When was the last time a Met player came out and confidently predicted success for the upcoming season? Was it “Team to beat”-gate from 2007/2008 with Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Beltran? Really since then the only pre-season choruses sung by Mets players have been about “taking some people by surprise,” which is code for “we’re not that good, but maybe we’ll get lucky”.
So with Zack Wheeler making comments Thursday that the Mets are going to do some special things in the coming years, his words were more than just empty talk – they represented something.
They represented a shift in the team’s expectations for themselves, and fans should not dismiss this as meaningless offseason talk.
Players and coaches are notorious for always trying to paint a rosy picture of the team, but they also know whether they are good or not. You don’t see players on last-place-caliber teams predicting playoff berths, and you don’t see players on World Series contenders saying that they think they’re better than people give them credit for.
There’s often subtle clues in the way players talk that allow one to read between the lines and see what’s really going on.
Wheeler’s comments along with Terry Collins‘ proclamation that there was “No question in [his] mind” that the Mets would be a playoff team in 2015, should inspire confidence in the fanbase that a special season is on the horizon. This is more than the typical offseason nonsense, and what a refreshing change that is.
May it work out better than Alderson and 90 wins a season ago.
Sorry, but every team has the “we’ll get em next year” feeling; and as far as Collins is concerned, when was the last time you put any value on what that clown says? I know someone could tell me “better than not believing” or maybe, “what do you expect him to say”, but we’ve heard alot over the years and have seen little.
If the Mets get a ML shortstop they will surprise people.
While it’s great a player makes such a proclamation and believes it, I’m mindful he’s rather young, hasn’t seen 30, 40, 50 years of major league baseball to recognize overall team flaws this roster has.
This team as is, is very weak defensively, isn’t particularly athletic, strikes out a lot, has no speed at second, short, first, catcher, left field, isn’t deep in position players to weather multiple injuries at once, doesn’t have a good in-game manager who holds players accountable, nor front office and ownership who rise to the occasion to get the team the horses it needs.
The offseason is young, and roster construction isn’t complete, but as of now, this team isn’t playoff ready.
I agree mainly, but the lack of speed at the positions you mentioned are not near my top concerns. The strike outs are worrying, but I’ll keep that on the back burner until I see what Kevin Long can do to improve that. I am not a fan of the defensive structure, but I don’t think there are many options, other than taking both Granderson and Cuddyer out in late innings, and hoping for improved play from behind the plate. 2B and SS are what they are at the moment, but that could change any day. I do think this team can weather injuries though, and has more power potential than most people are giving them credit for. Problems for sure, but nothing other competitive teams aren’t dealing with.
I remember the 1986 Mets very well. They had it all. Pitching, defense and offense. Very aggressive. They also had a manager that new how to get the most out of each player. Hodges was the same way. Everything you just mentioned, is what they were all about!