Reese Kaplan -- What Got the Mets to Late October Baseball

After turning in a pair of embarrassing shutouts in the playoffs which went for a combined 17-0 score, the Mets are probably understanding that the OMG magic may have some limitations.  When everything doesn’t break 100% right the holes in the team’s productivity rear their ugly head.  Many people criticize me for being overly pessimistic and not appreciative of what the club can do and has done.  I think of it as being statistically realistic instead of emotionally driven for miracles to occur.

No matter how you slice it, things are right now pretty difficult looking ahead.  The Dodgers hold a 2-1 lead in the seven game series.  Previously invisible MVP Shoehei Ohtani delivered the big blow to put Game 3 away for good.  However, the Dodgers are not a one trick pony as they have gotten contributions up and down their lineup from their offense while enjoying surprisingly effective pitching from their starters and relievers.  

There’s not much point in rehashing specifically what went wrong for the Mets in those two losses.  Their pitching has been lackluster and their hitting 2 out of 3 times simply missing in action.  Without strong hitting nor strong pitching the win probability against any team sinks dramatically.  When you’re facing the would be National League Champions fighting for entry into the World Series, well, it make the already thin ice on which the Mets are resting even more fragile than it already was.

So what has gone right for this team in 2024?  Well, the first thing you have to commend is not any of the hard core metrics that fill screens with data on baseballreference.com.  No, when the team seemed ready to throw in the towel for the entire year as early as May, it was a change in attitude that transformed this club from wannabe winners to actual contenders.  

What precipitated this positivity and stick-to-itiveness?  Well, first and foremost is manager Carlos Mendoza.  He was never overly negative during the wins nor overly positive during the losses.  Even when celebrating the postseason success he remembered to make the players pay homage to their families, their friends and the fans for all of the support given on the long and difficult road into October baseball.

Second is the change in attitude from new POBO David Stearns.  I mentioned once before it was refreshing to see a baseball executive who understoods when things don’t work they won’t necessarily magically fix themselves.  He puts the team needs ahead of his own ego as evidenced by parting ways with his selections like Adrian Houser, Joey Wendle and Zack Short.  We have seen a great many executives in the past who were too stubborn and insecure in their bad decision making to continue to try to make necessary changes to get better.

Then on the player side, that improvement came from some likely places such as Francisco Lindor.  After his slow start he went on an absolute tear and finished the year in what would have been a legitimate first time ever New York Mets MVP candidate if not for the 50-50 season posted by Shohei Ohtani.  

However, it was unsung players that contributed well above and beyond reasonable expectations.  Yes, Jose Iglesias is a career .280 hitter but he finished 57 points higher than that.  Mark Vientos didn’t even come north with the team and with his post season offense is now showing 30 HRs for the season and statistically on a trajectory for what would have been 40 with 115 RBIs had he actually played every day.  Luis Torrens though slumping badly in September was still markedly better than the substitutes the Mets trotted in and out of their lineups under previous regimes.  

On the pitching  side, there were folks who exceeded expectations starting with free agent acquisition Sean Manaea.  He pitched so well that the club may likely try to negotiate an extension rather than letting him opt out and walk away.  David Peterson threw the best numbers of his entire career.  Even Tylor Megill was able more often than not to show he was no longer the guy threatening to cross 5.00 in ERA.  Luis Severino’s success was more about remaining healthy than in stellar performance.  Jose Quintana put together some of his best work late in the year when the club needed it most.  Who foresaw Reed Garrett becoming a key man in the bullpen?  Jose Butto during the regular year was as dependable as the day is long.  Oft-injured Sean Reid Foley was spectacular until once again his arm gave out.  And who in the world was Dedniel Nunez before his reawakening at the new pitching lab?

The down side, of course, is a great many players who under performed for much of the year.  That group includes Pete Alonso, J.D. Martinez, newcomer Jesse Winker, Harrison Bader, Tyrone Taylor, Jeff McNeil and various relief pitchers.  Still, despite not always putting the best of the best at the plate or on the mound it was the attitude above all else that helped the OMG squad create more highlight reel finishes that could reasonably be expected.  

No one knows how things will go between now and the end of the NLCS.  Nor does anyone know who is staying and who is going when free agency hits.  The consistent faces of Carlos Mendoza and David Stearns, however, are most definitely part of 2025 and beyond.  For that alone the Mets fans and media should be grateful.