10
2012
Mets 2012 Season: Top 10 Disappointments
An article by 
On Monday, me and John Delcos brought you the Top 10 Positives from the Mets 2012 season, and as promised here are our Top 10 Disappointments from the 2012 season in no particular order…
Doing Nothing At Trade Deadline
Kevin Burkhardt said the players looked at the front office’s inaction at the trade deadline as a “kick in the teeth”. The team had begun to slide after losing their closer, their ace and a very effective Dillon Gee as they headed into the break. Up until deadline day, including the day before, Alderson kept telling the media that the Mets were buyers although nothing was done in June or July. On the day of the deadline, Alderson showed up to Citi Field with Jersey Shore’s Snooki. While Snooki took pictures with the players at one end of the dugout before the game, Sandy Alderson was at the other end announcing that the Mets were not buyers because of their poor recent performance. “How can I justify being a buyer in light of how poorly this team is playing?” When reporters quickly caught up with Terry Collins and told him the news, his response was “You’re kidding me right?” – Joe D.
The Poison Bullpen
After spending nearly all of their available resources and making the bullpen their number one priority last Winter, the results are in and the much ballyhooed bullpen overhaul proved to be a colossal failure. The Mets’ pen ranked last in the majors in just about every statistical measure, and their 4.75 ERA was the worst mark in the last two decades for the Mets. The sad part is that the biggest failure, Frank Francisco, will be back at a cost of $6.5 million in 2013. That’s a lot of cash for a team that will only have about $5 million to spend after raises this offseason. – Joe D.
Losing Back-to-Back Series to the Cubs
On June 3, Jon Niese beat the Cardinals to lift the Mets to a season-high eight games over .500. With the Mets playing well and a growing sense of optimism, the Mets couldn’t build on that and at the end of the first half lost consecutive series to the Cubs. To be a contender, a team must beat up on the weak, and that’s the Cubs. Instead of closing the first half on an up note, the Mets lost two of three at home to Chicago in the first-half finale and closed with a sour taste. They would never recover, and lost 11 of 12 coming out of the break and the season was over. – John D.
Excruciating Loss To The Nationals
There was no shortage of disappointing losses this summer, the most gut-wrenching coming July 17 at Washington, 5-4, in 10 innings. Down 2-0 entering the eight, the Mets took the lead on Jordany Valdespin’s three-run pinch homer only to see Bobby Parnell cough up the lead in the bottom of the inning. The Mets regained the lead, 4-3 in the tenth, but Bryce Harper tied it with a triple off Tim Byrdak and scored the game-winning run on Pedro Beato’s wild pitch. Only the Mets. – John D.
The Rotation Disintegrates
The rotation was loaded with questions going into the season, but they quickly lost Mike Pelfrey, who was having a good start reminiscent of how he pitched in 2010. Then Dillon Gee complained of numbness and artery damage was discovered in his shoulder. Finally, Johan Santana went on the DL in July with a sprained ankle, and finally was shut down in late August with a back injury. If not for R.A. Dickey’s remarkable season and Niese taking a step, they would have finished 20-plus games under .500. – John D.
Did They Quit On Terry Collins?
The players denied they quit on manager Terry Collins, but the mere fact he alluded to it gave us that perception. And, perception has a way of becoming reality. There was a disturbing lack of fundamentals in the second half, too many wasted at-bats and absolutely no clutch hitting. The starting pitching, bolstered by innings from Matt Harvey and Chris Young, didn’t pitch poorly, but the bullpen was atrocious. Quit is a strong word, but they couldn’t have played worse if they tried. – John D.
Jason Bay Continues His Slide
In his three seasons with the Mets, Jason Bay has hit 26 homers with 124 RBI. The Mets were hoping he’d average that when they signed him to a four-year, $66-million contract. This year he hit .165 with eight homers, 20 RBI. Miguel Cabrera had months like that this summer. He also contributed a .237 on-base percentage and a .299 slugging percentage. Next season will be Bay’s last with the Mets. Even if he were to have a monster year, the Mets will say good-bye. – John D.
Duda Takes Giant Step Backwards
Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins can continue to rave about Lucas Duda all they want, but the truth is that nobody regressed more in 2012 than Duda. As he enters next season at 27, he has a lot to prove after falling from a slash of .292/.370/.492 in 2011 to a slash of .239/.329/.339 this season. He struck out in more than 25% of his at-bats and as Keith Hernandez pointed out several times in September, Duda had not changed his stance or approach at the plate one bit after he returned from a stint in the minors. But Duda is very cheap and under team control for five more years and the Mets have no other options, so the praise for Duda will continue, but it’s best that you temper your expectations and not buy into the hype. – Joe D.
Outfield Of Screams
Everyone including me loves to rail against the obscene lack of production from the bullpen this season, but leave some of your outrage for the Mets outfield – who accounted for the most woeful production in the majors. Jason Bay (.165 AVG), Andres Torres (.230 AVG) and Lucas Duda (.239 AVG) combined for a .280 On-Base and a .649 OPS. Scott Hairston kept things from being even worse, but with a 2-3 year deal in his future at considerably more money, nobody expects that he will be back. This was one of the worst outfields the Mets have put on the field in over a generation. There’s no help on the way from the minors unless you’re interested in watching some K-New and V-Spin reruns. – Joe D.
Catch The Fever?
Another area of concern is behind the plate where starting catcher Josh Thole was expected to have a breakthrough season after a somewhat sold season in 2011. It never happened and what’s worse, Thole regressed so badly that it may have cost him his job and possibly even a spot on the roster. Mets catchers as a whole ranked in the bottom two in every defensive measure, but hardly made up for it with their bats. Thole batted .234, Mike Nickeas batted .174 until they finally shipped him back to the minors, and newcomer Kelly Shoppach was hardly an improvement batting .203 and striking out in an incredible one-third of his at-bats. – Joe D.
Did we miss anything? I think we pretty much covered the entire gamut.
Sandy Alderson, Paul DePodesta, J.P. Ricciardi and Terry Collins are led by Fred and Jeff Wilpon as they board the Bat Copter, destination unknown.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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Is this the first time a team can have three disappoints directly related to the front office?
Bullpen, outfield and doing nothing. Yes, it’s up to the players to perform on the field but it is also the front office that got them – and didn’t go out after others.
So basically, your top 10 Disappointments of the season all pertain to the FO correct? would that be a fair statement to say???? I mean, i don’t blame you but i don’t get why the need to go over things in a whole article when you could’ve just said SANDY ALDERSON AND CO SUCK!!!!..
I am sure would’ve saved you at least 20 minutes of your time
Maybe we can pass the hat and get Alex a seat at a reading comprehension class.
The biggest disappointment in the 2012 season for me was that Snooki got her picture taken with David Wright before I did.
Jessica,
At last year’s home opener, Snookie was sitting one section away from me in the Champions Club seats. Plenty of photographers for the publicity and she stood for a while with fans to have their shots taken with her.
Nothing against Snooki, I’m glad she acknowledges her fans, I’m just jealous of anyone who has met David Wright…because I haven’t. And that’s the biggest disappointment of 2012.
Jessica, i met david, he seems a bit shorter in person.. great guy, very humble and seem as a legit person. However, His good looking and good charms got no bearing on the baseball game. You can be good looking and all that, but missing the killer instinct as a player others have.. That is why he’s known as a choke artist..
Hi Jessica,
Embarrased to say this but until that time, my wife and I hadn’t even heard of Snookie – but we got caught up on her quite fast after that!
in that Nats game, parnell did not cough it up. The defense did (Valdespin particularly).
the team did add pitching in July. A lefty that was one of their best RPs down the stretch, and arguably thier best (or close 2nd to Dickey) SP.
Joe,
I think an honorable mention of disappointments has to go to Ike Davis. He hit a buck nothing in the first half of the year and only began hitting after the Mets were out of it.
His .308 On base % along with 141 k’s created a huge hole in the middle of the line-up.
Add that to him batting .228 in September – all proves the only thing consistent with Ike is his inconsistencies.
Takes a bit of the shine off 32 dingers and 90 rbi.
1 – the lack of accountability in the front office…
(a) the fact that they continue to play Jason Bay despite his sub .200 average is a DIRECT reflection of the front office…
(b) the fact that they have announced that everyone on the staff is returning next year….even before they can find out who is available this winter….If Dave Duncan were to become available…well we have ALREADY made up our minds about Dan Warthen…
(c) the fact that Sandy Alderson has already begun to lie about the 2013 payroll numbers. Despite the fact that Johan Santana has 5 million deferred…and 5 mil in a buyout that can be avoided if he is traded…ditto Jason Bay….Sandy has already allocated 50 million dollars to the effective 2013 roster…even though only 37 mil will really be the only amount that Johan and Jason will be paid from Feb-October…5 mil = deferred and 8.5 mil “can” be paid in 2014…if at all…if those guys are traded…its possible we dont even pay that 8.5 buyout..( ala K-Rod..who came off the books in 2011 and was magically allocated for in 2012 )
(d) The fact that the Mets spin cycle has continued to trash everyone not named David Wright…Ike Davis goes to the movies and eats popcorn with his left hand ( an unnamed source ) …Ruben Tejada dives into empty swimming pools ( metsblog ) …Jordany Valdespin aka Thug-Money aka I’m the Man is a overconfident arrogant free-swinger who thanks his mother after every late-inning HR he hit this year ( keith/cerrone ) …RA Dickey is an old ingrate who should be thankful the mets took a chance on him and should stop complaining about his 2013 option ( bobby o ) …im sure there were more…but i stopped watching the games a long time ago
Short of trading David Wright for both the haul he’d net and the salary flexibility it would deliver, you’re probably looking at a 2013 team remarkably similar to the 2012 team given Alderson’s predilections both for doing nothing and lying to cover for his bosses. Yes, I’d rather have Wright on my team than not, but if half a season of Beltran was worth Zack Wheeler than a full season of a younger and healthier Wright should be worth two or more Wheelers. In addition, you’d gain $16 million to spend to solve other problems and not saddle the team with a $100-$120 million albatross for the next 6-7 years. Trading Dickey wouldn’t bring back quite as much due to his age and the fact a lot of people would write of 2012 as a fluke. Plus, an Ollie-type contract or maybe 2 years plus a third year option (plus the 2013 option invoked) would be more palatable for this cash-strapped organization.
Don’t be surprised to see Murphy and Davis moved a’la the Marlins and A’s and the old Expos who only keep the players they develop until they start to move into their first big payday. What they’ll want in return is someone’s top AAA prospect who will play for minimum wage.
I miss Angel Pagan and Carlos Beltran. It’s sucks watching them in all the playoffs highlights tonight again and again and again.
Hi Liz,
That’s what happens when one gets rid of good players and doesn’t replace them, etc.
As R.A. Dickey said, a team can both rebuiid and be competitive at the same time. Betran and Pagan would slowly give way to the youth which is the way competitive teams do it. And with Reyes, well we did have Tejada in the background but instead of using the money not being paid to Jose on others it went off to lessen the debt.
And as that Sports Illustrated article posted last week said, the Mets can’t expect to be competitive with the Wilpons as owners over the next few years. Probably under Sandy the Wilpons did the math and figured a competitive team would not bring in enough revenue to offset the extra spending since in order to get fans into the seats they had to drastically lower ticket prices which is a revenue loss to begin with.
So lets look at this. Basically Krod, Beltran and Reyes were worth 3 wins. So one win each. Oh well. When you are hurting for money and you can shed about 50M of salary in 3 players and only lose 3 more games from a team that was going no where anyway? As owners why wouldn’t you?
Wait…Beltran hit over 32 HR…and had good defense in RF….
Put Lucas Duda in LF….where his lack of range hurts u a bit less. ( Duda was ranked the WORST RF in all of MLB ) …and he still has his 2011 mentor to guide him through his slumps ( beltran )
Put Pagan…who also was mentored by Beltran…back in CF…he goes back to his 2010 self…as he did this year….
and as for Reyes…put him at SS…Tejada at 2B…and our infield defense improves exponentially…Murphy was ranked the 2nd worst 2B in baseball…
ur gonna tell me that our OF ( which was ranked one of the worst in baseball ) and IF would not have been better?
our offense would not have been better?
You are missing the point. Fact is all three of those guys are gone and we lost 3 more games. Even with those 3 here we still don’t make the playoffs.
Hi TR,
The point I was making was getting rid of good players and not replacing them or adding to them. If all three were here and we got some additional support, no doubt the Mets would have been way more than just three wins better.
As it was, if the Wilpons were not going to add anything, then having these three would have kept us competitive but nothing else – and then the team would have still felt like they were kicked in the teeth nevertheless.
The front office is thinking it terms of cost control so they couldn’t go for it even though they might have wanted to. I think the Wilpons would have wanted to and Sandy said that’s no way to pay off debt.
” no doubt the Mets would have been way more than just three wins better.”
Why? It isn’t like they were last year. They were mediocre then to. So the broke Mets decided they could be mediocre and save 50M when they were at the time facing possibly having to sell the team.
They traded Beltran off in July…which led to playing Bay alot more…
they also did not have Ike the whole year…and David sucked gorilla donkey d*ck almost all year…
2011 was totally different than 2012…
we had absolutely NO OF this year…tejada hurt = no ss half the year….
But with this group there have been excuses and mediocre play since the middle of 2008.
So you are saying 40 more home runs, 180 more RBIs, and 35 more SB’s would have made no difference and given us no better chance at a wild card? Now I know you have an agenda. Only a fool would say Pagan and Beltran over Torres and Duda would not have made a difference. Go tell that to the Giants and Cardinals.
Hi Maniac,
Those guys, with some better bullpen could very well indeed have provided us maybe 15 wins or so.
Though we were all counting on Duda to give us a good performance this year, had Beltran and Pagan stayed on, it would have still been Bay in left and we would have then thought of Duda in terms of bench strength and spelling both Bay and Beltran. As the season went on and Bay didn’t due to bat and injuries, we would have still had an option of a lefty/righty platoon in left between Duda and Hairston. If we had wanted to re-sign Jose and sought to do so and it worked out – would one not feel comfortable with something like this lineup going into the second half:
Reyes
Pagan
Wright
Beltran
Davis
Hairston/Duda
Murphy
Thole or whoever?
A bench including:
Tejada
Turner
Bay
Hairston or Duda
Valdespin
Cedeno
Shoppach (eventually)
And that better bullpen?
No matter how one looks we were screwed because there was no money to spend and re-building was the spin to cover that up.
#1 should have been when Fred Wilpon showed up at spring training camp with “Underdog” tea-shirts for his players. That send the message of what kind of team he thought he had.
It was Jeff Wilpon, but yeah, and your Tea Party allegiance is showing. lol