Playoff baseball in Queens. It feels good to say that. In any event, the Mets are looking toward meaningful games in October (forget September) while some in the front office are inevitably looking forward to meaningful games next October. The big problem with that logic is probable departure of the stud we know as Yoenis Cespedes. With each homerun that he smashes it becomes more and more likely that the broke Wilpons will not be able to afford him. While this could be looked as a disaster, it really only gives the opportunity for other players on the roster to improve. Let’s take a look at who will be under pressure to improve and make up for Cespedes’ likely departure.
Travis d’Arnaud:
For someone that has been a one-man wrecking crew when on the field, how could he possibly improve? Well, that’s just it, he needs to be on the field. Although his two injuries were freak injuries that could have happened to anyone (especially the first one), d’Arnaud still needs to avoid anymore like the one in June. He has shown extreme flashes of potential most notably since August 3rd as he has posted a remarkable .315/.400/.602 slash line. It’s obviously a bit unrealistic for him to post those types of numbers for a full season, but a slash line of 2.80/.340/.470 is not unreasonable for this kid. If d’Arnaud continues to improve upon this season and stays healthy, he will be a fixture in this lineup.
How could this kid possibly get even better? He has hit in the clutch, played major league defense, and hasn’t produced any bad press. The simple fact is that he has hit against some of the leagues worst pitching. Obviously it seems silly to criticize a 22-year old for only facing the easiest of pitchers, but he has yet to get a hit off the likes of Shelby Miller, Stephen Strasburg, Chris Archer, James Shields, or Jordan Zimmerman. If he wants to be the main fixture in a lineup, he must be able to hit against more than the helpless relievers of the Phillies and Rockies. Again this is just an observation through 124 at-bats and there is no doubt in my mind that he will rake against the leagues’ finest next season. The playoffs will be a good test for the young left fielder.
Called up in September of 2014 Herrera seemed to be the likely heir to the throne of Daniel Murphy, Herrera has done little to deserve this title in the major leagues. He has flashed moments of his superb potential with diving catches and line-drive homeruns, but has not quite put it all together. If Herrera is given the opportunity to start everyday, he must be able to put his tools to good use for the Mets to succeed.
Well, for a period of time there was nothing this guy did that could be considered bad. Now after the dust has settled on his folk-hero status, Flores is starting to gather criticism again for his poor plate discipline. While it could be argued that he has great discipline, as evidence by his solid 7.6 at-bat per strikeout rate (9th in the NL), he simply does not walk very often. If Flores could improve his walk rate, he would be a dangerous hitter in the Mets lineup. In addition, if Flores produces at the pace since his tears he could be a contender for the best offensive shortstop in the National League. Hopefully Flores can become a fixture in this Mets lineup for a long time.
With Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, and Noah Syndergaard all proving that they be ace-status starting pitchers, Matz must do the same. There are almost no complaints when it comes to Matz’s performance thus far- with the slight exception of his elevated pitch counts early in games. All Matz must do is perform at a reasonable level of the course of a full season. It would not be unreasonable to expect 180+ innings, 190+ strikeouts, and a 3.00-3.25 ERA next season.
The Mets are a force to reckoned with at the moment and it mainly revolves around the continued development of their young players. Possibly it has something to do with Cespedes elevating the performance of everyone around him but we should not ignore how these young guns have supported the cause. While 2016 seems light-years away at the moment, these guys could be huge bright spots for another potential playoff run.
Embarrassment of riches. Good to be a Mets fan.
It used to be that around this time of year we’d all start thinking about prospects and free agents and next season.
So maybe it’s an old blog habit.
But my feeling as a reader, and as a fan, is that you should focus on this season — the incredible now! — and save these think pieces for the winter.
That’s only my POV; others may feel much differently.
You’re right, it probably is an old blog habit. The simple fact of the matter is that after 2+ years of writing for this site (which included some dark times for Mets baseball) I guess I’m just used to focusing on the future. I’m not really that equipped to talk about the marvelous things that are occurring on the field.
It also doesn’t help that everything I’d like to talk about has already been discussed on this blog and others (playoff roster, Cespedes’ God-status, or Addison Reed’s rise to stardom).
Julian, I think that’s the challenge every beat writer and baseball columnist faces. It’s a tough job. Fortunately, the game itself continually provides new material.
Talk about guys who one hopes play a greater role in 2016: during all this home run barrage in August and September, the hottest pace of home run hitting the franchise has ever seen, exactly three of those taters came from Lucas Duda. A big year from Lucas could cover a defection of two.
If no Cespedes than Lagares must improve over 2016.
Herrera will need to be an average second baseman at the start.
Matz will need to fill the 4th pitcher role in the rotation.
Robles or Goeddel will need to improve to be the 7th inning man.
There is really nothing to worry about going into 2016.