19
2011
An (All Too Familiar) Early End Of Season Review
An article by 
This has become an annual bad habit for us hasn’t it? It’s not even Labor Day and Met fans instinctively are talking about next year, something all too familiar the past 4 years.
August and September baseball for Met fans – or as it’s become known as – The big yet not so surprising let down that you’ve been expecting all year long but didn’t quite want to admit it because you have faith, sort of, time of the season. Yeah that’s it. Ring a bell?
It has the same disheartening feeling you’d get as a child when department stores started running Back-To-School specials. If you saw Jerry Lewis on TV, he was most likely wearing a tuxedo with a tousled and unbuttoned bow tie, barely an hour into his telethon.
Right there you knew homework was creeping its way around the corner in a few days, ready to impolitely chew its way into your busy schedule of bike riding and sandlot baseball with your friends. Damn I hated reality.
I’m probably considered to be someone who has always had a good deal of faith in this team. I still do in fact. Now for some, having faith means thinking this team would magically make the playoffs and who knows what beyond that. Don’t get me wrong, I too thought in a perfect world, if key players on the team stayed relatively healthy and played to their normal expectations they would at least – emphasis on at least – have a chance to compete for the Wild Card.
Of course when that pesky reality kicks in, you tend to realize that simply playing hard and with a strong sense of desire isn’t nearly the same as executing results that lead to wins. Wins. You know, those annoying things our team lacks.
This team for all its faults has been entertaining. A great deal of that credit should go to Terry Collins whom I was initially dead set against his hiring this past off-season. I wasn’t necessarily in favor of Wally Backman as many of us out there were. I was more put off by the fact that Collins quit his last two managerial posts.
Quitting doesn’t sit well with me whatever the reason. It’s safe to say he’s made me a convert. His managerial style seems to be a good blend of tough but reasonable expectations of his players and his solid in game decisions which have garnered praise on more than a few occasions by former players and current SNY broadcasters Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling.
Collin’s doesn’t come off as being more concerned with trying to be his player’s best friend but nevertheless I’m sure he’s earned their respect. If I had to grade him I’d conservatively give Terry Collins a B+ just for keeping this team focused despite the merry-go-round of off and on-field controversies.
So be it that this team has been a tease, hovering around the .500 mark all season. Realistically I thought this team as constructed would top out at around 85 wins but most likely stay around the .500 mark, while being healthy that is.
I predicted that Johan Santana would not pitch this season. Now I hope to be proved wrong on that but his effort to return was cut short after he recently had some “discomfort” after his first minor league rehab outing. An injury to a pitcher’s shoulder is akin to breaking the hand of a neurosurgeon. It could easily spell an early exit to one’s career.
Hopefully his “discomfort” was merely muscle fatigue and scar tissue tearing and not further damage to his shoulder. The intricate nature of the muscular system of a human shoulder is really a minefield of potential damage for a pitcher. Johan arguably would have been better off requiring Tommy John surgery on his elbow than have any issues with his shoulder. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
The rest of the pitching staff has basically pitched according to their norms. It’s safe to say there are no real standouts this year as last year’s standout R.A. Dickey has earned this year’s award for hard luck Mets pitcher of the year. His record belies the way he has pitched this season. Jon Niese still shows signs of brilliance mixed with moments of inexperience but that is to be expected.
Most Met fans have come to accept that Mike Pelfrey simply is what he is and if he someday “gets” it, chances are it’s probably not going to be in a Met uniform, especially if his agent makes unreasonable demands this off-season when Pelfrey becomes a free agent.
Couple his inconsistent development with his apparent lack of confidence in his team – as he told Mike Puma of the New York Post in an interview – and I’m sure no matter what they may say publicly, privately I’m sure it’s bothered some in the organization. Especially since the comments were made at the beginning of the season, when the team was relatively healthy and had its best chance to win.
Dillon Gee has been a pleasant surprise who needs to continue developing his secondary pitches in order to keep hitters off balance. He definitely has a future with this team but it’s all about his ability to continue developing. If he takes the Mike Pelfrey approach it’s going to be a long road for Mr. Gee.
The bullpen has really two bright spots in Pedro Beato and Bobby Parnell. The rest you could put in a hat and pull a name and it wouldn’t really make a difference. I don’t include Izzy in that assessment since he’s essentially the player/coach in the pen. Hopefully he’s been able to rub off on both Parnell and Beato.
Offensively the team has at times mimicked its won and loss record, performing weeks at a time at unprecedented levels followed by weeks of flaccid, head shaking ineptness. Jose Reyes has been the anchor, clearly the team MVP, providing spark and excitement that will probably translate into one ridiculously immense contract this off-season.
The question is will it be the Mets who offer it? His propensity for leg injuries will no doubt play a part in how much Reyes is offered. He and his agent may shoot for the moon but financial reality in and around MLB may keep his contract somewhat grounded. Realistically there just a handful of teams that can even afford Reyes, limiting his Powerball contract hopes. It’s going to be about who’s willing to risk that much money on Jose’s fragile legs and most importantly, for how long?
David Wright’s last few seasons have been marred by injury and poor play. Yes it’s true he hasn’t been the same player he was prior to the last few years. Then again, since his return back from his back injury he’s finally moved closer to the plate – something I think every Met fan has been screaming for him to do for the longest time. His approach has been reminiscent of his early years and he’s definitely swinging through the ball much more than his recent trademark uppercut that drives Keith Hernandez up a wall in the booth.
What does that mean in reality? Well since his return his numbers speak for themselves. Now can he continue to adhere to this adjustment and not fall into bad habits again? Perhaps bringing the fences in slightly will provide him and others that psychological crutch that CitiField hasn’t been able to offer so far. Only time will tell.
Ike Davis’ 2011 season has been an unfortunate waste. When he and Wright collided on what looked like two players clumsily bumping into each other on a routine pop up, it turned out to be a season ender for Davis. It made me think of the time Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron cracked skulls in their infamous outfield collision few years back.
You’d think in comparison that collision would have had caused far greater damage than it did. Go figure. Ike was showing tremendous improvement at the plate prior to the accident. If he chooses surgery, which at this point would make sense, he should be ready to go by Spring Training 2012.
What better to complement our Greek tragedy of a franchise than to have a hydra at second base? The trio of Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner and Ruben Tejada have made the transition from Luis Castillo as painless (forgive me Daniel Murphy) as possible.
All of them bring their own pluses and minuses to the table and in the end, in spite of their combined issues, they’re all an upgrade over their replacement Castillo, period. Will one eventually transcend the back of their baseball cards and elevate their game? My money is on Tejada.
The outfield. Where to begin? Now with Beltran gone its safe to say if the Mets didn’t have one of the weakest outfields in MLB before, they sure do now. Jason Bay seems to have elevated his little league game to a AAA level now. It was either he figure a way to improve or get sized for a Mr. Met head. In all seriousness he has improved at the plate but again it all depends on your expectations of Bay.
Yes this Jason Bay has improved over what we’ve seen in the two years he’s been a Met. But is Jason Bay 2.0 ever going to resemble the power hitter we paid a ransom for 2 years ago? I just don’t see the bat speed where it should be. Blame it on age or injury or what have you it’s just not there. Seeing Bay swing as if he carrying a lacquered redwood in his hands is just plain sad.
For a front office that stresses the importance of dissecting the proper value in a player, it seems to be such a waste that Alderson and his team couldn’t move Angel Pagan when his value was at its highest this past off-season.
Granted I’m sure he wanted to evaluate Pagan for himself but Angel Pagan is still a fourth outfielder on a really good team. On the Mets he’s our starting Centerfielder. When I think of Angel Pagan I think of two words, Daryl Boston. Good player but not a starter. Reality people.
Yes Lucas Duda looks like Adam Dunn’s younger surfer brother and we should be thanking Jobu that he doesn’t hit like him. We know the Mets need a thumper desperately in this lineup. What the Mets do not need is a 21st century version of Dave Kingman. Duda reminds me of the Hulk trying to act like more like a Bruce Banner. I’m sure if he wanted, Duda probably could swing for the fences with every swing and chances are his natural power would eventually allow him to walk into a few.
The problem is the cost of swinging so irresponsibly and I have a feeling that hitting coach Dave Hudgens has stressed bat control to Duda. He’s at the age, 25, where what you see is what you get and so far, with the added playing time, it’s hard not to like the dude.
Josh Thole is a capable receiver. Again he too is at the age where he is what he is and there’s little chance that come 2012, Josh Thole will come to Port St. Lucie performing like Joe Mauer. Accepting that as a reality there are many areas he can improve especially defensively. In fact I have a feeling Terry Collin’s wouldn’t mind one bit if Thole’s learning curve leaned heavily towards improving his defensive skills.
I know it seems far too early to do an end of season assessment of the New York Mets. There are less than 40 games left in the season, well over a month of play. In that time the Mets would have to win 22 games just to get to .500. They would have to win 31 of 40 to end the season with 90 wins. That’s .775 baseball. In another words, it’s not reality.
Sure I want them to win and I believe in them. But I don’t believe in fairies or pixie dust or Santa and the Easter Bunny. Those days are gone for me. For better or worse. I’ve taken the red pill, even if I did kicking and screaming. Damn I hate reality, and the months of August and September. Come to think about it – I haven’t been a fan of October in a while either..
About the Author: Joe Spector
I'm just your regular Joe. Staff writer @ Metsmerizedonline.com. Happily married and a father to a baby girl. I attended my first Met game at the ripe old age of 3 where my father scored a foul ball and had it signed by Lee Mazzilli, Joe Torre and Joe Pignataro. It was my Holy Grail - 'till I buried it in the backyard. I have my own website where you can read my drivel at your leisure @ www.thespectorsector.net
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 28 | .600 | - |
| Nationals | 34 | 35 | .493 | 7.5 |
| Phillies | 34 | 37 | .479 | 8.5 |
| Mets | 25 | 40 | .385 | 14.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 47 | .319 | 19.5 |
Last updated: 06/18/2013
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wow, one of the best articles i’ve seen here in a long time. tremendous job joe spector, dead on on most thing. only thing is can you explain the mike pelfrey approach? i am not quite clear on what you mean, unless you’re talking about the “i forgot how to pitch” approach then yes i do understand it
Really nice post. 2006 seems like 20 years ago, that’s the last season that didnt give me heartburn even though we didnt go to the series. It’s been downhill ever since. The outfield blows, I mean it flat out sucks. The rotation and bullpen blows too. If we keep Reyes at least we have a decent infield. There’s a ton of work to do. We’re years away.
funny, how most ppl here praised sandy and co and s*** on minaya, yet in just the 2nd year as a GM, minaya not only put a playoff contending team, but a favorite to win it all!!! can we actually say with confident that next year this team will even be competitive as it was for some part of this season? arguably the worst offseason by a mets front office in the new york mets history will be followed by probably the worst ever!!!
Ya, remember how Alderson signed Jason Bay and tried to make like he was the solution to all our problems, but then he bombed and was out for the season and the team finished 79-83?
Hey, remember how Alderson was in charge of the early 90s and all those crappy teams?
And remember when those other teams won the World Series in one offseason?
Ya remember how you were in favor of the deal at the time too!
What deal? Bay? Hell no.
I said the Mets had too many holes for 1 guy to fix everything. I knew that even if Bay produced at the levels we saw in Boston, he wasn’t going to save the season.
But, hey, you keep that lying going. I’m sure it works out great for you.
Alex68 –
I think it’s a mistake to say there are people who lavish Alderson with praise to the point of becoming a caricature. Alderson shouldn’t be given a trophy for anything just yet. The praise he gets is about his ability to find value in a player where perhaps some don’t find it and his past success. Does everything he does turn to gold, or course not, but the man does have a pretty damn good record of success. I don’t have to tell you what he built in Oakland in the late 80′s early 90′s. You know this. Now if you think some people are bowing to some alter to him that’s just not true.
Omar was given a blank check and told to make the Mets relevant again. You know what, he did it. Bringing in Pedro, Beltran, Delgado, etc. He also had his share of mistakes but his mistakes cost the team alot of $$$. Ollie, Bay, Castillo, etc. The idea that Alderson wants to do everything on the cheap is taking what he’s trying to do and spinning it to the extreme. It’s like saying Omar only wanted to spend obscene amounts on players just for the hell of it. Of course not.
Omar also gave out contracts at a time in this game where contracts were over inflated to begin with. All I’m saying is no one should buy into the extreme caricature that Alderson is a God and will solve all the organization’s problems. Also to say that Omar was a total failure isn’t accurate either. If the team made it to the series in 06 would we be having this conversation? Who knows. Both men have their issue. Omar is gone and Sandy is here. Lets see what happens. It’s going to take time Alex. I know some on here who vehemently hate Alderson, why, I have no clue. It’s irrational. Give it some time and lets see what happens.
value in a player??? who has he value for us so far?? also spector, the reason why some hate alderson is not because of what he does, is because he’s portrait as a savior of some kind when he’s just another avg gm, it takes time i know, but he started as having what i consider (and other executives around the league) he worst offseason in the majors.. we need to give him time agree, is only fair, but also, why not give time as well to see if he’s as good as advertise?? y’all forgot what he did in san diego? terrible draft picks, terrible moves, then bolted to work in DR for the PED problems there, gimme a break
Nobody I know of is painting him as a savior. I think even those who like his record which includes how many pennants and WS wins again – remain open minded in a sense that he doesn’t get a free pass. As to the worst offseason…what should he have done? Overpay in dollars and years for players that would do nothing for us? It’s not like the Marlins were knocking on his door going, Sandy we wanna give you Mike Stanton and Josh Johnson for F-Mart and bag of balls, you game? I just don’t get it. You say Alderson’s supporters treat him like a God yet you want him to turn miracles.
you relieve believe this stuff, don’t you?
You do realize that he probably had less money to spend this off season than any other GM. That right there hugely limits what you can accomplish.
And IMO (since you have yours!) his 1st mission was fixing the mess the organization was in. Not just the ML roster, but the entire operation, from scouting to player development. Including a culture change. And that is something that takes some time.
And IIRC, he was not the GM in SD, but a VP of operations maybe? So not the guy that was making all the day to day GM moves, and certainly not deciding on all the draft picks!
It is ridiculous to say “the other guy won X games in year 2 and this guy won less so he is worse”. Very different situations.
And no one said ALderson was a genius or savior. Just an experienced guy that was good at building (or in this case, rebuilding) and organization from the ground up, for hopefully a run of sustained success.
“but he started as having what i consider (and other executives around the league) he worst offseason in the majors”
Like who? what other executive said that?
I thought about asking that, too, but you and I both know we’ll never get an answer.
The grade this team really deserves is BET (Barely Even Trying). The Mets had no money to spend, no interest in any free agents except occupants of the bargain bin and no takers for the dead weight they’d most like to unload (Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo). So it isn’t easy to grade a team that’s mostly just treading water until it can dump nearly $60 million worth of contracts after the season and get its ownership mess straightened out.
We’ll concede there’s some upside in the Mets’ low-buck investments in guys like Young, Capuano and Taylor Buchholz. And Collins will at least spike a few pulse rates in this clubhouse.
But basically, said one scout, their new administration has done so little this winter, it’s left itself in perfect can’t-lose position: “If they do well, it’s the new regime. If they don’t, it’s Omar Minaya’s fault.”
Question for you Alex -
Why do you care so much about the Omar/Alderson/Saber/Non-Saber BS then what is or isn’t good for the team? Unless you’re ok with throwing crazy amounts of $ at players who don’t deserve it (Ollie, Castillo, Bay) then whats the plan? What would be your plan Alex given the same situation Alderson is in?
You conceded that the low-buck investments Alderson made had a upside. You realize people who think Alderson had a bad offseason feel he should’ve signed Jason Marquis to a 2 or 3 year deal at 6 to 7 mil per. Really? It’s that mentality that has tied the hands of the team now, giving out money to players that perform no better than a low-risk cheaper alternative. Whats wrong with that?
spector, did you or anyone here thought that a guy who hit 36 hr the previos year was gonna bomb the way he did?? nooooo, perez and castillo were just horrible, horrible contracts given away i agree, but trust me, alderson didn’t come here to create a winner, he was brought here by selig and MLB to save the wilpons some $, so far he has succede, read what i posted again, and looking back, that article i got for you guys, was DEAD ON!!!
everyone who drink’s the sandy kool aid is saying is omar’s fault, but when we were winning and doing good, everyone was praising him as this genious who push the right buttons and made all right desicion, this man even have you mr spector believing in him, you are prob one of the best article writers here, and i respect your opinion a lot, but come on, is not his fault this team stinks? but when it was minaya’s it was always his fault? ppl wanna use the “injury card” this year, yet, don’t realize that in 2009 & even 2010 we were derailed by injuries, but no, that was minaya’s fault too..
Alex
First thank you for the praise, I think the majority of MMO’s writers here are excellent. Opinions you know what they’re like, we all do. Here’s the thing, you’re basing your assumptions that Alderson is Selig’s tool, Wilpon’s ax man, on what? Opinion?
For the Mets to succeed long term they have to win, period. Cutting back and acting like a small market club won’t cut it in NY. Alderson knows this, I’ve and other have been on calls with him and he’s said as much. So that means you think he’s lying, which is your right but it’s also mine and other’s right’s to ask you to prove why you believe that?
Maybe we need new ownership. Maybe bringing in Einhorn will be a step forward. But as tough as I’ve been on the Wilpons I can’t see the logic in them PURPOSELY wanting the Mets to cut back for the sake of it, even with their financial troubles. Long term it makes no sense.
you didn’t answer my question.
Now you know what it feels like to have a conversation with you!
Payback’s a bitch!
Except not. I do my best to directly answer questions. The problem is, you Brown Shirts like t oask loaded, inaccurate questions and then lie about the answer when you get tripped up.
Hilarious. One scout said that (not an executive, like you claimed, and not even plural like you claimed, ONE scout) in March or April, when the Mets were supposed to win 70 games. Not only that, the scout didn’t even say it was bad, let alone THE WORST OFFSEEZIN IN HIZTORY !11!!!1
He said what was is actually true. The team had no money, a mess to clean up and $19 million in dead weight (I’m throwing GMJ in there). And only four months to take care of all of it.
horrendous, OFFSEASON, and it will get worst, as mets will have no beltran, probably no reyes, another year of bay and wright, no SP, and the WORST BULLPEN in the majors.. but is omar’s fault, sandy is here to build for 2014, that’s the year we should actually grade him
Well, that’s your opinion. You can have it. But a plethora of actual facts discredit it.
well some on here have already given him the gm of the year.
Not even close to the truth. Just because some are sick of the in factual garbage being spewed and counter it with facts does not mean they are giving him GM of the year.
Truth seems to evade many on this site and think opinion and fact are the same thing.
not just the mets. I looked at the standings, and right now, there are IIRC 6 NL teams and 7 Al teams that can be considered in the playoff race (with a few more in that fringe 7ish game range). So not that many that aren’t already in close to miracle comeback territory.
After/during the Omar years teams started to realize that they needed to develop their own talent and only bring a piece if needed and within their budgets.
Yanks and Sox are different but I believe they saw themselves getting old and tried to win in the next couple of years but they also are taking the build from withing approach.
This is the step Mets are taking and since they have been behind all this time it will take time to build farm system but starting with some Omar leftovers and new pick’s by SA and Podesta maybe Mets can start putting together some competitive teams in a few years if not sooner.
Well Sarge you really should throw the Phillies into that list as well…
And when you look the names on that list…
Yankees
RedSox
Phillies
They all seem to be at the top of the list of playoff teams!
I know everyone thinks building from within is the key and it is important to do but it does not work by itself!
And the top teams may have built from within sometime during their past but they didn’t start winning impressively until they went out and bought/traded for the big boys that helped those homegrowns to win!
Solid article. Well thought and well written.
This offseason is going to be a wild one, I’m thinking. Someone mentioned (here on MMO, can’t remember who) that the Mets first round pick is most likely going to be protected, so they shouldn’t have to fear losing that high first round pick. Will be interesting to see how this team changes with the flexibility the team has and the resources no longer locked up in long term deals. Do they dump Pagan, trade Pelf for a CF replacement and sign CJ Wilson or Edwin Jackson? Who knows (and who knows if this team would even want those pitchers…)? But, it is nice to know Alderson has the flexibility to go in the direction he wants. Make a run at Prince? Re-sign Reyes? Try to sign Capps? Again, options.
The unfortunate thing about all these options is that the team needs (SP, whole new BP, SS, OF) are so paltry in this FA class. Reyes is the only true value at SS, there are no real CF options out there, the SP class is just ugly, same for the closers and BP arms. Would have been nice to have this flexibility and have decent options at his fingertips.