Sandy Alderson took full blame for the state of the Mets and, specifically, defended Jose Reyes. And that surprised many fans as it seems everyone, fans, reporters, talk show hosts, alike, are all calling for Reyes’ ouster. Reyes who has been a beloved, and maligned at times, Met returned to the club with the same energy with which he always displayed in his younger days. Unfortunately, he has not produced in his limited role in an attempt to be a bench player in the sunset of his career. Why is it such a surprise? Last year Reyes got off to a very slow start when he played sparingly. His numbers when he began to play everyday were right in line with his career numbers. And his discomfort in playing, or trying to play, third base has made his lack of production even more glaring.
But is HIS non-production the problem? Has anyone noticed the one player who WAS productive, who WAS hitting well, who WAS on his way to an all-star caliber season, is in a worse skid than Reyes? Asdrubal Cabrera has four hits in his last 37 at bats for a whopping .108 batting average. And how did the REST of the team fare against the Yankees, and even the lowly Orioles prior? The Mets starting pitchers could sue the offense for support. It says something when the highest batting average in the starting lineup is owned by the starting pitcher (Zack Wheeler at .286).
Speaking of the starting pitching, the entire rotation has been magnificent and they have nothing to show for it. Actually, since May 28, Mets starters have been the best in the majors with an ERA of 2.34, the best in the majors while losing 8 of 10 games? How is that possible? By countering the best starting ERA with the worst batting average and a very unreliable bullpen, that’s how.
The Mets released Adrian Gonzalez. He served his purpose. Cutting Jose Reyes is not the answer. Actually, having a “productive” Reyes, and a “productive” Jose Bautista off the bench is a good thing, similar to what Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe brought to the team when they were acquired during stretch runs in the past. The key is that they were additions, actually luxuries, for pennant drives. Right now the Mets have a ways to go before thinking about a run for the post-season.
Complaining about the Mets ownership is not the answer either. The fact is that the Mets owners HAVE spent money, and plenty of it. They opened the coffers to Mike Piazza, Carlos Beltran, and even David Wright. They re-signed Yoenis Cespedes. While it IS true that management has shied away from the top tier free agents, who could really blame them? Alex Rodriguez’s signing by the Yankees turned out to be a bad deal, even for the Yankees. And look at Albert Pujols. I doubt the Angels are super-thrilled with that deal. Even worse, how do you think they feel about signing Josh Hamilton? Remember him?
Blame…everyone wants to delegate blame. Alderson has taken the blame for where the Mets are at. But even he doesn’t swing the bat. He doesn’t throw the ball. He doesn’t work out during an off season, come into spring training looking like Adonis, and then spend most of the season on the disabled list.
What you have to wonder is where is the talent down below? The Mets have had enough high draft picks over the years. While it’s true that there are some good young pitchers – like Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, Steven Matz, etc., take a look at what’s at Triple A, Las Vegas. Pacific Coast League stats or not, the pitching is atrocious. There is not much waiting in the wings at Double A Binghamton either. The real talent appears to be in the real low minors. A lot of good THAT does.
Even more concerning, where are the position players that are waiting in the wings? It appears that the only one on the horizon is Peter Alonso, a righthanded-hitting first baseman, at Double A. Sure, he’s lighting it up at Double A. But he can only play first base, and he doesn’t play THAT position well. So IF he is ready to hit, he will just be another liability.
A lot of teams, including the Yankees, would love to have the Mets starting rotation. If not the entire rotation, at least two, or even just ONE of the starters slotted in to their rotation. But Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Jon Matlack can testify to the fact that you can pitch your hearts out, you can consistently put up “zeros” and you still can’t win if you don’t score runs. And when you DON’T score runs, every inning you throw is a stressful inning because you know that just allowing a single run can ultimately cost you a game.
It used to be common to hear fans say that there was nothing like watching a great pitcher’s duel. Well it’s fun to watch Jacob deGrom pitch an old-fashioned masterpiece. It just ain’t no fun to watch the Mets unable to hit the broad side of a barn.
