Paul Articulates - The Deep Run

This magical run that the Mets were on until late last night was something that the fans will remember forever.  The way the team rallied around each other and came back from adversity so many times made everyone believe that it would never end.

A great Dodgers team finally ended the run, and in the way they succeeded there are lessons to be learned.  Their plate discipline took advantage of a Mets staff that liked to nibble around the corners.  

Their ability to recognize pitches and the patience to wait for the one they wanted led to countless big hits.  Much can be learned from this approach, as the Mets far too often were caught chasing balls out of the strike zone.

But this is not about the Mets failings as it is about their successes.  Those successes were not instantaneous - most took many trials.  

Take, for example the front office.  David Stearns has made some great personnel decisions this year, but he has also made some wrong ones.  His strength has been the ability to recognize a mistake and correct it.  Several players he signed were later released as he continued to hone the right roster.    In the end no one lamented the earlier mistakes, they celebrated the body of work.  

Francisco Lindor got off to a rough start this year.  His strength was the relentless work ethic that saw him never stop trying to get better.  And better he got - to the extent that he got himself into the MVP conversation when his competition was re-writing record books.  

Lindor may come in second in that vote, but he is now first in the hearts of Mets fans which is in itself a remarkable turnaround from that forgettable second season.

How about Jose Iglesias?  OMG this guy was amazing.  He was an established major league player that got stuck in the minors for what must have seemed like forever.  But he never gave up, kept working, and ended up having a dream season for the Mets.  

His personal achievements were only part of his accomplishments.  He lifted the team morale with his tremendous spirit.  His song OMG was about keeping faith amongst his struggles and that epitomized the entire team this year.

The Sean Manaea story is also remarkable.  Here is a pitcher that has spent nine years in the major leagues with some reasonable amount of success.  More than half of the year had gone by, and he is grinding out the second half when he suddenly watches another pitcher (Chris Sale) in action and decides to reinvent himself.  The result was the best performance of his career.

The success of Carlos Mendoza is another highlight of this season.  The bond he created with this team allowed him to instill great confidence in his players that was a key component in the cumulative state of mind this team had.  

That confidence led them to believe that they could succeed regardless of the situation, which was essential to the huge victories they had from the year-end Atlanta series to the playoff wins in Milwaukee and Philadelphia and even that huge game 5 win that sent the NLDS back to Los Angeles.  Mendoza shaped this team's psyche, and that won as many games as the talent.

Mark Vientos did not make this ballclub coming out of spring training.  He thought he was headed north with the team but at the last moment the team signed JD Martinez and sent Mark to Syracuse.  

This could have crushed the spirit and career of many players, but Vientos remained strong, stayed committed to improving his game, and with a .966 OPS in the playoffs this year he has solidified his position with the team for the foreseeable future.

It was a remarkable season for so many reasons, and as we turn the page to the off season there is renewed hope that Mr. Cohen and Mr. Stearns are capable of building a sustainable winner.  Let's go Mets!