The Midsummer Classic takes place next week and serves as the midway point to the baseball season. But for a game that has leaned heavily into the many statistical numbers possible, the mathematical midway point was between two typical losses for this year’s team - a 3-2 loss to Milwaukee on Thursday when two relievers barely on the radar couldn’t hold a lead and a 5-4 loss to San Francisco on Friday when David Robertson did the same.
It overshadows the many missed opportunities by the offense to put close contests out of reach or the failures by starting pitchers to provide length, lessening the pressure on an overtaxed bullpen with little time for recovery. Entering the season with legitimate hope for success, it hasn’t been just one part of the Mets’ roster that’s failed. The problems have gone from top to bottom and I’m still slightly confused why, but that’s what we’re here to do - take a look back at my 'Major League' inspired preseason thoughts on the upcoming 2023 season, see what I got wrong and what I got really wrong.
I expected Omar Narvaez to be something like Jake Taylor and restart his career, eventually serving as a backup to Francisco Álvarez. I did not expect early injuries that made calling up the top prospect a necessity, not a priority. But once he arrived and didn’t appear overwhelmed, the job was his and Narvaez is now available for a willing trade partner.
I say that and forget many Mets fans have a sports-type PTSD and still emote as if the Wilpons were the owners. But this is a new day, my friends. As made evident in the Eduardo Escobar trade and spoken aloud in his 20-minute press conference last week, stop talking about money as if it’s a concern.
I already consider the money spent, so if I can find ways to improve our farm system and that’s the path we take, I’m open to all ideas.
I’m open to watching the growth of Alvarez for the next decade behind the plate at Citi Field. He’s 21 years old, defends one end of a diamond with a cannon arm and looks out onto all the possibilities like refining his hitting approach or finishing this season with 30 home runs. The one thing that concerns me for the remainder of this year is how games are called. Could that be why opponents seem to reach two strikes, but can't be put away? Is the evident increase in team ERA due to Tomas Nido missing time? If so, then I'm willing to await Alvarez learning oppositions’ lineups, a talent that only comes with time.
In the preseason, I focused on Jeff McNeil getting a dump truck full of money. At the time, some pundits said he could have gotten more on the open market. Hindsight is always 20/20, but he’s still a singles hitter who’s high-quality defensive versatility has kept him on the field during a horrible offensive season. The hope is his recent success going down the left field line against the Giants is a reminder of how he won a batting title in 2022.
I compared the diminishment of Pete Alonso’s skills in any way to the celebration scene in 'Major League' when Ricky Vaughn doesn’t know whether teammate Roger Dorn will hug him or punch him. While everyone else seems pleased with Alonso's 25 swings and the home runs they've produced, Pete and I see something different, evident in someone who just finished “probably the worst month I’ve ever had in the big leagues”.
I focus on Alonso because he has no replacement. Short of a Herschel Walker-sized deal; something like a Boesky, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, a Leon Spinks; and the biggest Ella Fitzgerald ever; I don’t see them trading the two-time Home Run Derby champion. But they did say that the vault was safe.
The thought of security guards moving someone’s bed outside while they’re still asleep will always make me smile. Willie Mays Hayes provides speed for Cleveland and as a team, the Mets were using speed without penalty. Their streak of 35 without a caught stealing also ended in the 5-4 loss to the Giants, but that doesn’t change the aggressiveness on the bases. Motivators like Tommy Pham and Starling Marte are leading the charge and stealing more and both could be gone before August.
Despite fans gaining popularity screaming at Marte, he has two years remaining on his four-year deal. Pham, however, is a Met through the remainder of the season. The conspiracy theorist would tell you that his play has picked up now so he can find a better landing spot in August. The fans that badmouthed him throughout the spring shouldn’t mind either way and anyone hoping for a last-minute late-season run at the last wild card spot know that Pham is likely going to be needed. Either way, I’m wishing you well Mr. Pham.
The loss of Edwin Diaz doesn’t get much notice now since it happened in March, but the effects have resonated since and are certainly seen whenever Buck Showalter lifts the bullpen phone. Entering the season, the strength of the pen was its depth and the certainty of the last three outs. Without Sugar, the sandcastle crumbled; especially when your starter can’t get through six innings. The winning percentage when they reach that ‘quality start’ milestone is always flashed up by SNY and for good reason. That was the expectation, one that shows success when met. When it’s not reached, the team is not good - simple as that.
It’s simple to blame regression on David Peterson and Tylor Megill, but neither were intended to break camp with the team. They were both supposed to be in Syracuse. After seeing both against MLB lineups last year, Buck Showalter, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and GM Billy Eppler all believed the team needed more starting pitching from outside the club. So to have high expectations for either is insincere. Hopefully, Peterson has rediscovered his backfoot slider and can flourish going forward, but I’m still waiting to see what Jose Quintana will do for this team. He won’t make his Mets debut until after the All-Star break and that’s the truth.
Upcoming Series: New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks
Tuesday, July 4
Kodai Senga (6-5, 3.53 ERA) vs. Zach Davies (1-4, 6.54 ERA)
Wednesday, July 5
Max Scherzer (7-2, 3.87 ERA) vs. Tommy Henry (5-1, 4.08 ERA)
Thursday, July 6
TBD vs. Ryne Nelson (5-4, 4.67 ERA)
- Mets 2024 Preview - Get Ready And Be Patient - March 28, 2024
- Edwin Diaz Shines In Spring Debut - March 11, 2024
- Mets notes From spring's first pitch in Florida - February 26, 2024
