Hard times require a big-picture look for Mets fans
It’s been a tough week to be a Mets fan.
It’s unfortunate that this has come against the Braves and the Phillies but would it have been any better if it came against the White Sox and Rockies? Sure, on one hand you’d say that if they got it all out of their system against the poor teams, they would have been better equipped to take on the good teams. Or, if it started against the poor teams – why on earth would you think they would immediately get back in a groove against the good teams?
It’s difficult to remain calm and objective when things are collapsing all around you. Yet, we have to look at the big picture here. The Mets are 45-31. A year ago, after 76 games, the team was 37-39. Even with how bleak things are currently, every single one of us should prefer where the club is at now, compared to a season ago.
Let’s go back to the start of the year. If when you woke up on March 27 and were told the litany of bad things that were to happen, you’d be ecstatic to be 14 games above .500 as we close in on the midway point of the season. And for posterity, here’s a list – probably not complete – of things that have gone wrong:
1. Neither Sean Manaea nor Frankie Montas had thrown a pitch in the majors
2. Tylor Megill and Kodai Senga are currently on the IL
3. A.J. Minter and Danny Young were lost to season-ending injuries
4. Dedniel Nunez has been a non-factor in his limited appearances
5. Francisco Alvarez spent time on the IL and has an 80 OPS+ while healthy
6. Luisangel Acuna has been on the roster all season with a 72 OPS+
7. Brett Baty was sent to the minors
8. Mark Vientos got off to a miserable start and then hit the IL
9. Brandon Nimmo had a .673 OPS thru 5/23
10. Tyrone Taylor has a .636 OPS
11. Juan Soto’s OPS+ was 36 points below what it was a season ago
12. Jesse Winker is on the IL
13. Jeff McNeil missed over a month of action
14. Ryne Stanek has a 4.88 ERA, with two blown ninth-inning save opportunities
15. Paul Blackburn was sidelined until June and has a 6.92 ERA and a 1.692 WHIP
No matter how you slice it – that’s a boatload of things that have gone wrong. Sure, other teams can point to extensive lists of bad things, too. This is not to suggest that the Mets have had it tougher than every team in the league. It’s simply a reminder that the club has faced a ton of adversity on its way to being one of the top teams in the league.
Meanwhile, Vientos is close to a return to action, as is Montas. Manaea won’t be far behind. Winker should return around the All-Star break, with Senga expected back early in the second half. Thought to be out for the entire season, Brooks Raley has begun a rehab assignment and will hopefully be ready to pitch in the majors by the third week of July. The cavalry is coming.
Just like the 2015 team that went to the World Series once had John Mayberry Jr. hitting cleanup, with Eric Campbell batting behind him – despite both batters hitting well under .200 in that late July game. Things looked a lot better two months later once the injured players returned along with a key trade and a big promotion.
It seems very likely that we’ll forget about games started by Blade Tidwell, with Jose Castillo and Justin Garza coming in out of the pen and Jared Young as the DH. These are the patches you have to go thru and hopefully the turnaround begins tonight, with Griffin Canning ending his five-game slide, one that’s seen his ERA rise from 2.47 to a 3.80 mark.
It is interesting that the Yankees just went through a stretch of losing seven of eight games yet I heard no whining or panicking from Yankee fans. Think how well the Dodgers have done with the decimation to their pitching staff. Of course it helps that most of their lineup can hit the cover off the ball. The Mets are a good team but it’s scary that they tend to go on team hitting slumps every now and then that defies logic given the talent that they had. They need Vientos to come back as last year’s version and to get Montas and Manaea on the mound. They will be a shot in the arm to this weary pitching staff. Will continue to question why a young is on this roster.
The big picture is are that the Mets are a good team. Their pitching staff has the best ERA in MLB and that's without Manaea, Nunez and Mintor. Senga, Manaea, Peterson, Holmes, Canning and/or Montas is a formidable rotation. The bullpen might need some help . Raley and Megill could be internal solutions . Alonso and McNeil are having very good seasons. Soto, Lindor, Nimmo and Marte are solid. Taylor and Alvarez , two career offensive players, have to improve their offensive production. Vientos, having a down season but average, is still the better offensive option at third base. When Winker gets back the DH position will be solidified. The only thing they have to do is solve the RISP problem. It is hard times but I see a playoff team and maybe a division winner.