If you took a Real Clear Baseball poll of Mets fans, you’d probably find that 92% hate the Wilpons, 3% would be neutral about them, 2% would like them, and 3% would say “What is a Wilpon?” Margin for error in the poll?
The latter 3% are big fans, though, of the movie Clueless.
Brodie would likely not poll much better.
But I’ve been assigned as public defender for this sorry lot, so let me take a devil’s advocate position for a second.
At least for 2020.
Other attorneys are handling cases for prior seasons.
Look at me - I'm defending those Wilpons and Brodie.
Here goes:
The owners and BVW do not swing the bats, pitch the balls, or field, either.
That said:
Any team will have players hurt and with off years. The Mets sure had plenty in 2020. Big time.
First, Thor needed TJS, killing his 2019 before it started.
Then, "Mark Me Absent" Marcus Stroman got hurt shortly before opening day, and then bailed on 2020 without an inning thrown.
Matz's ERA in his mediocre 2019 was 4.21. How could Brodie know it would be 9.76 this season? With 14 HRs in 31 IP. Heck, at that pace, if he threw 250 innings, he'd have surrendered 113 homers. By comparison, in 1992, Greg Maddux threw 268 innings and allowed 7 homers.
Those 3 rotation starters (Projected pre-season SP-2,3,4) totaled 124 innings, with 100 (yes ,100) runs allowed, and went a mind-blowing 2-16 in 25 starts.
You plan ahead as GM. They all do.
But no one could have expected that.
Moving on:
Betances gets 3 extra months to get ready, due to COVID, still pitches lousy, and gets reinjured, too.
Alonso regressed much more than one might have expected, his last boomer week notwithstanding.
J.D. Davis regressed, too.
Amed Rosario did, too.
Wilson Ramos did, too.
Not off seasons for those 4. Way off seasons.
You don’t expect too much from utility players, but you don’t expect Sanchez, Dozier, and Hamilton to be so awful:
As in 4 for 46, one RBI awful.
And...you don't expect back end utility pitchers like Kilome to be so bad, too.
You don’t acquire Wacha and Porcello, assuming at least one will be decent, knowing you're gambling a bit, and all you get is 2-11, 6.00 from them over 19 starts.
You don't expect a Gsellman to do his best Matz imitation and go from 4.66 in 2019 to 9.64 in 2020.
Heck, 13 of your 23 pitchers had ERAs north of 5.00.
You read all that and it sounds like a 20-40 W/L record.
At best.
If those guys weren't collectively so hurt/horrendous, they might have even challenged for the division.
The defense rests. The Wilpons plead for mercy.
Brodie pleads to not be fired.
The jury retreats to determine a verdict.
Will the verdict be third degree stupidity?
Or just a big dose of unavoidably bad performances?
You’re the jury chairman...what is your verdict?
12 comments:
We get Buzz Capra’s birthday. The Yankee fans get a big playoffs buzz. 22 runs in two games against top pitching. Offense never offends me.
Marlins win. Cinderella dances on.
No matter what happens to the team in the Bronx during the season. Players being hurt, pitchers doing poorly they always seem to be in the playoffs. That is all we are asking as Mets fans why we can’t be that way.
Raw -
Yanks have drafted so much better than us over the years and have dominated the International market.
As for changes, it has to start from the top. BVW has proven his need to be removed.
Mack, Raw, It's not just the Draft and International Free Agents where the Yankees shine. It is advance scouting and scouting of players on other teams as well. In Brodie's first GM off-season, he signed Jed Lowrie while the Yankees signed DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela.
Preach John! I was thinking that last night watching Urshela dive in the hole to rob a hit and turn it into a double play instead. Had Urshela been BVW’s client...
Signing any player over 30 is always a risky, and likely poor, decision. When those over 30 players have been injured, even more so. And when you sign an over 30 pitcher who has been hurt, you are pretty much guaranteed to considered an idiot. When that same pitcher(s) has a career ERA of 4ish, you cannot act surprised that it turned out poorly and be taken seriously.
Sold, are you referring to Trevor Bauer? Career ERA over 4 before this year, now 3.90 after 1.73 ERA this year. He is turning 30 in January.
Gue - How I wish Fonzie was a CAA client. He'd be the Manager.
The Yankee template should overtake the confines of the headquarters
A big, big Yankee deal was getting Chapman, shipping to him to the Cubs for Gleyber Torres, then signing Chapman back. Huge. Getting Voit? Huge. DJL and Urshela? Huge. Just MUCH better decisions by the wonks from the Bronx.
Tom, I hate the Yankees in a jealous way.
Texas Gus, well put, and I could not have said it any better. They’ve had so many great moments in the past 25 years, making us hate them all the more...and very jealous.
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