyways keep on doing what your are doing here :)
Why is SNY feeding me this bullshit right now? As if the Mets being shorthanded in the bullpen had something to do with who Terry elected to go with last night in the 8th. They were shorthanded one guy—Leathersich! They were gonna use him last night in the 8th?! Because if not, that makes 0 sense. That's neither objective nor being too in love with the team—that's a freakin' conspiracy/cover-up/bullshit! I commented this 2 weeks ago: Torres doesn't profile as an 8th inning guy. Robles/Goeddel until Black/Parnell returns! They have better stuff. Goeddel hasn't given up a run all year. And @ Mack I read a comment of yours on a different post that said Cuddyer's role is "undefined." How? Hit the freakin' ball!
#WRECKED
Recker with the solo blast.
Say what you want about him....but he's a good defender and he carries pretty big lumber when he DOES connect.
Keep in mind he gets to face the guy with the 5 ERA. Though with the Mets that hasnt seemed to matter all that much.
It was so much easier when I first began to do this blog. My whole objective was to tell the Mets world what was out there in the organization.
I had no cares whether or not the parent team made the World Series. I was a minor league and so was this blog.
I agree with you Dallas that beat reporters can say whatever they want or don't want to say. Rubin in particular plays it down the middle of the road. Most of the others just twitter snarky one-liners that are designed to make each other grin.
I'm not sure what I think about the new Baron blog. I know he has read my old morning report every day for years, and it sure seems like it was designed around that... but maybe I'm just over-patting myself on the back (can't reach it... back pain).
Still, to us, who follow this team hourly, it's been a hard two weeks... to someone that has been locked in, let's say, a North Korean prison for 2 years, it's a first place team.
I'm not going to argue with any of you, but players like Kevin Plawecki and Johnny Monnel are now being overexposed as the minor leaguers they still should be.
Injuries have created the team we are watching now. And Reese... give Collins a break, huh? He's doing the best he can without anyone hitting.
Right now, this is a bad team that could use a few good fans.
Like I was saying, sign Recker to a multi-year contract. After his 2nd homer of the day, he should clearly bat cleanup. Recker xan shut me up l
ike that any time.
And Wilmer, with his 5th, still has morehomers than Kris Bryant :)
#WRecked Times 2 !!
plus a Flores Bomb
MOAR OFFENSE PLZZ!
Could Sandy and Collins had it right... d'Arnaud as your starter, Recker as backup and strong-arm DH and PH, and Plawecki at AAA as trade bait?
Now, you have exposed Plawecki as a possible weak hitter especially in critical situations. Does he still have that trade appeal?
Oh absolutely....the sabermetrical data is on Plawecki's side.
He's been hitting the ball hard a lot but nothing to show for it.
Chris -
I love how you SABR guys think...
'yeah, he's 0-30 but he hit the ball real hard right into their gloves..."
:)
Why is SNY feeding me this bullshit right now? As if the Mets being shorthanded in the bullpen had something to do with who Terry elected to go with last night in the 8th. They were shorthanded one guy—Leathersich! They were gonna use him last night in the 8th?! Because if not, that makes 0 sense. That's neither objective nor being too in love with the team—that's a freakin' conspiracy/cover-up/bullshit! I commented this 2 weeks ago: Torres doesn't profile as an 8th inning guy. Robles/Goeddel until Black/Parnell returns! They have better stuff. Goeddel hasn't given up a run all year. And @ Mack I read a comment of yours on a different post that said Cuddyer's role is "undefined." How? Hit the freakin' ball!
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