I know…I know… It’s been a week, now, and the last thing we need is yet another post-mortem on the Mets’ 2016 season. The wound from their loss in the Wild Card “Series” is still fresh and there are other goings-on in the wide, wide world of baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays stole the Mets’ formula of stout starting pitching and lots of long balls to make short work of first, the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card game and the Texas Rangers in the Division Series. The scrappy Cleveland Indians surprisingly swept the Boston Red Sox and will now face the Jays for the AL Pennant. The formidable Chicago Cubs have avenged our demise at the hands of the San Francisco Giants and sent them home early. Perhaps we can now finally put to rest all the “even-year” garbage and the talismanic aura attached to it. Yes, the Giants won titles in 2010, ’12 and ’14. Not at all coincidentally, they were all years when their bullpen was solid. In those odd years when it wasn’t? Not so much.
But, back to the Mets. It was beyond amazin’ that they got to the Wild Card game at all. Their plight this year has been well documented and this collection of culls somehow gathered itself and played a one hundred sixty-third game. The whole year was played under a pall. What’s wrong with Matt Harvey? Jacob deGrom doesn’t look sharp. David Wright needs a serious operation on his neck. Lucas Duda has a broken back. Steven Matz’s elbow is bothering him. Every day, in every way, it got worse and worse. There was an almost daily dose of bad news, such that on August 19, the team – the defending NL Champions – found themselves two games under .500. Doubt was expressed in public and in private: it was about this time that your intrepid columnist received an e-mail from the Mets, touting the opportunity to purchase post-season tickets. He literally laughed out loud. This seemed to be the ultimate LOLMets moment. So with that plea set on “ignore,” he steeled himself to watch the glum denoument of a dashed pennant defense.
Except it wasn’t so glum.
The Mets took the opportunity presented to them. The St. Louis Cardinals, front-running the Wild Card race basically since the All-Star break started to stumble and dropped to the second spot. The Giants, possessors of the best record in baseball at the break, were mired in a two month downward spiral which saw them blow the NL West lead to the Dodgers and cling to the top Wild Card slot by their fingernails. The Mets? They were stuck behind the Miami Marlins, five-and-a-half games out of that second rung, but something was bubbling. They split a four-game series with the Giants. They won a three-game series from the Cardinals. They took three-of-four from the Marlins at home. In a mirror opposite of the end of the odious 2007 season, they used the “soft” portion of their schedule to their advantage, for the most part – five losses in six games to the Atlanta Braves being the exception. From that 60-62 point on August 19, the Mets’ final 40 games saw them go 27-13. Remarkable stuff, to be sure, but even then, there was doubt. Sure, we said, even if they beat the Giants in the Wild Card game, they’ll be no match for the Cubs. Sadly, we’ll never find out.
You know what a pitcher’s most important weapon is? It’s not a blazing 101-MPH fastball. It’s not a deep-dipping curveball or a darting slider. It’s the ability to put doubt in a batter’s mind. The best pitchers make the best hitters doubt themselves, doubt their own abilities. They’ll take the hill and tell themselves, “This guy’s not beating me today,” and then go out and prove it. The Giants’ Madison Bumgarner is quite possibly the best “big game” pitcher of this generation. He doesn’t possess the fire of his opposite number from last week, Noah Syndergaard, but he does pitch smart and has an uncanny knack for putting the ball exactly where he wants to. In so doing, he had fine hitters like Jay Bruce and Asdrubal Cabrera hitting mild popups all night. What he did to Yoenis Cespedes borders on the criminal. How often do you see Cespedes check his swing? Everyone says Cespedes doesn’t get cheated when he takes his hacks. He must have stopped his swing at least six times against Bumgarner. See? Doubt.
And so…the doubt no goes into winter hibernation. It will all but disappear come the springtime.
Then there will be a whole new season over which to fret.
Follow me on Twitter @CharlieHangley.
Bumgardener isn’t one of the best pitchers in baseball by accident, but rather because he ranges from 72 to 97 and puts it exactly where it needs to go. Catfish Hunter, who was a control artist said that command is the hardest tool to master for a young pitcher. The Mets pitching corps as a whole, and the bullpen especially, would be wise to learn how to control their pitches and stop looking at the radar gun.
Charlie, tonight I just feel like we have seen the end of the Washington Nationals run. They had the fewest roster moves in MLB with 81. They were immeasurably fortunate with health, Murphy’s production and Ramos’ dream year, but now they are done. Getting older and missing out on their opportunities.
Third, if Cespedes can be resigned in short order, the Mets have plenty of ammunition to make a move for a special piece. Maybe McCutchen? Would Bruce for Profar be nice? Maybe trade the excess lefty outfielders that gave us quite a breeze all summer long to get some good prospects. Many teams will need the power bats and the Mets should be looking to take advantage. Tonight the Nationals broadcasters said Dusty Baker spent the entire season bitching about how many chances the Nationals blew to striking out with men on base. LOL! Who’s he kidding? The Mets need to tweek their lineup a bit and get rid of the 200+ K guys. I’m hoping Walker will take QO to have enough power in the lineup so they can trade the wind turbines, pardon the pun. If he doesn’t accept, I would still change the dynamics of the lineup but it’s tricker. If Cespedes and Walker leave…let’s cross that bridge if it comes.
Lastly, David Wright wants to play next year. I love David, but by the end of May he is either productive or he’s benched. It can’t take all year to find out.