After Subway Series, Optimism Is Mets’ Fans Only Hope

I recently saw a Roy Keene Father’s Day card, reminding me of the grunting star from ‘Ted Lasso’ and the ending of its third season. The titular character returns home and falls asleep with visions that include the team owner selling shares to the fans.

The three fans that serve as a voice for the overall fanbase. They’ll clink their beers at Mae’s pub regardless of the team’s position in the standings. That’s the team they grew up with and will continue to root for; just like the New York Mets. I’m going to root for them regardless, so it’s only logical to be hopelessly optimistic and believe in the possibility of a postseason position in the end.

The logic is not to believe this team will reach the postseason. There are flaws that can’t be fixed immediately and the one thing they don’t have is time. They don’t have time to wait for the latest version of Tylor Megill to become the norm. That’s something that has to happen now and one can only hope it’s because of a pause.

On Friday night against the Cardinals, the 6-foot-7 starter went a strong six innings with 7 strikeouts and no walks. Watching the game, he clearly paused and appeared to take a breath before completing his motion and delivering an easy 97 MPH fastball with much better location. All of his pitches work off his fastball, so logically they worked and he was a statistical image of the starter that pitched the 2022 season opener at Citi Field.

But Megill was intended to start in Syracuse, so it is illogical to expect him to be the backbone of this rotation. That is the reason why Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are paid a lot of money. I know they’re paid a lot of money because it feels attached to their name, as if they were knighted by the paycheck. But the flaws of those focused on salary that they don’t pay are only made louder when the player doesn’t perform.

Scherzer didn’t perform in the first game of the Subway Series, following a familiar trend of bad teams. When the offense finally produces an early 5-1 lead, the starter promptly gives it right back. With the pinstriped faithful in attendance, they tagged Scherzer with six runs and forced Buck Showalter to get him before the fourth inning was finished. For a game between two “crosstown rivals” who only started playing regularly 27 years ago, it was eerily quiet at Citi Field.

It’s the sound of a crowd that expects the worst and rightfully so. It joins a fanbase that called out for assistance from the minor leagues and while Francisco Alvarez is proving to be here to stay, the other two look a little out of place. Brett Baty has shown a strong arm at third, but hasn’t been as strong with the glove and his overall range. It’s a small thing, but the overall defensive product has taken a step back. From an early season point of pride, the Mets team defensive numbers are now towards the bottom of the league.

And that was with Mark Vientos enjoying the accutroments of a Major League bench and clubhouse. Showalter was criticized for not finding the rookie slugger more at bats, but his inability to play the field made it tough adding another struggling bat to an already struggling offense. The idea that Vientos should be given time to get accustomed means a willingness to live with the results, a reality that doesn’t logically exist.

Really, it doesn’t matter because I’m going to watch. Therefore, it is illogical to inject negativity into something I’m positively invested in. The three AFC Richmond fans proudly display their one share each; but I’m more like Mae with her large stack of papers. I’m all in, so I have nothing but to believe.

I already believe in Alvarez and Brandon Nimmo; but I must also believe that Starling Marte will round into form. His bat and speed at the top of the lineup is seemingly forgotten from the success story from 2022 when he was an All-Star; so getting closer to his .288 career batting average would be more than enough. It would be enough to get continued production from either Tommy Pham or Mark Cahna, but you can’t ask for too much.

I can ask for additional starting pitching and luckily, that’s already on its way. Jose Quintana has been out since Port St. Lucie, but his return will be like a trade deadline addition. Only the team won’t have to part with the sliver of quality prospects left in the minor league system. Vientos returns to that system with the activation of Pete Alonso and I’m alone in hoping he returns with a slightly different mindset at the plate.

In 2022, Alonso used his opposite field power to bash much-needed singles and hit .271. He also led the majors with 131 RBIs, scoring 95 runs as part of an offense that excelled and keeping the wheel turning. The joy of watching the Mets last year was their dominance of the little things, starting with putting the bat on the ball and finishing with the least strikeouts in the National League.

When they did hit the ball, they found ways to advance runners and keep the wheel turning. When it was hit at them, they fielded it. Last year, they finished a .988 fielding percentage and it showed with a team ERA of 3.57. It was difficult to easily score runs in Showalter’s first term as Mets manager. But that was then and this is now.

I can’t replicate the joy it was to watch the Mets last year. I knew at the time what I was witnessing was special and this year’s pain only emphasizes that point. This is the history of this franchise on display. For all the glory behind 1969 and 1973, the Mets didn’t reach the postseason the following season. It’s only with the introduction of the wild card that Bobby Valentine guided the team to back to back postseason trips and the actual Subway Series in 2000. The wild card is again the only way this team goes to back to back postseasons again and that’s the truth.