An interview with a man desperate to update his user name, Steven Shrager

One of the things that brings me joy with the site is when someone graduates from being a reader to being a writer. It’s happened a few times over the years and the latest is with today’s interview subject, Steven Shrager. It’s tough to go from writing 50-word comments to 750-word essays. And it’s even tougher when the only rules as a commenter are to be civil and not capitalize words to 100 different rules that are in place here to try and give the site a somewhat unified and professional tone among the various contributors. The biggest thing is to care and that caring shows up in many different ways.

As a commenter, Steven’s handle is NYM6986 and he’s been using that here since 2015. If you comment at the same site for years, that’s an indication that you care. If you follow the same team for a long time, that’s another indication. And if you can take constructive criticism and keep coming back with a great attitude, that may be the best indication of caring that there is. Steven wants to do a good job. And since he’s made that clear to me – in several different ways – I’ve been tougher on him than with many other people here.

It’s no fun for me to be critical of someone volunteering their time to the site. And there’s no doubt that it’s even less fun to be on the receiving end. And Steven has never complained once. Obviously, that speaks to the type of person Steven is. And in a more-subtle way, it speaks to graduating from reader to writer. As a reader, you don’t want to wade thru someone else’s half-assed effort. And there’s zero doubt that Steven wants to reward his readers. On to the interview!

How old are you? Under 25, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55+

Sadly 55+ which means I have suffered as a Met fan for probably as long as any of our Mets360 members. I have actually rooted for the team since their first season, watching games with my grandfather on a black and white TV.

Do you live within an hour’s drive of Citi Field?

No – but within 3 hours and I am lucky to need to periodically stay overnight for work in NYC and always happy to hop on the 7 Line out to the stadium.

What are your memories of the first Mets game you saw in person, whether Polo Grounds, Shea Stadium or Citi Field?

It was at Shea Stadium in 1965 and we lived in Brooklyn at the time. I remember a rookie name Ron Swoboda hit a home run – and of course they lost. Probably the part I remember the most, but did not understand it at the time, was that may father had bought me a blue silky baseball jacket with the NY logo, but since he was a Yankee fan it was the Yankee NY logo and not the Met logo. Did not realize that people yelling “hey kid, you’re in the wrong stadium” was directed at me.

How did you get involved with Mets360?

Not sure how I found the site but loved reading it and throwing in my two cents into the discussion. The first offer to write for this site came with a requirement of 500 words once a week. As I am still working, I found this to be imposing and declined. When it became possible to write 750 words once a month, I jumped on the opportunity and have loved every moment of it. Kudos to Brian for being a good editor and very patient teacher of how to become a better writer.

You’ve been a vocal critic of Daniel Vogelbach all year. How did you take the news that Buck Showalter wanted to bench him earlier in the season but that Billy Eppler wouldn’t let him?

When they first got him to be the LH DH, it all made sense. But his poor performance left me frequently questioning the sanity of writing his name on the lineup card and I was also dying to get Ronny Mauricio up from AAA. Glad to learn that it was Eppler that forced him in the lineup and not Buck, because I have always felt he was a good manager and nothing about his use of Vogelbach made sense. And I am sad to see Buck go.

Do you have a favorite among the depth starters – Jose Butto, Joey Lucchesi, Tylor Megill, David Peterson – to be in the rotation for Opening Day 2024?

Joey Lucchesi gets my nod to make the opening day rotation and believe he made great strides this season. Nine starts, a 4-0 record and a 2.89 ERA wins the day. Also think Megill might be a starter but it depends on how active they are in the free agent market. I see Butto starting down in AAA unless he snags a bullpen role and Peterson should start down in AAA and prove he should he back.

You also seemed down on the job Jeremy Hefner did this year. Should he get any credit for the turnarounds of the four pitchers mentioned above?

Happy to give Hefner credit for the turnarounds of the four pitchers mentioned, but it was too little too late. Where was he all season long when the starters and relievers mostly stunk up the joint? It is certainly not his fault that with all the injuries to the starters that they had to reach into 7-8-9-10 on the depth chart plus miscellaneous relief pitchers coming and going every other day. Also not his fault that pitchers can’t throw first pitch strikes or be more consistent. But since he is the pitching guru, he should have been stronger at getting the pitchers back on track. We could have this same conversation substituting the hitters and hitting coach Jeremy Barnes who also should be looking for a new job.

Where did you stand before the season started on the pitch clock and what are your thoughts about it now having seen it in action for a year?

Before the season I hated the concept and as an older fan, I had no issue with the length of games. It took me about three months to see the benefit of shorter and more efficient games but the innings are so quick you can’t even take bathroom break or hit the fridge without missing part of the game. And forget about visiting the concession stands between innings without missing that half inning. Also, the reality is that younger fans are not even watching the games when they are at the stadium as evidenced by everyone doing something on their smart phones while the action is going on. While I support the pitch clock now, I think with there needs to be extra time given when there are base runners. It is possible that the quicker pitching has likely led to increased arm injuries, especially with older players, but don’t have statistics to back that up – just a gut feeling. Can’t stand the only two throws to first base rule and think that a pitcher who throws over more frequently works in the favor of the opposition as they will need to come out of the game sooner. They say that there were 1,000 more stolen bases in 2023 versus 2022, but clearly the Mets forgot to run with the rest of the league.

David Stearns said, “We are going to do our best to put together a team in 2024 that is competitive,” Stearns said. “And we’re gonna do it in a way that does not detract from our competitiveness in the future years.” What does that mean to you and how does it differ from the Wilpon goal of having meaningful games in September?

When you realize that with 10 more wins the Mets would have held the number 2 wildcard spot, then we will certainly be a factor in 2024 with some key additions, many of which can be had in the free agent market without sacrificing key prospects. Had we been 10 games better at the trade deadline we likely would have added some bullpen arms and a big bat that would have made us a strong post-season contender. The young players that we will be willing to sacrifice for new talent include some of the Baby Mets who should be much further along then they are. There is nowhere for Baty and Vientos to adequately play on this team and that is the fault of management for not moving them to other positions like the OF to help them progress. They even took way too long to try Mauricio at other positions then shortstop, given that Lindor has that spot locked up for a few years. It is likely that the new crop of prospects, some of whom are nicely moving up the ranks, will provide some lower cost future MLB talent.

If you could pick any player available – either free agent or confirmed on the trade market (not Acuna or Betts) – to add to the Mets, who would it be and why?

It seems that Juan Soto is the name on everyone’s lips these days under the guise that San Diego needs to move him, versus agreeing to an extension to stay in sunny southern California. Despite the disappointing year they had, Soto might look at the strength of their lineup and go for the extension. It will be a few years to determine whether the prospects the Nationals got from the Padres make this a good deal for them, but if Soto is moved, then it would have to be considered a good one for them who otherwise would have lost him to free agency. Baty, Vientos, Peterson and one more higher-level prospects should get the job done. Throw in Marte, if healthy, and eat at least half of his salary would give the Podres a chance to wait on their own prospects. This is not a matter of San Diego taking our junk for a star player, more than taking some untapped potential who need a change of scenery.