For all of the talk of the Mets pitching lab, the foundation is starting to collapse. Kodai Senga with an unfortunate and very untimely injury, and the sudden ineffectiveness of Griffin Canning, Clay Holmes, and especially Tylor Megill. The bullpen has been erratic, at best, and some of the ERA’s are a tad deceiving, instead, take a look at the inherited runners allowed, blown saves, and WHIP. It hasn’t looked pretty even before the latest three-game debacle.
The feast on the Colorado Rockies the week prior was an illusion. Come on, the Rockies are having what may be the worst season in MLB history and, with the exception of the lowly Marlins losing a three-game set, every team has made a mockery of the Rockies.
Here are some things to think about:
Francisco Alvarez has regressed and is pretty much a non-factor.
Mark Vientos although displaying some power, is nowhere near what he was last year and nowhere near the expectations built on last year, and has been horrible in the field.
Brett Baty has been streaky and while he has shown glimmers of promise, he has mostly seemed overmatched.
Juan Soto was expected to be some kind of savior and that was unfair and unwarranted, however, given the contract awarded, it IS fair and it IS warranted. OK, so he walks a lot. But he has not been hitting like expected and his fielding has been as expected – horrible.
Brandon Nimmo has been very streaky and is basically useless now in the field.
Starling Marte is a shell of himself and is likely at the end of his career.
Jeff McNeil is very useful because of his versatility but he is also very streaky and unreliable.
Tyrone Taylor, the fact that he is wearing No. 15 just gnaws at me so much that I don’t care WHAT he does.
Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso are having really good seasons. Lindor is right on par with last season, and Alonso is having what is probably his best all-around offensive season, regardless of the 53 HR’s he hit that first year.
The Mets offense, other than Lindor and Alonso, has been inconsistent but has carried the team along with its successful starting pitching. But with the offense being totally neutralized by Tampa Bay pitching, and the starting rotation faltering, it makes you wonder just how far this team can really go without addressing some of the needs.
The Mets need an outfielder, preferably a centerfielder who can actually hit. The Mets don’t hit enough to have the luxury of an outfielder who doesn’t hit at all.
They need a relief pitcher, preferably a lefty. I don’t believe in that “lefty specialist” thought process. If you can pitch, you can pitch. A starter doesn’t always pitch to just righties or lefties…so why should relief pitchers? But they still need someone.
The young kids are just not performing. Alvarez, Vientos, Baty, Luis Acuna, and Ronny Mauricio are not making their respective presences known. Sure, they are hitting a home run here and there. But that’s not what is needed. They need to perform on a consistent basis on the level of a Major League Baseball player. NONE of them are doing that. NONE.
It could be that the young guys will all come together and after what is now a few years of seasoning, they will form the core of a strong team for years to come. But, remember, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden came up and dominated. David Wright and Jose Reyes came up and flourished. That is what the Mets needed and we just haven’t seen it yet.
So what are we going to see now? It’s a matter of how the Mets react and whether they can rebound from being embarrassed by the Tampa Bay Rays.
