At 2-3 with a handful of pathetic offensive performances under their collective belt, I was already prepared to stop watching the 2017 New York Mets; not because I don't believe in them long-term -- in fact, I predicted that they would return to the World Series (and lose) -- but because stranding runners in scoring position is the most frustrating thing in the world.
No one strands runners in scoring position as frequently as the Mets. I just can't handle it emotionally.
However, I kept watching (as always) and was pleasantly surprised by back-to-back competitive victories over the Marlins and Phillies. Sunday night's game was tight at 3-2, but New York was able to pull away with timely bombs from Jay Bruce and Michael Conforto.
Good sign #1: Tacking on runs when ahead.
Last night was even better, thanks to controversial headhunting and Bruce's lefty-on-lefty f**k you blast in the 8th, which put the Mets ahead 4-2, after trailing 2-0 in the early going. Jacob deGrom was shaky out of the gate -- no thanks to poor defensive reads by Jose Reyes and Curtis Granderson -- but a critical 1-2-3 double play allowed deGrom to escape a potentially damning hole. From there, the Mets were able to hang in until Bruce provided two momentum-swinging shots.
Good sign #2: Fighting back from an early deficit.
Unfortunately, the construction of the batting order is still a disaster. The Mets can optimize their win total with the correct full-time starters hitting in the appropriate lineup slots. Here's my list of suggestions:
1. Conforto should be the everyday centerfielder. Granderson still has pop in his bat, but he rarely squares a ball up. His at bat quality is unacceptable. He often goes down on 3 or 4 pitches. He's old and his days as a full-time player are likely over.
3. Asdrubal Cabrera should lead off. Neither Reyes or Granderson get on base enough to occupy such a crucial spot in the lineup.
4. Here's my everyday lineup:
1. Asdrubal Cabrera - SS
2. Michael Conforto - CF
3. Yoenis Cespedes - LF
4. Jay Bruce - RF
5. Neil Walker - 2B
6. Wilmer Flores - 3B
7. Lucas Duda - 1B
8. Travis d'Arnaud - C
What do my fellow Mets fans think about that?
Agree on all counts...I might add that any team with serious post season aspirations needs to acquire a bona fide MLB catcher. Enough with the experiment. Weiters was out there....not sure what they were thinking...
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for reading and commenting! I certainly agree that catcher is a weak position for our Mets, but I would counter that it wasn't a strongpoint for the Indians during their run last season, nor the Mets' run the preceding year. It's definitely nice to have a frontline catcher, but there aren't many out there. More important than anything else, the Mets need to cash in runners in scoring position.
ReplyDeleteThe lineup only works if Cabrera, Cespedes, Flores, Duda and d'Arnaud can stay healthy
ReplyDeleteHaha, Mike, I wrote this back in April...the days of that possible lineup are longgg gone.
ReplyDelete