Even in the best of times, baseball fans can experience the worst of times. Last season was one of the best for Mets fans, but if you’ll recall late-July, it wasn’t looking so hot. This stretch has been made famous in story and song – a highly recommended purchase is the book Amazin’ Again, by our friend Greg Prince. After a lineup featuring John Mayberry, Jr. and his .530 OPS as the cleanup hitter with Eric Campbell — .576 – hitting fifth was shut out by Clayton Kershaw on July 23, the Mets got serious, promoting Michael Conforto and acquiring Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe the very next day. These bold moves resulted in a tremendous surge of… a 3-3 record over the next week, featuring the scuttled trade for Carlos Gomez on July 29 and culminating in a memorable 8-7 loss to the San Diego Padres, in which the Mets blew a 7-1 lead in a monsoon on July 30. Then the Mets got really serious, acquiring Yoenis Cespedes the very next day. His arrival sparked a seven-game winning streak and an 11-2 run through August 13.
This year could end up being the best of times for the Mets again, but a rough slog recently has sent a wave of despair over the fan base. Their record at the dawn of June 9 is 32-26. Know what it was last season? 31-27. But with the team’s recent offensive woes, you’d never know their record is actually better. The Mets right now are in second place in the NL East, three-and-a-half games behind Washington. So why does it feel like they’re ten games behind last-place Atlanta? Since the beginning of Memorial Day weekend, May 27, the Mets have gone 6-7, being outscored 39-29. For the month of June, their run differential is 21 for, 20 against after a draining comeback win against the Pirates. The offense has completely dried up. By now, if you’re reading this, you know why: David Wright, Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud are all out with serious injuries and Curtis Granderson, Conforto and Cespedes are all in simultaneous epochal slumps. The slack has been asked to be taken up by the likes of Campbell, Ty Kelly, Kevin Plawecki, Rene Rivera and a sub-par Wilmer Flores. Yes, James Loney has given the team somewhat of a shot in the arm as Duda’s replacement and the reacquisition of Johnson will certainly help, but it’s like sending a brigade armed with pea-shooters against the D-Day invasion force: you just know they’re outmanned before the game even begins. Know what? The players know it, too. In the wake of identical-twin 3-1 losses in a doubleheader in Pittsburgh this week, Cespedes even said so out loud.
He was asked if it was frustrating to be in that simultaneous slump, he answered “No, I’m not Superman. I don’t think me producing necessarily means anything for the rest of the lineup if the guys ahead of me and the guys after me can’t get on base…I’d have to hit home runs every time.” Well, you don’t hear this from a superstar hitter every day of the week. He’s saying he can’t do it alone, he’s saying he needs help. He’s telling the truth. See, fans don’t want to hear that. They’ll look at his year and say “Hell, for $27 million dollars, you damn well should be Superman.” Fans see grown men playing a kids’ game being rewarded beyond handsomely, but that doesn’t negate all that goes into getting these athletes to this point in their lives and careers. There is flesh and blood beneath those jerseys — Flores showed us that last year, when he didn’t want to go in that abortive Gomez deal. Players are not machines and Cespedes once again reminds us. He can’t do it alone. He needs help. This wasn’t Cespedes calling out his struggling teammates: it was plea.
In the words of Terry Collins, “You think this game is easy?”
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I really liked the Cespedes signing. He filled the need of a right handed hitting power hitter for the middle of the order. He did not cost the Mets any draft picks or players to resign him. I would also rather see Cespedes making $25 million instead of the Wilpon’s pocketing it. If a team is making a profit, like the Mets are, then they should spend what they can afford. Sandy also did a super job of limiting the length of the contract.
Cespedes is right that he isn’t Superman. He is a career 321/493/814, 30 homer guy. That is the production I expected from him when they signed him to his $25 M contract.
Cespedes has exceeding his career numbers since being a Met. Sure he was paid handsomely for his career year (it usually works out that way) but he was paid the $25 million because the market of supply and demand dictated it. If he plays below his career average then the contract would be considered a bust, graded by how much below the career numbers he is. Cespedes was not Superman going into the season and just because he is paid $25 M does not make him Superman either.
Last time I checked, baseball is still a team game and without a balanced offense they’ll continue to struggle to score runs. Depending on the injury situation, they may still need to pick up a significant bat either at catcher, 1B or 3B.
That said, I do like Loney so far.