Surprise! The New York Mets Are Terrible
As one baseball writer wrote back in December, “The New York Mets should improve on their 77 – 85 record from 2018 and stand a good chance to post their first winning season since 2016.”
That writer was me, and I wonder if that article, published on December 7—the date of the original bombing of Pearl Harbor—should go down in infamy.
As of June 29, the 37 – 47 Mets sit in fourth place in the NL East, 13 games back of the first-place Atlanta Braves and only 2.5 games ahead of the Miami Marlins. They are losers of seven games in a row and are 2 – 8 over their last 10. They own an uninspired -38 run differential. What’s more, Fangraphs now projects the team to finish at 77 – 85—right where they finished last year.
So much for that winning season, huh?
What exactly has gone wrong with the 2019 New York Mets—other than that they’re, well, the New York Mets? Let’s take a closer look at a team that, despite an active offseason, has struggled overall.
ABOUT THOSE NEW ACQUISITIONS…
Four home runs. 18 runs batted in. A .232 batting average. So far, Robinson Cano’s return to New York hasn’t been a successful experiment. Of course, it probably hasn’t helped that Cano has only played in 59 of 84 games, hitting the injured list twice.
Still, this was the concern when he was first signed: that the aging second baseman ran the risk of a statistical drop-off or breaking down. Granted, there’s still time for Cano to turn his season around. As of now, though, his performance (and his lack of hustle) are points of concern.
On the pitching side, meanwhile, closer Edwin Diaz, coming off a career season that saw him garner Cy Young votes, has been a complete disappointment. Diaz is 1 – 5 this year with a 4.94 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 31 innings pitched. After blowing four saves in 73 appearances in 2018, he has already blown four saves in just 33 games in 2019. Sure, the high K/9 rate is still there (14.52). The results, however, clearly are not.
Baseball columnist John Harper, exploring the range of possible explanations for Diaz’s struggles, cites the observations of scouts and other insiders that his slider, a major reason for his dominance last season, has been a liability this time around. The concern is that Diaz, used heavily in 2018, may be suffering from arm fatigue, if not bone chips in his elbow. Whatever the reason, Diaz’s mechanics appear to be off, and opposing batters have taken advantage. Collectively, the New York Mets have paid a hefty price for two underachievers in Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz.
By the way, it may also be worth mentioning Jed Lowrie, acquired in the offseason on a two-year, $20 million deal, has yet to play in a game this year, and one wonders if his absence thus far will turn into a lost season altogether.
BULLPEN WOES
Diaz’s issues stand out among New York Mets relievers, but he’s not the only one in the bullpen who has faltered.
Robert Gsellman, the most-used pitcher among Mets relievers, owns a 5.08 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 44.1 IP. One-time closer Jeurys Familia, at this writing waiting to be activated from the IL, has been abysmal, posting a 7.84 ERA and 1.84 WHIP. Even Seth Lugo, who heretofore has been the Mets’ most reliable performer out of the ‘pen, has given up multiple runs in his last three appearances and has seen his ERA rise from 2.23 to 3.60 in the process.
Manager Mickey Callaway has heard his share of criticism in his second year as New York Mets manager (more on this later). As regards his stable of relievers, though, it seems as if any choice he could make would be a losing proposition. Seth Lugo aside, the best performer to register 10 or more appearances has been Wilmer Font at a 4.74 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. If I were him, I’d be downright terrified to come out to the mound to make a change.
WHAT ABOUT THAT GREAT STARTING STAFF?
Coming off a Cy Young Award win in 2018, it was going to be hard if not impossible for Jacob deGrom to meet the lofty expectations the baseball world has set for him and which he has set for himself. Even so, a 4 – 7 record, 3.32 ERA, and 1.11 WHIP feels underwhelming coming from deGrom. Obviously, the unimpressive win-loss record is nothing new for deGrom, who by now is well accustomed to a lack of run support and/or a lack of help from the bullpen.
The underlying stats don’t signify the same dominance, however. As with Edwin Diaz, the strikeouts are there (deGrom ranks in the top 10 in Major League Baseball) and he’s still the unquestioned leader of the starting staff. He’s just not quite…Jacob deGrom.
Speaking of that starting staff, the results have been noticeably mixed.
Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are striking out less than a batter an inning and own ERAs north of 4.50. Zach Wheeler has been better at missing bats but finds himself similarly positioned in terms of earned run average. Syndergaard is 26. Wheeler is 29. To be outpitched by the 36-year-old Jason Vargas in any respect is an evident problem, but here we are.
THE INJURY BUG BITES AGAIN
As noted, Jeurys Familia is on the 10-day IL and Jed Lowrie hasn’t seen the field in 2019. Noah Syndergaard is just coming back from the IL after suffering a hamstring injury. Brandon Nimmo, one of the New York Mets’ bright spots from 2018, has been out since May and is currently shut down from baseball activities. Even if these players’ contributions have been suspect at times, their absences open the door for replacement-level players to fill the void. With all due respect to Walter Lockett, that’s a tough ask for a team looking to compete.
And then there’s Yoenis Cespedes.
“La Potencia,” already recovering from heel surgery in August, suffered a freak accident in the form of a “violent fall” at his ranch in May, breaking his right ankle and ending a season that never truly got underway.
Even with the insurance the Mets have on the Cuban slugger (who hasn’t played since last July), Cespedes’s contract is quickly becoming a bust.
What’s more, after two injury-plagued years for the squad in 2017 and 2018, it makes one wonder if the Mets are purely unlucky or the victim of a curse. In a sport known for its superstitions, the case for a supernatural explanation is a compelling one.
CLOSING THOUGHTS: They’re Still the Mets
Any time a team does poorly despite being top-10 in the league in team payroll as the New York Mets are, the manager’s seat is liable to be hot. As discussed earlier, Mickey Callaway’s options seemingly have been limited. If hitters aren’t getting on base and when pitchers are getting shelled, that’s on the players more than the coaching staff.
The obvious counterargument is that Callaway, who was hired as team manager after finding success as a pitching coach in Cleveland, should be able to do better with a staff with the talent of deGrom, Syndergaard, Wheeler, and Matz. Again, if the players aren’t executing, that’s one thing. At this point, though, the grace period is over and it’s worth wondering whether Callaway and his staff are giving the Mets roster the best chance to succeed. For that matter and already looking ahead to 2020, the same will be asked of general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.
What’s patently indefensible, meanwhile, is any off-field misconduct, and as some might argue, Callaway and Jason Vargas are lucky to get away with mere fines recently after the former yelled at reporter Tim Healey and the latter threated him with physical violence following a loss.
Losing isn’t an excuse for berating or intimidating the press and only invites more unflattering coverage. When you must be given a second chance to try to apologize, too, that is an immediate red flag. If Callaway and Vargas have truly learned something from this incident, their continued employment is somewhat plausible. Unfortunately, their subsequent handling of this altercation suggests otherwise.
The worst part of the Mets’ downward spiral is it overshadows some bright spots to be found on the current roster.
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention All- Star Pete Alonso, who is a viable NL Rookie of the Year candidate. His 28 home runs are good for second in the National League (surpassed only by reigning MVP Christian Yelich) and his 62 RBI are top-10.
Jeff McNeil, who has spent time at second base, third base, left field, and right field at points this season, is second in the National League in batting average.
Amed Rosario, Michael Conforto, and Wilson Ramos have been reasonably productive offensively as well.
Alas, their contributions haven’t been enough to make the New York Mets contenders.
Amid all the commemoration of the team’s miracle run in 1969, the present troubles of the 2019 “Amazins” make it that much harder to celebrate given the uncertainty and trepidation about the club’s future. The Wilpons have long been derided for their ownership of the team. Fifty years after the Mets’ first World Series win, their questionable (to put it mildly) steering of an organization apparently nowhere near winning another championship once more looms large.
-Joe Mangano
