Reese Kaplan -- No More Help On Hand to Drive to October

So Game 1 of the 5-game set with the Braves is in the books and the Mets emerged on the winning side with some good offensive contributions from newcomers Tyler Naquin and Daniel Vogelbach.  

While everyone is banking on regulars like Pete Alonso (who contributed a long ball of his own), these newcomers are making people who were heretofore ready to serve Billy Eppler up to an unwalled zoo filled with hungry predators, the former Angels executive for a week or so is looking pretty smart. 

What the Mets need to do now is figure out how to make the best use of the new and returning faces to the dugout.  Not to anyone's surprise Stephen Nogosek, Yoan Lopez, Kramer Robertson and Patrick Mazeika are no longer part of the big league ballclub.  

Joining the big club are returnees Trevor May and James McCann, the huge return of Jacob deGrom, then newcomers Mychal Givens and Darin Ruf who join the other big (no play on words) addition, Daniel Vogelbach.   

Some of the Mets fans were anxious to see the club rush some of their high performing minor leaguers up to join the big club.  Mark Vientos is on track at the AAA level to have his biggest season ever on his way to the majors.  He currently has 19 HRs and 54 RBIs while hitting .267.  He has ample time left to surpass his minor league best numbers against a higher level of pitching.  

The issue here, however, is where he would play.  As much as folks naively think that teams play their most potent players, the fact is that folks under performing making big bucks will get a never ending stack of second chances to confirm it's just a slump or a physical ailment or whatever keeping him from delivering at the level that was expected.  Witness Eduardo Escobar.

The one in AAA everyone is truly anxious to see make that next step is catcher Francisco Alvarez. After a slow first week or so adjusting to the next level of competition the 20 year old catcher is showing why he's drawn the scouting reports and prospect ranking he's well earned.  

True, his catching game is not yet going to make anyone forget James McCann, but despite Eppler's reassurance that he is not rushing the man to the majors, you can't help but wonder how he'd match up to the best of the best on the major league pitching mound.  Be patient, he'll definitely be in early consideration for debut as a 21-year-old in 2023.  

Right now it appears that barring injuries, the club you see is pretty much what you're going to get as the club tries to tie a knot around the first place standing.  There are questions about a few players like Joely Rodriguez and other fringe members of the bullpen.  It's entirely possible that the club is going to use them in only sure win or sure loss situations since they have not proven capable of entrusting them with the game on the line.  

Some may prove to be better than expected (like Trevor Williams) while others who have shown some success in the majors elsewhere may find they have simply lost their mojo.  

How far the Mets progress the rest of the year and into October is going to require Jeremy Hefner to do his best magical manipulation of who's hot and who's not, while simultaneously identifying whatever it is that the second tier pitchers need to hear in order to be hot a lot more regularly.