No, this isn’t about the number of bases-on-balls the Mets receive as a team – they’re just slightly above MLB average in that department, although there have been a few perfectly timed free passes. This is about how every time the Mets are left for dead, they’ll just keep coming back. It seems like for every #LOLMets #amIright story, for every embarrassing setback, for the galling wave of injuries, the team on the field seems to pop right back up, dust itself off and start all over again. Blown out 23-5 by the team they’re chasing for the division, losing their ace starter in the process, having already lost their most feared hitter a couple of days before? No problem. They’ll just head to Atlanta and whomp the tar out of the Braves. A seven-game losing streak on the road? Not a bother, they’ll just come home and take the next series and follow that up with a surprising .500 road trip. Pasted by the World Champs 14-1 on one night? They’ll just come back from a three-run deficit to win going away, despite losing another starting player to injury the next. Yes, they’re still under .500 by four games, still eight-and-a-half behind the Nationals. This might be the most resilient sub-.500 squad we’ve ever laid eyes on.
The feeling can’t be shaken that there is a lot of life left in this old team. (There could be an even bigger shot in the arm on the way, but we won’t get into yet another Amed Rosario discussion here – that’s already been done to death over the past few weeks.) There is enough season left for them to go on a semi-Miracle run. The way the Nationals’ bullpen has been performing of late makes for a kind of shaky 8.5 game lead, if there can be such a thing. Yoenis Cespedes is back and swinging the bat well, if not yet running like a deer. The starting pitching appears to finally be finding itself after 55 games in the wilderness – with a commensurate uptick in performance by a better-rested bullpen. They’re starting to get clutch performances out of Curtis Granderson, Wilmer Flores and Juan Lagares. Steven Matz and Seth Lugo are back, both with encouraging first starts. Yes, Neil Walker is the one who went down to a bad hamstring just hours after Asdrubal Cabrera was placed on the 10-day DL. So now they face the Nationals this weekend without their starting middle infield, but former first-round pick Gavin Cecchini is on the way, another influx of youth for this aging squad. (Again, resisting the Rosario discussion, but it’s getting more difficult…)
Perhaps it’s the Mets’ advanced age that gives that resiliency, that bounce-back ability when things appear their darkest. A team which has seen both sides of the baseball coin will have a certain calm about them, even though chaos reigns outside the clubhouse: the eye is always the calmest part of the hurricane. A team like that has a tendency to pull together in the tough times and the mix of personalities here seems like a good one.
These guys just might keep coming back, despite being left for dead.
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Things looked bleak for this team both of the past two seasons and they were able to fight their way back to the playoffs. Other teams talk about overcoming adversity but this Mets team has actually done it.
Duda and Bruce also need to be mentioned among the hitters who are getting it done. Duda breaks out of a mini slump to homer in back-to-back games. And Bruce has a .960 OPS over his last 18 games.
After two straight clunkers, we need the starters to begin another streak of pitching deep into games.
Non Mets fans looking at the standings would think we’re delusional, but like you, I remain optimistic. Not only does this team have heart and talent, but we’re in a division with three pretty bad teams – well, one very bad team and two lopsided teams. As for the other team, they’ve gotten off to a nice start and will probably add a closer in a month, but how long til Zimmerman comes back to reality or Strasburg gets injured? It’s still early in the season. The Miwaukee Brewers are not a better team than the Cubs and Aaron Judge is not going to win the triple crown.
Im completely done thinking about predictions for this team. All I see is that the team needs to forget the standings, forget the injuries and just try to pull out wins as often as possible. If we all believe the Mets are “in it” then there really is only a few NL teams that are not in it. So be it. But that doesnt translate to anything in my eyes, nor does the pulling late season magic out of their hats. Ive seen a lot of late season magic, and plenty of it has been of the black magic variety.
All I care about is tonight. The record will be what it is. I think no one particularly fears the Mets; they are just another team on the schedule that has been below .500 for a long time this season, like the Cards, Pirates, Marlins, Braves etc.
Instead of discussing a certain talented Mets prospect, soon we can discuss Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers and note his late-April callup, his 17 HRs, his ROY status, and how he’s helped the LA club win baseball games.
Just as, you know, a case in point.
but every prospect is on their own club’s time frame. Believe me, Im as ready for Rosario as anyone. We’ve cleared Super 2. It seems clear that the FO does not want his services for whatever reason that remains mysterious to us all. The fact that SA is not using this opportunity to shuffle the deck significantly shows just how wildly conservative he is (as if it wasn’t perfectly clear already).
Walker is gonna be out for a spell at least a week and maybe way more. I cant see why he doesnt move Flores to 2B and let him get all the ABs there, keep Reyes at 3B, and call up Rosario. Instead we will get Cheech for 2B and deal with this insufferable left side play of Reyes and Flores at SS and 3B. I dont like it at all.
The other thing as we have seen, SA like to bring up the kids on road trips.
Interesting approach about road promotions. I’ll try to be tuned into that.
I expect TJ to get more playing time than Cecchini
Conforto made his MLB debut at home.
It is difficult to understand why Rosario has not been promoted. There is a need, he has excelled at AAA and they should be past Super 2. There is no logical reason unless the Mets don’t think Super 2 has passed. The worst case scenario is that he really struggles and needs to go back down but at least he could learn from the experience. The non promotion, especially under the present injury circumstances makes so sense at all.
Sandy had a presser today, and it can be seen in different places. Check SNY video. He made clear a couple things: 1. he likes the team with the personnel we have. He thinks the players are all doing good (although what team he is watching mystifies me, but it certainly correlated with an ultraconservative approach). 2. He said Rosario does not have to “do” anything specific to earn a promotion because of (1) above. He is not viewed as necessary right now. 3. He only wants to promote Rosario as a “permanent” roster move. He did not envision putting him on the shuttle.
But the bad news keeps piling in: Harvey has a scapula issue and will be out for weeks. Walker has a partly torn hammy and will be out for weeks and Noah is not healing well, and so will remain in limbo for additional time…which DiComo called August “iffy”.
I don’t get why you keep defending Sandy on this. Sandy also said that it was a good time to get a look at Reyes at SS.
Going into the season, it was clear to many of us that Reyes was at the end of the line. His numbers against RHP were horrendous. The off-field issues were huge red flags, He was an “old” 33. Certainly could be of use as a fill-in player, some kind of part-time role. But no sane person would want to see him out there game after game even under the best circumstances.
It’s the middle of June, he’s hitting .184, and the season is hanging by a thread.
He really said that about Reyes? So, we can once more surmise that we being called stupid. What does Alderson think Reyes hasn’t shown yet that he is waiting to see? It’s amazing this team has any fans left; their intelligence is continuously insulted.
Im not defending Alderson in the least. I just listed what he said in the interview. I think his comments are flat out preposterous.
Other note: Jim Bowden said that Rosario was told to increase his walks and better his plate discipline, but that is not happening, so he is not being promoted. Also, these is some sense that bringing him up now is just burning service time for no great reason.