The New York Mets: On The Up!
(…maybe…probably not…..but hopefully).
If you’d have been asked how many games below .500% the Mets would be in mid August at the start of the season, you’d of probably said around 10. At the time of writing after a 1-5 run (including a series loss to a Dodgers team playing as well as they have done since the legendary number 42 suited up for them) the Mets are 56-66, solidifying their label of mid-level mediocrity for the 2013 season.
On top of this Mets fans had to endure the All Star Game at Citifield this year. The best in the business suiting up along with a media circus swarming over the Bronx was and IS meant to be a good thing, however when the New York Mets host the All Star Game only for the whole night to become about Mariano Rivera. The best closer to play the game taking part in his last ever All Star Game admittedly deserves a send-off worthy of a man who’s dedicated over 20 years to the sport. But when for two decades he’s won five World Series and amassed the MLB record for saves whilst wearing the Yankee’s pinstripes it’s a hard pill to take that this man should be honoured centre stage at the home of the Mets…Oh and to top it off they placed a brand new Corvette in the middle of the park and gave it to him as a present.
But Mets fans have a lot to be thankful for this year ON THE FIELD. Off the field sure, the stadium still hasn’t been welcomed despite the Shea being long gone. Plus ‘the world’s highest ever paid professional sports player in one season’ Bobby Bonilla has had a clause triggered in his contract meaning that the nearly 50 year old (who played his best ball without the Mets jersey on) will be paid around $1m a year from now until 2035.
Back to on the field. 2013 has been the year of Harvey for the 7 line. Prior to the season Matt Harvey was touted as a starting rotation prospect but he has blown all (full) first season expectations that the Mets pitching staff would’ve had in him. Starting 25 games so far this year Harvey has proven to have the stubborn habit of not allowing teams to beat him, only letting up four losses on the way to a 10-4 record so far. His arm hasn’t gone unnoticed by the global MLB audience either when he was voted into the MLB All-Star game this year and was consequently handed the starter mantle in his own park. Pitching for a team not exactly in a position to have a winning record makes his own personal record for the team all the more impressive, capped off with a great 2.25ERA; Matt Harvey is one of the reasons why Citifield fans finally have hope.
Another reason (staying on the theme of pitching) is Zack Wheeler. At only 23 the young ginger-bearded pitcher burst on to the scene mid-season and has shown he’s an arm for the future, having already flirted with a no-hitter earlier on in the season his record stands at 5-2 with a 3.33ERA, which is actually an improvement on what he amassed in the minors. Teamed with Harvey the two make a great one-two punch in the starting rotation, both are young heightening their trade value massively if the Mets looked to cash in on young talent to try and take the next step sooner but if they are both pitching in the 2014 season for the Mets then you have yourself a great core to build around. Guys like Niese and Hefner can’t be faulted for their efforts this season but they just aren’t high calibre starting pitchers like Harvey and Wheeler.
Not only are things improving in the rotation but out on the batters plate there seems to be a cohesiveness and depth of talent that hasn’t suited up for the Mets in a long time.
Superman David Wright (bar a couple of small injuries) is playing like his All-Star billing and is currently the only guy on the roster with a batting average over .300 (.309%.) But a batters average doesn’t tell the whole story; take catcher John Buck for example, his average is a less than acceptable .219 but he has 15HR’s (3rd on the team) and 60RBI’s, the second most on the entire team, meaning when his bat hits the ball, he’s not just playing for average, he’s playing to score runs for his time.
Marlon Byrd has also been a useful addition to the roster. The 35 year old former All Star only signed a minor league contract to begin with but has been the 3rd most productive guy on the team as well as hitting at least two (one memorable one early in the season against the Marlins) walk off game winning hits. The veteran has boosted the morale of his team-mates and fans through his enjoyable style of play (leading the team in HR’s and RBI’s) whilst also possessing over a decade of big league experience to help push the young players.
And speaking of young players….The Mets have decided to hand Major League debuts to six different guys this season, Wheeler being a notable name on the list. So too is young Wilmer Flores, having to fill in for his injured captain at 3rd base would seem like an impossible task but has soon shown Terry Collins and his staff that he is a player to watch out for. Batting with a .282% average and average an RBI per game for his short career (11 games so far) he’ll be sure to be tried out in a different field position to allow him to play a lot more games next season. The 22 year odl Venezuelan is one to watch out for.
Up until a month ago the Mets flirted with coming close to .500% in the W-L column but due to a tough road schedule and Wright being injured it’s been a tough 28 days for the team. Another positive to take from recent disappointments is the evolution of second baseman Daniel Murphy, in his 3rd year but first as a regular he has proven that he can bat for average (.280% for his career) whilst also developing the tools to hit in runs and clear the ball park, hitting 10 homers and securing 57RBI’s (just 8 less than last year with 40 games left on the season still.) The Mets now have a group of four or five guys that are constantly contributing on offense, whilst the rest of the team are still below par for a team wanting to move up in the world.
So overall things aren’t looking too gloomy for New York for the first time in a long time, even the farm system Binghampton team have made the playoffs for the first time in a long time, showing that the Front Office and Coaches concerted efforts to develop talent from within whilst also making shrewd trades is starting to pay-off, and don’t be surprised if this time next season (with some fresh and experienced players added) that the Mets aren’t just above the .500% mark and staking a claim as a high quality franchise once again.